Stockton, Other California Cities Top Most-miserable List

By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times
02.03.11

California seems to be getting really good these days at making it to the top of "Worst Of" lists. This time, eight of the state's cities topped a Forbes list of the most miserable cities in the country. Stockton, that crown jewel of the San Joaquin Valley, is officially the most miserable city in the nation, according to Forbes. And the ranking even came before the news that a Stockton toddler was hospitalized for consuming marijuana!

Forbes compiled the list by using 10 factors, including unemployment, tax rates, commute times, violent crime, sports teams, change in median home prices, foreclosure rates, corruption of public officials and weather. It posted the list in a photo gallery, one which editors must have had fun choosing the most miserable pictures from each city they could find. The Stockton photo shows a power plant next to a foreclosed house.

Stockton has the seventh-highest rate of foreclosure filings in the nation, Forbes said, and its violent crime and unemployment rates also rank high. The city's unemployment rate in December was 21.5%, according to the Employment Development Department.

Miami is the second-most miserable city in the country, Forbes said, but California cities also rank No. 3 (Merced), No. 4 (Modesto) and No. 5 (Sacramento). Financially-strapped Vallejo is No. 9. Memphis, Tenn.; Chicago; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Cleveland round out the top 10.

This was a contest Cleveland seemed relieved not to win this year (it took the top ranking last year). The Cleveland Leader posted a picture on its website with the phrasing: "Cleveland. Not as Miserable As It Used To Be."

Still, Cleveland, where it is 26 degrees today, beat out Fresno (No. 17), Salinas (No. 18) and  Bakersfield (No. 20), on the miserable scale. On the other hand, balmy Miami was more miserable than Cleveland, Forbes said. Apparently, no one's told LeBron James.

The Top 20 Most Miserable Cities 2011:

1. Stockton, California
2. Miami, Florida
3. Merced, California
4. Modesto, California
5. Sacramento, California
6. Memphis, Tennessee
7. Chicago, Illinois
8. West Palm Beach, Florida
9. Vallejo, California
10. Cleveland, Ohio
11. Flint, Michigan
12. Toledo, Ohio
13. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
14. Youngstown, Ohio
15. Detroit, Michigan
16. Washington, D.C.
17. Fresno, California
18. Salinas, California
19. Jacksonville, Florida
20. Bakersfield, California

Calif Supremes to Decide on Entering Prop 8 Fray

From The Associated Press
02.04.11

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakayue says the California Supreme Court will decide soon, maybe next week, on whether to enter the Proposition 8 gay marriage fray.

The 9th U.S. Court of Appeals said last month that it cannot decide if the gay marriage ban is constitutional until the state high court weighs in on whether proposition sponsors have authority to defend the measure.

A three-judge panel asked the California Supreme Court to decide if ballot proposition backers can step in to defend voter-approved initiatives in court when state officials refuse to do so. The panel suggested it would have to dismiss the case if there's no state high court input.

The Los Angeles Times says Cantil-Sakauye told reporters Wednesday that the California Supreme Court will soon decide whether to weigh in.

Reflection 2: The Great Balancing Act—Managing California's Budget

California is facing its greatest fiscal crisis since the Great Depression

For some time, the Los Angeles Times has offered readers an opportunity to tackle the state's budget problems via its California Budget Balancer. Here, Californians can get a clearer sense of just what is at stake in the battle to balance the budget. If you had control, what would you cut? Per pupil spending? State parks? What would you protect? Community colleges? Medi-Cal spending? For this journal, take control of the state budget, then justify your saves and cuts. Who pays the most under your plan? Who pays the least? And how does your budget reflect your own values?

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two pages minimum

Due: We 2.9 / Th 2.10

GOP Says Budget Proposal is Jerry Brown's Job

By Wyatt Buchanan, San Francisco Chronicle
02.02.11

A day after Gov. Jerry Brown challenged Republicans to put tax measures on the ballot and chided them for not having an alternative plan, GOP leaders said that proposing a balanced budget is the governor's job, not theirs.

Speaking to reporters after the speech Monday, Brown said of Republicans, "Just show me an idea. I've had drinks with people, but I haven't gotten any paper or any articulated position other than 'no' or 'no for now but check back later,' " Brown said.

But Republicans said they have for years put out ideas for changing the state that have been summarily rejected by the majority Democratic Legislature, and they have no reason to expect something different. The challenge from Brown is a red herring, they said, and an attempt to knock Republicans off their message.

"The governor is the one who is supposed to prepare a balanced budget," said state Sen. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County), who is the top Republican on the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. "The governor put out his own budget with an $11-to-$12 billion hole in it. That's not our responsibility, that's his responsibility."

He added later, "We're the minority party here, we don't have a lot of say."

Brown's budget proposal relies on $12.5 billion in cuts and fund shifts and $14 billion in tax increases and extensions, with $2 billion of that going to support public schools above the legally required base amount.
 
Two-thirds votes

Democrats are two votes short of a two-thirds majority in the Assembly and three short in the Senate.

Huff noted that Republicans have had budget proposals in the past, but they have not made it through the Legislature and have often even been blocked in the early committee process. Republicans last August backed a budget proposal that largely mirrored that of then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, including massive cuts to social services and the elimination of the state's welfare program, but it was rejected. 

Although voters in November changed the state Constitution to allow a budget to be passed by a majority of the Legislature instead of the previous two-thirds requirement, Brown wants a two-thirds majority vote to have a special election in June, and he wants his proposed cuts put in place on a faster timeline. Doing that requires a two-thirds vote.

Ideas already around 

Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway, R-Tulare, said there is no need to present an alternative budget because the Republicans' ideas have been bandied at the Capitol for years. Those include reforms to public employee pensions, easing rules for collective bargaining, streamlining regulations and making it easier for employers to create jobs.In 2008, Republicans proposed a series of budget measures to erase a $15 billion gap without increasing taxes, but those were rejected, too.

The challenge, though, is that reforms often take time to implement and savings might not appear for years.
The California Constitution mandates that the state have a balanced budget each year, which means erasing a $25.4 billion deficit by June 15.
 
Asked whether the reforms would bring the state to that goal, Conway said, "We're going to keep working at it, and when we get to that number we'll be sure to let you know."

Request is 'a trap'

Ron Nehring, chairman of the California Republican Party, called the request for a Republican alternative a "trap" and said that "this is ludicrous. This is not serious. This is political gamesmanship."

"Does anyone think for a second that (Senate President Pro Tem Darrell) Steinberg, (Assembly Speaker John) Pérez or the governor would take it seriously? Give me a break," Nehring said.

In another political move, Jon Coupal, the president of the anti-tax Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, on Tuesday floated his own idea for the tax proposal, taking a page from Brown's call to let the people weigh in on the budget. He said Republicans should support a ballot measure to raise taxes if the ballot included another measure that would reduce taxes by the same amount.

Brown, speaking to KCBS radio later Tuesday, blasted that idea. "You've got to get real here," he said. "Don't say I'm going to solve this problem by creating a bunch of new problems that we'll have even more trouble handling."

Assignment: PowerPoint Presentation

The Patter-Gimlin Film, 1967

As you know, this semester you and a classmate will responsible for a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation and a class hand-out.

By Sunday the 6th at midnight, you and a partner should have signed-up for a topic and date. Anyone that has not chosen by this time, will automatically be assigned a partner, topic, and date. Also, there will be 1 group of 3 in each section. That grouping is determined by whoever signs-up first.

Follow these steps:
1. Click on "Comments" at the end of this post.
2. In the "Post a Comment" box, leave both your and your partner's name (first and last), section, topic, and the preferred date—only one entry per pair is required.

Example: David Cortez & Will Jameson, Section 6, LA Street Food, Tu 11.19

Dates and topics are first-come, first-served. Follow these are the guidelines for the presentation:

Requirements:

1. The work distribution is up to you and your partner, though it should be somewhat equitable
2. Must be approximately 15 minutes in length
3. Should have no less than 10 slides, including one video clip (no more than 4 minutes)
4. Must include a handout outlining your presentation (25 copies) 

The best presentations will:

• First contextualize information, then present relevant facts
• Avoid a heavy use of animation and effects, choosing instead a simpler visual style (illustrations are highly recommended)
• Engage the class through a conversational style, utilizing questions and/or activities
• Utilize multimedia, such as YouTube or Google Video

Remember, you are responsible for providing your own laptop.

Choose from a list of topics, then dates, below:

Topics:

• History of the Golden Gate Bridge 
• The Battle of Los Angeles 
• Chez Panisse and California Cuisine
• The Chinese Massacre of 1871 
• The Missions of California 
• The Red Triangle 
• Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo  
• The Zoot Suit Riots of 1943
• The State of Jefferson 
• The California Gold Rush 
• Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico 
• Silicone Valley and California’s Adult Film Industry 
• The Fatty Arbuckle Scandal and Hollywood in the 1920s
• History of the Academy Awards 
• The Monterey Pop Festival of 1967
• The Rodney King Riots of 1992 
• The Winchester Mystery House 
• The Black Dahlia 
• The San Andreas Fault 
• The Donner Party Tragedy of 1846
• John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row  
• The Barbary Coast 
• The St. James Park Lynching of 1933 
• The Legend of Bigfoot

Dates:
Week 5: Lodi
Mo 2.21 - Thi V: The Red Triangle
Tu 2.22 -
 
We 2.23 -
Th 2.24 - Scott Y and Carol B: The Red Triangle

Week 6: Palo Alto
Mo 2.28 -
Tu 3.1 -

We 3.2 - Madison K and Christopher R: The Black Dahlia
Th 3.3 -

Week 7: San Diego
Mo 3.14 - Edwin L and Tommy V: The St. James Park Lynching of 1933
Tu 3.15 - Mary L, Vivienne M, Jason C: The Donner Party Tragedy of 1846

Week 8: San Jose
Mo 3.21 - Sarah Y and Daniel Z: The Winchester Mystery House
Tu 3.22 - Lyn (Thao) N, Clayton T: The Legend of Bigfoot

Week 10: Bakersfield
Mo 4.4 - Victor P and Jordan C: The Zoot Suit Riots of 1943
Tu 4.5 - Sara B and Victoria K: The Black Dahlia

We 4.6 - Christina H and Luz T: The Legend of Bigfoot
Th 4.7-

Week 11: Santa Cruz
Mo 4.11 - Matthew L and Hector H: The California Gold Rush
Tu 4.12 - Stephanie M and Destiny N: The Battle of Los Angeles

Week 12: Mendocino
Mo 4.18 - Ashley M and Jenn A: The Donner Party Tragedy of 1846
Tu 4.19 - Kristiana T and Melissa H: Chez Panisse and California Cuisine

We 4.20 - Benjamin N and Kevin L: The Chinese Massacre of 1871
Th 4.21 - Mariah M and Monique P: Silicone Valley and California’s Adult Film Industry

Week 13: San Francisco
Mo 4.25 - Amy L and Jomar B: The Barbary Coast
Tu 4.26 - Ellene Cand Emmir E: History of the Golden Gate Bridge

Week 14: Monterey
Mo 5.2 - Kim N and Dao W: The Rodney King Riots of 1992
Tu 5.3 - Margie G and Gabby P: The Winchester Mystery House

Week 15: Folsom
Mo 5.9- Erika V, Dulce C, Julio F: The Academy Awards
Tu 5.10 - Amy N and James F: Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico

We 5.11 -
Th 5.12 -

Live! From New York! It's Mark Zuckerberg!

By John C. Abell, Wired
01.31.11
 
Who says Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has no sense of humor when it comes to "The Social Network," the Oscar-nominated film which he has said got nothing right except his T-shirt collection?
Zuckerberg made a very sporting cameo tonight on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," running lines with guest host Jesse Eisenberg and SNL player (and frequent Zuckerberg "impersonator") Andy Samberg, during the show's opening monologue.

As Samberg and Eisenberg -- Oscar-nominated for his portrayal of Zuckerberg in "The Social Network" -- bantered on stage, the camera cut away to the real Zuckerberg in trademark T-shirt and hoodie off stage with show producer Lorne Michaels."

"Those guys are just nerds," said Zuckerberg, whose company was recently valued at $50 billion and is perhaps the wealthiest person ever to take the SNL stage. "I invented 'poking it!'"

Moments later Zuckerberg joined Eisenberg and Samberg as they were comparing notes on how they each nail their own impressions of the Facebook CEO.

"I wear this sweatshirt and I say, "I am Mark Zuckerberg," Samberg shared.

"Have you not met," Samberg asked, as both Zuckerberg and Eisenberg shook their heads. "AWK-BERRRRRG WAAAARD!" he said, bowing out.

Faux nervous silence ensued.

"I really liked you on '60 Minutes,'" Eisenberg finally offered. "You ... ever end up seeing the film?"
 Zuckberg nods.

"And what did you think?" Eisenberg asked.

"It was ... interesting," Zuckerberg replied.

"OK -- I'll take it."

Then Zuckerberg introduced the program and it was all, handshakes, smiles and pats on the back.

Zuckerberg, still all smiles, stuck it out for the entire 90-minutes program, taking a final bow with Eisenberg at 1 a.m. Maybe he'll even put in an appearance at the wrap party.

Week 2: Berkeley

Berkeley Marina

 Down on Virginia and La Loma,
where I got friends who care for me,
you got an attitude of everything I ever wanted.
I got an attitude of need.
So, help me stay awake, I'm fallin'...

—The Counting Crows, "Perfect Blue Buildings"

Week 2: Berkeley

Read: SHOP—p. 1 - 45
Mo 1.31 / Tu 2.1
In-Class: Introductions; Sample PowerPoint presentation

We 2.2 / Th 2.3
Read: SHOP—p. 46 - 97
In-Class: Lecture—“Steps of the Writing Process, Pt. I”
Due: Reflection 1

Upcoming:

Week 3: San Simeon
Mo 2.7 / Tu 2.8
Read: SHOP­—p. 98 - 130
In-class: Reading discussion; Presentation sign-ups; Preview—Literature Analysis / Short Answer Responses; Lecture—“Steps of the Writing Process, Pt. II”

We 2.9 / Th 2.10
In-Class: Diagnostic essay
Due: Reflection 2