If they’ve said it once, they’ve said it a thousand times: don’t be a victim. But it seems no matter how many times people are reminded not to leave their valuables in plain sight, the message goes in one ear and out the other. It’s the best DIY in crime prevention – protect your stuff and it won’t get stolen.

Here’s an update from the folks on the front line:

By Chauncey Telese

Hello again, and I don’t know about you but I’m totally ready to live out Bruno Mars’s “Lazy Song” and enjoy the weekend. It’s been a busy school week and unlike those high school kids who got to graduate before the holiday (which is just ridiculous because the last day of school was always the same day as Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and by the way complaining about it just made feel old).

At the heart of the city’s Cross Valley Connector, there’s a little oasis for reflection.

Thursday morning, in a pocket park created in a week’s time by the city’s landscapers on the corner of Valley Center Drive and Golden Valley Road, members of veterans’ groups, elected officials, city staff and Gold Star families gathered to dedicate Fallen Warriors Memorial Bridge over the Santa Clara River.

By Wendy Langans

I was driving in the mountains in the Angeles National Forest the other day, when a patch of red caught my eye.  So I found a safe spot and pulled over to take a look.  There, about 10-15 feet up the steep rock wall, were several patches of Canyon Liveforever (Dudleya cymosa) that had managed to establish themselves among the rock’s nooks and crannies.