Occupy Wall Street and its various susidiary ‘Occupy’ gatherings are boring.
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Real Steel Movie review by Betsy Sharkey
Feds Clarify That They’re Not Targeting All Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, Just the Illegal For-Profit Kind
California’s U.S. Attorneys held a press conference today to formally announce their crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries in the state and to unveil the actions they were taking against dozens of dispensaries in the state — including several in North Hollywood and Orange County . more › Read more: Feds Clarify That They’re Not Targeting All Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, Just the Illegal For-Profit Kind
"Somebody Groovy" Mamas & Papas Remix
“Somebody Groovy” is a 2011 Latin rock remix of the classic pop song by The Mamas & The Papas from Los Angeles. The Fort Knox 5 remixed the classic 1966 hit song, and VJ Tom Yaz produced a video for the quintessential ’60s California band with a cool YouTube video to “Somebody Groovy” . The popular east coast VJ paid homage to the California Dream by assembling lots of classic video clips of Michelle Phillips , Cass Elliot , John Phillips and Denny Doherty for the “Somebody Groovy” remix. In the process, the Fort Knox 5 brought the classic “California Sound” into 2011 with a hip and funky Latin flavor made for dancing and grooving like it’s 1966. Long considered a women’s liberation song or female empowerment anthem, “Somebody Groovy” features the vocals of Michelle Phillips and Cass Elliot, who are made even more foxy and hip in the remix video (below). Hats off to the Fort Knox 5 and VJ Tom Yaz for a terrific 2011 remix and video of “Somebody Groovy” by The Mamas and The Papas . The Mamas & The Papas
Should the Dodgers pay up for Matt Kemp? Bill Plaschke and TJ Simers discuss the topic.
Theatre Review: Cowboy Drama ‘Pulling Leather’ at Actors Forum
Ted Ryan’s urban-cowboy drama, Pulling Leather , is currently playing at Actors Forum Theatre in North Hollywood. The plot follows a good-natured competitive rodeo rider through a low point in his career as he uncovers a dark family secret and falls in love. more › Original post: Theatre Review: Cowboy Drama ‘Pulling Leather’ at Actors Forum
BHUSD Discovers Mismanagement of Measure K Bond
The Beverly Hills Unified School District has discovered that some construction completed with funds from the Measure K bond—a $90 million bond passed by voters in 2002—was deficient and will need to be redone with Measure E money. BHUSD chief facilities manager Nelson Cayabyab said at last week’s Board of Education meeting that a planned renovation of the Horace Mann auditorium would cost $3.3 million, several times the initial estimate of construction. Upon questioning from board members, Cayabyab said he had not proposed tearing down the auditorium because a considerable amount of money and effort had been invested in the structure during a previous Measure K-funded renovation. However, problems with asbestos, lighting issues and handicapped access still remain. Board president Lisa Korbatov asked Cayabyab what he would do if a previous investment had not been made in the auditorium. “I would tear it down and rebuild,” Cayabyab said. The board then voted to direct Cayabyab to present options for demolishing the auditorium and building it anew. He was also asked to look into similar renovations for other school auditoriums. Vice President Brian Goldberg told parents this week to expect more news of further mismanagement of Measure K funds. “As many of us know living in Beverly Hills, once you begin to open walls on older buildings, you often find additional work must be done,” he said in his monthly email to constituents. “That is no different for our schools and this can dramatically increase the cost of what we thought was a straightforward project.” Complications from the Karen Christensen case is adding to the district’s budgetary woes. Christensen is awaiting trial for four counts of conflict of interest related to charges that she secretly negotiated a deal to be an independent BHUSD contractor while performing her duties as facilities director for the district. Her trial has been postponed several times and is now scheduled to start next month. “We have the added complication that our previous facilities consultant, Karen Christensen and her company Strategic Concepts, mislead and misrepresented the work they were doing as part of the Measure K Bond,” Goldberg wrote. “We have been notified [by the California Department of State Architects] that over 40 projects remain opened because either they were never completed or projects that should have required approval by DSA were never submitted although work moved forward regardless.” Cayabyab is scheduled to present options for auditorium renovations at a Measure E study session scheduled for 4 p.m. Oct. 25 at the BHUSD district office. The public is welcome to attend. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . Read more here: BHUSD Discovers Mismanagement of Measure K Bond
California Reader Privacy Law
The California Reader Privacy Act was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown to cover new technologies like e-books, online book services and bookstores. The Reader Privacy Act ( SB 602 ) prevents government and third parties from demanding access to private reading records without proper legal justification. As great numbers of Californians use online book services to browse, purchase, and read books, California online privacy laws are attempting to stay current with developments, protecting reader privacy in a digital age of surveillance. The EFF and the ACLU co-sponsored the online privacy bill, which was authored by California State Senator Leland Yee . “This is great news for Californians, updating their privacy for the 21st Century.
The Great French Songbook at Ford Amphitheatre Tonight
Need some last-minute plans? If you or your special friend/lover/bff happen to be Francophiles, you might want to buy some tickets for Chanson d’Amour , where you can enjoy French love songs from the 20th century with an American twist. more › Link: The Great French Songbook at Ford Amphitheatre Tonight






