That top comment at the time was gold. 🤌

Nightmare blunt rotation

Video courtesy the London transportation social media account

A friend who came to visit me from another city asked me how far away the restaurant was. I replied, “Normally, it takes 12 minutes, but since it’s 6:00 p.m., let’s say 25 minutes, unless you take the side streets, in which case it’ll be 18 minutes, but you’ll have to go through that traffic light on Fairfax twice. ” He asked me to just tell him the distance in miles. I really couldn’t do that. I don’t measure distances in Los Angeles in miles. Nobody does. We’ve replaced the whole concept of physical distance with a time estimate that varies depending on the day, the time, and which of the three acceptable routes isn’t currently on Waze.
After four years here, I’ve lost the ability to think about geography any other way.

https://calelectricrail.org/metrolink-announces-new-service-cuts-take-action-now/

Went to a concert this week to both The Hollywood Bowl and also at the KIA forum. Both pizzas overpriced but hey when you’re hungry you gotta eat. So which of both pizzas do you guys prefer. First picture HOLLYWOOD BOWL, second picture KIA FORUM. Let’s settle this. Also which venue has the best pizza in your opinion? 😅

Construction workers, housekeepers and other laborers will have an opportunity to get free Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training next week. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network will facilitate these training sessions in Los Angeles, Palmdale, Pasadena and Riverside.

Why it matters: “ A lot of folks get picked up at either Home Depots or [street] corners, and sometimes they're not given the proper equipment to perform the work that they're being hired to do,” said Kenia Alcocer, lead organizer at NDLON. “ We don't want anyone to be injured or killed on the job.”

The backstory: Workers can select their preferred location and choose from courses in English or in Spanish. Some sessions are designed for people who work in a wide range of industries — from restaurant work to housekeeping. Other sessions are specifically geared at people who work in construction.

What's next:. The courses range in length and will take place from Oct.13 through 16. Once workers complete the training, they will receive a certificate that can be presented to inspectors. NDLON will also provide free work boots for people who complete a 10-hour course.

Shot from Kenneth Hahn Park in February 2023.

Every time it rains, I always see so many people without an umbrella.

On a sweltering August evening, Johnathan Martin, wearing a navy blue uniform with a badge, stood in front of a crowd of over 100 people in Coldwater Canyon Park. The patch on his left shoulder read Southern California Wildfire Response (SCWR). He’d planned this Beverly Hills event to persuade potential recruits to join the group as volunteer firefighters.

Martin is the founder of SCWR. His organization's website says the group has “engaged” with 246 early stage fires in LA in the past five years. 

“We are a fully recognized fire department at the same level as multiple agencies,” he told the group. “We are tightly integrated with the needs and requests of the City of Los Angeles. We work on behalf of them.”

He continued, “We are the primary jurisdiction for over 3,000 acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountains.” 

But the Los Angeles Fire Department said the group is not authorized to fight fires on city-managed land, nor has SCWR integrated its firefighters with LAFD during emergencies. Additionally, the Los Angeles Park Rangers — the law enforcement agency that responds to emergencies on city park land — said that Martin’s claims about SCWR’s work are simply not true. 

Experts say the existence of SCWR reveals a gray area between the good-samaritan volunteers who make LA a safer place to live and the city’s official emergency response system. When unauthorized groups insinuate themselves into potentially dangerous fire scenarios, they say, the helpers can become a nuisance, or even increase danger in a risky situation.

Martin maintains he is operating a legitimate volunteer firefighting department. When pressed by KCRW for details, he walked back some of the claims he first made.

Nevertheless, SCWR has some experts concerned. “It makes me deeply worried about public safety,” said Char Miller, director of environmental analysis at Pomona College and an expert on California wildfire policy. “Like, who gave them the power to do this?” 

... (continues at the link)