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Life & Times Transcript
12/13/06 This program is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- Runoff from lawn sprinklers is hurting our oceans. Can technology come to the rescue? Nancy Gardner>> I think one of the problems in the environmental room is that it's often made as difficult as possible, you know. You have to give up this, this, this and this and live a different kind of life and then everything will be fine. Well, we don't want to give up all the things we like in our lives. Val Zavala>> And then, what happens when you take a little bit of the Bard and season liberally with pop culture? You get Shakespeare according to the Troubies. It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> Is your lawn killing our oceans? Well, believe it or not, millions of gallons of water loaded with pesticides and fertilizer flow into our oceans every year. But now the city of Newport Beach is doing something about it. It's looking for volunteers willing to try a new high-tech satellite-controlled sprinkler system for free. As Orange County reporter, Roger Cooper, tells us, it could make a big impact on our marine environment. Roger Cooper>> Few spots on the California coast can match the beauty and serenity of Little Corona in Newport Beach. Look in any tidal pool and you can see marine life in abundance like sea anemones or hermit crabs performing Herculean feats. But the peace in this place is deceptive. Beneath the beauty, Little Corona is in real danger. The threat comes from urban runoff, the millions of gallons of water that drains down to the sea from the land. Although it hasn't rained for weeks here, the flow of water in this stream leading to the ocean is constant, all day, every day. That's because the source of this water is irrigation, urban runoff from yards. Chris Lowe>> And what happens is, as coastal development increases, people are putting in lawns and those sorts of things and have to water those lawns to keep them green. Nancy Gardner>> It's been interesting because, when we started this chapter sixteen years ago and we mentioned urban runoff, nobody cared. Nobody even knew what it was. Roger Cooper>> Nancy Gardner, who co-founded the local Surfrider chapter, has just been elected to the Newport City Council where she's begun a fight against urban runoff. Nancy Gardner>> And what's happened over the years as we've built up the watershed, we've seen what was a dry canyon with cactus become a stream that runs twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week, and the problems are several. One, that water is urban runoff and it picks up whatever is in somebody's yard, pesticides, herbicides, nutrients, animal waste. Roger Cooper>> Chris Lowe is a marine biologist at Cal State Long Beach. He says even clean fresh water is upsetting the delicate balance in the marine creatures' saltwater habitat. Chris Lowe>> Some are more tolerant to fresh water exposure than others and what happens is, as they become constantly inundated with fresh water at low tide, some of the organisms that aren't tolerant to that simply can't survive there. Roger Cooper>> The threat to marine life is so serious that the state has placed Little Corona on a list of areas of special biological significance. It's one of thirty-four places in California at such high risk. And just down the coast, Crystal Cove is on the same list. The culprit is once again urban runoff. City officials say that this is a big part of the problem, automatic sprinkler systems that aren't set properly and over-water, sending excess water heading toward the ocean as urban runoff. Newport water officer, Shannon Swaford, sees it every day. Shannon Swaford>> I drive around all day long and I see urban runoff basically watering our gutters. People stop watering their lawns and they start watering streets and a perfect example is something right over here. It's one o'clock in the afternoon and we've got a sprinkler system going off, you know, right in the middle of the day, watering the streets and the sidewalks. Roger Cooper>> If only there were a way to water more wisely. Tom Ash>> "Weather data from yesterday. There's a big time stamp from when we received the data." Roger Cooper>> Now the city of Newport Beach thinks it's found a solution. The sprinklers at Teresa Pinkston's Newport home are controlled by this box, a box with a mind of its own, that she got from the city for free. Teresa Pinkston>> Apparently, there's a computer somewhere telling it when to water and when not to. So if we have rainy weather, my sprinklers won't turn on. I suppose if there's a hot Santa Ana wind, it may water a little extra. Roger Cooper>> Known as a WeatherTRAK Smart Controller, the city chose this device because it uses data it receives each night from weather satellites. Then it dispenses water using only what plants need. Tom Ash>> It's designed to put the right amount of water onto any landscape anywhere in the country. Roger Cooper>> Tom Ash is a horticulturalist with HydroPoint, the California company that makes WeatherTRAK. Tom Ash>> And it changes that water application every day as the weather changes, so it's really designed to be perfect horticulture, good science, good water application and, out of that, we get reduced runoff, healthier plants and lower water bills. Every single station asks a series of questions. It prompts me to set the sprinkler type. We're going to set it at spray heads. Next question would be the efficiency. Yes, it's a typically average efficient irrigation system. What type of soil do I have? When I turn to review, I can actually see what the irrigation schedule is going to be at this weather. Roger Cooper>> The city of Newport is offering the Smart Controllers to five hundred residents at no cost. It's funded with a three hundred thousand dollar grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. City Council member, Nancy Gardner, likes the fact that this smart sprinkler program is voluntary for citizens. Nancy Gardner>> When you explain to people, you know, this is what you're doing. You may not even be aware that you're doing it, and this is the impact, most people want to do the right thing. And if you can make it easy for them -- I mean, I think one of the problems in the environmental room is often that it's made as difficult as possible. You have to give up this, this, this and this and live a different kind of life and then everything will be fine. Well, we don't want to give up all the things we like in our lives and this is the way that we can do it with virtually no effort. It's paying even less attention to our garden in some ways than we do now. Roger Cooper>> The hope is that the smart boxes can help the city meet an order from the Regional Water Board, a mandate to cut down urban runoff going to Little Corona and to Crystal Cove. An earlier study is promising. Tom Ash>> The studies have shown, with this technology, WeatherTRAK was actually installed in communities in Irvine in a large study with all the local public agencies and fifty to seventy percent of the runoff coming out of those neighborhoods was eliminated. That also told the scientists that fifty to seventy percent of the pollutants that were in that water didn't make it to the beach, so the impact could be tremendous. Roger Cooper>> The free boxes are proving to be popular. City officials expect all five hundred will be snapped up in short order. City officials will be measuring the impact with hopes of expanding the program to even more homes. In the meantime, somewhere in some tidal pool, the marine creatures will be resting a bit easier because a smart sprinkler linked to a satellite is looking out for them. In Newport Beach, I'm Roger Cooper for Life and Times. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, plus transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org, scroll down the page and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> What would Christmas be these days without a battle over what should and shouldn't be displayed in public places? Should a nativity scene be allowed in a public park? Should public school kids be singing Christmas carols? Should city employees wish you a Merry Christmas? For some contrary views, we brought three people together around the kitchen table. Doug Mirell is a First Amendment attorney with the law firm of Loeb and Loeb. Carl Pearlston is a dispute resolution attorney. And they're joined by Joe Hicks of CommUnity Advocates, Inc. Joe Hicks>> Listen, guys. Last year, Bill O'Reilly kind of ignited a mini firestorm of sorts. He on his show began to argue that Christmas was under attack. Then he went on and talked to this lady who also asserted a more generalized attack on Christianity. So, Doug, is there an attack on Christmas? Doug Mirell>> Well, I think there is in Bill O'Reilly's mind, but I think that's about the only place it exists. I think this year, as we're filming this, I learned that Wal-Mart has changed its policy from saying Happy Holidays as they did last season to this coming holiday, saying Merry Christmas. So perhaps Bill and his followers have had their desired impact. Joe Hicks>> But do you think that there is some kind of antipathy, animosity, if you will, towards Christmas? You know, every store you go in, it's not Christmas any longer. It's Happy Holiday season, that kind of thing. Carl Pearlston>> Absolutely. I remember the first time a person said "Happy Holidays" to me. I said, "What holidays did you have in mind?" He looked startled and said, "Well, you know, like Christmas." I said, "Well, why didn't you just say Merry Christmas?" He said, "Merry Christmas" and brightened up. I said, "Merry Christmas to you too." I think definitely there's been an attempt to relegate all religious observances, as Doug says, into the private sphere and, you know, go out like the smokers. We're afraid of their second-hand smoke, so we relegate them to go off and smoke by yourself and don't bother anybody else. But that's never been the way that religion has been in American life. It's always had a very central prominent place and this sudden drive to make a naked public square where the public square can't express any religiosity, but it all must be private, is really antithetical to the American spirit and I disagree with Doug that we haven't had it resolved. Christianity has been definitely under-resolved. I'm not Christian. I'm Jewish, but I recognize the traditions in the history of this nation. Joe Hicks>> Officially, I'm a pagan. I have no dog in this (laughter). But nonetheless, I mean, what's the damage done of, you know, somebody seeing a Christmas tree or symbols of Hanukkah in the public square in Beverly Hills or downtown Los Angeles in City Hall, if that was ever possible? What's the damage of that? Doug Mirell>> When people say, well, let's put up a Menorah in a public park, as was done in the city of Beverly Hills before I and my colleagues intervened, people are saying let us use the power of the government to celebrate a particular religious practice. That, I think, is fundamentally wrong and the courts concluded that we were correct not only for that reason, but because the city had shown preference for one religion and discriminated against another. You mentioned City Hall earlier. There was a case that was brought in the 1970s about the historic practice of illuminating the windows of Los Angeles City Hall in the shape of a cross at Easter and Christmas. That's not a practice that I remember, but Carl may. Carl Pearlston>> Yes, I do. Doug Mirell>> The court said that is unconstitutional. Why? Because City Hall is not a giant billboard on which you can tack the religious symbols of every religion. So to pick out one religion, the Latin cross, and to illuminate the windows of City Hall in that manner is absolutely inappropriate. I don't know if you disagree with that, Carl. Carl Pearlston>> I think that that's completely wrong. When the Rabbi wanted to put up a Menorah in a public space, he wasn't getting government endorsement of this. He was getting government permission to use the space. It's a free government space available to anybody. If somebody wants to put up a sign of the crescent of Islam, they're free to do it. Doug Mirell>> No, they weren't. Carl Pearlston>> Who's stopping them? Doug Mirell>> The city of Beverly Hills. Carl Pearlston>> Then that's the wrong part of it, but not to let him put up a Menorah. You don't have to ban a particular thing because you're afraid of what else will come along. It's an open public square and it's not supposed to be a naked public square where nothing goes on, but it's open where everything can go on. Joe Hicks>> Doug, do you think this discussion is likely to bubble back up again? Carl Pearlston>> Oh, absolutely. It always comes up. It comes up in the schools with the Christmas plays, with the Christmas caroling. Now you have to have winter songs or winter holidays. My children went to public school and they're Jewish, but I didn't mind them singing Christmas carols and they didn't mind. They're beautiful songs. Who gets offended by this? Whose defenses are so exquisite that they're offended by the mere mention of Christian symbolism? Doug Mirell>> I think what you have is a two-fold problem. You have the problem of those who are sensitive to these kinds of issues and who believe that the government saying what it does and adopting the policy it does sends a message of exclusion. The other problem is the problem of inclusion even towards appearance. When the government takes these kinds of position, it constrains people who are in fact true believers from acknowledging the real meaning of the holiday and alienating things because you are constrained from acknowledging the full religiosity when you see it in that context. It's not like having a crèche on the lawn of your local church. It's instead the city government or the county government or the state or federal trying to co-opt religion and to give religion corrected. That, I think, is a very dangerous thing and a very dangerous road to go down. Joe Hicks>> So what's your response to this notion that somehow the government shouldn't be, you know, assuming that responsibility of promoting any particular religion over the other? Carl Pearlston>> Well, first, there's no constitutional right not to be offended. So as far as the non-observers or the non-believers being offended, this is a big society. We talk about our multi-cultural aspects, our diversity, and that means you've got to be tolerant. You can't go around being offended. So I don't see why you can't have a crèche because it has a religious symbolism and have to replace it with a Christmas tree which is called frequently a multi-cultural tree as they did in Canada or called a holiday tree. Joe Hicks>> Not a holiday bush, huh? Carl Pearlston>> Yeah, not a holiday bush. Joe Hicks>> Well, I think we'll have to let that be the last word at this point. I wish everybody a happy holiday or a Christmas or whatever it is out there. Thanks, guys, for coming and having this talk. Thanks a lot, guys. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> We don't need these anymore and this one hasn't been working for years, yet nothing says San Pedro more than the lighthouse on Point Fermin. Kristin Childs>> The Point Fermin Lighthouse was built in 1874. It was first lit on December 15 of that year by our first lighthouse keeper, Mary Smith. Point Fermin is not your typical lighthouse. When you see it, you expect first to see that tall tower that you see as most lighthouses. We're actually a very beautiful Victorian house that includes the keeper's quarters, the oil room in the basement and then, of course, the tower access, the tower for the lighthouse, and all the keeper's functions are in the tower. Very little of it has changed over time. A few changes during World War II with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, our lights were all blacked out on the coast here. We no longer had a light in there. They removed the light during the war, so for many years, the lighthouse just functioned as a house basically for the local supervisor. Until 2002, we had somebody living in the house. That's when our last person lived in the house retired. So today, we are now open to the public. The entire building is open to the public. You can go on a tour through the building, see all the floors where the keepers lived their daily lives and also into the tower where the lighthouse keepers functioned and where the light was originally. It's a beautiful view. You can see all of Palos Verdes hills around here and the San Pedro hills. My hope for the lighthouse is that it becomes a center for the community. I'd kind of like that to broaden and become a symbol of Los Angeles. We're connected to Los Angeles, we're connected to the Point, we're connected to the history of Los Angeles. We're one of the oldest buildings in Los Angeles. I think the lighthouse lasting a hundred thirty-one years here on the Point, it should last a hundred thirty more. Val Zavala>> You're about to meet a theater group that would make William Shakespeare sit up in his grave. Then again, after the first act, Shakespeare would probably be dying again of laughter. Paul Vercammen takes us to a theater where the classic meets pop culture. [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> Michael Jackson's smash hit song, "Thriller", somehow morphed into "Chiller". [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> This is the Troubadour Theater Company's production, "Jackson Frost". [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> But mainly Michael Jackson. [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> Adoring fans call them the Troubies. They make popular music with either holiday classics such as "Santa Claus is Coming to Motown" -- [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> -- or stir in Shakespeare's plays. Take the "Comedy of Aerosmith". [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> The Troubies' bipolar orbit was launched eleven years ago. Matt Walker>> Somebody said, "Hey, let's do "Twelfth Night" and we were messing around and said, "Yeah, we should put some music in that. How about Three Dog Night? Yeah, we'll call it "Twelfth Dog Night". We all kind of went, "Hey" (laughter). Paul Vercammen>> Matt Walker, a graduate of clown school -- no joke -- is ringleader of the Troubies. Matt Walker>> We're all about sort of, you know, deconstructing the theater as we know it and reminding people that, you know, it should be fun, it should be a good time. Paul Vercammen>> The Troubies will take their manic road show almost anywhere in southern California, but they are sort of migratory wing-nuts because, every holiday season, they take their act to the Falcon Theater here in Toluca Lake. Matt Walker>> "You know what we got to do out there. We got a loud house. We got to be louder, funnier. We're going to be crispy clean with no caffeine. On three. One, two, three." Paul Vercammen>> And they sell out shows bringing pagans to the alter of live theater. [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> And the Troubies earn critical praise while shattering theater rules. There's no barrier between you guys and the audience. Matt Walker>> No. The fourth wall is obliterated. We take a howitzer to that sucker as soon as we can. [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> Walker's partners and onstage crime and punishment include veterans Michelle Johnson with a golden voice -- [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> -- and Beth Kennedy with a sharp silver tongue. [Film Clip] Beth Kennedy>> I know I knew what you were sending me for. Paul Vercammen>> You accused me of shaving when I was putting on sunscreen in Ojai. Beth Kennedy>> Ojai, right. I think you weren’t good at rubbing it in (laughter). Paul Vercammen>> Johnson played the angel, Clarence, in "It's a Stevie Wonderful Life". [Film Clip] Michelle Johnson>> We get no love other than a show (laughter). We come for the love. That's what brings us back (laughter). I love them. I love the show. Paul Vercammen>> Kennedy, or BK, is a physically gifted comedienne tortured by Walker. Beth Kennedy>> You know, he's always like, hmmm, what can I make BK dress as? Paul Vercammen>> Kennedy is Father Winter here and she's clothed in typical Troubie pop culture references. [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen> I got a secret to tell you. You know the guy on stilts? >> "It's a girl. I know, I know. I just read it. Paul Vercammen>> Now Walker pays no attention to gender in penalizing a bad performance. Matt Walker>> We have a device that we call the foul flag which I usually carry around and, if somebody messes up a line or blows an entrance, we blow a whistle, we throw the flag, we call a foul. [Film Clip] Matt Walker>> Foul number thirty-two, Paul. Unauthorized adlibbing in an unfunny way. Let's replay from the spot of the foul, first down, and we'll get back to the play. [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> A seasoned group of professional musicians gives the Troubies' wandering performances a melodic direction. [Film Clip] Matt Walker>> A couple of our musicians play with people like Morrissey, sometimes Prince once in a while. We have five or six guys that come and sub out on any given night. Paul Vercammen>> On the Troubies' skewed horizon, "Much Adoobie Brothers About Nothing". [Film Clip] Michelle Johnson>> It's this animal that's kind of evolved over the years. >> The company is so funny. It's hilarious. I can't stop laughing. [Film Clip] Matt Walker>> People start showing up to our shows and giving us titles now. People say, "Hey, what about "Queen Lear" or why don’t you do -- Paul Vercammen>> -- "Two Gentlemen of My Sharona". Matt Walker>> (Laughter) That one we haven't had yet. We've had "Two Gentlemen at Work". Paul Vercammen>> How about "Led's Labor Lost"? Matt Walker>> I haven't heard that one. Paul Vercammen>> But they did have "Fleetwood Macbeth". [Film Clip] Matt Walker>> I think as long as there is classic source material and pop music, we won't run out of ideas. You know, we got Shakespeare waiting in the wings. We got everything from "Antony and Cleopatra's Clearwater Revival" to "King Elton John". [Film Clip] Matt Walker>> We got "Keith Richards, the Third". We got all kinds of stuff just waiting in the wings. We're thinking about "Rudolph, the Red Hot Chili Pepper-Nosed Reindeer" for next Christmas. [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> You never know with the Troubies. Matt Walker>> That's how it goes, Paul. You see the magic now. Paul Vercammen>> After all, this is "Master Piece of Work" theater. [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> Paul Vercammen for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> To learn more about the Troubadour Theater Company, you can check out their website at troubie.com. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. This program was made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. Val Zavala>> Next time on Life and Times -- Sponsored in part by:  | |
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