Mary Cummins Investigative Reporter Los Angeles, California: mary

Showing posts with label mary. Show all posts

Monday, February 1, 2016

Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser Volunteer Activity - Los Angeles, California

I found an old list of my volunteer activities up to 1982. I decided to update it to the present and post it.

Good Shepherd Church in Beverly Hills

1977-1980 Volunteered with the Shepherdaires to serve food to the elderly
1977-1978 Christmas boutique sale. Collected articles to sell, sorted, displayed and sold.
1977-1980 Bake sales. I helped serve the Sunday coffee hour in the Parish Hall
1978 Bike-a-thon to raise money for the church
1977-1980 Corporal Works of Mercy. Under Father Priebe I helped the sick, elderly by visiting them, cleaning, making food and changing linen.
Good Shepherd Catholic School in Beverly Hills

1973-1978 School raffle sales to raise money for school
1973-1978 Rummage sale. Picked up articles to sell, cleaned, sorted, displayed and sold.
1977-1978 International Dinner. Helped set it up in the Parish Hall, decorated, cleaned.
McKinley Home for Boys

1972-1980 Volunteered to serve food for banquets
Handicapables of Greater West Los Angeles, California Handicapables

1979-1981 Helped set up the annual luncheon in the Parish Hall, served, cleaned.
Culver City Swim Team, Roadrunners

1977 Raffle ticket sales to raise money.
1975-1978 Host team, ran scores, helped time events, sold refreshments.
1975-1978 Swim-a-thon. Collected funds per lap to raise money.
1976 Host Olympians. Helped serve the Olympians when they used our pool for workouts.
Beverly Hills YMCA

1974-1975 Cartwheel-a-thon to raise money.
1974-1975 Sold toffee covered peanuts. Half went to Y, rest went to YMCA camp
1971-1977 Swim-a-thon to raise money.
1976 Volunteer of the year dinner hostess
1976 Gymnastics Fantastics show to raise money, sold programs, refreshments
1976 Half-time show for Lakers game to raise awareness and funds.
Beverly Hills El Rodeo School

1977-1978 Helped during lunch time to make the sets for the drama department. Designed the Spring Fling main backdrop of an angel on a cloud.
Century City Hospital

1981 Volunteered to serve food to patients, ran errands, filed medical records.
Brotman Medical Center

1981 Worked in the ER as an EMT. Took vital signs, assisted doctors in trauma room, updated medical files.
University of Southern California

1982-1984 Worked on the suicide hotline
1982 Volunteer VP of my dorm the International Hall
1983-1984 Volunteer at the Spastic Children's Foundation as assistant to the aquatic therapist
1983 Tutored mentally challenged children as a volunteer
Westside Children Center

1990-1991 Volunteered with abused children newborn to age five.
Animal Match Rescue Team

2000-2002 Took photos of shelter animals and posted them on the Internet
Los Angeles Animal Services

2006-2007 Designed and built a new website for the Department, added the "Pet of the Day" feature.
2000-2006 Volunteered in the shelter
2003 Spay/Neuter Committee
2003 Volunteer Task Force
2003 Wildlife Committee
2003 Spanish language committee
2003 Wildlife presentations
2003 Free nuisance wildlife control
2004 Adopt-a-thon Committee. Ran adopt-a-thon for WLA shelter.
2004 Was Mrs. Santa for Christmas photos with pets at PetSmart
City of Los Angeles

1981 Skate-a-thon to raise money for leukemia.
2006 Coyote Task Force
2006 Proposition F Animal Facilities Bond Committee
Cummins Real Estate Services

1984-present. Pro bono real estate consulting, appraisals and brokerage.
Animal Advocates non-profit

2002-present. All volunteer non-profit which rescues ill, injured and orphaned wildlife for release back to the wild; wildlife education to children, elderly and community groups; humane nuisance wildlife control; pro-animal legislation.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, single family, condo, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls,

Sunday, January 17, 2016

22nd Anniversary of the 6.7 Northridge earthquake - Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser Los Angeles, California

22nd anniversary of the 6.7 Northridge earthquake January 17, 1994

January 13, 2014 at 11:29am

5 to 14 freeway collapse
The Northridge quake struck at 4:31 a.m. January 17, 1994. It instantly knocked out power and phone service across most of Los Angeles plunging the area into total darkness. The sun would not rise for another two and a half hours as people tried to access the damage. Only when the sun came up did people finally realize the massive destruction.

I grew up in Los Angeles and lived through the 6.6 magnitude 1971 San Fernando/Sylmar and the 6.9 1989 Loma Prieta earthquakes. I was six when the '71 quake hit and remember toys falling off shelves. I actually thought that quake was fun. My Nana who raised me did not. She grabbed her makeup and wig case, ran to her Lincoln Continental and refused to come back into the house until the next day.

When the '89 quake hit I was living in a house in the flats of West Hollywood near the Pacific Design Center. The epicenter of that quake was San Francisco. Even though it was far away it was still a violent quake in LA. The pool had huge tsunamis which tossed 1/3 of the water out of the pool and into my neighbor's driveway. The illegal unpermitted addition cracked off the main house and I could see the sky. Some ugly glass knick knacks I'd received as gifts from family members fell and broke on the floor. Oh well.

Then the '94 quake hit Los Angeles. I lived in a condo at 906 N Doheny Dr in West Hollywood just south of Sunset Blvd at the time. I was dead asleep in bed with my two cats when there was an instant jolt then everything started shaking from side to side. While it was only a 6.7 magnitude it was the "fastest" quake on record and very shallow making it feel stronger and causing more damage.

Eskimos have many different words for types of snow. Californians have many different words for types of earthquakes. This quake wasn't a slow deep easy rolling quake like most. It was a violent shallow boom then hard side to side shaking. Instantly pictures flew off walls, glasses walked off the shelves in the bar, cabinet doors flung open, book cases toppled over. I knew the building I was in survived the two previous big quakes so I wasn't worried. I got up mid quake to close the bedroom door so the cats wouldn't run into the living room and step on all the broken glass.

West Hollywood is made up of many people from other parts of the country who are drawn to the area for its gay lifestyle. Yes, many gay men who'd never experienced a quake before were screaming like little girls and hugging each other in the hallways and courtyard. As a native who grew up with earthquakes it is amusing to see non-natives scream during moderate quakes. My terrified neighbors ended up camping in the center courtyard for three days refusing to go back into their condos.

I had appraisals planned for the next day but the phones were out so I couldn't confirm. I didn't know how bad the quake was as I had no radio, TV, internet or cell phone. I got dressed and drove to my first appointment. Driving through Beverly Hills walls were knocked down, chimneys toppled, front facades of commercial buildings fell onto Sunset Blvd and power was still out as were all the street and traffic lights.

I arrived at my first appointment in the hills of Bel Air. That house would later be red tagged. The pool cracked dumping its contents on the neighbor below. The main bearing and exterior walls had major cracks and had shifted. I told the owner that his home was totaled. I wouldn't do the appraisal and would not charge him. He decided to have an impromptu "my home was just destroyed by an earthquake" party with neighbors who broke out the bar at 8:30 a.m. I went to my next appointment.

My next appointment was another totaled home. After five minutes I told them I wouldn't appraise the property or charge them. I told them they should probably start gathering their pets, important personal property to put in their car away from their home in case it collapses. It later collapsed. I hope they listened to my advice.

There were many, many aftershocks. Every time the building started shaking the neighbors would scream hysterically and hug each other in the courtyard. I would just roll my eyes and laugh under my breath in amusement as we weren't in any danger.

My neighbors camped in sleeping bags in the courtyard. Power was also out for three days. We were instructed not to drink the water without boiling it but we had no way to boil it. If you were outside when an aftershock hit, a huge cloud of dust would rise from the ground. Fortunately I gave earthquake kits to all my clients the previous year and still had a few left in my closet which I gave to neighbors and used myself.

I drove my car out of our subterranean parking structure and parked it on the street, just in case. Then I listened to my car radio to try to find out what happened. I read, did yoga, played with the cats, ate the food in my frig. Later I ate the thawed food from my freezer. Fortunately I always have enough cat food and litter to last through any emergency because I'm anal about emergency preparedness.

Not much to do with no power or phone. I decided to go to the gym even though I couldn't call them on the phone to see if they were open. I drove to the Sports Club Los Angeles and the parking gate arm was up. I drove in and there weren't many cars there just some trucks. I went to the door and it was open. Seems the center stairway collapsed and the gym was closed. It was actually closed for three months for repairs. They gave us free passes to go to other gyms in the area.

Finally day three there is limited cell phone service. My friends call to see if I'm still alive and I laugh. It was only a 6.7 and the epicenter was in the valley. It wasn't the "big one." Power is back and I can finally turn on the TV and see the massive destruction. Holy crap! While the freeway collapse was visually epic there was other damage which was not as obvious.

Medical building accordioned

A medical building on Olympic accordioned. I think the third or fourth floor just collapsed yet the building still stood. No one was ever allowed back to retrieve anything not even medical records. They demolished it with all contents intact. That is how dangerous it was. Trained people were later allowed to sift through the demolished remains to look for documents.

Hospital collapse

A hotel on Ventura Blvd also sandwiched and lost an entire floor besides part of the front facade falling into the street. Many apartment buildings in the valley just collapsed especially the older ones with open parking under the units. They were poorly designed and built directly on top of an unknown fault line.

Apartments collapsed on cars

There was major damage to the Los Angeles freeway system which would take months to repair. The 5 to the 14 interchange collapsed in what is the most dramatic evidence of quake damage (see top photo). A motorcycle cop responding to the quake drove off the freeway not realizing it had collapsed because it was dark. He of course died on impact. His dead body is covered by a blue sheet in the top photo. His motorcycle is to the right.

The overpass of the 10 freeway at La Cienega/Venice collapsed. The 118 at Balboa partially collapsed. The 91 to the 405 interchange had damage. In total six bridges collapsed, four others needed to be replaced and there was damage to many other freeways. Most of the damaged bridges were built pre-1971 before they had to be earthquake proof.

After the quake I quake-proofed my picture frames, strapped furniture, altered open shelves and better secured cabinets. The quake seemed to have slightly tipped our condo building down the hill. Doors and windows swung open on the north side but couldn't open on the south side. I had to re-level two doors that wouldn't open, adjust three windows that wouldn't close and putty a lot of cosmetic cracks in the walls. Fortunately I didn't suffer any serious damage though others did not fare as well.

Earthquake maps and building codes would be changed once again as they do after every quake. More retrofitting of older buildings. More regulations for new construction. Liquefaction zones would be better mapped. Earthquake insurance would change forever becoming almost impossible for anyone to find or afford. I would be doing earthquake inspections on every property which was in escrow when the quake hit.

I did a lot of education about earthquake preparedness after this quake. I was shocked that so many people were just not prepared to go a few days without food or water. Below is more information about this quake and some preparedness tips. We will continue to have earthquakes in California. Based on research we are due for the "big one" during the next 100 years. Everyone here in California needs to be quake aware and ready for the next earthquake. It's just a matter of time.

More on the 1994 earthquake
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Northridge_earthquake

Some earthquake preparedness tips
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/preparedness.php

Friday, July 3, 2015

Donald John Trump family tree - He comes from a family of immigrants - Mary Cummins Los Angeles California Real Estate

Donald John Trump's family tree has been updated. Everyone in a red square is an immigrant not born here. Some were "illegal" undocumented immigrants. Some were undocumented and became legal after five to ten years. That would only be I believe Donald's grandfather. Most Mexicans were born in what is now the United States of America. California used to be part of Mexico

Donald John Trump, Frederick Trump, Elizabeth, Mary Anne, Mary, Belania Knauss, Barron Trump, Marla Maples, Tiffany Trump, Ivanka, Eric, Robert Trump, family tree, birth date, heritage, immigrant, lineage, ancestry

Because Donald Trump is calling everyone an immigrant, illegal immigrant, I thought I should take a look into his family tree. While Donald was born here, his mother, two of his wives, all of his grand parents were not. They're all immigrants from Germany, Scotland, Yogoslavia and the Czech Republic. My family has been in the United States a lot longer than Donald Trump's family.

His mother was born in Scotland as were her parents. His wife Melania was born in what was Yugoslavia. Wife Ivanka was born in the Czech Republic. His father was born in the US. His grandparents on that side all came from Germany. His mother and her ancestors came from Scotland.

His grandfather Frederick Trumph was born in Germany in 1869. He entered the US in October 1885 at age 16 with no trade. He became a citizen in 1892. That means he lived here as an illegal immigrant from 1885 to 1892? Donald's father and grandfather were both successful real estate investors owning apartment buildings and hotels. Donald is not a made man.

Here is Frederick Trump's passport application stating when he arrived and when he became a citizen.

Frederick Trump passport immigrant Germany New York United States Donald Trump grandfather

Here is document when Frederick Trumpf (real last name) came to New York from Germany in 1885. Back then names were written in script. Most names would be spelled phonetically. This is why there is so much variation in names in genealogy.

Frederick Trump, Frederick Trumpf, donald trump grandfather, germany, boat, new york, immigrant

It's pretty hypocritical for Donald Trump to be calling everyone an immigrant when his family are also immigrants. Almost every person in the US is an immigrant. Only native American Indians are true natives.

Below is Donald Trump's first wife naturalization papers. She got citizenship by marrying Donald.

Ivanka Trump naturalization paper, donald trump

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Mary Cummins is a certified real estate appraiser with perfect record, Los Angeles, California

Mary Cummins is listed as a licensed real estate appraiser in California and in the national registry with a perfect 30 year record. Mary Cummins also has a 30 year perfect history as a real estate sales agent and/or broker and as a notary.

Mary Cummins, California real estate appraiser, appraisal, Los Angeles

Mary Cummins National real estate appraiser, Los Angeles, California

Link to search licensed California real estate appraisers
http://www.orea.ca.gov/html/SearchAppraisers.asp

Link to search licensed national real estate appraisers

https://www.asc.gov/National-Registry/FindAnAppraiser.aspx

https://www.asc.gov/Pages/AppraiserDetail.aspx?key=BOQN4TrqwRYvDRWvur9t4g**&Standard=1

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, single family, condo, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls,

Monday, September 29, 2014

Mary Cummins Resume Curriculum Vitae Real Estate Appraiser Los Angeles, California

Mary Cummins

Curriculum Vitae

Abstract

Cummins is a high energy, versatile, results-oriented professional having significant expertise in real estate sales, leasing, inspection, evaluation and expert witness testimony. In her 30 years in the business she's appraised and sold over 20,000 residential, residential income, commercial, raw land, construction projects, industrial and mixed-use properties.

Cummins has worked for AMCs, lawyers, expert witness companies, relocation companies, builders, credit unions, banks, mortgage brokers, factors, brokers, investment bankers and individuals evaluating and selling property in all of California.

Education

Beverly Hills High School 1982 - Dean's list, swim team, water polo
University of Southern California 1984 - Dean's list, swim team

Licenses

Real Estate Sales License 1984
Real Estate Brokers License 1986
California Notary Public 1989
Real Estate Appraisal License Certified Residential 1994

Work Experience

1984 Merrill Lynch Real Estate - Sales, Comparative Market Analysis
1984 to present - Cummins Real Estate Services - Real Estate Appraisal, Sales
1985 Apartment Owners Association - Commercial Brokerage Division
1986 Forensis Group - Expert Witness
1990 Westside Properties - Real Estate Appraisal, Sales. 100% office

Selected Legal Cases

1989 Schine vs Schine - Appraisal of Ambassador Hotel as land for development project with Donald Trump. Deposed.
Various cases for Forensis Group 1986-2006
2009 Union Pacific vs Jimmy Nasralla. Criminal. Court appearance.
2010 Don Carstens vs JP Morgan. Civil. Deposed. Court appearance.
2013 Narrative Appraisal for LA Metro Eminent Domain.

Selected Clients

Crestview Financial, Mortgage Broker
Don Carstens, Attorney at Law
Home Savings, Bank
Countrywide Home Loans, Mortgage Lender
Chase Financial, Bank
First Franklin, Mortgage Broker
Forensis Group, Expert Witness
Western Relocation Services

Selected Professional Education

1984 Lumbleau School of Real Estate - Real estate sales
1985 Merrill Lynch - Real estate sales, CMA
1986 Lumbleau School of Real Estate - Real estate broker
1986 Apartment Owners Association - Income property evaluation and sales
1984 to present - Various real estate schools, Expert Witness Testimony, Appraising Apartments, Land and Site Evaluation, Oddball Appraisals, 2-4 Family Finesse, Mortgage Fraud, Sales Comparison Approach, Nuts and Bolts of Green Buildings for Appraisers, Understanding Residential Construction, Laws and Regulations for California Appraisers, USPAP, FHA Appraising, Appraising Manufactured Homes, California Laws and Regulations, Environmental Issues for Appraisers, Fair Housing, LEED Real Estate, Foundations in Sustainability: Greening the Real Estate and Appraisal Industries, Review Appraisals, REO and Foreclosures, The Cost Approach.

Selected Media

1985 LA Times “People in Westside Real Estate” Cummins joins Merrill Lynch
1990 LA Times “People in Westside Real Estate” Cummins joins Westside Properties
2002 LA Times “Suggestions for the bidder whose offers are rejected”
2007 LA Times “Historical homes, not for everyone”
2009 LA Weekly “Jimmy Nasralla finds a lawyer”
2009 LA Weekly “Is LA City Attorney Trutanich screwing over the little guy?”
2009 LA Weekly “Jimmy on the edge of town”

Other Experience

Bilingual - English/Spanish
PC, iMac, iPhone
UAD, Pdf, Doc, .xml, .env, html, FTP, Power Point
Approved by several Appraisal Management Companies
MLS, Homeputer, a la mode, AppraisalMAT, Loop Net, Carets, UAD forms, WinTOTAL
Real estate photography, panaramas
E&O insurance $1,000,000/$1,000,000
Never had a real estate claim or lawsuit
Perfect appraiser license record
Passed full SterlingBackcheck background check
Passed multiple DOJ background checks for professional licenses
Perfect driving record, type 100 wpm

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Mary Cummins complete background check - Real estate appraiser, appraisal, Los Angeles, California

I just went through a week long background check. I have a perfectly clean history, never had a problem with the law. I think background checks are a good idea.

Mary Cummins, real estate, appraiser, appraisal, Los Angeles, California

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser Los Angeles, California, Licensed, Insured.

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Los Angeles, California

I have over 30 years of experience doing real estate appraisals in Los Angeles, California. To date I've done over 20,000 appraisals of residential, residential income, raw land and construction projects. I'm also a legal expert witness with court room testimony, deposition and legal research experience. Call for a free estimate. Se habla Espanol!

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, single family, condo, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls,

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser License. OREA is now BREA.

Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraisal License. The Officer of Real Estate Appraisers just became the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. I will not be posting my real license online ever again, only this copy. It seems people are stealing copies of licenses and signature files to make false appraisals to commit bank fraud. It hasn't happened to be and I want to keep it that way.