Update: Ron Kaye has the details here.
----
In a daylong meeting yesterday at Hollywood City Hall, a dedicated and knowledgeable group of community members joined BudgetLA to finalize the first white paper addressing solutions to LA's budget crisis.
The Mayor's budget for 2010-2011 as it stand now means major losses of public services and loss of jobs, leading to possible bankruptcy in the immediate future for Los Angeles.
The BudgetLA people brought out professionals from the community and neighborhood councils who are well versed in sustainable budgeting, pensions, and investing to develop a concrete, comprehensive plan of action -- something very seriously missing from City Hall to date.
Join BudgetLA, activists, and concerned members of the community for a rally and press conference outside Van Nuys City Hall immediately proceeding the first City Council Budget & Finance Committee public hearing on Monday night at 6pm.
More when we know more.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Hiker who designed Observatory laser shows found dead in VC park
From the Ventura County Star:
Hiker Found Dead after Heavy Rains
The bassist for The Spazmatics, a popular local tribute band and
comedy act, drowned in a park near his Thousand Oaks home this week
after hiking in to see a waterfall swollen by heavy rains.
Matt Chidgey, 40, was found dead this morning in a narrow canyon in Wildwood Park’s Meadow Cove area, about 3/4 of a mile from a trailhead and 1/2 mile from the park’s main waterfall, said Detective Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Chidgey was found by a close friend after an intense search through the muddy park that lasted more than 12 hours, friends and authorities said. The search included about 40 members of the sheriff’s search and rescue teams, search dogs, the sheriff’s Air Unit, more than two dozen friends and relatives, and the Ventura County Fire Department’s swift water rescue team.
The search began when Chidgey was reported missing Thursday evening after he failed to return from a hike to see the waterfall the day before. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office determined Chidgey drowned and it ruled his death an accident, said Shasta Gainer, a deputy Ventura County medical examiner. The exact circumstances of Chidgey’s drowning were unclear, but authorities believe it was related to the rains that swelled the park’s creeks and which were falling heavily Wednesday. Buschow said his body apparently washed down a creek. Park rangers said the 1,754-acre park, located in the northwestern part of the city, was closed beginning Sunday due to the rains. Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency Supervising Park Ranger Glen Kinney said much of the water that comes through the city runs through Wildwood Park and the area often has flash floods during heavy rains. Kinney said injuries in the park aren’t uncommon though he could only remember two deaths in the past couple of decades. Water was about 15 feet deep at points during the storm, he said. Jeff King, a Thousand Oaks resident who hiked into the park to see the waterfall two days before Chidgey’s fatal trip, said the falls had about 10 times more water than usual.
Chidgey lived within walking distance of the park, where he hiked frequently, according to friends and sheriff’s officials. He grew up in a home just a few miles away. Childhood friend and Spazmatics bandmate Mike Clark said Chidgey was not a daredevil, and he thinks his friend’s familiarity with the park might have led him to underestimate the danger from the swollen creeks. “He knew the place like the back of his hand,” Clark said. “He spent a lot of time down there.” Hours after Chidgey was found dead, dozens of close friends gathered at his home to celebrate his life. They recalled the musician as a loyal friend and a hilarious, talented entertainer who will be sorely missed. “He was a comedic genius,” Clark said. “I always told him that if he ever stopped playing music he could be a stand-up comic.” On stage in The Spazmatics, which combines ‘80s tribute songs with comedy, Chidgey played a character named “Curtis” and wore a helmet because the character supposedly had a soft skull. With antics such as playing a sound clip of tap dancing and dancing along in sneakers, Chidgey often made bandmates laugh so much that they had trouble playing. “Nobody could speak,” said part-time Spazmatics guitarist Jason Orme, 43, of Thousand Oaks. “It was so funny.”
A talented recording engineer, Chidgey also came to the rescue when the band needed sound equipment fixed, friends said. His sense for comedy with a twist of the bizarre came out early. When he was a student at Thousand Oaks High School, for example, he bought a Chevrolet Suburban, painted it pink with purple tiger stripes, fixed a stuffed iguana to the hood, rigged windshield fluid to come out of the iguana’s mouth and routinely drove the vehicle to and from school, friends said. Though he worked for most of his professional life as a musician, Chidgey also designed shows at the Laserium at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, managed other tribute bands and earned a physics degree at California State University, Northridge, friends said. With The Spazmatics, he played the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills weekly and had a long-running gig at Dragonfly bar in Hollywood and toured the U.S. He also went to Europe with a disco band, friends said. He was also a musical mentor to many. “He could reach into your soul and squeeze the best out of it,” said his brother, Lee Chidgey, 43. Though Chidgey died before middle age, he lived more than most, his brother said. “He lived a full life,” his brother said. “He died doing something he loved to do.” Friends cried together while his brother recounted searching for him until 3:30 a.m., stopping to sleep for a few hours and then seeing him dead in the park after a friend found him. Lee Chidgey broke down as he recounted how the sun shone through rain clouds after he saw his brother dead and touched his lifeless body. He said: “That was Matt saying, ‘I was waiting for you.’"
Hiker Found Dead after Heavy Rains
Photo by Juan Carlo
A
close friend of Matt Walter Chidgey, 40, of Thousand Oaks grieves after
learning about his death at Wildwood Park Friday morning. He was
reported missing after failing to return from a hike in the park.
Matt Chidgey, 40, was found dead this morning in a narrow canyon in Wildwood Park’s Meadow Cove area, about 3/4 of a mile from a trailhead and 1/2 mile from the park’s main waterfall, said Detective Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Chidgey was found by a close friend after an intense search through the muddy park that lasted more than 12 hours, friends and authorities said. The search included about 40 members of the sheriff’s search and rescue teams, search dogs, the sheriff’s Air Unit, more than two dozen friends and relatives, and the Ventura County Fire Department’s swift water rescue team.
The search began when Chidgey was reported missing Thursday evening after he failed to return from a hike to see the waterfall the day before. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office determined Chidgey drowned and it ruled his death an accident, said Shasta Gainer, a deputy Ventura County medical examiner. The exact circumstances of Chidgey’s drowning were unclear, but authorities believe it was related to the rains that swelled the park’s creeks and which were falling heavily Wednesday. Buschow said his body apparently washed down a creek. Park rangers said the 1,754-acre park, located in the northwestern part of the city, was closed beginning Sunday due to the rains. Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency Supervising Park Ranger Glen Kinney said much of the water that comes through the city runs through Wildwood Park and the area often has flash floods during heavy rains. Kinney said injuries in the park aren’t uncommon though he could only remember two deaths in the past couple of decades. Water was about 15 feet deep at points during the storm, he said. Jeff King, a Thousand Oaks resident who hiked into the park to see the waterfall two days before Chidgey’s fatal trip, said the falls had about 10 times more water than usual.
Chidgey lived within walking distance of the park, where he hiked frequently, according to friends and sheriff’s officials. He grew up in a home just a few miles away. Childhood friend and Spazmatics bandmate Mike Clark said Chidgey was not a daredevil, and he thinks his friend’s familiarity with the park might have led him to underestimate the danger from the swollen creeks. “He knew the place like the back of his hand,” Clark said. “He spent a lot of time down there.” Hours after Chidgey was found dead, dozens of close friends gathered at his home to celebrate his life. They recalled the musician as a loyal friend and a hilarious, talented entertainer who will be sorely missed. “He was a comedic genius,” Clark said. “I always told him that if he ever stopped playing music he could be a stand-up comic.” On stage in The Spazmatics, which combines ‘80s tribute songs with comedy, Chidgey played a character named “Curtis” and wore a helmet because the character supposedly had a soft skull. With antics such as playing a sound clip of tap dancing and dancing along in sneakers, Chidgey often made bandmates laugh so much that they had trouble playing. “Nobody could speak,” said part-time Spazmatics guitarist Jason Orme, 43, of Thousand Oaks. “It was so funny.”
A talented recording engineer, Chidgey also came to the rescue when the band needed sound equipment fixed, friends said. His sense for comedy with a twist of the bizarre came out early. When he was a student at Thousand Oaks High School, for example, he bought a Chevrolet Suburban, painted it pink with purple tiger stripes, fixed a stuffed iguana to the hood, rigged windshield fluid to come out of the iguana’s mouth and routinely drove the vehicle to and from school, friends said. Though he worked for most of his professional life as a musician, Chidgey also designed shows at the Laserium at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, managed other tribute bands and earned a physics degree at California State University, Northridge, friends said. With The Spazmatics, he played the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills weekly and had a long-running gig at Dragonfly bar in Hollywood and toured the U.S. He also went to Europe with a disco band, friends said. He was also a musical mentor to many. “He could reach into your soul and squeeze the best out of it,” said his brother, Lee Chidgey, 43. Though Chidgey died before middle age, he lived more than most, his brother said. “He lived a full life,” his brother said. “He died doing something he loved to do.” Friends cried together while his brother recounted searching for him until 3:30 a.m., stopping to sleep for a few hours and then seeing him dead in the park after a friend found him. Lee Chidgey broke down as he recounted how the sun shone through rain clouds after he saw his brother dead and touched his lifeless body. He said: “That was Matt saying, ‘I was waiting for you.’"
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Haines Canyon Debris Basin
If you'd like to see where a significant amount of that water rushing through Los Angeles flood channels comes from, then take a look at the following video made by Marsha Perloff. Tujunga resident Marsha (Echo Park tries to claim her, but that's another story) lives about a football field away from this basin. This basin did indeed overflow for awhile, but for the most part, the system is working.
Now, for comparison purposes, look at this same basin just days before the rains began. The Army Corp of Engineers had spent weeks dredging it out in preparation for the storms:
Now, for comparison purposes, look at this same basin just days before the rains began. The Army Corp of Engineers had spent weeks dredging it out in preparation for the storms:
B-Word no longer 'that which shall not be spoken' *
bankruptcy bankruptcy bankruptcy
Suddenly it's okay to say The B Word at City Hall if recent reporting by D-Zahn is any indication. Let me say that again: BANK-RUPT-CY!
whew! That feels better ... in a perverted sort of way.
I was saying this when it wasn't popular, thinking out loud during my tenure on Mayor Sam that April 2010 might be the month the City is forced to file Chapter Nine. I know - noone cares. Yeah, but it's now January and we now have a public - if leaked - revelation that City tax revenues are well below the magic $100 million threshold that triggers more possible layoffs whether the unions like it or not.
If Tony and his Fifteen Fiefs do engage in the kind of layoffs threatened in that leaked memo (see below), City employees will be hit hard. But the hardest hit will be we citizens who won't have any City services remaining.
Forget the layoffs, Mayor V and chums. Go Chapter 9 and let a real professional who has a fiscal clue - unlike you - reorganize with proper financial planning that includes reasonable benefits for public employees, and keeps what's left of our City services working for us taxpayers.
You've effed it up too bad to repair. Only an idiot talks about selling off revenue-making services like golf courses and parking structures. For this, you shouldn't even still be in office, sir. Much less telling the LA Times how great your wonderful life is. Insensitive jerk.
Embrace the infamous B-Word. You too, Paul K. And Paul H.
--
Try not to cry or scream as you read the following two feel-good stories from D-Zahn and friends at the LA Times.
Aside - someone please tell Meg Whitman to STFU on KNX. Six-seven ads an hour and people will start campaigning against you just because. (....since KFWB changed programming, KNX is the only pure news game in town. )
-------------
More grim budget news for L.A.: Tax revenue falls short by $186 million
January 21, 2010 | 9:23
The bad financial news just keeps coming at Los Angeles City Hall, where the top budget analyst reported this morning that tax revenue has come in at $186 million below estimates for the current year The report from City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana comes one day after The Times reported that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council leaders want to deal with the budget crisis by eliminating at least 1,000 jobs.Sales tax revenue declined by 16% last summer, instead of the 6% drop expected by city budget officials, the report states. And overall tax revenue has declined by double digits for four quarters straight, Santana said in an e-mail to The Times.
“The city hasn’t seen this since the Great Depression,” he wrote. With a new fiscal year – and another budget shortfall -- only five months away, the city’s elected leaders have been scrambling to come up with a new plan for closing this year’s gap. Villaraigosa and five council members circulated a letter calling on Santana to prepare for layoffs and come up with a plan to offer 364 workers retirement up to five years early.
The city has already agreed to give early retirement to 2,400 city employees, some of whom have already left. One labor leader has voiced opposition to more job cuts. The letter also called on Santana to speed up plans for leasing city parking structures, giving him a deadline of Sept. 30. And it broached the subject of privatizing the Los Angeles Zoo and municipal airports in Van Nuys and Ontario, asking him to look at the concept.
-- David Zahniser at Los Angeles City Hall
Letter reveals L.A.'s plans for more layoffs
A decline in revenues may mean that at least 1,000 jobs are eliminated, according to the letter, which is being circulated among city leaders.
By David Zahniser and Phil Willon
January 20, 2010 | 8:44 p.m.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council leaders have begun laying the groundwork for the elimination of 1,000 more jobs by July 1 in an attempt to eradicate a budget shortfall that has now ballooned to nearly $200 million. Only one month after 2,400 city employees were offered early retirement to help patch a budget gap, the mayor and five council members are scheduled to instruct their budget analysts as early as today to prepare for layoffs and look at privatizing city-owned parking garages, golf courses and airports in Van Nuys and Ontario. "Revenues are significantly lower than original projections and we are prepared to make tough decisions, including layoffs and cuts in less-essential city services to our constituents," states a letter being circulated among city leaders. A draft copy was obtained by The Times. "We will consider the elimination, consolidation, or outsourcing of city assets and services, furloughs and layoffs where permissible, continued managed hiring with consideration of a hard hiring freeze and public-private partnerships that will generate revenue."
Three council members -- Bernard C. Parks, Jan Perry and Dennis Zine -- confirmed that they had signed the letter but declined to discuss its contents. Villaraigosa Deputy Chief of Staff Matt Szabo said late Wednesday that the letter was not ready for release. The proposals are a sharp reaction to word -- still unofficial -- that city tax revenues have continued a dramatic decline over the last three months. Villaraigosa and the council have already tried to close this year's budget gap by imposing furloughs, rolling back salaries and cutting some city services. Since then, the budget crisis has moved into even more treacherous territory, with officials openly worrying about their ability to pay normal operating expenses over the rest of the year. Without any cuts, the deficit is expected to grow to $1 billion by 2013-14, according to official projections. "The threat of bankruptcy is real," said Parks, who heads the council's Budget and Finance Committee. "How likely it is depends on how well we manage things over the next few months."
When the Coalition of L.A. City Unions agreed to an early retirement program months ago, its leaders secured a pledge of no layoffs and furloughs over the next two years. But that promise left the layoff door open if tax revenues dropped by $100 million in a single year. That threshold has now been crossed, council members said Wednesday. Coalition spokeswoman Barbara Maynard said city leaders should not demand another round of salary negotiations until they have tried alternatives that have already been offered by her group, which represents 22,000 city employees. Maynard said 3,000 city workers applied for early retirement but only 400 have yet left the payroll. "They are exacerbating their budget problem by not moving their people out quickly," said Maynard, adding: "The city bureaucracy has been very slow in implementing these savings."
The draft letter obtained by The Times calls on City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana to look at a number of ways to reduce salaries and retirement costs. It also urges him to prepare for "no less than 1,000" job cuts and to plan for offering early retirement to an additional 300 employees. The city's mechanism for imposing layoffs is slow and byzantine -- unless officials decide to target only those workers who have been recently hired and are at the bottom tier of the workforce. A seniority system allows older employees to bump younger one out of their jobs, a process -- known as cascading -- that can take months. To get through the next 5 1/2 months, Villaraigosa and council leaders will probably need to tap the city's emergency reserve to close such a large shortfall. Yet if they do, Wall Street could downgrade the city's already weakened credit rating, a move that would increase the cost of borrowing necessary to keep paying the city's bills. "Depleting the reserve fund is a huge problem," City Controller Wendy Greuel said.
david.zahniser@latimes.com
phil.willon@latimes.com
(Looking forward to your new news blog in 2010, D!)
Suddenly it's okay to say The B Word at City Hall if recent reporting by D-Zahn is any indication. Let me say that again: BANK-RUPT-CY!
whew! That feels better ... in a perverted sort of way.
I was saying this when it wasn't popular, thinking out loud during my tenure on Mayor Sam that April 2010 might be the month the City is forced to file Chapter Nine. I know - noone cares. Yeah, but it's now January and we now have a public - if leaked - revelation that City tax revenues are well below the magic $100 million threshold that triggers more possible layoffs whether the unions like it or not.
If Tony and his Fifteen Fiefs do engage in the kind of layoffs threatened in that leaked memo (see below), City employees will be hit hard. But the hardest hit will be we citizens who won't have any City services remaining.Forget the layoffs, Mayor V and chums. Go Chapter 9 and let a real professional who has a fiscal clue - unlike you - reorganize with proper financial planning that includes reasonable benefits for public employees, and keeps what's left of our City services working for us taxpayers.
You've effed it up too bad to repair. Only an idiot talks about selling off revenue-making services like golf courses and parking structures. For this, you shouldn't even still be in office, sir. Much less telling the LA Times how great your wonderful life is. Insensitive jerk.
Embrace the infamous B-Word. You too, Paul K. And Paul H.
--
Try not to cry or scream as you read the following two feel-good stories from D-Zahn and friends at the LA Times.
Aside - someone please tell Meg Whitman to STFU on KNX. Six-seven ads an hour and people will start campaigning against you just because. (....since KFWB changed programming, KNX is the only pure news game in town. )
-------------
More grim budget news for L.A.: Tax revenue falls short by $186 million
January 21, 2010 | 9:23
The bad financial news just keeps coming at Los Angeles City Hall, where the top budget analyst reported this morning that tax revenue has come in at $186 million below estimates for the current year The report from City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana comes one day after The Times reported that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council leaders want to deal with the budget crisis by eliminating at least 1,000 jobs.Sales tax revenue declined by 16% last summer, instead of the 6% drop expected by city budget officials, the report states. And overall tax revenue has declined by double digits for four quarters straight, Santana said in an e-mail to The Times.
“The city hasn’t seen this since the Great Depression,” he wrote. With a new fiscal year – and another budget shortfall -- only five months away, the city’s elected leaders have been scrambling to come up with a new plan for closing this year’s gap. Villaraigosa and five council members circulated a letter calling on Santana to prepare for layoffs and come up with a plan to offer 364 workers retirement up to five years early.
The city has already agreed to give early retirement to 2,400 city employees, some of whom have already left. One labor leader has voiced opposition to more job cuts. The letter also called on Santana to speed up plans for leasing city parking structures, giving him a deadline of Sept. 30. And it broached the subject of privatizing the Los Angeles Zoo and municipal airports in Van Nuys and Ontario, asking him to look at the concept.
-- David Zahniser at Los Angeles City Hall
Letter reveals L.A.'s plans for more layoffs
A decline in revenues may mean that at least 1,000 jobs are eliminated, according to the letter, which is being circulated among city leaders.
By David Zahniser and Phil Willon
January 20, 2010 | 8:44 p.m.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council leaders have begun laying the groundwork for the elimination of 1,000 more jobs by July 1 in an attempt to eradicate a budget shortfall that has now ballooned to nearly $200 million. Only one month after 2,400 city employees were offered early retirement to help patch a budget gap, the mayor and five council members are scheduled to instruct their budget analysts as early as today to prepare for layoffs and look at privatizing city-owned parking garages, golf courses and airports in Van Nuys and Ontario. "Revenues are significantly lower than original projections and we are prepared to make tough decisions, including layoffs and cuts in less-essential city services to our constituents," states a letter being circulated among city leaders. A draft copy was obtained by The Times. "We will consider the elimination, consolidation, or outsourcing of city assets and services, furloughs and layoffs where permissible, continued managed hiring with consideration of a hard hiring freeze and public-private partnerships that will generate revenue."
Three council members -- Bernard C. Parks, Jan Perry and Dennis Zine -- confirmed that they had signed the letter but declined to discuss its contents. Villaraigosa Deputy Chief of Staff Matt Szabo said late Wednesday that the letter was not ready for release. The proposals are a sharp reaction to word -- still unofficial -- that city tax revenues have continued a dramatic decline over the last three months. Villaraigosa and the council have already tried to close this year's budget gap by imposing furloughs, rolling back salaries and cutting some city services. Since then, the budget crisis has moved into even more treacherous territory, with officials openly worrying about their ability to pay normal operating expenses over the rest of the year. Without any cuts, the deficit is expected to grow to $1 billion by 2013-14, according to official projections. "The threat of bankruptcy is real," said Parks, who heads the council's Budget and Finance Committee. "How likely it is depends on how well we manage things over the next few months."
When the Coalition of L.A. City Unions agreed to an early retirement program months ago, its leaders secured a pledge of no layoffs and furloughs over the next two years. But that promise left the layoff door open if tax revenues dropped by $100 million in a single year. That threshold has now been crossed, council members said Wednesday. Coalition spokeswoman Barbara Maynard said city leaders should not demand another round of salary negotiations until they have tried alternatives that have already been offered by her group, which represents 22,000 city employees. Maynard said 3,000 city workers applied for early retirement but only 400 have yet left the payroll. "They are exacerbating their budget problem by not moving their people out quickly," said Maynard, adding: "The city bureaucracy has been very slow in implementing these savings."
The draft letter obtained by The Times calls on City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana to look at a number of ways to reduce salaries and retirement costs. It also urges him to prepare for "no less than 1,000" job cuts and to plan for offering early retirement to an additional 300 employees. The city's mechanism for imposing layoffs is slow and byzantine -- unless officials decide to target only those workers who have been recently hired and are at the bottom tier of the workforce. A seniority system allows older employees to bump younger one out of their jobs, a process -- known as cascading -- that can take months. To get through the next 5 1/2 months, Villaraigosa and council leaders will probably need to tap the city's emergency reserve to close such a large shortfall. Yet if they do, Wall Street could downgrade the city's already weakened credit rating, a move that would increase the cost of borrowing necessary to keep paying the city's bills. "Depleting the reserve fund is a huge problem," City Controller Wendy Greuel said.
david.zahniser@latimes.com
phil.willon@latimes.com
(Looking forward to your new news blog in 2010, D!)
GGPNC candidates list is in
The official Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council candidates list has been published by the City Clerk's office, and what a surprise - the two nut cases are on the list.This year, total whackjob Tomas O'Grady announced loudly that he has a running mate in fellow lightweight philanthropist Leslie Vankeuren. The two are running "as a team" in the same district. VanKeuren is an environmental consultant. She owns and runs Sustain LA, about which the web site says "Sustain LA, a consultancy providing plans of action for adopting sustainable practices, reducing waste and improving efficiency to Los Angeles area businesses...
What is noteworthy with the candidates list are the names that are missing. It appears the nut jobs have succeeded in chasing out a lot of the familiar faces. That's bad news, because some of those individuals did a bunch of good, hard work for the community and for the park.
The demise of this neighborhood council seems to be well underway, then. A number of others are already completely overrun with angry haters and power-seeking insiders. Can the entire neighborhood council system be far behind?
GGPNC board candidates
District A (Griffith Park)
Jeff Gardner
Laura Howe
Mio Vukovic
Frank W. Masi
Robert J. Menz
District B
Christina A. Khanjian
John F. Jon Jr.
David A. Ubersax
Ron Ostrow
District C
Alexander C. De Campo
Daniel S. Sandman
Andrea M. Iaderosa
Dominic Patten
Harpreet K. Malhi
District D
Sarah A. Latier Napier
John Q. Lee
Tomas P. Wilson
Leslie VanKeuren
Tomas O' Grady
District E
Jessica C Kornberg
James M. McEwen
Mark F. Mauceri
Charlie M. Mims
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Signs of life at Mayor Sam?
Not exactly the Mayor Sam blog proper, but the Mayor Sam Press Release Blog has action today with the following vital release:
Parks cheerleaders compete on Saturday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alba Ibarra
January 20, 2010
(626) 968-9953
Hundreds of Los Angeles County Parks Cheerleaders to Compete at Annual Cheer-Off....
WooHoo!
Parks cheerleaders compete on Saturday
Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alba Ibarra
January 20, 2010
(626) 968-9953
Hundreds of Los Angeles County Parks Cheerleaders to Compete at Annual Cheer-Off....
WooHoo!
Advisory for all Los Angeles County beaches
Sunland: 'Below-Water Village'
As
you have heard on the news, over 700 residents have been or are in the
process of being evacuated from their homes in the Sunland-Tujunga
community. There is potential for even more evacuations.
Check the STNC web site for live links to local Facebook and Twitter contacts as well as City, news media and weather resources.
The Sunland Park Evacuation Center is open for our neighbors and the Red Cross is there.
First Responders -- LAPD, LAFD and others are at North Valley City Hall. If you would like to volunteer snacks and coffee for our First Responders, please drop off at North Valley City Hall (NVCH) or call the STNC office at 818-951-7411 to arrange. STNC Board members and community leaders are on site at NVCH and out in the community assisting where we can.
First Responders are being proactive and taking every precaution. If you are asked to evacuate, please do so. This is a critical time for our community.
The Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council is standing by to help as needed. We realize that this e-mail will not get out to everyone so please pass it along and keep in contact with your neighbors.
Nina Royal, Vice President - Outreach & Safety
Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council
818-618-1648 - cell
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
EVACUATION ORDER
The Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department, in a Unified Command, have ordered evacuations for residences located within Phase 1 and Phase 2 in the foothill area of Southern Tujunga.
These are homes located within the communities of Alpine Village, Seven Hills, Blanchard Canyon Road, Tujunga, and Riverwood. The evacuations have been ordered to be completed by 9 AM Wednesday morning, January 20, 2010.
EVACUATION ORDER
We are anticipating significant rainfall predicted for Wednesday afternoon, January 20, 2010. It is anticipated that this will be the most significant storm to hit this area in several years.
Police and Fire Personnel may not be able to assist you during this significant storm. You are hereby ordered to evacuate your residence at or before 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 20, 2010.
For information pertaining to the mandatory evacuation, you may contact the Police/Fire Command Post at (323) 441-1187 or (323) 441-1188.
The below-listed shelters are available to you.
Evacuation Center
Sunland Recreation Center
8651 Foothill Blvd, Sunland CA, 91040
Available at 8:00 a.m., January 20, 2010
Evacuated small animals will be held at the Northeast Animal Shelter located at 15321 Brand Blvd, Mission Hills, CA 91345, (818) 837-2609.
Evacuated large animals will be held at Pierce College located at 6201 Winnetka Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA, 91371, (818) 347-0551.
For information pertaining to the evacuation order and information about when residents might be allowed to return to their homes, please contact LAPD’s Media Relations Section at (213) 486-5910 or the LAFD’s Public Information Office at (213) 485-5162.
These are homes located within the communities of Alpine Village, Seven Hills, Blanchard Canyon Road, Tujunga, and Riverwood. The evacuations have been ordered to be completed by 9 AM Wednesday morning, January 20, 2010.
EVACUATION ORDER
We are anticipating significant rainfall predicted for Wednesday afternoon, January 20, 2010. It is anticipated that this will be the most significant storm to hit this area in several years.
Police and Fire Personnel may not be able to assist you during this significant storm. You are hereby ordered to evacuate your residence at or before 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 20, 2010.
For information pertaining to the mandatory evacuation, you may contact the Police/Fire Command Post at (323) 441-1187 or (323) 441-1188.
The below-listed shelters are available to you.
Evacuation Center
Sunland Recreation Center
8651 Foothill Blvd, Sunland CA, 91040
Available at 8:00 a.m., January 20, 2010
Evacuated small animals will be held at the Northeast Animal Shelter located at 15321 Brand Blvd, Mission Hills, CA 91345, (818) 837-2609.
Evacuated large animals will be held at Pierce College located at 6201 Winnetka Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA, 91371, (818) 347-0551.
For information pertaining to the evacuation order and information about when residents might be allowed to return to their homes, please contact LAPD’s Media Relations Section at (213) 486-5910 or the LAFD’s Public Information Office at (213) 485-5162.
Election fraud in race to replace Kennedy
National, but pretty big as it affects the vote for health care reform:
MEDIA ADVISORY: COAKLEY CAMPAIGN TO DISCUSS INTEGRITY OF ELECTION
Multiple Reports Of Ballots Pre-Marked For Scott Brown
BOSTON - Following multiple independent reports of ballots being given to voters pre-marked for Republican Scott Brown, Coakley Campaign Manager Kevin Conroy and Attorney Marc Elias will hold a press conference in the Sheraton Grand Ballroom at 5:30 pm.
MEDIA ADVISORY: COAKLEY CAMPAIGN TO DISCUSS INTEGRITY OF ELECTION
Multiple Reports Of Ballots Pre-Marked For Scott Brown
BOSTON - Following multiple independent reports of ballots being given to voters pre-marked for Republican Scott Brown, Coakley Campaign Manager Kevin Conroy and Attorney Marc Elias will hold a press conference in the Sheraton Grand Ballroom at 5:30 pm.
GGPNC election applications due today
Just a reminder that today is the last day to turn in your applications to run for the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council board. The GGPNC boundaries include Los Feliz and Griffith Park. Applications are due tonight at the GGPNC's regular board meeting. Should be a fun and ever-so-lively meeting, too. The welfare of the crown jewel of the City's parks system is potentially at stake here. Please consider running to represent your community in this election. There are 19 board seats - 10 are elected and 9 are appointed by the elected board members. The 10 elected members come from 5 different districts and Griffith Park is in District A.
Do it for the park. Run for the GGPNC Board.
GGPNC Board Meeting - 7pm January 19, 2010
The Los Feliz Community Police Center (2nd floor of Citibank)
1965 N. Hillhurst Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Monday, January 18, 2010
Storm #1: Station Fire slurry on the move
As soon as the rain stopped I put on my hiking boots and headed out to see what was what. I shot this video in Little Tujunga Canyon today around 3:30pm. The Station Fire debris and rain slurry is on its way into Hansen Dam Recreation Area.
One-seventh of the City of Los Angeles's drinking water passes through Hansen Dam... and this stuff is going down the same channel and into the City's water system.
The sound is to be expected, but the smell was amazing - a mix of smoke, and wet and dirt and sage. Here Little T flows out from under the 210 bridge and cascades into the Hansen Dam basin.
This poor plant on the edge of the main Hansen Dam lake was just minutes from being swallowed up by the incoming torrent.
One-seventh of the City of Los Angeles's drinking water passes through Hansen Dam... and this stuff is going down the same channel and into the City's water system.
The sound is to be expected, but the smell was amazing - a mix of smoke, and wet and dirt and sage. Here Little T flows out from under the 210 bridge and cascades into the Hansen Dam basin.
This poor plant on the edge of the main Hansen Dam lake was just minutes from being swallowed up by the incoming torrent.
A Gracious Moment
Paul Krekorian did a brilliant and gracious thing at his inauguration on Sunday. After speeches from local and statewide political heavyweights ranging from Mayor Villaraigosa to Assembly Leader Karen Bass, Paul had 3 local community activists (John Walker, Judy Price, and Abby Diamond) speak immediately prior to his swearing in. It was a nod of thanks for the efforts of the many and a welcome indicator of the Councilmember's priorities. Here is the segment with Abby Diamond speaking. The introduction is by the event emcee, Christina Gonzalez of Fox 11 news (and an active CD2 resident). Video footage by yours truly.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Park Twitpic du jour
Twitpic Posted on January 15, 2010 by nellev
"Watching @ndcapture shoot ben in Griffith park... Creating nashville in LA."
More loonies in the Griffith Park NC hen-house
~Heads Up~ Los Feliz locals and Griffith Park advocates:
Next Tuesday is the last day to apply to run for the governing board of the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council.
If this is your neighborhood council, you really should be concerned. Board members represent you. They spend your money in your name. Their conduct represents your community.
In this particular case, this board and its elected members are the de facto stewards of Griffith Park, so this election concerns us at the Wayist a heck of a lot.
The next GGPNC Board Meeting is Tuesday January 19th at 7pm. You may want to attend and see just who is representing you and, perhaps more importantly, how they are representing you.
Griffith Park Wayist encourages all people of good conscience to run in this election. We also encourage you to vote for anyone running except a current board member named Tomas O'Grady. We covered the why in detail earlier this week (click here to review).
During the course of the discussion on O'Grady, Wayist commenters kept linking O'Grady to another current board member and candidate, someone named Mark F. Mauceri. In checking around, it looks like this citizen is another someone who the park would likely do better without.
Mauceri seems to be the local politics soul mate of O'Grady, and information to this blog is that the two men are typically connected at the hip during orchestrated hit and run attacks on specific GGPNC Board members and issues at meetings. The vitriol in some of their antics is illustrated by one situation where they themselves phoned the employer of another GGPNC Board member and made libelous accusations to the employer about the board member. If 100% confirmed, this stuff is really nasty behavior even for local politics and goes way outside the boundaries of common decency.
Curiouser still is that something purporting to be an objective forum with paid advertising - the Los Feliz Liar - may have signed on to the two men's personal agenda. In documented cases, LFL reporters show up just before one of these hit sessions begin and leave as soon as Mauceri, O'Grady and operatives are finished, curiously showing no interest in the rest of the agenda items at the meeting in question.
It just makes ya go WTF??!? Doesn't it?
Currently Mauceri seems to be some kind of television consultant in terms of day job. Wondering what's up, we Google'd Mauceri and found some .... interesting for want of a better word .... publicly-available biographical data.
Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
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Mark F. Mauceri
IMDb Filmography
"Naked Happy Girls" (special thanks) (3 episodes, 2007)
- Look Ma, No Clothes (2007) TV episode (special thanks)
- 3's a Crowd (2007) TV episode (special thanks)
- Give Me Your Naked (2007) TV episode (special thanks)
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New Reality Dating Show FOURSOME Heads to Playboy TV
Playboy TV Presents the Next Generation of Dating Shows
Playboy TV ups the television ante on July 8 (9:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 p.m. PT) with the series premiere of FOURSOME, the most outrageous and uninhibited reality dating show ever conceived.
In each 30-minute episode, the devious minds at Playboy bring together four sexy singles to explore their wild sides. Two gorgeous girls and two hot guys are set up in an eye-popping Hollywood hilltop mansion and provided with lavish food, refreshments, toys and sexy scenarios as they live out the most unforgettable 24 hours of their lives and the sparks fly where they may. From demure women who suddenly find their inner divas to back-stabbing best friends, FOURSOME is always unexpected and always surprising. And since it′s produced by the leader in entertainment for adults, Playboy TV′s FOURSOME, unlike other dating shows, captures every passionate moment on tape. The viewer is along for the whole wild ride in the bedroom ... and the living room ... the kitchen ... the hot tub ... the limo ...
"FOURSOME ratchets up the dating show concept to Playboy′s level," stated Mark F. Mauceri, Playboy TV′s Vice President, Worldwide Programming. "It shows what can happen when Playboy acts as the matchmaker for the double date of a lifetime. It′s a highly entertaining, addictive, and a really guilty pleasure."
--------------
Naked Happy Girls Coming to Playboy TV
Naked. Happy. Girls. What more do you need to know? On January 13 (9 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT), Playboy TV will premiere Naked Happy Girls, a 13-episode half-hour documentary series that follows erotic photojournalist Andrew Einhorn as he traverses New York City, meeting real-life women and convincing them to pose nude for him. Based on the popular hardcover coffee table book, Naked Happy Girls, the Playboy TV series offers viewers an authentic, un-glamorized, un-idealized look into the life of a working artist as he navigates the art world with its galleries and commercial demands while maintaining his creative output and managing his personal life. Interviews with his models reveal their varied reasons for agreeing to pose nude.
"Andrew has the kind of job most men would die for, except it's really not all babes all the time. Just 9-5," stated Mark F. Mauceri, Playboy TV's Vice President, Worldwide Programming. "In between, the reality of struggling in New York City, a demanding publisher, a judgmental mother, and girlfriends who can't get comfortable with his line of work turn an otherwise perfect life upside down."
Andrew Einhorn has developed a unique photographic style that is undeniably erotic and unabashedly fun. "I'm lucky that I can make women laugh," says Einhorn, "Laughter is happy and happy is sexy and sexy is nice. I like sexy pictures. I like happy sexy pictures. Most people do." Working with women he meets on the street, his Naked Happy Girls series is natural, playful and cheerful - capturing his subjects' inner beauty as much as their outer beauty. From Lower East Side Goth Girls to NYU Film Students to Upper East Side Debutantes, these are real women, with all their self-perceived "imperfections" celebrated. Employing his charm and sense of humor, Einhorn puts his models at ease, coaxing them to open up for the camera lens.
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TV SERIES ON VIVID LAUNCHES ON PLAYBOY TV
Thursday, October 6th, 2005
The first episode of “Vivid Valley” premieres October 1st on Playboy TV. The 13-part weekly half-hour documentary series goes behind the doors of Vivid and the multibillion-dollar adult film industry. It was produced by World of Wonder’s award-winning producers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Party Monster, Inside Deep Throat). Playboy TV is promoting the series as “a fly-on-the-wall peek into the public passions and private lives of Vivid’s stars and their boss Steven Hirsch, the 42-year-old who created a hugely successful business using the tactics of the old Hollywood studio system – building a stable of bright young stars under exclusive contract.”
Mark F. Mauceri, vice president of Playboy Worldwide Programming said, “’Vivid Valley’ is sure to entertain and fascinate the uninitiated with its intimate look at the company’s gritty inner workings.”
“Vivid Valley” follows the Vivid Girls through their professional and personal relationships on the set and at home, revealing their sometimes unexpected opinions on everything from plastic surgeries, drug abuse and recovery, child-rearing, romance and religion. “Vivid Valley” premiered Saturday, Oct. 1 (9:30pm ET / 10:30pm PT) and will air each Saturday for 13 episodes.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Learning to love hydromulch the hard way
...and Tom LaBonge told anyone who would listen that hydromulch doesn't work.
Silly man. From yesterday's Daily Journal of Commerce (Oregon) with a wicked-cool photo:
--------
Burn recovery: Griffith Park gains hope for future
POSTED: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 05:03 PM PT
BY: DJC Staff
Sky
Cranes applied hydromulch at a rate of 3,000 to 4,000 pounds per acre
to mitigate the destruction of 840 acres of vegetation by a May 2007
fire in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. (Courtesy of Kleinfelder
Erickson)
In May 2007, fire raged through Griffith Park in Los Angeles, destroying more than 840 acres of vegetation and leaving behind large stretches of exposed, charred soil. As the rainy season neared, residents began to worry the bare areas, when hit by heavy rains, would give rise to dangerous landslides and mudflows that would spill into residential areas. City officials were worried, too. They knew that burned soil areas often have high rates of runoff in the first seasons following wildfires. The burned areas in Griffith Park were ripe for such a situation.
The city turned to Kleinfelder for help. Working in a consultant capacity, Kleinfelder was handed the task of not only assessing the potential for erosion in burn areas, but also of coming up with ideas to secure and mitigate the burn sites. Kleinfelder began by conducting a site assessment of the often steep terrain of the park. Then the firm’s scientists began collecting data, taking soil and topographic samples that allowed them to evaluate the potential for erosion of the area that had been burned in the wildfires. Working on an aggressive schedule, Kleinfelder combined erosion modeling results with infrastructure assessments. By adding information about topographical features, Kleinfelder and a city team developed a plan for applying hydromulch to the burned areas to secure the soil. The extreme hill slopes in some areas required two different hydromulch formulations. Depth of the applications also varied based on topography. The affected areas survived the rainy season without significant soil movement, but Kleinfelder’s work also had long-term impacts. The accuracy of the hydromulch applications created positive conditions that attributed to the long-term recovery of native plants in the park. In addition, the techniques Kleinfelder developed while working on the Griffith Park burn sites not only prevented soil from washing away during winter rains, but also are expected to be able to benefit other communities trying to reduce or prevent areas damaged by wildfires.
Silly man. From yesterday's Daily Journal of Commerce (Oregon) with a wicked-cool photo:
--------
Burn recovery: Griffith Park gains hope for future
POSTED: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 05:03 PM PT
BY: DJC Staff
Sky
Cranes applied hydromulch at a rate of 3,000 to 4,000 pounds per acre
to mitigate the destruction of 840 acres of vegetation by a May 2007
fire in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. (Courtesy of Kleinfelder
Erickson)In May 2007, fire raged through Griffith Park in Los Angeles, destroying more than 840 acres of vegetation and leaving behind large stretches of exposed, charred soil. As the rainy season neared, residents began to worry the bare areas, when hit by heavy rains, would give rise to dangerous landslides and mudflows that would spill into residential areas. City officials were worried, too. They knew that burned soil areas often have high rates of runoff in the first seasons following wildfires. The burned areas in Griffith Park were ripe for such a situation.
The city turned to Kleinfelder for help. Working in a consultant capacity, Kleinfelder was handed the task of not only assessing the potential for erosion in burn areas, but also of coming up with ideas to secure and mitigate the burn sites. Kleinfelder began by conducting a site assessment of the often steep terrain of the park. Then the firm’s scientists began collecting data, taking soil and topographic samples that allowed them to evaluate the potential for erosion of the area that had been burned in the wildfires. Working on an aggressive schedule, Kleinfelder combined erosion modeling results with infrastructure assessments. By adding information about topographical features, Kleinfelder and a city team developed a plan for applying hydromulch to the burned areas to secure the soil. The extreme hill slopes in some areas required two different hydromulch formulations. Depth of the applications also varied based on topography. The affected areas survived the rainy season without significant soil movement, but Kleinfelder’s work also had long-term impacts. The accuracy of the hydromulch applications created positive conditions that attributed to the long-term recovery of native plants in the park. In addition, the techniques Kleinfelder developed while working on the Griffith Park burn sites not only prevented soil from washing away during winter rains, but also are expected to be able to benefit other communities trying to reduce or prevent areas damaged by wildfires.
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