By MIA LAMAR

Average fixed mortgage rates in the U.S. over the past week finished the year near all-time lows, with the 30-year home loan at 3.95%.

According Freddie Mac’s weekly survey of mortgage rates, the rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has been at or below 4% for the past nine consecutive weeks and only twice in 2011 did it average above 5%.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.95% for the week ended Thursday, up from 3.91% the previous week and below 4.86% a year ago. Rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.24%, up from 3.21% last week and below 4.20% a year earlier.

Five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARM, averaged 2.88%, up from 2.85% yet below 3.77% of a year ago. One-year Treasury-indexed ARM rates averaged 2.78%, up from 2.77% in the prior week and below 3.26% last year.

To obtain the rates, 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages required payments of 0.7 percentage point and 0.8 percentage point, respectively. Five-year and one-year adjustable rate mortgages required an average payment of 0.6 percentage point. A point is 1% of the mortgage amount, charged as prepaid interest.

LOS ANGELES — As the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) continues its restoration efforts after a major wind storm, LADWP reports approximately 94,000 of its 1.4 million electric customers are without power this morning. Power has already been restored to more than 122,000 customers since the wind storm began on Wednesday.

LADWP Power Crews worked throughout the night and continue to work around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.  At this time, the current estimated time of restoration for customers experiencing outages is 24 – 48 hours. Many customers will experience shorter outages, but customers experiencing outages should be prepared for up to 24 – 48 hours.  LADWP asks for the patience of our customers as we continue to work to restore service during this major wind storm.

The following areas and neighborhoods have the highest number of customers impacted:

WESTSIDE
Venice: 4,600
Westchester: 3,100
Playa del Rey: 2,500

SOUTH
Green Meadows: 2,600

CENTRAL/DOWNTOWN
Hollywood: 4,200
Hollywood Hills: 1,400
East Hollywood: 5,900
Los Feliz: 1,300
Silverlake: 1,500

EASTSIDE/NORTHEAST
Highland Park: 11,100
El Sereno: 11,300
Glassell Park: 11,800
Eagle Rock: 3,100
Lincoln Heights: 3,000
Cypress Park: 8,600
Griffith Park: 1,500
Boyle Heights: 1,900

LADWP continues to strongly urge caution around downed power lines. Always assume that any downed wire is “live.” Stay away from any downed power lines and poles as well as downed trees and limbs, and protect children home from school today from the same. Beware of traffic signals that may be affected by power outage and proceed with extreme caution. Allow access for uniformed LADWP crews, all of whom carry Department-issued identification cards, so they may service infrastructure in need of repair.

In the event of a power outage:

• Stay calm.
• Have a flashlight and extra batteries nearby. Don’t use candles in a power outage.
• Turn off lights but leave one light turned on so you will know when your service is restored.
• Turn off and unplug appliances and other electrical equipment. Unplug heat-producing items like irons and space heaters. This helps prevent circuit overloading, which could delay restoration of service.
• Call us and report your outage at 1-800-DIAL DWP (1-800-342-5397).

If you encounter a downed power line:

• Report any downed power lines immediately by calling the LADWP at 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397). If you or someone else is in danger, call 911.
• Do not touch a downed or dangling wire or anyone or anything in contact with it. Always assume a downed line is still energized.
• If a power line falls on your car, stay in the car and wait for help. If you must get out, make sure you do not touch the metal parts of the car and the ground at the same time. The safest exit method is to open the door, stand on the door sill and jump free without touching the car.
• Stay away from metal fences, such as chain link fences, as there may be a power line down and touching the fence somewhere beyond your sight.
• If there is damage to the connection from the power pole to your house, you should go to the electrical box and turn off the main switch or shut off the fuse switch. Again, always assume electric lines are live.
• In case of an electrical emergency, stay calm and think before you act. Don’t become a victim while trying to help others. Call 911.
• If someone is shocked or not breathing, apply cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR.) Then cover the victim with a blanket, keep their head low and get medical attention.

Featuring  new designers:

Alexia Cohen * Alana Douvros * Christi Schimpke *

 Deanna Abney * Erica Clum *  Jennifer Dermer  

 Karen Ilvedson  * Vanessa Meyer * Alexia Cohen 

 Joan Russell * Jesse Campos * Sean Madrid 

 Jennifer Krista  and others.

Saturday Nov 26th 7PM

A new Dog-Barking Ordinance has passed the City Council and will take effect on December 11, 2011.  The new city law would fine the owners of excessively barking dogs $250 dollars for the first offense, $500 for a second and $1,000 for a third if a Department of Animal Services hearing officer decides the pooch is barking too much.
Excessive barking — under the ordinance — is defined as a dog barking continuously for more than 10 minutes or intermittently for a half-hour or more within a three hour period.  In addition to the new fines, the changes would give animal services officials more power in dealing with the owners of unlicensed dogs.
Under the old ordinance, last amended about 20 years ago, hearings did not proceed against residents who did not have licensed dogs and there were also no fines.  This ordinance evens the playing field.
Click here to see the dog-barking Ordinance

Getting a grip on Helicopters over the City of Los Angeles.  More and more Angelenos are getting fed-up with what they see as constant helicopter traffic over their homes, rattling their nerves and destroying their peace and quiet.  Congressman Howard Berman responded with a bill — H.R. 2677 — that would mandate the Federal Aviation Administration set requirements for helicopter flight paths, altitudes and noise pollution.  Councilman LaBonge on July 29th, 2011 introduced a resolution calling on the full City Council to throw its support behind the House Bill.  However, that resolution has been hovering in the Information Technology and Governmental Relations Committee ever since.  But now that the Los Angeles Chief Legislative Analyst has released its report on the helicopter legislation and the LA County Board of Supervisors has endorsed the measure, there’s new momentum for the Los Angeles City Council to do the same.  Councilman LaBonge is working to move his resolution for consideration before the full City Council before the end of the year.

See, Hear, Taste and Experience all that the NoHo Arts District has to offer at the first-annual NoHo Arts Festival on Saturday, November 12th from 12-8pm.  The event will happen rain-or-shine!  On Lankershim Boulevard in NoHo, from Chandler Boulevard to Camarillo Street.  Experience NoHo is part arts walk and part festival. A large main stage area for music will be located at the north end of the festival, while a dance stage will anchor the festival on Lankershim Blvd. at the south end. Art will be everywhere – from public art stations inviting patrons to create their own art, to gallery installations. There will be incredible discounts and offerings from local restaurants and retailers. To top it off, 15 of NoHo’s live theatres will offer performances, classes and demonstrations for FREE during festival hours.

Councilman LaBonge will join Mayor Villaraigosa and LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich for the 52nd Annual Veterans Day Ceremony in the Court of Liberty at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills.  The ceremony will take place on Friday 11.11.11 at 11am.  Councilman LaBonge will speak and introduce the Mayor.  Supervisor Antonovich will read the Presidential Proclamation.  Come out and thank a veteran for their service to the United States of Americ

Crews will begin a major road project at the intersection of Los Feliz Boulevard and Riverside Drive on Monday November 7th to perform emergency roadway stabilization.  Tunnelling in the area for the River Supply Conduit Project has resulted in the ground sinking underneath the major intersection around a newly-installed water pipe.  Crews will drill hundreds of holes in the pavement and inject grouting to shore-up the ground around the pipe.  Work begins on the park-side on Crystal Springs Drive, but will eventually move out onto Los Feliz Boulevard until the sinkage has been mitigated.  The work is expected to continue in the area through December 21st. 

Set your clocks back to standard time this weekend!

We can stay in bed an extra hour.