Just wanted to give everyone in the Van Nuys area a massive heads-up. A highly suspicious individual is going door-to-door today using stolen/fake utility paperwork. I called SoCalGas directly, and they explicitly confirmed that NO work or inspections are scheduled for our block or accounts.
The Suspect: A man wearing a white hard hat, a bright safety vest, carrying a clipboard, a suitcase, and a standard Home Depot bucket.
The Vehicle: He is NOT driving an official gas company truck. He is either on foot or operating out of an unmarked personal vehicle.
The Pitch: He knocks unannounced claiming he is a "third-party contractor working directly for the State of California" and demands to inspect your physical gas meter.
The Fake Paperwork: When turned away, he leaves an official-looking, old-stock paper doorhanger titled "SoCalGas NOTICE: ACCESS NEEDED TO GAS METER (Form 9059 Rev 08/21)". He handwrites fake route numbers and directs people to call a random cell phone number: 213-585-3173( Because it lacks an official public listing, this phone number acts as a "burner" or direct sales tracking line for the deceptive operation).

The Security Threat: I caught this individual actively putting pieces of sticky tape directly onto my neighbor's gas meter after leaving their porch. This is a classic casing tactic used by scammers and burglars to mark targeted houses or check back later to see if a resident is home to peel the tape off.

Please protect yourselves and your neighbors:
Do NOT show your bill: They want to see your paper bill to steal your actual SoCalGas account number and fraudulently switch your provider without your consent (utility slamming).
Check your meters: Walk outside right now and check your utility meters. If you see any random, unbranded tape or markings on the pipes, photograph them for evidence & peel them off immediately.
Lock your gates: Keep your side gates locked so these individuals cannot sneak into your backyard under the guise of an "inspection."
If you see this person do not let them on your property, do not engage. Tell them to leave and report it to SoCalgas.

I'm 30 and remember as a kid, going to Northridge mall and seeing all the puppies, kittens, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc in the window. It used to be in the southwestern most corner of the mall on the bottom floor I think and Dairy Queen ended up opening there when they went out of business.

Pretty wild to think about now considering that commercial dog sales/breeding is so frowned upon now. Wasn't too long ago you could literally buy a puppy from a display case with price tags and everything. (I remember it was expensive back then like $800-3000 depending on the breed and they had golden retriever puppies/chihuahuas/etc).

I remember the BLU E-Cigarette era too before vapes came out. The guy would be smoking it openly in the mall as a way of advertising it and they'd try to find existing smokers to sell "quit smoking" starter packs to. Then I remember the hydro-massage machines there also where you'd lay in a tube and a bunch of water would spray on your back with some kind of plastic sheeting separating you from the water so you don't get wet. And the $10 Chinese massage dudes where you'd sit face forward in those red chairs and get a massage in front of everybody lol.

And of course playing Runescape on the Imacs at the apple store there in the early 2000s when my mom was shopping at Macys/JcPenney.

What other interesting businesses do you remember there?

The Meccha Chameleons have begun to hide in Murals in the valley. Have any of you seen these or can you let me know if there are other cool murals in the valley to check out? I love all the amazing public art here.

Original video and credit can be found here, https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dcwk9AGhSj-

What happened with the Angela Dawn Flores trial?

She killed her three kids in West Hills back in 2022 and I have not heard a single thing about a trial at all. Its been over 4 years at this point. I searched for it and there are no recent updates at all.

Hello fellow Valley nerds and business owners,

I am a remote working with some extra time to kill. I would love to help any small business with tech support, cyber security audits, general consulting and well anything of a technical flavor.

Note: if this gets banned cool cool. Just curious if anyone needs help.

Love

Fellow nerd

You tailored this and it now fits me perfectly too. I needed a dress for a wedding this weekend. I see those hand stitches. I hope the universe gives you shady parking and good A/C every day of your life

My son has been back in school for almost a month now and it’s still in high 80 degrees in Sherman Oaks, it is true that today was meaningfully cooler that past several days and evening was actually in 60s. Theoretically summer ends in late September but in reality we are all participating in a fiction about season changing here and more of a scheduling concept. The calendar says September, the air says August, and this continues until roughly Thanksgiving when we get about nine days of what other places would call October.

Not complaining exactly. Not envying shoveling anything. But there’s something disorienting about pumpkin displays when they start going up while the AC is still running nonstop. The one honest sign is that it finally cools off at night. That’s our whole autumn. You walk outside around nine and it’s actually pleasant and you think oh, there it is.

Anyone else’s kids confused about seasons, or is that just mine? My daughter thinks fall is a color scheme.

Anyone have a good recommendation? I go through a ton of notebooks and planners for my job and found out the stationary shop I’ve been going to is owned by Barnes & Noble. I just prefer to shop family owned/small business when I can. Any tips are appreciated!

So sad to see a great local brewery closing its doors! Sept 30 is the last day. It was such a great place to go and have a pint or a pizza. They honestly had some of the best pizza and beer! I'll definitely miss them. The location was just a nightmare with the body shops dumping all the crashed cars on the street there was never parking to the encampments around the corner.

hi, I found this poor birdie who is clearly a pet on magnolia boulevard between hazeltine and ranchito ave. I tried to wrangle it, but it just kept running and flying away and I was afraid I was going to chase it into the street if anybody is missing a cockatiel, it’s here in Sherman Oaks! Or if there are any bird rescuers you think might be able to catch it 😭

Stopped by Trader Joe’s and noticed Farm Boy is closed and the windows are covered with paper. Google says it’s still open. Anyone know what’s going on?

The entire year has been leading up to our biggest show of the year!

Same place

Same price $15

Best pro wrestling show in Southern California!

I have never taken one of these classes and curious was people’s experiences were with them. Specifically their art or painting classes. There are some that meet for two hour for a few weeks. Do you practice in class? How big are the typical classes? Is it formal or more casual? Amy information welcome, thanks!

Hi folks,

Raising awareness here about Prop 8 rule that allows homeowners to request an informal review of your property tax. Especially valuable if you have bought your home in the past few years or if you are a condo owner in LA county.

The process requires you to go to assessor website, gather 2-3 comparables, fill out the RP-87 form and mail it to the LA county assessor. There is no charge and no downside to doing it and your tax can only go down.

Please check if you qualify here for free. The website can automate the filing for you for a flat $29 fee but its optional.

https://saveproptax.com/

P.S: Feel free to use the expertly curated comps for free if you want to DIY the submission.

Passby this area on Ventura all the time. Two big empty lots were approved for mixed-use property development months ago. Now, Carls Jr has closed due to the owner's bankruptcy.

Anyone have any insights on when construction is supposed to start and what may happen with the Carl's Jr property? I'd imagine another developer would by it. It'd certainly be a lot going on this block of Ventura.

​Hey neighbors!

​I own a woman-owned private event space in North Hollywood near Mucho Mas Restaurant. Instead of just renting out the venue, I want to support our local creative community by opening our doors to collaborate with talent for free!

​Whether you're a musician, dancer, DJ, tabletop organizer, comedian, or just love dressing up and being part of a creative show—I’d love to connect. As neighbors, let’s skip the rental fees and build something awesome together.

​I’m not very active here on Reddit, so please DM me directly on Instagram at @MetalSanaz so I don't miss your message.

​Excited to meet you all!

I’m a first time mom giving birth soon. Apparently I need to have a pediatrician lined up before I give birth. We’ll be giving birth at Providence Tarzana. We live in be North Hills area, so we’re open to pediatricians anywhere in the valley.

Does anyone have any good recommendations for pediatricians? Thanks in advance!

I had a random errand at The Oaks mall last week and stumbled upon their very baby friendly indoor playground. My daughter (who is just crawling, not walking yet) had a blast! The closest mall to us in the Valley, Topanga, has a cute train, but nothing like the playground at The Oaks. Does anyone know of any indoor playgrounds good for babies around the valley?