- Councilman Tom LaBonge: luh-BONJ
- County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky: yaar-o-SLAV-skee
- Councilman Jose Huizar: WEE-sar
'Say My Name: LaBonge'
Streetsblog Makes Home in Los Angeles
It's about time. As of today, NYC Streets Renaissance's StreetsBlog has officially franchised out to our city, that is, you know, duhhhh, full of streets and the love and hate of them. NYC Blogger Aaron Naparstek welcomes the LA Editor and so do we!
The Real Estate of Hollywood(land)
The relationship between real estate and the Hollywood Sign is as old as, well, the sign itself. Built in 1923 as a promotional billboard to attract buyers to make their homes in the hills of the burgeoning Hollywood community, the sign that once read "HOLLYWOODLAND" has become one of the most iconic landmarks in LA. Now real estate and the sign have a new possibility: 138 acres of land once owned by Howard Hughes that sits west of the "H" in the sign is up for sale for a cool $22 million.
Which Way to Funding?
We can't e-mail Councilman Tony Cárdenas
Here's a theme for City Council: they publish e-mail addresses on their websites so the public can contact them, but you e-mail them and get a bounced e-mail in return. You've seen this before. 1. The city's Webmaster (see the LaBonge story link) 2. Councilman Tom LaBonge 3. Councilman Greig Smith The next victim in the city's published e-mail address shenanigans is Councilman Tony Cárdenas, representing Council District 6 in The Valley. "No such recipient."...
Traffic Freakout: Dedicated Bus Lanes on Wilshire
Wilshire is the most congested artery in the nation, right? So putting dedicated bus lanes during rush hour until the subway is built would make it worse for the cars, right? Good. Let's do it like City Councilman Tom LaBonge said in his recent newsletter: "I do support a dedicated Rapid Bus lane during peak traffic hours along Wilshire to encourage riders… as long as the MTA fixes the roadway they are helping to...
AM News: A Valley pioneer, Tom LaBonge, more sewage ick
The Daily News looks at the legacy of African-Americans in the valley (it's a little grim). Our favorite part is the story of Ida Kinney, now 101 years old; her grandparents were slaves in Arkansas. She was the first African-American woman to get a job at Lockheed's Burbank plant during World War II, and got a white friend to front for her in order to buy her home on an all-white block. Where she still lives with her family. Our hats off to you, Ida.
Cyber-Cafe Crackdown
Mack Reed at LA Voice is pissed, but it seems to us like this is a worthwhile issue. The Times reports that one gamer said teenagers are critical to the survival of the Cafes, whether they play "during school hours or not."

