Jane Peters Los Angeles Living, Los Angeles Homes

Great house available for long-term lease at the beach in Ocean Park, Santa Monica.

This, 4000 sq. ft. 4 bed, 4 bath house is steps from the beach in the heart of Ocean Park. There is a two-car garage and spaces for more, a definite plus where parking is at a premium. The views are glorious. Offered at $9,000. Also available a full guest-house.

Looking for cage-free dog day-care or boarding in Los Angeles, The Loved Dog provides a wonderful environment.

Run by Tamar Geller, trainer to Oprah Winfrey's golden retriever puppies, The Loved Dog is a wonderful place to house your dog while you are at work or away from town.

I visited the facility on Pontius Avenue in West Los Angeles and couldn't draw myself away. The dogs were running around having a great time. The employees seem to be having a ball also.

The larger dogs are separated from the smaller ones, but the small dogs with big personalities join the large ones. It is adorable.

The Loved Dog also provides non-aggressive play training techniques approved by the U.S. Humane Society.

Another nice feature is pick-up and delivery of your dog.

For more details visit The Loved Dog website.

Cirque du Soleil is back in Santa Monica with Kooza, a story about a melancholy loner trying to find his place in the world.



Kooza showcases an array of emotions in the original Cirque du Soleil acrobatic and clowning style.

The tent is set up on Santa Monica Beach which is a wonderful venue and it runs until December 20th.  Plenty of time to go before the holiday rush gets in the way.

Visit the Kooza website for more details. 

Malibu, an area of Los Angeles that contains some of the most expensive real estate in Los Angeles County and is home to countless movie stars, is about to lose the bulk of its septic tank systems after years of fierce debate.

The septic tank system has been popular in the area because it hindered growth in a neighborhood coveted for its wide open spaces and beautiful views. But detractors fought against the ocean and beach pollution caused as a result.

The switch to a sewer system will come at great expense to residents in the areas affected, around $500 a month. Businesses will pay $20,000 a month. There is a compromise which would shrink the affected areas and allow owners in commercial areas to comply by 2015 and residents in Malibu Knolls, Serra Retreat, and Malibu Colony by 2019.

Septic tanks were a major consideration in Malibu becoming an incorporated city in 1991 to stop Los Angeles County installing a sewer system in the area. Residents were afraid of over-development.

The stench in the area, especially after a rainstorm is famous and called the "Malibu smell". Not what one would imagine in such an upscale neighborhood.

In an area full of beachgoers and famous for its surfer, getting rid of this polluting factor can only be a good thing.

These are the the third quarter statistics for median single-family home prices in the Los Angeles area.

Looking at the home prices around the country, I can imagine some of you gasping in shock when you see our median home prices of $849,500, and those prices having dropped a whopping 2.91% over the past year.

At the top, Malibu Beach's median price is $5,040,000 and Beverly Hills comes in a distant second at $3,100,000. A worthy mention goes to Pacific Palisades at $2,050,000.

South and East Los Angeles were the hardest hit.

So now you know why I am in disbelief when I see the pricing of the magnificent homes some of you are listing for less than the median price of our condo market.

The median price of our condos in the same areas is roughly $463,000, a drop of 11% over last year.