So follow the link and join in on the fun.

Now you have an idea of what it's like to take a ride on one of MTA's buses equipped with Transit TV.

Everytime I take a ride on an MTA bus, which is at least once a week thanks to gas prices. I remember why I hate the experience so much. It's not the other passengers. It's not the long rides. It's not the occasional crazy person ranting about the bugs coming out of the seats. It's not the sticky stuff on the poles that comes off on your hand when the bus lurches down the street. It's not even the arctic air blasting down the exposed necks of passengers at 8 a.m.

It's the damn TVs that nobody watches.

Who wants to watch crappy TV on the bus? No one. People are reading, talking, on their cells, listening to music, text messages. With very few exceptions, no one watches that damn thing, which only adds to the noise pollution of the crowded buses. And don't try asking the drivers to turn it down. They won't, and sometimes they might be nasty if you ask, just because they can.

Take a taste of the offerings at the Transit Television Network.

It's bad enough to be aurally assualted each day, but now the MTA is planning to jack up fares by nearly 200 percent. Do MTA board members (all pols who don't actually ride the bus for anything other than photo ops) want to drive ridership down? Or are they just clueless?

C'mon GloMo, help us out here. Make the bus a pleasant alternative, not a short trip through hell.

Both Mr. Mayor and Mr. Gov send out statements on the death of Jack Valenti late Thursday. And while they clearly personalized the letter, they start and end in such strikingly similar manner, I can't help but think they started with the same template. See for yourself (emphasis is mine):

From Antonio Villaraigosa:

"Today the people of Los Angeles join the nation in mourning the death of Jack Valenti, one of Hollywood's most passionate leaders and one of this City's most vocal champions.
...
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Jack's wife, Mary Margaret, and their three children, Alexandra, John and Courtenay.

From Arnold Schwarzenegger:

"Today, our nation has lost a great leader, a true gentleman and a genuine American hero.
...
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Mary Margaret, and to his entire family."

But something is seriously amiss. More pet food is being recalled today. Here's the health alert from LA Animal Services:

SmartPak recalled its LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice dog food on Friday, April 20th after they found out that they had received potentially contaminated rice protein concentrate from Wilbur-Ellis. Today, Drs. Foster & Smith Adult Dry Lite Dog Food and Adult Dry Cat food were recalled also (see attached AVMA announcements).

The following dry pet foods have been added to the pet food recall:

DOCTORS FOSTER & SMITH CHICKEN & BROWN RICE FORMULA ADULT LITE DOG FOOD, NET WT. 5 LBS., 12.5 LBS, and 25 LBS; Code dates: Best Used By Jan 24, 09; Best Used By Feb 8, 09; Best Used By Feb 26, 09; Best Used By April 10, 09; Best Used By April 17, 09;

DOCTORS FOSTER & SMITH CHICKEN & BROWN RICE FORMULA ADULT LITE CAT FOOD, NET WT. 3 LBS. and 7 LBS.; Code date: Best Used By March 13, 09;

LICK YOUR CHOPS LAMB MEAL, RICE & EGG CAT FOOD, 4 LBS. packages, Code date: Best Used By April 29, 08;

LIVESMART WEIGHT MANAGEMENT, CHICKEN & BROWN RICE FORMULA ADULT LITE DOG FOOD, one lot only

In addition, hog farms in at least five states have been quarantined because of concerns that the hogs may have consumed melamine contaminated food. Samples of hog urine from farms in California, North Carolina and South Carolina have tested positive for melamine so far (see attached AVMA press release). The FDA is now testing all wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate and corn gluten being imported from China, and will be testing batches of imported corn meal, rice bran and soy protein. The FDA has reported that a second chemical, cyanuric acid, was also found in rice protein concentrate samples. At this time, there is no evidence that melamine contaminated products have been shipped to human food producing facilities.

Please continue to report any local cases of possible pet food toxicity to Los Angeles County Veterinary Public Health, even if the pet did not eat one of the recalled brands. Animal Disease/Death Reporting Forms (see attached) may be faxed to our program at 562-401-7112, or completed on line at: http://lapublichealth.org/vet/disintro.htm . If you have any questions, please contact us at 562-401-7088 or toll free locally at 877-747-2243.

Early Wednesday morning the circle of life came calling on my street in the form of three hungry coyotes. The trio caught and quickly killed my pudgy cat Chuy, who liked to prowl around the yard right before dawn menacing grasshoppers and beetles. He was a big boy-- 15 pounds of tough tom -- but as he was getting older it was turning to flab. It all happened quickly, and for that I'm grateful.

All I found in the morning was a lot of Chuy fur and a wide arch of bright red arterial blood splashes. It turned out the whole scene was witnessed by my neighbor as the attack occured right outside his bedroom window. Chuy was born a feral cat, and died like one. It was certainy a more noble death that being posioned by tainted kibble.

It had been a while since I've seen a coyote on my street just a few blocks from Elysian Park. And I had relaxed my vigilance with Chuy. Plus, I reasoned that early morning was safest since there were virtually no cars to run him over. I now know that I might not see them, but coyotes are pretty frequent visitors to Echo Park and other L.A. neighborhoods, and that they generally hunt in the predawn hours.

I don't blame the coyotes, as they were doing what they do. Besides Chuy was surely a tasty treat. If I was a coyote I'd want to eat him too. But it did make me do some thinking about life and death and the existence of animals both wild and "tamed" in the city. I may have anthropomorphized the crazy, twitchy shoe-eating special needs cat, but I knew that he was never truly tamed and was only happy when he had total freedom of indoors and outdoors. And I knew his need to spend the early morning hours outside would likely mean his end one day.

The point of all of this is that it's good to remember that while we live in an enormous metropolis characterized by miles of concrete, we co-existence with many wild animals _ whether we know it or not. In my Echo Park neighborhood I have regular visits from a family of racoons (one of whom came in through the pet door to snack on some kibble last weekend), skunks, possums, snakes, lizards, rats, squirrel, hummingbirds, mockingbirds, owls, foxes, hawks, deer and coyotes. They live in our shadows, hunt (sometimes our pets) by night, and burrow away in dens hidden in vegetation. That they live in such vast numbers in this urban sprawl is both sublime and mundane. This is survival. This is what nature does.

And experts say that this hot dry summer could make it all the more dangerous for pets.

I'd like to think that if I had known coyotes were prowling I would have kept Chuy inside. But it's unlikely. I tried locking him inside from time to time and he was miserable. In the end I decided that quality of life, with as much protection as one could give a pet, was preferably to mere quantity. And in his short little life, Chuy lived more fully than most of us will in all our decades.

Chuy
July 15, 2003 - April 25, 2007
RIP. I sure miss you.

The neighborhood of Echo Park is up in arms about the Dodger's plan to reopen the Scott Avenue gate after 11 years. And this is no neighborhood to mess with. Already notices have appeared in mailboxes about the proposal, and a community meeting is planned for tonight.

Apparently in response to the mountain of complaints about the new parking system, the Dodger's management came up with this new plan. So, to please the fans who will probably adjust to the new parking scheme the Dodger's management is risking the detente that has existed with it its residential neighbors. This is going to be interesting.

Students didn't wait around to see what happened. They jumped en mass from second floor windows, breaking legs. They used their bodies to barricade classroom doors to keep the killer out. These students and professors knew they were on their own and had to save themselves.

I call it the United 93 Syndrome after the fourth plane hijacked on 9/11 that crashed in Pennsylvania after the passengers fought back. Up until that point, and that day, Amerians lived in a bubble in which they believed (myslef included) that this couldn't really happen, except on TV. And if, by chance it did, the authorities or maybe even Spiderman, would come and save them at the last moment. Once those plane passengers realized that sitting quietly wasn't going to save them, in fact at that point, nothing would, they took action into their own hands.

I've got not great love for the Bus Riders Union, but I do appreciate at least someone is protesting the outrageously high proposed MTA fare hikes. I mean, really, hiking the EZ pass from the current $58 to $140 a month? What's EZ about that?

Current-2007-2009

Day Pass $3 $5 $8
Weekly Pass $14 $20 $32
Monthly Pass $52 $75 $120
Student Pass $20 $45 $72
College Pass $30 $52 $84
EZ Pass $58 $95 $140

The MTA rationalizes the rate increase by comparing fares in city's in Chicago, Boston and New York. What they don't take into consieration is that those cities are public transit dependent in many ways, and it's quicker to get aroun on bus or train. That's not tru in L.A., where car travel is still faster and eaier in most cases. To increase ridership, the MTA ought to be lowering fares.

Good businessmen and women will tell you that raising prices often decreases revenues as it drives people away.

Anyhow, the Bus Riders Union will be protesting at the Mayor's state of the city extravaganza tomorrow (5 p.m. at East Valley High School in NoHo). Could be fun.

Because of redlining, residents of certain ZIP codes - such as those in Van Nuys, East L.A and South L.A. - have historically paid higher rates for the same insurance package as those in ritzier communities, even if they were good drivers.

That's good news for good drivers in Van Nuys and South L.A. who will see their premiums go down substantially. But it's going to be an unpleasant discovery for anyone with a speeding ticket or a recent accident, especially if they live in neighborhoods that have been subsidized by redlined drivers, such as Thousand Oaks.

"They will find shocking rates if they are bad drivers," Heller said.

As a result, I'm thinking of selling the hybrid and going the biodiesel route with an old Mercedes. Stay tuned.

The Police Commission cares about what we, the people, think about Chief Bratton. And they are asking us to put in our two cents on the world's most famous police chief as they consider his request for another five years to run the LAPD. Like they won't grant it. But, hey, still could be a good time.

Here's the official info:

Input from the public is an essential element for the most
comprehensive review of Chief Bratton*s service to the City of Los
Angeles. In this connection, the Police Commission is inviting
community members to participate in a public hearing to share their
thoughts on Chief Bratton*s proposed second term.

Information on the public meeting is as follows:

Date: April 30, 2007
6:30pm

Location: Department of Water and Power Auditorium
111 North Hope Street
Los Angeles, California 90012

The process is eerily similar to internet dating. You troll the appropriate sites for attractive candidates, scroll through the pictures looking for one that pleases your eye, then read the written come-ons like this:

Hi. My name is Muffy. I am a fixed, 1-year-old Rotweiller-Pug mix, who was left at the North Central L.A. Shelter after my family decided to move to Ghana and become missionaries. My foster mom says I am still growing and I need a lot of attention and love. I enjoy walkies, belly rubs and raw hide treats. I'm good with children, but I'm a little curious about cats and I might accidently (on purpose!) bite them from time to time. But not in half, or anything terrible like that. If you think I'm the doggie for you please write to my foster mom at PugRotsRUs@aol.com.

Then you contact them, make a date to see if there's any connection. If there isn't, you pat them a few times, make nice doggie talk and make vague comments about how you have other candidates you want to meet before you settle on one. But if there is a connection, oh yeah, you know it right away. Then you take your new doggie companion for probationary period to make sure they don't have an unnatural fondess for the taste for human flesh or a nuerosis that entails hours of non-stop barking. If you two can stand each other past the first couple of weeks, it's a match that will mostly last until death do you part (usually the dog's demise comes first, dog years and all that.)

You too can try internet dog dating thanks to web sites such as the L.A. Animal Services (Northeast shelter seems to have the best selection, FYI). Craiglist L.A. has a slew of people trying to find new homes for dogs, and there's a bunch of breed-specific, such as the Southern California labrador retreiver rescue site (where I spotted my Lucky) and georgraphic specific sites, such as the Echo Park Animal Alliance.

Anyhow, time to go. I have a date with a border collie.

Who is this man? And what's he doing?

Find out Tuesday by attending the panel of the same name moderated by me and featuring four of L.A.'s most astute and amusing observers, David Zanhinser (L.A. Weekly), Jesse Katz (L.A. Magazine), Jaime Regalado (Cal State L.A.'s Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs) and Kerman Maddox (political consultant, T.V. commentator and a member of the Mayor's Inner Circle of Influence).

It's at 7 p.m. at the Central Library in downtown -- very easy to get to on the Red Line!! Free food and drinks afterwards. The event is through the Zocalo lecture series. RSVP here.

Zócalo at Central Library (please note change of venue)

Tuesday, April 10, 7pm at Central Library

"Who Really Runs L.A.?"
Moderated by Mariel Garza of the Los Angeles Daily News

Who runs Los Angeles? It's not just the mayor. It's not just the City Council. And it's not just a handful of rich white men. Los Angeles is no ordinary city, and its non-traditional cast of power brokers and political players span the socioeconomic and ethnic divides. But who are they? How did they acquire their power? And how do they wield it? Political consultant Kerman Maddox, LA Weekly reporter Dave Zahniser, political scientist Jaime Regalado, and Los Angeles Magazine writer Jesse Katz visit Zócalo to square off in a raucous and informative discussion of L.A.'s municipal politics, warts and all.

But it is a little disheartening that the LAPD's so desperate for man- or women-power that they take any one off the street. This considering that the departments starting salary is above $50K. Of course, no word if this candidate is a pregnant woman. That might change things.

This is late being posted, and that's because I took a couple vacation days. And one thing that always suprises me when I take some time off is how many people in Los Angeles don't seem to have regular jobs. I thought Monday morning at 11 would be the perfect time for light crowds at the Sunset Car Wash. It was busier than I've ever seen it, and I usually go on the weekends. Incidentally, I noted that three of the cars being hand washed as I waited were city cars -- two parking enforcement Honda Civic hybrids and one park ranger SUV. Does the car wash have a city deal?

Course, this is really just speculation. It's hard to quantify a population that doesn't officially exist and that is afraid to answer questions to men with clipboards. Still, here's an excerpt"

FEW American neighbourhoods are so exuberantly Mexican as Boyle Heights in east Los Angeles. Paintings of the Virgin Mary adorn walls around César Chávez Avenue. Local shops advertise productos oaxaqueños. Immigrants from south of the border, particularly the kind who carry dodgy Social Security cards, still fetch up in the area. But not as often as they did, according to Nativo Lopez, a Hispanic political activist who keeps an office in Boyle Heights. “This is no longer the west coast Ellis Island,” he says.

Just under 1m illegal immigrants are thought to live in Los Angeles County. That is twice as many as in any other American metropolis. Yet the number may have peaked. This month the Urban Institute, a think-tank, estimated that the county lost some 15,000 illicit residents between 2002 and 2004.