Category Archives: Environment

Holiday Gift Suggestion – ‘California Against the Sea’

Posted on December 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

California Against the Sea: Visions for our Vanishing Coastline, by my former Los Angeles Times colleague Rosanna Xia, has won a number of awards since it was published in 2023, and would make an excellent gift for anyone seeking to … Continue reading →

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November 25, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on November 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 25, 1959: The health department says the Fern Dell water hole, fed by a mountain spring, is unsafe to use because of pollution, Matt Weinstock says. Continue reading →

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October 12, 1907: Contractor Leaves Dead Dogs in Street to Break Contract; A Foul Wind From Fertilizer Plant Blows Over Boyle Heights

Posted on October 12, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 12, 1907: After repeated complaints to police because half a dozen dead dogs had laid in the streets for two weeks, the health department tried to charge C.T. Hanson, who held the contract for removing carcasses. But according to the city attorney, Hanson was only guilty of not abiding by his contract and nothing more. Continue reading →

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October 8, 1907: Sewage-Eating Fish Spread Disease at Local Markets, Health Officials Say

Posted on October 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. October 8, 1907Los AngelesHealth officials and a deputy district attorney have joined to urge the Board of Supervisors to ban fishing within a half-mile of the city’s Hyperion line that pours sewage … Continue reading →

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September 27, 1957: Matt Weinstock

Posted on September 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 27, 1959: Matt Weinstock writes an ode to the single-chamber incinerator, which have been banned. Continue reading →

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September 5, 1947: L.A. Turns 166, Becomes Third-Largest City in America

Posted on September 5, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 5, 1947: As Los Angeles celebrates its birthday, Mayor Fletcher Bowron says it’s now the third-largest city in the U.S., passing Detroit. Continue reading →

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Oct. 12, 1907: Contractor Leaves Dead Dogs in Street to Break Contract; A Foul Wind From Fertilizer Plant Blows Over Boyle Heights

Posted on October 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 12, 1907 Los Angeles After repeated complaints to police because half a dozen dead dogs had laid in the streets for two weeks, the health department tried to charge C.T. Hanson, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, City Hall, Environment | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Oct. 8, 1907: Sewage-Eating Fish Spread Disease at Local Markets, Health Officials Say

Posted on October 8, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 8, 1907 Los Angeles Health officials and a deputy district attorney have joined to urge the Board of Supervisors to ban fishing within a half-mile of the city’s Hyperion line that … Continue reading →

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Sept. 5, 1947: L.A. Turns 166, Becomes Third-Largest City in America

Posted on September 5, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Los Angeles mounted a festive reenactment of its founding, with people taking the roles of padres, soldiers and settlers. On the gaily decorated steps of City … Continue reading →

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July 18, 1907: Santa Monica, Ocean Park Must Abate Sewage Discharge Into Ocean

Posted on July 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 18, 1907 Santa Monica Officials of Santa Monica and Ocean Park are fighting a lawsuit that seeks to block the discharge of raw sewage into the ocean. According to testimony, the … Continue reading →

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June 13, 1947: California Takes First Steps to Reduce Smog

Posted on June 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

A sample card from the Ringelmann Smoke Chart. Note: This is an encore post and originally appeared in 2005 on the 1947project. Shall we talk about noir? Let’s start with the skies over Los Angeles, which are so dirty that … Continue reading →

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Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on January 9, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: This 1929 Cadillac hearse, exported to Argentina,  is listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $35,000. Queen of the Dead – dateline January 9, 2012 •  Illustrators are right up there with starlets and socialites on the “people … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Environment, Eve Golden, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Queen of the Dead | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Removal of Streetcar Tracks Leaves Ugly Mess in Redondo Beach

Posted on January 5, 2012 by lmharnisch

Jan. 5, 1942: Nazi patrols plow through students protesting in Paris’ Latin Quarter, “firing a warning burst from machine guns over the heads of the crowd” and then proceeding to “clean up the situation,” The New York Times reports. “A … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Environment, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Streetcars, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Removal of Streetcar Tracks Leaves Ugly Mess in Redondo Beach

Immigrants Overwhelm San Diego!

Posted on June 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

San Diego has everything a family might want: A moderate climate and jobs in the expanding defense industries. But there’s no place to live.  Rep. John H. Tolan (D-Oakland) is holding hearings in San Diego on the plight of migrants … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Environment, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Immigration, LAPD, San Diego, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Oct. 28, 1941

Posted on October 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

        Oct. 28, 1941: Did no one note the passing of the widow of once-famous star Harold Lockwood? She'd been working as a studio wardrobe woman, Jimmie Fidler says.

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City Hall Is a Firetrap

Posted on April 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

  The 1889 City Hall on Broadway just north of what is now the Victor Clothing Building. Notice that there are no fire escapes. April 9, 1910: A fire that broke out in the janitor’s basement office could have quickly … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 7, 1960

Posted on April 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

S. Smith Griswold's Finest Hour at Hand     The man's name:  S. (for Sam) Smith Griswold.     He's 51 years old, married, father of two, and — by his own admission — a descendant of Aaron Burr.     This last … Continue reading →

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Vernon Hog Farmer Accused of Ignoring L.A. Garbage Laws

Posted on April 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 7, 1910: A century ago, hogs were fed garbage, and if you had a lot of hogs, you needed lots of garbage. What better way to get it than what was discarded from Los Angeles restaurants?  P.J. Durbin, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Environment, Food and Drink | 1 Comment

Oil!

Posted on March 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 22, 1910: Oil executive A.B. Cohn says "… the Lakeview gusher can be seen sprouting oil like a miniature volcano for 20 miles across the desert country and it is impossible to approach within a reasonable distance of … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, March 5, 1960

Posted on March 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

Leonard Warren, 1911-1960 Telephone Girls Belie Propaganda       I'm a client, reasonably well paid up, of Pacific Telephone Co.  And I'd like to assure you that my complaint is nothing personal.       In fact, over the years, I've … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #opera, classical music, Columnists, Environment, Homicide, Obituaries, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, March 5, 1960