Katie Couric's In Town

CBS Evening News host Katie Couric is in town today, as noted in her daily e-mail to viewers:

While we’re in California, we’re looking at this trend-setting state’s politics. Amid gridlock in Washington, California is leading a host of others states in tackling groundbreaking issues the federal government won’t touch. Sandra Hughes will bring us that report.

[CUT…]

Finally, while we were in California today, Ronald Reagan’s widow Nancy and political luminaries gathered today to celebrate the late president’s life. It was 40 years ago when Reagan was elected governor of California. Jerry Bowen will look back at how the Reagan revolution started and its legacy for Republicans today.

The event, Reagan Retrospective with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley is sold out.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

775,766

Los Angeles Times circulation has dropped to 775,766, according to new numbers from the Audit Bureau of Circulations FAS-FAX.

LAT Publisher David Hiller spins it with some positive insight, as reported at LA Observed:

Importantly, readership increased modestly for both daily and Sunday, reaching almost 2.2 million daily and 3.3 million Sunday.

How can this be, you ask?

It's about counting not just copies sold, but eyes as well.

As explained by the Audit Bureau, the readers-per-copy average is complicated enough to warrant a white paper on the subject. Anything that's not verifiable by a receipt is bound to cause controversy, especially when advertisers are asked to pay more for an ad because of it.

In the simplest terms, however, reader counts are all about counting not just the people who buy a copy of the paper, but those who read behind the person who bought it. Two people in a subscriber household? Bing! That's two readers for that subscription. Husband and wife buy a paper on their way to breakfast with another couple? Bong! That's four sets of eyes.

So, what Hiller appears to be saying is that fewer people are paying to read the LA Times, but more people are reading it.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Here Lies Felix Unger...

I've got a couple new posts at LA Observed, including one about the modest cemetery in Westwood, at which the actors who portrayed Oscar Madison and Felix Unger in the movie "The Odd Couple" are interred. See Native Intelligence for more.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Better Luck Next Year

Residents of Pinconning, Mich., can start using the old stationary again, at least until next October.

The city's name change to Tigertown was only in effect as long as the Tigers were in the World Series.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Home Sales Plunge 31 Percent, Median Up 2

The California Association of Realtors reported today that home sales decreased 31.7 percent statewide last month when compared to September 2005. The Los Angeles region was right in line with the state trend, experiencing a 31.2 percent drop. Orange County was down 32 percent, and Ventura County sunk nearly 39 percent.

Despite all this, the median home price still increased 1.8 percent statewide.

In LA, the median went from $560,990 in Sept. 2005 to $585,730 last month (down from the August '06 median price of $589,740).

Ventura County, which saw the most significant drop off in sales in Southern California, actually bumped up its median price, from $682,360 in Sept. '05 to $686,730 last month.

The median price in the OC dropped to $706,490 from $708,840 last year.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Selling High-End Homes On YouTube?

Just imagine having drinks with Annette Bening, Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson "because those would be your neighbors if you purchase this home." Seriously, that's part of the sales pitch in this video tour of a "Beverly Hills Mansion With Views of the Pacific," as posted on YouTube.

Not sure how effective it is marketing mansions on YouTube, but there's plenty of real estate professionals in Los Angeles using it as a resource.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Now Blogging At LA Observed ...

I'm proud to say I have been asked by Kevin Roderick, founder and editor of LA Observed, to join his team of contributors at large.

As a result, I have begun posting in the Native Intelligence section of the LA Observed Web site, and will continue to do so at least on a weekly basis, but hopefully more often than that.

Little will change at TJ Sullivan in LA. My posts here will continue to focus on the pursuit of the American dream in Los Angeles. I plan to provide links on this blog to my writing at Native Intelligence, where the emphasis will be observations and news about Los Angeles, particularly the West Side.

I hope you'll find it worthwhile to visit both Web sites.

My first post at Native Intelligence is headlined Planet Starbucks knows no boundaries.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

DOWNTOWN: Staph Spread By Shared Surfaces

Hat tip to LA Observed for pointing out an alarming story in LA Weekly about the spread of methicillin-resistant staph infections in downtown Los Angeles. According to the story:

The bacterium that transmits staph can be passed through touch, shared surfaces and personal items like razors or towels. It can stay on clothes or bedding for five days. The infection often is dismissed as a large pimple, ingrown hair or a spider bite, but it comes on quickly and is extremely painful. In some cases, it looks more like a rash or cellulitis. Most cases are easily treatable with antibiotics; in rare instances, staph can cause blood, bone and lung infections.

Many of the victims are homeless people who lack access to proper hygeine. The infection has also allegedly been spread to people who interact with the homeless population, including firefighters and police officers. Other victims may have had the infection spread to them by family members who work downtown.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

On The Cover Of A Magazine

The cover for the October/November 2006 edition of Quill features a photograph I took this summer in Chicago. Quill is the Society of Professional Journalists national magazine and is published 9 times a year by SPJ.

The photo is of the morning sun cresting Cloud Gate in Millennium Park in Chicago. Also referred to as "The Bean," Cloud Gate is a 110-ton elliptical sculpture made of highly polished stainless steel plates. I took the photograph during this year's SPJ convention, which was held in Chicago in August.

Quill is available for download in pdf format at the SPJ Web site.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Busted Deadline, Busted Budget, And A Bust

Many commuters in West LA are more than ready to heave a sigh of relief as the last of the orange cones begin to disappear from the $90-million Santa Monica Boulevard Transit Parkway Project.

Not only did this project bust its budget by more than $20 million, it also busted deadline by a year.

And now, there's a bust to watch over it.

This afternoon I spotted the curious bust pictured at right, along with some other works of art on the new lampposts along Santa Monica Boulevard west of Beverly Glen Boulevard.

A Sept. 27, 2006, press release from the LA City Department of Public Works implies that she and other works are part of the art that will cap off the project. According to the release:

As roadway construction nears completion of the Santa Monica Boulevard Transit Parkway Project, crews are preparing to install project art work. Artistic medallions designed to showcase state themes along historic Route 66 will hang from steetlighting fixtures on Santa Monica Blvd. A pair of ruby red shoes will symbolize Kansas, while a likeness of Abraham Lincoln will represent Illinois.

I don't know who she's supposed to represent, though I'm sure I'll regret writing that when someone informs me of the person in whose likeness this was cast. In the meantime, if I may be so bold as to embellish a line from the 1996 film Swingers: She's so money, and she doesn't even know it.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Caltrans Cam Links Online

Did you know that Caltrans has links to many of its traffic cameras online? The choices in Los Angeles are few, considering how many exist, but there are many for the rural areas of the state.

I couldn't get any of the LA cameras to work, but the one up in Sacremento (pictured at right) was very clear.

The site also has a Photolog, which can serve as an online road atlas for the entire state. In addition, there's a Statewide Travel Information feature.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

That's 'Colonel' T.J. Sullivan, If You Don't Mind

It's official.

I have been commissioned by the governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a Kentucky Colonel, joining a list of colonels far more distinguished than me.

I have called five states home in my life, but never was made to feel more at home than I was when I lived in Kentucky.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Another Reason To Worry About Housing

Robert J. Samuelson's column in the Oct. 16 edition of Newsweek points out some important facts about the national housing market.

Of particular concern are the figures he quotes on overvalued markets. The numbers, which came from a survey by Global Insight and National City Corp., said that by the middle of this year 236 metro areas had overvalued housing markets. As if that number weren't a concern in and of itself, it's particularly worrysome when put in the context of survey results from early 2000, when only 63 metro areas were judged as being overvalued.

From Samuelson's column:

We are at the endgame for housing. Until recently, our national motto has been "in real estate we trust." Just last week, the Census Bureau reported that median home prices after inflation rose 32 percent from 2000 to 2005. In some places, the gains were huge: 127 percent in San Diego, 110 percent in Los Angeles and 79 percent in New York. But real estate—which has acted as a national piggy bank, with homeowners borrowing and spending against rising house prices—no longer looks so trustworthy. On this, more than falling oil prices or a record Dow, hangs the economy's immediate fate.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Trying To Curb My Enthusiasm For Detroit

You'll have to forgive the tangential celebration of Detroit's victory over the Yankees, particularly in light of the Dodger's unfortunate departure from post-season play last night.

I've been a Tiger fan most of my life and, although we've endured nowhere near the suffering of our friends at Wrigley Field, or out in Boston, Tiger fans have suffered more than the average amount of ridicule and disappointment. For the past 12 years, the Tigers were baseball's most losingest team. That's 1,170 losses. With 162 games in the regular season, that means if you attended a Tiger game anytime since 1994, there's a 60 percent chance that you saw them lose. I did, at least a couple times.

Granted, Tiger fans have not earned the right to complain. They do not deserve pity. Even when their team wins, some of the fans behave like depraved losers. Rather than bask in the glory that was 1984, Tiger fans started a near-riot, turning over police vehicles and setting them on fire.

That aside, the team in 1984 was one of baseball's greatest, a collection of players who went on to prove their worth elsewhere. Some ended up in LA (Kirk Gibson!) and the manager even retired here (Sparky Anderson lives in the upscale LA suburb of Thousand Oaks).

I'll try to contain my enthusiasm and stay on point during these next few weeks, but it may be difficult, particularly when I read the poetry that is Mitch Albom's column. Next stop, Oakland.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

DETROIT REJOICES!

Tigers win first playoff series in 22 years

By MITCH ALBOM

October 7, 2006

In the end, the Yankees were a bunch of grumpy giants staring at a broken beanstalk. And the Tigers? They didn't tiptoe past the richest team in baseball. They stomped it, kicked it and stole its jewelry, then waved a happy good-bye and headed on down the playoff road.

Yankees go home.

Tigers go on.

Read it and blink. Read it and shake your head. Read it and ask, "Who are these guys in the Detroit uniforms?" Read it and remember just three seasons ago, when this team was in danger of sinking below oblivion.

Read it and remember, because remembering is what made this happen.

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Telephone Operator, You're My Aural Violator*

* With appologies to Pete Shelley

I continue to be puzzled by people who carry on cell phone conversations without hesitation while huddled in the stacks of the Los Angeles Public Library downtown.

Again today I witnessed a number of uninhibited analogue dialogues in the literature section, all of which were carried out at full cell-yell volume.

"Yeah, ok, what? ... No, what kind? ... When? ... Oh, yeah. ... Wait, while I've got you on the phone I wanted to ...

Coffee shops and cafes have grown tired of this, some to the point of agressively forbiding cell phone use. And yet, in a public library where patrons have a time-honored expectation of peace and quiet, the behavior continues unabated.

Although not addressed explicitly in the Library Rules of Conduct, it would seem to be banned implicitly.

THE FOLLOWING ARE PROHIBITED...

"Disruptive or unsafe behavior including any conduct that interferes with the use of the library by others or with the functioning of library staff."

Perhaps what's confusing is the text beneath the 11 prohibitions, where the Library says:

"To avoid disturbing other library users, mute the volume of electronic devices and use cell phones in the lobby or outside the library."

Is it a ban? Is it a suggestion?

The library staff shouldn't have to act as peace officers, so maybe that's why the Library doesn't spell it out. Besides, where do you stop drawing the line when people persist in exhibiting bad behavior? How many principles of common sense need to be spelled out on a list no one looks at anyway? Already the library has explicitly banned "sexual misconduct," "insulting language," and "bathing."

Yes, there's an explicit ban on bathing, although it's unclear whether that includes the shaving of chin whiskers, or the brushing of teeth.

As I've said before, I have great affection for the Central Library. In the past few weeks I've made frequent use of it. As a result, I have witnessed how the Library deals effectively with a variety of potential problems. I've seen the uniformed officers patrol every level, going so far as to physically nudge homeless people who seek out the most comfortable chairs and proceed to nap (sleeping is prohibited in the Rules of Conduct).

Were the decision mine, I might rearrange the priorities, or at least bump one rule up to priority status. As inconvenient as the presence of a snoring sleeper might be to some library patrons, I find it far less disruptive than the cell phone conversations of the gainfully employed.

At least those who snore can argue that they're not snoring on purpose.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Lawsuit Alleges Mortgage Fraud Fed By Froth

Few of those paying attention to the housing market during the past five years will be surprised by this one.

A story in The New York Times today details an alleged mortgage fraud case in Indiana. Industry experts and regulators say the housing boom of the past few years, and its associated avarice, proved fertile ground for swindlers. "Rising home prices served as cover for quick-flip plans and an easy hook to recruit investors," says The New York Times:

And the boom created incentives for the mortgage industry not to look too closely. As the appetite for home loans soared on Main Street and Wall Street, the industry came to increasingly rely on networks of independent mortgage brokers, appraisers and other officials to keep the lending assembly line well supplied. All had incentives to minimize hold-ups.

“If the deal doesn’t go through, nobody gets paid,” said Bill Matthews, a senior vice president at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

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Pacific Coast Highway ...

I was on Pacific Coast Highway in Northern California a couple days ago.

It's always a longer drive than the 101, not to mention the 5. But, there's more to see on the PCH.

I've always believed in stopping the car if you're going to take the usual cow photo. I've included that one and a few others* from the trip.

(* The ducks are in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, not on PCH.)

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The San Francisco Twins

Just got back from a trip up to San Francisco for a few days... Still clearing the desktop, but wanted to post a photo from the journey.

It's of the famous and beloved San Francisco Twins.

They are Marian and Vivian Brown. They look alike. They dress alike. They wear Giorgio perfume. They are one, er, two reasons I have such affection for the city of San Francisco.

I love Los Angeles, without question, but somehow seeing The Twins in downtown San Francisco is a more wholesome, happy experience than seeing Angelyne in West Hollywood.

I was lucky enough to capture this shot Saturday, which was obviously leopard skin coat day. Of course, I had to run around the block to get into position and await their arrival at Union Square, but, fortunately, they were in no hurry.

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