As we've said before in this space, sometimes everything you need to know about the city of Los Angeles is neatly summed up in one nice package.
Take, for example, last Wednesday. Only three hours into the City Council's meeting, members took a stand against the issue of don't ask, don't tell.
This was notable for two reasons.
The first is that don't ask, don't tell -- although perhaps a deplorable, discriminatory policy in our nation's military -- was last big news in 1993.
The second is that the city of Los Angeles does not have a military. Keen readers may note that Los Angeles does, however, have plenty of murders, homeless, traffic jams and people who do not live near a nice park.
Nonetheless, Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who is gay, wanted the council to resolve it was against don't ask, don't tell.
The council upped the stakes Friday when it passed a symbolic resolution against use of the "N" word for hostile purposes.
So, it was quite a week of accomplishments. In other news . . .
What is the big flap over murals along the Arroyo Seco about?
The fine line between murals and graffiti.
Several weeks ago, Friends of the Los Angeles River organized an event to allow artists to paint murals along the concrete walls of the Arroyo Seco, near where it empties into the L.A. River in downtown.
The idea was to give those who like to paint or tag a legal outlet. Well-known artist Man One also was also involved.
That was well and good, until county Supervisor Gloria Molina caught wind of the event after the fact and hit the roof. She didn't like the content of some of the murals -- one showed a topless woman -- and worried that the murals would attract graffiti.
"We've always looked to them as partners in beautifying and greening the river, but with friends like this, who needs enemies," Molina said Friday of the group's mural project. "I think they have really violated their own mission."
The dispute got juicier when some of the murals mysteriously were painted over. The group had obtained permits ahead of time and wanted to know if the county was responsible for the over-painting, but the county said no.
"Why not paint some place like that? -- a completely degraded area where no one is living," said Lewis MacAdams, a founder of the group. "I think we opened doors to whole new communities who had never been around the Los Angeles River."
