Odds & Ends Around the Valley
Jet-Set Flowers
From the fields of Holland to a warehouse in Van Nuys in fewer than 72 hours--fresh flowers are rushed to the Mid-Valley Flower Exchange.
Most of the wholesale florist’s blossoms are shipped downtown to Wall Street or to the airport, said owner Ralph Stokes. “We have a guy who goes to the airport at 5 a.m. to pick them up, and we have another guy who goes downtown from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. to buy.”
It’s a veritable United Nations within the Van Nuys warehouse. Orchids--mainly dendrobiums and oncidiums--come from Thailand. Liatrises, anemones and gerberas arrive from Israel. Tuberoses, calla lilies and agapanthuses are from the fields of Mexico, while roses and carnations are flown in from Colombia.
What about that quintessential exporter, Japan? “Nope. Japan is a big importer of California flowers,” Stokes said.
Proteas and anthuriums are shipped in from Hawaii, and local growers from Oxnard and San Diego are also heavily represented.
The warehouse, at 7625 Hayvenhurst Ave., is open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Where Would You Hide It?
Missing: one 20-foot-tall, $8,500 chicken.
The inflatable chicken was sitting on the roof of El Pollo Loco at Sepulveda Boulevard and Saugus Avenue in Sherman Oaks, making its Southern California debut. For two weeks it amused passers-by, until someone climbed up on the roof and stole it.
“The staff came in on a Monday morning and noticed it was gone,” said Barry Kurtz, president of Chicken Enterprises Ltd., which owns the 17-restaurant chain. “It’s of absolutely no use to anyone else.”
The thief also stole the blower, which keeps the chicken inflated. “The thing would automatically deflate when the blower was unplugged, so they could roll it up and carry it away,” said Joe Masiello, director of operations for the Southern California franchise group.
“Don’t ask me what someone would do with it,” he said. “If you put it in your yard, someone would notice it.”
It was a particularly bold crime when you consider that kitty-cornered from the building is a 24-hour gas station. “No one here noticed it happening, but we’ve had things happen right here on our own lot that we haven’t noticed,” said Pat Sawdon, manager of Judy’s Mobil Station.
Whoever finds the inflatable chicken will be given some real chicken as a reward, Masiello promised.
Shake, Rattle and Poll
After the Oct. 1, 1987, Whittier earthquake, the Southern California Earthquake Preparedness Project (SCEPP) conducted a poll to see whether individuals and families in Los Angeles County were more prepared for one than they were back in the 1970s.
Three areas of earthquake preparedness were covered: supplies; hazard mitigation; and instruction, training and planning.
There’s some good news and some bad news.
People seem to be doing a significantly better job in maintaining supplies of food, first-aid kits and water within their homes, said Jim Goltz, who is a third of the way through writing up the study. “In the 1977 survey, only 17.1% of the people said they stored water, and, in our 1989 survey, 68.5% said they did.”
In hazard mitigation, though, progress is uneven. “The question about bracing your hot-water heater wasn’t even on the 1977 survey,” Goltz noted. “This time a little over 37% said they’d done that.” Yet Goltz noted that only 11% of the people polled said they had bothered with structural reinforcements to their homes.
More than 54% of those polled said they’ve learned first aid, and nearly 75% said they know how to turn off the gas, electricity and water.
“What’s lagging behind is preparedness at the community level,” he said. “For example, less than 10% had set up a neighborhood responsibility plan for the children and elderly.”
One of SCEPP’s tasks is to promote earthquake planning at the neighborhood and block level.
Overheard
“First the Berlin Wall came down, and now I’m feeling sorry for Ivana Trump. Life sure is full of surprises.”
--Woman to her friend at Collector’s Eye in Reseda.
