The Hackenblog

“I’m sure there are those who assume Twitchell is now ’set for life’ because of his settlement with the government, and that he can now retire to the lap of luxury. He is under no obligation to continue being a productive artist, and with his murals coming under attack from every direction, some would ask why doesn’t he just give up. That would be a complete misreading of the artistic spirit. Twitchell has devoted his life’s work to muralism, and knowing his devotion to the art, it’s a certainty he’d much rather have his mural of Ed Ruscha standing in pristine condition than to be awarded a cash settlement - no matter how large. Twitchell’s admonition that muralists ‘cannot coexist’ with graffiti vandals is more an avowal to stand firm than it is a statement of surrender, and in the effort to re-establish the tradition of community based murals - I’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with the muralists.”
Kent Twitchell: The End of Muralism?, Mark Vallen, May 4, 2008

~~~

“Ginger Mayerson: What are the most important aspects and experiences in your practice of art now?

“Leo Limon: I’m Mr. Old G.

“GM: What?

“LL: Oldie but Goodie. But young people call me Mr. A Old G, which is Ancient Oldie but Goodie. It seems like the youth find there’s no future, you know, so the things they do now, they say ‘Yeah, I smoked for three years, man, I almost killed myself, but you know, I got out of it.’ And I’m looking at this 18 year old kid, and I’m going ‘Yeah, wow, my uncle smoked for 80 years.’

“GM: Do they really think there’s no future?

“LL: Yeah, the kids I find out there — I’m looking for taggers — and I find them. There’s thousands of them, literally thousands of them, and they’ve grown up, because of the change of times, in a different generation. There used to be a gang, the neighborhood is called whatever it is and the gang would mark the territory (with graffiti that was the name of the gang ED). And then Maria’s or Johnny’s little brother decided to be part of a crew, which is three or four or five or six at the most kids, who go out and tag. Now they’ve learned through Heavy Metal magazine and interpretations of air brush, well, a spray can gives that look.

“GM: Are they tagging for a gang for themselves?

“LL: Themselves.

“GM: Oh, so this is Me-Tagging?

“LL: Yeah, Me-Tagging.

“GM: I’ve seen some amazing tags in my neighborhood. Especially on the freeway and on billboards. I’m amazed they can do that without killing themselves. I mean, do you consider these taggers to be, like, the new muralists?

“LL: No, because these kids know nothing about the local art history, they’re tagging the murals. There’s commercialism in tagging. Like I said, I have a certificate in sign painting, and these guys (taggers ED) are signing, but they’re not saying anything. Their tag, which is their art, is their signature. And they sign them, and they actually put a copyright on them, with a stencil.”
Interview with Leo Limon, J LHLS, June 20, 2005

~~~

“In mid-October (2007), some of the murals were whitewashed without warning. (Gloria) Molina and the Department of Public Works denied involvement, but in December, Molina got the county Board of Supervisors to pass an emergency motion giving the Friends of the Los Angeles River 90 days to paint over the murals or pay up to $70,000 for their removal.

“County crews removed about 60 million square feet of graffiti in 2006 at a cost of about $32 million, county officials have said.

“The Friends group stands by the idea of having art by the river, spokeswoman Shelly Backlar said. But the organization, which is scrambling to rebuild its stock with the county and the agencies that supervise the river, concedes some of what the artists put into the mural might not belong there.

“‘It’s their permit and their event, and we’ve been pulled in because of the work that we do,’ Backlar said. ‘It’s not what we thought it would be.’

“Councilman Ed Reyes, who originally supported Poli’s project and authorized the permit, said he regrets that decision because he believes the art has attracted gang members, who have added their tags to the riverbed walls.

“The graffiti ’spilled out of the river channel, into the sidewalks, onto the handrails, into buildings,’ Reyes said. ‘Before it was a neutral place, but now we have clear indicators that rival gangs and taggers are showing up there.’”
Graffiti project painting grim picture. L.A. riverbed being turned into art, but critics argue many of images are obscene, inappropriate, by Raquel Maria Dillon, AP, April 6, 2008

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People of NE Los Angeles:

GO to the Atwater Farmers’ Market, Sundays 10-2, buy some lemon and lavender infused goat cheese spread from the goat cheese lady (next to the sage honey lady), buy some strawberries from the stand across and slightly lift from her. Put spread on strawberry. Eat. I saw God, but you might have a different experience.

Just FYI neighbors. DO IT!

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“Now, as all things must, it has shown up on ebay. Someone has found twelve original negatives to the English dubbed version in the vaults of Los Angeles’s KCOP-13 and is selling them on ebay for $24,000. Close up images of these negs can be viewed here. Note that one is marked for use by New York’s TV station WPIX (where I saw it as a kid).”
Tezuka’s Amazing Three, Cartoon Brew, April 4, 2008

Ah ha! I watched this on Channel 13 in LA as a kid, but no one on earth seemed to know what I was talking about when I described a Japanese cartoon with aliens disguised as barnyard animals, so I figured I dreamed it. Nice to know I didn’t. Although I seem to remember it in color, but, um, maybe I dreamed that part, I dunno…

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Update 022108: Keep your fingers crossed.

Previously…

The City Attorney is trying to toss them out of the facility they’ve been in for 40 years. City Councilman and friend of poetry in LA, Bill Rosendahl, recommended a 25-year lease extension, but the City Attorney is opposing it for some outrageous reason.

So, if you’d like to support the continuing existence of one of LA’s greatest poetry venues, workshops and, oh my God, BOOKSTORE, please call/write/email Councilman Rosendahl’s office with a message of support and encouragement to keep fighting and win the good fight for Beyond Baroque:

Councilman Bill Rosendahl
213-473-7011 tel
213-473-6926 fax
Councilman.Rosendahl AT lacity DOT org
City Hall Office 200 N Spring Street, Rm 415
LA CA 90012

This week is the make or break and it’s not too late. Please send your message of support for Beyond Baroque and Mr. Rosendahl’s efforts to keep it in it’s home of 40 years.

It’s one of the few places in LA I’ll drive across town for. Especially the bookstore, which is one-stop shopping for the best and all kinds of poetry books and ~swoon~ chapbooks ~sigh~ and the only improvement I would suggest is that it be open on Saturday or Sunday when working stiffs like me can get there more easily. Anyway, please help save one of the great LA institutions and places to spend money from whatever the City Attorney thinks should happen to it. Crosspost at will.

Thanks,

Ginger

PS. I know all this because I went there for an event honoring Suzanne Lummis and it was great!

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“The bridges in question, most of which were constructed between 1910 and 1930, were part of a campaign to deal with a river that was prone to flooding and had destroyed many of the metal truss bridges built in the 1840s.

“Beautification was also a goal: In 1903, the L.A. Municipal Art Commission wrote that the city had to ‘work for the gradual elimination of ugliness from the conspicuous parts of our city.’

“The result was a recommendation to begin construction of the Art Deco and beaux-arts bridges that today extend from downtown to Boyle Heights, Cypress Park and Lincoln Heights. Sculpted into the Washington Boulevard Bridge are scenes that depict the men who built it. In muted colors, the figures are shown drilling, pushing wheelbarrows and carrying beams.”
Looking out for L.A. River’s bridges, By Daniela Perdomo, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, LAT, January 28, 2008 (via Bottleneck blog)

We do have nice bridges in LA, if you live in the right part of town.

Pdf of the LA Bridges article, if the link is bad.

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I, for one, have had enough of Hill and Obama:

“Edwards, however, stuck to the facts, and his powerful argument for why he should be President. He offered the same policy shifts on Iraq (all combat troops out in 12 months), health care (universal coverage mandated for every American, mental health, preventive and long-term care included), global warming (80% reductions in emissions by 2050, no new nuclear or coal-fired power plants), defending the Constitution (ending Guantanamo, torture, rendition, and illegal spying), poverty (expanded social aid and an increase of the minimum wage to $9.50 indexed to inflation), and labor (fair trade and tax policy, the Employee Free Choice Act, no scab hiring, strong support for unions). But I want to cite two moments that deviated from the script.

“First, Edwards has been discussing the sad case of Nataline Sarkysian, the 17 year-old from Glendale who was denied a liver transplant by her health insurer CIGNA, and died shortly after the company reversed the decision. This time, Sarkysian’s parents were on stage with Sen. Edwards, and when he related that tragic story, I couldn’t help but watch Nataline’s mother choke up. It was affecting, it hit you right in the gut. And when Edwards said, in respect to the health insurers, “Are you telling me we should sit down at the table with these people? Never! I don’t want to be their President,” it was undeniably moving.

“Second, Sen. Edwards obviously did his homework before the rally. He brought up the California budget crisis, and the austere across-the-board cuts proposed by Gov. Schwarzenegger. It’s fair to say that he wasn’t a fan. Here’s his comments (a paraphrase):

“‘I spent a day earlier this year with an SEIU health care worker… the people she cares for need her. The last thing this or any state needs are cuts to that kind of health care. The last thing you need are cuts to K-12 education. Does anybody believe that we are spending too much on K-12 education in this country?’”

John Edwards Rocks Downtown LA, Calitics, January 17, 2008

Let’s let him rock the world. Vote Edwards.

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“Two ninth-grade girls at Newport Harbor High have been arrested in connection with the beating of a girl from a nearby intermediate school, a video of which was posted online at MySpace.com and YouTube.com.

“Earlier reports indicated the 13-year-old assault victim was developmentally disabled. But police said Wednesday that was not the case and the victim was an eighth-grader at Ensign Intermediate, across the street from the high school.

“Police said the victim was ‘dragged by her hair, spit on, kicked and punched’ Jan. 10 at a park near the two campuses. School district officials said the victim ’suffered some bruises, abrasions and cuts’ but was not hospitalized and was back in school after missing one day. The two 14-year-old girls were arrested Tuesday and taken to Orange County Juvenile Hall, where they are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon. Their names have not been released because they are minors.
(more…)

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“A young man arrested in the deaths of two teenagers at a Mojave Desert bunker had posed with firearms and written darkly on an Internet blogging site of ‘killing people at random’ but had no clear motive for the shootings, authorities said Friday.

“Collin Lee McGlaughlin, 18, of West Covina was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of killing Bodhisattva Sherzer-Potter, 16, of Silver Lakes and her boyfriend, Christopher Cody Thompson, 18, of Apple Valley. A second suspect, David Brian Smith, 19, of Covina, also has been booked on suspicion of murder, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
(more…)

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Do other cities do this?

“They are the homeless of the domestic animal world — colonies of feral cats that roam residential neighborhoods and lurk around office buildings and commercial garages, scavenging for food.

“Unlike other strays that might rub up against a leg hoping for a crumb or a head rub, these felines are so unaccustomed to human contact that they dart away when people approach. Feral cats cannot be turned into house pets. When they end up in municipal shelters, they have little hope of coming out alive.

“But one animal welfare group has figured out a way to save their lives and put them to work in Los Angeles. The Working Cats program of Voice for the Animals, a Los Angeles-based animal advocacy and rescue group, has placed feral cats in a handful of police stations with rodent problems, just as the group placed cats in the rat-plagued downtown flower district several years ago — to great effect.

“Six feral cats were recently installed as ratters in the parking lot of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southeast Division, and another group will be housed at the Central Division early in the new year.

“Their reputation as furtive and successful exterminators grew after feral cats were introduced to the parking lot of the Wilshire Division nearly six years ago. Rats had been burrowing into the equipment bags that bicycle officers stored in outside cages; inside the facility, mice were sometimes scurrying across people’s desks.

“‘Once we got the cats, problem solved,’ said Cmdr. Kirk Albanese, a captain at the Wilshire station at the time. ‘I was almost an immediate believer.’”

~snip~

“For more information on ‘working’ feral cats, go to http://www.vftafoundation.org/workingcats.htm.”

LAPD enlists feral cats for rat patrol. The felines have been introduced, to great effect, at several stations with rodent problems. Parker Center may get them too. By Carla Hall, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, December 29, 2007

God bless people who think up brilliant stuff like this. They make me think better of our own species. Why can’t there be more solutions like this? I ask you. Why?

(If the LAT article is behind the registration or paywall, you can click on this: Feral Cats Mousing for a Living in LA [pdf]. Sorry, LAT, this story is too cool not to be read and you can send me a C&D if you think different. Oh, so, while I’m at it, here’s something else Los Angeles, the county this time, is getting right: Los Angeles Outdoor Gyms in Molinia’s district [pdf]. Yay!)

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“But merchants in East L.A. said the sting of progress is even more painful here, an area that was struggling economically before the construction started.

“‘The people are different, the businesses are different,’ said Rocki Esparza, owner of Manny’s El Loco Restaurant. ‘People that have businesses here are barely surviving.’

“Esparza’s fast-food Mexican eatery has been on the corner of 3rd Street and Atlantic Boulevard for 16 years, building a regular lunchtime crowd of neighborhood residents and area workers.

“Large concrete barriers and small orange cones along this section of the construction zone have limited access to the restaurant’s parking lot — turning a once lively spot where seating was scarce during peak hours into a place with plenty of empty tables.

“Esparza has turned to catering events and delivering food to homes, as well as laying off two of her 10 employees.

“‘I think I’ve lost my customers, and I don’t really think that they’ll be back,’ she said. ‘The only reason I’ve stayed in business is because we’ve been well-rooted. But I’ve depleted my savings, and I’m wondering about my future.’”
Gold Line work upsets East L.A. merchants,
MTA officials say the light rail line will bring prosperity to businesspeople. By Jean-Paul Renaud, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, December 27, 2007

MTA officials say the light rail line will bring prosperity to businesspeople

Maybe, if they survive the construction phase of it.

And, I live in Lincoln Heights, which is not too far from East LA, but I’ve only had gone over to Self Help Graphics twice in the 10 years I’ve lived here. So, I’m not sure where all this new business is going to come from.

I’m not against public transit, hell, I loved it when I lived in Europe, and I feel terrible for the business people getting fucked over by the metro construction. But when the MTA says anything they do will bring prosperity to anyone but the MTA, they’re kidding everyone. The MTA’s only goal is its own enrichment. And if they destroy a string of East LA businesses in the process, I’m sure the MTA couldn’t care less.

They’ll never do this, but if all public transport in LA were put on a donation basis, we’d have useful public transit that might even reduce our carbon footprint or whatever that snappy phrase is. What we have now is an overpriced system that car owners, like me, don’t use. And, sorry, I’m no angel, but why should I pay whatever it is (MTA’s webpage sucks for fare information, too) to take the often late train from LH to Pasadena when parking in Pasadena is free?

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Important information to understand this post: According to Wikipedia: “The median income for a household in the city was $117,267, and the median income for a family was $125,708. Males had a median income of $98,928 versus $51,853 for females. The per capita income for the city was $59,150. About 3.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over. The vast majority, 69.7% of persons had a Bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 27.2% at the national average, respectively.”

And obviously they don’t share, even when they are shared with:

“Patti Keating, a state parks official, researched the matter and told me San Marino is in the clear. She said that despite the city’s having received more than $600,000 in state funds for Lacy projects, state code allows a city to charge nonresident fees as long as they are reasonable and not excessive.

“If that raises your blood pressure, so will the tip I got from three readers:

“Even federal funds have been used to upgrade Lacy Park.

“This was confirmed by Elisa Vasquez and Linda Jenkins at the L.A. County Community Development Commission. They told me that San Marino has in the past received nearly $70,000 annually in Community Development Block Grants.

“Excuse me?

“The U.S. Housing and Urban Development website on the block grant program describes it as a way ‘to provide services to the most vulnerable in our communities’ and as ‘an important tool for helping local governments tackle serious challenges facing their communities.’

“One year, I’m told by Jenkins, San Marino used an unspecified portion of the federal grant for the serious challenge of building an apron around the Lacy Park playground. I guess this was so ‘the most vulnerable’ children of San Marino didn’t fall and rip their knickers.

“As with state money, the federal block grant program allows a city to charge nonresident fees as long as they’re reasonable and not excessive, according to Jenkins. But at both the state and federal levels, no legal definition of “reasonable” is provided.

“I would therefore like to argue, here in the court of public opinion, that there is nothing demonstrably ‘reasonable’ about the $4 weekend fee at Lacy Park.

“Does South Pasadena charge San Marinans and other nonresidents $4 to use the perfectly lovely Garfield Park? No.

“Does Los Angeles stick it to nonresidents who use the spectacular Griffith Park? Of course not.

“I’m told by Ballantyne that the weekend fee generates $60,000 a year. But the extra part-time staff needed on Saturdays and Sundays costs San Marino only $33,000.”
You paid for San Marino to play, by Steve Lopez, LA Times, December 26, 2007

Oh, San Marino, have you no shame? Guess not. Maybe the law on accepting taxpayer money for public spaces needs to change because San Marino certainly isn’t going to change.

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“Each one of those cases is a person who had insurance and got sick. They filed for payments authorized by their coverage and Blue Shield said no and attempted to cancel their policies. These sick people then had to fight tooth and nail to get the payment to their doctors so they would not be liable for the bill. In over 200 of those cases they lost and the companies dropped them completely from coverage. Of course that means that they then have a pre-existing condition and thus would have a next to impossible time getting coverage from another company.

“It is a disgusting practice that is all about trying to squeeze out a few more dollars in profits. It is illegal and I am glad to see the state launching the investigation and moving to fine them. It sure would be nice if that dissuaded the companies from trying this in the first place, but I don’t hold out that much hope that it will.”
Blue Shield Illegally Canceling Policies, Working Californians, December 13, 2007

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‘”City officials today unveiled the parking meter of the future, which takes the swipe of a credit card as well as small change. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was among the VIPs touting the Easy Park-Easy Pay machine, which was installed in a city parking lot at 11229 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation is replacing 6,000 of the city’s 40,000 meters with the multi-unit machines that allow motorists to use cash, credit card, debit card or their cellphones to pay for parking. LADOT officials unveiled the first unit in a city lot in North Hollywood. “Anyone in Los Angeles who has parked on the street or in public lots knows the frustration of broken meters, unwarranted parking tickets, and the stress of scraping for spare change to cover your trip to the local store,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. City engineers plan to replace 1,000 meters in city parking lots and another 5,000 along Los Angeles streets by next spring. If the new meters are deemed a success, LADOT will replace all of the city parking meters within two years. (CNS)’”
Fancy parking meters, Bottleneck Blog, December 14, 2007

Finally! Thank God, technology, and LADOT. Here’s a picture and story at abc.com. Might be time to buy a new cell phone. (Ug.)

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Oh well, someday there’ll be a cure:

“An informal poll of my US female friends revealed that they spend roughly $700 (£350) a month on what they consider standard obligatory beauty maintenance. That covers haircut, highlights, manicure, pedicure, waxing, tanning, make-up, facials, teeth whitening etc. They will spend a further $1,000 (£500) a month on physical conditioning such as military fitness, spinning sessions, vikram yoga, Pilates, deep-tissue sports massage, personal training etc. On top of that, add the occasional spa day, a week-long ‘bikini boot camp’ in Mexico at the start of every summer and seasonal splurges on personal shoppers and clothing. I’m not sure any of my British female friends spends £700 during an entire year on her appearance. American women see these costs as a simple and sensible investment in their future.”
American beauty? Having observed females on both sides of the Atlantic, our correspondent claims British women are unkempt and lazy about grooming. By Tad Safran, TimesOnline, December 11, 2007

I don’t know anyone who spends that much on grooming. Of course I live in reality, so I wouldn’t know anyone spending that much. I mean, how could you hold down a job, have a life, and do all that?

Best quote in the comments: “Well done, ladies! Evidently Tad has failed to detect and override the Boor Repellant that every British women keeps in her grooming kit. Perhaps it’s time to be charitable and share the secret with our American sisters.” Brava, Bella!

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But not so much nuts in a big group at the right times:

“Conceived by 30-year-old graphic designer Kim Jensen — known by her outlaw-affecting Ridazz handle, Skull — during a late-night ride in Cambodia, Midnight Ridazz was inaugurated in L.A. on Feb. 27, 2004, when the Echo Park resident led five like-minded friends on bikes and two on skateboards on a rolling tour of downtown’s fountains. A sense of community and an almost liturgical fellowship was immediate, says Jensen, as was a consensus on where to take the nascent bicycle club: ‘We were all anti-establishment, creative and feeling a need for speed in a nonconformist format. We were really set on keeping it free and totally noncommercial.’

“In addition to wanting to keep Ridazz events free-spirited, Jensen and company wanted them to be fun. So, in diametrical distinction to the politically charged but leaderless Critical Mass, Jensen set the precedent of promoting festively themed outings late Friday nights, when auto traffic is svelte and mellow, along routes mapped out ahead of time to avoid narrow streets, freeway exits and left turns.”

~snip~

“That’s no exaggeration. Although a few dozen cyclists had joined the core group for that third event, the Belmont Tunnel “Mural Ride,” hundreds began appearing thereafter. Within a year, the group was regularly pushing 1,000. To accommodate the swelling horde, which could no longer pedal through a single light cycle en masse, Midnight Ridazz felt compelled to adopt an extralegal practice popularized by Critical Mass — ‘corking’ — whereby a few lead riders block an intersection so that cyclists who miss the green can stay with the pack.

“‘When we obey the lights,’ says Roadblock of the namesake move, ‘it’s even more chaotic because the traffic is just insane for blocks and blocks. I’ve talked to police officers about it, and they say, “Yeah, keep it together and just get through.” So that’s what we go on.’”
Midnight Ridazz are bound to keep on riding. In the heart of car culture, massive bike rides are hitting the streets. Should you admire them? Scorn them? Or join the pack? By Liam Gowing, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, December 6, 2007

Ah. Sometimes I really love my town.

(Just don’t try this in Beverly Hills, they hate cyclists over there.)

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“Los Angeles Garment & Citizen has an article on the project our office has embarked upon to beautify our local utility boxes, which are those grey, anonymous boxes sprinkled throughout the Los Angeles streetscape. We have worked with AT&T and our community partners, Central City Action Committee and the Hollywood Beautification Team, to engage local artists and youth in painting these boxes. The Garment & Citizen article highlights the Carlos Callejo piece shown on the left, which Carlos painted with the help of youth in Echo Park. If you have an idea for a good box to paint, contact Kabira Stokes-Hochberg, our CD13 arts deputy.”
New Urban Canvases, Eric Garcetti, December 9, 2007

Woo, nice.

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“Councilmember Greig Smith and I joined with Heal the Bay Director of Programs, Meredith McCarthy yesterday in City Council to proclaim December 20th as “A Day Without a Bag” in Los Angeles. Each year, Angelenos consume some 6 billion plastic bags, almost 600 bags per person per year! Only 5% of these bags get recycled (and it is important to know that we have made it possible for you to recycle plastic bags by putting them in your blue bins–here is a helpful list of what you can put in the blue bin), so the rest wind up in landfills, the Los Angeles River, Echo Park Lake, Santa Monica Bay, and our streets.

“On December 20th, we are encouraging Angelenos to use reusable bags and get into the habit of using these bags for our shopping needs. We have only been using plastic bags since around 1977, so the habit shouldn’t be a tough one to break, but we hope the blogosphere will help do its part to spread the word. If we can begin to live without consuming the amount of plastic bags we currently do, we can save landfill space, clean up our waterways, and reduce the amount of oil consumed and global greenhouse gases emitted in the manufacture of these bags.”
A Day Without a Bag, Eric Garcetti, December 8, 2007

I am SO with this idea. When I lived in Poland and Prague, you had to bring your own bags, usually string, but often canvas. And although I never win the Trader Joe bring your own bag raffle, it’s a habit I never quite lost.

Oh, and you don’t have to be in LA to do this. You can celebrate a day without a plastic bag on December 20 wherever you are.

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It might be like this:

“Bad people in the city have been breaking into city streetlights and stealing copper wiring. The city can’t seem to stop such thefts.”

~snip~

“The best — or perhaps worst — part of the story was that some streetlights in Boyle Heights still haven’t been fixed since thieves struck in August.

“There is some irony here. Just down the hill from Boyle Heights, Department of Water and Power crews have been working since early last month to install Christmas lights on the 4th Street Bridge, while blocking traffic lanes doing so.

“But the DWP doesn’t fix streetlights. That’s the purview of the Bureau of Street Lighting. It is also worth noting that when we called the Department of Transportation to find out which agency was blocking lanes on the bridge, the agency didn’t know. Officials had to look at one of their remote cameras positioned on the bridge to figure it out.

“Why does it take the Bureau of Street Lighting more than three months to fix a streetlight?

“‘It doesn’t do us any good to replace the wire without the secure lids’ on the base of the streetlights, said Cynthia Ruiz, president of the Board of Public Works, adding that a special order has been placed for tamper-proof lids.

“But, we asked, isn’t it just a wee bit weird that a DWP crew has time to put up Christmas lights but the city can’t fix a streetlight in a timely fashion?

~snip~

“So why does it take the nation’s largest municipal utility nearly one month to string up a bunch of Christmas lights — like they do each year?

“‘We’ve had one crew working intermittently for the past three weeks,’ said DWP spokesman Joe Ramallo. ‘There are over 7,000 lights. They are elevated and the crews are putting up decoration in addition to the lights. It’s obviously a very labor-intensive process. They had to string power from five different locations.’ Ah.”
Caught in a jam after taking mass transit. Walking from Union Station to City Hall made one news conference unavoidable. This time, copper wiring thefts from L.A. streetlights were on the agenda. By Steve Hymon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, December 10, 2007

And yet we get through each day…somehow.

I think Mr. Hymon could be the Carl Hiaasen of Los Angeles. Really.

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“For many, (Michael Stephen) Baker came to symbolize the church’s failure in protecting its most vulnerable parishioners: He was a man who allegedly molested more than 20 youngsters in his 26 years as a priest and had confessed his problem to Cardinal Roger Mahony in 1986. Instead of alerting police, Mahony sent Baker to a treatment center in New Mexico and later reassigned him to serve at nine other parishes where he victimized other young boys.

“And, when authorities sought records from the church to help build a case against Baker, church officials vigorously fought to keep that information secret.”

~snip~

“Among the more than 500 alleged victims and 200 clergy members accused of misconduct, Baker’s case was the one Mahony has said ‘troubles’ him the most.”
Notorious ex-priest pleads guilty to molestation. Michael Stephen Baker, left, allegedly molested more than 20 youngsters in his 26 years as a priest, by John Spano, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, 3:01 PM PST, December 3, 2007

I think this should trouble Cardinal Mahony very much. I think this makes Cardinal Mahony an accessory before and after the fact. Don’t we have laws about aiding and abetting child molestation in our civilized nation? Or do they just not apply to white men who wear dresses to work?

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“The report also said some of the trees were worth as much as $100,000. I’d like to go on the record as being in favor of trees, but if the Collards really have more than $1 million worth of trees, maybe they should declare their property a national forest and secede from Glendale entirely.

“And how about that team of geniuses who bloodlessly produced a $347,600 fee notice and blithely stuck it in the mail without a single person saying, ‘Hey, wait a minute. Isn’t this insane?’”
Out on a limb over trimming fiasco, by Steve Lopez, LA Times, November 28, 2007

The City Attorney dropped the $347,600 fines, but they might get fined around $10K. I think the tree trimmer should have insurance to pay that, he should know what he’s doing with the city before he starts trimming trees.

This happened to a friend of a friend in Arcadia with Oak trees. California is kind of nuts about trees. I can understand the arborists stopping developers from bulldozing acres of mature trees, but $347,600 for trimming a tree in your own yard at the Fire Department’s request is way over the edge.

Update 121307: A happy ending!

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“Maria Ortiz’s civic awakening began when her husband fired a pistol into their front yard to ward off a gang member who had insulted him.

“Jose Ortiz hailed from a mountain village in Durango, Mexico, where residents were sometimes forced to take matters into their own hands because law enforcement was so far away. “But Ortiz was no longer in rural Mexico, and he spent time in jail for his actions.

~snip~

“But Maria Ortiz said no. Short and garrulous, she had come to the United States from Mexico at age 6 and knew little about how government worked. She knew, however, that her poor and crime-ridden neighborhood was in trouble, and she wanted to do something about it.

“So, in late 2004, Ortiz volunteered when Herman Barahona, of Los Angeles County’s Community Development Commission, showed up a few months later asking for help in organizing residents to battle crime and blight. It was part of a larger county campaign launched to reach long-neglected communities.

~snip~

“Barahona started by holding meetings at local churches and schools with a few immigrant parents, teaching a kind of Civics 101 class. Among the parents were several mothers at Lillian Street Elementary School, including Ortiz, who worked as a campus aide and whose son attended the school.

“Barahona taught them about each county department, such as Code Enforcement and Public Works, and how and where to go for help. Mostly he wanted to give them a sense of empowerment.

~snip~

“At the time, Florence-Firestone was in the middle of a surge in violent crime, with 41 homicides recorded in 2005 — surpassing the homicide rate in some of the nation’s most dangerous big cities, authorities said. About half of those killed had no gang affiliation.

“At a community meeting, Sheriff’s Lt. John Babbitt surprised Ortiz and others by asking for their help in combating crime.

“Babbitt had been tapped as the first lieutenant assigned to Florence-Firestone as part of the county’s civic experiment.

“It was a tough assignment for a former SWAT supervisor with no experience in community policing and who didn’t speak Spanish.

“To complicate matters, many in the immigrant community were distrustful of law enforcement.

“‘We thought only negative things about the police,’ Ortiz said.

“But residents were impressed when under Babbitt, the Sheriff’s Department assigned 60 more deputies to Florence-Firestone. A special prosecutor was also sent to try neighborhood homicide cases.

“Babbitt renovated a sheriff’s substation and moved his offices there. When Ortiz asked him to speak to Lillian schoolboys who were forming a small gang, Babbitt and three deputies showed up in uniform.

“To help build trust in the community, Babbitt gave his cellphone number to neighborhood leaders. He also called in code enforcement officers on gang and drug houses — two of which have been destroyed. With the help of Public Works, he cleaned up a block of 93rd Street that had become another illegal dump.

“And at his urging, some 200 residents have gone through the Sheriff’s Department’s Community Academy, where they are taught about homicide investigations, the jail system, domestic-violence laws and emergency preparedness.

“‘We learned how they do their job, which is something we didn’t know,’ Ortiz said. ‘What’s been achieved is unifying the community with the police.’

“Since the Florence-Firestone experiment began, the neighborhood has had many successes.

“Crime is down. Last year, homicides dropped in half to 19 after a major law enforcement crackdown.”
Residents of Florence-Firestone flex their civic muscles. An L.A. County program helps the neighborhood organize, clean up blight and make civic government more responsive to their needs, by Sam Quinones, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, November 25, 2007

Maybe things are getting better in LA.

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“Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and television news reporter Mirthala Salinas have ended their romantic relationship, two sources familiar with the situation said Friday.

“Months after revelations about the affair damaged the mayor’s political standing and devastated Salinas’ broadcasting career, the two sources said the relationship disintegrated weeks ago.

~snip~

“Villaraigosa and his wife, Corina Villaraigosa, separated in June, weeks before he confirmed that he was romantically involved with Salinas. From the moment it became public, the affair between the mayor and the rising media star had a largely harmful effect on both parties.

~snip~

“A rising star in Spanish-language television news, Salinas read on the air the news of Villaraigosa’s marital breakup on June 8 without disclosing that she had been romantically involved with the mayor for several months.

“Salinas received a two-month suspension for her handling of the situation. At the end of that suspension, she was reassigned from her post as temporary anchor to a Telemundo bureau in Riverside County. Instead of returning to her job, she quit.

~snip~

“Revelations about the affair damaged the mayor’s credibility in the eyes of some voters, particularly women, said Jaime Regalado, who heads the Edmund G. ‘Pat’ Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles.

~snip~

“The affair even raised questions about the mayor’s name. ‘Villaraigosa’ is a merger of his name, Antonio Villar, and his wife’s maiden name, Corina Raigosa. Although the mayor’s wife filed divorce papers in June, Villaraigosa said he would not change his name back.”
L.A. mayor, reporter end their affair, sources say. Villaraigosa’s political standing was affected, and his wife has filed for divorce. Salinas was suspended, then left her job at Telemundo, by David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, November 23, 2007

Has the LA Times absolutely nothing better to do? On the other hand, I’m glad he’s not changing his name since I worked hard to learn how to pronounce it correctly.

Guys, Gavin, Bill, Antonio, all of you, please, just control yourselves until you’re out of office. You’ve worked so hard for this, you’re on the right side of history, you can make a better world for all of us if you just stay smart and take it home to your wife, okay? Please. You can do what you want when you retire, and frankly, I think should, but when you retire. Have a harem, I couldn’t care less, but not when you’re still in office. Men, don’t be ninnies. Thank you for your attention.

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This could take awhile to fix. The entire County apparatus will have to evolve to a higher level. An entire generation might have to die of natural causes before anything gets better in LA County. Am I kidding? Even I don’t know.

“A welfare worker stole more than $4,000 worth of bus tokens and passes meant for foster children and their families.

“A retirement agency employee fraudulently claimed nearly $90,000 in welfare benefits.

“And another welfare worker falsely told colleagues her father had died and took the money they donated to her in sympathy.

“The three cases are among the most serious cited by a Los Angeles County report made public Wednesday that provides a digest of employee misconduct uncovered as a result of calls to the county’s fraud hotline.

~snip~

“The misconduct included failing to report outside employment, downloading pornographic material at work and outright theft.

~snip~

“‘It doesn’t reflect well on the county, but it’s hard to make people understand that when you have 100,000 [workers], some people go bad on you,’ said county Auditor-Controller J. Tyler McCauley, whose office runs the fraud hotline.

~snip~

“The bus tokens stolen by a Department of Children and Family Services employee were set aside for foster children and relatives who need transportation for such activities as family visits or job interviews, said the department’s director, Patricia S. Ploehn.

“The employee was prosecuted, pleaded guilty to felony theft and was sentenced to three days in jail and three years’ probation.

~snip~

“Among other cases in Wednesday’s hotline report was that of a retirement specialist who worked for the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Assn., the agency that manages the $43-billion pension fund for most county workers.

“Prosecutors identified the worker as Rita Kay Brown, 52. Brown was accused of using a false identity to fraudulently claim $89,522 in welfare money, food stamps and medical benefits, said James Baker, assistant head deputy of the district attorney’s welfare fraud division.

“She was convicted in June and sentenced to 16 years in prison, he said.

“The welfare worker accused of accepting money from colleagues who thought her father had died has not been referred to prosecutors, but she faces disciplinary action, the report said.

“In another case, an employee with the county’s Probation Department was accused of fraudulently collecting death benefits of more than $130,000 for her husband, who is still alive, the report said.

“Prosecutors identified her as Damaris Amesquita, 30, and said she faces felony charges of insurance fraud, grand theft and bigamy.

“She has pleaded not guilty.”
L.A. County hotline reveals thefts, welfare fraud. One worker took bus tokens meant for foster families; another cheated to collect benefits. In all, 348 investigations were opened in six months, by Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, November 22, 2007

Man, what’s wrong with LA County agencies? Do they have preferential hiring for kleptomaniacs?

I don’t know what County workers make, but they have some of the most secure jobs in the country and Cadillac benefits. So what’s with all the stealing? First, there’s the heist at the Department of Children and Family Services and now this. Sheesh, folks, grow a heart and get smart.

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“Los Angeles County supervisors are poised to approve a program that will identify the 50 most vulnerable homeless people on downtown’s skid row and move them within 100 days into apartments with readily accessible support services.

~snip~

“The county has struggled to address the vast homelessness problem. A year ago, supervisors approved an unprecedented $100-million homeless initiative, anchored by five regional assistance centers. But the program faltered after communities balked at the prospect of homeless people coming to their neighborhoods. The county quietly switched gears, deciding instead to fund private organizations and smaller efforts, such as a housing program for families on skid row.

~snip~

“About one-third of the county’s roughly 70,000 homeless people are classified as chronically homeless — meaning they have lived on the streets for a year or more and have disabilities such as AIDS or mental illness.

“Many experts say placing the chronically homeless in permanent housing with social services nearby is more effective than providing them with temporary shelter and more effective than requiring them to get sober before finding them housing. The numbers back up that position: 85% of homeless people living in supportive housing stay off the streets, said Gary Blasi, a UCLA law professor who has studied homelessness.

~snip~

“Outreach workers will take a visual inventory of the area over a two-week period to observe who sleeps there regularly. Officials will follow up in person, talking to as many people as possible to learn about their health, time spent on the streets and other factors to determine how vulnerable they are.

“The so-called vulnerability index will determine those most at risk of dying on skid row, and outreach workers will talk with them about moving voluntarily into supportive housing provided by the Skid Row Housing Trust, which is expected to be awarded the second contract Tuesday. The organization helps refurbish and provide housing to the homeless and other needy people.

“The 50 people identified will have caseworkers to help them and nearby support services, such as mental health and substance abuse counselors.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs of Greater Los Angeles will work with the street teams to identify veterans, who represent 12% of the county’s homeless population.

~snip~

“The costs of shelter, emergency room care and incarceration can range from $40,000 to $150,000 per homeless person per year, said Blasi, the UCLA professor. Supportive housing for one individual costs between $14,000 and $25,000, he added.”
L.A. County might get new homeless program. Supervisors expected to approve Project 50, which aims to get skid row’s most vulnerable people into supportive housing. By Susannah Rosenblatt, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, November 19, 2007

Y’know, we can either take care of these people or we can just let them die on the streets of one of the richest cities in the world. I’d rather pay taxes to take care of them.

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“Instead of fast food, it was fast flu shots Friday for hundreds of motorists converging on drive-through vaccination clinics at community colleges in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

“At Moorpark College, about 100 cars idled in the morning chill, snaking around orange traffic cones as drivers inched to the front of the line. Over the next four hours, nurses there administered more than 500 doses of flu vaccine. At College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, 1,076 people were vaccinated, said Deborah Davenport, a director of community services for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

“‘It’s free and I get to stay in my car,’ said Summer Healthcote, her 7-year-old son, Andrew, strapped into a booster seat in the back of a green Suburban at the Moorpark campus. ‘I couldn’t pass it up.’

“But public health officials said the one-day exercise wasn’t designed to cater to Southern California’s time-strapped, car-crazed culture. If the drive-through concept proves successful, they said, it could become the model for speedily inoculating entire cities in the event of a deadly pandemic or bioterrorism.”
Drive-through flu shots test ways to speedily deliver vaccines, LAT, November 17, 2007

This is pretty cool, they should always do this. Gee, why wait for a tularemia outbreak to use this system? In more mundane matters: here’s where you can find flu shots, though not of the drive through genus.

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But this would be a mighty fine start in the meantime:

OneCareNow”

“The OneCareNow Campaign supports Senate Bill 840(Kuehl) as the one healthcare reform proposal in California that will provide high quality healthcare for all while controlling costs.

“We reject AB 8 and any other junk insurance compromise between the Governor’s plan and the Assembly Speaker’s that doesn’t provide universal coverage and funnels most healthcare dollars through private health insurers, which are the primary obstacles to real healthcare reform.

“The public doesn’t want a last minute, back room rush job. A new poll found more than two-thirds of California voters — a margin of 68 percent to 25 percent — said they prefer ‘making sure we pass healthcare reform that gets it right and improves the system, and not take the risk of passing bad legislation.’ On August 11, the Great LA Healthcare Rally showed massive support for SB 840 as the healthcare solution for California. SB 840 has passed the California Senate and is now in the Assembly waiting for the Governor to learn why private health insurance companies have and will always fail to control healthcare costs.”

Rah!

Oh, by the way:

“Keeping people hopeless and pessimistic - see I think there are two ways in which people are controlled - first of all frighten people and secondly demoralize them… An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern.” Tony Benn

And all of this is via Loganotron on November 12, 2007.

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“‘Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Monday that he would reactivate a program of “drought busters” to preach the message of water conservation.’

“‘Department of Water and Power employees will roam the nation’s second-largest city and issue friendly advice to residents they see wasting water.

“‘Excessive lawn watering and sidewalk spraying are expected to be top targets.’”
Water Watchers Coming, Working Californians, November 13, 2007

Water Watchers…feh. If there was a Water Wasters Whistleblower Squealer hotline, I’d use it all it the time. I lived through the last drought and got so sick of people cleaning their driveways and sidewalks with the hose instead of a broom. Okay okay okay, I’m a fanatic on the subject. And don’t get me started on golf courses in the desert. C’mon, Water Departments, just jack up the rates over a certain usage; you know that’s the only way to get people in LA to stop being stupid (about wasting water) and it’s always worked in the past. I’m so glad I’m not in charge, but if I were… Grrr. Cretins.

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In the most disgusting way:

“Los Angeles County’s child welfare workers spent thousands of dollars in gift cards and entertainment tickets earmarked for foster children to buy themselves meals and attend musical events, according to an audit released Tuesday.

“Among the most serious problems cited by auditors, county workers bought 160 tickets in July to see the hit musical ‘Wicked.’ County officials said the purchase was part of a gala event for foster children and their mentors, yet only 53 children and roughly the same number of mentors were given tickets.

“The remaining seats went to employees of the Department of Children and Family Services and their relatives and guests, along with unidentified potential mentors and a number of not-for-profit organization employees, auditors wrote. The event cost $14,000.

“The audit of the department also faulted employees for using gift cards — bought with county money to supply food and clothing to foster children — to pay for staff luncheons.

“‘It is appalling that children who have nothing are having even this very limited amount stolen from them,’ said Carole Shauffer, executive director of the Youth Law Center in San Francisco. ‘This is a stunning lack of accountability.’

“Auditors said one worker attempted to hide extra gift cards the department received by asking the business that supplied the cards for false invoices. Another told auditors he or she no longer had any gift cards but actually had $23,000 worth of gift cards or certificates, the audit said.”
L.A. workers use gift cards meant for foster children. Audit shows that child welfare employees spent thousands on meals and tickets to musical events, by Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, November 7, 2007

Hope you’re proud of yourselves, LA County workers. You suck.

And Supervisor Gloria Molina wants your heads on sticks, too. From the link:

“Molina blamed a long-standing culture in the department that she said bred a sense of entitlement among a small but influential number of employees.

“‘I think there’s many a social worker there who have probably been there far too long, who don’t understand their own personal mission and responsibility’ and they “should be moving on to other roles and responsibilities,’ she said.”

~snip~

“Meanwhile, county Auditor-Controller J. Tyler McCauley said his office would discuss the results of the audit with the district attorney’s office for possible prosecution.

“The audit, which focused on employees in a mentoring program for foster children, is the latest black eye for the county’s child welfare agency.

“While successfully reducing the number of children in foster care, the department has been beset in recent months by a series of management problems.

“Earlier this year, county auditors faulted the department for failing to adequately keep track of its supply purchases, concluding that procurement workers had wasted more than $1 million on unnecessary or overpriced equipment.

“In June, the agency reported that financial miscalculations and other problems had helped create an $8-million hole in its budget last year and forecast it needed to plug an additional $32-million hole during this fiscal year. The announcement drew criticism from supervisors, who said the department had expanded too quickly without watching the bottom line.”

Gah! Doesn’t the County continuously audit the hell out of these agencies? Maybe they should.

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“Ending a controversial 20-year campaign to expel immigrants because of their ties to alleged Palestinian terrorists, the federal government has agreed to drop attempts to deport the final two defendants in the L.A. 8 case.

“The Board of Immigration Appeals on Tuesday dismissed all charges against Khader M. Hamide and Michel I. Shehadeh, who had faced deportation proceedings since 1987, and approved a settlement submitted by the men’s lawyers and the Department of Homeland Security, according to documents made public Wednesday.”

~snip~

“The government’s decision to throw in the towel came nine months after Bruce J. Einhorn, a federal immigration judge in Los Angeles, lambasted federal officials for violating the men’s rights. He accused the government of a ‘gross failure’ to comply with instructions to turn over to the men ‘potentially exculpatory and other relevant information.’

“In a blistering opinion, Einhorn said the government’s conduct in the case was ‘an embarrassment to the rule of law’ that left ‘a festering wound on’ Hamide and Shehadeh, who have been in legal and personal limbo for more than two decades.

“Initially, the government appealed Einhorn’s ruling. But negotiations soon started, leading to the settlement.

“Legal action began Jan. 26, 1987, when agents of the FBI and the immigration service took into custody the seven men and one woman, all Southern California residents, charging them with affiliation with a group that advocates ‘the doctrines of world communism,’ which was then a deportable offense under the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952.

“The other members of the group were Julie Mungai, the Kenyan wife of Khader Hamide; Bashar Amer; Aiad Barakat; Amjad Obeid; Ayman Obeid; and Naim Sharif. Early on, the government focused its efforts on Hamide and Shehadeh, the only members of the group with permanent resident status.”
Final two L.A. 8 defendants cleared. After 20 years, U.S. drops efforts to deport men accused of ties to Palestinian terrorists, by Henry Weinstein, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, November 1, 2007

Rule of Law. Fuck the mink coat, can I please have Rule of Law for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Solstice/etc?

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COUNCIL PRESIDENT GARCETTI JOINS CITY ATTORNEY ROCKY DELGADILLO, COUNCIL MEMBER JAN PERRY IN CALLING FOR LOCAL ORDINANCE BANNING HOSPITAL PATIENT DUMPING (2-page pdf)

Makes me sick. So, in future, the hospitals will drive them up to Pasadena/Glendale/Burbank or out to the Valleys, or down to Long Beach/Commerce and out that way. I hate to say it, but this is a moral problem (I hate moral problems). However, the good news is that the solution is economic:

It is time to extend Medicare to anyone and everyone who wants it. It is time to extend Medicare to anyone and everyone who wants it. It is time to extend Medicare to anyone and everyone who wants it. It is time to extend Medicare to anyone and everyone who wants it. It is time to extend Medicare to anyone and everyone who wants it. It is time to extend Medicare to anyone and everyone who wants it. It is time to extend Medicare to anyone and everyone who wants it. It is time to extend Medicare to anyone and everyone who wants it. It is time to extend Medicare to anyone and everyone who wants it. Especially those who need it. It’s past time to do the right thing and extend Medicare to anyone and everyone who wants or needs it.

Are we clear? Good.

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