#midcentury fresno

[daphranko]

Wood Exterior An illustration of a medium-sized, one-story, black house from the 1960s

[flavorsims]

Master - Midcentury Bedroom Bedroom - mid-sized mid-century modern master concrete floor and gray floor bedroom idea with white walls

[pixelsnpaper]

Guest Bedroom

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern guest concrete floor and gray floor bedroom remodel with white walls

[woolgatheringandmiscellany]

Bedroom Guest Inspiration for a mid-sized modern guest concrete floor and gray floor bedroom remodel with white walls

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Scorching Schoolyards

California groups want more trees, less asphalt at schools

Schoolyards are hot and getting hotter, but only a tiny fraction of California’s grade school students can play in the shade.

Researchers and advocates are pushing the state to allocate money for green schoolyards, which can include trees, grass or gardens in place of the flat asphalt or rubber play surfaces at most schools. 

With the help of more than $121 million in state grants, 164 schools already are on their way to either designing or building green schoolyards. Many more applied for the school greening grants, with requests totaling more than $350 million for projects they hoped to build.

The high applicant numbers highlight growing demand for greenery at schools as the climate gets hotter. But with California’s Green Schoolyards program depleted and a state general budget deficit of $56 billion over the next two fiscal years, where will the money for green school projects come from? 

Some environmental groups are pushing for a proposed climate bond that would include $350 million for the green schoolyards program. They also are pushing for a $1 billion carve-out in a proposed $14-$15 billion school infrastructure bond that could go before voters this November.

“It is well known that our K-12 schoolyards, play structures and campuses are among the most dangerous climate liabilities currently facing the state — principally due to the deadly heat and flood potential our kids are being exposed to now,” environment groups wrote in a letter to authors of two school infrastructure bond proposals, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a Democrat from Torrance, and state Sen. Steve Glazer, a Democrat from Orinda.

Muratsuchi told CalMatters he is reluctant to dictate how schools should use bond money.

“I’m aware of their request, but we have many other requests to consider,” he said, such as funds for heating and air conditioning systems and solar energy on campuses. “But those priorities will be defined by local school districts.”

Students need outdoor shade

On a typical 90-degree day under full sun, grass can reach 95 degrees, while asphalt can hit 150  and rubber surfaced play areas can reach 165 degrees, according to research by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.

Forget 90 degrees; other research predicts much of the country is on track for more than double the usual number of 100-degree days by midcentury. Fresno already averages 33 days of 100+ degrees each year, Sacramento has 19 and Riverside has 14, federal weather data shows.

Unrelenting sun and high heat are bad for kids, the Luskin Center says: “Playing outside in the heat can lead to dehydration, headaches, heat stroke and other health impacts.”

Shade from trees is one of the best ways to cool things down, the researchers said, because it can reduce heat exposure to children by as much as 70 degrees.

But most of California’s schools lack tree canopy, and the trees that do exist on campuses are often around the perimeter, where students can’t access their shade during recess.

Green Schoolyards America, a nonprofit dedicated to building more green space on campuses, recently conducted a study of the tree canopy shading the state’s more than 10,000 public schools.

It found that an average of 6.4% of the school areas students access are covered by tree shade. More than 2.5 million students attend schools with less than 5% tree canopy in student areas.

That’s a far cry from what urban forestry and climate experts recommend. They say there needs to be enough trees to cover 30% of every city. Driven by that goal, Green Schoolyards America is pushing for ways to plant trees to cover at least 30% of each school area used by children during the day.

So far only 29,452 California students have that level of tree canopy, out of nearly 6 million students.

“This is a long-term infrastructure problem,” said Sharon Gamson Danks, chief executive of Green Schoolyards America.

 “It’s not building a little garden in the corner. It’s actual infrastructure, on par with highway building. It’s an investment, and we want children to not be overlooked in preparing for climate and protecting their health.”

Most greening projects on school campuses include more trees, but they can also include mulch, grassy fields to replace asphalt, and wooden play and learning structures, said Šárka Volejníková, the Trust for Public Land’s program director for Bay Area parks.

The difference green space makes

At the César E. Chávez Education Center in Oakland, students — many from low income families — used to play on a yard that was 90% asphalt. The school is surrounded by freeways and industrial factories, and students suffer with high asthma rates, said Eleanor Marsh, the school’s former principal.

“In lower income areas the schools have more concrete,” Marsh said. “That is just the reality. And in higher income areas, kids have more natural play structures that have been fundraised for by PTA’s. It becomes an equity issue around mental health and access to core academics.”

The school received a $1.2 million grant from the California Natural Resources Agency’s Urban Greening program and worked with the Trust for Public Land in 2020 to completely renovate the schoolyard, adding more greenery, trees and play structures that would be cooler and more academically enriching.

Students were part of the process, taking the temperature of the asphalt and rubber playground and recommending alternatives.

Now students take outdoor gardening classes and play and run through their new “river” made with bricks, which doubles as a stormwater runoff system on rainy days.

There’s no lack of enthusiasm for greening projects among educators, said Marsh, now principal at San Pedro Elementary School in San Rafael.

“Every public school in California is up against huge budget cuts,” she said. “There is no money at the school site level to improve the physical space for students. So we are really relying on support from the state.”

Where the money could come from

The time to dedicate more funding to green schoolyards is now, said Manny Gonez, director of policy initiatives for the Beverly Hills environmental group TreePeople.

The latest proposals for a climate bond, which would be paid off over many years, includes an ask for $150 million for an urban greening grant, which doesn’t exclusively fund school greening programs but has in the past. TreePeople also supports the request for $1 billion in the proposed school infrastructure bond.

Traditionally school bonds are for new school construction or renovation. School districts can apply for the state bond funds for projects and must provide local matching funds. There is money set aside for financially strapped districts that can’t provide as much of a local match.

“This is a small down payment to really scale up the work that the state has been doing with these 164 schools,” Gonez said, referring to schools that already have green schoolyard grants.

The Trust for Public Land wants money set aside for green schoolyard projects and for the most needy schools to get priority, said Juan Altamirano, the group’s director of government affairs.

Earmarking the funds in the proposed school bond would boost support for the measure overall, Altamirano said. California voters — even those without children — support more green schoolyards, an April survey of 800 voters by the Trust for Public Land showed. 

Some legislators were noncommittal when discussing the request.

Muratsuchi said he has been an environmental champion in the Legislature and understands the need for more green school funding. But in this case, it’s not up to him to define that as a priority in the school infrastructure bond.

“Ultimately the priorities for school facilities funding should be driven by educators and not by the environmental lobby,” he said.

Glazer denied Calmatters’ request for an interview, saying he is not directly involved in the decision making of this issue.

California already has committed to increasing the tree canopy on schoolyards on paper, but how that will happen is unclear.

In the state’s Nature-Based Solutions Climate Targets published in April, officials said the state would prioritize greening schoolyards through its School Facility Program, “ensuring greening schoolyards is not just a consideration but an integral expectation when local educational agencies undertake new school construction projects and modernization projects.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office did not answer questions about plans to fund greening school projects. Alex Stack, a Newsom spokesperson, said “No other governor has done as much as Gov. Newsom to protect people from extreme heat.”

Stacks said the green schoolyard grants already allocated are part of Newsom’s 2022 Extreme Heat Action Plan, funded by $52.3 billion in the California Climate Commitment budget.

Newsom cut the climate budget, and other parts of the budget, by more than 7% in his May revised proposal. *Reposted article from Calmatters.org by Alejandra Reyes-Velarde on May 21, 2024

[deadmotelsusa]

The Golden Key Motel of Fresno, California is now a very boring Best Value Inn (and Subway).

[oldshowbiz]

Fucking in Fresno

[roadsidepeek]

And all this science, I don't understand, It's just my job five days a week. A rocket man (Elton John). The familiar vision of neon animated blasts to the heavens from the Astro Motel while traveling Highway 99. After demolition day in 2015, the objective of high speed rail replaced another fragment of the mid-century space age optimism. Fresno CA #roadsidepeek #roadside #royalsnappingartists #astro #motel #fresno #cali #centralcalifornia #demolished #flashbackfriday #wanderlust #wow_america #openroad #midcentury #roadsideamerica #filmphotography #analogphotography #ontheroadagain #americana #gas_food_lodging #ipulledoverforthis #picoftheday https://www.instagram.com/p/CWdjAdWJjaK/?utm_medium=tumblr

[al3xcald3r]

mid century bathroom

[yesterdaysprint]

The Fresno Bee, California, November 17, 1957

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: $700,000 Homes in California by BY ANGELA SERRATORE

Antonio Velardo shares: $700,000 Homes in California by BY ANGELA SERRATORE

By BY ANGELA SERRATORE A 1949 cottage in Fresno, a midcentury-modern-inspired house in Idyllwild and a two-bedroom bungalow in Los Angeles. Published: March 15, 2021 at 09:00AM from NYT Real Estate https://ift.tt/3bPQ0Wq via IFTTT

[wazafam]

By BY ANGELA SERRATORE from Real Estate in the New York Times-https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/realestate/home-prices-california.html?partner=IFTTT A 1949 cottage in Fresno, a midcentury-modern-inspired house in Idyllwild and a two-bedroom bungalow in Los Angeles. $700,000 Homes in California New York Times

[steveonyeberchi]

$700,000 Homes in California

By BY ANGELA SERRATORE A 1949 cottage in Fresno, a midcentury-modern-inspired house in Idyllwild and a two-bedroom bungalow in Los Angeles. Published: March 15, 2021 at 06:00AM from NYT Real Estate https://ift.tt/3bPQ0Wq via IFTTT

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: 5 Art-Filled Summer Day Trips from Los Angeles

Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

As the dog days of summer draw to a close, finding worthwhile art shows in Los Angeles can be a challenge. Museums are getting ready for their big fall openings, and gallerists are most likely savoring the remaining week of their August break. There’s still lots to see, however, and listed below are a few options located a short drive outside the city, from an open-air desert museum to a sprawling, underground horticultural complex.

The International Printing Museum (photo by Marcin Wichary, via Flickr)

The International Printing Museum

When: Open Saturday, 10am–4pm, or by appointment Tuesday-Friday (Adults: $10; Students & Seniors: $8) Where: The International Printing Museum (315 W. Torrance Blvd., Carson, California)

Housing the Ernest A. Lindner Collection of Antique Printing Machinery, one of the most extensive collections of printing artifacts, the International Printing Museum is a must-visit for designers, typographers, bibliophiles, and lovers of printed matter. Covering 500 years of printing history, the collection ranges from massive, colonial-era presses, to tabletop letterpresses, to drawers full of wooden type and even a linotype machine, which was the height of printing technology in the ’70s, before being rendered obsolete by digital publishing. In addition to museum tours and classes, they also organize an annual printers fair, at which you can buy parts, type, and equipment to start your own print shop.

Distance from downtown LA: approx. 30min

The San Diego / Tijuana Border & Friendship Park

US-Mexico border, Tijuana side (photo by the author)

When: US Side: Open Saturdays and Sundays, 10am–2pm; Mexico side: Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Where: Friendship Park (Costa, 92154 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico)

The US–Mexico border has received an incredible amount of attention from politicians and activists over the past year, but its highly contested status has also drawn the focus of artists from both sides. Several artists have created work on or at the border that is meant to challenge our administration’s plans for a wall, while highlighting the deep cross-border relationships, both economic and social, that already exist. Many of these are based around Friendship Park, located on both sides of the fence by the ocean. In addition to temporary installations, there is also a Binational Garden which spans the border in a unifying display of flora. The sterile US side of the border park is only open a few hours each weekend, but the Mexican half never closes, its side of the wall covered in murals and graffiti, as families gather for picnics by the Tijuana beach.

Distance from downtown LA: approx. 3hr

Forestiere Underground Gardens

Forestiere Underground Gardens (photo by the author)

When: Open Wednesday–Sunday, check schedule for tours (Adults: $17; Seniors, College Students, Military: $15; Children ages 5-17: $8) Where: Forestiere Underground Gardens (5021 W. Shaw Ave, Fresno, California)

Baldassare Forestiere came to Fresno from Sicily in 1901 with the hope of becoming a citrus farmer, but his plans were thwarted when he found the soil too hard to plant anything. Being the resourceful man who he was, that didn’t stop him. He just kept digging, and over the course of 40 years, he had excavated and planted over 10 acres of underground passageways and gardens, incredibly using primarily hand tools. Several varieties of fruit trees still grow in his subterranean plots, which can be toured with a guide, providing a fascinating glimpse at one man’s singular, life-long devotion to a dream.

Distance from downtown LA: approx. 3hr 30min

The Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation

Sam Maloof (photo by Jim McHugh, courtesy of the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation, via facebook)

When: Open Thurs. & Sat., 12–4pm (Exhibitions are free; Tours – $15–$50) Where: The Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation (131 Carnelian Street, Alta Loma, California)

Furniture designer Sam Maloof was a seminal figure in the midcentury crafts movement in the US. He considered himself first and foremost a woodworker, and his objects were characterized by a simple, organic quality that honored the integrity of his materials. Comprising his home, workshop, and gardens, the Maloof Foundation is a living museum that showcases his appreciation for impeccable craftsmanship alongside his instantly classic designs.

Distance from downtown LA: approx. 1hr 10min

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum (photo by the author)

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

When: Open daily sunup to sundown (Free) Where: Noah Purifoy Outdoor Museum (63030 Blair Lane, Joshua Tree, California)

Assemblage art pioneer Noah Purifoy began his career making sculptures out of the detritus of the 1965 Watts Rebellion, and his work from this period has the charred patina of urban decay. In the late ’80s, however, Purifoy’s art and life would take a decidedly different turn, when he moved to Joshua Tree, where he remained until his death in 2004. While Angelenos were treated to a retrospective of his work at LACMA in 2015, there’s nothing like seeing works from his late period in their natural environment. Across 10 acres of the Mojave Desert, the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum features dozens of large-scale assemblage works sourced from discarded materials, infused with all the whimsy and pathos that Purifoy is known for.

Distance from downtown LA: approx. 2hr 30min

The post 5 Art-Filled Summer Day Trips from Los Angeles appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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[deadmotelsusa]

The Water Tree Inn went out of business in 2012. It’s now a Roadway Inn and the restaurant operates independently as a Korean BBQ. Located in Fresno, California.

[thelastjunicorn]

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Happening right now. . . . #photoshoot #midcentury #fullbar #localstar (at Fresno, California)