Author: Anthony Pesce

Yesterday we asked readers to respond to the jailing of businessman Kayvan Setareh, 49, of Pacific Palisades on $1-million bail. The city attorney’s office accused him of illegally erecting a supergraphic on Hollywood Boulevard.

We posed the question: What do you think about Trutanich’s action? Is he finally cracking down? Or it this overkill? Share your view.

Out of the 50 comments so far, overkill seems to be winning. A sampling:

Dave Atkins said: "One Million Dollars to keep a businessman from fleeing the potential consequences of 3 misdemeanor convictions, if he is convicted, is a blatant misuse of the bail process and a violation of the defendant’s due process rights."

Carol said: "Intellectually, I know that $1M is overkill. Emotionally, it’s payback time! Why are supergraphics still going up? Why haven’t ones already up been taken down? What are the safety issues re fire?"

Randall said: "Are you kidding me!!! $1,000,000 for a misdemeanor city code violation charge! This is just another example of a City Attorney gone very wrong. Even some of the most serious felonies are less bail than this case. "

Antoniomous said: "This ‘businessman’ was warned, IN WRITING, by the City Attorney that converting his building into a billboard was illegal. He went ahead and installed his supergraphic anyway… a bail of $1 Million does not seem excessive: if he takes his billboard down and forgoes his illegal profits, he can get his bail back."

By the way, Setareh agreed to take down the sign.

To join in on the conversation, go here, or join us on Twitter @latimescitydesk.    

Other L.A. Now posts getting a lot of feedback are:

O.C. city sues couple who removed front lawn to save water, with more than 30 comments.

Student apologizes for UC San Diego noose incident, claims no racist intent, with more than 60 comments.

Marie Osmond’s son died near downtown L.A. fashion institute he attended, with more than 40 comments.

Look for another Talkback question later today.

A San Juan Capistrano entrepreneur named Annie Haven has found a unique way to make extra money: manure teabags.

The Orange County Register is reporting that Haven, who has a livestock business, is simply repackaging what her animals already produce to make the bags. Apparently the manure can provide nutrients to flowers and plants, and all you have to do is steep it – just try not to mix it up with your morning Earl Grey:

"’My grandmother brewed manure tea," says Haven, who has lived all her life on Southern California cattle ranches and tomato farms. "I’m growing my green business in this brown economy." Haven tea comes from cattle that are fed grass and no chemicals and no nutrients are added to the manure.

Read the full story here.

Here are some other interesting L.A. items on the Web:

South L.A. girls join school etiquette club: A group of young ladies at Trinity Elementary School have joined the Crown Jewel Club to host tea parties and boost their confidence. KPCC reports:

The club focuses on providing training to ‘at-risk girls’ with the intent of improving self-esteem and inspiring academic achievement.

Echo Park swap meet persists: Despite continued efforts to shut down the Sunday swap meet at Echo Park, the vendors keep coming back. The Eastsider LA reports:

Residents reported that city workers tossed merchandise and cooking grills into dump trucks waiting nearby. But, after the crews and police departed, the vendors regrouped and returned to display their wares, including racks of jeans and clothes…

Pink’s Hot Dogs expands to O.C.: The L.A. hot dog phenomenon has opened its first Orange County outpost. The Orange County Register reports:

Pink’s Hot Dogs celebrated its grand opening and first Orange County location at Knott’s Berry Farm with celebrity appearances, dachshund races and a hot-dog-eating contest.

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce.

Photo: A Pink’s hot dog. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

LA Weekly has released its "99 Things to Eat in L.A. Before You Die" list.

The items on the list include pizza, pastries, desserts and delicacies at every price point. What’s the first thing they chose? Blowfish – which, as the editors point out, could kill you before you finish the rest of their list:

"Usually, we satisfy our fugu cravings at Dae Bok, the Koreatown specialist that cooks the blowfish into a spicy, garlicky stew, but everybody should experience, at least once, the translucent petals of fugu sashimi prepared by Hiro Urasawa in its early spring season. But be warned: If the toxins won’t get you, the size of the check just may."

Read the full story here.

Here are some other interesting LA items on the Web:

Vernon psychic attracts a crowd: A psychic, operating out of a tiny room in the back of his botanica, is attracting thousands of patrons. KPCC reports: "’I try to help people,’ he says. He listens to complaints as varied as bounced checks, phlegm-filled lungs and a spouse’s infidelity. And he tries to fix the situations. ‘I’m going to be famous because what I know needs to be known.’"

Palos Verdes power plant to modernize: Plans to modernize a Palos Verdes landfill power plant is gaining traction. The Daily Breeze reports: "The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County plan to install new, more efficient equipment to convert gases from decaying, underground trash into energy at the shuttered Rolling Hills Estates facility."

O.C. Pizza Hut held up by toy gun bandit: A Costa Mesa Pizza Hut was robbed about 10 a.m. Thursday, just minutes after it opened. The Orange County Register reports: "A pizza store at breakfast time might seem an unlikely target, but the manager goes to the bank at the same time each day to deposit the previous night’s cash.… The store manager is a big man who wasn’t fast enough to catch the robber as he ran off down an alley to a waiting pickup."

— Anthony Pesce

[Corrected at 11:20 a.m.: A previous version of this post said the LA Weekly list was annual.]

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce here.

Photo: Blowfish — "fugu’"in Japanese — swim in a fish tank at a restaurant in the southwestern Japanese city of Shimonoseki. Credit: Toshiyuki Aizawa / Reuters

Animal-rights activists plan to hand out fliers and protest at schools attended by the children of UCLA researchers.

Laist reports that these activists — already known for protesting animal research both at UCLA and in the neighborhoods where UCLA researchers live — will go to the schools attended by children of researchers and hand out information to children about what their peer’s parents do for a living:

From protests and pipe bombs comes the latest in the escalating drama between animal activists and UCLA researchers that use animals in their experiments: protesting at the schools of researcher’s children.

Activists plan on legally leafleting the school in order to educate fellow students what their classmate’s father does for a living,’ warns a posting on the blog Negotiation is Over about UCLA neurobiologist Dario Ringac.

Read the full story here.

Here are some other interesting L.A. reads on the Web today:

Saving the Maravilla Handball Court: East L.A. residents are banding together to preserve and restore a local handball court. KPCC reports: "The aim is twofold – to restore some of the lost glory of this L.A. cultural landmark and to honor the memory of Michi and Tommy Nishiyama, the Japanese American couple who ran the court and the adjacent El Centro grocery store for 65 years."

Cypress police to charge rowdy residents: The Cypress City Council has voted to allow police to charge residents for loud and disruptive parties. The Orange County Register reports: "Cypress police may soon have the authority to start billing for ‘extraordinary police calls,’ which the department said are calls where officers need to respond multiple times to loud parties or similar situations."

Community fundraiser for injured gang interventionist: South L.A. residents gathered to raise money for a gang intervention worker who was shot and paralyzed. L.A. Beez reports: Calvin Hodges "was wounded by gunfire in the Nickerson Gardens Housing Project last October while doing outreach. This caused him to lose the use of his legs. The fundraiser aimed to cover medical costs for Hodges and help support his wife and children."

— Anthony Pesce

Have some news for Linking L.A.? Contact Times reporter Anthony Pesce here.

More than 100 women have begun to gather regularly in Long Beach to form a roller derby league.



The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports the fledgling league is one of many springing up across the country–and the women involved hope to improve enough to travel and play competitively. Apparently the once-defunct sport is gaining traction:

"The new generation is an all-female grassroots effort with punk rock and feminist influences," writes Kelly Puente. "Many leagues play up the entertainment by wearing sexy uniforms, like mini skirts and fishnet stockings. They adopt fierce-sounding aliases, like ‘Militia Etheridge’ or ‘Sandra Day O’Clobber.’"

Read the full story here, along with the Press-Telegram’s explanation of the rules of the sport.



Here are some other interesting L.A. reads on the Web today:



Gourmet hot dogs in Pasadena: After frozen yogurt and food trucks, hot dogs might turn into the latest L.A. culinary craze, The LAist reports:

"Ray Byrne of The Slaw Dogs in Pasadena has taken hot dogs to a whole new level… 25 custom toppings, for an additional 99-cents, give you choices like bacon, pastrami, roasted pasilla peppers, jalapeno, chili, kimchi, thai-slaw, a fried egg and a number of different cheeses."

High school gets creative fighting graffiti: Eagle Rock High School is giving its students free tickets to a school dance if they report a tagger, The Eastsider writes:

"What do students get for submitting a tagging tip? Free tickets to school dances, reports the school paper, the Eagle’s Scream… So far three taggers have been turned in this semester."

— Anthony Pesce