Plot twists set in motion by the viewer’s brainwaves? Neurocinema? MRIs that can trace an actor’s empathy?

If this weekend’s 7^th Annual Topanga Film Festival doesn’t sound like your ordinary day at the movies, it’s not just because Topanga Canyon is known for doing things differently.

The film festival, which opens Thursday, will bring big names to rustic settings, as always. Event director and co-founder Urs Baur says, in fact, that this year is the biggest ever, with about 50 films that will be shown over four days, including short film and feature documentary competitions judged by such respected names as director Randall Einhorn and actors William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman and Elijah Wood.

But it will also carry a theme you don’t see at every film festival: neuroscience. The backstory? “It all started when I lost my job,” says volunteer communications director L.G. Taylor:

A 30-year-old novelist and actress, Taylor says she had been earning her paycheck at an acting studio until the recession forced them to lay her off.  When a friend steered her to a temp agency, she hoped for a studio gig, hoping it might bring her big break into show business.  Instead, she was sent to the Institute of Neurosurgical Innovation, a research foundation started by Dr. Amir Vokshoor, a Westside neurosurgeon, after Alzheimer’s Disease claimed his father’s life.

For the next six weeks, Taylor says, she was immersed in brain research, a field that, she discovered, has increasingly been applied to film marketing.

“When the position ended, I had this passion,” she remembers. “But I was left with ‘Now what?’”

Fortunately, she says, the festival was approaching. A suggestion that the organization include a single panel discussion on creativity and neuroscience morphed into a decision to build this year’s event around the intersection of art and the brain.

“This is really an interesting time in the movie industry,” says Baur, a Topanga local who works as a branding consultant when he’s not organizing the festival or running its new year-round presence, the Topanga Film Institute.

“Content creation is changing, business models are changing. Hollywood has begun employing neuromarketing in its advertising. It’s no longer enough to ask what you think about a movie. It’s become more interesting for Hollywood to measure what you feel.”

This year’s event will feature a new, cutting-edge screening in which special headsets will let viewers determine the plot of a film by the state of their brain waves. Panels on filmmaking and creativity will feature not only Hollywood A-listers, but also a surprisingly renowned cross-section of scientific rock stars.

One panel on directing will include California Institute of Technology’s Steven Quartz, whose groundbreaking brain research is helping to shape the next generation of movie trailers. Another session, on acting, will feature both Oscar-winner Melissa Leo and Jonas Kaplan of USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute, whose research uses functional MRIs to search for the roots of empathy and self-awareness.

“It’s pretty revolutionary,” says Vokshoor of the Institute for Neurosurgical Innovation, who will also participate as a panelist. “We’re in a period right now where we are really speaking collaboratively across various disciplines.”

Vokshoor says his Institute focuses on such collaborative research because “from quantum mechanics and basic neuroscience to metaphysics, religion and the creative arts, we’re all trying to answer some of the same kinds of questions.”

“If I were to name one great life goal for neuroscience research, it would probably be: Where is the molecule for consciousness, for inspiration, located?” says Vokshoor. “I’m not sure we’ll find the answers, but these kinds of collaborations are exciting, because they say, ‘There’s something here.’”

The Topanga Film Festival runs from July 28-31. For tickets and more information, click here.

Posted 7/28/11

After a rare public tussle between two powerful local criminal justice agencies, the Board of Supervisors has unanimously picked the Los Angeles County Probation Department to oversee thousands of freed California prisoners who, as part of the governor’s budget plan, will no longer be charges of the state.

Chief Probation Officer Donald Blevins was given the nod over Sheriff Lee Baca, who had forcefully argued that his department was better suited to monitor an estimated 8,000 inmates who’ll be heading back to the streets of Los Angeles County during a nine-month period.

Critics of Baca’s proposal argued that such sweeping new duties would create public confusion over the mission of a department charged largely with suppressing crimes, not rehabilitating those who commit them. In Los Angeles and throughout the state, that job traditionally has been the responsibility of probation and parole agencies.

The board’s decision on Tuesday was based on a motion by Supervisors Michael D. Antonovich and Don Knabe, who noted that the Probation Department “has been providing supervision and rehabilitative services to adult probationers for over a century.” For that reason, they said, the agency has the kind of infrastructure and expertise that makes it best qualified to run the so-called “post-release community supervision program.” But the supervisors also called for a role for the Sheriff’s Department in identifying and, when necessary, apprehending high-risk parolees in the program.

The truth is that county officials at all levels wish they’d never had to confront the issue in the first place. Earlier this year, they argued strongly against being forced to take responsibility for the freed inmates, a key facet of Gov. Jerry Brown’s “realignment” budget strategy to save money and reduce prison overcrowding. Faced with the county’s fears about funding and strains on a local jail system already tearing at the seams, the state agreed to pay for the first year but has yet to fulfill its promises for funding beyond that.

The ex-inmates, whose releases are scheduled to begin October 1, are known as “non, non, nons”—meaning non-violent, non-serious, non-sex offenders. Under a new state law, those who violate the terms of their release will no longer be returned to state prisons. With few exceptions, they’ll serve a maximum of 180 days in county jails.

That same law also mandates that counties create an operational plan—including staffing, budget needs and re-entry services—through new multi-agency Community Corrections Partnerships. In L.A. County, the CCP will submit a plan to the Board of Supervisors for approval in August, one that is likely to include a role for the Sheriff’s Department.

Indeed, during Tuesday’s meeting Baca made clear that his department would not be relegated to the margins. “When it comes to managing high-risk parolees,” he said, “I’m not going to ask the chief probation officer for permission. I’m just going to do it.”

Obviously irritated, Baca also criticized Blevins for statements in a report to the chief executive officer in which he “literally had kind of drawn a moat around his department and looks upon me and my department as some kind of threat to the traditions of rehabilitation when, in fact, we are at the forefront of rehabilitation for parolees.”

During the meeting, Blevins, who chairs the county’ CCP, did not address Baca’s comments. But he later told the Daily News that the Sheriff’s Department would have a role in the oversight of the soon-to-arrive ex-inmates, albeit a limited one.

“Our original plan,” Blevins was quoted as saying, “was for absconders or individuals who have been working with probation but need a higher level or more intensive supervision, we would ask [the sheriff’s] assistance on those kinds of cases…The sheriff has indicated they are 24/7  and they can provide those kinds of services.”

Posted 7/27/11

Forgetful transit riders, Lorna Riley has your back—and your backpack.

Also your keys, mobile phone, mountain bike, prescription medication, “Lilo and Stitch 2” DVD and quite possibly your dry cleaning.

Riley, the doyenne of Metro’s Lost and Found, has seen just about everything in her 13 years with the agency—including a human jawbone (part of a college science experiment), a district attorney’s gang file (quickly returned to its official owner) and a memory stick full of JPL data (ditto.)

“We get it all,” she says.

But this week, Riley’s encountering something that even she’s never seen before:  a new computerized system in which a barcode is assigned to each of the thousands of items left aboard Metro trains and buses each year. The items are logged in a computer database, making quick scans for likely matches possible. And the traveling public can now submit online claim forms for missing items. A personal visit to the Lost and Found, located in Metro’s Wilshire/LaBrea Customer Center, is still required to pick up missing things, although Riley will mail items to out-of-towners.

“We’ve shipped stuff back to Australia,” she says. “Being L.A., we get a lot of tourists. France, China, Belize.” Not too long ago, a teenager from Georgia, in town for a Boy Scouts gathering, left his backpack on the bus—fully loaded with all his electronic devices. While he won’t be winning any merit badges for keeping track of his stuff in transit, he did remember to place a luggage tag on the pack, enabling Riley to track down his mom and reunite the scout with his wayward backpack.

Alan Gee, Metro’s manager of Customer Programs & Services, says he hopes the new system will make that kind of happy outcome more common. As it is, he estimates that up to 50% of bicycles and up to 30% of other items end up being claimed by their owners; he’d like to see that increase to 75% for bikes and 50% for other things. “We don’t want this stuff,” he says. “Come and get it, please!”

Tucked away behind the scenes at the bustling Customer Service center, the Lost and Found is a crowded jumble of artifacts abandoned by a metropolis in motion.

Wallets of every color and size are bundled together in a bin. Abandoned shopping bags are grouped according to where they were found. Guitars share shelf space with a forlorn carpet cleaner. An entire room is dedicated to bikes. Forgotten dry cleaning hangs on a garment rack in a hallway.

There are rolls of toilet paper, rolls of blueprints, a tube of toothpaste, a surprising number of crutches and seemingly enough backpacks and suitcases to rival baggage claim at LAX, or at least Burbank.

“Every time I come here, I’m just baffled,” Gee says. “I mean, really?”

The new database doesn’t have the same atmosphere as the Lost and Found itself—in a renovated Miracle Mile building that was once the setting for Tilfords Restaurant and Coffee Shop—but still manages to convey a sense of the varied lives passing through the transit system. Some recent entries: “alcoholics anonymous book and pen,” “1 black wallet with $3.00,” “red framed glasses.”

“We see the full spectrum,” says Riley, 54. “Due to the economy, I think more people are riding public transportation. We get a lot of people, from the homeless to the mayor’s office.”

While the new automated system is expected to make it easier to match up missing items with their owners, the human touch is still essential.

Earlier this week, Riley, who previously worked in retail and ran her own party events/corporate gift business, patiently met with a steady parade of passengers who’d left something behind on the bus or train.

“We’ll keep a lookout for it,” she told one woman, who was seeking a red Ed Hardy hoodie she’d left on the bus from downtown to the beach. “Give it a couple more days, OK?”

The passenger had lost the pullover a few days ago, and held out scant hope of seeing it again. “I doubt it, but it’s worth a try,” she shrugged before leaving the window.

Sometimes the customers are more frustrated than resigned.

“They’re angry with themselves because they lost it,” Riley says.  “Sometimes they’re so upset that it’s hard to tell what they’re looking for. I’m pretty good at calming people down.”

Riley prides herself on being able to find her way to the items she’s logged in using a color-coded system that she developed.

And she knows her repeat customers.

“I have one regular who loses his bike. He lost it three times in one month. He almost uses Metro as public storage.”

She’s even had father-daughter and father-son teams—in which both got off the bus and left their bikes behind.

Items not claimed after 90 days are auctioned off or donated to charity. Still, some things linger longer, like a Barbie tricycle, still in its bright pink box, that was left on a Blue Line train last December and is still waiting for someone (Santa Claus?) to pick it up and deliver to its rightful owner.

When she can, Riley plays gumshoe. “I have a little file that I call research,” she says. By tracking down leads and calling around, she’s been able to locate and return important documents, such as death certificates and burial permits, as well as objects of sentimental value, like wedding photos.

“Usually,” she says, “I go home with a good feeling because I’m helping people get their things back.”

Posted 7/27/11

Fresh art meets ocean air this weekend at the 40^th Annual Malibu Arts Festival, where you might discover that perfect piece to complement your home, or simply have a little fun in the sun.

The two-day festival is hosted by the Malibu Chamber of Commerce. It brings together more than 150 painters, sculptors, photographers, and other artists at the Malibu Civic Center to display their finest works under crisp white tents. Two stages of live bands will provide the tunes, and chalk artists will illustrate the beauty of Malibu as visitors watch.

Other attractions include a Kids’ Village, where youngsters can make and take home their own art projects under the guidance of professionals. “Surf cars” will be displayed, local businesses will showcase their wares, and mobile food vendors will be on hand to keep hunger at bay.

New this year, a “Malibu Wine Trail Garden” will be featured in eco-conscious Legacy Park. On Sunday, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., local vintners and wineries offer samples for a walking wine tasting–possibly the perfect accompaniment to an outdoor art show.

The Malibu Arts Festival has attracted its share of celebrities over the years. Some, like Jane Seymour, Pierce Brosnan, and Dick Van Dyke, have set up displays as artists in their own right. These days, Van Dyke’s grandson has his own display at the event.

The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 30, and Sunday, July 31, at the Malibu Civic Center, 23555 Civic Center Way. VIP parking costs $7, or you can try your luck finding street parking.

Posted 7/27/11

Chicano rock and roll has deep roots in Southern California. Tía Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore in Sylmar displays them this Saturday, July 30, as authors David Reyes & Tom Waldman read from “Land of a Thousand Dances: Chicano Rock ‘n’ Roll from Southern California.”

Their book details the history of the music and the artists behind it, who usually came from inauspicious backgrounds and had no formal musical training. They faced a sometimes-bigoted recording industry that was largely unaware of their existence and reluctant to market them.

Additional discussion will be devoted to the women of the movement. Ersi and Rosella Arvizu from The Sisters will tell stories of their experience with the 1960s rock scene. Ersi will then join rockers El Chicano for a musical performance.

Tia Chucha’s brings literature and art to the Northeast Valley with readings, writing circles, music, community meetings and more. It is located at 13197-A Gladstone Avenue.  This free event takes place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Posted 7/27/11

All levels of government head to the East San Fernando Valley this Saturday for “Government Day,” a yearly event where government services and information are brought to the public’s doorstep.

L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is organizing this year’s event, as he has for the last 15 of them.

“We’ve been hosting Government Day for many years out here, and the best part is the chance to meet constituents and introduce them to their government and the public services available to them,” said Yaroslavsky. “I never get tired of that.”

In addition to Yaroslavsky, City Councilmembers Tony Cardenas and Richard Alarcón, State Senator Alex Padilla, and Congressman Howard Berman are also sending their representatives.

Among the more than 40 agencies setting up tables this year:

• Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services
• Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
• Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor
• Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs
• Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources
• Los Angeles Mission Community College
• California State Department of Insurance
• Los Angeles City Department of Building and Safety

Agencies will provide valuable information, giveaways and services. Sign up for CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps), register to vote, and more.

The event takes place Saturday, July 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Panorama Mall, 8401 Van Nuys Boulevard. Get there with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, which will also be in attendance.

Posted 7/22/11

If Carmageddon taught Los Angeles one thing, it’s that maybe we aren’t as dependent on our vehicles as we thought. By some accounts, traffic on the Westside was lighter than any time since the 1984 Olympics. Large numbers of residents heeded officials’ warnings and spent the weekend away from their cars–a healthy behavior that doesn’t have to change now that we’re back to normal again.

With the help of some online resources, we can convert our Carmageddon memories into a few new habits. Take, for example, one of the weekend’s most talked-about lessons: the story of how the bikes won.

Last weekend, in a highly publicized race, a team of cyclists made a trip from Long Beach to Burbank faster than the passengers of a Jet Blue airplane. Join them and other L.A. cyclists by participating in some of the many local organized cycling activities.

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition lists the major cycling events, and other sites like bikeboom.com list daily events on a local level. You can participate in CicLAvia, go off-road with the mountain biking crowd, or learn to do your own bike maintenance. More and more Southern Californians are realizing the potential of pedal power, and with a new L.A. County Bicycle Master Plan in the works, the region is only becoming more open to cycling.

Meanwhile, there’s the corollary to the bike lesson: Another racer came in a close second simply by using Metro and traveling on foot.

Take your own stroll with the Los Angeles Conservancy, which organizes docent-led walking tours focusing on the history and architecture of the best parts of the city. Self-led and commercial tours also can be found in places like Hollywood and the Miracle Mile, where walkers can visit the Petersen Automotive Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Page Museum, and the Craft and Folk Art Museum—all in a single outing. L.A. is famous for some of the fairest weather in the country, so almost any time of year is good for a walk.

If the hustle and bustle of the city isn’t your thing, there are peaceful trails and parklands all over the county to hike, bike, or even explore on horseback. Take a guided nature trek, learn to track wildlife, see how area Native Americans lived, or roast the perfect marshmallow at a family campfire evening. Check out the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s website for full listings of outdoor events and educational programs.

“We hope the public will come out and enjoy the many activities and programs our parks have to offer in the Santa Monica Mountains,” said Joseph T. Edmiston, the conservancy’s executive director.

Don’t wait for Carmageddon II to enjoy its benefits!

Posted 7/20/11

My apologies to New Orleans, but last weekend it was Los Angeles that deserved the nickname “The Big Easy.”

Did you feel it, that strange but satisfying calmness that descended on our roads and neighborhoods, that sense of collective purpose? The closure of the 405 Freeway could have been the mother of all traffic nightmares. Instead, it became a moment to savor—and ponder.

Not since the 1984 Olympics, nearly three decades ago, have our freeways been so blessedly empty. You responded overwhelmingly to our warnings (Carmageddon anyone?) with such incredible results that we now find ourselves in a wholly unexpected discussion. That is: short of jack-hammering a freeway, would it actually be possible to shutdown traffic more regularly, like other countries, to reconnect to a simpler, easier life?

There’s certainly a pent-up craving for it. Look at the overnight popularity of the CicLAvia events. Thousands upon thousands of pedestrians and cyclists of all ages, sizes and colors have flocked to the seven-mile route that snakes through city streets between Hollywood and the Eastside. Created more than 30 years ago in Bogota, Colombia, there have been just two here so far. But another is scheduled for October, and I suspect the turnout will be even larger.

Short of big events or road closures, maybe we could start modestly by simply choosing to spend more weekends closer to home with family and friends, as so many of you did on Saturday and Sunday. One of my staff members told me that for her and her 2-year-old daughter, a simple stroll around the block led them to a lively gathering of neighbors at an open house. Some of those folks she met for the first time—the start of new friendships.

Of course, there are other ways to tame our traffic and preserve our nerves. Why not explore the region by using public transportation? Wherever you want to go, Metro’s online trip planner will get you there. I know you’ve probably heard this suggestion before. But maybe now, in the afterglow of last weekend, is a good time to experiment.

For me, the truth is that I have more questions than answers about how we can decompress a region so packed with stress. But this I do know: we should not let last weekend simply fade away into L.A. traffic lore. These are the kinds of shared moments that can trigger change. Let’s keep the discussion going. Drop me a note with your thoughts at [email protected] and I’ll write about them in the weeks ahead.

Posted 7/20/11

Last weekend’s closure of the 405 Freeway represented a historic moment in our region’s long traffic history. Bracing—and preparing—for the worst, we were rewarded with a day of surprisingly smooth driving and lower stress. Here’s a video we made to document this important event as we look ahead to doing it all over again eleven months from now.

Posted 7/19/11