The Capistrano Insider

I Hope You Looked Nice Monday if You Were on the Streets of Capistrano ...

Spotted this Googlecar on Ortega Highway, as it was leaving town. These are the vehicles used to shoot 360-degree photos for the street view function on Google Maps.

There's been some privacy complaints over the years, because these cameras (now in HD) capture everything. Here's a website of goofy google pics.

From wikipedia:

On each of these vehicles there are nine directional cameras for 360° views at a height of about 8.2 feet, or 2.5 meters, GPS units for positioning and three laser range scanners for the measuring of up to 50 meters 180° in the front of the vehicle. There are also 3G/GSM/Wi-Fi antennas for scanning 3G/GSM and Wi-Fi hotspots.[3] Recently, 'high quality' images are based on open source hardware cameras from Elphel.

 And if you're wondering, Google has cameras on a tricycle to reach places cars can't, and has even used snowmobiles ...

Friday's Library Film: "Waiting for Superman"

For those of you not aquainted with SJC Librarian Teri Garza, let's just say she'll challenge your idea of librarians. Here's an email she blasted out -- I'm posting here because the 2010 Waiting for Superman, of course, took a look at the public education system by following several students.

The Capistrano Library is across from the Mission, and I'd recommend the movie showing to anyone interested in education. A good evening out.

Here's Garza's announcement: 

Friday, June 3 at 7 pm   "Waiting for Superman", 2010  Documentary film which analyzes the failures of the American public education system.  Winner of the Audience Award for best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.      http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1566648/  Rated PG - 102 mins.    $2 donation or free to Friends of the Library and SJC Rotarians (you know who you are). 

This film program is made possible by the generous donation of the San Juan Capistrano Rotary Club!

Greetings Film Fans,
   I'd planned to send this out yesterday, May 31 but I got waylaid and now it's June 1.  That's OK because I'm sitting here in my office and The Talk show on CBS just came on and one of their guests is the director of this Friday's film.   If you've not heard of it, go up and click the link from the Internet Movie Database and you can decide if it's worth 102 mins. of your valuable time.  The filmmaker who brought us Al Gore in "An Inconvenient Truth", decided to shine a light on the public education system as he observed it .  The idea came to him as he'd be driving his own kids across town to their private schools.   It's just out on DVD and there is quite a number of requests of people wanting to see this film.  For a mere $2., (or for free if you're up to date in your Friends membership), you can avoid that wait while munching on freshly popped popcorn.  As usual, show starts at 7 pm in the La Sala Auditorium, right next to the library. 

    The kids film, which we'll be showing Saturday morning at 11 am is "Gnomeo & Juliet", an animated film with a soundtrack by Sir Elton John.  Based on William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, it will be my way of getting in the mood for my upcoming review of Capistrano Shakespeare Festival by the Camino Real Theater.   Watch for those upcoming critiques!  The Saturday  film is free since you get to share the experience with a room full of noisy kids!

    I'd love to go into all the details of the "Night of the Arts", my first and last library gala but I might incriminate myself.  Suffice to say if you were here, you had a great time while also helping the Friends of the Library support the San Juan Library to be able to provide the best library service for all those who venture through our world renown walls to educate their minds, enrich their lives, or just check their Facebook. 

    I'd also love to share my latest endeavors to curb my shopping addiction.  You know you can't get one of my emails without a little "Shop Talk" thrown in.   I was doing so good  because I was working more than usual in getting ready for the gala and attending the various community events that I felt were important to participate in.  They included the Equestrian Coalition's Kentucky Derby event at the Regency Theater, Independence Bank's Grand Opening/Mixer, the musical Sweet Charity at the Camino Real Theater, the Battle of the Mariachi's at the Mission, and Restaurant Week which I thoroughly enjoyed as documented by a write up in the San Juan Capistrano Patch!   I really think I could have made it through the month of May if it hadn't been for the Memorial Day Sale at Sears.  They know my weakness which requires at least an additional 30 % off what is already clearance.   As an experienced "buyologist", I know that there's always a chance that  marked down items might scan less than the tagged price.  Suffice to say, I added 13 new stylish bags to my accessory room, average cost, $8.  So, know that all my friends and female relatives will be getting purses for their birthday/Christmas gift. 

    Just remembered one more bit of information to relate.  We've got a Multicultural Art Series concert coming up June 11.  It's been a few months since our last one and so this will be the first one in the courtyard for 2011.  It will feature Greely Savoy Duo, who are Cajun fiddlers, guaranteed to make you tap your toes and whatever else moves when you've enjoying music.  Showtimes are at 6:30 & 8:30 pm and tickets go for $10 adults & $5 for kids under 12. 

    Well, that's all from me.  If you have any questions or need more information, just reply back, visit www.ocpl.org or call 949-248-5132 and if I don't answer the phone, just leave your name and number.   

Teri Garza, Librarian/SJC Rotary Fan/Buyologist/Bag Lady

Capistrano's Cool Librarian Reviews Camino Real Playhouse Feature

Greetings Intellectuals of mostly Orange County whose email addresses you’ve shared with me, 

I’d planned to send this out Saturday afternoon, after having spent the whole day hanging out at the Park as part of San Juan’s 50th celebration. Well, after seven hours of assisting little kids with making thumb print bookmarks, selling some used books, plugging library programs, and just happy that it didn't rain, the mail didn't get sent Saturday. 

So here it is Monday afternoon and I’m back at the library ready to share the latest production of the Camino Real Playhouse, "See How They Run.” http://www.caminorealplayhouse.org/see-how-they-run.php 

The play is an English farce, hence my clever Subject line in the email. Now I didn’t realize that there is a definite recipe for a farce which I’d like to share as stated in Wikipedia. Now I don’t usually like to use that particular website as my main source for reference work but it’s as good as any so here it is. Farce - a comedy which aims to entertain the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humor of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include sexual innuendo and word play and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases, culminating in an ending which often involves an elaborate chase scene. It is also characterized by physical humor, the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense and broadly stylized performances. 

Voila! That is exactly what I had the pleasure of seeing last Thursday night at the Camino Real Theater, after Italian happy hour at the Regency Theater, the finest movie theater in town. There are only nine performers and I was familiar with five of them, who I’ve seen appear in various other productions over the past 12 months. This play is English so most of the cast have lovely English accents and ½ of the cast end up dressed in the same Vicar outfit. You see it all takes place in the Vicarage where Vicar Lionel Toop lives with his former American Actress wife Penelope. Other characters include the mettlesome town busybody Miss Skillon, the young cockney maid Ida, the Bishop/Uncle, the intruder, a visiting Vicar, and local Sergeant. As both the title states, and the farce meaning describes, you, the audience really see them run throughout the 2 acts. In one door out the other, out the window in the window, some in various states of undress or sleeping attire. I will say that Vicar Toop, who I had already been a fan of after seeing him as a Pirate Captain and also El Capitan, is quite the patriot as seen by his Union Jack drawers. And what a completely different character Darrel Hill as Clive, Penelope’s former/acting friend/now Corp. from his great performance as Mickey Gorski last December in “Greetings,” who I know will be nominated for a “CaminOvation Award” this summer. 

“See How they Run” runs the next two weekends, ending with a matinee performance on Easter Sunday. I’ve included the theater’s website at the beginning of this email so you can click on it and see the exact dates, times, and ticket information for when you might be able to make that trek just a stone’s throw out the back door of Swallow’s Inn. Speaking of that lovely establishment, I always enjoy Tom Scott’s welcome where he reminds the audience to turn off the cell phones, covers the safety issues by reminding people that the entrance they came in is also the emergency exits should they need to make a fast exit. And if such an emergency arises, everyone knows to meet up at Swallow’s. The library is just down the street but our proximity to the Basilica makes it our emergency meeting spot. Guess the particular emergency one would be experiencing would deem whether you needed a stiff drink or the closest confessional. 

 And while I’ve got your attention, I’d like to plug a wonderful program the Friends of the library are sponsoring Sat. April 16 from 10 – 12 noon in La Sala Auditorium. It’s a “Morning of Storytelling” with Storytellers Cynthia Callard and Victoria Burnett, who are guaranteed to entertain all ages with their communication skills that mesmerized generations before radio and TV came along. It’s all free and part of the year long celebration commemorating the 50th Anniversary of San Juan Capistrano as a city. 

Well, thanks for reading if you got this far. I want to give a shout out to Jonathan & Steve for the wounds they received in helping me break down my booth Saturday and getting all the stuff back in my car. I owe you both and you know how I’ll probably repay you next time you’re at a program of mine. And if you go to the play and some of you better, mention my name. It won’t get you a better seat but it will let Tom & Beverly know that I’m earning my seat. 

Ciao & Cheerio!

Teri Garza, Librarian/Theater Critic/Park Partier

 

Political Correctness Taking Over Fiesta?

The all volunteer Fiesta Association, the group that puts on the annual Swallows Day Parade in San Juan Capistrano, is debating whether the term "Smooth Puss" can still be used as a reference to a man with a cleanly shaven face, or whether the term is too close to slang for a woman's private parts.

The group uses "Smooth Puss" in a beard-growing contest, but might drop it this year.

See more at www.thecapistranodispatch.com

And the parade, by the way, is on March 26 this year.

State Controller Jumps into Redevelopment Battle

From the Los Angeles Times:

Turning up the heat on cities and counties in California, state Controller John Chiang announced Monday that his office will scour the books of 18 redevelopment agencies across the state to make sure dollars are being spent as the law intends.

Chiang will deploy staff to the selected agencies over the next few weeks, spokesman Garin Casaleggio said, with a goal of having a report in hand by early March. "It will be swift,'' he said.

The agencies to be reviewed include those in Los Angeles, Fresno, San Jose and the counties of Sacramento and Riverside. They also include smaller cities such as Placentia in Orange County and the border city of Calexico.

Chiang's move comes as municipal governments are pushing back against Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to do away with redevelopment agencies, a move he said will save the state as much as $1.7 billion. In the weeks since the governor made his pitch, cities have hastily earmarked redevelopment funds for future projects, seemingly putting the dollars out of the governor's reach.

Redevelopment agencies take property tax dollars that normally would fund schools and other programs to pay for development projects in blighted areas. Cities say they are critical to breathing new life into aging business centers. Critics, though, see the funds as a giveway to developers.

***

Capistrano's not on the audit list, but Placentia is.
Capistrano officials, who have used redevelopment to lure car dealers to town and are counting on it to help with a downtown revitalization, have discussed how to battle the governor's proposal.

 Here's the full story.

Here's the controller's news release:

SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang today announced his auditors were beginning reviews of 18 redevelopment agencies (RDA) across the state in an effort to obtain facts on how RDA funds are used and the extent to which they comply with laws governing their activities.

“The heated debate over whether RDAs are the engines of local economic and job growth or are simply scams providing windfalls to political cronies at the expense of public services has largely been based on anecdotal evidence,” Chiang said. “As lawmakers deliberate the Governor’s proposal to close RDAs and divert those funds to local schools and public safety agencies, I believe it is important to provide factual, empirical information about how these agencies perform and what they bring to the communities they serve.”

The 18 RDAs selected for the reviews represent urban, suburban and rural communities. They are geographically diverse and represent a mix of varying populations. The reviews will look at, among other things, how the RDAs define a “blighted” area, whether they are appropriately paying for low- and moderate-income housing as required by law, whether they are accurately “passing through” payments to schools within their community, and how much RDA officials, board members and employees are being compensated for their services.

To assist lawmakers in their budget debates, the reviews will be completed in early March. The chosen RDAs are as follows:

• Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose (Santa Clara County)
• Redevelopment Agency for the County of Riverside
• Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (Los Angeles County)
• Richmond Redevelopment Agency (Contra Costa County)
• Redevelopment Agency of the County of Sacramento
• Redevelopment Agency of the City of Pittsburg (Contra Costa County)
• Redevelopment Agency of the City of Fremont (Alameda County)
• Pasadena Community Development Commission (Los Angeles County)
• Redevelopment Agency of the City of Fresno (Fresno County)
• City of Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency (Riverside County)
• Placentia Redevelopment Agency (Orange County)
• Parlier Redevelopment Agency (Fresno County)
• Hercules Redevelopment Agency (Contra Costa County)
• Anderson Redevelopment Agency (Shasta County)
• Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Citrus Heights (Sacramento County)
• Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Calexico (Imperial County)
• Community Development Agency of the City of Coronado (San Diego County)
• City of Desert Hot Springs Redevelopment Agency (Riverside County)