CaliforniaCityNews.org

Ready for Your Close Up?

The Glendale News Press ran a story last week that could have big implications for the Gadfly Hall of Fame.  It seems one Glendale councilmember privately asked that on-air closeups of a fellow councilmember be regulated during local access broadcasts of the council's meetings.  The council is set to take up the matter in November and potentially institute rules about prolonged close-ups which greatly enhance viewing not only of council deliberations, but the public comments as well.

This is a story we'll be watching this month, thanks to a certain CaliforniaCityNews reader for the heads up. 

Council angles for camera oversight
A member requests that a policy be adopted to stop close-up facial shots during the meetings.
By Jason Wells

CITY HALL — A private request to ban on-air close-ups of a certain City Council member while speaking into the microphone during council meetings — which are broadcast live on GTV 6 — moved into a very public forum Tuesday night.

"Building Post Carbon Cities"

A new book titled Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty is geared specifically for local officials and shows city leaders how to create their own plans to reduce local vulnerability to rising prices and volatile energy markets.

The author is Daniel Lerch, program manager for the Post Carbon Institute, a Portland, Oregon based initiative to “prepare local governments for energy and climate uncertainty.”

The book touts efforts in cities as diverse as Oakland and Willits, which is commendable for its willingness to examine cities of varied size and geography.

Debbie Cook, councilwoman for the city of Huntington Beach is quoted praising the work in a press release issued by the Institute, saying “Post Carbon Cities is the first major book written specifically for local government officials, staff, and community activists on how to respond to the fundamental changes taking place in the global energy system,” and adding that “Every municipal leader in America should read this book.”

To get more information order the book, visit the Post Carbon Cities website.

Battle Joined Over Landlords’ Anti- Rent Control Measure

A coalition of local elected officials, senior groups, tenant rights advocates and mobile home residents held a protest and news conference on Tuesday in front of the Apartment Owners Association of California convention at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The Apartment Owners Association has contributed nearly $200,000 to the campaign that is attempting to place the so-called California Property Owner and Farmland Protection Act (spearheaded by the Jarvis Association) on the June 2008 ballot.

Taxpayer Bucks and Sport Deals

Campaign and Communications Consultant -- and friend of CaliforniaCityNews -- Tab Berg authored the following piece on the recent sports arena negotiations in Sacramento, and what local governments can learn about public-private partnerships as a result.

After the monumental flop of last year's "arena deal" in Sacramento - with voters spanking a proposed tax hike to pay for what amounted to a half-billion-dollar subsidy for the owners of the Sacramento Kings -  you'd think folks would have learned something.  Or not.

She wants a higher power at City Hall

Five years after getting Bakersfield to place 'In God We Trust' in its council chambers, activist takes her motto campaign national.

By Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 28, 2007

BAKERSFIELD -- Next time you see God in City Hall, you might have Jacquie Sullivan to thank -- or blame, depending on your point of view.

Five years ago, the Bakersfield City Council member lobbied hard to get "In God We Trust" displayed over the city's seal in the council's meeting room.

In the years since, she has persuaded 25 other California cities, from Kerman to Compton, to do the same, sometimes over strenuous protests from residents who see the mounting of the motto as a backdoor effort to foist a religious agenda on local governments.

At 67, Sullivan is undaunted by people she describes as "wanting to remove God from everything." Through her nonprofit, In God We Trust -- America, she aims to have the phrase prominently featured in all 478 of California's city halls and every other city hall in America.

Irrigation irritations plague cities

By Deborah Schoch
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 27, 2007 12:00 AM

When Long Beach launched tough watering restrictions last month, city officials asked residents to report leaky sprinklers and other wasteful water practices. So far, 428 complaints have been logged, 83 of them targeting leaking sprinkler systems in city parks, street medians and along freeways.

In call after call, citizens asked: Why are public sprinklers spewing water across sidewalks? Why do sprinklers run in parks at times that residents are barred from watering their own lawns? Why do some freeway sprinklers water in the rain?

As drought-conscious Southern California cities urge water conservation during a record dry year, municipal- and state-owned sprinklers can offer an all-too-visible waste that sends millions of gallons of drinking water down the drain or evaporating into thin air.

Pechanga Announces Actions to Assist Fire Evacuees

The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians has opened the doors of its Riverside County casino to evacuees of the Southern California wildfires, still burning as I type.  Read about it in the San Diego Union Trib, or click through for the Press Release.

Berkeley to Give Financial Aid for Solar Panels

From the SF Chron:

"Berkeley is set to become the first city in the nation to help thousands of its residents generate solar power without having to put money up front - attempting to surmount one of the biggest hurdles for people who don't have enough cash to go green.

The City Council will vote Nov. 6 on a plan for the city to finance the cost of solar panels for property owners who agree to pay it back with a 20-year assessment on their property. Over two decades, the taxes would be the same or less than what property owners would save on their electric bills, officials say."

full story here.

San Diego Fires Illustrate Some New Technologies in Homebuilding

Exclusive homes emerge unscathed as fire-protection concept is tested -- Officials with the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District credit the lack of property damage to a defensive program called “shelter in place.” It is a wildfire protection plan that imposes construction and landscaping standards intended to be so stringent – including mandatory interior fire sprinklers and broad swaths of protective landscaping – that homeowners can remain sheltered in their houses if they cannot evacuate. Lori Weisberg, Roger Showley and Emmet Pierce in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 10/25/07

Starbucks Offering Free Wifi in Fire Affected Areas

From the Starbucks press shop:

In response to the Southern California wildfires, T-Mobile HotSpot, in coordination with Starbucks, is now offering complimentary wireless connectivity at nearly 1,000 Starbucks locations in Southern California through October 31, 2007.

Questions and Answers

Q: How long will this service be available?
A: Complimentary service is available now through Oct. 31. T-Mobile will reassess the situation at that time and make decisions about whether or not to continue the complimentary offering.

Q: Which Starbucks?
A: Those in the counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura and Santa Barbara.

Contact:
Liz Risoldi, GCI Group for Starbucks
310-526-5506
lrisoldi@gcigroup.com