State parks officials and nonprofit organizations scrambled Wednesday to find funding and possibly new corporate sponsors to keep as many as 100 parks and beaches open after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger slashed an additional $6.2 million out of the state parks system.
more from LA Times...
--
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Bacelona- El Carmel and Tres Turones- Why Planning Seems so Different in Barcelona
A lot of the things we have done in my classes so far has been going to see presentations that are done by municipal organizations who are in charge of the revitalization of certain areas in the city. They have told us about their plans for changing neighborhoods and improving them to make housing conditions, services, and transporation better for certain areas. One of the groups told us about 20 times that they were trying to design their city so that there would be diversity between the young people, older people, families, and the disabled. They feel that this integration is very important and makes for a healthy community. I think in a lot of these neighborhoods it's required that about 30% of the housing be public housing, which has controlled prices and ia subsidized heavily by the government. It's not a very rare thing to have really low income people living next to those who are middle class, and many private developers who own buildings are required to have public housing and controlled prices in their buildings to a certain extent by the government who pays them to do so. It's incredible to me and to others that no one protests this social housing, because in California when people try to put up affordable housing units people tend to be very upset and show up at city council meetings expressing the fact that having affordable housing in their backyards will bring crime and cause property values to drop. It's kind of amazing here that people from different income levels are able to live together in the same building without their being protest for the tenants that are not receiving help via social housing programs that have been established and funded by the government- it's a total contrast.
The pictures here are taken in an area of the city called El Carmel. It has a very difficult topography, and because it is on the outskirts of the city many people immigrated to that area and erected houses with their own two hands in order to have a place to live. (The pirate flag picture is from an area where many building were erected by the people who inhabit them, rather than by professional developers.) Because they were constucted in this manner the city doubts the safety of them. Also many of them are very very small and have poor ventilation and there are doubts about the health of living in such places. The city has a major renovation plan that will put in a new main street and has also put in several elevators and escaltors to help people reach their homes that used to require them to climb steep hills. As a result of this construction projects and also as a result of tearing down a lot of the unsafe housing people are displaced. However the city never displaces people and leaves them without a place to go. It is the law that they must be guaranteed housing in the same area, and if they chose not to be relocated they are given a lump sum of money. The brick building in the city is an example of new construction at the top of three newly installed escalators that climb the hills for you, where many people were relocated when their houses were removed in order to make such improvments to the neighborhood.
I think that the unique thing about this renovation in El Carmel is the fact that the improvements are being made to this area in order to improve the lives of the people who live there. I think that the kind of development I am used to seeing in S. Cal cities has to do with making improvements to the city in order to bring in more business and to push things along economically or even for better transporation purposes. So if they have to build public transport or a freeway through a very poor part of a city they give people money and they expect them to find a place to move to, as where here the improvements that they are making are not to bring in revenue for the city, but in this neighborhood especially they are made to help the people already living there, and if the city does have to claim eminent domain over your house or property they don't just hand people money and expect them to figure out where to go, they actually faciliate new housing facilities for the displaced.
The only thing that is suspect is that fact that so far we have talked to far more municipal workers than residents, so its hard to tell what the attitudes of the people living in these neighborhoods really is. Are they happy with the renovations? Do they feel that it is ultimately helping them or that the government is interfering to much by chasing them out of their houses into new places? Do they feel like they are being bought out or are they satisfied with the compensation and services that the city provides? When talking to those from the municipality I get these feeling that the city governments here really are doing great things for their residents, but I am excited to get out into the field next week and hear a different perspective on things. At this point, all I know is that the city's approach to working with neighborhood residents here seems to be very different from what I have seen in Orange County. Municipalities work closely with neighborhood associations in ways that appear to really impact positive changes that containa great deal of input from the residents. It's difficult for me to accept this concept after working with residents in Anaheim who are practially begging the city to accept their input. It seems that there is great benefit to the many Socialist municipalities in Barcelona- at least from the perspective of the residents who seem to have much more say in what goes on than I have seen in my experiences in Anaheim.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Water demand in Los Angeles reaches a 32-year low, DWP says
One official says the drop shows that the new water restrictions are working. Others report falling demand as well.
By Nicole Santa Cruz and David Zahniser
July 28, 2009
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported Monday that water demand reached a 32-year low for the month of June, dropping 11% compared with the same period in 2008.
Jim McDaniel, the senior assistant general manager of DWP's water system, said hard work by ratepayers is paying off. Though experts said June was on average 4 degrees cooler than normal, McDaniel attributed the low demand to the new water restrictions.
"You don't see those kinds of reductions just due to weather," he said.
The restrictions limit the use of sprinklers to 15 minutes a day on Mondays and Thursdays. No watering is allowed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The DWP released the data days after lawmakers complained that the water-saving rules are killing lawns and gardens.
Councilman Greig Smith proposed that DWP customers be permitted to use their sprinklers for up to eight minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
"The twice-a-week restrictions are turning people's lawns brown, which hurts home values in our neighborhoods," he said.
Smith made his proposal Friday, the same day the council agreed to let golf courses, colleges and other large property owners water any day of the week as long as they reduce water consumption by 20%.
In Long Beach, consumers used 9.4% less water in June compared to 2008. The once-green lawns in that city have seen better days since the city imposed restrictions in September 2007, said Matthew Veeh, acting director of government and public affairs with the Long Beach Water Department.
That plan, which is monitored by citizens, restricts residents to a schedule where they can water three times each week, with a limit of 15 minutes depending on the irrigation system.
"People's lawns are definitely not looking too great at this point," Veeh said.
Instead of water-hogging grass lawns, he suggested people should consider drought-resistant landscaping, with native California plants that require less water.
June was 18.8% below the department's 10-year average from 1998 to 2007. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to 26 agencies including Los Angeles and Long Beach, saw demand drop as well.
Compared to a six-year average from 2003 to 2008, usage in June was down 14%, the lowest since June of 2003, said Armando Acuna, a spokesman for MWD.
nicole.santacruz@latimes.com
david.zahniser@latimes.com
By Nicole Santa Cruz and David Zahniser
July 28, 2009
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported Monday that water demand reached a 32-year low for the month of June, dropping 11% compared with the same period in 2008.
Jim McDaniel, the senior assistant general manager of DWP's water system, said hard work by ratepayers is paying off. Though experts said June was on average 4 degrees cooler than normal, McDaniel attributed the low demand to the new water restrictions.
"You don't see those kinds of reductions just due to weather," he said.
The restrictions limit the use of sprinklers to 15 minutes a day on Mondays and Thursdays. No watering is allowed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The DWP released the data days after lawmakers complained that the water-saving rules are killing lawns and gardens.
Councilman Greig Smith proposed that DWP customers be permitted to use their sprinklers for up to eight minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
"The twice-a-week restrictions are turning people's lawns brown, which hurts home values in our neighborhoods," he said.
Smith made his proposal Friday, the same day the council agreed to let golf courses, colleges and other large property owners water any day of the week as long as they reduce water consumption by 20%.
In Long Beach, consumers used 9.4% less water in June compared to 2008. The once-green lawns in that city have seen better days since the city imposed restrictions in September 2007, said Matthew Veeh, acting director of government and public affairs with the Long Beach Water Department.
That plan, which is monitored by citizens, restricts residents to a schedule where they can water three times each week, with a limit of 15 minutes depending on the irrigation system.
"People's lawns are definitely not looking too great at this point," Veeh said.
Instead of water-hogging grass lawns, he suggested people should consider drought-resistant landscaping, with native California plants that require less water.
June was 18.8% below the department's 10-year average from 1998 to 2007. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to 26 agencies including Los Angeles and Long Beach, saw demand drop as well.
Compared to a six-year average from 2003 to 2008, usage in June was down 14%, the lowest since June of 2003, said Armando Acuna, a spokesman for MWD.
nicole.santacruz@latimes.com
david.zahniser@latimes.com
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Going European Style
Newport Beach foundation will offer bike-sharing in Orange County.
By Pat Brennan
Orange County Register (7/13/09)
A Newport Beach foundation will become the first to offer "European style" bikesharing in Orange County,allowing users to grab a bike at one bike station and leave it at another.
The program, meant to cut greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, begins with plenty of fanfare this weekend, with events scheduled in Newport on Friday-Monday.
"We’re trying to work with different communities to reduce the carbon footprint and traffic issues," said Alan Brandenburger, founder of the non-profit Brandenburger Foundation. "It’s a green community, kind of forward thinking on the environment, and that is what it’s all about."
The foundation is partnering with the Bixi Bike System, which has set up a similar system in Montreal.
The foundation hopes eventually to set up many bike stations around Newport, with the mobile kiosks holding seven bikes each. One demonstration station will be setup this weekend.
Users must run a credit card through a card reader to pay fees, although 30 minute rides are free. After that, fees range from $1.50 for the second 30 minutes to $6 for the fourth 30-minute period and each 30-minute period beyond that. The price increases to encourage people to use the bikes only for short increments of time.
They can also purchase 24-hour access for $5, a 30-day subscription for $28, and a 1-year subscription for $120. Memberships will be available on the program’s web site.
The bikes are automatically locked when the front wheel is placed in a dock at the bike station. Punching in a code triggers a green light and releases the bike.
The foundation will hold events to introduce the bikes at Newport Beach City Hall on Friday, Balboa Pier on Saturday, Newport Pier on Sunday and the Orange County Transportation Authority bus depot at Fashion Island on Monday morning, then at Newport Elementary School in the afternoon.
By Pat Brennan
Orange County Register (7/13/09)
A Newport Beach foundation will become the first to offer "European style" bikesharing in Orange County,allowing users to grab a bike at one bike station and leave it at another.
The program, meant to cut greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, begins with plenty of fanfare this weekend, with events scheduled in Newport on Friday-Monday.
"We’re trying to work with different communities to reduce the carbon footprint and traffic issues," said Alan Brandenburger, founder of the non-profit Brandenburger Foundation. "It’s a green community, kind of forward thinking on the environment, and that is what it’s all about."
The foundation is partnering with the Bixi Bike System, which has set up a similar system in Montreal.
The foundation hopes eventually to set up many bike stations around Newport, with the mobile kiosks holding seven bikes each. One demonstration station will be setup this weekend.
Users must run a credit card through a card reader to pay fees, although 30 minute rides are free. After that, fees range from $1.50 for the second 30 minutes to $6 for the fourth 30-minute period and each 30-minute period beyond that. The price increases to encourage people to use the bikes only for short increments of time.
They can also purchase 24-hour access for $5, a 30-day subscription for $28, and a 1-year subscription for $120. Memberships will be available on the program’s web site.
The bikes are automatically locked when the front wheel is placed in a dock at the bike station. Punching in a code triggers a green light and releases the bike.
The foundation will hold events to introduce the bikes at Newport Beach City Hall on Friday, Balboa Pier on Saturday, Newport Pier on Sunday and the Orange County Transportation Authority bus depot at Fashion Island on Monday morning, then at Newport Elementary School in the afternoon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)