Malibu after the Rain

El Matador Beach could not have been more beautiful today. LA sparkles after the rain and we had a storm yesterday that left a gorgeous day in its wake.

Thanksgiving in Ohai

We had a lovely Thanksgiving in the mountains of Ohai with our friend Tamarind and her family. You can just see a corner of Jack peeking out from the end of the table and Sadie doing what she can to throw off the picture.

Halloween

We may have had our best Halloween yet last month. We had way too much fun dressing up as Kiss. Between the kids seeing Kiss on Scooby Doo and J.'s stories of being in the Kiss Army as a child, Jack and Sadie were sold on dressing up as Kiss. Sadie choose to be front man Gene Simmons and Jack wanted to be the drummer Peter Chris. I choose Paul Stanley and J. Ace Frehley. Our neighbors were pretty darn psyched when they opened their doors and found the four of us on their door steps. One father told us that we had "won" Halloween.

Aldama Community Workers

I am back! I could not resist sharing these photos from Jack and Sadie's kindergarten class. They have been learning about community workers and these pictures of them dressed up as the workers they chose and some of their classmates were just too cute!

Kindergarten

Jack and Sadie bravely started kindergarten this morning! They were braver than me - I broke down crying. This is big day for us and everything is new. They have entered the dual language program at Aldama Elementary, where they will learn half of every day in Spanish. Jack started in Ms. Jung's room, where English is spoken. Sadie started in Senora Saenz's classroom, where only Spanish is spoken. I found it disorienting not understanding what was being said, Sadie said that the secrete is to copy what the other kids do. Jack said that he was a little shy today, but he has already asked for a playdate with one student in their program that he knew before starting. It is a new world for us with many adventures ahead!

Ice Skating

Life in LA is not all about the sunshine. There is nothing like spending a 90 degree day at the ice arena, which is what we did to celebrate Sadie's classmate Molly's birthday last weekend. The kids were surprisingly good at ice skating for first-timers. They loved it and had a ton of fun with their goofy friends.

Malibu Lagoon

We had a wonderful visit to Malibu Lagoon to explore the tide pools with Pub last month

5th Birthday

I don't know what has happened to us, but somehow taking good photos has become so hard. Jack and Sadie's 5th birthday party was by far their best party yet, but you can't tell from the photos. I did manage to get cute shots of the kids with their close friends, Mari with Sadie and Ethan with Jack. The party was fantastic and huge, with over 70 guests and a fire truck that took the kids for rides around the neighborhood. When the fire truck arrived the kids broke in a mad run chanting "fire truck, fire truck!" as they swarmed the fire truck. Needless to say, the fire truck was a hit and the birthday was pretty unforgettable.

March 21st 2013 Election

And it’s back to the polls to decide run-off elections and some new propositions. In March we voted in the primary and those candidates who received less than 50% of the vote, but were the top two vote-getters, are facing off. Many of these elections are very lopsided in terms of spending, with labor unions and business backing less independent candidates. Most of my recommendations below are from March, but here are some new opinions on the propositions.

Mayor: Eric Garcetti

Full disclaimer, I worked for Eric for a year some time ago and may be slightly biased. But it is hard to imagine that even had I not worked for him that I would be supporting another candidate. Eric is pretty fabulous. Eric’s strongest suit is his values - which are deeply grounded in justice and equality for all. Eric is also wickedly smart with a strong understanding of public policy and City Hall politics. Eric will be a significant departure from Villaraigosa, who often cared more about flash than substance. Eric truly enjoys being a public servant for all the right reasons.

City Attorney: Mike Feuer 

It will be such a big breath of fresh air to have Mike Feuer not only return to the city, but take over the seat of City Attorney. Feuer served on the City Council in the 1990s and then moved on to Sacramento. He is extremely well respected and seen as being both down to earth and having a strong vision for the future. While I am in the anything-is-better-than-Trutanich camp, I am truly excited to see Feuer running for this seat.

City Controller: no opinion

Council District 1: Jose Gardea

Both Gardea and his main rival, Gil Cedillo, have done good things for LA and disappointed us with other missed opportunities. That said, Jose is more independent than Cedillo and deeply committed to the first district.

Council District 6: no opinion

Council District 9: no opinion

I am very disheartened not to be able to get behind a candidate in CD9. No part of the city needs leadership more, but both Curren Price and Ana Cubas are weak candidates.  

Council District 13: Mitch O’Farrell

Now that the CD13 field has been winnowed down to Mitch O’Farrell and John Choi the choice is clear. Choi is one more candidate who moved into the district to run and is backed by big union money. He is the opposite of Mitch, who has worked tirelessly for the district for years. Mitch has an uphill battle getting his footing in City Hall, but there is no question that he is running because he loves the 13th, will provide amazing constituent services, and will always keep the people he represents in mind.

LAUSD District 6: no opinion

LACCD Seat # 6: No opinion

Measure C: Yes

For all intensive purposes this proposition is meaningless. It “instructs” members of congress to support a constitutional amendment overturning the supreme court decision Citizens United, which lifted restrictions on corporate contributions to political campaigns. The LA Times opposes Measure C and calls it “a primal scream about the role of corporate (and other) money in politics” and they are probably right. It may be therapeutic for voters to express their disgust over Citizens United, but it will probably do nothing to change things in D.C. That said, Citizens United is so detrimental to our democracy, that I don’t no what else to do. If primal scream therapy is the best we got against Citizens United, we might as well try. 

Measures D, E, and F

Measures D, E, and F all place new regulations on medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. Measure D sets limits on the # of medical marijuana dispensaries and increases the level of taxes on sales at dispensaries. Measure F does not limit the #, but sets strong rules and also increases taxes on sales. The backers of Measure E no longer back it, and are supporting Measure D. A bit confusing, eh? Maybe I smoked too much in high school, but I think that this is all much ado about nothing. The dispensaries in my neighborhood do not really concern me. Measure D seems a bit arbitrary capping the # of dispensaries at 135 for no reason, so I am throwing my hat behind Measure F, which has stronger rules, but no caps. 

Measure D: No

Measure E: No

Measure F: Yes

Happy voting!

O,K, and A

Auntie O and Kari came down to visit a few weeks ago and we managed to draw our old friend Al out of his cave and to the park for a picnic. February in LA can be pretty beautiful.

Spring at Descanso

Two weeks ago we spent the afternoon at Descanso Gardens. Jack enjoyed riding the train through the gardens and Sadie collected dozens of fallen camellia blossoms off the ground.

Legoland

After a disastrous trip to Legoland on J.'s birthday we found ourselves with free tickets to go back. It took a few months, but we finally mustered up the courage to return today. Thankfully today's trip was much better. Roller coasters are our favorites and we managed to make it to all three, or at least Jack and J. made it to all three. Sadie was too frightened to get on the largest roller coaster, and got an ice cream instead. The best attraction was a Pharaoh's Revenge, which was simply a giant netted enclosure filled with different guns that shot foam balls. We made it through the whole day without any tears and the kids were asleep within 30 seconds of hitting the road to head home.

March 5th LA City Election

Dear family, 

I apologize for highjacking my kids' blog, but it’s that time again - election time. It’s hard to believe that we have to head to the polls again, but it is true. This time it’s all about the city and LAUSD. In many ways this is the most important election in the city in decades, as all the city-wide offices, including Mayor, and 7 city council seats are up for grabs. That said, there are a lot of candidates out there that can’t get more than a yawn from me. As a result there are a number of no opinion’s below. I feel better about supporting candidates that I know will do a great job, versus the lesser of a number of evils. 

Mayor: Eric Garcetti

Full disclaimer, I worked for Eric for a year some time ago and may be slightly biased. But it is hard to imagine that even had I not worked for him that I would be supporting another candidate. Eric is pretty fabulous. Eric’s strongest suit is his values - which are deeply grounded in justice and equality for all. Eric is also wickedly smart with a strong understanding of public policy and City Hall politics. Eric will be a significant departure from Villaraigosa, who often cared more about flash than substance. Eric truly enjoys being a public servant for all the right reasons.

City Attorney: Mike Feuer 

It will be such a big breath of fresh air to have Mike Feuer not only return to the city, but take over the seat of City Attorney. Feuer served on the City Council in the 1990s and then moved on to Sacramento. He is extremely well respected and seen as being both down to earth and having a strong vision for the future. While I am in the anything-is-better-than-Trutanich camp, I am truly excited to see Feuer running for this seat.

City Controller: no opinion

Council District 1: Jose Gardea

Both Gardea and his main rival, Gil Cedillo, have done good things for LA and disappointed us with other missed opportunities. That said, Jose is more independent than Cedillo and deeply committed to the first district.

Council District 3: Bob Blumenfield

Bob Blumenfield is both the most experienced and the most progressive candidate running for this seat.

Council District 5: no opinion

Council District 7: no opinion

Council District 9: no opinion

I am very disheartened not to be able to get behind a candidate in CD9. No other part of the city needs leadership more. The best candidates are probably Curren Price and David Roberts, but both are a bit too political for my taste and strike me as using the 9th as a stepping stone to bigger and better elected offices. Sadly, no strong candidate who truly loves these communities seems to be running at this time. 

Council District 11: Mike Bonin

Yea, a candidate I am excited about! I am probably more excited about Mike Bonin than any other candidate on the ballot this election. Mike Bonin is an incredible leader, who is both savvy and highly principled. Mike has got incredible progressive credentials and is not afraid to take a stand when poor policies are proposed. He was one of the few people in City Hall to stand up early against, what the advocacy community warmly called, the “Community Does Not Care Ordinance.” It was not a politically easy position to take, but Mike got right out in front and said that the ordinance stunk and with his help it was never brought to a vote. I wish that we could clone him!

Council District 13: no opinion

I am torn between Mitch O’Farrell and Matt Szabo for this seat. I have worked with Mitch and know how deeply committed he is to constituents. Lord knows that he knows these communities like the back of his hand after running Eric Garcetti’s field office for years. On the other hand, Matt Szabo is more politically astute than Mitch and would probably be able to get more done in City Hall on the policy front. Either candidate will probably do a good job, but they bring different strong suits to the district. 

LAUSD District 2: Monica Garcia

Monica Garcia received a truly lackluster endorsement from the LA Times, but they were right to endorse her as she is the only candidate independent of the teachers union. 

LAUSD District 4: Kate Anderson

I am again following the LA Times on this seat.

LAUSD District 6: No opinion

I am very tempted to support Monica Ratliff, who is endorsed by the LA Times and sounds like an amazing educator. My one hesitation is whether she will be independent of the teachers union. As a result, I cannot support any candidate for this seat. 

LACCD Seat # 2: Mike Eng

The LA Times finds Eng much more qualified and with a stronger vision.

LACCD Seat #4: no opinion

LACCD Seat # 6: Tom Oliver

This endorsement is simply because he is the most qualified. 

Measure A: No

This is a hard ballot measure to say “No” to, but it does not seem like the right time to enact a half cent sales tax in the City of LA. First off, sales taxes are awfully high in LA already. Second, the city has done a poor job of belt tightening following the recession. The city continues to provide raises to city employees and do nothing about pension reform - the city’s own looming fiscal cliff. Without better fiscal leadership in the city I cannot support increased taxes. Finally, all four major mayoral candidates oppose this measure. Hopefully a No vote will send the measure to City Hall that voters need the city to do more about fiscal responsibility before they ask for increased taxes.

Measure B: No

This ballot measure would allow non-LAPD security officers in the city to have the same pension plan as LAPD, but there is no question that there is a big difference working security versus patrolling the streets. Right now this measure would not cost tax payers more, but the long term consequences are unclear.

HomeWalk 2012

One of the key photos I did not post in 2012 was our HomeWalk photo. We had our best HomeWalk yet in 2012. We walked with the Corporation for Supportive Housing Team for the first time, which included April, who is just a year younger than Jack and Sadie. It was a great walk and I think we even made it to the finish line in under 2 hours.

The Wonderful World of Flight

Jack and Sadie are not strangers to planes or cockpits, but they got even more time to explore planes at a local aviation museum.

Go Speedracer

Riding bikes at beautiful Lacy Park

Just for Fun

Don't be mistaken by prior photos - this is what my kids are really like

Performances

I have been horribly remiss in posting, but I will try to make up for it in 2013 with some catch up posts.

Sadie and Jack were both in a holiday performance organized by their wonderful preschool, Celebration Kids. The performance was both adorable and hilarious. Sadie was also in a performance of the Nutcracker through her ballet class at Twinkle Toes. While she was a beautiful ballerina, I think the Celebration Kids performance was more up her alley. This month she decided to abandon ballet for swim classes with Jack, which do seem to be a lot more fun.