Porter Ranch, Los Angeles
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Porter Ranch is a suburban neighborhood of the
City of Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3,878,704 residents within the city ...
, in the northwest portion of the
San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...
.


History

The Porter family acquired part of
Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando was a Mexican land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California, granted in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Eulogio F. de Celis. The grant derives its name from the secularized Mission San Fernando Rey de Esp ...
in 1874. Porter Ranch community started as a housing tract in the community of Northridge. This was along San Fernando Mission Blvd west of Reseda Blvd circa 1960–1963. Almost no homes were north of Rinaldi Street until the area was annexed by the City of Los Angeles in 1965. These homes were only accessible via Tampa. Approximately 50 homes of the original tract was destroyed north of San Fernando Mission Blvd to build the 118 freeway. The new home construction that was completed in the Porter Ranch area in the 1990s–2000s, including the Renaissance Summit development, was mired in controversy and Los Angeles politics in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This largely undeveloped area on the very edge of the San Fernando Valley slated for a master-planned $2 billion real estate and commercial development was opposed by the "slow growth" movement, which was gaining traction through a combination of ballot initiatives and court cases along with growing environmental concerns as L.A. at the time was experiencing multiple environmental and infrastructure problems related to the previous decades rapid expansion, in terms of air quality, sewage capacity, and flood control. More locally, this combined with the more "nimby" type sentiment of existing and nearby residents of the Porter Ranch area who feared the increased traffic that would be brought by the planned building of an area commercial complex to service the new homes being built. Developments were also criticized for destroying the natural beauty of the brush and wild areas that inhabited the space before the houses were built. However, Shapell Homes, a company founded by
Nathan Shapell Nathan Shapell (March 7, 1922 – March 11, 2007) was a Polish-born American survivor of The Holocaust, as well as a real estate developer whose Shapell Industries was one of the largest real estate companies in California; he was also a philant ...
, a major Los Angeles builder, brought together powerful Los Angeles political figures to support the new home building.


Aliso Canyon Bridge

In the late 80s, there was an attempt to connect Sesnon Boulevard, the road that flanks the north side of the neighborhood, to its counterpart across the
Aliso Canyon Aliso Canyon is a canyon located in Orange County, California in the United States. The canyon is a water gap across the San Joaquin Hills carved out by Aliso Creek, possibly as recently as the last ice age. Located in a semi-arid climate, i ...
, also named Sesnon, via a bridge to be named simply, the "Aliso Canyon Bridge". This plan never came to fruition due to demonstrations from the residents of Porter Ranch, the primary opponents of the bridge, who believed that connecting the road to the neighborhood across the canyon would bring "crime...drag racing, and drug dealing". Residents were also afraid of Sesnon becoming "a ighway
118 118 may refer to: *118 (number) *AD 118 *118 BC *118 (TV series) *118 (film) *118 (Tees) Corps Engineer Regiment *118 (Tees) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers *118 Peitho, a main-belt asteroid See also *11/8 (disambiguation) *Oganesson Oganesson ...
alternate route", which would "send many cars through Porter Ranch". Proponents of the bridge said that there was a "critical need" to build a bridge because "the city of Los Angeles has installed heavy-duty guard rails to stop any vehicle that is out of control as it moves east at Beaufait. There is a much smaller rail 200 feet farther east...however, the first guard rail is usually partially broken because of out-of-control vehicles hitting it. Before it can be repaired, there is almost no protection to prevent a vehicle from falling into Aliso Canyon. Additionally, if a vehicle heading west on Sesnon becomes lost, there is no barrier to prevent it from falling into this deep canyon." Despite the proponents' argument about the severity of the situation, the bridge was never built. There is still evidence of the bridge seen from Sesnon heading east towards the canyon, the road (which is now closed off behind multiple guard rails) is visible heading towards the canyon just short of the bridge, and the counterpart is still visible on the west-bound side.


Aliso Canyon oil well fire

A company of Texas oil well firefighters, headed by the legendary Paul “Red” Adair, came to Oat Mountain and stopped a 1968 blaze after six days.


Gas blowout

On October 23, 2015,
Southern California Gas Company The Southern California Gas Company (trading as SoCalGas) is a utility company based in Los Angeles, California, and a subsidiary of Sempra. It is the primary provider of natural gas to Los Angeles and Southern California. Overview Its headqu ...
workers discovered a leak in one of the over 110 wells at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, about one mile north of homes in Porter Ranch. The
gas Gas is a state of matter that has neither a fixed volume nor a fixed shape and is a compressible fluid. A ''pure gas'' is made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon) or molecules of either a single type of atom ( elements such as ...
blowout began spewing 110,000 pounds of methane per hour. The blowout involved gas stored under pressure in an underground reservoir; the stored gas included mercaptan (
tert-Butylthiol ''tert''-Butylthiol, also known as ''tert''-butyl mercaptan (TBM), and abbreciated ''t''-BuSH, is an organosulfur compound with the formula (CH3)3CSH. This thiol has a strong odor. It is considered a flavoring agent. Preparation ''tert''-Butylt ...
), an
odorant An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance, flavoring or flavor, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class of chemical compounds to impart a smell or fragrance, it must be sufficien ...
added to the odorless natural gas to produce a "rotten egg" smell for safety. The
California Air Resources Board The California Air Resources Board (CARB or ARB) is an agency of the government of California that aims to reduce air pollution. Established in 1967 when then-governor Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air S ...
estimated that the leak increased California's methane gas emissions by 25%. By order of the Los Angeles County Dept of Health, the company relocated thousands of families from the Porter Ranch area; the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
established a
temporary flight restriction The Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) governing all aviation activities in the United States. The FARs comprise Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). A wide var ...
over the leak site until March 2016. On December 15, the county of Los Angeles declared a state of emergency, and two days later it approved a plan to close two schools in the area. Officials estimated that the leak would take months to repair. On January 11, 2016
Mitchell Englander Mitchell Englander (born 1970) is an American former politician who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing District 12 in the San Fernando Valley, until he resigned December 31, 2018. While serving in City Council, he w ...
, the LA City Councilman representing Porter Ranch, said "Most people weren't aware that one of the largest gas storage facilities in the United States was in their backyard. There was, from what we're hearing, no disclosure when they bought their homes." On February 18, 2016, state officials announced that the leak was permanently plugged. On March 12, 2016, Los Angeles County Public Health Department officials say its test of dust in Porter Ranch homes turned up the presence of metals, including barium, that could have caused the kinds of health symptoms some residents have reported experiencing even after the big gas blowout was plugged.


Fires and other major disasters


Clampette fire

Sept. 25, 1970 this fire made a one-day 20 mile run to the sea in Malibu from Newhall pass. This fire was the most destructive to date both in loss of property and life. One fatality was in Porter Ranch; there were four deaths total. The Porter Ranch death occurred as a homeowner tried to drive up Tampa through the flames to get to his family at the family home above the ridge (near Sesnon). Note that Tampa was abutted by brush on both sides north of Rinadi until you pass the ridge. It merged with two other fires. This event was part one of the event nicknamed "Shake and Bake", a combination of wildfire and earthquake. The fire burned along Rinaldi, crossing Rinadi just west of Reseda Blvd. A hill just northeast of Reseda/Renadi was named Cherry Hill after its grasses caused the hill to glow like a cherry.


1971 Sylmar quake

This quake had a major impact on Porter Ranch, on the northwest portion along San Fernando Mission Blvd pools were half emptied, many block walls fell over, the area was without running water for a couple of weeks. Many of the homes floor joists were not bolted to the pylons underneath, causing remediation. A major aftershock was on a fault in Porter Ranch. Note: there were no issues with the Aliso Cyn oil field.


1988 brush fire

About 5:00 am a brush fire propelled by 70 mph
Santa Ana winds The Santa Ana winds, occasionally referred to as the devil winds, are strong, extremely dry katabatic winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cool, dry high-pressure ...
crossed Aliso Creek and destroyed 13 homes and damaged 23 mostly on Beaufait Avenue. The use of wood roof shingles was blamed for the enhanced level of destruction of the fire. Many residents fended off flames on their house roofs with garden hoses. The fire consumed 3,000 acres and $10 million (1988) in damages.


2019 wildfire

On October 10, 2019, the Saddleridge Fire broke out in the nearby community of Sylmar due to an electrical power line short circuit. Despite efforts to control the fire, the blaze spread to Porter Ranch within a few hours, forcing the entire community to evacuate while burning some of the homes in the eastern part of the neighborhood. During these fires the skies were gray with ashes falling from the sky, and schools were closed for a few days due to the poor air quality and floating debris.


Geography

The neighborhood is bounded by Brown's Canyon/ Chatsworth on the south and west, Northridge on the south, and Granada Hills on the northeast and east. The
Santa Susana Mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in Southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west, separating the San Fernando and Simi valleys on its south from the Santa ...
, which separate the San Fernando and
Santa Clarita Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most populo ...
valleys, lie to the north. The principal thoroughfares are Mason Ave., Corbin Ave., Porter Ranch Drive, Tampa Ave. and Reseda Blvd., running north–south, and Sesnon Blvd., Rinaldi St. and the Ronald Reagan Freeway (State Route 118), running east and west. Porter Ranch is in the hilly northwestern tip of the
San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...
, where, according to a 2008 ''Los Angeles Times'' article, it was a "calm outpost of Los Angeles" that attracted residents "seeking sanctuary from the
urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...
hubbub." It was noted that the neighborhood had "some of the cleanest air in the Valley year-around—some of which is attributable to winds that sweep through the community regularly." Nevertheless, "those same winds, which have been clocked at 70 mph, take down trees and holiday lights." * Renaissance Summit is a neighborhood at the highest point of Porter Ranch.


Demographics

According to the U.S. Census in 2000, the population was 24,923. Based on the Los Angeles Department of City Planning estimates, the population was 30,571 in 2008. With a population density of 4,462 people per square mile (1,723/km2), Porter Ranch is among the lowest-density neighborhoods of Los Angeles, but average for
Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...
as a whole.


Ethnic makeup

According to
Mapping L.A. Mapping L.A. was a 2009 project of the ''Los Angeles Times''. It identified 158 cities and Unincorporated area, unincorporated areas within Los Angeles County, California. It also drew boundary lines for 114 neighborhoods within the Los Angeles, C ...
of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
,'' Porter Ranch was "moderately diverse". The figures were 60.9%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 26.8% Asian, 7.5% Latino, 1.8%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
and 3.0% other races. A total of 8,385 (33.6%) of residents were foreign born, about average for both the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County.
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
(21.4%) and
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
(9.3%) were the most common foreign places of birth.


Household makeup

Average household size was three people, about the same as the rest of the city and county. Of the housing units in Porter Ranch, 71.8% were occupied by homeowners, while 28.2% were occupied by renters.


Arts and culture

Los Angeles Public Library The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California, operating separate from the Los Angeles County Public Library system. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million resid ...
operates a branch library within the community. Porter Ranch is home to number of retail and commercial centers as planned by the Porter Ranch specific plan that was adopted in 1989. With the recent developments being the Vineyards at Porter Ranch, built in 2019 and The Porter Ranch Town Center that opened in 1999.


Parks and recreation

Palisades Park is an unstaffed park in Porter Ranch. Others include Aliso Canyon Park, Rinaldi Park, Viking Park, Porter Ridge Park, Limekiln Canyon Park, Moonshine Canyon Park, and Holleigh Bernson Memorial Park. Porter Ridge Park was a filming location of the movie ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...
'' (1982). In March 2022, the Los Angeles City Council backed a proposal to officially change the park's name to "E.T. Park" as it is commonly referred to by locals.


Government

Porter Ranch is located in
California's 27th congressional district California's 27th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is currently represented by . The district includes most of northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, includi ...
, which is represented by Democratic George T. Whitesides. The
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Health Services Los Angeles County, officially the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, operates the public hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and is the United States' second largest municip ...
operates the Pacoima Health Center in
Pacoima Pacoima (Tataviam language: ''Pakoinga'', meaning "entrance") is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley region of LA. Geography Location Pacoima is bordered by the Los Angele ...
, serving Porter Ranch. Porter Ranch is located in
Los Angeles City Council District 12 Los Angeles's 12th City Council district is one of the fifteen districts in the Los Angeles City Council. It is currently represented by Independent politician, Independent John Lee (California politician), John Lee since 2019 after he was electe ...
, currently represented by John Lee. It also is represented by the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council.


Education

Fifty-one percent of Porter Ranch residents aged 25 and older had earned a
four-year degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years (de ...
by 2000, a high percentage for the city. Schools within the Porter Ranch boundaries are: * Castlebay Lane Charter School * Porter Ranch Community School


Infrastructure

Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides firefighting services and technical rescue services, hazardous materials services, and emergency medical services to the residents of the city of Los Angeles, California, United ...
Station 8 and Station 28 are in the area.
Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
operates from the nearby Devonshire Police Station.


Notable people

* Robert M. Wilkinson (1921–2010), Los Angeles City Council member and Porter Ranch lobbyist *
Hal Bernson Harold M. Bernson (November 19, 1930July 20, 2020) was an American politician who was a member of the Los Angeles City Council for 24 years, from 1979 until his retirement in 2003. A conservative Republican, he was a leading proponent of the San ...
, Los Angeles City Council member, 1979–2003, when Porter Ranch development was approved *
Rin Keys Rin Alessia Keys (born 23 September 2008) is an American Rhythmic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnast. She is the Pan American Gymnastics Championships, Pan American Champion (2024 Pan American Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, 2024 in clubs and 2025 P ...
, rhythmic gymnast *
Lori Nelson Dixie Kay Nelson (August 15, 1933August 23, 2020), known professionally as Lori Nelson, was an American actress and model mostly active in the 1950s and early 1960s. She had roles in the TV series ''How to Marry a Millionaire (TV series), How to ...
(1933–2020), film and TV actress, mostly active in the 1950s and early 60s, died in her Porter Ranch home. *
Tee Grizzley Terry Sanchez Wallace Jr. (born March 23, 1994), known professionally as Tee Grizzley, is an American rapper. He first began posting music online following a two year prison sentence, he released the song "First Day Out (Tee Grizzley song), Fir ...
, hip hop artist *
Alex Padilla Alejandro Padilla (born March 22, 1973) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from California, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democrati ...
, United States Senator


References


External links


Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council
{{Los Angeles Communities in the San Fernando Valley Neighborhoods in Los Angeles Santa Susana Mountains