August Sky Report
Courtesy of Griffith Observatory
Mercury begins August close to the sun and cannot be observed. On the 31st, Mercuryrises in the east-northeast at 5:09 a.m., PDT, and the sun rises at 6:26 a.m., PDT. Theplanet’s disk is 24-percent illuminated and 8.5 arcseconds wide, and so mosttelescopes cannot reveal its disk. Do not observe any planet when it comes close to the sun.
Community
Seaweed
Nature’s Ancient Organic Fertilizer
By Michael Schlesinger
President Casta del Sol Vegetable Club
Seaweed has been used as fertilizer since at least Roman times. Scientists have confirmed that it's a valuable source of nutrients that results in more productive gardens and lusher lawns. If you want proof, go to Amazon and type “seaweed fertilizer for plants.” You will find page after page of seaweed additives, usually in an extract form. However, instead of buying an extract, you can acquire the “real thing” by going down to any beach and picking up seaweed lying on the shore. Recreational harvest of seaweed for personal use is permitted under California law (Title 14, CCR, Sections 30 and 30.10.)
Any variety of seaweed will work - sea lettuce, eelgrass, rockweed, kelp, Irish moss, or whatever else washes up on local beaches. More
July Home Sales
Courtesy of Yarruss Group
In July, 2024, 80 homes sold for over $1,000,000 with the average sales price being $1,432,639 for a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house. In comparison, last month’s average sales price was $1,361,364 for the same size house. This is an increase of more than $70,000. More
Prior Community Posts
New CA Laws Effective 7/1/24 More
Habitat for Humanity More
CHOCtopia 2024 Review
Have You Met The Cooper’s Hawk? Read Full Article
February 2024 Residential Real Estate Report
January 2024 Residential Real Estate Report More
December Residential Real Estate Report More
Real Estate Report - November 2023 More
Lion King Junior Production November 2023 More
Real Estate Report October 2023 More
Real Estate Report August 2023 More
Real Estate Report July, 2023 More
It’s Girl Scout Cookie Time 2023 More
Feeding Mission Viejo’s Homeless
By Michael Schlesinger
The Point in Time Survey determines the number of homeless people living in Mission Viejo. Statistics are published almost weekly detailing the homeless situation in the United States. In Orange County this year, a Point in Time Survey of homeless people on January 23-25, 2024 was conducted to determine the number of homeless people living in the county. The survey found that in Mission Viejo, 34 people lived in an unsheltered situation with one in a sheltered situation.
But statistics are misleading in that there are situations where physical counts cannot be made of homeless people. For instance, families "double up" where two or more families live in the same residence with one family living in one bedroom; another lives in the second bedroom. Other situations include "couch surfing" where a homeless family lives on a couch or on sleeping bags on the floor with air mattresses or 2 people live in a "hot bed" arrangement where one person sleeps in the bed at night when the other is working at night and then the night person sleeps in the bed during daytime when the other person goes to work. Read Full Article
California Bans School Disclosure of Student Gender Identity
By Stacy Holmes
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the first-in-the-nation law which bans districts from requiring school staff to disclose a student's gender identity or sexual orientation to any other person without the child's permission, with some exceptions. The law goes into effect January 1, 2025.
The new law protects students from regulations already in place in some school districts where a student’s choice of pronouns to self identify or other gender behavior must be communicated to the student’s parents.
Research from the Child Mind Institute makes it clear that being LGBTQ+ does not cause and is not caused by mental illness. Increased risk of mental health issues among LGBTQ+ students is caused by rejection, discrimination, bullying, isolation and violence. Notifying parents of behavior that only possibly indicates gay or transgender orientation may trigger more rejection and bullying should the student encounter adverse treatment at home or from other school personnel. More