Anna's Soapbox

Of course southern California has seasons. Fire season, flood season, earthquake season... The days are shorter now but here they're also hotter, drier, and smoggier. It'll top 100 degrees tomorrow across much of the southland, just like yesterday, just like today. September in soCal sucks. That's the weather -- back to you, Marv.

Thanks, Jeff. Tonight's top story: FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! You can see the flames leaping into the sky -- it's visible from all over the LA Basin, even from downtown LA! (cut to endless video of hills in flames and random person-on-the-street interviews and more endless video of FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!) Five thousand acres burning and no end in sight! (more video - fire makes for great news footage)

In other news, California governor Gray Davis today signed a bill mandating paid leave for employees after the birth or adoption of a child, or to care for sick relatives. This makes California the first U.S. state to enact such a measure. The six paid weeks of leave are scant compared to the months- or even year-long family leave options in places like Sweden or Denmark, but it's a (really, really small) step.

Some people aren't happy about this bill, but not because it's not enough... from the "did you really say that out loud" department, as reported in today's LA Times: "Paid family leave is one of the worst bills for employers in the 2001-02 legislative session," said [Julianne Broyles, a lobbyist for the California Chamber of Commerce]. "This bill fails miserably to address the real cost concerns of employers -- the costs of replacement workers and additional overtime to cover for absent workers, training costs and loss of productivity." Yeah, drag that new mama back to work right away -- give her one week, that's plenty. She'll give you lots of happy productivity on thirty-seven minutes of sleep, with raging post-partum hormones (I can say this; I've been there), and having to leave her brand new baby in someone else's arms. Six weeks -- bah! Buncha wussy liberal wimps.

Others have a different perspective on the issues and priorities involved -- also from the LA Times article: "We as a nation love to talk about ourselves as a family-friendly nation, but when it comes to having the policies in place to live up to that we often fall short," said Judith Lichtman, president of the National Partnership for Women and Children, a Washington-based advocacy group involved in the nationwide battle over paid family leave.

Yup. You got that right, mama.

Thanks for that incisive commentary, Anne. Now for today's travel report, brought to you by No-Doz: Antonio just called from "somewhere about two hours west of Grand Junction," Colorado. "We stopped for a Moosehead and a shot of whiskey, and we're about to go get some sleep." Okay, hon, glad you added that last part. Lessee, looking at the map, assuming they're on I-70, I'm gonna guess they're in Green River, Utah. Which is, yes, on the Green River (which really is green in some spots), and is also just west of beautiful Arches National Park. The next town out -- 102 miles out -- is Salina, and the map has a notation, "No gasoline available between Salina and Green River." Ah, the remote, heavenly West... So I'm guessing he and his dad will show up here sometime tomorrow night. Two months to the day after Antonio left. Half a lifetime for little Lazarus. (No, no pictures today -- the heat and smog have made me CRANKY.)

That's it for today -- thanks for watching. (cue more video of FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!)