INSIDE
• Housing market
status pg. 3
Sunny and
warm, with
temps around
85º
Volume 19 No. 38
• Shriver honors
Agnes Stevens.
pg. 4
Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities
September 17, 2009
Early Retirement Plan
Stalled in City Hall
Burglars Hit
Homes in
Melrose Area
n City Council Holds Marathon Sessions to Find
n Detectives are
Ways to Solve the Budget Crisis
Investigating a Two
Week Spree
BY AMY LYONS
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
A
series of home and business
burglaries has occurred in
the Melrose District during
the first two weeks of September.
At least seven break-ins have
occurred in the areas between
Fairfax and La Brea Avenues, and
the Melrose Avenue and the West
Hollywood border, prompting
police to step up patrols and caution
residents. Officer Arthur Gallegos,
senior lead officer for the Melrose
District, said no arrests have been
made, and he was uncertain whether
it was one suspect or several that are
committing the burglaries.
“There has been a slight increase
in that area. We had been getting hit
farther west, but this is the first time
this year it has happened so close to
Melrose,” Gallegos said. “It seems
to be opportunistic. People leave
their window or garage doors
unlocked, and people are going in.
You have a lot of pedestrian activity
in that area, but there is no one thing
that we can point to to say, ‘this is
the cause’.”
photo by Megan O’Neil
Rabbi Denise Eger, of Congregation Kol Ami, blows the Shofar, one
of the most ancient rites of Rosh Hashana.
Shofar Signals the Start
of the High Holy Days
he Los Angeles City Council
met on Wednesday to
resume talks that began in a
closed door session Tuesday to
debate an early retirement plan proposed by the Coalition of Los
Angeles City Unions. After
Tuesday’s marathon meeting, and
Wednesday’s six-hour meeting, the
council did not come to a final
decision. They did, however, come
to a tentative agreement with the
coalition to come back to the table
on Thursday.
Cheryl Parisi, chair of the
Coalition of L.A. City Unions, said
after the meeting that she is hopeful
about reaching a fair agreement
with the city.
“We are very grateful to the city
n Rosh Hashana Begins at Sundown Tomorrow
BY MEGAN O’NEIL
T
he Jewish community of
Los Angeles will join its
brethren around the world
this weekend in celebrating Rosh
Hashana, the Jewish New Year.
Rosh Hashana begins at sun-
council for providing the leadership that this city needs to move
forward,” Parisi said. “Today’s
progress shows the importance of
working together as unions, and the
importance of working in collaboration with our city leaders.”
The lengthy meetings of the past
two days were necessitated by an
earlier agreement between the city
council and the coalition about
early retirement. That earlier deal
was tentative, and was reached
prior to the final budget being
passed on July 1.
Since that time, an actuarial
report has been released by the city
that shows the plan will not produce enough money to help the city
out of its already devastating
deficit. If approved, the proposal
See Council page 21
down on Friday with the sounding of the Shofar, or ram’s horn,
and is one of the most important
dates on the Jewish calendar. It
also marks the beginning of the
High Holy Days, which culminate 10 days later with Yom
See Rosh Hashana page 22
See Burglaries page 22
County Snuffs Out Smoking in Parks
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
V
isitors to Los Angeles
County parks and outdoor
facilities such as the
Hollywood Bowl will soon be able
to breathe easier under a new ordinance passed on Tuesday that prohibits smoking at those locations.
The Los Angeles County Board
of Supervisors voted 4-1 to prohibit
smoking at parks, beaches and other
county-owned public facilities.
County Supervisor Don Knabe, 4th
District, was the lone dissenting
vote.
Los Angeles County Supervisor
Zev Yaroslavsky, 3rd District, said
the county has had a policy prohibiting smoking in some parks and
places like the Hollywood Bowl,
but the new ordinance now makes
smoking a violation of the law.
Smoking at county parks and outdoor facilities will now be a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six
months in jail and a $500 fine.
Yaroslavsky said the intent is not to
punish people, but to prohibit them
from smoking in places where it
may directly affect others. He
added that although there haven’t
been a large number of complaints
at the Hollywood Bowl, people
sometimes light up in the seats,
walkways and staircases.
photo by Amy Lyons
Alexandria Rakes (center) is president of the Young Feminists Club
at Hollywood High, and serves as a role model to many of her peers.
Young Feminists Unite
in Hollywood High Club
BY AMY LYONS
W
photo by Amy Lyons
The Hollywood Bowl is one of the venues that will be impacted by the
new law.
"&*%".
See Smoking page 22
!
$),'-$#" ' "'(,+
! ! " hen Sandy Merida was
tasked with creating a
senior project before
graduating from Hollywood
High School, she thought about
women’s roles in religion. From
that thought sprung a whole new
movement at the school, a Young
Feminists Club with Merida at
the helm.
Merida started her senior project by writing a research paper
that examined the roles of Jewish
and Islamic women throughout
history.
“I grew up in a Jewish home,
and when you read the Torah,
women don’t have much of a role
in it,” Merida said. “The guy is
the one who has more involvement in Judaism.”
As she delved into research,
Merida soon discovered that
Islamic men historically have
cast Islamic women in inferior
See Club page 21
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
2 September 17, 2009
Calendar
18 Inexpensive
Circus Fun
T
he eight female circus performers
of “El Circo Cheapo Cabaret”
will bring their show to Le Studio on
Friday, September 18 and Saturday,
September 19. El Circo Cheapo
Cabaret is the poor-man’s Cirque du
Soleil, a traveling show that incorporates aerial acts, dance, acrobatics and
comedy. Tickets are $25. Show times
are 7:00pm and 10:00pm both nights.
Le Studio is located at 3025 Olympic
Blvd, Santa Monica. Call (310)8554353.
The show pays tribute to the Alex’s
vaudeville roots by featuring an eclectic mix of vaudevillian performances,
including jazz, magic, knife-throwing
and film screenings of classic films of
the era. Tickets are $25 for adults,
$17.50 for seniors and children and
$12.50 for Alex Film Society members. The Alex Theatre is located at
216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Call
(818)243-2539.
O
n Saturday, September 19, from
2:00pm-6:00pm,
The
Pepperdine University Fine Arts
Division will present a classical guitar
master class with internationally
renowned guitarist Christopher
Parkening. A professor of music at
Pepperdine, Parkening has played at
the White House, participated in the
Carnegie Hall 100th anniversary celebration, and performed twice at the
Grammy Awards. Pepperdine’s Raitt
Recital Hall is located at 24255
Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. There
is no admission charge to audit the
os Angeles bands will take the
stage at Boardners on Tuesday,
September 22 at 7:00pm for the
“Rockin’ Out for a Cure” concert, a
benefit for the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society. Fans will vote on
their favorite bands by putting money
in ballot boxes. The band with the
most money at the end of the night
wins. All money earned through voting will be donated in the winning
band’s name to the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society. Stand-up comic,
Steve Mazan, who has appeared on
The Late Late Show with Craig
Ferguson and The Late Show with
David Letterman, will host. Tickets
are $20. Boardners is located at 1652
N. Cherokee Ave. For more information,
send
an
e-mail
to
[email protected].
A
O
19 Classical Guitar
Master Class
Rockin’ Out
for a Cure
L
20 Bark at
the Park
Southwestern Law
School on Energy
n Friday, September 18, from
9:00am-5:00pm, Southwestern
School of Law will present the
“Summit on CleanTech Law and
Energy Policy.” Issues to be discussed include new opportunities for
the renewable energy sector, incentives at the California state level and
how evolving federal and state business models on renewable energy
compare to those of world market
leaders. Tickets are $295. To register,
visit www.swlaw.edu or call
(213)738-6731. Southwestern Law
School is located at 3050 Wilshire
Blvd.
Laugh Factory. The mission of the festival is to gather and showcase the
most talented actors, writers, directors
and comedians of Middle Eastern heritage. The festival seeks to dispel negative stereotypes of Middle Easterners
in the media and provide opportunities
for Middle Eastern performers to further their careers. The Laugh Factory
is located at 8001 Sunset Blvd.
Tickets, which are $40-$50, are available at www.mideastcomedyfest.com.
photo by Ed Krieger
The cast of “An Evening Without Monty Python” – back row, from left,
Jim Piddock and Rick Holmes; front row, seated, Jeff B. Davis, Jane
Leeves and Alan Tudyk – will be on stage at The Ricardo Montalbán
Theatre from Wednesday, September 23 to Sunday, October 4. The
show is a celebration of the works of John Cleese, Graham Chapman,
Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, collectively called
Monty Pythonʼs Flying Circus. This year marks the 40th anniversary of
the British comedy collective. The theatre is located at 1615 North Vine
Street. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, and
Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets are available through www.tix.com or by
calling (800)595-4849.
live actors, puppetry, masks, dance,
digital projection, and an original
score and songs. The Bootleg Theater
is located at 2220 Beverly Blvd. Call
(800)
838-3006
or
visit
www.rogueartists.org.
class. For more information, call
(310)506-4462.
The Gogol Project at
Bootleg Theater
A
play that incorporates three short
stories by Nikolai Gogol, “The
Gogol Project - Welcome to Nevsky
Prospect!” will begin preview performances on Saturday, September 19 at
8:00pm at the Bootleg Theater. The
play, produced by Rogue Artists
Ensemble, will bring three of Gogol’s
most famed tales to life with a mix of
Vaudevillian Show
in Glendale
O
n Saturday, September 19, at
8:00pm, the Alex Film Society
will open its 16th season with the
tenth
annual
“Vaudeville
Extravaganza!” at the Alex Theatre.
nimal Advocates Alliance will
host the first annual “Bark at the
Park” on Sunday, September 20, from
11:00am to 4:00pm at Pan Pacific
Park. The event, which will take place
near the park’s amphitheatre, is family-and pet-friendly, and will include
activities such as face painting, dog
bowl decorating and more. A silent
auction and raffle will be part of the
fun. The VIP package, which includes
coupons, treats and four raffle tickets,
is $50. Visit www.animaladvocatesalliance.org or call (310)285-8422. Pan
Pacific Park is located at 7600 Beverly
Blvd.
21 Get Organized
for Good
T
he 2009 Los Angeles Organizing
Expo will take place on Monday
September 21, at the Olympic
Collection Conference Center. The
expo is the area’s only event devoted
to time saving products, organizing
solutions, tools and services. An “Ask
The Organizer” panel will feature veteran organizing experts. Tickets are
$25 and will include appetizers. Panel
admission is $49. For more information, call (213)486-4477. The
Olympic Collection Conference
Center is located at 11301 W. Olympic
Blvd.
24 Irish
Film Festival
O
22 Middle Eastern
Comedy Festival
O
n Tuesday, September 22, at
7:30pm, the Middle Eastern
Comedy Festival will be held at the
n Thursday, September 24, at
7:30pm, The Irish Film Festival
will kick off at the Aero Theatre, with
a double bill including “Gabriel
Byrne: Stories From Home” and
“Peacefire.” The first film is a revealing look at the life and creative
impulses of Gabriel Byrne, via intimate interviews and extracts from his
journals. “Peacefire” is about a hoodlum who comes into contact with a
ruthless detective, who turns him into
an informer against the IRA. Tickets
are $10, with discounts for seniors,
students and American Cinematheque
members. The Aero is located at 1328
Montana Ave., Santa Monica. Call
(310)260-1528.
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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
3 September 17, 2009
Local Housing Market Continues to Fluctuate Pipe Ruptures Continue to
n Some Local Agents
Plague the Local Area
Explain That It is a
n Officials Call for
Examination of the
Infrastructure
Buyers Market
BY MEGAN O’NEIL
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
W
hile
Federal
Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke
stated this week that the recession is
most likely over, the local residential real estate market continues to
be a mixed bag of foreclosed
homes, short sales and fluctuating
prices, real estate agents said.
Homeowners are holding properties worth significantly less than
they were two years ago, agents
said, and in some cases are being
overwhelmed by unmanageable
loans. Buyers are trying to take
advantage of lower prices while
simultaneously navigating a mortgage industry that has been ravaged
by the financial meltdown and subsequent credit crunch.
Real estate agent Rosalie Klein
Flaster works in multiple Los
Angeles neighborhoods, including
Hancock Park, Miracle Mile,
Carthay Circle, Museum Square
and West Hollywood, where house
prices dropped by as much as 25
percent in the last 18 months, she
said. She also covers parts of San
Fernando Valley, where prices
dropped as much as 40 percent, she
added.
Clinton Wade, who has worked
as a real estate agent for nine years
in the areas of Hancock Park,
Beverly-Wilshire,
West
Hollywood, the Hollywood Hills
and Beverly Hills, said he watched
condos take the biggest hit in the
recent downturn. Middle priced
one-bedroom condos fell by an
average of $75,000, Wade said,
while two-bedroom condos fell by
$150,000.
“You saw it coming,” Wade said.
“I remember thinking [during the
boom] that [this] can’t continue
because in one year you are going
to be paying $1 million for a onebedroom condo.”
After the real estate bubble burst,
S
photo by Megan O’Neil
Several houses are for sale on Orange Drive in Hancock Park. The market is rebounding, according to some local real estate agents.
Wade said, the time it took to sell a
residence lengthened from weeks
to months.
“When the market was good, I
was selling four to eight houses a
month,” Wade said. “When it
slowed, I was doing one to three
houses a month.”
The drop in prices, however, has
resulted in a flurry of activity in
recent months, both Flaster and
Wade said. For some buyers, it has
opened a window of opportunity to
purchase a home in a neighborhood
that might have been out of reach
just a few years ago. An $8,000
federal tax credit for first time
homeowners (which expires in
November) is also motivating people to buy, Wade said.
“[On Sunday] we had five open
houses, and I can tell you that the
market has signs of life,” Flaster
said. “We do see properly priced
properties do sell still, with multiple offers.”
In turn, the increase in the numSee Real Estate page 21
everal water pipes have ruptured in the past week in the
local area and other parts of the
city, prompting public officials
to call for an examination of why
they are occurring and what can
be done to prevent the problem.
Officials from the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power
are looking into the pipe ruptures, but no definitive cause has
been established for why so
many have occurred in such a
short period of time. The
LADWP could not confirm an
exact number of water main
breaks that have occurred, but it
was reported in the Los Angeles
Times that 13 ruptures have
occurred since the beginning of
September, while 21 occurred in
September 2008, and 17 were
reported in 2007. LADWP
spokesperson Kim Hughes said
the department averages approximately four ruptures per day, but
other officials, including Jim
McDaniel, head of the city’s
water systems, have reported
that there does seem to be some
sort of problem occurring,
although it will take some time
to determine the cause.
At least three water lines ruptured on Wednesday in the San
Fernando Valley, with one causing a sinkhole in Woodland
Hills. In the local area, an eightinch water main ruptured last
Saturday near Melrose Avenue
and Ogden Drive, affecting 15
customers, according to Hughes.
That pipe was fixed and the street
See Water Mains page 20
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As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of
Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will
provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, service
and activities. To ensure availability, such requests should be made 72 hours in
advance by calling (213) 367-1361, TDD: 1 (800) 432-7397.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
4 September 17, 2009
School on Wheels Founder Gets Top Honors Fire Causes Major Damage to
n Agnes Stevens to
Home Above W. Hollywood
Receive Award From
California First Lady
Maria Shriver
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
A
BY AMY LYONS
W
hen Agnes Stevens retired
from a 30-year teaching
career, she didn’t search for hobbies
or idle activities to fill her days.
Instead, she founded School on
Wheels, a program that brings education to homeless children all over
Los Angeles. On October 27,
Stevens will get a big ‘thank you’
for her tireless work from
California First Lady Maria Shriver.
Stevens is one of four women
who will receive a “Minerva
Award” at Shriver’s annual
Women’s Conference. Shriver will
personally present the honorees
with their awards at the conference,
which will also feature remarks by
Caroline Kennedy and Alicia Keys.
Created by Shriver in 2004, the
Minerva Awards are given to
women who work to improve the
human condition. Minerva Award
winners also receive grants from
the conference to further their work.
Stevens founded School on
Wheels in 1993, when she learned
that thousands of children were
photo courtesy of School on Wheels
School on Wheels founder Agnes Stevens (left) and executive director,
Catherine Meek, were pictured at an awards dinner sponsored by the
Good News Foundation.
homeless and that many of them did
not attend school. She began teaching homeless kids in a park in Santa
Monica, encouraging them to stay
in school and keep up with their
grades and school activities.
“I first just wanted to find a little
kid and help him or her with schoolwork when I retired,” Stevens said.
“I soon got the idea that something
more has to be done. That’s when I
started School on Wheels.”
Letters to the Editor
When Does the
Development End?
I
n regards to the article titled
“400 Apartments Cornerstone
of Developments on La Brea” in
the September 10 issue, when is it
enough?
My neighbor told me about
your story about the two new
developments on La Brea that will
add hundreds of residential units
in an area already suffering traffic
gridlock, especially when added
to those already approved near
Wilshire and La Brea. I’m not
ready to accept my neighbor’s
premise that members of the City
Council
and
Planning
Commission are corrupt. I don’t
want to believe that their votes are
for sale to the highest bidder. He
added, “how will the infrastructure accommodate even more
people in this already heavily populated community? We already
are curtailing water usage. Can
our sewer system handle yet more
waste? With more cars on the
Their main focus was to protect
the exposure to the other homes
multi-million dollar home and the hillside,” Matheney said.
located in the hills above
Firefighters cut several holes in
West Hollywood was heavily the roof to ventilate the fire, and
damaged on Wednesday by a fire were then able to send personnel
that erupted around 6:30am.
inside the structure. Firefighters
The blaze occurred in a resi- battled the blaze from all sides,
dence at 2047 N.
including
the
Sunset Plaza Dr.,
roof, interior and
but firefighters
“Their main exterior. The fire
were able to conextinguished
focus was to was
tain the blaze to
in 38 minutes,
protect the
the one structure
according
to
and prevented it
exposure to Matheney.
from spreading to
The incident is
the other
an adjacent hillunder investigaside. The fire- homes and the tion, and authorifighters had to
ties may take sevhillside.”
navigate a steep,
eral days to deterwinding road to
-LAFD spokesman mine an exact
reach the location,
Rich Matheney cause and the
and the first perestimated value
sonnel
arrived
of the damage.
around 6:40am, within 10 minThe owner of the house, who
utes of receiving the initial call, was identified as attorney Brian
said
Los
Angeles
Fire Witzer, was home when the fire
Department spokesman, Rich erupted, but self-evacuated and
Matheney.
was not injured. It was reported
“When they arrived, they that an extensive art collection
found a four-story home with the was destroyed in the fire, but that
third and fourth story and the a multi-million dollar collection
roof fully involved with fire. of Ferraris was saved.
roads, will our resources be able to
provide more road maintenance,
or will we have even more potholes in the future?” I paraphrase
his comments, but they are genuine concerns. My neighbor made
a very good suggestion, “Why not
put the development proposals to
a vote of the citizens in the communities that would be affected?”
That is the democratic process.
George Epstein
Detroit Street
Have an Opinion?
Sound Off!
The Park Labrea News and
Beverly Press encourages our
readers to submit Letters to
the Editor. Letters must be
signed by the author, and a
contact phone number must
be included. If you would like
to have your opinion heard, email us at : [email protected].
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The company now has nine full
time employees and 16 part time
employees, and 800 volunteers who
tutor students all over the city.
Some students attend school and
need help with homework, while
others are not in school.
“Our tutors give one hour a week
to help homeless students with
schoolwork,” Stevens said. “They
are the real heroes who help us keep
See Founder page 17
Clues Sought in Bank Robbery on Fairfax Ave.
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
wo suspects who were reportedly dressed as delivery men
robbed the Gilmore Bank at 110 S.
Fairfax Ave. on September 8, and
now FBI and Los Angeles Police
Department officials are investigating.
The robbery occurred around
9:25am when the two men entered
the bank and approached a teller.
Both men carried delivery bags and
threatened the teller, stating, “open
the drawers and give me all your
money,” according to FBI
spokesperson Vickie HamptonFranklin. No one was injured in the
incident, and no getaway vehicle
was seen.
“It was considered a takeover robbery because they basically took
over the bank, but no weapons were
seen,” Hampton-Franklin said.
“They made the oral demands to
open the drawers, but other than
that, there is not a lot of information
at this time.”
Hampton-Franklin said the bank
was open but she did not know how
many people were inside. The suspects were described as African
American men between 18 and 23
years old. One was approximately
five-feet-six-inches tall and 130
pounds, while the other was approximately five-feet-seven-inches tall
and 140 pounds. Both suspects wore
brown, button-down shirts and
brown pants. One wore a baseball
cap emblazoned with the letters,
“UPS”, while the other suspect was
wearing what Hampton-Franklin
described as a “light colored fishing
hat,” held a cellular phone during
the robbery and appeared to be
texting or taking photos. She
added that the suspects stole an
undisclosed amount of cash, fled
through the front door of the bank
and were last seen heading north
on Fairfax Avenue. Investigators
are looking into whether the suspects may be linked to any other
incidents. Hampton-Franklin said
authorities may relesae photos of
the suspects soon
Anyone with information is
asked to contact the FBI at
(310)477-6565, or the Los
Angeles Police Department’s
Wilshire Division at (213)9228266. During weekends and offhours, call the LAPD’s 24-hour,
toll-free hotline at (877)LAWFULL.
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5 September 17, 2009
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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
6 September 17, 2009
Chief Bratton Mosaic Weaves History and Pride at 100 Year Celebration
Gets Honors
From New York W
and Britain
L
BY MEGAN O’NEIL
os Angeles Police Chief
William J. Bratton recently
received two separate honors for his
contributions to law enforcement.
Bratton was named an Honorary
Commander of the British Empire
during a ceremony on September 11
at the British Embassy in
Washington D.C.; and was also
named “Man of the Year” by the
New York City Patrolmen’s
Benevolent Association (PBA) at a
ceremony held on September 3.
The British award was given by
U.K. Ambassador to the United
States, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, and
recognizes Bratton for his work to
promote cooperation between U.S.
and U.K. police. Sheinwald hailed
Bratton for his tireless work in three
of the country’s largest police
forces.
“For fifteen years, Bill Bratton
has been the foremost leader of the
transformation of policing in the
United States. As Chief of Police in
Boston, in New York, and now in
Los Angeles, he has changed the
way in which police go about their
work,” Sheinwald said. “Due to his
efforts, the police of our two countries today regularly exchange ideas
and best practices, on every aspect
of the policing agenda, from terrorism and radicalization, to crime
reduction, to the forensic use of
DNA, to police information systems.”
The “Man of the Year” honors
from the PBA came at the group’s
115th annual convention in New
York City, where Bratton previously served as Chief of Police.
“Bill Bratton is a progressive and
inclusive police manager who is
recognized around the world as a
true leader in professional policing,” said PBA president Patrick J.
Lynch. “He has reduced crime and
improved safety in America’s
largest cities by empowering the
police officers under his command
to do their jobs.”
Mayor Appoints
New Deputy
Chief of Staff
M
ayor Antonio Villaraigosa has
announced additional changes
to his administration, elevating
Senior Press Secretary and chief
spokesperson, Matt Szabo, to
Deputy Chief of Staff.
“For the past three years, Matt
Szabo has been the voice of my
administration in the L.A. media,
and always performed best when a
crisis called for tough, decisive
action,” Villaraigosa said. “Now, as
these challenging times require
tough, decisive leadership, Matt will
serve as a voice of my administration throughout the corridors of city
hall.”
Szabo will serve as a chief strategists, problem-solver and crisismanager. He will initially be
charged with coordinating a
renewed effort to solve the city’s
budget crisis in the face of ongoing
recession. Szabo will report to Rev.
Jeff Carr, Villaraigosa’s recentlynamed Chief of Staff.
hat do Mickey Rooney,
Marilyn Monroe, Denise
Crosby, Charlene Tilton and
Stanley and Barry Livingston
have in common? Yes, they were
notable figures in the entertainment industry, but in addition,
they all graduated from Vine
Street Elementary School in
Hollywood.
The school, located at 955
Vine St., turns 100 years old this
year and is planning a celebration
that will be part history lesson,
part campus improvement effort
and part community outreach
campaign, principal Chris Stehr
said.
Kevin Savage, a second grade
teacher and chair of the
Centennial
Celebration
Committee, said hundreds of
invitations have already been
sent out to former students,
teachers and administrators, as
well as to Los Angeles Unified
School District officials, city officials, and state officials.
The birthday party, which will
take place on Saturday, September
26, will include carnival games,
music, dancing, the dedication and
burial of a time capsule, the reading
of official proclamations from various officials, and of course, birthday cake. Also on the schedule is a
ribbon cutting ceremony for a new
10,000-piece mosaic recently
installed at the entrance of the
school.
One classroom will be set up
with 70 years of old school photographs and memorabilia, Savage
said, giving graduates a chance to
reflect on their elementary school
years and giving current students a
glimpse of Vine Street Elementary
School’s history.
“You want to give [students] that
sense of history and a sense of
roots,” Savage said. “We are an
important part of the Hollywood
community and these kids live in
this community. We want them to
know that there’s a place they can
be safe and learn, and that it will
always be there.”
See Mosaic page 20
photo by Megan O’Neil
The mural at Vine Street Elementary School shows that the area was
once covered with vineyards.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
7 September 17, 2009
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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
8 September 17, 2009
Saying Goodbye to
Patrick Swayze
photo by Megan O’Neil
Flowers were placed at the Walk of Fame star of actor Patrick
Swayze after he passed away on Monday at the age of 57 from
pancreatic cancer. Swayze announced in March 2008 that he
was suffering from cancer, but continued to work on “The Beast”,
a series that ran for 13 episodes on the A&E Network in 2009.
Swayze starred in numerous movies over a career that spanned
nearly three decades. Some of Swayzeʼs early films included
“Uncommon Valor” (1983) and “Red Dawn” (1984), but he
became one of Hollywoodʼs top box office draws after appearing
in “Dirty Dancing” (1987), and “Ghost” (1990). Other memorable
films featuring Swayze included “Road House” (1989), “Point
Break” (1991), “Father Hood” (1993), and “To Wong Foo, Thanks
for Everything, Julie Newmar” (1995). Swayzeʼs star is located at
7018 Hollywood Blvd.
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Robots Rule in Animated ʻ9ʼ
A
t the beginning of the film
“9”, we are shown a bleak
scene, one that depicts humanity
as being null and void. But as the
mysterious doctor says, “Life
must go on.” Now, who would’ve
thought ragdolls would inherit the
earth? Well, that’s where the mind
of Shane Acker can remind us all
about the true depth of the imagination in the obscure animated
feature “9”.
A ragdoll-like creature referred
to as a stitchpunk, named 9 (Elijah
Wood), awakens to a destroyed
world. After walking through the
debris-filled aftermath of a global
holocaust, 9 journeys into the middle of a new war between
grotesque robots and other surviving stitchpunks. To learn the truth
of his past and the destiny of the
earth, 9 must fight against murderous androids, and convince his fellow stitchpunks to help him in his
perilous quest.
This film may have been advertised like it’s a Tim Burton project,
but look closer. It was originally a
short film created by Shane Acker
in 2005, which Tim Burton saw
and decided to produce as a feature length film—with fellow
filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov,
director of “Wanted”. With the
help of “Corpse Bride” screenwriter Pamela Pettler (which was
directed by Burton), this very
Burton-esque project came to be.
“9” proves director Shane Acker
to be a visionary, but his ideas are
muffled here. The beginning holds
great intrigue. There are no overly
generic voiceovers to insult the
audience with superfluous exposition. In fact there is barely any
dialogue at all, just a masterfully
blocked story. But as more characters are introduced, the film loses
its depth. 9 and his fellow stitchpunks begin speaking to each
other in clichés. 9, who has only
been alive since the start of the
film (let’s go with one or two
days), begins speaking with profound wisdom and the people he
meets follow his lead far too easily.
When the credits roll, “9” is 20
minutes away from a great film,
needing more time to develop
major ideas and characters. In its
The imagery is
too shocking for
a young
audience and
everything else
is too trivial
for adults.
current form, it’s a PG-13 animated feature that doesn’t know if it’s
for kids or adults. The imagery is
too shocking for a young audience
and everything else is too trivial
for adults. Still, the film may
attract a cult fan base, just as “The
Nightmare Before Christmas” did.
Narrative downfalls aside, “9” is a
fascinating merging of the iconic
horror of “War of the Worlds”
with a gothic apocalypse. Even
the attempt to tell a story with
such odd characters and sceneries
is worthy of praise. That we buy.
The story we don’t.
The voices of the film feel
flat—a surprising observation
considering how many prominent
actors are involved. Wood shows
us a timid 9, who is literally still
learning how to walk, but the pacing of the actor’s words is too fast.
Jennifer Connelly voices 7, the
See page 9
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
9 September 17, 2009
Images of Beauty Challenged
in ʻRuby, Tragically Rotundʼ
B
Mad About Theater
eing different is the bane of
almost everyone’s existence
and, not surprisingly, almost
everyone can relate to it in one
way or another, no matter
whether or not reality steps in to
prove you’re not the only one out
there with straight hair, or a pimply teenage skin, or short sightedness, or the inability to hit the
right note in the church choir, or
two left feet on the dance floor, or
a figure you’re not happy with, or
a family that doesn’t get along, or
problems that seem unsolvable,
or dreams that you know will
never be fulfilled. In what purports to be a ‘one size fits all’
world, that means all except you.
Ruby (a vivaciously rotund
Ellen D. Williams) accepts the
by Madeleine Shaner
body she’s been gifted with, puts
it in the back of her mind and gets
on with her life; she has good
friends to hang out with - the
equally voluptuous Georgia
(Regan Carrington), Ofa (Alison
M. De La Cruz), and Chiara
(Angel Felix) – and a boyfriend
who loves her, though her mother
Photo by Ed Krieger
Fran de Leon (background) and Ellen D. Williams star in “Ruby,
Tragically Rotund”.
‘9’ Movie
Review
from page 8
warrior who has trouble trusting others, and John C. Reilly
plays 5, the insecure doctor
who’s good in a pinch.
Neither actor finds sufficient
footing, or voicing, in the
shells of their chosen stitchpunks. They’re just names to
promote an unknown director’s film. It should be said,
though, that the screenwriting
didn’t give them much to
work with.
Don’t take kids to this one.
“Coraline”, earlier this year,
was wonderfully dark but
could still pass for child viewing with only the side effect of
nightmares comparable to the
many witches in Disney films.
“Up”, a few months ago,
addressed more adult issues
like death and loss in an
approachable way for children. “9” doesn’t bother making a younger audience feel at
home, though the story might
feel childish at times. We see
aged corpses, intense war
scenes and rather haunting
stitchpunk deaths. This is a film
that expands boundaries of the
digital. It’s not just for kids.
Just as pop-up books must be
reclaimed, Shane Acker uses
digital animation to expand the
mind of older viewers—and
there doesn’t need to be an age
doesn’t think an African American
- Lamont (Kacy-Earl David) – is
good enough for Ruby.
And the resilient, determined
Ruby is on her way to college!
Until her tuition money gets
diverted.
With
Jepoy
(Robert
Almodovar), an ineffective, but
loving dad in her corner, and a
younger sister, Jemmalyn (Marc
Pelina….whoops!), who is intent
on pleasing Edwina (Fran De
Leon) – bitchy, skinny minny
Mom – by becoming Miss
Sunnyvale, California in a beauty
pageant, Ruby makes a political
decision to go on a radical diet,
dragging her pals unwillingly
with her, and enter the pageant
herself, to prove that big is beautiful, but brainy is even better.
Boni B. Alvarez’ play makes a
lot of points, only incidentally
about Filipinas and African
Americans making it or breaking
it in America, but about the beliefs
and myths largely held to be true
in many societies, diverse or not;
about fat and thin, shame and
honor, mind and matter, the nature
of beauty, truth and lies, love and
hate, all the things that make life
tough,,.and eternally interesting.
Especially smart is the playwright’s conceit of having the
husband and wife have their most
verbally violent arguments in
Tagalog, which makes the wonderful point that all marital squabbles are alike – you don’t need to
know the language.
Director Jon Lawrence Rivera
rides again with stunning vigor
over a hysterically funny comic
stampede. The intent of the play is
serious, but it’s presented with a
huge amount of humor and universally marvelous performances.
The ‘big’ girls are totally unselfconscious as they dance and
squabble and bond – a fleshy,
sexy chorus to the unlikely tale –
succeeding in making it seem
altogether likely, or at least getting the audience united into the
voting booth. There’s some predigested hype about obesity,
mostly in the young Jemmalyn’s
limit for the playground of
imagination.
Despite its disjointed storyline, “9” still provides a
visual experience worth the
one-hour-and-20- minute
runtime.
The film marks a great step
forward for the changing
field of digital animation.
Photos courtesy of Focus Features
9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) and #5 (voiced by John C. Reilly) monitor an approach in Shane Ackerʼs epic adventure fantasy 9, which
Focus Features releases nationwide on 9/9/09.
Photo by Ed Krieger
Robert Almodovar and Fran de Leon share stage time in “Ruby,
Tragically Rotund”.
pageant speech, made humorous
by the fact that by now we’ve
realized that there’s been some
gender-bending here, although
we’re not sure of the reason for it,
but also that the young pageantentrant’s speech has come verbatim from Edwina’s twisted brain
and explains it all, or most of it,
for us. As in: why is Ruby so virulent in her struggle to be accepted, and what has gone down in
this dysfunctional household to
create such murderous feelings
between mother and daughters.
Edwina’s poison takes some of
the hilarious edge off the play,
especially when she enters what
seems to be a dubious relationship
with clean-edged neighbor, Kline
(a quietly effective Mark Doerr).
But you can’t keep a good comedy down, and with actors this talented, and this natural, the only
way to go is up.Presented by
Playwrights’ Arena in association
with
LATC
and
TDRZ
Productions at Los Angeles
Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring
Street, L.A. (between 5th & 6th
Streets). Thursday through
Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday at
3:00pm, through October 11.
(213)489-0994,
ext.107
or
www.thelatc.org.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
10 September 17, 2009
The City of Los Angeles State Endorses LGBT Victims Included in
Recognition of Domestic Violence Bill
Turns 228 Years Old Same Sex
T
Partners in
Immigration
Filings
T
photo courtesy of the Fourth Council District Office
City officials and local residents came together on
September 5 to celebrate the 228th birthday of the City
of Los Angeles at the El Pueblo Historical Monument,
located near Olvera Street. Each year, a group known as
“Los Pobladores” walk from the San Gabriel Mission to
the El Pueblo Monument to reenact the nine-mile journey
the early settlers took when they founded the city. This
year, the walk was cancelled because of poor air quality
caused by the Station Fire in the Angeles National
Forest, but a celebration was held at the El Pueblo
Monument.
Those in attendance included City Councilmember
Dennis P. Zine (left), 3rd District; City Attorney Carmen
Trutanich; City Councilmember Paul Koretz, 5th District;
Irene Sepulveda-Hastings, a member of “Los
Pobladores”; Louis Alvarado, the Honorary Mayor of
Griffith Park; Councilmember Tom LaBonge, 4th District;
Helen McGee, sister of the late T. Willard Hunter, the
founder of the annual commemorative walk; and San
Gabriel Mayor Juli Costanzo.
he State Assembly recently
passed a resolution officially
endorsing a federal law that would
permit U.S. citizens and permanent
residents to obtain lawful immigration status for a same-sex partner.
The resolution, AJR 15, was introduced by Assembly Member Kevin
de León, 45th District, and is
designed to end what many believe
are discriminatory immigration
policies. The resolution formally
requests that the United States
Congress pass the Uniting
American Families Act (UAFA). It
was co-sponsored by Equality
California (EQCA), an advocacy
organization for the LGBT community, and Asian Americans for Civil
Rights and Equality (AACRE).
“Thousands of American families
and committed same-sex couples
are denied basic rights and legal
protections, including the ability to
petition for a partner to immigrate to
the U.S.,” de León said. “They live
in legal limbo and are torn apart by
outdated immigration policies. In
ensuring a true state of equality,
Congress must take immediate steps
to reunite and protect all families
once and for all.”
Under current federal law, U.S.
citizens and permanent residents
can file visa petitions on behalf of
an opposite-sex spouse. The UAFA,
introduced by U.S. Senator Patrick
he California State Senate
passed the LGBT Domestic
Violence Programs Expansion
bill on September 4, which will
increase and expand services to
LGBT survivors of domestic
violence. Formally known as AB
1003
and
authored
by
Assemblymember John A. Pérez
(D-Los Angeles), the bill was
passed in the State Senate by a
23-15 vote.
While rates of domestic violence in same-sex relationships
are equivalent to those in heterosexual relationships, support for
LGBT survivors continues to lag
far behind those available to
non-LGBT couples, according to
Perez. AB 1003 would expand
access for LGBT service
providers to a state fund within
the California Emergency
Management Agency that supports LGBT-specific domestic
violence programs. The fund is
subsidized by a $23 fee on
domestic partner registrations.
The new bill would also allow
for more organizations to apply
for program funding each fiscal
cycle and eliminates the require-
Leahy
(D-Vermont)
and
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (DNew York), would amend the
nation’s
Immigration
and
Nationality Act by adding same-sex
“permanent partners” to the list of
family members for whom a U.S.
citizen or permanent resident can
petition. The bill defines a “permanent partner” as an adult who is in a
committed, intimate and financially
interdependent relationship with
another adult in “which both parties
intend a lifelong commitment.”
ment for providers to offer shelter, which are considered to be
impediments to many smaller
LGBT organizations. “There is a shortage of adequate care for our community,”
Pérez said. “We must take whatever steps we can to ensure that
all LGBT survivors of domestic
violence have access to culturally competent services and
resources.”
The bill will now be returned
to the State Assembly for review
of some amendments made in
the State Senate before being
sent
to
Gov.
Arnold
Schwarzenegger for his consideration.
The California State Assembly
also passed the Harvey Milk Day
bill on September 3 by a 45-27
vote. The bill, authored by
Senator Mark Leno (D - San
Francisco), calls for a “day of
special significance” in honor of
slain civil rights leader, Harvey
Milk. The bill has already passed
the Senate by a 24-14 vote,
including bipartisan support. The
bill now advances to the governor’s desk.
According to the U.S. Census,
approximately 35,000 bi-national,
same-sex couples currently live in
the United States. At least 16 other
nations already have immigration
policies allowing the sponsorship of
same-sex
partners
including
Australia, Brazil, Canada, France,
Germany, Israel, South Africa, and
the United Kingdom. There are currently 115 co-sponsors of the UAFA
in
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives, and 21 co-sponsors in the U.S. Senate.
Stateʼs Mayors Commit to
Creating Jobs for Disabled
C
alifornia First Lady Maria proves that there are a number of
Shriver recently announced opportunities for people with
that mayors throughout California developmental disabilities to
have committed to provide work work in a wide-variety of fields,
opportunities for individuals with and they do,” Shriver said. “One
of my greatest
developmental
joys has been
disabilities.
witnessing and
The program,
“The
sharing in their
known as “WE
commitment
triumphs workInclude”, repreing alongside
sents a committhese mayors
others in their
ment on behalf
have made is
community; the
of Shriver and
impact it has is
Gov.
Arnold
truly
indescribable
Schwarzenegger
extraordinary,
and the possito
provide
bilities are endopportunities for
particularly in
less.”
people
with
these tough
Since launchdevelopmental
disabilities to economic times.” ing the “WE
Include” prolive fulfilling,
gram in 2007,
purpose-filled
- Maria Shriver, Shriver
has
and inclusive
First Lady worked to assist
lives.
in the hiring of
It
raises
individuals with
awareness and
disabilities
connects people to employment developmental
and
educational
resources. throughout California, including
Numerous mayors indicated their in the Governor’s Office in
commitment to the program, Sacramento and the Governor’s
including Los Angeles Mayor Los Angeles Field Office.
Recently, Shriver launched
Antonio Villaraigosa.
“The commitment these mayors WEInclude.ca.gov, a website
have made is truly extraordinary, offering individuals with developparticularly in these tough eco- mental disabilities information on
nomic times. Their partnership resources that are available.
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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Two Film Executives Guilty of
Money Laundering, Other Crimes
T
wo local film executives were
found guilty last Friday of
conspiracy to violate the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and
money laundering. Gerald Green,
77, and Patricia Green, 52, both of
West Hollywood, were found
guilty in federal court on a series
of charges in connection with a
bribery scheme that enabled the
defendants to obtain a series of
Thai government contracts.
“The FCPA is a
powerful tool
that the
Department will
continue to use
in an effort to
stop individuals
like the Greens.”
-Assistant Attorney General
Lanny A. Breuer
Patricia Green was also found
guilty of falsely subscribing U.S.
income tax returns in connection
with the scheme.
Both defendants now face a
maximum penalty of up to 20
years in prison for the money
laundering counts, and five years
in prison for the conspiracy
charges. “As these convictions
demonstrate, the Department of
Justice will not waiver in its fight
against corruption, whether perpetrated within our borders or
abroad,” said Assistant Attorney
General Lanny A. Breuer. “The
FCPA is a powerful tool that the
Department will continue to use in
an effort to stop individuals like
the Greens who seek to further
their own business interests
through bribes paid to foreign officials.”
Both of the Greens were
charged on March 11 with paying
kickbacks to the former governor
of the Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT) in exchange for
receiving contracts to manage and
operate
Thailand’s
yearly
“Bangkok International Film
Festival”, as well as contracts to
provide an elite tourism “privilege
card” marketed to wealthy foreigners. According to the indictment, the Greens paid approximately $1.8 million in bribes to
the former governor through
numerous bank accounts in
Singapore, the United Kingdom
and the Isle of Jersey The contracts resulted in more than $13.5
million in revenue to businesses
the Green’s owned.
Operators of Jewish Cemetary
Accused of Ethics Violations
A
llegations surfaced Monday
that the operators of a Jewish
cemetery in Mission Hills desecrated crypts and discarded bodies in
order to fit more bodies into burial
plots. The allegations were made in
a class-action lawsuit filed in Los
Angeles Superior Court against
“We are
troubled and
concerned by
these serious
allegations.”
- Rabbi Mark S. Diamond,
executive vice president of
the Board of Rabbis.
Eden Memorial Park, and its parent
company, Service Corporation
International. Both companies have
denied the allegations and have
refused to comment. The State
Department of Consumer Affairs is
investigating the claims.
The Board of Rabbis of
Southern California, a transdenominational organization of
more than 300 rabbis, issued a
statement after the lawsuit was
filed in Los Angeles on Monday.
“We are troubled and concerned
by these serious allegations,” said
Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, executive vice president of the Board of
Rabbis. “The Board of Rabbis and
its members are committed to
upholding ‘kavod hamet’, or
respect for the deceased, one of
the highest Jewish values. During
this difficult time, we are reaching
out to remind our community of
the importance of this traditional
Jewish precept.”
Diamond said the Board of
Rabbis will monitor the situation
closely and can provide information to anyone seeking understanding of “halacha”, or Jewish
law, regarding death and burials.
“These allegations are traumatic for the families of the interred,”
said Rabbi Denise L. Eger, president of the Board of Rabbis. “Our
hearts and prayers go out to them.
This affects the entire Jewish
community, and we trust that this
issue will be fully investigated
and resolved quickly. Especially
at this season of the New Year,
these sentiments are keenly felt.”
For more information, visit
www.boardofrabbis.org.
11 September 17, 2009
Car Sharing Expanded Through Zipcar Program
T
he City of Los Angeles has
expanded its car sharing services through an expansion of
the Zipcar program on the campuses of the University of
California Los Angeles (UCLA)
and University of Southern
California (USC).
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa announced on
Monday that Zipcar will add 12
new vehicles in reserved parking
spots on city streets in the neighborhoods adjacent to UCLA and
USC.
Zipcar is a car-sharing program whereby members reserve
a car via the telephone, online or
through a mobile device by the
hour or by the day. The
hourly/daily fee is as low as $8
per hour, and $66 per day on
weekdays, and $9 per hour and
$72 a day on weekends. The fee
includes parking in the reserved
spot, gas, insurance, 180 free
miles and roadside assistance.
“Los Angeles may be the car
capital of the world, but through
this partnership among universities, Zipcar and the City of Los
Angeles, we are opening the
door to make car ownership
optional for people who live or
work here,” Villaraigosa said.
“Providing alternatives to car
ownership will help improve the
environment and the city’s traf-
photo by Tyrone Washington
From left, Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, 11th
District, joined Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and councilmember Paul Koretz, 5th District, to announce the cityʼs partnersship with Zipcar.
fic congestion.”
The pilot program was made
possible by a public-private partnership by Zipcar, Villaraigosa
and the Los Angeles City
Council.
“Our partnership with Zipcar
will give more people a real alternative to owning a car without
having to sacrifice the flexibility
of having one when they need
one,” City Council President Eric
Garcetti said.
Convenient access to Zipcars
on city streets is proven to provide benefits to local residents,
taxpayers and the environment,
according to the mayor. Each
Zipcar takes between 15 and 20
personally owned vehicles off
the road. In addition, members
report driving 40 percent fewer
miles and increasing public
transit use by nearly 20 percent,
helping to reduce traffic congestion and emissions. Finally,
the average Zipcar member
reports saving more than $600
per month on transportation
costs.
For more information, visit
www.zipcar.com.
New Law Says
Nursing
Facilities Must
Post Ratings
T
he California State
Legislature
has
approved Assembly Bill
215, legislation that would
requiring skilled nursing
facilities to prominently post
quality of care ratings. The
bill was authored by
Assemblymembers Mike
Feuer, 42nd District, and
Cameron Smyth, 38th
District, and is designed to
help families seeking a nursing home for a loved one.
“When families make
decisions about placing their
loved ones in nursing
homes, they should have
access to information that
may impact their choices,”
Feuer said. “By requiring
nursing homes to post their
federal ratings, this bill helps
ensure that families are
aware of useful information
about facilities they are cons i d e r i n g . ” AB 215 requires long-term
health care facilities that
accept
Medicare
or
Medicaid to post the federal
Center for Medicare and
Medicaid (CMS) star rating
in a visible public location.
Overall federal CMS ratings
are based on health inspection results, staffing levels,
and quality measures. The
public can obtain this information
at
www.medicare.gov/NHCom
pare/home.asp.
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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
12 September 17, 2009
Have a Hamburger With Your Hot Rod
Johnny Rockets at The Petersen
BY AMY LYONS
C
ool cars and hot burgers, that’s
the scene on the Miracle Mile
these days. Johnny Rockets has
taken up residence at the Petersen
Automotive Museum, giving car
lovers and burger aficionados plenty of reasons to swing by. Though
things have been sizzling at the
throwback burger joint since late
July, the official grand opening of
Johnny Rockets at the Petersen will
take place on Saturday, September
19. I headed over for a lunchtime
sneak peek last week and had a
blast.
The food is familiar fare for any
carnivore hip to the Los Angeles
diner scene – plump burgers sided
with thick French fries, melts,
malts, hot dogs and chili. The kids’
menu is extra easy on the wallet,
making for a family-friendly trip to
the museum. And let’s not forget
about all those little touches – from
smiley-faced ketchup dabs to straw
containers that twist open to create
the perfect, circular straw swirl –
photo by Amy Lyons
The grand opening of Johnny Rockets at the Petersen Museum will take
place on Saturday, September 19.
that make Johnny Rockets cooler
than many burger joints. There’s
also the du-wop tunes and 1950s
feel of the place that gives it a special spot in Los Angeles diner lore.
At the Petersen, all of these signature touches are taken up a notch by
the presence of countless shiny
cars.
I opted for the good old original
For a mere
$5.99, you get a
burger and a
heaping side of
French fries, a
bargain that
can’t be found
at many
museum
restaurants.
burger piled high with fresh lettuce,
ripe tomato, chopped onions, relish, pickles, mustard and mayonnaise. This classic burger can’t be
beat and Johnny Rockets cooks it
just right. For a mere $5.99, you get
a burger and a heaping side of
French fries, a bargain that can’t be
found at many museum restaurants.
If you’re a fan of mushrooms, I recommend the Route 66 burger, a fun
one to order when you think about
cruising the famous highway in one
of the slick cars on display at the
Petersen.
If you’re not familiar with the
creamy milk shakes at Johnny
Rockets, it’s time to get acquainted
with one. If you’re already a fan,
why not try the brand new KoolAid shake, a yummy take on the
drink of choice for kids. The staff is
known to sing and dance, so be
ready for spontaneous entertainment.
Perhaps the best part of the
museum and diner pairing is the 2for-1 admission deal for Johnny
Rockets at the Petersen patrons –
photo by Amy Lyons
The staff will be happy to sing and dance - all you have to do is ask.
spend $20 or more at the diner and
get a 2-for-1 admission discount at
the museum. The grand opening is
sure to be fun, so don’t miss it. KEARTH 101’s Charlie Tuna will be
broadcasting live from the Johnny
Rockets patio at the Petersen
Automotive Museum from 9:00am
to 2:00pm during the event. The
celebration will also coincide with
a new exhibit celebrating the hot
rods and race cars of SO-CAL
Speed Shop including the 1:00pm
debut of ZZ Top frontman Billy F.
Gibbons’ latest ride, a customized
1958 Ford Thunderbird. A SOCAL Speed Shop satellite store will
also open that day and will be
stocked full of vintage-styled hot
rod shirts and memorabilia.
Johnny Rockets is located on the
first floor of the Petersen
Automotive Museum, which contains a walk-through diorama
known as “The Streetscape”. This
area allows visitors to experience
automotive history as it relates to
Southern California instead of
viewing it from afar.
Check out the cars and burgers at
your neighborhood museum. Visit
www.johnnyrocketsla.com
for
more information. The Petersen
Automotive Museum is located at
6060 Wilshire Blvd. One hour validated parking is available in the
museum parking structure with
Johnny Rockets purchase. Enter
Johnny Rockets either through the
lobby of the museum, or through
the Johnny Rockets patio entrance
on Fairfax Avenue.
photo by Amy Lyons
There is no shortage of car imagery on the back patio, where patrons can
lounge in the sun, or sit in the shade of umbrellas.
$'# !!$ #! $ !"#$ " $"
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Every Night,4pm-9pm
%#$ %#$
Buy one Entree with 2
$% " !#$
$& #
%"$" "#
Beverages at the regular Menu
Price and Receive a Second
Entree of Equal or lesser value
! (up to $8 Value)
Spend at least $15 before taxes and
receive $5 off the entire check.
Spend at least $15 before taxes and
receive $5 off the entire check.
Valid All Day Mon-Fri and after 2pm Sat.
& Sun. excluding holidays. Dine-in only.
Valid All Day Mon-Fri and after 2pm Sat.
& Sun. excluding holidays. Dine-in only.
Valid at IHOP Miracle Mile , 5655 Wilshire Blvd..
Valid at IHOP Miracle Mile , 5655 Wilshire Blvd.
(323)297-4467
Not Valid with any other discounts or
specials. Present coupon when ordering. Limit 1
discount per coupon per party. Expires 10/31/09.
Valid at IHOP Miracle Mile , 5655 Wilshire Blvd.
(323)297-4467
Not Valid with any other discounts or
specials. Present coupon when ordering. Limit 1
discount per coupon per party. Expires 10/31/09.
Valid every night, 4pm-9pm
Not Valid with any other discounts or
specials. Present coupon when ordering. Limit 1
discount per coupon per party. Expires 10/31/09.
Miracle Mile • 5655 Wilshire Blvd. at Hauser • (323)297-4467
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
13 September 17, 2009
RESTAURANT
NEWS
San Gennaro Feast
at Dominickʼs and
Little Domʼs
1651 N. Highland Ave. General
admission to the festival is $5 and
kids under 12 are free. All proceeds benefit the San Gennaro
Foundation. For more information, call (818)508-0082.
D
ominick’s and Little Dom’s,
two Italian restaurants in
West Hollywood and Los Feliz,
will celebrate the Feast of San
Gennaro on Thursday, September
17 and Friday, September 18, by
offering a special menu featuring
tastes of Italian-American street
food. The annual feast is a celebration of the patron saint of
Naples and was first celebrated in
the U.S. in New York in 1926.
Today, several U.S. cities host festivals. At Dominick’s and Little
Dom’s, special dishes will be
served up in red-and-white paper
basket. The menu includes pork
braciole ($7), stiglioli ($7), a
sausage and pepper sandwich
($5), roasted tomato and artichoke
foccacia ($4), gelato ($3) and
more. The special menu will be
available from 6:00pm to close at
both restaurants. Dominick’s is
located at 8715 Beverly Blvd. Call
(310)652-2335. Little Dom’s is
located at 2128 Hillhurst Ave. Call
(323) 661-0055.
More San
Gennaro News
S
peaking of the Feast of San
Gennaro, the San Gennaro
Foundation will hold its annual
street festival in honor of Italian
culture from September 25-27,
from 11:00am to 11:00pm. Back
for its eighth year, the festival was
co-founded by Jimmy Kimmel.
The weekend party will feature
food, music, genealogy research, a
kid’s corner, bocce, bingo, carnival rides, games and more. The
San Gennaro Foundation will pay
tribute to Sharon Papa, Assistant
Chief of the Los Angeles Police
Department. The opening night
gala, “Prima Notte”, raises funds
for The San Gennaro Foundation’s
charitable programs benefiting
underprivileged children, families
and homeless in Los Angeles.
Tickets for the opening night gala
are available online at www.feastofla.org and are $100 each for VIP
Admission, $50 each for general
admission or $2,000 for a reserved
table for ten guests. The festival
venue is located across the street
from the Hollywood and Highland
complex, directly behind the
Jimmy Kimmel Live Theater at
Pier Del Sol and
Special Olympics
O
n Sunday, October 4, join
Chef Neal Fraser of Grace
Restaurant and dozens of other
renowned chefs at the 13th annual
Pier del Sol family event at
Pacific Park on the Santa Monica
Pier. The Southern California
Chapter of the Special Olympics
is hosting the event to celebrate its
40th birthday and to honor the Los
Angeles Lakers. Top restaurants
will host an outdoor brunch, and
local bakeries will compete in a
cake-off to see who can bake the
best birthday cake. There will be
music, rides, games, a silent auction and more. For tickets and
more information, visit the event’s
special
web
site
at
www.sosc.org/Pier_del_Sol2009.
Sushi and Sake in
LIttle Tokyo
T
he fifth annual SushiMasters
competition and Food & Sake
Festival to benefit area cultural
programs will be held on Sunday,
September 20, from 2:30pm to
6:00pm at the Aratani/Japan
America Theatre in Little Tokyo.
Winning chefs from regional
competitions held in many major
U.S. cities will square off in the
2009
SushiMasters
Finals
East/West Challenge. In addition
to the competition, there also will
be a reception-style sample of
cuisine
from
Southern
California’s best Japanese and
Asian Restaurants, as well as sake
tasting.
The event is held each year to
celebrate Los Angeles’ and
California’s mega-history with the
art and cuisine of Japanese sushi,
and is hosted by the Japanese
American Cultural and Community
Center (JACCC) and California
Rice Commission (CRC).
Tickets are $52-$125. For more
information about the festival , visit
the
web
site
at
www.sushimasters.com.
A HOLLYWOOD
LANDMARK
SINCE 1919
Finest Cuisine
11AM to 11PM
Closed Sunday
& Monday
(323) 467-5123 • (323)467-7788
6667 Hollywood Blvd.
Available for Private Parties Mondays
Award-Winning Restaurant
Montage Offers
Wine and Fun to
Emmys Attendees
M
ontage Beverly Hills will
offer special guest services
to Emmy nominees and attendees
on Sunday, September 20. Special
amenities include a “bow tie butler” to assist with hand-tying bow
ties, a concierge team to help with
shopping emergencies, a valet
department staffing two distinct
arrival areas to ensure additional
privacy for guests and bottles of
Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de
Latour 2005 Private Reserve
Cabernet Sauvignon, the same
extraordinary wine that will be
served at the Emmy Awards
Governor’s Ball. There are three
fine dining restaurants on site,
Muse, Parq and the Conservatory
Grill. Montage Beverly Hills is at
225 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills,
(310) 860-7800, www.montagebeverlyhills.com www.montagebeverlyhills.com.
Television Stars to Pack
Nokia Theatre for Emmys
T
he 61st Primetime Emmy
Awards will hit Los
Angeles
on
Sunday,
September 20.
The party starts at 5:00pm
with the Nokia Theatre hosting
the extravaganza, opening the
doors at 2:30pm for red carpet
arrivals. Limousine drop off
on the red carpet will be
restricted to approved vehicles
with placards, all other drop
offs will take place on
Olympic Blvd. west of
Figueroa Street. Street and
Sidewalk closures include
11th Street from Cherry Street
to Flower Street; 12th Street
from Figueroa Street to Flower
Street; Pico Boulevard from
Cherry Street to Flower Street;
Cherry Street from Olympic to
Pico Boulevards; Figueroa
Street from Olympic to Venice
Boulevards; and Flower Street
from 9th Street to Pico
Boulevard. Contact Nokia
Theatre, L.A. LIVE guest services at (213)763-6030 with
any questions. The show will
be hosted by Neil Patrick
Harris.
This year’s presenters
include Emmy nominees
Simon Baker, Tina Fey, Jon
Hamm, Kiefer Sutherland and
Chandra Wilson along with
Dana Delany, Jimmy Fallon,
Alyson Hannigan, Blake
Lively, Leighton Meester,
Stephen Moyer and Jason
Segel. Hot shows generating
awards buzz include “30
Rock”, “Mad Men”, “The
Mentalist”, “Grey’s Anatomy”
and
“Flight
of
the
Conchords”. The telecast will
be broadcast live from the
Nokia Theatre from 8:00pm 11:00pm on CBS.
Vino therapy
on Melrose
V
inoteque on Melrose, a
European styled restaurant
for Angelenos seeking a relaxing
evening of great food and exceptional wine, will be open for
brunch
starting
Thursday,
September 17. The new brunch
hours will be Thursday through
Saturday from 11:00am to 5:00pm
and Sunday from 10:00am to
5:00pm. The brunch menu offers
guests a selection of chef Joshua
Smookler’s favorite recipes,
including Belgian waffles, gnocchi, lobster roll, pork belly BLT,
and apple tarte tartin made by
Pastry Chef Sheila Gomez. The
brunch menu complements the
restaurant’s already popular dinner
menu designed by Smookler.
Vinoteque on Melrose is the hot
spot for Angelenos, offering more
than 250 varieties of wine and a
European inspired menu.
Guests can choose to enjoy either
an intimate indoor setting with
wood flooring, wine racks, and special window seating with French
doors opening onto famed Melrose
Avenue, or they can dine alfresco in
the back patio surrounded by whim-
sical lights and a flowing fountain.
The menu items contain herbs
and vegetables, such as dill,
chives and tomatoes, grown right
on the restaurant's courtyard.
Vinoteque on Melrose is currently accepting reservations for
brunch and dinner.
“Guests can enjoy a glass of
wine with an appetizer or entrée
and look down on Melrose or just
sit back on the patio and relax,"
said Gil Ran, co-owner of
Vinoteque on Melrose. For reservations, call (310)860-6060 or
visit www.vinotequela.com.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
14 September 17, 2009
POLICE BLOTTER
The following information was reported to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s
Station and the LAPD’s Wilshire Division between September 4 and
September 10, 2009. 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.
Wilshire Division
September 4
An unknown suspect used a tool to
force entry into an apartment in the
300 block of S. Clark at 9:00am.
The suspect ransacked the residence and stole property.
At 3:00pm, an unknown suspect
used a tool to cut the padlock of a
garage door in the 110 block of S.
Sierra Bonita. The suspect entered
the garage, stole tools, and fled.
An unknown suspect entered an
apartment through a garage in the
800 block of N. Las Palmas at
11:00pm and stole a wallet and
credit cards.
September 5
Unknown suspects approached a
victim near 3rd and La Brea at
9:30am and demanded that the
victim withdraw money from a
bank and give it to them. One suspect followed the victim to the
bank, but then fled before the
money was withdrawn. One of the
suspects was a Caucasian male,
approximately 30-to 39-years-old,
five-feet-ten-inches tall, and 165
lbs. The second suspect was a
Hispanic female and approximately
20 to 29-years-old.
At 1:25pm, a victim left a cellular
phone at the self-checkout at a
grocery store in the 200 block of S.
La Brea. When the victim returned,
the cell phone was gone.
An unknown African American suspect engaged in a verbal argument
with a victim in the 400 block of S.
La Cienega at 1:30pm. The suspect became enraged and
punched and kicked the victim five
times. The suspect was approximately 20 to 29-years-old and fivefeet-ten-inches tall.
At 3:20pm, an unknown male suspect engaged in an argument with
a victim near Highland and
Franklin. The suspect threatened
the victimʼs life. The suspect was
approximately 35-years-old, fivefeet-five-inches tall, and 138 lbs.
September 7
An unknown suspect stole property
from a Mercedes that was parked
in the 100 block of S. Orlando at
10:00am.
At noon, an unknown suspect
forced entry into a house in the
700 block of S. Orange through a
side gate. The suspect ransacked
the house and stole cash from a
safe.
An unknown African American
male suspect was seen engaging
in reckless driving at 7:00pm near
La Brea and Clinton. LAPD officers pursued the suspect until 3rd
and Hudson.
September 8
At 8:00am, an unknown suspect
entered a synagogue in the 300
block of N. La Brea and disrupted
the congregation by yelling. The
suspect has disrupted several
such services at various synagogues in the area.
An unknown suspect stole a
FedEx-delivered package from the
front doorstep of an apartment in
the 6100 block of Orange at
1:00pm.
An unknown Caucasian male suspect approached a victim in a public restroom at The Grove at
1:30pm and exposed himself.
An unknown suspect entered a
house in the 700 block of N. Citrus
at 5:00pm and stole electronic
equipment and a safe.
At 5:30pm, an unknown suspect
stole a secured bicycle from a
garage in the 110 block of S.
Cochran.
An unknown suspect punctured
the tires of a vehicle parked in an
underground parking lot in the 600
block of S. Cloverdale at 6:00pm.
An unknown suspect entered the
kitchen of a house in the 900
block of Alandele at 8:30pm while
the residents were sleeping and
stole a purse.
September 9
An unknown suspect engaged in a
physical altercation with a victim
near 3rd and La Jolla at 1:45pm.
The victim was taken to a local
hospital for treatment, but was
unable to provide any information
about the suspect because the
victim was highly intoxicated.
At 9:30pm, an unknown suspect
opened an unlocked door of a
house in the 600 block of S.
Sycamore, ransacked the residence, and stole a watch and
cash.
An unknown suspect used a BB
gun to vandalize the window of a
business in the 300 block of S.
Robertson at 10:00pm.
A dozen unknown Hispanic
teenage suspects entered a business in the 8000 block of W. 3rd
at 10:20pm and stole various beverages.
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September 10
September 6
At 2:20am, an unknown suspect
entered a business in the 5000
block of Wilshire, ransacked the
location and stole property.
Two unknown Asian male suspects entered a retail business in
the 600 block of Robertson at
8:15pm and stole a white fur jacket and a black floor length gown.
The loss was estimated at about
$4,000.
An unknown suspect forced entry
through a set of sliding doors at a
business in the 5500 block of
Wilshire at 10:30am and stole
food.
An unknown suspect entered a
house in the 900 block of
Schumacher at 1:00pm and stole
property.
Several unknown African American
male suspects approached a victim near Fairfax and Wilshire at
4:00pm. The suspects engaged in
a verbal altercation with the victim,
punched the victim, and then stole
victimʼs cellular phone. One suspect was approximately five-feeteleven-inches tall, and 160 lbs.
At 6:40pm, an unknown suspect
approached a victim in a parking
lot near 3rd and Fairfax and threatened the victim saying “You are
going to die.”
West Hollywood
September 5
A victim reported at 11:00am that a
wallet and identification items were
stolen from a residence in the 900
block of Hilldale by recent houseguests.
At 1:00pm, the owner of a retail
clothing store in the 8300 block of
Santa Monica reported that an
unknown suspect had stolen a
dress, hat and tank top from the
location. The loss was estimated at
about $482.
At 9:00 pm, a victim reported that
an unknown suspect had stolen a
checkbook, compact discs, movie
tickets, earphones and cash from
a valet-parked vehicle in the 1100
block of Flores. The loss was estimated at about $485.
September 7
A Caucasian male suspect was
arrested at 12:45am for defrauding an innkeeper after being
unable to pay his $570 bar bill at
an establishment in the 8800
block of Santa Monica.
September 8
At 8:00am, an unknown suspect
broke into a business in the 9000
block of Beverly and stole a small
safe, computer monitor, cash and
misc. items. The loss was estimated at about $4,365. Damage to a
door was estimated at about
$500.
An unknown Caucasian male suspect defrauded an innkeeper at
an establishment in the 8400
block of Santa Monica t 7:54pm
after leaving six counterfeit $20
bills to pay his food and beverage
bill and leaving the location.
September 9
At 12:45am, a victim was forcibly
robbed by two unknown Hispanic
male suspects while walking on
the sidewalk in the 7700 block of
Convicted Tagger Sentenced
to Nearly Four Years in Prison
A
convicted tagger who previously posted his work on
YouTube was sentenced on
September 10 to three years,
eight months in prison after
accepting financial responsibility
for a new spate of graffiti damage, according to the Los Angeles
District Attorney’s Office.
Cyrus Yazdani, 26, who used the
moniker “Buket”, was rearrested
on May 21 and was on probation
after pleading guilty last
December to 32 felony counts of
vandalism. He was charged in
May with five new counts of
felony vandalism with damage of
more than $400. Authorities discovered new graffiti tags at three
different locations that were
attributed to Yazdani, said
Deputy District Attorney Deann
McCarthy. The most recent incidents
occurred
between
December 22 and March 31.
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On July 30, Yazdani pleaded no
contest to one count of felony
vandalism and accepted responsibility for the four other counts.
Together, the five counts totaled
$14,174. In exchange for his plea,
the other four vandalism counts
were dismissed.
Superior Court Judge James
Bianco imposed a three-year
prison sentence that was suspended following Yazdani’s plea in
December. Judge Bianco added
another eight months for the no
contest
plea
in
July.
Judge Bianco also ordered him to
pay $117,196 in restitution,
which includes $103,022 that he
still owes in restitution from the
December plea. McCarthy said
Yazdani has only paid $400 to
date from the December case.
Yazdani was taken immediately
into custody to begin serving his
state prison sentence.
Santa Monica. The suspects took
the victimʼs wallet, identification,
cash, eyeglasses, keys, cellular
phone and backpack, and fled in a
black Toyota Celica. The stolen
items were valued at about $430.
Several of the stolen items were
later found.
An unknown suspect stole two
Apple MacBook laptop computers
from the trunk of a vehicle parked
in the 600 block of Robertson at
2:45pm. The loss was estimated
at about $2,749.
September 10
At 5:10pm, unknown burglars
entered an apartment in the 7600
block of Norton and stole two laptop computers, digital camera and
several jewelry items. The estimated loss was $7,165.
During the week, two vehicles
were stolen by unknown suspects.
During the week, two reported
stolen vehicles were recovered
and the owners notified.
During the week, five vehicles
were impounded for 30 days after
being driven by an unlicensed driver or a person with a suspended
or revoked license.
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15 September 17, 2009
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Hammer to Stage Light- Disney
and-Sound Performance Launches
Science
Competition
Emmy Awards Founder,
Our Own
Syd Cassyd
T
photo courtesy of Claude Collins-Stracensky
The Hammer Museum presents a program titled “Spatial
Expansion, the Oneness and Suchness” on Thursday, September
17 at 7:00pm. Organized by the “Collective Field”, an ongoing collective initiated by Hammer Projects artist, Claude CollinsStracensky, the light-and-sound performance will take place in the
lobby next to Collins-Stracenskyʼs installation, and Gallery 6 next
to the courtyard. A diverse group of performers will transform the
museumʼs lobby and Gallery 6 with soundscapes and light fields.
The Gallery 6 lineup will include White Rainbow (soundscapes),
Jeff Perkins (lightscaping), Lucky Dragons (interactive sounds),
John Williams (light/sound sculpture performance), with acoustic
activation from “dublab drone dreamers Golden Hits” in the lobby.
The Hammer Museum is located at 10899 Wilshire Blvd. For information, call (310)443-7078, or visit www.hammer.ucle.edu.
Superintendent Cortines Makes
Changes to Management Team
L
os Angeles Unified School
District
Superintendent
Ramon C. Cortines is restructuring
his executive management team to
improve efficiency, including
combining two senior positions.
The Superintendent will replace
General Counsel Roberta Fesler,
who is leaving for personal reasons.
“I have decided to appoint the
current Chief Operating Officer,
Dave Holmquist, to the position of
Interim
General
Counsel,”
Cortines said.
“Attorney Holmquist has been
an integral member of the
District’s executive management
team and has demonstrated outstanding management skills, the
ability to analyze issues from a
broad perspective, and extensive
experience in motivating staff and
maximizing resources.”
he California Department of
Education is collaborating
with The Walt Disney Company
and the K-12 Alliance of state and
federal agencies to encourage local
students to participate in the
“Disney’s Planet Challenge” contest.
Disney launched the nationwide, project-based environmental
competition last week for fourth
through sixth grade classes. The
goal is to empower students to
make a difference in school, at
home, and in their local communities. Disney has more than 15
years experience running classroom environmental competitions
in California and Florida under the
title, “Disney’s Environmentality
Challenge”.
Students are asked to identify an
environmental issue for the project
in their local community and come
up with a solution that they manage and document. Past examples
range from implementing campuswide water conservation programs
and electronics recycling drives, to
protecting local habitats. Classrooms will develop a portfolio that will be evaluated on
environmental-relevance; student
learning; changes in practices and
attitudes; community involvement; lasting benefits to students,
school and community; and originality. Participation in the program
is free, and prizes will be awarded
to all students and teachers who
submit a project. Other prizes
include a class celebration at
Disneyland, a chance to meet a
Disney Channel star, and the
chance to be featured on the
Disney Channel. Thousands of
dollars in classroom grants are also
available.
The deadline to enroll in the
contest is December 18.
For additional information,
please visit the website at
www.Disney.com/planetchallenge.
T
he Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will hold the
61st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 20,
signaling an appropriate time to look back on the contributions of Syd Cassyd, the Academy’s founder and a former
columnist for the Park Labrea News/Beverly Press. Cassyd
was closely involved in the early days of broadcasting, and
founded the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in
1946 to organize the evolving television industry and to create a marketplace of ideas to explore the medium’s potential.
Cassyd served as president of the Academy in 1950. He
sometimes criticized the Emmy process, calling them the
“Cry Baby Awards” and once chastising the Academy for not
honoring more people of color. In a 1996 interview at the
Emmy Awards, however, he acknowledged their importance,
and was quoted as saying, “Twenty billion people have seen
the Emmy Awards all over the world, which has helped
Hollywood immensely. The Emmy is a powerful symbol that
means something today.”
Cassyd was awarded four Emmys during his lifetime,
including three Governor’s Awards. In 1991, the Academy’s
Board of Governors created the Syd Cassyd Founders Award
and honored him as the first recipient. Cassyd also received a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.
Cassyd was an accomplished journalist. He worked for
Army Signal Corps as a film editor during World War II, and
was a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press. He also
served as West Coast editor for Box Office Magazine. He
also wrote a column for years in the Park Labrea
News/Beverly Press up until his death in February 2000 at
age 91.
District Attorneyʼs Office Promotes
Animal Safety Campaign
T
he Los Angeles District
Attorney’s Office has launched
a new poster campaign designed to
inform people about the dangers of
leaving pets locked in vehicles.
“Bilby” the dog is at the center of
the campaign, which reminds pet
owners that it’s against the law to
leave pets unattended in hot cars.
The poster depicts “Bilby” sitting
on a pan in an open oven. The
poster reads: “Hot Oven, Hot
Car…It’s the Same Thing. Leaving
an animal in a hot car is a Crime.”
“Leaving your dog in a hot car,
even one parked in the shade, can
be both a deadly mistake and a
crime,” said Deputy District
Attorney Deborah Knaan, animal
cruelty case coordinator. “If you
love your dog, leave it home where
it’s safe.”
For information, call (213)5037254
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
16 September 17, 2009
Museum Opens Door for Celebrity Surfers Raise Cash for Cleanup
Firefighters, Free of Charge C
elebrity surfers raised $5,000
for beach and coastal protection last weekend at the Surfrider
Foundation’s 4th annual “Celebrity
Expression Session”. The group
included an eclectic mix of celebrities from film, television and music
including Jason Mraz; Sal Masekel;
Chris Shiflett, of “The Foo
Fighters”; actors David Chokachi,
Eric Balfour and Leonor Varela;
musician and composer Peter
DiStefano, from “Porno For
Pyros”; Martyn LeNoble; and Eric
Avery, bassist for “Jane’s
Addiction”. For each wave the
celebrities caught, Barefoot Wine
donated $100 dollars to the
Surfrider Foundation. “You don’t have to live near the
ocean for it to have an impact on
you,” Mraz said. “And, you don’t
have to live near the ocean for you
to have an impact on it.”
T
he Autry National Center has extended a special invitation to
local firefighters, park rangers, police officers and their families
to visit the museum free of charge through the end of the year. The
offer was made in honor of the emergency responders’ dedication in
fighting the recent brush fire in Los Angeles County.
“We are forever grateful to the heroic efforts of our local firefighters and agencies that risk their lives and continue to battle the
dangerous fires each year,” said John Gray, president and CEO of
the Autry National Center. “The Autry is well aware of the fire risks,
having experienced the Griffith Park fire, and would like to once
again open our doors to these heroic men, women, and their families.”
New weekday hours for the Autry’s Museum of the American
West are Tuesday through Friday, 10:00am to 4:00pm; and Saturday
and Sunday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. The Autry National Center is
located at 4700 Western Heritage Way. For information, call
(323)667-2000, or visit www.autrynationalcenter.org.
The Surfrider Foundation is a
non-profit grassroots environmental organization dedicated to the
protection and enjoyment of the
photo courtesy of the Surfrider Foundation
world’s oceans and beaches. For
more
information,
visit
www.surfrider.org.
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See answers on page 20
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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Founder Receives Honors
From page 4
homeless children from falling
through the cracks.”
Though Skid Row and South Los
Angeles are home to two School on
Wheels learning centers, the majority of the work is done via tutors
traveling to various homeless shelters and social service agencies. In
the Hollywood area, School on
Wheels works with Project for
Assistance in Transition from
Homelessness (PATH), which has
multiple facilities, including one at
the corner of Beverly Boulevard
and Vermont Avenue.
Joel John Roberts, CEO of PATH
Partners, PATH’s alliance of homeless services providers, said Stevens
is an outstanding pick for the
Minerva Award.
“Agnes Stevens is investing in a
whole new generation of people,
who will continue to be homeless if
they don’t get an education,”
Roberts said. “There are more and
more families becoming homeless
Marconda’s Meats
6333 W. Third St. • Farmers Market
323.938.5131
Family Owned at the Farmers Market for 65 Years
17 September 17, 2009
because of the recession, so we
need to make sure that children are
taken care of. School on Wheels
provides an amazing service...if
these kids don’t get a good education, they will likely become homeless adults.”
Kimberly Stephens, a resident of
the PATH homeless shelter, fled
from a domestic violence situation
in Memphis, Tennessee earlier this
year. She came to Los Angeles with
her 12-year-old son, Nathaniel, to
start a better life. Though Stephens’
mother lives in the Los Angeles
area, she resides in a senior citizens
home, and was unable to take in
Kimberly and Nathaniel. The single
mother and her son ended up at
PATH, and Nathaniel managed to
enroll at King Middle School. The
only reason he is maintaining good
grades, said Kimberly, is because a
School on Wheels tutor visits him at
PATH once a week.
“The tutor connected with my
child’s school right away and found
out what Nathaniel really needed,”
Stephens said. “I am coming from
Memphis to L.A. so the school system is very different. Nathaniel was
struggling, but he ended up with A’s
and B’s at the end of last school
year. Nathanial’s tutor helps him so
much.”
Stephens went on to say that
Agnes Stevens is more deserving of
an award than anyone she knows.
“I think it is wonderful that she is
getting an award. School on Wheels
is a wonderful program and it is
helping out a lot of children and
families in very difficult situations,”
Stephens said. “These families need
all the help and support they can get
because the kids are going through
such a difficult transition.”
Maria
Shriver’s
Womens
Conference will be held at the Long
Beach Convention Center main
arena. A limited number of $40 tickets for the Minerva Awards program
are
still
available
at
www.WomensConference.org. The
Minerva Awards ceremony will also
be
broadcast
live
at
www.WomensConference.org,
beginning at 5:00pm. To contact
School on Wheels, call (310)5892642.
For
Rosh Hashana
( ''$)& )!
&+ &' &+ &( $& &%& $&'&'
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Gourmet Foods For Your Holiday Table!
" " " " " " " ! " " Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
18 September 17, 2009
Head of School Wins Columbia Fellowship
P
ilgrim School has announced
Head of School, Dr. Mark A.
Brooks,
has
been awarded a
fully-funded fellowship to the
Klingenstein
Center
for
Independent
S c h o o l
L e a d e r s h i p ’s
2010 Heads of
Schools
pro- Mark Brooks
gram at Teachers
C o l l e g e ,
Columbia University. The international award, granted annually to
only 20 heads of school in the
world, provides independent school
leaders with an opportunity for
focused professional enrichment,
renewal and reflection. “We here at Pilgrim have always
known Dr. Brooks is an asset to students,” said Dr. R. Scott Colglazier,
senior minister for the First
Congregational Church of Los
Angeles, which operates Pilgrim
School. “We’re thrilled to see an
organization as prestigious as the
Klingenstein Center acknowledge
his accomplishments by awarding
him the opportunity to truly be a
leader
among
educators.”
For two weeks in January, visiting
heads of schools from around the
world gather together at Columbia
University for intensive study to
examine educational issues and
policies facing independent school
educators. The Center attracts and
selects educators who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments or potential for excellence.
The 2010 group includes heads of
schools from all areas of the United
States, as well as Namibia, Panama,
Saudi Arabia, South Africa,
Swaziland, Thailand and Turkey.
“This is an incredible honor and I
feel privileged to be a part of such a
profound event,” Brooks said. “I
look forward to learning from fellow educators from around the
world. And I can tell you that they
too will be thrilled once I share
some of the wisdom I’ve gained
from my work here at Pilgrim
School.”
Pilgrim School, located at 540 S
Commonwealth Ave., serves students in preschool through 12th
grade. For information, call (213)3857351, or visit www.pilgrimschool.org.
St. James’ Debuts New
Science Room
Chamber of Commerce Honors USCʼs Cinema Program
T
he Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce
honored
the
University of Southern California’s
School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) on
September 10 with a commemorative star in front of the newly
unveiled SCA complex at USC.
Sid Ganis (left), producer and former president of the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts, joined
Elizabeth Daley, dean of the USC
School of Cinematic Arts, and
Leron Gubler, president and CEO
of the Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce, at the ceremony.
The star was awarded in celebration of the SCA’s 80th anniversary,
and recognizes the role the SCA
has played in educating and training tens of thousands of individuals
in the cinematic arts and sciences.
SCA, co-founded
with the Academy
of Motion Pictures
Arts and Sciences in
1929, offered the
first cinematic studies program at any
U.S. college or university.
By 1932 USC had
created the first
bachelor’s degree
program in cinematic studies, and later
expanded the cinema department into
a
professional
school that offers
bachelors, masters
and
doctorate
degrees.
photo courtesy of Micah Hales
St. Jamesʼ Episcopal School, located at 625 S. St. Andrews Pl.,
held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new science room on
September 4. Head of School, Stephen Bowers (left); was joined by
Gretchen Kasai, a volunteer parent who led the project; Cara
Esposito, a current parent at St. Jamesʼ and representative of the
Leonetti/OʼConnell Foundation; and Father Paul Kowalewski, rector of St. Jamesʼ Episcopal Church, for the ribbon cutting. The funding for the new science room was raised through a gala titled “The
Bug Boogie Bash” held in May at the Wilshire Country Club, and a
grant from the Leonetti/OʼConnell Family Foundation. The science
room was renovated with new plumbing and electrical fixtures, and
now features six learning stations outfitted with overhead computers that can be linked to digital microscopes and digital sensors,
enabling groups of students to view experiments. The group can
accommodate up to 24 students at a time, and has also been
equipped with a large computer screen that can be viewed by the
entire class. For more information about St. James Episcopal
School, call (213)382-2315, or visit www.sjsla.org.
photo courtesy of Steve Cohn Photography
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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Beverly Hills Bar Association
Selects New President
T
he Beverly Hills Bar
Association (BHBA) has
selected attorney Marc Poster, a
partner with the appellate law
firm of Greines, Martin, Stein
& Richland
LLP, as its
new president.
Poster will be
sworn in at the
organization’s
a n n u a l
Installation
Marc Poster
and Awards
Dinner
on
Wednesday, September 30 at
6:30pm at the Four Seasons
Hotel in Los Angeles. In addition, attorney Sean
O’Brien, of Cislo & Thomas
LLP, will be sworn in as president of the BHBA Barristers,
the young lawyers’ section of
the Bar Association. Attorney
Geraldine Wyle, of Hoffman,
Sabban & Watenmaker APC,
will be installed as president of
the Beverly Hills Bar
Foundation, the charitable arm
of
the
BHBA.
State
Assemblyman Mike Feuer,
42nd District, will be the
keynote speaker at the
Installation and Awards Dinner,
which will also honor several
individuals with BHBA awards
for outstanding service. They
incude Felicia Meyers, who
will receive the President’s
Award; Paul Basile, who will be
given the Board of Governors’
Award; Paul Weisman, who
will receive the Executive
Director’s Award; and Robert
Lance, who will be recognized
with the Barristers’ Lawrence J.
Blake Award. Proceeds
from
the
Installation and Awards Dinner
support the educational and
community outreach programs
of the BHBA. The Four
Seasons Hotel is located at 300
South Doheny Dr. For information call (310)601-2422, or visit
www.bhba.org.
Dodgers News
Fireworks, Giveaways
at Dodgers Stadium
T
he Los Angeles Dodgers have
some special events going on
this weekend, where fans can enjoy
Friday Night Fireworks on
September 18, and children can
receive “Webkinz Lilkinz Tree
Frogs” presented by Kaiser
Permanente on Sunday, September
20.
The “My Town” section will be
“Dodgertown, Ireland” on Friday,
and fans sitting in Reserve sections
56 and 60 will receive
“Dodgertown, Ireland” t-shirts and
enjoy all-you-can-eat grilled
sausage marinated in honey and
mustard, tullamore dew marinated
chicken, Irish potato salad, and
ballpark items. Fans can purchase
tickets to sit in Dodgertown, Ireland
at dodgers.com/sitinmytown.
Argentinean opera singer Carlos
de Antonis will sing the National
Anthem, and in honor of “My
Town, Ireland”, Irish-American
singer Tom McBride will sing
“God Bless America” during the
seventh inning stretch. Valderrama,
who is currently performing the
voice of “Manny” in the Disney
show, “Handy Manny”, will throw
out a ceremonial first pitch.
On Saturday, actress Jenna
Elfman will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Elfman stars in the
upcoming
CBS
comedy,
“Accidentally on Purpose”, which
premieres on Monday, September
21. On Sunday, comedian and television host Howie Mandel and professional skateboarder Tony Alva
will throw ceremonial first pitches.
Reserve sections 56 and 60 will be
“Dodgertown, UCLA” on Sunday,
and fans seated in the section will
enjoy all-you-can-eat cheeseburgers, BBQ chicken and watermelon,
as well as unlimited ballpark fare.
Fans
will
also
receive
“Dodgertown, UCLA” t-shirts.
For information, visit the website
at www.dodger.com. ! ! $ $*( $ * ( %# /%+ &)) *(%+ )'+)*( "+) (%$* &* %
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19 September 17, 2009
LACMA to Open Postwar European Exhibit
T
he Los Angeles County
Museum of Art (LACMA) presents an exhibit titled “Joseph
Beuys: The Multiples” on view
from Saturday, September 19
through next June. The exhibit is
the first west coast presentation of
nearly 600 multiples produced
between 1968 and 1986.
The rotation is from the collection of The Broad Art Foundation
and is being featured as part of the
ongoing loan program the foundation established with LACMA in
2008. Beuys (1921–1986) is one of
the most influential postwar
European artists. He is credited
with challenging American domination of the art world in the 1950s
and ‘60s with art that confronted
recent German history. Like Marcel
Duchamp and Andy Warhol, Beuys
fabricated an extensive personal
myth essential to understanding his
work. Only after his death have
scholars been able to approach his
work with a fresh interpretation.
“This presentation offers a
chance to dig into the enigmatic
work of this major postwar German
artist, whose personal mythology,
relationship with the traumatic
German past, and engagement with
contemporary social and political
issues can often be hard for
Americans to understand,” said
Stephanie Barron, senior curator of
modern art at LACMA. “Perhaps
following closely on the presentation of our recent exhibition, ‘Art of
Two
Germanys/Cold
War
Cultures’, the context for this work
can be better understood.”
Beuys’s practice was a particularly European form of multiples in
which two and three-dimensional
objects are issued in editions.
Marcel Duchamp pioneered the
concept in the 1930s when he
began producing “Boîte-en-valise”
(box in a suitcase), a portable
miniaturized compendium of 69 of
his most well known works.
Beuys’s multiples were intended to
be widely circulated and cheap to
acquire. Ranging from small
objects to mass-produced political
flyers and postcards, the 572 works
provide a complete picture of his
diverse body of works.
LACMA is located at 5905
Wilshire Blvd. For more information, call (323)857-6000, or visit
www.lacma.org.
photo courtesy of LACMA
Joseph Beuysʼ “La Rivoluzione
Siamo
Noi
(We Are
the
Revolution)” from 1972 is one of
the many pieces to be displayed at
LACMA.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
20 September 17, 2009
Readers Respond!
I
n the September 10 issue of the
Park La Brea News and
Beverly Press, we asked readers
to weigh in about the influx of
billboards advertising the new
“Melrose Place” series on the
CW network. Here’s what you
said:
“In response to your request for
comment regarding the myriad of
‘Melrose Disgrace’ billboards
propagating my world, I hate
them! Do anything you can to
bring them down!”
- Will Johnson
“As a parent of a nine-year-old
son, I do not like the suggestive
content of the ‘Melrose Place’
billboards. They have prompted
questions from my son while driving to his school, Larchmont
Charter. In addition to the two
schools you mentioned in your
article, there are other schools in
the vicinity including the Center
for Early Ed., Rosewood
photo by Megan O’Neil
The mosaic depicts thick green vines, a reference to the history of Vine
Street, which was once the site of a large vineyard.
Mosaic Honors History
From page 6
Vine Street Elementary, which
serves grades kindergarten through
sixth, has had its share of struggles
as the socio-economic demographics of the neighborhood shifted.
When he arrived 17 years ago,
Savage said, the school had a burgeoning enrollment of 1,200 students and operated on a year round
schedule. Today, it serves approximately 500 students and maintains
a traditional schedule.
Nevertheless, it remains a familyoriented environment anchored by
long-time teachers, Savage said.
“We are not a school where
teachers come and move on to
another opportunity,” Savage said.
“Teachers come here and stay here
their entire teaching careers. We
have a teacher who taught kindergarten for 45 years. There are three
teachers here who have been here
upwards of 30 years. There are kids
in my class whose parents went
here.”
The birthday celebration won’t
just be about looking back, Stehr
and Savage said. Instead, the school
will use the momentum of the 100th
anniversary celebration to refocus
on improving test scores and campus facilities.
“The ultimate goal was to celebrate the school and celebrate 100
years, but we also wanted to look at
it as a fundraising opportunity and a
chance to connect with the community and the businesses in the area,”
Savage said. “We are looking to
raise money, we would like to redo
the auditorium and maybe redo the
sound system.”
At the heart of the school’s beautification and facilities improvement effort is a new ceramic mosaic created by noted artist, Yuriko
Etue, that now dominates the main
entryway of the school. Etue, a
member of the art coalition known
as “The Silver Lakers”, specializes
in public art and has collaborated on
25 such projects.
“I wanted to involved the students, teachers and parents, so we
had a meeting,” Yuriko said. “We
asked what kind of feelings or
image they want on the entrance.
Then the words came up – ‘welcoming,’
‘growth,’
‘vine,’
‘Hollywood,’ ‘growth of knowledge.’ I was inspired by those
words, then I visualized my idea.”
The mosaic, which was completed in August, depicts thick green
vines, a reference to the history of
Vine Street, which was once the
site of a large vineyard, as well as
old-time movie reels. Etue said she
chose to create a mosaic as opposed
to a mural because murals fade,
while mosaics continue to look
beautiful decade after decade.
The art project was funded in
part by a $10,000 City of Los
Angeles Beautification Grant,
which was secured in collaboration
with the Hollywood Arts Council.
The new mosaic, as well as other
aesthetic improvements at the
school, communicate to students
that the community is invested in
their education, Stehr said, and
establishes a tone of high expectations on the Vine Street Elementary
School campus.
“We spent a lot of time this year
cleaning up and straightening up,”
Stehr said. “It lets them know that
the community cares enough…to
put a real piece of art and attach it
to our school. It really adds to the
appeal of the front of the school. It
makes it stand out.”
Answers From Page 16
Water Mains
From page 3
was repaired by 5:00pm, and no significant damage occurred, Hughes
added. Two other water mains ruptured last week in the local area —
one in the 1400 block of Hi Point
Street and another in the 100 block of
N. Hayworth Avenue — but were
later repaired.
“We try to repair them as quickly
and safely as possible. All water
pipes are under the street, so we have
to dig down and get the pipe fixed,
and then get the street fixed,” Hughes
added. “We have around 7,000 miles
of pipe servicing the city, and our
photo by Edwin Folven
A billboard advertising ”Melrose Place” is located directly across the
street from Fairfax High School
Elementary and Laurel Avenue
Elementary. These billboards do
not belong in our neighborhood.
- Mary O’Leary
“I think the billboards are offensive, unsightly, too large, too vultrack record is better than the national average.”
Hughes added that the number of
ruptures that have occurred within
the past two weeks are “within the
normal range.” She added that there
was not one cause, and that a variety
of factors led to the ruptures. Los
Angeles City Councilman Tom
LaBonge, 4th District, said he has
asked the LADWP and his staff to
compile a report on the age and condition of pipes in the Fourth Council
District to determine if there is anything that can be done quickly to prevent the ruptures. The report should
be complete by the middle of
October, he added.
“We are an aging city, and I know
gar and definitely too near schools.
Although bad taste and greed are
not, unfortunately, illegal, new
billboards and supergraphics are
illegal. They should come down
and as soon as possible.
- Alice S. Cassidy
some parts of the city have been
upgraded, but other areas need some
attention,” LaBonge said.
The LADWP is currently in the
midst of a $1.3 billion upgrade to the
water pipe infrastructure, but there
are indications that the LADWP may
ask for another rate increase that
would raise an addition $1.4 billion
to expedite the process. While no formal request for an increase has been
made, LaBonge said he has heard
that it would likely be around $4
more per two-month period.
“If that’s necessary, it is something
that I would have to look into,”
LaBonge said. “We need to repair
our infrastructure, and if we don’t
invest in it, it is going to break again.”
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
21 September 17, 2009
Club Leader Inspires Students
From page 1
roles.
“In Islam, a lot of the women
have to walk behind the man,”
Merida said. “They can’t walk in
front of them or beside them.”
Merida’s fact-finding mission
produced a solid paper, but the
project also required 20 hours of
hands-on, active learning. That’s
when she discovered the
Hollywood Chapter of the
National Organization for Women
(Hollywood NOW). President
Lindsey Horvath invited Merida
to a NOW meeting and took the
high school senior under her
wing.
“When I went to that
Hollywood NOW meeting, I
couldn’t believe all the work those
photo by Amy Lyons
Alexandria Rakes, president of the Young Feminists Club, and Eduardo
Umana, vice president of the club, both said they have learned a lot from
their participation.
women got done,” Merida said. “I
was really amazed.”
When Merida reported back to
her English teacher, Karen
Cusolito, about her experience
with NOW, Cusolito recommended she start her own feminist club.
“The club took off and Sandy
took off,” Cusolito said. “Sandy
was an average student, but she
totally blossomed with this club.”
Merida said the club is an
important part of campus life, particularly because of the range of
views held by students at the
school on women’s roles.
“At Hollywood High, we have a
lot of ethnic students from Central
America and other parts of the
world, where things are very conservative,” Merida said. “A lot of
the kids believe that women clean
the house, don’t go out, are just
there to get married and be dependent on the man. It is important
that we all be exposed to the idea
that women can be whatever they
want to be.”
Officially formed in January, the
club started out with seven members and is now 25 members
strong and growing. They meet
weekly to have lively discussions
about everything from women in
politics to wage equality. Cusolito
feared the club would die when
Merida graduated and went on to
Real Estate Market Remains a Mixed Bag
From page 3
ber of bidders is actually driving up
prices in some neighborhoods,
Flaster said.
Market data released this week
by MDA DataQuick, a San Diegobased real estate research firm,
reflects the shift in prices reported
by local real estate agents. In
August, the median home price in
southern California climbed to
$275,000, a 2.6 percent increase
from July, according to MDA
DataQuick. The month-to-month
increase was the fourth consecutive
increase since the median hit a
seven-year low of $247,000 in
April.
In her opinion, Flaster said, short
sales, wherein a bank or mortgage
lender sells a property for less than
what is owed in order to clear it off
its books, continue to be the best
option for house hunters looking to
make the most of the downturn in
the market. Short sales require
patience, Flaster said, because it
can often take banks months to
approve
such
transactions.
Nevertheless, she said, foreclosure
and short sale houses are moving
quickly.
Indeed, after a 14 month-overmonth increase in the number of
new and resale homes in Southern
California, sales dropped by 10.8
percent in August to 21,502. The
drop,
according
to
MDA
DataQuick, was due to a “thinning
inventory of foreclosure properties.”
Natalie Neith, a real estate agent
working in West Adams, Hancock
Park, the Miracle Mile, BeverlyWilshire and parts of the San
Fernando Valley, said she watched
her business slow dramatically in
2008 as homeowners and potential
buyers were scared off by dismal
economic news. This year, prices
have stabilized and activity has
jumped.
“I have done triple this year what
I did last year, in terms of numbers
of transactions,” Neith said. “Now
yes, the prices were lower, but
prices had gotten really high. What
I am seeing is a lot more buyers
coming out and realizing hey, if I
am going to buy, this is the time to
do it.”
The tumult in the market, the
agents said, is bringing a diverse
mix of clients through their doors.
There are young professional couples looking for starter homes, single people who never thought they
could buy a house with one
income and immigrant families
trying to live out the American
dream.
There are also plenty of parents
who are taking advantage of the
downturn in the market to buy, or
help buy, property for their adult
children, Wade said.
“A lot of parents who have been
watching this whole thing, they are
telling their kids we have waited
long enough, we are going to give
you the $250,000 to put down,
let’s buy something,” Wade said.
While opportunities abound,
securing a bank loan continues to
be a significant obstacle, the realtors all agreed. Flaster said loan
applicants need a minimum FICO
score of 720 to get approval from
a lender.
“The major challenge is still the
unavailability of mortgages,”
Flaster said. “Mortgages are not
available, we cannot get loans and
that is a real bummer. The rates
that are being advertised don’t do
any good because very few people
qualify.”
But if a potential buyer does
have the necessary down payment
and strong credit scores there is no
time like the present to purchase a
home, Flaster said.
“I do recommend that buyers
seriously consider the advantages
before the rate hike and prices start
going up, otherwise they will
regret it.”
photo by Megan O’Neil
Several homes are for sale in Hancock Park and the surrounding neighborhoods, including this one on Orange Drive.
photo by Amy Lyons
Several students have become involved in Hollywood High Schoolʼs
Young Feminists Club, which is headed by Alexandria Rakes (center).
pursue higher education at Los
Angeles Valley College, but a new
student stepped up to take over,
16-year-old Alexandria Rakes.
“This club opened up so many
doors for me and helped me open
up so much,” Rakes said. “I really
want to continue what Sandy started.”
At a recent meeting, Rakes said
she doesn’t like being told she
can’t do something by virtue of
her gender.
“Sometimes people look at me,
and just because I’m the girly-girl
type they believe I can’t do half
the stuff a male can do. It doesn’t
matter, I can accomplish just as
much as anyone else can.”
And if you thought feminists
were only female, the club’s current vice president, 17-year-old
Eduardo Umana is quick to dispel
that myth.
“I have a sister and a mother
who I live with and I think it is
really important that women have
equal rights,” Umana said.
“Hillary Clinton is a big feminist
role model. I believe that in politics there are a lot of places where
women have broader thoughts
than men and that we should hear
them out more.”
Council Weighs In on Budget
During Marathon Session
From page 1
would save $12 million this fiscal year. The council wants the
coalition to come up with an
additional $60 million in concessions.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa announced his
opposition to the plan on Friday,
saying a better deal must be generated to close the deficit.
“As you know, the city administrative officer and chief legislative analyst released a report
raising grave concerns about the
viability of the city’s tentative
agreement with the Coalition of
City Unions and the tentative
agreement regarding the early
retirement incentive program
with all city unions representing
LACERS members. The CAO
and the CLA concluded that
approval of these agreements
‘would devastate city operations
and would not be sustainable,’”
Villaraigosa said.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the
mayor held firm, saying he
would veto any decision that
preserved the plan to allow
2,400 city employees to retire up
to five years early with full benefits. City administrative officer
Miguel Santana offered a different plan, one that imposes 26
days of furloughs over the next
nine months for all civilian
employees, including police. He
called for layoffs of 926 city
workers, including 162 civilian
employees at the LAPD.
In its early retirement plan, the
coalition is offering a .75 percent
increase in contributions toward
a pension plan, while data in the
new report necessitates a 1.9
percent increase in contributions, a figure the coalition is
balking at.
Julie Wong, a spokesperson
for Garcetti, said the city is trying to find a variety of ways to
close the $405-million budget
gap, including concessions from
unions outside the coalition, like
those representing firefighters
and police officers. The coalition, she said, has to find more
money in its plan to make the
early retirement program feasible.
Councilmember
Bernard
Parks, 8th District, chair of the
Council’s Budget and Finance
Committee, is opposed to the
early retirement plan as it stands.
On Wednesday, prior to another
council meeting about the issue,
Parks said the coalition would
have to find more cost-saving
areas in order to get support
from the council.
“The main issue is that the
plan was always meant to be
cost neutral to the city,” Parks
said. “If the coalition can make
it cost neutral that is a big step
forward, if they can’t, I don’t
expect that there will be enough
votes to support it.
Parks supports a hike to the
percentage in pension contributions, and the subsidization of
city-funding programs as ways
for the coalition to find more
funding.
The issue is expected to be
stalled for at least a few days.
Wong said if the city decides to
pass a new early retirement plan,
there needs to be an ordinance
created that outlines the new
program. If the city opposes an
early retirement plan, she said,
furloughs and layoffs are the
biggest cost-saving alternative.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
22 September 17, 2009
Smoking Ban Enacted in County Parks
From page 1
“This ordinance puts a punctuation mark on our policy. Now it is
not just a request, it’s the law,”
Yaroslavsky said. “No user of our
park system should be forced to
inhale someone else’s smoke just
because they are downwind.”
The county ordinance is similar
to a law in the City of Los Angeles
that prohibits smoking in parks,
golf courses and city-owned outdoor facilities. The law went into
effect in 2007, shortly after the
Griffith Park Fire burned more than
800 acres. No one has been charged
with starting that blaze, but fire
investigators believe it was caused
by a smoker.
The Hollywood Bowl is operated
by the L.A Philharmonic under
contract with the County of Los
Angeles. According to Sophie
Jefferies, a spokesperson for the
L.A. Philharmonic, there are designated areas near restrooms where
smoking will still be permitted, but
no smoking will be tolerated in any
other areas. She added that when it
is dark, it can be difficult to prevent
people from smoking in the seating
areas and other non-smoking locations, but the staff will continue to
work diligently to prevent people
from lighting up.
Joel Bellman, a spokesman for
Yaroslavsky, said smoking will
still be permitted in some areas of
the Hollywood Bowl because the
Board recognized it is a commercial venue, which is different from
a park where there is no commercial draw.
“The smoking is outside, it is not
in the Bowl or the seating areas,”
Bellman added “It gives some
enforcement muscle, but it differentiates between a contract-operated facility that operates with concessions, and a park. It attempts to
strike a fair, reasonable and
enforceable balance.”
The smoking ban would also
affect venues such as the John
Anson Ford Theatre, the Kenneth
Hahn Regional Park in the
Baldwin Hills, and the L.A.
County Arboretum. It would also
pertain to all 17 golf courses operated by the county, but smoking
would still be permitted in some
designated smoking areas, such as
fairways. There are also some other
exceptions, including smoking
being allowed during photo or film
shoots. Those circumstances, however, would require a special permit
from a facility’s director and fire
department officials.
Yaroslavsky said the new no
smoking ordinance addresses the
dangers of smoking in areas where
brush fires can occur, but largely
came in response to health concerns. A report to the board that was
compiled by the county’s
Department of Parks and
Recreation outlined the detrimental
effects of smoking and exposure to
second hand smoke. According to
the report, more than 440,000 premature deaths are caused annually
by tobacco-related diseases, making it the leading cause of preventable death. The cost of caring
for people with tobacco-related illnesses is estimated at $475 per resident in California, according to the
report. In Los Angeles County, an
estimated $4.3 billion is spent each
year on smoking-related costs, with
Rosh Hashana Begins at Sundown on Friday
From page 1
Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.
Observers will usher in the New
Year, 5,770 according to the Jewish
calendar, by donning white and
attending religious services on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Friends and family will also gather
for meals in private homes.
Traditional symbolic foods include
apples dipped in honey and challah,
bread baked into thick braids.
Rabbi Denise Eger, head of
Congregation Kol Ami in West
Hollywood and president of the
Jewish Board of Rabbis of Southern
California, said Rosh Hashana is a
time for introspection and repentance as Jews reflect on the past year
and look forward to the future.
“It is really a process of self
examination and looking at our
deeds and where we missed the
mark, our transgressions, our sins,
and making what we call in Hebrew,
‘Tashlick,’ which means repentance,
but also means turning,” Eger said.
It is also an opportunity to make
amends with those one may have
wronged, Rabbi Mark Diamond
said. Diamond, executive vice president of the Board of Rabbis, said
that during Rosh Hashana, Jews will
sometimes reach out to an individual they have had a disagreement
with, or who they have offended, in
an offering of reconciliation.
Restitution and forgiveness will
be a major theme at Rosh Hashana
services in Los Angeles this year,
Diamond said, as the Jewish community tries to move beyond the
Bernie Maddoff ponzi scheme
investment scandal that devastated
many Jewish families and organizations.
“Sadly, we are still facing the consequences of that both in terms of
some of our foundation monies and
the individuals who were generous
donors who have suffered great personal losses,” Diamond said. “There
are two words in Hebrew that
describe what Maddoff did. It is
called ‘chilul hashem,’ it means a
desecration of the name of God. It
means that any act that a Jewish person does that brings harm upon the
name of God or the Jewish people is
a desecration of God’s name. That is
precisely what Bernie Maddoff and
photo by Amy Lyons
The new ordinance will give the staff at the Hollywood Bowl more
options in enforcing no smoking rules.
more than $2.3 billion per year for
health care related costs, and $2 billion for other expenditures. The
report also stated that approximately 52,000 deaths occur each year in
California that are related to second-hand smoke.
“Smoking is very unhealthy to
all of us. It creates a higher risk of
cancer, respiratory disease and
other maladies,” Yaroslavsky
added. “I think most people will
abide by the new ordinance without
complaint, but one smoker can ruin
it for an awful lot of people.”
The Board of Supervisors has to
give the ordinance a second review
next Tuesday as a formality, but the
new law will go into effect 30 days
after that date.
Burglaries Plague Melrose
District in September
From page 1
photo by Megan O’Neil
Torah Scroll are covered in white cloth at Rosh Hashana to symbolize
purity. These scrolls are from Congregation Kol Ami.
the scandal represents.”
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
issued a formal proclamation this
week in honor of Rosh Hashana.
“The High Holy Days offer an
opportunity for prayer, fasting and
self-reflection,” Schwarzenegger
said. “They are a chance to celebrate kinship and a time for charity
and forgiveness. I encourage
Californians to join me in wishing
our Jewish citizens a healthy and
prosperous New Year.”
In conjunction with Rosh
Hashana, the Jewish Federation of
Greater Los Angeles and the Board
of Rabbis is launching an antihunger campaign called “Fed Up
with Hunger.” On Friday, plastic
bags will be distributed at 50 synagogues. Participants are being
asked to fill the bags with food,
which will then be handed out to
those in need of food assistance at
various food banks across the city.
“As members of the Jewish community gather to celebrate the
Jewish New Year, we are partnering
with synagogues throughout Los
Angeles to focus on the critical
issues of hunger in this city,” said
John Fishel, president of the Jewish
Federation. “We want the public to
be aware that the Jewish Federation
has a commitment to all people
who are hungry.”
The Jewish community can’t
tackle the problem of hunger alone,
Diamond said, and the Jewish
Federation and the Board of Rabbis
are working to expand the campaign into an interfaith effort.
“The Shofar has many levels of
significance, one of them is a cry of
alarm,” Diamond said. “It is supposed to awaken us from our slumber, and we would like people this
year to awaken from their slumber
and to join us in this campaign to
end hunger in Los Angeles, to alleviate the pain of hunger. It is tragic
that we live in a city blessed with
such tremendous resources and yet
thousands of our fellow citizens go
to bed hungry each night and wake
up hungry each morning.”
Det. Bobby Smith, a supervi- on September 5 on Kilkea Drive.
sor with the LAPD Wilshire The suspect was described as an
Division’s Burglary Unit, said African American man, between
some of the break-ins have been 19 and 25 years old and weighoccurring during the day at times ing approximately 200 to 230
when people are at work, while pounds.
others have occurred during the
Smith said officers from the
evening hours. Smith did not Wilshire Division’s Special
have specific detail on every Problems Unit were deployed to
case but added that no one has the area during the past two
been injured during the burglar- weeks, but were unable to locate
ies, and that the perpetrators any suspects. The Special
mainly
steal
Problems
cash, jewelry
Unit com“A lot of people bines underand small electronic
items
have said they cover and
such as iPods
uniformed
left the door
and laptop comofficers
puters.
open because it w o r k i n g
The first incitogether on a
dent occurred on was hot, but it is s p e c i f i c
August 31 at a
problem, and
2009, and you
residence in the
unit will
can’t just leave the
600 block of
be deployed
North Curson
again in the
things open
Ave.
An
Melrose area
anymore.”
unknown suson a sporadic
pect reportedly
basis.
-Det. Bobby Smith, LAPDʼs
pushed open a
Smith said
Wilshire Divsion r e s i d e n t s
window
and
entered the resishould not be
dence sometime
overly worafter 5:00pm,
ried,
but
according to police. The second should take precautions, such as
incident occurred on September keeping windows and doors
1 around 1:00pm at a residence locked. Investigators also sugin the 843 N. Spaulding Avenue. gest that people join a neighborIn that case, the suspect forced hood watch group, and keep
open a window to enter the resi- watch over their neighbors.
dence.
“A lot of people have said
Two burglaries occurred on they left the door open because it
September 3 and 4 at businesses was hot, but it is 2009, and you
located at 7469 and 7777 can’t just leave things open any
Melrose Avenue. In both cases, more,” Smith added. “I underthe suspect forced open a locked stand that it is hot, but if your
door to enter the business. leave you doors and window
Additional burglaries occurred open, people are going to get
at homes on Kilkea Drive, in.”
Spaulding
Avenue
and
Anyone with information
Willoughby Avenue between about the incidents is asked to
September 5 and September 9, contact the Wilshire Division’s
Smith added.
Burglary Unit at (213)922-8205.
A witness provided police During weekends and off-hours,
with a description of a possible call the LAPD’s 24-hour, tollsuspect following the burglary free hotline at (877)LAWFULL.
23 September 17, 2009
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Rick’s Porcelain
Refinishing
MORTUARY
PARK LABREA NEWS
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME
STATEMENT
20091384829
The following person(s) are doing
business as M2 AND SUM, 13213
AETNA STREET, VAN NUYS, CA
91401, LOS ANGELES, CA. 311 N.
ROBERTSON BLVD. #566, BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90211. MINDY
LAKE, 215 S. TOWER DR., BEVERLY HILLS, CA 92011. MARCIE
MAXFIELD
13213
AETNA
STREET, VAN NUYS, CA 91401.
The business is conducted by: co-partners. The registrant has not yet begun
to transact business under the fictitious
business name or names listed herein.
This statement was filed with the
County Clerk of Los Angeles County
on Setmeber 10, 2009. NOTICE - This
fictitious name statement expires five
years from date it was filed prior to that
date. The filing of this statement does
not of itself authorize the use in this
state of a fictitious business name in
violation of the rights of another under
federal, state of common law. (See section 1440 et seq., Business Professions
code.
9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8/09
GOOD COMPANY
provides in-home care
and companionship to
help people
remain independent
and happier at home.
Call Today
for a free consultation
(323)932-8700
www.goodcoseniorcare.com
WINDOW CLEANING
RAMIZ WINDOW
CLEANING
and Maintenance
serving Park Labrea
Residents
for more than 35 years.
(323)653-7460
WINDOW COVERINGS
CAM’S SHUTTERS
& INTERIORS
Specializing in Custom Made
shutters, window treatments and
interior design.
We manufacture & install.
Family owned & operated
since 1960.
Call 800-867-5034
Visit our showroom in Covina.
www.camsshuttersandinteriors.com
for address & more information.
TASHMAN
SCREENS &
HARDWARE
7769 SANTA MONICA BL.
WEST HOLLYWOOD
(323)656-7028
Serving West Hollywood
Since 1961
Family Owned & Operated
Doors • Windows • Screens
Hardware & More
GOLD STAR
FAMILY OWNED
SINCE 1876
Jewlery
We buy gold, diamonds & fine watches
Top Dollar Paid!
Specializing in: ring sizing, Custom deisgn, Engraving,
Stone replacement, Wedding Bands, Restringing,
Bracelet Repair, Retipping prongs
We Offer Expert
Rolex Repair Service
Limited-Time Rolex
Repair special offer:
Complete Overhaul:
was $350
NOW ONLY $175
587 South Fairfax Ave. (1 bl. North of Wilshire) • (323)931-2113
24 September 17, 2009
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press