Friday Free for All: Carmageddon Edition

Tips for surviving the mess courtesy of the folks at CurbedLA. I did not know that Sepulveda Blvd. will be open to locals only. And the boys at Live LA Saturday Night need to take note: Ventura Blvd. may be a nightmare.

The LA Times reports that to helm the Mulholland Bridge demolition project, a "steady hand" is needed.  Project Manager Mike Barbour is a veteran of the Marines, Navy and Caltrans with decades of engineering experience and even did a stint in Iraq.

Mayor Villaraigosa will participate in a Times video chat to answer your questions Friday afternoon.

The Sherman Oaks Galleria is located right next door to ground zero for Carmageddon.  To lure patrons the shopping complex will offer free parking, air conditioned movies, drink specials and food samples.

Patch details some of the history, culture and lore of the Sepulveda Pass, including it's use in film and television.  An old story told reportedly told by Lucille Ball tells that then actor Ronald Reagan claimed to have an encounter with aliens on the 405 who told him to go into politics.

The 405 is scheduled to open back up at 6:00 a.m. Monday morning.  If all goes well, however, it could open back up even earlier than that.

And finally, I found a way to avoid the whole thing. I'll be here, far, far from it all.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Thursday

Your Los Angeles DWP!

The Los Angeles City Council passed a partial boycott of City business with organizations based in Arizona to protest a controversial immigration law in the Grand Canyon State. While the City is not going to give up lucrative contracts with Arizona based airlines and other businesses, some are concerned about the effect this may have on innocent bystanders in this debate.  One example could be Arizona based Swift Transportation who has an $8 million contract as part of the City's "Clean Trucks" program.

Excellent piece by Joseph Mailander in today's LA Weekly chronicling the utter dysfunction that is today's Department of Water and Power.  The story starts off with a bizarre tale of how the utility left an unattended and unexplained work truck on a City street for a day; bizarre indeed that the truck's front grill was adorned with a Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle doll.

Speaking of bizarre some local legislators want to change the name of the 405 from the San Diego Freeway to the Kevin Murray Freeway.  Murray of course is the former State Senator who was found by a police officer with a prostitute in his state provided Corvette parked outside the John Anson Ford Theatre.

Why does Wendy Greuel hate Disney? The City Controller is questioning a program where the City provides bus transportation for senior citizen centers and school children to take field trips to places like the Getty, Holllywood Bowl and Disneyland.

Where in the world is Antonio Villaraigosa? In Washington, D.C. begging Congress for money for the Subway to the Sea.