Spring is when we get busy here in the Ist-A-Verse. Very busy. But, after staying bundled-up indoors all winter, it's nice for us to be out, about, and collecting things to write about for you. Here's a glimpse at what's been keeping your favorite citybloggers busily away from home and out of bed. For LAist, strong winds attacked LA on the same day the Feds raided the Crips. Not to fear, though: the Japanese version......

As many legal observers expected, Gov. Schwarzenegger denied Stanley "Tookie" Williams's request for clemency, ">stating that (.pdf) there was strong evidence supporting the jury's guilty verdict, and that he doesn't really believe that Tookie has really reformed (various Nobel Prize nominations notwithstanding) because Tookie has never apologized for the killings for which he was imprisoned, and has never explicitly apologized for the murders committed in the name of the Crips. (Also, Tookie still supports George Jackson, who the governor says shows that Tookie continues to advocate for "violence and lawlessness."). Williams's attorney will file a renewed petition for clemency this afternoon, and can still appeal to the US Supreme Court. Meanwhile, his supporters are planning a 8 p.m. rally outside San Quentin. There's also a "walk for abolition," which started at 7 a.m. today at the Palace of the Legion of Honor and will end at San Quentin at 6. They should be around St. Paul's Church in San Rafael right about now if you want to meet up with 'em. We can't find any info on any pro-death penalty rallies but presumably, they'll be happening around the same time and at the same place as the anti- ones. ...

SFist Jon forwards along the following news item: The art and antiques store Phantom*SF at 18th and Castro's in a tough spot about the coffee-table sculpture the owner's displayed in the window, of a well-muscled, well-hung man. The store owner has been told to cover the statue completely or face pornography charges -- which is a problem because the owner has hung the price tag on the tip of the.... well, you know. Apparently some neighborhood families don't want their kids seeing that sort of thing (though it's unclear what the store owner will do about the David statue he has in the same window as well). The owner, Bevan Dufty, the cops, and the DAs are all unsure about what to do next. Dufty suggests "dialogue" (always the last refuge of the wicked!). A big rig filled with fish overturned around 3 a.m., closing down southbound 880. Since 880's always such an easy and uncongested commute, we're sure this has had no impact on the morning commute. From Death Row records to an actual death row -- Snoop Dogg's going to be protesting for the clemency of Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Williams, who founded the Crips gang, was convicted of killing four people in 1979, and is scheduled to be executed at San Quentin on Dec. 13. No governor has granted clemency for the death penalty since it was reinstated in California in 1978. ...