So why stay? I like my house, it has a lot of TLC in it and is quiet as far as L A goes. Plus I hate the heat and added smog of the Valley, and coastal communities are too crowded. The way houses are right on top of each other at the beach?

L A, I wrote a comment in newest post Celeste added based on this — call me the Cynic on this one, re: posting DWP names and salaries, and jumping to judgment on the situation.

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_7040820

More than 13% of DWP workers are paid $100,000 and up
L.A.’s best jobs: Average utility employee earns $76,949 per year

BY BETH BARRETT, Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 09/30/2007 12:14:57 AM PDT

DWP: LA’S BEST JOBS
SEARCH: See for yourself the salaries of DWP workers using our searchable database.
LADWP: Current job openings

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SOUND OFF: Has the DWP shown that it’s worth the taxpayer dollars it receives? What — if anything — should be done about it? Discuss at our Reader Response blog!
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Editor’s Note: If you read only one story today, I hope it will be this one. The DWP’s bloated salaries, poor management and soaring rates are the most glaring example of what’s wrong with Los Angeles city government. We think this is so important we’ve put up the salaries of all 8,500 employees here at dailynews.com. See how your pay compares with theirs. – Ron Kaye, editor

On the other hand, some middle class people in small towns live in trailers.

But, you can’t always go by averages. There’s an athlete who lives up the street from me in a $45 million house. I tell people that the average cost of our houses is over $22 million.

http://www.californiamoves.com/real_estate/california/los_angeles/arcadia.htm

A handful feel the kids, not parents should be held responsible, because parents are too overwhelmed to make a difference anyway. A few advocate measures too harsh to consider seriously (”deport the illegals and much of the problem will disappear” is a common chorus, also throwing them AND parents with repeat offenders in jail). Some, like me, would like to see a backup to truly educate parents without making them afraid to report their kids for fear they will just be given a rap sheet, jailed or taken away. Right now, it seems many desperate parents who need “help” are in essence agreeing to let their kids be incarcerated “to teach them a lesson.” That sets up a lifelong distrust, even hatred, between parents and kids.

In general, I note that blogs tend to attract the more negative and conservative commentors, so this may be a self- selecting group of people. But clearly there is a lot of frustration over what is going on in the city, and the perceived laxity with which these youths are treated by their parents and the juvenile court system.

One thing I like about this proposal is that Molina’s parallel juvenile court can make youths more directly and quickly accountable than in the slow-moving adult or main juvenile system, and hopefully penalize kids without putting these first offenses on their record to where it hurts them in life. Like Celeste, I do trust Baca’s intelligence enough to believe he can tweak this thing to take into account these various nuances, more than your average black-and-white “law and order” Sheriff.

(P. S. To L A Res: There places you mention which have their own small cities and school systems are middle-class economically and more middle-of-the-road politically on average. Those are places where many average people can still afford a house with stay-at home moms like you recall fondly. There isn’t talk of Westside succession because we are such an integral part of the city; some would like more local control over the schools, but because we do pay so much of the taxes to support LAUSD, the Board and city leaders would do everything in their power to prevent that from happening. That’s a nonstarter. Plus, many of the wealthier “limousine liberals” mentally dissociated themselves from the hoi polloi who go to public school, and most others just can’t expend mental energy trying to change a system which has excluded them for decades now — it takes all ones energy to educate our kids and pay for and schedule their other activities. Lots of people do just move to places from Beverly Hills to Palos Verdes, and are replaced by gay couples or empty nesters who move back to the city for the amenities. But where there ARE schools, people with kids would stay or return from the suburbs, as is shown by what happens in the very few areas that have a decent elementary school. Plus, what is overlooked, is that if these people were in the system, they could help improve the whole system by raising money — saved from private schools — sweat equity in classrooms and playyyards, etc. E.g., one better local public elem. school had its parents build and pay for an expensive new playground by getting volunteer architect parents, others with various areas of expertise, kick in, and having everyone do planting, etc., and many making donations — feeling that even one-two thousand a year per family, was a small fraction of private school.)

I have not heard of attempts by west-side residents to incorporate into their own city and dump Los Angeles. Just like the San Fernando Valley tried to do.

Look at small cities like Arcadia, Monrovia and Duarte and they each have their own school district, police service and etc. And they seem to manage them more effectively since they are so small. Arcadia has the best school (highest scoring) school district of the three and also has the most expensive homes. These cities only have about 30-36 thousands residents living in them and enough revenues to survive. And police response is about 2 min because the cities are so small, two freeway exits per city. I wonder why more of California is not modeled like this area, the only down side I have seen is that you have to remember more city names.

Bringing in DEFACS, as I understand, isn’t a choice of the school’s but is a State requirement. Now, I have heard of many cases where authorities seem to go a little overboard on taking or keeping kids from parents. But, what do you expect from government?

However, private enterprise is also not faultless. A friend took her kid to the doctor and the kid decided that the waiting room was the best place to start acting like a brat. My friend applied a well-place hand to the kid’s backside to remind the kid who was in charge and about the rules. Next thing you know, the county authorities are in the waiting room threatening the mother because the doctor’s receptionist called them saying the child was being abused. The authorities told her that if they get called again, then they will have to take the child and require a hearing. My friend found a new doctor.

Actually, some of the DEFACS problems may be something to consider for an article on justice. Many parents unreasonably have their kids taken from them.

Celeste, those murders were about four years ago, but we’re still very, very sad about them. The girls were caught at the beach, where they were determined to go, hanging out with a couple of guys and blood still on them. Now, they’re spending the best years of their lives in prison to reflect on what they did.

I suspect that a lot of people in gangs are just looking for group identity, which they may not get from their families, friends, and church–but, they could. Once in a gang, though, they come under the influence or threats of some of the “evil by nature” people.

I cannot explain psychopaths, even though I’ve had to deal with some. If someone is totally wacked-out, then maybe we’re better off if they spend their lives in prison.