The HERMON ADVANCE TEAM was created in 2004 by life-long resident Wendi Riser to do just that--- advocate for and advance the historic community of Hermon, established in 1903.   Using media, community events, and ongoing contact with our Councilman, police, and schools, we get our unique history and ongoing news out to the broader surrounding areas.  The following programs were created to enhance the beauty, safety, and camaraderie of our quaint community.

The Hermon “CLEAN TEAM” was begun in

November 2002, and every month since then, a 

group of around 10 volunteers from Hermon have

met the first Saturday of EACH month from

8-9:30am by Monterey Donuts at 5930 Monterey

Road  (just follow your nose).  We gather around

a box of Lee’s amazing donuts on one of our car

trunks, then we each get bags-- as big as we are,

a  couple of pairs of gloves, (all supplied by the

city) and head off to the parkways, bridges, and

parks, usually in pairs, while others scrub or paint

out graffiti. The “Clean Team” qualifies for most

student community service hours -- just bring your form to be signed along with you.  Anyone that helps with a clean-up gets a free royal blue official T-shirt of the Hermon Clean Team (so passer-bys don’t think we’re on a work-release program!)  Soon waters are handed out, full bags are collected, and Hermon looks great.

                                                                                       

                                                                                       Once a year on the first Saturday of every

                                                                                       November, we order two huge containers
                                                                                       from the City and with the kind approval of

                                                                                       Mika Color we turn their parking lot on Ave.

                                                                                       60 at Monterey Road into a BULKY ITEM

                                                                                       DROP-OFF from 9am-3pm.  We can take

                                                                                       most all of what doesn’t fit into your trash

                                                                                       cans.  There are some restrictions as to

                                                                                       exactly what we can take.  Questions?

                                                                                       Contact Wendi Riser WendiRiser@cs.com

Four neighbors have joined the city’s “ADOPT A TRASH CAN” program in Hermon.  The city brings out the metal net trash can, and can supply trash can liners.  The neighbors are responsible to empty the cans and refill them with a clean bag.  Two are by Bushnell Way Elementary, and two by our bus stops.  If you’d be interested in adopting a public trash can please call Paul Racs, with Operation Clean Sweep at 213.978.0229.

Since 2003, more than 150 trees have been planted in Hermon

through the FREE TREES FOR A GREEN LA.  Residents have

taken a short seminar to find out the best placement for trees

on their property, and then sign a promise to care for the trees.

You can get  your own free residential trees from the city by

taking a short  seminar.  Find out more at: 

http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp000744.jsp 

Other trees have been planted by the city as we worked with

them to find all possible parkway locations in Hermon.

Property owners  signed to “adopt” the trees and provide for

their care.

                                                                                        

The HERMON SAFETY COMMITTEE, started in 2005, is a proactive community-wide
neighborhood watch.  All are invited to meet quarterly with  LAPD Hollenbeck Senior Lead Officer John Pedroza to hear about crime trends and suspicious activities to watch for.  Our questions and

comments are addressed by different officers of the LAPD on topics ranging from car safety, to spotting a scam, to how to effectively report a crime, to reporting those who speed down our streets.  We regularly have around 40 neighbors that come to the meetings -- and get to know each other better -- so they can be the eyes and ears of our community.  Refreshments are served.

2011 Meeting Dates are:

Thursday, FEB. 17, 7 pm

Thursday, APR 21, 7 pm

Thursday, JUN 16, 7 pm

Thursday, OCT 20, 7 pm.

All HSC meetings are held at the Hermon Community Church Fellowship Center, 5800 Monterey Road (at Wheeling Way) LA 90042.  We are grateful to them for generously letting us use their facilities.  Info, questions, or to be added to the meeting invite/reminder mailer:  contact Wendi Riser at wendiriser@cs.com

CERT (Community Emergency Preparedness Team)

training teaches us how to prepare for a catastrophic

event in our communities when the fire department

and police may not be able to get to us for extended

periods of time.  This was begun by Mark Legassie

after several years of planning before it finally got its

legs a couple of years ago.   A CERT class with

20-30 volunteers attended an 8-week class taught by

the LAFD in Hermon. Subsequently another class

has been taught in Montecito Heights, with another

held in Monterey Hills in early 2010.  Some

graduates have gone on to the second level of

certification.  There have been ongoing emergency

preparedness fairs, and a number of training drills with other area CERT teams.  Emergency contact information has been practiced with FRS which can easily be picked up at Target.  We also have 3 Ham radio operators in Hermon.  Community emergency supplies have been purchased and stored.  For more info, contact Mark Legassie at marklegassie@gmail.com.

Hermon is being represented to the LAPD HOLLENBECK POLICE ADVISORY BOARD, which meets monthly with the precinct command staff, by Hermonite Ken Kallman.  If you have questions for him to pass along, he can be reached at kkallman@earthlink.net

Our latest new tool we are using in Hermon as our final report of any crime or suspicious behavior AFTER we notify  911 or the non-emergency number,  1 877 ASK LAPD, and then let our SLO John Pedroza at 213.793.0748 know, is WWW.EBUSTERS.ORG.  We can directly input the activity to alert interested neighbors via the web to nearby crimes or possible crime trends.  

And lastly, to better communicate with our neighbors, we have the community-wide e-newsletter, “ALL THINGS HERMON.”  It  gives information on upcoming events and related background, interesting stories on fascinating people that live(d) in Hermon, quirky facts (or fables?) and reasons to be proud to be from Hermon.  Want to subscribe to the free e-mail?  Contact wendiriser@cs.com  and ask to be added to our list.  Our list is never given out or loaned to anyone.

In 2002, Hermon artists applied for a Community Beautification Grant through Los Angeles Public Works.  We were awarded the grant and Montecito Heights artist Sandra Cruze painted a 2-sided Hermon sign/monument that now graces the Monterey Road median between Via Marisol and Ave. 60.  One side pictures the Ave. 60 Bridge at dawn, the other side is the bridge at dusk.  The monument, with “HERMON” in gold lettering is held up on both sides by river rock pilasters to honor our connection with the Arroyo.  

Part of that project was the community planting of 16 trees in the median. The grant was matched primarily by the hours of our “Clean Team”.

Hermon Advance Team