Whole Life Times: Urban Makeovers

Can you spot the traffic signal utility boxes? Artist Joshua Callaghan’s functional exhibit on display
in Culver City.

January 2005 | News

Urban Makeovers

In an effort to revitalize the dead architecture of characterless office spaces, sterile commercial sites and cookie-cutter retail stores, communities around the Southland are adopting fee-based public art initiatives.

While cities including Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Pasadena and Santa Monica have long enjoyed public art programs, smaller communities like Cerritos and Manhattan Beach are only recently awakening to the benefits of city-sponsored urban creative expression. Inspired by the new and improved Cerritos, Lawndale City Councilman Robert Pullen-Miles recently requested that his city consider adopting a public art initiative.

Ordinances vary from community to community, but most require developers to pay an “arts development fee” based on a percentage of their proposed project. The money is then placed in a city-managed fund earmarked to commission public works of art or create city-funded art programs.

The art that comes out of these programs is not sequestered behind velvet ropes or under glass; it is in the streets and designed to be interactive. In many cases, the pieces are integrated into the area’s hardscape or architecture as functional seating or flooring, creating a kind of outdoor gallery.

The best way to support public art? Go out and enjoy it, hands- (or feet- or rear-) on. To discover the latest public art projects in downtown and surrounding areas, visit www.usc.edu /isd/archives/la/pubart/. Or, for a comprehensive list of old favorites, pick up a copy of Urban Surprises: A Guide to Public Art in Los Angeles ($14.95 Balcony Press, 2002). — Elizabeth Ralser

The Endangered Endangered Species Act

As reported in the Los Angeles Times, last month, governors and policy makers of Western states met with the Bush administration and members of Congress in La Jolla to “seek easing” of the Endangered Species Act, that pesky, anti-progress, tree-hugging-hippie-long-hair-law that — under the guise of saving the bees and the birds — has “imposed costly hardships on the energy industry, developers, loggers and property owners” since its passage 31 years ago. After swapping stories bashing the Act, and after, and I quote, officials “buoyed spirits” with the announcement that the much-diminished sage grouse population which had been under consideration for protection did, mercifully, not qualify as endangered, federal officials and the mostly Republican governors who dominate the 18-member Western Governor’s Assn. dug in to a hearty meal of endangered baby seal steaks, poached California condor eggs and a savory paté made from the teeny tiny livers of the near-extinct North American black-footed ferret.

Okay, so that last part is a fabrication. But in this case, truth is only slightly less strange than fiction. Officials at the meeting really did celebrate the damning of the sage grouse because ostensibly, as reported by the Times, “if the sage grouse was listed as an endangered species, ranchers and oil and gas companies could face significantly increased costs and regulatory delays on land deemed critical to the bird’s survival.” And Nevada’s Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn actually did share a sad story “about a personal investment in a ‘beautiful piece of land’ perfect for a golf course or housing subdivision that was delayed by the presence of what one college professor identified as an endangered kangaroo rat.”

And what of the lone Democrat in the room, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson? He busied himself by, reportedly, “shift[ing] uncomfortably.”

Species protection in North America is a uniquely Western issue, because the West is home to close to 70% of the nation’s endangered plants and animals (in addition to most of the country’s timber, oil, gas and other natural resources). Conservationists viewed the La Jolla meeting of governors as further indication of a massive organized assault on the Endangered Species Act, “which began with lawsuits by industry and property rights groups and a series of rule changes by the Bush administration.”

You know what happens now. Each and every one of you pointy-headed endangered-kangaroo-rat-loving professor-types out there needs to sit down at your desk and write a letter, sign a petition or pat a sage grouse, pronto. Here are some places to get started: www.stopextinction.org, www.wildaid.org, www.house.gov/writerep/ — Eliza Thomas

Fight the Man, Tax Free

L.A.’s Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE) wants to help activists, environmentalists and humanitarians in the community qualify for nonprofit status. SEE is a fiscal sponsor that will extend its tax-exempt status to suitable grassroots projects. Under SEE’s umbrella, smaller ventures can focus on their missions, saving the time and cost of negotiating the process of nonprofit qualification.

Some of the benefits offered by SEE include recognition as a nonprofit entity, federal and state filings (990s and 1099s), thank you letters/tax receipts to donors and audited financial statements. For their services, SEE charges a fiscal sponsorship fee of 6.5 percent.

Jennifer Hoffman, project coordinator for SEE, urges all prospective projects to apply. “The first step to minimizing social and ecological issues that plague our society begins at a grassroots level, and SEE encourages anyone who is motivated towards positive change to take action.” For more info, go to www.save ourplanet.org or call 310.737.9148. — Jennifer Summers

Honoring Yogi Bhajan

On December 4, hundreds gathered at Guru Ram Das Ashram in Los Angeles to pay tribute to Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, known to thousands of friends and followers as Yogi Bhajan. Yogi Bhajan, spiritual leader, advocate for world peace and Kundalini Yoga master left his physical body on October 6, 2004.

Joining the many who knew the Yogi as a student or fellow Sikh were representatives from local political bodies, including Susan Bursk, Chief Field Deputy of the Fifth Council District who gave a speech in his honor on behalf of Councilmember Jack Weiss and the city of Los Angeles.

Upon the spiritual leader’s passing, Congressman Tom Udall (New Mexico-D) entered in the U.S Congressional record, “the House of Representatives... recognizes Yogi Bhajan’s legendary compassion, wisdom, kindness, and courage, and his wealth of accomplishments on behalf of the Sikh community.” Recognizing the Yogi’s contribution to the state of New Mexico, Governor Richardson declared October 23, 2004 “Yogi Bhajan Day.”

As evidenced by the diverse turnout at his memorial and in keeping with the spirit and scope of his outreach, Yogi Bhajan’s legacy promises to transcend the worlds of spirituality and politics as lasting tribute to his work to create peace and promote religious tolerance throughout the world. — ET

Green Hollywood

Willie Nelson and Darryl Hannah were among the honorees at the recent 14th annual Environmental Media Awards, the gala fete which recognizes those within the industry who are working to promote public awareness of green issues. Episodes of The Simpsons, Joan of Arcadia, and the summer movie blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow were also recognized as examples of environmentally responsible entertainment. The Environmental Media Association (EMA) plans to continue working to keep green hip at February’s scheduled “Young Hollywood Oscar Viewing Party,” where industry professionals will be treated to organic fare and a live screening of the Oscars punctuated by EMA public service announcements featuring stars like Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow. — ET

Clean, Green Corporate Schemes

Swore you’d never support another mega corporation? Starbucks hasn’t given up on you yet. Starting late next year, Starbucks will be using paper coffee cups that contain 10 percent recycled paper. What could be better?

Well, 20 percent, for one thing. But consider this: Starbucks uses, and presumably throws away over 1.5 billion cups a year. Therefore, reducing the non-recycled paper content of the cups by 10 percent would give a lot of trees a break. It would save 5 million pounds of virgin tree fiber, to be exact. That is, after the recycled products have undergone the two years of optional FDA testing designed to assure you that no, it’s not gross to drink out of a coffee cup that contains reused material.

Starbucks is not the only corporation trying to balance environmentalism with the bottom line. FedEx introduced 20 hybrid electric vehicles to its delivery fleet this year. According to statistics by SocialFunds.com, the OptiFleet E700’s are going to leave standard vehicles in their dust. The E700 vehicles will “decrease particulate emissions by 90 percent, reduce smog-causing emissions by 75 percent and increase fuel efficiency by 50 percent.” UPS has upped the ante even more. The company’s Los Angeles fleet currently boasts 13 Chrysler Electric Powered Interurban Commuter minivans, and they’ve already begun switching to no-emission fuel cell powered vehicles.

Still not ready to sing their praises? Your doubt is well deserved. After all, the greening of American corporations is not due to a change of heart — it’s due to the growing number of consumers who rank conscience above convenience. Which is a reminder that when consumers demand, corporations respond. All the more reason to write Starbucks a letter saying “Good work! Now here’s the rest of our list.” You needn’t mention that you’d only go to a chain coffee shop like Starbucks when it’s the last coffee shop on earth (or in the airport). — Andi McDaniel

Reefer Madness

A victim of the unjust system of federally imposed mandatory minimums, 25-year-old Utah resident Weldon H. Angelos has been condemned to live out the rest of his days behind bars for selling pot.

With no prior record, Angelos was convicted of selling several small bags of marijuana while carrying a concealed handgun. Though it was not used during the transactions, the presence of the gun was enough for prosecutors to turn a low-level drug deal into a transgression worthy of life in prison. Calling his own ruling “unjust and cruel and even irrational,” Federal Judge Paul Cassell said he was forced by the mandatory minimums policy to sentence Angelos to at least 55 years. Judge Cassell — who just hours before convicting Angelos sentenced a man to only 22 years for “beating an elderly woman to death with a log” — has implored President Bush to commute the unfortunate Angelos’ sentence to a more equitable duration.

The disproportionate consequences of such rigid sentencing policies are a clear indication that a crucial element of our judicial system has gone awry. Stiff mandatory minimums usurp the power of our nation’s judges and offset checks and balances between legislators and the judicial system. Instead of evaluating criminal acts on a case-by-case basis, judges are forced to refer to a proscribed system in which sentencing is devoid of interpretation. “This type of statute denies the judges of all courts the right to bring their conscience, experience, discretion and sense of what is just into the sentencing procedure... and it in effect makes a judge a computer,” said U.S. District Judge Frank Billings of Vermont to Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the unreasonable policy.

Mandatory minimums are beginning to look like a failed social experiment. While murderers and rapists do their 10 or 20 years, non-violent offenders (read: drug offenders) are often incarcerated for twice as long. According to FAMM, “Mandatory sentencing laws apply almost exclusively to drug offenders.” This has resulted in a crowding of our nation’s prisons with people who would often benefit from rehabilitation, not incarceration. To support FAMM in the fight to end mandatory minimums, visit www.famm.org. — Dennis Carey

Roe v. Wade v. the Bush Administration

Remember the good old days of George W’s first term? Neither do we. But if the abortion clause in a recently passed $388 billion spending bill is any indication of what’s ahead, Democrats may soon be waxing nostalgic. From the get-go, the Bush administration’s apparent anti-abortion agenda has concerned reproductive rights advocates. For instance, many viewed the 2003 ban on partial-birth abortion as a primer for overturning Roe v. Wade. But the “Federal Refusal Clause” added at the 11th hour by House and Senate negotiators to a must-pass spending bill last session may be even worse news for reproductive rights.

In the past, health care providers who refused to offer abortion-related services were not entitled to taxpayer dollars. The Federal Refusal Clause now permits hospitals, doctors and insurers to deny patients abortions, abortion counseling or even referrals without forfeiting government support.

Pro-choice organizations are not taking the news lightly, but it could be worse. For instance, imagine a Supreme Court packed with anti-abortion Justices. Bush will almost definitely attempt this feat, but the Senate Judiciary Committee won’t necessarily endorse it. In other words, it’s worth giving your senator a buzz. www.saveroe.com,http://www.million4roe.com, www.prochoiceamerica.org — Andi McDaniel

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