Residents Unite in Fight Against Crime Prang

WWW.BEVERLYPRESS.COM
INSIDE
• Cops stress bike
safety. pg. 3
• Museum hosts
exhibit on
Lucille Ball. pg. 6
Clear and
sunny, with
temps around
83º
Volume 21 No. 31
Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities
August 4, 2011
Residents Unite in Fight Against Crime Prang Suspends Bid for
State Assembly District
n National Night Out
Events Held in WeHo,
Park La Brea and
Poinsettia Park
n Incumbent Assemblymember Butler May Run
BY TALIA RALPH
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
in Newly-Created 50th District
O
n Tuesday night, Los
Angeles
and
West
Hollywood
residents
joined over 15,500 neighborhoods
across the country to celebrate
National Night Out (NNO), an
event that fosters collaboration
between the police and communities to solve local crime issues.
Hundreds of people gathered at
celebrations in Poinsettia Park,
Park La Brea, and on various
streets and cul-de-sacs throughout
West Hollywood for food, live
photo by Talia Ralph
music, and a chance to interact Cadets from the LAPDʼs Wilshire Division were among the law
with the people that keep the area enforcement personnel at a National Night Out Against Crime event at
safe.
Poinsettia Park.
“It gets people in the community out and meeting each other,”
said Raquel Tolmaire, who coach- people out into their streets and off the event at Poinsetta Park, and
City Attorney Carmen Trutanich,
es the basketball team at parks.
“National Night Out is a great Capt. Eric Davis, and Councilman
Poinsettia Park, where more than
300 people gathered. “And it’s opportunity for neighbors, public Paul Koretz, 5th District, also
safety personnel and city staff to addressed the crowd.
great to meet your local leaders.”
Koretz noted that though
NNO started in 1984 to expand come together,” West Hollywood
the strength of neighborhood Mayor John J. Duran said. “It’s an Melrose Action Neighborhood
watches and anti-crime efforts. event that fits perfectly in West Watch was started after a local resApproximately 2.5 million Hollywood as it strives to make ident was murdered three years
ago, National Night Out offers a
Americans participated across the our city safer and more livable.”
L.A. County Supervisor Zev chance for the neighborhood to
country the first year. Now, NNO
events bring around 37 million Yaroslavsky, 3rd District, kicked
See Communities page 21
City Slams the Brakes on Red-Light Cameras
n Devices Deemed to
be Too Costly and
Ineffective
W
est Hollywood City
Councilmember Jeffrey
Prang has suspended his
bid to run for the state assembly
after the California Redistricting
Commission released maps last
Friday showing how the new
assembly districts will likely be
drawn, and after information surfaced that a current assemblymember may run in the new district that
includes West Hollywood and the
surrounding areas.
The commission has until Aug.
14 to make a final decision on the
new districts, but the preliminary
maps released on July 29 show how
the area’s district will likely be
redrawn.
Currently
West
Hollywood, Hollywood, Wilshire
and the surrounding areas are in
Assembly District 42, which is represented by Assemblymember
Mike Feuer, who will be forced
from office in 2012 because of term
limits. District 42 currently also
includes most of West of Los
Angeles, and some portions of the
San Fernando Valley. The
Redistricting Commission has
redrawn the map of the district so it
stretches farther west to the coast
and farther north to Agoura Hills,
but it will not include as much of
n Officials Review
T
Whether Any New
Charges Will be Filed
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
photo by Talia Ralph
The red light camera at Cahuenga and Sunset Boulevards is one of 32
traffic camers being deactivated in Los Angeles.
Koretz, 5th District, was instrumental in having the red light cameras
in Los Angeles deactivated.
“I think the red light cameras
seemed like a good idea fifteen
years ago when they generated revenue, but we lost a considerable
amount of money this year, and we
See Red-Light Cameras page 22
See Prang page 21
photo courtesy of City of West Hollywood
West Hollywood Councilmember
Jeffrey Prang is reevaluating his
options in running for the state
assembly
Tweet Causes Near-Riot
on Hollywood Blvd.
BY TALIA RALPH
he Los Angeles City Council
voted unanimously to deactivate its 32 red-light cameras
last week, and is no longer issuing
tickets for red-light violations as of
July 31.
The red-light cameras were
installed in the summer of 2007 and
have cost the city of Los Angeles
over $2.5 million, according to a
report by City Controller Wendy
Greuel. The tickets cost motorists
$450, plus traffic school fees, and
often go unpaid by violators
because L.A. County’s court system doesn’t require that drivers pay
their citations as a condition of
renewing their license, said John
Fisher, the assistant general manager of The Los Angeles Department
of Transportation (LADOT).
City Councilmember Paul
the San Fernando Valley as is currently included in District 42. The
district is also being renumbered as
Assembly District 50.
Prang, who was first elected to
the West Hollywood City Council
in 1997, announced that he was
running for state assembly in the
42nd District in January, prior to
he command staff at Los
Angeles
Police
Department’s Hollywood
Division is evaluating whether
any further charges will be filed
as a result of the near-riot that
erupted on July 27 outside the
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre,
where the premiere of a documentary about a popular rave
known as the “Electric Daisy
Carnival” was being held.
Authorities are also preparing
their cases against three people
who were arrested after thousands of people gathered on
Hollywood Boulevard, many of
them brought to the area because
DJ Kaskade, a performer at the
Electric Daisy Canrival, spread a
rumor via Twitter that a block
party was being held in conjunction with the film premiere. Some
of the people threw rocks and bottles at police, and damaged three
police cars. The film, known as
the “Electric Daisy Carnival
Experience”, is scheduled to have
special one-night screenings at
select theatres nationwide on
Thursday, Aug. 4, but AMC
Cinemas and Regal Theatres have
cancelled the screenings out of
concern about the incident in
Hollywood. Insomniac, the promotion company that organizes
the raves, issued a statement that
the film would still be shown at
See Police page 22
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
2 August 4, 2011
5 Book Sale
Calendar
T
he Friends of the John C.
Fremont Library is holding its
monthly book sale on Friday, Aug. 5
from 1:30 to 5 p.m., and Saturday,
Aug. 6 from noon to 5 p.m. The sale
will feature a large selection of books,
compact discs, audio books, DVD’s
and more. Book donations are also
accepted. 6121 Melrose Ave.
(323)962-3521.
Live” musical performance on
Sunday, Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. The concert
will feature bassoonist Judith Farmer,
flutist Boglarka Kiss, and pianist
Robert Thies performing works by
Poulenc, Tansman and Schumann.
The series is held each Sunday at 6
p.m. in LACMA’s Bing Theatre, 5905
Wilshire Blvd. (323)857-6000,
www.lacma.org.
Spanish Guitar
T
he Ford Amphitheatre presents
“Noche de Pasion - 100 Years of
Spanish Guitar” on Friday, Aug. 5 at
8:30 p.m. The performance features
guitar virtuoso, David Maldonado,
who takes audiences on a musical
journey through Spain, Morocco and
Egypt. Tickets are $35. 2580
Cahuenga Blvd. East. (323)4613673., www.fordtheatres.org.
Tolerance Lecture
T
he Museum of Tolerance is holding its “From Hate to Hope”
series on Sunday, Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. The
program features a hate crime victim
and a former hate crime perpetrator
who come together for a special dialogue on tolerance. 9786 W. Pico
Blvd. (310)553-8403, www.museumoftolerance.com.
Ethiopian Funk
Kid’s Music
T
he Boston-based Ethiopian funk
group, Debo, will perform in a
free concert on Friday, Aug. 5 at 7
p.m. at the Levitt Pavilion for the
Performing Arts at MacArthur Park.
Debo takes musical cues from vintage
and contemporary artists, creating
memorable Ethiopian dance sounds.
The group will be performing with
special guests, Fendika. 2230 West
6th
St.
(213)384-5701,
www.debo.flipswitchpr.com.
6 Kids Fun
at the Petersen
T
he Petersen Automotive Museum
presents a children’s event titled
“Discovery
Day:
Automotive
Bookmarks” on Saturday, Aug. 6 from
1 to 4 p.m. Participants will make
automotive bookmarks in anticipation
of the upcoming school year. At
2:30pm, actors from L.A. BookPALS
will also read stories. 6060 Wilshire
Blvd.
(323)930-CARS,
www.petersen.org. Nostalgic Train Rides
T
he Fillmore & Western Railway is
holding its “Weekend Scenic
Excursions Train Rides” on Saturday,
Aug. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28.
The daytime train ride between
Fillmore and Santa Paula gives passengers an opportunity to have lunch
in the dining car, or enjoy the scenery
in the observation car. The four-hour,
round trip train ride passes through the
citrus and avocado groves of the
Heritage Valley, and includes a lay-
T
photo courtesy of jeannerobertson.com
Humorist Jeanne Robertson will perform on Saturday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m.
at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The 67-year-old former beauty queen is a
professional speaker who specializes in humor based on her life experiences. She utilizes her funny style to illustrate that a sense of humor is
much more than a laughing matter; it is a strategy for success. Tickets
are
$34.50.
4401
West
8th
St.
(800)745-3000,
www.jeannerobertson.com.
over in Santa Paula, and a stop at the
Loose Caboose Garden Center and
Gift Emporium. Trains depart
Fillmore at 11:30 a.m. Adult tickets
are
$24.
(800)
773-8724,
www.fwry.com.
Musical Theatre
T
he Actors’ Repertory Theatre’s
“DOLLS! - Not Your Usual Love
Story” runs from Saturday, Aug. 6
through Sept. 25 at the Santa Monica
Playhouse. The play is part of the
playhouse’s “50th Anniversary
Festival of Theatre”, and is an upbeat,
musical unveiling of the secret life of
the dolls people leave behind.
Showtimes are at 7:30pm, Fridays and
Saturdays; 6:30 p.m., Sundays.
General admission is $26. (310)3949779
ext.
1,
www.
SantaMonicaPlayhouse.com.
# ! #
% " # $ %%%$ &! # " &
! ! "! 7 Music at the
Museum
T
he Los Angeles County Museum
of Art is holding a “Sundays
heatricum Botanicum presents
“Barney Saltzberg at Peter
Alsop’s Kids Koncerts” on Sunday,
Aug. 7 at 11 a.m. The family concert
for all ages features songs like “Where
Oh Where’s My Underwear?” and
“I’m a Mess”. Saltzberg takes children on a musical and visual journey
that gets everyone singing. Tickets are
$9. 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
(310)455-3723,
www.theatricum.com
.
9 Family Program
W
estfield Culver City is holding
installments of its “Westfield
Family Programs” on Tuesday, Aug. 9
at 10:30 a.m. The program, titled “I
Am Special”, focuses on building
confidence and self-esteem. It will
include a story reading of “I‘m Gonna
Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-
Esteem”, written by Jamie Lee Curtis
and Laura Cornell; and “Bad Case of
Stripes”, written by David Shannon.
Level 1, in JC Penney Court, at
Punctuation Station. 6000 Sepulveda
Blvd. (310)390 5073. www.westfield.com/centurycity.
11 Diabetes Support
O
lympia Medical Center is hosting
a meeting of its Diabetes Support
Group on Thursday, Aug. 11 from 7 to
9 p.m. The meetings are held the second Thursday of each month, and provide a safe and open atmosphere
where people can learn abut the disease and share experiences. Pavilion
Conference Room (PCR), 5900
Olympic Bl. 1st Floor. (310)323-5264,
www.olympi-amc.com.
Dee Dee Bridgewater
T
he Grammy Museum presents a
discussion with Dee Dee
Bridgewater on Thursday, Aug. 11 at 8
p.m. in The Clive Davis Theater. The
discussion will be moderated by
Grammy Museum executive director,
Bob Santelli, and followed by a musical performance. Tickets are $15. 800
W. Olympic Blvd., Ste. A245.
(213)765-6800, www.grammymuseum.org.
Sandra Bernhard
T
he Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts
Theater (REDCAT) is holding a
series of performances by actress and
comedienne Sandra Bernhard running
from Thursday, Aug. 11 through 21.
Bernhard’s latest show is titled “I
Love Being Me, Don’t You?”, and she
will be backed by a four-piece band
for a program of outrageous humor,
cutting satire and energetic live performance. Tickets are $45 to 50. 631
W. 2nd St., in the Walt Disney Concert
Hall
complex.
(213)237-2800,
www.redcat.org.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Garcetti Gives Honors
During ‘Navy Week’
3 August 4, 2011
Police Issue Warning About Bicycle Safety
n Authorities Stress that
Motorists and Cyclists
Must Cooperate
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
A
photo courtesy of the 13th Council District Office
Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti (center), 13th
District, honored Navy Vice Admiral Gerald Beaman (left) and other
Navy personnel at city hall last week in conjunction with “Navy
Week” in Los Angeles. Garcetti, who is a lieutenant in the Naval
Reserves, said he presented the proclamation because he has a
“first-hand appreciation for the work that the men and women of our
Naval forces do to protect our country and our values at home and
abroad.”
Governor Signs Pavley Bill
on Domestic Violence
G
ov. Jerry Brown today signed
a bill by Senator Fran Pavley
(D-Los Angeles) that would put in
place dramatic new protections for
domestic violence victims. The
bill, which passed both houses of
the Legislature without a single
“no” vote, will allow criminal
courts to issue restraining orders
for up to 10 years in all felony and
misdemeanor domestic violence
cases resulting in a conviction.
“I’m pleased the governor saw
the importance of this bill. We simply must protect victims from the
threat of further attack from an
abuser,” Pavley said.
“Misdemeanors are wake-up
calls and too often are the gateway
to more serious crimes. We’ve all
heard the stories of escalating violence with families that has culminated in the death of the victim or
photo by Tim Posada
Los Angeles Police Department officials held a press conference on
Tuesday to ask that drivers share the road with cyclists, and that bike riders remain aware that they have a responsibility to obey the law as well.
aware of their surroundings, it will
definitely improve safety.”
Officer Loi Hinh, of the LAPD’s
West Traffic Division, which covers the Wilshire areas, said they
have experienced a slight decrease
in vehicle vs. bicycle collisions this
year. In the Wilshire area, there
have been 48 vehicle vs. bicycle
collisions in 2011, compared to 62
in 2010. He added that the command staff at the division continues
to stress bicycle safety and cooperation between drivers and cyclists,
because the statistics can change
quickly.
“It may be trending down
because we have been doing bicycle safety awareness, and we have
been strictly enforcing the vehicle
code and issuing citations,” Hinh
said. “Officers are out there focusing on prevention, and it is making
See Cops page 21
the victim’s children because early
signs and acts of violence weren’t
taken seriously enough.”
Currently in California, only
felony convictions of serious bodily injury and stalking can lead to a
criminal protective order for up to
10 years.
In all other domestic violence
cases – felony and misdemeanor –
once the offender is released from
jail or prison there is no protection
for the victim unless a new
restraining order is sought in family court.
“These abusers can simply be
released from prison or jail and go
immediately after their victim,”
Pavley said. “This bill will give
sentencing judges a procedural tool
to help victims.”
SB 723 will go into effect on Jan.
1, 2012.
Council Reviews Proposal for
New Football Stadium
T
he Los Angeles City Council is
considering a Memorandum of
Understanding on Anschutz
Entertainment Group’s (AEG’s)
proposal to build a Football
Stadium where the West Hall of the
Los Angeles Convention Center
now stands. The proposal calls for
the demolition of the West Hall and
the construction of the NFL
Stadium and a new $275-million
wing of the city Convention
Center. “We plan to take a careful look at
little over a week after the Los
Angeles
City
Council
approved an anti-bicyclist harassment ordinance, the Los Angeles
Police Department held a press
conference on Tuesday to remind
both cyclists and motorists that it is
their responsibility to ride or drive
safely.
Capt. Ronald E. Marbrey, commanding officer of the LAPD’s
Central Division, said there has
been an increase in vehicle vs. bicycle collisions in his area, and said
he wanted to get the message out
before the situation becomes worse.
He added that the number of fatalities resulting from vehicle vs. bicycle collisions is up nine percent in
the Central Division from the previous year, and that 27 collisions
involving bicycles where someone
was seriously injured have occurred
since the beginning of the year.
Marbrey added that the situation
in the Central Division, which covers downtown Los Angeles west to
the Olympic area, is somewhat
worse than in other areas of the city,
and surmised that it may be attributed to more people riding bicycles
in that area. He said, however, that
the same rules of the road apply
everywhere, and that motorists
need to watch for cyclists, and vice
versa.
“We found that it is a fifty-fifty
ratio, when it comes to who is at
fault. We find issues on both sides
of the fence, and I think there is
room for improvement on both
sides of the fence,” Marbrey said.
“If we can get people to be more
the memorandum of understanding,” said Austin Beutner, co-chair
of the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon
Commission on the events center.
“In particular the five criteria we set
forth several months ago: job creation; impact on the city’s finances,
traffic and plans to mitigate the
impact, impact on the city’s convention business; AEG’s ability
to ensure completion of the project;
and willingness to stand behind
the long-term nature of the obligations.”
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4 August 4, 2011
Council Considers Sanitation Rate Increase
n City Sewer Usage
Charge May Go Up
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
he Los Angeles City Council’s
Energy and Environment
Committee considered a proposal
Tuesday to increase sanitation rates,
but delayed making a decision until
more information is provided by the
city’s administrative officer and the
Bureau of Public Sanitation.
According to Lisa Mowery, acting chief financial officer for the
city’s Bureau of Sanitation, the
increase pertains only to the rates
charged for sewer usage, and would
be included in the overall bill customers receive from the Los
Angeles Department of Water and
Power. The proposal is for the rates
to increase annually over the next
10 years. During the first two years,
the rate would increase 4.5 percent
annually, followed by a 7.5 percent
increase annually during each of the
following eight years. Mowery said
the average customers’ bill would
increase $34 per year to approximately $359 after 10 years. Under
the proposal, the changes would
occur in steps to ease the financial
burden on customers.
The increase is designed to provide funding to repair the city aging
underground sewer system, as well
as to pay for upgrades at sewage
treatment facilities.
“What we are proposing is a rate
increase over ten years to fund capital improvements to the waste
water system,” Mowery said. “We
have been talking with the neighborhood councils and letting people
know what is being proposed.”
Mowery added, and the increases
are necessary to improve the facilities and the city’s more than 5,900
miles of sewers. The changes are
also necessary to comply with federal environmental standards, and
to help the Bureau of Sanitation,
which has cut operating costs by
$27 million over the past two years,
to begin fixing the system.
According to reports, Los Angeles
charges a lower rates for sewer service than many other major
California Cities, such as San
Francisco, which charges $85 per
month.
Waxman Calls Some House
Members ʻAnti-Environmentʼ
A
fact sheet released by Rep. refineries; to block the EPA from
Henry A. Waxman (D-Los regulating carbon emissions from
Angeles) and Rep. Edward Markey motor vehicles, which also reduces
(D-Mass.) details 110 “anti-envi- oil imports; and to eliminate
ronment” votes taken by the House requirements that large sources disclose the level of their carbon emisof Representatives in Congress.
The votes, Waxman and Markey sions. The anti-environment votes were
claim, demonstrate the House’s
reluctance to “address climate highly partisan, according to
change, to stop actions to prevent Waxman. Of the 110 anti-environair and water pollution, to under- ment votes, 95 were roll-call
mine protections for public lands votes. On average, 97 percent of
Republicans voted for the antiand coastal areas.”
“This is the most anti-environ- environment position.
In contrast, 84 percent of
ment House of Representatives in
history,” said Waxman, ranking Democrats voted for the pro-envidemocratic member of the House ronment position.
Energy and Commerce
Committee.
“President Theodore
Roosevelt said, ‘A vote is
like a rifle’ and House
Republicans have one
pointed right at the heart
of America’s clean energy
future,” said Markey,
ranking democratic member of the House Natural
Resources Committee. Some of the votes taken
by the House include 20
votes to block actions to
address
climate
change. These include
votes to deny that climate
change is occurring; to
block the EPA from regulating carbon emissions
Congressman Henry Waxman
from power plants and oil
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proposing is a
rate increase
over ten years to
fund capital
improvements to
the waste water
system.”
Council Recognizes Hard
Work of LGBT Students
-Lisa Mowery, acting CFO for
the cityʼs Bureau of Sanitation
Mowery said the Energy and
Environment Committee may
reconsider the motion at its meeting
on Aug. 16, or may reschedule it for
a meeting in September. After that,
the motion would go to the full city
council, and if it is approved, a
notice about the proposed increase
would be sent to all customers.
Forty-five days after the city council’s first consideration, a public
hearing will be held on the increases before a final approval is made,
photo by Richard Settle
The West Hollywood City Council recently presented a commendation to graduates from the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Centerʼs Jeff Griffith
Youth Center. The graduates had received a GED through the program, which offers educational services to LGBT youth, as well as
case management, career development and healthcare. For information, visit www.lagaycenter.org.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
6 August 4, 2011
Hollywood Museum Shows It Still Loves Lucy
n An Event Celebrating
Iconic Comedienne
to be Held Aug. 4
BY TALIA RALPH
E
verybody still loves Lucy, and
tonight, Aug. 4, the Hollywood
Museum is honoring the incomparable television show’s 60 consecutive years on air and celebrating
what would have been Lucille
Ball’s 100th birthday, which falls
on Aug. 6.
The museum holds 10,000
pieces of television and film memorabilia and has dedicated a full
exhibit to “I Love Lucy”, which
runs through Nov. 30.
“The historic Max Factor
Building is the perfect venue for
this exhibit, because it’s where
Lucille Ball went for makeup and
hair treatments from Mr. Factor,”
said Donelle Dadigan, president of
the Hollywood Museum. “It’s
where Lucy first became a redhead.”
The exhibit boasts rare “I Love
Lucy” memorabilia, including the
first national TV guide, which featured Lucy and Desi Arnaz’s son
Desi, Jr. on the cover; Lucy’s autographed cast from her 1972 ski
accident in Colorado; and many of
the redheaded comedienne’s personal annotated scripts.
Their daughter, Luci Arnaz, is
making a special appearance at the
event, as are Bernard Weitzman
and Dann Cahn, former employees
of Desilu Productions.
“I can never stop talking about
them because it was the happiest
fifteen years of my working life,”
said Bernard Weitzman, who was
the Vice President of business
development at Desilu before
going on to work in management at
Universal Studios and MGM. “I
thought that every company would
be like that, but I got spoiled early
in life.”
CBS DVD and Paramount Home
Video are sponsoring the event in
conjunction with the release of the
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":6,7057 5:79 7+,7 5 new DVD set of the best of “I Love
Lucy”. Since its first episode aired
on CBS on Oct. 15, 1951, “I Love
Lucy” has never been off the air. It
now plays in over 80 countries, and
has been dubbed in Japanese,
French, and Spanish.
“Her show never stopped, which
meant that the fans were constantly reinventing themselves,” said
Tom Watson, Lucy’s publicist during the end of her career. “We got
letters year after year from people
who had just discovered her, or
rediscovered her with their children. People who grew up watching her had kids of their own, and
they’d write and say, “here I am,
sitting down with my six-year-old
daughter every afternoon to watch
“I Love Lucy”, laughing my head
off.”
Watson said the show is consistently described as “a good
babysitter’s choice” by those who
loved and worked on the show: it’s
a classic that parents know is guaranteed to be good, clean fun, and
Lucille Ball brought a charm to her
physical brand of comedy that
crossed over so well to different
countries and generations, he
added.
“She’d do anything they threw at
her,” Weitzman said. “They wanted her to get on a pogo stick? She’d
get on a pogo stick and make it
great. She’d never stomped grapes
before? She’d stomp grapes.”
Michael Stern, a long-time
friend of the comedienne and the
author of “I Had A Ball: My
Friendship with Lucille Ball”, said
he fell in love with the actress at
age seven when his parents took
him to see “Yours, Mine and
Ours”, a 1968 comedy in which
Ball played the mother of a family
of 18 children.
After moving to California and
getting tickets to a taping of
“Here’s Lucy”, Ball’s third television sitcom, Stern got the chance to
meet his idol.
“She had a childlike persona that
made you feel like you could be
friends with her, even as a kid,”
Stern said.
After several meetings, Stern
became friends with Ball, who
encouraged him to stay in school
and get a job in the TV and film
industry.
“She became like a second
mother to me,” Stern said. “One
night, I left her house without a
jacket, and she said, ‘take this jacket!’ and gave me one of Desi, Jr.’s.
She was yelling at me like I was
her own kid.”
This anniversary is particularly
special, according to Watson. “It’s
a double whammy,” he said with a
See Museum page 22
photo courtesy of the Hollywood Museum
An exhibit at the Hollywood Museum features posters, clothing and other
memorabilia related to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Dugan Brings ʻNazi Hunter, Simon
Wiesenthalʼ to Life in Solo Show
9 August 4, 2011
Legion Recognizes
Newspaper Editor
T
he name, Simon Weisenthal, has become synonymous with such fear-inspiring words as Holocaust,
Injustice, Slavery, Death, Murder, Nazis, S.S. and Concentration Camp, along with others that don’t always
inspire, or receive capitals, words such as justice,
conscience, redemption, dogged pursuit, honor and
fame.
The name alone carries its inspiration in a civilized
package of devotion, justice and good conscience. After
cheating death at the hands of Hitler’s S.S., he dedicated his life to tracking down, and bringing to justice, the
greatest mass murderers in human history.
Playwright and
actor Tom Dugan
brings that great man
to life in his solo
show, “Nazi Hunter,
Simon Wiesenthal”,
nattily disguised as
Simon Wiesenthal,
the man himself (it
would be hard to tell
them apart). As such,
by Madeleine Shaner
he fools the eye and
the ear so completely
that one tends to whisper to oneself, ‘…after all that
man’s been through, with all that he knows, how spry
and lively he still is!’ Indeed, that’s the word that’s getting around Beverly Hills and Hollywood. (On Saturday
night last week, Mr. Wiesenthal,…er Tom Dugan, actually offered me his cup of water because I was coughing, and I took it, and I stopped coughing!...true story.)
photo by Ed Kreieger
Surprisingly, Dugan isn’t even Jewish, although his wife
and two children are, and the probable inspiration for his Tom Dugan stars in a one-man show titled “Nazi
desire to investigate the monsters of modern warfare Hunter: Simon Wiesenthal”, currently being presented
came from his father, who was a WWII veteran serving at Theatre 40.
with the American Army unit that liberated the
Langenstein concentration camp in Germany in 1945.
Altogether a lovely, wise, satisfying, intelligent performance by Dugan
who, according to the program, has taken on several other portrayals of real
life characters, including Robert E. Lee, Frederick Douglas and Salieri (a
spiteful rival of Mozart). All in all, Dugan’s theatrical closet seems to be
filled with larger-than-life figures from history, or maybe their stories.
Directed by Jenny Sullivan with a sensitive feel for her subject, which
she obviously shares with the multi-talented playwright. Presented at
Theatre 40, at the Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 Moreno Dr., on the
Beverly Hills High School Campus (The theatre has been renovated and is
air-conditioned, and there’s free parking on campus, enter from Santa
Monica Boulevard). Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., extended
through Aug. 24. (310)364-3606.
Mad About
Theatre
Cedars Construction Crosses Bridge
photo courtesy of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Four 100-foot steel beams, totaling nearly 100 tons, were placed between
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and its new, 11-story Advanced Health
Science Pavilion, currently under construction near Beverly Boulevard
and Gracie Allen Drive. The beams were delivered pre-dawn on July 30
to avoid disruptions to traffic, and were installed the same day. They were
lifted into place by a hydraulic crane and set atop two pillars as part of a
bridge being constructed to connect the two facilities at the second floor.
An additional bridge will be built later to connect to the fifth-floor. The
Pavilion is scheduled to open in summer 2013.
photo by Keven Freedman
The members of the American Legion Post 43 in Hollywood on
Monday honored Ed Folven (second from left), editor of the Park
Labrea News and Beverly Press, with the postʼs community service
award. Folven is pictured with Don Schilling (left), a member of the
postʼs Executive Committee; Jeric Wilhelmsen, post commander; and
Ted Ott, post first vice commander.
Post 43, which was founded in 1919 and is located at 2035 N.
Highland Ave., is involved in numerous community service activities,
such as supporting ROTC programs at Fairfax and Hollywood High
Schools. Members of the post recognized Folven and newspapers for
publicizing their philanthropic efforts.
“The paper has been instrumental in helping raise public awareness
of veteransʼ programs, benefits and activities. It is a shining example
of what a community newspaper should be,” Schilling said.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
21 August 4, 2011
Communities Come Together Against Crime
From page 1
come together in a positive way.
“It’s fun to do something more
upbeat like this,” he said. “The
highlight is being able to see the
improvements to the park, like the
playground. It’s a real gift to the
community.”
The event was the fourth annual
National Night Out to be held at
Poinsettia Park, and featured free
Pink’s hot dogs and sandwiches
from Blue Jam Café, games, raffles,
and live music by local band, Clash
City Rockers.
“It’s fun for the kids,” said Angie
Garcia, 9, who was busy playing
dress up at a photo booth station.
“My favorite part is putting on costumes, getting free stuff, and getting my face painted.”
The event at Park La Brea was
the first one to ever be held at that
location, and was organized in just
two months by Karin Green, a resident of Park La Brea for 10 years.
“It was a quick decision,” Green
said. “But I think that neighbors
need to be familiar with the police
efforts and see the police as being
on their side. National Night Out
photo by Laura Vaillancourt
A National Night Out event was held at Park La Brea, and included officers from the LAPDʼs Wilshire Division.
helps them get perspective on crime
in their neighborhood.”
About 25 people gathered around
Mike Solorzano, the security director of Park La Brea, to hear him discuss ways to prevent burglaries.
“Any help really makes a difference,” Solorzano said. “Just lock
things up.”
Community members also took
the time to share stories about their
positive interactions with the
LAPD.
Joyce Kleifield, the director of
development for Fairfax High
School, said that the event helped
change the neighborhood’s perspective of her students.
“When I first came to Fairfax
four years ago, there was this feeling of disconnection between the
neighborhood and us. There was a
feeling that the Fairfax kids were
the troublemakers,” Kleifield said.
“But the kids get out here, they do
volunteer work, they’re helping
out, and we get the word out that
no, it’s not our kids.”
Kleifield also stressed the collaboration between the neighborhood
and the LAPD, who sponsored the
event at Poinsettia.
“We work with LAPD not just
when there’s a problem, but whenever we can, we come together,”
Kleifield said.
Joseph Taylor, a police officer
who has been with the LAPD for 22
years, said he loves talking to the
community at NNO. He fielded
questions at the event about traffic
rules and other public safety concerns.
“We get to pass literature out to
Prang Suspends Assembly Election Bid
From page 1
the redistricting taking place. He
said he was told last week by
Assemblymember Betsy Butler,
who currently represents District
53 in Marina Del Rey and the surrounding area, that she was going
to run for election in the new 50th
District. Prang issued a statement
regarding his decision to suspend
his campaign.
“There has been great uncertainty as a result of redistricting, making it difficult to plan for the pending 2012 election for state legislature. After months of preparation
for my own campaign for assembly,
the new assembly district boundaries were announced Friday and
incumbent State Assemblymember
Betsy Butler announced that she
would seek re-election to the new
district that now includes West
Hollywood, Beverly Hills, L.A.,
Santa Monica, Malibu and Agoura
Hills. I have worked hard for nearly six months to assemble an effective campaign as a candidate for the
California State Assembly…however, I did not expect to be in a position to have to challenge a sitting
incumbent Democratic legislator.
Assemblymember Butler has been
a friend of mine for nearly twenty
years and has been a strong progressive voice on the environment,
LGBT civil rights, and many other
progressive values. Therefore, I am
suspending my campaign for the
State Assembly effective immediately and will consult with my advisors, friends, and family to assess
my options.”
Butler was elected in the 53rd
District last November, and will
have to move into the new 50th
District to run in the area. The
election would be held in
November 2012, but candidates
are required to file to run one year
in advance, and are required to live
in the district. Butler was not available for comment, but issued a
very brief statement. A spokesperson on her staff would not confirm
her plans to run in the 50th
District.
“At this time, I am waiting for
the final vote by the commission,”
Butler stated.
The redistricting has caused
much uncertainty for potential
candidates, and Prang said he put a
lot of thought into suspending his
campaign. He is waiting to officially dismantle his election committee and begin returning approximately $80,000 raised so far until
the redistricting is completed. He
added that he did not want to run
against an incumbent assemblymember who is also a Democrat.
“It has been a great disappointment. I feel like I have a great deal
Cops Advocate for Bike Safety
From page 3
a difference. Things can change,
and we don’t want to see the numbers trending upward again.”
Cycling
advocate
Jeff
Jacobberger, a member of the city’s
Bicycle Advisory Committee and
vice chair of the Mid-City West
Community Council, added that he
has experienced first hand the
problems involving bicycle and
vehicle interaction. Jacobergger
said a couple of years ago while
riding down La Brea Avenue, a
vehicle passed and a passenger
reached out and tried to push him
over. He added that more recent
incidents have also occurred.
“During the Carmageddon
weekend, I was going to an event at
the Ford Amphitheatre on
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Michelle Bonilla (left) and Angie Garcia have been to the National Night
Out event at Poinsettia Park every year since it began.
the community, and [this event]
helps us work with them,” Taylor
said. “I think it definitely makes
them feel comfortable.”
“National Night Out takes away
this tough reality that so much of
people’s time is spent stuck behind
a computer,” said Elizabeth
Reynolds, a block captain for the
area and a member of the communication and outreach committee
for Mid City West Community
Council. “This eliminates that lack
of humanity. This is community.”
to offer in this time of dysfunctional government, and I am also disappointed in the new district maps,
which basically don’t make
sense,” Prang added. “No disrespect to the City of Agoura Hills,
but it is in the west San Fernando
Valley, and it doesn’t share the
same development and transportation issues as cities like West
Hollywood and Santa Monica.”
The redistricting has also caused
some other candidates to reevaluate their bids for the State
Assembly. Andrew Lachman, the
former chair of the Mid-City West
Community Council and former
president of the San Fernando
Valley Young Democrats, had filed
as a candidate in the 42nd District,
but is now doubtful he will run in
the new 50th District.
“I don’t think it is likely because
I would be running against an
incumbent,” Lachman said.
“Basically, we all want to respect
the incumbent, so if Betsy Butler
moves into the district, I will have
to examine my options.”
Lachman said one option may
be for him to move to the San
Fernando Valley and run in the
newly created 46th District, which
includes the areas around the 101
Freeway, between the 405 and 170
Freeways.
“A lot of things have yet to be
decided, so we will just have to
wait and see at this point,”
Lachman added.
Cahuenga and was riding with a
friend. There was no traffic, but
some person driving a car came up
in the lane behind me and started
honking their horn and screaming
and yelling. They eventually ended
up going around, but I think there
are a lot of people who don’t know
the laws.”
Marbrey stressed that motorists
and cyclists get more informed
about the rules.
The LAPD offers information on
bicycle safety at each of its community police stations, and at
www.lapd.org.
! !
" ! " Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
22 August 4, 2011
Police Investigate Near-Riot in Hollywood
From page 1
other theatres.
“The ‘Electric Daisy Carnival
Experience’ film has not been cancelled and will continue to be
shown in hundreds of theaters
nationwide. Although we are very
disappointed that Regal and AMC
Theaters have abruptly decided not
to show the ‘Electric Daisy
Carnival Experience’, we are excited that people will still have the
opportunity to experience a film
about one of the largest electronic
music festivals in the world.”
The film premiere at the
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was a
private, invitation-only event, and
police do not believe the venue is
responsible for the problems that
occurred outside. Alwyn Hight
Kushner, director of operations for
the Chinese Theatre, issued a statement following the disruption on
Hollywood Boulevard.
“We are as taken aback as the rest
of the community about what happened, and are thankful that no one
was injured and that there was no
damage to our historic facility. The
Chinese was booked for a small,
invite-only premiere of the documentary film ‘Electric Daisy
Carnival Experience’. One of the
DJs featured in the documentary
tweeted that he was going to perform in front of the Chinese
Theatre. This never happened.
However, many more people
showed up than we were led to
expect.”
According to Sgt. Chuck Slater,
with the Los Angeles Police
Department’s Hollywood Division,
authorities got a call around 5:40
p.m. from a Department of
Transportation traffic enforcement
officer who reported that he needed
assistance with an altercation outside the theatre. Slater said responding officers found a large crowd
beginning to gather and spilling
over into the street. By 6:30 p.m.,
the crowd had grown to include
several thousand people. Police
personnel from surrounding divisions were called in to help control
the crowd, which was starting to
become unruly, according to Slater.
The DJ who tweeted about a block
party, whose real name is Ryan
Raddon, has 90,000 followers on
Twitter, according to reports.
“I think about ten percent of them
showed up,” Slater added. “We
formed containment lines and
began the process of trying to control the crowd. As more people
showed up, the incident became
larger and larger, and people started
going into the street. We closed
down the street and ordered the
crowd to disperse. There were three
arrests made, and the incident lasted a couple of hours, but eventually
people dispersed.”
One person was arrested for battery on a police officer, while
another was arrested for felony vandalism and a third was taken into
custody for failure to disperse. One
of the people arrested was a juvenile, Slater said.
The Electric Daisy Carnival, a
rave event on which the film is
based, was previously held at the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,
but became controversial last summer after a 15-year-old girl attending the event overdosed on drugs
and later died. The Los Angeles
Coliseum Commission banned any
future Electric Daisy Carnival raves
at the venue, but Insomniac now
holds them in Las Vegas and in
other cities outside of California.
Capt. Duane Hayakawa, of the
LAPD’s Hollywood Division, said
it will likely be a few weeks before
police make a decision on whether
anyone else will be charged, or any
further action will be taken. He said
investigators are reviewing surveillance camera footage from the area
to see if any new evidence surfaces.
He added that the department had
not previously experienced a situation involving someone putting out
a message via Twitter, prompting a
disruptive crowd to gather.
“A lot of this is new to us, texting
and tweeting and flashmobs,”
Hayakawa said. “Obviously we
saw the result, and we are trying to
figure out what is going to happen
in response. I can’t tell how long it
is going to take, because right now
we are not sure if any laws have
been broken. Hopefully as time
goes on, we’ll have more information.
John Franklin, a spokesperson
for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s
Office, said authorities are still
waiting for reports from the LAPD,
and would not comment on
whether any charges are being considered against the promoters of the
show, Kaskade, or anyone else
involved.
photo by Edwin Folven
The near-riot occurred outside of the Graumanʼs Chinese Theatre in
Hollywood, which was hosting an invitation-only premiere of a documentary on the “Electric Daisy Carnival” raves. Police do not believe the
venue had anything to do with causing the problems, which resulted
when a DJ associated with the raves tweeted that there was going to be
a block party in front of the theatre.
Museum Hosts Exhibit on Lucille Ball
Red-Light Cameras Scrapped
From page 6
From page 1
laugh. Watson added that he considers Lucille Ball to be in “the
upper echelons of talent” along
with Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth
Taylor, and John Wayne. But
what makes Lucy different is the
intimate connection she had with
her viewers.
“Very few performers are able
to parlay their popularity over a
long period of time,” Watson
said. “But people feel differently
about Lucy than someone like
Marilyn Monroe because Lucy’s
been in our homes. Heck, she’s
been in my living room more
than some of my other friends.”
Lucy continues to make her
place in America’s living rooms
as the darling of TV comedy.
Weitzman said he recently went
to a career day at an elementary
school in Los Angeles, and when
his audience of 10-year-olds
found out he used to work with
Lucille Ball on “I Love Lucy”,
they were in awe.
“That’s almost three generations of fans of the show,” he
said.
Stern added that the humor
still resonates today. “It’s not
outdated,” he said. “It’s still just
as funny as it was it in the fifties.
It’s just a beautiful show.”
The Hollywood Museum is
located at 1660 N. Highland
Ave. at Hollywood Blvd. and is
open Wednesday
through
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is $15 for adults, $12
for seniors and students, and $5
for children under five.
For more information, visit
their website at www.thehollywoodmuseum.com.
found that based on other cities’
experiences, we could get the same
benefits from simply changing signal times,” said Koretz. “Instead of
costing residents money, we’re just
changing the signal timing.”
Another champion of the red-light
cameras’ removal, producer and
traffic activist Jay Beeber, spent
thousands of hours poring over data
from LAPD, and found that the red
light cameras were not a major factor in improving safety. He presented his independent study to several
city council members. He believes
that the signal timing – an increase
in the period when the light is yellow, and a brief period where they
are red in all directions – that came
along with the cameras is the reason
for improved safety at the city’s
intersections.
“If you have people that are running red lights, why are they doing it
at one intersection and not the other
one?” said Beeber, who used his
background in science from the
University of Michigan to analyze
the data. “It has to do with engineering, not people choosing that particular intersection to run a red light.
You have the same general people
driving in the same general area.”
The LADOT, which receives a
percentage of revenue from the redlight tickets, believes that the redlight cameras were improving drivers’ safety.
“As we indicated in the council
meeting when they were making the
decision to discontinue camera
enforcement, automated enforcement was an important tool,” Fisher
said. “You can only go so far with
engineering measures. But we recognize that the council had a tough
policy decision to make.”
photo courtesy fo the Hollywood Museum
The exhibit on Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez contains many items from
their television and film careers.
The City of West Hollywood also
receives a portion of the citation fees
from its red light tickets, which
amounted to $1.3 million of last
year’s city budget.
Two of L.A.’s busier intersections, Cahuenga and Sunset and
Olympic and Highland, are hotspots for rolling red-light tickets –
tickets given when a driver doesn’t
fully stop at a red light before making a right turn. In a nine-month
period, from January to September
2010, 1,568 tickets were issued for
rolling red light violations at
Cahuenga and Sunset, and 528 citations were issued at Olympic and
Highland.
Other cities surrounding L.A.,
including Beverly Hills, Culver City
and West Hollywood, currently have
no plans to remove their red light
cameras. Unlike the city of L.A.’s
cameras, West Hollywood’s cameras don’t take photos of turning
cars, only those running straight
through red lights.
“Our program is different from
the city of L.A.,” said Sharon
Pearlstein, the city engineer of West
Hollywood. “Our cameras are here
to stay for now.”
Answers From Page 16