Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Judge Sotomayor Nominated for U.S. Supreme Court

As a member of the Latina minority group I am pleased to congratulate the Obama Administration for its nomination of the first Latina to the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor. At an estimated 20 million, Latinas make up a significant and growing portion of the U.S. population. I'm glad on the efforts of the Obama Administration's to ensure our representation on the nation’s highest court.

Over the next few months Judge Sotomayor will undergo confirmation hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee before being voted on by the entire senate. Please express your support of her nomination by sending a letter to:

Senator Patrick Leahy, Vermont
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
433 Russell Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: (202) 224-3479

Senator Jeff Sessions, Alabama
Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee
335 Russell Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510 -0104
Fax: (202) 224-3149

Judge Sotomayor’s legal career has included not only criminal prosecution and commercial litigation, but also academia and appointment to the federal bench at the age of thirty-eight. For the past ten years, her intellect, integrity, and consensus-building have made her a highly respected jurist on the Second Circuit. She taught for over nine years at the New York University School of Law and at Columbia Law School, and has been a mentor to hundreds of attorneys and students as a member of the Puerto Rican and the Hispanic National Bar Associations.

Special Thanks to HOPE.ACT.VOTE for passing the information along, you can visit them at www.latinas.org!

CA State Supreme Court Upholds Prop 8!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/05/california-supreme-court-upholds-prop-8-gay-marriage-remains-banned-in-state.html

Fellow planner, Louis Zhao, forwarded this information straight from off the press, the California State Supreme Court ban's gay marriage, but according to the article those who got married will be allowed to remain married. What's going on in California?? Our economy is in the dump...so is this going to create a scramble for gay couples to get married before the rule goes into effect to try and stimulate the wedding market?

Truly, that issue is minor compared to the bigger issues that the ruling brings forward, and that's the issue of equality. Several of my post, specifically the "unity" post makes a case for a coalition among those disadvantaged communities to come together and fight for the cause of gaining equality. People need to understand, that once that rights of one man are taken, that only opens up the gateway for the rights of other people to be taken away.

Today, the Supreme Court has taken away the right of people to get married. What will be next?

Monday, May 25, 2009

"State of Paralysis" by Paul Krugman

If you click on the link below, you will read Krugman's recent Oped piece from the NY Times, where the main point is a question:

California, it has long been claimed, is where the future happens first. But is that still true? If it is, God help America.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/opinion/25krugman.html?_r=2

His criticism consist on California's political process and on the Republican party becoming quite the extremists. California, the up till recently (or since the last time I checked) was still ranked the 7th largest economy in the world. What the heck happened? I'm glad to read articles, that are also questioning that same question...but really, people are hurting but not voting..we had a horrible election turn-out.

http://www.sacbee.com/1232/rich_media/1869262.html?mi_rss=Interactive%20Graphics

The link above breaks down the percentage of voters by county. In Orange County, less than 400,000 people voted and the majority of the voters voted NO on the propositions. I'm not sure what the total population is of the county, but I'm sure Anaheim and Santa Ana not combined has more than that number.

Apathy in politics during recession is a bad combination...

Planners at the LA Marathon




Sunday, May 24, 2009

Review: Pike Bar & Fish Grill (Long Beach CA)












Located on 4th St. aka Retro Row in Long Beach, this bar can best be described as a that one pair of dirty Chuck Taylor's in your shoe collection -- you know when paired with any outfit, you instantly look cool. 4th St. itself has a Seattle Capitol Hill-esque vibe with scattered boutiques embedded on a quaint urban streetscape and faint whispers of "gentrification." The crowd also reminiscent of the CH audience but definitely with a Long Beach twist -- the flannel shirts were just loose enough to know that you weren't anywhere else than the good ole' LBC.

Drinks were well priced (two Sierra Summer Brews amounted $9) and the music this particular night was stellar. Although on his way to a nice vacation in San Quentin, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound made its presence known on two mismatched turntables and a room full of good intentions. Somehow this era of music fit the bar's coastal-diner interiors and flourished when paired with a pint of hoppy goodness.

As a product of neighborhing city Lakewood and a fan of all things "hip," having the Pike right in my backyard is a welcome feeling. To some extent, a bar like this made favorite spots in Downtown LA and Silverlake a little bit farther and Long Beach a little bit closer.

Pike Bar & Fish Grill

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Monday, May 18, 2009

"Unity" in the Urban Planning Profession

Whites are the most overrepresented ethnicity, and Hispanics the most underrepresented, in the Chapter area and in all three sectors (private, public and non-profit)

- Quote from APA’s Ethnic Diversity in Planning Profession Study (2001)

How do I come to grip that I am part of an ethnic group that is the least represented in the planning profession but yet, is the fastest growing population and in some places is the majority?

Latinos, African-Americans, Asians, Women, Gays-Lesbians, Jewish, Arabs, the list is endless of the different sectors in our community that are marginalized and unite amongst themselves to shield themselves against oppressors. I speak for myself, when I say that I have joined ethnic organizations because that is the group that I am most comfortable. Also, they are people who relate to my experiences. The idea that possibly a White women has gone through my same struggles has never crossed my mind. How do I reconcile the concept that there are other women going through my same struggle that do not share my culture when we live in a country that has its roots in segregation? Whether segregation has been legal or not, the truth is that it has been ingrained in the American society since its inception and is apparent even to this day.

The marginalized are forced to form enclaves amongst themselves, but I now question whether the separation of groups is the most efficient method of achieving equality? Diversity is desirable, and this country will never be able to rid itself of diversity because that is the core of our foundation, so then why do we continue to form barriers among one another? Everyone’s experience is unique and needs to be acknowledged and respected. We need to begin by acknowledging the fact that there are many people with the same struggles, and in order to create change we need to accept the fact we all strive to achieve the same goal and in realizing that, we need to help one another in the process. Achieving unity is a difficult task, one which our country fought a civil war for, so then, it is possible and hopefully it will not take another civil war to achieve that.

We need to revive the momentum of unity and create an environment where everyone is acknowledged and respected and only then can we begin to achieve equality in the planning world and so forth. I’m proud of my cultural ancestry, but of all I am proud to be an American and what it stands for and I believe if we all truly believe that then the struggle to achieve unity among all minorities is half done. Being a planner consists of bringing your own experiences to the workplace and in doing so, the planner is automatically biased towards their own experiences, which is why diversity in the planning profession is essential to create unity, understanding, and achieve equality among all.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

PSO - LACMA Trip Sunday!!!

Don't forget LACMA trip this Sunday, meet @ 1 pm on-campus!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

LA Ranks Most Overpriced

Thanks to bloated housing prices, lofty living costs and unemployment rates among the highest in the nation, the Los Angeles metro area tops our list of America's Most Overpriced Cities.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Sorry here is the link to my earlier post..

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbSRCjG-VLk

Things to Do in LA Before You Die

http://www.carolineoncrack.com/2009/05/12/100-things-to-try-in-la-before-you-die/

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Cirque Du Soleil at the Great Park in 2010

This is great news for the Park as well as the Orange County region. This should attract the whole region and bring to the forefront the actual existence of the Great Park to the masses. Kudos to the GP commission for bringing in such a high profile event to the area.

OC Register

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Monday, May 11, 2009

LA's SB 1818 Under Fire

On April 13, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Thomas McKnew Jr. abrogated parts of LA’s SB 1818 ordinance, which compels local governments to craft their own rules rewarding density bonuses to developers who include a percentage of affordable housing units in residential projects. Former LA planning commissioner Jane Usher, who recently stepped down, had been an outspoken opponent of the measure.

In some cases, the LA ordinance provided bonuses 300 percent greater than those mandated by SB 1818. The ruling prevents the city from approving projects with density bonuses that exceed state law.

more from The Architect's Newspaper...

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Sunday, May 10, 2009

Cuts Hurt Kids

The folks at Cuts Hurt Kids have set up this interactive map to show where parents, teachers, students, and community members are working in protest of Los Angeles Unified School District budget cuts, including teacher layoffs. The map plots points of action, locations, as well as links to stories, images, and videos related to LAUSD's budgetary woes and how the cuts will affect the community at large. Have something to add to the map? Let Cuts Hurt Kids know.

Thanks to LAist

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Friday, May 8, 2009

Aliso Viejo and Tustin Make Forbes List


Forbes Magazine's list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well landed the City of Tustin a spot at #21 and Aliso Viejo at #16. Factors taken into account included median income, average commute and per capita of small businesses.

more at OC Register...

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Thursday, May 7, 2009

Reggae Event in OC this FRIDAY!!

LA Eats: A List


A list of my favorite LA area restaurants compiled for a friend:

Tere's (mexican) - melrose and cahuenga
-- homemade tortillias, flavorful chicken
Cha Cha Cha (cuban) - melrose and virgil
Langer's (deli) - alvarado and 7th -- downtown
-- pastrami, french roll, russian dressing, crinkly fries, AHHHHH
Papa Cristo's (greek) - pico and normandie
India's Oven (indian) - beverly and poinsettia
Sokondong (korean) - vermont and olympic
-- best tofu soup in k-town hands down
Mario's (peruvian) - melrose and rossmore
Joan's on Third (bakery/deli) - 3rd St. just east of la cienega
Cobras and Matadors (tapas) - beverly and the grove drive
-- great date spot
Red Lion Tavern (german) - glendale and silverlake blvd


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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

OC Mud Run & Eco Fest

Good Green Fun!

July 18, 2009 - Irvine, CA

Join us for our inaugural Orange County Mud Run, on the grounds of the Hidden Valley Park, behind the Wild Rivers Water Park in Irvine, CA. This private park features a central shaded seating area, large amphitheatre, and lagoon. You’ve never seen a venue like this! We’ve commandeered the entire park to bring you a great off-road obstacle course and fun-filled Eco Fest and Expo.

Course obstacles include: The Mud Troth • Tunnel Crawls • Mud Pits • Tire Obstacles • Cargo-net Lagoon Crawls • Climbing Walls • And much more! Click here to check out the course map and details.

Here's the site people: http://www.ocmudrun.com/index.html

Don't forget to take pictures! :)

Monday, May 4, 2009

Part II: Committee to Defend Academic Freedom @ UCSB

The saga continues, Professor Robinson continues his fight to defend his right for freedom of speech. It is interesting to see some very conservative newspapers covering this issue..below is a link to a Fox news coverage..and earlier a biased story (pro-Israeli) story came out in the LA times last week. The article covers the details of of the controversy, but if you want more coverage I would recommend going to this website: http://sb4af.wordpress.com/, a group of students in defense of freedom of speech have created this blog.

If freedom of speech is to be limited in a university institution (a place that is supposed to be provoke critical thinking), then what can we expect to happen in the rest of society? Are we to become so submissive that will let the dominant society take away our rights to freedom of speech. This is America, a country I'm proud to be from because of what it stands for, but if something like curtailing our rights were to happen, then I'm not so sure that this country can claim to stand for freedom.

Below, is a link to the article mentioned:

California Professor Probed After Sending E-Mail Comparing Israelis to Nazis

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518824,00.html

Million Tree Challenge

Just what we all need: One more social networking site to sign up for, one more profile to make, quirky picture of ourselves to upload, badge to import to our blog. Except Irvine-based Greenwala is a social networking site that gives something important back to the world with each new member.

The site has launched a Million Tree Challenge, and they pledge to "plant a tree for every new member who joins this year, with a goal of creating a million-member community engaged in the green revolution." The site's founder, Rajeev Kapur, says he wants to see the site "exceed one million members by the end of this year," and that the membership's "legacy will be the steady growth of one million planted trees combating deforestation of the rainforests around the world."

The site, which launched last fall, aims to network people "who help others live a greener lifestyle by sharing their knowledge, green experiences and actions with friends, family and the world. Greenwala members can read expert articles, post comments and blogs, join or start groups, find new friends and more." If that's you, sign up and be part of the million trees added to the earth. (thanks to LAist)
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Sunday, May 3, 2009

Reversal of Fortune in El Monte

The boy found it hard not to think about getting bonked with a baseball as he played a game of catch with his father in a park in El Monte. It was early in the evening, but in the fast-fading light, Jose Rocha, 9, said the baseball looked like a wad of paper.

"It's kind of hard to see it," the boy said in Lambert Park.

Anxious to find savings as city coffers take a hit, El Monte turns off half the lights in all its parks.

"We used to play till 8," the boy's father, also named Jose, said. "Not anymore."

In El Monte, the fear these days is about backsliding

more from LA Times...

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Friday, May 1, 2009

May Day, Immigration Marches - The Changing Face of the U.S.

Recently, in theory class, the question that was brought up was how planners can plan for ethnic communities? As I sit here and read about immigrant activists getting out in the street to rally for an immigration reform, I think back on that question that is becoming so pressing, especially in the Southern California region. How can future planner's plan for ethnic communities, and should we even be planning for them, should they not be integrating into mainstream America? What is mainstream America? Is that the suburban community of Irvine? Also, another issue that comes up with that, is that America is an immigrant community made up of many ethnic communities. Not only am I minority that goes through identity issues daily, but now I'm a confused planner, that wants to integrate the different ethnic cultures that exist but also feels that immigrants should be integrating into the American lifestyle.

Is there a solution? I think there are great successful examples of integrating culture into the neighborhoods. Such examples can be seen in most of the major cities in the U.S., like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, D.C. all hosting Chinatowns..Little Italy..and so forth. Integrating culture into mixed used neighborhoods can make them not only vibrant but great business ventures.

LA Field Trip Sunday May 17th

An Affordable Salvation

Published: April 30, 2009

The 2008 election ended the reign of junk science in our nation’s capital, and the chances of meaningful action on climate change, probably through a cap-and-trade system on emissions, have risen sharply.

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Paul Krugman

Related

Times Topics: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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But the opponents of action claim that limiting emissions would have devastating effects on the U.S. economy. So it’s important to understand that just as denials that climate change is happening are junk science, predictions of economic disaster if we try to do anything about climate change are junk economics.

Yes, limiting emissions would have its costs. As a card-carrying economist, I cringe when “green economy” enthusiasts insist that protecting the environment would be all gain, no pain.

But the best available estimates suggest that the costs of an emissions-limitation program would be modest, as long as it’s implemented gradually. And committing ourselves now might actually help the economy recover from its current slump.

Let’s talk first about those costs.

A cap-and-trade system would raise the price of anything that, directly or indirectly, leads to the burning of fossil fuels. Electricity, in particular, would become more expensive, since so much generation takes place in coal-fired plants.

Electric utilities could reduce their need to purchase permits by limiting their emissions of carbon dioxide — and the whole point of cap-and trade is, of course, to give them an incentive to do just that. But the steps they would take to limit emissions, such as shifting to other energy sources or capturing and sequestering much of the carbon dioxide they emit, would without question raise their costs.

If emission permits were auctioned off — as they should be — the revenue thus raised could be used to give consumers rebates or reduce other taxes, partially offsetting the higher prices. But the offset wouldn’t be complete. Consumers would end up poorer than they would have been without a climate-change policy.

But how much poorer? Not much, say careful researchers, like those at the Environmental Protection Agency or the Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Even with stringent limits, says the M.I.T. group, Americans would consume only 2 percent less in 2050 than they would have in the absence of emission limits. That would still leave room for a large rise in the standard of living, shaving only one-twentieth of a percentage point off the average annual growth rate.

To be sure, there are many who insist that the costs would be much higher. Strange to say, however, such assertions nearly always come from people who claim to believe that free-market economies are wonderfully flexible and innovative, that they can easily transcend any constraints imposed by the world’s limited resources of crude oil, arable land or fresh water.

So why don’t they think the economy can cope with limits on greenhouse gas emissions? Under cap-and-trade, emission rights would just be another scarce resource, no different in economic terms from the supply of arable land.

Needless to say, people like Newt Gingrich, who says that cap-and-trade would “punish the American people,” aren’t thinking that way. They’re just thinking “capitalism good, government bad.” But if you really believe in the magic of the marketplace, you should also believe that the economy can handle emission limits just fine.

So we can afford a strong climate change policy. And committing ourselves to such a policy might actually help us in our current economic predicament.

Right now, the biggest problem facing our economy is plunging business investment. Businesses see no reason to invest, since they’re awash in excess capacity, thanks to the housing bust and weak consumer demand.

But suppose that Congress were to mandate gradually tightening emission limits, starting two or three years from now. This would have no immediate effect on prices. It would, however, create major incentives for new investment — investment in low-emission power plants, in energy-efficient factories and more.

To put it another way, a commitment to greenhouse gas reduction would, in the short-to-medium run, have the same economic effects as a major technological innovation: It would give businesses a reason to invest in new equipment and facilities even in the face of excess capacity. And given the current state of the economy, that’s just what the doctor ordered.

This short-run economic boost isn’t the main reason to move on climate-change policy. The important thing is that the planet is in danger, and the longer we wait the worse it gets. But it is an extra reason to move quickly.

So can we afford to save the planet? Yes, we can. And now would be a very good time to get started.