Everybody at the post-Christmas sales today? Yeah, you and nobody else. Here are a few links to give to you and yours.
• This is really a terrible tragedy in Covina, where a man dressed in a Santa outfit opened fire on a Christmas party at his ex-wife’s family’s house, eventually pouring lighter fluid on it and burning it down. Nine bodies have so far been recovered at the site, and the assailant, who had $17,000 and a plane ticket to Canada on him, instead drove to his brother’s house in Sylmar and took his own life. Stunning and horrible.
• On a markedly more hopeful note, here’s an LA Daily News story (which made the front page) about state Obama 2.0 organizers who joined together to engage in community service projects throughout the past week. If nothing else, Obama has inspired a generation of activists who will pay deeper attention to their local communities, and I think it’s just the beginning. A national Day of service is planned for January 19, the day before the inauguration.
• Another in a series of less-than-meets-the-eye reports about the California housing market shows home sales way up but the median price way down. Close to half of the sales were on foreclosed properties, accounting for the price decrease. This also makes it extremely difficult to sell a non-distressed home, because the competition on price is so great.
• The latest apportionment study by Election Data Services projects that California may not lose a Congressional seat as previously feared. The state has seen an increase in growth relative to the other states lately. I would add that growth by region is probably different than projected models, given the shock to the housing markets. Most of the areas growing the fastest in the state, like the Central Valley and the Inland Empire, are among the worst housing spots in the nation, and their populations relative to the coasts may suffer as a result.
• High-speed rail officials are optimistic about their chances to secure federal funding to finish the projected cost of voter-approved Prop. 1A.