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Community Presbyterian Church of Littlerock
Food Distribution Program
We at the Community Presbyterian Church have been
distributing food to the residents of the Antelope Valley since November
2002.
In past years we gave food to anyone that needed our
service. Since early 2008
we have had to discontinue serving anyone out of the local area’s of
Littlerock, Pearblossom, Llano and Palmdale 93552 zip.
This was prompted by
the increase in local residents needing more assistance.
Since inception we have fed 6,838 families for a total of
33,144 people. While this
is a cause we totally support, it can also be very expensive. We receive at least 50% of free food (USDA) from the Los
Angeles Regional Food Bank, the rest we purchase.
The Littlerock community and businesses have helped support
our program over the years and we THANK
them very much. But due to
the economic times we are in need of extra support..
The local schools, Littlerock High – Ag Dept, Antelope
Elementary, and Alpine Elementary have held food drives for us this
school year. The other
local schools have helped with food drives in the past, as have the
Scouts in our community.
We are appealing to the community for your continued
support in these hard times.
We are in need of staples to provide a balance diet for those in
need. We can also use cash donations to purchase food at a reduced
cost through LA Regional Food Bank.
If you donate money please make your check payable to: CPCLr and put Food
Bank on the memo line. If
you wish to bring in food you have purchased (non-perishable please)
call the church at 944-3231 to insure someone is here to accept it.
We wish to THANK
everyone that has helped in the past,
especially the many volunteers that make this program run so
smoothly, and encourage those that can help now to please do so.
We can always use volunteers also.
Gail LaGasse’
Food Distribution
Program Manager
661/944-3231 or
361-0890
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Antelope Valley Truckers Organization
Posted 03/05/2009
We first learned about right and wrong when we were
children. Very quickly we were taught that there were certain things we
were not allowed to do, usually in the form of “thou shall not…”
from our parents. As we grew older we learned that if an action was not
prohibited, either by law or by conscience, we were probably within our
rights to do it. But suppose we were raised with a different standard of
behavior. Suppose, instead, we were only told what we could do. If we
were not told we could play baseball, or climb a tree, or throw rocks,
we could not do any of those things. You would rightly conclude that
would be a horrible system in which to be raised. Unfortunately, that is
just the system all of us in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles
County are facing. Los Angeles County Regional Planning Code Enforcement
has been issuing citations to many of our fellow citizens, especially in
Littlerock and Sun Village, for having containers on their property or
for the parking of trucks, RV’s motor homes, boats, or dually pickups.
These citations usually tell the homeowner that he or she has a limited
time to remove the offending item, or be assessed a “non-compliance
fee” and face possible criminal action. The usual justification is
that someone [they never say who] has complained and that Code
Enforcement must act on the complaint. Code Enforcement justifies the
citation by referring to Los Angeles County Codes, especially Code
20.24.070 - Permitted Uses. The following list is all that you are
permitted to do on your own property:
That’s it! Using this code, then,
you may not have a barbeque or a tool shed or archery range because it
is not a “Permitted Use.” It should be apparent to all that this
approach to governance is fundamentally flawed and has already led to
extensive abuses by Code Enforcement. Moreover, by listing only
Permitted Uses rather than Prohibited Uses, the list of potential code
infractions is virtually endless and the opportunities for misuse of
power by Code Enforcement personnel is far too great to ignore.
When Code Enforcement first went after people who had containers, they
cited a “Position Paper” from Regional Planning that said only under
certain conditions would containers be allowed and only then on a
temporary basis such as when a person was building a home. Upon
completion of the home the container would have to be removed. It did
not seem to matter to Code Enforcement personnel that many of these
residents have had containers for more than 20 years. When it was
pointed out to Code Enforcement that Regional Planning, Building and
Safety, and Public Works all had different position papers, Code
Enforcement began issuing citations using Code 20.24.070 – Permitted
Uses. Recently, a Littlerock resident on Avenue T-12 was told that the
two containers he had were not “permitted.” This time, however, he
was allowed to keep his containers if he cut each one into three pieces.
Members of AVTO are still searching for the language in the code that
permits two, three-part, open ended containers. The silliness, and the
abuses, still continue.
The members of the Antelope Valley Truckers Organization are working for
the community to help end these unwarranted and unwelcome intrusions
into our rural lifestyle. AVTO meetings are held at 7:00 PM on the 2nd
and 4th Friday of every month at 37324 90th Street
East in Littlerock and all interested residents are invited.
- Submitted
by Bill Guild
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