Disney Princess Poison

Is this really a novel topic for a column? If so, I'd be happy to enlighten the Times readers about the unrealistic expectations placed on young women by magazine models and advertising. At $5 a word.

It's Hiram's fault, tell him to stuff it

LAT columnist George Skelton rightly calls out Senate Dems for their politically stinky recall effort against Reep Senator Jeff Denham. It does seem a bit pot/kettle when the FBI investigated Speaker Pro Tem goes after someone over a vote. Mmmm, tasty!

Hiram Johnson would turn over in his coffin. The reform governor, about a century ago, gave Californians the initiative, referendum and recall. All were tools of democracy designed to provide ordinary citizens with the ability to fight Sacramento and special interests. The recall specifically was aimed at defrocking scalawags.

But the concept of direct democracy by aggrieved citizens -- if it ever was practiced -- has deteriorated into an instrument used by special interests to con voters into doing their bidding when elected representatives won't. The recall has evolved into a bludgeon to bully or bump off an elected official whose public policy actions another politician or faction doesn't like.

Too bad we can't recall Hiram Johnson.

Yeah, no kidding. What a mockery.

Nunez strips members of committee assignments and plum offices. That kind of behavior, though childish to someone, is all in fair play. Perata's way of doing business . . . let's just say, given the opportunity I'd recall him in a heartbeat.

Mexico pledges help to expelled Mexicans

This is one of those happy-yet-sad stories: the Mexican government is offering more help to Mexicans deported from the US, including full bus fare back to their hometowns, rather than the half they paid previously.

My isolationist self says, good, get-gone, law breakers, while my knee-jerking liberalness says "no, wait, help them come back, even our weak economy is stronger than their home economy." But no, the best response is in the middle and probably towards sending them home. But it's certainly a positive step from Mexico to have a better infrastructure in place to receive people going through a pretty (literally and figuratively) unsettling process.

Bike Around Town

Long Beach also started the City Bike Share program. It will provide 16 bikes for city employees to use in and around downtown.

Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga said the program also is "great for the bottom line" - financially and literally. It will allow city workers to save money on gas and get more exercise, she said.

"We're going to have some beautifully trim people at City Hall," Uranga said.

The city employees who signed up also recieved a free helmet. Sweet.

Bye-Bye Sex Offenders

Long Beach passes new laws about where sex offenders can't live. Namely, anywhere.

But, yeah, they still don't know how they can enforce that.

The Political Cycle

Nunez aide, Ricardo Lara, drops out of AD 46 race, where Mayor Villaraigosa's cousin or relative or something is running and, instead, Lara ends up appointed to the Planning Commission, courtesy of the Mayor.

Isn't it wonderful how everything works out for everybody? Oh, not for you. Too bad.

The village of Alhambra

The Times has an interesting profile of Hillary's mother and her SoCal upbrining. Doesn't sound like it was easy.

Today a low-profile, mostly Asian and Latino suburb of more than 87,000 people, Alhambra, along with nearby San Gabriel, provided a home -- though not always a happy one -- for Dorothy Howell from the ages of 8 to 18. The stories she would tell her daughter about those difficult times in Depression-era Los Angeles County would help inspire Clinton's interest in public service.

"Learning about my mother's childhood sparked my strong conviction that every child deserves a chance to live up to her God-given potential and that we should never quit on any child," Clinton wrote in the 2006 edition of her book "It Takes a Village."

Cynics will point to Hillary mining her mother for more political storylines perfect for these sorts of stories, but I think, and maybe I've had too much Easter candy to think clearly, that we all have stories that sound American. Because we are, aren't we. We all have our character building crap that, if told well, can inspire others and if not told at all, inspires only us. Or should. Because the alternative is defeat.