Hello, Alixan! First, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your personal connection to preserving historic and cultural places? 

I have lived in the San Fernando Valley my entire life, born and raised. The only time I’ve ever left was for two years to go to college in San Francisco, and that’s when I realized just how much I love the Valley. So once I came back, I was obsessed with documenting everything. One thing about living here is that everything is constantly changing—businesses are closing or changed into something else, buildings are remodeled or just bulldozed entirely. It’s been my passion to document everything I see and share everything I love about living here ever since. 

You took part in our first–ever Community Leadership Boot Camp program. What led you to participate in the program? How did you find out about it?  

Well, it was 2021 in the midst of the pandemic, and I was extremely isolated. I was spending a lot of time on my phone, on social media, and that’s how I learned about the Boot Camp program. I joined just to have something to do and to connect with people during that time. I was always interested in buildings and L.A. architecture, but I really didn’t know anything about what was involved in preservation.  

You also run a very popular Instagram account, Valley Haunts. When did you start that account and how did it come about?  

I started the account in 2014 and when I started it, I had no followers. It was just a place to put my pictures, and they weren’t very good pictures at the time. It’s really grown from there. I tend to notice things that catch my eye while I’m driving around. I think a lot of L.A. is meant to be seen from the car. When I spot something that jumps out, I pull over and take a picture of it.  

Something the Boot Camp program has given me is the resources to find out more about what I’m actually taking photos of—the historical or cultural context of a spot. It’s given me the tools to do that research. 

What have been your biggest takeaways or most valuable lessons from the program? 

My biggest takeaway is that community is a really powerful tool to help save the places that you love. I used to drive through my old neighborhoods and just think, “Oh, there was a house there that I loved and now it’s gone.” It felt so powerless. Now, I have more of an understanding of how buildings do get saved, and part of it is just meeting with people and connecting with others in your community. 

It’s also given me a whole community of people who are interested in the same things I am, which has been really cool. When a place is being threatened or there is some action that needs to be taken, I know who to reach out to and I have a team of people that I know will help boost the project. It also taught me tangible things like going to neighborhood council meetings and how to get involved in your neighborhood, how to research and find out more about actions you can take, and what steps go into preserving something. It’s really given me a lot of resources.

What do you love about your neighborhood? Tell us what makes your community unique or share a favorite spot in the neighborhood. 

My favorite thing lately has been programmatic architecture in the Valley. There’s a big building that’s shaped like a Cadillac, another building used to be a pharmacy that’s shaped like a beaker, a barrel-shaped building. There’s even a building shaped like a horse drawn buggy that used to be an old-style Arby’s. 

I also love old neon, which is used less and less in current buildings—everything is LED now. My favorite restaurant is Beeps in Van Nuys. They have the best vintage sign I’ve ever seen. It’s the letters of the restaurant, all spelled out in neon, but the two “E”’s in the name are eyes with eyelashes and it’s really amazing. It’s a little diner, and it’s the best. 

What’s one piece of wisdom or encouragement you’d like to share with someone considering participating in our Community Leadership Boot Camp? 

Just to do it. Do it and make friends and keep in touch with them. I still keep in touch with my class and I go to the reunion every year—I really value those connections made.