Going Bananas

College students enjoy a healthy snack just as much as anyone else. If they feel the urge at CSUN, a single apple or banana at the Marketplace or other campus retailers will cost them $1.00. This compares to $1.00 for two bananas at a nearby 7-Eleven store, and an amazing five bananas for a dollar at Trader Joe's. The most expensive banana I could find off-campus was 69 cents at a local grocery store.

I don't know why students are being overcharged so egregiously for fruit. Perhaps it is the same captive-audience mentality that drives up the prices of snacks at airports and movie theaters. Perhaps, in the face of budget cuts, limited classes, staff layoffs, poor maintenance, and the huge salaries of CSU presidents, it was determined that frequent tuition increases simply aren't enough to keep things running. If only half of CSUN's approximately 35,000 students could be persuaded to pay an extra 50 cents for a snack just twice a week, that would amount to an extra $17,500 per week to The University Corporation, whose website informs us (somewhat ungrammatically) that, "Surplus generated through its commercial endeavors are transferred to the University for discretionary use."

Food for thought.

How Los Angeles City Hall Spends Your Money

While thousands of potholes remain unfilled and many streets are so cracked and buckled as to be undrivable, city officials have decided it's a good idea to contribute a million dollars of public money to a parade honoring a for-profit company that can afford to pay up to $21 million a year to its top employees. The parade, scheduled for Wednesday, is intended to celebrate the Lakers' recent NBA championship. The million in question is about half the estimated cost of the event. The other half is to be paid for by the Lakers.

A million may not seem like much in light of the city's near-billion dollar deficit. But the city needs to follow the same advice that is handed out to individuals who find themselves deep in debt and unable to pay their bills. Stop spending money on things you don't need.

Of course, many residents are basketball fans and were pleased by the team's success. But few want to pay for a party they can't attend just to showcase millionaire athletes whose organization could -- and should -- pick up the entire check.

The nasty riot that followed Sunday's game resulted in injuries, vandalism, and looting. No matter who funds this event, is it really wise to invite yet more unruly crowds to another performance? The only positive element for Valley residents is that it will take place downtown instead of here.

Beware the Traffic Cam Trap

On a recent weekend, we took a drive out to "Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park". This park, at the south end of Reseda Blvd., has some great views of the valley, and offers paths and trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. It wasn't nearly as crowded as I would have expected on a Saturday with such pleasant weather, so we easily found a parking spot in the free zone. As it happened, I had forgotten to wear appropriate footwear, so we stuck to the easy paths and didn't stay long.

Imagine my husband's surprise a few days later when he received a traffic ticket in the mail. The notice claimed that we had failed to comply with a stop sign at the park. Normally we respect traffic regulations, and we couldn't even remember seeing a stop sign there, so this seemed very strange. But, sure enough, the videotape (conveniently available online) showed us rolling right through.

The stop sign in question is located several yards from the entrance to the park, at a point where there is no cross traffic, no pedestrian crossing, no gate, and no information booth or ranger station. I suspect that many people, like us, never even notice it, because they are focusing on the park entrance ahead of them (which would be a much more logical place to stop). This sign seems to have no real function other than to generate a little income (at $100 a pop) for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

This is a cautionary tale. Always keep an eye open for odd traffic signs in the parks, and always assume that Big Brother is watching.