GIGA GRANADA HILLS

The Daily News reported today that the former owner of Golden State Collective is facing two years in state prison for his no-contest plea to stealing more than $18,000 worth of electricity. There's two philosophies about running businesses that are in grey areas of the law: keeping your nose as clean as possible , or just saying screw it, I'm already breaking one law, why not break mor e? Steven Richard Kall, the 55-year-old co-owner of the Golden State Collective, obviously went with option B. Kall, according to the Daily News report, was already out on bail on similar charges in Ventura County at the time of his arrest . The dispensary owner had installed an illegal electrical by-pass at a Valley grow house and had been growing the marijuana plants with free electricity for eight months . In a previous interview , the owner of another Granada Hills dispensary, Junior Martinez, railed against shady dispensary operators and the guilt by association they create for leg...

It's Britney, bitch! Popstar/I-used-to-be-on-top-star Britney Spears, apparently with the full complement of hair and undergarments she's been famous for shedding/forgetting, paid a visit to our humble metropolis this week for a Candie’s photo shoot. Yes, Britney sells shoes, but Lady Gaga sells booze -- so who would you rather party with? M.I.A.? Yeah, me too. Call me when she shows up in Granada Hills. Same goes for Madonna.

The victims of the diesel/unleaded screwup at Thrifty Gas may, or may not, be promptly reimbursed for all, or maybe just some, of their expenses by BP. BP stands for "Bad Pumps." It also stands for "Battle for Payment." Video from ABC 7 News. Full story here .

According to a report at ABC 7 News , a huge snafu at Thrifty Gas at Balboa and Rinaldi left a herd of disabled cars in its wake this morning. Apparently, the driver of a fuel delivery tanker mistakenly put diesel in the station's unleaded tank, and in turn, several drivers filled their tanks with diesel fuel, causing their cars to stall. My favorite part of ABC7's report: "While people were still filling up with diesel, Thrifty employees said nothing to the customers. They just taped small signs on all the pumps and went back inside. The employees are in there hiding out, the owner's hiding out...." Hopefully, the victims of this witless move will be compensated for their repair bills, but no word on that yet. ABC 7 News link here . Thanks to Tom Tcimpidis for this tip!

If you've been saying to yourself, "I should really check that out sometime," now's the time. The L.A. Pizza Comedy Night -- er, excuse me, Comedy Experience -- is celebrating its second anniversary tomorrow night, and lining up the most primo talent in their roster for the occasion. Brian Monarch (pictured at left), host of Granada Hills' only comedy show, talked with GigaGranadaHills about the history of the Experience . How did the L.A. Pizza comedy night get started? I'm friends with the owners at L.A. Pizza and I actually just presented the idea to them a couple years ago and they loved it! A few weeks later in May of '08 we had our first show! We've done it every Tuesday night at 8pm since! However, this week's special two-year anniversary show is on Friday, May 14th. How has the show changed over the course of the two years? It's changed a lot! It started out with us performing on the floor without a stool, stage, curtains, or DJ....

From North Valley Aikikai: A Day in Nature: Learning Survival Skills! FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN 6+ SATURDAY, MAY 15 FULL DAY: 10 AM - 6 PM PARTIAL DAY: 2 - 6 PM. Led by world renowned British survival guide, Toby Cowern, who has instructed in a variety of both practical and theoretical areas for over 16 years, we will learn basic survival skills such as: Shelter building Food gathering Lighting a fire We will also play fun nature games to increase our awareness of nature. We are meeting at North Valley Aikikai, 16901 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Granada Hills at 10 a.m. Another group will leave at 2 pm, joining for only a portion of the day. The location is in O'Melveny Park in Granada Hills. Please bring good walking shoes, appropriate clothing, sunscreen, any survival gear you may want to use, a hat, a packed lunch and plenty of water. Remember you will be carrying what you bring... Price: Adults & teens $30, Kids up to 12 $20. Partial day: by donation. To reserve your spot, ple...