Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait's push for more money toward homeless solutions, the pilot program housing homeless people in backyards, Big Bear's eaglet seems okay for now.
Anaheim mayor backs homeless relief bill
A bill that would set aside more than a billion dollars to fight homelessness in California just got a big push from local leaders.
Eleven mayors, including LA's Eric Garcetti and mayors from the OC, were in Sacramento Wednesday meeting with Assemblyman Phil Ting of San Francisco and State Senator Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens, the authors of the legislation.
Under the bill, the state would match local funds spent on relief efforts, including shelters and permanent housing.
Mayor Tait explained the needs of cities like Anaheim to Take Two:
The cities don't get the money and don't get the funds to deal adequately with this. The money goes to all of our counties for social services. The money that goes to cities is for police, fire protection, parks... And there's no money to deal with the homeless issue, and it has to come out of one of our budgets. We all feel that if we had some funds directed towards us, we could do a lot more because we're closest to the problem. If we had some money, we could be a lot more effective in dealing with the issue.
(Answer has been edited for clarity and brevity.)
LA County has a pilot program to house homeless in backyards. Here's how it works
There are 58,000 homeless people in L.A. County, but finding roofs for all of them – roofs that are affordable – will take some outside-the-box thinking.
One idea that's currently being piloted is building homeless housing in the backyards of other people's homes.
Willing homeowners would get a loan or cash from L.A. County for constructing such a unit on their property.
Take Two got details on how it works from Monique King-Viehland, executive director of the L.A. Community Development Commission which administers this pilot program.
What kind of units would be built?
They would be one-bedroom apartments.
They could either be built from the ground up, or from converting and permitting an existing structure like a detached garage.
Units would also need a separate entrance from the main house.
Why would this program be appealing to homeowners?
"This is an opportunity for you to be an active participant in this 'Everyone In' initiative around addressing homelessness in Los Angeles county," says King-Viehland.
In addition, she notes that homeowners will be able to receive rental income through the program.
What do homeowners get?
Up to a $75,000 loan for constructing a new unit, and up to $50,000 for converting an existing structure.
The interest stops accruing after five years in the program, and the loan is forgiven after 10 years.
Who is the ideal homeless person for these units?
They would be tenants who have an existing voucher to subsidize their rent, such as through L.A. County or Section 8, payable to the homeowner.
Do the homeowners get to screen the applicants?
The homeowners get final say in who rents on their property.
What if the home's ownership changes while the property is part of the program?
The original homeowner must pay the outstanding balance on the loan, and the tenant will get assistance to find a new home by the L.A. Community Development Commission.
This program is currently in the piloting phase. What's the timeline for its future?
The application process for the piloting phase is currently closed.
King-Viehland expects groundbreakings this fall and early next year, with tenants moving in by summer of 2019.
At that time, her department will evaluate how the process worked and make recommendations to county leaders on the program's expansion.
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When a baby eagle in distress streams live, should humans intervene?
It has been a rough few weeks for Southern California's baby bald eagles — and for local eagle lovers, too.
Last week, the only surviving baby eagle living in the Angeles National Forest was presumed dead after the San Gabriel Canyon nest toppled from its tree.
This week, fans of the Big Bear eagle's nest noticed something was amiss with its last baby eagle, Stormy, while watching the nest's live video stream.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNdo6wu_Xug
Robin Eliason was quickly on the case. She's a biologist with the U.S. Forest Service. Big Bear's little-feathered friend was seen with his right leg caught in fishing line early Monday morning. But by the afternoon, Stormy had freed himself and now seems to be doing well.
Stormy lives!
The fishing line came in the form of a trojan horse of sorts. Live stream observers say the parent eagles, Jackie and Mr. B, brought a fish to the nest with the fishing line within.
Stormy was not available for comment.
Intervention is a cost-benefit analysis.
When a wild animal is in danger, forest experts like Eliason have to decide if getting involved will do more harm or good. In this case, they wanted to give Stormy a chance to resolve his problem on his own.
Their main fear was that Stormy would get spooked by a human messing with the nest, and possibly jump out of the nest in a panic. He's eight weeks old, an age where he's getting ready to fly but doesn't yet have the skill. "Stormy has been practicing with his wings and does these fly-hops in the nest," Eliason said. While fledglings learning to fly is an adorable image, such a hasty jump would mean certain doom for Stormy.
But if the eaglet was immobilized or in a more perilous situation, the risk of intervention could be worth taking. And if the biologists decide they do need to touch the nest after all, it’ll be safer in a few more weeks as Stormy’s flight skills mature. Eliason said, “he would be more likely to take a long glide and not just fall straight down.”
Rest in peace BBB
Stormy’s brother, BBB, (short for Baby Big Bear) passed away last month after a rainstorm dropped temperatures below freezing. The chicks’ feathers had not yet developed the kind of weather-proof insulation adults have. “The chicks at that point were too large to fit fully under the parents," said Eliason. "We assume BBB succumb to hypothermia and exposure.”
Raising eagles: an emotional rollercoaster
It’s super cool to have eagles making their home in Southern California. They’re beautiful and a promising indication of environmental progress. And the ability to follow their progress through video live stream can be pretty exciting.
Honestly, if you just need a moment to wonder at some nature today then I recommend 'Eagle cam' showing nearby Big Bear Bald Eagle chick 'Stormy' doing well
— Kenneth Field (@kennethfield)
Honestly, if you just need a moment to wonder at some nature today then I recommend 'Eagle cam' showing nearby Big Bear Bald Eagle chick 'Stormy' doing well https://t.co/pZC1t5KwDT
— Kenneth Field (@kennethfield) April 4, 2018
But before you get emotionally invested in these little guys, remember nature can be harsh. And the eagle chicks face some stark odds growing up. "Bald eagle survivability during the first year is about 50 percent," said Eliason. "So it’s a hard life being an eagle."
Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam
There were three, but only Stormy survived. I knew about their survival rate, but feels different when you've been watching. Beats the zoo.
— Christine (@westernfable)
Forest biologists and nature enthusiasts alike are hoping to learn a lot by observing eagle families like the nest in Big Bear. Stormy’s close-call is actually pretty informative unto itself. “This is the third time since the eggs hatched and that we’ve had manmade material show up in the nest and pose a threat to the chicks,” said Eliason. She says the Forest Service is working with other groups to reduce manmade dangers.
“Empty nest syndrome” is for the birds
Unlike human parents, who often struggle to usher their adult children out of the house, Stormy will have a hard deadline to move on in the coming months.
“Stormy will probably be chased out of the territory by his parents," said Eliason. "Especially once they have new eggs in the nest next year, they will probably not tolerate Stormy in the same area.”
Until that moment comes Stormy, enjoy the free room and board while it lasts. And for Pete’s sake, stay out of trouble.
Getaround gets to LA with peer-to-peer car sharing
Another car sharing company has come to town that'll allow you to make a few bucks renting your vehicle to other people. Think of it like Airbnb but on wheels. The idea has been around L.A. for six years through a service called Turo. Now the company Getaround has opened up shop in SoCal.
What is peer-to-peer car sharing
It's like a car rental service, only instead of renting from a company like Hertz or Enterprise, you're renting from an individual. So someone who owns a vehicle can list it through one of these companies that serves as a broker, either through a web site or an app. The vehicle owner takes pictures, sets a price, gives the location. A person who wants to borrow that vehicle then uses the web site or app to search by make or model or price or location. That person makes a reservation, the vehicle owner accepts, and the person shows up to get the car.
How Getaround is different from Turo
Like Turo, Getaround is based in San Francisco, but Getaround started its service a year later -- in 2011. It's only been operating in a half dozen cities, including San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Portland and Washington D.C. and, as of a week ago, Los Angeles. It currently has about 50 cars available and operates in downtown LA, Silverlake, Hollywood and the Westside, though it plans to expand to the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, as well as the OC.
With Getaround you can rent cars by the hour or by the day. The vehicle owner gets 60% of the rental price and Getaround takes a 40% cut. "Getaround has a differentiation in the technology we use," said Getaround's general manager for LA, James Correa. "Specifically, the Getaround Connect, which is a small device we install inside the car. It's completely unnoticed underneath the dashboard, and allows for keyless entry into every car.
Turo started as a service called RelayRides back in 2010 and expanded nationwide in 2012. So in the L.A. market, it has a six-year start on Getaround, meaning it has exponentially more vehicles than Getaround. The minimum rental period is one day; you can't rent by the hour. As a vehicle user, you have the option of having the car delivered to you instead of picking it up from the vehicle owner. But it doesn't have remote vehicle access, so people using the car either have to meet the vehicle owner or coordinate on where to find the key. Turo takes a 25% cut of the rental fee and the owner gets the rest.
Why vehicle owners and renters use peer-to-peer car sharing
On the user side, it's usually people who don't own a car and need to go somewhere that's too far to get to with Uber or with public transit or hitching a ride with a friend. Sometimes it's people who need a specialty vehicle for some reason, like a truck or van. Or people who want a long-term test of a car they're thinking of buying. On the vehicle owner side, it's mostly about making extra money from something that's parked 95% of the day.
What about insurance?
Both Turo and Getaround carry $1 million umbrella insurance polices on each rental, which covers liability, collision, property damage and theft while it's being used as a rental. For the person who owns the vehicle, most insurance companies now include a form asking if you're using the car for rentals.. that could increase rates for the vehicle owner even if the claim on their car is ultimately processed through the car-sharing company.
More car-sharing will come to L.A. soon
Tesla talked about this two years ago when the company rolled out its Master Plan Part Two. Elon Musk calls it the Tesla Network, and it will operate like a combination of peer-to-peer car sharing and Uber and also be autonomous. So in the future Tesla owners can let their vehicles be used for a driverless ride-hailing service. We just don't know exactly when, like a lot of things with Tesla.
In terms of non peer-to-peer car sharing, there are more options, including ZipCar. GM also has a service called Maven that operates at a bunch of places here in LA that lets you rent cars by the hour, day, week or month. There's also a service called Car2Go, but that isn't in L.A., at least yet.
Next week, on April 20, LA's Department of Transportation will launch its own car sharing service called BlueLA, renting out 100 electric vehicles in downtown, Koreatown, Pico Union, Echo Park, Boyle Heights, Westlake and Chinatown.