Villaraigosa's friends in the desert

Where eastbound Interstate 10 hits the desert at Cabazon, a few miles shy of the Palm Springs turnoff, this sign proclaims some of the locals' unhappiness with Los Angeles and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The California Desert Coalition's website says:

A dinosaur has reared its ugly head in the California Desert. This giant is neither jolly nor green, and the outdated paradigm it represents needs to disappear into the fossil record as it has no place in the 21st Century.

Yes, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) is at it again, this time trying to destroy another rural region and unique ecosystem--the California Desert.

It's an organized protest against the Green Path North transmission line that the DWP wants to build to bring geothermal power from the Salton Sea area to the Los Angeles electric grid. Too bad for the upwardly ambitious mayor that maybe, oh, 20,000 travelers a day see the sign.

Speaking of Villaraigosa: Rick Orlov says the mayor was so humbled by his showing in last week's election that he arrived on time for two news conferences — a rarity for Villaraigosa. This week he's leading a delegation to Washington from City Hall and the L.A. chamber of commerce.

Photo: LA Observed