Sunday Morning Mimosa

JM, Birds on a wire, Rowena and Hyperion, 11.19.07

Malibu Corral Fire could be up to 50% contained today, AP reports. Forty-nine homes have been destroyed.

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Gated community? Playa Capital Company (which you know as Playa Vista) suddenly erected a six-foot fence on its south side, to keep Cabora Road hikers out. The development cites leashless dogs as the reason. But most dogs can't get over a three-foot fence---why six feet, one hiker wonders.

At the go-to Westchester blog, "Westchester Parents," a commenter says, "I just got back from a walk, and laid eyes on this fence for the first time. I nearly gagged. I had to temper my reaction because my kids were there… but this is COMPLETELY outrageous...." The blog says the fence purportedly went up because of the persistent complaints of a single person, a professor at LMU.

You're inclined to wonder: the City's leash law is not enforced in Pacific Palisades, in Woodland Hills, even on the sidewalks of Los Feliz---why should it be so strictly enforced on the bluffs of Westchester?

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That guy at the Westchester blog is also a bit of a water wonk.

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LAOpera: La Boheme opens today at the Dorothy Chandler, 2 p.m. curtain, for a run that will extend through December 16. Don Giovanni opened last night and runs through December 15.

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The Los Angeles Times ed and op-ed page will not dramatically change with the departure of Matt Welch. But the editorial department will be diminished by the fact that there is one less editorial voice at the paper who cares about local issues.

Before Matt's arrival, it wasn't unusual to see an entire Sunday paper devoid of local editorial commentary. That changed when Matt got there, and the City was a bit better off because of it.

Senor Welch from his libertarian POV also was one distinct editorial voice willing to look at the proceedings of the Mayor's office with a circumspect eye. Expect fewer qualms over supporting new costly city bonds issues from the Mattless Times.

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Finally, here's a retraction and a regret: I have implied in the past few days that the Daily News might be looking for a City editor. That's not true at all. By all accounts and every measure, Judi Erickson has been doing an enormously great job as City editor at the Daily News since her promotion in September; word even came that she was in on her day off yesterday to handle the Corral Fire story. I regret implying anything contrary to the fact that Everyone Loves Judi.

Not Again!

From CNS

A wind-driven brushfire that started near the top of Corral Canyon overnight destroyed about 35 multimillion-dollar homes in the Malibu Bowl area today as the fire moved south and west.

The fire broke out about 3:30 a.m. near the top of Corral Canyon about 3:30 a.m., when winds out of the north and northeast were gusting up to about 60 mph.

Due to the high winds, spot fires started jumping well ahead of the main front, and soon several large homes along Newell Road in the Malibu Bowl area were in flames. Some homes in Latigo Canyon also burned.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky says nearly 10,000 Malibu residents have been evacuated from Corral Canyon to Point Dume.

Coastal evacuees should go north to Channel Island High School, he says. Inland and canyon residents should go to Agoura Hills High School.

County fire Chief Michael Freeman says firefighters are working to keep the fire from crossing Kanan Dume Road.

He says power lines have fallen due to the fire, but the cause is unknown.

Arson investigators are working near the origin of the fire -- off the paved road at Corral Canyon Road and Castro Mountainway.

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I don't normally go in for this stuff but last month "psychic" Evelyn Paglini appeared on Coast to Coast AM recapping her accurate predictions of the major conflagrations we experienced last month that she made on the show earlier this year. At that time she "predicted" more fires in Southern California at the end of November, beginning of December - and she saw fires in the Hollywood Hills. Whether she's a quack or not, its not a bad idea to really adhere to those red flag days and other tips from the LAFD to prevent fires.