I'm posting this here because it specifically targets taxpayers in California. I just got this email in my inbox from Defenders of Wildlife.

Check One for the Sea Otter!
Tax season can be...well, taxing. But with a simple stroke of the pen, it’s easy to do your part to help sea otters.

By simply checking off line 63 on your California State Income Tax form, you can make a contribution to the California Sea Otter Fund. The Fund will be used to finance important research on how to better protect our coastal water quality and this vulnerable species.

So, as you get ready to pay the piper this tax season, keep our sea otters in mind. Take a few seconds to contribute to the new Sea Otter Fund. It’s quick and painless -- and helps protect these furry coastal creatures.

For more information, visit our Web site. (http://www.defenders.org)

I was having trouble searching for child care because I really want the person looking after my kids to be vegan as well, otherwise it brings up trust issues (I don't know what they might be fed behind my back if the caregiver doesn't have the same values). I found this free website: http://www.caresquare.com/ that matches babysitters and parents in the bay area. Because they let you fill out a profile and anyone you are hiring will also see that profile (and have one of their own), I was able to specify that I wanted a vegan, and within a week I'd found the perfect person (a macrobiotic chef!). Anyway, just thought I'd pass this along in case anyone else can use the info.

I met Eric in December, and he asked me what feature I wanted to see. He told me that he actually had it (incorporating the Google API), and I said, "Oh. Maybe you should make that more visible." :)

BTW, does anyone here know about these local dealios (both in Santa Monica)? I belong to both, but I don't really do the meet-ups due to time and geography constraints.

http://members.aol.com/VeganTM/main
http://vegan.meetup.com/196/?gj=sj5

I'm coming your way Californians! :sunny:
We're moving out to the LA area, Long Beach to be exact, in a few weeks.
And I couldn't be more excited!!

We are looking at 1-2 BD rentals in the Historic District in LBC.
Anyone familiar with that area? It looks very charming online and is close to the water from what I have found. I'll be working in Cypress so I was thinking this would be a great artsy/urban area to live in with a decent commute???

I'm hoping that there will be many more choices for this veggie than Orlando, FL has had to offer :stinkeye:
I'd also be interested in knowing the best places to buy groceries, etc.
Sorry if this has been addressed in this thread before. It's very LONG!

Thanks!
~sk

Welcome to California! (almost)

Long Beach is a Long Way from Santa Monica, and I never have occasion to drive down there, so I don't really know firsthand the best places to eat and shop for groceries. However, a quick check on the internet brought up these results:

http://www.happycow.net/north_america/usa/california/long_beach/index.html

And that's just one site. There might be others I haven't found yet.

If you're willing to travel north to the West L.A./Santa Monica area, I can tell you about more places to eat (and grocery shop). But it's about an hour's drive, at least. :-/

Ah, thanks that's a great link!

And yes, I will be up in that area probably. My good friend and recent Florida to California transplant lives in Burbank/Sherman Oaks. We went to Venice Beach when I helped him move out there back in August. It was so neat and the first time I was able to actually skateboard by the water! :rockon:
It's a beautiful area.
My boyfriend and I both skate and surf so we will definitely be out and about in LA and surrounding areas for that on the weekends!

Can't wait to discover what the area has to offer!
It's really going to help him in his veggie transition as well *evil laugh*
~sk

hey sassy, i'll say welcome in advance to california! here's another link...

http://www.vegparadise.com/restaurants.html

Hello fellow Californians! :cool:

Hey there from Santa Monica! :hi:

Just curious: Did you want your avatar to be intentionally blurred out? It's giving me eyestrain just looking at it. :doh:

What day is the Great American Meat Out? I know its on or around March 20th, so maybe events will be the weekend before and/or after? Or maybe even all month long??? Does anyone know of any potluck/events in Southern Cali? I checked the Meatout.org website...I don't know if its just me, but the list of events I found do not have specific dates. :confused:

Awww...da kitty nose, welcome MoonTree

Hey! Can anyone recommend me a decent hotel/motel in San Francisco that's conveniently located near the Greyhound station and Bottom of the Hill(nightclub)? I'll only need it for one night, so it doesn't have to be top quality. Thanks.

OK, so far we've eaten at 2 veggie places: Zephyr in LBC and Sidney's Cafe in Fullerton. Both were pretty good!
But what are the good veggie friendly grocery stores??
Albertsons is super close to us right now and then when we move to LBC in a week or so I know there's a Vons close by. But I've never stepped foot in a Vons and Albertsons has a disapointing veggie offering, in my opinion. They don't even have Tofutti!!!! :(

Is Trader Joe's any better? Anyone suggest anything in the LBC area??
THANKS!!
Loving it out here by the way! :sunny:
~sk

Apparently there is no Whole Foods in Long Beach, but there is a Wild Oats. Since Whole Foods now owns Wild Oats, hopefully it will eventually become a Whole Foods store. Here's the link: http://www.wildoats.com/u/store199/

Here the Trader Joe's locations nearest you: http://web.sa.mapquest.com/traderjoes/advantage.adp?country=US&pheight=324&pwidth=504&transaction=search&table=MQ_33025&iconId=501&address=&city=Long+Beach&stateProvince=CA&postalCode=&radius=10&submit=Find+Locations

And you are right: The natural foods selections in Vons and Albertsons are a bit disappointing. They have a few Amy's frozen selections and I found Tings in Vons, but otherwise... :doh:

However, the Ralphs stores in Long Beach should have a separate natural foods section, as the store in Santa Monica does. Here are their locations: http://clients.mapquest.com/ralphs/mqlocator

I hope all that information helps you. :)

ETA: OOPS! The link for Ralphs takes you back to their search page. Just enter in Long Beach, CA or your zip code, click on the Whole Health/Organics option on the right, and you'll get the locations. :o

OK, so far we've eaten at 2 veggie places: Zephyr in LBC and Sidney's Cafe in Fullerton. Both were pretty good!
But what are the good veggie friendly grocery stores??
Albertsons is super close to us right now and then when we move to LBC in a week or so I know there's a Vons close by. But I've never stepped foot in a Vons and Albertsons has a disapointing veggie offering, in my opinion. They don't even have Tofutti!!!! :(

Is Trader Joe's any better? Anyone suggest anything in the LBC area??
THANKS!!
Loving it out here by the way! :sunny:
~sk
You're not going to have any problem getting veg food in Long Beach.

Wild Oats has a good selection, but is a bit overpriced. It does have tons of organic fruits and vegetables, though, which is nice.

Trader Joe's is excellent.

Most of the Ralphs have a good selection of veg prepared foods, but it depends a bit on the neighborhood.

Vons isn't your best bet. Stater Brothers has a decent selection, though it's not always consistant when it comes to premade and frozen things.

Just about every store here sells tofutti, so you shouldn't have to worry about that. :)

I posted this in the Action Alerts and it didn't get much attention, and since it is for California I am going to post it here as well.

Ten's of millions of dogs and cats are euphemized for lack of good homes annually, an estimated half million in California alone. AB 1634 would make it mandatory to spay/neuter your cats and dogs.

If it becomes law, AB 1634 would prohibit any person from owning or possessing any unaltered cat or dog over the age of four months, unless that person purchases an intact-animal permit. Violators would be fined, and the money raised from the fines would be used to fund free and low-cost spay and neuter programs.

This Bill was introduced in New Mexico but because the people against were more active than those for it, the Bill was dropped.

This is NOT a law until the Bill is passed, then voted on. Without our support the Bill will not pass. Please write your State Senate and ask them to support AB 1634.

http://www.50states.com/california/g...ces.htm?show=S
Scroll down to the State Senators.

I can't get the link to work, but just do a search on California State Senates and you will find yours.

Does anyone know what happened to worldfest?? Is it happening this year? Right now I only see the information for last year's festival. Hope it happens again sometime soon! :)

http://www.worldfestevents.com/index.htm

What is WorldFest exactly?

http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/features/ci_5650648

Earth Day celebrations to benefit Mendocino Art Center
Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 04/12/2007 08:29:14 AM PDT


The Daily Journal
On Saturday, April 21, the Mendocino Art Center and Stanford Inn by the Sea are presenting an Earth Day festival full of exciting and educational activities to promote the arts and responsible living to celebrate Earth Day.

The Festival will kick off at the Stanford Inn from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., including mountain biking, hiking or canoeing, as well as lunch, food tastings and a garden tour. In the evening, kick up your heels at the Mendocino Art Center's rollicking party, "The Old Lady Needs a Face Lift Dance Bash," with dancing to live music, a Mexican buffet, and a silent auction. Proceeds from the Earth Day events will be used for improvements to the apartments on the campus of the Mendocino Art Center (AKA, "The Old Lady").
First ever Earth Day Festival
Festival participants can choose to pedal, paddle, or trek up Big River, leaving at 9:30 am from Catch-A Canoe (first come first serve). During the 1 1/2 hour adventures, participants will learn about local wildlife and the history of the Big River Estuary. Advanced reservation is strongly encouraged.
At 12:30 p.m., a lunch of pizzas and salad will be served, followed by a presentation about vegan foods led by hilarious Sid Hillman, the Stanford Inn's resident vegan and actor, who has appeared in "City of Angels," "Arlington Road," and "Men in Black II," among many other movies.

Hi, from Sacramento

Hi from Santa Monica.

Ever go to Davis?

I was in Sacramento very briefly a couple years ago. I flew into Sacramento, but was actually headed to Davis for my nephew's graduation from college there. He took us to a Chinese restaurant with a separate vegetarian menu. Food was really good. I wish we had a Chinese restaurant with a separate vegetarian menu down HERE. :(

Hello! I'm way down south in Chula Vista. My daughter lives in Westwood, Amy. She is in Santa Monica all the time. She works right down the street from Native Foods.

Yeah, we have a lot of vegan/vegetarian restaurants and resources, its really nice. Have you ever been to meetup.com. Its usualy free and you get together with other people with the same interests or pets and its a lot of fun. We have a meetup in Sacramento for vegan/vegetarians and we have 226 members. There are meetups in many cities in the US and for just about anything. You should check it out.

Hello! I'm way down south in Chula Vista. My daughter lives in Westwood, Amy. She is in Santa Monica all the time. She works right down the street from Native Foods.

Great place, Native Foods. We had a SoCal meetup there last year. There's a photo of us in the Photo Album.

ETA: Here's the evidence: http://www.veggieboards.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=6407&c=511

Oh, that's great. Looks like fun. I've been there when I've visited my daughter.

Chula Vista doesn't have that many vegetarian options but within walking distance of my house is a vegan, raw, organic restaurant. If you are ever down this way, I recommend it -

http://cilantrolive.com/

thinking about visiting San Bernadino for the 'Rock the Bells' show. anyone out there?