Shaking on camera

The Great Southern California ShakeOut this morning at Victoria Gardens was also the great Southern California photo op.

Television crews representing channels 7, 11, 5 and CNN were there to watch 100 young students duck under the desks placed outside the Cultural Center. Sen. Bob Dutton and Councilman Sam Spagnolo joined a group of second graders and got shook up in the earthquake simulator.

"This is probably the most coverage we'll get on something positive," said Erika Lewis-Huntley from the city manager's office.

She's probably right. It's not often that television crews come out this way, making it a lonely experience for this newspaper reporter. Last month, I was at a water district press conference attended by board members and myself.

"Any questions?" the board vice president asked after his presentation. "Wendy? Any questions?"