Mayor is truly dedicated

With the news today that the Mayor was served with divorce papers from his wife of 20 years, it goes to show you that this man was made to be Mayor of Los Angeles. Some might call this a bump in his political career, but it really is a boost to his career. This shows that he is so committed to Los Angeles - so dedicated to being the best Mayor he can be - that he puts his job before all else. His 15-hour days have forced him to choose; and fellow citizens, he has chosen us, the people, over his own personal life. Mayor Villariagosa has worked so hard for the City that he has clearly chosen our great City over his own family. That, my friends, is dedication.

So, no matter what office Antonio Villariagosa runs for next, you know it's a good bet to vote for him - he is going to give it his all and let nothing stand in his way of doing a great job!

Is this legal?

Based on what you know about the City, is this legal?

How could something like it be done in the City of L.A.?

Or Can it?

Or was it actually done as indicated?

The Redistricting Game

With all this talk about redistricting in Los Angeles, it was timely that USC is releasing The Redistricting Game next week. Here's an interactive, multi-user online tool to allow anyone and everyone the opportunity to try to form districts they would like to see in various levels of the game. The lead researcher on this project is Chris Swain, who is part of a movement to use games to educate society and bring about social change.

As the Chronicle of Higher Education notes:

The Redistricting Game is an online multiplayer game, open to everyone, that debuts Monday, It allows people to compete in various redistricting scenarios, also known as "gerrymandering." Players can try to manipulate district lines to see how this produces a skewed victory for either party. The game allows politicians to choose voters, rather than letting voters choose their politicians, its designers say.

The game also provides details on a variety of real-life reform measures, including a "fair play" law introduced in Congress by Rep. John S. Tanner, Democrat of Tennessee. It also provides an online forum for players to discuss these issues.

It goes live on Monday (but there is a beta version out there). When it launches, all of us can have first-hand experience in trying to create fair, legal districts (at least in fictitious states like the "State of Jefferson" or the "State of Madison"). This is a great new way to educate the (online) masses and allow them to understand what happens when trying to draw districts in this nation.

The history of your street

Ever wonder when your street opened or at what point it was extended down the block? How about how many streets in LA have "hill" in them?


There is a nice little tool that will let you search streets via the Bureau of Engineering. It's not named, so we'll call it "The Street Searcher."


(Ok, it does have a name: "ENGINEERING AUTOMATED STREET INVENTORY SYSTEM," or EASIS. But the Street Searcher just sounds so much cooler.)


So basically, click the link and figure out the history of what your street was - or any City street, for that matter. Sadly, recent changes don't have the historic cards available to view, so James M. Wood Boulevard from Figueroa to Western doesn't show the street names that it once was. But, you can see that Olympic Boulevard had an interesting formation just a few blocks to the south and a few decades earlier.


Oh, and about all those "Hill" streets: there are 136 streets that have "hill" in them (not including types streets like Hillary or Achilles). Talk about Hill Street Blues.

Related to Street Names:
Los Angeles Street was Negro Alley

LA doesn't meet or know their neighbors

I'll be honest, there are a few things about this City - or its populace, rather - that bug me. One of the main issues I have is that people think that LA is such a big City and no one knows their neighbors. Sadly, this is more true than not... but it doesn't have to be.

People in LA chose isolation. it's a sad state of affairs when there is a call to meet your neighbors and nobody shows up. When do neighbors in LA meet? In tragedy or impending tragedy. How many people in apartments south of Griffith Park finally met their neighbors the night of the fire... at their common balconies, on their roofs, and in the street? It's that potential threat of disaster that brings people together, be it crime, natural disaster, or man-made chaos.

Re-branding that picnic at Pershing Square something along the lines of a "Preparedness Picnic" may have brought out a bunch more people (if it was marketed as such). For some reason, Angelenos are a testament to Maslow's Hierarchy and don't find neighborly interactions as highly ranked as safety. And then, they don't need friends or acquaintances in their real neighborhood because they have a MySpace page at home with plenty.

Next time you see someone walking near you, say hello. It's the least we can do to build this community called Los Angeles. It doesn't have to be such a big, foreboding town if everyone would take time to appreciate and understand the humanity of the City in its people.

How the City defines its Council Districts

Spencer Cross at Blogging.la asks how the LA City Council districts end up the way they do - so funky and amoeba-like. In the comments thus far, there are interesting points made about population, which is, in fact the factor that determines the districts: equal apportionment of the population to each district. The districts are adopted by the City Council, but proposed by an appointed independent redistricting commission. There is also requirements that force the city to redraw and adopt new council district boundaries AT LEAST once every ten years, on every tenth anniversary of July 1, 2002. This is when termed-out Ruth Galantar's CD6 district was moved from the coastal westside and transplanted into what is now Tony Cardenas's "heart of the Valley" district. So, look for another change in 2012.

Per City Charter (pay attention to section d):

Sec. 204. Election of City Council Members; Redistricting.
(a) Redistricting by Ordinance. Commencing in 2002, the Council shall by ordinance redraw district lines to be used for all elections of Council members, including their recall, and for filling any vacancy in the office of member of the Council, after the effective date of the redistricting ordinance. Districts so formed shall each contain, as nearly as practicable, equal portions of the total population of the City as shown by the Federal Census immediately preceding the formation of districts.

(b) Redistricting Commission. There shall be a Redistricting Commission to advise the Council on drawing of Council district lines. The Commission members shall be appointed in the following manner: one by each Council member except that the Council President shall appoint two members, three by the Mayor, one by the City Attorney, and one by the Controller. No City officer or employee shall be eligible to serve on the Commission. The Redistricting Commission shall appoint a director and other personnel, consistent with budgetary approval, which positions shall be exempt from the civil service provisions of the Charter.

(c) Redistricting Process. The Redistricting Commission shall be appointed no later than the date by which the Census Bureau is to release decennial census data. A new Commission shall be appointed to advise the Council prior to each subsequent redistricting. The Commission shall begin the redistricting process at any time after the necessary data are obtained from the most recent Federal Census, but no later than January 1, 2002, and each subsequent tenth anniversary of that date. The Commission shall seek public input throughout the redistricting process. The Commission shall present its proposal for redistricting to the Council no later than a date prescribed by ordinance.

The Council shall adopt a redistricting ordinance no later than July 1, 2002, and each subsequent tenth anniversary of that date. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the Council from redistricting with greater frequency provided that districts so formed each contain, as nearly as practicable, equal portions of the total population of the City as shown by the Federal Census immediately preceding the formation of districts or based upon other population reports or estimates determined by the Council to be substantially reliable.

(d) Criteria for Redistricting. All districts shall be drawn in conformance with requirements of state and federal law and, to the extent feasible, shall keep neighborhoods and communities intact, utilize natural boundaries or street lines, and be geographically compact.

(e) Effect of Redistricting on Incumbents. No change in the boundary or location of any district by redistricting shall operate to abolish or terminate the term of office of any member of the Council prior to expiration of the term of office for which the member was elected.

LA Times errors, and the City can't help!

We've mentioned before how the LA Times could always do a little better job checking facts and such. And, we're not here to beat up on a paper that is going through some major growing shrinking pains.

But, two articles in the last week bear mentioning:

First, on June 1st, the Times wrote about the Mayor and his ups and downs. Pointing to his ups, there are some errors based on the failure to really fact-check. First, they write:

They [Villaraigosa and his senior aides] say, for example, that he deserves credit for balancing the city's books and dramatically reducing a $295-million structural deficit — by more than $200 million — amid declining revenues.

This statement isn't entirely true. Yes, he presented a budget that "balanced the books," but was isn't heavily reported is that the City Council and the Chief Legislative Analyst's office (CLA) went through and found more money to restore the cuts he proposed. The budget the Mayor signed looks quite different from what he initially proposed - millions of dollars different.

Then, the article goes on to say:

They [Villaraigosa and his senior aides] also speak of his successful effort to win an increase in trash collection fees to hire 1,000 additional police officers, saying the city is well on its way to meeting the goal as the rate of violent crime — including gang homicides — drops.

Here too, there is some misinformation. Actually, the City legally cannot charge a fee for one service to fund another. So, that trash collection fee increase - which is really just more of the actual cost of the service being paid for by resident - merely releases funding from the general fund that was being used to defray the cost of trash collection. So, those fees could go into any number of programs, and in fact ,this last year, not all of that trash fee money actually went into hiring more officers; there was more money available than actual officers graduating from the academy. Additionally, the actual number of cops on the street has not increased that dramatically. those 1000 additional officers so often highlighted won't be on the street for a few more years due to attrition and the slower-than-expected rate of hiring new officers.


Now, it also cracks us up that the Times took a story we wrote about last year and expanded it a bit but failed to give the full story. Just this weekend, they wrote about the origin of LA County's city names (it appears only the first part of the alphabet, A through C), which is labeled "First in a series of occasional stories." It's rather interesting, but since we did so much research on Beverly Hills, it's too bad they didn't include more of the story besides the reference to Beverly Farms.

It's too bad there's nothing the City can do to help correct this problem of lacking information in the Times, but by City Charter, the City is not allowed to operate a newspaper:

The City shall not appropriate any public money for the printing, publication, sale or distribution of a commercial municipal newspaper.

Look who's back...

Well, one blogger returns, which is good...

Angelenic Nerd

And this time, from Downtown!

State controlled Los Angeles city streets

Do you know which streets are controlled by Caltrans but appear to be City Streets in the City of Los Angeles? There is a question of responsibility for street repair on Gaffey Street in San Pedro. Since it is the terminus of the 110, there was some question as to who is responsible. In this case, Gaffey was once part of the 110 state highway, but it is now a City Street and therefore the the responsibility of the City. (To get the street repaired, here's the process.)

So, which streets are under the state's control and not the City's? Here's the list:

Topanga Canyon from the 118 south to the LA City limits: Route 27

Santa Monica, Glendale Boulevard and various other connecting streets: Route 2

Manchester Boulevard: Route 42 (NOTE: there is still some debate as to whether or not Route 42 has been fully relinquished - officially - to the City.)

Lincoln Boulevard: Route 1

Venice Boulevard from Lincoln to the 10: State Route 187

Western Ave in San Pedro: Route 213

Surplus City property for sale... or is it?

Just quickly...

If you want to know what happens to surplus City property, here are some basics:

In the City, the "owner" (the department that claims use of the parcel/structure) of the land (be it the LAFD, Library Dept, Public Works, etc.) has the first right to use it for another facility, office space, storage, etc. if they relocate the existing use to another site. If that department deems it surplus, it is then offered to other departments. The other department would then "purchase" the site by using funds allocated to them and transfer those funds back to the original “owner” of the site. Now, these purchases are all theoretical, as the City still owns the land; but what this does do is allow for different sources of funds (i.e. bond funds) to be used to "acquire" property.

In recent years, there has been a policy to give first priority of surplus land to CRA, the housing department, and other agencies to create affordable housing. (Those agencies can then convey the land to developers - sometimes for less.)

Now, if no department in the city wants/can use the property, it is declared surplus and sent to auction. This doesn't happen all that often, as the City Council usually finds pet uses for the properties as community centers, non-profits, etc. A good example is the Canoga Park Community Center, which is the old fire station (whereas Engine Co. 28 downtown is a surplus property example).

[from my comments based on this CurbedLA post.]

76 Balls on the move

This morning, Donco & Sons was on the move out of LA northbound. Their cargo: a new 76 Ball...



This ball was the new red, not orange, and perhaps on its way to a new home in Simi, Moorpark, Santa Clarita, or beyond.

The driver of the truck seemed cautious of his cargo:


As he left Anaheim, was he aware his cargo was so important to the history of Southern California car culture?

Los Angeles Street was "Negro Alley"

Los Angeles has a "colorful" past, to say the least - and their is irony in its name. Los Angeles was once the cow-capital of the US and was commonly known as a rough-and-tumble "cow town" in its early days as a US city, known for having an average of one murder every day. This reputation was solidified internationally at the start of the municipality as we know it and has been revisited many times in the last 157 years. Remember, before the May 1st Maylee of this year, the Riots of '65 & '92, or the Zoot Suit riots, there was the "Chinese Massacre of 1871."

From the firsthand account of Harris Newmark:

About the twenty-first of October a “war” broke out near Nigger Alley between two rival factions of the Chinese on account of the forcible carrying off of one of the companies' female members, and the steamer California soon brought a batch of Chinamen from San Francisco, sent down, it was claimed, to help wreak vengeance on the abductors. On Monday, October 23d some of the contestants were arrested, brought before Justice Gray and released on bail. It was expected that this would end the trouble; but at five o'clock the next day the factional strife broke loose again, and officers, accompanied by citizens, rushed to the place to attempt an arrest. The Chinese resisted and Officer Jesus Bilderrain was shot in the right shoulder and wrist, while his fifteen-year-old brother received a ball in the right leg. Robert Thompson, a citizen who sprang to Bilderrain's assistance, was met by a Chinaman with two revolvers and shot to death. Other shots from Chinese barricaded behind some iron shutters wounded a number of bystanders.
News of the attacks and counter-attacks spread like wild-fire, and a mob of a thousand or more frenzied beyond control, armed with pistols, guns, knives and ropes, and determined to avenge Thompson's murder, assembled in the neighborhood of the disturbance. While this solid phalanx was being formed around Nigger Alley, a Chinaman, waving a hatchet, was seen trying to escape across Los Angeles Street; and Romo Sortorel, at the expense of some ugly cuts on the hand, captured him. Emil Harris then rescued the Mongolian; but a detachment of the crowd, yelling “Hang him! shoot him!” overpowered Harris at Temple and Spring streets, and dragged the trembling wretch up Temple to New High street, where the familiar framework of the corral gates suggested its use as a gallows. With the first suspension, the rope broke; but the second attempt to hang the prisoner was successful. Other Chinamen, whose roofs had been smashed in, were rushed down Los Angeles Street to the south side of Commercial, and there, near Goller's wagon shop, between wagons stood on end, were hung.

This English account showed that "Los Angeles" was not a city of angels at the time, and further research shows that this tragic event revealed more about early Los Angeles by the location of the incident.

The name of the alley for the infamous first "riot" in LA was called "Nigger Alley" by Newmark but was known by the Spanish as "Calle de los Negros." In researching the name online, "Calle de Los Negros" is translated to mean "Street of the Dark Hued Ones," or "Street of the Black," but other accounts lay the name to refer to the notorious acts that took place there predating 1871.

But in the City, Calle de Los Negros was known as "Negro Alley" and then was changed to Los Angeles Street, as you can see in the name change card below:

The dates are 1877 to 1912 and those in red are removals of the Los Angeles Street name while the black type is where Los Angeles Street was extended or expanded.

This card shows the transition about 5 years after the massacre that the City was taking in bring control back to what would become an international city. (It actually took another 10 years before Los Angeles Street actually assumed its route and Negro Alley reverted to the adjacent property owner - after an additional ten years of litigation.) It needs to be known where we come from in order to move forward. Old street names reveal the City as it was founded, and the incidents of our past should show how we can move forward. Unfortunately, it appears we've still not quite moved forward beyond mobs of racial emotion, even if our street names have been changed.


Previously:
Changing Street Names
Alley Parking

LA City Nerd on MySpace

Yep. We finally did it.

We created a MySpace page. We're new to this whole "technological networking" thing, so bare with us.

Here's our lame profile page - how do we make it better? Honestly, why would anyone want to be friends with the City Nerd? Well, at least as of this posting, Tom wants to be our friend.

Cafeterias in Los Angeles

Yesterday, The Southern California Restaurant Historical Society held its fourth event: a "Salute to Cafeterias!" at the historic Clifton's Cafeteria (648 S. Broadway, Downtown LA). The LA Times writes about it, but I think the most fascinating thing revealed at this event was the etymology of the term cafeteria.

Charles Perry indicated that Helen Mosher opened up what was called (and now known as) "The Cafeteria" in 1905. From there, the trend took off. The terms is known today as sliding a try along and picking your food from what's in front of you - all of that came from Helen. She played off the highly romanticized Spanish & Mexican California so popular in the Victorian Era and applied it to her new concept of dining. So, the term may have a Spanish meaning of sorts, but the term Cafeteria as we know it today was "created" as an American term of high quality (she touted all female cooks), efficient food service .

What happened to LA's bloggers?

Here's 4 Nerds we don't hear from anymore at their sites:
Mitch Glazer and his Paradox Unbound?
Memo Pisa el Lodo? (link is not working, but neither is she these days)
Kuaptic Nerd
The Echo Park Nerd

And there are also 7 links I removed at right because the sites no longer work/exist, sadly.

Times are a-changin'!

It's not easy to maintain a blog, but it's sad to see an online neighborhood or community portal evaporate. I wonder what the average life of a blog is? Are there are any new blogs out there that need to be added to the Nerd list at the right?

LAPD Violates Internet Safety guidelines

The LAPD Blog just posted some award-winning essays by 12-year-olds from across the City on Internet safety. It's somewhat ironic that they would publish these kids' full names - clearly they have access to web-based chatrooms like MySpace or AOL Instant Messenger. Now, the predators can take those names and search for the minors online.

I'm sure LAPD was trying to promote Internet safety, but they could have at least just use last name initials. Even more ironic is that, in the essays themselves, the students write about not revealing full names and schools - which is exactly what the LAPD did. It makes you wonder if the person who coordinated the contest even read the essays before having them posted online as such.

My favorite excerpt, though, is from Lucy E.: "...it is best not to trust anyone on the Internet. "

I concur... especially anonymous bloggers!

First Roller Skating Rink in Los Angeles

Who knew? Back in 1871, roller skating first came to LA and was a hit! From Harris Newmark's first hand account of Los Angeles:

A genuine novelty was introduced in 1871, when Downs & Dent late in February opened a roller-skating rink at Teutonia Hall. Twenty-five cents was charged for admission, and an additional quarter demanded for the use of skates. Ladies and gentlemen flocked to enjoy the new sensation; a second rink was soon opened in Los Angeles and another in El Monte; and among those who became proficient skaters was Pancho Coronel, one of the social lions of his day. In time, however, the craze waned, and what had been hailed as fashionable because of its popularity in the great cities of the East, lost in favor, particularly among those of social pretensions.

So, when people say that roller rinks were a big hit in the '70s, they were right in both decades. I wonder if skating will again be the rage in 2070. (I'll let you know when we get there!)

Zell to sell the Times?

With the Tribune/Times doing so much in the way of changing the LA Times with the loss of long time institutions as recently as this evening, we'll add to the rumor mill...

Rumor has is that the Zell interests are looking at the Tribune properties in Los Angeles to assess their potential value. So, when we mean sell the times, we actually mean the property on which it currently sits. With the recent sale of the Valley's Times facility, a sale of Tribune-owned property would not be too much of a shock to the City, but it would show a lack of commitment to Los Angeles after over a century of growing with and shaping Los Angeles.

Times are changing, indeed.

You CAN raise chickens in Los Angeles

Did you know that even in the City of Los Angeles, you can raise chickens in a regular, residential zone? You don't need to be located in the agricultural zone (which still exists in many parts of the City) to raise fowl (though there are restrictions for raising horses, goats, etc.). In fact, all you need to do to raise chickens for eggs or other uses is meet a few criteria.

First, the easy one is chickens (hens): they must be cooped at least 20 feet from the owner's dwelling and at least 35 feet from any neighbor's dwelling. Now, for roosters, ducks, and turkeys, you have to keep them in a coop or roost at least 20 feet from their owners swelling and at least 100 feet from the nearest neighbor's dwelling. Pretty simple, right?

I guess the question is: why in some areas do you see chickens roaming the front yards and streets even? If you see fowl or poultry roaming the streets, just call 311 and report what you see so that an animal services officer can come out and assess the situation and make sure the few, simple rules are being followed.

LA Harbor Construction

Wanna see what it's like to have the Port of LA built before the modern marvels of rocket launches from sea?

Check this clip out from 100 years ago. It reminds us all how basic our construction was in the days of yore... and could be today, too.

(Yes, I like old clips as seen here.)