By Julia KOHUT

On July 13, residents gathered at a nearby residence for a neighborhood watch meeting. The meeting was held in La Crescenta at the home of Kim and Paul Mattersteig – the first in-person meeting held since the onset of the pandemic. In addition to nearby neighbors, representatives attended from both the fire department and the LASD-CV Station.

A major topic of discussion was fire in the area. Fire has long been an issue in the foothills, and several of the residents reported having to evacuate their homes in the past. In response, the fire department reviewed several safety procedures and precautions and provided advice on what to do if this situation occurred again. One such preventive measure is for residents to harden their home – preparing a home for wildfire and an ember storm –and updating their roof and vents to better protect their house against fire. Fire reps will also be handing out free NOAA weather radios on Aug. 9 at the La Crescenta Library. The radios will alert homeowners in case of emergency. Anyone interested can fill out the form beforehand found at bit.ly/LACORadio3.

Sheriff Robert Hahnlein, the captain of the Crescenta Valley Station, also spoke on public safety. To avoid burglary – both home and auto – he advised residents to keep their houses well lit and all windows and doors clear of vegetation and visible. Residents were also advised to keep valuables out of sight in their vehicle; even something as small as a few coins in a car’s cup holder have been enough to lead to broken windows. Recently, he said, there have been a growing number of Toyota Priuses stolen, as well as catalytic converters. Hahnlein said he is working with the county to get Flock cameras installed near Foothill Boulevard and La Crescenta Avenue, which will help in locating stolen vehicles and keep track of them until law enforcement arrives.

Volunteer Nisan Kazman (who wrote an article about volunteering in law enforcment that was published in the July 14 issue of the CV Weekly) was also present, and talked about the things he and others help with at the station to ensure the deputies are able to focus on their jobs.

Nora Simonian, who recently moved to the area from Greece, was interested in volunteering. “I just want to help in any way,” she said.

Though Kim and Paul Mattersteig have run their local neighborhood watch for years last Wednesday was the first time they were able to have a meeting since the onset of COVID.

“We care about all of you,” Kim said to the group. “We can’t just care about ourselves in this community. We have to look out for each other.”