RnR - Los Angeles

LA gas prices soar

2012-02-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

Soaring gas prices are giving drivers a new round of pain at the pump.

The average price for a gallon of gas in the LA-Long Beach area has jumped to $4.25 a gallon, which is up six cents from Thursday, and 25 cents from a week ago.

Prices in the Southland are as high as $5.09 at a Chevron station in downtown Los Angeles, while Burbank’s Fleet Fueling is still at $3.70 a gallon.

It’s not unusual to have price jumps in February, but AAA and the Oil Price Information Service say gas prices were already at record highs.

Analysts say we’re seeing some of the biggest short-term increases ever due to due to escalating tensions with Iran over its nuclear program, as well as the closings of several California refineries for maintenance.

Speculators are also driving prices up, but they are expected to even out, as motorists simply cannot support the increases.

In fact, USA Today reports that during past month, consumption fell to its lowest level since April of 1997.

Sex Offender Working With Hollywood Kids!

2011-11-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

A small-town boy from Washington state, Jason James Murphy has spent much of the last decade working his way up in the world of Hollywood movie casting. He's helped place actors, including children, on a variety of movies, from small independent films to last summer's science fiction hit "Super 8."

But few of the power players he encountered knew his secret: He is a registered sex offender who was convicted of kidnapping and molesting an 8-year-old boy in suburban Seattle 15 years ago.

This week, J.J. Abrams, the director and co-producer of "Super 8," one of the most prized titles on Murphy's resume, found out. On Thursday, Los Angeles police began looking into whether Murphy was in compliance with state registration requirements for sex offenders.

"It's shocking and it's devastating, not just as a filmmaker but as a father and someone who is entrusted to make sure that everyone I work with, especially children, are safe," Abrams said. "To think that someone like this was among us is unthinkable."

Murphy, 35, who uses the professional name Jason James, also placed young actors in the forthcoming film "The Three Stooges," according to those who have worked with him. He also worked on "Bad News Bears," "The School of Rock" and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2."

After serving five years in prison for the 1996 crime in the Seattle area, Murphy underwent sex-offender counseling. When he moved to California in 2005, the state performed an evaluation and required him to register as a sex offender, making his name and photo publicly available. But the listing is under his original last name, in effect screening it from those who know him only as Jason James.

California law prohibits sex offenders whose victims were younger than 16 from "working directly and in an unaccompanied setting with minor children on more than an incidental and occasional basis or have supervision or disciplinary power over minor children." The law also requires offenders to notify law enforcement within five days of any name change.

A spokesman for the state attorney general said the statute requires offenders to tell law enforcement about any aliases so that they can be added to the public database. "Any name that a person uses needs to be the name that they are registered under, otherwise they are in violation," spokesman Nicholas Pacilio said.

There are no known complaints that Murphy acted inappropriately with any minor in his casting business. Murphy did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Abrams said in an interview that he was unaware of Murphy's background until this week, when he was tipped by his manager, David Lonner, who recently learned of the conviction. He informed the studio that released "Super 8,"Paramount Pictures, which in turn notified authorities.

"Bad Robot had absolutely no knowledge of his real name, nor of his status," said Abrams, referring to his production company. "He applied for the job under an alias."

The casting directors on "Super 8," April Webster and Alyssa Weisberg, said they were unaware of Murphy's criminal conviction when they hired him as an assistant who helped cast children in the film. Webster said she was "shocked and disturbed" when she learned of Murphy's past. She said he was never alone with children while in their offices.

Pamela Fisher, who heads the youth division at Abrams Artists Agency in Los Angeles, which is not affiliated with J.J. Abrams, said she has worked extensively with the man she knew as Jason James. She said he helped her line up auditions for young clients. As recently as Wednesday, Fisher said, Murphy sent her an email "looking for 12-year-olds for a USC student film."

"I had no idea. I'm completely shocked," Fisher said Thursday. "We've worked together over the years on many projects and had a lot of contact. He's always been very professional, and there was never any reason to think there would ever be a problem with projects where my clients were auditioning."

Murphy was the focus of an intense manhunt when he abducted the boy from his elementary school in early 1996 and flew with him to New York City. According to court records and contemporary news accounts, Murphy, then a 19-year-old college student with acting aspirations, was already out on bail awaiting arraignment on charges of molesting the boy, whom he had met while working as a camp counselor. He disguised himself as a woman in a white dress and wig to kidnap the child.

Three days after he fled with the boy, the TV show "America's Most Wanted" broadcast a segment on the kidnapping and a New York hotel clerk recognized Murphy and the boy as guests. Authorities found Murphy, the boy and more than $8,000 cash in a Manhattan hotel room.

A prosecutor described Murphy in court papers as "obsessed" with the boy and cited a police interview in which a female friend said Murphy "was in love with" the child and had talked openly of taking him to live in London or Australia.

Murphy pleaded guilty to child molestation and kidnapping charges and was given the maximum prison sentence under state law by a judge who called him "a sick young man."

"I understand how much pain I have caused," Murphy said at his sentencing. "I will work so hard to get the help I need."

Shortly after he pleaded guilty, however, Murphy was caught trying to pass messages to the victim, according to police. The attempts outraged the victim's family and earned Murphy an additional five months behind bars.

After his 2001 release, he sought specialized counseling for sex offenders, according to the prosecutor who handled his case. He also dropped his last name and pursued a film and television career in casting.

Directors and producers cast lead roles but rely on casting directors — sometimes from outside agencies — to assemble their supporting casts. Those agencies in turn often rely on independent casting associates to organize a pool of available actors. Murphy, whose credits read "casting director" on some films and "casting associate" on others, appears to have worked mostly in this sort of independent capacity.

Twentieth Century Fox Studios, which will release "The Three Stooges," issued a statement that "we have only just learned of this information; we take it extremely seriously and have commenced an immediate investigation.... We have as yet no basis to believe any improprieties occurred during his work on the movie."

Paramount said Murphy was hired as a freelancer and added that it has received no reports of "any criminal or inappropriate behavior" while he worked for the studio.

Paramount said it would change its screening process. "Moving forward, we … will also conduct background checks on all freelance employees, full time and part time, who work with minors on our productions," the studio said.

The prosecutor who put Murphy behind bars 15 years ago remembered Murphy as a "bright kid" from a "good family" and said people should take note of his crimes but not jump to conclusions.

"The mere fact that he is convicted of this and is a registered sex offender should not in and of itself cause people phenomenal concern. It should get people's attention, and people should pay attention just as you would if you hire a babysitter or go to Penn State University," said Paul Stern, a deputy prosecuting attorney in Snohomish County in Washington, who has prosecuted sex crimes for 30 years.

Original Story LA Times

LAFD Captain - Heroin Sting

2011-11-11T13:28:00.000-08:00

A 52-year-old Los Angeles city fire captain was facing a drug charge today following his arrest for allegedly trying to purchase heroin from undercover police officers.

Capt. Matthew Dane Phillipsen was arrested around 12:10 p.m. Wednesday by Los Angeles police officers from the Northeast station during a sting operation being conducted near Avenue 61 and Figueroa Street, authorities said.

Phillipsen allegedly tried to purchase seven balloons of simulated heroin from undercover officers involved in the operation, according to the LAPD.

He was arrested on suspicion of intent to possess heroin and released around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on $10,000 bail, according to Los Angeles County Jail records.

Phillipsen is scheduled to appear in a downtown L.A. Superior courtroom at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 18 for arraignment, according to jail records.

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Posted by: @johnnyg_79

Bank of America $5 Debit Card Fees!

2011-09-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) -- Bank of America will start charging debit-card users $5 a month to pay for purchases. The move comes as the cards increasingly replace cash and as banks look for ways to offset the loss of revenue from a new rule that will limit how much they can collect from merchants.

Paying to use a debit card was unheard of before this year and is still a novel concept for many consumers. But several banks have recently introduced or started testing debit card fees. That's in addition to the spate of other unwelcome changes checking account customers have seen in the past year. Bank of America will begin charging the fee early next year.

Bank of America's announcement carries added weight because it is the largest U.S. bank by deposits.

The fee will apply to basic accounts, which are marketed toward those with modest balances, and will be in addition to any existing monthly service fees. For example, one such account charges a $12 monthly fee unless customers meet certain conditions, such as maintaining a minimum average balance of $1,500.

Customers will only be charged the fee if they use their debit cards for purchases in any given month, said Anne Pace, a Bank of America spokeswoman. Those who only use their cards at ATMs won't have to pay.

The debit card fee is just the latest twist in the rapidly evolving market for checking accounts.

A study by Bankrate.com this week found that just 45 percent of checking accounts are now free with no strings attached, down from 65 percent last year and 76 percent in 2009. Customers can still get free checking in most cases, but only if they meet certain conditions, such as setting up direct deposit.

The study also found that the total average cost for using an ATM rose to $3.81, from $3.74, the year before. The average overdraft fee inched up to $30.83, from $30.47

The changes come ahead of a regulation that goes into effect next month.

Starting Oct. 1, the regulation will cap the fees that banks can collect from merchants whenever customers swipe their debit cards. Those fees generated $19 billion in revenue for banks in 2009, according to the Nilson Report, which tracks the payments industry.

There is no similar cap on the merchant fees that banks can collect when customers use their credit cards, however. That means many banks are increasingly encouraging customers to reach for their credit cards, in hopes of reversing a trend toward debit card usage in the past several years.

An increasing reliance on credit cards would be particularly beneficial for big institutions like Bank of America, which have large credit card portfolios, notes Bart Narter, a banking analyst with Celent, a consulting firm.

"It's become a more profitable business, at least in relation to debit cards," Narter said.

This summer, an Associated Press-GfK poll found that two-thirds of consumers use debit cards more frequently than credit cards. But when asked how they would react if they were charged a $3 monthly debit card fee, 61 percent said they'd find another way to pay.

With a $5 fee, 66 percent said they would change their payment method.

Several banks are nevertheless moving ahead with debit card fees.

SunTrust, a regional bank based in Atlanta, began charging a $5 debit card fee on its basic checking accounts this summer. Regions Financial, which is based in Birmingham, Ala., plans to start charging a $4 fee next month.

Chase and Wells Fargo are also testing $3 monthly debit card fees in select markets. Neither bank has said when it will make a final decision on whether to roll out the fee more broadly.

The growing prevalence of the debit card fee is alarming for Josh Wood, a 32-year-old financial adviser in Amarillo, Texas.

Wood relies entirely on debit cards to avoid interest charges on a credit card. If his bank, Wells Fargo, began charging a debit card fee, he said he would take his business to a credit union.

If a debit fee became so prevalent that it was unavoidable, Wood said he's not sure how he'd react.

"I might use all cash. Or go back to writing checks," he said.

Bank of America's debit card fee will be rolled out in stages starting with select states in early 2012. The company would not say which states would be affected first.

Six Million Suffer In Blackout! Was It Human Error?

2011-09-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

The day after the largest power failure in California history left millions in Southern California, western Arizona and northern Mexico without electricity during one of the hottest weeks of the year, local and federal officials promised Friday to investigate the cause.

The blackout was concentrated in San Diego, and San Diego Gas & Electric, which supplies power to most of the region, said it was still examining how the failure had spread so widely. But the initial cause, it said, appeared to be human error in Arizona that took down a line that provides power to the San Diego area. A major nuclear power plant in San Onofre, about 50 miles north of San Diego, also shut down, causing more failures, officials said.

“On their own, these things would cause virtually no impact,” because there would be backup power, said Michael R. Niggli, the president of the utility company. “Having each of these things happen at one time is not something we have considered. That’s not the way the system is designed.”

Six million people lost power, and Mr. Niggli said he had seen nothing on that scale in his three decades at the company. The investigation could take weeks or even months, officials said.

Arizona’s largest utility, APS, said that a worker had been performing maintenance on a substation line when the failure happened, but that it was not clear whether that had been a direct cause.

“Operating and protection protocols typically would have isolated the resulting outage to the Yuma area,” the company said. “The reason that did not occur in this case will be the focal point of the investigation into the event, which already is under way.”

Power in most areas was restored by 3:30 a.m. Friday, less than 12 hours after the failure began and far more quickly than officials had initially expected. But they said the electrical grid was still “fragile” and urged residents to conserve electricity through the weekend.

All of San Diego Gas & Electric’s 1.4 million households were without power at the peak on Thursday.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission officials will investigate with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, other federal agencies and state regulators.

The blackout all but shut down San Diego’s airport and caused major traffic jams through the area as drivers struggled to navigate roads without stoplights and working train crossings. Drives out of downtown that typically take 20 minutes stretched to nearly two hours as hundreds of workers streamed out of their offices. Firefighters had to rescue several dozen people who were stuck in elevators.

But no injuries or major crimes related to the blackout were reported, San Diego County officials said, although vandals shattered the windows of one taco shop and there were scattered complaints of loud parties. (Students at California State University, San Marcos, improvised a Slip ’N Slide using tarp and held milk-chugging contests near campus.)

The power failure also shut down several pumping stations in San Diego, prompting 1.9 million gallons of sewage to spill into a lagoon near beaches and causing city officials to close about 10 miles of oceanfront for the weekend. City officials also urged residents to boil their water before cooking with or drinking it.

Schools in San Diego County were closed on Friday, a decision officials had made the night before when the blackout was still widespread. And grocery stores threw away countless pounds of meat and other spoiled products.

But for the most part, life had returned to normal by the Friday morning commute. Travelers who had been stranded the night before streamed into San Diego International Airport.

Lois and Roger Brindisi of Illinois had been just an hour away from landing on Thursday when their flight was diverted to Phoenix. The couple, on their way to visit their great-granddaughter, quickly booked a hotel after the airline refused to pay for accommodations.

“We’re kind of old to sit up all night,” said Mrs. Brindisi, 75. “Nobody seemed to know what was going on.”

Battleship Los Angeles!

2011-09-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

The USS Iowa, a vessel used in battle during World War II, is headed to a new home in the Port of Los Angeles. The Navy has announced that the ship has been awarded to the Pacific Battleship Center, a nonprofit organization, and the Iowa will ultimately call Berth 87 in San Pedro home.

Getting the Iowa is actually quite an honor, and it is expected to do much to help draw tourists (and their almighty dollars) to the waterfront area.

The USS Iowa has a pretty remarkable history since its keel was first laid down in June, 1940 in the Navy's Brooklyn, New York shipyard. Equipped with a special bathtub for then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Iowa was commissioned in 1943, and saw battle in World War II, and the Korean War. The Iowa was revived under then-President Ronald Reagan's 600-ship Navy plan in the early 80s, the vessel was modernized and returned to use for a few years. The ship was decommissioned for the last time on October 26th, 1990.

The ship will head to L.A. most likely next month, depending on the tides and the weather, and following the completion of some necessary national-level paperwork. Once in Southern California, the Iowa will get a hull cleaning, and then get some work done to make her ready to welcome aboard the expected tourists.

No matter how "out of use" the Iowa gets, though, or tread-worn with the footsteps of thousands of tourists, she must still remain in ship-shape in case she needs to be used yet again.
Congress has ordered that the following measures be implemented to ensure that, if need be, Iowa can be returned to active duty:

1. Iowa must not be altered in any way that would impair her military utility;
2. The battleship must be preserved in her present condition through the continued use of cathodic protection, dehumidification systems, and any other preservation methods as needed;
3. Spare parts and unique equipment such as the 16-inch (410 mm) gun barrels and projectiles must be preserved in adequate numbers to support Iowa, if reactivated;
4. The Navy must prepare plans for the rapid reactivation of Iowa should she be returned to the Navy in the event of a national emergency.

Article by Lindsay William-Ross, LAist

LA workers call for better wages, pensions for Labor Day!

2011-09-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

Many Southern Californians marked Labor Day by calling for more rights for workers. In Wilmington, hundreds of people marched in solidarity for better wages and pensions.

"With everything that's going on in the economy, I think the biggest message that we can send is jobs," said Luther Medina, vice president of the Metal Workers Union. "That's what it's all about. We need to let the politicians know that organized labor and workers in general are kind of fed up with the status quo."

The march began at Broad Avenue and E Street, and they headed to Banning Park, where a rally was under way

Union members, politicians and community members said they wanted to send the message that hard workers deserve a decent wage, health care benefits and good pension plans.

This is the 32nd annual Labor Solidarity March. Union leaders said now more than ever was the time to get their message out.

"We've got to keep up the fight. This is to say we're in solidarity, that we're not going to allow a Wisconsin to go on here in California," said Rep. Laura Richardson (D - Long Beach)

The Worst of LA!

2011-09-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

Enter our poll over at our Facebook Page to see what it is that really irritates the people that live and work in this great city!

Deadly Weekend on LA Roads

2011-09-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

A fiery crash on the 110 Freeway and several other traffic accidents have claimed the lives of five people on Los Angeles County streets and highways so far over the Labor Day weekend, authorities said.

A motorcyclist was killed Sunday in a crash on Topanga Canyon Boulevard near the Pacific Coast Highway about 2:30 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported. The victim was pronounced dead at a hospital. Investigators were still on the scene, and no further details were available.

Also, a man died early Sunday when he was trapped under a flaming 1971 Chevy Monte Carlo that had been stopped on the shoulder of the southbound 110 Freeway near 52nd Street.

The 2:40 a.m. incident began when the 18-year-old driver of a 2008 Smart car slowed to avoid rear-ending a vehicle directly ahead, swerved onto the right shoulder and struck the Monte Carlo. Both vehicles burst into flames.

The Monte Carlo rolled over and fatally injured one of three men who had been standing near the car after it had broken down, the CHP reported. Two other victims were taken to hospitals, one in critical condition and one with lesser injuries.

The driver of the Smart car sustained scrapes and was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and driving under the influence, the CHP said. Names of the suspect and victims were not released.

About 11 p.m. Saturday, a pickup truck driven by a 17-year-old male overturned on the 710 Freeway, killing a female passenger and injuring three others. The accident occurred in the northbound lanes just south of the 91 Freeway, the CHP reported. No names were released.

A 23-year-old man driving a Honda Accord died late Saturday when he hit a power pole and tree on Somerset Ranch Road near Paramount Boulevard in South Gate.

The accident occurred about 10:50 p.m. when the driver exited the 105 Freeway at a high rate of speed, collided with another vehicle and slammed into the pole and tree, said South Gate Police Sgt. Mario Saldivar.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. A female passenger was in stable condition at a hospital with minor injuries. No names were released.

And a 43-year-old Irvine man was killed while trying to cross the eastbound lanes of the 101 Freeway after crashing his car near Laurel Canyon Boulevard about 9:40 p.m. Saturday, officials said.

The man had been driving west in a black Lexus when he drifted off the shoulder, struck a guardrail and came to rest in the number one lane, the CHP reported.

He got out of the car, tried to run across the freeway and was hit by a BMW driven by a 76-year-old Encino man. The driver of the Lexus was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was not released. The BMW driver was unhurt.

Last year, only one traffic-related fatality was reported in Los Angeles County during the first 36 hours of Labor Day weekend, according to the CHP. Statewide, the CHP has reported six fatalities so far, compared with eight last year.

In Los Angeles County, 227 people have been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, up from 209 last year, while statewide, the CHP has arrested 1,008 motorists on that charge, compared with 990 last year.

Traffic-related incidents so far this weekend are also higher than the July 4 and Memorial Day numbers this year, authorities said.

“There was a somewhat downward trend, and we were hopeful that would still be the case because people had gotten the message about safe driving,” said CHP Officer Ming Hsu. “Unfortunately, the numbers we have for this period are spiking.”

L.A. County Sheriff's Explorers seek clues in colleague's killing

2011-09-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

It was their first homicide case. And it hit close to home.

Dozens of teenage Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Explorers went door-to-door Saturday in the unincorporated county area of South Whittier looking for witnesses to the drive-by shooting death of a member of their Explorer unit.

Nineteen-year-old Cesar Rodriguez of Whittier was fatally shot as he chatted with a friend Aug. 28 in front of a house in the 11800 block of Painter Avenue where they were leaving a party. The second man, Larry Villegas, 24, also died in the shooting.

Investigators believe that the shots were fired about 3:30 a.m. by the driver of a gray Scion sedan. Three or four other people were in the car, deputies said.

Rodriguez had spent four years in the sheriff's Explorer program, where teens sample police work by undertaking nonhazardous law enforcement functions. He had filed his application to become a sheriff's deputy the week before he was killed; applicants must be at least 19 1/2 years old to sign up for deputy training.

"He was like a brother. He taught me everything I know," said fellow Explorer Mariah Banks, 17, of Norwalk, who has spent two years in the program. "The uniform was his life."

The Explorers were joined by adult volunteers from the Norwalk sheriff's station as they knocked on doors and handed out fliers to residents south of Amelia Mayberry Park. Many of those they encountered had known Rodriguez "since he was a little boy," as one resident put it.

Members of Rodriguez's family also distributed the "information wanted" fliers Saturday.

His mother, Lupe Rodriguez, said her son had earlier gotten off work and had paused to meet with friends on his way home. Of his killer, "may God forgive him, that's all I can say," she said.

His father, Jorge Rodriguez, said his son had worked for a year as a security officer at a Target store. "He always liked to help people. That's why he wanted to be a sheriff's deputy," he said.

Sheriff's homicide detectives Sgt. Mike Rodriguez, who is unrelated to the victim, and Gary Sica gave the Explorers advice before they fanned out through the neighborhood. The Explorers and the adult volunteers were told to alert deputies if they encountered witnesses to the shooting.

Norwalk Sheriff's Capt. Patrick Maxwell acknowledged the seriousness of Saturday's neighborhood canvassing. "Unfortunately, this is something you'll experience again if you go into law enforcement," he said.

Explorer Darleen Martinez said the killings of Rodriguez and Villegas — who was not affiliated with the Explorer program — stiffened her resolve to become involved with police work.

"This is going to push us to go out and get people who do this kind of thing off the street. It's going to have a positive impact on us," the 19-year-old La Mirada resident said.

Explorer Mario Melendez, 18, agreed. "It's going to make me want to go into law enforcement even more," the Norwalk resident said.

The Explorers discovered that many in the neighborhood were aware of the killings and were horrified by them.

"I heard seven or eight gunshots and then a car burning out toward Carmenita Road" but did not see the car, said resident Jonathan Hall, a restaurant waiter.

As the Explorers reached Painter Avenue, they paused where their fellow Explorer was fatally shot. Above the flowers and memorial candles, a handmade banner from Explorers at the Industry sheriff's station proclaimed that Rodriguez would "forever be a partner" with them.

Mariah Banks tugged at a necklace chain and pulled a shiny dog tag from beneath her khaki Explorer's shirt. On one side was Rodriguez's name; on the other side was his picture.

"We've all bought these. Everyone at the station has one," she said. "It's part of our uniform now."

Article by: bob.pool@latimes.com

Hollywood Shooting Outside La Vida

2011-09-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Getting kicked out of Hollywood nightclubs: It happens to the best of us. It also happens to the worst of us, going by last night's shenanigans outside club La Vida along the Sunset Strip:

After a young man in his 20s got kicked out for being "unruly," along with two unruly sidekicks, he decided his V.I.P. ass would not stand for such treatment. LAPD officers tell City News Service that the man fetched a handgun from his car down the street, and returned to show La Vida what he was made of.

He opened fire in the direction of the club around 1 a.m., "hitting a male security guard in the thigh and grazing a female patron, also in the thigh."In the aftermath of this Thursday-night rager, the good news: The security guard's injury is "not grave"; he's recovering at a hospital today. And the woman who was hit, apparently a huge badass, refused to go to a hospital at all.

The gunman hasn't exactly been caught yet. So if you see some walk-of-shame looking dude stumbling around Hollywood this morning, get out the way. Also, call the LAPD's Hollywood station at (213) 485-4302.

Article by @simone_electra/swilson@laweekly.com

High Surf!

2011-09-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Dangerously high waves likely caused a smuggling boat to crash on a Southern California beach in Ventura where more than 500 pounds of marijuana washed ashore, authorities said.

Lindsey Templeton, a California State Parks superintendent, said rangers found the abandoned boat split in half Thursday near Point
Mugu.

Templeton says the surf was 6 to 9 feet at the beach.

Authorities are warning swimmers and surfers to be careful because of high waves and strong rip currents that hit Central and Southern California through the day.

The Coast Guard suspended its search for a body-boarder who vanished off the Surfside area of Huntington Beach.

There was a rip current in the area where Jowayne Binford disappeared Wednesday.

4.3 Quake

2011-09-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Weak shaking from a magnitude 4.3 earthquake in the San Fernando Valley was felt as far away as the Grapevine and Orange County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

But the shaking was not enough to cause damage. And the shaking was variable, depending on the neighborhood.

For example, Anthony Guarino, a seismic analyst at Caltech in Pasadena, said he didn’t feel the quake, but his colleagues across the street at the U.S. Geological Survey felt a sharp jolt.

The quake was centered in a highly seismic area in the mountains north of the Valley, near the same area where the 1971 Sylmar earthquake and the 1994 Northridge quake occurred, Guarino said.

“There’s a lot of faults in that area, very complex geology,” Guarino said.
He said there were at least five aftershocks following the 1:47 p.m. main quake.

The earthquake Thursday produced about 178 times less energy than last week’s East Coast quake, a magnitude 5.8 centered in Virginia, Guarino said.

Guarino said the quake offers a reminder to the public to drop, cover and hold on in the event of a large quake and not run outside like many East Coast people did.

“That’s one of the worst things to do,” Guarino said, because building facades are more likely to collapse onto people fleeing outside.

For example, he said, during the 2003 San Simeon earthquake in Central California, the only two people who died had run outside and were struck by falling debris.

Everyone else who stayed inside the shopping center during the 6.5 earthquake survived.

“Most buildings in California are built to code. But the facade of the building, there aren’t many codes. You may have chunks of plaster or concrete falling as you run outside,” Guarino said.

Stadium Impacting Lucrative Conventions

2011-08-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

More convention planners could follow the lead of a medical association that nixed plans to hold its yearly meeting in Los Angeles due to worries over the proposed construction of a football stadium, a councilman said Wednesday.

Paul Krikorian said in a letter to city staffers and convention center managers that he wanted to know what steps were being taken to assure further conventions are not cancelled and what legal recourse the city has to recoup its losses if any cancellations do occur.

He said he planned to introduce a City Council motion asking for staff to report to the council on those topics and to recount any discussions that have been held with convention planners about the possibility of cancellations.

The Society of Critical Care Medicine said last week that it would hold its February 2014 gathering in San Francisco instead of Los Angeles because of concerns about Anschutz Entertainment Group's stadium proposal.

AEG's plan involves tearing down and relocating a convention center building to make space for what would be a 72,000-seat football venue.

"I realize that the cancellation of one convention may be anecdotal and doesn't yet portend a trend, but the loss of a convention of 5,000 medical professionals is certainly disappointing and suggests that there is a risk of more cancellations," Krikorian wrote.

He said he was especially troubled by remarks made to The Associated Press by the medical group's CEO David Martin, who said he was told by officials with Los Angeles' convention and visitors bureau that the existing convention center building would have to be demolished before the new one is built.

A framework stadium plan approved by the City Council members - including Krikorian - requires AEG to finish work on the new convention center hall before the existing one is demolished to minimize disruptions to currently scheduled conventions.

Either "the council was provided with imprecise information, or the city is not communicating well with its convention organizers," Krikorian wrote. "Either prospect is disturbing."

Convention and visitors bureau spokeswoman Carol Martinez had no immediate comment.

By Jacob Adelman, AP

Topless in Venice

2011-08-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Protesters gathered in Venice Beach to give women and men equal rights -- to bathe topless.

"Free your boobies, free your mind!"

"Put the 'tit' back in 'Constitutional!' "

"Nobody likes tan lines!"

These were just some of the rallying cries that united the "Go Topless Day" protestors at the Venice Boardwalk yesterday afternoon.

They say the human body is a masterpiece and shouldn't be covered up, especially at the beach.

Protesters of both sexes patrolled Ocean Front Walk in Venice Beach Sunday morning calling for what they say is an unconstitutional exercise of gender discrimination.

The protest, in its 4th year, emphasizes that if men are allowed to bear their chests in public, then women should be able to do the same.

"I think they're crazy, but they do it every year. I think it's cool!" one business owner said.

Signatures were also collected to be presented to President Obama in Washington D.C. on Women's Equality Day next week.

Although you have missed out on a chance of joining the supporters you can still join there Facebook Page and donate to there cause at gotopless.org

Chargers Far From LA Move

2011-08-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

It would take a miracle of biblical proportions for the San Diego Chargers to move to Los Angeles next year, in the eyes of the man in charge of finding the team a new stadium.

Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani said the team would not even consider a move to a temporary location if the city wasn't breaking ground on a new permanent stadium. And he believes Farmers Field, the proposed $1.2 billion football stadium in downtown Los Angeles, won't be close to that point by next year.

"I think the downtown L.A. project is years away," Fabiani said while in Los Angeles for a charity board meeting Thursday. "I think it would be a miracle like the loaves and the fishes if they could [break ground next year]."

Ten days ago, the Los Angeles city council unanimously passed the financial framework of an agreement between Anschutz Entertainment Group and the city to build Farmers Field and a new $275 million wing of the Los Angeles Convention Center. AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke said he would like to have a deal in place with a team and break ground on the project by June 2012, with Farmers Field opening by September 2016.

The Chargers are the team most commonly linked to a move to Los Angeles. The team can announce its intentions to leave San Diego between Feb. 1 and May 1 of each year through 2020 by paying an early-termination fee, which would be $24 million next year -- a fee AEG has said it would be willing to pay.

Fabiani, however, continues to work with San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders to keep the team in San Diego. Sanders is in the midst of a three-city tour of stadiums in Kansas City, Indianapolis and Denver to gather ideas for a future Chargers stadium.

The Chargers are hoping to build a retractable roof stadium in downtown San Diego, which would be part of an expanded San Diego Convention Center. The stadium would not only house the Chargers, but also be used to attract Super Bowls, Final Fours and larger conventions. It's a similar proposal to AEG's in downtown Los Angeles, except it doesn't have the support of the San Diego Convention Center, which has its own proposal for an expansion.

While the Chargers are far from figuring out how they will be able to finance such a project, Fabiani said Farmers Field is also far from becoming a reality.

"The downtown L.A. project still needs a final agreement with the city," he said. "What they have now is a non-binding agreement and the devil is in the details with these things, so they first need a binding contract. Second, they need to finish their environmental impact report and get it certified by the city. Third, they need to be able to survive the lawsuits, and they're not going to get an exemption like Ed Roski got. Fourth, they need an agreement with the NFL on a relocation fee because that is going to be a huge number. And fifth, they need to have a deal with a team. If you don't have every one of those things you're not going to start digging in the ground."

Sanders and Fabiani want to get a Chargers stadium financing plan in front of the voters by November 2012, which is Sanders' final month in office. In the meantime, Fabiani said the Chargers aren't looking to move to Los Angeles.

If they were, he said, they would have already moved to the City of Industry, where Ed Roski has a shovel-ready project for a 75,000-seat football stadium that could conceivably break ground as soon as a team decided to move there.

"Ed Roski is a billionaire and one of the most respected people in Los Angeles and one of the most respected developers in the country," Fabiani said. "He's had a shovel-ready project for over two years. He's got support from the city and money from the city. He has his EIR done and he's got the exemption from the lawsuits. He has everything and he hasn't turned over a single shovel full of dirt because he doesn't have a team, and it's not from a lack of trying."

If the Chargers' proposal to build a stadium in downtown San Diego meets the same fate as previous proposals in Mission Valley, Chula Vista, Escondido, National City and Oceanside have the past 10 years, Fabiani admits that could eventually spell the end of the Chargers in San Diego.

"I think if we didn't make the ballot in 2012 we would have to seriously look at our other options," he said. "I don't think there's any way to avoid saying that to people."

AEG's deal or "memorandum of understanding" with the city states it must have a deal in place with a team before they can break ground, and Leiweke said he's willing to wait a year if necessary.

"If it takes a little bit longer, then we'll take a little bit longer and we'll be playing in the building in 2017. We're prepared to do that," Leiweke said. "All of our deals anticipate that. Legally we don't lose our memorandum of understanding with the city or our naming right agreement if we open September 2017. We have time to figure this out on the team side, but my gut tells me if a team is going to make a move, they don't want to be a lame duck and they're going to make a move sooner rather than later."

By Arash Markazi, ESPNLosAngeles.com

L.A. Sheriff's Department Investigated for Civil Rights Violations

2011-08-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is being investigated for alleged "systemic" civil rights violations during routine traffic stops by trying to identify people who live in publicly subsidized housing, federal officials said Friday.

The U.S. Justice Department is conducting a civil investigation into the alleged discriminatory policing by the sheriff's deputies in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, both in the Mojave Desert's Antelope Valley, federal officials said.

Deputies from sheriff stations in those two communities also allegedly conducted warrantless searches of African-American families' homes under the auspices of a housing authority compliance inspection, and housing authority investigators based at the two stations allegedly accompanied deputies during the compliance checks, federal officials said.

Sometimes, the deputies allegedly approached the home of a recipient of what is known as Section 8 subsidies "with guns drawn and in full SWAT armor," conducted searches and asked questions unrelated to housing programs, Justice Department officials said.

The Justice Department inquiry will focus on whether the two sheriff stations "engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of race or national origin," federal officials said.

"In interviews with affected individuals and community representatives, we heard troubling accounts of allegedly unjustified stops and searches," Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said in a statement.

"We will be investigating whether there is a pattern of racially motivated stops and arrests," Perez said. "We intend to peel the onion to its core, and gain a precise understanding of what is happening in these two areas."

Sheriff Leroy D. Baca appeared at the news conference Friday with Perez in downtown Los Angeles and said his department is cooperating with the investigation.

"We are not going to enforce the laws on the backs of the poor who are in effect obeying the law," the sheriff said.

The Antelope Valley has experienced explosive population growth over the past two decades, and African-Americans and Latinos now make up almost 60 percent of Lancaster and almost 70 percent of Palmdale, Perez said.

Justice Department officials will also look at whether leaders in the two communities "adopted a policy or practice designed to drive certain residents out of the community," Perez said.

The cities of Lancaster and Palmdale don't have their own police forces, and they contract with the sheriff, Perez said. Federal authorities will investigate allegations of deputies working alongside city officials, Perez said.

Palmdale City Hall was closed Friday, and officials there and in the city of Lancaster couldn't be reached immediately for comment.

The sheriff stations in those communities show disproportionately high rates of misdemeanor and obstruction arrests in comparison with other stations, federal officials said. Also, the two cities have "unusually high rates of misdemeanor arrests and particularly high rates of arrests of African-Americans," Perez said.

The federal inquiry is being carried out under a police reform provision enacted in the wake of the Los Angeles police beating of Rodney King in 1991, and the Justice Department now has the authority to investigate "patterns or practices of the deprivation of constitutional rights or violations of federal law," Perez said.

In a recent e-mailed letter to the sheriff, Perez wrote that the Justice Department will conduct its inquiry in conjunction with another ongoing investigation begun in June into allegations that the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster violated the Fair Housing Act.

The Los Angeles County Housing Authority is also being investigated for an alleged "systematic effort to discriminate against African-Americans and Latinos," federal officials said.

"We've been working with (Justice Department investigators) cooperatively since we were notified on June 16," said Emilio Salas, deputy executive director of the Los Angeles County Housing Authority.

His agency looks forward to the inquiry and any recommendations that the Justice Department may come up with, he said.

By Michael Martinez, CNN

The Republicans want us dumb!

2011-06-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Republicans again want to cut funding to Public Broadcasting, there argument is that it is a liberal government funded organization that spreads a biased viewpoint to rich white Americans and that the general population should not have to pay for this out of their own pocket.

The real reason the Republicans, more importantly the Tea Party want to cut funding is not because there
is a huge deficit in Washington, but because they are running scared of an organization that doesn’t promote bigoted or one-sided arguments such as their beloved Fox News.

Public Broadcasting shows all points of view, liberal and conservative and allows the public to make up there own mind about important issues. Unlike so many of the cable news channels and talk radio stations it is left up to the listener to make there own decision on which viewpoint to side with.

Coming for a country where the main broadcaster is publicly funded (The BBC) I am used to unbiased reporting and have been allowed to make my own mind up about where I stand on important issues. Sometimes I will take the harder more conservative viewpoint and at other times I will feel that the liberal approach is the best.

I am not blind to the fact some of the journalism on the BBC and Public Broadcasting here in the US is slightly biased at times; but I also understand that it is hard to not put opinion into programming that is designed to educate and to a certain extent entertain.

Since moving to America I have noticed that the government is afraid to keep the general public knowledgeable on it’s affairs here and abroad. The government seems scared of the very people it should be serving. That is why this country and others around the world are experiencing a dumbing down of it’s population. Higher education is increasingly becoming further and further out of reach to most citizens in the western world, news channels are more likely to report on the new outfit that Michelle Obama is wearing over what her husband is doing in office and now Public Broadcasting is being threatened again.

People of LA

2011-04-18T15:18:00.001-07:00

Most people frequently wear what they find comfortable, what the can afford, or something that they need for a specific function. They usually go unnoticed, and commonly blend in with the crowd. Others often reveal who they are by what they are wearing. One can learn a lot about these types of people. The types of people living in LA are: the "I wear designer clothing" people, the "I wear low end designer clothing" people, and the "I don't care about designer clothing" people.

First there are the "I wear designer clothing" people. They are generally dressed to impress. Twenty-four-carat gold necklaces around their necks, diamonds on their fingers sparkling like the sun on a still lake. These people exude high maintenance. Typically wearing an attention grabbing color such as
chartreuse, their outfit is wrinkle free, and appears to have cost more than a semester at a University. It almost seems these people are disappointed that an Armani tag on the outside of a shirt would appear tacky. They have a confident stride that accompanies them. these people make sure they are noticed. they can be seen strutting to the restroom in a restaurant more frequently than usual, as if the isle was a catwalk. They give everyone a chance to admire them at least three or four times. When the time comes to retrieve their car form valet, they decide to strike up a superficial conversation with the valet attendant. That gives everyone a chance to view the $120,000 Porsche that, of course, matches the chartreuse ensemble.

Next there are the "I wear low end designer clothing" people. Their way of receiving notice is by making up for what they do not have with attitude. Generally they are wearing the lower end designer clothing; something that lets people know they spent more than they should have on a sweater, but at least they can. These people are usually wearing something that does not fit the weather conditions. It is the middle of July, they are dancing in a crowded nightclub and they are wearing a heavy knit sweater with some sort of obscenely large logo on the front. They think, "I spent half my paycheck on this sweater", and because of that, they do not have a particularly large wardrobe. They have been brainwashed into thinking material possessions reflect who they are. They are regularly found at the most popular restaurants and clubs. Without a doubt, someone has told them that these are the places to be "seen". They are very impressionable and follow the herd, much like sheep. These people are undeniably acquaintances with the most superficial people that live. The conversation usually consists of their six million dollar beachfront house in Malibu and their freshly waxed, brand new, black "custom" Mercedes that is so rare there are only four of them in the country! At the end of the night, or their conversation, they quietly sneak out the back door, hoping that no one saw they leave. If someone had, how would they explain entering the Mercedes that is actually a 1989, rusted Mustang? Even worse, the Malibu house is actually an apartment in a suburb hardly noticeable on a map. These people spend their live thinking of the next person of thing they wish they were.

Last there are the " I don't care about designer clothing" people. These people walk around in a very approachable manner. they do not walk like they have two books on the top of their head, but they also don not walk like gravity is pulling their shoulders straight to the ground. They may wish to be noticed, but they are not going to put on a show. They are who they are. They have gone a bit further than the bare necessities to make themselves presentable. Maybe they are wearing a pair of black jeans, possible from Gap, form fitting t-shirt, and a somewhat new pair of sandals or tennis shoes. It is difficult to foresee who they are. Their hair is nicely combed, but not styled to the latest trends. they could be the people that live in a single apartment with only a bed and a piano inside. Nevertheless, they have no need to flaunt their material possessions or lack of them to gain notice. The mysteriousness of what they are not wearing and not flaunting is what makes these people attract attention.

LA Drivers (etc)

2011-04-13T17:52:00.001-07:00

Now I have a fairly nice car. I like to keep it nice and clean, free from dents and scratches. I hate if I open the door too far and hit a wall, or if I scrape the curb. I can’t stand hitting the bottom of the car on a parking curb or in one of the craters in the centre of many LA intersections.

So… Why oh why would you just fling your door open and hit the car next to you? Not only do I not like damaging someone else’s property as I have explained above, I don’t like damaging mine.

What type of person has so little regard for their property and others that you would just hit anything and everything in your path? Are the people of LA so high on Xanax that they have no clue what they are hitting?

This was going to be a rant about people being stupid but since starting this blog I have now found out that not only are LA drivers stupid or too strung out to care about other peoples cars, they are crazy maniacs too.

I have had my car parked on the street for about two weeks in the same spot. This has angered someone so much that they have found it necessary to key the car. How mad do you have to be to carve two massive crosses into the hood of a car?

I could almost understand it if I had cheated on my wife, stole your girlfriend or raped your mother but just taking up space on a city street?!!!

If that wasn’t bad enough I’ve seen people ‘bumper’ parking. That is squeezing your car into a spot that is too small for your car. Plastic bumpers have a habit of bending in when you push hard enough and hey presto your car now fits.

In total I have well over $2000 dollars damage to the car not including the huge dent that a palm tree fern did to the car when it fell from 60 feet onto it. Will the city pay? Will they F*@k!

Anyway rant over. This one ended up a little more personal than I was hoping. Next time I will have the apartment hunting in LA rant for you as promised.

Foursqaure

2011-04-06T23:03:00.001-07:00

So I have been using this new APP on my blackberry, on my iPad well on any platform I can log into it! It’s called Foursquare, I’m sure you have heard of it, probably even used it. It’s supposed to allow you to check into place’s letting people know where you are and save you money, add loyalty to stores blah, blah, blah.

Sounds great doesn’t it. Problem is the developers didn’t realize that ADD saps like me would get totally addicted to checking into every venue/room that you enter. I get separation anxiety if I can’t check in to a place. I’ve even got to the stage that I can’t continue to do the groceries if I haven’t checked in let, I’ve left a cart full of groceries in the centre of an isle as I run for the door convinced that something terrible is going to happen just because I can’t check in. Terrorists could hold the place up or blow the place up, there could be an earthquake just because I didn’t check in!

It get’s worse, if I can’t check in at work I either have to go home sick or just sit there behind my desk with the terrors.

I know I sound crazy, I probably am but I’m not the only person, I’ve witnessed people outside of shops desperately punching away at their phones and when I stealthily peek at the screen of their phone I see that they are running Foursquare or another one of those demon applications that make you tell everyone in the world including the burglar sat at the end of your street on a laptop in a removal van where you are, or more importantly where you are not!

I have to check in to my home, the pool in my building, the bathroom, every damned ride at Disneyland, work, the hotel, the hotel lobby even entering in my room number so anyone stalking me can come and get all Joran van der Sloot on my ass.

All this sharing is total overkill. You can update Twitter and Facebook that you are at the local gay bathhouse so everyone knows you are a closet fairy flogger. Who cares, and why do you care to tell everyone.

Before social networking I was a very private person, I kept everything close to my chest, no one knew nothing about me, nada. But now if you view my Twitter feed you will find out that I loved the curried salad that my wife made last night, but that at 7:13am this morning it burned hotter than jet fuel on it’s way out.

I don’t know why I’m obsessed in over share, why I can’t enter a building/room without checking in but I know it is getting out of hand.

Therefore I am deleting all my APPs that involve any form of social networking from my phone. I’m going off the grid. If you want to know where I am or what I’m doing send me a text and I will tell you. But for gods sake don’t call me because I’ve lost the power of the spoken word unless I absolutely have to meet you in person.

iPad Envy

2011-04-06T23:00:00.001-07:00

So I'm a little upset with Apple. No, myself actually. After a chance run in with an iPad a friend of mine brought on vacation I couldn't wait to get my grubby little hands on one of my own.

I knew Apple would be releasing the iPad 2 a couple of months later but I couldn't wait. I was sensible only opting for the cheapest one, as you can either listen to music or watch movies over Airplay and you don't really have to carry around your whole porn collection at one time, so the 16MB would do just fine.

I've been more than happy with this handy device. My wife is actually jealous as I spent more time with it than her! But. I still want the iPad 2. I want to see my parents on Skype and walk them around my apartment. I want something lighter, I want something newer!

It's terrible how easily we forget how wonderful something once was when something newer comes along. My Blackberry was quickly dumped for my iPad, and now I want to be unfaithful to that! Not to mention that my poor wife has been quickly some may say conveniently forgotten.

I dread to think what she will make of me when I upgrade to the iPhone 5 after Verizon finally launches it on their network!

All I can say is that she started it. If she had never have bought me an iPod for my 30th Birthday, I would still be using my old phone that sends and receives calls and text messages only, listening to my music on my big old laptop! (I had to get somewhat technical as I couldn't afford to ship my vinyl and CD collection from the UK when I first emergrated to the US!)

When in doubt blame the wife. If you don't do it first you will be the one to blame!