GF/V Review: Sun Cafe is my new hot spot

Heading back east for law school poses a huge problem: letting go of my summer addiction, Sun Cafe (also known as Sun Power Natural Cafe, located at 3711 Cahuenga Blvd, Studio City).

I've tried a few things on the menu, but I believe I have my order down to an art. Bring a friend and split a raw Supreme Pizza and a half size of the raw Kale Colossus (the half size is huge). If you only have time for a drive-by, order the Sweet Kale shake (kale, cashew, banana, agave) with a shot of spirulina and 1/2 the usual amount of agave (unless you want it really sweet). You can also sub dates instead of agave as the sweetener.

Let me start with the pizza. Such perfection is hard to come by in a pizza, let alone a raw, gluten-free, vegan pizza. The glory of the Supreme Pizza is that you don'teven have to be a raw foodie to enjoy it. If it's so good, you may wonder why I recommend splitting: because the crust is made out of seeds (and maybe some nuts) and the raw cheese is also made from some kind of nut or seed...and all that seed/nut action leaves you feeling a little

queesy after stuffing your face with the entire thing.

This is why you must also get the Kale Colossus, which is the most amazing kale salad--in fact, the most amazing salad--I have ever had. Don't be deterred by the banana; I also thought that combo seemed odd. Turns out, it's also taste bud perfection. The dressing is a sort of raw, vegan twist on ranch with some sort of cashew cheesy sauce.

As for the dessert, I tried the raw chocolate cheesecake. It was good, but I'll never order it again because a) it wasn't that good, and b) the raw cheesecake is also nutty and how many nuts can I person eat without feeling sick?

I'm also super happy to know that Sun Cafe is only two years old, but still making it in the valley during a rough economy. In my experience, everyone who works there is super friendly and I love the environment. Definitely check it out!

See the menu.

GF/V REVIEW: Planet Raw is OUT OF THIS WORLD

Last night, GFVFBF and I headed down to Santa Monica to check out Planet Raw--a casual joint that boasts a menu of exclusively raw, gluten-free, and vegan food (except certain items contain honey). In short, my mind was blown. GFVFBF agrees.

Some background. The raw food movement is a dietary belief that uncooked food is healthiest (although food can be heated to 104-118 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the raw foodie you ask).

Appetizer. To start with we had spring rolls sans avocado (I'm allergic). Honestly, it was INCREDIBLE. The sauce is something to the tune of blended cashews, lemon, ginger, and garlic. As you can tell by the picture, it's really creamy and tasted so good that GFBFVF and I were eating it plain when we finished the spring rolls. GFBFVF, who generally doesn't like cabbage, loved the shredded cabbage with the spring roll sauce.

Entree #1. GFBFVF had the good sense to order the cheesy

kelp pasta. Again, words can't describe how creamy and amazing the raw cheese was. This dish was so delicious that I have been fantasizing about eating it all day today. This dish contained cauliflower, and, like the cabbage, GFVFBF was all over it even though he normally doesn't like cauliflower.

Entree #2. Despite the perfection of the spring rolls and cheesy kelp pasta, I could not stand the pad thai--for the sole reason that it contained a lot of rosemary. First, I hate rosemary and all things rosemary-flavored with a fiery passion; it sickens me. Second, who in their right mind would think that

pad thai would come with rosemary? Barf. GFVFBF, on the other hand, enjoys rosemary and thought it was a fine dish (although I think he was lying to make me feel less guilty about scarfing down his cheesy kelp pasta...what a lovely partner I have).

Although I LOVE LOVE LOVE Planet Raw and will be a devoted patron for as long as I live, there are a few things that I didn't like. First, it tries to be a restaurant and a raw food quickie mart at the same time in a very small space. I find it rather disjointed and would prefer it to be less casual. Second, GFBFVF and I had an early dinner (around 6), but ingredients had run out for 3 of the dishes we originally wanted (this is how I ended up with the nasty rosemary wannabe pad thai).

Complaints aside, Planet Raw is now on my favorite list and I cannot wait to go back again.

Hugo's vegan mac n cheese is a hit

Thankfully, I have escaped the District of Columbia and have been chowing down on the much-missed vegan delights of Los Angeles. I hit up Hugo's in West Hollywood and and my eyes lit up when I saw vegan mac n cheese as a special. As you may know, I have really struggled to find adequate vegan mac n cheese. The only one I like is sadly frozen and so I try to limit it as much as possible given the law school schedule (Amy's Vegan Rice Macaroni & Cheeze).

Enter Hugo's. First, note that the mac n cheese is a special, and is therefore not a permanent feature of the menu. Second, note that it is not conventional mac n cheese. In fact, I would characterize it as more of a casserole. Not only was it poppin' with mushrooms and peas, the dish came covered in fried onions. yummmmm.

Dreading going back to the District and its lame plant-based foods.

Schwarzenegger makes moves in LGBTQ legislation

Schwarzenegger signed 3 LGBTQ rights bills into law, despite heavy pressure from anti-equality mongers. Equality California sums it up:

• The Harvey Milk Day bill, authored by Senator Mark Leno, will honor the slain civil rights leader with the nation’s first “day of special significance” for an openly LGBT person in the country;
• The Family Protection and Marriage Recognition Act, also authored by Senator Leno, underscores that same-sex couples married out of state are entitled to full recognition in California, and
• The LGBT Domestic Violence Programs Expansion Bill, authored by Assemblymember John A. Pérez, will expand funding for LGBT domestic violence programs in California.
  

protecting our trans communities: CA and the Equal ID Act

Nice work, California:

California State Senate joined the Assembly in passing the Equal ID Act by a 22-14 vote. The bill, AB 1185, sponsored by Equality California (EQCA) and introduced by Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), expands legal protections for transgender people born in California. If signed by the Governor, the new law would allow qualified transgender people born in California to return to the county of their birth and obtain a court order reflecting their correct gender and an accompanying name change, if applicable. The court order is then used to obtain a corrected California birth certificate. full article

California agriculture: dealing with drought

Now that the changing climate (regardless of why it's changing) means more frequent and serious droughts, California agriculture needs to cope.

The Pacific Institute recommends that California use water in smarter ways. Specifically, the use of drip irrigation or micro-irrigation (as opposed to the most commonly used flood irrigation) is the most efficient method to water crops and achieve "maximum crop yield from a unit of water."

How do we switch? Suggestions include:

devoting less land to rice, cotton, alfalfa and other field crops, which now get 80 percent of their water from flooding. They recommend giving more to vegetables, vineyards and orchards, crops for which micro-irrigation is more common.

Check out the full article from DOT EARTH

elephant neglect: a fiscal issue

As if putting a magnificent animal in solitary confinement at the Los Angeles Zoo isn't heartbreaking enough, the tab LA residents pick up for torture is additionally nauseating.

The LA Zoo is dumping $42 million tax dollars a year on an elephant exhibit that is far below standard (meanwhile, millions of dollars are taken away from state parks, with an estimated 50 parks threatened to the point of closure). It also costs an additional $1.1 million yearly to care for 10 elephants.

Free Billy! reports that "At least 13 elephants have died at LA Zoo since 1975. More than half did not live to age 20. Elephants have a natural lifespan of 60-70 years."

Billy is a 23-year-old Asian elephant that is suffering so severely from his confinement that he exhibits the neurotic behaviors of head bobbing and swaying--actions that are not seen in elephants in their natural habitat. You can watch a clip of this below.

Mayor Villaraigosa has expressed his belief that zoos are too small for elephants: "I've said for a long time that I think we need to take the elephants out of our zoos. I believe that."

Tell Mayor Villaraigosa to stand by his word. Remind him that elephants do not belong in zoos and to send Billy to a sanctuary now.

Call (213) 978-0600

WORKERS AHEAD update

After you call your councilmember and report your concern, try the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, as well as the only 2 female members of the Los Angeles City Council.

Los Angeles Department of Transportation (213-580-1177). You can press "0" to speak with an operator and have the opportunity to leave a voice mail.

Councilmember Jan Perry's office (213-473-7009) was extremely friendly and helpful. I strongly recommend that you additionally call this office.

Councilmember Janice Hahn's office (213-473-7015). After being put on hold, I was told that these signs are no longer used. After replying that these signs are up right now, I was told to talk to my own member. Obviously, I have done that, but I felt female councilmembers might care more about this issue.


Read about the Workers Ahead Campaign

San Fran mandates composting

The San Fransisco Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to mandate composting. Residents will now receive three bins: a black bin for trash, a blue bin for recycling, and a green bin for composting. Repeated and extreme violators may be fined.

The main goal in this initiative is to target apartment buildings; only 25% of multi-tenant buildings offer recycling.

Of course, there are objections, with some locals complaining that the role of government is not to be sorting through private trashcans.

While I am all for the government backing off, the over-proliferation of trash, hyper-consumption, limited lands available for dumping, and the consequences of pollution and carbon emissions both merit and demand government intervention.

Check out the full article

prop 8 upheld

I can't believe that the California Supreme Court upheld a discriminatory ban on marriage for certain types of people.

send a message to Ken Star

HRC is organizing petitions against Ken Star:

To: Ken Starr, Lead Counsel defending Proposition 8 before the CA Supreme Court

Your attempt to nullify the marriages of 18,000 loving couples in California is misguided and malicious. The rights of a minority should never be stripped by a simple majority vote, and the idea that divorcing parents could help the welfare of children is disgusting. History will condemn your actions.

Send one here

don't divorce us

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

"On December 19, 2008, Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality of Prop 8 and seeking to nullify the marriages of 18,000 devoted same-sex couples solemnized before Prop 8 passed.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, with a decision expected within 90 days. We, the undersigned, ask that the Court enforce the equality promised to each of us by our constitution and invalidate Prop 8."

Read and sign the full petition here.

come lobby Prop 8 in Sacramento

Please join us on Tuesday, February 17 in Sacramento for Equality California’s Marriage Equality Lobby Day.

www.eqca.org/2009lobbyday

a musical against Prop 8

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

3 lawsuits already filed against Prop 8

Lawyers for same-sex couples argued that the anti-gay-marriage measure was an illegal constitutional revision -- not a more limited amendment, as backers maintained -- because it fundamentally altered the guarantee of equal protection. A constitutional revision, unlike an amendment, must be approved by the Legislature before going to voters. (full article)

While I was horrified that Prop 8 passed in my own backyard, I can't help but look at the silver lining: this issue will finally be dealt with once and for all. If Prop 8 did not pass, we would continue to see it again and again. It might take some time, but let's just kill this once and for all in court.

Protect reproductive freedom in California--NO ON PROP 4

For the third time, reproductive freedom is threatened in California. Proposition 4 seeks to amend the California Constitution, and specifically:

The initiative would prohibit abortion for unemancipated minors until 48 hours after physician notifies minor’s parent, legal guardian or, if parental abuse has been reported, an alternative adult family member.

Let's stop trying to control the reproductive organs of others.

California: 1st state to ban use of trans fats in restaurants

Under the new law, trans fats, long linked to health problems, must be excised from restaurant products beginning in 2010, and from all retail baked goods by 2011. Packaged foods will be exempt. (The New York Times)

perhaps things are not as dismal as I fear...

Two California superdelegates who identify as Clinton supporters  "would reconsider their support if rival Barack Obama maintained his lead in elected delegates and the popular vote after the last contests on June 3," (Los Angeles Times). 

CA puts anti-cruelty farm bill on the ballot

This is great news, especially as CA state legislation tends to set trends:

A measure that proponents say would provide basic protection for 20 million farm animals in California has qualified for the November ballot.

California Secretary of state Debra Bowen certified the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act for the Nov. 4 general election.

The measure would mandate that farm animals including cattle, pigs and chickens would be given enough room to turn around and extend their limbs in the crates and cages in which they are confined by food producers.

If approved, the law would not take effect until 2015, allowing seven years for compliance.

Seven years is a bit much.

Maria Shriver Endorses Obama

Maria endorses Obama, which is a nice in comparison to Arnold's endorsement of McCain.

I would love to be a fly on the wall in that marriage.