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Thursday, November 13, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
EnvironmentGarcetti's Mayoral Mansion Uses Five Times as Much Water as Typical L.A. Home
Comments (3)By Gene Maddaus
Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 11:05 AM
Getty House, the mayoral residence, uses 2,100 gallons of water every day — more than five times as much as the average L.A. home, according to figures released by the L.A. Department of Water and Power.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, who moved into the mansion late last year, has called on Angelenos to cut their water use by 20 percent in the next two years, in response to a record-breaking drought.
And while the mayor has taken steps to reduce the mansion's water usage, removing some landscaping from the front of the house, he has a long way to go.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, who moved into the mansion late last year, has called on Angelenos to cut their water use by 20 percent in the next two years, in response to a record-breaking drought.
And while the mayor has taken steps to reduce the mansion's water usage, removing some landscaping from the front of the house, he has a long way to go.
Alcohol & Spirits
Weekend DUI Crackdown Starts Tonight in Koreatown (Again!)
Comments (0)By Dennis Romero
Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 9:03 AM
When it comes to drunk driving crackdowns, it's pretty clear the Los Angeles Police Department has its favorite neighborhoods.
Whiter, wealthier areas of the city, represented by the department's West Los Angeles, Pacific and West Valley divisions, don't seem to be targeted half as much as South L.A. and the immigrant-rich communities surrounding downtown.
However: Cops will tell you they use arrest data to help them determine where to focus their efforts. On that basis, it's hard to deny that some of the LAPD's favorite haunts, like Koreatown, are being unfairly targeted. After all, that area has a notoriously dense concentration of alcohol establishments.
See also: Koreatown: America's Hippest Neighborhood
And that brings us to the belle of the ball, Koreatown, for this weekend's DUI crackdown cheat sheet. Here's the 411:
Whiter, wealthier areas of the city, represented by the department's West Los Angeles, Pacific and West Valley divisions, don't seem to be targeted half as much as South L.A. and the immigrant-rich communities surrounding downtown.
However: Cops will tell you they use arrest data to help them determine where to focus their efforts. On that basis, it's hard to deny that some of the LAPD's favorite haunts, like Koreatown, are being unfairly targeted. After all, that area has a notoriously dense concentration of alcohol establishments.
See also: Koreatown: America's Hippest Neighborhood
And that brings us to the belle of the ball, Koreatown, for this weekend's DUI crackdown cheat sheet. Here's the 411:
Environment
L.A. City Hall Fights Itself Over Fracking
Comments (0)By Dennis Romero
Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 8:04 AM
The battle over fracking in Los Angeles has become a war inside City Hall.
In February the City Council voted unanimously to have staffers draft a law that would place a moratorium on hydraulic oil and gas extraction within L.A. Environmentalists pressing for the ban argue that fracking, which injects pressurized liquid into the earth in order to force out fossil fuels, can contaminate water supplies and even trigger earthquakes.
See also: Is L.A. Backtracking on Its Fracking Ban?
Last week the Department of City Planning — representing some of the staffers ordered to come up with an ordinance — returned a report to the council arguing that hiring a "technical expert" would be necessary first and that no-fracking buffer zones around homes, schools and water wells would suffice.
In other words, planning officials decided a ban wasn't favorable. Two councilman who proposed the prohibition are fuming and are laying down the law for their subordinates at City Planning.
In February the City Council voted unanimously to have staffers draft a law that would place a moratorium on hydraulic oil and gas extraction within L.A. Environmentalists pressing for the ban argue that fracking, which injects pressurized liquid into the earth in order to force out fossil fuels, can contaminate water supplies and even trigger earthquakes.
See also: Is L.A. Backtracking on Its Fracking Ban?
Last week the Department of City Planning — representing some of the staffers ordered to come up with an ordinance — returned a report to the council arguing that hiring a "technical expert" would be necessary first and that no-fracking buffer zones around homes, schools and water wells would suffice.
In other words, planning officials decided a ban wasn't favorable. Two councilman who proposed the prohibition are fuming and are laying down the law for their subordinates at City Planning.
Sex Crimes
Korean Models Lured by Photographer Who Raped and Attacked, L.A. Cops Say
Comments (1)By Dennis Romero
Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 7:03 AM
UPDATE at 1:08 p.m., Nov. 13: The suspect denies the allegations. See more at the bottom.
A man lured predominantly Korean-speaking women he raped, attacked or tried to assault by promising them modeling jobs, the Los Angeles Police Department officials said last night. In at least one case, he threatened to call federal immigration authorities on a victim because she wasn't complying, they said.
Suspect Jung Park, 41, was arrested Oct. 28 and, even though bail was listed at $100,000, he was released the same day, according to sheriff's inmate data. A police official said he had bailed out and was currently free.
Police publicized the case overnight because they fear other victims could be out there. If they exist, they want them to come forward.
A man lured predominantly Korean-speaking women he raped, attacked or tried to assault by promising them modeling jobs, the Los Angeles Police Department officials said last night. In at least one case, he threatened to call federal immigration authorities on a victim because she wasn't complying, they said.
Suspect Jung Park, 41, was arrested Oct. 28 and, even though bail was listed at $100,000, he was released the same day, according to sheriff's inmate data. A police official said he had bailed out and was currently free.
Police publicized the case overnight because they fear other victims could be out there. If they exist, they want them to come forward.
City Hall
How a Ragtag Coalition Stops Skyscrapers in Hollywood
Comments (6)By Jill Stewart and David Futch
Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 6:03 AM
Environmental attorney Robert Silverstein must be one lucky man. He has faced down the City of Los Angeles, its teams of attorneys, its deep pockets. And five times in front of five different judges, Silverstein has prevailed in his legal battle against Mayor Eric Garcetti's push to transform Hollywood into a kind of dense, Century City–meets–Warner Center skyscraper zone.
Then last week, Mother Nature herself sided with the slight but fiery Silverstein.
An official "earthquake fault zone" map, released by the California State Geologist, officially determined that an active surface-rupture fault snakes from the eastern border of West Hollywood through Hollywood and Los Feliz to Atwater Village, running beneath scores of old, low-slung Hollywood buildings and parcels that investors have been buying — or eyeing — with hopes of clearing the land and bringing in more dense development.
But geologists say the Hollywood earthquake fault is powerful enough to split in half any building sitting atop it. The state's official geological map has thrown into legal doubt the future of a number of plans that now exist only on paper, including the Millennium Hollywood project, whose New York developers want to erect twin 35- and 39-story skyscrapers next to the Capitol Records building.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
WTFDrunk Girl Video Was a Big Fat Set Up
Comments (3)By Dennis Romero
Wed, Nov 12, 2014 at 5:39 PM
A man who appeared in that viral "drunk girl" video (see it below) says the whole thing was a set up.
Christine Michaels, owner of LA Epic Club Crawls, says employee Mike “Mokii” Koshak told her he was approached by the video's maker and told to act the part of a zealous suitor for what he believed was a student comedy short film. Koshak also says as much on his Facebook page.
See also: Woman Acting Drunk Asks For Help, But Men Just Want to Take Her Home (VIDEO)
The video, a response to the infamous and ugly New York catcall video, shows a woman pretending to be drunk and asking for help finding a bus to Culver City as she walks on Hollywood Boulevard.
Christine Michaels, owner of LA Epic Club Crawls, says employee Mike “Mokii” Koshak told her he was approached by the video's maker and told to act the part of a zealous suitor for what he believed was a student comedy short film. Koshak also says as much on his Facebook page.
See also: Woman Acting Drunk Asks For Help, But Men Just Want to Take Her Home (VIDEO)
The video, a response to the infamous and ugly New York catcall video, shows a woman pretending to be drunk and asking for help finding a bus to Culver City as she walks on Hollywood Boulevard.
City Rankings
L.A. Is Officially a "Boom Town" of New Construction
Comments (0)By Dennis Romero
Wed, Nov 12, 2014 at 9:03 AM
If you've lived here for a while then you know it's been some years since the cranes have been rocking and the construction workers have been clocking hours on the job.
Blame the Great Recession of 2007, sure, but even before that L.A. development was relatively stagnant, especially as we looked enviously west across the Pacific and saw Chinese metropolises rising from the dust.
You can blame L.A.'s notorious NIMBYs, who don't like development, sure. But the truth is that it takes an ungodly amount of cash to buy and build these days, particularly when it comes to mega projects of the type we're now seeing in town.
Blame the Great Recession of 2007, sure, but even before that L.A. development was relatively stagnant, especially as we looked enviously west across the Pacific and saw Chinese metropolises rising from the dust.
You can blame L.A.'s notorious NIMBYs, who don't like development, sure. But the truth is that it takes an ungodly amount of cash to buy and build these days, particularly when it comes to mega projects of the type we're now seeing in town.
City Hall
Made in America Festival Cost L.A. Taxpayers Nearly $170,000
Comments (2)By Dennis Romero
Wed, Nov 12, 2014 at 8:04 AM
Downtown L.A.'s Made in America festival over Labor Day weekend set city taxpayers back nearly $170,000 in unrecouped costs for policing, street closures, trash pickup and other expenses, according to our analysis of figures from the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, who aggressively wooed the event.
The numbers were apparently first released to another outlet just before the Veterans Day holiday, after L.A. Weekly, long critical of the event, last month formally requested them under the California Public Records Act. PRA expert Peter Scheer of the First Amendment Coalition says the law dictates that, in general, City Hall shouldn't discriminate between whom gets public information and when.
In any case, the cash is relatively inconsequential for a city that has an $8 billion budget. Even fiscal hawk and City Hall critic Jack Humphreville calls the $169,971.84 we ended up spending on the two-day, Jay Z-curated concert "a drop in the bucket."
The numbers were apparently first released to another outlet just before the Veterans Day holiday, after L.A. Weekly, long critical of the event, last month formally requested them under the California Public Records Act. PRA expert Peter Scheer of the First Amendment Coalition says the law dictates that, in general, City Hall shouldn't discriminate between whom gets public information and when.
In any case, the cash is relatively inconsequential for a city that has an $8 billion budget. Even fiscal hawk and City Hall critic Jack Humphreville calls the $169,971.84 we ended up spending on the two-day, Jay Z-curated concert "a drop in the bucket."
WTF
Woman Acting Drunk Asks For Help, But Men Just Want to Take Her Home (VIDEO)
Comments (4)By Dennis Romero
Wed, Nov 12, 2014 at 7:03 AM
UPDATE: It turns out that this viral video was a big fat set up.
The West Coast's response to the New York City catcall-video-gone-viral is one, recently posted on YouTube (see it below), that has a woman acting drunk on Hollywood Boulevard to see what happens.
"I've had a little too much to drink," she says, holding a beverage in a brown paper bag. "Let's see if anyone will help me get home."
As she stumbles around a well-trafficked Walk of Fame, the actor who calls herself Jennifer tells men "I'm trying to find the bus to Culver City."
The West Coast's response to the New York City catcall-video-gone-viral is one, recently posted on YouTube (see it below), that has a woman acting drunk on Hollywood Boulevard to see what happens.
"I've had a little too much to drink," she says, holding a beverage in a brown paper bag. "Let's see if anyone will help me get home."
As she stumbles around a well-trafficked Walk of Fame, the actor who calls herself Jennifer tells men "I'm trying to find the bus to Culver City."
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
EnvironmentHow an Environmental Disaster Is Redeeming Itself in L.A.
Comments (2)By Dennis Romero
Tue, Nov 11, 2014 at 9:03 AM
Corn syrup has the dubious distinction of being bad for both our bodies and our land.
While studies have long tracked the parallel timelines between corn syrup's inclusion in mass market sodas and our expanding waistlines, environmentalists have also decried the damage done by single-crop monoculture, like most of the corn grown in America, that requires extra pesticides and depletes soil nutrients.
If you've been a consumer of carbonated corn sugar, a.k.a soda, at least you can redeem your environmental credentials. A little.
While studies have long tracked the parallel timelines between corn syrup's inclusion in mass market sodas and our expanding waistlines, environmentalists have also decried the damage done by single-crop monoculture, like most of the corn grown in America, that requires extra pesticides and depletes soil nutrients.
If you've been a consumer of carbonated corn sugar, a.k.a soda, at least you can redeem your environmental credentials. A little.
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Korean Models Lured by Photographer Who Raped and Attacked, L.A. Cops Say
A man lured predominantly Korean-speaking women he raped, attacked or tried to assault by promising them modeling jobs, the Los Angeles Police Department officials said last night. In at least one case he threatened to call federal immigration authorities on a victim because she wasn't complying, they said. Suspect Jung...@ 7:03 AM On Thu, November 13 -
Weekend DUI Crackdown Starts Tonight in Koreatown (Again!)
When it comes to drunk driving crackdowns, it's pretty clear the Los Angeles Police Department has its favorite neighborhoods. Whiter, wealthier areas of the city, represented by the department's West Los Angeles, Pacific and West Valley divisions, don't seem to be targeted half as much as South L.A. and the...@ 9:03 AM On Thu, November 13 -
Garcetti's Mayoral Mansion Uses Five Times as Much Water as Typical L.A. Home
Getty House, the mayoral residence, uses 2,100 gallons of water every day — more than five times as much as the average L.A. home, according to figures released by the L.A. Department of Water and Power. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who moved into the mansion late last year, has called on...@ 11:05 AM On Thu, November 13 3 -
How a Ragtag Coalition Stops Skyscrapers in Hollywood
Environmental attorney Robert Silverstein must be one lucky man. He has faced down the City of Los Angeles, its teams of attorneys, its deep pockets. And five times in front of five different judges, Silverstein has prevailed in his legal battle against Mayor Eric Garcetti's push to transform Hollywood into...@ 6:03 AM On Thu, November 13 6 -
L.A. County to Probe Voter "Irregularities"
The Republican-led voter-ID movement has widely been seen as an attempt to discourage minorities and poor people, who are less likely to have government identification, from going to the polls. Perhaps the biggest evidence of this is, first, that the pursuers of this policy are almost always folks on the...@ 8:04 AM On Thu, November 6 4 -
L.A. City Hall Fights Itself Over Fracking
The battle over fracking in Los Angeles has become a war inside City Hall. In February the City Council voted unanimously to have staffers draft a law that would place a moratorium on hydraulic oil and gas extraction within L.A. Environmentalists pressing for the ban argue that fracking, which injects...@ 8:04 AM On Thu, November 13 -
L.A. Is Officially a "Boom Town" of New Construction
If you've lived here for a while then you know it's been some years since the cranes have been rocking and the construction workers have been clocking hours on the job. Blame the Great Recession of 2007, sure, but even before that L.A. development was relatively stagnant, especially as we...@ 9:03 AM On Wed, November 12 -
Weekend DUI Crackdown Starts Tonight in Koreatown
You're still hungover from Halloween weekend, we know, but the Los Angeles Police Department and other agencies are like unstoppable zombies when it comes to busting drunk drivers. They've planned a long weekend of DUI enforcement that actually starts tonight in Koreatown and downtown. Lucky for you the LAPD believes...@ 7:03 AM On Thu, November 6 -
Drunk Girl Video Was a Big Fat Set Up
A man who appeared in that viral "drunk girl" video (see it below) says the whole thing was a set up. Christine Peters, owner of LA Epic Club Crawls, says employee Mike “Mokii” Koshak told her he was approached by the video's maker and told to act the part of a...@ 5:39 PM On Wed, November 12 3 -
Alleged Online Drug Dealer Worked at Elon Musk's SpaceX in L.A.
A man accused by federal authorities today of operating an online drug bazaar called Silk Road 2.0 allegedly did so as he worked briefly at Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket and spacecraft concern in Hawthorne. SpaceX communications director John Taylor says 26-year-old Blake Benthall was employed at the company from Dec...@ 2:54 PM On Thu, November 6 2 -
State Says Active Hollywood Quake Fault Runs Under Millennium and Other Choice Land: Map
The State of California shook Mayor Eric Garcetti, the L.A. City Council and Hollywood developers today, releasing a legally binding map of the Hollywood Earthquake Fault Zone which shows that the active "surface rupture" fault runs under the lower part of property for the proposed Millennium Towers skyscrapers. State law renders...@ 4:21 PM On Thu, November 6 6 -
You Might Get to Vote on Mandatory Condoms For Porn Stars
The matter of whether or not condoms should be required equipment for porn stars on the job could be on the 2016 presidential ballot in California. After failing to get such a law through the state legislature in 2013 and 2014, the L.A.-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation says it will announce...@ 7:03 AM On Fri, November 7 2 -
L.A. Garment Workers Are Robbed of Millions by Employers, Feds Say
They come to take our jobs? Then we don't pay them? What has this country come to? The U.S. Labor Department Wage and Hour Division said this week that Los Angeles was, by far, the nation's capital of underpaying garment workers, a group largely comprised of immigrants. Garment workers were shorted $3,004,085 during...@ 8:04 AM On Fri, November 7 -
DNA Matchmaking Science Is Coming to Your Smartphone
The prospect of finding a mate through DNA testing seems a little agrarian to us. Compatible DNA? What if you end up with a long, lost cousin? Well, the fascinating thing about Singldout's use of DNA testing for its matchmaking service is that opposites attract, especially when it comes to...@ 9:03 AM On Fri, November 7 -
Shepard Fairey Is Not Happy With Time Magazine
Shepard Fairey, L.A.'s unofficial street-art laureate, has in recent years reaped a lot of publicity and fame from Time magazine's use of his work. There was the "Hope" cover image of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, based on a poster that put Fairey in hot water because he lied after it was...@ 7:03 AM On Mon, November 10 5
