‘$4 isn’t much’

The Kroger company is the biggest retail grocery company in the United States. As the largest pure grocer in the United States (trailing only Walmart in overall grocery sales and at approximately double the revenue of number-two Albertsons.

Kroger owns many chains other than Kroger stores. Food 4 Less and Ralphs in metropolitan Los Angeles are two of its chains. When you shop in Ralphs, as I do, you see the Kroger name on many of its private label products.

The company has decided to close its stores in Long Beach (one Ralphs and one Food 4 Less) because the city council has ordered food markets to pay a $4-an-hour increase for grocery workers during the pandemic. The city called it hazards pay. This is not a permanent increase.

Kroger, which has enjoyed a big jump in profits during the pandemic, is pushing back. Customers and workers say that’s unfair. Kroger’s decision is most likely based on the fear that once the pay rate is increased it will never go back to the previous level and it will set precedent for the city and county of Los Angeles. That then could spread across the nation.

Ronald Fong, president of the California Grocers Association trade group, which filed a lawsuit over the Long Beach ordinance, said the group tried to warn the city about “unintended consequences” of the measure.

This is the best example of workers versus employers that we have seen since the last strike of grocery workers. The 2003-04 Southland grocery strike dragged on for 141 days. That work stoppage was estimated by some analysts to have cost the supermarket chains as much as $2 billion, with locked-out workers losing $300 million in wages.

One shopper at the Ralphs store told an LA Times reporter she supports the hero pay, in part because her son works in the retail grocery business. “It’s hard work for him!” she said. “$4 isn’t much.”

With a 2020 Net Income of $1.64 billion it seems the company needs to become a responsible member of a society that is struggling with a pandemic.

West San Fernando Valley Isn’t a Suburb Anymore

The Promenade 2035 project will include a new sports arena, two hotels, a 28-story office tower and more than 1,400 new apartments. This development, that will take 15 years to complete, will impact the West San Fernando Valley bringing more residents, businesses, and traffic. The idea of the suburban life style will be gone. It is the price citizens of this city will pay for having an area that so many want to enjoy. L.A. approves $1B ‘mini-city’ in west San Fernando Valley with sports arena, hotels, office and apartment units | KTLA

L.A. approves $1B ‘mini-city’ in west San Fernando Valley with sports arena, hotels, office and apartment units

Unknown Los Angeles

Los Angeles has many places of historic significance that many Angelenos are not familiar with. Historic Bunker Hill was a community of wealthy people with very large sumptuous homes overlooking the downtown that was abandoned as the wealthy moved west to Hancock Park and Beverly Hills. The Bunker Hill homes were ultimately torn down and the area became an area of high rise office buildings.

Forgotten but still there is a group of mansions in what became known as Angelino Heights. Carroll Ave Victorian Era Residents were built in the 1880s and 1890s. Many were destroyed when the Hollywood Freeway was built. There are no signs directing sightseers to the street. The house that sits at 1345 Carroll Ave in Angelino Heights is known as the Sanders House and is most famous for being featured as the spooky setting for Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video. The 3,532-square-foot Queen Anne style house was originally built for a local warehouse operator named Michael Sanders in 1887. Many are occupied and none are open for tours. The two block street is lined with the mansions. The street is not gated and anyone can park there.

I learned of the street when we signed up for a city tour. This was not the tour offered in the front of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The tour gave us only a drive-by. Later on my own I drove around the neighborhood for about a half hour before finding the street.

Ferndell, Griffith Park, Los Angeles California

Four best photos taken with my new Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 camera. Much higher pixel count photos than those taken with older models that have a smaller sensor. The result is sharper pictures. Click the link.

The dell is a narrow canyon and the trail is less than a mile in length. The small creek helps keep the plant life lush.

https://www.twenty20.com/collections/d561752b-b4c2-4aba-b75c-7b298350b7be

Summary of the past week in the News

Free tuition at community colleges

KCRA Channel 3 Sacramento and CNN: California will provide free tuition for two years of community college to first-time, full-time California students. Full time students are those taking at least 12 units per semester. It does not include the cost of books, housing, or any other expenses. This is the same program that existed in the 1950s.

Is this an invasion of privacy? Is this big brother?

Business Insider: American Airlines has started using facial recognition technology to let passengers board planes without their boarding pass.

LA Times: Delta Air Lines began using facial recognition technology at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, installing cameras to identify passengers at one boarding gate, with plans to add more. Critics of the technology say the images collected by the cameras can be stored and used to violate the privacy of innocent people, and that the technology is more likely to misidentify women and people of color than white men.

Washington Post: The doorbell-camera company Ring has quietly forged video-sharing partnerships with more than 400 police forces across the United States, granting them access to homeowners’ camera footage and a powerful role in what the company calls the nation’s “new neighborhood watch.”

Trump has repeatedly promised to complete 500 miles of fencing by the time voters go to the polls in November 2020

Washington Post: The president has told senior aides that a failure to deliver on the signature promise of his 2016 campaign would be a letdown to his supporters and an embarrassing defeat. When aides have suggested that some orders are illegal or unworkable, Trump has suggested he would pardon the officials if they would just go ahead, aides said. He has waved off worries about contracting procedures and the use of eminent domain, saying “take the land,” according to officials who attended the meetings.

A mom with a license plate that reads ‘PB4WEGO’ wins a battle with the state to keep it

If you’re a parent, heading out the door before a car ride with the kids probably goes a little like this:

Parent: “Did you go to the bathroom?”

Child: “No, I don’t have to go.”

Parent: “Go now, you may not get the chance later.”

Wendy Augur has had this license plate for 15 years. New Hampshire’s DMV demanded she turn in the plate because it had a phrase relating to “sexual or excretory acts of functions”. In a hearing it took the governor’s intervention to allow her to keep the plate.

No homeless housing in Chatsworth (a “middle class” community in Los Angeles)

LA City Councilman John Lee opposes a proposed homeless housing site on Topanga Canyon Blvd. “I don’t think the site was really well thought out. It was thrown at the community, and I don’t believe the site is going to work” he told the LA Daily News. The location is along a stretch of the boulevard that is all commercial buildings. He implied he had another location in mind. The neighborhood council has been on record opposing any homeless shelter in the community.

UCLA study on homelessness

1 – Homelessness has surged 75 percent in six years. An estimated 57,000 people will be without a home in Los Angeles tonight. Many of these people are families and children; veterans and friends.

2 – 26 percent of homeless individuals in California are severely mentally ill, 18 percent chronically abuse drugs and 24 percent are victims of domestic abuse.

Latest round of Trump’s tariffs on China takes effect on many consumer goods

New tariff took effect Sunday Sept. 1 (Labor Day). The tariff list includes 90 types of boots, slippers, leather shoes and other footwear; more than 125 kinds of watches and clocks; various color TV sets video monitors; computer printers, all Apple products (except the iPhone that will be impacted on December 15), and hundreds of clothing items. In all, about $110 billion worth of imported products from China are newly subject to 15% tariffs.

Williamson deletes tweet suggesting ‘power of the mind’ can deter Hurricane Dorian

Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson posted and then deleted a tweet Wednesday morning that suggested the “power of mind” could deter Hurricane Dorian from slamming into the US.

“The Bahamas, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas…may all be in our prayers now. Millions of us seeing Dorian turn away from land is not a wacky idea; it is a creative use of the power of the mind. Two minutes of prayer, visualization, meditation for those in the way of the storm,” her now-deleted post read.

Williamson did not qualify for the next debate scheduled for September 12.

A scary warning: Don’t do a thorough job: A Threat?

LA Times: As a high-level government auditor, Beth Kennedy has investigated or reviewed the spending of many city of Los Angeles departments without serious incident, she says. But now, Kennedy, a chief internal auditor for City Controller Ron Galperin, is alleging that she was warned not to delve too deeply into controversial contracts awarded by the Department of Water of Power, according to a legal claim she filed against the city last month.

Kennedy claims that a superior in her office told her in May that, for personal safety reasons, she should “not be as thorough” with her audit. Then in June, someone smashed a glass patio door at Kennedy’s home in Orange County, according to La Habra police.

Squirrels listen in on bird chatter to decide if they’re safe, and that’s scientifically significant

A new study published in the journal PLOS One (a scientific journal) concludes grey squirrels use the sounds of nearby birds to infer the absence or presence of predators. According to the researchers, bird sounds are “likely to indicate safety because such sounds are generally given when imminent threat has not been detected.”

So after the indicated presence of a threat in the red-tailed hawk, the squirrels were more likely to relax if they thought other species around them were relaxing too.

California’s new plan to cap rent

California lawmakers are on the verge of approving one of the only state laws in the nation to limit rent increases after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a deal with legislative leaders last week on a bill to cap annual rent hikes.

Why do this?

In Boyle Heights (a low income community in Los Angeles), apartments without rent controls saw rents increase from a median $1,200 a month to $1,700 between 2016 and 2017. Such rent hikes would no longer be allowed under the proposed legislation.

Donald Trump the weatherman

He falsely claimed that Hurricane Dorian was likely to hit Alabama. Then he repeated the claim after the National Weather Service debunked it. Then he insisted that the media, not him, was in the wrong. Then, to try to prove his point, he showed the media an outdated map that had clearly been altered with a Sharpie marking pen. Then, trying again, he tweeted out an unaltered map that was too old to prove his point. Then, trying again he tweeted out some more old maps. Finally, Trump got his homeland security adviser to issue a statement vouching for him.

Even today there have been threats that NOAA employees would be fired for contradicting the president.

The object was obvious. He did put himself in the forefront of the hurricane threat and that was his purpose.

And that’s the way it was!

Venice Skatepark in Venice Beach, California

Not far from my home the boardwalk at Venice Beach was known more for bodybuilding than skateboarding, but since 2009 the thrashers have been giving the weightlifters some real competition. People-watchers looking for a little high-speed drama congregate at the Venice Skatepark, a large concrete plaza set right into the beach. Skateboarders maneuver through two swimming pool-like bowls, a twisting and turning snake run, and a section replicating an urban street with steps, platforms, and metal railings. The city-owned property is free to use, but mastering the skills to tackle this flow takes time, practice, and a lot of nerve.

Yes that mountain horizon is on the masthead of this blog.

Heat Storms in Los Angeles are the New Normal

You should stay indoors due to record-breaking heat in Southern California, officials warned today.

While other parts of the world experience tornadoes, heavy rain, hurricanes, and snow storms, Los Angeles is facing another kind of storm that has been coined as “Heat Storms.”

Weather reporters on television in this city are constantly reminding viewers that Southern California has a Mediterranean climate that provides the coastal area with moderate temperatures throughout the year.

Unfortunately the climate has changed continuously over at least the past 30 years or more. Snails and slugs were prevalent in my garden in the early 80s but disappeared entirely by 1990.

This month we have already experienced eight days of 90 degree plus temperatures including a 108 and 104 degree temps. Unfortunately it has been even hotter in the inland valleys of the city. Temperatures have exceeded 100 degrees seven times in the San Fernando Valley this month. One day in the Valley the temp reached 117 degrees. The forecast is for at least another four more days of this current heat storm.

The consequence of the very hot temperatures has been the death of at least one postal worker among others.

A USC study of weather patterns for Southern California confirms my suspicions. The study is titled HISTORICAL TEMPERATURE TRENDS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Departure from average for mean temperature, minimum temperature, and maximum temperature for the South Coast Region in the State of California. The bold line is 11-year running mean and the thin line is the departure from the mean for a region between Point Conception and the Mexico border. Source: Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/monitor/cal-mon/index.html)

The super hot days starting July 5 of this year were called a Heat Storm by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. 29,350 customers out of LADWP’s 1.5 million total customers lost power during that storm according to the DWP.

A Los Angeles Times article dated July 12, 2018 confirms my observations.

The record-breaking heat that baked Southern California and prompted mass power outages last weekend was just a taste of what is to come. Summers in SoCal have already been getting hotter over the last century. Climate change is expected to produce more frequent and more blistering heat waves in the coming years that will put unprecedented stress on the electrical grid and challenge utilities to keep the power on.

Los Angeles, apparently, isn’t ready for the new normal. The demand for electricity Friday, Saturday and Sunday overwhelmed the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s aged system, prompting power outages that affected more than 80,000 customers. The unluckiest people went 48 hours without electricity; they and many others had to evacuate their homes in search of air conditioning elsewhere.

The solar panel industry will be booming as we all receive our summer bills.

Why I love quirky and wonderful Canter’s Deli

When we visited Toronto Canada last year we went to Caplansky’s Jewish Deli and I mentioned Canter’s. Caplansky’s does not even come close to Canter’s. The person behind the counter knew all about Canter’s as well as Langer’s. So Canter’s is at least known around North America. It might be world famous.

Los Angeles Times By Evan Kleiman

Jul 19, 2018

In this age of highly curated artisanal food and free-range Scandinavian design, it’s easy to pick apart an institution like Canter’s. But I’ve been eating there since forever and I love it.

Canter’s provides the same level of comfort as lying around on the couch in your pj’s. It feels like home — if home is the dynamic L.A. life set in a slice of well- loved vintage.

A colleague from Northern California recently asked me if Canter’s makes its own gefilte fish, and I burst out laughing. That’s not the point of Canter’s. It’s for when you want a wide swath of deli menu items but you want to put on zero airs. You can practically show up in your night clothes and no one blinks. For me, that lack of pretense is exactly the point. I know what I’m going to get — and what I’m not going to get.

The deli’s appeal is its consistency and its embrace of all who come. Every day, a parade of people of all ages and type walks through the front doors. Goths, punks, hipsters, grandchildren in quantity, Supreme heads, hippies, middle-aged writers still waiting for their first break, seniors eking out a day’s meal on Social Security.

Then there are my faves to watch: kids in their early 20s, accompanied by their bewildered visiting parents. For a moment, I see the place through their eyes, the freewheeling mix of the clientele that makes Canter’s what it is. It delights me that I live in a town where there is still a place for strange.

Oh, the waitresses and waiters are the best, beloved to the “regulahs” — as some call us. When my mom had her needlepoint store, Petit Point Junction on Robertson Boulevard, she would start everyday at Canter’s. Jeannie, who worked there for more than 50 years, would greet her with a “Hi, hon.” “How ya doing, babe?” my mom would respond. This went on for more than 20 years.

When the ceiling collapsed after a severe rainstorm, Jeannie was on the sidewalk making sure no one got hurt walking through construction debris. When the new ceiling turned out to be a fake stained glass evocation of fall in New England, it added yet another layer of weirdness to an already quirky place.

Everyone is greeted like they are family and handed a menu that requires two hands and considerable focus to wade through. But we regulahs know what we want before we hit the door, and what a comfort that is.

Weekday lunch, it’s a tuna melt with fries. Monday early dinner, a bowl of barley bean soup. Leisurely breakfast, the lox and bagel plate. Sure, it’s not the double-smoked lox at Wexler’s, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s Canter’s. It’s more than what’s on the plate.

Kleiman ran Angeli Caffe for 27 years. She’s the longtime host of KCRW-FM’s “Good Food” and a member of the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America.

Homelessness in the West Valley is a Serious Problem

While this commentary by Councilmember Blumenfield explains the issue of homelessness it lacks any solutions. We all know homelessness is a crisis and “work with the community to help our homeless while also protecting the values and integrity of the West Valley” really means preventing any homeless people from living in the West Valley.

Neither Blumenfield nor any other councilman has a single worthwhile idea on how to solve this problem. However the city council does have ideas on raising taxes and voting to hold the Olympics in this city. For this we pay city council members $184,610 per year.

—

New Editorial from Councilmember Blumenfield for the Valley News Group- Homelessness in the West Valley is Serious and Must be Taken Seriously

Homelessness is a crisis, and although we may feel worlds away from downtown Skid Row, the West Valley is not immune. We are seeing encampments in neighborhoods that never had them before. People are visibly panhandling, and the human misery of addiction and mental illness is evident and creates a depressing and sometimes dangerous environment for the housed and the homeless. I share the frustration of residents who are very disturbed by what we are seeing. Though my district has the fewest homeless people compared to every other district in the City, homelessness in the West Valley is serious and must be taken seriously.

The reality is that it’s not illegal to be homeless, and asking strangers for money is protected by the first amendment. The courts struck down City laws that prohibited living in a vehicle or sleeping on the sidewalk. However, the City Council was able to pass laws prohibiting sleeping in a vehicle that is parked in a residential zone and limited times and places where someone can erect a tent on public property.

In September 2016, I brought together LAPD and homeless advocates for a Town Hall on homelessness. I continue to meet with constituents at mobile office hours and community events, hearing many opinions on what needs to be done. Some say the problem is addiction, or lack of mental health care, or the economy, or PTSD, or Prop 47, or a lack of affordable housing. They are all right to some extent. It is a complicated problem with a complicated road to resolve.

Recently, I introduced City legislation that will help with one related problem concerning illegal human waste being dumped on our streets. Over 2,300 RVs in Los Angeles are being used by homeless people with only two public sites for dumping waste, one by the airport and one in San Pedro. We must do something to stop illegal dumping and provide a feasible option to prevent disease and blight.

Additionally, my office coordinates “Homeless Connect Days” to connect people to services, organizes community and encampment cleanups, and promotes patrols on the LA River. I also meet regularly with LAPD Senior Lead Officers, command officers, and officials from LAHSA to discuss the tools they need to do their work. My office pushed for and funded “no loitering” signs under all freeway under passes and tunnels in my district to help LAPD connect the homeless to services. These are some steps of many that I am taking.

Thanks to voters passing Measure HHH, which my colleagues and I put on the ballot, and Measure H in the County, there are funds coming to help with housing and services. But nothing will immediately prevent homelessness. That’s why my website has links to help residents find nonprofits in the West Valley that operate locally. The idea is that a “help up” is often better than a “hand out.” So, please consider donating clothes, food, hygienic products, and funds to these organizations. Go to blumenfield.lacity.org/facing_homelessness to donate and learn about the many efforts I am involved with regarding homelessness.

Though there is no easy fix, I will continue to work with the community to help our homeless while also protecting the values and integrity of the West Valley.

As Senator Al Franken says, “You have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, but first you have to have the boots.”