Relo to LA area (Los Angeles, Vista: low income, to rent, credit)

[LivingLikeAGradStudent]

When you use surface streets (I stay seven miles west of downtown), the drive is busy but predictable. Freeways are a better option only in obvious off hours.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Vicman

I wonder if Calabasas/West Hills/Woodland Hills would be too far. I heard LAUSD's El Camino Real HS and Las Virgenes' Calabasas HS are considered to be good.

I believe the closest rail stations are Warner Center and Canoga Park for the Orange Line Transitway, which connects to the Red Line.

I wouldn't put my kids (if I had them) in ANY LAUSD schools except for possibly some of the charters and magnets. Even LAUSD schools in perfectly good neighborhoods have pretty bad problems.

I noticed no one answered my question about what the Burbank schools are like. As I said before, none of my friends in the Valley have kids, so they wouldn't know. Could anyone answer this question?

[Vicman]

I heard from a realtor who sells property in the LVUSD part of Los Angeles that ECR itself is considered to be good.

See http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/...school/ca/2049

I would assume, though, that almost all of the comprehensives outside of the Palisades and ECR feeder patterns, have issues.

Also, some areas support their elementary schools but not their secondary schools. I.E. A lot of people in Bel-Air seem to send their kids to Warner Elementary, but the Bel-Air and Brentwood people seem to shun Emerson Middle and University High.

Originally Posted by majoun

I wouldn't put my kids (if I had them) in ANY LAUSD schools except for possibly some of the charters and magnets. Even LAUSD schools in perfectly good neighborhoods have pretty bad problems.

I noticed no one answered my question about what the Burbank schools are like. As I said before, none of my friends in the Valley have kids, so they wouldn't know. Could anyone answer this question?

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Vicman

I heard from a realtor who sells property in the LVUSD part of Los Angeles that ECR itself is considered to be good.

See http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/...school/ca/2049

I would assume, though, that almost all of the comprehensives outside of the Palisades and ECR feeder patterns, have issues.

Also, some areas support their elementary schools but not their secondary schools. I.E. A lot of people in Bel-Air seem to send their kids to Warner Elementary, but the Bel-Air and Brentwood people seem to shun Emerson Middle and University High.

Palisades is a charter, not a comprehensive - it does seem that people who I know who live within the districts for the really nasty west side comprehensives like Fairfax or Hamilton send their kids there (if they don't send them to private school or lie about where they live to get into the Beverly Hills or Santa Monica districts). It used to be a comprehensive though.

Warner's in Westwood (as is Emerson), by "Bel Air" I assume you mean Westwood?

[Vicman]

Students are still assigned to Palisades, so I see it as a comprehensive charter - Plug in some addresses into LAUSD's school zone search tool. Type 800 Via de la Paz - Palisades ES' address into: http://search.lausd.k12.ca.us/cgi-bi...xec=schfinder0

Parts of Brentwood, Topanga, and Pacific Palisades are zoned to Palisades HS.

Several Palisades feeder schools, which take students from assigned zoning boundaries, are also charters.

Perhaps University HS may be improved by becoming a charter?

And Westwood has its own elementary school - Westwood Elementary School.

The L.A. Times states that Warner is Bel-Air's assigned elementary school. See http://www.latimes.com/classified/re...=true&ctrack=1

Originally Posted by majoun

Palisades is a charter, not a comprehensive - it does seem that people who I know who live within the districts for the really nasty west side comprehensives like Fairfax or Hamilton send their kids there (if they don't send them to private school or lie about where they live to get into the Beverly Hills or Santa Monica districts). It used to be a comprehensive though.

Warner's in Westwood (as is Emerson), by "Bel Air" I assume you mean Westwood?

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Vicman

Students are still assigned to Palisades, so I see it as a comprehensive charter - Plug in some addresses into LAUSD's school zone search tool.

Parts of Brentwood, Topanga, and Pacific Palisades are zoned to Palisades HS.

Several Palisades feeder schools, which take students from assigned zoning boundaries, are also charters.

Perhaps University HS may be improved by becoming a charter?

And Westwood has its own elementary school - Westwood Elementary School.

The L.A. Times states that Warner is Bel-Air's assigned elementary school. See http://www.latimes.com/classified/re...=true&ctrack=1

Making Uni (my alma mater, BTW - though I went to Webster, not Emerson. Went to Walgrove Elementary, prior to my parents' moving) into a charter would improve it tremendously, although IMO, the only hope for "L.A. Mummified" is if Mayor Tony takes it over and shakes things up.

Warner is definitely in Westwood, even if it is Bel Air's assigned elementary school. It's right near the UCLA campus. I assume that's the school for northern Westwood just as Westwood is the school for southern Westwood and northern Rancho Park.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by majoun

Making Uni (my alma mater, BTW - though I went to Webster, not Emerson. Went to Walgrove Elementary, prior to my parents' moving) into a charter would improve it tremendously, although IMO, the only hope for "L.A. Mummified" is if Mayor Tony takes it over and shakes things up.

Maybe you could start a campaign to turn Uni and Emerson into charters to entice Brentwood, Westwood, and Bel-Air people into sending their kids to those schools.

In Houston, several people from some of the wealthy west-central neighborhoods enroll in public school, which surprises outsiders from areas where public schools are virtually shunned (i.e. New Orleans)

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Vicman

Maybe you could start a campaign to turn Uni and Emerson into charters to entice Brentwood, Westwood, and Bel-Air people into sending their kids to those schools.

In Houston, several people from some of the wealthy west-central neighborhoods enroll in public school, which surprises outsiders from areas where public schools are virtually shunned (i.e. New Orleans)

Since I live in Culver City which has its own school district and thus many of my neighbors with kids actually do send their kids to Culver High and Culver Middle School, it's not really something that I have a say over.
That's up to people who actually live in Westwood, Brentwood, Bel Air, and West L.A. proper.

[greggd]

Jest,
Since you are not at all familiar with los angeles county, I would suggest you rent a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment for a year relatively close to work. Your kids arent in school yet so you have time.

While you establish your family here, you can get to know the areas and make an informed decision about a real estate purchase. You are correct in your suspicion that the realtor will push you to make a sale. I can almost guarantee it. Another thing, certain realtors usually specialize in certain areas. You should be very careful.

You may like public transportation because your used to an efficient and comprehensive system. Los Angeles does not have that.

Real estate is expensive and cheaper homes equal long long drives and less time with the family. Some say we are at the top of the real estate cycle at this time. Many are waiting for prices to drop or inventory to increase before purchasing. I suspect many homeowners are currently overextended with interest only loans and cannot afford a traditional fixed rate loan in the home they now own. They purchased on speculation only hoping the property would increase in value and plan on selling it when they have to start paying toward the principle.

To others about the high schools: I think the dividing line is San Vicente Blvd in Brentwood. North goes to Palisades, South goes to Uni High. At least it was when i attended palisades. Also, they would never be able to persuade someone in brentwood or palisades to send their kid to uni unless the parent was fresh off the dingaling boat.

Good luck and consider taking your time about the home purchase.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by greggd

To others about the high schools: I think the dividing line is San Vicente Blvd in Brentwood. North goes to Palisades, South goes to Uni High. At least it was when i attended palisades. Also, they would never be able to persuade someone in brentwood or palisades to send their kid to uni unless the parent was fresh off the dingaling boat.

I don't know how old you are. I sense I'm a bit older. When I went to Uni there were some kids from Brentwood (and a lot from Westwood). Those were the days before Palisades was a charter, though, and back when middle schools were "junior high schools". In any case, I grew up much closer to the Uni/Venice boundary than the Uni/Pali boundary. I did have quite a few friends at SMC who'd gone to Pali - one of whom did live in Brentwood, although on the extreme western end of Brentwood near Santa Monica and the Palisades.