Death at Rave Prompts Investigation on Safety

Transcription

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INSIDE
• Housing for
homeless built in
Hollywood. pg. 3
Mostly sunny,
with temps
around 74º
Volume 20 No. 27
• Greenway hosts
poetry fest. pg. 4
Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities
Death at Rave Prompts
Investigation on Safety
Three-Day
Watering Plan
Would Keep
L.A. Green
n Board of Supervisors Launches Inquiry
T
he death of Sasha Rodriguez,
the 15-year-old girl who died
of an apparent drug overdose
after attending the Electric Daisy
Carnival at the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum, has galvanized public concern about raves
— music and dance events that, for
many partygoers, often involve use
of the drug ecstasy.
Los Angeles County Supervisor
Zev Yaroslavsky, 3rd District, has
led the effort to rethink policies
regarding raves. On Tuesday, the
Pipe Pressure and Give
Residents Flexibility
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
See Watering Page 20
County Board of Supervisors
passed a Yaroslavsky motion to
create a task force to investigate
and “enhance rave safety”, as well
as educate the public about the dangers of the events.
“The task force, led by the Public
Health Department, will inform the
public about these rave concerts —
what’s involved, what drugs of
choice are at these events, and what
the dangers and risks are,”
Yaroslavsky said. “Ecstasy and
related drugs pose a serious threat
to the health and life of people who
BY IAN LOVETT
n Proposal Will Reduce
he Los Angeles City Council
called for changes to the
city’s water rationing program on Tuesday that would allow
residents to water their lawns and
gardens three-days-a-week, with
people at odd and even numbered
addresses permitted to water on different days.
The council rejected a proposal
by the Los Angeles Department of
Water and Power (DWP) that
would have changed existing water
rationing regulations to only twodays-a-week on different days for
odd and even numbered addresses.
The council’s proposal came in
response to a study that determined
that the current water rationing program led to a series of water main
ruptures throughout the city beginning last summer. The three-day-aweek watering plan was sent back
to the DWP Board for consideration, which could occur as early as
its next meeting on July 20.
Los Angeles City Councilman
Greig Smith, 12th District, proposed the three-days-a-week program as a way to enable residents to
July 8, 2010
See Rave page 20
photo by Dion Rabouin
Hours at libraries are being cut back citywide, which dismayed
patrons of the John C. Fremont Library on Melrose Avenue.
Hours Cut at Libraries in
Budget Balancing Act
n Branches Will be Closed Sunday and Monday
BY DION RABOUIN
B
udget cuts are forcing all
73 Los Angeles Public
Libraries to begin operating on a five-day-a-week schedule, beginning July 18. The
libraries will now be closed on
Sunday and Monday, and will
also have reduced hours on
Tuesday
and
Thursday.
According to Los Angeles Public
Library spokesperson Peter
Persic, the move marks the third
reduction in hours for city
libraries in the past nine months.
“This is actually the first time
See Libraries page 21
photo by Alexandra Tweten
Berriʼs Cafe is at the center of a controversy over alcohol sales and
late night disturbances in the surrounding neighborhood.
Metro Moves Forward on Wilshire Bus Lanes Residents Cry Foul Over
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project on
Wilshire Boulevard, which would
he Metropolitan Trans-porta- turn the existing curb lanes into
tion Authority (Metro) has bus-only lanes during morning and
released the draft environ- afternoon rush hours.
mental impact report (EIR) for the
Metro is seeking public
input on the proposed project and the draft EIR,
which has been in development since 2006. The
BRT project is designed to
improve commute times
between downtown Los
Angeles and the City of
Santa Monica, and provide an incentive for people to use public transportation. With the exception of bicycles, only
buses would be allowed to
photo by Edwin Folven
travel in the dedicated
Metro is planning to make bus-only curb curb lanes between 7:00
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
lanes on Wilshire Boulevard.
and 9:00am, and 4:00 to 7:00pm.
Other vehicles would be allowed to
make right turns from the curb
lanes, which would extend 12.5
miles along Wilshire Boulevard
from Valencia Street, on the western edge of downtown Los
Angeles, to Centinela Avenue at the
Santa Monica border. The segments
of Wilshire Boulevard that run
through Beverly Hills and Santa
Monica are not included in the plan.
Martha Butler, project manager
for the Wilshire BRT program, said
officials hope to begin construction
this fall if approval is granted by the
Metro Board, and the city and
county of Los Angeles. The public
can comment on the draft EIR
through July 26, after which each
comment will be addressed and the
See Study page 22
Liquor Sales at Berriʼs
n Owner Claims He has Addressed Problems
BY ALEXANDRA TWETEN
B
erri’s Pizza Café has been
causing a stir on West
Third Street since its
owner, Raphael Berry, applied
for a permit to sell alcohol,
including beer, wine and spirits.
Berri’s is an Italian and
Mediterranean restaurant known
for being open until 4:00am and a
popular hangout for the afterhours crowd. Neighbors of
Berri’s say they are fed up with
raucous partiers who make noise
and cause trouble in the early
morning hours.
“The owners have absolutely
no regard for their neighbors,”
said Johnathan Levy, who has
lived a block away from Berri’s
for two years. “There’s constantly loud horns, stereos, fighting in
the streets, hard liquor bottles in
front of our houses. They keep us
up at all hours of the night and no
one seems to do anything about
it,” Levy said.
Attorney Robert Cherno, who
lives in the Fairfax District,
accused Berry of breaking various laws at a zoning administration hearing June 28.
“He’s really opened up a can of
worms,” Cherno said. “I’m
"! "! !!!"!"
See Concerns page 22
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
2 July 8, 2010
9 Michael Sherman
Performs Comedy
Greats
E
Calendar
ntertainer Michael Sherman will
perform comedy impersonations
of Jack Benny and George Burns, and
singing impersonations of Louis
Armstrong, Jimmy Durante, Carol
Channing and others at 1:00pm on
July 9 at the Fairfax Senior Center,
7929 Melrose Ave. Refreshments will
be served. Call (323)654-6505.
vas thrown on the floor and pours
acrylic paint onto the canvas using
rags to create her art. Works by Keith
Hunter, Cori Jacobs, Dianne Neuman,
Terri Radenbaugh, Sam E. Razar and
Annabele Ruffell will also be featured. Show is from 6:00 to 9:00pm. A
portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the homeless. The VOCA is located at 215 Ocean Front Walk, Venice.
9 Texas Hold’em
Lessons for Seniors
11 Los Angeles
Honors Bastille Day
G
eorge “the Engineer” Epstein
will teach the game of poker to
seniors and people with earlyAlzheimer’s Fridays from July 9 to
August 20. The author of two poker
books is also a featured columnist for
two national poker newspapers.
Students will learn poker mistakes,
how to get an edge on opponents,
when to raise, and more. Local casinos, restaurants and others will donate
prizes. The classes run from 1:00 to
4:30pm on Fridays at the Claude
Pepper Senior Citizen Center, 1762 S.
La Cienega Blvd. Registration is $40.
Call (310)559-9677 to reserve a seat.
9 Chef Ludo Creates
Cuisines
C
hef Ludo will prepare delectable
“bites” for diners at the
Lindblade Lounge CC in celebration
of Toronto-based artist Andre Ethier’s
new exhibition titled “Actualized, and
it feels so good” presented by the
Honor Fraser Gallery on Friday, July
9. Unlimited specialty cocktails will
be featured, as well as a variety of
Japanese microbrews. Tickets are $99
per person at www.brownpapertickets.com. 7:00 to 10:00pm. 2622 S. La
Cienega Blvd. For more information
call (310)837-0191.
10 Women
Composers Featured
T
he 2010 Southwest Chamber
Music Summer Festival at The
F
photo courtesy of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presents “Barnumʼs
FUNundrum!” running Wednesday, July 14-18 at the Staples Center.
The show features 130 performers from six continents, numerous performing elephants, 13 athletes on a Russian bar, seven motorcycle riders in a “Globe of Steel”, and a full complement of clowns.
The show celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of P.T. Barnum,
creator of “The Greatest Show On Earth”, and brings the circus from
both past and present to life. Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson invites
the audience to board the “Ringling Bros. Express” and go on an adventure to meet exotic characters and witness performances that attempt to
answer Barnumʼs question, “what special wonders create the Greatest
Show On Earth?”
Tickets are $15, $20 and $25; with VIP, front row and “Circus Celebrity”
seats available for an additional price. For tickets and information, call
(800)745-3000, or visit www.ringling.com.
Huntington will feature major works
from composers Thea Musgrave,
Gabriela Ortiz, Anne LeBaron and
Alexandra du Bois on July 10 and 11.
Patrons can bring their own picnic to
enjoy on the lawn. Pre-concert dinners
in The Huntington Tea Room are also
available for $55 per person. Concert
tickets are $45 for the terrace and $28
for the lawn. Concerts will take place
from 7:30 to 9:30pm at The
Huntington Library and Botanical
Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San
Marino. For more information call
(800)726-7147.
Michael Villalpando
PUBLISHER
Karen Villalpando
EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Edwin Folven
[email protected]
EDITOR
Ian Lovett
[email protected]
Dion Rabouin
Madeleine Shaner
Alexandra Tweten
STAFF WRITERS
Jill Weinlein
Tim Posada
Betty Guy Wills
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
The Park Labrea News and Beverly Press
weekly newspapers, published on Thursdays.
Mail subscription is $120 annually. Decreed
newspapers of general circulation, entitled to
publish legal advertising, Feb. 10, 1960 by
Superior Court Order No 736637.
11 Opposing Sides
Discuss Hate Crimes
T
wo Museum of Tolerance
employees, on opposite sides of a
hate crime, will create a special dialogue called “From Hate to Hope”
July 11. The audience will hear from
Matthew, who was disowned by his
family 20 years ago for being gay, and
Tim, a former neo-Nazi. The two will
discuss their experiences and stories
of reconciliation. The dialogue will be
held monthly, on the first Sunday of
the month, starting at 3:00pm. Free
with paid admission to the museum,
located at 9786 W. Pico Blvd.
10 New Gallery
Features Local Artist 11 Texas Barbeque at
he new VOCA Art Gallery will
feature local emerging artist, Hope Church
T
Michael
Lande’s
“Unexposed
Art/Clothesline Exhibit” Saturday,
July 10. Lande works with loose can-
Founded 1946
6720 MELROSE AVE.
LOS ANGELES, CA 90038
MAILING ADDRESS:
P.O. BOX 36036
LOS ANGELES, CA 90036
(323)933-5518
rench American heritage and culture will be celebrated Sunday,
July 11 at the Ninth Bastille Day Los
Angeles Festival. Featuring entertainment such as a Parisian Waiters Race,
street performers, Tahitian dancers, a
Petanque tournament, comedians,
singers, dancers, and more. Raffle
prizes include a trip for two to France
and Tahitian black pearls. The festival
will be from noon to 9:00pm at
Elysian Park-Monticello Old Lodge
(next to the Dodgers Stadium at the
corner of Stadium Way and Scott
Avenue.) Admission is free for children, and $5 for adults. For more
information contact [email protected]
T
he Hope Lutheran Church will
host the 23rd Anniversary
Famous Texas Barbeque and Square
Dance Sunday, July 11 after the
church service. Food will include ribs,
beef brisket, chichen, smoked
sausage, baked corn, baked potatoes,
Texas style beans, sweet potato pie
and all the fixings. A donation of $23
per person is requested. RSVP to
(323)938-9135.
12 Broadway Singer
Natalie Toro
N
atalie Toro returns to Los
Angeles with “Signs About the
Broken Road” at Cabaret at the Castle
July 12 and 13. Known for her
Broadway performances in “A Tale of
Two Cities”, “In The Heights”, and
“CATS” among others, Toro’s music
is powerful and comedic. Tickets are
$25 and are available at (323)8513313 ext. 303 or [email protected]. Doors open at 6:30pm,
show starts at 8:00pm at The Inner
Circle at the Magic Castle, 7001
Franklin Ave, Hollywood.
13 Pamela Rose’s
Wild Women of Song
T
he Grammy Museum will host
the first Los Angeles performance of jazz and blues singer
Pamela Rose’s “Wild Women of
Song” presented by KJAZZ on July
13. The show celebrates the lives,
times and music of women songwriters of the Tin Pan Alley era. Includes
photos and storytelling in a cultural
retrospective of jazz and blues. The
show begins at 7:30pm at the
Grammy Museum. Tickets are $12,
and can be purchased at the Museum
Box Office, through ticketmaster.com,
or by calling (800)745-3000
14 Smokey Robinson
Performs at the
Bowl
F
or his 50th anniversary in the
music
business,
Smokey
Robinson will make his Hollywood
Bowl debut July 14 performing songs
from his latest album, “Time Flies
When You’re Having Fun” as well as
some classics. Jazz singer/songwriter
Lizz Wright will open the performance at 8:00pm. Tickets are on sale
at hollywoodbowl.com, at the
Hollywood Bowl Box Office, through
Ticketmaster, or call (323)850-2000.
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Cathedral Chapel School
Kindergarten through Eighth Grade
755 South Cochran Avenue • Los Angeles, CA 90036
A Member of the Miracle Mile Community since 1930
A Catholic Education is an Advantage for Life
• Academic Decathlon Program
• Honors Math Program
STILL
• Spanish Program
ACCEPTING
• Instrumental Music Program
• Departmentalized Junior High APPLICATIONS
• Extended Day Care
• CYO Sports
• Lunch Service
• Outreach Concern Counseling Program
• Computer Lab with Internet Access
• Fully Accredited by WASC and WCEA
Call for information:
(323)938-9976
www.cathedralchapelschool.org
3 July 8, 2010
Homeless Housing Project Begins in Hollywood Council President Makes
Youth Programs a Priority
n Officials Hope Facility
Will be Model for Future
Developments
n Projects Keep Kids Off The Streets
BY ALEXANDRA TWETEN
During the Summer
C
ity leaders gathered in
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
2007 after a teenage girl was
Hollywood July 1 to break
killed in Glassell Park. Under the
ground on the Villas at Gower, a new
os Angeles City Council program recreation centers at 24
housing project designed specificalPresident Eric Garcetti, 13th parks citywide will stay open
ly for the homeless and people with
District, is partnering with the between 7:00pm and midnight
mental illness.
Los Angeles Police Department and offer activities such as skat“To see the seed of hope being
and other community organiza- ing, soccer, swimming, basketplanted by what’s behind us today, is
tions to create recreational oppor- ball, boxing and music. In addia day that we should all celebrate,”
tunities for youths during the tion, “Youth Squad” members
said Los Angeles City Council
summer.
will help operate the recreation
President Eric Garcetti, 13th
Garcetti joined officers from centers, providing at risk youth
District.
the LAPD’s Hollywood Division ages 17 to 20 a chance to earn
City Councilmember Tom
and members of the community money and receive job training.
LaBonge, 4th District, and Los
at Lemon Grove Park yesterday Community intervention workers
Angeles County Supervisor Zev
evening to announce that the will also be present to mediate
Yaroslavsky, 3rd District, also
park’s recreation center will disputes and connect youth with
attended the ceremony.
remain open until midnight from additional resources.
The $30.5 million four-level proWednesday through Sunday each
“This was a really tough year
ject includes 70 units of housing. It Numerous public officials participated in a ground breaking ceremony for
week throughout the summer. and we had to make some tough
will be built on land owned by the the Villas at Gower project, including City Councilman Tom LaBonge, 4th
The recreation center’s late clo- budget choices, but I wanted to
city’s Community Redevelopment District; City Council President Eric Garcetti; 13th District, and Los
sure is part of the “Summer Night make sure that key programs,
Agency and should be completed by Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, 3rd District; among others.
Lights” program, a citywide especially for kids, were protectfall 2011.
The facility will provide permanent housing for the homeless and disexpansion of a program Garcetti ed,” Garcetti said. “they have
Ample social services will be abled persons.
created in the 13th District in
See Youth page 21
offered to those in need by the Los
Angeles County Department of whether you’ve lived here your
Mental Health.
entire life. This is a place you can
“If you want to end homelessness, come to, and if you are willing to
you have to provide homes,” work hard, bring your creativity and
Yaroslavsky said. “It’s that simple.” build on the history that’s made
Garcetti emphasized the grass- Hollywood great, then we would be
roots effort by community members there for you.”
who were involved in the building
Developed by the nonprofit orgaprocess.
nization A Community of Friends,
“I think people always imagine the Villas at Gower were sponsored
that policy-makby the California
ers like Zev and
Department of
h)TAKEMORETHANMEDICATIONSADAY)WANTEDAPLACEWHERETHESTAFFWASTRAINED
myself come and
Housing
and
“It was the
WHERETHEYDREALLYPAYATTENTIONTOME"ELMONT6ILLAGEISTHEONLYASSISTEDLIVING
we have these big
Devfolks that live Community
ideas that we
elopment, which
RESIDENCE)KNOWOFWITHALICENSEDNURSEONSITEHOURSADAY"UTMOREIMPORTANT
impose on the litinvested $8.7 milhere who
TOMETHEYHAVEACHEFRESTAURANTDININGANDADRIVERTOOv
tle
people,”
lion; the MultiGarcetti said. “It demanded that family Housing
was the opposite.
Program; and the
we’d do
It was the folks
Infill Infras-tructhat live here who something and ture Grant proI Choose Belmont Village
demanded that
gram, among othmade
us
we’d do someers.
s#HEFPREPAREDRESTAURANTSTYLEDINING
promise that
thing and made us
The project will
promise that we’d
s&REESCHEDULEDTRANSPORTATIONDAILY
include job trainwe’d do it.”
do it.”
ing, affordable
s&ITNESSANDSOCIALACTIVITIES
Garcetti said
-Los Angeles City Council healthcare and ons,ICENSEDNURSEONSITEAROUNDTHECLOCK
that out of the
President Eric Garcetti site counseling.
more than 1,000
“You can’t end
s-EDICATIONMANAGEMENT
units of affordable
chronic homelesss(OUSEKEEPINGANDLAUNDRY
housing the city has helped build, ness…unless you provide the serthere was always a piece missing.
vices that the homeless people who
s!SSISTANCEWITHDAILYLIVING
“We never did something that was we find on the streets of our coms#IRCLEOF&RIENDS®MEMORYPROGRAM
particularly focused on our homeless munity need,” Yaroslavsky said. “In
population,” Garcetti said. “I always so many cases, it’s mental health sers3HORTTERMSTAYSAVAILABLE
think of Los Angeles as a city of sec- vices, without a doubt.”
s3PECIALIZED!LZHEIMERSCARE
ond chances. Whether you’re a child
Garcetti added that he hopes more
being emancipated from foster care, projects benefiting the homeless can
an aspiring actor getting off a bus be built in the city.
from Kansas, an immigrant getting
“I think we’ve turned a page here
off a plane from Armenia, or in Los Angeles,” Garcetti said.
L
‘‘I choose
real nurses.”
‘‘
Search Ends for WeHo Man
Who Jumped Off Venice Pier
A
uthorities have suspended the
search for a 31-year-old West
Hollywood resident who jumped
off the Venice Pier into the ocean
early Monday morning and
remains missing.
The victim, Brian Patrick Dunn,
was reportedly “very intoxicated”
when he jumped from the pier
around 2:30am, according to Lt.
Jim Hiltz, with the U.S. Coast
Guard. Dunn was wearing shorts
and a t-shirt, and jumped into what
Hiltz described as “very rough
surf”. Dunn reportedly was going
to swim to the beach, but when he
didn’t make it, a friend notified
authorities. Personnel from the Los
Angeles County Fire Department’s
Lifeguard Division and the U.S.
Coast Guard searched an area two
miles to the north and south of the
pier throughout the day on
Monday, but called off the search at
dusk. The LAPD also assisted in a
search on land in case Dunn made
it to shore at a different location.
Hiltz added there are no plans to
resume the search unless officials
receive new information. The average water temperature in the area is
approximately 65 degrees around
this time of year, and Hiltz said a
person could likely only survive for
around 16 hours in those conditions.
’’
2010 Diabetes
Center of Excellence
Burbank
(818) 972-2405
Encino
(818) 788-8870
Hollywood Hills
(323) 874-7711
Rancho Palos Verdes
(310) 377-9977
Westwood
(310) 475-7501
RCFE Lic 197603515,
197603848, 197605090, 197607761,
198204246 © 2010 Belmont Village, L.P.
The Community Built for Life ®
www.belmontvillage.com
4 July 8, 2010
Poets Find Avenue of Expression at ʻInkSlamʼ Managerʼs Position Re-Instated
in Neighborhood Council System
n Greenway Court
Theatre Celebrates
the Spoken Word
BY IAN LOVETT
T
BY IAN LOVETT
F
or most people, poetry in high
school involved authors like
Robert Frost and William
Wordsworth, who wrote famously
of snowy woods, clouds, and
wandering through nature.
This week, however, Fairfax
High School will play host to a
very different style of poetry:
inkSlam, the largest spoken-word
poetry festival on the West Coast.
InkSlam grew out of Da’ Poetry
Lounge, the biggest ongoing
weekly poetry slam — or live
spoken-word poetry event— in
the country, now in its twelfth
year, which draws about 200 people to the Greenway Court
Theatre every Tuesday night. The
event served as an inspiration for
Def Poetry Jam, Russell
Simmons’ HBO series, as well as
for the inkSlam festival.
Pierson Blaetz, co-artistic
director of the Greenway Arts
Alliance,
which
sponsors
photo courtesy fo the Greenway Arts Alliance
inkSlam, said the festival filled a Eboni Hogan, who was representing New York, participated in last
void in the spoken word commuyearʼs InkSlam.
nity.
“It started three years ago,
“Everything we do at
when we really saw a need to petition, which had previously
have a place where this spoken been part of the Big Sur Regional Greenway always has a youth
component,” Blaetz said. “That’s
word poetry community could Poetry Championship.
“The regional competitions are how we define ourselves. We not
gather every year,” Blaetz said.
“Because of Da’ Poetry Lounge, a bit of a high machine, mostly only have the professional artists.
the community saw this location about bragging rights and build- We also have a mentoring connecas a natural coming together ing confidence,” Friedman said. tion to youth.”
“There is a national competition
Joe Hernandez-Kolski, who
point.”
In its third year now, inkSlam that has a higher profile, but this is runs Downbeat 720, a weekly
has continued to grow in size and the largest competition on the youth open mic night for high
stature. This year, the festival will West Coast, so it has some signif- schoolers, will emcee the “Youth
Open Mic” at inkSlam. He said
also host the West Coast Regional icance.”
In addition to the regional com- poetry was a tool that could help
Spoken Word Championship.
During the four days of the festi- petition, inkSlam will also include educators reach students who
val, 10 teams will face off for the performances from feature poets, might not be receptive to more
right to call themselves “best in workshops for both written and traditional classroom activities.
“Spoken word poetry is a form
the West”, with the final to be held spoken-word poetry, and theme
showcases. Last night, the “Ink’d of hip-hop in many ways,”
on Saturday night.
Dan Friedman, who produces OUT” showcases featured poetry Hernandez-Kolski said. “So it’s a
inkSlam under the moniker from the “queen community”, tool you can use for those youth
Danny Fresh, said that after the while tonight’s showcases high- who have gravitated towards hipsuccess of last year’s festival, a light female poets, and tomorrow hop culture. One of my students
way back said, ‘It’s a way of
number of slam poetry teams is “Youth Open Mic”.
Blaetz said the youth compo- expressing yourself and still
from Northern California asked
him to take over the regional com- nent is crucial to the festival.
See InkSlam page 22
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Letters to the Editor
Smoking Ban is
Good Idea for
West Hollywood
I
n regards to the article titled
“Study Shows WeHo Has High
Number of Smokers” in the July
1 issue, considering West
Hollywood’s abundance of
smokers, the ban on outdoor
smoking seems like a great idea.
What better way to serve the
public good and encourage
smokers to kick the habit than to
implement a smoking ban. This is
a tremendous opportunity for the
city to really show that it cares
about the well being of its resi-
dents and visitors.
Manny Rodriguez
West Hollywood
Have an Opinion?
Sound Off!
The Park Labrea News
and Beverly Press encourages our readers to submit
Letters to the Editor via email at:
[email protected].
Letters must be signed by the
author. Readers may also
submit
comments
to
www.beverlypress.com, or
www.parklabreanews.com.
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he Los Angeles City Council
re-created the position of general manager of the Department of
Neighborhood
Empowerment
(DONE), which oversees the city’s
neighborhood councils.
Bong Hwan Kim had resigned as
general manager of the department
following
Mayor
Antonio
Villaraigosa’s announcement that
he intended to merge DONE with
the Community Development
Department (CDD), as part of the
plan to close the $485 million budget gap. The general manager position had not been included in the
budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal
year. In June, however, the city
council nixed the mayor’s proposed
merger, instead choosing to keep
DONE as a stand-alone department.
Councilmember Paul Krekorian,
2nd District, who chairs the
Education and Neighborhoods
committee, led the charge to stop
the merge of DONE with CDD.
“Over the course of their ten-year
history, neighborhood councils
have led the way in bringing greater
democratization and neighborhood
empowerment to this city’s governance,” Krekorian said. “Going
forward, I will continue to fight to
ensure the vitality of neighborhood
empowerment while also implementing appropriate reforms to
ensure efficiency and accountability.” According to Jeremy Oberstein,
Krekorian expects the mayor to
appoint Kim as interim general
manager of the department. Kim
will continue to lead DONE while
the city council works to restructure
the department for the long-term.
Layoffs earlier this year cut
DONE’s staffing to half of what it
had been, with just 18 employees
remaining to help oversee the city’s
91 neighborhood councils.
Kim would not take a position on
whether he thought maintaining
DONE as a stand-alone department
would benefit the neighborhood
council system. However, he said it
was not realistic to expect the
department to provide the same
level of service that it had before
the staff layoffs.
“The face-to-face support we
were providing to neighborhood
council boards will be pretty much
cut back,” Kim said. “We’ll only be
responding to requests from councils for service, and even that may
be cut back or eliminated.”
Kim said most of the requests he
gets from councils involve requests
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6 July 8, 2010
Gallery Opposes Arizona Law Through Art
n Exhibit Shows Impact
the Legislation May
Have on Citizens
BY DION RABOUIN
O
n Tuesday, the federal government finalized its opposition to
Arizona’s controversial anti-immigration law, SB1070, when the U.S.
Justice Department filed a lawsuit
alleging that the law is unconstitutional.
While some opponents to the law
have demonstrated in rallies and
marches, a local gallery has chosen
to show its opposition through art.
The Mid-City Arts gallery’s latest
exhibit, titled “By The Time I Get
To Arizona”, is now on display and
features numerous paintings,
murals, live art and other installations directly related to the topic of
Wagyu
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immigration in the United States.
The Mid-City Arts Gallery production company known as Viejas
del Mercado organized the show.
The group consists of Med Sobio,
Elma
Estrada
and
Brian
Tsukamoto, the gallery’s curator.
Together, they installed a show that
was designed, in Tsukamoto’s
words, to begin a dialogue.
“There have been people that
come in that are really anti-immigration,” he said. “It generates that
kind of talk around it and that’s a
little bit more important than trying
to push our side or push your side.”
There are works by approximately 20 different artists, and they
stretch from the front of the building all the way to its back patio. The
art ranges from satirical paintings
of the Statue of Liberty to white
crucifixes nailed to the wall and
spray painted with the names of
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people who died attempting to
cross into the United States from
Mexico. Tsukamoto said that the
show is unlike any he has ever had
in the gallery.
“For the most part, we have other
people curate the shows,”
Tsukamoto said. “This time we
actually took a little bit of time to
dress the shop up to make it look
like Arizona and the border. That’s
how parts of the border between
U.S. and Mexico look. People die
out there.”
Tsukamoto admitted that the
show may carry some of its creators’ bias, but insists his production company did not recruit art
from one political side or another.
“We just thought people would
have something to say about [immigration],” Tsukamoto said. “It’s a
pretty lose exhibit. For the most
See Exhibit page 20
An exhibit titled “By The Time I Get To Arizona” shows the impact of the
immigration law.
EBʼs at the Market is World Cup Headquarters
T
he results are in, and Farmers Market Bars
world cup screenings are a resounding success.
Soccer fans have been waiting every morning
for EB’s Beer & Wine to open at 7:00am for the
early games. Because Farmers Market has such
an eclectic mix of visitors and regulars, enthusiastic crowds have cheered on almost every team
in the competition. And with EB’s new big
screen TV, everyone is enjoying a front row view.
The management of the bars are expecting a
big turnout for the World Cup Final match on
Sunday, July 11. The game begins at 11:30am,
and bloody Marys and mimosas will be featured,
and the Peroni Girls will be giving out free glassphoto courtesy of Christine Buckhout
ware and other prizes through-out the afternoon.
Dozens
of
people
gather
each
day
at
EBʼs to watch the World
After the final whistle is blown and the winCup
matches.
The
final
game
will
be
held
Sunday
ning team collects the cup, EB’s soccer party
will kick into extra time, as DJ Todd B spins all
ed at 6333 W. 3rd St. For information, visit www.farmthe best music for a post-game Sunday dance party.
EB’s is located at the Original Farmers Market, locat- ersmarketbars.com.
at
LIVE Accordion and Trumpet Players
from 6 to 9 p.m.
Farmers Market • Third & Fairfax • (323) 939-7792
www.mrmarcel.com
7 July 8, 2010
Calls to Block Cellular Towers Still Heard
n T-Mobile Applies for
Permit Although
Permission was Denied
BY ALEXANDRA TWETEN
A
fter the Los Angeles
Planning
Commission
denied T-Mobile permission to
place a cellular phone tower near
the Cathay Center Elementary
School last year, the company
applied for a building permit with
the Los Angeles Department of
Building and Safety June 15 to
place the cellular phone tower
there anyway.
“They went behind our backs in
applying for this permit,” activist
Gene Krischer said.
A group opposing T-Mobile,
including Krischer and other local
residents, was concerned the
tower would expose children to
large amounts of radiation.
Some studies have shown that
children’s bodies absorb more
radiation than adults’. According
to a 2009 study led by Lennart
Hardell, of the University
Hospital in Sweden, those who
start using cell phones in adolescence are five times more likely
to develop brain cancer.
“If T-Mobile is allowed this
building permit after all the
“We will have to
review and
check with our
city attorney to
see what the
history is on this
site.”
-Dave Lara, spokesperson for
the Department of
Building and Safety
money and time and resources we
used to stop them, we’ll be back
at square one,” Krischer said.
T-Mobile originally tried to
acquire a Conditional Use Permit
last year, which was granted by
the city’s Planning Department.
Krischer joined Carthay Circle
residents in filing an appeal, and
the city Planning Commission
sided with the residents on July
14, 2009, stating that T-Mobile
did not need the tower for coverage.
Krischer and the residents successfully argued that T-Mobile’s
coverage and reception in the area
was adequate. Krischer claims TMobile wants to install the tower
on top of the building at 6330 San
Vicente Blvd. to boost bandwidth
for movies and streaming content
that is accessible through cellular
phones.
T-Mobile sued the city earlier
this year over the denial of the
permit, and a hearing is scheduled
for October 19 in the U.S. District
Court. T-Mobile has revised the
plans for the tower and is now
applying for a building permit
through the city’s Building and
Safety Department despite the
previous court ruling. The building permit is now under review.
“We are holding the permit
until we get clearance from the
city Planning Department,” said
Dave Lara, a spokesperson for the
Department of Building and
Safety. “We will have to review
and check with our city attorney
to see what the history is on this
site.”
Chris Koontz, a deputy for
City
Councilmember
Paul
Koretz, 5th District, said the city
will have to consider the new
permit application. If the new
application complies with the
rules, the city will be compelled
to issue the permit and allow T-
Mobile to build the tower or face
legal action.
“Koretz has made clear that he
doesn’t support there being cellular antennas in that location, but
at the same time, we’re not going
to break the law,” Koontz said.
“We’re going to do everything
we can to respect the community’s wishes and not have it located at the site.”
Residents remain opposed to a plan to place cellular phone towers near
Carthay Center School.
8 July 8, 2010
Shyamalan Ruins Amazing Kidsʼ Cartoon ʻAirbenderʼ
BY TIM POSADA
I
t would be easy to say
Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Last
Airbender” shouldn’t have been
made into a film.
The defense would begin with a
claim, such as the show was too
long and rich to capture in one film.
Next, that the world was too elaborate to recreate. And, finally, much
of the show could only work in cartoon form. Well, according to M.
Night Shyamalan’s ghastly adaptation, such assessments would be
right on. In place of a smart adventure story in one of the most creative fantasy worlds, “The Last
Airbender” is a monumental disappointment both as an adaptation
and a film that fails on every level,
regardless of source material. But
let’s not chalk this one up to a “nice
try” and simply say it couldn’t be
done. There are many directors
suited for bringing epic tales to life
— M. Night Shyamalan will never
be one of them.
Earth. Wind. Fire. Water. The
world is split into four great kingdoms: the Earth Kingdom, the Fire
Nation, the Northern and Southern
Water Tribes, and the Air Nomads.
Certain people are born into each
land with the ability to bend that
element. But only one person can
bend all four, the Avatar. More than
100 years ago the Avatar vanished,
right when the Fire Nation began to
attack the rest of the world. The
new Avatar, an airbender named
Aang (Noah Ringer), has appeared.
With the help of young waterbender Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her
brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone),
both from the Northern Water
Tribe, they help Aang fulfill his
destiny to save the world. But the
banished Prince Zuko (Dev Patel)
and his uncle Iroh (Shaun Toub),
from the Fire Nation, are hot on
their tail. Get ready for 100 minutes
of element-bending with no emotion, and a storyline thinly held
together with a narration by Katara.
The books are always better than
the movies, and now, the TV show
is mountains above its film counterpart. “Avatar: The Last Airbender”
remains the smartest and most wellstructured children’s show to hit
cable networks, but its film adaptation makes every other film this
year look like Oscar contenders. M.
Night Shyamalan may claim to
have watched the series with his
family but he demonstrates no
respect for it, stripping significant
themes for the sake of a screenplay
with no pace.
Central to the “Avatar” mythos is
the difference between violence
and defense. Aang finds ways to
avoid bloodshed and only uses his
bending to defend himself and others, never killing anyone. But the
film opts for a more generic superhero structure that’s more willing to
take on a cowboy sense of justice,
condoning execution. “Avatar’s”
examination of the Spirit World
Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Jackson Rathbone as Sokka and
Nicola Peltz as Katara in “The Last
Airbender”.
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of hardware
(rather important when a bunch of
people are bending the elements) is
also transformed, becoming a
superficial replication of The Force,
with a trivial attempt at character
development, as Aang tries to deal
with personal demons.
I have a new appreciation for the
magic of the early “Harry Potter”
films, not just for the wands, but for
their ability to direct child actors.
Ringer, as Aang, was chosen for his
ability to move like the cartoon
character, rather than his poor acting. It wasn’t worth the cost. To his
defense, along with the rest of the
film’s cast, it’s difficult to decipher
what is at fault for this film: bad
acting, Paramount Pictures or
Shyamalan. My money’s on
Shyamalan – just look at his catalogue, peaking early with
“Unbreakable” and everything
gradually going downhill since.
The film is at its most disturbing
with the character names. Rather
than stick with the television series’
American pronunciation of names
like Avatar, Aang and Sokka, they
use “proper” pronunciation. This is
odd considering the main characters are supposed to be Eskimo in
origin but are recast as white,
Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Noah Ringer as the character Aang, a young successor to a long line of
Avatars, who must put his childhood ways aside and stop the Fire Nation
from enslaving the Water, Earth and Air nations.
revealing the film’s cowardice at
depicting diversity when it really
counts. Shyamalan’s race bending
just reaffirms white norms in
Hollywood. Even worse, the film
makes the Fire Nation non-white,
erasing a critique on Western industrialism, instead demonizing
minorities.
Don’t bother with “The Last
Airbender”. Supporting this film
only allows Paramount Pictures to
bask in the illusion of positive audience reception. Instead, go watch
Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Last
Airbender” and enjoy one of the
best fantasy/sci-fi shows of the
decade. With a balanced dose of
humor, fantastic animation and
mythology, it’s a provocative tale
rich with narrative joy. “The Last
Airbender”, however, will go down
as one of the worst films of the past
10 years. Shyamalan has ruined his
last film. It’s time for the industry to
end his slowly digressing career. He
truly owes all the fans of the show
and general audiences an apology
for wasting their time and damaging their sense of wonder.
9 July 8, 2010
Outfest LGBT Film Fest Returns to L.A.
BY DION RABOUIN
T
he Outfest Gay and Lesbian
Film Festival returns to Los
Angeles for its 28th year on July 8.
The festival kicks off with its
Opening Night Gala, featuring the
film “Howl,” starring James Franco
and directed by documentary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey
Friedman at the Orpheum Theatre.
The evening will also feature Jane
Lynch, of the Fox television show
“Glee”, receiving the organization’s
14th annual Outfest Achievement
Award.
This year’s festival will include
147 films and videos from 25 countries at six different venues around
Los Angeles. Screenings will be
held at the Directors Guild of
America, Sunset Laemmle, John
Anson Ford Theatre, L.A. Gay and
Lesbian Center’s Village at Ed
Gould Plaza, CALArts Theatre at
Walt Disney Hall, and the Orpheum
Theatre.
“Outfest has become an annual
gathering of the community and I
think it’s still special to a lot of people,” Outfest 2010 programmer
Bryan Stamp said. “As the gay narrative in society and politics has
Photo courtesy of Outfest
Jane Lynch is receiving the
Outfest Achievement Award.
evolved, so has the way people’s stories are represented in films. There
are still not many places you can
find this broad a spectrum of stories.
I think the community aspect of the
gay community has always been
important and this gives it a structure.”
The festival will also be celebrating West Hollywood’s 25th anniversary as an incorporated city. There
California Passes Act
Prohibiting Contracts with Iran
A
s
President
Barack
Obama signed into law
new sanctions on the Iranian
government last week, the
State Senate Committee on
Governmental Organization
approved the Iran Contracting
Act of 2010, which was
authored
by
Assembly
Members Mike Feuer and Bob
Blumenfield. Known as AB 1650, the legislation prohibits contracts
between the State of
California, including its cities
and counties, and companies
with significant business in
Iran’s energy sector. “The president has sent a
clear message, international
companies will have to stop
supporting the nuclear ambitions of Iran’s brutal, terrorist
regime,”
Feuer
said.
“California should do the same
with this legislation. As one of
the world’s largest economies,
the state can play a crucial role
in encouraging companies to
make the right choice.”
AB 1650 ensures that
California’s tax dollars do not
support companies whose
investments either directly or
indirectly support Iran’s
nuclear program, exploitation
of terror and the suppression of
internal dissent, according to
Feuer. Companies with current
interests in Iran’s energy sector
that choose to cease operations
will be permitted to contract
with the state and local governments in California.
“The strong support for our
legislation demonstrates that
California stands in lock step
with the Congress and
President Obama in wanting to
take urgent, aggressive action
to pressure Iran to cease its
dangerous pursuit of nuclear
capability,”
Blumenfield
added.
Obama signed into law
bipartisan legislation on July 1
to limit Iran’s ability to achieve
nuclear weapons capability. The law allows states and
local governments to enact
measures such as AB 1650.
States, local governments
and pension funds will be
authorized to divest from companies with investments that
directly or indirectly support
Iran’s energy sector. AB 1650
will next be heard in the
Senate
Appropriations
Committee.
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will be a series of films presented
that focus on the city’s history,
including, “The Broken Hearts
Club”, “An Ordinary Couple”, “Is It
Just Me?” and “Out of the
Shadows”.
Members of the West Hollywood
City Council have said they welcome Outfest with open arms.
Councilman John Duran described
the partnership as being very
healthy.
“West Hollywood and Outfest
have enjoyed a long-standing relationship, as the festival reflects the
lives of thousands living in and outside West Hollywood,” Duran said.
“Outfest has had a tremendous
impact on telling the stories of
LGBT people in a respectful, constructive and compassionate manner. Our 25th anniversary is filled
with successes and growing pains,
and I’m happy to call Outfest a true
community partner.”
The festival will also celebrate the
fifth anniversary of the Outfest
Legacy Project for LGBT Film
Preservation, a collaboration with
the UCLA Film and Television
Archive. According to UCLA, the
project contains the largest publicly
accessible collection of LGBT films
in the world.
Photo courtesy of Outfest
“Adults in the Room”, which was written and directed by Andy Blubaugh,
will be featured in the film festival.
In addition to screening the work
of professionals, this year’s festival
will also be interactive. Instead of its
typical features on “Family Fun
Day,” this year, Outfest will feature
home videos submitted by attendees.
“We’ve gone to the community
and asked them to submit home
movies from gay families,” Stamp
said. “Hopefully it will be a way to
showcase this part of the community and engage them in a way that
they haven’t been engaged before.”
The Closing Night Gala, on July
18, will feature the movie “Spork”,
which is the first full-length film
from writer and director, J.B.
Ghuman.
In addition to the films, Outfest
also hosts more than a dozen panels
and special events that will take
place at screening locations and at
other venues around the city.
For more information and a listing
of films visit www.Outfest.org, or
call (213)480-7065.
LACMA Appoints New Deputy Director
T
he Los Angeles County
Museum of Art (LACMA) has
appointed Brooke Davis Anderson
to the newly created position of
deputy director for curatorial planning.
Beginning
in
September,
Anderson will work closely with
LACMA CEO and Wallis
Annenberg director, Michael
Govan, to create the next stages of
the museum’s “Transformation
Campaign”.
Anderson will also serve as an
external spokesperson on curatorial matters with the public, donors
and trustees.
In particular, she will share ideas
The new position of
deputy director for
curatorial planning
will help create the
LACMA’s
“Transformation
Campaign”.
and make presentations with
regard to Phase III of the
Transformation.
As deputy director for curatorial
planning, she will also provide
curatorial vision and manage the
building of collections, and will
plan the permanent collection areas
and determine rotations in lightsensitive display areas.
Until recently, Anderson was
director and curator of the
Contemporary Center and Henry
Darger Study Center of the
American Folk Art Museum in
New York City.
She is an adjunct instructor at
Columbia University and City
College of New York, and served
as guest curator at the Museo
National Centro de Arte Reina
Sophia in Madrid.
For information, call (323)8576000, or visit www.lacma.org.
10 July 8, 2010
Jess Womack Named LAUSD Interim Inspector General
T
he Los Angeles Board of
Education has approved the
appointment of LAUSD veteran
Jess Womack as Interim Inspector
General. Previously, Womack, an
attorney, served as deputy General
Counsel of the Office of the
General Counsel for the Los
Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD), the second largest public
school district in the United States.
His appointment is effective July 7
until a permanent replacement is
named.
“I am pleased to welcome back a
leader with the highest integrity to
serve as the interim Inspector
General,” said LAUSD Board president Mónica García. “I expect Mr.
Womack to hold this District to the
highest standards for the management of public dollars and service
Womack previously assisted LAUSD’s
general counsel in handling substantive
matters. He also served as Associate
General Counsel II and team leader for
LAUSD’s Facilities Program.
to our students and families.”
The Office of the Inspector General
promotes integrity and credibility in
the LAUSD by conducting audits,
investigations and reviews to detect
and prevent waste, fraud and abuse,
and to identify opportunities for
improving efficiency and effectiveness. Womack will oversee the
planning, directing, organizing and
managing of the district’s audit and
investigation functions.
Previously, Womack assisted the
LAUSD’s general counsel in handling substantive matters. He also
served as an Associate General
Counsel II and team leader for the
LAUSD’s Facilities Program,
where he managed the legal team in
the Office of the General Counsel
that supports the LAUSD’s $18 billion school construction and modernization program.
photo courtesy of the Fourth Council District Office
Monica Garcia Re-elected LAUSD Board President
T
he Los Angeles Unified School
District’s (LAUSD) Board of
Education has reelected Mónica
García to her fourth consecutive
one-year term as board president. The board voted 5-1 to reelect
García, with board member
Marguerite LaMotte casting the
dissenting vote, and member Yolie
Flores was absent.
García, who represents District 2,
will be responsible for conducting
all regular board of education meetings.
García immediately announced
her focus on school reform.
“I am deeply proud to lead this
board and proud to work alongside
each of you as we strive together to
realize our students’ highest potential,” García said. “This has been an
extraordinary challenging few
Zoo Seeks
Volunteers
T
he Greater Los Angeles Zoo
Association (GLAZA) has
opportunities for youth and adult
volunteers this summer.
High school student volunteers
who are entering the 9th, 10th and
11th grades and their parents are
invited to an informational meeting
on Sunday, July 11 from 10:00am to
4:00pm in the zoo’s Witherbee
Auditorium.
The youth volunteer program is
an academically challenging opportunity to help out at the zoo, from
assisting at special events in the
Children’s Zoo, to supporting public education programs. Participants
complete a 10-week training course
to learn about the world’s biomes,
animal adaptations, conservation,
ecology, and education, and they
are required to volunteer a minimum of 60 hours per year for two
years.
Applications are accepted
through July 11. An informational
meeting for adult docent volunteers
will be held on Saturday, July 24
from 10:00am to noon in the
Witherbee Auditorium.
Adult docents serve as volunteer
teachers, offering visitors information through tours, and educational
programs and classes. Docents
complete a 23-week training program offered at the Zoo each fall.
Applications are accepted through
August 14.
For information or to RSVP, call
(323) 622-8114, or e-mail to [email protected].
Retired Newscaster Honored
years. This district has absorbed the
body blow of over a billion and a
half dollars in budget cuts.”
Due to the fiscal challenges facing the district, García acknowledged that the LAUSD has been
forced to make important changes
to survive. She added, however,
that the district remains committed
to helping students achieve academic success and reach their highest
potential.
“I like to call it, ‘Reform the L.A.
Way,’” García said. “It is a portfolio
of school models created on the
ground by innovators in the community on our school sites, and
accountable to our parents. ’Reform
the L.A. Way’ means empowered
school communities, freed from
bureaucratic red tape, making their
own decisions about how to budget,
what work rules to adopt, and how
best to meet the unique instructional needs of their students. And finally, ‘Reform the L.A. Way’ is the
recognition that the smartest
answers do not come from district
headquarters at Beaudry.”
García also called for the full
funding of public education in
California; changes in the way
English is taught to first-time learners; support for reform efforts led
by collective bargaining units, and
greater collaboration with charter
schools and community partnerships.
García was first elected to the
Board of Education in June 2006.
She previously served as a high
school guidance counselor and
chief of staff to former LAUSD
board member and current City
Councilmember José Huizar.
‘Chuck Berry Day’
Celebrated in L.A.
photo courtesy of the fourth District Council Office
Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, 4th District,
honored music legend Chuck Berry on July 2 at the Hollywood
and Highland Center.
LaBonge declared July 2 as “Chuck Berry Day” and presented him with a commendation from the City of Los Angeles. The
Councilmember also presented a plaque of Berry’s Hollywood
Walk of Fame Star on behalf of the Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce, and Congresswoman Diane Watson issued a certificate of commendation in honor of Berry’s musical accolades.
“It is such an honor to receive a day in my name and this beautiful replica of my Hollywood Walk of Fame Star,” Berry said.
“It’s like a dream. I will do my best to deserve this tribute during
the years I have left.”
Berry is considered one of the creators and pioneers of rock ‘n’
roll music. He’s best know for hits such as “Maybellene”, “Roll
Over Beethoven”, “Rock and Roll Music” and “Johnny B.
Goode”.
“It is my pleasure to honor Chuck Berry because he is an
American icon,” LaBonge added. “He is a worldwide idol of
rock ‘n’ roll, and we thank him for his many years of music
genius.”
Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge, 4th District, recently
honored CBS Channel 2 News reporter Mark Coogan, who retired on
June 29. LaBonge thanked Coogan for his contributions to informing
the public in Southern California.
“He is a remarkable reporter who always got it right,” LaBonge said.
“I wish him the best on his retirement.”
California Bill Bans BPA
From Baby Bottles, Formula
T
he State Assembly approved a
bill by Senator Fran Pavley
(D-Santa Monica) that would ban
the toxic substance BPA from
items such as baby bottles, sippy
cups and formula cans.
BPA is an artificial hormone
that is widely used in shatter-proof
plastics. It can leach out of containers and into the food and drink
consumed by babies and young
children. More than 220 studies
have linked BPA to a host of
health problems, including breast
and prostrate cancer, infertility,
obesity, and neurological and
behavioral changes, including
autism and hyperactivity.
Pavley’s Toxics-Free Babies
and Toddlers Act, SB 797, would
work in conjunction with
California’s Green Chemistry
Initiative to ban the use of BPA in
feeding products designed for
children three and under.
“This was a real David and
Goliath fight,” Pavley said. “The
chemical and pharmaceutical
industries waged an expensive and
shamefully deceptive war to kill
my bill. But in the end, my colleagues in the Assembly sided
with children and with science and
voted to protect our most vulnerable citizens.”
Canada first declared BPA as
being hazardous to human health
in May 2008, and enacted a limited ban on the substance in baby
“This was a real
David and Goliath
fight. The chemical
and pharmaceutical industries
waged an expensive and shamefully deceptive war to
kill my bill.”
- Sen. Fran Payley (D-Santa
Monica)
bottles. Since then, seven U.S.
states have banned or restricted
BPA. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has issued warnings about BPA’s safety, the
Environmental Protection Agency
has placed it on a list of chemicals
that need more rigorous regulation, and California is considering
adding it to the state’s official list
of chemicals that cause cancer or
reproductive harm.
“We are ecstatic,” said Gretchen
Salter of Breast Cancer Fund. “In
the end, California lawmakers
voted for babies over the chemical
and pharmaceutical industries.”
The bill now returns to the
Senate for consideration before
heading to the governor’s desk.
L.A. Department of Transportation
Allows Online Payment
T
he Los Angeles Department of
Transportation launched several new online payment options on
July 6.
Payment can now be made
online for services such as developer fees and traffic mitigation fees;
taxi cab fees, including permits and
fees for taxi cab operators and
operating companies; traffic control fees; temporary sign posting
fees; and traffic records fees.
Payments made online will be
forwarded to the department for
processing, and if necessary,
receipts can be printed and taken to
the customer counter to obtain permits and licenses.
“Making these services easier to
obtain online will save the public
time and money “ LADOT General
Manager Rita L. Robinson said.
For information, call (323)8082273, or visit www.ladot.lacity.org.
11 July 8, 2010
ICE Officials Crack Down on Copyright Thieves
U
“ICE and the NIPRCC are targeting
.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement
(ICE)
has
launched a new initiative designed
to combat Internet counterfeiting
and piracy known as “Operation In
Our Sites”.
In the first action carried out as
part of the initiative, authorities last
week seized nine domain names of
websites 00that were offering firstrun movies, often within hours of
their theatrical release. Agents from
ICE’s
Homeland
Security
Investigations (HSI) also seized
assets from 15 bank, Paypal, investment and advertising accounts.
ICE assistant secretary John
Morton was joined by representatives of movie studios, entertainment unions and the Motion Picture
Association of America (MPAA) at
the Walt Disney Studios on June 30
to announce the initiative and make
it clear that the theft of intellectual
property is a serious crime and is a
major priority of the law enforcement. All copyrighted material is
known as intellectual property (IP)
under the law.
Art Fundraiser Nets $235,000 for
AIDS Project Los Angeles
pirate websites run by people who
have no respect for creativity and
innovation.”
- ICE assistant secretary John Morton
“ICE and our partners at the
National Intellectual Property
Rights Coordination Center are targeting pirate websites run by people
who have no respect for creativity
and innovation,” Morton said. “We
are dedicated to protecting the jobs,
the income and the tax revenue that
disappear when organized criminals traffic in stolen movies for
their own profit.”
The
National
Intellectual
Property Rights Coordination
Center is based in Virginia and
managed by ICE, and coordinates
the government’s response to the
theft of intellectual property. The
thefts are estimated to cost billions
of dollars, and hundreds of thousands of jobs, every year.
“Operation In Our Sites” is targeting not only films and music, but
other items distributed over the
Internet, including counterfeit pharmaceuticals, software, electronics,
games and products that threaten
public health and safety. Some of
the seized domain names and content included the website
www.NinjaVideo.net as well as
www.NinjaThis.net, both of which
are believed to have illegally
allowed visitors to stream or download popular television shows and
movies, and generated revenue
from donations and advertising.
To report information on counterfeiting and trademark violations,
call (866)IPR-2060. For information, visit www.ice.gov.
photo courtesy of APLA/Joshua Nantais
AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) held its first “Art Project Los
Angeles” fundraiser from June 25-27. The three-day event
included a red-carpet charity art auction and artists reception at
Bonhams & Butterfields in Hollywood, and raised more than
$235,000 to benefit programs for people living with HIV and
AIDS. APLA executive director Craig E. Thompson joined author
Jackie Collins at the event, which also included appearances by
celebrities such as Barry Krost, Pamela Anderson, Stockard
Channing, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Cloris Leachman, and others.
For information, visit www.apla.org.
Dodgers Dream Foundation Provides New Fields
T
photo courtesy of Olympia Medical Center
Dr. Shahram Ravan (left), president of Olympia Medical Center, and the
hospitalʼs CEO, John Calderone, said the new solar panel system will
provide a significant savings to both the facility, and the environment.
Olympia Installs Solar Panels
O
lympia Medical Center has
installed a solar system on
the rooftop of its medical building that will help the hospital
lower its energy usage and reduce
electrical bills. The cost of the
system was largely covered by
Los Angeles Department of Water
and Power (DWP) and federal
rebates, which add up to nearly
75 percent of the cost of the system.
“In addition to the daily electricity savings, the solar system
installed on the rooftops is highly
efficient,” said John Calderon,
CEO of Olympia Medical Center.
“We wanted the solar system to
perform and produce as much
energy per square foot to maximize the output for Olympia
Medical Center.”
After consulting with the electrical engineers, the hospital
chose a design that divided the
one large solar system into 18
individual systems, and combined them all before connecting
to the DWP grid. By doing so,
the energy output is at 96 percent
efficiency. The use of several
smaller systems instead of one
large system also increases the
system’s daily energy output by
16 percent.
“This is a win-win situation
both from a financial and environmental point-of-view,” added
Dr. Shahram Ravan, president of
Olympia
Medical
Center.
Olympia Medical Center is located 59010 Olympic Blvd. For
information, call (323) 932-5922,
or visit www.olympiamc.com.
he
Dodgers
Dream
Foundation, in partnership
with the LA84 Foundation and the
Los Angeles City Department of
Recreation and Parks, is moving
forward with nine new Dodgers
Dreamfields in Los Angeles,
including one at Pan Pacific Park
in the Fairfax District, and another at the Lemon Grove Recreation
Center in Hollywood.
The goal is to create 50 fields in
recognition of the club’s five
decades in Los Angeles. In 1998,
the Dodgers Dream Foundation
(DDF) was created to provide
educational, athletic and recreational opportunities for youths in
Los Angeles. The LA84
Foundation, which was established to manage Southern
California’s share of the surplus
funding from the 1984 Olympic
Games, supports programs serving youths in Los Angeles County.
In addition to Pan Pacific Park
and the Lemon Grove Recreation
Center, Dodgers Dreamfield renovations will take place in Ritchie
Valens Park, Pecan Recreation
Center, Martin Luther King Jr.
Therapeutic Recreation Center,
Harbor City Recreation Center,
Northridge Recreation Center,
Valley Plaza Park and Mona Park.
“The Dodgers Dream Foundation
and LA84 Foundation are a natural fit to bring quality sports and
recreational opportunities to
young people throughout Los
Angeles,” Dodgers Owner Frank
McCourt said. “Providing quality
ballfields throughout Los Angeles
goes to the heart of DDF’s mission to provide educational, athletic and recreational opportunities for young people, especially
in communities that can most benefit from improved athletic facilities.”
The program will include
upgrades to the backstops; the
addition of roofs over the
dugouts; bleacher and bench
upgrades; irrigation improvements; re-grading of the playing
field to insure smooth and consistent playing surfaces; and renovation of field turf and the installation of new sod. A new feature of
the Dreamfields will be solarpowered scoreboard with the tag
line, “Think Blue, Act Green.”
12 July 8, 2010
RESTAURANT NEWS
By Jill Weinlein
Summer Dining, Bastille
Celebrations & More
Curbside Caviar
C
hef Benjamin Bailly at
Petrossian boutique and restaurant is offering French-inspired
California cuisine for picnics, a day
at the beach or dinner at the
Hollywood Bowl. Put a twist to a
simple picnic meal with his caviar
dip and sweet potato chips ($14);
blinis with crab, crème fraiche and
salmon roe ($18) or smoked salmon
tartine with goat cheese, capers and
caviar ($16). The staff will package
the items in a stylish cooler bag or
in your own picnic basket. Order in
advance and pay by credit card, and
they will deliver your items to your
car. 321 N. Robertson Blvd.
(310)271-0576.
Celebrate Bastille
Day on July 14
D
elice Bistro is celebrating
France’s national holiday with
French music, organic French food
and a 15-foot replica of the Eiffel
Tower. Julian Bohbot opened
Delice Bistro adjacent to his French
and Kosher bakery two years ago.
The restaurant appeals to epicureans, French at heart, and people
who appreciate quality organic
foods. Open for dinner from
5:00–11:00pm, Sunday through
Thursday. 8581 W. Pico Blvd.
(310)289-1702.
A
nother fabulous French spot to
celebrate Bastille Day is
Monsieur Marcel’s at the Farmers
Market. Whether you choose to
dine at their charming bistro under
umbrellas, or take home your
French feast, Marcel’s offers everything français! A huge selection of
imported cheese, and charcuterie
are tempting selections from the
deli, and their wine bar offers bottles from around the world. A live
accordian player will be on hand for
the grand celebration! 6333 W. 3rd
St., Farmers Market; (323)9397792.
Thursday Night
Happy Hour BBQ
N
ick & Stef’s in downtown LA
is offering burgers and bites
fresh off the grill from 4:30 to
9:00pm on Thursdays. Known as
one of the “best steakhouses in
LA,” they serve steakhouse sliders
with vine-ripened tomato, butter
lettuce, aged cheddar, dill pickle
and Thousand island dressing on
their Happy Hour menu for $2
each. Oysters on the half-shell with
sherry ginger mignonette and cocktail sauce are only $2. During
Happy Hour from 3:00pm to closing, Monday through Friday, many
of the cocktails are $5. 330 S. Hope
Street, (213) 680-0330.
Sunday Supper
C
ulina is serving a three-course,
Italian family-style supper on
Sundays from 6:00-10:30pm for
$30 per person. Begin with an
antipasti of Roman fritters, followed by pasta quills with basil
pesto or halibut with cherry tomatoes, black olives and capers, or
eggplant parmigiana, and a dolce
with a cup of organic coffee. 300 S.
Doheny Drive, (310)860-4000.
Ribs on the Roof
E
njoy a summer BBQ on the
chic outdoor Roof Garden of
ʻTaste of Farmers Marketʼ
Offers Variety of Samples
T
he Original Farmers Market
will present the second annual
“Taste Of Farmers Market” on
Tuesday, July 13 from 5:00 to
9:00pm. The celebration will be
held on the Market’s 76th birthday,
and allows guests to sample food
from 45 Market restaurants and
grocers. In addition, the Market’s
shops are also offering a return visit
savings book, which features at
least $100 in savings at Market
stores, grocers and restaurants.
The Taste of Farmers Market
will feature an extensive menu,
including French toast, orange
chicken, wheat and gluten free
pizza, fruit salad, steak, curry puffs,
egg rolls, tuna and lobster sushi,
tempura shrimp, Greek chicken
soup, Korean short ribs, mini-sandwiches, taboule and falafel, gazpacho, Brazilian sausage, Patsy’s special pizza, tacos, and roast beef and
pastrami sandwiches. Sweets are
also included, such as mini root
beer floats, samples of sorbet and
ice cream, English toffee, assorted
pastries and baked desserts,
caramel corn, and black and white
cookies.
The Market’s retailers are also
participating, with Farmers Market
or Gilmore Oil stickers, and a vintage paper rosette fan, given to registered guests. Take-home doggie
treats from Three Dog Bakery will
also be provided, and dozens of
Market merchants will be offering
all-day specials on July 13.
Tickets to “Taste of Farmers
Market” are $30, and include
access to all the food, two beer or
wine tickets, and the return visit
savings book. A dining only package, which excludes alcoholic beverages, is available for $25; and a
$50 VIP package is also available,
and includes all the food; four beer
or wine tickets; the savings book;
express entrance registration; and
several giveaways.
The Original Farmers Market is
located at 6333 W. 3rd St. For
information, call (323)933-9211, or
visit www.farmersmarketla.com.
The Peninsula Beverly Hills every
Saturday and Sunday evening. The
heated limestone-tile floors makes
dining outside warm and comfortable. Executive Chef James
Overbaugh prepares his signaturebarbecued pork with a 24-spice rub.
A three-course barbecued menu is
available from 4:00 to 9:00pm for
$55 per person. Guests may choose
entrees ranging from grilled T-bone
steak with abalone mushrooms and
Jamaican jerk barbecue sauce,
grilled duck sausage with charred
summer pineapple, or whole grilled
Maine lobster with orange-honey
butter (an additional $15). Entrees
are served with baked Okinawa
sweet potatoes and southwestern
pepper and corn salad. A platter of
Roof Garden desserts is presented
at the end of the evening. Valet
parking is complimentary for dinner guests. 9882 S. Santa Monica
Blvd. (310)551-2888.
Happiest Hour in
Redondo Beach
A
fter a day at the beach, how
about a mango margarita for
$4? Hudson House in Redondo
Beach is offering their “Happiest
Hour” weekdays until 7:00pm and
on weekends from 1:00 to 5:00pm
(drink specials only on weekends).
Quench your thirst with a $2
Hudson Ale or $4 blueberry, blood
orange or pear cava cocktails.
Nibble on a pail of fries, cauli-
flower fritter, roasted nuts and
olives, or edamame and shishito
peppers for only $3 a plate. 514
North PCH, (310)798-9183.
Dive-in Movie
Series at the
Beverly Hilton Hotel
C
lassics and romantic comedies
are being screened at the Aqua
star pool every Tuesday and
Thursday at 8:15pm. Sandra
Bullock won the Best Actress
Academy Award for the movie,
“The Blindside”, scheduled to
screen on July 8 (tonight). “Singing
in the Rain” is scheduled on July
15. Cabana servers will stroll the
pool area with light fare, popcorn,
mai tai’s, sodas and Milk Duds for
purchase. Admission is free and
seating begins at 7:00pm.
Reservations are recommended by
calling (310)285-1300. 9876
Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills.
Venice Eco-Fest
V
olunteer or attend the 3rd
annual Eco-Fest in the Venice
Beach Plaza and recreation area
near the end of Windward. It’s free
to the public from 10:00am-6:00pm
on July 10. If you volunteer for the
event, you will receive free parking,
food, and drinks. Bring your own
reusable water bottle to fill at the
ionized water stations. The event
will feature a vegetarian food court,
sports and fitness demonstrations,
vendors, and a recycling station for
small e-waste: cell phones, batteries, iPods, and laptop batteries.
There will be an exotic animal
area and live music on a solar powered sound stage. Learn how to
reuse, recycle and reduce to be
more energy efficient.
For details and volunteer information www.veniceecofest.com.
Support Cancer
Research
O
n July 10, the New York back
lot inside Paramount Studios is
transformed into “Under the Big
Top” for Concern Foundation’s
36th annual block party. This year
the doors open at 6:00pm with over
50 restaurants, wineries and coffee
purveyors providing tastes of their
specialties. Live music will be playing on four stages, while guests
play traditional casino style gaming, bid on over 150 silent and live
auction items, or participate in
interactive activities. Individual
tickets are $350. Concern
Foundation has raised over $42 million for cancer research. 95 percent
of the net proceeds goes directly to
further the careers of gifted cancer
researchers. www.concernfoundation.org
Sensational
SimonLA
T
rained at the Culinary
Institute of America in New
York, chef Andrew Vaughan
was working at the luxury Windsor
Court Hotel in New Orleans when
hurricane Katrina hit. In just a matter of hours, Andrew’s home, life,
and job as a chef vanished. His
family lost everything and Andrew
By Jill Weinlein
moved into the convention center.
A few days later, FEMA offered to
give him a plane ticket to any city
in the United States. He chose Los noticed by the executive chef for
Angeles, where he could explore whom the restaurant is named,
the culinary world on the West Kerry Simon, and within a month
Andrew became the Sous-Chef.
Coast and avoid hurricanes.
A friend offered him a place to Today, he is the Executive SousChef and prelive while he volpares an innovaunteered at the
tive menu that
award-winning
Andrew Vaughan leaves patrons
Lucques
on
and
M e l r o s e .
is the Executive smiling
wanting more.
Owner/Chef
Sous-Chef
You can often
Suzanne Goin
tell a lot about a
introduced him to
prepares an
restaurant by its
our city. Months
later he landed a
innovative menu bread basket. At
SimonLA, dinjob to help open
that leaves
ers receive a
the
new
basket
filled
SimonLA at the
patrons smiling
with blue cheese
Sofitel across the
and wanting
crackers, herb
street from the
and Parmesan
iconic Beverly
more.
cheese cracker
Center. His talent
bread,
corn
was immediately
13 July 8, 2010
bread, pretzel bread, and buttermilk
biscuits, very creative and tasty. I
could hear my mother saying
“Don’t fill up on the bread,” as I
took a bite from each one.
We started with a gorgeous
Farmer’s Market apricot salad with
sweet gem lettuce (blend of
romaine and bib), caramelized walnuts, bright orange sunburst tomatoes, and sweet apricots dressed
with homemade Point Reyes blue
cheese dressing. Next arrived a
deeply delicious sushi-grade, blue
fin tuna dynamite roll with lump of
crab.
For an entrée, our waitress,
Christy, recommended the bamboo
steamed fish with lemon grass, ginger, kaffir lime and bok choy. I
opted for the grilled swordfish with
little roasted heirloom potatoes,
Chinese broccoli, cashews, and a
kumquat sambal. My husband
selected the tender filet mignon
with toasted garlic, rapini (similar
to a broccoli) and fragrant olive oil
poached tomatoes.
The two sides we selected were
the cauliflower gratin and truffled
macaroni and cheese. This is not a
kid’s mac-n-cheese. Instead it’s a
sophisticated adult version with
loads of garlic.
For dessert, Christy brought out
photo by Jill Weinlein
SimonLA takes sʼmores to a new level. And it tastes as good as it looks!
the cutest homemade s’more. The
delicious chocolate ice cream bonbon was the face of this dessert,
with a burnt-to-perfection marshmallow hat and a thin graham
cracker wafer as the brim.
Next, she brought a plate of
freshly spun, pink cotton candy. I
had to grab a handful to reminisce
about summer evenings at the
county fair. I declined the junk food
platter that was delivered to guests
in the next booth. It was filled with
freshly made snowballs, ding
dongs, caramel popcorn, rice
crispy treats, cotton candy, and ice
cream. We will save that for another time when we visit with a larger
group. SimonLA, at the Hotel
Sofitel, 8555 Beverly Blvd.
(310)358-3979.
www.simonlarestaurant.com
Madame Tussauds Hollywood
Unveils ʻTwilightʼ Stars Exhibit
Photo courtesy of Madame Tussauds Hollywood
Dozens of fans celebrated the unveiling of a wax figure of
“Twilightʼs” Robert Pattinson on June 29 at Madame Tussauds
Hollywood. The $300,000 figure will be featured in an exhibit at the
museum, which is located at 6933 Hollywood Blvd. For information, call (323)798-1670, or visit www.madametussauds.com.
14 July 8, 2010
POLICE BLOTTER
The following information was reported to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station
between June 23 and June 30, 2010. If you are a victim of a crime, here are the
telephone numbers of local law enforcement agencies; Los Angeles Police
Department, Wilshire Division (323)485-4022 and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department West Hollywood Station (310)855-8850.
unknown thief stole a womanʼs
purse, containing identification,
credit cards and miscellaneous
items, from her shopping cart.
WEST HOLLYWOOD
PROPERTY CRIME
June 23
At 10:30am, a guest at a hotel in
the 1000 block of San Vicente
reported that an unknown burglar
had entered his hotel room and
stolen a duffel bag, clothing and
cuff links. The loss was estimated
at about $550.
During the afternoon, an unknown
burglar stole a box of checks from
a mailbox in the lobby area of an
apartment building in the 1200
block of Kings.
June 26
11:46 am, 7700 block of Santa
Monica. At 11:46am, an unknown
male thief stole a cellular phone,
valued at $200, from atop a
counter at a business in the 7700
block of Santa Monica.
As she was shopping at a retail
business in the 7100 block of
Santa Monica at 5:30pm, an
Teen Girl Dies in
July 4 Shooting
A
14-year-old girl was shot and
killed during a July 4 celebration near downtown Los Angeles.
On July 4, at 10:20pm, a patrol
unit was dispatched to the 1300
block of South Toberman Street.
The victim was outside of her
home celebrating the fourth of July
holiday with her family and neighbors when four or five male suspects approached from the north
Detectives
believe the
motive for this
crime is gang
related.
end of the street. One of the suspects fired multiple rounds striking
Garcia in the upper torso.
The
Los
Angeles
Fire
Department paramedics responded
to the scene and transported Garcia
to a local hospital where she died a
short time later from her injuries.
The suspects are described as
four or five male suspects, with no
further description.
Detectives believe the motive for
this crime is gang related.
Anyone with information on this
crime is encouraged to call
(213)484-3650.
June 27
At 3:10am, as they walked to their
car at the corner of Robertson and
Ashcroft, a couple was forcibly
robbed by two unknown Hispanic
male suspects who took the victimsʼ two cellular phones and a
wallet. The loss was estimated at
about $530.
A woman reported at 6:42pm that
an unknown thief had stolen a diamond and gold ring, valued at
about $7,000, from her home in the
8400 block of Fountain. She also
reported that about $268 had been
charged on her debit card by an
unknown suspect.
June 29
During the night, an unknown thief
stole a laptop computer, valued at
$1,500, that was by a vehicle in a
subgarage in the 1100 block of
Larrabee.
June 30
During the night, unknown burglars
broke into a business in the 8200
block of Santa Monica and stole a
color television and a laptop computer, each valued at $750.
Damage to a window was estimated at about $200.
During the week, nine suspects
were arrested for burglary or theft
after being observed shoplifting at
local markets and retail businesses.
During the week, eight vehicles
were burglarized by unknown suspects. Total estimate of damage
and articles taken was $6,675.
During the week, two vehicles
were stolen by unknown thieves.
June 28
During the week, four reported
stolen vehicles were recovered
and the owners notified.
At 4:52am, an unknown burglar
broke into a retail business in the
7100 block of Santa Monica, causing an estimated $1,000 damage
to a glass door. It was not deter-
During the week, fifteen vehicles
were impounded for thirty days
since they were being driven by an
unlicensed driver or a person with
a suspended or revoked license.
ʻCreeperʼ Hits Miracle Mile Offices
O
n Tuesday, June 29, during
the daytime, a male suspect
was able to walk freely through a
busy office building located in
the 5700 block of Wilshire
Boulevard, drawing no suspicion
from working employees. The suspect, who police
deemed an “office creeper”, dis-
The suspect,
who police
deemed an
“office creeper”, discretely
entered the
building, where
he gained
access to a
large amount
of U.S. and
European
currency.
cretely entered the building,
where he gained access to a large
amount of United States and
European currency. He then
casually walked out of the building undetected.
TÇwÜxã YÜ|xwÅtÇ
Attorney at Law
Business Law • Personal Injury
Wills • Probate
124 N. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
mined what, if anything, was
stolen.
(323) 931-2476
(323) 656-5847
(Fax (323) 931-7514
The suspect was caught on surveillance footage, but went
undetected by employees.
Police described the suspect as
a bald, African-American male,
40 to 50 years old, standing about
five-feet-eleven-inches tall and
weighing about 230 pounds. The suspect was seen wearing
a red-and-white checkered shirt
and black pants, carrying a black
plastic shopping bag. Video footage of the suspect
was captured on tape and is available at www.lapdtv.org. Anyone with information is
urged to call Wilshire Burglary
Detectives Nate Hampton or
Jennifer Lee at (213)473-0557 or
(213)922-8205.
Arsonist Tries to Set Church Alight
T
he Los Angeles Police
Department and the Los
Angeles Fire Department are
searching for a man whose image
was caught on tape trying to set fire
to the Los Angeles Temple Church
of Latter-Day Saints church on May
17.
At 10:30am, a man walked on to
the church property located at
10777 Santa Monica Boulevard in
West Los Angeles carrying combustible material inside of a backpack and thermo cup. According to investigators, the
man was thwarted when he could
not get through the locked church
doors. Three hours later, a suspicious
fire occurred outside in the garden
area of the church property.
Police described the suspect as of
Middle Eastern or Asian Indian
decent in his late 20s. He was last
seen wearing a red T-shirt and blue
jeans. Video footage of the suspects
was captured on tape and is available at www.lapdtv.org. Burglary Crew Hits
Bel Aire Homes
O
n Tuesday June 1, at 6:00pm,
Los
Angeles
Police
Department officers were alerted to
a burglary that occurred at a residence in the 900 block of North
Beverly Glen Avenue in Bel Aire.
Once the officers arrived, they
immediately checked the residence
and called the burglary detectives.
The detectives’ investigation
revealed that the suspects entered
the premises of the property
through the victim’s front gate and
forced their way into the rear of the
residence.
Large amounts of cash and an
expensive piece of jewelry were
stolen during the commission of
this crime.
Video footage at www.lapdtv.org
shows that three African-American
male suspects were involved.
The first suspect, whose face is
shown on the video, had a shaved
head. He was wearing a black or
blue “Sean John” long sleeved shirt
or jacket, dark pants and dark
shoes. He stands five-feet-teninches tall and weighs around 180
pounds.
The second suspect was wearing
a black hooded sweatshirt with
dark pants and dark shoes. He also
stands five-feet-ten-inches tall and
weighs between 180 and 200
pounds.
The third suspect was wearing a
gray, hooded sweatshirt with a blue
design on back. He wore dark
pants and dark sneakers, and had a
stocky build.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to call
Detective Guevara at (310)4441523 or (310)444-1522.
Security footage shows the suspect outside the church. A fire was
later set off in the garden area.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is urged to call detectives at the LAPD Criminal
Conspiracy Section of Major
Crimes Division at (213)486-7260.
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15 July 8, 2010
KCCLA Displays Art of Calligraphy In Memoriam, MOCA Shows Hopperʼs Art
T
he Museum of Contemporary
Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) presents an exhibit of works by the late
actor, filmmaker and artist Dennis
Hopper, running Sunday, July
through September 26.
Hopper passed away on May 29
at age 74 after a long battle with
cancer. The exhibit, titled “Dennis
Hopper Double Standard”, is the
first comprehensive survey of his
artistic career by a North American
museum, and will be held at the
Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.
Hopper has produced numerous
works that blur the boundaries
between art, film and popular culture. The exhibition will trace the
evolution of Hopper’s artistic output, and feature more than 200
works spanning his 60-year career,
including an early painting from
1955; photographs, sculpture, and
assemblages from the 1960s; paintings from the 1980s and ’90s; graffiti-inspired wall constructions and
large-scale billboard paintings from
the 2000s; his most recent sculptures; and several film installations.
The title of the exhibition is taken
from Hopper’s iconic 1961 photograph of the two Standard Oil signs
seen through an automobile windshield at the intersection of Santa
Monica Boulevard, Melrose
Avenue, and north Doheny Drive in
West Hollywood.
“Dennis Hopper’s work has been
a springboard for the work of many
artists and filmmakers of a younger
generation,” MOCA Director
Jeffrey Deitch said. “His fusion of
artistic media has become an inspiration for the new artistic generation who often draw on performance and film as well as painting,
sculpture, and photography in the
creation of their work.”
MOCA is located at 250 S. Grand
Ave. For information, call
(213)626-6222,
or
visit
www.moca.org.
;/(; ;/, &,:; 633@>66+ 0;@ 6<5*03 >033 /63+ (
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photo courtesy of KCCLA
The Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles (KCCLA) presents an
exhibit titled “International Cooperation in Artistic Oriental Drawings”,
running through July 15. The exhibition will feature traditional paintings and calligraphy from 70 artists from Korea, China, Japan, as well
as Korean-Americans. The Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles is
located at 5505 Wilshire Blvd. For information, call (323)936-7141, or
visit www.kccla.org.
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047(09,+ 0: Answers on page 22
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16 July 8, 2010
Vernon Harbin, Film
Archivist, Honored
Burnside Towers resident Vernon Harbin (right), archivist emeritus
of RKO, was pictured on the cover of the July 5, 1984 issue of the
Park Labrea News with George Stevens, chairman of the American
Film Institute. Harbin was a guest at the American Film Instituteʼs
first annual Film Ball that year, and was honored for his work with
RKO Studios. Harbin had worked as assistant to the president for
talent negotiations for the studio from 1947 to 1958, when RKO
ceased production. Harbin worked with some of the biggest stars of
the era, including Katherine Hepburn, George Kukor, Orson Welles,
Bette Davis and Fred Astaire. After the studio closed, he spent 20
years organizing materials and records into the RKO archive, which
was donated to UCLA in 1982.
ʻArchibaldʼ Visits Belmont Village
photo courtesy of Belmont Village
Dozens of children ages four to eight, and their parents and grandparents, came together at Belmont Village of Westwood on June 26
for an afternoon of storytelling and ice cream with author Sylvia
Lieberman, her daughter, Dr. Carol Lieberman, and friend,
“Archibald the Mouse”. Archibald is a little mouse with a big heart who embarks on an
adventure and teaches children how to chase their dreams.
Liebermanʼs book was honored as Best Childrenʼs Book in 2008 by
the London, England, and Hollywood Book Festivals. The author
signed books at the event, and a portion of book sale proceeds were
donated to Feed The Children and Variety: The Childrenʼs Charity.
For information, visit www.archibaldmousebooks.com.
LaBonge to
DWP: No More
Griffith Park
Light Festival
L
os
Angeles
City
Councilmember Tom LaBonge,
4th District, has requested that the
Department of Water and Power
(DWP) not produce the 2010
Holiday Light Festival in Griffith
Park due to the cost and the amount
of time need to halt a major construction project in Griffith Park.
The project includes the installation of a major water line, the River
Supply Conduit and a new zoo
parking lot.
“The light festival has been a
great, free, family-friendly event for
the residents of Los Angeles, and
I’m disappointed that we must cancel it for 2010,” LaBonge said.
For 14 years, the DWP has
included a display of holiday lights
along a one-mile segment of
Crystal Springs Drive in the Park.
“The light festival
has been a great,
free, familyfriendly event for
the residents of
Los Angeles, and
I’m disappointed
that we must
cancel it.”
--Tom LaBonge
Los Angeles City
Councilmember, 4th District
The event has become a holiday
tradition that attracts more than hal
af million visitors each year. In
March 2009, the DWP began a
major water line installation that
connects the North Hollywood
Pump Station with the Ivanhoe
Reservoir inSilver Lake. The project involves the installation of
1,200 feet of steel pipe in Griffith
Park.
The water line is being changed
because of the age of the pipe and
low water pressure issues. To halt
construction for this year’s festival
would jeopardize the targeted completion date of November 2011, and
would likely cause next year’s festival to be cancelled, LaBonge said.
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18 July 8, 2010
NHM Reopens Beaux-Arts Building Paris-based Artist Gets Solo Show at Hammer Museum
T
he Hammer Museum presents
an exhibit titled “Hammer
Projects: Eric Baudelaire” running
Friday, July 9 through September
26.
The exhibit is the Paris-based
artist’s first U.S. museum solo
show, and will include a presentation of the video “Sugar Water”
(2007). The video depicts a scene
on a Paris metro platform where a
Baudelaire uses
a laborious
system
known as
“wheatpasting”
to mount the
details in each
image, one-byone.
poster covers a large advertising
billboard with a sequence of images
that depict a car parked on a
Parisian streetthat bursts into
flames, becomes swallowed in
smoke, and then remains only as a
skeleton of the car.
Baudelaire uses a laborious system known as “wheatpasting” to
mount the details in each image,
photo courtesy of Conrado Lopez
The Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History is reopening the
Beaux-Arts 1913 Building on July 8 and is unveiling the new “Age of
Mammals” permanent exhibition.
The new exhibit is a re-telling of the evolution of mammals on Earth
— including humans — in the context of climate change and continental shifts. Two additional exhibits will be held inside the museumʼs
iconic Rotunda titled “What on Earth?” and “Life Through the Ages:
Revisiting the Paintings of Charles R. Knight”. The 1914 sculpture,
“The Three Muses” (pictured), by Julia Bracken Wendt, will also be
located in the historic rotunda
The Natural History Museum is located at 900 Exposition Blvd. For
information, call (213)763-3466, or visit www.nhm.org.
one-by-one. The process gradually
unfolds in a 72-minute film, offering viewers a slow, contemplative
look at the work, which contrasts
with the rapid barrage of images
typical of the today’s news media.
The Hammer Museum is located
at 10899 Wilshire Blvd. For information, call (310)443-7041, or visit
www.hammer.ucla.edu.
Bureau of Sanitation Receives Gold Excellence Award
T
he Department of Public
Works, Bureau of Sanitation’s
Clean Fuel Program and MultiFamily Residential Recycling
Program has received Gold
Excellence awards from the Solid
Waste Association of North
Lawyers Philharmonic Performs at Disney Concert Hall
T
he Los Angeles Lawyers
Philharmonic, under the baton
of attorney and founder-conductor
Gary S. Greene (center), will perform
its
“Pops
Concert
Extraordinaire” on Thursday, July
15 at 7:30pm at Walt Disney
Concert Hall. Greene will lead
L.A.’s only “legal orchestra”, which
is comprised of attorneys and
judges, in an evening of music from
Beethoven to Bernstein. Selections
include the finale from Beethoven’s
“Fifth Symphony”, “West Side
Story”, “Carmen”, “Mary Poppins”
and “Phantom of the Opera”.
Actor Richard Chamberlain (left)
will narrate selections from
“Camelot”, and actor Alan Rachins,
who starred as attorney Douglas
Brackman in the TV series “L.A.
Law”, will be the master of ceremonies. Celebrity guests include
actresses June Lockhart and
Michele Greene, who is known for
her role as attorney Abby Perkins in
“L.A. Law”.
Greene founded the L.A.
Lawyers Phil in January 2009 to
unite attorneys and judges who are
also talented musicians. The
orchestra includes prosecutors,
defense attorneys, civil trial
lawyers, entertainment lawyers,
corporation lawyers, real estate
lawyers, personal injury lawyers,
probate lawyers, judges and law
students.
Tickets range from $10 to $50,
and 25 percent of ticket sale proceeds will benefit the L.A. County
photo courtesy of Hammer Museum
Artist Eric Baudelaire will have his first U.S. museum solo show, running
at the Hammer Museum through September 26.
America (SWANA).
SWANA hosts the awards program annually to recognize facilities, operations and programs with
outstanding achievements that
serve the public.
“We constantly strive to attain
environmental leadership and operational excellence in carrying out
our mission of protecting the public’s health and the environment,”
said Enrique C. Zaldivar, director
of the city’s Bureau of Sanitation.
“Our staff are dedicated to our mission and this commitment serves as
the foundation for our successful
programs.”
The bureau maintains the largest
municipal clean fuel fleet in the
nation, with more than 400 natural
gas powered trash trucks. The
Clean Fuel Program involved the
conversion of the bureau’s trucks
from diesel to clean burning natural
gas, and the purchase of 10 dualfuel trucks that operate on a combination of 85-percent liquefied natural gas (LNG) and 15-percent
ultra-low sulfur diesel.
The Multi-Family Residential
Recycling Program was recognized
for expanding recycling and disseminating information through the
Internet, using social media and
online applications. The online outreach helps the bureau share general information on solid waste and
recycling.
Magnificent Spanish Revival
6300 Drexel Ave.
$1,199,950
Open Sunday 2-5pm
photo courtesy of Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic
The L.A. Lawyers Philharmonic will perform next Thursday at the Disney
Concert hall.
Bar Association’s legal clinic,
which provides free legal assistance
to people in need; the Domestic
Violence Clinic; the Immigration
Legal Assistance Project; and the
AIDS Legal Services Project. For
information, visit www.lalawyersphil.org.
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20 July 8, 2010
Problems at Rave Prompt Investigation
From page 1
take them. People need to know
that the drugs they’re taking can
kill them.”
In addition, Yaroslavsky, who is
a member of the Coliseum
Commission, the board that runs
the publicly-owned venue, called
for a moratorium on booking raves
until a special meeting is held on
July 16, when the commission will
discuss the issue.
“The Coliseum Commission
needs to understand what happened
at the last concert, and what
changes are necessary in contracts
with promoters,” Yaroslavsky said.
“We’re considering all of our
options, and one of the options is
not to have these events anymore.”
The 14th annual Electric Daisy
Carnival was the biggest event of
its kind that the Coliseum has hosted, with more than 100,000 attendees. It also yielded the most casualties, however. In addition to
Rodriguez’s death, 120 other partygoers were hospitalized, mostly for
drug and alcohol overdoses, and
YouTube videos have circulated
showing people crushed against
fences under personnel.
Los Angeles Police Department
Deputy Chief Pat Gannon said the
size of the event caused many of
the problems. Though 250 LAPD
officers were outside of the event
each night, plus 75 officers inside
the event, along with several hundred private security guards,
Gannon said he did not have
enough officers.
“I’ve worked on raves in the
past, and this was the largest one
I’ve been associated with,”
Gannon said. “At the time, I
thought we were prepared. But as
the event grows in size, it grows in
complexity. If you go from dealing
with ten thousand people to dealing
with one-hundred thousand people,
that’s a big jump. Keeping participants safe has become problematic,
both outside the event with the
gatecrashers, and inside with the
sale of narcotics. Whenever you
have to hire private ambulances on
standby to cart people off, you have
to take a serious look at that.”
Concern about safety at raves
has existed for months. A rave at
the Coliseum on New Year’s Eve
resulted in one death and at least 18
drug overdoses. Last year, the
Coliseum Commission shortened
the hours for music events from a
“People have a
right to expect
that they’re not
walking into a
drug fest.
-Los Angeles County
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky,
3rd District
4:00am closing time to a 2:00am
shutdown. As Gannon mentioned,
promoters of the Electric Daisy
Carnival also hired ambulances to
be on standby outside the event,
while several local hospitals
brought in extra emergency room
staff.
In addition, following the New
Year’s Eve rave, the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
published a report about the use of
ecstasy at that event. Cathy
Chidester, director of Los Angeles
County Emergency Medical
Services (EMS), said she had
planned to discuss the report’s findings at the next meeting of the
EMS commission, which had been
scheduled for soon after the
Electric Daisy Carnival.
Chidester said raves put extra
stress on an already “very fragile”
EMS system. During the Electric
Daisy Carnival, White Memorial
Medical Center became overwhelmed, and ambulances had to
be diverted to other hospitals.
“We already have concerns
about patient waiting times, with
only seventy-three hospitals
receiving 911 calls from ten million people,” Chidester said. “If
someone has a heart attack, or a
stroke, or a car accident, there may
be a delay before they get seen or
treated, because hospital staff is
dealing with someone from the
rave party. These parties have an
overall negative impact on the
EMS system.”
Yaroslavsky said that the
Coliseum Commission had questioned leasing the venue to promoters for raves in the past. In the
future, he said, if these events continue, it will have to be under
decidedly different conditions.
“One attraction of these events
was that they go on in the middle of
the night, drugs flow freely, and
apparently everyone understands
that,”
Yaroslavsky
said.
“Something has to be done now,
because it’s a public safety issue,
it’s a public venue, and people have
a right to expect that they’re not
walking into a drug fest. I’m a not
a prude on these things, but these
drugs are dangerous and people
have died. If these events are going
to continue, it’ll have to be under
fundamentally different terms and
conditions. Short of banning this
art form completely, we’re trying
to find a middle ground where people could be protected and the art
form could be exhibited, but obviously it’s not getting any better.”
An installation titled “Why Would You Not Share Your Dream” by the
artist Cache is part of the exhibit.
Exhibit Uses Art to Show
Opposition to Arizona Law
From page 6
part all the other artists involved
just sent in paintings. I don’t think
there are too many Americans [for
whom] this shouldn’t touch
home. There are a small number
of people that are native to this
country.”
The show features art from
Acamonchi, Dabs & Myla, Dash
2000, Fidel, El Mac, Estevan
Oriol, Jaime Germs Zacarias,
Kofie, Kopye, Ritzy Periwinkle,
Surge, Vyal One and others.
The display will be up at MidCity Arts Gallery, located at 5113
W. Pico Blvd., until July 26.
For information, visit MidcityArts.com.
Changes Proposed for Watering Rationing Program
From page 1
are turning people’s lawns brown,
which hurts the quality of life in our
neighborhoods and degrades home
values,” Smith said. “For more than
a decade we have had a policy of
greening, not browning L.A.”
Los Angeles City Council
President Eric Garcetti, 13th
District, seconded Smith’s proposal,
and said it is the most sensible solution for both conserving water and
reducing pressure on the underground pipes. Under the city council’s proposal, watering would be
limited to eight minutes on each
of the three watering days, compared to 15 minutes per watering day currently in place. The
six-minute reduction in watering
times is expected to save more
water.
“Your grass can die if there is
a gap between the two days a
week you are currently allowed
to water, so we want to spread it
out over three days but limit it to
a total of 24 minutes,” Garcetti
said. “It will keep your grass
growing and your plants growing, while still conserving
water.”
Other members of the council
representing the local area also
supported the three-day-week
plan,
including
City
Councilmembers
Tom
LaBonge, 4th District, and Paul
photo by Amy Lyons
Koretz, 5th District. LaBonge
The Los Angeles City Council has prosaid he hopes people understand
posed a plan that would allow water- the importance of saving water
keep their lawns green during the
hot summer months, while placing
less stress on the water infrastructure. It will be determined in the
coming weeks whether residents at
odd or even numbered addresses
would be allowed to water on a
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
schedule, or the Tuesday, Thursday
and Saturday schedule. Watering
would still be restricted to before
9:00am or after 4:00pm, which follows current regulations.
“The twice-a-week restrictions
ing three-days-a-week.
and will continue to follow
rationing measures.
“We must conserve water, but I
understand that people want to preserve the landscaping at their
homes,” LaBonge said. “In any system, we must ensure that we allow
people to water their lawns, but that
it also saves as much water as possible. The three-days-a-week schedule is more equitable. Over the
course of a week when there are
hotter temperatures, it will be more
beneficial.”
Koretz represents a district where
many of the high profile water main
breaks occurred last year, including
one in Studio City that caused a
major sinkhole. He also said the
three-days-a-week plan is a good
compromise.
“It will protect the lawns in the
city of Los Angeles, and by watering
three-days-a-week, we will be less
likely to see the pressure changes
that contributed to the water main
breaks,” Koretz added. “I think we
are moving further in the right direction.”
The city council convened an
independent panel that included
experts from the University of
Southern California, the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech
late last summer after the water main
breaks began occurring more frequently. Although the panel determined that the water main breaks
were likely due to fluctuations in
pressure caused by the two-day-a-
A photo of the wall along the U.S./Mexico Border by Vieja del
Mercado has been included in the exhibit to show the imposing reality facing immigrants.
week water rationing program, the
DWP conducted its own investigation that determined the pipe ruptures were caused by changes in
pressure that resulted from some
large regional pipes being shut down
for repairs. The DWP Board recommended a change in watering days,
however, essentially admitting that
the fluctuations in pressure needed
to be addressed.
Stephanie Interiano, a DWP
spokesperson, said that most Los
Angeles residents are adhering to
the current water rationing regulations, and that changes to the system
may result in even more water saving. She added, however, that the
DWP’s water conservation team
would continue to look for residents
who are not following the rules. The
team has 12 to 15 inspectors who
respond to reports of excessive
watering, and patrol the city looking
for people who are watering too frequently. Approximately 7,000 warnings have been issued since the
water rationing program went into
effect last June, and approximately
200 citations have been issued.
Warning are always issued on the
first offense, followed by a citation,
with a $100 fine that is added to the
offender’s water bill. Subsequent
citations can result in fines of up to
$300, with a fifth violation resulting
in a water flow restriction device
being installed at the violator’s property.
Anyone who has information
about violations of the city’s water
rationing ordinance is asked to contact the DWP at (800)DIALDWP, or
visit www.ladwp.com.
21 July 8, 2010
Libraries Face Major Cuts in Hours
From page 1
in the 104-year history of library
that it’s only been open five days a
week,” Persic said.
The first reductions occurred in
December, when the libraries eliminated Friday morning services at
branch locations. Then libraries
began closing citywide on Sundays
in April.
The closures are the result of a
reduction in library staff and other
cuts made in an effort to reduce the
city’s $485 million deficit. On July
1, more than 200 city workers were
laid off, 150 of them from library
staffs.
While the city’s budget problems
have drastically reduced the library
budget from $68.4 million last year
to $58 million this year, it has also
brought Angelenos back to their
local libraries in large numbers.
“We’ve had more people visit the
library system than at any other
time in our history,” Persic said.
“We’ve had about 17 million people come into the library, and over
18 million books and other items
checked out. It’s unfortunate that
we’re having to scale back service
hours at a time when the library is
being used by a record number of
people.”
Those numbers apparently made
an impression on the Los Angeles
City Council. The council voted in
June for the city attorney to begin
drafting language on a $30-million
parcel tax measure for the
November ballot. If approved by
city council and passed by voters,
the measure would place a $3.25
monthly charge on every property
in the city. The tax would raise the
additional revenue to provide
enough funding to restore a sixth
day of service, as well as afterschool programs, at libraries.
Kim Bui-Burton, president of the
California Library Association,
said that sometimes it takes drastic
measures for people to realize the
value of community resources like
libraries.
“I know that communities get
very upset when they lose library
services,” Bui-Burton said. “I think
there’s becoming much more of a
groundswell of opposition to it.
People realize, as they get closer to
losing these essential services, that
they need to stand up and be
heard.”
According to a survey conducted
in May by city librarian Martin
Gomez, the measure would be supported by 68 percent of likely Los
Angeles voters in the November
election. That number is more than
the two-thirds of the vote needed
for the measure to be approved.
Opponents of the proposal, however, point to the fact that in addition to the parcel tax, the measure
would cost the city $4.1 million
just to put on the ballot in
November.
Small business owner Jack
Humphreville, who moonlights as
a writer for the website
CityWatch.com, said the council
shouldn’t be proposing any ballot
measure until it has balanced the
budget.
“[The parcel tax] shouldn’t be on
the November ballot because it
costs the city an extra $4 million to
put it on the ballot, and the city
doesn’t have $4 million to spend,”
Humphreville said. “It’s going to
cost a lot of dough and be expensive for the voters.”
Humphreville also said it’s
unlikely to pass because of all the
other choices voters will have to
make in November. Adding a city
measure to the ballot already filled
with races for governor, senate,
attorney general and a number of
other state ballot provisions would
cause this measure to get “confused
and lost in the shuffle,” he said.
Los Angeles Councilman Tom
LaBonge, 4th District, was one of
the nine city council members who
voted to go forward in drafting the
ballot measure. He said if communities want to use their tax dollars
to support libraries, they should
have that opportunity.
“This program is worthy to look
at because we know everybody
loves the library,” LaBonge said.
“A lot of people don’t like taxes,
but we know taxes are an investment. We have to see if people feel
that this is worthy of an invest-
Young readers will have less time to spend at the John C. Fremont
Library because of the cuts.
ment.”
A measure similar to the one
being considered by the city council was proposed in Bui-Burton’s
hometown of Pacific Grove last
year, but failed to generate enough
support. Rather than closing the
library, though, the organization
Friends of Pacific Grove Library
organized a number of fundraisers
and was able to keep the library
open four days a week.
Bui-Burton added that collaboration between public and private
sectors may likely be the key to
preserving libraries, even in a stable economy.
“Government money will be
reduced, and it’s going to take public and private partnerships to keep
libraries open,” Bui-Burton said.
“That’s the future.”
DONE Will Have a General Manager
Youth Programs Stay Open
From page 4
From page 3
for help running meets, navigating
city hall, and especially navigating
the budget process. He said he
hoped his department would still
be able to streamline the budget
process, whether through the
department, or by outsourcing to a
non-profit
organization,
as
Villaraigosa had suggested.
“The city’s financial management system can be extremely
complex,”
Kim
said.
“Neibghborhood council board
members are volunteers, and for a
lot of them, it can be extremely
overwhelming. A streamlined
process would hopefully make it
possible for them to access funds
as responsibly and easily as possible.”
Stephen Box, who helped organize a number of neighborhood
councils into Budget LA, a group
designed to advocate for neighborhood councils, said that by retaining Kim as interim general manager, the city council had continued
to avoid defining DONE’s purpose.
“I think it’s what can be expected from a city government that’s
meandering through the process of
solving a major budget crisis,” Box
said. “What’s the purpose of
DONE? If it’s to support the neighborhood councils, they have to
decide what that support looks like.
That is what’s missing is an affirmative and strong stand on what
this department is there for. It’s
time for a big change, which makes
this a big opportunity.”
Box cited a recent DONE staff
report, which suggested standardizing bylaws across all of the
neighborhood councils, as evidence of the department’s lack of
purpose. Currently, each council
writes its own bylaws.
Jeff Jacobberger, chair of the
Mid-City
West
Community
Council, said he too wondered
whether DONE was going to be
able to provide the necessary logistical support to the neighborhood
councils.
“I don’t care so much about
whether DONE is a stand-alone
department or merged with another
department,” Jacobberger said. “I
care about things like if we want to
spend money and sponsor an event,
can we get checks sent in a reasonable amount of time, or when we
spend money will the vendor have
to wait three months for payment?
I just want the department to be
efficient and serving our needs.”
Jacobberger remained confident
that the neighborhood council system itself was not in jeopardy of
collapse. However, he worried
inefficiency from DONE could
affect some councils more than
others.
“As long as we continue to get
some base level of funding that
allows us to operate, and we have a
funding system that makes that
possible, I don’t think the neighborhood council system is going
away,” Jacobberger said. “My concern is that some parts of the city,
or neighborhoods that need more
assistance from the city to be effective, won’t be getting that assistance. I think Mid-City West is
functioning pretty well in part
because we’re in a relatively affluent neighborhood where we have a
lot of professionals and people who
have a lot of expertise. I’m not sure
DONE has ever done a particularly
good job of really empowering and
working to make all neighborhood
councils really high functioning.
And like everything else, with the
cuts, I’m worried we’ll be left with
the gaps between the haves-and the
have nots growing even bigger.”
Kim shares Jacobberger’s concern, and worries that if neighbor-
hood councils in low-income areas
start to collapse, it could threaten
the heart of the neighborhood council system.
“That’s slowly starting to play
out as some neighborhood councils
in South L.A. are experiencing
problems recruiting enough candidates to fill board seats,” Kim said.
“I think the neighborhood councils
in the underserved communities are
most at risk, if you think about viability of the city-wide system resting on the fact that all geographic
areas are represented. It does represent a threat.”
played a key role in enhancing
public safety, and in giving young
people a place to go.”
In addition to the Summer
Night Lights Program, Garcetti
identified funding for other youth
programs in the Hollywood area,
including keeping the skate park
open at Le Conte Elementary
School open from noon to
8:00pm, seven days-a-week; and
providing yoga and art classes at
Helen Bernstein High School
beginning on July 13. The funding for the programs came from
general city purposes (GCP)
funds that are distributed to each
council office each year for discretionary usage. Garcetti’s office
receive approximately $81,000 in
GCP funds this year, of which
approximately $33,000 were
used for community and youth
programs. Garcetti added that he
was able to raise funds from private sources as well to expand the
programs even further.
Lemmon Grove Park is located
at 4959 Lemon Grove Ave. Helen
Bernstein High School is located
at 1309 N. Wilton Pl. For information, call (323)957-4500.
22 July 8, 2010
Study on Bus Lanes Released
From page 1
final EIR will be created. Butler
said she expects the Metro Board to
consider the project in October.
“What we are trying to do is
improve bus passage, travel times
and bus service reliability,” Butler
said. “For the automobiles and the
bus service, it will improve traffic
flow overall along the Wilshire
Corridor. Most of the parking along
the curb lanes on Wilshire
Boulevard is restricted during peak
hours anyway, so it will not cause
any major disruptions.”
Metro decided to create dedicated bus lanes on Wilshire Boulevard
because it is the most heavily traveled road in the county, and there
are approximately 80,000 bus
boardings each day along the thoroughfare. The service would also
provide a connection for Metro’s
Purple Line subway, which currently ends at Wilshire and Western
Avenue. As part of the BRT project,
Metro would repave the curb lanes
on Wilshire Boulevard, which are
currently in very poor condition.
Butler said the project would not
have an impact on medians on
Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle
Mile area.
“It’s definitely going to improve
service reliability and travel times,
and we will have an increase in ridership of twenty-five percent,”
Butler added. “We are also hoping
to have a fifteen to twenty percent
improvement in travel times.”
The Wilshire BRT program has
received support in the local area,
including from the Miracle Mile
Chamber of Commerce, whose
members include local businesses
and cultural institutions. Steve
Kramer, president of the Miracle
Mile Chamber, said the program
sounds like a good idea, but he is
“It’s definitely
going to
improve service
reliability and
travel times,
and we will
have an
increase in
ridership of
twenty-five
percent.”
-Martha Butler,
project manager for the
Wilshire BRT program
concerned that it does not include
Beverly Hills and Santa Monica.
“There was a concern about a
24/7 bus lane, but there was a consensus reached that it would be OK
to try a peak hour bus lane,”
Kramer said. “But if does not reach
Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, I
think that makes it somewhat fool-
ish. This is something that shouldn’t be done piecemeal.”
Kramer added, however, that he
is optimistic about the repaving of
the curb lanes on Wilshire
Boulevard.
“If you drive a car in that lane
right now, you have a very good
chance of popping a tire, and if you
are riding on a bus, you had better
hold on,” Kramer said.
The Mid City West Community
Council (MCWCC) is scheduled to
review the Wilshire BRT proposal
at its meeting on July 13, and
MCWCC chair Jeff Jacobberger
said he supports the plan.
“I think anything we can do to
improve the quality of transit service is important,” Jacobberger
added. “There are peak hour parking restrictions on this section of
Wilshire Boulevard anyway, so the
issues about losing parking that
were raised by businesses a long
time ago just don’t exist anymore.
The impact on traffic will be fairly
minimal. To get the buses out of
the main lanes would be a good
idea.”
There are several ways for the
public to submit comments about
the draft EIR. Comments can be
mailed to Martha Butler, Project
Manager, Metro, One Gateway
Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 900122952. Comments can also be made
by calling the Wilshire BRT
Hotline at (213)922-2500, by emailing [email protected], or
visit www.metro.net/wilshire.
Concerns Surface Over Alcohol Sales
From page 1
appalled at what’s been going on
for the past 10 years.”
According to Cherno, Berri’s is
in violation of parking codes, as it
does not have enough spaces for a
restaurant its size. The restaurant
also illegally attached chairs and
tables to the sidewalk in front, and
does not have the certificate of
occupancy for half of the restaurant, which was expanded, Cherno
said.
Members of the Beverly Wilshire
Homes Association (BWHA) are
campaigning for Berri’s to be
closed.
“It’s just ridiculous,” BWHA
President Diana Plotkin said.
“They’re roaming around and
standing in the streets, double and
triple parked on Third Street.”
The Mid City West Community
Berriʼs Pizza Cafe is currently open until 4:00am, but the owner plans to
close at 2:00am if he is allowed to sell alcohol.
Council also ruled at their meeting
June 29 that Berri’s shouldn’t be
granted the license.
Berry said he’s trying to run a
business and that he is successful
because he is open late. Berry
added that people come to his
restaurant to “sober up” after the
bars close.
“They think I’m unprofessional,
but I’ve been running this business
for 14 years and that shows my
responsibility,” Berry said. “How
can you blame me when I’m just
doing a normal thing and running a
business?”
Berry said he would close at
2:00am if the city grants him a
liquor license. Otherwise he will
continue to stay open until 4:00am.
Levy recounted an incident that
happened June 24 at 2:30am.
“Four women were yelling and
screaming at one another, and two
of the four started fist fighting, and
screaming,” Levy said. After the
police arrived, no arrests were
made and the women were sent
home, according to Levy.
Occurrences like this happen three
to four days a week, Levy added.
The LAPD is against Berri’s getting a liquor license since they have
had problems with people outside
the establishment in the past,
according to Roscoe Jolla, senior
lead officer for the Third Street
area.
Berry said no one has ever called
him complaining about the noise.
“We get blamed because people
are honking, but I can’t help what
people do outside on the street,”
Berry said.
Cherno, Plotkin and Levy all said
that Berry allows patrons to bring
in alcoholic beverages and charges
a fee for opening them in the café
photo courtesy fo the Greenway Arts Alliance
Dujie Tahat, representing Walla Walla, Washington, was one of the
poets at last yearʼs InkSlam.
‘InkSlam Celebrates Poetry
And the Spoken Word
From page 4
sounding cool while doing it.’
These kids are going to express
themselves whether we like it or
not. They can express themselves through pregnancy, graffiti, vandalism, or they can
express themselves through
poetry. We have to give them an
outlet, or deal with the repercussions.”
Though school is out of session, one of the 10 teams competing for the regional champiafter 2:00am.
“I personally witnessed people
buying bottles of liquor at the corner store, bring them into Berri’s
and drink them there after 2:00am,”
Levy said.
Berry said he does not allow any
alcohol in the restaurant.
“I’m the only one open here, so
everyone blames the fights on me,
but there are no fights inside,”
Berry said. “To blame me and to
accuse me of being the one creating
the nuisance, I find it unfair. I didn’t
onship is made up entirely of
teen poets. And later this month,
the International Youth Poetry
Slam Grand Slam Finals will be
held in Los Angeles.
“These kids are no joke,”
Hernandez-Kolski said. “You’ll
be blown away by these kids
expressing themselves.”
InkSlam will continue through
Saturday, July 10. For information
and
tickets,
visit
inkslam.org.
know I was in violation. If there’s
something I can do to comply, I’m
the first one to do it.”
Meanwhile, Cherno said he
would be compiling a petition, and
asking for signatures from the community to deny Berri’s a liquor
license.
“I just want to be treated like
everybody else, fairly. Not to blame
me because we’re successful
because we have people outside,”
Berry said. “We have to focus on
late night to make a living.”
New Federal Protections
Announced for L.A. River
M
ayor Antonio Villaraigosa
joined EPA Administrator
Lisa Jackson on July 7 to announce
that the EPA has deemed the Los
Angeles River as navigable, which
will ensure more effective protection under the Clean Water Act
(CWA).
The announcement strengthens
future environmental protection for
the entire 51-mile river, and for
small streams and wetlands
throughout the L.A. River Basin.
“The EPA’s announcement elevates the L.A. River’s status to a
natural resource that deserves the
same protection as other rivers
under the Clean Water Act,”
Villaraigosa said. “Today, we begin
writing a new chapter about the
Los Angeles River’s role in our
city. If we all work together, in a
few decades, we can build around
the L.A. River an emerald necklace
of parks, walkways, and bike paths
and thriving communities that will
protect wildlife and promote economic growth.”
The decision enhances the ability of the EPA, in coordination with
the Army Corps of Engineers, the
State of California, and the City of
Los Angeles, to fight pollution and
protect health and safety. In particular, it will help federal, state and
local agencies stop the future
destruction of natural streams, wetlands, and other waters remaining
in the L.A. Basin that are important
for water quality, wildlife, recreation and public health.
“This designation assures the
community that their local waters
are protected by the nation’s water
laws,” Jackson added. “A clean,
vibrant L.A. River system can help
revitalize struggling communities,
promoting growth and jobs for residents of Los Angeles. For information visit www.epa.gov.
Answers From Page 15

Death at Rave Prompts Investigation on Safety

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