The Wake-Up Call: Magic, Redistricting

It's funny how once you get used to the gorgeous summer weather we have here in the Grove, anything else is a let-down. Today's gray skies just feel wrong. There's still plenty to do in town, however.

In the Patch:

It's magical, it's international, and it's not Harry Potter. Magician Richard Kowaleski brings his bag of tricks, including some from India and China, to the at 3:30 this afternoon. The event is free and open to all.

Redistricting, zoning rules and a proposed car dealership subsidy top the agenda for tonight's city council meeting. We'll have more information about these issues as the day unfolds. You can view the meeting agenda here, and if you have something to say, show up at City Council Chambers, 8400 Laguna Palms Way, at 6:00 p.m.

Outside the Patch:

Could parts of Southern California really secede from the state? (And, some wags might add, would that be such a bad thing?) Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to consider the idea, floated by Republican Supervisor Jeff Stone. Stone's map of a new "South California" includes a dozen counties and San Diego, but not surprisingly excludes Los Angeles. (Is it the smog or the Democrats, Mr. Stone?). The proposal is getting a serious hearing in the national press; check out this article in The New York Times.