Monday, February 29, 2016

[californiadisasters] LAPD Sgt. Slade in "Earthquake" Dies at 91

George Kennedy, Oscar Winner for 'Cool Hand Luke,' Dies at 91

1:36 PM PST 2/29/2016

By Mike Barnes and Duane Byrge | The Hollywood Reporter

George Kennedy in 'Cool Hand Luke.'

Courtesy of Photofest

The burly actor played bad guys in such films as 'Charade' and 'Thunderbolt & Lightfoot' before memorably playing against type in the 'Naked Gun' movies.

George Kennedy, a bear of a man who won an Oscar for his performance as the sadistic chain gang prisoner Dragline in Cool Hand Luke and delighted audiences as a dimwitted police captain in the zany Naked Gun comedies, has died. He was 91.

Kennedy died Sunday morning of natural causes in Boise, Idaho, his grandson, Cory Schenkel, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. "He was a great man who loved his family and his fans," he said.

Until his recognition in Cool Hand Luke (1967), Kennedy was usually cast as a tough guy. Following his Oscar win for best supporting actor, he went on to star in The Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) and received second billing in such films as The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969) with Robert Mitchum; Dirty Dingus Magee (1970) with Frank Sinatra; Fools' Parade (1971) with James Stewart; and The Eiger Sanction (1975) with Clint Eastwood, a frequent co-star.

A former Army career soldier, Kennedy played a series of heavies in the movies. He attacked Cary Grant with a steel claw in Stanley Donen's Charade (1963), pursued Joan Crawford with an ax in Strait-Jacket (1964), attempted to assassinate Gregory Peck in Mirage (1965) and kicked Jeff Bridges to death in Thunderbolt & Lightfoot (1974).

The 6-foot-4, barrel-chested New Yorker also appeared as airplane mechanic Joe Patroni in the star-studded disaster thriller Airport (1970) and its three sequels.

Along with Leslie Nielsen, another actor with a straight-arrow reputation, Kennedy played comically against type as Captain Ed Hocken (replacing Alan North from the TV show) in the antic Jim Abrahams/Zucker brothers spoofs The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994).

On television, the sandy-haired Irish-American starred in two short-lived series in the 1970s — as a homicide detective turned priest in NBC's Sarge and as L.A. beat cop Bumper Morgan on CBS' The Blue Knight, based on the Joseph Wambaugh best-seller. He also played Ewing family nemesis Carter McKay from 1988-91 on the CBS primetime soap Dallas.

Recently, Big George appeared in the films Another Happy Day (2011) and Mark Wahlberg's The Gambler (2014).

George Kennedy Jr. was born Feb. 18, 1925, in New York City. His father was a pianist and a composer/conductor at the Proctor's Theater in Manhattan, and his mother danced with vaudeville's Le Ballet Classique. He made his acting debut at age 2 in a touring company of Bringing Up Father, traveling with the show for two years, and later voiced children's radio shows.

Following high school graduation, Kennedy enlisted in the Army in 1943 with the hope of becoming a pilot in the Army Air Corps. He wound up in the infantry, served under Gen. George Patton and distinguished himself with his valor: He won two Bronze Stars and four rows of combat and service ribbons. After World War II, a bizarre medical condition — his left leg was shorter than his right by 3 inches — left him in traction for two years.

(Kennedy would later play Patton, the target of an assassination plot, in 1978's Brass Target opposite Sophia Loren, John Cassavetes and Robert Vaughn.)

In the mid-1950s after re-enlisting, Kennedy worked in Armed Forces Radio and Television, and that got him a job in New York as technical adviser (and a few uncredited appearances) on the army-camp comedy Sgt. Bilko. Watching Phil Silvers and show creator Ned Hiken work whetted his appetite for acting. Additional good fortune arrived when the production company's secretary referred him to a chiropractor who alleviated his leg and back problems.

With 30 percent disability after 15 years of service, Kennedy moved to Hollywood in 1959 and played an array of toughs who could go up against such stars of TV Westerns as 6-foot-7 James Arness in Gunsmoke, 6-foot-6 Clint Walker in Cheyenne and 6-foot-6 Chuck Connors in The Rifleman.

"The big guys were on TV and they needed big lumps to eat up," Kennedy said in a 1971 interview. "All I had to do was show up on the set, and I got beaten up."

Of course, he fought Paul Newman early on in Stuart Rosenberg's drama Cool Hand Luke as Dragline, the leader of the prisoners who gives Newman's character his nickname.

"The marvelous thing about that movie," Kennedy recalled in a 1978 interview, "was that as my part progresses, I changed from a bad guy to a good guy. The moguls in Hollywood must have said, 'Hey, this fellow can do something besides be a bad guy.' "

Kennedy's vast body of work also includes Spartacus (1960); Lonely Are the Brave (1962); the John Wayne classic The Sons of Katie Elder (1965); The Dirty Dozen (1967); The Boston Strangler (1968); Earthquake (1974); Death on the Nile (1978), Albert Brooks' Modern Romance (1981), in which he played himself as the star of an atrocious sci-fi film; Bolero (1984) opposite Bo Derek; Small Soldiers (1997), in which he voiced Brick Bazooka; and Wim Wenders' Don't Come Knocking (2005).

He appeared in NBC's See How They Run (1964), which is considered the first movie made for TV. He also played President Warren G. Harding in the 1979 miniseries Backstairs at the White House and had a long-standing role on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless.

Kennedy's wife, Joan, died in September.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/george-kennedy-dead-cool-hand-721400

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[californiadisasters] On This Date In California Weather History (February 29)

1968: Seventh day of the month with dense fog observed in Fresno, a record for the month of February.

1944: 31" of snow fell at Truckee.

1884: The wettest February in San Diego history ended on this day with 9.05".
It is the third wettest month on record (wettest: 9.26" in 12/1921).
The 1883-84 season ended as the wettest in San Diego history with 25.97".

Source: NWS Hanford, San Diego, and Reno

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Sunday, February 28, 2016

[californiadisasters] Earthquake Retrofit Law Adds New Costs For Struggling Tenants

Earthquake Retrofit Law Adds New Costs For Struggling Tenants

A destroyed building in the Marina after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Photo via USGS

Sun. February 28, 2016

by Shane Downing

The rents on some small businesses and tenants have been going up for a reason that might surprise you.

Landlords who get older buildings retrofitted against earthquakes can pass all of the costs on to their tenants over 20 years, including interest.

Other cities are taking a different approach. Los Angeles recently approved legislation that has landlords paying half, for example.

Here, the retrofit rules are set by a mandatory soft-story retrofit law that passed in 2013, that is closely shaped by decades of legislation on earthquake safety — and tenants rights.

We've been covering various businesses that have mentioned retrofit costs as a factor when they've closed recently, including Merch, Tantrum, and Bean There.

In Bean There's case, the retrofit closure helped give the landlord a chance to quietly go find another tenant who could pay more.

Here's a closer look at how the rules were designed, and how they've been working out for 5,000 or so buildings that will be getting these retrofits.

The Big Earthquake Safety Problem

It has been more than a couple decades since the city had a notably damaging earthquake, but the occasional tremor is enough to keep most people wary of the real risk in the region.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is a 63% chance that an earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.7 hitting the Bay Area by 2038. Following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which killed 63 people and caused over five billion dollars in damage, the city, as directed by the Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety (CAPSS), has been working to improve San Francisco's preparedness for a future disaster.

"What you ended up have happening in 1989, you saw several buildings collapsing: soft story buildings," said Patrick Otinelli, an earthquake expert and San Francisco's Chief Resilience Officer.

"If you look at [Loma Prieta], look at the stresses we saw happening on San Francisco at that time," Otellini said.

"You had the height of the AIDS crisis, you had crack cocaine on our streets, you had the first big wave of the homeless epidemic. These are things that are comparable to things that we are facing now. And then you throw an earthquake on top of that. It really can turn a city upside down."

By 2020, approximately 120,000 San Franciscans — 15 percent of the city's population — will live in a building that falls under this soft-story retrofit program, according to Otellini.

"If these buildings fall down in an earthquake, the new buildings aren't subject to rent control," Otellini said. "We look at the crisis that we have now, but it would be exponentially exacerbated by an earthquake."

Given the design vulnerabilities and the rent control significance of soft-story buildings in San Francisco, the need for these seismic retrofits is evident. Yet, when it comes to seismic regulations, most of these buildings predate modern municipal building codes.

"Essentially, the building codes were changed in the late 1970s, early 1980s, to become the foundation of what we consider to be modern seismic codes," said Otellini. "The problem is a large majority of [San Francisco's] buildings were built before those codes."

The Latest Solutions

The 2013 retrofit law is proactively trying to strengthen soft-story buildings with three or more stories and five or more units: wood-framed buildings, built before 1978, that have large openings — such as storefront windows or garages — at the ground-floor level and usually residential units above.

These structures can be especially susceptible to damage and collapse during earthquakes. They're also some of the defining, mixed-used types of buildings across city neighborhoods.

So there's broad agreement that the retrofits should happen. But although they might occupy the same building, property owners and tenants are affected by these retrofits differently.

Property owners are bound to stipulations in their leases, and tenants are bound to capital improvement pass-through laws administered by the Rent Board.

An example of a seismically retrofitted soft-story building.

The cost of retrofitting these old buildings, which upgrade a building's lateral stiffness and strength, was initially estimated to cost between 50,000 and 130,000 dollars; however, these mandatory retrofits can exceed a quarter of a million dollars.

Even with the opportunity to file for financial hardship, there is uncertainty as to how these retrofit pass-throughs are affecting San Franciscans already struggling to pay rent.

San Francisco's Rent Board oversees the 100 percent pass-through component of these mandatory seismic retrofits to tenants. Building owners initially pay for the retrofit, but are permitted to recoup those expenses by gradually raising tenants' rents over a 20-year period.

According to Christina Varner, acting deputy director of the San Francisco Rent Board, even though the mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit didn't go into effect until 2013, these kinds of capital improvement pass-throughs are rooted in decades-old city policy.

In 2000, Proposition H was passed by city voters to stop landlords from passing on costs from many major capital improvements. However, the city was sued over the constitutionality of the prop and the matter went to court. Eventually, compromise legislation was proposed by Supervisor Ammiano, giving San Francisco its present day pass-through guidelines.

Instead of blocking pass-through costs, its main effect was to extend the payment time up to 20 years.

"Because of all this history, I think the nature of the relationships between the landlord and tenant community here is just really different than other jurisdiction," said Varner, when we asked about Los Angeles' recent 50-50 cost-sharing legislation, where tenants and landlords will split the cost of mandatory seismic retrofits.

"When you look at Los Angeles, which is doing a 50-50 pass-through right now," Otellini told us, "they don't have anything on the books that already addresses this. Since we had previous seismic ordinances, if you change the wording in the retrofit ordinance, it basically opens Pandora's box and then all these other programs are impacted by it."

The pass-throughs of these mandatory soft-story seismic retrofits from landlord to tenant can be no more than a 10 percent rent increase (of the tenant's base rent) for the first year. The following year, the landlord can phase in the remainder amount, which will be the amount that the tenant will pay for the next 19 years.

An example of a retrofitted, soft-story building.

"The capital improvement rent increase does not become part of the base rent," explained Varner. "For purposes of 3-day notice, non-payment of rent issue for eviction, yes, that's part of the rent, but it doesn't become part of the base rent. When you're calculating an annual allowable increase, the capital improvement is not part of that."

The law went into effect in 2013, and there's a tiered system of building types that will need to be completed by specific dates. Schools and hospitals have been going first, but some structures won't need retrofits until 2020 (and any building owner that doesn't meet these deadlines gets fined, for starters).

More Tenant Problems To Come?

Understanding that these 100 percent pass-throughs might be a burden to some San Franciscans, the city implemented thresholds in order to qualify for hardship. It also included a fair-compensation framework for if tenants aren't able to have access to their garages, parking spaces, or laundry facilities.

"I encourage both landlords and tenants to call us if they have questions: it is confusing and the filings are enormous," said Varner, of the more than 5,000 buildings that fall under the mandatory soft-story retrofit program.

"Certainly the pass through is a major way that's gonna impact tenants," said Tommi Avicolli Mecca, director of counseling programs at the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco.

"I personally have a problem with pass-throughs because the landlord benefits from the seismic retrofit, because their building is worth more," Mecca said. "Yes, the tenant gets to live in a safer building, that's for sure, but it seems to me that the landlord benefits a hell of a lot more and should have to bare the cost."

According to Mecca, people have yet to really come into his office regarding these pass-throughs; however, he is expecting to see an influx of concerned tenants in the coming years.

"My concern," said Constance Stamas, a resident of the Upper Haight, "is I guess it just feels really unfair that it's passed on 100 percent to the tenants."

"I take it very seriously that things do need to be retrofit, and I sort of don't mind paying what I can, but I'm already maxed out on my rent," said Stamas, who thinks that she would qualify for financial hardship.

"I feel like it's the owner's property, and that's what we're paying rent for: to live in a safe space. I think it's really gonna hurt a lot of people who are already on the fringes."

http://hoodline.com/2016/02/earthquake-retrofit-law-adds-new-costs-for-struggling-tenants
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[Geology2] Tungurahua Volcano Erupts In Ecuador

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[californiadisasters] On This Date In California Weather History (February 28)

2014: A very wet storm that was the only significant storm of the 2013-14 wet season occurred on this day and on 3/1.

Rainfall ranged from 1" at the coast to up to 8" in the mountains.
Up to 1" fell in the desert. Yucaipa Ridge measured over 11".
8"-10" of snow fell over the Big Bear Lake region.
Urban and flash flooding resulted with mud/debris flows, causing numerous road closures and swift water rescues in and around Anaheim, San Diego - Fashion Valley, Escondido,

Fallbrook and Lake Elsinore.
Mud slides closed Hwy. 74 (Ortega Highway) stemming from the Falls Fire burn scar.
Many road closures occurred in the Coachella Valley where rivers saw rises

of 2 to 5 feet, in some instances within 12 hours.
On 3.1, flooding resulted in Oceanside, Temecula, Sea World San Diego, as well as some street flooding in Mission Viejo.

2006: "Warm" winter storm kept snow levels above 8,500 feet but brought heavy winter rains to the Sierra below this level from the 27th through the 28th.
Rainfall totals included 6.82" at Lodgepole, 4.39" at Grant Grove, 3.8" at Huntington Lake, and 3" at Shaver Lake.
SNOTEL sites in the high Sierra estimated between 20"-36" of snow generally, though 50" was reported by Upper Burnt Corral.

2001: A storm brought 32" of snow to Mountain High ski area (San Gabriel Mnts.).

1997: A funnel cloud was observed in Kearny Mesa - San Diego.

1996: A storm that started on 2.25 and ended on this day produced 0.5"-1.5" of rainfall in coastal areas.
Snowfall of 10" was recorded at Idyllwild, 2" in Yucaipa and even a dusting in Hemet and Corona.
12"-24" of snow fell in the higher mountains and up to 6" fell in the high desert.

1991: An F1 tornado touched down near Goshen (Tulare Co.).

1991: A series of storms that started on 2.27 and ended on 3.1 produced 3"-6" of rainfall at lower elevations, with 11"-14" of precipitation in the mountains. 4.45" of precipitation fell on this day in Idyllwild, the greatest daily amount on record for February.
2.42" fell in Borrego Springs, the greatest daily amount on record for February and the third greatest daily amount on record.
4.8" fell at Palomar Mountain, 4" at Julian, 3.8" at Mt. Laguna, 2.28" at San Diego, 1.79" in La Mesa, and 0.95" in Chula Vista.
1.18" of rain fell in San Diego during a 24 hour period ending this day.
Two died and six were injured. Hazards included urban flooding, mudslides, and road washouts.
Flood waters were five feet deep at Desert Hot Springs.
24"-36" of snow were dumped on the Big Bear area and up to 24" fell elsewhere in the mountains.
Highways were closed.
A tornado hit Tustin on this day and a waterspout was observed off La Jolla.
Boats were torn from moorings at Harbor Island in San Diego Bay, and extensive roof damage was done at the San Diego Convention Center.

1988: Two F0 tornadoes were reported by a pilot 45 miles north of Gerlach, NV.

1983: Heavy rain that started on 2.24 and ended on this day brought extensive street flooding.
Damage was done to 30 cars and an apartment building in Anaheim.

1974: High winds damaged over a dozen mobile homes in the Reno and Carson City, NV areas.
Wind gusts to 105 mph were reported at the Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot, with gusts to 100 mph at the Stead airport.

1964: Fresno recorded its' 16th day with a low temperature at or below freezing, a record for the month of February.

1962: It was -10° F in Big Bear Lake and 28° F in San Luis Obispo, both the lowest temperature on record for February.

1951: It was 4° F in Idyllwild, the lowest temperature on record for February.

1944: 30" of snow fell at Tahoe City.

1938: Storms of tropical origin that started on 2.27 ended on 3.4.
One was killed by lightning in Corona.
11.06" of rain fell at LA.
More than 30" fell at several mountain stations of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains (32.2" at 8,300 feet elev.).
More than 22" fell in the Santa Ana River headwaters.
Considerable snow was melted, adding to the runoff.
This led to unprecedented flood control efforts, including a network of dams and canals and concrete channels.
For the storm 210 were reported dead or missing in flooding across Southern California, 45 in Orange County, of which 43 perished in Mexican-American Atwood from an eight-foot wall of water.
Hundreds were injured.
The Santa Ana River flooded, inundating nearly all of northern Orange County.
Catastrophic damage hit more than 1,500 residences.
400 cabins and buildings were washed away in and around San Antonio Canyon.
The Whitewater River flooded, isolating Palm Springs.

1923: Santa Rosa recorded a high temperature of 93° F.

1914: Mojave reached 90° F for a high, warmest ever in February.

1911: Mojave received 3" of snow; Fresno had a trace.

1893: Bakersfield recorded its' 12th day this month with a low of freezing or below, a record for the month of February.

1884: The wettest February in San Diego history ended with 9.05".
It is the third wettest month on record (wettest: 9.26" in 12.1921).
The 1883-84 season ended as the wettest in San Diego history with 25.97".

Source: NWS San Francisco/Monterey, Hanford, Reno, & San Diego

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Inappropriate. While she was convicted of a crime, she was serving the public good while learning and earning a different life.

For that, you show respect, not make fun of poor editing.

Rick WA6NHC

Tiny iPhone keypad, spell Czech happens

On Feb 27, 2016, at 1:02 PM, Pamela Alley rnrq@att.net [californiadisasters] <californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Didn't know you could douse hot springs... ;)

That said...thanks for posting it. Very sad. :(

PA

From: "Kim Noyes kimnoyes@gmail.com [californiadisasters]" <californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com>
To: CaliforniaDisasters <californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2016 11:22 AM
Subject: [californiadisasters] FIREFIGHTER DIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY-TRAUMA (The Secret List)

INMATE FIREFIGHTER DIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY-TRAUMA AT FIRE SCENE

The Secret List www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

We regret to pass on that the 22-year-old Southern California inmate Firefighter who was critically injured yesterday has now died in the Line of Duty after being struck by that falling boulder while working the brush fire in Malibu.

Firefighter Shawna Lynn Jones was part of a hand crew working in a steep ravine on Thursday when the boulder rolled down a hill.

The young Firefighter sustained major head injuries and was airlifted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center where she was listed in critical condition. She was later taken off life support and her organs were donated, keeping with her family's wishes.

Jones was a Los Angeles County inmate and joined the firefighting program in August 2015.

She was assigned to the Malibu Camp, which is jointly operated with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and is one of three that houses a total of 195 female firefighters.

Jones was the third inmate firefighter to die on the fire line since the program started in 1943, according to the department, which added that female inmates were incorporated in 1983.

About 3,500 inmate firefighters work to cut containment lines, stop the spread of wildfires and douse hot springs during cleanup. The inmates are housed at the department's 44 conservation camps, which are in partnership with Cal Fire. Five are jointly managed with the L.A. County Fire Department.

The Mulholland Fire, burned 10 acres and was fully contained by last night. Our condolences to all those affected. RIP

Take Care. Be Careful. Pass It On.

BillyG

The Secret List 2-26-2016-1300 hours

www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

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VOLCANO MADNESS

Monday, February 29, 2016

[californiadisasters] LAPD Sgt. Slade in "Earthquake" Dies at 91

George Kennedy, Oscar Winner for 'Cool Hand Luke,' Dies at 91

The burly actor played bad guys in such films as 'Charade' and 'Thunderbolt & Lightfoot' before memorably playing against type in the 'Naked Gun' movies.

[californiadisasters] On This Date In California Weather History (February 29)

Sunday, February 28, 2016

[californiadisasters] Earthquake Retrofit Law Adds New Costs For Struggling Tenants

Earthquake Retrofit Law Adds New Costs For Struggling Tenants

The Big Earthquake Safety Problem

The Latest Solutions

More Tenant Problems To Come?

[Geology2] Tungurahua Volcano Erupts In Ecuador

[californiadisasters] On This Date In California Weather History (February 28)

[californiadisasters] Emergency Manager's Weekly Report 2-26-16 [2 Attachments]

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Re: [californiadisasters] FIREFIGHTER DIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY-TRAUMA (The Secret List)

Re: [californiadisasters] FIREFIGHTER DIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY-TRAUMA (The Secret List)

Re: [Geology2] Check Out This Tiny New Island Born of a Volcano

Check Out This Tiny New Island Born of a Volcano

[Geology2] Check Out This Tiny New Island Born of a Volcano

Check Out This Tiny New Island Born of a Volcano

Re: [californiadisasters] FIREFIGHTER DIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY-TRAUMA (The Secret List)

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