Lakers Head Coach D'Antoni Resigns

LOS ANGELES - In what has been a very busy, and at times surreal, week for Los Angeles sports continues as Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni announced his resignation on Wednesday.

It is unclear who will fill the shoes of Lakers' head coach.

This news follows the Donald Sterling affair, which broke over the weekend and climaxed on Tuesday when National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver banned Clippers' owner Mr. Sterling from the NBA for life, fined him $2.5 million and will attempt to make Mr. Sterling sell the team. This is an unprecedented punishment in the history of American sports.

Since that announcement many high-profile people have voiced their interest in buying The Clippers, including, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Sean "Ditty" Combs, David Geffen, Oscar De La Hoya and Oprah Winfrey.

Many sport analysts believe Mr. Sterling will not give up the team without a fight.

The Lakers have wrapped up their rather lackluster season, missing the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons while under Mr. D'Antoni, while The Clippers are currently in the West playoffs leading the series 3-2 against the Golden State Warriors.  

Five Things You Will Never Hear Somebody From North Orange County Say

ANAHEIM - In many unique ways Orange County is almost two different places (with the 714 and 949 area codes being the unofficial line-splitter) with north Orange County, which is very much apart of the urban Los Angeles Basin, and south Orange County, which is in a lot of ways, well, where certain perceptions and stereotypes of "The OC" may possibility live along with the so-called "Real Housewives." 

 
May 1965 aerial photograph above Disneyland in Anaheim when orange groves were still a common site in Orange County. Photograph courtesy of AirlineSafety.com.

Here are five things you will probably never heard somebody from north Orange County say:

1. "That's weird! This is the first time I've ever heard the fireworks from Disneyland at my house. Does this happen often?"

2. "It's too bad we have to drive up to L.A. to go to a real Korean restaurant."

3. "Wow. The design and food at Angelo's and Vinci's Ristorante is a total ripoff of Buca Di Beppo."

4. "Hey, we should go to the Denny's on Harbor across from Disneyland, because their prices are cheaper than the Denny's up here."

5. "Why aren't there any good artwalks around here?"

 

Songs of Southern California: Mix Tape #4

Tape number four in the collection of songs about Southern California. 

Ronnie and The Daytonas - Little G.T.O.



Mama's and The Papa's - California Dreaming



Barney Kessel - 64 Bars on Wilshire



L7 - Andres



Circle Jerks - Beverly Hills



N.W.A. -Boyz In The Hood



Sublime - Garden Grove

Top 11 Interesting Southern California Freeways

STUCK ON THE ORANGE CRUSH INTERCHANGE - We would like to think public transportation is finally coming into its own in Southern California, but let us face it, the freeway is still king. For a lot of us the freeway defines our way life, and that is not going to change anytime soon. So, here are the top 11 (some good, some bad) interesting freeways in Southern California.


The Cahuenga Pass once upon a time. Date and author unknown. No copyright infringement intended.

#11 - The Marina Freeway - State Route (SR) 90

Otherwise known as the Westside Wang this has to be one of the most useless freeways in Southern California, and does not seem to serve any real purpose unless you need to get from the Westfield Culver City mall (formerly called Fox Hills Mall) to Marina Del Rey in your Chevrolet right away. 

#10 - The Chino Hills Freeway - SR 71

While driving alongside Chino Hills State Park makes for a nice scenic drive The Chino Hills Freeway is not too sure if it wants to be a freeway, highway or wide boulevard. Adding to the 71's identity crisis is the name, because until somewhat recently it was known as the Corona Expressway, and before that it was called the Temescal Freeway.

#9 - "The 91"

The 91 has one of the worst commutes in the country, because for a few miles through Santa Ana Canyon there are no back roads or alternative routes and thus everybody must take this freeway. Like the 71 this freeway too has bit of an identity crisis. Most people know it as The Riverside Freeway, but between the Interstate 5 and the I-710 interchange it is called The Artesia Freeway, and between the I-710 and I-110 it is called The Gardena Freeway.


The proposed 1947 parkway plan. Photo courtesy of the Southern California Automobile Club. Used under Creative Commons. 

#8 - The Century Freeway - I-105

The last freeway to be competed in the Los Angeles Basin the Century Freeway is a vision of what our freeway system should have been when it was created by adding public transit rail lines along the freeway.


Aerial view of the I-105/I-710 interchange. Date and author unknown; no copyright infringement intended. Used under Creative Commons.

#7 - The Santa Ana Freeway - I-5

The most direct route between L.A. and Orange County embodies everything wrong with post-War Southern California suburban sprawl. While cities and developers were more than happy to build tract-homes and malls for as far as the eye can see the powers that be never saw to it to expand the 5 to accompany the growth until it was way too late.


Not the 5, but a 1954 photograph of The Hollywood Freeway, and although the style of cars have changed the traffic jam remains the same. Used under Creative Commons.

#6 - The Pomona Freeway - SR 60

On those off days when there is little traffic and it is clear and bright the 60 through the San Gabriel Valley actually makes for a nice drive with the green hills to the south of the freeway almost looking like the Pacific Northwest. Yet one cannot help but wonder that it would have made more sense to call the 60 The Riverside Freeway since it connects between downtown Riverside and Downtown L.A.

#5 - The San Gabriel River Freeway - I-605

While it is very convenient for people who live and/or work off the 605, but for an interstate freeway this feels like it does not have any real destination, and that it is kind of just "there," but there is something interesting about this freeway. The 605 goes from the foot of the mountains down to the foot of the ocean, and it is really the only freeway in Southern California that kind of does this.

#4 - The Harbor Freeway - I-110

Aside from going through the heart of L.A. the Harbor Freeway offers some of the best views of Downtown L.A.


The Harbor Freeway through Downtown L.A. in 1964 in a photograph by the great "Dick" Whittington. Used for information purposes; no copyright infringement intended.

#3 - The Glendale Freeway - SR 2

Would not it be ironic if Cal-Trans renamed the 2 The Hipster Freeway given that this freeway goes through some of L.A.'s hip neighborhoods and it is kind of an awkward freeway? That aside The Glendale Freeway southern terminus ends somewhat awkwardly in Echo Park as it is the uncompleted Beverly Hills Freeway. This uncompleted freeway stands as a testament to money and power in L.A. as East L.A. and South L.A. residents were not able to stop massive freeway construction in their neighborhoods, but Hancock Park and Beverly Hills residents waved their magic paper green wands to make this freeway go away. (Interestingly then Governor Ronald Reagan supported completing the 2 to Beverly Hills.)   


What could have been, a 1964 drawing of the proposed Beverly Hills Freeway. Photograph courtesy Metro Transportation Library and Archive.


#2 - The I-5 From L.A. to Tijuana

Despite the problems with the 5 it is exciting to think this freeway can take you from Downtown L.A. to another country in (traffic pending) around 90 minutes. How... European.


Postcard dated 1945 showing the old border crossing in Tijuana/San Diego.

#1 - The Arroyo Seco Parkway - SR 110

For some people who first experience this freeway, err parkway, it is kind of like a rare fine wine. It kind of takes you by surprise and it takes a moment to settle in, but once it settles in you realize this is one of the most beautiful freeways, excuse me, parkways. in the country. If you have to live life on the freeway The Arroyo Seco Parkway makes it all worth it.

Late 1950s photograph of the Arroyo Seco Parkway. Author unknown. Used under Creative Commons.

Know Your Faults: Puente Hills Fault

(This is an occasional series exploring the many earthquake fault lines in and around Southern California. This series is not intended to be a scholarly, scientific review of earthquake faults throughout Southern California, but hopefully will be a jumping off point for you to understand and further explore the fault lines that cross Southern California. )   

LA HABRA - It has been a weekend of cleaning up shattered glass, having homes assessed and reassessed to see if they are still livable, and dealing with aftershocks in what is turning out to be perhaps the most damaging earthquake in the Los Angeles Basin since the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.

At only magnitude 5.1 it is considered to be a low-end moderate earthquake, but when you get a typical Southern California shallow quake in the magnitude 5 range under an urbanized area that is when you begin to see damage, and that has been painfully proven for residents and businesses in the Fullerton and La Habra area.

The La Habra quake is bringing much needed attention to something rather unpleasant, the Puente Hills Fault, or otherwise called, the Puente Hills Thrust System.  (For the rest of this piece we shall just call it the Puente Hills Fault.)

How Unpleasant?

Just how unpleasant is the thought of this fault to geologists, seismologists and emergency planners? Well, a major quake, "The Big One," on the San Andreas Fault in Southern California is going to be a major life altering event, but a major earthquake on the Puente Hills Fault, with an expected magnitude 7.2-7.5, could take such a disastrous event to a whole new level. In fact, a major event on this fault is expected to be worse than a major event on the Newport-Inglewood Fault.

Officials at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) believe this La Habra earthquake was caused by the Puente Hills Fault. It is worth noting USGS also believes the 1987 Whittier-Narrows Earthquake, which seismologists originally thought was on the then newly discovered Elysian Park Fault, was also caused by this fault.

Why So Dangerous?

Using rough directions, the Puente Hills Fault runs about 25 miles, going east-to-west, from about the hills above Brea, across the lower San Gabriel Valley, going northwest into Downtown L.A., and further northwest ending just about before Griffith Park. Seeing and understanding where this fault runs you can understand why a major quake on this fault is such a dreadful thought to officials. 

Now unlike, say, the Whittier Fault or Newport-Inglewood Fault, which has noticeable scars in the earth, like hills, the Puente Hills Fault is a blind thrust fault with no surface scars. 

A Different Kind of Shaking

One of the many problems with a major earthquake on this fault is, unlike the Newport-Inglewood Fault or even the San Andreas Fault where those faults are vertical faults resulting in intense shaking near where the fault reaches the surface, the Puente Hills Fault is a horizontal fault with intense shaking felt over a much larger area.

 
A shake-map scenario of a M7.1 Puente Hills Fault rupture created by the Southern California Seismic Network at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in partnership with USGS. No copyright infringement intended; Shown for educational purposes only.

Just How Bad?

The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) along with the University of Southern California conducted a study in 2003 that showed a major earthquake on the Puente Hills Fault could cause "fatalities ranging between 3,000 and 18,000," along with "displaced households ranging from 142,000 to 735,000, with an average of 274,000."

With a fault running from the lower San Gabriel Valley, into Downtown L.A. up to Griffith Park you would have a major earthquake occurring in Southern California's oldest neighborhoods. Seismologists along with emergency planners believe such a quake could result in severe, catastrophic damage to Downtown L.A.'s older, historic buildings along Broadway, Main Street and Grand Avenue. 

What about the tall, modern skyscrapers that gives L.A. its modern, worldly skyline?

Thomas H. Jordan, director of the SCEC, told the L.A. Downtown News in March 2011 that, “A 7.5 at Puente Hills would pretty much be a worst-case scenario for Downtown,” with shaking lasting more than a minute. Mr. Jordan says, “It’s conceivable that some of the high-rise buildings would collapse [...] A lot of the modern structures in Downtown are very well constructed, so it would take a very extreme event like [a 7.5] to really cause damage to those very well-constructed buildings.”

A major quake could also have a catastrophic affect on the older industrial neighborhoods just southeast of Downtown L.A.

Of course it needs to be noted that this fault crosses over major freeway and freeway interchanges, along with major railway lines and public transit lines. Chances are good that there will be some kind of damage to these lines in the event of a major earthquake.

Some may remember during the Northridge Earthquake railroad tracks actually bent in a few areas.

Of course, there are the fires that will likely break out, and the water-pipes that will burst.

One of the most dreadful worst case scenarios is a major earthquake occurring during the Santa Ana Winds.  

The study predicts total damage cost may come to $250 billion.

While a lot of the focus involving a major earthquake on the Puente Hills Fault has been focused on L.A. it is expected that Orange County will have severe damage with strong ground shaking expected in north Orange County. The M5.1 La Habra earthquake was hardly a dress rehearsal for what is expected in Orange County.


YouTube video created by USGS, SCEC and San Diego Super Computer Center showing the shaking expected from a major Puente Hills Fault earthquake. No copyright infringement intended; shown for educational purposes only. 

Not to be left out the Inland Empire is expected to receive strong shaking and some severe damage, particularly in southwestern San Bernardino County.

So, all around when you get right down to it just how bad will a major Puente Hills Fault earthquake be? Well, there is only really one way to find out, and that is when Mother Nature decides to show us. 

When Will Mother Nature Decide To Let Us Know?

Well, according to USGS researcher Ned Field, the lead author of the SCEC-USC study, a major rupture on the Puente Hills Fault occurs about once every 3,000 years. "In fact," says Mr. Field in the study, "as an individual your odds of dying of a heart attack or an auto accident are much greater than dying from this earthquake." 

If you are like most Southern Californians chances are when you hear that number you probably think there is not anything to worry about, because 3,000 years is a long way away. Well, here is the bad news, geologists and seismologists are not too sure where they are at in the cycle, such as if we are maybe 2,800 years away from the fault rupturing, or one month away from the fault rupturing.

Aside from knowing when the fault ruptures the SCEC-USC study found that the Puente Hills Fault has ruptured at least four times in the last 11,000 years, with earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 7.2 to 7.5. 

It should be clear by now even if the next major rupture is a couple thousand years away the Puente Hills Fault is going to cause some problems for us in the years to come. 

It is worth noting that in the same March 2011 L.A. Downtown News story Mr. Jordan points out the San Andreas Fault is still a bigger threat to the area, because earthquakes there happen about every 100 to 200 years. 

The last major San Andreas' rupture in our area was the M7.9 1857 Fort Tejon Earthquake, which rupture along 225 miles of the San Andreas Fault beginning near Parkfield and rupturing south to the Cajon Pass.

The last major southern rupture of the San Andreas Fault between the Cajon Pass and the Salton Sea is believed to have occurred around 1690.

Why Does It Seem Like I Am Only Hearing About This Fault Now?

With such a dangerous fault running through Downtown L.A. you think you would of heard all about the Puente Hills Fault growing up or living in Southern California for many years. After all, at one point we have heard all about the San Andreas Fault, Newport-Inglewood Fault, Hollywood Fault, San Jacinto Fault, and Whittier Fault, among many others, but it seems like there has not been a lot said about this extraordinarily dangerous fault. 

You are not alone in thinking and believing you have only recently heard about the Puente Hills Fault, because it was just barely discovered in 1999, and it has taken a few years after that for officials to really understand the danger it poses. 

In the aftermath of the Northridge quake there was urgency among geologists and seismologists to attempt to find blind faults around Southern California.

So Do All These Recent Quakes Mean We're Going To Have a Big Quake?

The recent earthquakes in Orange County and L.A., along with the January 15 M4.4 shaker in Fontana, may simply mean, according to USGS, that Southern California is coming out of its "earthquake drought." 

As Doctor Lucy Jones from USGS has pointed out many times in various media interviews, following the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake the L.A. area, aside from the little jolt here and there, has been very seismologically quiet. It seems possible the 1992 Landers/Big Bear earthquakes along with the Northridge quake may have relieved stress for a time in Southern California, but now we may be reentering a seismologically active period in Southern California.

It Could Happen Anytime!

Whether it is preceded by a series of noticeable earthquakes, or no quakes at all, a major earthquake can occur anytime in Southern California. 

We all want a direct answer to the unknowable, and that is WHEN is a major earthquake going to happen? The direct answer to that is this, at this time there is no accurate way to predict earthquakes, and thus there is no way of knowing when a major earthquake is going to occur.

Just Be Prepared!

For a lot of people the above answer is not the one they want to hear, but it is the only answer available. So, all we can do is prepare and have a plan in place when it does happen.

Resources To Help You Prepare

Prepare SoCal from The American Red Cross

Ready L.A. - City of L.A. Emergency Preparedness 

Los Angeles County - Emergency Preparedness

Ready O.C. - Orange County Emergency Preparedness 

San Bernardino County - Emergency Preparedness 

Riverside County Fire Department - Emergency Management

Ready Ventura County - Emergency Management  

San Diego County - Emergency Preparedness

Cal-OES - California Governor's Office of Emergency Services

Tips on Preparing an Emergency Kit from Ready.Gov

Songs of Southern California: Mix Tape #3

Now is time for songs of Southern California, mix tape #3.

X - Los Angeles



The Beatles - Blue Jay Way



Jan and Dean - The Little Old Lady From Pasadena



The Trade Winds - New York's A Lonely Town - KRLA Version!



The Penguins - Memories of El Monte



Frank Zappa - San Ber'dino

Seven More Facts About Knott's Berry Farm, and Then Some

BUENA PARK - Since there was such a big response to the five facts about Knott's Berry Farm post here are some more interesting facts about the park in Buena Park that (another) Walt built.

Hopefully this will help bring about some interest in Knott's Berry Farm's history, which, quite frankly, tends to get overlooked and overshadowed by the big mouse in Anaheim. All the blame of course cannot be on the mouse who lives on Harbor Boulevard as Knott's Berry Farm's current owners, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, have done more than a few things to erase the rich history Walter Knott and his family created.

For a lot of people who grew up in Southern California they have great memories of Knott's Berry Farm when it actually was a farm and free to get in, or exploring the jungle across the street, or perhaps dancing the night away at Studio K. 

While the Knotts' many of us grew up with has gone away we shall always have the memories. To maybe help with those memories here are seven interesting facts about the farm off La Palma Avenue and Beach Blvd. that you may or may not have known about.

1. Busy Beach Blvd. is still California State Route 39, but back in 1920 when the Knott family started their roadside stand the street they were on was known to many then simply as Highway 39. Walter Knott must have known that location is everything, because before Interstate 5 came into existence Highway 39 was the main artery between Los Angeles and Orange County.

2. One of the most beloved rides at Knott's Berry Farm that is no longer there, and has not been there for a very long time, is Knott's Bear-y Tales. Knott's Bear-y Tales was apart of the new Roaring 20s section that opened July 4, 1975, but Knott's Bear-y Tales was almost wiped out. An arsonist set fire to Bear-y Tales as it was under construction. The creators of the ride were able to recreate much of the ride designs in about six weeks, and all was well in Bear-y Tale land. The fire was believed to be the result of a nasty a union dispute. In 1987 Bear-y Tales was no more and became Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, and that ride closed in 2004. The former Bear-y Tales ride now stands empty. It remains unclear, at least publicly, if Cedar Fair will do anything with this empty building.

Some Bears and kids in front of the Roaring '20s fountain. Circa 1978. Photograph courtesy of the Orange County Archives.


Some Bears going on Knott's Bear-y Tales. Circa 1978. Photograph courtesy of the Orange County Archives.

3. Many people may remember Knott's Berry Farm used to have cable cars surrounding the parking lot. Did you know those were actual San Francisco cable cars that the Knott family bought from the San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI). The cable cars ran around Knotts' until 1979, and two of the cable cars were returned to MUNI, and two other cable cars were sent to The Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris.

 
Cable Cars at Knott's Berry Farm. Circa 1960. Photograph courtesy of the Orange County Archives.


Cable Cars at Knott's Berry Farm. Circa 1959. Photograph courtesy of the Orange County Archives.

4. Now here is a not-so-fun fact that exemplifies the problems with Knott's Berry Farm's current owners. For decades visitors to Knotts' could see and feel the original berry stand Walter and Cordelia built that started it all. Well, in what is frankly an appalling decision, the stand was destroyed when Cedar Fair built the Silver Bullet roller coaster. (Why it was not moved to somewhere else in the park or even offered to a museum is unclear.) The original berry stand that started it all was not the only thing destroyed to make room for this roller coaster, the Inspiration Church was also a victim. Furthermore, also a victim of this "extreme" ride was the nighttime water light show as the lake has been totally drained.

Cordelia and Walter Knott in front of the stand that started it all. Date unknown. Photograph courtesy of the Orange County Archives.

5. One of the things that helped make Knott's Berry Farm a success was the boysenberry, be it boysenberry sauce, boysenberry jam or boysenberry punch. The boysenberry was created by Rudolph Boysen, and Mr. Boysen was the Anaheim City Park Superintendent from 1921 until 1950.

6. One of Knott's Berry Farm's most iconic rides that is still standing is the Timber Mountain Log Ride. The very first person to ride the Log Ride when it opened in 1969 was John Wayne. Of course when The Duke rode the ride it was not the Timber Mountain Log Ride, as it is known today, but was called the Calico Log Ride.  

7. Probably one of the most famous attractions at Knott's Berry Farm is Mrs. Knott's Fried Chicken Restaurant. This began in 1934, and Cordelia Knott was not too keen on the idea of making fried chicken and serving it on their family's fine China. However the Great Depression was underway and the Knott's roadside stand was not always doing a brisk business, and so Mrs. Knott began, rather reluctantly, making and serving fried chicken to help make ends meet. It seemed to work out for the Knott family.

The famous Chicken Dinner Restaurant. Circa 1955. Photograph courtesy of the Orange County Archives.  

Here are some things that are no longer apart of Knott's Berry Farm.


Middletons Train Supply House and Toy Museum at Knott's Berry Farm. Date unknown. Photograph courtesy of the Orange County Archives. 

The Cordelia K. out on the lake. The Cordelia K. is one piece of Knotts' that will never come back, because a few years back whoever Cedar Fair put in charged of moving the boat broke the Cordelia K. in half. 

The Cordelia K., taking a ride out in the lake. Date unknown. Photograph courtesy of the Orange County Archives.


The Cordelia K. out on the lake along with train ride in the background. Date unknown. Photograph courtesy of the Orange County Archives.