Westboro Baptists visit my neighborhood

It's a fact. Homeschooled Bigots Prefer Volcom 1 to 1!

Passing their traditions to the next generation

If I could just slip away, I'd be free to live in Hollywood!

That's a lot of look!

Clinton and Villaraigosa announce LED streetlights, but it's just a drop in the bucket

Congratulations to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for a PR event that includes Bill Clinton. Los Angeles will retrofit 140,000 streetlights with LEDs, saving a bunch of energy. According to the Daily News:

Over five years, the city will retrofit 140,000 of its residential street lights with energy-efficient LED lights, an aide to Villaraigosa said. The project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40,500 tons and save $10 million annually, the aide said.

What about those digital billboards? How much energy do those use again? When all billboards are converted, 900 in all, they will consume the energy of 11,000 homes. What does Bill have to say about that?

This begs the question: Do electronic billboards belong in a green city?

DONT FORGET TO VOTE MARCH 3RD! Need to register? Tomorrow is the deadline.

A Growing Chorus Of Critics Against Measure B, Solar Fraud by Villaraigosa, City Council, LADWP & IBEW

The LA Weekly has an excellent article by Beth Barrett explaining the origins and deceptions that led to a massive fraud of unprecedented proportions in Los Angeles' history. Measure B, the so called "Green Energy and Good Jobs for Los Angeles Solar Initiative" is actually a multi-billion dollar giveaway to the powerful union of electrical workers and their business manager, Brian D’Arcy.

It could cost $1 billion to $3.6 billion — nobody knows because Villaraigosa and City Council President Eric Garcetti rushed it so quickly onto the ballot. With about two weeks until the election, City Hall is awash in rumors that Measure B isn’t about bringing solar to L.A. — but was meant to provide Villaraigosa a flashy issue in case he faced a wealthy mayoral challenger, such as the developer of the Grove, Rick Caruso.

This raises critical questions for our elected officials, Garcetti and Villaraigosa. What was their motivation to rush a multi-billion dollar plan with no studies and no real oversight onto voters with a flashy name that is anything but a description of what it will do? The answer is posited later in the article:

Although Villaraigosa clearly supports large-scale solar, Measure B is the brainchild of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18 business manager Brian D’Arcy. He was assured that IBEW, representing most of the DWP’s 8,500 employees, would get the bulk, if not all, of the solar-installation work. Mostly unknown outside City Hall, the IBEW is feared by officials like Villaraigosa. The union can quickly jam City Council chambers with members wearing matching union T-shirts and threatening to strike.

Our elected officials are not afraid of us, the people. We are lazy, disinterested and vote more often for American Idol than City Council. This is our fault. We let our elected officials take our city for a joy ride, and should this measure pass, we'll lose more than just a couple billion:

Measure B contains a power grab that requires a change to the city’s constitution, known as the City Charter. In its fine print, Measure B shifts significant oversight power away from the Department of Water and Power Commission and gives that power to the City Council, whose members have almost no educational or professional background in energy or technology.

This measure changes our city's charter, giving control over the largest solar power project in US history to the people who brought you billboard blight, Elephant-gate, illogical parking meters and the largest city deficit as well as the highest taxes ever.

Los Angeles Municipal Elections: Why You Need To Vote

Yes Los Angeles. There is an election coming up on March 3rd. The deadline to register is fast approaching. I'll have a voter guide published soon. But in case you don't think there's anything you care to vote for, here's a short list...

Do you care about people getting mugged while walking alone at night? Then you need to vote.
Do you care about the amount of your electricity bill? Then you need to vote.
Do you care about the visual landscape of the city in which you live? Then you need to vote.
Do you care about schools failing to educate our children? Then you need to vote.
Do you care about parking meters keeping you from eating lunch or seeing a play? Then you need to vote.
Do you care about the corruption and ineffective leadership that results in budget deficits during a period of record taxes and fees paid by residents? Then you need to vote.

Why should you vote for Nick Patsaouras for City Controller?

Nick Patsaouras is the best qualified candidate for Los Angeles City Controller. He will continue the much needed work of auditing our corrupt and inefficient city bureaucracies, office holders and utilities. He has the ability to uncover overbilling, abuse, fraud, waste, and mismanagement and has a proven track record of recovering millions of dollars for taxpayers when he headed the DWP Board of Comissioners. Plus he's Greek and that's a good thing. On March 3rd, vote Nick Patsaouras for City Controller.

http://nick2009.com/

EveryBlock Los Angeles Crime Stats

I just found an excellent website for looking up neighborhood statistics and information. I checked to see what the past 30 days of crime in my neighborhood looked like:

Theft from vehicles: 17 incidents 47% of all crime reported in my zip code!
This is by far the easiest crime to commit and the easiest to prevent. Do not keep anything of value in your car. Junkies are notorious for smashing windows and stealing any visible items like CDs, iPods, GPS units.

EveryBlock Los Angeles

Bikex Database

A new website allows bicyclists to report incidents with cars, provided you record the license plate of the offending vehicle. From Bikex:

The Bikex Database is an online resource to identify, document, and prosecute drivers who harass, abuse, or endanger bicycle riders. Currently the database is for the Los Angeles area. New locations and features are coming soon.Your personal information will not be released without your permission or sold under any circumstances. For more information as to how this program works please visit the FAQ page. Submissions from skateboarders, pedestrians, and sympathetic drivers are welcome.

Ojai Views

Backlit Flower on a Sunrise Hike

Kiva at the Ojai Foundation

Buddha

Never Change Hot Spring. Never Change...

Rose Valley Falls

Trail to the Sun

Ojai Valley

Highway 33