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Monica G May 16, 2013 at 01:36 pm
I have also encountered similar such LACKS in service on my street...however, I do NOT excuse even…Read More ONE missed day because I am being charged for the service to be completed on a weekly basis, and I shouldn't have to go out of my way to call to have that service carried out. Street cleaning is another CHARGED service that is now routinely carried out bi-monthly instead of weekly (supposedly due to furloughs and budget cuts), yet I am still being charged the same monthly fee. If the city expects us to either do the service ourselves (i.e. sweeping the street on their furlough days) or find ways to carry out city-provided (and charged) services ourselves, then they had better give us a refund, or offer us the option of privatizing the service. Most unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County (such as Rowland Heights, Whittier, etc) have outsourced their city services such as trash collection. There are many limitations, such as bulky items are only picked up on one city-wide scheduled day per year, however, how many times per year do we use the bulky item pick up. The service is also not much cheaper than what we now pay...however, it IS consistent, and rarely to never miss a day. I think there are certain cases where your entire block can privatize it's services, such as trash, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
concernedneighbor April 22, 2013 at 07:51 pm
Kind of weak Deborah - even for a blatant scare tactic...
1. Drunk people shouldn't drive to bars -…Read More 'sleeping it off' in a car is not a practical solution to over drinking
2. When was the last time you saw anyone in a Venice bar/restaurant past 1am
3. Residents vote and need a 2/3 majority to get OPDs - that's a pretty high bar
For someone who advocates for the will of the people it's surprising that you don't think the people will make the right choice here. What's the big deal with letting residents decide how parking works on their own blocks?
ty allison April 22, 2013 at 06:55 pm
Congratulations!
You are the weekly winner of the "Homeless advocate, surrogate spirit of…Read More venice bizarro convoluted argument award"! And it's only Monday!
Although you may be right, the bars in Venice do look empty and impoverished and
encouraging visitors to drink to excess and passing out in their vehicles may be the best way to get out of the economic crisis in Venice.
Deborah Lashever April 22, 2013 at 04:07 pm
Wondering how the 3am closing time for 1205 and other bars in Venice would work if we (God Forbid!)…Read More ever had to have OPDs in Venice. All their customers would get hefty tickets......and what if they are too tipsy to drive? The OPDs would make it more likely that they would drive anyway since "sleeping it of" in their cars would get them expensive tickets.
Hence OPDs would encourage the loss of business for bars in a still wobbly economy and encourage drunk driving in Venice! Just another reason OPDs are bad, bad, BAD for Venice!
Spirit Of Venice March 25, 2013 at 02:02 am
Thank you, David, for your lucid and edifying dissertation on Passover. You just about said it…Read More all...I would only add that if people get a chance during the holiday to view the movie version of Fiddler On The Roof they will get a truly inspiring feeling for what it meant - and means - to be Jewish.
Donald Jarvis March 23, 2013 at 02:04 am
Teachers need to be held accountable for their actions in the classroom period. How does it feel…Read More when the shoe is on the other foot.
Scott March 22, 2013 at 02:22 am
For far too long it was next to impossible for a teacher to be terminated when there were multiple…Read More complaints against the teacher for misconduct. Our children have to come first and the school systems have to have the right to terminate teachers they suspect of abusing children.
Raul Marquez March 21, 2013 at 03:27 pm
where were you guys when Little Johnny got suspended for telling a girl he wanted to kiss her, and…Read More Tommy got expelled for drawing a picture of a gun? Deal with it! You made this idiotic culture. The rest of us would rather use common sense.
carolyn rios March 18, 2013 at 05:48 pm
Trust me we have an alcohol problem period in Venice. Every year we lose a car on my street from a…Read More drunk driver leaving AK blvd . Much of the peeing and pooping that residents complain about is from drunks. We have an extremely high per capita liquor license ratio. and yes we have an underage drinking problem. I taught at a local high school and they ll drink and smoke. I would love to see a moratorium on new licenses for a start. And jail time o people who sell or supply to under aged or already drunk. Thank you Jeff
LA Momma March 5, 2013 at 01:32 am
I met Steve Zimmer a few months ago when he was feeding homeless kids. There was no press, no major…Read More donors around, much less parents - these were throw away kids and Steve was there for them. I think that says a LOT about his character and how you can expect him to care about *all*of the students. Not jus a few, not just those whose parents complain the loudest, but those for whom NO ONE speaks. Plus, he was a teacher. If goodness and public service don't earn your vote, then public education is really in trouble.
Deborah Lashever March 4, 2013 at 05:25 am
Read this about why billionaires form other cities are funding Kate Anderson:…Read More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-dreier/los-angeles-public-education_b_2798894.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#.UTQc_h3Jamc.facebook
Lydia March 5, 2013 at 11:09 pm
-Special needs students are not being properly served at charters, especially here in the Westside.…Read More
- does or has Ms. Anderson ever acknowledge the students in the pockets of poverty that exists over here?
- culturally and socio-economically diverse students should have fair and equal access to a quality education.
- it's not a choice when you have WIN a spot in a lottery for a child' s seat at a school....
- we aren't going anywhere. Our homes are here. Even when people do not see us it does not mean we cease to exist.
lydia ponce March 5, 2013 at 11:07 pm
-Special needs students are not being properly served at charters, especially here in the Westside.…Read More
- does or has Ms. Anderson ever acknowledge the students in the pockets of poverty that exists over here?
- culturally and socio-economically diverse students should have fair and equal access to a quality education.
- it's not a choice when you have WIN a spot in a lottery for a child' s seat at a school....
- we aren't going anywhere. Our homes are here. Even when people do not see us it does not mean we cease to exist.
Jack Covey March 5, 2013 at 08:54 pm
One more bit from Diane that I can't leave out:
"Los Angeles already has more charters than…Read More any other city in the nation. School board member Steve Zimmer had the temerity to propose that the board develop a policy for oversight of charters before creating new ones. Zimmer enraged the charter lobby, which wants no oversight and no moratorium.
"Zimmer, who started his career in Teach for America and remained in the public schools as a career teacher, is in his first term. He is known as a moderate who is independent, belonging to no bloc.
"The billionaires don’t want independents on the L.A. School board. They want people who will support more charters, more onerous teacher evaluations, more high-stakes testing, more closing of public schools.
"With Mayor Bloomberg’s time in office coming to an end, and the possibility that his reforms will be tossed out by the next mayor, the corporate reformers don’t want to risk losing control of Los Angeles."
It's at:
http://dianeravitch.net/2013/03/05/breaking-news-more-into-los-angeles-race/
Jack Covey March 5, 2013 at 08:50 pm
Diane Ravitch on the results of Bloomberg's control of NYC schools:…Read More
http://dianeravitch.net/2013/03/05/proof-that-bloomberg-reforms-failed/
"The other 95% (of students/parents) have been forgotten, adrift in a system that has been reorganized four times, with all regional and district supervision eliminated, with the loss of large numbers of excellent principals and the hiring of large numbers of ill-prepared principals, left on their own and judged by test scores.
"What have the 95% gotten? Tests, pre-tests, test prep. School closings. Overcrowded classes.
“ 'Tweed,' as the central bureaucracy is called, operates with slavish devotion to 'data,' but cold indifference to human beings. The young MBAs at Tweed have spent a decade wiping out institutional memory and attempting to create a bureaucratic, efficient, computer-driven system that churns out higher test scores.
"The Bloomberg example reveals the shortcomings of corporate reform. It sets parent against parent in battles for choice and space. It destroys neighborhood schools. It gives preference to schools under private management. It shatters communities so they will be unable to organize and fight back. It lacks any vision of what education is or should be. It has neither reformed the public schools nor provided better education for all students."
Do the citizen-taxpayers of LAUSD want this here?
LA Momma March 3, 2013 at 03:20 am
The bottom line is that Steve Zimmer is good for our children. Thank you Daniel for your testimony!
Erika Kirsten Beck March 2, 2013 at 02:15 am
Steve Zimmer’s decision to move the Mandarin Immersion program out of Venice and locate it on…Read More the Marina Del Rey Middle School (MDR) campus was made without adequate assessment or planning, and an insufficient consideration of other options that could prove far better for the school, the local Venice community and the district. The incoming kinder parents were never included in the discussions to relocate to a middle school campus and have strong opinions about their child co-locating with 8th-graders. Steve Zimmer never vetted the MDR space prior to suggesting it as a suitable and sustainable location. A recent tour of the MDR facility by LAUSD Planning and Demographics, and the Local Area Superintendent confirmed that the facilities available at MDR are inadequate and inappropriate for elementary school children and cannot support the future growth of the BMI program, potentially even with massive financial investment. There is insufficient and unsuitable classroom space, administration offices, restrooms, age appropriate library facilities, safe play areas and safe staff parking. Therefore the proposed move is unacceptable. As a taxpayer, I find it fiscally irresponsible of Mr. Zimmer to recommend spending over $2.1 million dollars to bring the proposed MDRS site up-to-code. This is a conservative number that will at most, create a campus that meets the bare minimum for what LAUSD deems “code” but was never intended to be a cohesive elementary school space.
Karen Wolfe March 2, 2013 at 12:32 am
What a wonderful story. I didn't know you worked for Bill Rosendahl too. Two dedicated public…Read More servants and role models.
Festival of the Chariots Comes to Venice on August 3rd and…
2 Recommend Paul M. J. Suchecki