The Thirteenth Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival is looking for festival volunteers.

Eagle Rock Music Festival is an annual centerpiece in our free arts programming of Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, one of the last remaining arts and cultural programming centers in Northeast Los Angeles. Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock is a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization whose mission is to provide multicultural, innovative arts programming to the communities of Northeast Los Angeles. Programs include exhibitions, community festivals, free and low-cost after school arts classes, a Summer Art Camp, and more.

Volunteering at Eagle Rock Music Festival is an opportunity to put your talents to good use, learn new skills, and make new friends who love music as much as you do.

Our volunteers are present at every entry point to the festival, and many stages and venues along the boulevard. Most volunteer jobs require little to no experience.

FIRST, fill out the Volunteer Preferences Form Here: http://is.gd/NtJvhk

Then plan to attend an Eagle Rock Music Festival Volunteer Meet Up!

We’d love the chance to meet you in advance, so if you’d like to pop in and meet some of the Center for the Arts Eagle Rock staff and other volunteers, please come by at one of the times listed below, and bring friends who want to volunteer, too. These are scheduled as casual meetup times, drop in, hang out, we might have some projects to do, like badge-making or sign-making, or we might just hang out and get to know each other better, answer your questions, talk about bands… etc. We’d love it if you could make it to one of the Volunteer Meetups, but they aren’t required and no need to attend all of them.

• Sunday, September 25 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM
• Tuesday, September 27 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Center for the Arts Eagle Rock’s address: 2225 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041

Once you have completed the online volunteer application, and attended one of the Volunteer Meetups, you’re good to go. If you can’t make it to a Volunteer Meetup, it’s fine, but plan to come 30 minutes early for onsite training before your first shift!

Connect With Us And Promote Our Festival On Social Media!

Facebook

Please click on ‘ATTENDING’ our Facebook event, Volunteering at Eagle Rock Music Festival on October 1, so that that you’ll be able to see the questions that have been asked and answered already, and you’ll be among the first to get new information as it becomes available:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192332730836804

Please LIKE our Facebook page, Eagle Rock Music Festival: http://www.facebook.com/eaglerockmusicfestival

Twitter

Follow us: @ermusicfest
Hashtag: #ERMF

Promote Our Bands Playing Eagle Rock Music Festival
LIKE our bands on FB, follow them on Twitter. +1 them on Google+ ! Promote their shows and set times at the fest to your circles of friends! ! For more info on the bands playing go here: http://eaglerockmusicfestival.wordpress.com/band-info/

If you are not a social media-ist, no worries! It’s gonna be a great time for everyone who volunteers.

Any questions, just email volunteer@cfaer.org and we’ll be right with you! Thanks in advance for your time!
2225 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 323-226-1617 info@cfaer.org

We are hosting a fundraiser at Colorado Wine Company on April 28, 6-8pm to benefit the North Central Animal Shelter!

Join us for wine, raffle prizes, and saving puppies – taste some good wine for a good cause!

Our goal is to purchase sponsorship for as many kennel cages as we can, since that way the money goes directly to the care of the animals at North Central.

$20 gets you a flight of wine, cheese plate, and good karma!

If you can’t make it out, you can donate by sending a check made out to LA Animal Services and sending it to us at Tracy King, 2014 Estes Road, Los Angeles, CA 90041. We will add it to the total kennel sponsorship to help us reach our goal.

If you’re in Missouri and want to donate closer to home we have a great vet in Springfield that has done a lot for the family. You can call and make a donation in honor of Jeanne Spradlin: 417-865-5367, or send a check to All Creatures Pet Hospital, 902 West Kearney, Springfield MO 65803.

Please RSVP to tracy@tracyking.com or 626.827.9795 or on Facebook.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Thursday, April 28, 6-8pm at Colorado Wine Company
2114 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock 90041

Turn a blue Monday green with some of these tips for reducing your carbon footprint and at the same time save money by using less gas in your car!

Drive Greener

• Shade: Park in the shade when possible, and cool down your hot car by driving with the windows down before turning on the air-conditioner. Over time these practices can result in a much smaller workload for your AC—and significant energy savings.
• Tune-ups: Change your oil, check the fluids, replace spark plugs, and perform other regular maintenance tasks to save fuel. Rotate your tires and keep them properly inflated. For every three pounds they fall below their recommended pressure your fuel economy will fall by one percent. When it’s time to replace tires consider using low-rolling-resistance (LRR) alternatives, which can boost your mpg.
• Smooth ride: Slow down. Driving 75 mph instead of 65 mph burns 10 percent more fuel. A smooth ride also helps, so use cruise control when it’s practical. Stop-and-go driving and jackrabbit acceleration really take a toll—just one second of “pedal to the metal” acceleration emits almost as much carbon monoxide as half an hour of normal driving. And when you’re not driving your car, turn it off—don’t let it idle.

Source: The Green Guide

Since we all do get older, here is a helpful article from Jenny Buchanan, staffer at the Solheim Senior Living Community.

Ten Tips About Aging For 2011
by Jennybe on January 5, 2011 in Senior Living Tips

I imagine each of us would like to move gracefully into old age knowing when and what steps to take so that we are as happy and safe as possible, and that our grown children or other caring family and friends don’t need to worry about us and/or shoulder the burden of caring for us.

I’ve worked at a Senior Living Community for two years. Here are a few things I’ve learned from observation as well as personal experience: I’ve chosen to use the pronoun “you,” since sooner or later if we grow old…

1. OUTLIVING YOUR SPOUSE AND FRIENDS.
Most aging adults find that their network of friends and contacts are dwindling and even if they don’t talk or complain about it, they are worried about aspects of their health and mobility.

2. FALLING IN ONE’S OWN HOME IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN.
One way to prevent unnecessary falls is to remove rugs – though they add warmth and beauty to home, the cost of falling is not worth it.

3. PHONE MAY BE OUT OF REACH IN EMERGENCY.
With heart attack, stroke, and many other health threats, getting medical help in a timely fashion can save your life. Consider implementing a health alarm system that travels with you such as Life Alert or Life Line.

4. SKIPPING OR TAKING TO MANY MEDICATIONS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEMS
Implement a counting system if you take more than one medication a day – this is simple and inexpensive.

5. FORGETTING TO MAKE REGULAR BATHING A PRIORITY.
From my experience working with seniors, I would not have believed that personal hygiene would ever be an issue, “cleanliness is next to Godliness,” in most people’s personal belief system – so it is sad and bewildering that seniors sometime neglect this priority unless reminded regularly.

6. CHANGING REGULARY INTO CLEAN CLOTHES.
Again, I never would’ve believed that this could have grown into a real issue of daily living as senoirs that once were successful professionals accustomed to wearing cleanly laundered dress shirts and a suit and tie to work every day now find it difficult to dress.

7. MISSING MEALS.
When aging people live alone this tends to become a real problem. Shopping, cooking, and preparing meals takes planning, time, and effort. Though we all know regular nutrition is imperative for sustaining good health, it is often a short cut that those living alone begin to take all too often.

8. NOT DRINKING ENOUGH FLUIDS.
Lack of hydration is common with the aging population and creates or contributes to ill health and well being.

9. NOT EXERCISING ROUTINELY.
As most of us know, exercise is vital to good health no matter what one’s age, but maintaining an appropriate exercise routine changes with age and is probably more difficult to maintain with age.

10. LACK OF SOCIALIZATION WHICH CAN LEAD TO DEPRESSION.
While some people are naturally more sociable than others, we all need social interaction at some level. Those people who maintain interaction with peers and/or regular socialization report healthier happier lives at all ages.

About Solheim Lutheran Home:
We are a single-site, non-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community in Los Angeles, California providing four levels of care to seniors: Residential Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care and Skilled Nursing. For more information about Solheim contact Jenny Buchanan at (323) 257-7518.

Thursday, August 19, 2010, 7-9 pm. Winetasting Benefit for the Wiggle Waggle Walk!

Come to the Colorado Wine Company for a fun evening. For $20, you get a flight of wine, hors d’ouevres, and donate to the animals! There will also be a raffle with prizes from local businesses. Meet and greet! See and be seen!

I am proud to be raising money for the animals at the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA (PHS). PHS cares for more than 12,000 animals a year by providing food, shelter, veterinary care, adoptions, reunification and so much more. Times are tough, and the animals need our help. Please help me to help them by making a generous donation today. I especially like their goal of no euthanization for homeless animals everywhere. You can donate directly here, or in person at my fundraiser this Thursday!

The animals can’t express their gratitude themselves, so I will do it for them. THANK YOU!

If you would like to do even more, you can sign up to join me and more than 1,000 dogs for the Wiggle Waggle Walk on September 26. It will be a wonderful day.

A couple of weeks ago, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power delivered notices to the businesses and residences on Colorado Blvd between Eagle Rock Blvd and Townsend that construction would begin that day on replacing water mains along the street and that the occupants along the way could expect limited parking, access and water for the next few months.
The business owners and residents were understandably upset by the cavalier treatment they were given. They called the City Councilmember Jose Huizar’s office and within a short time, the work schedule was suspended and a public meeting was called to discuss the issues involved.
I was at the meeting and I saw that the behavior of some of the DWP staff was a bit unsettling (as in, if we don’t replace these pipes now, they could burst and then we’d have a real problem) and let’s just say inconsiderate of many issues like parking, cleanliness, the Farmer’s Market, restaurants, the Music Festival, Ren-Arts school, repaving the street, effects on holiday business, etc. Luckily, the DWP staff included a very astute gentleman who could see the potential for disaster and encouraged everyone to state their concerns without criticism, all would be heard and we would meet again after some thought and research had taken place.
Tonight was the night for the followup meeting and I believe the DWP and the 14th District City Council office staff had done some good work on the issues as well as possibly some training on how to promote good public relations within the community. The general tone was collegial and positive. And Plan B was well received by all. It was a 180 degree change from the previous meeting.
Since Plan B is slated to begin in March, 2011, the Music Festival in October and the holiday season will not be affected.
The permits that LADWP currently have allow construction only between the hours of 9 am and 3 pm. DWP asked if they could begin setting up cones, etc. at 8 am so they could begin actual work by 9 would help move the project forward more quickly. There was general agreement in favor of that and perhaps even broader hours.
Some of the ideas that were not incorporated into the plan were explained:
• Placing the utilities underground while the street is open for the water mains is not feasible because another cut is required for utilities and the cost is prohibitive, especially considering the city budget crisis.
• Resurfacing the Blvd instead of just patching the cut is not financially feasible at this time.
Here is Plan B:
On August 9, work will begin at Loleta Avenue and head east to Genevieve where the onramp to the 134 freeway begins. This work is expected to be finished by December 3. If it is completed earlier, the section between Vincent and Loleta will be done. During this time, the community can see how well the parking, traffic, dust and debris, etc. issues are handled. Suggestions, concerns and problems will be addressed both through the 1-800-DIAL DWP number and through a special hotline that will go to a DWP supervisor. Both these lines will be answered by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Another community meeting will be held sometime in November or December to assess how things are going.
Beginning sometime probably in March, the Eagle Rock Blvd. to Vincent or Loleta stretch will commence. The longest any one business will be without water will be 4 to 8 hours in one day and then 1 to 2 hours when the water is switched from the old main to the new main. These shutoffs will have somewhere between 48 hours and 7 days notice. The longest a business will have construction in front of their location will be about 3 days.
What would have happened if no one had spoken up about this work? We would have construction on Colorado Blvd right now with no real planning done for the parking issues, the water shutoffs, the safety of the Renaissance Art school students to name a few concerns. DWP would have done their job without much consideration of the impact on the struggling businesses in this fragile economy. After all, they were responding to requests from the Council office to replace these pipes before they burst like the ones on Townsend did. Hm. Everyone involved was doing their part to solve a problem, but without a community meeting, each department was unaware of the whole picture.
Moral of the story: If you live in a community, you need to pay attention to what is going on around you and speak up when you see something wrong. We have a responsibility to do our part and attend meetings like this. The government and the large corporations and the developers need to see that the citizens are watching. Over the 27 years that I have lived in Eagle Rock, I have seen and heard of several issues that the community spoke up about and because they did, changes were made. Did you know that someone tried to put a pornographic movie theater into the old Eagle Rock Theater on the corner of Yosemite and Eagle Rock Blvd? Quite a lot of people turned out to protest that. Another issue was when the Mobil station on the corner of Eagle Rock Blvd and Colorado petitioned to sell alcohol at their convenience store. The citizens didn’t believe that selling alcohol at a place that sold gasoline was the right thing to do. And let me tell you, the big guy from Mobil Corporation thought his company’s need for a profit justified the encouragement of drinking and driving. That was stopped. There are many more, including TERA’s fight to stop a MacDonald’s from going in to the old Security Pacific Bank Building (now the BlockBusters).
We don’t all agree on all the issues, but that is why we need to speak up. There might be a solution that will be more palatable to a greater number if only ideas were exchanged in an open forum. I am proud to live in Eagle Rock, where people take a stand when they disagree with what is going on. Our community is better for it.

Calls for participation, employment opportunities, a workshop and a talk.

BRAND LIBRARY OPERA TALK – THE MEN OF THE RING OF THE NIBELUNG
Brand Library & Art Center, Associates of Brand Library/Glendale Public Library, 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale 91201
818-548-2051, www.brandlibrary.org
Tu & Thu 12-8 pm/Wed 12-6 pm/Fri & Sat 10-5 pm
Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 2:00 PM
The Brand Library will be hosting a talk entitled The Men of the Ring of the Nibelung. Richard Wagner never knew his father. However there were many male influences throughout his life: philosophically, spiritually, personally and creatively. In this talk the speaker will look at a number of these male influences and their connection to the characters that Wagner created in his monumental “Ring Cycle”. The talk will be given by Los Angeles Opera Speaker’s Bureau member Steve Kohn. Admission is FREE. For more information on the LA Opera production of the Ring Cycle: http://www.laoperaring.com

CALL FOR ARTISTS – CASAS ARTE HOME NTERVENTION PROJECT
Avenue 50 Studio, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit art gallery, 131 North Avenue 50, Highland Park 90042
323-258-1435, http://www.avenue50studio.com
The meeting will be held on Thursday, May 27, 2010, 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., at Avenue 50 Studio.
Refreshments will be served.
A community meeting for Los Angeles County-based artists is being called by Kathy Gallegos, Director, Avenue 50 Studio; and Luis Ituarte, Director, Consejo Fronterizo de Arte y Cultura (COFAC) to provide information about our joint transnational “Casas Arte Home Intervention Project” in Highland Park and Tijuana, B.C., Mexico. A video highlighting part one of the project completed in 2009 in Tijuana will be presented along with in-person comments from some of the Tijuana artists who worked on the project. Part two of the project is scheduled between June 2010-June 2011 as a collaboration between artist Daniel Ruanova and Julio Orozsco in Tijuana with two artists to be selected from Los Angeles. Application forms will be available. Part 1 of this project was funded by CONACULTA, Mexico and Part 2 is funded by the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC)/Ford Foundation. Avenue 50 Studio and COFAC continues our partnership to strengthen and enhance art and culture opportunities between Los Angeles and Tijuana.

CHALK ARTISTS WANTED
SkyPilot Theatre Company of Los Angeles is looking for an Artist who can work with chalk to draw a clown and a play title before and during our upcoming performances of the west coast premiere of “The Clowny Plays”, 3 short one-acts with a colorfully absurd twist. The Artist would be drawing the picture for about 15 minutes while the audience is entering the theatre along with the title of the first play. Then, in between plays they would come out and erase the title and draw the next one while the actors get ready for the next show (probably between 2 and 3 minutes time). If you have ever had an interest in working with live theatre with a reputable theatre company, this is a great opportunity.
$20 perdium per show. If interested, please call artistic director Bob Rusch at 323-229-2753 or email him at bob@skypilottheatre.com.

ISHMAEL HOUSTON-JONES WORKSHOP
Pieter, 420 W. Avenue 33 Unit 10, Lincoln Heights 90031
Sat May 29, 12:30 – 4:30
$30
Doing It. What is your first impulse? Can you trust it? What happens when the judge falls asleep? Can sight be a handicap? Can you know too much? This is a workshop about improvisation.

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: CITY OF PASADENA PROGRAM COORDINATOR II – PUBLIC ARTS
The Cultural Affairs Division enhances the economic health of Pasadena by marketing Pasadena as a cultural destination through its multi-institutional initiatives, producing two “ArtNights” annually, supporting the arts through the General Fund annual grants program and the Cultural Trust Fund, acts as a liaison with PUSD for life long learning, and will develop the City’s first Public Art Master Plan and priorities. Finally, Cultural Affairs manages the Private Development Public Art Program and the City Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Public Art Program.
The Program Coordinator II- Public Arts, under supervision, plans and coordinates the administration of the City’s Public Art Program that includes programs for private development and city construction projects; the Neighborhood Enhancement Mural Program; Storefront Art Program, and the Rotating Public Art Exhibition Program.
BS Art History, Visual Arts, Art Administration, Public Art& 3+ yrs exp. Master’s Degree highly desired.
$33.72 – $42.15 hourly. This position is scheduled for 30 hours per week and includes a generous benefits package Closing Date: 05/27/10. Interested applicants should visit the City of Pasadena’s website at www.cityofpasadena.net for complete job information and online application.

EDUCATION DIRECTOR, ABREU FELLOWS PROGRAM, EL SISTEMA USA BASED AT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY
http://necmusic.edu/about-nec/employment/education-director-abreu-fellows-program
The Abreu Fellows Program, beginning its second year in October 2010, is the first major initiative of El Sistema USA and aims to train a corps of highly skilled leaders to found and direct El Sistema inspired programs in the U.S. and beyond. The Education Director will be a key member of the leadership of El Sistema USA and will be directly responsible for the academic program and learning of the Abreu Fellows. For more information about El Sistema USA and the Abreu Fellows Program, please visit http://www.elsistemausa.org. This will be an accelerated search process as we hope to have the successful candidate in place by July 1, 2010.

Auntie Em’s Market Dinner
Periodically, Auntie Em’s Kitchen (4616 Eagle Rock Blvd. 90041) offers a Farmer’s Market Dinner and the sold-out crowd thoroughly enjoyed the one last night. Here’s the menu:
Starter
Oro Blanco Grapefruit, Blood Orange, Cara Cara Orange and
Three Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Main Course
Falafel, Muhammara, Cilantro and Jalapeño Hummus, Tatziki, Tabouleh and Pita,
all handmade in-house
OR
Spring Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Oil Cured Olives, Leeks, Roasted Garlic, Spinach and Fresh Herbs
served with a sauté of Asparagus, Fava Beans, Fresh English Peas, Snap Peas, Fennel, Pea Tendrils and Chervil

Cheese Course
Hudson Valley Camembert Square (sheep/cow, NY)
Jasper Hill Farm’s Bayley Hazen Blue (cow, VT)
Capriole’s Old Kentucky Tomme (goat, IN)
Cesar’s Cheese’s Oaxacan-Style String Cheese (cow, WI)
served with Peppadew (sweet/spicy Red Pickled Peppers), Pine Cone Bud Syrup and Strawberries

Dessert
Trio of Cream Puffs filled with Meyer Lemon Mousse, Orange Mousse and Seascape Strawberry Mousse
with a pot of Dipping Chocolate

$45 PER PERSON
We picked up our wine from the Colorado Wine Company, where Jennifer gave us 3 great pairings (there were several of us!). We started off with a light, grassy Caliberico Verdelho which went perfectly with the citrus and beet flavors of the salad course. For the lamb/falafel main course we first had the Falasco Valpolicella and then finished through the cheese course with the Rothschild valde l’ours. That cheese course was fascinating. Have you ever heard of pine cone bud syrup? Suffice it to say, some cheeses and flavors were distinctive and new to me.
The dessert of 3 little cream puffs each with a different fruit mousse filling with a pot of chocolate to dip them in was the perfectly tasty end to a rich and interesting meal.
To find out more about Auntie Em’s, check out the website at www.AuntieEmsKitchen.com. Besides the restaurant, Auntie does catering and also offers organic produce delivery with recipes! Read about it on the website. Terri Wahl, the owner, is passionate about this way of supporting locally grown food and small businesses while enabling busy families to eat fresh healthy meals.

What a lot of work! Why would anyone want to open their house to people they don’t know and not even get paid for it! Believe me, I asked myself that question many times (and my husband asked it even more) over the months between saying “Sure, why not?” to the TERA (The Eagle Rock Association) President, Bob Gotham, and “Welcome, come on in” to our guests.

We were one of the hosts for the “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” fundraiser which was held last night. We were flattered into doing it by our friend and TERA President, Bob Gotham, who made it sound like just a fun dinner we would host on one day in spring, which at that time was many months away.

We decided it would be a good excuse to do some freshening up around the place. We had visions of having all the landscaping done, all the trim and decks re-stained, all the clutter nicely removed from every room including our office. Oh, the dreams and visions we had. As the months went by, we even talked about it, that we would have the office done at last. Such dreams we had!

But as the time drew nearer, life intervened as it always does. We questioned why we ever agreed to do this. Would we be ready? Would anyone sign up for our dinner? Was there any point to all our preparations?

My husband valiantly worked on the landscaping and outside decks. He re-stained some of them and discovered termite damage and dry rot. Our simple plan was becoming complicated. We couldn’t replace all the wood at this point, there was no time. Oh, well. It would still look better with some new stain around the front entry.

We had had a test dinner a couple of months previously to see if our very simple menu would be considered worthwhile. That worked. It was a very good step in the preparations, by the way. When I was asking myself every 5 minutes over the last few days if anyone was going to like it, I could look back and say, well, those guests loved it. It gave me the courage to go on.

As the big day drew near and life became busier, a few projects were shelved. We remembered we have a door to the office and we could throw everything in there and shut the door. Whew! A life-saving idea. All the extra books jammed in the book shelves were packed into boxes to be sorted later.

We made lists. We checked them off. Some people became a little cranky as the day loomed closer (I’m not going to say who). We had the windows washed, the whole house cleaned, new bed linens on the beds, a new dining room table and chairs (it was a sit-down dinner, so we couldn’t have our guests stuck on the chairs I had hated for years).

My menu included food that was as locally grown and purchased as possible. TERA negotiated discounts for us at Figueroa Produce and the Colorado Wine Company, which was great since I had planned to shop at those places anyway! Did you know that Figueroa Produce has a great meat market? The steaks were fabulous, and incredibly well-priced. And John at CoWineCo helped me pick just the right wines to go with the salad, the steaks, even the berries and ice cream! I also shopped at our local Friday Farmer’s Market and no one can have a dinner party without going to Trader Joe’s for something. One of the guests was so thoughtful and sent over a floral arrangement from our local botanical design shop, Pollen. 

Finally, the big day was here. Yesterday. I focused on my list, checked off each item to be done, and finished with a few minutes time to spare to go to the reception at a home nearby. I was curious, who was coming to all these dinners?

I’m so glad I went. The Nogueira’s house was beautifully decked out, there were wine and appetizers, and I heard that about 140 tickets (at $75 each) were sold for the event. What a nice donation for TERA! Everyone who was anyone in Eagle Rock was at the reception. What was really fun was meeting up with a number of other dinner hosts and comparing notes on the things we’d “gotten” out of the event; one person remodeled his bedroom, another a bathroom, another had all the ceilings in the house cleared of “cottage cheese.”  I bought all new bed linens and a dining room set. I’m looking forward to the thank you party that TERA is hosting for the dinner hosts so I can find out more of what people did to prepare.

The dinner went off fine. Everyone showed up and was good company. It was nice to meet people that were new to the community as well as long-time residents and that made for some great conversation. We were helped by a couple of Key Club members from Eagle Rock High School who volunteered as part of their participation in this branch of the Kiwanis service organization. They helped serve and clean up and were really interesting people as well. Eagle Rock has a number of community service organizations and they serve such an important function in our town. It’s especially important that they have a system in place to bring young people into the community in a positive way.

So if you are ever asked to donate your home for a charity event and you wonder, what’s in it for me? Here’s what I have found so far:

• You are providing a valuable service for your community. Your community will appreciate it and it will make you feel good.
• You will meet new people.
• You will have a good reason to do whatever you’ve been thinking of doing to your house.
• You will have a firm deadline to get that stuff done.
• You will learn to prioritize what’s really important to you about your house.
• Your house will be cleaner than it’s been in years.
• You will have fun!
• You can take a tax deduction for the food and drink you serve as a charitable donation. I don’t think they’ll let me write off the dining room set, though.
• You will have the most wonderful peaceful feeling the next morning when you wake up and remember that it’s done!

A client of mine just sent me an official-looking letter from Title Concepts Plus advising them of the need to file a homestead exemption to protect their recently purchased home from creditors.

What is a declaration of homestead? According to the San Diego County Public Law Library,
A homestead declaration is a written statement, made under penalty of perjury that claims a particular “dwelling” (for example, a house, condominium, boat, mobilehome, etc.) as the owner’s principal place of residence. This guide uses the word “home” to signify a person’s principal residence.
When a homestead declaration is (1) signed by a homeowner, (2) notarized, and (3) “recorded,” it helps to protect the home against loss to creditors.
A properly prepared and recorded homestead declaration immunizes the home (and the land on which it is situated) from many (but not all) legal enforcement measures. For example, if a homeowner files a petition in bankruptcy, it may be possible, because of a homestead declaration, to retain the home, or at least a portion of the equity in the property, instead of losing it to creditors.
What Title Concepts Plus says they will do for the $47.95 fee they want is to send you the blank forms you need, plus they will send you a completed application for a Declaration of Homestead. You can get these forms yourself for free from the Los Angeles County Clerk’s office or from their website: http://www.lavote.net/GENERAL/Form_Downloads.cfm
Title Concepts Plus isn’t doing anything necessarily illegal, it’s just misleading. If you want to pay a company $47.95 for a few sheets of paper that you can get yourself for free, there is nothing wrong with that. But imagine, about 7,000 residential properties sold in Los Angeles County in December, 2009. If you sent out the offer to that many people every month and had a 1% return, that would be about $3000, not including postage and paper costs. Not a bad little sideline. Check out this link to find the truth about homestead exemptions in California:
http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/legal_guides/h-1.shtml
One fact noted in the above article is that a company cannot charge you more than $25 to file the Declaration for you, and that includes recording fees. But if you look at the paperwork sent by this company, they don’t offer to file or to record the document, just to send it to you. I wonder if you sent the check in to them whether you would even receive the documents back.
This website is very helpful about many legal issues and they charge less for more help:
http://www.1stoplegalforms.com/FormLs/FL_0101.asp?Page_ID=1&source=google&kw=homestead
Should you file a Declaration of Homestead? You automatically have a homestead exemption without filing anything, but a recorded Declaration of Homestead does give you some additional protection if you are likely to have an involuntary judgment recorded against you, like for nonpayment of medical bills or if you file for bankruptcy. But if you are in that kind of financial trouble, you will probably consult an attorney anyway who can advise you accurately about your particular situation. A Homestead Declaration does not absolve you of the responsibility to pay “voluntary liens” such as your mortgage and taxes, or even mechanics liens. It doesn’t save you from being obligated to pay your credit card bills, either.
There are a number of official appearing letters homeowners have received in the last few years from companies who claim they will do your Decline in Property Valuation applications or send you a copy of your Grant Deed for fees ranging from $25 to $189. This is a waste of your money! Please feel free to call or email me whenever you receive offers like these and I will be happy to check them out for you.