Wow, what a difference a few days make. The Giants walk into the buzzsaw that is San Diego (who’ve now won six in a row) and get swept in three games after dropping two games in the Dodger series. The Giants’ four straight losses have dropped them a game out of first place in the division. They’re off on Thursday and are back home for three games against Tony LaRussa’s Cardinals, which leads the NL Central by 2.5 games.

It’s tough being a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants in a town that at this time of year pretty much bleeds Dodger Blue. Local sportscasts don’t really cover the Orange and Black unless they’re playing a SoCal team or reporting NL West division scores to show how far out in front of the pack the Boys in Blue are.

Not so fast, though – right now, the Giants are in first place in the division with a record of 7-2. The Dodgers are 3 games back with a lukewarm record of 4-5. They have some hope, though – they’re only a game and a half out of first for the wild card!

The Giants are at Dodger Stadium for the weekend. This could be a very interesting weekend indeed!

Your San Francicso Gaints are off to a great start in the young season, sweeping three games from the Huoston Atsros.  They’re off today, but open the season at home against Altanta for three games this weekend.

KFC’s Bacon Sandwich on Fried Chicken ‘Bun’ starts killing people nationwide on April 12!

No, I’m not getting an iPad…today.

Besides the fact that it doesn’t quite fit into my budget, there are a few reasons why v.2 might be a better bet; among them:

• Running more than one app at a time is not allowed
• No memory expandability
• No USB connectivity

It does have a very appealing form factor, though. I look forward to ‘playing’ with one on my next visit to the local Apple store, when the initial hubbub dies down.

Yesterday’s post about the cancellation of the Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service was a result of my questioning a member of the Los Robles Master Chorale as to why the event had disappeared from their website calendar. The sposoring group’s website hadn’t been updated since last year’s pageant, and today it’s down completely.

I sent an email to the LA Times’ arts and entertainment editor with the information. He said he was passing it along to the city desk. A couple of hours later an item popped up on the Times’ blog LA NOW about the cancellation. Since then, the story has been everywhere – KCRW, KPCC, KABC-TV, the San Jose Mercury News, UPI, the list goes on and on.

All this happened AFTER I tipped the Times about the story. Coincidence? I’d like to think that I started the whole ball rolling. There had not been word one anwhere on the Internet nor anywhere else about the cancellation prior to my contact with the Times.

It was ME who ultimately saved you from getting up at 4:30 Easter Sunday morning only to be met with a locked gate at the Bowl. You’re welcome.

Last Easter I was so pleased to be a singing participant in the 88th annual Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service. I was not going to be there this year, but it turns out that no one else will be there either. The pageant has been canceled due to recession woes and lack of funds. Here’s the LA Times story about it. Hopefully it’ll be back next year.

I’ve been in communication with representatives of the City of Los Angeles in recent days concerning roadwork that’s happening outside my apartment complex. First I wrote to the email address listed for my city councilman Greig Smith:

To staff:

I and dozens of other Los Angeles citizens reside on a stretch of Owensmouth Ave. in Canoga Park. We have an issue with which I hope Councilmember Smith will be able to assist us.

I live on Owensmouth Ave. between Parthenia and Nordhoff Avenues. Last week, beginning a resurfacing project, the city department in charge of street maintenance ground off the surface of that entire stretch of Owensmouth, leaving a striated surface on the street that has increased traffic noise and caused a bumpy ride up and down the entire length of the street along with cliff-like edges at the curbs which jolt the suspensions of cars entering and leaving the driveways along the street. The process has also left a thick layer of grime on every surface in the area, including cars, sidewalks and even indoor counter tops as the fine grit has found its way through every nook and cranny. Life is not good right now.

I note with great consternation that all work-related vehicles and equipment have disappeared from the scene, and no workmen have been on site since last Thursday. No work was done on Friday March 26, no work was done over the weekend, no work was done on Monday March 29, and no work is being done today, Tuesday March 30.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m looking forward to the resurfaced street, but I fear that this work will drag on for weeks, when it should be completed in the shortest amount of time possible. I fear that the demographic of my neighborhood has caused those in charge of this project to place an inappropriately low priority on finishing this job, and thus getting life back to normal.

Why are they not working on this today?

Much to my surprise, I got a response from the esteemed councilmember himself just an hour later:

Dear Mr. Phillips – Thanks for your email, I appreciate your taking the time to bring these concerns to my attention. I have asked one of our staff members who works on street issues to contact you. Take care, Greig.

Sincerely,

GREIG SMITH
Councilman, Twelfth District

It was another 25 hours before I heard from Sandy Clydesdale, who is Councilmember Smith’s district director:

Hello Mr. Phillips:

There is a lapse of time between profiling a street and paving it and it sounds like this is pretty much within the pattern.   However, please understand that with the current financial problems within the City, there have been many layoff’s and mandatory furlough days which are causing additional delays in programs.

I am sending this to the supervisor over the paving program to see what the timeframe is.

My reply:

Thanks for the reply, but your allusion to the city’s woeful finances begs the question – why schedule and start a short-term project to address a non-urgent issue like this if it can’t finish it in a reasonable period of time? How much of a ‘lapse of time’ should we expect? Again this morning, no one was working on the street.

Not only are the residents on this stretch of Owensmouth being severely inconvenienced, there are indications the US Postal Service has suspended mail delivery in the area due to the road conditions. I am finding this hard to believe, but I can’t argue with the fact that no mail carrier has been to our complex since last week (outgoing mail is piling up), and the mailman answers to no one, certainly not the city of Los Angeles.

Again, thank you for your attention.

Interesting wrinkle about the USPS, huh? No delivery on Monday or Tuesday (on Monday someone had put out a piece of mail to be returned to sender waiting for the next pickup; it was still sitting there Wednesday morning), but our mailwoman finally showed up on Wednesday. My email to the USPS about that is still unanswered.

Anyway, back to Ms. Clydesdale (or is it Mr. Clydesdale?) – this came on Wednesday:

I don’t even show Owensmouth on a paving list for this fiscal year so will have to see what Street Services has on this.

So now it’s vandalism! Quite an effort to make a mark in the neighborhood. Still no workmen on site Thursday morning. Then a ray of hope, in a note in response to my original email, this one from Keith Mozee, Chief Coordinator of Resurfacing and Reconstruction for the city’s Bureau of Street Services:

Good Morning Mr. Phillips,

The project on  Owensmouth Av., Nordhoff St to Parthenia Av began on March 22nd & 23rd  will be paved/completed Monday April 5th. Resurfacing projects are normally done in two phases with cold milling being the first and the paving operation follows 1 to 2 weeks afterwards. This is the normal time frame as all resurfacing projects through out the city are scheduled the same way.  I apologize for any inconvenience and a motor sweeper  will  be sent to the location Friday April 2nd.

Thank you for the response, Mr. Mozee, but would you kindly verify that completion date of April 5 that you mentioned?

I ask because an official notice showed up on the front gate of my complex yesterday stating that the paving would *begin* on April 5. Will it indeed be done in one day?

There wasn’t anything happening on Owensmouth again today, so I tend to believe that you will miss your Monday deadline. How long will it really take?

Mr. Phillips,

The paving process will begin on Monday morning as stated on the flyer that was posted, and take two days to complete. The crew will be starting of at approx. 7 am, and if you could notify any of your neighbors to have their cars moved off of the street by the time indicated on the “NO PARKING” signs, it would greatly expedite our work not having to tow any cars.

Thanks, Mark