The Mandeville Canyon Association (MCA) was established in 1939, and to this day is dedicated to its original mission: to protect and preserve our canyon, to maintain our quality of life, and to improve safety and security. Serving 520 homes and serving as a liaison to the city, MCA has made life on Mandeville Canyon Road near Sunset Boulevard as safe and pleasant as it is peaceful. MCA President Flo Chapgier spoke to Brentwood News about important aspects of canyon life including fire safety, traffic, and stewardship.
What makes your area unique?
Flo Chapgier: We are a beautiful canyon, opening up in its very end directly to the Santa Monica Mountains.
Describe the types of homes and residents.
We are all single-family homes. Some homes left are among the very first homes that were built in the late twenties, early thirties.
What is an advantage of living in your area that you can’t get elsewhere in Los Angeles?
Our families are all very enthusiastic about nature. Everyone here is a hiker, and the mountains are very much like their own personal treasure. We are also a very friendly neighborhood.
What is the biggest issue facing the area today?
Since we are a dead end canyon with only one exit, our most worrying issue is safety and, of course, the issue of evacuation in case of a fire.
What kind of policies would you like to see put in place as soon as possible?
We are a friendly, family-oriented canyon, and MCA is only one of the three HOAs overlooking this canyon. Our partnership with the two other associations, Upper Mandeville Canyon Association and Brentwood Hills Homeowners Association, is excellent. We work together, and we find that we have a very common view on most subjects. I think our most pressing issues with the City would be for more help with safety and about the state of our streets – but that is a pressing issue with all of Los Angeles.
What environmental impacts affect the area?
I think all of us would wish for less traffic, which definitely doesn’t help with the state of our roads, and speed is a very worrying issue about the safety of our families. We are also worried – and this concerns all of us but more directly UMCA and BHHA – that we have a lot of young ones coming at the end of the day to hike in the hills, and the next morning we find empty bottles and cigarette butts. These are not only violations to the non-smoking ordinance but could have a tragic impact involving fires.
What are some violations than can land a resident in hot water with the HOA?
We do not want to see the canyon streets becoming a road way lined with huge walls which would change the naturalistic aspect of this beautiful place, so this is an issue as more and more developers are asking for variances. Most of our homeowners are very family oriented, so there are very, very few other violations. Most everyone who comes to live here wishes to be a good neighbor.
What membership benefits do residents have?
We have monthly meetings where anyone can come and attend and participate with ideas and discussions. We have an annual family party called the Roundup
where everyone in the canyon can come – it is a big success with lots of young children, families meeting new families (and it is the coolest thing.) We also have a Young Family group, which is a lot of fun and has contributed to a great community feeling.
In the last ten years we have made huge strides in everyone knowing their neighbors and becoming friends. And we have an annual general meeting where we talk about future projects and have a slideshow of our families.
As an extra benefit, about twenty years ago two ladies – Marianne Perls and Dori Peterman – created what we call the People’s Path, and now in several sections of MCA, there is a beautiful sandy path that many can use to walk with their children and pets and enjoy the beauty of the canyon. That is very specific to this place, and it is awesome. It helped to re-create what the canyon was originally, a Botanical Garden in L.A.
If you had one wish that you would want the City to fix, what would it be?
Definitely the state of our roads!
What was the biggest news story to come out of your area in the
past few years?
We have a lot of bikers during the week, and a lot more during the weekend, and a few years ago an accident happened between a driver and a biker, and it made headlines. It is a sad story and the truth is, most bikers and car drivers respect the law, but there are a few who do not. Of course, that is where issues can derive. Mandeville Canyon Road is very narrow, and there are sections where it is extremely dangerous for both sides to go fast. So, we are constantly asking everyone to respect low speed – it is essential. But you know, friendly behavior is very contagious; so, things can change and do change.
