LA Tap Water: Suddenly Too Much Chlorine?

AT LEAST I know I'm not alone in this. A few Angelenos lately feel like Los Angeles tap water has been a bit over-chlorinated. From the Twitters:

• "Noticed it in the shower. Any idea why? Smells like the YMCA."
• "I think the LA tap water has a weird taste and odor, chlorine?"
• "Not sure what that smell is. My Atwater Village tapwater has a bouquet I don't recognize."

As research at San Diego State Univeristy points out, "If you can smell the chlorine ... it is dangerously high." Their research was about pools, but what does the smell mean for the water we bathe in and drink, just last year judged tastiest in the world?

Maybe Not the Message LADWP Wants to Send

SHORT, PERSONAL note to Los Angeles Department of Water and Power CEO David Nahai:

During a week when LADWP's busted water mains swallow a fire engine and drown a major traffic artery, you might not want to go with the casual mafia lieutenant look on the evening news.

Despite LADWP's alleged history of thuggery, nothing instills less confidence in a nervous public, worrying their street might be the next sinkhole, than a dude lounging on a leather sofa.

Sit up straight. Button the shirt. Maybe throw on a jacket. Or sit at a desk. Drop a couple grand on media training if you have to. At the very least, try and look like the guy who might be able to handle the problem.

Lakers Riot Suspect Arrested in Atwater Village

THE LOS ANGELES County Sheriffs Department's Transit Bureau arrested Edward Aleman, 19, on suspicion of vandalizing the Metro Blue Line during Sunday's riot for the LA Lakers championship. Aleman is accused of placing a dumpster on the Blue Line track, tagging a light-rail train with his nom de plume, "Reaps," and violating probation on a prior conviction. He might also face rioting charges. From wire service reports: "Deputies searched his home in the 3000 block of Tyburn Street [Google Map] in Atwater Village and found evidence of his involvement, said Lt. Erik Ruble." Aleman was arrested just before midnight Tuesday night. More from the LA Times.

May Showers: Now at 120 Hours of Sprinkling

NEW PHOTO and an email update from a drought-tolerant reader, as of 11:15am Sunday, May 24, 2009: "Thanks for covering this story. We are approaching 120 hours of continuous sprinkler use on city property. This is a village spectacle. These sprinklers have to be spewing at least a gallon a minute. 4 calls to 311." See it in person: 3522 Garden Ave.

This Bed of Dirt Somehow Requires 75 Hours of Watering

FROM A READER: "For kicks, check out the city sprinklers that have been running non-stop for the last 75 hours in Atwater. I've called the city 311 two times and they are still running. The sprinklers are running at the entrance to the city parking lot #711. It is located directly east of 3522 Garden Ave, 90039. Go droughtbusters." Another angle shows the sprinklers aim at a single, leaning branch within a 10-foot bed of dirt and rocks.

Pick a Tunnel, Any Tunnel

CHOOSE YOUR favorite entrance to LA's Figueroa Street Tunnels.

Clarified: Waste Plant May Be Near (Not At) Levitz Site

AS EARLIER REPORTED here on the Newbie blog, the City of Los Angeles is considering the old Levitz Furniture site in North Atwater Village (5375 West San Fernando Road) for a facility that would convert garbage to usable energy. Today comes a slight clarification from LA City Councilman Tom LaBonge's office, via Sunroom Desk: Councilman LaBonge suggested the River Glen area of Atwater, near the Levitz site but not necessarily the existing building. The Bureau of Sanitation is currently conducting an analysis of this and other sites around the City and will report their findings and feasibility recommendations to the Council members. Words theirs, italics mine. So consider it clarified. And prepare your comments and questions for the next Department of Public Works workshop for North Central LA: Tuesday March 24, 6:00 p.m., El Centro Del Pueblo, 1157 Lemoyne Street.

What $7,850 a Month Gets You on the Westside

SOMETIMES WE fantasize about moving from cozy Atwater Village to the idyllic west side of Los Angeles. Ah, the beach lifestyle. Sun, sand, pirates everywhere. And then we actually go and look at what's available to rent on the west side. This weekend: a loft condo on the water in Marina Del Rey. 3 bedrooms 2.5 bathrooms Listed for sale at $1,799,000 (down from $1,950,000) Also available for lease, furnished, at $7,850/month Part of a 4-unit condo building (the pirate mannequins belong to the guy upstairs) To be sure, a sweet pad. And it almost made us think of quadrupling our rent. Then we heard planes leaving LAX every 90 seconds. More scenes from the open house:

Neighbors, Let's Skim Those Pools!

JUST LIKE with its restaurant ratings, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health posts its pool inspections online. This year, it seems, a couple of Atwater Village apartment complex pools needed some TLC. The pool at Rancho Los Feliz Apartments (3250 Los Feliz Blvd.) had 7 violations May 21, including the lack of "adequate skimming action." (Skimming is "the process of filtering out dirt and unwanted materials.") Pool at 3250 Los Feliz Blvd., 7 violations Pool at 4316 Edenhurst Ave., 10 violations Search LA County Pool Inspections

We Even Did an 'Aftershock' Drill

THIS IS THE VIEW from under my desk during the Great Southern California Shakeout this morning. Since I had to stick my arm (and cell phone) out a bit to get this shot it means, technically, I violated the "drop, cover and hold on" directive. Wouldn't happen in a real 7.8 earthquake. Trust me.

Confirmed! Prius Parking Still Free at LA City Meters

Free?, originally uploaded by rasputina2.

THOUGH WE HAVEN'T PAID (and haven't been ticketed) when our Toyota Prius is parked at City of Los Angeles street meters, we remain skeptical. As we wondered earlier, are hybrid vehicles really able to park for free? Or will we eventually stop getting lucky? Don't worry, replies LA City Councilman Eric Garcetti's office: Hybrid Vehicles are exempt from Meter violations (listed below) ... [Tickets] can be administratively dismissed upon proof that the vehicle cited is a hybrid vehicle. Hybrid vehicle is defined as the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Ford Escape Hybrid. CODE / DESCRIPTION 88.13b / Meter Overtime 80.35.5 / No Coin Deposited Too bad this doesn't apply to street-sweeping rules. Next: What other Southern California cities let hybrids keep their coin? We're looking at you, Glendale.

City Tests 'Induction' Street Lights in Atwater Village

THE CITY OF Los Angeles is testing 2 "induction lighting" street lamps in the 3700 block of Valleybrink Road in Atwater Village. From our neighborly Pamela Burgess:

"The color of the light is blue, as compared to the warm glow of 'High Pressure Sodium Lamps' that we have now throughout the neighborhood. The test lamps will soon be removed and installed elsewhere in the city."

The City's testing for cost savings, but Pamela expresses a valid aesthetic concern, one unlikely to be measured, about "the quality, color and look of the light, and how it reflects 'the feeling of our neighborhood.'"

I already notice a difference between the new blues and old ambers. The new lights throw harsher shadows, but they do seem brighter and, theoretically, safer for passersby. (Could also be they're testing them away from trees.)

I doubt those perps who rifled through my Honda under the old, dim amber lights would've had so much time and leeway under these bright new blues.

City Trucks at 6:40AM: Apparently OK in LA

APPARENTLY THE CITY OF Los Angeles noise rules, where most "excessive, unnecessary, and/or annoying noise" is banned before 7:00am in residential areas, does not apply to the City's own trash and recycling trucks. The big trucks can roll a whole hour earlier, starting at 6:00am; hence the 6:40am yard-waste truck invasion this morning in Atwater Village. Does the extra hour really make a difference in collection routes? And if this is a neighborhood's the only regular, excessive and/or annoying noise, does it make sense to exempt it from the noise rules?

Ceci N'est Pas Ma Photo

THIS IS WHERE "select" images from the Flickr group The Water: A California Story are displayed, in a randomly ordered slideshow, at the San Diego Museum of Natural History. My photograph of the LA River in Atwater Village was "select" but in 40 minutes of sitting and watching on opening weekend, I didn't see it. Maybe someone else will; the Water exhibit is up till November. Or you can see it right here:

Life Costs Less Just Across the Tracks in Glendale

THE HIGH COST OF living in the Big City, from a report on LA City Council's vote to raise trash rates to $36/month: Atwater Village resident Dennis Keene said the council is ignoring the cumulative effect of fees, charges and taxes. Keene said he paid $639 last year in city charges on his cell phone, land-line phone, cable, natural gas, sewer service, trash collection and electric bills. The trash-fee increase will add $350 a year, he said, for a total more than the $674 he pays in property tax for the duplex he bought in 1972. The City of Glendale, just a stroll away, collects trash and recycling for as little as $16.96/month.

My First Earthquake: The Aftermath

I STOPPED HOME for lunch today, checked on pets and stuff after LA's 5.4 earthquake. Everything looked OK. It was all in place. Except this book, which had slipped from a pile on our wooden bench. On the floor it landed, waiting for the aftershock: Hidden Southern California.

Page 20: "Earthquakes still rattle the region with disturbing frequency."

Bicyclists Have Feelings Too, AVNC Decrees

IN A LANDSLIDE last week, the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council voted to recommend the Cyclist's Bill of Rights. Among its notable aspirations: Cyclists have the right to travel safely and free of fear. Cyclists have the right to the full support of our judicial system... Cyclists have the right to be secure in their persons and property... It's about time! Now, before some punk goes and smashes in more car windows in the neighborhood, what can we do to ensure the rest of us are "free of fear," "secure" in our "property" with "the full support of our judicial system"?

In the Midwest, They Call It Frito Pie

Chilaquiles!, originally uploaded by Michael A. Brown.

ANGELENOS SOMETIMES ARGUE about where to get the best chilaquiles. Mt. Washington? Santa Monica? The office cafeteria? They bicker as if this dish is something unique to LA, something gringos wouldn't understand. Well, I've been the midwestern United States, people, and I think they've caught on: Chilaquiles are corn tortillas, cut in quarters and fried until golden, Next, green or red salsa, or even mole, is poured over the the crispy tortilla triangles. The dish is topped with cheese and/or sour cream. A Frito pie is Frito corn chips, with a cup of chili poured over the top, usually finished up with grated cheese or onions and jalapeños and sour cream. Other than spice, they basically have the same flavors and textures, too.

Busy Day at Brewery Art Walk

Beer Left, Food Right, originally uploaded by Atwater Village Newbie.

FOR THREE YEARS I've wanted to attend the Brewery Art Walk but for one reason or another haven't gone till now. And now that I have been, I really wish I had started attending three years ago. Too much to see in a day. Too much to see in a weekend, really. Too much art. Too many hipsters. (Generations of them, hipster moms with hipster daughters.) To be continued. Next year.

The Unhappiest Hobo

The Unhappiest Hobo, originally uploaded by Atwater Village Newbie.

LITTER. SPIT. FLIP PEOPLE OFF. All in a day's lack of work for this friendly fellow. He must have been on a union-mandated break from his cardboard sign operation in the Glendale Blvd. median at Glenhurst/Glenfeliz, where all the cars U-turn to cross the Hyperion bridge. Sorry my soul-stealing camera displeased you, mister! Hopefully you were able earn it back with those tax-free cash donations from guilt-driven Silver Lakers.