Ron's Log

May 21, 2022

Mountain Lion M317

The track of a young male mountain lion since he was collared in March 2022.
Mountain lion track

News story here. He has managed to traverse the 5, 241 and 91 freeways! The news article says there are no female mountain lions in the area, as if humans have 100% perfect knowledge of the location of all mountain lions. I think what they mean to say is that we don't know of any female lions in the area, but the article suggests there are other males in the area. One wonders how and why there are so many male lions in the area if there isn't even one female?

Filed under California,Science | May 21, 2022 at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2022

That Was A Nice Slam!

Heard it coming. Felt it coming. And then it came. Most distinctive slam of an earthquake that I've ever felt. It didn't sound like I had any damage. It was small, but sharp. I'll get you the numbers as they become available.

It was in Long Canyon, within walking distance (a long walk). 4.27 miles (6.87 km) from me, measured on a direct line according to Google. Some boulders have moved.

USGS info. Currently estimated at 3.8. Noticeable.

Filed under California,Coachella Valley,Desert Hot Springs,Science | May 15, 2022 at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2022

County Health Inspectors Busy In Coachella Valley

From the Press-Enterprise:

Pho Na 92, 14220 Palm Drive, Desert Hot Springs

Closed: May 11
Grade: 75/C, failing
Reason: Cockroach infestation. The inspector saw live and dead roaches throughout the kitchen, as well as egg casings on the dishwashing sink and roach droppings under the food-prep table. There was also a dead roach in the sanitizer compartment of the dishwashing sink, which was filled with dirty water and food equipment. Among the 13 other violations, an employee didn’t wash hands after handling raw shrimp and eggs, raw eggs from an unapproved source were left at room temperature, and the facility needed cleaning, including a cooler that had food debris and a mold-like substance inside.

Santorini Greek Cafe, 68375 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City

Closed: May 10
Grade: Not graded (most recent was 90/A on April 4)
Reason: Cockroach infestation. During the April 4 inspection, there were two roaches crawling on a wall and some roach casings in a storage area. During this week’s follow-up, the inspector saw a live nymph cockroach and several dead ones on the walls, and also noted some holes in the walls as well as food debris and standing water that could be attracting pests.

Bill’s Pizza, 119 S. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

Closed: May 5
Grade: Not graded
Reason: Overflowing sewage. An inspector responding to a complaint found an active sewage overflow from the facility’s shared restroom. The restaurant had already self-closed and a plumber was on site.
Reopened: May 6

Jalisco Market & Deli, 17725 N. Indian Canyon Drive, North Palm Springs

Closed: May 3
Grade: Not graded
Reason: Operating without a valid health permit. A health department spokesperson said it was long-expired.

The Del Taco at 14290 Palm Drive in Desert Hot Springs was inspected May 12 and received a failing grade of 77/C with two critical violations. An employee used a lid that had just been rinsed but not washed or sanitized. Also, there was an issue with food not being hot enough. Among the 11 other violations, there were flies throughout the facility, an employee didn’t wash hands, employees didn’t know proper cooking temperatures and multiple surfaces needed cleaning.

The Denny’s at 82120 Highway 111 in Indio was inspected May 11 in response to a foodborne illness complaint. It received a failing grade of 83/B with 14 violations. Among them, some food was at unsafe temperatures, including items in a prep cooler that was impounded for not keeping cold; the men’s restroom soap dispenser wasn’t working; and surfaces and floors throughout the kitchen needed cleaning.

Tacos Los Olivarez, a food truck based at 83711 Peach St. in Indio, was inspected May 5 while it was at a “Concerts in the Park” event at the Palm Desert Civic Center. It received a failing grade of 84/B with one critical violation. The truck’s hot and cold water weren’t operational. Staff chose to self-close and leave the event, so this was not counted as an official health department closure, a spokesperson said. Among the seven other violations, food was not being kept at safe temperatures and there were numerous flies in the vehicle and in the open flip-top salsa unit, which didn’t have a screen on it and was available for customer self-service, which is not permitted.

Filed under Food and Drink,Health | May 14, 2022 at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2022

Real Livestock Return To L.A. County Fair

I've thought that the absence of genuine, California farm livestock at the L.A. County Fair to be a form of surreal entertainment. The fair does have livestock of all the usual kinds, but they've been hired actors. Now, the Press-Enterprise reports that the fair is bringing back real livestock with actual competitions. They even want to bring back the 4-H and FFA. The article says the fair has gone 15 years without genuine livestock, but it says nothing about how that came about. Did somebody forget to invite the cows and pigs one year?

Filed under California | May 13, 2022 at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)