I will not be rushing to support Urth Caffe’s new downtown location. Sure, Urth serves the best vegan chocolate cake in LA, but a piece in this morning’s LA Downtown News indicates founder Shallom Berkman has selective use for his new neighbors. Says Berkman:
“Community is one of the important things to Urth Caffe. We want to be part of communities, and that’s what brought us here. We saw this as a new, thriving and artistic community we wanted to be part of…”
So how does he plan to celebrate Urth Caffe’s grand opening in its new, thriving, and artistic community?
The grand opening on Nov. 16 could well bring the paparazzi to Downtown. The invitation-only event is slated to include celebrities such as comedian Will Ferrell, rapper and actress Queen Latifah, actor Jon Voight and the cast of “Entourage.”
Hooks, beats, and bass lines made for sunny boulevards. Songs that make you stand up and march. Not a liberal, conservative, Hip Hop Republican, or even libertarian. Ice Cube loves his city better than any city councilmember. His work is fiercely independent; never politically correct, consistently relevant and thought-provoking.
This morning I argue in favor of Proposition 2 over at Mayor Sam:
…Prop 2 is a question of ethics; a referendum on our progress as a society. It’s a modest measure that says animals destined for slaughter ought not be tortured in the process; egg-laying hens ought not be denied basic leg movement; pigs and veal calves ought not be confined to crates so small they can’t turn around, lie down, or extend their limbs…
You still can’t find vegan Kung Pao in Chinatown, but Doomie’s menu of “classic American diner fare” is, ironically, a better welcomed addition to the neighborhood. After all, vegan Chinese options abound just a short drive east on the 10, while the nearest restaurant offering good chicken fried seitan is way out in the west Valley.
With menu options ranging from burgers to chicken alfredo; French onion soup to country fried steak with gravy, Doomie’s offers what I view as a coming trend in the evolution of vegan dining; no-compromise, cruelty-free food, sans the promises of divine health and spiritual enlightenment. This is, put simply, delicious food that’ll leave you ready for a nap.
It’s hard to believe that the City of Los Angeles has designated 900 places for preservation as cultural-historical monuments and it’s taken this long and this much effort from so many to get the city’s greatest asset, Griffith Park, within reach of that status.
In a hearing room packed with 150 or so community activists, the Cultural Heritage Commission voted 4-1 to approve monument status for the park, setting the stage for the City Council to act on their decision.
The key moment came at the outset when Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents the park area and is it’s No. 1 cheerleader, ended doubts about where he stands with unequivocal support for the commission staff report which found nearly all of the park contributed to its cultural-historical significance.
A new book is out detailing the “inner workings, secret meetings, and elaborate murder plots” that make up the Mexican Mafia’s daily routine, written in cooperation with Rene Enriquez, an Eme boss-turned-informant.
The people who should be forced to read this book, or have it read to them while jetting around the country or riding in the back of chaufered limos are the politicians and policy makers. Policy decisions and laws cannot and should not be made based on information filtered through staff panels, social scientists, mis-informed or biased “advocates, ” or groups who have a financial interest in the outcome of policies.
Enriquez holds “prisoner rights” advocates directly responsible for the organization’s growing muscle and warns that while the feds have made steady progress in the streets, local pols and law enforcers are out to lunch. For a major eye-opener, listen to the interview below in its entirety.
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This two-year election cycle is ending predictably, with each side seeking (and drawing out) the worst in the other—common sense and reason were buried weeks ago. With any luck, it’ll all be over in seven days, but until then, the election will continue inducing fantastic cognitive aberrations.
I was station-surfing on the drive in this morning and flipped to KPWR just in time to catch Marconi-winning host, Big Boy repeat as truth (on his nationally syndicated radio show) the discreditedclaim that someone shouted “he’s a nigger” at a Sarah Palin rally in Iowa.
Big Boy used the word on air for maximum impact and then spent several minutes along with a co-host bemoaning the ignorant stink of our rotten society, before ending the segment asserting that opposition to Senator Obama’s candidacy “isn’t about taxes,” but rather, “skin color.”
Free-range liberals should exhibit similar concerns for people, and ditch affordable housing/density bonus schemes that sixpack humans into units barely fit for livestock and poultry.
I’m curious what readers think. Does it feel like 1 million potholes have been filled in L.A. since summer July 2005? Or do you believe the roads in Baghdad may be better?
Steve has obviously never toured America’s other major cities by motorcar.
In particular, Chicago’s potholes better resemble craters, and will eat your car. LA’s roads, by contrast, are impressively well-maintained for a big city—with the exception of Wilshire Boulevard, which has noticeably deteriorated in recent years.
Steve, take it from a driver who loves driving; it was the first thing I noticed when I moved here (incidentally, the second thing I noticed was how clean the streets and sidewalks were).
Endorsements for Prop 8, the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, read like a who’s who of state Republican lawmakers. Irresponsibility reigns in California, policy at every level is straining families, taxpayers, and business owners — but rather than save the day (and broaden GOP appeal in the process), state and county Republicans continue pooling time and energy into self-marginalization. Thankfully I’m not only one watching this and resenting it. A number of high-ranking LA County party members are speaking out:
A group of Los Angeles County Republicans is protesting the local party’s decision to host a forum featuring supporters of the gay marriage initiative on the November ballot.
Eleven members of the Los Angeles GOP said in a letter to county chairwoman Linda Boyd that they were angered by her refusal to give local Republicans who oppose Proposition 8 equal time to present their side during Thursday night’s meeting.
“How bankrupt must our party be if we believe the only way to grow Republican turnout in Los Angeles is to attack the freedom of our fellow Americans,” wrote the group, which consists of current and former members of the county Republican executive and central committees.
