DTLA Showers - part deux

Break out the rainboots. You might be surprised by the beauty hidden in the grayest of days.


Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

Rainy Day DTLA Commute

How fun! This is my first flickr slideshow!

It shows a bit of my commute from work in Little Tokyo, through downtown's slick streets. Notice the diligent film crew outside the Caltrans building with the LAPD building in the background!

Please pardon my drive-by photography, my terrible phone camera and I apologize if I drove anywhere near you tonight. :)

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

Death fee could double in L.A.

Food, clothes, gas and now... the cost of dying is rising.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider an ordinance March 1 that would increase the fee paid to the Coroner for transporting the deceased. This fee, which is paid by the person entitled to control of the remains, would rise from the current $200 to "no more than $400."

The Coroner's Department conducted an analysis of transportation and "handling" costs of decedents from the place of death until their release. This cost has increased since the Department implemented the existing $200 fee in 1991. View proposal letter here

Economic Forecast: Sunny with 100% Chance of Continued Showers

With so much of the economy pegged on housing and so much of the housing sector depending on improvement in a dim jobs picture, it is interesting for economists to predict growth in the rest of the Los Angeles economy. Especially when their bottom line sounds like this:

“A year from now, [housing] prices will be at best where they are today and in some parts of the area it will probably be a couple percentages lower,” said David Berson, vice president, chief economist and strategist of consulting firm The PMI Group.

Economists. Astrologists. Meteorologists. :)

What do you think the Los Angeles economy will look like in a year?

3 Lessons from Today

1. Never underestimate the power of the blazer or overdressing for an event.
2. Media training/public speaking lessons are essential for any representative of any organization, i.e. the spokesperson of a major global company. Thanks to Toastmasters "uh" counts, I understand the need to sound confident, not only when speaking to an audience, but to engage in day-to-day conversation. I'm considering joining the Voces Latinas Toastmasters group in downtown L.A.
3. I can take direct criticism much better than a complete bastardization of my stories. 

And with that, I return to making sense of the numbers.

Understanding Special Order 40

Let's learn together, rather than unite to attack each other.

At the link below is LAPD Chief Charlie Beck's brief explanation of Special Order #40:
Beck's post on Special Order # 40

TNN: Los Angeles City Council District 10

The Neighborhood News is chock full of goodies to help you make informed decisions for Los Angeles city council representative/ballot measures on March 8 .

Click here:
The Neighborhood News - Feb.-March 2011 edition