blogdowntown: Latest Content

This Daily News article talks about a shared-cost plan for sidewalk repair. The “WHA?!?” moment is at the end, when we get this gem: This year, the City Council set aside enough money to replace 52 miles of sidewalks, but with a 4,600-mile backlog of damaged sidewalks, the average wait is about 80 years, Robertson said. See, here’s the thing...

Everyday

ah, that 710 gap

By Eric Richardson — November 05, 2004
1 Comment

The Pasadena Star News today has an article about the MTA studying the possibility of a tunnel to complete the 710. When I first started working up here at JPL two years ago I was confused by the short little dead-end spur of the 210 that I would get onto off of California. I later read that this spur had been intended to connect to the 710 (and occasionally...

Everyday

LA Times on NextBus

By Eric Richardson — November 02, 2004

The LA Times today has an article on NextBus in Ventura. Basic gist is that GPS sensors on the buses allow people to hop online, see where the bus is, and see a dynamically computed time for the bus’s arrival at their stop. That’s cool stuff, and it’s something you have to have for buses that have long headway times. For example, this morning...

Everyday

big city efficiency

By Eric Richardson — October 29, 2004

I was driving into work this morning when all of a sudden I had a very “doh!” moment. It occured to me that I had a wedding to go to tomorrow, and that suit that I really needed to take to the dry cleaners was still sitting rumpled in my closet. No fear, though. A quick look at the now useful google local (dry cleaner near 90014), a few phone calls...

Everyday

"God to Run DWP!"

By Eric Richardson — October 29, 2004

There’s a lot about LA politics I don’t know or understand, but there’s one thing I’m pretty sure of: Ron Deaton is a powerful man. Now the long-time city hall guru is Hahn’s choice to take over as top man at DWP. I first read the story last night on LA Observed (today’s followup has links to the Times and Daily News). My...

Everyday

DLANC: Transportation Meeting #2

By Eric Richardson — October 27, 2004

Last night I braved the rain to make my way from USC up to 1st and Figueroa for my second DLANC Transportation & Public Works (hereafter T&PW) Committee meeting. Getting to the meeting was more than half the battle. Tuesdays nights are my latest school nights. I have class until 6:45. Yet somehow all the DLANC meetings I attend (board, AACE, and T&...

Everyday

From the Downtown News: Coffee and DLANC

By Eric Richardson — October 18, 2004

The Downtown News this week includes a story on Groundwork, a coffee house in the art district. Particularly of interest is the fact that Groundwork roasts their own beans. My whole bean coffee supplies are running a little low, so I plan to head over and pick some up to try out in the next few days. I figure if I’m buying beans roasted about a mile away...

Everyday

Alma at the Los Angeles

By Eric Richardson — October 18, 2004

I’ve watched a Google news search for “alma mahler” with interest since September 30, when the roaming play Alma opened at the Los Angeles Theatre. After a decent number of pre-opening articles it’s been hard to find good reviews to go off of. This reuters piece pretty much sums up what I’ve seen: The main problem with “Alma...

Everyday

Artistsalon: The Big Picture

By Eric Richardson — October 17, 2004

Last night Kathy and I headed up the block to check out Artistsalon’s event “the big picture”. I was impressed. Jason and crew put on a great event with a little something for everyone. We had to leave a little early since we were both tired (I had gotten up at 5am to go waterskiing before the football game) and I had movies to return to Hollywood...

Everyday

Wifi: The post in which I preemptively diss Pershing Square WIFI

By Eric Richardson — October 15, 2004

So the CRA awarded the Pershing Square wifi contract a little over a week ago. I didn’t know until I saw this little Downtown News blurb. From the DN: City officials last week selected Verge Wireless Networks to provide wireless Internet - or Wi-Fi - access at Pershing Square. The Baton Rouge-based company was hired for $25,000 by the Community Redevelopment...