Even though the great city of Los Angeles is just a mere hundred miles to the north of San Diego, you’d think it was on another planet. San Diegans revel in our isolation and puff up our differences with the most massive urban tract in the country. We pride ourselves in being “the Un-LA”, what Los Angeles isn’t.
Yet, to large-scale corporations and banks, the national media, and perhaps the country in general – San Diego is just the southern sector in the LA Market. What goes in LA, goes in San Diego – eventually. So, it behooves those who watch the economic, social, environmental, and political trends here in our coastal paradise, to keep one wary eye on our cousins to the north.
And, of course, there’s lot’s going on in LA. Take these major stories, for instance:
LA Bans Plastic Bags
LA TIMES: Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a hard-fought victory to environmentalists and promising to change the way Angelenos do their grocery shopping. The City Council voted 13 to 1 to phase out plastic bags over the next 16 months at an estimated 7,500 stores, meaning shoppers will need to bring reusable bags or purchase paper bags for 10 cents each.
City Gets Ready to Ban Pot Dispensaries
LA WEEKLY: The L.A. City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) committee will take up all facets of proposed bans on medical cannabis in town on Wed, May 30th.
One-Third of LA County Homes Underwater
LA TIMES: In Los Angeles County, 32% of homeowners are underwater, compared with a quarter in Orange County, and 53% in San Bernardino County. Not to be outdone, San Diego County has 36%. Of all homeowners in the U.S., 31.4% were underwater in the first three months of the year, up slightly from 31.1% in the fourth quarter of 2011. [Check out this nifty interactive map here.]
Problems with LA County Sheriffs and the Jails
Report: L.A. County Sheriff’s Department faulted in handling complaints
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department frequently took more than three months – and in one case almost two years – to investigate complaints from the public against its deputies, according to an independent monitor.
Jail Deputies Acted Like Gang
LA TIMES: Two retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s supervisors painted a violent picture of life inside Men’s Central Jail, recounting for a county jails commission tales of deputies beating prisoners, ignoring bosses, forming cliques and engaging in off-duty misconduct.
Remembering the LA Riots – Twenty Years Ago – Through the Tube
LA PROGRESSIVE: Twenty years ago, Americans were transfixed by TV images of Los Angeles burning. It was no Hollywood disaster movie. Four Los Angeles police officers charged with beating an African American motorist were acquitted of wrong-doing. Hours later, the city erupted in riots that left 51 dead and over $700 million in estimated damages. A few weeks ago, television news remembered, offering its particular brand of popular history.
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Before any other city bans the bags, there is a solution. Make them so valuable post-retail that they never show up in the environment. I use every one I get for wastebaskets, clothes hampers, recycling bins, etc. I do cheat, however. I have help from a clever device I found on Amazon. http://amzn.to/JMi9LV