In keeping with its traditional compassionate values, Venice has served its homeless citizens by means of a variety of agencies and churches like St. Joseph’s Center, Bible Tabernacle, Didi Hirsch and others over the past 30 years or more. While some members of the local residential community have made this possible, NIMBY-ism (Not In My Back Yard) has prevailed and services have been limited. Now, as the City of L.A. moves forward with its plans to gentrify Venice, upscale development is given the ‘green light’ by the City-backed Venice Neighborhood Council, headed up by Republican president, Dede Audet. Subsequently, the homeless and St. Joseph’s center are being asked to ‘move on’ - in order to maintain the “integrity” of the community while, at the same time, presumably, allowing property prices (which have leveled off and may be in decline) to stabilize.

A flyer distributed by SONIC (Save Our Neighborhood’s Integrity Committee) suggests that both St. Joseph’s Center and their unfortunate clients be relocated to a “suitable location in an industrial area” - thus, presumably, solving the problem. In their flyer they also refer to: “the recent proliferation of 7 medical marijuana stores, 2 methadone clinics, needle exchange, 3 notorious liquor stores and chronic prostitution” as somehow inextricably entwined with the new proposed St. Joseph’s Drop-In Day center. Which leads me to believe that: a) this SONIC group have a negative, dispassionate view of their homeless brothers and sisters and b) are naïve to believe that the problem can be dealt with somewhere else.

As we live in a predominantly Christian society, presided over by the notorious ‘born-again Christian’, Bush, would it not be more 'Christian-like' to treat our homeless citizens with greater compassion? ‘There, but for the Grace of God go I?’ Rather than condemning our homeless brothers and sisters to an industrial wasteland, would it not be the ‘Christian’ thing-to-do to provide more shelters and services in the very areas where they are most needed? Venice is one such area. Owing to exorbitant property and rental prices over the past decade, poor people have been squeezed out of their homes onto the streets. Not all the homeless in Venice come from outside the area, many of them were housed here until they could no longer afford the rents or their building was sold out to condo-conversion.

I advocate that we-the-people of Venice face the problem head-on with reasonable and compassionate solutions rather than segregation of the homeless populace. For instance, an adequate homeless ‘shelter’ is long overdue in our community. St. Josephs’ and the Bible Tabernacle have valiantly carried on, all these years, providing short-term ‘band-aid’ solutions to a long-term chronic disease. NIMBY-ism has obstructed the development of a more comprehensive, compassionate solution – hence we have a build-up of chronic homeless cases that have never received adequate treatment. Sending these cases to a Drop-In Day Center in the middle of an industrial park will not serve either the afflicted or the affected.

Homelessness cannot be swept under the rug and made to disappear. However much you may be repelled by those unfortunates; and however much you tremble at the thought of your property values plummeting; I recommend, for the sake of your own ‘integrity’, that you find compassion and empathy in your heart. Not all homeless people are drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals or prostitutes and it is unfair to dispose of them by assuming that they are. The ‘Christian’ thing to do is to strengthen your hearts and minds to the possibility of integrating those less fortunate back into the fabric of our society by embracing the problems with compassionate solutions.

“There, but for the Grace of God, go I”.

2/6/2007

Spirit of Venice ]]> Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:02:48 -0800 http://www.lavoice1.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2599 Daniel Martinez, 16, shot 1/31 in a drive-by on his way home from school: (image via LATimes.com)Someone had to do this: A weekly report on every single homicide in Los Angeles County. Reporter Jill Leovy emails us (and everyone else, it appears) to say that the Times is embarking on the Homicide Report as a way of acknowledging something the paper has failed to cover for far too long: the untimely death of hundreds of Angelenos every year at each other's hands:
Daniel Martinez, 16, shot 1/31 in a drive-by on his way home from school:
(image via LATimes.com)Someone had to do this: A weekly report on every single homicide in Los Angeles County.

Reporter Jill Leovy emails us (and everyone else, it appears) to say that the Times is embarking on the Homicide Report as a way of acknowledging something the paper has failed to cover for far too long: the untimely death of hundreds of Angelenos every year at each other's hands:

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume, the Los Angeles Times, like other major media organizations, covers only a fraction of the more than 1,000 murders in Los Angeles County each year. Many violent deaths become, in essence, private homicides -- catastrophic on a small scale, invisible on a broader one.

As a regular reader, you already know that 40,000 of the inmates in our county jail are illegal aliens...

Federal officials estimated that about 40,000 of the 170,000 inmates who go through L.A. County jails each year are in the United States illegally.

This doesn't mean 40,000 illegal aliens live there year round, but they move thru there. I'm sure most of the people who go to jail are there for much less time than an entire year. According to you interpretation, the LA County jails must have 170,000 available beds full at all times.

In fact, the number that LA County Jails can hold at any one time is closer to 15,000 (and I'm being liberal... my count is closer to 12,000).

Based on the 15k number, really the cost to operate the prisons on an annual basis at $53.45/day is more like $292.5 million. Thats regardless of residency status.

So, lets assume that a 1/4 of the inmates ON AVERAGE are illegal immigrants. Thats about 3500 at any one time. Not 40,000. And the total cost is just under $70 million a year, under 10% of your numbers.

Still a travesty to be sure, but your exaggeration is unfounded.

You can do better than this Walter, but this is how those whacked out, right wing racist Republicans get their facts, by lying or just using bad info.

Or maybe I'm just looking at the facts entirely wrong. Please correct me where I'm wrong

The fMRI images show increased blood flow to specific areas of the brain that are activated by outside stimuli. Dr. Josh Freedman, one of the researchers who conducted the brain scans, said he saw a lot of activity in the amygdala, an area of the brain associated with anxiety and fear.

"We saw huge activity going on in the amygdala -- the threat detector -- so much so that we had to go back and double check our software," Freedman said in a telephone interview.

Among the top anxiety-producing ads, he said, was one for General Motors aimed at drawing attention to the automaker's 100,000 mile warranty. The ad features a robot working on the line at an assembly plant until he drops a screw forcing the line to shut down. Angry workers kick the robot off the line, rendering the robot jobless. "It's got everyone at GM obsessed with quality," the ad concluded.

"That one got people's attention. But they did not feel good about the message. It produced big spikes of anxiety and perhaps ... feelings of economic insecurity," Freedman said.

A controversial ad for Nationwide Insurance featuring Britney Spears' estranged husband, Kevin Federline, as a failed rap star working in a fast-food eatery also generated anxiety and feelings of insecurity, he said.

The most ineffective ad was from Honda, which showed participants were less engaged during the ad than they were when they looked at a blank screen.

Even ads for Budweiser beer, traditionally known for good-humored advertising, generated negative emotions, fMRI scans showed.

The paper’s new editor, Ebineezer “Slick” O’Malley, hired by the parent company to cut staff and make big pronouncements, employed scare tactics such as mentioning declining print advertising revenues and dressing up as a ghost and yelling “boo!” at staffers in order to get them out of a “bunker mentality” about the web. He also tried enticing unconvinced staff members to try out what he billed as the “Information Superhighway” by showing them how they could buy books online at a site called Amazon and pay bills online too.

O’Malley said the “Internet 101” course would teach reporters, editors and photographers how to use an electronic mail program, how to surf the World Wide Web for news and information, and how to find cheap air fares. He emphasized the need for speed in reforming an operation that he called “woefully behind” the competition.

The 63-year-old editor made the announcement before a standing-room-only audience of journalists in an auditorium at the Herald-Gazette. He said that some might have a false sense of security about the newspaper because it has continued to post substantial profit. Last year, Herald-Gazette earned an estimated $240 million before taxes, an amount considered high relative to its revenue. O’Malley stressed that almost all those profits had been spent in executive perks and internal investigations on how the newspaper should change due to technology

(snip)

The changes at the Herald-Gazette were driven by a committee of the paper’s journalists appointed in October by O’Malley’s predecessor, Al Truistic, to come up with ways to improve the paper and its website. The committee produced a scathing report that has been seen by only a few of the newspaper’s top editors and executives, because everyone would be embarrassed if the whole thing was made public on Romenesko.

“As a news organization, we are not web-savvy,” the seven-page report says. “If anything, we are web-stupid. One of our top reporters tried to buy a ‘youtube’ at a tire store until we told him it was a site on the Internet. Another editor went to a doctor to get an anti-virus for his computer. The sooner we can all take that Internet 101 class, the better.”

Training: Aaron Curtiss, latimes.com associate editor Sean Gallagher and Susan Denley in Editorial Hiring & Development are putting the finishing touches on the large-scale Internet training program, which will begin the week of Feb. 12. There will be three layers of training:

--Internet 101, a class for everyone designed to better familiarize you with latimes.com, what generates the most traffic and the least, what the site can and can't do, and where it is headed.
--The First Page, a class for assignment editors and copy editors on how to post new material to the web, and how to move things around on each section's home page.
--The Next Page, a more detailed course for word, copy, photo, design and graphics editors on the various assignment desks who will be directly involved in running their department's home page throughout each day.

Staffing: We hope to announce next week an executive editor for latimes.com, a new position that is the online equivalent of the print newsroom's top job. This person will be responsible for the operation of latimes.com and will oversee an expansion of the staff, a redesign of the site, etc. We'll also be hiring at least one more deputy innovation editor to help me and Aaron work with the more than 20 news and feature assignment desks and departments - copy editing, photo, design, research, administration - as we combine and restructure the newsgathering operations.

Committees: We are in the process of forming the two new committees that Jim O'Shea outlined in his charge to us last week.

--The Standards & Practices Committee will explore how to meet the challenge of becoming a more viable player on the Internet without compromising our journalistic integrity. Its members will consist of representatives from both newsrooms, and we hope to announce who they are by the end of next week.
--The Redesign Committee will redesign the paper to, as Jim put it, "make it an effective backbone for latimes.com." We are currently identifying candidates for the committee and hope to have this group in place by the end of the month.

"If you look in 'SCampus, it's very clear about where groups of students can be without having prior approval," White said. "This group did not have prior approval to be here; they (could) do it over in (Hahn Plaza), absolutely no problem."

SCALE complied with White's request, but not without questions.

• High Expectations
• Safe, Small and Clean,
• Empowered Leadership
• Powerful Teaching and Rigorous Curriculum
• Family and Community Involvement
• More Money to Schools

• Small, Safe, Personalized Schools
• High Expectations for All Students
• Local Control with Extensive Professional Development and Accountability
• Parent Participation
• Get Dollars into the Classroom
• Keep Schools Open Later

New York is already a big player in the condom market. The city hands out 1.5 million free condoms each month, or about 18 million a year. Hundreds of organizations get free condoms from the city and distribute them at various locations, including health clinics and advocacy groups, bars, restaurants, nail salons, nightclubs and even prisons. By comparison, the Los Angeles County health department gives out just over a million condoms per year, according to Peter Kerndt, director of the department's STD program. In Los Angeles, health and advocacy organizations request and then restribute condoms, and individuals can order up to 10 at a time by calling a hot line.

2006 City Nerd Blog
Though there are so many blogs out there that have an LA theme (many listed on our menu to the right), there are few that have the passion for the City to do what needs to be done to focus on the City and promote it. Metroblogging LA, or Blogging LA, does just that and is the 2006 City Nerd Blog awardee. I think what proved their passion for blogging in LA wasn't that they stayed focused on LA through and through, but that they really went for it. Proof: the 25 greatest fictional characters of LA. They speak of LA in a way that promotes it - just look at their art.blogging.la feature that keeps the world aware of LA's art scene. And as a group blog, they have varied civic-nerdy posts. Heck, they even have "celebrity" postings from Wil Wheaton. How much more nerdy and LA can you get?

2006 City Nerd Blogger
This award is bestowed upon the blogger most likely to be a City Nerd in my absence. I think the proof of this comes in the LA-centric posts that appear almost weekly at his Downtown focused blog. From maps to histories to digging into the important, very local issues that effect downtown, Eric Richardson has a true City Nerd-esque way about his blogging. He promotes parts of the City, and has worked to improve his community as a blogger (and a DLANC board member). He has shown himself to be a true Downtown City Nerd Blogger this year. (Now if he'd only link to this site!)

2006 City Nerd Elected Official
This year's City Nerd Elected Official awardee proved himself early on as a City Nerd Award winner for 2006. Though this category was designed for the likes of Tom LaBonge and his infinite knowledge, passion, and action on behalf of the City, this year's Elected Official Award goes to City Council President Eric Garcetti. Not only does he blog regularly, answer his own email, and continue to work on behalf of the people of not only the City but the entire nation, he is a true city nerd. This was confirmed early this year when he stood up in May at Taix and shared nerdy facts about the City. Council President Garcetti has had a decent year with trials and tribulations, but he's come through as a true passionate booster of the City with the knowledge and action to back his words up.

2006 City Nerd Elected Official Staff Member
This category may be the most interesting in that it had the most total votes at over 3000. But, with such an anomaly, even more scrutiny was paid to those who received the highest public votes and those in the mid-range also were paid attention to. After careful review of comments, suggestions, and the poll, the 2006 City Nerd Award for Elected Official Staff Member goes to Mitch O'Farrell of CD13. Mitch as been described by community members as "outstanding" - so much so that he was promoted from field deputy to District Director for Constituent Services. This year, he worked on LA River issues and bringing the Echo Park Farmer's Market into existence. He's made some real contributions as a staffer; and outside of work, he has proven his passion for Los Angeles by serving on boards and as president of various community improvement (& political) organizations. He's working for Los Angeles in the way that a City Employee should. [Note: this does not imply the other staffers nominated are not as effective or are not hard workers.]

2006 City Nerd Department Head
With five great nominees, this category was difficult to decide. All had great positive contributions. Each had passion for the City and promoted it equally. But one person - one GM - truly has knowledge of the City. And it's clear why: starting on a pothole crew decades ago and rising through the ranks, Bill Robertson has a distinct understanding of the City and it's infrastructure. He can speak to any group and know issues in their neighborhood. This year, he had the chance to have a bond to fund his operation, but it was pulled back. Then, his funding was frozen (and in some instances, decreased) while public safety saw increases. Yet, the Bureau of Street Services still kept street repair moving forward and continues to do more with the limited resources they have. And though the street system as a whole is not in the condition that even Professor Pothole himself, Bill Robertson, would like to see, he keeps working to address the infrastructure needs with limited resources. For these reasons, William R. Robertson is the recipient of the 2006 City Nerd Award for General Manager.

2006 City Nerd Neighborhood/Community
Everyone seems to be passionate about the Neighborhood or Community in which they live, but as the awardees are selected, just think about the four criteria. Which community does more for LA than any other? The answer is obvious, and this year's no different. Hollywood spreads Los Angeles to the word. It promotes and is passionate. And in terms of actual contributions: no com unity - whether a geographic one or an industry one - does more to bring people and increase revenue here than Hollywood. Hollywood Boulevard is one of the leading free tourist attractions in the region. Hollywood has been good to Los Angeles in 2006 with a renewed Christmas Parade and an invigorated Honorary Mayor. Investment is up in the heart of Tinseltown, and people continue to flock back to see our modern day Rome. All roads lead to and from Hollywood: both the place and the state of mind. Hollywood is good for Los Angeles.

2006 City Nerd Project
To find a project has has "passion for Los Angeles" isn't easy. But to find one that reaches to all Angelenos, regardless of their location in the City, language, or economic status is rare. But, there is one project that in 2006 crossed all borders and was created for Los Angeles: the Million Tree Initiative. Forget the politics behind it - it's become a project all people can embrace. It will have a lasting impact on the City that will be reaped for years to come - the true impact not really being felt for another 15 or 20 or even 25 years. If nothing else, this project has made people think. And whether you agree or not with the amount of money spent advertising this program, no one can deny that as a program it shows a passion and commitment to the future of our City.

2006 City Nerd Neighborhood Council
With 88 neighborhood Councils in the City, which one is truly making it work and doing good things in their neighborhood? Which one isn't mired in the process and caught up in minutia that turns community members off to the whole idea of getting involved with government? Which council is actually getting things done? This year, the Reseda Neighborhood Council has been able to get a lot done, building on past years of success. Though not perfect, the Reseda NC has implemented emergency plans for their community with supplies to aid thousands, they have held meetings that consistently attract community members, and they even have consistent communication with their stakeholders. As a council, they have embraced the development in their community and have not been mired with the conflicts of who has the power. They hold two meetings per month: a business board meeting to take care of board business and a community Board meeting to address issues that would be of interest to the community (planning, public safety, expenditures on projects, etc.). They brought holiday decorations to the business district, they installed surveillance cameras in crime areas, and they implemented multiple community improvement and beautification projects. And, they have a pretty impressive and often updated website (even if it's all frames). A neighborhood council must have knowledge of the City and passion for their community to get such projects accomplished in a year.

2006 City Nerd Citizen of the Year
When we look at the City Nerds out there working to make LA City better, there are a lot of folks from which to choose. But, if you think about the criteria of a City Nerd Award, the field begins to narrow. And, in looking at the nominees, though all shine in their own way, one stands out among the rest. Nominated in multiple categories and respected by all those who know or know of him, the 2006 City Nerd Citizen of the Year award goes to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. As the man behind lafd.blogspot.com, Brian has innovated blogging this year to the point that other departments look to him as the benchmark. Throughout City Hall, departments are directed to the Fire Department's efforts to communicate to the public using new tools and "to connect to the people." Brian is innovative, trying BlogTalk Radio and even calling in posts from the field if he can't get into his dungeon of an office. Brian's positive demeanor and participation on other blogs shows his ability to work to improve all of Los Angeles. He has made strides in raising the bar for government, making it useful, transparent and a part of the community (be it online or in the flesh). The LAFD has had a trying end of 2006, but Brian's stability online has been welcomed by all.

And the City Nerd Awards' highest honor, which may not be given out every year:

"The LA City Nerd Award"
As previously mentioned, the City Nerd Awards are almost designed for the likes of Tom LaBonge: a true booster of the City and city nerd, if there ever was one. Though his details are a little vague, Tom has a story about almost every street corner in the City. He is a human 3-1-1: you can give him a department or issue that needs to be solved and he can give you the number to the office and the direct line to the supervisor. Tom has made more positive, tangible contributions to this City than most city employees - and this was before he was elected. From monument in Griffith Park to flagpoles at parks across the City - Tom made things happen. He had signs posted and streets named and communities united. Before the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, there was Tom LaBonge. He brought communities together from Hollywood to Atwater Village. Tom knows more people than most electeds and can drive down almost any commercial corridor and stop a shop to say hello to an owner he knows. And on top of all that, he has captured the City on film From video taping NFL games to his personal photography, Tom has captured the heart of the city. He has a permanent photo exhibit up at Nick's Cafe on Spring Street and an entire collection (161 photos) on the Library's website as a photographer and not just the subject! With the opening of the Griffith Observatory, his work on behalf of public transportation from subways to runways, his push for the LA River restoration, his celebration of water and Mulholland, and his overall zeal for LA, Tom LaBonge is the only person to receive the inaugural LA City Nerd Award.

In a dazzling showcase of NIMBY rebellion, a small faction of Cheviot Hills IMBY’s have launched LightRailForCheviot.org to inform the world that not all Cheviot Hills Homeowners are scared of mobility:

We want mobility – mobility not involving cars, driving, and parking – mobility that will raise property values in Cheviot Hills as gridlock worsens.

This jerkoff drives a blue Corvette with the license plate "Blue Sand". Apparently, he's too cool to see cars parked on the right most lane on Crescent Heights as he speeds down the road trying to pass as many cars as possible. You think he'd learn his lesson the first time, right? But no...this idiot nearly runs into parked cars 3 times as he tries to pass from the right lane. Simultaneously, he nearly collides into cars driving single-file in the proper lane 3 times as he tries to muscle his car back into the flow of traffic. Will some officer please do us a favor and revoke this asshole's license? Any wagers on whether or not dickless signaled?

Los Angeles drivers can't drive. Plain and simple. Basic traffic laws and driving etiquette clearly do not apply in a town where the people seem to operate in their own little bubble, completely unaware or dismissive of others on the road. Call it what you will: self-entitlement, negligence, malaise, ignorance. My goal? To have mandatory driving tests randomly issued where drivers are eligible for selection after 6 years. Consider this jury duty for the road.