Corner of Franklin and Vermont about 12:15AM, 4/29/11

Someone was Lighting a String of Trashcan Fires late Thursday Night / Early Friday Morning

I took the picture to the right myself. Firetrucks were already on the way, and in fact, already in the area, as this was at least the third trashcan fire lit.

I felt slightly guilty snapping the pic, like I should have done something more, but my Android doesn’t have a “Fire Extinguisher” App, and I really didn’t have that much water on me at the time.

“I.C.M.E.” indeed. Eyewitness account after the jump.

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KCET just confirmed that they are selling their production facility on Sunset between Los Feliz and Silver Lake to the Church of Scientology for “an undisclosed amount” that undoubtedly has many, many 0′s.  According to the LA Times’ article about potential deal, the Church now gets to add around 4.5 acres of property to its march towards taking over the world, one stress test at a time.

According to KCET’s official statement, the now-independently owned public television station plans to expand their programmingblahblah and currently are looking to relocate to other facilities.  After KCET officially vacates the premises, up to a year from now, will the Church repaint the buildings to movie set blue, like the giant building on Hollywood (above)?  Will you be asked if you would like to be outfitted with contraptions that look like they were pulled out of the The Twilight Zone‘s circa-1960s prop department in a box labelled “Space-y Looking Things” every time you try to go to Rudy’s for a haircut or to Tiki Bar for a tiki drink?  My answers: hopefully yes, and hopefully no.  In that order.

Update:  Thanks to the comments below for pointing me to the Church of Scientology’s news release on this.  They say the KCET facility ” is a perfect fit, in both size and location, for the expansion of the Church of Scientology’s production of religious and social betterment audiovisual properties, and we welcomed the unexpected opportunity to acquire it.”

Photo courtesy jasmined and used under a Creative Commons license.

Permit me, with a photo my wife Susan took of him a couple months before he passed,  to recall one of Silver Lake’s beloved cast of street characters — El Circo Loco (né Antonio Ruiz) — whose death was five years ago today.

What I wrote on the one-year anniversary still covers how I feel:

Every time I’ve since passed the corners of Golden Gate and Sunset Boulevard where I most often saw him living his life out loud and leading his one-man parades, I still look for him and I still can’t believe he and his colorful extravagance now live only in the hearts and memories of those who miss him so, like me.

Viva El Circo Loco! Viva Antonio Ruiz!

In January the city council told the LA Police Commission to report back on the effectiveness of red light cameras and what to do about them.  Its been reported that the commission voted 3-2 in favor of keeping them.  FULL REPORT HERE.

They did this even noting that 75% of the tickets were for rights on red, they claimed they were rolling rights on red, that don’t come into play with the fatal intersection T-boners that they claim they want to reduce.  The report does show that the awareness factor coupled with the cameras has reduced those kinds of intersection accidents with a commensurate reduction in fatalities.  Hard to argue the results stats, but I still question the right on red tickets.  I’d argue the drop in fatalities is due to stronger safety standards on cars.

What say you on the continuation?  I hate the damn things myself, if I screw up I prefer to get the ticket in person not anonymously in the mail long after the fact where I never knew it happened or could even argue that it had.

(This image used under the Creative Commons Share-Alike License, by Joe Ravi, under a license CC-BY-SA 3.0.)

flier gets bigger with a click

Free is the magic word for this event, including the parking. They have some great presentations lined up to provide you with Strategies for Success in Today’s Economy. Some of the topics include Business Marketing, SBA Loan Programs and Services, Important Sales and Use Tax Updates, and much more. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to speak with experts from various agencies that specialize in helping small businesses grow and succeed. It is brought to us by Jerome E Horton (Chairman of the State Board of Equalization), Roger Hernandez (Assembly member 57th district) and the city of West Covina.

You do need to register online, for free with the BOE and can do so at This Link.  Or you can call to reserve a spot at 888-847-9652

Deets: Friday May 6, 2011 9AM – noon. 1444 West Garvey Ave (city hall) West Covina CA 91790  MAP HERE

Murder Suspect Sought in Studio City (via ktla.com)

UPDATE: My bad, I had to walk the dog and forgot to hit post when this was relevant. *Doh!* Please go about your day. The suspect is now in custody.

According to coverage at KTLA:

Three schools were placed on lock down Friday as police search for a murder suspect in Studio City.

Police say the suspect was last seen just east of the Carpenter Ave. Elementary school campus where he fled after being recognized by North Hollywood detectives.

Authorities are searching the area near Laurel Canyon and Maxwellton.

The suspect may be armed and is dangerous, officer Diana Figueroa said.

Read the full story at KTLA.com

I’ve come to consider last October’s inaugural CicLAvia something of the Los Angeles cycling community’s Woodstock, both in the fact that it was a defining and shining moment for our city and also because as the years go by I get the feeling that a lot more people are going to say they were there than actually were.

Whether you were or you weren’t a part that street party spanning between East Hollywood and Boyle Heights, your chance to get out and enjoy the second CicLAvia is imminent. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Sunday, April 10, the same 7.5-mile route as the first one will be closed to vehicular traffic and open to all manner of self-propellers. Be it bike, skateboard or just your feet you really should set aside some time to soak up what is such a unique and sensational experience.

Here’s a slightly remodeled version (higher res with an original soundlayer I created with the iPhone Bloom app) of the timelapse I made during part of my CicLAvia’ings from Boyle Heights back to East Hollywood:

Because I’d've forfeited yesterday’s and every damn game going forward until the apprehension of the suspects wanted in the post opening-game beating that put a Santa Cruz paramedic and father of two into the hospital in critical condition. Plus I’d put up $100,000 in team money as a reward for their arrest and conviction.

But nothing so extreme and outrageous and defiantly zero tolerance occurred to the the Dodgers who instead give us a front office spokesperson who gives us this: “It is extremely unfortunate that this incident took place on what was otherwise a great day at Dodger Stadium for tens of thousands of fans.”

Really?

Sure, I understand the show must go on and the  game must be played. But I also understand that doctors are trying to decide whether or not to remove a part of the victim’s brain.

From the Daily News:

Bryan Stow, 41, is in a medically-induced coma today with brain injuries delivered by two Dodgers fans. Stow, wearing San Francisco Giants apparel, was jumped, knocked to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the head after Thursday night’s game, his relatives said.

According to police the attackers are 18-25 years old, were wearing Dodgers attire and had shaved heads and thin mustaches. One had a small goatee, and the other had numerous tattoos on his neck, said Detective Percy Morris at a news conference Friday. A female reportedly drove the getaway car the suspects got into after the assault.

Police urge anyone with information on the attack to call police at the Northeast Station at 213/485-2563.

(click it to enlargify)

I stood as near to the edge of the Silver Lake Reservoir as I was allowed and snapped the above panorama on April 21, 2007, the day the long-locked open space was opened to the public for the first time in decades and hundreds gathered on the green expanse to hear the nimbys rail and the politicians regale about the would-be park planned.

Roughly three weeks shy of four years later (and much to my disbelief), the Silver Lake Meadow is scheduled to “soft open”  tomorrow, according to The Eastsider LA and Curbed LA.

Honest.

Queen Skittles queen of the 32nd Doo Dah Parade.

Love a parade but have a nice wide irreverent streak?  Wanna be queen of the Doo Dah Parade (or a dude and make it a Dood Dah Queen again) then you need to head on over to the Pasadena American Legion hall on Saturday.  This is an incredibly fun evening of music and silliness as they go about the serious business of picking out the new Queen for the 34th Doo Dah Parade which will take place 4/30 (more on that to come).  Entry Form and more info can be found on the Doo Dah Web.  They even have a nifty Facebook invite.

Deets.  Admission $5. American Legion Bar 179 North Vinedo St Pasadena, CA   Saturday April 2, 2PM doors open with music and stuff.  4PM Queen hopefuls check in.  5PM the Queen Try outs begin. MAP HERE

Image is courtesy of Julie Klima, aka Queen Skittles and used with her permission.  More of her work can be seen at her Web Site.

I’ve never cared much for the term “la-la-land” as it was ‘most always used in a derogatory manner.  How dare you disparage the city I love in that manner.  Well the Oxford Dictionary folks have taken it a step further and given the term credibility without noting in the definition its a “derogatory” noun.  Their exact definition:

la-la land n. can refer either to Los Angeles (in which case its etymology is influenced by the common initialism for that city), or to a state of being out of touch with reality—and sometimes to both simultaneously.

What say you on this addition to the dictionary?  More power to the haters or are you non plussed over the addition?

Pic by me of the L.A. iconic palms in Venice Beach, taken with my beloved “che-ez snap” that shoots in all of .3 megapixels.

While this doesn’t directly relate to Los Angeles, I don’t really care. Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last 24 hours, you know some serious shit went down in Japan. Stuff that could easily happen here in Los Angeles. YOU can help. Donate to the Red Cross. There’s a direct link HERE. You’re welcome to click on the Japan tab, but remember there’s bad things happening elsewhere. Why not make a general donation? The money will go where it’s needed most.

C’mon. Skip the Starbucks once and spend that money to help those in need. Who knows? It could be you seeking out the Red Cross after a huge quake here. Wouldn’t you want them to have enough supplies for you?

I’d heard of the house fire in the Hollywood Hills Wednesday night and of the firefighter on-scene who was gravely injured as a result of the blaze.  It just so happens that the day after the tragedy, a morning bike ride took me past the LAFD training center in Elysian Park. Veering into the parking lot I found myself before the 9/11 memorial and saying a prayer for the firefighter’s recovery.

It’s a prayer that went unanswered and I was saddened to hear that Glen L. Allen, a 36-year veteran of the department, succumbed to his injuries yesterday. He is the 61st Los Angeles firefighter to die in the line of duty in the department’s 125-year history.

The department is a collective force of many but its core strength comes from individuals like Glen Allen who without fail are ready to plunge headlong into danger, to risk their lives in service of others. It’s important to remember not just those heroes who we lost yesterday, but those who will not hesitate to put the uniform on and endanger themselves similarly tomorrow. To Firefighter Allen and to all emergency personnel who answer the call, who put the lives of others ahead of their own, all I can say as a proud citizen of this city is thank you from the bottom of my heart.

My thoughts are with Allen’s family and friends and my hopes are ever for the safety of all his fellow firefighters.

I do, and its not far from where I live.  40 years ago this week was the San Fernando Quake that caused extensive damage and some loss of life here in LA.  As a result of that quake legislation was pass requiring you to disclose earthquake faults near or on your property when you sold it.

The California Geological Survey has had the task forever of mapping those surface faults that put homes and humans at risk. Up until this week you had to either buy their CD or paper maps to get the information.  Now you can download the forms in PDF format, if only out of morbid curiosity, to find what faults are near your home.  The link to the CGS site HERE. Metro Los Angeles is covered in the maps.  Although the map isn’t labeled by street, it does drill down to street level when mapping out the known surface fault lines.

Of course knowing where the faults around you is half the battle.  The bigger one we seem to get lax with is quake preparedness…check out CA Shakeout for more information on how to prepare for quakes, especially big ones.

Have to be in Pasadena on Friday?  Behave yourself and be extra sensitive to the red lights as Pasadena Police are running a special enforcement detail from 6AM to 1PM, perfect for the morning commute and lunch traffic. Don’t see a cop? Don’t worry the numerous red light cams are always on in Pasadena to enforce the law. (Missing your front plate…don’t worry the system will grab your rear plate too!)

Ignore the warning only if you have an extra $500 to spend on a ticket, more if you are illegible for traffic school and use that route to avoid a point on your license.

The purpose of this crack down is to raise awareness of the dangers of running red lights.  The cost of overtime for all of the extra officers on patrol is being underwritten by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Now you may go back to doing whatever you do during the day at work.

Image from a Creative Commons Share-Alike or GFDL License by the author, JOE RAVI