Home Care In West Hills, CA

According to Service Employees International Union Local 121RN, the strike began Wednesday and will continue until Monday.

City News Service, News Partner

WEST HILLS, CA — Unionized nurses at West Hills Hospital walked off the job Wednesday to show their discontent with working conditions after six months of negotiations with the facility's corporate ownership.

According to Service Employees International Union Local 121RN, the strike began at 7 a.m. Wednesday and will continue until Monday at 7 a.m.

The West Hills hospital workers' stoppage will coincide with similar ones at Riverside Community Hospital and Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks -- all of them owned by Nashville-based Healthcare Corporation of America.

For Wednesday's first day of picketing at West Hills, an array of elected officials were expected, including state Sen. Caroline Menjivar and Assembly members Chris Holden, Luz Rivas, Pilar Schiavo and Adrin Nazarian, according to SEIU spokesman Hal Weiss.

SEIU Local 121RN represents about 400 RNs at West Hills Hospital, Weiss said.

Find out what's happening in Northridge-Chatsworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Pickets are expected to run from 7 a.m. to noon daily over the five- day period, with curtailed hours on Thanksgiving.

"We are disappointed by SEIU 121RN leadership's decision to strike as it is absolutely unnecessary, given the serious efforts we have invested in bargaining since May. It's evident the labor union has not taken these sessions seriously and has intended to strike all along, despite our genuine attempts at finding common ground," HCA Healthcare Southern California said in a statement released Wednesday.

"Our hospitals have taken proactive measures to provide high-quality health care for our patients and our communities throughout a strike. We are drawing on the resources of our nationwide HCA Healthcare system to ensure each hospital is fully operational. Our doors will remain open throughout any labor union activities and, importantly, there will be no closure of any services at this time."

The picketing stems from stalled labor negotiations, which started in May, according to the union.

Nurses complain that nurse-to-patient ratios are creating a "system- wide crisis" because units are understaffed, according to an SEIU statement.

"We are here to care for our patients with the same dedication and excellence as always," HCA Healthcare Southern California said in a statement.

The union said that, over the last three years, California Department of Public Health officials determined there had been hundreds of staffing violations at each of the medical facilities.

"On many hospital units, patient sitters -- who carefully monitor patients and intervene to prevent falls and injuries -- are replaced by off- site virtual sitters, who watch patients on a video monitor and can only give verbal instructions, often to patients who are confused or facing emotional crisis," according to an SEIU statement. "Nurses say that this system is woefully inadequate to help patients who can inadvertently, or intentionally, harm themselves."

Other complaints include what the union says are deficient security to prevent workplace violence, the prevention of union reps from entering some facilities to communicate with members and "disinformation" circulated by administrators related to a previous work stoppage in 2020.

There was no specific mention regarding salary and benefit hikes, though SEIU 121RN Executive Director Rosanna Mendez pointed out that "working people everywhere are demanding recognition for their sacrifice, and that sentiment is strongly felt by health care workers."

Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.

The Los Angeles Rams will move their practice facility to Woodland Hills next season as part of a large-scale real estate development planned by owner Stan Kroenke that could help give the car-centric Warner Center district a more urban feel.

The Rams officially announced the long-expected move Tuesday at an outdoor shopping center that Kroenke bought earlier this year as he assembled a 100-acre parcel for future development that will include a new headquarters for the Rams.

The move will center the Rams, now based in the city of Agoura Hills, in Los Angeles’ Woodland Hills neighborhood. The team plays at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on game days, but spends most of the year at its headquarters and practice facilities.

“It’s important for us to have a foothold in L.A.,” said Kevin Demoff, chief operating officer of the Rams.

Advertisement

A temporary practice facility similar to the one the team now uses at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks will be built on what is now a parking lot next to an unoccupied office tower the Kroenke Group bought in Warner Center in 2022.

Kroenke plans to build a more permanent and expansive training facility and team headquarters on the site in the future, part of what is expected to be a sprawling mixed-use complex that may include stores, restaurants, hotels and residences.

Work will start shortly on the temporary football compound at Erwin Street and Canoga Avenue, Demoff said. Asphalt and two one-story buildings will be removed to make way for two practice fields and a network of temporary modular trailers that will be similar to the setup the team uses at Cal Lutheran.

The trailers will include office space and meeting rooms for coaches, players, scouts and staff, along with a weight room, a training room, a locker room, a media room and a meal room.

City Councilman Bob Blumenfield called the facility “a great use that brings a lot of value” to the neighborhood and “not much traffic.”

The 13-story tower on the site that was formerly home to health insurer Anthem Inc. may be part of the future mixed-use campus or could be eventually razed to make way for other uses.

Business

June 6, 2022

Advertisement

Kroenke Group is working on a new land-use design for the site that also includes the former Woodland Hills Promenade, a largely inactive shopping center built in 1973, and the thriving outdoor mall Topanga Village built next to the Promenade in 2015. The move was announced at the Village, which will remain a cornerstone of the Kroenke complex that could take many years to complete.

Los Angeles city officials are encouraging dense mixed-use development in the Warner Center neighborhood that could include new housing, offices, shops, restaurants, hotel rooms and entertainment venues.

The planned building boom may help Warner Center finally achieve its original purpose. In the early 1970s, planners decided that the west San Fernando Valley land, once the site of movie mogul Harry Warner’s horse ranch, should be turned into a “downtown” for the Valley.

As it developed, however, Warner Center bore only passing resemblance to the densely built urban districts people associate with that word.

Today, the neighborhood is mostly a mix of office towers that jut up from a sea of cookie-cutter, low-slung office buildings served by acres of surface parking lots. Apartments and stores are mostly isolated in discrete blocks, and the whole expanse is cleaved by wide, fast-moving streets that flow to freeways.

California

Jan. 4, 2023

Kroenke’s $325-million purchase of the Village in January further signaled the billionaire businessman’s intention to build a sports-centric development like the one around SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

In Inglewood, Kroenke controls nearly 300 acres surrounding SoFi Stadium, in what was formerly the Hollywood Park horse racing venue. When the Inglewood complex is completed, it will be 3½ times the size of Disneyland and contain a performance venue, hotel, stores, restaurants, offices, homes and a lake with waterfalls.

With the additional 100 acres in Woodland Hills, Kroenke is now one of the largest real estate developers in the Los Angeles region, Demoff said. His company could build and operate as much as 7 million square feet of property in Woodland Hills as envisioned under the city’s Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan.

“Stan and everybody else is a believer in the potential of Warner Center,” Demoff said. “Everything keeps growing here.”

The Kroenke Group owns and operates shopping centers in 39 states with a combined total of 40 million square feet, the company said.

November 14, 2023 — The Los Angeles Rams today announced that they will be moving their practice facility to Woodland Hills, CA in advance of the 2024 NFL Season. The facility will be located at the corner of West Oxnard Street and Canoga Avenue, part of the nearly 100-acres in Woodland Hills acquired last year by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke.

The announcement took place during a celebration at the adjacent Topanga Village, an indoor-outdoor shopping and dining destination that also is part of the 100-acres. Los Angeles Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff was joined by Council member Bob Blumenfield to announce the move and share that construction work will begin later this week.

"This is a monumental day for the Los Angeles Rams as we can now call Woodland Hills and the City of Los Angeles our home," said Demoff. "We are grateful to Councilman Blumenfield for his support and to this wonderful community for welcoming us to their neighborhood. Since bringing the Rams home to Los Angeles, Stan Kroenke's commitment to this region is unmatched and we are excited to expand our footprint and deepen our impact across the city."

This celebratory moment culminated the Rams Community Blitz Day of Service in Woodland Hills, which included stops at the West Valley Food Pantry as well as Holiday For Heroes military appreciation events at two local schools – Calabash Charter Academy and Woodlake Elementary Community Charter. Rams players Rob Havenstein, Ernest Jones, Larrell Murchison, Christian Rozeboom, Coleman Shelton, Jonah Williams, Kyren Williams, and Russ Yeast joined Rams Cheerleaders and Rampage at these events to give back to the Rams new home and honor the military as part of the team's annual Salute To Service week. In addition, the newest Certified #RamsHouse Blinkie's Donuts gave away Rams donuts to welcome their hometown team to the neighborhood.

"I am thrilled that Stan Kroenke and the Los Angeles Rams are investing in our community and calling Woodland Hills their home," said Council member Blumenfield. "I look forward to partnering with the Rams and the Kroenke Group as they develop plans for their footprint and investments in Warner Center and deepen their local relationships."

Over the next few months, the Rams will set up a facility on this land consisting of modular trailers that will include office space and meeting rooms for coaches, players, scouts and staff, a weight room and training room, locker room, media room, and meal room. Adjacent to the trailers will be two football fields where the team will train and practice.

This is the first step of Kroenke's long-term vision for the land, which is part of the tremendous development envisioned for Woodland Hills under the Warner Center 2035 plan. Once the practice facility is set up, the organization will begin exploring a larger development that will include the permanent headquarters and practice facility for the team, as well as a plan to include residential, commercial, and retail uses along with green spaces and other community-serving amenities.

Topanga Village is one of the premier shopping and dining destinations in the West Valley, with over 70 shops and restaurants, ranging from popular national brands to unique local businesses. The outdoor shopping center features a playground for children, pet-friendly areas, and water features that are perfect for hot summer days. Topanga Village serves as a community gathering place and hosts a wide range of events throughout the year including summer live music, a pumpkin patch, outdoor workout classes, and Holiday events. Future improvements to the center will prioritize creating a space where people can come together to shop, dine, and socialize in a beautiful environment.

Much of Kroenke's professional life has been dedicated to real estate and community development. In 1983, he founded the Kroenke Group, a leading national firm that builds and manages shopping centers and apartment buildings across the United States. The Kroenke Group owns and operates shopping centers in 39 states that amount to 40 million square feet. Throughout his career, he has launched and transformed dozens of business ventures, including television and radio stations, warehouses, and renowned vineyards and ranches in North America and Europe. In a confluence of his areas of expertise – sports, retail, commercial and residential development – Kroenke constructed SoFi Stadium and continues to develop Hollywood Park in Inglewood, CA.

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY - The Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday announced that they're moving their practice facility to Woodland Hills in advance of the 2024 NFL season.

The team's new facility will be located at the corner of West Oxnard Street and Canoga Avenue, part of the nearly 100 acres in Woodland Hills that was acquired last year by Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

The announcement took place during a celebration at the adjacent Topanga Village, an indoor-outdoor shopping and dining destination that's also part of the 100 acres. Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff was joined by Council member Bob Blumenfield to announce the move. Construction work is expected to begin this week, weather permitting.

"This is a monumental day for the Los Angeles Rams as we can now call Woodland Hills and the City of Los Angeles our home," Demoff said.

"I am thrilled that Stan Kroenke and the Los Angeles Rams are investing in our community and calling Woodland Hills their home," Blumenfield remarked. "I look forward to partnering with the Rams and the Kroenke Group as they develop plans for their footprint and investments in Warner Center and deepen their local relationships."

Find out what's happening in Northridge-Chatsworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Over the next few months, the Rams are expected to set up a facility on the land, consisting of modular trailers that will include office space and meeting rooms for coaches, players, scouts and staff, a weight room and training room, locker room, media room and meal room. Adjacent to the trailers will be two football fields where the team will train and practice.

Once the practice facility is set up, the organization is expected to begin exploring a larger development that will include the permanent headquarters and practice facility for the team, as well as a plan to include residential, commercial, and retail uses along with green spaces and other community-serving amenities.

Topanga Village has over 70 shops and restaurants, ranging from popular national brands to unique local businesses. The outdoor shopping center features a playground for children, pet-friendly areas, and water features that are perfect for hot summer days.

It serves as a community gathering place and hosts a wide range of events throughout the year including summer live music, a pumpkin patch, outdoor workout classes, and holiday events. The Rams said that future improvements to the center will prioritize creating a space where people can come together to shop, dine and socialize.

A Woodland Hills pet owner got more than she bargained for early Friday morning when a coyote breezed through the dog door and unnerved her cat.

Around 4 a.m. Friday, homeowner Mia Shoshan’s brother was awakened by the sound of the dog door opening, although the family’s two small dogs were with them, she told KTLA.

A video camera in the living room captured a coyote walking into the living room and encountering Shoshan’s 14-year-old cat, who became agitated and began pouncing among the dining chairs.

“Our cat, Lily, started meowing and screaming,” Shoshan told KTLA. “She was terrified and calling for us to help.”

The coyote appeared apprehensive, taking several steps back, after running into the cat. Eventually, Shoshan’s brother came into the living room, and the coyote bolted outside.

Advertisement

The intrusion is the latest frightening episode involving coyotes and Woodland Hills residents.

In December, a 2-year-old was attacked by a coyote in the frontyard of her family’s Woodland Hills home. A home security video captured the coyote knocking the toddler down and apparently trying to drag her away while her father was busy unloading the family’s SUV.

That coyote was later captured and euthanized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The department estimates that there are 250,000 to 750,000 coyotes statewide, though it’s unclear how many might be roaming in Los Angeles County.

Violent encounters between coyotes and humans are extremely rare, according to wildlife experts. Interactions with coyotes, however, are on the rise as housing and development continue to encroach on the animals’ natural habitat.

At least 69 people were bitten by coyotes in Los Angeles County between 2012 and 2022, according to the county Department of Public Health. About half of those occurred in communities east of downtown Los Angeles.

Most coyote attacks are related to food or when the animal draws near pets or livestock, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. For this reason, wildlife officials advise residents to refrain from feeding coyotes and to secure trash canisters near their home.

Advertisement

In the event that someone encounters a coyote, experts encourage them to try to keep a safe distance. They can also make noise, such as loudly clapping their hands or yelling, to scare off the animal.