May 2011 Archives
People:
Dressed down in a Havana-style guayabera shirt, Cuban-born Sergio Diaz not only made a statement where he was from, but where he ended up after retiring from the LAPD.
Movie Miento:
About a dozen performers took the stage at various points and explored references to drugs in music, books, and video.
Departures:
Some pedestrians find themselves in the same predicament cyclists face on the streets with drivers.
Transportation:
Residents of San Bernardino and Redlands may be connected by a commuter train system in just a few years.
Around SoCal:
Carpinteria becomes the first city in Santa Barbara County to ban outdoor tobacco use in most outdoor areas, the Momyer Fire is nearly contained and a reporter wonders if the Owens River will become a new playground for L.A.
Commentary:
L.A. transit received high marks in two categories of a recent report. They describe averages and abstractions. But averages aren't what transit riders experience, and no part of our life is an abstraction.
Commentary:
L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa has recommended a plan which he suggests better reflects the new reality, with more resources spent on medical response, and fewer on fire trucks and fire fighters. The plan would save an estimated $54 million next fiscal year and $197 million over three years.
Commentary:
Even etched in stone, memories are fleeting.
![Up to 70 State Parks Slated for Closure in Budget Saving Plan [Updated]](http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/assets_c/2011/02/california_state_parks_close-thumb-100x100-11771.jpg)
Environment:
Citing budget constraints, the state is planning to close about 25% of the 278 parks it maintains, officials announced today. The move has been expected for several months, but exact details were not known until now.
Environment:
"People know that [mercury] accumulates from large predatory fish, but they don't know that it comes from the atmosphere and travels for thousands of miles...the fact that it could have come from originally, across the globe, that's something that people don't think about."
SoCal Focus is a daily blog about the people, places and issues in and around Southern California.
