WeHo Files Lawsuit to Force Pot Store to Close Sunset Project

Transcription

WWW.BEVERLYPRESS.COM
INSIDE
• Stan Chambers
honored. pg. 3
• Back to School
Section. pg. 8
Sunny and
warm, with
temps around
89º
Volume 20 No. 34
Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities
August 26, 2010
WeHo Files Lawsuit to Fairfax High Adopts Private School Model
Force Pot Store to Close
n New Development
n Owners Dispute West Hollywoodʼs
Office Seeks to Raise
$1Million
Contention That It Violates Ordinance
BY IAN LOVETT
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
he City of West Hollywood
has filed a lawsuit against a
medical marijuana dispensary on Sunset Boulevard alleging
that it is operating in violation of a
city ordinance that limits the number of dispensaries in the city to
four.
The dispensary, called the Sunset
Super Shop, is located at 8921
Sunset Blvd. and is operated by
George Lanning, Nansee Lanning
and Justin Lanning. The city filed a
civil lawsuit against the Lannings
to force them to close the dispensary. Michael Chernis, an attorney
representing the family, is planning
to file a cross-complaint, alleging
See City page 20
S
o far, the Los Angeles
Unified School District’s
(LAUSD) efforts to raise
money this year have failed. In
June, voters shot down the proposed parcel tax, which would
have raised property taxes to help
fund the school system; and this
week, California again lost out on
federal Race to the Top education
funding.
At Fairfax High School, however, administrators are pursuing
other ways to raise funds. Starting
this fall, Fairfax High will boast a
development office with three
full-time and two part-time staff
members, all devoted to raising
money for the school and
strengthening ties to the local
photo by Edwin Folven
community.
Fairfax High School Principal Ed Zubiate is hoping to provide incen“Private schools and schools in tives for teachers to improve performance.
more affluent communities have
personnel dedicated to fundraising
and connecting with the commu- During the subsequent three pleted by next fall.
Because of the success of the
nity,” Fairfax High Principal Ed years, Kleifield helped bring in
Zubiate said. “I thought we need- $15 million from a variety of capital campaign, Greenway Arts
ed to do that as well. Especially in sources, including school district Alliance, a local nonprofit that
a big city, it’s important to get sup- bonds, government grants, and $2 raises funds through the Melrose
port from the local community for million in privately raised funds. Trading Post, a flea market held
The money has paid for a number every Sunday in the Fairfax High
the local school.”
In 2007, with financial support of capital improvements to the parking lot where Fairfax students
from the Greenway Arts Alliance, school, including a new auditori- volunteer, agreed to fund the
Zubiate hired a part-time develop- um, and a new football field and expansion of the development
See Fairfax page 9
ment officer, Joyce Kleifield. grandstand, which should be com-
photo by Tim Posada
The Sunset Super Shop remains open for business while a City of West
Hollywood lawsuit is pending.
Third St. Businesses
Struggle to Obtain Permits
F
See 3rd Street page 21
n Neighbors Unite to
File an Appeal
BY TIM POSADA
A
BY IAN LOVETT
or 40 years, Benjamin
Lee’s family ran a flooring
and carpeting business on
3rd Street. But when the economic crisis hit, instead of selling the building, the family
decided to convert the business
into a restaurant.
Lee partnered with the owners
of Ratner’s Deli, the famous
Jewish deli in New York that
recently closed after a century of
serving kosher food. Last year,
he filed for a parking variance —
an agreement to park cars offsite — and a conditional use permit (CUP) for on-site alcohol
Sunset Project Could See 1,000 Cars a Day
The Magnolia Bakery is one of
the new businesses on 3rd
Street.
group of West Hollywood
residents and others who
live just over the border in
Los Angeles, protested the development plans of an eight-story building at 8497 and 8499 Sunset Blvd.
at a City of West Hollywood planning commission hearing on
Thursday, August 19. Protests
focused on a projection from a traffic study that stated traffic would
increase by more than 900 cars
daily in front of the project, located
at the corner of La Cienega
Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard and
Miller Drive.
“I was not surprised there was
opposition, I was surprised it was so
vehement at this stage,” said Ann
Gray, who represents Karma
Development, LLC, the project
photo by Tim Posada
One issue concerning neighbors is the amount of traffic in front of the
project at Sunset and La Cienega Boulevards and Miller Drive.
developer. “It felt like it came late. I
understand where they’re coming
from though.”
"! "! !!!"!"
The
project,
unanimously
approved by the planning commisSee Project page 22
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
2 August 26, 2010
26 Music Fest Rocks
Sunset Strip
Calendar
T
he third annual Sunset Strip
Music Festival (SSMF) starts
tonight and ends Saturday, August 28,
featuring acts like The Smashing
Pumpkins, Common, Slash – with
Myles Kennedy and Fergie – and 50
more artists, performing at the Roxy
Theatre, the Whisky A Go-Go, Viper
Room, Key Club, Cat Club and the
House of Blues. Slash will be honored
with a special tribute event at the
House of Blues on Thursday. SSMF
also includes towering 10-feet art guitar sculptures as part of Gibson
GuitarTown. For one-day, three-day
and VIP ticket information, visit
www.ssmf.com.
penings, including Esotouric’s The
Lowdown on Downtown bus tour, a
25th Anniversary Night Stalker
Murders
tour
from
Eastside
Desmadre, LAVA’s monthly Sunday
Salon – held at Clifton’s Cafeteria and
featuring a talk from David Kipen
about his new bookshop and lending
library, Libros Schmibros – and War
Child Show, David Caldwell’s multimedia performance installation in his
Arts District loft. Admission to
Sunday Salon and War Child Show is
free, the bus tour is $58, held from 11
a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Nightstalker is
$25, held from noon to 4 p.m. For
information, visit www.lavatransforms.org.
Kenyan Dancin’ with
the Skirball
S
kirball’s Summer Concert Series
will hold its last show tonight with
Kenyan artists, Kenge Kenge, making
their California premiere at 7 p.m.
Kenge Kenge is the group behind the
YouTube video, “Obama for Change”,
and also known for creating highenergy dance music with a fusion of
homemade instruments. Skirball
Cultural Center is located at 2701
North Sepulveda Blvd. Admission is
free with limited seating on a firstcome, first-served basis. For information, call (310)440-4500 or visit
www.rockpaperscissors.biz/go/skirball.
Slatkin Back with
L.A. Phil
L
eonard Slatkin, former principal
guest conductor of the Los
Angeles Philharmonic, will complete
his second performance at the
Hollywood Bowl tonight at 8 p.m.
Tonight’s program features Sir James
Galway performing Mozart’s “Flute
Concerto No. 2” and Bach’s
“Badinerie from Suite No. 2”, as well
as Doppler’s “Rigoletto Fantasy” with
Lady Jeanne Galway. Admission
begins at $35. The Hollywood Bowl is
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":6,7057 5:79 7+,7 5 photo courtesy of Broadway/LA
It’s ‘All About the Hollywood Pantages’
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation, in association with
Hollywood Heritage and the Nederlander Organization, presents “All
About the Hollywood Pantages Theatre”, a free comprehensive insiderʼs
tour of the restored Broadway road house (Pantagesʼ lobby pictured), on
Saturday, August 28, at 10:30 a.m. “All About the Pantages” serves as
part of the monthly “All About” series that will explore the histories of
great Los Angeles area theatres. Suggested donation is $7 and free for
LAHTF and HH members. The Pantages is located at 6233 Hollywood
Blvd. For information, call (213)468-1770 or visit www.broadwayla.org.
located at 2301 N. Highland Ave. For
information, stop by the box office (12
p.m. – 6 p.m., Tuesday – Sunday), call
(323)850-2000 or visit www.hollywoodbowl.com.
27 Wonderland
Murders Author
A
uthor, Dawn Schiller, will speak
about her new book, “The Road
Through Wonderland: Surviving John
Holmes”, at Book Soup, located at
8818 Sunset Blvd., on Friday, August
27, at 7 p.m. With forewords by
actors, Val Kilmer and Kate
Bosworth, “The Road Through
Wonderland” chronicles Schiller’s
underage relationship with adult film
star, John Holmes, before she was
caught in the middle of Holmes’
involvement in the Wonderland
Murders, after which she turned him
in to the FBI. For information, visit
www.theroadthroughwonderland.com
at 7:30 p.m. The service will include
music of Shabbat tradition, along with
a performance by pianist and singer,
Marissa Steingold, and the new
Hollywood Temple Beth El professional choir. Hollywood Temple Beth
El is located at 1317 N. Crescent
Heights Blvd. For information, call
(323)656-3150 or visit www.htbel.org.
‘Jaws’ to ‘Indy’
T
he man with the conducting stick
behind film scores for “Star Wars”,
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Jaws”,
John Williams, returns to the
Hollywood Bowl for his annual twoevening tradition, Friday and Saturday,
August 27 and 28, at 8:30 p.m.
Admission begins at $30. The
Hollywood Bowl is located at 2301 N.
Highland Ave. For information, stop by
the box office (12 p.m. – 6 p.m.,
Tuesday – Sunday), call (323)850-2000
or visit www.hollywoodbowl.com.
Kabbalat Shabbat at
Beth El
28 Four Events From
LAVA
T
T
he Hollywood Temple Beth El
will celebrate its third Kabbalat
Shabbat service on Friday, August 27,
he Los Angeles Visionaries
Association (LAVA) will present
four eclectic downtown cultural hap-
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‘Neighbors’ Tackles
Race on Stage
B
randen Jacobs-Jenkins’ play,
“Neighbors”, premieres on
Saturday, August 28, at the Matrix
Theatre at 7:30 p.m. and will run
through October 24. Directed by
Nataki Garrett and produced by
Joseph Stern, “Neighbors” tells the
story of Richard Patterson, an upwardly mobile African-American academic, whose new African American
neighbors threaten his post-racial
lifestyle. Performances start at 7:30
p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2:30
p.m. Admission is $25. The Matrix
Theatre is located at 7657 Melrose
Ave. For information, call (323)9607774 or visit www.plays411.com/
neighbors.
29 Shakespeare’s
‘Titus’ Goes ‘Redux’
T
heatre
companies,
Circus
Theatricals and Not Man Apart
Physical Theatre Ensemble, will join
forces to co-produce the world premiere of “Titus Redux”, an adaptation
of William Shakespeare’s “Titus
Andronicus”, opening Sunday, August
29, at 7 p.m. at the Kirk Douglas
Theatre. Written, conceived and
choreographed by John FarmaneshBocca, “Titus Redux” will include athletic dance, original scoring and multimedia production, as it tells the millennium-old tale of a warrior returning
home after the ravages of battle. In a
contemporary setting, Titus returns
after five tours of duty in Afghanistan
to bury his eldest son. Resolving to
retire from a lifetime of killing on
behalf of his country, he quickly dis-
covers that the horrors of war follow
him home. Admission ranges from
$25 to $35, with free covered parking
available after 6 p.m. at Culver City
Hall. The Kirk Douglas Theatre is
located at 9820 Washington Blvd. For
information, call (877)369-9112 or
visit www.circustheatricals.com.
31 Borders Meets
‘Gringo Nightmare’
A
merican journalist, Eric Volz,
will hold a book signing and discussion at Borders in Culver City,
Tuesday, August 31, at 7 p.m. for his
new book, “Gringo Nightmare: A
Young American Framed for Murder
in Nicaragua”. Volz was wrongly
accused, tried and found guilty of the
murder of his ex-girlfriend, and sentenced to 30 years in a Nicaraguan
prison, before his conviction was
overturned with the help of family and
grassroots efforts. The Culver City
Borders is located at 10250 Santa
Monica Blvd. For information, call
(310)552-1411.
1 Theatre Gambles
with ‘Mah Jongg’
T
heatre 40 present its second production in the 2010 season,
“The Men of Mah Jongg” by Richard
Atkins,
opening
Wednesday,
September 1, at 8 p.m. “Mah Jongg”
tells the comedic story of four
friends from Manhattan, who struggle with the pitfalls of old age only
to discover the unlikely game of mah
jongg as the key to their happiness.
Theatre 40 is located at the Reuben
Cordova Theatre, at 241 Moreno Dr.,
on the Beverly Hills High School
Campus. For information, call
(310)364-0535 or visit www.theatre40.org.
Bingham Drops
‘Dead’ at GRAMMY
T
he GRAMMY Museum will present “The Drop: Ryan Bingham
and the Dead Horses”, hosted by Scott
Goldman, vice president of The
GRAMMY
Foundation,
on
Wednesday, September 1, at 8 p.m.
Oscar winner, Ryan Bingham, and his
long-time band, The Dead Horses,
will perform songs from their new
album, “Junky Star”, produced by T
Bone Burnett for an intimate 200-person audience. The GRAMMY
Museum is located at 800 W. Olympic
Blvd. Admission is $10. For information, call (213)765-6803 or visit
www.grammymuseum.org.
3 August 26, 2010
Ray Bradbury Recognized Veteran KTLA Newsman Honored by LAPD
Hollywood Division
for Literary Contributions Officers
Say Farewell
n
to Stan Chambers
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
V
eteran KTLA News broadcaster Stan Chambers was honored by the Los Angeles Police
Department’s Hollywood Division
on August 19. Chambers, 87,
announced recently that he is retiring after 63 years in broadcasting.
Capt. Peter Whittingham, the
commanding officer of patrols, presented Chambers with a photograph signed by dozens of officers
and members of the command staff
at the police station. Also in attendance were Capt. Beatrice Girmala,
commanding officer of the
Hollywood Division, Los Angeles
City Councilman Tom LaBonge,
4th District, and Chambers’ wife,
Gege. Chambers reported on more
than 22,000 stories during his
Capt. Peter Whittingham presented Chambers with a signed photo from
the personnel at the police station.
career, and said he always looked
for a police officer when he arrived
to report on breaking news.
“When you’ve gone on as many
assignments as I have, you never
Brush Fire Contained in Hollywood
A
photo courtesy of Peter N. Londale
The Los Angeles City Council declared August 20 as “Ray Bradbury
Day” in Los Angeles. City Council President Eric Garcetti, 13th
District, issued a proclamation to the author in celebration of his
90th birthday. Bradbury was first published at age 20, and will soon
publish a collection of new short stories, tentatively titled
“Juggernaut”. Some of Bradburyʼs most well-known works include
“Fahrenheit 451” and “The Martian Chronicles.”
brush fire erupted Monday
night in the hills above
Hollywood Boulevard, just east of
Nichols Canyon Road.
The blaze was reported around
9:10pm in the 1800 block of N.
Courtney Terrace. Firefighters
arrived to find approximately onequarter acre of brush on fire, with the
flames moving uphill, according to
Los Angeles Fire Department
spokesman Erik Scott. Three LAFD
helicopters were called in for aerial
support, but were only used for surveillance because crews were able to
gain access to the fire from the
ground. Approximately 60 firefighters extinguished the blaze in 30 minutes. Several homes were nearby,
but no structures were damaged and
no injuries were reported. Scott said
the residents had cleared the brush
away from structures in the area,
which aided firefighters. The cause
of the fire is under investigation,
Scott added.
know what the next one is going to
be. When I would see an officer
with a badge, I would always ask
them what happened, because you
know you would get the right information,” Chambers said. “The
working arrangement has always
been successful.”
Girmala added that the personnel
wanted to do something special for
Chambers because many of the
officers either knew him from
encounters in the field, or grew up
watching him on KTLA News,
which is headquartered on Sunset
Boulevard in Hollywood.
“We have had such a wonderful
relationship with Stan Chambers
over the years,” Girmala added.
A one-hour special on Chambers
will air on KTLA on August 23 at 8
p.m., and September 5 at 11 p.m.
4 August 26, 2010
City Puts Crowning Touch on New Fire Station
F
irefighters, city officials and
community members came
together on August 19 to sign the
final structural beam for Fire
Station 82 at Hollywood Boulevard
and Van Ness Avenue. The new
facility will be the city’s first green
fire station utilizing environmentally friendly features.
Los
Angeles
City
Councilmember Tom LaBonge, 4th
District; joined Los Angeles Fire
Department Chief Millage Peaks;
Board of Public works commissioner Steve Nutter; and chief
deputy city engineer Deborah
Weintraub at the topping off ceremony.
“This station will meet the needs
of the firefighters of Battalion 5,
making it easier for them to answer
the calls of residents,” LaBonge
said. “Not only will the fire station
promote public safety, but it will be
environmentally friendly. The residents in this area will think green
whenever they hear those sirens.”
The original Fire Station 82, located at 1800 N. Bronson Ave., was
crowded and had outdated equipment. It will now be transformed
into a community room, as well as
classroom space and a place for
equipment storage. The new build-
photo courtesy of the Fourth District Council Office
The final beam was hoisted into place on top of the new fire station in
Hollywood.
ing has 18,900 square feet of space,
can house 16 firefighters per shift,
and will feature underground parking and a roof with a garden, which
is designed to keep the station cool
and is part of a rainwater treatment
system.
The $30 million building is funded through the Prop F general
obligation bond, approved by voters in November 2000. Fire Station
82 serves the eastern portion of
Hollywood and the Hollywood
Hills.
State Passed Over for Race to the Top Funds
T
he U.S Department of
Education disclosed Tuesday
that California was not selected for
federal Race to the Top Funding
during phase two of allocations.
Local and state education officials
expressed dismay that the state was
not chosen, but also said work
would continue to reform and
improve education.
“I am deeply disappointed that
our application was not chosen as a
winner in the Race to the Top competition. However, the loss of the
funding may slow, but not defeat,
our efforts to improve student
achievement in California,” State
Superintendent
of
Public
Instruction Jack O’Connell said.
“We remain fully committed to
continue seeking the strategies and
resources demanded to accelerate
our efforts to close the achievement
gap among different groups of students by creating fundamental and
far-reaching reforms.”
The state’s application called for
adopting internationally recognized
common core standards and assessments that better prepare students
are helping underachieving students; expanding the education data
collection system to better measure
student success in college and the
workforce; and working to improve
the state’s persistently lowest-performing schools.
“The work,
LAUSD Superintendent Ramon
C. Cortines said the district will
already
work to implement the reform outunderway and lined in the application without the
Race to the Top Funding.
taking root in
“We congratulate the winners of
the district, will Race To The Top Round Two, and
are eager to learn from their stratecontinue.”
gies any additional steps this district can take to improve student
LAUSD Superintendent achievement,” Cortines said.
Ramon C. Cortines “Although we are disappointed that
California’s application was overlooked, we remain committed to
for success in college and the work- aggressive, effective, collaborative
place; recruiting, developing and and data-driven reform. The work,
retaining effective teachers and already underway and taking root
principals and ensuring that they in the district, will continue.”
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Federal Officials Review Plans
to Implement ʻ30/10 Initiativeʼ
F
ederal and local officials held
a roundtable discussion on
August 23 on opportunities for
transportation
reform,
and
focused on how projects such as
the “30/10 initiative” can be accelerated through changes at the federal level. The discussion was cochaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer
(D-CA), chair of the Senate
Environment and Public Works
Committee, and Los Angeles
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
“With 30/10 as a model for federal-local partnership, America’s
cities can build clean transit lines
faster, creating jobs, saving
money, improving air quality,
reducing traffic and efficiently
transporting millions of people
every year,” Villaraigosa said. The
discussion featured testimony
from public policy, finance, infrastructure, environmental, and
urban policy experts, including
Carl Pope, chairman of the Sierra
Club; Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los
Angeles County Federation of
Labor
AFL-CIO;
Russell
Goldsmith, chair of the Los
Angeles Coalition for the
Economy and Jobs; and Arthur
Leahy, CEO of the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (Metro).
The discussion centered on possible changes to the Transportation
Infrastructure Financing and
Innovation Act (TIFIA) that provides federal credit assistance,
including direct loans for transportation projects. The group recommended increasing the total
funding available through TIFIA
and providing greater flexibility
for its use to allow financing for
more than one project at a time.
The recommendations will be
considered when federal officials
reauthorize the TIFIA, at a date to
be determnined.
“Funding 30/10 would create
166,000 construction jobs and
jump start economic recovery in
Southern California and the
nation,” Villaraigosa added.
6 August 26, 2010
Foundation Honored for Council Reviews DWP Ratepayer Advocateʼs Role
7,000th Wish Come True L
photo courtesy of the 5th District Council Office
C
ity Councilmember Paul Koretz, 5th District, joined members of
the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Greater Los Angeles Chapter on
August 18 as the organization granted its 7,000th wish to a child with
a life-threatening medical condition. Koretz, who presented the organization with a city proclamation, is standing between the wish recipient, Claire Wineland (seated), and Make-A-Wish Foundation chapter
vice president and chief administrative officer, Dr. Ramin Bashchi.
The group also included the 7,001st wish recipient, Matthew Palacios
(seated on the floor).
The recipients were among 420 children who had wishes granted in
2010, the most for any year since the organization was founded in
1983. Koretz acknowledged the milestone by inviting members of the
Make-A-Wish Foundation and wish recipients to Los Angeles City
Hall for a presentation before the city council.
Wineland, 13, was granted her wish of having her bedroom transformed by television personality and decorator, Kim Myles, into an
oceanic wonderland with images of starfish, mermaids and other sea
creatures. Palacios, 3, who is battling liver disease, had his wish granted of visiting the Disney World, Universal Studios, SeaWorld and
Give Kids the World theme parks in Florida.
Assembly Member Wants to
Cut Citiesʼ Pension Burdens
S
tate Assembly Member Mike
Gatto (D-Los Angeles) has introduced legislation that would force
cities that pay employees exorbitant
salaries to pay for those employees’
pensions without burdening other
cities throughout the state. The legislation came in response
to the situation in Bell, California,
where several city officials were
receiving salaries that far exceeded
comparable salaries in other cities.
Bell had hired away the police
chief of Glendale by offering him a
more than 100 percent raise, from
approximately $200,000 a year to
more than $400,000. Because of
loopholes in existing law, Bell only
has to pay three percent of the
chief’s pension payments. The cities
of Ventura, Simi Valley and
Glendale, where the chief worked
previously at much lower salaries,
are required to pay 97 percent of the
chief’s $400,000-plus pension.
“I was livid when I learned that
the taxpayers of the City of Glendale
and other cities would be on the
hook for the irresponsible decisions
made by the Bell City Council,”
Gatto said. “This legislation would
prevent that from occurring.”
Gatto’s bill, known as AB 192,
would require a city that seeks to
lure a municipal employee from
another city by offering a raise to
pay for the higher pension payments
that come with the raise. Under current law, the city where that employee worked for the majority of his or
her career has to pay the pension at
the level set by whatever city hires
the employee. It is one of the rare
areas where the law allows a city
council of one city to determine
spending in another. Gatto’s bill would require that any
city offering an employee greater
than a 15 percent raise to pay for the
associated difference in pension
benefits.
Gatto represents the 43rd
Assembly District, which includes
portions of Griffith Park, Los Feliz
and Silver Lake, as well as the San
Fernando Valley.
os Angeles City Council
President Eric Garcetti, 13th
District, led the first in a series of
citywide hearings on August 18 to
obtain input from residents on his
plan to reform the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power
(DWP) and increase transparency
and accountability at the utility.
Garcetti joined Councilmember
Jan Perry, 9th District, and Greig
Smith, 12th District for a joint
hearing of the city council’s Rules
and Energy and Environment
committees. The goal was to
ensure the DWP puts its customers first, according to
Garcetti.
“I believe the DWP’s top priority should be its customers, and in
making sure that happens, its customers should have a seat at the
table,” Garcetti said. “I believe
real reform must start with an
independent watchdog to ensure
the DWP is transparent and
accountable.”
Residents, business owners and
consumer advocates discussed
ways to increase transparency,
including a proposal for a City
Charter amendment on the March
2011 ballot to establish an independent DWP customer advocate’s office. The plan, which was
authored by Garcetti, calls for the
advocate’s office to be established outside of the DWP and
any political office. Garcetti said
he favors a charter amendment
because only voters can change
the Charter, protecting this independent watchdog from political
or DWP interference.
“I called for these hearings to
gather official public comment,
on the record, to help shape the
actual drafting of these ballot
measures,” Garcetti added. “True
reform can only be accomplished
by making sure the people of Los
Angeles have a seat at the table,
so I welcome you to join us.”
An additional meeting is scheduled for the city’s Westside on
September 16 in Mar Vista.
For
information,
visit
www.ci.la.ca.us-/council/cd13.
State Senators to Host Virtual
Budget Townhall Meeting
S
en. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura
Hills) is participating in a live
Internet town hall forum on
Thursday, August 26 from 6:30 to
7:30 p.m.
Pavley will be joined by Sen.
Mark Leno (D-San Francisco),
member of the Joint Budget
Conference Committee; and Sen.
Curren Price (D-Los Angeles). The
forum is designed to address budget
related issues, and the senators will
answer questions e-mailed by the
public. Topics will include the state’s
budget stalemate, proposed cuts, and
solutions for resolving the $18 billion deficit. Anyone is welcome to
submit questions prior to the program through the Senate Majority
Caucus website or each participating
member’s website.
The forum can be viewed at
www.democrats.sen.ca.gov/townhall/.
7 August 26, 2010
WeHo Mayor Links
Seniors With Services
photo by Richard Settle
West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman held a “Meet the Mayor”
event for West Hollywood senior citizens on August 16 at Fiesta Hall
at Plummer Park. Heilman met with seniors to discuss programs
including transportation services and social services, as well as programs for the disabled. The event was held in collaboration with
Jewish Family Services, and was attended by approximately 100
residents. For information, visit www.weho.org.
Mayor Appoints New Member
to Cultural Affairs Commission
M
ayor Antonio Villaraigosa has
appointed Jonathan Weedman
to the city’s Cultural Affairs
Commission (CAC).
Weedman, who is senior vice
president of the Wells Fargo
Foundation of Greater Los Angeles,
has worked in banking for more
than 20 years. Villaraigosa said he
brings extensive experience in business and budget management for
non-profit organizations to the commission. “I know that Jonathan Weedman
will work hard everyday to ensure
that Los Angeles artists and architects have their voices heard and
their art seen,” Villaraigosa said.
“He will be a great addition to a
team committed to preserving the
beauty of Los Angeles while promoting art around the distinct
neighborhoods of our diverse and
culturally rich city.”
Weedman currently oversees the
Wells Fargo’s $15 million charitable contributions budget in the Los
Angeles. He has built public-private
partnerships, overseen employee
participation in philanthropic organizations, and implemented corporate volunteer participation for nonprofits.
The Cultural Affairs Commission
is an advisory board to the
Department of Cultural Affairs
(DCA), and is responsible for the
review and approval of all construction and artwork on city property.
Weedman will join president York
Chang, vice president Josephine
Ramirez, and Celeste M. Alleyne,
Annie Chu, Richard Montoya and
Lee Ramer on the commission.
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%6 Security Cameras Approved for Wilshire/Koreatown
T
he Los Angeles City Council
has approved a recommendation
of
the
Community
Redevelopment Agency of the City
of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) to transfer funds for a wireless camera system to be installed in the
Koreatown and Wilshire Center
communities. The CRA/LA’s recommendation
came after a request from
Councilmember Tom LaBonge,
4th District, who sought to address
security concerns in the community. The Los Angeles Police
Department will use nearly
$300,000 in state-allocated funds
for the cameras, and the city’s general fund will not be impacted.
Police will be able to monitor
activity in an area with the general
boundaries of 5th Street to the
north, Westmoreland and Shatto
Place to the east, Manhattan and
Wilton Street to the west, and 11th
Street to the south. The area also
includes a portion of land extending north to Hollywood (101)
Freeway around Vermont and
Western Avenues. The LAPD will
determine the exact location of the
cameras within the commercial
zones.
“I follow the recommendation of
the LAPD,” LaBonge said.
“Cameras are an effective tool for
preventing crime and it will boost
the quality of life for people who
visit this unique part of Los
Angeles.”
Los Angeles Assembly Member to
Chair Committee on Government
S
tate Assembly Speaker John A.
Pérez (D-Los Angeles), has
named Assistant Speaker Pro
Tempore Isadore Hall, III (D-Los
Angeles) as Chairman of the
Assembly
Committee
on
Governmental Organization.
“I want to thank Speaker Pérez for
entrusting me with this important
responsibility,” Hall said. “As
Chairman, I remain committed to
make fair and responsible decisions
when considering the many important public policy issues facing
California.”
The Committee on Governmental
Organization oversees policy
regarding public records, open meetings laws, natural disasters, tribal
and non-tribal gaming, alcohol,
tobacco products and horseracing.
Hall has served on the Assembly
Committee on Governmental
Organization since he began serving
in the state assembly in December
2008. Hall succeeds Assembly
Member Joe Coto (D-San Jose) as
chairman.
“Assembly Member Hall has
been an important part of the leadership team, and I know as chair of the
Assembly
Governmental
Organization Committee, he will be
an effective voice in advancing our
goals of more open and effective
government for Californians,” Pérez
said. “Chairman Hall will also continue the leadership of Assembly
Member Joe Coto in making sure
the committee does its part to help
California save and create jobs and
move toward economic recovery.”
8 August 26, 2010
Emerson College Plans New Hollywood Campus
n Facility Will Place
Students Near
Job Opportunities
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
photo courtesy of Marlborough School
Students are preparing for an exciting year at Marlborough School,
which will offer an “Online School for Girls”.
Marlborough Launches Online
Component to Learning
BY TIM POSADA
C
lasses start on Monday,
Ausust 30, for the girls of
Marlborough School, and three
key programs are set to take students out of the classroom and
help them thrive in settings ranging from job experience to the
digital landscape.
The all-girls private college
preparatory school offers rigorous academic programs, and
Jeanette Woo Chitjian, director of
admissions at Marlborough
School, highlighted the school’s
decision to join a different kind of
program that goes beyond the
borders of their classrooms.
See Marlborough page 10
he stretch of Sunset Boulevard
east of Vine Street is already
home to several entertainment
industry facilities, including the
Sunset Gower Studios and
Technicolor. Now a new college
campus will be located in the heart
of an area where students may be
able to transition into careers.
Emerson College, a four-year
university devoted exclusively to
communications and the arts in
Boston, Massachusetts, is opening a
West Coast campus. The Los
Angeles City Council unanimously
approved the project at Sunset
Boulevard and Gordon Street on
August 18.
“We settled on Hollywood as an
ideal location to open, because of its
historic role in the entertainment
industry, and there is an impressive
revitalization going on there,” said
Peggy Ings, associate vice president
for government and communications for Emerson College. “We
chose this location because this is
the place where the students will get
their first job in the industry.”
The college, which was founded
in 1880, has had a West Coast
internship program based in
Burbank for the past 20 years, but
photo courtesy of Morphosis
A rendering of the Emerson College building, which is designed by architect Thom Mayne, shows how the new campus will be situated.
had outgrown their facility and
sought
a
larger
campus.
Construction will start in midOctober.
The 10-story building will
include 115,000 square feet of
space for student dormitories,
admissions offices and classrooms,
as well as 6,400 square feet of
ground floor retail space. The project will also include 246 parking
spaces in a three-level subterranean
garage, designed to limit the impact
the facility will have on parking in
the area, Ings said. The building
was designed by Mayne and
Morphosis Architects, and will feature an outer box-shaped structure
with an open interior.
“It seems like this is going to be
one of those buildings that is
instantly iconic, and will be a place
people want to come and see,” Ings
said. “We are hoping it will contribute to the revitalization of the
Hollywood area.”
Los Angeles City Council
President Eric Garcetti, 13th
District, supported the project.
See Emerson page 11
9 August 26, 2010
Fairfax High School Transcends Title I Standards
From page 1
one full-time staff member will
work as a grant writer and another
will oversee alumni relations.
Kleifield said her goal was to
generate $1 million a year for the
school and eventually develop an
endowment, and to utilize the assets
in the community.
“We’re a big property here,”
Kleifield said. “We have a lot to
offer, with meeting space, production space. We’re constantly looking for opportunities to serve the
community, and we want to get kids
involved in all those activites as
well.”
Now, with the capital improvements fully funded, Zubiate has
turned his attention towards instruction in and out of the classroom.
The development office has partnered with local businesses like
CBS, which helped fund improve-
Melrose Trading Post, which funds
the Fairfax High Development
Office, is held every Sunday in the
schoolʼs parking lot.
ments to the auditorium, and where that they haven’t said, ‘What an
students will be able to undertake idea! Why can’t we do that?’”
In the past, LAUSD Board
internships. In addition, Zubiate is
hoping to fund paid professional Member Steve Zimmer, 4th
District, has said that Greenway
development for teachers.
Zubiate said he’d like to use the Arts Alliance is one of the proWashington D.C. school system, grams he wanted to emulate around
which uses private funding to offer the district, but he also expressed
higher salaries to teachers who go doubt that all schools have the kind
of resources in
through
nontheir areas that
required profesFairfax
High
sional training
“We’ve
gotten
does.
programs.
He
Jack Kyser,
said $2,500 a great help from
founding econoyear for each
the district, but mist at the Los
teacher
could
Angeles Econslowly help imwe’re disapomic Developprove the school,
pointed that
ment Corp-ora$5,000
per
tion, said the UC
teacher
could
they haven’t
system, which
drive dramatic
said,
‘What
an
has recently had
improvements,
and $10,000 per idea! Why can’t its state funding
cut, could proteacher
could
vide a role model
we
do
that?’”
make
Fairfax
for
public
High one of the
-Ed Zubiate schools trying to
best schools in
the
country. Fairfax High School Principal raise private revenue during the
Currently, Fairbudget
crisis.
fax High School
has about 80 full-time classroom However, he added that private
fundraising
would
increase
teachers.
inequality
within
large
school
dis“It’s very ambitious, I don’t
tricts.
know if we can do it,” Zubiate said.
“In districts like LAUSD, that
“They would be much more willing
to commit not just to training, but to have everything from economically
help create that training. That ten very distressed areas to high
thousand would be an incredible income areas, you’re going to have
inequality in the funds schools in
incentive.”
One of the potential obstacles to
the plan is the school district, which
Zubiate is unsure will allow him to
offer financial incentives to teachers.
“We’re working with people at
the highest levels, trying to loosen
things up and have them look at
things differently,” Zubiate said.
“They tell us to teach outside the
box, but they won’t let us out of the
box. We’ve gotten great help from
the district, but we’re disappointed
St. James’ Episcopal School
For Preschool through Grade Six
Admission Open Houses
October 20, 2010, 9:45 a.m.
November 11, 2010, 9:45 a.m.
January 2, 2011, 9:45 a.m.
R.S.V.P. to 213-382-2315 x255.
625 S. St. Andrews Place
Los Angeles, CA 90005
213-382-2315
[email protected]
www.sjsla.org
photo courtesy of Fairfax Adult School
The Development Office has helped fund major captial improvements on
campus.
different areas can raise,” Kyser
said.
However, Pierson Blaetz, cofounder of the Greenway Arts
Alliance, said he hoped Fairfax
High could serve as a model for
how, Title I schools, where the
majority of students come from
families living below the poverty
line, can raise money.
“What’s happened at Fairfax is
unusual for a Title I public school,”
Blaetz said. “In more affluent
areas, and at private schools,
fundraisers bring in a lot of money,
but schools in these areas have a
hard time bringing in additional
dollars other than what the government provide, because the parent
base doesn’t have the time or
finances to support the school. We
have to find ways to connect these
schools with their communities,
and we’ve been able to accomplish
that at Fairfax.”
Zubiate also expressed hope that
the work in the development office
will leave an enduring impact at
Fairfax High.
“This is going to be my legacy,”
Zubiate said. “This is the thing that
I’m leaving Fairfax on, and I have a
great lady helping me, and that’s
Joyce.”
10 August 26, 2010
New Virtual
School Opens
T
Marlboroughʼs Out-of-Class Education
From page 8
Marlborough will begin participating in
the Online School for Girls, an international educational center where students can
take classes online with classmates from
around the globe in a wide variety of courses.
“This girls school expands across the
country and provides online classes customized specifically for girls with classes
potentially not taught at Marlborough,”
Chitjian said.
Students can now take advanced classes
by specialists who teach at other schools, in
online settings with a more intimate structure of no more than 20 students. While students can now learn from a new group of
specialists, Marlborough faculty members
can also contribute by teaching for other
schools online as well.
“Teachers have the opportunity to teach
and students have the opportunity to do this
as well,” Chitjian added. “This program
expands our curriculum and puts them in
touch with faculty and girls around the
country.”
Back at the campus, located at 250 S.
Rossmore Ave., Marlborough is also making some changes to existing programs.
Chitjian
hailed
the
longstanding
Leonetti/O’Connell Family Honors
Research in Science program.
“Entering its fourteenth year, it has
grown and now has a humanities and social
science component,” Chitjian said. “It
involves independent research with a mentor in the greater Los Angeles area, like
Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles city planning and other various mentorships. Girls
choose what they want to research and faculty find people for them to work with.”
Through the program, students decide
what they want to study and instructors use
their personal networks to set up internships to provide hands-on training with
direct connections to future employment.
Chitjian also lauded the After Hours Arts
(AHA) program, open to 7th and 8th grade
students after school.
“There’s no audition necessary and it
involves after school singing, dance and
theatre,” Chitjian said. “It really supports
our philosophy that we want the girls to try
a lot of everything, regardless of experience.”
Marlborough School is privately owned
and consists of 530 students in grades 7 –
12. The school has 54 full time and 18 part
time faculty members, and a 13 to one student-to-teacher ratio. Last year, 87
Marlborough students were accepted at 46
higher educational institutions, with 21 students accepted at Ivy League schools. For
information, visit www.marlboroughschool.org.
photo courtesy of Marlborough School
Marlborough students mingle at the North Terrace on campus.
he Los Angeles Unified
School District will open
its first virtual high school this
fall.
“Distance learning” has
grown steadily over the past
several years within the
LAUSD, and the City of
Angels Virtual Academy will
be a full-time online school
enrolling approximately 650
9th and 10th graders during the
2010-11 school year. There are
plans to add 11th and 12th
grades in 2011-12, and grades
K-8th the following year.
Classes meet University of
California and California State
University requirements. The
courses include English; algebra 1; geometry; world history;
biology; foreign language;
visual and performing arts;
physical education; health and
science.
The City of Angels Virtual
Academy is located at 1543
Shatto St. For information, call
(213)745-1100,
or
visit
www.coava. lausd.net.
11 August 26, 2010
Cathedral Plans for New Art and Science Center
C
athedral Chapel School is gearing up for the 2010-11 school
year, which starts on September 1.
The school, part of the Catholic
Archdiocese of Los Angeles, is celebrating its 80th anniversary and
has many special projects planned,
including a campaign to fund a new
art and science center. Principal
Tina Kipp said the fundraising campaign will run from September 3
through October 8, where $25 raffle
tickets can be purchased for prizes
of $500, $1,000 and $1,500. All
proceeds will go towards the new
center, which will be located on the
school’s lower level.
Kipp said the students plan to
continue preparations for the archdiocese’s academic decathlon. The
school serves approximately 295
students in grades K-8th, and students in grades 6th-8th are eligible
to participate in the academic
decathlon. Cathedral Chapel won
the event in 2002, 2005 and 2008,
and students will be preparing for
the contest in March from the time
they begin classes in September.
In addition to standard academic
Cathedral Chapel School will begin raising funds for a new art and science center.
courses, Cathedral Chapel also
offers arts programs, music classes,
computer labs and sports programs,
and prides itself on the diverse student body. Approximately 40 percent of the students are of Korean
descent, and students come from
many other backgrounds and differ-
ent areas of the city.
“We are very, very happy to have
so many great students at Cathedral
Chapel, and are looking forward to
a great year,” Kipp added.
For information, call (323)9389976, or visit www.cathedralchapelschool.org.
Pilgrim School Prepares for Rigorous Academics
P
ilgrim School, a K-12th grade
campus located at 540 N.
Commonwealth Ave., is offering
many exciting programs for students during the upcoming school
year.
Pilgrim School is affiliated with
the First Congregational Church of
Los Angeles, was founded in 1958
and currently has approximately
350 students. The college preparatory school has a strong focus on core
academics, but also offers instruction in arts and music, and offers a
variety of extra-curricular activities.
Earlier this year, the school
opened its new art center, and students will receive instruction from
local visual artists. In addition, the
school offers a variety of language
arts classes. All 6th grade students
are required to take Latin, while all
7th graders must study Spanish,
Japanese and Chinese.
Last year, the school held a week
of special events to celebrate the
school’s diversity, focusing on
Japanese culture. During the 201011 school year, the school will hold
a week of events in January focusing on Chinese culture.
Pilgrim School strives to
immerse students in different learning environments, and offers a variety of trips for students during their
educational careers, according to
Kathryn Atwood, development
associate for Pilgrim School.
Beginning in the 4th grade, students
attend three to six-day outdoor education trips each year designed to
expose them to environmental sci-
ence. Destinations include Malibu
State Park and the San Bernardino
Mountains for the younger students, while 6th through 10th grade
students travel to destinations such
as Yosemite, Joshua Tree and the
Grand Canyon National Parks. The
11th grade students participate in a
college tour of the East Coast,
including Harvard, Amherst. Smith,
Columbia and many others. Seniors
are required to participate in community service projects, with past
projects including rebuilding homes
in New Orleans after Hurricane
Katrina, and rebuilding in the Los
Angeles area after wildfires in
Granada Hills.
Emerson College Project
From page 8
Garcetti’s deputy, Yusef Robb,
said the building will not only
improve the aesthetics of that
portion of Sunset Boulevard, but
will also bring an influx of new
people to the area who will
patronize local businesses and
improve the area’s economy.
“The Emerson College project
represents much needed jobs in
Los Angeles and Hollywood,
with construction jobs in the
short term, but ongoing jobs in
the long term, whether it’s maintenance people or professors,”
Robb said. “Furthermore, as a
facility of higher education, it
will inject the excitement into the
area that only students can bring,
spending power of people from
across the country, and it will be
a boost for that part of
Hollywood.”
Robb said there was some
opposition from nearby property
owners that the construction may
cause noise problems, but those
problems are being mitigated.
Leron Gubler, president and
CEO of the Hollywood Chamber
of Commerce, also said the college will be welcomed in
Hollywood.
“We definitely support it, it’s a
great project,” Gubler added.
“It’s on a parking lot on Sunset
Boulevard in an area that could
use a boost. The architect is
world renowned and its design is
amazing.”
Ings said the project is anticipated to be completed by 2012.
For
information,
visit
www.emerson.edu.
Adult School Opens 50+ L.A. Sites
T
he Westside Community Adult
School will open its fall semester on September 13 at more than
50 sites in the local community,
offering a variety of free or low cost
adult education classes taught by
credentialed professionals.
Westside Community Adult
School is operated by the Los
Angeles Unified School District’s
(LAUSD) Division of Adult and
Career Education. It has an open
enrollment policy allowing adults to
register for classes throughout the
year, as long as space is available. In
addition to popular classes in art,
brain fitness, parent education, high
school diploma/GED, English as a
second language (ESL), citizenship,
and programs for older adults, there
are a few new courses in this year’s
fall schedule.
The Art Center at Park La Brea
will offer classes in drawing, open
studio, watercolor and printmaking
fundamentals. High school students will be able to take an art
class for elective credits on
Saturday mornings at the art center
if they complete 60 hours of
instruction and fulfill course expectations.
The brain fitness memory enhancement will be held at Plummer Park
and Park La Brea beginning
September 13. The computer-based
class can help seniors improve memory and enhance everyday skills such
as conversation, multi-tasking, and
driving. Knowledge of computers is
not necessary.
For those interested in learning
English, there are ESL classes
being offered Monday through
Thursday in the morning, afternoon, and evening at different locations. All levels of ESL focus on
daily living skills and effective
communication in an Englishspeaking environment.
Cathedral Chapel School
Kindergarten through Eighth Grade
755 South Cochran Avenue • Los Angeles, CA 90036
A Member of the Miracle Mile Community since 1930
• Classroom Internet Access
“Welcome to the
• Apple Mac Computer Lab
w/ Internet Access
2010-2011
• Honors Math Program
school year!”
• Spanish Program
Ms. Bravo
• Music Program
• Departmentalized Junior High
• Extended Day Care
• CYO Sports
• Lunch Service
• Outreach Concern Counseling Program
• Fully Accredited by WASC and WCEA
Call for information:
(323)938-9976
www.cathedralchapelschool.org
Pre-K – Eighth Grade
148 S. Linden Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
• Serves Beverly Hills & Adjacent Areas
• High ITBS Score
• Academic Decathlon Program
• Accepts Students of all Faiths
• Departmentalized Junior High
• Technology Integrated Curriculum
• Extended Day Care
• CYO Sports
• Spanish Program
• Fully Accredited by WCEA, WASC
• Honors Math Program
• Character Counts & Service
Learning Programs
For more information:
(310)275-8601
www.goodshepherdbeverlyhills.com
[email protected]
14 August 26, 2010
POLICE BLOTTER
The following information was reported to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station
between August 10 and August 19, 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.
WEST HOLLYWOOD
PROPERTY CRIME
August 10
A man reported at 8:30 a.m. that
while working on his car in the subgarage of his apartment building in
the 1100 block of La Cienega, an
unknown thief stole his cellular
phone, which he had left nearby.
The loss was valued at $350.
August 11
During the day, an unknown thief
stole a bicycle, valued at $1,200,
from the open carport area of a
residential building in the 1300
block of Laurel.
August 12
At 3 p.m., an unknown thief
entered a retail business in the 600
block of Robertson and stole a
purse from a display shelf. The
loss was estimated at about
$2,495.
Following a traffic collision in the
7400 block of Santa Monica at 7
p.m., a Caucasian male driver was
arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
A man reported at 9:24 p.m. that
an unknown thief had stolen a
watch, bracelet and two rings from
his residence in the 800 block of
Kings. The loss was estimated at
about $27,900.
August 13
At 5:20 p.m., an unknown thief
entered an unlocked vehicle in an
open carport in the 1000 block of
Larrabee and stole a briefcase,
laptop computer, eyeglasses, iPod
and miscellaneous medications, all
valued at about $3,825.
At a restaurant in the 8500 block of
Sunset, a woman left her cellular
phone, valued at $350, and identifi-
cation unattended on a table at
9:30 p.m. When she returned, she
discovered an unknown thief had
stolen them.
39-year-old
North
Hollywood man has been
arrested for the attempted sexual
exploitation of a minor following a sting conducted by the Los
Angeles Police Department’s,
Juvenile Division, Internet
Crimes Against Children Unit
(ICAC), with the help of
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, Child Exploitation
Group.
On Tuesday, August 17, 2010,
Eduardo Leaton, a Licensed
Attorney with the State of
California Bar Association, was
arrested after exchanging sexually explicit emails with an
undercover police detective posing as a 16-year-old minor from
Georgia, whom Leaton had been
corresponding with since the
victim was 13 years old. During
the exchange of emails with the
undercover detective, who he
thought was the 16-year-old victim, Leaton coordinated a meeting for the purpose of having sex
with the minor.
When Leaton arrived at the
meeting location, he was taken
into custody without incident.
Brea and stole a bottle of liquor
and fled in a vehicle at 3:55 p.m.
August 18
At 3 p.m., at a park in the 7300
block of Santa Monica, an
unknown thief stole a bicycle, valued at $440, and fled.
At 12:05 a.m., at a nightclub in the
8900 block of Santa Monica, an
unknown Hispanic male suspect
stole a jacket containing a cellular
phone and fled on foot. The loss
was estimated at about $150.
Two unknown African-American
male suspects entered a retail
business in the 1200 block of La
During the week, five suspects
were arrested for burglary or theft
after being observed shoplifting at
August 19
local retail businesses.
During the week, six vehicles were
burglarized by unknown suspects.
Total estimate of damage and articles taken was $5,151.
During the week, four reported
stolen vehicles were recovered.
During the week, thirteen vehicles
were impounded for thirty days
since they were being driven by an
unlicensed driver or a person with
a suspended or revoked license.
August 14
At 5 p.m., an unknown thief
entered an unlocked vehicle in a
subgarage in the 8700 block of
Shoreham and stole a GPS system, iPod and sunglasses. The
loss was estimated at about $565.
At 5:30 p.m., a Caucasian couple
was observed shoplifting five DVD
box sets, valued at about $100,
from a retail business in the 7100
block of Santa Monica and leaving
the location.
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August 15
During the night, an unknown thief
entered an unlocked Jeep
Wrangler parked at the corner of
Westbourne and Santa Monica and
stole a wallet that was on top of the
passenger seat. The wallet contained several credit cards, a
Social Security card, identification
and miscellaneous items.
At 11:30 p.m., an unknown AfricanAmerican male suspect entered a
business in the 8200 block of
Santa Monica and forced an
employee at gunpoint to open the
cash register. The suspect took
about $2,000 and fled in a vehicle
with two other unknown suspects.
August 16
During the day, an unknown burglar entered a residence in the 500
block of Flores, ransacked it, and
stole a laptop computer, television,
jewelry, speaker and cash. The
loss was estimated at about
$9,000.
At a nightclub in the 600 block of
Robertson, at 9 p.m., a man placed
his bag on the back of a chair and
left it unattended. He later discovered an unknown thief had stolen
Police Nab Man Soliciting Sex from Minor
A
the bag, which contained a digital
camera, iPhone, wallet, cash, credit cards and identification, all valued at about $580.
Immediately after Leaton’s
arrest, detectives armed with a
search
warrant,
searched
Leaton’s North Hollywood
home where they recovered
numerous items of evidence.
A search of Leaton’s computer
also showed supporting evidence that was actively engaged
in Internet chats and emails with
hundreds of “friends” who are
believed to be under-aged
females.
The ICAC Unit reminded parents and caregivers to be vigilant
in monitoring the computer use
of children in their care. There
are those in society who will use
every means available to prey on
the youth and innocence of children. Social networking websites have become popular
among school-age children and
predators alike.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information
regarding this crime or information regarding possible additional victims is asked to contact the
LAPD’s ICAC Unit Officer in
Charge, Lieutenant Andrea
Grossman, at (562) 624-4028.
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15 August 26, 2010
Burton Way Median
Could be
ʻField of Dreamsʼ
us and better for the
environment.
R
Teen Leaderʼs
Accomplishments
Are Not Surprising
Chuck Levin
Los Angeles
egarding “City Budget Cuts
Leave Landscapers in the
Weeds” in the August 19 issue,
your reporting on neighborhood
street medians in need of maintenance was informative but incomplete. I’m half expecting the “Field
of Dreams” baseball team to
emerge any day now from the corn
growing on our Burton Way median west of La Cienega. Kudos to
our city council members for apparently finding the resources to
restore some level of maintenance
service soon.
Cary Brazeman
Founder
Beverly
West
Association
Residents
Medians Should Have
Native Plants and
Landscaping
R
egarding the article titled “City
Budget
Cuts
Leave
Landscapers in the Weeds” in the
August 19 issue, the grass in the
medians hasn’t been attended to
since July 1, thanks to budget cuts
and misplaced priorities. San
Vicente is but one example. Now
the grass is weeds, waist high,
throughout the city, and residents,
merchants and city authorities are
properly concerned that this landscape is a mess, ruining the city’s
aesthetics.
Instead of privatizing the maintenance, this is an opportunity to
think ecologically. One word,
zeroscaping. We need medians to
calm traffic and beautify the city,
reduce the amount of asphalt, and
as a refuge for pedestrians crossing
busy
streets.
Throughout
California, especially in Southern
California and the City of Los
Angeles, water conservation is
imperative. Proper planting of
native desert and drought resistant
greenery, and maintenance by the
city, would be a way to turn this
negative picture into a positive
vision. Better for the city, better for
Letters to the Editor
recycling companies make a ton of
money off us. They should be paying us. I live in a condo complex
where recycling bins are always
topped off and I can assure you they
make a ton of money off us. Why
should we pay so that they can
make money?
J.C.
West Hollywood
I
n regards to the article titled
“Teens Find Common Ground
Between Jews and Muslims” in the
August 19 issue, it is no surprise to
read that Danielle Feuer, the 17year-old daughter of Assembly
Member Mike Feuer and Superior
Court Judge Gayle Feuer, is leading
the way in establishing wholesome
relations between young Muslims
and Jews. Perhaps this will set an
example for other youngsters and
help create a more harmonious
world. Good for Danielle. Maybe
she will be our first woman president.
It was just recently when you
wrote about her older brother Aaron
Feuer (now attending Yale) and his
endeavors on behalf of our society.
Mike Feuer is one incumbent that
will always get my vote. This is a
family deserving of every praise we
can offer. Our community is fortunate to have such outstanding leadership. This family will go down in
history for all it contributes to
humanity.
George Epstein
Detroit Street
WeHo Recyclers Should
be Left Alone
R
egarding the article “WeHo
Clamps Down on Scavenger
Recyclers” in the August 5 issue, I
don't understand why people are
always so opposed to people helping themselves to what has been
discarded.
Why can't those who need it at
least help themselves so they do not
have to resort to other measures to
survive. Most of those I have seen
scavenging through recycled goods
do it conscientious with respect to
not making a mess. I think we
should be opposed more to having
to pay to recycle goods when the
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)))&("$
ʻCircle of Will Reviewʼ is
on the Mark
I
n regards to the review by
Madeleine Shaner of the play
“Circle of Will” in the August 12
issue, recent articles in the Los
Angeles Times focused on the difficulties in equity waiver productions
getting coverage by the Times,
especially of original, locally written plays, due in part to a lack of
staff to cover the many new productions that open each week, and
due in part to a
declining interest
by the Times in
covering such productions. So any
review of a play can be instrumental in helping a production’s success. I’m writing to thank you for
giving my play, “Circle of Will”,
such coverage, including the two
production pictures you ran. The
whole layout was eye catching and,
from our box office spike in ticket
sales that weekend, helped increase
the number of theatergoers who
saw the play. I am grateful also that
you did something many reviewer’s don’t do, you actually quoted
another reviewer, Pat Taylor, who
wrote in her review in the Tolucan
Times that “Circle of Will” was a
“barrel of laughs.” I think it is a rare
thing for a reviewer to do, and I
thank you for that. Dozens of people who came to see our play this
past closing weekend told us that
the review of the play and the pictures you ran convinced them to see
the play. Turns out, all four shows
on the last weekend were sold out.
We had to turn many last minute
walk up patrons away, and received
standing ovations each night, in
part thanks to your coverage. I want
to thank you and the Beverly
Press/Park Labrea News for supporting local theatre, and especially
work that is locally written.
Jack Grapes
Co-author, “Circle of Will”
Corrections:
A Letter to the Editor in the
August 19 issue incorrectly attributed the letter titled “Tour Buses
Out of Control on Sunset” to
Woody McBreairty. The author of
the letter was actually Shawn
O’Grady of West Hollywood.
A pull quote in the article on page
8 of the August 19 issue about local
Jewish and Muslim teens working
together was also mistakenly attributed to State Assemblyman Mike
Feuer, instead of his daughter,
Fairfax District resident Danielle
Feuer.
16 August 26, 2010
ʻParasite Dragʼ Anything But a Drag
P
arasite drag is an aeronautical
process which measures the
freight an aircraft must pull before
it can rise to the atmosphere in
which it can approach the height
and altitude it needs to maintain
speed and mobility. The painfully
splintered family in Mark Roberts’
devastating play stutters through an
indeterminate cloud cover of love
and hate, fear and loathing, memory and its aftermath – regret, before
its characters can rise above the
fog, fire and soul sickness of
despised and pain-filled memories
of a family in disarray, misalignment and distress, if that is ever
possible.
Mim Drew as Joellen, a wounded, rebellious spirit, is married to
Gene, played by Robert Foster, in a
compelling turn as an Illinois Pastor
who’s lost his way but has wrapped
his nastiest instincts in a cloak of
religious hypocrisy that preaches
love but celebrates hate. There’s
nothing that can be recognized as
love in this destructive relationship,
Mad About Theater
by Madeleine Shaner
and none returned; this sterile marriage is way beyond saving.
Looming between husband and
wife in this unloving relationship is
Gene’s sister, a longtime, worn out,
drug and alcohol addict who is lingering in the hospital, still clinging
to the last shreds of a failed life
lived in the shadowy and shattering
pain of liquor and narcotics, soul
sickness and despair.
When Drew’s brother, Ronnie
(Boyd Kestner), shows up with
his naive wife, Susie (Agatha
Nowicki), ahead of the imminent
wake of their dying sister, long
term familial dissension and a
lifetime of rivalry vie with grief
and painful memories of a father
who broke all parental boundaries
in using his children as battering
rams and perfidious outlets for
his twisted will and creature comfort.
This could have easily developed
into one of those run-of-the-mill,
southern-fried dramedies that defy
art and welcome guffaws and heehaws, but there are none coming
through the painfully opening portals of the spoiled lives that are the
result of a lifetime of abuse and
family dishonor.
Just pain and loathing, and a
creeping dissatisfaction at the turns
their lives have taken. The two
women, Joellen and Susie, bond
over family portraits and a sanctified belief in infinite goodness and
sweetness somewhere just beyond
their grasp, and just after Joellen
and Ronnie have, you might say,
‘bonded’ as retribution for all
they’ve seen in the name of love
and family dysfunction.
A dramatically wonderful second
act takes this seething drama and
turns it into almost a masterpiece as
Ronnie lets loose and tells it all like
it really was.
If a play should turn your inside
out and leave you shuddering with
sadness, horror and fear and
loathing, then “Parasite Drag” fulfills all the ambitions of a first-rate
playwright whose desire is to stir
men’s and women’s souls beyond
the merely ordinary.
If ever a second act stirred cavities in the heart and soul that one
never knew existed, this goes even
beyond that to tear the soul into
shreds of pain that leave deep, dark
furrows that linger all through the
drive home...and beyond.
Marvelous acting, superior
stage design by Danny Cistone,
photo by Joel Daavid
Agatha Nowicki, left, and Mim Drew in the Elephant Theatre Companyʼs
West Coast Premiere of “Parasite Drag”.
lighting by Joel Daavid, original
music and sound design by Peter
Bayne, costumes by Louis
Douglas Jacobs, and a stirring
story by Roberts, combine to
make this one more success for
brilliant director/producer/artistic
director, David Fofi, whose work
has pulled the Elephant theatres
into the top ranks of Hollywood
99-seat theatre centers, again and
again.
At the Elephant Space at Elephant
Theatre Company, 6322 Santa
Monica Blvd., Hollywood. August
13-Sept 18, Thursday - Saturday - 8
p.m. (213)614-0556 or www.elephanttheatrecompany.com.
photo by Joel Daavid
Mim Drew, left, and Boyd Kestner in the Elephant Theatre Companyʼs
West Coast Premiere of “Parasite Drag”.
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18 August 26, 2010
ʻExpendablesʼ Proves Too
Disposable Filmmaking
S
ylvester Stallone, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis,
Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Jason
Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Stone
Cold Steve Austin, Randy Couture
and Terry Crews. The cast for “The
Expendables” is ripe enough to
make any child of the ‘80s think trolled by an ex-CIA man. After the
back to the glory days of the action generic story is in place, the film is
film, with all the great lines like storyboarded by explosions and
“I’ll be back” and “Yippy ki-ay…” creative ways to kill those evil
(you get the point). Stallone’s latest Latino soldiers who can’t think for
directing endeavor pays homage to themselves (Patronizing and a little
the good ol’ days of action with racist? Abso-lutely.).
twice the body
The history of
count. Sadly, the
this film says it
result
only
all. Roles and
“The
proves that accameos
were
Expendables” offered to and
tion stars don’t
age like a fine wants to be the planned for forwine but go sour
mer A-list actionend-all action ers, like Jeanlike 64-year-old
milk.
Van
film, but, sadly, Claude
I’d normally
Damme, Steven
it just shows
summarize the
Seagal, Wesley
plotline at this
and Kurt
that the genre Snipes
point, but alas
Russell. I’m surwill die with
there isn’t much
prised
Chuck
of one on which
Norris
didn’t
many of
to reflect. Just
make the list.
imagine Amerthese actors. “The Expenican mercenaries
dables”
cares
portrayed as the
more about the
saviors of a small Latin country (a ensemble cast than creating the
first in recent years with “24”, sense of fun these characters can
“District 9” and “Avatar” providing have sharing the screen together.
some of the most biting criticism of While character development is
guns for hire) secretly being con- unsurprisingly thin, attempts to go
deeper become laughable as we
watch Statham, as Lee Christmas,
beat up an abusive boyfriend of his
ex, Lacy (Charisma Carpenter,
known for her far more memorable
role as Cordelia Chase on TV’s
“Angel”), and Stallone, as Barney
Ross, fall in love with not-quitebut-still-damsel-in-distress, Sandra
Garza (Gisele Itié), who could be
his granddaughter. All the other
characters remain in the background, with the occasional comments by and about Jet Li, as Yin
Yang (Seriously, what’s with the
names?), in reference to his
(“short”) height.
Attempts at bro-dialogue are
photo courtesy of Lionsgate Pictures
fickle as we listen to Couture, as
Terry Crews stars as Hale Caesar.
Toll Road, defend his misshapen
# " %%
!& %
$' Life in BeverlyGrove is good! Living in a grand dame house in
BeverlyGrove is even better for those who appreciate the lifestyle of
an Angelino…Breakfast at Toast, lunch at the Grove and dinner at the
Little Door and dessert at Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors: at no time did
you depend on a car, that’s living…there are so many more restaurants,
places to go and things to do so close to home.Your place will become
a destination of all who know you. Best of all you can live, work and
play in this rambling Spanish Revival. Feel like on a perpetual vacation
in a place called home.
" "#!
photo courtesy of Lionsgate Pictures
Jet Li, as Yin Yang; Dolph Lundgren, as Gunner Jensen; and Sylvestor Stallone, as Barney Ross, star in the
action movie with the largest ensemble cast of the year, “The Expandables”
ears due to high school wrestling,
hoping the audience will get the
joke, since Couture is actually a
UFC fighter and that’s the reason
for the disfigurement (It’s funny,
right?...). Things get more blatant
during the showdown between our
UFC fighter and the WWE fighter
not actor, Stone Cold (Remember
the “Austin 3:16” signs?). I’m surprised Crews didn’t jump in to
show us what a former NFL player
has to offer.
You might be able to predict this
one from the trailer but don’t
expect
much
from
Schwarzenegger, Willis and
Rourke. Our governor and Willis
only appear once and Rourke’s
character serves as the wounded
soldier reminiscing about better
days before the life of a mercenary
emotionally ruined him.
I wanted to enjoy this film. I even
thought Stallone’s previous film,
“Rambo”, was bloody entertaining.
But the acting here is so pathetic,
it’s hard to look past. It’s also discouraging to watch actors who
chose not to age with grace, replacing wrinkles with botox and plastic
surgery, made all too clear by the
HD power of the big screen.
Poor Stallone. Besides his awkward run and enormous arm veins,
he doesn’t seem to care about what
he’s doing on screen. I imagine
they did this film in one take and
thought that made it unique, rather
than reflect lazy filmmaking. Of
course it would be easy to simply
say that this film shouldn’t be taken
seriously, and that’s true, but there’s
a difference between entertaining
and just plain boring.
Statham and Li provide the only
semblance of acting but this is
below both of them — a disturbing
idea considering Statham’s dark
past with the “Transporter” and
“Crank” films and Li’s martial arts
flops like “Fearless” and “The
One”. Terry Crews is too underused, simply making a few comments about big explosives. The
man behind some fantastic Old
Spice commercials deserves more.
I will admit it’s pretty entertaining
to watch Lundgren, as Gunner
Jensen, in his biggest budget movie
of the last 15 years.
Nostalgia only takes a film so far
before it has to do some work —
just ask all the failed sequels that
didn’t put in the effort of the film
before. “The Expendables” wants
to be the end-all action film, but,
sadly, it just shows that the genre
will die with many of these actors.
19 August 26, 2010
Science Center Features Largest Ever Mummy Exhibit
T
he California Science Center
welcomed the 100,000th visitor
on August 19 to “Mummies of the
World”, the largest exhibition of
mummies ever assembled. James
Medrano, of Pomona, was the
100,000th visitor to the exhibition. He brought his daughter, son
and nephew to see the exhibit
before school began.
“Crowds have been lining up to
see Mummies of the World since it
opened,” said Jeff Rudolph, president of the California Science
Center. “It has been gratifying to see
that so many people appreciate the
opportunity this exhibit offers to
learn more about the scientific
research involved in the study of
mummies.”
“Mummies of the World”
includes a collection of both accidental and intentionally preserved
mummies, presented with reverence
and dignity. The collection includes
ancient mummies and important
artifacts from Asia, Oceania, South
America, Europe and ancient Egypt,
dating as far back as 6,500 years.
The exhibit illustrates how current
scientific tools enable the study of
Farmers Market
Prepares for
Many Fall Events
T
he Original Farmers Market, corner of 3rd and Fairfax, is holding a
free Health and Environmental
Wellness Fair on Saturday, August 28
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The fair will feature more than 20
organizations in the health, fitness
and medical fields. A variety of services and information will be available, including free glucose screenings, body fat testing, chiropractic
assessments, fitness demonstrations, massages, giveaways and
more. The event will take place
throughout the Market Plaza. For
information, call (818)745-9215, or
visit www.farmersmarketla.com. The Market is also continuing its
Thursday Night Jazz and Friday
Night Music series in September. The
Bill Kalmenson Sextet will perform
its swinging standards and jazz on
Thursday, September 2, and Frank
Cano and Latin Groove will feature
Latin jazz on Thursday, September 9.
The Friday Night Music series
will showcase two returning
favorites, Big Sandy and His FlyRite Boys on September 3, and
Saucy Monky on September 10. Big
Sandy and his quartet perform ‘50s
rockabilly music and country swing,
while Saucy Monky features a punk
and rock mix. In addition, EB’s
Beer & Wine at the Farmers Market
will host the finals competition for
Karaoke Idol 2 on Wednesday,
September 1 at 7 p.m. The concerts take place on the
Market’s West Patio from 7 to 9
p.m. The Original Farmers Market
is located at 6333 W. 3rd St. For
information, call (323)933-9211, or
visit www.farmersmarketla.com.
photo © 2010 American Exhibitions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The California Science Center premiered its “Mummies of the World”
exhibit on August 19.
mummies in new and non-invasive
ways, allowing unprecedented
insights to past cultures and civilizations.
The California Science Center is
located in Exposition Park at 700
Exposition Park Dr.
Admission to the general exhibit
space is free and admission prices
for the IMAX Theater are based on
age group. For information, call
(213)744-2019, or visit www.californiasciencecenter.org.
Thee’s
Olympia Medical Names
New Chief Nursing Officer
O
lympia Medical Center has
appointed
Karen
M.
Knueven as the hospital’s chief
nursing officer.
Knueven comes to Olympia
from Kaiser Permanente’s
Baldwin Park Medical Center,
where she was the assistant medical center administrator, chief
nursing officer for the past twoyears. Prior to her work with
Kaiser, Knueven served as the
vice president of risk and as chief
quality officer at Verdugo Hills
Hospital for one-year. She was
also
vice
president
of
nursing/patient care services at
Verdugo Hills Hospital for 14
years, where she was responsible
for nursing and all ancillary services.
Knueven will be responsible
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Family Owned at the Farmers Market for 65 Years
20 August 26, 2010
City Wants Dispensary to Close
From page 1
that the city should allow the shop
to stay open because his clients
have complied with the regulations
established by the city.
West Hollywood City Attorney
Michael Jenkins said the matter is a
code enforcement issue and it was a
legal procedural matter that a civil
lawsuit was filed. The city could
have filed either a criminal or civil
complaint, because Jenkins said
either way, the owners of the Sunset
Super Shop are in violation of the
law. The city opted for a civil lawsuit, however, because it was determined that type of complaint would
have the greatest chance of success
for the city. Bill Litvak, who handles prosecutorial services for the
city, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles
Superior Court.
“[The lawsuit] deals with the fact
that they are not licensed by the city
of West Hollywood,” Litvak said.
“They are taking the position that
they have the right to be there, and
we are saying they are in violation of
the city ordinance.”
According to Lisa Belsanti, a
senior management analyst for the
City of West Hollywood who
worked on creating the city’s medical marijuana ordinance, a different
medical marijuana dispensary that
was legally operated by a different
owner previously occupied the
space where the Sunset Super Shop
now exists. The Lannings own the
building at 8919-8923 Sunset
Boulevard, which houses the Sunset
Super Shop. When the dispensary’s
previous owner closed his shop
approximately two years ago, he
notified the city, and the shop was
considered to be permanently out of
business, Belsanti said. The
Lannings took over the dispensary
and have been running it since. The
city contends that because the previ-
Hollywood in 2008 and 2009, and
contends that they have a right to
operate the dispensary. The city
passed its medical marijuana ordinance in November 2009, stipulating that only four dispensaries
would be allowed in the city.
“My clients are clearly not being
treated fairly,” Chernis said. “We are
alleging our clients had a business
license and a business permit, and
“We are
the city decided to shut them down
supportive of
despite the permit and license.”
Belsanti said the previous owner
medical
was issued a permit in 2008, but that
marijuana, but is not transferable to a new owner.
said the Lannings applied for,
we didn’t want She
and were given, a business license
to be saturated tax certificate in May 2009, but that
does not allow for the operation of a
with these
medical marijuana dispensary. The
business license tax certificate is an
types of
agreement that a business will be
establishments.” paying taxes in the City of West
Hollywood, and requires only that
-West Hollywood Mayor someone go the city cashier and pay
John Heilman a fee. If the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary was seeking to
open in the city, they would have to
ous owner closed the dispensary, the participate in a public hearing.
Lannings are required to go through Because there are already four disthe process of obtaining a new busi- pensaries operating, they would not
ness license and permit. Because be denied the request to open,
there are already four other dispen- Belsanti added.
“Under the ordinance, there is a
saries in West Hollywood, they
would not be allowed to obtain the very specific process,” Belsanti said.
“This is something the city was very
new licenses.
Chernis claims the Lannings were concerned about with the proliferaissued a business license and a busi- tion of dispensaries in Los Angeles
ness permit by the City of West and the passage of their ordinance.
Autry Center Appoints New President and CEO
T
he Board of Trustees of the
Autry National Center has
appointed Daniel M. Finley as the
institution’s new president and
CEO. Finley will succeed John
Gray, who led the Autry for more
than a decade before announcing
his retirement in 2010. Finley’s
tenure will begin August 30.
Finley previously served as the
president and CEO of the
Milwaukee Public Museum, one of
the oldest and largest museums of
natural history and anthropology in
the United States. “We are delighted to welcome
Daniel Finley to Los Angeles to
lead the Autry in its continuing
commitment to exploring the experiences and perceptions of the
diverse peoples of the American
West,” said Tom Lee, chairman of
the Autry’s Board of Trustees. “He
has the skills, the experience and
the vision we need to guide the
Autry through an ambitious new
phase of growth. In addition to further raising the center’s profile and
strengthening its collections, programs, and infrastructure, he will
take command of the renovation of
our Griffith Park facility and the
creation of the new Autry Resource
Center in Burbank.”
At the Milwaukee Public
Museum, Finley was responsible
for the turnaround of an institution
that had been facing the worst
financial crisis in its 125-year history. He spearheaded initiatives and
fundraising activities to rebuild the
museum’s financial structure and
governance, which resulted in
repaying short-term debts five
years ahead of schedule and obtaining a $5 million challenge grant,
which the museum matched in only
six months. Finley also presented
major international exhibitions
including Body Worlds, Titanic,
Dead Sea Scrolls and Vatican Art
and Artifacts. He increased museum attendance to 650,000 visitors
annually.
“I am honored to be joining the
Autry at this critical point in its
history,” Finley said. “I look forward with great enthusiasm to
working with the Autry’s remarkable Board of Trustees, its wonder-
fully talented and dedicated staff,
and reaching out to the community
as we develop our plans for the
future.”
The Autry National Center is
located at 4700 Western Heritage
Way, in Griffith Park. For information, call (323)667-2000, or visit
www.theAutry.org.
photo by Tim Posada
The Sunset Super Shop was previously occupied by another medical
marijuana dispensary that went out of business. The owners of the building that housed the dispensary then opened the current collective.
We didn’t want to see a collective
that had been shut out of Los
Angeles coming into West
Hollywood and telling the property
owners we will pay you five times
the amount of money that an existing collective pays. We didn’t want
to see a revolving door of operators.”
Chernis claims his clients were
not told about the specifics of the
process and were not aware they did
anything wrong, and maintains that
they have the proper permits and
licenses. He said there is other evidence that supports his claim that he
cannot divulge because of attorney/client privilege, but will come
out when the cross complaint is
filed.
“We plan to be very aggressive. I
think the city will have an uphill battle,” Chernis said. “The city’s position is we were wrong, and one of
our assertions is we were wrong
because [the city] misled us when
they issued the permits.”
A hearing is scheduled on
September 30, and a judge will
determine how the lawsuit should
move forward.
In the meantime, Mayor John
Heilman said he believes the city is
standing on firm ground with its
lawsuit.
“We created those regulations
because we thought they were
appropriate for the size of our city,”
Heilman added. “We are supportive
of medical marijuana, but we didn’t
want to be saturated with these types
of establishments.”
WeHo Chamber Launches App
T
he City of West Hollywood
Convention and Visitors
Bureau has launched a new application for the iPhone known as
“WeHoKey” that lets users easily
learn about money-saving offers;
discover new businesses; and find
out about special events taking
place throughout the city. “WehoKey is a must-have app
for anyone whose destination is
West Hollywood,” Councilmember Lindsey Horvath said.
To get WehoKey, visit the iTunes
store and search “WehoKey” for
the free download, or text
“wehokey” to 313131 to receive a
text message with a link on any
smartphone. For more information,
visit www.wehokey.com.
' &! "'#! '
%$
#"
" !! ' ! "# Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
21 August 26, 2010
3rd Street Restaurants Face Hurdles
From page 1
sale and consumption. The applications were approved in January. But
he still doesn’t have the permits.
“I’ve opened a restaurant in
Hollywood, but I’ve never been
through a process like this,” said
Lee, who also owns Kitchen 24 in
Hollywood.
The permitting process for new
restaurants in Los Angeles can be a
long, complicated affair, especially
if they want to serve alcohol,
which many consider necessary for
economic survival.
Lee thought he was well on his
way, but it was appealed on the last
day before the approval of his permits became final. In May, the
planning commission voted unanimously to approve the permit with
no modifications, but this decision
too was appealed, again on the last
day.
Now, Lee has a hearing with the
Los Angeles City Council’s
Planning
and
Land
Use
Management Committee next
month, after which the case will
move to the full city council. Lee
also said he has also been to the
Mid-City
West
Community
Council multiple times in hopes of
winning a recommendation to the
city council.
Lee hopes his permits will win
final approval in September, and
the restaurant can open sometime
next summer. In the meantime, in
hopes of obtaining his parking
variance, Lee has been paying
monthly rent to help support the
public valet, which parks cars for
“The cost of
parking alone is
astronomical.”
-Benjamin Lee, owner of
Ratnerʼs Deli
all comers to 3rd Street at the
Beverly Connection and several
other sites.
“The cost of parking alone is
astronomical,” Lee said. “I’m
happy to do it, because it’s a credible program, but you see why so
many restaurants fail. They start
out a quarter-million dollars in the
hole before they even open. We
haven’t even broken ground yet.”
Many other businesses on 3rd
Street express similar concerns,
saying the process and cost of
acquiring all the necessary permits
makes it difficult for small, familyowned businesses to get off the
ground.
Brad Kent, owner of Olio
Pizzeria and Café, said he signed
his lease in February, but did not
get the permits to begin construction until July. Kent said it cost him
$12,000 to get the building permits
from the city. In addition, if anyone
appeals, the business has to cover
the cost of expediting the process.
He said the whole process has cost
him more than $250,000 so far.
“They make it impossible to do
business, and it only adds to the
blight,” Kent said. “Look at all the
failed businesses.”
Diana Plotkin, president of the
Beverly
Wilshire
Homes
Association, which has opposed
many new restaurants on 3rd Street
restaurants, said her group is primarily concerned with parking,
and that drunk driving has become
an issue in the area.
“The valets all park on the residential streets,” Plotkin said. “We
can’t even have guests over,
because there is nowhere to park.”
Lee said he has reached out to
the neighborhood in hopes of winning support. He said he has gathered more than 2,300 signatures in
support of the deli, and has agreed
to donate one percent of the restaurant’s proceeds to a charity or city
program of the customers’ choice.
“On the plus side, I think it’s
Skirball Hosts Archaeology Exhibit
T
he Skirball Cultural Center has
extended its exhibit titled “Dig
It! Archaeology Adventures”
through September 5.
Visitors can experience the history
of the ancient world through an outdoor simulated archaeological dig.
Participants will learn methods of
excavation at an archeological site
and the importance of preserving
artifacts. Visitors can also work in
photo by Ian Lovett
Restaurants opening on 3rd Street face a number of hurdles, including
a lack of available parking
allowed us to connect with our
community,” Lee said. “We’ve gotten to know a lot more people, and
people are really excited about our
opening, which is great.”
Hammer Presents Project
by Conceptual Artist
the laboratory, sifting and sorting
through sand to find hidden artifacts;
weigh and examine the findings;
analyze clues; and sculpt artifacts to
take home. The exhibit is designed
for all ages, however children must
be accompanied by an adult.
The Skirball Cultural Center is
located at 2701 Sepulveda Blvd.
Call (310)440-4500, or visit
www.skirball.org.
photo courtesy of the Hammer Museum
T
Answers on Page 22
he Hammer Museum presents an exhibit titled “Hammer Projects:
Tom Marione” running from Saturday, August 28 through
October 3.
For his first one-person exhibition in Los Angeles, Marioni will
present his on-going artwork, “The Act of Drinking Beer with Friends
is the Highest Form of Art”, first realized in 1970. Along with a barlike installation and pieces from each of five gatherings he will host
as part of the piece, the exhibition will feature a video and drawings,
including two wall drawings created on site.
For more than 40 years, Marioni has been experimenting at the
boundaries of art. His works are reflective of his desire to eradicate
the distinctions between sculpture, music, drawing and performance
by embodying all the genres at once. A key figure in the invention of
Conceptual Art in the 1960s, Marioni founded the Museum of
Conceptual Art in San Francisco.
Hammer Projects is a series of exhibitions focusing primarily on the
work of emerging artists. The museum is located at 10899 Wilshire
Blvd. For information, call (310)443-7000, or visit
www.hammer.ucla.edu.
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22 August 26, 2010
Project on Sunset Raises Concerns
From page 1
sion, calls for the demolition of an
existing 31-unit housing complex,
replacing it with a mixed-used project consisting of 34 residential
units – 24 market price condos and
10 affordable housing units – and
9,200 square feet of business space
for retail and a restaurant. Hodgetts
+ Fung is the design and architecture firm behind the project. Karma
Development hopes to break
ground in the fall of 2011.
According
to
Francisco
Contreras, senior planner for the
City of West Hollywood, the city
encourages mixed-use projects.
Projects like the one at 8497 and
8499 Sunset Blvd. serve as examples of what the city wants to see
more of, Contreras said, business
and residential combined in commercial zones and not in residential
areas.
“When you create mixed-use
buildings, the impact to both commercial streets and the building
itself – like utilities and upkeep – is
decreased,” Contreras said. “They
create a more walkable living
city…Mixed-use
buildings
received much pre-World War Two
popularity and have been in vogue
in the States for some time. It’s the
idea that we should stop being
dependent on cars and create a
healthy alternative to living.”
Contreras added that the project
may be eight stories, but does not
exceed 40 feet, more than 10 feet
below the maximum allowed by the
city at that location. Only the first
three levels are visible from the
street, because of the staircase
design of the building.
Gray said the new development
would correct “scarring” on a hillside behind the property caused by
the previous development.
“When the existing building was
built, they hacked away at the hillside,” Gray said. “The concept is to
rebuild the hill with parking and put
terrace housing on top of that. It’s
kind of a hill town concept.”
According to John Ferraro, who
has lived in Miller Place above the
hillside behind the proposed project
for 16 years, concerned residents
were shocked to discover how far
along the project was, so he went to
the public hearing to protest, joined
by a group of dissatisfied community members. He believes his
objections went unheard.
photo courtesy of Hodgetts + Fung
A rendering depicts how the project on Sunset Boulevard will look when
completed.
Autry Center Extends
Basketry Exhibit
“Why are we [at the hearing] if
they’re just going to approve the
project anyways?” Ferraro said.
“It’s a frustrating process where we
don’t feel like we have a voice.
None of us knew how far along this
was.”
In May 2008, a neighborhood
meeting was held between the
developer and more than 20 people
from the community regarding the
project, where two main concerns
were discussed: an increase of vehicles turning on to Miller Drive, an
already narrow road that goes up
the hillside, and obstructed views of
the houses above the project.
Ferraro echoed the concerns,
adding that the project goes too far
up the hillside, about 85 feet, and
will increase traffic at one of the
worst intersections in the area.
“Just last week, one of my neighbors looked like she was going to
have a nervous breakdown thinking
about the project,” Ferraro said.
“We’d like something new there, if
it were reasonable — seventy percent of the size it is now. We’re fine
with a residential complex, we just
don’t want businesses that will
increase traffic.”
Ferraro said more than 30 people
in his neighborhood disapprove of
the project. He and additional community members are preparing an
appeal they plan to file by Monday
with the City of West Hollywood.
Issues of concern were addressed at
the public hearing last week as well,
but Ferraro does not feel the city’s
corrective measures are strong
enough, especially in regards to
increased traffic and illegal U-turns
occurring on Miller Drive.
“They said they would put up
more ‘no U-turn’ signs, but drivers
make U-turns there regardless of
signs now, even though they’re still
not supposed to,” Ferraro said.
“Every day someone does, and who
wouldn’t? It’s not about more Uturn signs. When I’m coming up
Miller Drive, I’m always about to
hit a taxi driver. How can anyone
justify building a major entrance
where a problem already exists?”
According to a traffic study conducted by KOA Corporation, West
photo by Tim Posada
Some residents believe traffic turning on to Miller Drive from Sunset
Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard will increase if the project is
approved.
Hollywood’s traffic consulting
group, the Sunset Boulevard project
would generate an additional 906
car trips per day at the intersection,
but the city report for the project
provides a mitigation measure that
would help decrease northbound
traffic on La Cienega Avenue by
restriping the two right lanes to
allow duel right turn capability.
“While Miller Drive will not
directly be affected by the restriping, all approaches will benefit
from it because the intersection will
operate better when northbound
traffic is lightened,” said Ron
Hirsch, principal of Hirsch/Green
Transportation Consulting, Inc., the
traffic representative for Karma
Development.
Ferraro does not see how restriping for northbound traffic will
decrease congestion for the entire
intersection. Gray, however,
believes too much blame is being
placed on a small project amidst an
already problematic traffic situation.
“It’s a very complex intersection
and I think we’ve come up with an
elegant solution,” Gray said.
“When you live on a skinny street,
it’s a lot to expect a tiny development to mitigate a substandard hillside road that’s not a part of that
development.”
The property is not located solely
in West Hollywood but overlaps the
City of Los Angeles, thus the question of jurisdiction remains unanswered. The project is currently
going through an appeals phase,
where anyone can protest the development plans, after which Los
Angeles City Councilmember Paul
Koretz, 5th District, said, depending on the type of appeals, he wants
the City of Los Angeles to push for
jurisdiction over it because the
changes directly affect community
members in the area.
As of now, no businesses have
been chosen to occupy the two
spaces at the project and meetings
with the City of Los Angeles have
not been set. Karma Development,
LLC is run by a private owner,
Frank Damavandi.
District Honored for Use of Natural Gas Vehicles
T
he Los Angeles Unified School accept bids to purchase or contract
District (LAUSD) has been buses that meet strict emission stanhonored by the Natural Gas Vehicle dards. The district has also develindustry for its efforts to advance oped a partnership with the South
the development of natural gas Coast Air Quality Management
vehicles. The district received a
2010 NGV Achievement Award in
recognition of its school bus fleet
going green with natural gas. “We are excited to support those
Fans of the Hollywood Walk of
technologies that help to provide
Fame
can now receive information
our students and our community
about
the more than 2,400 stars
with a healthy environment,”
LAUSD Superintendent Ramon who are included in the attraction
Cortines said. “Alternative fueled through the Hollywood Walk of
buses improve air quality, reduce Fame application, now available
global warming gas emissions, and for the iPhone.
The app is a resource for inforare investments that safeguard our
students from breathing toxic mation and news about the Walk of
Fame, including information on
diesel exhaust.”
As the second largest district in recent star inductions and upcomthe country, the LAUSD has been a ing ceremonies. It can be downleader in the greening of America’s loaded from the iPhone store for
school bus fleets, Cortines said. Just $1.99.
“This is the official Walk of
a few years ago, the district had one
of the oldest school bus fleets in the Fame Phone application and the
country. With the decision to order best place to get information about
260 new buses this year, the district this internationally known icon,”
now has the largest alternative fuel Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
school bus fleet in the nation. The president and CEO Leron Gubler
Los Angeles Board of Education said.
Fans can also search for their
has adopted the Healthy Breathing
favorite
star by name, type of star,
Initiative, mandating that LAUSD
District to help guide emission
reduction programs in Southern
California, while actively pursuing
funding to decommission outdated
diesel-fueled buses.
Walk of Fame iPhone App Launches
photo courtesy of the Caroline Boeing Poole Collection
The Autry National Center has extended its exhibit titled “The Art
of Native American Basketry: A Living Tradition” through November
7. The display is the first comprehensive exhibit of the Autry’s premier collection of Native American baskets from the Southwest
Museum, and represents 11 regions and more than 100 cultural
groups. More than 250 objects are on view, ranging in size from small
Pomo feather baskets made for sale to tourists, to massive Apache olla
baskets used for storing large quantities of seeds. The exhibition on
view at the Autry National Center, located at 4700 Western Heritage
Way in Griffith Park. For information, call (323)667-2000, or visit
www.theAutry.org.
ethnicity, and place or month of
birth, and get directions to its location. The application was developed
by Mingling Media and the
Hollywood
Chamber
of
Commerce. For information visit
www.WalkofFame.com.
Answers From Page 21

WeHo Files Lawsuit to Force Pot Store to Close Sunset Project

Transcription

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