Park La Brea Apartment Complex of Los Angeles, CA 90036 used to be a reasonably nice place to live. There were noise issues from time to time over the last 20 years and security was generally sluggish solving these problems. Routine stereo use, subwoofers, children playing loudly near high rises for hours at a time, chirping fire alarms that needed new batteries. We would normally have to bother security several times or up to seven times in the past to get these problems solved and often get the run around. Those were the good old days, at least compared to the current status quo.

In the old days, until about two years ago, there were strict dog policies. The policies went from no dogs allowed period — to being changed to allow a few nicely behaved dogs. I did not read their policies as I don’t have a dog myself although you will find me dogmatic if you read to the end of this article. In the old days the only time we had a problem with dogs is if someone brought a dog in from outside and the dog made lots of noise barking. In those days security would solve that quickly.

Then, around 2019, which incidentally is the same time that in my opinion a very dark and ominous spiritual force became pervasive in my area, dogs were allowed in with few restrictions. More and more dogs came into the complex to live. However, management and security had no protocol to manage the dogs or their poop. Their attitude seems to be — we’ll deal with problems AFTER they happen rather than do preventive maintenance. Except if there are no specifics of what happened after the fact, then we have our hands tied. How useless!

I have already been bitten once, and pounced on several times, menaced, lunged at, barked at, growled at, and had serious screaming matches with dog owners. I don’t blame the dogs, I blame the owners.

So, we have several thousand dogs roaming around, most of whom are relatively new to the area. None of them have been trained from management as to what acceptable behavior is, how long or short their leash should be, or how much of a distance they should keep from those who did not express an interest in being close to their vile pet. Sure this is a nice way to attract new renters in an economy ravaged by an outward migration of people who don’t like the dragonian reaction to Covid-19 in California. But, this lackadaisical attitude towards pestilent pets will surely not be attractive to the long term residents who by definition are not likely to have a dog.

So, here is an itemization of my issues:

1. LEASH LAWS & POLICIES
Los Angeles County law requires all dogs to be on a leash not to exceed six feet. But, in Park La Brea it is common to see dogs running around freely, sometimes out of sight of their owners. It is also common to see dogs on adjustable length leashes that go up to 15 feet. If you go anywhere near these dogs, you can easily get pounced on or bitten. I pass by 40 dogs per day, and I keep at least six feet distance if possible. If I came closer to these animals I would be having an incident involving yelling at least once per day. Unless you report an individual to security that you can name, or name where they live, security will not be able to do anything — and they never act proactively on their own for this issue unless the dog looks very dangerous.

Management and Security do NOTHING to enforce leash laws or leash length laws which has led to a lot of chaos.

2. RESTRICTED PARKS
Park La Brea policy and signage disallows pets from entering the activities center park. However, whenever I go, day or night, there are always pets there. Sometimes those pets don’t behave in a manner conducive to me having a relaxing walk.

3. MUZZLES
Dogs that are aggressive are required to wear a muzzle. However, there is no definition of what aggressive is. One security guard thought that killer attack dogs were aggressive and I agreed with him. However, tiny dogs that growl at you if you walk near them are ALSO aggressive and they also bite. Their bite won’t kill you, but it is very disconcerting to be bitten or pounced on by a hostile little canine.

4. LEADERSHIP & TRAINING
Each security guard I talk to (and there have been about five I have spoken to about the dog issue) has a different understanding about dog policy. Since 20% of the problems that we have in the complex are now dog related, it behooves security management to have all of their staff be intimately knowledgeable about dog policies and probably carry written policies on their person at all times so they can look things up. Many security offices just ride around on bicycles but have no clue how to handle very basic situations. What is the point of even having security if they don’t keep us secure?

5. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
My solution to the dog problem is as follows.
(a) Have fewer total dogs
(b) Segregate dogs to living in certain units on the perimeter of the complex, and playing only in certain areas, and walking only on certain sidewalks
(c) Enforce “dogs not allowed” areas with sound technology. Dogs cannot stand high pitched noises that humans would not be aware of. In certain parks, there could be devices making those noises. Additionally, security could write up citations for those who violated the policies.
(d) Signage. It is no surprise that people do not follow leash laws as there are no signs explaining what leash laws or policies are. Those signs should be in your face everywhere. At least people would know what the policies are even if they disobey them.
(e) There are 13 entrances to the activities center park. The backs of all high rises have a back door which constitutes an entrance. And then there are pedestrian entrances on either side of the four high rises that surround the pari. Additionally there is a main entrance which is the 13th entrance (or the first depending on where you started counting. There are three signs in the park which are not lit at night stating that pets are not allowed. If there were large and lit signs on all 13 entrances stating dog policy, there would be a lot fewer people with doggies creating a nuisance.
(f) Poop maintenance. Since I am familiar with the concept of living in harmony with nature, I understand that in nature, dogs poop. Therefore, unless you want to live in a poop infested world, there needs to be a mechanism for picking up the poop as not all dog owners do it for their dog. Management here leaves the poop all over the place and it stays on the grass for weeks. If you walk around at night on the grass, you will step on poop. How attractive. Yet another piece of information to put in the sales literature for prospective renters.

Welcome to Park La Brea — if you like stepping on dog poop that we let sit for weeks on end, this is the place for you! If you walk on the sidewalk you will be antagonized by dogs, but if you keep a safe margin of space between you and the dogs, you will have to walk on the grass which is covered intermittently with poop. Enjoy!

SUMMARY
In short, Park La Brea welcomed thousands of dogs with no plan on educating, managing, or disciplining a single one of them. This has led to chaos. There is poop everywhere, barking, dog bites, pouncing incidents, growling, slobbering, happening on a regular basis. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that Biden arranged this whole situation, but it seems that there are others out there as clueless as Biden who follow in his footsteps.

Many of us with public offices such as Notary Public, Police, Judges, and others have sworn an Oath of Office to protect the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. The exact wording of your Oath varies by profession, state, and varies over time. But, the concept is similar. You do not sit and watch while our constitution is being violated — you stand up and do something. But, do what? Use your imagination. Protest, write letters, make phone calls to critical people – make some noise damn it!

The constitution and its amendments are the bedrock and foundation of our society. If people can violate it with reckless abandon for light and transient causes such as diseases that only kill people in nursing homes or due to temporary riots, then the governors can get away with anything — and in 2020 they did.

It is December, 2020 when I am writing this article. State officials are beginning to speak more frequently about the constitution. Rudy Giuliani made several lawsuits involving states concerning the legitimacy of votes which included some constitutional issues. The Texas Secretary of State sued a few states that violated constitutional procedure for making changes in voting rules. And more Sheriffs (in CA & NY for example) and regular people are beginning to stand up more and more and protest how their rights have been taken away from them.

What specific violations can be sourced?

1. Liberty & Masks
Liberty is described as an unalienable right by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the State of California. Liberty is also a right in the Constitution that can only be taken from you by due process. Is forcing a healthy person to wear a mask or socially distance liberty?

Liberty I would define as the ability to do what you like unless you create extreme danger or discomfort to others. A healthy person not wearing a mask poses no more danger to others than a safe driver on the road poses. Sure there might be an accident, but the risk is a small and reasonable risk. A driver who has a record of driving recklessly would pose a significant risk. And we need to differentiate between reasonable risk and unreasonable risk — but, due to our paranoia of Covid-19, our brains no longer function rationally.

2. The First Amendment: The Right to Assemble
The right to assemble on personal property, business property, and public property such as parks, beaches, hiking trails, etc., has been abridged in many states by the respective Governors. Many were denied their right to run their business or have as many clients as they wanted in their building. Restaurants couldn’t provide inside dining either for months on end which created financial devastation to many.

3. The First Amendment: Religious Rights
Our rights to practice our religions have been violated. In many states the Governors have made it illegal to congregate in a religious building such as a church, mosque, or synagogue. Additionally, there was hypocrisy in enforcement as violent rioters were allowed to congregate in mass and damage businesses. Executive orders must be even handed across the board, so if 100 rioters can assemble to riot, therefore 100 church goers should have the same right. On the other hand, the constitution doesn’t allow any abridgement of our rights. I consider it to be treason for a member of the government to willfully violate our constitutional rights.

4. The Second Amendment: Gun Rights
Several states wanted to abridge gun rights or take guns away from members of the public. The constitution doesn’t state that the government can do such a thing. Members of the public have the right to bear firearms — it doesn’t say which type they can have or can’t have or under what conditions. It just says we can have them.

5. Constitution Main Body: Changing voting rules
Several states decided to change their voting protocol to include mail in ballots which is a contested issue. During previous years the Democrats complained about fraud involving mail-in ballot, and now the Republicans are complaining more. It is hard to verify someone’s identity or whether or not they are living or a state resident with mail-in ballots. Most Republicans claim that was the whole point — to defraud an election and defeat Trump. But, the legislation of the respective states must be the party to decide what voting procedures are and not other parties of the executive or judicial branch who “take over,” at least temporarily.

6. Freedom of Press
Although the government did not abridge our rights to free expression in any way I am aware of, the government was sluggish to crack down on utility companies such as large internet and social media outfits who routinely censor and suppress the commentary particularly of more traditional or conservative voices. If we are to live in a country with freedom and where all voices are heard, you cannot let companies censor those who they allow free commentary unless they are publishers. I also believe that if Twitter and Facebook wish to be publishers, there should be a completely different rulebook for them to play by and they should not allow their members to post freely at all. Social media should be distinguished from publishing and Twitter and Facebook need to decide if they want free press or whether they want to have designated writers. Having both simultaneously on a rocking boat doesn’t seem to work beneficially to the public.

7. A dysfunctional system of checks and balances
Governors of states in 2020 could get away with anything with little if any consequences. The people did not stand up with any force against the government — not even in Michigan where there were mini uprisings and a kidnapping attempt which never amounted to anything. From my limited knowledge of how America works, it seems that the court systems in the various states have the power to shut down a governor’s powers if he or she abuses them. However, only Wisconsin was able to stop their governor from making arbitrary Covid-19 related orders. The other states either did nothing, made a feeble and failed attempt to curtail the governor’s actions, or in the case of California only limited Newsom’s ability to make executive orders that contradicted existing legislation, but did NOT prevent him from shutting indoor dining, or preventing free assembly or freedom of religion.

California’s freedom of religion was decided by a Federal circuit court many months ago who decided that going to church would be suicide, and therefore that the constitution no longer applies and that the constitution has a “pause” button that can be pressed at arbitrary times. When I read the constitution and the various amendments, I erroneously missed the part where the pause button is described. Perhaps I should read more carefully.

Notaries also swore to protect the constitution in their Oath of Office, so it behooves you to do something to defend it. Write a letter, make a phone call, write an article, demonstrate publically — do something.

SUMMARY
The Constitution is a document — a piece of paper. It is the foundation of our society. However, without enforcement, (and we the people are part of the mechanism that can enforce it or pressure others to enforce it) — it remains a meaningless, helpless and worthless piece of paper. If you value America, the country that gave your ancestors life, freedom, liberty, safety, opportunity, and the right to pursue happiness, then get off your rear end and defend this document with your life if necessary otherwise our republic is done — perhaps permanently! We would be done due to the economic catastrophe of unconstitutional shutdowns as well as the government corruption which undermines the character of our nation.

Have you ever been to a signing where you just didn’t want to go into the house? At 123notary we have heard many stories ranging from Legionaires disease caused by mold or bacteria, hoarding, people with long toenails that go click click click, Notaries pushed down stairs and more. Here is a list of types of situations where you might not want to go to the signing.

1. Legionnaires Disease
This is a disease that can cause serious lung diseases. If you go into a really dirty house that has a lot of bacteria, you could contract this disease which can be deadly. We advise you to think twice before going into an unsanitary house. It is more than just unpleasant — it could be your last.

2. Hoarders
Some people stack stuff from the floor to the roof and refuse to clean up. There are reality shows about this topic and it just isn’t funny. Hoarders have a mental disease that makes them believe that they actually need these useless things which they collect and that their life would be so much worse if they got rid of all of those things. If the hoarding is out of control it might be dangerous to go into a hoarders house as something could fall on your or trap you.

3. Good house bad neighborhood?
On the other hand, some houses are fine, but in bad neighborhoods where you might be afraid to go. I have heard issues of Notaries who are assigned jobs at tenement houses where risky looking people are hanging out in front of the building as well.

4. Parking Issues
There are houses where there is no place to park in certain types of communities as well.

5. GPS Issues
You might have houses on roads that are not on your GPS which is an interesting phenomenon.

6. Construction
If a house is having construction there could be issues. There could be dust that is not safe for you to breathe. There could be vehicles blocking you or equipment strewn all over the place. There might also be noise issues.

7. Smells
If you went to a house where they were cooking exotic food, you might smell an intense aroma of garam masala or something of that nature. You might hear the sounds of Vietnamese being spoken loudly too. Some people are sensitive to these things.

8. Sound
If you in a house that is noisy, that can be an issue. Some people do not turn off the television or have noisy rambunctious children dressed in Spider Man outfits.

9. Animals
Some houses have animals that are annoying or dangerous. Owners of dogs are genetically predispositioned to assume that the rest of the world just love dogs, and in particular their dogs and enjoy being viciously barked at, lunged at, and jumped on by their uncivilized furry friends. Not so. I had one borrower put their dog behind a closed door, only for Fido to emerge unannounced and jump all over me. Try locking the door and take people’s safety and comfort more seriously.

10. Attorneys
If you go to a signing and there are Attorneys or Brokers, you might be in for a long haul where there are line by line explanations. Couldn’t you do this before the signing?

11. Haunted
There might be ghosts in particular places. If so, tell the ghosts not to bother you during the signing and ask them to come back with some sort of etherial ID if they want to be notarized.

So, what are some of the worst houses or situations you have gone into?