The LA Weekly is tackling one of my old favorite topics: carrying a gun in Los Angeles. They are specifically talking about carrying one in Starbucks but it’s worth taking the opportunity to discuss the larger issue. Yes, carrying a gun in Los Angeles is legal in a variety of different situations. For anyone who can legally own a gun, carrying the gun exposed and unloaded (though you can also carry the ammo separately) is completely legal assuming you aren’t near a handful of places like a school or bank where it suddenly becomes very illegal. This is a right granted by not just the US constitution but also the CA constitution which you can read more about on CaliforniaOpenCarry.org.

There are many arguments for and against carrying a gun openly. The immediate reaction I hear most often is that it’s a great way to get shot by a police officer. That’s actually not really something to worry about as no officer in his or her right might is going to risk their job by shooting someone for legally carrying a holstered weapon. Now pulling the thing out and waving it around is another story all together. In fact here is a Los Angeles District Attorney memo and a Los Angeles Sheriff Dept memo about open carry explaining it is legal and explaining to officers what actions they can and can’t take. (more…)

At first sight when I read the headline in this mornings Pasadena Star News my parent hat was on and thought bravo keep the child sex offenders at bay.  Then I got to thinking, do we have a civil liberty issue at hand?  What’s to stop them from crossing the city limit anyway?

Monrovia joined the ranks of several other cities in the area that place significant restrictions on where a registered sex offender, on parole or not, can reside or even congregate within the city limits.  Only 2% of the city residential housing stock is now available to these folks.  2%.

The law enacted is based on the Prop 83 Jessica’s Law that was passed a few years ago.  LA County was the first to enact similar restrictions that apply to the unincorporated areas of the county.  Challenges to similar restrictions have stood the test of law.

Here’s where my libertarian streak rears its head.  If the laws say these guys served their time for the crime and are free to go why are they being restricted so much more differently than other criminals once released?  I mean a petty thief released can go free to live and congregate once his time and parole is served yet these folks are treated differently.  I understand the chances of recidivism is high among the offenders, but the code as passed doesn’t allow for shades of gray.

I’m not advocating those sex offenders for violent crime or involving children get a break.  But what about the non-violent ones.  As an example, a guy at a party misreads a girls intentions and plants a kiss on her only to get slapped, then a police report charging him with sexual battery lands him on the offender list?  Or the couple that have consensual sex only to find out one of the partners lied their age and it becomes a sex with a minor charge landing them on the list?  Shades of gray.

Aside from the liberties issue of residing where you wish after you’ve served your time there is another concern.  Isn’t this classic NIMBY and just shoving the problem to another city to deal with?  The article points out that an opinion is held that it is the states duty to relocate them when released from prison,  really?

What say you?

Yesterday, while taking down a co-workers phone number, I found myself freaking out (with joy) over his 213 phone number. See, we’re a dying breed, us hangers-on to the 213 area code. It’s too often I’ve seen people knocking phone numbers associated with central LA and (God forbid!) Downtown. I’ve spent lots of time selling cell phones, and when setting up new accounts, found myself time and time again defending the 213 customers were randomly assigned, after facing their disappointment over not getting 323. I had a friend change his number to a 323, after holding his 213 cell phone number for several years, in good part because he said 323 just looks better when handing it out to those in the music and/or entertainment industry. But my  phone number ties me to my city, helped me take root in Los Angeles and not give in to becoming one of its many more transient or temporary residents.

I got my first cell phone from the Radio Shack by USC when I first moved out to California for college. And, of course, I was given a local 213 number (this was back when I thought it would be important for locals to be able to call me without incurring long-distance charges). I grew attached pretty quickly. (more…)

It started with an idea.  Justin Yuille wanted to help kids get into colleges and new that the average high school counselor is so overwhelmed it isn’t always possible to give each kid personalized help with applications let alone SAT’s.  He’s an educator and knows full well the challenges the kids face in getting help from counselors.  With the help of his family members (all educators, some I know personally) Foundation 44 was born.

That was 6 months ago and so far he has helped 75 kids from Pasadena’s Blair High School and Duarte High School to make it into college.  They are all smart kids from under privileged homes, the many the first in the family to make it to college.  They are in the process of working on obtaining their non-profit status as I write this.

Pepsi has a challenge running right now to give out grant money to programs such as this that help a community. The grant is huge $250K. In the end it comes down to votes and Foundation 44 needs votes if it is to grow and achieve their goal of helping 750 local kids from under-privileged homes make it into college.  If you want to help their cause VOTE HERE.

With the amount of biking I do across this city I’ve passed a lot of weird shit dumped on the roadways, but this find stands as one of the most unique. For the better part of this work week I’ve pedaled past the above plate glass panes and after doing so yesterday I vowed that if they were still sitting there and intact this morning at their location on the north side of 4th Street immediately west of Western Avenue I’d post about it in case someone/anyone out there might possibly be able to make use of what I expect would cost a pretty penny to purchase (or maybe know someone who could).

The two panes are between 0.50″-0.75″ thick and are identical in dimensions, roughly 8′ x 3.5′. That’s some big pieces of glass.

While the possibility exists that they are somebody’s property, I just can’t imagine after several days of them sitting there on the street that they’re anything but discards — and frankly even if they aren’t it’s amazing that no one’s come along and smashed them. So go take ‘em before someone breaks ‘em.

Monrovia High School, pic by me.

I got this email last night via “School Loop”.  My son’s High School is running a fund raiser.  What got my attention was the inclusion of “dental” in the list of gold sources that a buyer from Glitterbug will purchase.  Yup, dental so if you have a gold tooth you aren’t using please let me know.   Times are tough for our schools, but who knew they were resorting to this.

The email:

Come to the CASH FOR GOLD FUNDRAISER AT Monrovia High School on Wednesday, 2/3/10, 6-8 pm in the PDC.

Students:  Let your parents know of this fundraiser and/or bring your unwanted gold.
Parents/Teachers/Staff:  Rummage around you r house for your unwanted yellow or white gold (dental, watches, class rings, necklaces etc.)  A Glitterbug Gold Buyer will evaluate your gold on the spot and offer you the opportunity to trade them for cash.  Stones may be removed and returned to you.  See the website www.glitterbugparties.com or attachment for more details.  There is never an obligation;You may choose to keep your gold.  You will be surprised at how much $ money you will get for just a few gold pieces  No amount is too small.  (It should only take 10-15 minutes to evaluate your gold pieces–dependent on the number of people present.)  MHS’ BSU will be paid for every transaction.  This is a “Win, Win” fundraiser because you wi ll get a check and the school’s club will get a percentage of the sales.”

Details: Weds 2/3/10 6-9PM Monrovia High School, 845 W Colorado Blvd, Monrovia CA 91016 MAP HERE

A library card lives a dreadful and exciting life.

Indeed, the library card’s chances of survival after the owner reaches the age of, oh, 21 is slim, as the card, once swiped weekly, is needed less and less over time as buying books – or not reading them – becomes more and more of the norm.  Yesterday, “Save the local library!”; today, “Save the local bookstore!”

About two weeks ago, I had the immense pleasure of taking (forcing) a friend to get a library card.  Not just any library card; no, it was the first library card she’s had in 13 years.  I don’t think there was a moment in my life after 7 when I didn’t have a library card in my wallet.  It was a necessity – we didn’t buy a whole lot of books when I was a kid.  Not even school-sanctioned books, like those that came in the Scholastic book catalogues. See, while my classmates eagerly circled the books they would ask their parents to buy, I was stuck in my little corner, eagerly circling the books I was going to check out.  But then, we all ended up reading the same books, and so all was right.  After that, it never struck me to not have a library card, in the same way it never struck me to stop reading books.

There seems to be three types of library card users: those who are loose-minded sports who will check out anything and everything that their card allows – fiction, non-fiction, history, new books, old – as long as it is a book; those who use their card in order to access the library in its rawest form as an academic and research institution; and those with equal severity who will use their card to check out only the newest and latest releases, and not much else.  If I had to choose, I’d fall into the first category.  We have more fun.

The library card represents to me a certain access to freedom and equality: literary liberation, if you will.  Some public library cards are better than others, I think, at representing this liberty.  For example, take the Los Angeles Public Library’s card.  The card’s Crayola design clearly represents intellectual freedom, books, and the magic of imagination … as interpreted by the children’s section of the 1980s.

See what I mean after the jump.

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It’s not often I get to feel glad that I’m not a (reported) billionaire, but I’m glad I am not 49-year-old private equity investor and newly fledged Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner.

Beutner was last week appointed the mayor’s new deputy  and chief executive for economic and business policy. The media title is “Job Czar.”  He will also have, quoting the Times, “a new line of direct authority over the Department of Water and Power, the Port of Los Angeles and the economic and business policies at Los Angeles World Airports.”

Columnists at the Times and the Daily News acclaimed the appointment of Mr B, of whom almost no one had ever heard. Local unemployment stands at over 12 percent. It’s much higher in the neighborhoods where the major current career opportunities are with the Crips and Salvator Maratrucha. Clearly, jobs are a huge priority. Said the mayor, “Austin has a real vision for economic development and job creation.”

First and foremost, Beutner said he’d try to make LA  (the Times said) “a friendlier place for the sort of businesses that create well-paying jobs.”  Excuse me, but this is where I came in. For 30 years and four mayoral administrations, mayors and deputy mayors have promised exactly the same thing. As a result, tax structures have been gently shuffled, regulatory bureaucracies have received many a mild tweak and national campaigns have been launched to sell the world on LA’s commerce-friendly attractions.

No one has claimed these measures turned LA into a business paradise. But during this period, two utterly contradictory business developments did take place…

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Okay.  I am humbled and I am in awe.  I recently wrote about getting an unjustified parking ticket in Hollywood.  It was the second time this year I got one in which I had paid for an hour returned to find a ticket, with 20 minutes still in the meter.  At $50 a pop, I have been beyond frustrated.

After writing about it the first time, Eric Garcetti contacted me and offered help.  I didn’t deal, just paid the ticket.  This time, I vowed to fight. And miraculously someone in his office researched the problem, found that the meters were off in certain areas… and had the ticket refunded by the city.  All I can say is that this is one politician who rocks!  He actually listens to the problems of his peeps and does something to ease their hardship. He’s my new political hero.

And he responds to lots of other issues as well.  I recently wrote his office about the Medical Marijuana Ordinance that was being considered.  I  had some thoughts and suggestions for making this new law work for patients, and one of his deputies actually called back AND emailed me in response.  I wrote to every councilperson and only got personal responses only from his and Tom LaBonges office.  Pretty amazing.  Most politicians send a form response and you never hear anything about the issue again.

It’s great to know that Eric Garcetti is on top of his districts needs and really does respond.  He’s the kind of guy I’m proud to have representing me.  Thanks!  We need and appreciate the hard work you and your office are doing!

Harold at the Château de Vincennes on the east side of Paris.

Over the holidays I left the warmth of sunny LA to visit mon homme, Harold in Paris and decided to reveal my comparative observations between these two great cities. Also, I can’t think of anything else to blog about this week.

Weather – I don’t even know why I am bothering to comment on this, as LA is the obvious winner. Visiting France in the winter didn’t help Paris here, but come on, no matter what the season, not many cities are going to beat LA when it comes to our average weather year round, which is quite spectacular.

Public Transportation – As a frequent rider of LA’s Metro system, I feel qualified to declare Paris the winner here. The City of Lights boasts many more trains per hour (like one train every 5 minutes) and is much more accessible than LA’s Metro system. You can get within a few blocks of just about anywhere you need to go. The one drawback is that it can be quite crowded, even during off peak hours.

Cost of Living – LA may not be the cheapest big city, but it sure beats Paris when it comes to housing and food values. Harold’s apartment is a good example. His place is smaller than mine, in a more suburban (more…)