Which Way, L.A.?

Community Gardens and Private Land Rights

In 1986, the City of Los Angeles used its power of eminent domain to acquire 14 acres of industrial land for a massive trash burner. During a prolonged dispute over the project, the city allowed 350 families to establish a community garden where they grow fruit trees, flowers and vegetables on the land. The trash burner never was built, so the city has sold the property back to the original owner. Ralph Horowitz wants to get rid of the gardeners, so he can build warehouses, but a LA Superior Court Judge last week ruled they could stay there until the matter-s resolved. We hear from a farmer who's been cultivating one of the plots and a reporter covering the dispute that pits an urban oasis against private property rights. Making News: Supreme Court Hearing into Pledge of Allegiance Two years ago, the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals banned the phrase -under God- from the Pledge of Allegiance in the nine western states under its jurisdiction. Today, the Supreme Court took up an appeal by the Elk Grove Unified School District near Sacramento. David Savage, who covers the court for the LA Times, says that atheist Michael Newdow presented a formidable case. Reporter-s Notebook: Monty Python-s The Life of Brian to Be Re-Released The makers of a 15-year old religious satire say there-s need for an -antidote- to Mel Gibson-s The Passion, a major international hit, despite its graphic violence and alleged anti-Semitism. Monty Python-s The Life of Brian is about a fictional Jew of Nazareth. Born in the manger next door to Jesus, he joins the Judean People-s Front, an anti-Roman separatist group, and is mistaken for the Messiah. Eric Idle, a founding member of Monty Python, sizes up the battle between "Mel and Monty." (This segment was originally broadcast earlier today on To the Point.)