Wasting Water DWP Style

drip, drip, drip

photo by Mayor Sam

The DWP wants to take over the solar industry in Los Angeles, thinking they can manage to produce an output of electricity from solar greater than the current total solar power generated in the US and yet, they can't even manage a dripping fire hydrant.

Friday I ventured by a fire hydrant near Magnolia and Lankershim Boulevards in North Hollywood that was leaking rather significantly.  So good citizen that I am I called the City's 311 line to report it and was told I would be referred to the DWP.  After a while a very pleasant DWP representative came on the line and took my report.  She then told me that another citizen had reported the very same dripping fire hydrant the day before.  Apparently a DWP crew came to look at it but could not fix it.  The representative said that the crew reported that it would take at least a week before the hydrant could be fixed.  A week? This didn't look like a complicated repair, in fact it looked very similar to what anyone who has a leaky faucet would experience.  If the DWP can't fix it, should we contact Mike Diamond's Smell Good Plumbers?

With restrictions on water usage and heavy penalties for wasting water recently imposed by the Mayor given our current water crisis, how is it the DWP has a series of leaking or cascading fire hydrants they can't repair? Besides the water waste, its a public safety issue if a hydrant is not in proper working condition.

It's time to do something about the DWP and the first thing to do is to fire E. WASTEWATER PLURIBUS himself under whose reign the DWP has slipped into a complete and total mess.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Thursday

We haven't heard from our Marxist friends at Academia Semillas del Pueblo lately but Zuma Dogg has. Supporters of the controversial charter school are calling for parents to not enroll their students in any LAUSD school. Why you may ask? Well the folks behind Academia want to branch out and bring their nonsense to their own high school. However the LAUSD has yet to approve the charter for Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory Academy of North America and lets hope they don't.

Things could be looking up for LA/Palmdale Airport. United Airlines says its will double its flights from two to four a day from the Antelope Valley based facility owned by Los Angeles World Airports. Civic leaders - starting with the old, dead Republican Mayor himself - have been working to develop Palmdale as a regional alternative to Bob Hope and LAX Airports.

A conservative Catholic blogger takes Mayor Villaraigosa, also a Catholic, to task for volunteering to officiate at gay weddings and for being pro-choice, in opposition to church teachings. Somehow I don't anticipate the Mayor will be excommunicated.

There's a water shortage and the City is sending out inspectors to fine you for wasting water. Still one contributing writer to the LA Times expects that most people won't take action to save water.

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

As we predicted Tuesday, the City Clowncil for now passed on a plan to raise electric and water rates in Los Angeles. Council members Eric Garcetti, Jan Perry and Bernard Parks introduced a motion to send the hikes back to the DWP to be taken back up by the Council on February 20th, a good two weeks after the Measure S Phone Tax scam will have been voted up or down.

You better cut back on your water usage or big bad Mayor V is going to impose mandatory cuts in water usage on you. Of course, he's one to talk right?

In New York you can hail a cab when you need one. In Los Angeles the law requires you to go to a designated cab stand, wherever that may be. Jan Perry is behind a move to change that law. Now that's a good thing Jan, focus on that instead of nanny state activities.

The Smart Car is a good way to commute and get around in a town like Los Angeles. The market is responding with a car that gets incredible gas mileage and can itself twice in the average parking place. Also, the car is affordable. If you want to buy one, dealerships are coming to Los Angeles, including North Hollywood.

Writer Matthew DeBord agrees with the MTA's plan to install turnstiles at subway and rail car stations.

Previously Andrew at Here In Van Nuys posted the terrifically blighted intersection at Vanowen and Sepulveda in Van Nuys. In contrast, Wellesley Island, New York where property owners know how to build and maintain attractive buildings.

If you wondering if there are some perks to being homeless, Godzilla Don has posted the day's menu at The Los Angeles Mission.

Be sure to vote for North Hollywood over at The Curbed Cup..

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

Hoping to not doom chances for passage of Mayor Vs phone tax by pissing off the voters even more, the City Clowncil will probably hold off on DWP rate increases that have been tossed around for a while now.

A green blog derides Mayor Villaraigosa for failing to get Angelenos to conserve water and says that the Mayor seems to "epitomize everything the rest of us think about Los Angeles; all surface, a suit and smiling face with no more real substance than a Saturday AM cartoon rerun." Ouch!

Walking from the Metro to work, Steve Lopez runs into a press conference on thieves stealing copper wire from LA's street lights.

Our post on new KNBC weathercaster Elita Loresca stirred up some readers with some of finding the "sexiest newscaster in America" to look like a "tranny" and others finding her unattractive because the Phillipine born and Southern California reared Loresca "looked too Mexican." If you want more on Loresca you can check out a fan created blog that reviews her wardrobe or check out video and more pictures at the Backyard.

Now that he's ended it with Mirthala, Mayor V may want to post some personal ads on Craig's List or Match.com. Our friend Jon Regardie has drafted some up for the Mayor. Or the Mayor could take the advice of Speed Seduction creator Ross Jeffries to get some good mileage going for the holidays.

Here in Van Nuys has a great post about what a horribly ugly corner Sepulveda and Vanowen in Van Nuys (or is it Valley Glen or West Lake Balboa or Lake Balboa or Encino or Sherman Oaks? Someone please advise.) is. Who is the Clowncil Member over there?

Starting January 1st, you will no longer be able to transfer for free from the Metro to an LADOT or DASH bus.

Redondo Beach levied fines on cable operator Time Warner. When Time Warner asked to appeal to the the local Clowncil, they were turned down. Now, they're suing.

Kudos to Joseph Mailander for getting linkage from LAist for his post advising Mayor Villaraigosa on how he should use his bully pulpit to bring recalcitrant movie studios to the bargaining table in the writers' strike. Just wish they would have given the byline to Joe and not me (cause you know good old reactionary Republican me would come down on the side of the studios).

Even though they use "bio-fuels" with a minimal carbon footprint, City Clowncil liberals in New York City want to ban the horse and carriages that are a city icon.

State Senator Alan Lowenthal, writing at Capitol Weekly, says that if the Governor and members of the Legislature really want re-districting reform, they could pass SCA 10, rather than getting ready for a costly signature gathering drive and ballot fight.

Gossip mongers are parsing a recent speech by Jodie Foster that the actress is coming out as a lesbian. Who knew?