Tucked away on a north-south side street east of Sepulveda Boulevard and south of Santa Monica Boulevard, past the…More faded  "Isle of California" mural on the recording studio's back wall, lies LAPD's West LA Community Police Station. It serves Brentwood and other huge swaths of West Los Angeles (see PDF).</p> <p>According to the station, "the West Los Angeles Community Police Station provides service to a diverse residential population that exceeds 228,000 people. Throughout the day, the business and residential population swells to approximately a half million people. The increase is due to those who either pursue knowledge and skills training at educational and professional institutes, including the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and those who work or visit the neighborhoods of West Los Angeles. West Los Angeles officers protect and serve people within the station's boundaries of 65.14 square miles and 748 street miles, bordering the cities of Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica, and Los Angeles County and the Pacific Ocean. In comparison to the other 17 community police stations, West Los Angeles is responsible for the largest number of square miles."</p> <p>Luckily, Brentwood has few crimes. The occasional residential burglary or "theft from vehicle" shows up on the police blotter, but rarely. Most Brentwood police issues revolve around traffic and the occasional code enforcement.</p> <p>We can expect more problems from the inevitably increasing clashes between the city and country aspects of Brentwood.</p> <p>Not that it's a trendsetter, but the road-rage incident where a motorist in a hurry ran down two cyclists in Mandeville Canyon is an indication of lifestyle clashes that mark our community. </p> <p>Traffic is an issue in Brentwood, especially as drivers speed along Sunset Boulevard. Blind curves and fast driving resulted in the death of a teenager on her way to catch an early-morning school bus. (A shrine to Julia Siegler still stands at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Cliffwood Avenue.)</p> <p>And then there are the equestrians of Old Ranch Road and environs. Will an impatient motorist act out there? Only time will tell, but it will be city versus country all over again.</p> <p>Back to the West Los Angeles Station. There's an ATM inside, in case you see sketchy characters hanging around your local cash machine, and it's a Safe House for kids who feel threatened on the way to or from school.</p> <p>There are classes for community volunteer emergency workers and emailed newsletters, and it's around the corner from the West LA Courthouse. </p> <p>Whether the proximity to the court is a bug or a feature is up to you.</p>

Now you see, it now you don't.

Most drivers crusing west on Sunset Boulevard probably don't notice Los Angeles…More Fire Department (LAFD) Station Number 19 unless there's a fire-engine red vehicle parked outside.</p> <p>But this station is a critical link in protecting Brentwood residents  from a fire like the devastating 1961 Bel Air Brentwood blaze.</p> <p>A look at the LAFD's fire station locator (link below) shows the hazards.  Type in our ZIP code (90049) and select a ten-mile radius.  When the map pops up you'll see a few scattered stations and what we all know to be thousands of acres of scrub brush and trees and houses and wilderness.</p> <p>While Station Number 19 is not affected by the "rolling brownouts"  put into effect because of city budget woes, taking 15 fire trucks and nine ambulances out of service daily could increase response time, according to United Firefighters of Los Angeles City President Pat McOsker.</p> <p>That said, the crew at Station 19 are happy to host visiting groups of schoolkids, or bring a truck and some fully-outfitted firefighters to your kindergarten for an educational day the children will never forget.</p> <p>The original Station 19 was located on North Main Street downtown and closed in 1949, when the Brentwood station was opened.</p>