Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Community Outreach - LQ Police




This past Thursday evening, some of La Quinta’s finest hosted a seminar on crime prevention. In fact, we were informed that we not only have a Crime Prevention Team but they are strictly charged with this area of concern unless a special situation should arise requiring their assistance in a backup roll. This is a nice change from tougher times in the past where this manpower was not available for the specified area of concern.

This team is comprised of Officer Aceves and Munoz who head up the Team which includes Special Enforcement Officers Ramirez and Martinez (Cove) plus Officer Lindewall (No.LQ) and Officer Worden (Central LQ).
Officer Aceves opened the meeting by sharing some videos followed by the Special Enforcement Officers sharing some great tips for keeping ourselves, our property and that of our neighbors as safe as possible. The Officers also answered specific questions for some residents in attendance; in addition, a number of residents shared some good thoughts of their own
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Besides the City’s presence on NextDoor, we learned that the Department has a Facebook Account:  https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=la%20quinta%20ca%20police%20department ; and they have a great web page to obtain information, report suspicious activity and/or crimes:  http://www.laquintapolice.org/Crime-Prevention From this page that teems with information, you can reach other pages so spend a few minutes one day and familiarize yourself. In addition, take a moment to make a note of the Non-emergency number. Obviously, you are able to determine what an emergency is for calling 911 but reporting a suspicious character or situation should be done via the non-emergency number. Office Aceves also pointed out that we can check crime reported in the recent but not immediate past by the following web page:   https://www.crimereports.com/
 
A real tangible item of importance that comes to memory is the importance of writing down facts or taking photos, when possible, prior to calling in or texting about the  suspicious activity to give the officers some help in performing their duties such as:  what you saw, how many people you saw, what were they wearing; what were they carrying; what direction did they go in; were there any cars involved, how many cars, what color/make/model  and , of course, anything else you can remember …

It is apparent that this team is working diligently to protect us and our property. We can assist them and help ourselves by being aware, especially in the absence of a true Neighborhood Watch which are difficult to start and maintain in our areas where more snowbirds and second homeowners reside. Many people are just too busy to get involved … the answer is let NextDoor be your Neighborhood Watch and contribute by: letting you neighbor know they left the garage door open, checking out what the dog is barking at (they don’t bark just to bark), checking out that strange car parked outside, checking out the stranger walking the neighborhood after being dropped off …

Take a moment and be thankful for the Special Enforcement Team that advised us to be diligent, keep our eyes open and don’t be afraid to call the non-emergency number 760-836-3215 Ext #5 or go online to report the aforementioned areas of concern along with all other oddities that may arise. Finally, remember that the Team offered to set an appointment to check your home’s safety features and discuss/recommend alterations to make you more safe. You can call Office Munoz direct at (760) 863-8990.

Be safe in the New Year !!!

Thursday, November 17, 2016

RisMedia speaks on rising Mortgage rates ...

A rise in the key interest rate could come “relatively soon,” Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen reiterated on Thursday, heightening the probability the Fed will forge ahead with a hike in December, despite initial doubts in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential victory. Mortgage rates, which generally follow the key rate, shot up this week, with the 30-year fixed rate mortgage topping out at an average 3.94 percent from 3.57 percent the week prior.
“This week, the verdict is in—over the last two weeks, the 30-year mortgage rate jumped 40 basis points to 3.94 percent, almost identical to the 39 basis point increase in the 10-year Treasury yield,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “If rates stick at these levels, expect a final burst of home sales and refinances as ‘fence sitters’ try to beat further increases, then a marked slowdown in housing activity.”

Yellen’s position—which comes as the dust settles after one of the most contentious elections in history—reinforces the sentiments of Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Patrick Harker and Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard, who both voiced support for future hikes this week.
Yellen also echoed the Fed’s intent to only gradually raise the key rate. The Fed last raised the rate in December 2015.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

2016 Daylight Savings ends

Before retiring Saturday night you'd be well served to adjust all your clocks, watches, microwaves, ovens, VCR's and anything else with an ability to tell you what time it is or function on a schedule you have determined ... You will probably hear this twenty times on the news, radio etc ... and at the same time consider changing the batteries in all the clocks, remotes, garage door openers, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors (these last two you might consider changing to the new 10 year sealed battery model) adjust the timers for your landscape lighting and whatever else comes to mind; and while you are at it, your landscape watering doesn't need to activate numerous times per day. That is only necessary when you re-seed. A good deep watering once a day in the morning is all that's necessary and will make your lawn more drought resistant. CVWD has a lot of tips for the proper amounts of run times for your sprinklers throughout the year. Anymore than that is wasted running down the street, evaporating or just getting the sidewalks wet. As always - Keep the faith!

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Nice article from City of La Quinta today ...

Nice article from City of La Quinta today ...

Flood Preparedness

Marketing & Events Supervisor Marcie Graham from City of La Quinta · 1h ago
Being Prepared For Season

The seasons are changing and we must make sure we are prepared for rain and other weather elements in La Quinta. Even though our winter is very different from other winters around the nation, it is important to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure our property is not affected by potential rainstorms. Here are a few tips to making sure you are doing what you can to keep your area safe:

Preventive Care

Clean gutters and water drains.
Fix any roof tiles or shingles that are abnormal.
Clear any over-reaching tree limbs that can fall and damage your home.
Be informed about your risk – find out if you live in a flood zone (click here). If you do, consider flood insurance.
Have a plan – discuss family meeting places and out-of-state contacts for emergencies.
Make a kit – put together enough water and food for at least three days. Include medications, a flashlight, battery-operated radio, and spare batteries.
Get involved – the City holds Community Emergency Response Team trainings. Participants learn basic disaster response skills. For more information, contact Jaime Torres, Management Assistant, at jtorres@la-quinta.org or 760-777-7014.

SANDBAG INFORMATION

Sandbags are available for La Quinta residents at the locations listed below, during business hours. Residents will be provided with ten (10) empty sandbags. Please note that sandbags are empty and must be self filled.

La Quinta City Hall: 78495 Calle Tampico. Monday - Thursday from 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. City Hall is closed on weekends.

La Quinta City Yard: 78109 Avenue 52. Monday - Friday from 6 a.m. - 2 p.m. Closed on Weekends.

Fire Station 32: 78111 Avenue 52. Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed on Weekends.

Fire Station 70: 54001 Madison Street. Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed on Weekends.

Fire Station 93: 44555 Adams Street. Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed on Weekends.

SAND FILL LOCATIONS

La Quinta City's Public Works Yard: 78109 Avenue 52. Monday - Friday from 6 a.m. - 2 p.m. Closed on weekends.

Fire Station 93: 44555 Adams Street. Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed on weekends.

For more tips or additional information, contact Jaime Torres at jtorres@la-quinta.org or 760-777-7014.

Monday, July 11, 2016

Letter from City of La Quinta

The City of La Quinta recently sent all Property Owners/Residents a letter. Come to think of it, they may have mailed to all property addresses so a tenant may receive a letter that an Owner/Landlord is not aware of.

The letter is an advance notification of Neighborhood Survey of Code Violations. The letter intimates that they've used numerous means to gather information and it's apparent there are many Code Violations throughout the City resulting in their need to commence identifying and addressing all code violations. One would assume the information is from the violations called in, surveys received, etc. including but not limited to personal observations of employees. This mass effort would seem extraordinary if we did not know how funding and employee numbers have been reduced over the years. In better times, there were more employees to handle these issues without a massive effort, that I remember anyway.

You might think that they should be doing something else with their time however there are many problems this will address. Staying on the positive, you should expect to see and hear less and less of vermin problems, insect/bee/wasp problems, stored materials which may hold water leading to mosquito problems (Zika issues), or stored materials which may hide a burglar snooping about and it  certainly should clean up the frontage of certain homes and ultimately providing us a higher quality of life to enjoy our ownership/residency which leads to property appreciation.

The clock is ticking so if you think you may have an issue call and ask (760) 777-7000. If the city gets involved with notices, citations and corrections it can only mean a more expensive scenario for you.



Sunday, July 10, 2016

Attempted Burglary

Recently one of our neighbors had their doorbell rung at 3:00 in the morning. She turned all her lights on and yelled at them through the door. Peeking out the window disclosed no one so it is apparent that someone has developed a new process ... waiting for someone to "not answer or respond" then expecting that it's a snowbird's home or maybe someone on vacation. This is a real good reminder to remain alert, take some time to consider what you would do if this happened to you and re-consider how your security is serving you.  Think about keeping your car keys next to your bed ... you can always push the button and get the alarm going. Much better to apologize to the neighbors the next morning when you and your property are safe.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Desert Pride Story

To all Desert Pride residents including current members of North La Quinta Next Door Neighbor residing in Desert Pride,

So where do you live? Desert Pride ... Where's that? ...

Desert Pride is defined as the property bordered by Adams to the East, Miles to the North, the dog parks, etc. to the West and the Wash to the South. With no signage on any of the three entrances, one on Miles and two on Adams, it suffers an identity crisis. Of the 25 defined developments involving Real Estate ownership in North La Quinta, Desert Pride is one. It is also the largest un-gated development ... 

The original Builder was Spanos Development and after a bit gave way to Inco homes. Inco built approximately 1/3 of the the development. Inco was the one who brought forth the "Desert Pride' name on their Homeowners manuals and related paperwork. 'Century Homes' completed construction which constituted approximately 60% of the homes (They also built the 'Marbella' development right across Adams which they started first). Many early Desert Pride owners became accustomed to the name 'Marbella II' because that was showing on the CCR's  they all signed as potential purchasers. Since no one developer completed the entire build out, no official name was assigned to the development and no signs placed at the entrances..

Desert Pride started out being known as and is still referenced at City Hall as 'Reunion' as we saw in the Maintenance Assessment proposals that have thankfully been tabled by the City. The Police Department calls it 4OC1 or 'Four Oh Charlie One'. Owners of Century built homes call it Marbella II. Real Estate Agents picked up 'Desert Pride' as the development started to get off the ground and that is what has carried on in the community, including official designation as such in the local Multiple Listing Service; again, most City of La Quinta residents have no idea of what it is called since there is no signage ...

A number of years ago several people met to discuss and implement a Neighborhood Watch. This was productive as several meetings occurred in our park with City of La Quinta officials and Police representatives. Our identity started to come forth. New Neighborhood Watch signs were installed by the City at each of the entrances however the expense was picked up by the Neighborhood Watch. We then encountered a setback in the Real Estate market wherein there was no significant activity and growth in the Neighborhood watch effort stagnated. In the recent come back period, Neighborhood Watch was able to entice the city to place Speed Limit Legends on numerous streets (an effort commenced in 2013). Conversations with the City of La Quinta and Neighborhood Watch have ensued to get a new slurry on our streets, of course, with the speed limit legends being added back on. We've found these legends to be helpful however it is an ongoing process to educate residents of the safety benefits and other important topics ...

There have been a few attempts to publicize Next Door Neighbor. Many of our fellow residents have checked it out and signed up. We have seen a good percentage of our residents join Next Door Neighbor, in fact, 20% of the active members in North La Quinta and anticipate may more in the near future. Admittedly, this is a better response than Neighborhood Watch had ever received to date. Finally, the background is established and we are getting of the gist of this writing ... It's all about Desert Pride.

Of the 25 developments in North La Quinta only Esplanade (the largest gated development) has it's own Next Door Neighborhood set up. They can correspond solely with not only the residents of their community but also with everyone in the surrounding neighborhoods they choose to. The balance of the developments are lumped into one large Neighborhood called North La Quinta. This was at a decision of one person in the community who is known as the Founding Member. This person made the decision for us all because that's the way the website works and being based in San Mateo, CA they have no idea how our neighborhoods work as opposed to those urbans areas.   The issue with the Founding Member making that choice was and is not aware of the identity problem we here in Desert Pride are burdened with. It would be optimal to be able to disseminate Desert Pride information (such as speed limit legends, etc.) solely to our development to increase the benefit of ownership and further to advise of garage sales, warn of car break-ins, burglaries, plus take further steps to establish our identity and we can do this without losing the posted information by other local neighbors that we see each day. This won't change ...

It would seem that if we can secede from North La Quinta and establish our own "Desert Pride" Next Door Neighborhood, we can do a much better job of information sharing in the development for Neighborhood Watch issues (All of which has been and continues to be at no obligation to any individual Owners). We can take a better role in improving the quality of life in Desert Pride and increase property values. We can take a more active role in establishing our identity which can also lead to better property values. We can continue to take advantage of all the information that is currently shared; and when we choose to keep things within the confines of our development it's a snap. Residents may reply here or if you are already a member of Next Door Neighbor, please respond to the Private Message you received and share your thoughts. It would be nice to have a record of this right within Next Door Neighbor for the Website's review if they like  ...