Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa put on his jeans and outdoor boots and helicoptered up to the Eastern Sierra this morning to all but apologize to the locals for Los Angeles stripping the Owens Valley of its once-abundant water. "We took your water and we turned this once beautiful valley into a desert, and our own city into an oasis," Villaraigosa said beside the Lower Owens River, a formerly dry bed that the Department of Water and Power is restoring to comply with a judge's order. "I promise this is not the last time you'll hear from us in Bishop, Independence and Lone Pine." He then took to the bow and paddled downstream for about a mile with a few media types and environmentalists in his wake. I'm fairly confident my KCRW commentary this week will discuss City Hall's new approach to the Eastern Sierra, where the swath of land owned by the people of Los Angeles is larger than the city itself. Full frame.

Photo: Peter Roderick / LA Observed