“Located near Reynier Village (Venice and Cattaraugus), Voltec will bring the new battery to you and install it, for no extra charge.  My car battery died on Saturday afternoon (Christmas Eve day).  I called Voltec at 8:30 Monday morning, and by 9:30 am, I had a brand new car battery installed and working, all for $91.32, total.   Sweet.  Pleasant, prompt, and professional with great prices, too. 

“Ask Joe for the 5% discount for Reynier Village Home and Garden Blog readers.”

-  -  Recommended by Carol Fuchs, a Reynier Village resident

This  is for all South Robertson residents to give us their personal recommendations of businesses or products they have already used.

When you find an awesome local business, a good tradesperson (painter, electrician, etc.) or just something cool you’d like to share with your neighbors (a garden product or even a delicious recipe),  please email us at Reynier Village and we may post it.

If you are a SORO business owner, please consider joining the SORONC card program  to become a preferred merchant and  get on the SORO Neighborhood Council business directory. SORO residents can get a free SOROCard to get great discounts on goods and services from participating merchants.

We look forward to hearing about your personal experience with a local business or product. Whatever discovery you might blurt out to your neighbor or friend,  we’d love to hear about it too!

Expo map

Earlier this year the MTA had announced a November 15, 2011 “target date” for the Expo Line opening of the La Cienega/Jefferson station.  Now that deadline has been pushed forward several months with no “official date” announced.  Today’s LA Times article.
For us residents of Reynier Village the completion of the Expo Line Phase 1, all the way to the Culver City Station at Robertson and Venice, will be the most useful, allowing us to travel to downtown quickly.  Then the construction of Expo Phase 2, taking us to Downtown Santa Monica, which started in September 2011 and is scheduled to be completed in early 2015, will be quite a dream.  Let’s hope it will happen before we all get too old.
For more info keep checking metro.net and buildexpo.org

Happy Holidays!

-EL-

Partial view of South Robertson area

Journalist Peter Lovenheim (of Rochester, NY) realized how little he actually knew of his neighbors or his neighborhood. This inspired him to write a book,  In the Neighborhood: the Search For Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time.

After watching his fascinating 30 minute lecture discussing ‘what makes a good neighbor’ on the Zócalo Public Square website,  I realized how lucky we are to live in Reynier Village and in the South Robertson Neighborhoods Council area of Los Angeles.

Our community works together to help each other and to  help beautify the neighborhood.  We spend time gardening together at Hamilton High School or attend neighborhood land use or public safety meetings at the local Robertson Recreation Center.   We have monthly meetings and an Annual SoRo Street Festival on Robertson Boulevard.

But how well do we actually know the residents on the block where we live?  Do we know what makes a good neighbor?  Can we do better to help each other or just try to introduce ourselves?   Should our community have more social events such as women’s night out or guy’s night out where we meet at a local restaurant once a month to chat?  Should we invite our neighbors over for some homemade soup once in a while? Do all our meetings together have to try to solve neighborhood issues?   Comments are welcome!

   – - DM

Water gushes from a gutter downspout, flooding a tangerine tree

Our first big winter storm arrived today, flooding yards and streets.

  – - DM

We attended the Reynier Village solar workshop organized by Open Neighborhoods at PermaCity, and gathered lots useful info that we want to share.
It’s never been as affordable as now to install solar panels on your home.
You get rebates from DWP that favor early adopters, currently $ 2.20 per watt, plus a 30% direct write-off on your taxes.

Permacity is offering a 33% group discount (which simply means 3 homes within 1 square mile), and that brings your cost down to $4.40 per watt, before the rebates.  Final cost $ 1.60 per watt, or about $ 9,600 and up for a 6 KiloWatt system, sufficient for a small 1,500 square feet home.
Check out their website for more info or email Herb Mendelsohn.
You should talk to your neighbors about doing the installation at the same time, then email us to tell us you are going ahead.
If you want NO upfront costs, you can lease your solar system and pay about half of your current monthly electric bill to Sun Power for 20 years.
If you’d like to attend another group workshop, register on the Open Neighborhood website

If you’re ready to get a free solar assessment about the costs and timing of installation on your home, call: 310-893 3100.

It makes economic sense to go solar at this time, you will save on your utility bill, and to switch to a clean and renewable energy source will also help reduce the use of dirty coal-generated electricity in our city.
-EL-

pupusas

We all know by now that locally grown fruits and vegetables are better for our health (more nutritious) and for the environment (less pollution).
So why don’t we make it a weekly ritual to visit the Farmers Market at 1801 S. La Cienega Blvd?
It’s very close to Reynier Village and easily reachable by walking or bicycling.
It takes place every Thursday afternoon from 2 to 7 pm.
You can buy organic or pesticide-free produce to prepare healthy meals.
You can buy cut flowers, also plants for your garden (from Ramos Nursery).
You can take home delicious meals, such as Salvadoran pupusas and Hawaiian BBQ chicken.

For more info check out their website
www.lacienegafarmersmarket.com

-EL-

organic vegetables

Old tank water heater, leaking and rusty

What is a tankless  water heater?
Traditional storage tank water heaters are always “on”,  and this means heating and reheating the  tank of water even if you aren’t using it.  Tankless types only heat the water when you turn on the  hot water faucet.  The water will heat up to the temperature that is set and remains that temperature until you turn off the faucet.  NR50′s default  is set to 120 degrees.  With tankless, you never run out of hot water.  You get a  continuous supply until you turn off the faucet.

New Noritz NR50-OD tankless water heater

The Noritz NR 50-OD (outdoor) water heater is made in Japan with a durable steel casing  and polyester coating. It has a limited 12- year heat exchanger warranty; a limited 5- year parts warranty,  and a limited 1- year labor warranty. Because it only requires  a 1/2″ gas line,  you don’t need to have your plumber install an expensive 3/4″ gas line to the unit.

These compact heaters (13.8″ wide x 20.5″ high x 6.7″ deep) heat up to 5 gallons per minute and have an electronic ignition (so you need to have an  electrical outlet nearby).  The outdoor model (shown above) doesn’t need venting!

Get money back!
The Noritz NR 50 is eligible for a $150 mfgr. rebate and a federal tax credit of  up to $300 for year 2011.

Wendy Waterless, she's "always hot"

Contact Noritz for rebate information at 866-766-7489.  For a 2011 federal tax credit,  go to ahrinet.org/2011+federal+energy+efficiency+tax+credits

Hire an experienced plumber!
Ray from R&M Plumbing has installed over 20 tankless units (as of the date of this post),  and all but the Noritz NR50 required running 3/4″ gas lines,  and it pushed up the price.  In addition, the base price of the 3/4″ units are more than the  NR50.    Ray was thrilled to install the above tankless heater for a Reynier Village homeowner .   It cut installation time way down,  and he hopes to install many more for Reynier Village, SORO,  and other West L.A homeowners.

Give Ray a call to see if a tankless water heater is right for your home.
R&M Plumbing
Tel. 310-475-5757
Calif.  Contractors License  C36-735022

Tankless vs tank storage ~ which would you rather have?

- -  DM

Citrus Jicama Salad from Chichenitza

With our new Food & Dining category we invite you to comment and share your:
-  family recipes, bbq marinades, backyard picnic ideas
-  delicious finds at Trader Joe’s, Glatt’s, Elat or other local markets
-  favorite vendor at a local farmers market
-  methods for canning or drying fruits from your garden
-  hot local restaurants . . .

. . .   and much more!    Please join in and let’s talk food!

                           – - DM