Horses and eggplant clash in southern California ...

   As the weather turns colder (efforts of global warming notwithstanding) and daylight reaches its nadir, one may think of southern California –- that land of sunshine (El Nino permitting) and 20 million people trying to live together in a stretch of unstable land between mountain and beach.  So I present “Southern California week” …

   Southern California presents some surprisingly sharp lines between city and rural areas. One such remaining line exists in the Rancho Equestrian district of Burbank, just north of the city, adjacent to mountainous Griffith Park (think “Rebel Without a Cause”).  The special district permits backyard horses under special zoning rules; horses have always been an important part of the community.  Local advocates are mobilizing to stop the introduction of a planned Whole Foods Market, which many think will clog the streets with cars, which already co-exist uneasily with the horse community.