Category: Uncategorized

While I respect the late Hal Fishman’s longevity and career and realize he was an “institution” here in LA, one has to look at what he devoted his on-air time to.

How many police chases did he cover? How many hours of time were spent following a criminal’s car as it drove along a freeway in Southern California? The car always ran out of gas, or crashed, and then the story was over. And Mr. Fishman was right there to cover the “important” event.

The daily struggles of people who endure living in a city with poisonous air, failing schools, gangs, and luxury health care for the few….that didn’t get the air time of a Paris Hilton, O.J. Simpson, or the opening of “Spiderman3”. In all fairness, Mr. F was an employee of a conglomerate that long ago dropped any pretense of covering the news with in-depth news stories.

This is what newsertainment has become and El Hombre Pescado was the promoter, public face and recipient of this degraded format that abuses the public airwaves so that corporations can sell more crap. He peddled honesty and integrity like a blanket that covers a bed full of lice.

Here is an excerpt from one of his distinguished broadcasts:

“And where is the car now? Isn’t that the Highland off-ramp?”
“Yes, Hal. He is going about 50 MPH and this all started about 40 minutes ago in Burbank when police tried to pull over a speeding car”
“You say the car was speeding?”
“Yes, Hal. The car was speeding. Oh, now I see he is making a left on Franklin…”
“Oh Franklin. That isn’t good. There are a lot of people who live there. I hope he drives carefully.”

Fishing in Balboa Park.

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A few weeks ago, LA Weekly had a cover story about how we are being sold a phony idea by developers, politicians and environmentalists: that denser housing near trains and buses might ultimately help LA. Instead, the article seemed to demonstrate, we are getting more congested and less mobile.

Then a few days ago, the LA Times also wrote about how very few residents who live near the train actually take it. They prefer their cars.

Does this mean that we should abandon the idea of placing housing near publc transit? Or is the real problem, as I see it, that we haven’t gone far enough in promoting public transportation, walking and density near train lines?

I currently live in Van Nuys and work near Hollywood Blvd. and Cahuenga. I park my car in Van Nuys at the Orange Line, get on a bus and transfer to the train, travel three stops, and exit at Hollywood and Highland. My total commute is about an hour. My monthly pass is $62.00

I don’t put any miles on my car, I save money on gas. I get exercise walking to work. I save time not sitting in traffic. I get to read the Wall Street Journal on the bus and train.

Imagine if the Red Line were built west of Hollywood and Highland so that it had stops in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood, Brentwood and Santa Monica? Envision the day when a film editor in Venice finished work on a Friday afternoon at 5:30pm and rode the train to Beverly Hills to meet friends for dinner at 6:30pm? Would such a scenario even work today? It takes about one hour to drive from Bundy and Wilshire to Wilshire and Sepulveda at that time!

The problem with denigrating transit development at this early stage, is that the entire city has not been served by trains. We still depend on our cars for almost everything. We cannot afford to give up now, when we have barely tried.

It’s like telling a struggling student to put down their algebra book after the first chapter because they will never succeed.

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A little thought about what makes a city civil.

Imagine somewhere in LA where you can ride your bike, leave it unlocked, resting along a post, in front of a small building with benches and flower boxes……….

Not here in Van Nuys……

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