Sherman Oaks, California used to be the crown jewel of the San Fernando Valley, with its combination of unique restaurants, shops, and sweetly-appointed residences. With homes upwards of two million dollars in value (most south of Ventura Boulevard), it was a nice combination of tony, yet welcoming, and you could find a reasonable rental even among the big-ticket homes. I lived in the area for several years, and enjoyed the small-town, neighborly feel, with its convenience of everything within walking distance, safety, and community events.
Sadly, that no longer exists.
Thanks to all the homeless encampments and homeless persons attacking residents and business owners, you don’t want to walk down the street, let alone frequent any of the businesses. A stroll down Ventura Boulevard means you are stepping over feces and sleeping and/or wasted humans; and you’d better hope that one of them doesn’t attack out of the blue with a machete.
Ultimately, as Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva warned, it comes down to quality of life, and this homelessness crisis has destroyed everyone’s quality of life: the housed, the unhoused, and the citizens who are trying to run their businesses and pay the taxes which support do-nothing politicians like City Councilwoman Nithya Raman.
From The New York Post:
A Los Angeles homeless man has been captured on video hurling his own feces at a business owner, who blasted city officials for “not caring” about the growing transient crisis.
Paul Scrivano, owner of the Blue Dog Beer Tavern near Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, shared footage of the pantsless man throwing a bag of waste on the hood of his car.
“Every day, it’s like ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,'” Scrivano told FOX11 on Tuesday of the unhoused individuals who frequent the area around his tavern.
“Literally a psych ward.”
Scrivano said one man in particular openly defecates on Ventura Boulevard.
“Every single morning, I’m wiping that off my property before I have to do business,” Scrivano said.
It’s not just Scrivano’s own business.
Attorney Larry Spade, chair of the Homelessness Committee for the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, said business owners have a right to be frustrated.
“Many business owners are at their wits’ end, they’re not getting the responsiveness that they need and that they deserve,” he explained.
“Individual homeless people will camp out in front of a store, make it their home, bring their possessions, use it as a bedroom. In the morning, when the business owners come to open up, they have to try to deal with a homeless person literally blocking the entrance to their business and then, they have to deal with cleaning up hazardous waste right in front of their business, right in Sherman Oaks, right on Ventura Boulevard.”
Scrivano sent photo and video proof of this indecent and illegal behavior to Nithya Raman, who is the Los Angeles District 4 City Councilwoman where Scrivano’s business is located. Scrivano is practically begging her to do something about this untenable situation.
With Scrivano’s permission, colleague Bob Hoge supplied the images, along with the email exchanges between Scrivano and Councilwoman Raman’s office.
Part 1-Email from Paul Scrivano to Nithya Raman re Emergency Criminal Homeless situation in Sherman Oaks (Credit: Paul Scrivano, Owner of Blue Dog Beer Tavern)Part 2-Email from Paul Scrivano to Nithya Raman re Emergency Criminal Homeless situation in Sherman Oaks (Credit: Paul Scrivano, Owner of Blue Dog Beer Tavern)Part 3-Email from Paul Scrivano to Nithya Raman re Emergency Criminal Homeless situation in Sherman Oaks (Credit: Paul Scrivano, Owner of Blue Dog Beer Tavern)Part 4-Email from Paul Scrivano to Nithya Raman re Emergency Criminal Homeless situation in Sherman Oaks (Credit: Paul Scrivano, Owner of Blue Dog Beer Tavern)
The response from the councilwoman’s office is nothing short of tone deaf, not to mention dismissive, as The N.Y. Post further reported:
Scrivano, for his part, has repeatedly sent videos of unhoused people making threats and relieving themselves on Ventura Boulevard to the office of Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who represents Sherman Oaks.
But Raman’s office responded by telling him to stop sending graphic material.
Here is that email response from L.A. City. Raman’s staff told Scrivano that he was “crossing a boundary” by sending this material.
Lots of boundaries being crossed here, but not by Paul Scrivano.
Email from LA City re Scrivano’s Emergency Criminal Homeless situation in Sherman Oaks (Credit: Paul Scrivano, Owner of Blue Dog Beer Tavern)
In future, we request that you do not send these types of photos to our staff as we will not be able to respond if they contain inappropriate content, such as a person indecently exposed. While it is not right that you and your customers were confronted with this – it is also crossing a boundary to send these photos to our staff unsolicited.
Excuse me?! So, where, exactly, should Scrivano send his concerns for the vagrancy and public nuisance that is driving away his customers and destroying his business?
Here are a few of the photos that Raman’s office deemed, “Crossing a boundary.”
Pictures of Homeless and Filth Left in front of Blue Dog Beer Tavern (Credit: Paul Scrivano)
Nithya Raman is basically L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti in a dress. A Democratic socialist (big surprise), and full-on poser, she received glowing puff pieces like this one in Vogue magazine during her City Council campaign, trumpeting her Masters in Urban Planning from MIT, and her work on large-scale homelessness issues in India.
Did you know she is the first female, Asian city council member to hold the District 4 seat in the City of Los Angeles?
The Vice President is also one of those “firsts.” That gives you a perfect idea of what these business owners have to contend with.
Raman even resides in the upscale urban community of Silver Lake, where Garcetti also domiciles.
Birds of a feather.
Unfortunately for the people of District 4, they elected this train wreck, who is now actively turning Sherman Oaks into Calcutta.
While Hollywood was already well on its way to looking like Mumbai, Raman has contributed to its transformation as well; and not in a good way. Back in May, Hollywood residents complained bitterly to ABC 7 News that Raman was doing nothing about a homeless encampment on the once iconic Sunset Boulevard.
The encampment is located at 7323 Sunset Blvd. and surrounds an AT&T building. It’s located in L.A. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman’s district. Raman toured the encampment one year ago, joined by residents, including Terry S.
“She promised. She said that she would be adamantly enforcing ADA compliance. That she’s looking into setting up a safe camping location for the campers. Never happened,” Terry S. said.
“In August, 41.18, an ordinance, passed and we were very hopeful because finally we thought that they would have some tools at their disposal,” Lawrence S. said. “But the city councilwoman is only enforcing a part of that ordinance, which is the Care Plus Cleanup program. However, she’s only doing it when she feels like enforcing it, which is three times in 17 months.”
The encampment was cleaned on Thursday, but residents told Eyewitness News every time the encampment is cleaned, the unhoused return in the next 24 to 48 hours, which is what happened Friday. Residents say allowing the tents to return isn’t humane.
“It used to be a wonderful place, and now it’s a garbage heap. I mean, I think that the homeless look at the cleanup as though it’s their personal maid service,” Sally C. said.
Not only does Raman not care, but as Councilwoman, she promoted defunding the police, and remains anti-law enforcement, as this ringing endorsement for voting out Sheriff Alex Villanueva, and protecting corruptocrat L.A. Board of Supervisor Sheila Kuehl reflects.
On Wednesday afternoon, Scrivano spoke with local KFI 640 radio hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampo about his, and other business owners’ plight, as well as Raman’s vacuous and inept response. When John & Ken asked Scrivano if Raman could be recalled or voted out, Scrivano was blunt.
“She’s a true believer. They will never vote her out. She’s going to become governor one day.”
Says it all. Incompetent stooges like Raman get to pretend to serve the homeless and build their political resume, while killing small business and the quality of life of taxpaying citizens.
Business as usual in the City of Angels.