What Is Happening on Fiske?

Years ago I heard the story about the two sisters on the 1000 block of Fiske who had rats running loose through the house for over 50 years. Then last week I hear about a man on the to shoot someone parking in front of his house. I ask myself, "What is happening on Fiske?"

Just for the fun of it, I decided to do some research about the name origin of Fiske Street. I took a look at a library copy of Street Names of Pacific Palisades & Other Tales to see if I could find any clue as to the mysterious things that are happening there. I discovered the street was named after Wilbur Fisk, a Methodist minister, educator, and Theologian. I did not find anything unusual about him except that he had an unhappy marriage, but that's far from unusual.

Next I took a walk on the 800th block of Fiske to gather more clues. Things looked fairly normal. There were some cars parked on the street, but not an obscene amount. I do note the street is narrow, so parked cars on either side would pose a problem. On Junaluska right before intersecting El Medio this is a major problem, as the street is even narrower, and SUVs park on either side. It's quite an obstacle course getting through, but Fiske is slightly wider.

I remember when I lived in Van Nuys we had a similar problem for which, I will admit, my family did contribute. In Van Nuys there are many multi-families living in single-family homes, so either garages are converted into living spaces or the garage capacity is not sufficient for all the cars. Therefore, most people parked on the street. Fortunately, our street was exceptionally wide, so it did not pose a traffic hazard. Our family converted our garage into an art studio, so we too were guilty of street parking. When our daughter got a car that meant three of our cars were on the street.

It often was hard to find a place to park in front of our house in the evening, so we did what we could. We also did not have a driveway as all garages on our side of the street were located along an alley behind our homes. I had a kind neighbor who said if I returned late in the evening and could not find street parking, I could park in her driveway so long as I pulled out in the morning before she left for work. I was always grateful for her generosity, because parking was so bad, and I would find myself having to park blocks away and walk by myself in the dark home.

There was one neighbor who was not so generous although he could have been as he did have a driveway. He left angry notes on cars. There is something else he did, but I won't divulge it because I don't want to give you dear Palisadians any ideas, but he never threatened a life--thank God. Once when he left a note, I came up and talked to him, and we had a friendly chat and worked things out. I do find that often if you take care of things face-to-face rather than leaving angry notes, much can be accomplished. Anonymous notes are the worst, because you are left with this paranoid feeling of wondering who is watching you, and if you did want to work something out with your neighbor, you are offered no recourse to do it.

It is most unfortunate that while living at my mom's house that I own the third car in a house with a two-car garage. I try to park my car in the driveway as much as I can. First, because it's illegal to park on the street beyond 72 hours, second, because I am concerned my car will get side-swiped by a speeding driver, and third, because I know having it on the street irritates my neighbors and does pose a traffic issue when a car is parked directly across the street. We are not blessed with the wide street I had in Van Nuys. But hey, the summers are cooler here. It's worth the sacrifice.

I park my car on the right side on the driveway, so my brother can pull his car out around it. Unfortunately, my mother's car is much wider, so I have to keep up with her schedule and have it pulled out on the street prior to when she leaves. So much of my life is pulling my car in and out of the driveway that I feel like an unpaid valet who gets no tips.

The big issue around here is where to park on the street. We have a large Jacaranda tree that drops blossoms and leaves that dry into the paint. It makes for an awful mess, and I don't want to be washing my car daily. The old Carob trees are much more car-friendly, so I began parking in front of neighbors' homes that have those type of trees on their parkway. I would strategically place my car in front of different homes on different days, so not to annoy anyone by being parked there too long, but eventually I did receive an anonymous note. Everyone understands my parking dilemma and likes me, so they were quite nice about it all, but to this day I have no idea who left the note.

I figured out that if I park just a bit beyond the Jacaranda tree and had some branches cut away, my car would be okay. I would still be in front of my house and not be across from the driveway of the house on the other side of the street. That's important because one time the neighbor did back into my parents' car.

We don't have teenagers on our block, but we do have nannies who come and park on the street. That was problematic, because one of them liked to park in the spot that I had selected for myself. I chose not to leave her a note about parking in front of my house knowing how unfriendly that feels. Rather we had an amiable talk, and I told her about my dilemma. She shared a similar dilemma. All the neighbors had a sense of entitlement that no one should park in front of their house, so she didn't know where to park. Their lack of hospitality embarrasses me.

I asked her what hours and days she worked, so I could keep abreast of her schedule. I told her I will likely take her prized spot, but if I'm not there in time--she can have it. We've had a wonderful rapport since. On occasion, I miss the spot and must park in front of the neighbor's house, but since I don't do it often, no notes have appeared.

Since then I have purchased a car cover, because the salty air is really bad for the paint. Now I can park under the Jacaranda tree if I have no other option. I like options. The more I have, the happier I am.

Though it is true the streets are public, and I legally can park anywhere I want so long as I don't go beyond 72 hours, I try not to have a sense of entitlement about it. Entitlement leads to bad feelings and war-like behavior. So I rather find some sort of compromise where both parties can feel good if possible. It just feels like a neighborly way to approach things.

People have a variety of lifestyles. Some have nannies. Some have an extra relative living at home with a car. Some may have frequent out of town guests or are pack rats with no garage space. Others have teenagers with cars. It's a real dilemma. The suburbs of Pacific Palisades were designed in a different time when there just weren't as many cars.

I see our greatest enemy in all this is not all the cars but our sense of entitlement--that we have a "right" to park where we like or to have the spot in front of our house empty. As soon as any party begins to think in terms of "rights," no solution can be reached. It is unfortunate that on Fiske Street entitlement lead to a death threat last week.

I thought I came up empty with my theory that what is happening on Fiske Street is connected with Wilbur Fisk, and then I was struck with a moment of brilliance. Did you notice that an "e" was mistakenly added at the end of the street name. What word begins with the letter "e"? Entitlement. Perhaps it's that extra "e" that has lead Fiske Street to go astray. What's the excuse for other streets like mine?