Angeles

Don’t blame the beleaguered voter for the record-low statewide turnout of 34% of registered voters in Tuesday’s primary election. Don’t call the stay-at-homes lazy or berate them for failing to do their duty. Don’t wonder why the patriotism stirred by Sept. 11 didn’t translate into an energized electorate.

The truth is, for many Californians, there were just too many reasons not to vote. The lack of hot contests on the Democratic ballot resulted in dismal turnouts of 23% in heavily Democratic Los Angeles County and 27% in San Francisco. The confusing rules of the primary had been changed again as to who could vote for which slate of candidates.

The campaign was overshadowed first by the Super Bowl and then by the Winter Olympic Games. When the political ads finally got the public’s attention, their constant carping and attacks surely turned off many voters. On election day some locales, including Los Angeles, were plagued with the failure of some polling places to open on time, ballots that weren’t delivered and voting locations that were changed or yanked.

The real culprit, however, was the ridiculously early primary date, more than eight months before the Nov. 5 general election. Many Californians didn’t even realize an election was coming up.

The Legislature and governor should make sure this doesn’t happen again. Lawmakers need to take a close look at SB 1975, by Sen. Ross Johnson (R-Irvine), a bill that would move the primary for state and local candidates to the second Tuesday in September every election year while maintaining a separate presidential primary in March.

The idea is to enable California to have a rational primary date while retaining some clout in the choosing of the presidential candidates. More discussion is in order about whether September balloting would allow enough time for an informative general election campaign. However, nine states have August primaries, and 10, including New York, vote on the second Tuesday in September, the day Johnson has proposed. A cheaper proposal would be for the state to stop playing presidential primary leapfrog for ever-earlier dates and move all primaries back to June.

Election officials struggle to make it convenient for Californians to vote, but the process remains complex and confusing. “It felt more like doing your taxes,” one expert said. The first step toward rationality is getting rid of this March madness.

Pollyanna partisans of a constitutional amendment to mandate a federal balanced budget have no duty to come forward with plans to help Gov. Wilson and the Legislature draft a balanced budget for fiscal 1992-93. But if they have any ideas they ought to share them.

Obviously, the feds can’t help; their actions cost us $1 billion in daily interest. Our national debt increases by $400 billion or more each year.

California’s fiscal 1991-92 budget cut spending, devoured snack taxes and bottled water, but still came up about $4 billion short. Add that deficit to a shortfall of about $6 billion for fiscal 1992-93 and anyone sees our problem budget needs resuscitation.

Not to worry. A number of legislators have proposed a novel and painless method to balance the state’s budget. They propose to spread the deficit over two years. A two-year budget balances fiscal 1992-93 and spreads deficit payments over 24 months. This program replenishes wealth. If deficits continue to rise and revenues fall, the two-year budget precedent opens budgetary gamesmanship to three- or four-year budgets.

Problem budgets? No problem. God bless the wizards of Sacramento.

JIM SKEESE, San Diego

The Times has covered Kamala Harris’ political career since 1994, when then-Assembly Speaker Willie Brown appointed her to the California Medical Assistance Commission.

Since then, we’ve written 2,229 articles on Harris, who is a California native, received her law degree here and became the first woman and Black American to serve as the state’s attorney general. She’d later become the first South Asian American elected to the U.S. Senate, and only the second Black woman ever to serve in the 100-member body. She has been the sole Black woman in the Senate during her four years there.

The Los Angeles Times is introducing “Covering Kamala Harris,” a beat dedicated to her historic rise to the White House. She is the first vice president who is Black, South Asian American and female.

This news enterprise beat will be anchored by White House reporter Noah Bierman, who joined The Times in 2015 after reporting on politics and other topics at newspapers including the Miami Herald and Boston Globe. He will also write a special edition of our Essential Politics newsletter focused on Harris every other Wednesday.

Throughout the year, we’ll continue to add resources to our coverage with the goal of being the most comprehensive and authoritative news source as we chronicle Harris’ first year.

Interested in following our coverage? You can find the “Covering Kamala Harris” section on our site and sign up for Essential Politics, of which Bierman will write a biweekly edition. And follow our new stand-alone Instagram account, @latimeskamalaharris, for more updates.

Kimbriell Kelly is the Washington bureau chief at the Los Angeles Times.

Antonio Villaraigosa is best known as the former mayor of Los Angeles. But that title will not be on the ballot when voters choose the next governor of California.

Instead, Villaraigosa will be listed as a “Public Policy Advisor,” a reference to his most recent profession.

The words that appear next to candidate names are governed by state regulations. Since Villaraigosa left office nearly five years ago, after serving from 2005 to 2013, he can’t use his mayoral title. He formed a public consulting firm that advised companies such as Herbalife, Banc of California and Cadiz from 2013 to last year.

Candidates spend time and often money on polling to determine a ballot title that paints them in the best light to voters while complying with the state’s regulations, even though in prominent races for governor or U.S. Senate, ballot designations aren’t typically a deciding factor.

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State Treasurer John Chiang’s campaign protested the designation. (He will be listed as “California State Treasurer” on the primary ballot.)

“Let’s be real, the only thing Antonio Villaraigosa can currently advise on is how to best target innocent Californians,” said Chiang’s spokesman, Fabien Levy, pointing to work Villaraigosa has done for Herbalife, Cadiz and Edelman.

Critics accuse Herbalife, a nutritional supplement company, of being a pyramid scheme. Cadiz is trying to pump groundwater out of the Mojave Desert and sell it to Los Angeles consumers, a project opposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and public lands advocates. Edelman is a public relations firm that counts oil-industry groups among its clients.

Levy said Chiang’s campaign has no plans to back up the rhetoric with a formal challenge to Villaraigosa’s ballot designation, but he left open the possibility of going to court later.

Ballot designation rules are so picayune that they dictate what types of punctuation are acceptable (commas, slashes and occasionally hyphens). Company names are verboten, as are words such as “reformer,” “activist,” “patriot” and “taxpayer.” The word “retired” cannot be abbreviated.

Learn more about the race for governor »

That has left room for some colorful ballot designations, such as Mary Carey Cook, who was listed as an “Adult Film Actress,” and Kurt E. “Tachikaze” Rightmyer, who was listed as a “Middleweight Sumo Wrestler” in the 2003 recall election. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was elected governor in that race, was listed as “Actor/Businessman.”

Some titles, such as businessman or teacher, are more popular than others, such as lawyer or the person’s political title in Congress or the Legislature.

In 2016, five congressional and legislative incumbents did not use their elected titles for ballot designations, including Rep. David Valadao. The Hanford Republican called himself a “Farmer/Small Businessman.”

In 2014, David Evans, an obscure Mojave Desert accountant who spent just $600 on his campaign to be California state controller nearly placed in the second spot in the primary. His ballot designation of “Chief Financial Officer” probably had something to do with it.

Eric Jaye, Villaraigosa’s political advisor, said that while the campaign considered other ballot designations, they went with “Public Policy Advisor” because it most accurately reflected Villaraigosa’s work after leaving City Hall.

“The company has advised a wide-range of for-profit and nonprofit companies around issues such as economic development, investment strategy, community reinvestment, healthcare, and education,” according to Villaraigosa’s filing documents. “As a public policy advisor, Mr. Villaraigosa guides clients through turning policies into action.”

Whether it matters is up for debate.

“How important ballot designations are diminishes the further up the ballot you go. So in the governor’s race, voters are going to have a wealth of information about the leading candidates from news coverage, from advertisements, etc.,” said GOP strategist Rob Stutzman. “Where ballot designations become important information is races where voters don’t know much else. Frankly, they’re most valuable at the sanitation and water district level, and then the value starts to decline the more you move up.”

seema.mehta@latimes.com

For the latest on national and California politics, follow @LATSeema on Twitter.

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Ramadan is in full swing in Los Angeles, where a community of hundreds of thousands of Muslims is observing a month dedicated to fasting, prayer, reflection and service. With the unfolding war in the Middle East, the holiday holds even more significance for locals with ties to the region.

The Islamic holiday began Feb. 17 and ends March 19, during which observers fast from dawn to sunset to foster discipline, self-control and gratitude. Observers break their daily fast with an iftar, a festive meal shared with loved ones after sunset. Many also rise before dawn for a suhoor meal.

Halal, which translates to “permissible” in Arabic, pertains to the type of meat and the way it’s prepared. Pork and its byproducts are not allowed, and a Muslim must slaughter the animal while invoking the name of Allah. The animal must also be healthy and blood should be completely drained after slaughter.

This Ramadan season, several L.A. restaurants are offering late-night hours, special iftar menus and discounts for the holiday.

“The demand for iftar and halal food is skyrocketing,” said Assad Shalhoub, a member of MENA Creator Club, a community group for Middle Eastern and North African content creators that organized an iftar gathering at West Adams’ Maydan Market. “I think a lot of people are becoming more proud of their culture and their heritage, and with that comes a lot of people seeking things like this.”

Here are eight halal restaurants to break fast and share a meal with loved ones during Ramadan.

Many of us go into the mountains to think and practice gratitude.

For the hundreds of thousands of Muslims across Los Angeles County observing Ramadan this month, spending time in nature can offer an opportunity for quiet reflection and growth.

“This sacred month provides an opportunity to merge the spiritual with the physical, finding solace and inspiration in nature,” nonprofit Muslim Outdoor Adventures notes. “Through mindful hiking, we aim to embrace the challenges of staying active during Ramadan, using the trails as a space for reflection and collective growth.”

Ramadan is considered the holiest month of the Islamic calendar. The holiday typically lasts 29 or 30 days, and during that time, Muslims will fast from sunup to sundown, including not drinking water. This excludes those who are exempt from fasting or not observing the holiday.

This year’s Ramadan started in mid-February and will end around March 19. (The Islamic calendar is based on lunar events, so Ramadan’s start and end dates vary from year to year.)

For fasting hikers, it’s important to ensure you plan accordingly, given your limited daily water and food intake.

Nadiim Domun, materials engineer at INOV8, said in a blog post that fasting hikers should plan ahead, and if they feel up to it, plan to break their fast at the top of a hill, taking their time to arrive at sunset. “On some days you’ll feel better than others. Be kind to yourself and only go hiking on days when your body feels up to it,” Domun said.

Below you’ll find three hikes and walks in places open after sunset. If observing the holiday, may your fasting be easy. Happy Ramadan!

1. Crystal Springs – Atwater Park in Griffith Park

Distance: 2.7 miles
Elevation gained: 130 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Los Angeles River Bike Path

The Crystal Springs – Atwater Park route is a 2.7-mile easy stroll through the southeast side of Griffith Park that includes a quick side trip over the L.A. River.

Griffith Park is open from 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., although you’ll want to mind where you park, as some areas are open only until sunset.

To begin, you’ll take the wide dirt Main Trail north for just over half a mile before reaching a tunnel. Congrats! You’ve just completed the hilliest portion of this hike. It’s time to turn on that headlamp as you take the tunnel beneath the 5 Freeway, marveling at the wonders of human ingenuity.

Next, you’ll head over to the North Atwater Bridge, or La Kretz Bridge, an impressive modern design you’ve probably noticed from your car in gridlock traffic.

The route next takes you to North Atwater Park. This area was separated from the rest of the park when the 5 Freeway was built in the late 1950s, resulting in 200 “prime acres of parkland” being destroyed, according to Friends of Griffith Park. Perhaps you’ll notice the squawk or chirp of birds settling in for the night.

From here, the path loops around the area for about a third of a mile before taking you back to the bridge. You’ll pass a corral and interpretive signs, among other things.

After crossing back over the bridge and under the tunnel (headlamp!), you’ll have a clear view of Beacon Hill, another great hiking destination in the park that offers stunning views of downtown L.A. You will head north again on the Main Trail, walking parallel to the 5. Hopefully the sound of the freeway is blocked by the lush trees that line the path.

You’ll take the Main Trail for about a third of a mile. At 1½ miles in your hike, you’ll bear left (or west), passing the Anza Trail Native Garden, planted by volunteers using seeds harvested from the park.

You’ll loop southwest around the path, passing the golf course and a baseball field before arriving at the newly renovated Griffith Park Visitor Center, open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (It also has restrooms!)

From the visitor center, you’ll head east along a dirt path before looping back up with the Main Trail, which you’ll take south back to your car.

If you’d like something a little more challenging, you can peruse the Griffith Park Explorer route options. One of my favorites is the Five Points – Beacon Hill loop.

And if you’d like to go with a group, L.A. City Department of Recreation and Parks’ junior ecologist Ryan Kinzel and Emerson College professor Jacob Lang are hosting a free night hike through Griffith Park this Thursday.

So grab your headlamp, and have a great time!

2. Beach path at Cabrillo Beach

Distance: 1.6 miles
Elevation gained: Minimal
Difficulty: Easy
Dogs allowed? No
Accessible alternative: The route below is a paved flat path.

This 1.6-mile beach walk is a gentle stroll along the mile-long Cabrillo Beach, where during the day you might spot kite surfers, barges and Catalina Island in the near distance.

To begin, start your walk in the northeast corner of the parking lot where the sidewalk begins. Walk south down the sidewalk, unless you’d like to walk on the sandy beach instead. Near the Cabrillo Beach Bath House, the path will curve east. You’ll continue east along the jetty until you reach the Cabrillo Beach Pier, where you might spot people fishing. You can pause to take in the views for as long as you’d like before heading back.

Although there are many beach walk options in Southern California, the reason I’m recommending Cabrillo Beach is because it’s a great place to observe grunion runs. At night, these small silvery fish come completely out of the water to lay their eggs in the wet sand, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“Grunion make these excursions only on particular nights and with such regularity that the time of their arrival on the beach can be predicted a year in advance,” according to the agency.

Depending on how late you’d like to stay up, you can take a beach walk and stay for the grunions, which are expected to arrive at 10:25 p.m. Thursday and 10:50 p.m. Friday.

3. Gwen Moore Lake to Western Ridgeline in Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area

Distance: Around 2½ miles
Elevation gained: About 300 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Gwen Moore Lake path

This 2½-mile journey through Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area will take you past a charming lake and will gain just enough elevation to provide you with striking views of the city. It is more challenging than the other two paths, so please plan accordingly. (And pack that headlamp!)

Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The park is around 330 acres and includes the stunning Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, which thousands access every year via a straight staircase with 282 steps.

Upon arriving at the park, you’ll pay $10 to park. Ask the staff member at the toll booth whether they have a map, as it’s great to have one on hand as you hike. For this hike, I’d recommend parking near the Gwen Moore Lake if you can.

To begin the hike, you’ll start at Gwen Moore Lake. You can either take the paved path that takes you along the western side of the lake or the straight paved path on the eastern side of the lake. It will take you due south.

About a third of a mile in, you’ll walk east past the Kenneth Hahn Visitor Center before quickly joining with the Park to Playa Regional Trail, a 13-mile path that guides hikers from near Windsor Hills to the ocean (near Ballona Creek). That’s an adventure for another day!

You’ll take Park to Playa, a short jaunt, bearing left (northwest) toward a large green space to join the Bowl Loop Trail, or on some maps, Park to Playa Alternate. Follow this path in the northerly direction until it jags left where you’ll join the Western Ridgeline Trail (or Park to Playa Alternate, depending on your map). From here, say hello to beautiful views of the city!

You will next take Diane’s Trail (who is she?) just over half a mile before heading down via the Forest Trail. Pause along the way to appreciate more gorgeous views of the city, including of downtown L.A.

Head south past the Japanese garden, and then take the paved road from the Japanese garden back to where you parked, hopefully near the lake.

3 things to do

1. Whale-come the cetaceans in Dana Point
The 55th Annual Dana Point Festival of the Whales, which celebrates gray whale migration, is scheduled for Friday through Sunday in Dana Point Harbor. Visitors can attend the “Welcoming of the Whales” ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Ocean Institute, or on Saturday, observe the cardboard boat race, learn at the marine mammal lecture series or chow down at the clam chowder cookout. On Sunday, attendees will pick up trash at 9 a.m. near at the Richard Henry Dana Jr. statue before attending a concert from noon to 5 p.m. performed from a floating dock. Learn more at festivalofwhales.com.

2. Stand up for public lands in Ventura
Environmental advocacy groups Los Padres ForestWatch and Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas will host a hike at 11 a.m. Sunday through the Harmon Canyon Preserve in Ventura. Group leaders will educate hikers on the Trump administration’s proposal to open 850,000 acres, including about 400,000 acres across Central California, to oil and gas drilling. After the hike, participants are invited to make posters to spread awareness of the threat to public lands. Register at eventbrite.com.

3. Kick back with a kite in Redondo Beach
The 52nd Annual Redondo Pier Kite Festival will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Redondo Beach Pier (100 Fishermans Wharf). This free community event will feature live music, face painting and a kite flying contest. Kites will be available for purchase on the pier while supplies last. Guests can also bring their own kites. Learn more at redondopier.com.

The must-read

The ski world is becoming increasingly owned by large corporate chains, but small shops like the Mt. Baldy Resort continue to hang on. Times staff writer Jack Dolan wrote about how Mt. Baldy Resort, just over an hour from downtown L.A., works hard to remain competitive. The resort offers a quick escape for Angelenos who want to ski and appreciate “the wide expanse of the Inland Empire stretched to the Pacific Ocean nearly two vertical miles below,” Dolan wrote. Many of its guests find its old-school style more welcoming than the ritzy lodges in Taos and Tahoe. “There’s big conglomerates trying to buy everybody up, and I don’t want that,” said Chris Caron, a 65-year-old retiree who lives 20 minutes down the road from Mt. Baldy Resort. “That’s what I love about here. It’s not so commercialized.”

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Porkchop is free! A month ago, I featured a story by Times staff writer Lila Seidman, introducing Wild readers to Porkchop, a three-flippered sea turtle who was being rehabilitated by the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. “Many Angelenos don’t know Eastern Pacific green sea turtles are swimming in their proverbial backyard, but they are — and they’re thriving,” Seidman wrote. “It’s estimated that about 100 of the hulking-yet-graceful animals live in the lower stretch of the San Gabriel River, where salt and freshwater commingle.” And thankfully, it’s now about 101, as Porkchop was released back into the wild on Friday. I’m not crying, you’re crying!

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

In national terms, California is about as indelibly blue as the political process permits, but an unusually comprehensive exit poll of voters in Tuesday’s presidential election confirms that Los Angeles is perhaps the bluest of the blue; it is now more liberal and Democratic than the state as a whole.

The nonpartisan, citywide survey was conducted by Loyola Marymount’s Center for the Study of Los Angeles under the direction of Fernando Guerra, and the results are revealing. While 43% of the nation’s white voters cast ballots for Barack Obama, 76% of L.A.’s white electorate went for the president-elect. Similarly, while the Democratic candidate won 66% of the Latino vote nationally, he carried 77% of L.A. Latinos. The city’s African Americans matched national percentages: Obama got 97% of their vote. He also was the choice of 67% of L.A.’s Asian Americans (nationally, Asian Americans are usually too small a group to get counted effectively in exit polls).

Across the city, 71% of voters told the Loyola pollsters that race was “not at all” important in their decision on which presidential candidate to back, but what’s interesting is that Los Angeles’ white voters emerged from Tuesday’s general election as the most liberal constituency in the city. If you take as your measure the two hot-button statewide propositions on the ballot — parental notification for teenagers seeking abortion and a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage — white voters’ social liberality is strikingly apparent.

Fully 69% of white voters opposed Proposition 4 (parental notification), and 73% voted against Proposition 8 (prohibiting same-sex marriage). Latinos voted for both proposals — 47% to 39% for parental notification and 48% to 42% to prohibit same-sex marriage. (When totals don’t add up to 100%, it’s because not all those questioned voted or revealed their votes on every issue to the pollsters.) Blacks and Asians split their vote on the social issues: A 45% plurality of African Americans opposed parental notification; 57% supported the ban on same-sex marriage. Asian Americans went the other way: 57% were against banning gay marriage, while a 42% plurality supported parental notification.

Geographically, the Loyola poll overturned the longtime local political assumption that the San Fernando Valley is generally more conservative than the city south of the Santa Monica Mountains: 72% of Valley voters went for Obama, as opposed to 78% of the rest of the city’s electorate. Similarly, a solid majority of Valley voters opposed parental notification (57%, which was higher than the city as a whole, at 51%) and a stunning 63% of Valley ballots were cast against the same-sex marriage ban. The rest of the city opposed the measure 54% to 31%.

All four of the city’s largest ethnic groups — whites, Latinos, blacks and Asians — are more liberal and more heavily Democratic than their counterparts statewide. Looking at same-sex marriage, for example, Loyola’s Guerra pointed out that 70% of blacks statewide opposed Proposition 8, compared to L.A.’s 57%.

So, with a mayoral election just over the horizon, what do these new realities suggest about the future of politics in Los Angeles? As Guerra said, it will be “much, much tougher for a Riordan-type Republican candidate to win the mayor’s office, somebody like Rick Caruso,” the billionaire shopping mall developer who announced Friday that he wouldn’t be running.

—

While the old divisions between Valley voters and the rest of the city have been swept away, Guerra says that some of the center’s other work suggests that pockets of traditional conservatism remain. Some districts north of the Santa Monicas may continue to elect relatively more conservative City Council members while voting with the rest of the city’s liberal majority on national, state and even citywide issues.

Other research by the Loyola-based center has verified a trend that may be increasingly decisive in local politics: Latinos’ overwhelmingly pro-union sentiment. Latino voters are virtually across-the-board supporters of organized labor and its agenda. In part, that’s because the region’s resurgent unions are essentially a Latino movement, which is one of the reasons labor here has championed immigrants’ rights so strongly. The loyalty is reciprocal; one of the significant things Guerra and his colleagues have discovered is that Latinos support organized labor whether or not anybody in the family pays union dues. In fact, nonunion Latino households are more likely to endorse labor’s agenda at the polls than white union members.

“To win in the future,” Guerra said Friday, “citywide candidates will need to put together a coalition of liberal whites, Latinos and unions. Tap them, and you’ve got an unbeatable combination.”

You’ve also got a very different Los Angeles.

Traditionally, officeholders here have been elected by one city to govern another. That is, the electors have been older, whiter, more conservative and more affluent than the majority of Angeleos; they have had interests — and they expected the officials they chose to serve them. Those who have been governed mostly have been younger, browner, blacker and far poorer than the electors; they have had — and they continue to have — needs, which sometimes have been met and, too often, haven’t.

The disconnect between the traditional electors’ interests and the civic majority’s needs is the source of much of our civic dysfunction. When the overwhelming majority of this new Los Angeles told the Loyola pollsters that they voted for the presidential candidate they felt would “bring change,” they may have had more than the White House in mind.

—

timothy.rutten@latimes.com

Here’s another quintessential L.A. walk through the Hollywood Hills’ High Tower neighborhood, the Hollywood Bowl and Whitley Terrace inspired by “Walking Los Angeles” Walk 15.

The roughly three-mile route winds through historic neighborhoods with excellent views, incredible century-old homes and (literally) breathtaking climbs along with an intriguing collection of gates and doors. The walk also gives you a chance to admire the Hollywood Bowl without jillions of people milling around (and, if necessary, visit its lovely restrooms without waiting forever in line), but be sure to check the Bowl’s schedule ahead of time. The route won’t be possible when it’s having a concert.

Traffic and parking are always a challenge in this part of L.A. and nearly impossible in the High Tower area. I recommend finding a place to park across Highland Avenue on Milner Road because it’s less traveled (and very lovely). One final note: This route has few sidewalks, and those that exist are uneven, so keep an eye open for traffic and trip hazards, which is tougher than it sounds, because there are plenty of lovely sights to distract.

Here’s how to get there:

1. Start your walk at the corner of Camrose Drive and Highland Avenue, next to the Highland-Camrose Bungalow Village (which we’ll visit later.) Walk straight up Camrose past Woodland Way to Rockledge Road, where you’ll turn right and continue your climb.

This Hollywood Heights neighborhood has a real Mediterranean feel, with brilliant white villas clinging to the hills. The narrow winding street offers charming views of balconies and towers and the soothing tinkle of running water, so it’s easy to forget the cacophonous traffic and looming billboards nearby. The views get better as you climb until you reach the top of the hill and the end of Rockledge — at least for vehicles.

2. Continue walking to the end of the cul-de-sac, where you’ll find Los Altos Place, a pedestrian-only street. At the start of the walkway is a beautiful mosaic bench, where you can stop to catch your breath and then descend the first set of stairs, just 12 steps down.

3. This narrow walk takes you past many impressive doors and gates until you reach High Tower Drive. You’ll cross this road to stay on Los Altos Place, but as you cross, take a moment to wonder at the tiny garages built into the bottom of the hill and the High Tower elevator built like a freestanding Italian bell tower (a.k.a. campanile) rising 100 feet above. The elevator tower was designed by architect Carl Kay in the 1920s to provide the neighborhood’s tony residents elevator access to their hilltop homes, which are inaccessible by car.

4. Alas, only residents have a key to the elevator, so you must admire from afar and continue your walk along Los Altos Place, which includes a short set of 23 steps, to another pedestrian walkway called Broadview Terrace, where you will turn right and climb 37 steps toward the tower. At the top you’ll see more mostly white houses, bristling with balconies and to your right, a clearing with some gorgeous views of Hollywood.

5. Keep walking on Broadway Terrace, past the back side of the tower, to the next pedestrian walkway, Alta Loma Terrace, where you will turn right. It’s easy to get confused here, because the narrow walkway seems to have many passages that lead to front doors. After you pass the tower and a large, white Streamline Moderne home on your right, look for the street sign to Alta Loma Terrace on your left, partially hidden by shrubs and turn right.

6. This is another narrow, shaded walkway where you will see more interesting gates and fences than actual homes, but at No. 6881, you’ll pass a boarded-up 1921 Craftsman-style home with Japanese influences peppered with graffiti and “keep out” notices. The home once belonged to pioneering Asian American actor Philip Ahn, but it’s mostly famous now for being the home where Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love lived from 1992 to 1993. It’s sometimes known as the “In Utero” house, because Cobain wrote most of Nirvana’s third and final studio album, “In Utero,” there. Now the most notable thing, beyond the warnings, are the squirrels and bees buzzing around the property’s lovely overgrown landscape.

7. Follow Alta Loma Terrace as it slopes downhill and turns to the right. It’s mostly walkway along here, with intermittent series of short steps, but the descent is steep enough that you’ll feel it in your legs. After a short four steps down to No. 6836, where a beautiful pink bougainvillea drapes near a blue gate, the walkway turns left, and the descent feels faster over a series of four 14-step stairs separated by segments of straight walkways until you finally take 10 steps down into a parking lot and turn left.

8. You’ll be walking beside those adorable little garages on your left, barely big enough to hold a small modern sedan, and exit onto Highland Avenue through a black gate (that is locked from the parking lot side, so be sure you’re ready to leave).

9. Now turn left toward the Hollywood Bowl, and you can walk through the parking area, which is shaded by many beautiful trees and much more pleasant than walking alongside Highland Avenue’s unrelenting traffic. Walk up to the main entrance to admire the lovely Art Deco George Stanley fountain created in 1940, then walk over to the Peppertree Lane walkway — yes, lined by pepper trees — to the amphitheater. which is open to visitors who want to admire.

10. You won’t find much else open except for clean restrooms, which we were happy to visit. After gaping at the shell-shaped stage and the venues towering, arched rows capable of seating 18,000, retrace your steps back toward Highland. And near the place where you exited from the Alta Loma Terrace parking lots, step inside the gates to the Highland Camrose Park Pathway, around 2153 Highland Ave. On concert nights, this park is usually full of people eating their picnic dinners before entering the theater, but the park is usually empty and quiet when the Bowl is closed.

11. Follow the path heading east toward Camrose, and take a few minutes to wander through the cobble-stoned Highland-Camrose Bungalow Village of 14 Craftsman homes built between 1900 and 1924, according to an informational sign at the village. The cute houses were designed to be working-class housing for film-industry folks — what a concept! — and today mostly house offices for organizations affiliated with the Hollywood Bowl as well as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Parks Bureau.

12. Exit onto Camrose and turn left to Highland Avneue, where you’ll cross to the other side, where Camrose becomes Milner Road and start walking uphill into the Whitley Heights Historical Preservation Overlay Zone, created by developer H.W. Whitley and architect A.S. Barnes. The majority of the stately homes were designed between 1918 and 1928 to resemble a Mediterranean village and quickly became the home of Hollywood’s elite, including Rudolph Valentino, Tyrone Power, Gloria Swanson and Marlene Dietrich, according to the Los Angeles City Planning website.

13. Follow Milner Road as it winds and climbs up the lushly landscaped hill. After the road curves left, watch for La Scène Idéal, an adorable yellow 1923 cottage that hugs the next curve. At Watsonia Terrace, bear right to stay on Milner Road and continue walking uphill, past several grand Spanish Colonial Revival-style homes, the neighborhood’s favored design. It’s the details on these homes that really captured my eye — arched doorways and windows (some with stained glass), tile inlays, elaborate garage doors and wrought iron light fixtures.

14. At the end of Milner, turn right onto Whitley Terrace, with some breathtaking views on your right, along with many more lovely homes. The book mentions a short stair just past 6681 Whitley Terrace, before a stretch of low slung freestanding garages, but it’s apparently been removed. A small plaque marks the spot where the Mary Jackson Staircase was rebuilt in 2000, but it no longer exists, so keep walking a short distance more to Grace Avenue and turn left to continue climbing the hill.

15. The higher you go, the more houses seem to become more stately. At the top of the hill, you’ll see Kendra Court to your left, a gated street closed to the public. Follow Grace Avenue as it turns right and heads downhill.

16. Turn right at the next street, which is Whitley Terrace, and follow it down past Bonair Place, where the road starts curving to the right. Follow the curve to the Whitley Terrace Steps, between 6666 and 6670 Whitley Terrace, and your final stairs, a twisting, 159-step descent with various short landings under shady trees, wrought-iron fences and tiled roofs. At step 66, pause to admire a charming yellow gate and then carry on, through a charming wrought iron gate back to Milner Road and wherever you parked your car.

The Writers Guild of America West has canceled its awards ceremony scheduled to take place March 8 as its staff union members continue to strike, demanding higher pay and protections against artificial intelligence.

In a letter sent to members on Sunday, WGA West’s board of directors, including President Michele Mulroney, wrote, “The non-supervisory staff of the WGAW are currently on strike and the Guild would not ask our members or guests to cross a picket line to attend the awards show. The WGAW staff have a right to strike and our exceptional nominees and honorees deserve an uncomplicated celebration of their achievements.”

The New York ceremony, scheduled on the same day, is expected go forward while an alternative celebration for Los Angeles-based nominees will take place at a later date, according to the letter.

Comedian and actor Atsuko Okatsuka was set to host the L.A. show, while filmmaker James Cameron was to receive the WGA West Laurel Award.

WGA union staffers have been striking outside the guild’s Los Angeles headquarters on Fairfax Avenue since Feb. 17. The union alleged that management did not intend to reach an agreement on the pending contract. Further, it claimed that guild management had “surveilled workers for union activity, terminated union supporters, and engaged in bad faith surface bargaining.”

On Tuesday, the labor organization said that management had raised the specter of canceling the ceremony during a call about contraction negotiations.

“Make no mistake: this is an attempt by WGAW management to drive a wedge between WGSU and WGA membership when we should be building unity ahead of MBA [Minimum Basic Agreement] negotiations with the AMPTP [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers],” wrote the staff union. “We urge Guild management to end this strike now,” the union wrote on Instagram.

The union, made up of more than 100 employees who work in areas including legal, communications and residuals, was formed last spring and first authorized a strike in January with 82% of its members. Contract negotiations, which began in September, have focused on the use of artificial intelligence, pay raises and “basic protections” including grievance procedures.

The WGA has said that it offered “comprehensive proposals with numerous union protections and improvements to compensation and benefits.”

The ceremony’s cancellation, coming just weeks before the Academy Awards, casts a shadow over the upcoming contraction negotiations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios and streamers.

In 2023, the WGA went on a strike lasting 148 days, the second-longest strike in the union’s history.

Times staff writer Cerys Davies contributed to this report.

As a Clinton supporter, I am very disappointed that the President fired Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders for speaking on masturbation (Dec. 10), while Ronald Reagan let Surgeon General C. Everett Koop speak his mind on AIDS, birth control and condom use–all positions with which Reagan disagreed–for both of the former President’s terms. Perhaps Reagan recognized that doctors speak of things, in clear, uncensored language, in a way that politicians cannot.

I have never seen such sore winners as the Republicans are this year. Their call for Elders’ head heralds some very dark days to come. Clinton needs to learn a lesson from this, a lesson he seems loath to learn: You cannot appease your enemies by sacrificing your friends. You will lose your friends and your enemies will call you a coward.

DAVID VAN CHANEY, West Hollywood

*

It is good to see Clinton moving to the right. He may not have, as yet, fully embraced “Three strikes and you’re out” but at least “Three faux pas and you’re out” is a start.

WARREN M. LENT, Los Angeles

*

“She Pulled No Punches” (editorial, Dec. 10) is surprisingly acute and on target, both as to the rationale for Elders’ dismissal as surgeon general and as to the lamentable restraint on public discourse in our country–suffered by those who do their homework well and let us know what they think.

I think it cheeky of you to offer kind words at all for one who frequently shoots from the lip. She is the Jesse Helms of the left, though with far kinder heart and broader perspective. I will miss her in the way one misses sitting on the edge of the chair when someone rises to speak, half-afraid yet hoping some truth will out.

On the masturbation comment that got her canned, the practice needs no encouragement from the classroom. Bravo, Dr. Elders, and keep talking straight. You are in the grand tradition of free speech.

VERNON STORY, Community United Methodist Church, Desert Hot Springs

*

Being outspoken is not a virtue worth defending when what you have to say is just plain dumb. Which is why I can’t believe you would write an editorial supporting Elders. This woman has embarrassed herself virtually every time she has opened her inarticulate mouth. Have you not been listening?

Whatever has kept Clinton from firing her before this is a mystery. The number of mind-numbing statements made by this surgeon general over the last two years is far too extensive to list here but to me, her most classic remark had to do with violence in America: “We need safer weapons and safer bullets,” said she. No further comment.

JUDIE GAUGENMAIER, Studio City

*

It fascinates me that we will accept political babble and allow ourselves to go into denial, and when we are confronted with the truth as given to us by Elders we rebuke the truth and the messenger.

BEN BOELMAN, Placentia

*

Dr. Jack Kevorkian would have been a better choice for surgeon general than Elders.

DWIGHT M. CATES, Ventura

February was a short but busy month, with holidays Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, Iftar and Lent all overlapping this year.

It also marked Black History Month, offering an opportunity to celebrate the culinary contributions of Black communities near and far, including resilient restaurants in Pasadena and Altadena, a 250-acre ranch in Acton that represents the largest Black-owned farm in L.A. County, and the legacy of the ‘Dean of Southern cuisine’ chef Joe Randall, who died at 79 after spending a half-century of amplifying African American culinary traditions. In Inglewood, Serving Spoon won the America’s Classic in California award from the James Beard Foundation, and will receive a medal at the ceremony this June.

With summer temperatures and clear skies this weekend, it’s hard to believe that just weeks ago, the city was hit with a week of heavy rainstorms. Several restaurants across the region were forced to temporarily close due to flooding, resulting in revenue loss and expensive repairs.

March brings the start of spring, which means we’re already seeing seasonal produce such as asparagus, peas and apricots appear on our favorite menus. Keep reading for more dining ideas this month, including the return of a globe-trotting cafe, a community-minded food hub in South L.A. and an Argentinian bistro with a connection to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance.

Here’s what I think about the so-called Hillary Clinton cleavage controversy: She looked fabulous. Unfortunately, thanks to the vigilance and stridency of Clinton’s legions of feminist supporters in the media, who rose to collectively denounce a Washington Post fashion writer who dared to notice that Clinton had displayed an inch of cleavage while speaking on the Senate floor, we are unlikely ever again to see her looking so forthrightly feminine, so classily sexy, so zaftigly maternal — so downright attractive.

Even the most Clinton-smitten of political liberals admit that the New York senator is often fashion-challenged. During her husband’s presidency, she was known for her garish-hued suits featuring doorknob-size buttons and less-than-flattering hemlines.

Now running for the nation’s highest office, she’s switched to garish-hued boxy jackets over sleek but essentially shapeless black pants. For example, check out the salmon-orange jacket with stiff mandarin collar that she wore for the July 23 Democratic presidential debate. “I don’t know about that jacket,” said the Democratic presidential field’s style maven, John Edwards, he of the $400 haircut.

So, it was a refreshing break to see Clinton attired in clothes that actually looked good on her when she was captured by C-SPAN2 on the Senate floor July 18. She has, ahem, put on a few pounds since she ran for the Senate in 2000, and as all gorgeous women of a certain weight know, from Cecilia Bartoli to Mo’Nique, the name of the game is to concentrate the viewer’s attention on your above-the-waist assets, which, thanks to that nourishing layer of subcutaneous you-know-what, typically include lustrous skin and luxuriant hair. Clinton has both, and she also has a bust line that larger women don’t have to pay a plastic surgeon to possess.

Everything that Clinton wore that day on the Senate floor — the soft rose-pink jacket, simple and tasteful, that highlighted her pearlescent complexion; the matching pink necklace; and the black shirt with a slight V-neck that revealed a “small acknowledgment of sexuality and femininity peeking out of the conservative” (to quote Post writer Robin Givhan) — brought out her female best.

My own theory is that Clinton was indulging in a visual retort to Elizabeth Edwards (those Edwardses!), who was quoted in a July 17 article in Salon magazine saying that Clinton, obliged to prove her toughness as a potential world leader, wouldn’t be as effective as her husband on women’s issues. Bill Clinton’s response to Edwards — “I don’t think [Hillary’s] trying to be a man” — was captured on a now-famous YouTube video.

Givhan’s comparison of Hillary Clinton’s decolletage to “catching a man with his fly unzipped” wasn’t an analogy I would have used, but Givhan incurred the wrath of political feminists because her article violated this basic double standard of the women’s movement: It’s fine to aver, a la feminist psychologist Carol Gilligan,that women are the kinder, gentler, softer sex — and also to advertise one’s softer sexuality by declining to dress in the covered-up uniform of men. But if you dare call people’s attention to that fact, as Givhan did, you’re a sexist pig.

The reliably neurasthenic New York Times columnist Judith Warner got the ball of outrage rolling: “I always thought that middle age afforded some kind of protection from prying eyes and personal remarks.”

Syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman divulged more details than one would care to know about her own sartorial peculiarities: “And what to make of my lime-colored Crocs with their peek-a-boo holes? Do they express a certain post-feminist funkiness? Or do they expose a feminine (if chipped) pedicure?”

An irate woman left a voice-mail message with Post ombudsman Deborah Howell demanding that the newspaper “do more stories on the private parts of male candidates.”

And the over-the-top finale came from Clinton advisor Ann Lewis’ use of Givhan’s article in a fundraising letter designed to stir up the wrath and dollars of Clinton’s supporters: “Frankly, focusing on women’s bodies instead of their ideas is insulting. It’s insulting to every woman who has ever tried to be taken seriously in a business meeting. It’s insulting to our daughters — and our sons — who are constantly pressured by the media to grow up too fast.”

So, I guess it’s back to mandarin collars for Clinton. That’s too bad, because she would do better to take a leaf from the book of the powerful women in history who boldly used every weapon in their arsenals to hold their own in a world dominated by men: not only their brilliant minds but also their looks and their sexuality. They include Elizabeth I, who decked herself with every pearl that could be fished out of the Indian Ocean, and Cleopatra, who seduced two Roman rulers.

As for cleavage, Catherine the Great displayed five times as much bon point as did Clinton. Empress Maria Theresa of Austria wore dresses cut so low that it’s hard to figure out how they stayed up — even after bearing her 16 children. Her husband, Francis I, was originally the emperor, but after a while, Maria Theresa just took over and ran the Habsburg domains herself. Sounds like a good role model for Hillary Clinton.

Charlotte Allen is an editor at Beliefnet and the author of “The Human Christ: The Search for the Historical Jesus.”

This quirky Frogtown sandwich shop, which also happens to serve some of the best soft serve in town, names each of its menu items after NPR hosts. One of the most popular options? The Ira Glass, Wax Paper’s riff on a classic hippie sandwich, named for the legendary host of “This American Life.” Slices of Bub & Grandma’s seeded sourdough wheat bread are swiped with a garlic aioli and then topped with half of an avocado, shredded Tillamook sharp cheddar, cucumber slices, both pickled and raw red onions for extra flavor, and a mountain of alfalfa sprouts. It’s crunchy, fresh and often sells out, so make sure to place your order early. $16.50

My friend Andrea and I had hiked about 3½ miles before we perched ourselves atop boulders near the Brown Mountain Dam waterfall. We eagerly pulled out our sandwiches, jalapeño pimento cheese, and chips and queso we’d carried in our backpacks.

Nearby, a small group of hikers glowered at us, eating jerky and protein bars, commenting on the resplendent meal before us (which we’d purchased from local deli Maciel’s). It seemed they were rethinking their food choices. 💅

I love spending time in nature, regardless of whether I’m lounging on a blanket with a friend at a park or hauling my body up a steep fire road to summit a local peak. But the uniting factor of many of the best experiences I’ve had outdoors is great food.

Below you’ll find three hikes that will lead you to great picnic spots around L.A. You’ll see that I’m defining “picnic spots” as a place that offers enough open space to take a seat, including on park benches, picnic tables and flat ground.

Before we dive in, I’d like to remind you of something I frequently scream on trails: Orange peels are trash! Please don’t leave any food out in nature that you bring with you.

“There is a common misconception that ‘natural trash’ such as orange peels, banana peels, apple cores, and shells from nuts and seeds are OK to leave behind on the trail, in campgrounds, or in other outdoor spaces,” Leave No Trace’s Erin Collier and Brice Esplin wrote in this article. “While these things are natural, they are not natural to the places they are being left. These types of trash attract wildlife to areas with human activity, affecting their health and habits.”

Now that you’ve vowed to pack out what you pack in, let’s dive into this week’s hikes.

1. Gabrielino Trail to Gould Mesa campground

Distance: 3.6 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 300 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: The first mile of this trail is paved!

The Gabrielino National Recreation Trail is a 28.8-mile long journey from Chantry Flat Recreation Area north of Sierra Madre all the way to Ventura Street & Windsor Avenue trailhead near the Hahamongna Watershed Park in La Cañada Flintridge. It is a multi-use trail for hikers, mountain bikers and horse riders.

The trail has several beautiful sections, including from its western entrance in Hahamongna to the Gould Mesa Trail Camp.

To begin your hike, you’ll park at a large free dirt lot near the backside of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. If hiking in a wheelchair or seeking a paved path, I recommend parking at this smaller paved lot.

You can either take the paved trail or an unofficial dirt trail that follows the Arroyo Seco before leading you to the official trail. Either way, it’s a fairly easy stroll along the Arroyo Seco, shaded by coast live oaks, bay laurels and sycamore trees. After hiking about two miles, you’ll reach the Gould Mesa Trail Camp, where you can set up your picnic at one of the campground’s tables, or nearby along the creek.

And if you’d like to go a bit farther, you can continue onward to the Paul Little Picnic Site or the Brown Mountain Dam waterfall that I mentioned above. Regardless of where you stop, I promise you’ll be treated to a stunning landscape and likely hear the chirp and squawk of scrub jays, California quail and more.

2. Griffith Observatory via Fern Dell/Four Loops (Griffith Park Explorer Segment 6)

Distance: 4.1 miles
Elevation gained: 750 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Griffith Park Explorer Segment 4 — Anza, Autry and Main

How often do you act like a tourist in your own city? Well, now’s the time!

The Fern Dell/Four Loops trail is a 4.1-mile figure-eight-shaped looping path through Griffith Park’s southern end. Although it doesn’t officially include a stop at the Griffith Observatory, that’s what I’d recommend, as it is such a serene place to share a meal with family and friends.

To begin, you’ll park in an O-shaped lot north of the Trails Cafe, where you could grab a meal to-go before heading out. You’ll head north from the lot, following the West Trail in a loop back south to the aptly named Loop Trail. After completing the Loop Trail’s loop, you’ll head south before taking the Observatory Trail on your next loop. If following the Griffith Park Explorer map, you’ll want to take note of when to turn to head to the Griffith Observatory.

If the Observatory area is busy, consider going just a little farther north to the Berlin Forest to have your picnic. Just make sure to link back up with the Fern Dell/Four Loops trail so you can not only enjoy the lush greenery in the Fern Dell area, but also make it back to where you parked.

3. Mt. Thom and Tongva Peak via Brand Park

Distance: About 3 miles
Elevation gained: 1,950 feet
Difficulty: Hard
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Crescenta Valley Community Regional Park loop

If you’ve ever looked out your plane’s window as you flew out of Hollywood Burbank Airport, and thought, “My, that trail looks hard,” you would have been correct.

The trail from Brand Park in Glendale to Mt. Thom is a grueling dirt trail, but its payoff includes stunning views of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys and San Gabriel Mountains. And along the way, you’ll find benches and other lookout spots that would make for epic picnic spots. (Plus, if you do it, you could brag from your plane window, “I hiked up there and had these great tacos from that very peak!”)

To begin your hike, you’ll park near the Miss American Green Cross statue before heading northeast up the trail. Please note that there isn’t any water access on the trail, and it has limited shade outside of its lookout points with benches, which you’ll reach just under a mile in.

You’ll reach Mt. Thom about half a mile farther, but it will be a steep half mile. Keep going for about three-quarters of a mile, and you will find a quick offshoot that’ll take you to Tongva Peak. This is a fabulous place to relax, take in the views and, most importantly, eat.

If you’d like to skip the steep section, I’d recommend parking near the Sunshine Preserve, a critical wildlife passageway managed by the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy. From here, you’ll take Sunshine Drive up to Las Flores Motorway, which offers an easier incline to reach Mt. Thom and Tongva Peak.

Either way, you should spot some benches and flat areas to take a seat or lay out a blanket and enjoy the expansive views of Glendale, Burbank and the cities beyond there. I promise: Your meal will taste even better after the climb to Mt. Thom — especially since it won’t be just jerky or a protein bar!

3 things to do

1. Frolic for feathered friends in L.A.
Athletes from beginner to elite have until Friday to sign up for Saturday’s 4 Mile Hill Challenge, a trail run and walk in Ernest E. Debs Regional Park. Proceeds from the race benefit the Audubon Center at Debs Park. Race onlookers can partake in bird-themed activities as they cheer on their athletes. Register at 4milehillchallenge.com.

2. Get moving in Montebello
Montebello Outdoor Adventures will host a hiking trip from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Puente Hills Preserve. Guests will meet at the Cathy Hensel Youth Center (236 S. Taylor Ave. in Montebello) before being taken by free transportation on the day trip. Registration is required. Register at montebellorecreation.com via the Trips and Tours page.

3. Foster the forest in Sunland-Tujunga
The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter will host a volunteer workday from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday in Sunland-Tujunga. Volunteers will water and mulch four or more trees, helping them stave off disease or death, especially in hotter months. Participants should bring gloves and sun protection. Tools provided. Location released upon registration. Register at act.sierraclub.org.

The must-read

I continue to be amazed by the ongoing legacy of P-22, L.A.’s dearly departed lion king. On Thursday, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to list six specific mountain lion populations — more than 1,400 pumas — in Southern California and the Central Coast as threatened under state law. “Hemmed in by freeways and housing, cougar clans in the Santa Monica and Santa Ana mountains — both included in the listing — have a 16% to 28% chance of extinction in 50 years if they aren’t able to reach lions to mate with in other areas, providing genetic diversity,” wrote Times staff writer Lila Seidman. It’s hard to imagine this happening without the advocacy for mountain lions stimulated by P-22, whose memorial in 2023 lasted more than three hours and drew thousands of guests.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Do you have a story of love on the hiking trail? Did someone break up with you atop a mountain? Or perhaps it was a marriage proposal on a peak! On April 3, The Times will host L.A. Affairs Live, a competition show featuring real dating stories from people living in the Greater Los Angeles area. The event is a spin-off of our popular dating and romance column of the same name. Seven to 10 storytellers will be selected to perform 5- to 7-minute relationship stories related to the theme of “Starting Fresh.” A live audience will choose the winner. The winner will get a written version of their story published as an L.A. Affairs column and receive a $400 payment. So, do any of our Wild readers have a lowercase-wild story to tell? Learn more about how to audition here. The deadline to submit is midnight Sunday!

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

Dominated by anti-crime measures passed by the 1994 Legislature, hundreds of new state laws took effect Sunday. In all, 1,349 laws were signed by Gov. Pete Wilson during the year.

The standout in the crime category, the “three strikes and you’re out” provision, took effect months ago, but now other new laws join the anti-crime arsenal.

Some substantially widen the grounds on which wrongdoers can be convicted. Others, including a tough “one strike” sentencing law for rapists, ensure that they will stay behind bars longer.

Among other new laws, one bans smoking in practically all indoor workplaces. Another lifts a ban that some employers impose against women wearing pants to work. But at schools, students may now be required to wear uniforms.

Here’s a sampling of the state’s new laws. For more information about a particular law, write to the bill’s author at the state Capitol, Sacramento, Calif. 95814. Further information is available to computer users through the Internet; a user’s guide is available from legislators.

CRIMINAL PENALTIES

Violent crimes–The minimum age at which minors charged with serious violent crimes can be tried, convicted and imprisoned as adults drops from 16 to 14. (AB 560 by Sen. Steve Peace, D-Bonita).

Parole hearings–An inmate serving time for murder is permitted to seek parole before the Board of Prison Terms only once every five years instead of once every two years. (SB 826 by Sen. Bill Leonard, R-Big Bear Lake).

Work-time credits–Violent felons can reduce their prison sentences with work-time credits by only 15%, no longer by as much as 50%. (AB 2716 by Assemblyman Richard Katz, D-Sylmar).

Gun sales to minors–Prison sentences are increased for people convicted of the illegal sale or transfer of handguns to minors. (AB 2470 by Assemblyman Richard K. Rainey, R-Walnut Creek).

Ammunition sales–It is now a crime to sell ammunition to anyone under age 18. (AB 2449 by Assemblywoman Dede Alpert, D-Coronado).

Looting penalties–Judges can require community service in addition to jail time for people convicted of looting during a state of emergency such as the riots that erupted after the Rodney G. King beating trial. (AB 2965 by Assemblywoman Martha M. Escutia, D-Huntington Park).

ATM robberies–Robbing a customer at an automated teller machine becomes a specific crime, subject to penalties of three, four or six years in state prison. (SB 2908 by Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Santa Monica).

Church services–The penalty is doubled from six months to one year in jail for those convicted of disrupting religious services or preventing people from attending them. (AB 3103 by Assemblyman Gil Ferguson, R-Newport Beach).

Criminal profits–Any income derived by criminals convicted of serious crimes from books, movies or similar works resulting from their notoriety will be placed into a trust fund for the benefit of the victims of their crimes. (SB 1330 by Sen. Charles M. Calderon, D-Whittier).

911 calls–It is a crime to repeatedly harass 911 telephone operators and block legitimate emergency calls from getting through. (AB 2741 by Assemblyman Sal Cannella, D-Ceres).

Prisoner rights–Prison officials can require inmates to bathe and get haircuts, prohibit receipt of pornographic magazines and racist hate literature, and charge them a $3 fee for filing civil lawsuits. (SB 1260 by Sen. Robert B. Presley, D-Riverside).

Child abuse–A prison sentence of 15 years to life is established for those convicted of abusing a child under the age of 8 and causing the child’s death. (AB 27X by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-Burlingame).

SEX CRIMES

Rape sentences–Perpetrators of aggravated rape or child molestation, such as those who kidnap their victims, face prison terms of 25 years to life upon a single conviction. The sentence is 15 years to life for first-time sex offenses in less violent circumstances. The law took effect Nov. 30. (SB 26X by Sen. Marian Bergeson, R-Newport Beach).

Sex offender information–The state Department of Justice will maintain a 900 toll number that people can call to find out if someone who is a registered sex offender is living in their neighborhood. (AB 2500 by Assemblywoman Barbara Alby, R-Fair Oaks).

Registration list–The list of crimes for which sex offenders must register with local law enforcement authorities after their release is expanded. (AB 1211 by Assemblyman Richard K. Rainey, R-Walnut Creek).

Sex offenders–Parents who are registered sex offenders are prohibited from assuming custody of their children and barred from making unsupervised visits. (SB 25X by Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer, D-Hayward).

HIV–Victims of sex offenders are guaranteed the right to request and obtain the result of HIV testing of their attackers. (AB 2815 by Assemblywoman Paula L. Boland, R-Granada Hills).

Child molesters–A special unit is added to the state Department of Justice to investigate child molestation complaints. (AB 3273 by Assemblyman Tom Umberg, D-Garden Grove).

Custody restrictions–Convicted child molesters are prohibited from getting custody of children conceived through their illicit conduct. (AB 1082 by Assemblyman Dean Andal, R-Stockton).

Job restrictions–Convicted child molesters or registered mentally disordered sex offenders cannot become state-licensed social workers, educational psychologists or counselors for families or children. (AB 2956 by Assemblywoman Valerie Brown, D-Sonoma).

Sex offenders–Registered sex offenders are prohibited from serving as classroom or play yard volunteers in the public schools. (AB 3458 by Assemblyman Trice Harvey, R-Bakersfield).

Sexual assault–A woman’s request that an attacker use a condom or other birth control device does not constitute consent to sexual assault. (SB 1351 by Sen. Milton Marks, D-San Francisco).

Palm prints–Registered sex offenders are required to submit full palm prints to law enforcement authorities in addition to blood and saliva samples before their release from prison. (AB 151X by Assemblyman Sal Cannella, D-Ceres).

Rape definition–The legal definition of rape is expanded to include situations in which women are unable to resist because they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. (AB 85X by Assemblywoman Diane Martinez, D-Monterey Park).

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Catching killers–The governor can offer a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a person who kills a police officer acting in the line of duty. (SB 435X by Sen. Robert G. Beverly, R-Long Beach).

Firearms records–Gun dealers are required to make their sales records available to law enforcement officials, and the Department of Justice is required to computerize its handgun records. (SB 1308 by Sen. Steve Peace, D-Bonita).

Inspector general–An inspector general’s office is created within the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency to conduct internal audits and investigations. (SB 1462 by Sen. Ken Maddy, R-Fresno).

Stalking crimes–It will become easier to prosecute state inmates who continue to harass their victims from inside prison. (AB 3730 by Assemblyman Tom Umberg, D-Garden Grove).

Inmate movies–Wardens can prohibit sexually explicit or extremely violent movies from being shown to state prison or Youth Authority inmates. (AB 1685 by Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta).

Jailhouse sex–It is a misdemeanor for law enforcement personnel to engage in sexual relations with inmates. (AB 1568 by Assemblywoman Hilda Solis, D-El Monte).

GRAFFITI

Graffiti materials–It is a misdemeanor to possess an aerosol paint can, felt tip pen or other marking device with the intent to write graffiti or commit public vandalism. (SB 583 by Sen. John R. Lewis, R-Orange).

Graffiti cleanup–Parents of minors convicted of graffiti crimes are required to spend at least 12 hours helping their children clean up the mess. (AB 2595 by Assemblyman Tom Connolly, D-Lemon Grove).

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Bodily harm–The maximum prison sentence for domestic violence convictions is increased to five years and the maximum fine is increased to $10,000. (SB 739 by Sen. Marian Bergeson, R-Newport Beach).

Firearms possession–Anyone subject to a domestic violence restraining order is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm while the order is in effect. (SB 1278 by Sen. Gary K. Hart, D-Santa Barbara).

Visitation rights–A father’s right to visit his children can be restricted in court cases in which a battered woman has obtained a domestic violence restraining order. (AB 356 by Assemblywoman Margaret Snyder, D-Modesto).

Restraining orders–A statewide registry of people under domestic violence restraining orders is established for use by law enforcement officials. (AB 3034 by Assemblywoman Hilda Solis, D-El Monte).

LEGAL SYSTEM

O.J. Simpson case–Witnesses and jurors in high-profile criminal cases such as the O.J. Simpson trial are prohibited from selling their stories to tabloid newspapers or television shows before or during the trial. (AB 501 by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, D-San Francisco).

Attorney conduct–The State Bar is to draft rules of conduct to restrict trial attorneys from making out-of-court public comments that could prejudice potential jurors. (SB 254 by Sen. Quentin L. Kopp, I-San Francisco).

900 numbers–Courts are authorized to establish 900 telephone numbers to provide callers with recorded information regarding scheduled trial dates and traffic court sessions. (AB 1800 by Sen. Tom Campbell, R-Stanford).

Attorney advertising–Attorneys are prohibited from engaging in television or radio advertising of their services that is misleading to the public. (AB 3659 by Assemblyman Paul Horcher, R-Diamond Bar).

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Juvenile decoys–Law enforcement officials are allowed to use people under age 21 as decoys to apprehend merchants who illegally sell beer, wine or liquor to minors. (AB 3805 by Assemblyman Bernie Richter, R-Chico).

Liquor stores–Licensing of new liquor stores is restricted in high-crime neighborhoods already saturated with liquor stores and bars. (AB 2897 by Assemblyman Louis Caldera, D-Los Angeles).

Beer and wine licenses–A three-year moratorium is imposed on the issuance of new beer and wine licenses in some cities in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, depending on the ratio of population to the number of existing licenses. Fines and penalties are increased for existing liquor store operators who break the law by selling to obviously intoxicated people or to minors. (AB 463 by Assemblyman Curtis Tucker Jr., D-Inglewood).

Nude juice bars–Cities and counties are empowered to regulate so-called nude juice bars that currently sidestep local laws regulating nude entertainment by not serving alcoholic drinks. (SB 1863 by Sen. Tim Leslie, R-Carnelian Bay).

DRUGS

Trucker drug tests–Intrastate truck drivers will be subject to random drug testing just as interstate truck drivers are under existing federal law. (SB 2034 by Sen. Ruben S. Ayala, D-Chino).

Drug sales–Prison penalties are increased for those convicted of selling illegal drugs on the grounds of public parks or public beaches, including adjacent parking lots and sidewalks. (AB 2638 by Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman, D-Brentwood).

Driver’s licenses–A six-month driver’s license suspension is authorized for those convicted of any drug offense, even if it is unrelated to operation of a motor vehicle. This measure took effect Dec. 1. (AB 79X by Assemblyman Robert Frazee, R-Carlsbad).

Seized assets–The state will continue to seize property and money from convicted drug dealers, using those assets for law enforcement purposes, with new safeguards added to protect innocent people from losing their assets. (AB 114 by Assemblyman John Burton, D-San Francisco).

WOMEN

Dress codes–Employers may not stop women from wearing slacks to work in place of dresses or skirts. (SB 1288 by Sen. Charles M. Calderon, D-Whittier).

Sexual harassment–State law allowing women to sue employers and instructors for sexual harassment is expanded to allow them to sue doctors, lawyers, accountants and other white-collar professionals. (SB 612 by Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Santa Monica).

Abortion protesters–Health care facilities can sue anti-abortion protesters who block access to their premises. (AB 600 by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-Burlingame).

CHILDREN

Child support–State business and professional licenses held by parents who fail to make court-ordered child support payments can be suspended. (AB 923 by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-Burlingame).

Juvenile vandalism–The amount of money that parents or guardians may be liable for because of acts of vandalism committed by their minor children is increased from $10,000 to $25,000. (AB 308 by Assemblyman Dean Andal, R-Stockton).

Parental liability–Parents are held responsible for making court-ordered restitution for property damage committed by their children. (AB 1629 by Assemblywoman Betty Karnette, D-Long Beach).

Missing children–Telephone, gas and electric companies are required to quickly provide law enforcement officials with customer information to help find missing or kidnaped children. (AB 2333 by Assemblyman Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside).

Child seat belts–The fine for the first offense of transporting a child age 4 through 12 in a vehicle without using safety belts is increased to $50 from $20, and to $100 from $50 for subsequent offenses. (SB 2004 by Sen. Nicholas C. Petris, D-Oakland).

Bicycle helmets–Bicycle riders under age 18 are required to wear approved safety helmets or face $25 fines. (AB 2268 by Assemblyman Louis Caldera, D-Los Angeles).

Medical expenses–Divorce court judges are required to specify legal responsibilities of each parent regarding the payment of the children’s medical expenses and health insurance. (SB 1807 by Sen. John R. Lewis, R-Orange).

Tobacco sales–Merchants who illegally sell tobacco products to minors face increased fines and penalties, and the state is permitted to use sting operations to catch them in the act. (SB 1927 by Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Santa Monica).

Curfew fines–Parents whose children break local curfew laws are subject to fines of $50 or more. (AB 3797 by Assemblyman Tom Umberg, D-Garden Grove).

Adoption consent–The time period is reduced from 120 to 90 days during which a birth mother of an adopted child can change her mind, revoke consent and have the child returned to her. (AB 3336 by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-Burlingame).

Pornography–It is a misdemeanor to sell pornographic matter in a news rack unless the news rack is supervised by an adult or located in an area that is not frequented by children. (AB 17 by Sen. Steve Peace, D-Bonita).

CHILD CARE

First aid and CPR training–Child day-care home providers must undergo training in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to help cope with possible injuries to children under their care. (AB 243 by Assemblywoman Dede Alpert, D-Coronado).

Portable classrooms–Administrative procedures are streamlined for school districts to lease surplus portable classrooms for use as private day-care facilities. (AB 3466 by Assemblyman Ted Weggeland, R-Riverside).

Baby cribs–Manufacture and sale of baby cribs that do not comply with federal safety requirements and present an unreasonable risk of injuries to infants is prohibited in California. (AB 3760 by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-Burlingame).

SCHOOLS

School uniforms–School boards can adopt dress codes requiring students to wear uniforms on campus and stop them from wearing gang-related clothing. (SB 1269 by Sen. Phil Wyman, R-Tehachapi).

Metal detectors–One million dollars is provided to purchase metal detectors for Los Angeles senior and junior high school campuses to catch students who bring guns to school. (AB 777 by Assemblyman Richard Katz, D-Sylmar).

Campus firearms–It is a felony to carry a firearm within 1,000 feet of a public or private school campus. (AB 645 by Assemblywoman Doris Allen, R-Cypress).

Hate violence–The State Board of Education is instructed to adopt policies designed to reduce acts of hate violence in kindergarten through high school. (AB 2543 by Assemblywoman Barbara Lee, D-Oakland).

Student harassment–School boards can suspend or expel students who harass, threaten or intimidate other students and create a hostile school environment in grades 4 through 12. (AB 2752 by Assemblywoman Doris Allen, R-Cypress).

Teaching credentials–The state will permanently revoke the teaching credentials of any teacher who is convicted of a felony sex offense or a drug offense involving a minor. (SB 2005 by Sen. Tim Leslie, R-Carnelian Bay).

Volunteer police–Local school boards can create unpaid volunteer police reserve corps to supplement salaried school police forces. (SB 281 by Sen. Ruben S. Ayala, D-Chino).

School leave–Employers must allow parents and grandparents of school-age children up to 40 days off per year, without pay, so they can take part in school activities. (AB 2590 by Assemblywoman Delaine Eastin, D-Fremont).

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

New state university–A portion of the old Ft. Ord Army training base in Monterey County is set aside as the site for a new state university campus. (SB 1425 by Sen. Henry J. Mello, D-Watsonville).

Cross-enrollment–Students enrolled in the community college, state college or University of California systems may take one course each term, if space is available, at a campus in one of the other systems by paying a $10 administrative fee. (SB 1914 by Sen. Lucy Killea, I-San Diego).

DRIVING

Unlicensed drivers–Police can confiscate, in some cases permanently, automobiles driven by unlicensed drivers who have a prior conviction for driving without a license or for driving with a suspended or revoked license. (AB 3148 by Assemblyman Richard Katz, D-Sylmar).

Suspended licenses–Penalties are increased for those convicted of driving with a suspended license as a result of a prior drunk driving conviction. (AB 2416 by Assemblywoman Grace F. Napolitano, D-Norwalk).

Driving tests–On a two-year trial basis, private driving schools can give license-qualifying driving tests to 15,000 minor students per year with the Department of Motor Vehicles closely monitoring the program. (SB 1390 by Sen. Charles M. Calderon, D-Whittier).

Automobile theft–A statewide automobile anti-theft prevention and investigation program is established, financed by requiring auto insurance companies to pay a 20-cent fee for each vehicle that they insure. (SB 1723 by Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer, D-Hayward).

Concealed firearms–Judges can suspend or delay issuance of the driver’s licenses of minors convicted of carrying a pistol or other concealable firearm, and order them to complete up to 500 hours of community service. (AB 3499 by Assemblyman Jack O’Connell, D-Carpinteria).

Truancy punishment–The courts can suspend or delay for up to one year the driving privileges of a habitually truant minor. (SB 1728 by Sen. Teresa Hughes, D-Inglewood).

FIRES

Aggravated arson–A mandatory prison term of 10 years to life is prescribed for convicted arsonists who set fires that cause injury, $5 million in property damage or the destruction of five or more homes. (SB 1309 by Sen. William A. Craven, R-Oceanside).

Arson tracking–A statewide computerized arson information system is to be established to help local fire and law enforcement officers track, arrest and prosecute arsonists. (AB 2336 by Assemblyman Richard Katz, D-Sylmar).

Arson registration–All people convicted of arson or attempted arson must register with local law enforcement officials upon their release. (AB 8X by Assemblyman Bill Hoge, R-Pasadena).

Re-roofing requirements–Residents of fire-prone regions are required to use fire-retardant materials when they re-roof their homes. (AB 3819 by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, D-San Francisco).

Super Scoopers–On a trial basis, the state will lease two so-called Super Scooper aircraft that can swoop low over bodies of water to pick up water to fight forest fires. (AB 2802 by Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman, D-Brentwood).

POULTRY

California grown–It will be a misdemeanor to say “California grown” on supermarket poultry labels if the birds were not raised in this state. (SB 1412 by Sen. Henry J. Mello, D-Watsonville).

Fresh chickens–Poultry advertised and sold as “fresh” by markets must be just that and not pre-frozen. (SB 1533 by Sen. Dan McCorquodale, D-Modesto).

CONSUMER PROTECTION

Travel agencies–A fund of more than $1.5 million is to be set up from fees paid by travel agencies and tour operators to reimburse customers if the agencies and operators skip town or go bankrupt. (AB 918 by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-Burlingame).

Price gouging–It becomes a crime for merchants to increase prices for vital goods and services by more than 10% after a natural disaster such as the Northridge earthquake. (AB 36X by Assemblyman Richard Katz, D-Sylmar, and AB 57X by Assemblywoman Marguerite Archie-Hudson, D-Los Angeles).

Ticket sales–Ticket brokers who sell tickets to events such as football games and rock concerts must possess the tickets they advertise, or have an option to purchase them, and tell buyers exactly how much they will cost. (AB 3083 by Assemblyman Dede Alpert, D-Coronado).

Towing services–It is a crime for towing service operators to accept kickbacks or gifts in return for taking disabled vehicles to certain auto repair shops. (AB 3017 by Assemblywoman Juanita M. McDonald, D-Carson).

Charitable contributions–Professional fund-raisers hired by charity groups are required to give at least 50% of received donations to the sponsoring group. (AB 3443 by Assemblyman Tom Connolly, D-Lemon Grove).

Charity report–The attorney general’s office is required to publish an annual report on charitable fund-raising activities in the state with copies of the report made available to public libraries. (AB 3778 by Assemblyman Tom Umberg, D-Garden Grove).

Cable television–Cable TV customers must be notified in writing that their names and addresses will, if they wish, be deleted from mailing lists that are sold to potential advertisers. (SB 1941 by Sen. Herschel Rosenthal, D-Los Angeles).

HEALTH CARE

Premarital blood tests–Marriage license applicants no longer have to take expensive blood tests to check for syphilis and rubella. (AB 3128 by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-Burlingame).

Health care–Health insurance plans are required to allow women to name their obstetrician-gynecologists as primary care physicians. (AB 2493 by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-Burlingame).

Dalkon shields–The statute of limitations is waived for women filing claims for damages alleging that they were injured by Dalkon shield intrauterine birth control devices. (AB 2855 by Assemblywoman Marguerite Archie-Hudson, D-Los Angeles).

Genetic disease–Health care insurers are prohibited from using genetic testing to discriminate against people who carry the gene for a disease but have no symptoms of it. (SB 1146 by Sen. Patrick Johnston, D-Stockton).

Paramedic training–A statewide system is established for the examination and licensing of California’s 7,000 paramedics, replacing current local programs that vary from county to county. (AB 3123 by Assemblyman Johan Klehs, D-San Leandro).

Whistle-blowers–Continuing-care facilities are prohibited from terminating a contract with a senior citizen as retaliation for the resident filing a complaint against the care provider. (AB 2847 by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-Burlingame).

ENVIRONMENT

Offshore oil drilling–New offshore oil and gas drilling is banned in all state coastal waters–those within three miles of California’s 1,100-mile coastline. (AB 2444 by Assemblyman Jack O’Connell, D-Carpinteria).

Mono Lake–A $36-million state fund is established to permit the city of Los Angeles to replace water supplies it gets from Mono Lake, which will soon be cut off. (AB 3096 by Assemblyman Richard Katz, D-Sylmar).

District budget–The South Coast Air Quality Management District must submit its annual budget for suggested changes, and its extended forecasts for review, to the state Air Resources Board, the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Legislature. (AB 1853 by Assemblyman Richard Polanco, D-Los Angeles).

Ride-sharing programs–The air quality district cannot force employers to use cash incentives or disincentives to encourage employee ride-sharing programs. (SB 1134 by Sen. Newton R. Russell, R-Glendale).

ANIMALS AND FISH

Two-rod fishing–Purchase of a $7.50 stamp in addition to a fishing license will allow anglers to use a second rod while fishing in inland lakes and reservoirs. (SB 2115 by Sen. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena).

Bear poaching–Penalties are increased for the illegal sale or possession of bear parts that are highly valued as medicine and aphrodisiacs among some ethnic groups. (SB 1597 by Sen. Milton Marks, D-San Francisco).

Horse tripping–Intentional tripping of running horses, sometimes a feature of Mexican-style rodeos, is prohibited. (AB 49X by Assemblyman John Burton, D-San Francisco).

Meat–Slaughterhouses, stockyards and auction yards are prohibited from buying or selling animals that cannot walk by themselves, to prevent diseased meat from being sold. (SB 692 by Sen. David A. Roberti, D-Van Nuys).

VETERANS

Cabinet status–The state Department of Veterans Affairs is elevated to gubernatorial Cabinet level status and its director must now be a U.S. military veteran. (AB 2597 by Assemblyman Stan Statham, R-Oak Run).

HOUSING

Homeless shelters–National Guard armories can be used as emergency shelters for homeless people in cold and wet weather between Dec. 1 and March 15 until 1997–as a matter of law rather than executive order by the governor. (AB 1808 by Assemblyman Rusty Areias, D-San Jose).

Shelter transportation–Police officers are authorized to take people lacking evidence of any residence to the nearest homeless shelter, if there is space available and the person does not object. (SB 2083 by Sen. Tom Campbell, R-Stanford).

Mobile homes–Mobile home installations are required to meet state earthquake and wind safety requirements so they cannot be knocked or blown off their foundations. (SB 750 by Sen. A. David Roberti, D-Van Nuys).

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

No smoking–With few exceptions, a statewide smoking ban is imposed for restaurants, offices, factories and other enclosed workplaces. (AB 13 by Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman, D-Brentwood).

Workplace violence–Business owners can obtain temporary restraining orders and court injunctions against customers and others who engage in violence or make credible threats of violence against employees. (AB 68X by Assemblywoman Dede Alpert, D-Coronado).

Employer fines–Fines are increased for employers who pay their employees in cash under the table in order to avoid paying state taxes. (SB 1490 by Sen. Patrick Johnston, D-Stockton).

Home addresses–Owners of small at-home businesses who use mail-receiving services are exempted from having to disclose their home addresses so they will be less susceptible to break-ins and stalkers. (AB 171 by Assemblyman Mickey Conroy, R-Orange).

Armed security guards–State officials are charged with developing minimum standards for the selection and training of armed security guards hired to protect private businesses. (AB 1713 by Sen. Gary K. Hart, D-Santa Barbara).

Late payment fees–The cap on late payment fees is increased from $5 to $10 for retail store charge cards and installment contracts. (SB 1583 by Sen. Teresa Hughes, D-Inglewood).

Tourist information–A statewide network of visitor information centers is authorized, to encourage tourism in California to help boost the state’s economy. (SB 1983 by Sen. Herschel Rosenthal, D-Los Angeles).

MISCELLANEOUS

Chavez holiday–March 31, the birth date of the late Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers union, becomes an unpaid state holiday. (SB 1373 by Sen. Art Torres, D-Los Angeles).

Gifts and parties–A state law is repealed that previously let the lieutenant governor, attorney general, controller, treasurer, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction and chief justice each spend up to $10,000 a year in state funds on gifts and parties. (AB 1921 by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier, D-Burlingame).

Political reform–Local elected officials are held to the same restrictions regarding acceptance of speech honorariums and gifts as state elected officials. (AB 1542 by Assemblyman Tom Umberg, D-Garden Grove).

Judicial gifts–Limits are imposed on gifts that judges can receive, to be enforced by the Commission on Judicial Performance. (AB 3638 by Assemblyman Burt Margolin, D-Los Angeles).

Attorney lobbyists–Cities and counties can require attorneys who are lobbyists to register and disclose their lobbying activities. (AB 3432 by Assemblyman Jack O’Connell, D-Carpinteria).

Lawsuit damages–It is illegal to use public funds to pay court judgments against elected officials who are sued for unethical or illegal actions. (AB 2467 by Assemblywoman Debra Bowen, D-Marina del Rey).

Obsolete state laws–Obsolete state laws dating back to Gold Rush days are repealed, relating to such subjects as dueling penalties, “wanted dead or alive” posters and prohibiting horses from mating where they can be seen by the public. (AB 3326 by Assemblyman Jack O’Connell, D-Carpinteria).

South Africa–A ban on the investment of state pension funds in businesses that operate in South Africa is lifted now that apartheid has been abolished in that country. (AB 2448 by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, D-San Francisco).

Voter registration–Access to voter registration records is restricted to prevent stalkers from obtaining home addresses and telephone numbers of potential victims. (SB 1518 by Sen. Milton Marks, D-San Francisco).

Because of his, er, attentions to the various campaigns of Richard M. Nixon, Dick Tuck always was considered a merry prankster of Democratic persuasion. A re-evaluation may be in order. Tuck says he voted not once but twice for President Ronald Reagan.

“I rather like him,” Tuck adds. He says he voted against the Democratic contenders–Jimmy Carter in 1980 and Walter Mondale in 1984–because “I didn’t like them.”

He doesn’t think his votes distressed those on high in the Democratic Party. “Most just didn’t believe it,” he says. But in his opinion, “they don’t recognize the real world when they see it. The Democratic Party has lost touch with Americans.”

Tuck, who resembles a Gaelic Father Christmas without beard and who gives the impression that he sends his clothes to the cleaners for rumpling, has recently embarked upon a new career–but not in the GOP, or even as a free-lance anarchist.

“I’m leaving politics and going into entertainment,” he says. “Maybe I’m not changing–maybe politics is changing. It’s not the entertainment that it once was.”

Specifically, he has written an outline for what he hopes will become a film entitled “Capitol Hill Blues.” It’s about a group of young folks employed as summer interns in Congress. Their goal is to carry on in Washington as they would during Easter vacation in Fort Lauderdale–a bit of drinking, sex and even loose behavior.

“It’s kind of ‘Animal House’ in Washington,” he says, but emphasizes that its tone is somewhat loftier. The interns succumb to idealism in the course of their summer tour.

He nodded when advised that, since he’s serious about his new venture, he should start talking Hollywood, starting with calling his proposal a “project.”

“A project it is,” he says. “I have some money people–is that what you call ‘em?–who are putting together this package. They’re old friends, but they’re in this to make money. They aren’t philanthropists.”

Tuck was in town last month, making the rounds with his outline/project/package. Among those who saw it was Thomas Baer, his attorney when the Watergate Committee sought–but didn’t get–Tuck’s testimony on the political pranks he pulled against Nixon.

“I saw it and he discussed it with me, but I have made no decision yet,” says Baer, now an independent producer at Orion. And, he adds, “Anything he shows me I’ll look at carefully from every aspect, including whether he really owns it.”

(An affectionate jest. But Baer seriously wishes that his friend–regardless of what happens with “Blues”–could find employment of some sort in Hollywood. It would enliven the hamlet no end, he says, and “what he could do boggles the mind.”)

Tuck’s fame as a leg-puller on the Democratic side is chiefly due to his history of capers against Nixon, whose mind first was boggled by Tuck during Nixon’s 1950 Senate race against Rep. Helen Gahagan Douglas–for whom Tuck worked while a student at UC Santa Barbara.

Nixon’s campaigners, unaware of Tuck’s ties to Douglas, asked him to do advance work for a campus visit by Nixon. Tuck happily agreed. He booked a huge hall but only invited a handful of people. It is said that Nixon was so displeased at the tiny turnout that he fired Tuck, who was to continue bedeviling Nixon for years.

The prankster, whose dossier also includes a stint as political affairs editor of National Lampoon magazine, has himself run for public office. Just once, though.

The year was 1966, the office the state Senate district encompassing downtown Los Angeles. His allies put up billboard signs that said: “The job needs Tuck and Tuck needs the job.” For some reason, he did not win.

In a now-classic concession speech, the candidate had this to say: “The people have spoken, the bastards.”

Tuck, 61, concedes that it won’t be easy to persuade the titans of Tinseltown that his proposed film is no prank: “I would have trouble convincing anybody that anything I’ve ever done is serious–except Richard Nixon.”

But his movie is the real McCoy, he says, and “if it has any message at all, it is that Washington should not be taken too seriously.” He deplores life as it now exists there, says its current crop of inmates are a pretty drab, humorless lot indeed.

He attributes this to the fact that government now has become a full-time career, that the day of the citizen-participant is no more, that politicians, once ensconced in Washington, rarely leave because they think they are engaged in Serious Business.

He wishes everyone there would heed the advice that a friend of his, former Sen. Clair Engle (D-Calif.), once gave him. “He told me, ‘When you go to Washington, take two clean shirts. When they’re dirty, go home.’

“I think air conditioning ruined Washington,” Tuck mused. “Before it, during those muggy summers, everybody went home.”

LONGMONT, COLO. — Dale Klotz’s business repairing power tools took a nose dive when foreclosure signs sprouted up on lawns across the northern suburbs of Denver here.

He’s looking for a second job, and he wishes he wasn’t saddled with a mortgage. But amid the hard times, he took some satisfaction Tuesday in the House’s vote to turn down President Bush’s $700-billion rescue package for the financial system.

“I don’t think we ought to bail out Wall Street,” Klotz, 45, said as he loaded groceries into his white Ford pickup at a shopping center. “I’m an average American, trying to make a living. I’ve got a home mortgage I’d like to unload, but I make my payments every month.”

Why, he asked, should his tax dollars go to save reckless Wall Street executives?

Sentiments like that fueled this week’s rebellion in the House, where members bucked party leaders and the Bush administration to block approval of the rescue package.

Election-year politics also played a role, analysts say. Klotz’s representative, Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.), is locked in a tight reelection battle and said she heeded the views of her constituents in voting against the bailout Monday.

“It’s not a moment at which people can put the national interest ahead of constituent interest,” said Robert Loevy, a political science professor at Colorado College.

According to one count, 30 of the 38 representatives in the most competitive Nov. 4 House races voted against the bill. Americans have bombarded members of Congress with calls and e-mails urging “no” votes, causing some computers on Capitol Hill to crash repeatedly over the last two days.

Organizations such as ACORN, or Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now, a national advocacy group for low-wage workers, organized rallies outside Federal Reserve offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other major cities.

“You look at an electoral battleground map and you are looking at Nevada, the foreclosure capital of the country, and Michigan and Ohio and Florida,” said Austin King, director of an ACORN center in New Orleans. “These swing states have tens or hundreds of thousands of foreclosures. Voters there want to see something done that helps them, not just Wall Street.”

On Monday, the opponents got their wish: The House rejected the plan. But stocks cratered, with the Dow Jones industrial average diving 777.68 points — a gut-wrenching experience for almost everyone with stocks, mutual funds or 401(k) retirement funds.

Stocks regained much of their losses Tuesday, but that wasn’t the only twist — as some congressional officials said they detected growing support for some kind of rescue plan.

Rep. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) said she voted against the bailout Monday after her office was swamped over the weekend with more than 1,000 calls on the plan, with just two of those in support.

But Tuesday, after attending a funeral at First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, Watson said she was besieged by people demanding to know what she was going to do to get the economy back on track.

“These are teachers, nurses, regular working people, and they’re worried about their 401(k)s, their jobs, the whole economy because they don’t understand how this is all going to work,” Watson said.

Watson’s urban district bears little resemblance to Musgrave’s 4th Congressional District in the eastern part of Colorado, which is dotted with ranches and tiny agricultural settlements.

Most of that district’s population, however, is in the exurbs at the northern edge of the Denver metropolitan area. Some of those cities had the nation’s highest foreclosure rates before last year’s housing bust kicked rates even higher in parts of California and other states.

A former schoolteacher and small-business owner who was first elected to Congress in 2002, Musgrave is a staunch social and fiscal conservative who narrowly won reelection in 2006. She is considered one of the most vulnerable incumbent House members this year.

Floyd Ciruli, a Denver-based pollster, said the district is populated by people inherently unsympathetic to the proposed bailout.

“Fiscal conservatives; small-government, anti-government ideologues,” Ciruli said. Musgrave “has both a good sprinkling of those individuals in her district, and she has a personal philosophy like that.”

Even residents with starkly different politics were unenthusiastic about the bailout.

“If people who were being rescued are like you and me, working hard every day and struggling to make ends meet, that’s one thing,” said Roni Lavine, 61, a Longmont meeting planner with an Obama pin on her purse. “People are really angry that they’re losing their homes and they see these corporate executives walking out with millions of dollars.”

Still, some were unnerved at the package’s failure and eager for some action.

“There’s a perception out there it just relates to a bunch of people in New York, on Wall Street,” said Mike Preigh, a 42-year-old chemist. “But it all flows downhill. . . . Doing nothing is probably worse than doing something that’s not great.”

Musgrave announced her opposition to the bailout on Sept. 23, the day Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson presented the plan to Congress.

Her spokesman, Joe Brettell, said Musgrave was not moved by politics but by the people she represented. “The congresswoman looks at her district first, and she really feels she made the right decision,” he said.

On Tuesday, Musgrave said she was not concerned about the huge stock sell-off that followed Monday’s rejection of the bailout plan.

“We don’t answer to Wall Street,” she said in an interview on “Good Morning America.” “We answer to Main Street. We answer to our constituents.”

Later Tuesday, however, Musgrave was huddled in meetings as negotiators worked to craft revised legislation expected to go to a vote in the Senate tonight and in the House on Thursday. “It is important,” she said in a statement, “for people around the country to know that we are actively working toward a solution to this problem.”

—

nicholas.riccardi@latimes.com

william.heisel@latimes.com

Riccardi reported from Colorado and Heisel from California.

In the last several months, Tim Russert of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” one of TV’s toughest interviewers, struck out with two of his biggest “gets”:

In August, he quizzed Sen. John F. Kerry, “You both were members of Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale. What does that tell us?”

Kerry: “Not much, because it’s a secret.”

In February, he asked President Bush, “You were both in Skull and Bones, the secret society?”

Bush: “It’s so secret we can’t talk about it.”

Such coyness on the part of grown men! And yet, their recalcitrance does prove one thing: The guys can keep a secret.

But is that good? Secrecy, after all, leads to rumors. And the rumors about Skull and Bones — naked confessions of sexual conquests, grave robbing, free money and, of course, plans for world domination — don’t look good on the presidential resume. Those rumors received a boost when it became apparent that, for the first time in history, two Bonesmen will face off for the presidency in November.

“It’s certainly a coincidence that lends itself to attention,” said the historian Kevin Phillips, whose recent work, “American Dynasty,” explores how the Bushes have benefited from what he calls “crony capitalism.” “Is it nefarious? I guess it’s a little insidious.”

Journalist and author Ron Rosenbaum (Yale ‘68), who wrote the seminal article on Skull and Bones for Esquire in 1977, thinks the Bush-Kerry coincidence should be treated thoughtfully. “Obviously, it’s part of what shaped the character of the two presidential candidates, and yet there’s a lot of overblown conspiracy theory that has outweighed the seriousness.”

Indeed, a serious political discussion might examine the meaning of both presidential candidates maintaining an inherently undemocratic affiliation and refusing to address an important aspect of their university lives. Instead, discussions on the Internet, talk radio and cable TV, generally turn on suspicions that Skull and Bones has attempted to mastermind a “new world order” in which only a handful of wealthy, old-line families control the planet.

“Is this a satanic cult? No. Is this a group that operates as a shadow government? No. Is this a group that has an institutionalized superiority complex? Yes,” said Alexandra Robbins, a 27-year-old journalist and Yale alumna whose book “Secrets of the Tomb” explores the 172-year-old club based on interviews with 100 anonymous Bonesmen. Bones, she said, has “a power agenda” that “prioritizes its own elitism and its own members above other concerns.”

Rosenbaum disputes that there is a specific “power agenda” at work. “I would say the best way of describing it is by analogy to the old boys’ network in England, where graduates of Eton and Oxford and Cambridge form a network of influence and power and share a mind-set. They know each other, they trust each other and they bonded at an early age.”

If nothing else, Skull and Bones has produced some odd bedfellows. “I am a liberal Democratic criminal defense attorney who voted for George Bush, and I will vote for him again,” said Bush’s fellow Bonesman Donald Etra, an Orthodox Jew who lives in L.A. and was appointed by Bush to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. Etra, who called himself “a strong Zionist,” said one of his closest Bones friends is a Jordanian-born Muslim. “Most of us,” he said, “put friendship first and politics a far, far second.”

Next month, an eclectic group of 15 juniors will be tapped for Skull and Bones by this year’s seniors. There have never been specific criteria for membership, which in generations past might have included some standard campus types: the editor of the Yale Daily, an outstanding athlete, a son of a Bonesman etc. Women were admitted in 1991, after a rancorous 20-year battle.

Bones members spend each Thursday and Sunday of their senior year in the Tomb, the group’s clubhouse on High Street in the middle of the Yale campus. It is windowless, ersatz Greco-Egyptian temple, readily identified on Yale maps.

“It’s kind of foreboding looking,” said a 48-year-old Toronto writer who sneaked into the Tomb with her boyfriend during spring break 1975. “They made it into this big mystery thing. But it wasn’t. It’s just like a big clubhouse, but it’s not in a tree.” There was a large dining room with a long table, and she recalled a room full of license plates. “They were always ripping things off with ‘322’ on them.”

The number 322 is a variation on the year (1832) that the club was founded by William H. Russell, a Yale student who modeled it after one he’d encountered in Germany. At its inception, said Dr. Alan Cross, one of Kerry’s classmates and a third-generation Bonesman, the club was “basically a debating society, where members of the senior class would get together and discuss important topics of the day.” (Bonesmen have a special regard for Demosthenes, the famed Greek orator who died in 322 BC.)

In later generations, the conversations became not just confessional but confrontational in the manner of group therapy, according to some reports. There was always security, said Cross, a professor of social medicine and pediatrics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in the knowledge that “what goes on inside, what people reveal about themselves … would stay inside the building.”

Not surprisingly, given Yale’s lofty status in the firmament of American universities, Bonesmen often have occupied positions of power and prestige as adults. Three have become president (both Bushes and William Howard Taft). A partial roster of the famous includes diplomat Averill Harriman, poet Archibald MacLeish, financier Dean Witter Jr., Time magazine founder Henry Luce, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, national security advisor McGeorge Bundy, writers William F. Buckley and Christopher Buckley, former Sen. David Boren and FedEx founder Frederick Smith.

Not every Bonesman has loved the club unconditionally. As an adult, William Sloane Coffin, the Yale chaplain known for his opposition to the Vietnam War, developed a distaste for it. “He thought it was inappropriate,” said Cross. “A snobby thing. We were discouraged from gathering in groups around campus because it would perpetuate the notion that this was an elitist group.”

But of course, it is an elite group. Members can’t apply for membership — they are secretly elected. They have lifelong access to Deer Island, a private 40-acre sanctuary in the St. Lawrence River, which is owned by Skull and Bones’ corporate parent, the Russell Trust Assn. And they are accorded other, less tangible benefits for life, not the least of which are their connections to the well-connected.

The Bush family has a long history with Skull and Bones. George W. Bush’s father tapped him in 1967, as a favor to the seniors who nominated him. The president’s grandfather, Prescott Bush, who was a U.S. senator, supposedly boasted in a journal that he stole the skull of Geronimo in 1918 for display among the many osseous relics in the Tomb, according to Robbins.

The current college generation of Bushes may represent a break in family tradition: Barbara Bush, a Yale senior, reportedly rejected an invitation to join the club.

Kerry, tapped in 1965, has no family history with Bones, although David Thorne, the twin of his first wife, Julia, is a member, as was his current wife’s first father-in-law, John Heinz.

Whether the president and his challenger are influenced by their Skull and Bones associations is, in a general sense, a matter of record. Both men have close friends and political contributors who are Bonesmen. Bush’s early forays into business were helped along by older Bonesmen. Bush has appointed several of his clubmates to government positions, including William H. Donaldson, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Tales from a ‘savage’

The general goings on in the Tomb — particularly of eras past — are not truly secret anymore. This is due, mostly, to the investigative efforts of the two Yalie journalists, Rosenbaum and Robbins.

Robbins was an editorial assistant in the Washington bureau of the New Yorker when she first wrote a story about Skull and Bones for the Atlantic in 2000, which she expanded into a book two years later. Her own membership in a Yale secret society, Scroll and Key, helped open doors. “I got a lot of hang-ups and a lot of gruff voices saying, ‘I’m not talking to you about that!’ ” But when she identified herself as a “savage” — Bones-speak for a member of another secret society — it worked as an entree. (Regular folks are “barbarians.”)

Robbins has revealed that all Bonesmen receive lifelong nicknames, some handed down. (The president’s father, she writes, was “Magog,” a name given to the most sexually experienced Bonesman. George W. never got around to choosing a nickname and was dubbed “Temporary.”)

Like Rosenbaum (who has participated in covert taping operations of Bones rituals with infrared equipment), Robbins has written about the Tomb’s initiation rites. Bonesmen dress up as a variety of characters — “right out of Harry Potter meets Dracula” — and conduct what she has described as “a cross between haunted-house antics and a human pinball game.”

“World domination aside,” she writes in “Secrets of the Tomb,” the most pervasive rumors about Bones are that initiates must masturbate in a coffin while recounting their sexual exploits and that their candor is ultimately rewarded with a no-strings gift of $15,000.”

No Bonesmen interviewed for this article would comment on the nature of the confessional conversations. But Cross and Etra laughed at the idea that there was a monetary gift. “There was no check,” said Cross. Another Bonesman who graduated from Yale in 1975 and lives in Los Angeles, agreed: “That’s ridiculous! I never got any money.”

‘Somewhat laughable’

Despite the fact that the presidential race has kindled interest in Skull and Bones, many believe the club has been in a long decline. Admitting women may have struck a blow for equality, but the Tomb just hasn’t generated much juicy buzz since then.

These days, wrote Franklin Foer in an April 2000 issue of the New Republic, Yale’s secret societies are “high temples of political correctness” where women outnumber men and “conservatives are scarce.”

While Kerry has said that he favored admitting women, the Bush position is not known. However, rumors have it that some older Bonesmen have forsaken the club now that it is coed.

“Once upon a time there was something called the Eastern Establishment, and Skull and Bones was a significant institution feeding into it,” said Jacob Weisberg, 39, editor of the online magazine Slate. “There is the residue of it, but it is not the same kind of network, not the same kind of career path.”

Weisberg should know.

In spring 1986, Weisberg, a Yale student interning at the New Republic, was invited to Kerry’s office. “I was writing about politics, so I thought maybe he was going to give me a scoop or something,” Weisberg said. But when Weisberg showed up, Kerry tapped him for Skull and Bones.

“I said, ‘Sen. Kerry, as a liberal, how do you justify supporting this club that doesn’t admit women?’ ”

Kerry was taken aback. According to Weisberg, Kerry said: “I’ve marched with battered women.”

Weisberg declined the tap and has no regrets.

“The institution is somewhat laughable at this point,” he said. “That we’re having a presidential race with two alumni of this club tells you something, but it tells you more about what’s changed, because it’s inconceivable that in 20 years we’ll have an election where two candidates are from Skull and Bones. This is the last time this could plausibly happen. I think it’s sort of the last gasp.”

In the streets of Cartagena, Colombia, cumbia musicians beat tambora drums and blow into flautas, women in red, yellow and blue ruffled dresses whisk by, and sweating food vendors push carts, their arepas sizzling.

Among the music and striking color of Cartagena, my dad handed me my first arepa. Arepas are the most essential dish of Colombia and neighboring Venezuela, centered around South America’s most treasured crop: corn.

To prepare an arepa, corn kernels are ground into flour or pre-ground corn flour is used (often the iconic yellow bag of Venezuelan brand P.A.N.), and mixed with water and salt. The soft dough is then fried, grilled or baked into a pancake-like shape. The result is delightfully simple yet endlessly customizable.

“My memory of arepas is eating them morning, afternoon and night,” said Yesika Baker, owner of Chamo’s Venezuelan Cuisine in Pasadena. “In Venezuela, the areperas are open 24/7.”

The arepa has deep roots. Before Colombia and Venezuela came to be known as separate territories, they were unified by Indigenous groups with similar culinary traditions. When the Spanish first arrived in South America, Indigenous women were cooking corn cakes similar to the modern arepa, meaning the tradition likely goes back thousands of years, according to University of Venezuela anthropology professor Ocarina Castillo.

Today, the arepa is popular in both countries. In Colombia, an arepa tends to be simple: topped with cheese by street vendors, filled with egg for a tasty breakfast or, most often, served as a side to a hearty meal. Some say the masa of a Colombian arepa tends on the thinner side as well.

“Growing up in Colombia, the arepa is like the Mexican’s tortilla. Everything comes with an arepita,” said Santiago Restrepo, owner of Sus Arepas in East L.A. “Venezuelans, on the other hand, use it like a pita — stuffed. With Venezuelan-style arepas, you can really have fun with the fillings.”

The Venezuelan arepa “rellena” or stuffed style, is one that you’ll see dominate this list, with an experimental appeal that makes them a favorite for Angelenos. One of Venezuela’s most popular arepas is the Reina Pepiada, which translates to “curvy queen” and is typically filled with shredded chicken, avocado, cilantro and mayonnaise. According to Castillo, the name is in honor of a real beauty queen, Susana Duijm, the first Venezuelan to win Miss World in 1955.

In Colombia and Venezuela, it’s common to eat arepas at least once a day, especially at breakfast. But for a dish so essential to millions of people, for a long time, arepas were underrepresented in L.A.’s food scene.

“When I first moved to L.A. [in the ‘80s], you couldn’t find arepas anywhere,” Restrepo said. “Up until 2020, I wouldn’t have considered them a popular dish here. But just in the past few years, they’ve exploded.”

Restrepo credits their meteoric rise to a photogenic appeal. If you’re an avid consumer of food content online, then you’ve likely seen the arepa rellena — after a typical wait time of 20 minutes, they come layered and overflowing with ingredients like shredded beef, stewed beans, melted cheese or plantains.

“A good arepa rellena is all in the fillings,” said Mercedes Rojas, chef of the Arepa Stand, which pops up at local farmers markets on the weekends.

From creative picks stuffed with mango and cheese to a Koreatown-inspired arepa with bulgogi and plenty of traditional options, this guide features nine standouts in L.A.’s growing arepa scene.

Although, for your sake, don’t try to ask which country created the arepa, or who does it best. “It’s a long fight, amiga,” Baker said. “From Venezuela or Colombia, we defend our arepas.”

Nina J. Easton does us a disservice by attempting to relate so closely the ‘60s violence of the Left and the ‘90s violence of the Right (“America, the Enemy,” June 18).

In terms of tragedy, the Oklahoma bombing stands alone, its carnage having exceeded by plenty any other terrorist act in U.S. history. It was designed to kill and maim as many people as possible. The Far Left simply hasn’t operated in that coldblooded a manner. For example, the explosives planted in 1970 in a Wisconsin ROTC building by the ultra-left Weathermen were timed to go off at 4 a.m., when few would be present.

The right-wing militias address no social ills; they tend only to their paranoid fantasies. By contrast, in an earlier day, the Black Panthers swaggered menacingly with weapons bared but also established breakfast programs to feed inner-city children.

The violent Left has taken hostages, blown up buildings, incited riots and, like their right-wing counterparts, imagined a world where government agents were hidden behind every door. But societal benefits like Social Security, equal voting rights and child-labor laws were initially espoused only by the Left, which worked tirelessly to bring these simple manifestations of fairness into mainstream political dialogue.

Conversely, right-wing militias exist only to prepare for, and eventually wage, war. They arm themselves against phantoms, against enemies so ill-defined that they could be pointing a gun at you or me–or anyone at all.

Searching through the rambling, angry diatribe that the militias spew over the airwaves and web sites, one cannot find even a hint of goodwill for humankind, or any sort of notion for a better world, however cocky or deranged. No, the right-wing militias discuss only war: how to plan, train for and eventually execute assaults on people who are different than they are, people whose skin color is different, whose political beliefs differ from those of the militia.

The Left in this country has given us a legacy–a mixed one, to be sure, but a rich history that includes organizing laborers and bread lines as well as violent cell groups. For every rock thrown, there have been hundreds of jobs saved and social benefits secured as a result of left-wing agitation in America. Right-wing militias are simply a powder keg waiting to blow.

Unfortunately, Easton has offered the raucous Right a fig leaf, behind which they can continue their frightening march to battle.

Winston Steward

Los Angeles

*

Easton fails to comprehend that political and moral consciousness undergoes changes during times of massive paradigm shifts. Her article compares and equates very different sets of people and differing sets of paradigms. It reads like one of those “high-concept” duds that the film industry makes because the marketing departments likes the pitch.

“America the Enemy” relies on the repetition of the premise “If ‘A’ existed in the 1960s Left, then ‘B’ exists in the 1990s Right.” It’s as if the force of a grammatical structure conveys meaning, even when the data doesn’t wash. Despite occasional accuracies that either A or B did in fact exist, the common or even causal relationship implied in the “if . . . then” structure usually does not exist.

Someone who experienced either period, or who did the necessary homework on either era, or who could handle Tom Hayden and Richard Flacks as resources rather than as sources of cognitive dissonance would certainly have qualms about getting this piece into print.

Seeing patterns that don’t exist, and linking unconnected things, are signals of the paranoid style in American politics described by historian Richard Hofstadter. Perhaps bad mental processes really are viral. However, a paranoid style in American journalism will not do.

Arthur M. Eisenson

Los Angeles

*

“America The Enemy” was a typical oversimplification of a complex issue. It will probably come as an unpleasant surprise to Easton and many others that the NRA has more than a few members, black and white, who are more truly liberal than those who favor the disarming of ordinary citizens. The NRA is one of the few subjects on which it is possible for Left and Right to agree.

Art Volkman

Inglewood

*

The story comparing the bombers of the ‘60s and ‘90s was terrible.

The cover matched photographs of the Greenwich Village townhouse explosion with Oklahoma City, but in the Greenwich Village case, the only people blown up were the bomb-makers themselves. Inside the magazine, a photograph of Tom Hayden in 1969 was matched with one of Timothy McVeigh–completely outrageous.

Hayden never blew up anybody. What is going on at The Times?

Jon Wiener

Los Angeles

*

Comparing ‘90s militias with ‘60s Marxist radicals was a masterpiece of liberal disinformation.

To accurately frame today’s political reality, one must start with the premise that the ‘60s radicals–in the form of state Sen. Tom Hayden, our hapless boy President Bill Clinton and their ilk–have taken over the government and are aggressively moving to destroy the Constitution, as Clinton’s budgetary, crime and anti-terrorism legislation proves beyond a doubt. Add in 30 years of irresponsible deficit spending by liberals in both major parties and it becomes obvious that the government will very soon be intentionally bankrupt. A general economic collapse and a depression will inevitably follow–all according to plan.

The militias are only reacting to these not-so-veiled attacks on the Constitution and preparing for civil warfare, the only logical upshot to this kind of treachery.

Loyal Americans who form legal militias in support of a limited democratic republic are our future, if this country and the Constitution are to survive into the the millennium.

You aren’t going to be able to hide that fact much longer.

Michael A. Pacer

Glendora