Saturday, October 31, 2009
Halloween Shocker! Citizens of Los Angeles Saved from Another Corrupt Political Scheme!
First the DWP's attempted pay-off of the rate payers money to Brian D'Arcy - Measure 'B', despite the fix being in at City Hall, died a unnatural death at the polls.
Now the incompetence and lies of AnsaldoBreda, after were awarded a contract to build light rail cars for the MTA even after showing - repeatedly - they could not build reliable cars, could not build cars on time and could not build cars on budget - has managed to screw up a contract they had all but dictated to the MTA.
Yes, even after the professionals at the MTA said they did not want AnsaldoBreda to build the cars - the politicians still, in their never ending efforts to reward the usual special interest groups - voted to give the company a sweet heart contract. But even then, even with the usual City Hall fix put in place - AnsaldoBreda was still so staggeringly incompetent, they couldn't even meet the financial conditions of a contract written to their own specifications.
But - alas - it's not yet time to celebrate.
Just when you think yet another stake has finally been driven though the heart of another vampire - the president of the company has already suggested they may bid again now that the contract is open for bids again. And the politicians and the special interest groups will undoubtedly - once again - try and find a way to defraud the public.
Now the incompetence and lies of AnsaldoBreda, after were awarded a contract to build light rail cars for the MTA even after showing - repeatedly - they could not build reliable cars, could not build cars on time and could not build cars on budget - has managed to screw up a contract they had all but dictated to the MTA.
Yes, even after the professionals at the MTA said they did not want AnsaldoBreda to build the cars - the politicians still, in their never ending efforts to reward the usual special interest groups - voted to give the company a sweet heart contract. But even then, even with the usual City Hall fix put in place - AnsaldoBreda was still so staggeringly incompetent, they couldn't even meet the financial conditions of a contract written to their own specifications.
But - alas - it's not yet time to celebrate.
Just when you think yet another stake has finally been driven though the heart of another vampire - the president of the company has already suggested they may bid again now that the contract is open for bids again. And the politicians and the special interest groups will undoubtedly - once again - try and find a way to defraud the public.
MTA's rail-car contract falls apart at last minute, scuttling hundreds of jobs [Updated]
October 31, 2009 | 9:14 pm
A tentative and controversial deal to build 100 rail cars for Los Angeles County's transit system has fallen through -- taking with it plans to build a $70-million factory that would have created hundreds of local jobs.
Last-minute negotiations failed to result in a contract with AnsaldoBreda, an Italian manufacturer that is three years behind schedule on an existing contract to deliver 50 rail cars to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Despite those delays -- and the delivery of cars that were 6,000 pounds heavier than specified -- AnsaldoBreda was positioned to win the new $300-million contract through an option with a deadline of Friday at midnight.
Just weeks ago, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had hailed the impending deal because the company said it would build the rail cars at a new Los Angeles factory. Villaraigosa had cited a study estimating that the plant would deliver $368 million in economic activity, including 650 factory jobs and close to 1,000 union construction jobs to build the facility. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor had lobbied the MTA board in favor of the contract.
Today, the mayor expressed disappointment. "In these tough economic times, it was important to make every effort to bring good jobs to L.A. and simultaneously exercise due diligence to protect public funds in pursuing this contract,” Villaraigosa said in a statement. “Unfortunately after months of negotiations, at the last minute, satisfactory financial guarantees were not provided and the deal was not signed.”
Hours before the deadline, the company raised new issues -- including a cap on daily penalties for delivering rail cars behind schedule, said MTA spokesman Marc Littman. Transit-agency negotiators declined to make additional concessions and the time period to reach an agreement expired.
The deal’s disintegration has ramifications beyond the future work, said MTA board member Richard Katz, a Villaraigosa appointee. He cited an agreement under which AnsaldoBreda was going to provide two free rail cars, which sell for $3 million each, to make up for building the vehicles heavier than specified. The heavier cars forced the MTA to reinforce some bridges.
In tones that reflected the soured relations between the company and local officials, Katz called AnsaldoBreda “unprofessional and so unbusinesslike,” and said the company's inability to perform under its existing contract could result in litigation.
Officials from AnsaldoBreda could not be reached, but the company has defended its work and says it can point to the successful delivery of rail cars in other cities.
[Updated at 10:26 p.m.: In a statement, AnsaldoBreda president and CEO Giancarlo Fantappié said that his company had provided sufficient financial safeguards for MTA and that he regretted a deal could not be reached "despite multiple efforts to negotiate in good faith on both sides." He added: "Despite this turn of events, Los Angeles continues to represent a focal point for our strategy in America." AnsaldoBreda is eligible to take part in new bidding to build the rail cars.]
The MTA intends to rebid the work quickly and hopes to sign a contract that will result in local jobs, Katz said.
The effort to exercise the option with AnsaldoBreda has long had critics, including county Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who in a statement called the latest development “a victory for taxpayers.”
The company “failed once again to deliver on a promise made to the people of Los Angeles County," said Antonovich, who also sits on the MTA board. “Los Angeles city insiders and special interests attempted to ram through a substandard outfit, creating costly delays in the MTA's ability to seek a legitimate firm to build rail cars.”
-- Howard Blume
Sunday, October 25, 2009
For Lease - Great Gallery or Fashion Spaces!
Have five air-conditioned spaces in Downtown with very high ceilings perfect for art galleries or fashion designers looking to house production, offices and retail in one location. One dollar a foot - net lease.
bradywestwater@gmail.com
or
213-804-8396
bradywestwater@gmail.com
or
213-804-8396
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Final Downtown Fashion Walk MAP & LIST now on website!
Go to the Downtown Fashion Walk website - www.downtownfashionwalk.com - and print out both the list and the map for tonight's Downtown Fashion Walk.
See you there!
See you there!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Complete List of Fashion Walk events Thursday October 15th!
OCTOBER 15th FASHION WALK EVENT LIST
Below - listed by street - are the final confirmed venues and
events of the Thursday Oct. 15th Downtown Fashion Walk in Historic
Downtown Los Angeles. The special events and pop-up stores
are usually open from 5:30 to 10 PM while the existing stores
are open from noon until 10 PM. But check the
below listings to see which stores might close early.
Then by late Wednesday night, the downloadable map will be
available at www.downtownfashionwalk.com and any updates
or last minute changes will be posted on the blog -
www.downtownfashionwalk.blogspot.com. And
print out both the list and the map to best enjoy the third
every third Thursday monthly Downtown Fashion Walk.
MAIN STREET & SIDE STREETS
Blends 125 W 4th St.
Limited Edition sneakers & Urban Clothing.
www.Blendsus.com 213-626-6606
Elmer Ave. 125 W. 4th St.
Rock and Roll Rebels do High-End Formal Wear
Ask nicely - and you might get a private sneak preview
of their Saturday show
www.Elmerave.Com 888-356-3728
SkinGraft 125 W. 4th St. #102
First public showing of the stunning gowns from invite
only runway show at MOCA during Downtown Los Angeles
Fashion Week. Also selected sale items 50% off.
www.skingraftdesigns.com 213-626-2662
Fremont 120 W. 4th St.
Not open this month but Fremont reopens November in new,
larger store on 7th St. West of Main. Classic Cool Couture
www.Fremontapparelco.Com 213-626-1756
Crewest 110 E. Winston St
Finest graffiti artist art & artist designed clothing
Closes at 6 PM tonight
www.Crewest.Com 213-627-8272
The Gallery@118 Winston 118 E. Winston Street Second floor
Designer vintage and contemporary art.
Not open this Fashion Walk - see you next month!
Call for regular hours 310-422-6231
Stelladottir 430 S. Main St.
Hand made, vintage inspired clothes & hats.
Downtown store of the year last year - this year's LA Weekly's
Best Buy Open late most nights!
www.stelladottir.com 213-623-8464
Main Street Tattoo 438 Main Street
www.mainsttats.com 213-622-0387
Open late most nights
Los Angeles Center for Digital Art 107 W. 5th St.
Digital printmaking and sales gallery along with special
exhibitions of all forms of new media, including video,
showcasing artists from throughout the world.
www.lacda@lacda.com 323-646-9427
El Nopal Press 109 5th Main St.
Fine art printing and sales of Lithographs of leading
Los Angeles, Mexican, Chicano and international artists.
www.fauxpop.com/nopalpress/ 323-581-7112
"Vava Rula" 113 W. 5th Street
One night pop-up store with pre-owned edgy designer
items, tagged and altered vintage clothes, paintings &
projections by alternative artists, unique Halloween
accessories and a photo shoot art directed by Rula
Kaliroi and styled by Vava Voom.
Billy's Cafe, Art Salon & Clothing Emporium 114 W. 5th St.
One night collection of artists, designers and creative
individuals including SOUK, inFlight, Victoria Victoria,
Jeffrey Hirsch and Sanjeev Fun of Nouveau Lifestyle.
Performing at this event will be DJ Orator, veteran DJ from Los
Angeles. He DJ'ed at KPFK 90.7 FM for 6 years and will be
one of the DJ's featured on the cover of Pro Sound magazine
this November.
Pussy & Pooch 564 S, Main St.
www.pussyandpooch.com 213-438-0900
Toys, treats - and tonight - Halloween Costumes
for your pets! Also pet couture & grooming
Upper Playground 125 E. 6th St.
Fusion of fashion with fine art by locally and nationally known artists
www.Upperplayground.Com 213-623-4300
Mr. Cartoon's Tattoo Shop 129 E. 6th St.
Urban clothes & classic tattoos. Shipment of new
items of all kinds just arrived!
www.Mistercartoon.Com 213-488-0313
Soulful Commandoe Flagship Store 121 E. 6th St. #131
Ultra Exclusive Street Apparel & Accessories Company
www.Soulfulcommandoe.com 213-291-9601
Pacific Electric Ground Floor SE Corner 6th & Main
Event produced by Hearts of Hope to benefit Children's
Hospital & SESA. Doors open at 5 PM for vendors and the runway
shows begin at 6:30 PM. Showing on the runways are di'viniti, DV2,
Kanvis and Ayanna Henderson.
Vendors include Chanelli handbags & leather jackets, African Cowboy,
Hacked Club, excess baggage, Ayanna Henderson, Karen Lewis Jewelry,
Jan the Hat Woman and a Guerilla sample sale.
There will also be a charity silent auction
featuring all the designers along with the work of fashion photographer
Nick Horne. A Live DJ will perform and there will be a raffle.
1-Man's Trash NW Corner of 7th & Main on Main St.
Hard to Vintage items and one of a kind re-worked vintage
pieces for men, women and children that have been worn
by Usher Raymond, Ellen Degeneres and Carmen Electra.
818-355-1130
Symbiotic Form NW Corner of 7th & Main on Main
Vintage inspired woman's hand bags, hats, clothes and jewelry
Also unique household wares and one of a kind gift items.
www.symbioticform.blogspot.com 213-631-6971
ZLB Main & 7th NW Corner - 7th Side of Building
Vintage Clothing from around the country and around the world
of every kind and every price.
SPRING STREET & SIDE STREETS
Continental Building 400 S. Spring
From 6pm -11 PM, at the Continental at 4th and Spring, Hit + Run
will have a pop-up show at Dub Lab’s 10th anniversary celebration
art show. Hit + Run will also provide on-site free live screen printing -
so bring your own T-shirt to be printed on or buy one there.
DJ’s PAY RAY – EROK – VALTON provide the music and
complimentary drinks will be provided by Honest Tea
Spring Arts Tower 201 W. 5th/453 S. Spring on 5th @Spring
From 5-10pm the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring will host the
5th & Spring Show with Money Laundry - the only clothing line
literally made out of real money, Kablan (multiple lines from
casual to ball room gowns, Valou Designs (urban contemporary jewelry),
Francisco Devila & his custom built furniture line DEVILA 3 MUERTOS,
Gigi In Style (sexy and affordable jewelry), 35MM Clothing
(men's and women's contemporary casual clothing), Jessica Seaton
(organic, sensual jewelry), Louise Green Millinery (elegant and playful hats),
and London Manori (sophisticated, contemporary luxury jewelry).
And special guests - The Bohemian Society - will arrive directly from
their runway show at the Los Angeles Theatre (around 7:30) and
they will appear at 5th & Spring with their new line until 10 PM. This space
is adjacent to the entrance to the historic vaults of Crocker Bank - now
home to the Crocker Club.
One Night Only Event! TBA! 207 W. 5th St.
Deborah Martin Gallery 209 W. 5th St.
Powerful installation by artist Evah Hart illustrating her
Midwestern family dealing with the awkwardly
permanent transience of family.
www.deborahmartingallery.com 310-428-6464
Polyester Books (Todd/Browning Gallery) 211 W. 5th St.
Fashion, Style, Art & Design Books Vintage/Contemporary Photographs.
Literally something for literally everyone!
www.Polyesterbooks.Com 213-623-1176
KAPSOUL 6th Street between Main and Spring
Contemporary & vintage clothes, sunglasses, and a wide
selection of unique and unusual gift items. As cool as
they come!
Cell 818-693-4180
Flea 6th Street between Main and Spring
Vintage clothes, furniture, hats, design magazines, one of kind
gift items and contemporary art. Perfect place to find gifts for
the person who has everything - or nothing.
213-622-2122
apliiq 6th Street between Main and Spring
apliiq applies unique rare textiles to everyday garments. Learn
how to customize your own wardrobe and find out how to develop
your own personal style!
www.apliiq.com 323-300-6492
New York Hats 217 W 6th St
New And Old School Hats. Located in historic chocolate store
filled with Batchelder tiles. Worth a visit just for the interior!
213-228-1915 May have to close early - so hurry!
Crack Gallery 204 W. 6th St.
Crack Gallery wants to get the city hooked
on a new drug: their own blend of fashion and art.
www.crackgallery.com 213-622-3493
Shoes & Hand Bags 204 W. 4th Street
Handbags, Shoes & Accessories
213-622-3493
BROADWAY & SIDE STREETS
(Most Broadway stores close by 7 PM)
Goodwill 235 S. Broadway
VIntage/Used Everything! Huge selection!
www.Goodwillsocal.Org 213-628-1748
Closes at 7 PM
Broadway Army Store 217 W. 4th
Military & Civilian Uniforms, Cool Shirts - and much more
www.broadwayarmystore.net 213-617-8495
Close at 7 PM
Shoe Hut 529 S. Broadway
Huge Selection Of Baseball Caps, Shoes & Sneakers
www.shoehutusa.com 213-688-8310
Close at 7 PM
Chanelli Outlet 625 S. Broadway
Rarely Seen European Brand Bags and great leather jackets. Clearance Sale!
Ask about the special deals. Closes at 6 PM and pop-up version opens
at the PE lofts at 6th and Main.
Closes at 6 PM here - 10 PM at 6th and Main
Red Zone Footwear 629 S. Broadway
Excellent selection of creepers, heels and punk and rock shirts - and just
named by the LA Weekly as one of LA's best stores for its old School
Melrose Punk and Metal Fashions at Downtown prices.
http://redzone7777.googlepages.com/redzonebrandsvans1.html
213-622-8649
Closes at 7 PM
Below - listed by street - are the final confirmed venues and
events of the Thursday Oct. 15th Downtown Fashion Walk in Historic
Downtown Los Angeles. The special events and pop-up stores
are usually open from 5:30 to 10 PM while the existing stores
are open from noon until 10 PM. But check the
below listings to see which stores might close early.
Then by late Wednesday night, the downloadable map will be
available at www.downtownfashionwalk.com and any updates
or last minute changes will be posted on the blog -
www.downtownfashionwalk.blogspot.com. And
print out both the list and the map to best enjoy the third
every third Thursday monthly Downtown Fashion Walk.
MAIN STREET & SIDE STREETS
Blends 125 W 4th St.
Limited Edition sneakers & Urban Clothing.
www.Blendsus.com 213-626-6606
Elmer Ave. 125 W. 4th St.
Rock and Roll Rebels do High-End Formal Wear
Ask nicely - and you might get a private sneak preview
of their Saturday show
www.Elmerave.Com 888-356-3728
SkinGraft 125 W. 4th St. #102
First public showing of the stunning gowns from invite
only runway show at MOCA during Downtown Los Angeles
Fashion Week. Also selected sale items 50% off.
www.skingraftdesigns.com 213-626-2662
Fremont 120 W. 4th St.
Not open this month but Fremont reopens November in new,
larger store on 7th St. West of Main. Classic Cool Couture
www.Fremontapparelco.Com 213-626-1756
Crewest 110 E. Winston St
Finest graffiti artist art & artist designed clothing
Closes at 6 PM tonight
www.Crewest.Com 213-627-8272
The Gallery@118 Winston 118 E. Winston Street Second floor
Designer vintage and contemporary art.
Not open this Fashion Walk - see you next month!
Call for regular hours 310-422-6231
Stelladottir 430 S. Main St.
Hand made, vintage inspired clothes & hats.
Downtown store of the year last year - this year's LA Weekly's
Best Buy Open late most nights!
www.stelladottir.com 213-623-8464
Main Street Tattoo 438 Main Street
www.mainsttats.com 213-622-0387
Open late most nights
Los Angeles Center for Digital Art 107 W. 5th St.
Digital printmaking and sales gallery along with special
exhibitions of all forms of new media, including video,
showcasing artists from throughout the world.
www.lacda@lacda.com 323-646-9427
El Nopal Press 109 5th Main St.
Fine art printing and sales of Lithographs of leading
Los Angeles, Mexican, Chicano and international artists.
www.fauxpop.com/nopalpress/ 323-581-7112
"Vava Rula" 113 W. 5th Street
One night pop-up store with pre-owned edgy designer
items, tagged and altered vintage clothes, paintings &
projections by alternative artists, unique Halloween
accessories and a photo shoot art directed by Rula
Kaliroi and styled by Vava Voom.
Billy's Cafe, Art Salon & Clothing Emporium 114 W. 5th St.
One night collection of artists, designers and creative
individuals including SOUK, inFlight, Victoria Victoria,
Jeffrey Hirsch and Sanjeev Fun of Nouveau Lifestyle.
Performing at this event will be DJ Orator, veteran DJ from Los
Angeles. He DJ'ed at KPFK 90.7 FM for 6 years and will be
one of the DJ's featured on the cover of Pro Sound magazine
this November.
Pussy & Pooch 564 S, Main St.
www.pussyandpooch.com 213-438-0900
Toys, treats - and tonight - Halloween Costumes
for your pets! Also pet couture & grooming
Upper Playground 125 E. 6th St.
Fusion of fashion with fine art by locally and nationally known artists
www.Upperplayground.Com 213-623-4300
Mr. Cartoon's Tattoo Shop 129 E. 6th St.
Urban clothes & classic tattoos. Shipment of new
items of all kinds just arrived!
www.Mistercartoon.Com 213-488-0313
Soulful Commandoe Flagship Store 121 E. 6th St. #131
Ultra Exclusive Street Apparel & Accessories Company
www.Soulfulcommandoe.com 213-291-9601
Pacific Electric Ground Floor SE Corner 6th & Main
Event produced by Hearts of Hope to benefit Children's
Hospital & SESA. Doors open at 5 PM for vendors and the runway
shows begin at 6:30 PM. Showing on the runways are di'viniti, DV2,
Kanvis and Ayanna Henderson.
Vendors include Chanelli handbags & leather jackets, African Cowboy,
Hacked Club, excess baggage, Ayanna Henderson, Karen Lewis Jewelry,
Jan the Hat Woman and a Guerilla sample sale.
There will also be a charity silent auction
featuring all the designers along with the work of fashion photographer
Nick Horne. A Live DJ will perform and there will be a raffle.
1-Man's Trash NW Corner of 7th & Main on Main St.
Hard to Vintage items and one of a kind re-worked vintage
pieces for men, women and children that have been worn
by Usher Raymond, Ellen Degeneres and Carmen Electra.
818-355-1130
Symbiotic Form NW Corner of 7th & Main on Main
Vintage inspired woman's hand bags, hats, clothes and jewelry
Also unique household wares and one of a kind gift items.
www.symbioticform.blogspot.com 213-631-6971
ZLB Main & 7th NW Corner - 7th Side of Building
Vintage Clothing from around the country and around the world
of every kind and every price.
SPRING STREET & SIDE STREETS
Continental Building 400 S. Spring
From 6pm -11 PM, at the Continental at 4th and Spring, Hit + Run
will have a pop-up show at Dub Lab’s 10th anniversary celebration
art show. Hit + Run will also provide on-site free live screen printing -
so bring your own T-shirt to be printed on or buy one there.
DJ’s PAY RAY – EROK – VALTON provide the music and
complimentary drinks will be provided by Honest Tea
Spring Arts Tower 201 W. 5th/453 S. Spring on 5th @Spring
From 5-10pm the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring will host the
5th & Spring Show with Money Laundry - the only clothing line
literally made out of real money, Kablan (multiple lines from
casual to ball room gowns, Valou Designs (urban contemporary jewelry),
Francisco Devila & his custom built furniture line DEVILA 3 MUERTOS,
Gigi In Style (sexy and affordable jewelry), 35MM Clothing
(men's and women's contemporary casual clothing), Jessica Seaton
(organic, sensual jewelry), Louise Green Millinery (elegant and playful hats),
and London Manori (sophisticated, contemporary luxury jewelry).
And special guests - The Bohemian Society - will arrive directly from
their runway show at the Los Angeles Theatre (around 7:30) and
they will appear at 5th & Spring with their new line until 10 PM. This space
is adjacent to the entrance to the historic vaults of Crocker Bank - now
home to the Crocker Club.
One Night Only Event! TBA! 207 W. 5th St.
Deborah Martin Gallery 209 W. 5th St.
Powerful installation by artist Evah Hart illustrating her
Midwestern family dealing with the awkwardly
permanent transience of family.
www.deborahmartingallery.com 310-428-6464
Polyester Books (Todd/Browning Gallery) 211 W. 5th St.
Fashion, Style, Art & Design Books Vintage/Contemporary Photographs.
Literally something for literally everyone!
www.Polyesterbooks.Com 213-623-1176
KAPSOUL 6th Street between Main and Spring
Contemporary & vintage clothes, sunglasses, and a wide
selection of unique and unusual gift items. As cool as
they come!
Cell 818-693-4180
Flea 6th Street between Main and Spring
Vintage clothes, furniture, hats, design magazines, one of kind
gift items and contemporary art. Perfect place to find gifts for
the person who has everything - or nothing.
213-622-2122
apliiq 6th Street between Main and Spring
apliiq applies unique rare textiles to everyday garments. Learn
how to customize your own wardrobe and find out how to develop
your own personal style!
www.apliiq.com 323-300-6492
New York Hats 217 W 6th St
New And Old School Hats. Located in historic chocolate store
filled with Batchelder tiles. Worth a visit just for the interior!
213-228-1915 May have to close early - so hurry!
Crack Gallery 204 W. 6th St.
Crack Gallery wants to get the city hooked
on a new drug: their own blend of fashion and art.
www.crackgallery.com 213-622-3493
Shoes & Hand Bags 204 W. 4th Street
Handbags, Shoes & Accessories
213-622-3493
BROADWAY & SIDE STREETS
(Most Broadway stores close by 7 PM)
Goodwill 235 S. Broadway
VIntage/Used Everything! Huge selection!
www.Goodwillsocal.Org 213-628-1748
Closes at 7 PM
Broadway Army Store 217 W. 4th
Military & Civilian Uniforms, Cool Shirts - and much more
www.broadwayarmystore.net 213-617-8495
Close at 7 PM
Shoe Hut 529 S. Broadway
Huge Selection Of Baseball Caps, Shoes & Sneakers
www.shoehutusa.com 213-688-8310
Close at 7 PM
Chanelli Outlet 625 S. Broadway
Rarely Seen European Brand Bags and great leather jackets. Clearance Sale!
Ask about the special deals. Closes at 6 PM and pop-up version opens
at the PE lofts at 6th and Main.
Closes at 6 PM here - 10 PM at 6th and Main
Red Zone Footwear 629 S. Broadway
Excellent selection of creepers, heels and punk and rock shirts - and just
named by the LA Weekly as one of LA's best stores for its old School
Melrose Punk and Metal Fashions at Downtown prices.
http://redzone7777.googlepages.com/redzonebrandsvans1.html
213-622-8649
Closes at 7 PM
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
SUPER SECRET ELMER AVE INVITE!
Now there's no guarantee you will get an invite to the Elmer Ave - aka Elmer Av - Saturday show - but e-mail them why you should be invited - and see what happens.
And if you stop by their store on 4th Street between Main and Spring during this Thursday's Fashion Walk - you might see a few reasons why you should attend. And you can then make your case in person as to why why you should be invited.
And if you stop by their store on 4th Street between Main and Spring during this Thursday's Fashion Walk - you might see a few reasons why you should attend. And you can then make your case in person as to why why you should be invited.
We are very excited to invite you to a very special night.
please promptly RSVP to elmerave.topsecret@gmail.com with your credentials and full names... it is imperative to do this to get the show location, time, and show details...
hope to see you there!
luv,
jonny day
TOP SECRET!!
ELMER AVE is announcing the launch of its new collection at the
TOP SECRET Fashion Show for LA Fashion Week, October 2009.
DATE: FASHION/MARKET WEEK OCT 17, 2009
LOCATION: Downtown Los Angeles
RSVP & CREDENTIALS REQUIRED
RSVP: elmerave.topsecret@gmail.com
DETAILS WILL BE RELEASED ONCE YOUR RSVP IS CONFIRMED
POST-SHOW MELTDOWN PARTY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING
After several wildly successful Smashbox Shows in 2008, ELMER AVE is returning with a self produced TOP SECRET Fashion Show (invite only)...this season’s journey through a Combination of Classic, Military, and Punk, with the new ELMER AVE COLLECTION, including THE DOLL FIT (ladies), and introducing THE DELINQUENT FIT by Elmer Ave (kids).
Manufactured in Los Angeles and Tokyo, Elmer Ave has expanded its men’s Collection, as well as The Doll Fit, a fitted collection for women, and also the new Delinquent Fit, a children’s fitted version of the Elmer Ave Collection (with proceeds going to Music for Children Charity).
TOP SECRET “AN ELMER AVE FASHION SHOW” will showcase the new collections in a way only to be expected from ELMER AVE.
Elmer Ave is two clothing designers from North Hollywood, CA, with a mindset to give tailored suiting a high fashion Rock n Roll edge. Branching from their roots in skateboards,rock n roll bands, and fashion styling, Elmer Ave continually sets industry trends and sets a high quality manufacturing standard.
elmerave.com info@elmerave.com ph:1 888 356 3728
Fashion Week's Fashion Walk - Thursday October 15th!
This Thursday’s October 15th Downtown Fashion Walk, along Main, Spring and Broadway between 4th & 7th Streets, is right in the middle of everything that happens during Fashion Week!
The final runway shows at the Los Angeles Theatre - www.lafashiononbroadway.com - are that night and the after parties will be in the local bars. Designers – such as Skingraft & Bohemian Society will show their new clothes for the first time to the public at Fashion Walk after their runway shows, and other designers – such as Elmer Ave and 1-Man's Trash – will sneak preview their new lines on Fashion Walk before they have even been seen on the runway.
And even the fashionable KOGI taco truck will for the first time attend this Fashion Walk.
Runway couture (such as Skingraft, Elmer Ave, Fremont, 1-Man’s Trash, Symbiotic Form and Stelladottir) is only one part of Fashion Walk. Have your existing clothes customized on the spot at Appliq, find limited edition sneakers at Blends, shop walls of baseball caps at Shoe Hut. There are a dozen places to buy every type of hat imaginable including at the historic New York Hat store and even your pets can live in style with the finest in pet fashion from Pussy & Pouch.
Hard to find, unique purses & handbags are featured at Symbiotic Form and Chanelli, not to mention the rare sunglassses from Kapsoul and custom jewelry from many of the venues to add that perfect finishing touch. Artist designed urban wear from Crewest, Upper Playground & the Last Laugh, hip hop runway couture at Soulful Commandoe and women’s & men’s clothing of every kind from hipster fashions at Crack Gallery to classic workingmans’s Broadway Uniforms.
Finally - you can go vintage at Flea, 1-Man’s Trash, the Gallery @118 Winston, Kapsoul, ZLB and Goodwill, and these six stores will soon be joined by two more. And don't forget to check out two of LA Weekly’s October Issue’s Best Stores in Los Angeles – Stelladottir for her value priced custom clothing and Red Zone for their Downtown prices on Old School Old Melrose-style Punk & Metal Fashions. Most stores will be open noon to 10 PM, except on Broadway which will open at 10 AM and close at 7 PM.
As if all this wasn't enough, there are all the special events and individual pop-ups showcasing dozens of established brands and young and upcoming designers.
From 5-10pm the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring will host the 5th & Spring Show with Money Laundry presenting along with 35MM Clothing, Hethan, Kablan, Valou Designs, Gigi In Style, Jessica Seaton, Louise Green Millinery, London Manori and the Bohemian Society.
Meanwhile, from 6pm-1am, at the Continental at 4th and Spring, Hit + Run will have a pop-up show at Dub Lab’s 10th anniversary celebration art show. Hit + Run will also provide on-site free live screen printing! Bring your own T-shirt or buy one there. DJ’s PAY RAY – EROK – VALTON provide the music and complimentary drinks are provided by Honest Tea
A silent auction benefiting the Children’s Hospital will at the Pacific Electric Building at 6th and Main from 6-10pm with four free runway shows including di’viniti, DV2, and Kanvis. Among the pop-ups in temporary residence here will be QueenKing Design, the Hacked Club (with new and vintage fashion), and Chanelli’s imported handbags and leather jackets.
Finally, the intersections of 5th and Main and 5th and Spring will have a variety of pop-ups operated by underground artists and indie designers for those who want something truly different proving that there is indeed something for everyone on Fashion Walk
The final runway shows at the Los Angeles Theatre - www.lafashiononbroadway.com - are that night and the after parties will be in the local bars. Designers – such as Skingraft & Bohemian Society will show their new clothes for the first time to the public at Fashion Walk after their runway shows, and other designers – such as Elmer Ave and 1-Man's Trash – will sneak preview their new lines on Fashion Walk before they have even been seen on the runway.
And even the fashionable KOGI taco truck will for the first time attend this Fashion Walk.
Runway couture (such as Skingraft, Elmer Ave, Fremont, 1-Man’s Trash, Symbiotic Form and Stelladottir) is only one part of Fashion Walk. Have your existing clothes customized on the spot at Appliq, find limited edition sneakers at Blends, shop walls of baseball caps at Shoe Hut. There are a dozen places to buy every type of hat imaginable including at the historic New York Hat store and even your pets can live in style with the finest in pet fashion from Pussy & Pouch.
Hard to find, unique purses & handbags are featured at Symbiotic Form and Chanelli, not to mention the rare sunglassses from Kapsoul and custom jewelry from many of the venues to add that perfect finishing touch. Artist designed urban wear from Crewest, Upper Playground & the Last Laugh, hip hop runway couture at Soulful Commandoe and women’s & men’s clothing of every kind from hipster fashions at Crack Gallery to classic workingmans’s Broadway Uniforms.
Finally - you can go vintage at Flea, 1-Man’s Trash, the Gallery @118 Winston, Kapsoul, ZLB and Goodwill, and these six stores will soon be joined by two more. And don't forget to check out two of LA Weekly’s October Issue’s Best Stores in Los Angeles – Stelladottir for her value priced custom clothing and Red Zone for their Downtown prices on Old School Old Melrose-style Punk & Metal Fashions. Most stores will be open noon to 10 PM, except on Broadway which will open at 10 AM and close at 7 PM.
As if all this wasn't enough, there are all the special events and individual pop-ups showcasing dozens of established brands and young and upcoming designers.
From 5-10pm the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring will host the 5th & Spring Show with Money Laundry presenting along with 35MM Clothing, Hethan, Kablan, Valou Designs, Gigi In Style, Jessica Seaton, Louise Green Millinery, London Manori and the Bohemian Society.
Meanwhile, from 6pm-1am, at the Continental at 4th and Spring, Hit + Run will have a pop-up show at Dub Lab’s 10th anniversary celebration art show. Hit + Run will also provide on-site free live screen printing! Bring your own T-shirt or buy one there. DJ’s PAY RAY – EROK – VALTON provide the music and complimentary drinks are provided by Honest Tea
A silent auction benefiting the Children’s Hospital will at the Pacific Electric Building at 6th and Main from 6-10pm with four free runway shows including di’viniti, DV2, and Kanvis. Among the pop-ups in temporary residence here will be QueenKing Design, the Hacked Club (with new and vintage fashion), and Chanelli’s imported handbags and leather jackets.
Finally, the intersections of 5th and Main and 5th and Spring will have a variety of pop-ups operated by underground artists and indie designers for those who want something truly different proving that there is indeed something for everyone on Fashion Walk
Fashion Week's Fashion Walk - Thursday October 15th!
This Thursday’s October 15th Downtown Fashion Walk, along Main, Spring and Broadway between 4th & 7th Streets, is right in the middle of everything that happens during Fashion Week!
The final runway shows at the Los Angeles Theatre - www.lafashiononbroadway.com - are that night and the after parties will be in the local bars. Designers – such as Skingraft & Bohemian Society will show their new clothes for the first time to the public at Fashion Walk after their runway shows, and other designers – such as Elmer Ave and 1-Man's Trash – will sneak preview their new lines on Fashion Walk before they have even been seen on the runway.
And even the fashionable KOGI taco truck will for the first time attend this Fashion Walk.
Runway couture (such as Skingraft, Elmer Ave, Fremont, 1-Man’s Trash, Symbiotic Form and Stelladottir) is only one part of Fashion Walk. Have your existing clothes customized on the spot at Appliq, find limited edition sneakers at Blends, shop walls of baseball caps at Shoe Hut. There are a dozen places to buy every type of hat imaginable including at the historic New York Hat store and even your pets can live in style with the finest in pet fashion from Pussy & Pouch.
Hard to find, unique purses & handbags are featured at Symbiotic Form and Chanelli, not to mention the rare sunglassses from Kapsoul and custom jewelry from many of the venues to add that perfect finishing touch. Artist designed urban wear from Crewest, Upper Playground & the Last Laugh, hip hop runway couture at Soulful Commandoe and women’s & men’s clothing of every kind from hipster fashions at Crack Gallery to classic workingmans’s Broadway Uniforms.
Finally - you can go vintage at Flea, 1-Man’s Trash, the Gallery @118 Winston, Kapsoul, ZLB and Goodwill, and these six stores will soon be joined by two more. And don't forget to check out two of LA Weekly’s October Issue’s Best Stores in Los Angeles – Stelladottir for her value priced custom clothing and Red Zone for their Downtown prices on Old School Old Melrose-style Punk & Metal Fashions. Most stores will be open noon to 10 PM, except on Broadway which will open at 10 AM and close at 7 PM.
As if all this wasn't enough, there are all the special events and individual pop-ups showcasing dozens of established brands and young and upcoming designers.
From 5-10pm the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring will host the 5th & Spring Show with Money Laundry presenting along with 35MM Clothing, Hethan, Kablan, Valou Designs, Gigi In Style, Jessica Seaton, Louise Green Millinery, London Manori and the Bohemian Society.
Meanwhile, from 6pm-1am, at the Continental at 4th and Spring, Hit + Run will have a pop-up show at Dub Lab’s 10th anniversary celebration art show. Hit + Run will also provide on-site free live screen printing! Bring your own T-shirt or buy one there. DJ’s PAY RAY – EROK – VALTON provide the music and complimentary drinks are provided by Honest Tea
A silent auction benefiting the Children’s Hospital will at the Pacific Electric Building at 6th and Main from 6-10pm with four free runway shows including di’viniti, DV2, and Kanvis. Among the pop-ups in temporary residence here will be QueenKing Design, the Hacked Club (with new and vintage fashion), and Chanelli’s imported handbags and leather jackets.
Finally, the intersections of 5th and Main and 5th and Spring will have a variety of pop-ups operated by underground artists and indie designers for those who want something truly different proving that there is indeed something for everyone on Fashion Walk
The final runway shows at the Los Angeles Theatre - www.lafashiononbroadway.com - are that night and the after parties will be in the local bars. Designers – such as Skingraft & Bohemian Society will show their new clothes for the first time to the public at Fashion Walk after their runway shows, and other designers – such as Elmer Ave and 1-Man's Trash – will sneak preview their new lines on Fashion Walk before they have even been seen on the runway.
And even the fashionable KOGI taco truck will for the first time attend this Fashion Walk.
Runway couture (such as Skingraft, Elmer Ave, Fremont, 1-Man’s Trash, Symbiotic Form and Stelladottir) is only one part of Fashion Walk. Have your existing clothes customized on the spot at Appliq, find limited edition sneakers at Blends, shop walls of baseball caps at Shoe Hut. There are a dozen places to buy every type of hat imaginable including at the historic New York Hat store and even your pets can live in style with the finest in pet fashion from Pussy & Pouch.
Hard to find, unique purses & handbags are featured at Symbiotic Form and Chanelli, not to mention the rare sunglassses from Kapsoul and custom jewelry from many of the venues to add that perfect finishing touch. Artist designed urban wear from Crewest, Upper Playground & the Last Laugh, hip hop runway couture at Soulful Commandoe and women’s & men’s clothing of every kind from hipster fashions at Crack Gallery to classic workingmans’s Broadway Uniforms.
Finally - you can go vintage at Flea, 1-Man’s Trash, the Gallery @118 Winston, Kapsoul, ZLB and Goodwill, and these six stores will soon be joined by two more. And don't forget to check out two of LA Weekly’s October Issue’s Best Stores in Los Angeles – Stelladottir for her value priced custom clothing and Red Zone for their Downtown prices on Old School Old Melrose-style Punk & Metal Fashions. Most stores will be open noon to 10 PM, except on Broadway which will open at 10 AM and close at 7 PM.
As if all this wasn't enough, there are all the special events and individual pop-ups showcasing dozens of established brands and young and upcoming designers.
From 5-10pm the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring will host the 5th & Spring Show with Money Laundry presenting along with 35MM Clothing, Hethan, Kablan, Valou Designs, Gigi In Style, Jessica Seaton, Louise Green Millinery, London Manori and the Bohemian Society.
Meanwhile, from 6pm-1am, at the Continental at 4th and Spring, Hit + Run will have a pop-up show at Dub Lab’s 10th anniversary celebration art show. Hit + Run will also provide on-site free live screen printing! Bring your own T-shirt or buy one there. DJ’s PAY RAY – EROK – VALTON provide the music and complimentary drinks are provided by Honest Tea
A silent auction benefiting the Children’s Hospital will at the Pacific Electric Building at 6th and Main from 6-10pm with four free runway shows including di’viniti, DV2, and Kanvis. Among the pop-ups in temporary residence here will be QueenKing Design, the Hacked Club (with new and vintage fashion), and Chanelli’s imported handbags and leather jackets.
Finally, the intersections of 5th and Main and 5th and Spring will have a variety of pop-ups operated by underground artists and indie designers for those who want something truly different proving that there is indeed something for everyone on Fashion Walk
Brendan Mullen, Dead At 60
The last time I saw Brendan, at a late night diner in the Downtown Industrial District, we talked about our pasts, a future project we might do together - and how we were almost exactly a year apart in age.
That was almost a year ago and about a week ago as both our birthdays were coming up, I started looking for his phone number and the notes from that last talk. But I got too swamped with Fashion Walk and Fashion Week and promised myself I'd call him after all that was over.
Then in the middle of the day the calls and emails started coming, and by the time I had time to hear or read any of them - he was gone.
And for all he had accomplished in his life - one of my first thoughts was that he had died far too soon - and that he had so much more he was going to accomplish.
Below is the opening to the LA Times Obit:
More at the above link....
That was almost a year ago and about a week ago as both our birthdays were coming up, I started looking for his phone number and the notes from that last talk. But I got too swamped with Fashion Walk and Fashion Week and promised myself I'd call him after all that was over.
Then in the middle of the day the calls and emails started coming, and by the time I had time to hear or read any of them - he was gone.
And for all he had accomplished in his life - one of my first thoughts was that he had died far too soon - and that he had so much more he was going to accomplish.
Below is the opening to the LA Times Obit:
atimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-brendan-mullen13-2009oct13,0,4056471.story
latimes.com
Brendan Mullen dies at 60; founder of influential Masque punk rock club
The Hollywood venue, which opened in 1977, quickly became a crucible for emerging, anarchic L.A. groups like the Weirdos and the Germs and later X and the Go-Go's.
By Randy Lewis
October 13, 2009
Brendan Mullen, founder of the Masque punk rock club in Hollywood that helped launch the vibrantly anarchic music scene on the West Coast in the late 1970s, died Monday after suffering a massive stroke over the weekend. He was 60.
Mullen died at Ventura County Medical Center, said his companion of 16 years, Kateri Butler. The couple had been traveling through Santa Barbara and Ventura celebrating his 60th birthday, which was Friday.
"The doctors are completely perplexed," Butler said. "They can't figure out why he had a stroke -- he had none of the indicators, his cholesterol was perfect. One of the neurologists summed it up best when he said, 'Sometimes, your number is just up.' "
At the Masque, Mullen created an underground space that became a crucible for musicians and fans who felt alienated from mainstream society. Anger, frustration and self-deprecating humor flowered in the assaultive music that had been roiling in New York and London, as L.A. bands including the Weirdos, the Germs, the Dils and the Screamers turned up regularly at the Masque for some of their earliest performances.
"He was the first promoter of punk rock in this town," veteran promoter Paul Tollett of Goldenvoice Presents said Monday. "Everything started with him."
Once word spread that a space had emerged that was hospitable to punk, which at the time was a frequent target of law enforcement, more bands quickly followed. The Masque became home to X, the Go-Go's, the Dickies, the Plugz, the Flesh Eaters and many more.
Mullen, who had worked as a journalist in England before moving to the U.S., remained humble about his role.
"For the record, I never claimed to have 'started punk in L.A.,' " Mullen wrote in his book "Live at the Masque: Nightmare in Punk Alley," published in 2007. "I'd prefer the Masque epitaph to be 'Where the SoCal scene originally came together.' "
More at the above link....
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Great Post on Photographer Irving Penn at LA Observed
Over at LA Observed, resident photographer, Judy Graeme, takes the occasion of the Getty Center and it's photography collection's acquisition and exhibition of Irving Penn's 'Small Trades' series to reflect upon Irving Penn and his influence upon her life and her work.
Below is the opening to her piece - but better yet - just click the above link to LAO's Native Intelligence and read her entire post uninterrupted.
Lastly - the show at the Getty runs until January 10th, 2010.
Below is the opening to her piece - but better yet - just click the above link to LAO's Native Intelligence and read her entire post uninterrupted.
Irving Penn comes to Los Angeles
Judy Graeme • Bio • Email
At the press preview for Irving Penn's "Small Trades" exhibit at the Getty Center, I was part of a group led through the galleries by curator Virginia Heckert. I should have been paying stricter attention, but I was distracted. All I could think was that this imposing group of 252 photographs represents just part of Penn's body of work. When an important and influential artist like Penn works for as many years as he has, a lot of people are bound to be affected on many different levels. I know I have been.
Lastly - the show at the Getty runs until January 10th, 2010.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
What Do Cute Kittens And the LA Times Story - Death on the Rails - Have in Common?
This weekend's Los Angeles Times story - Death on the Rails - begins with the statistics that have long proven how riding the Metrolink - and in particular driving near it - may be hazardous to your health. The story's main writer, Doug Smith, also re-explains the well known political reasons why the agency that runs the Metrolink has been unable to internally fix its problems.
But Smith - and his team of writer Nathan Olivares-Giles, researcher Maloy Moore and data analyst Sandra Poindexter - then go beyond what we already know to give a detailed proposal about how the Metrolink system can be made safer in several specific ways - and in relatively short periods of time compared to the major long term needed improvements. The article then tackles why this has not been done in the past - and then lists the external political obstacles that have to be cleared to fix the system.
And, in this city, the Los Angeles Times is increasingly only place where this kind of intensive research and reporting and solution finding is done on a consistent basis and on a wide range of issues.
Unfortunately, the LA Times and all other print media now face an increasingly on-line future in which the expensive content the public needs to be protected from harm is often not the content that drives the necessary number of page views to keep those institutions alive.
So the the next time local critics complain about the Los Angeles Times and its on-line photo albums of cute kittens - they should remember that one day some particularly cute kitten might pay for the story that will save their lives.
Click the lnk above for the full story or you can read below the story's opening:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/metrolink/la-me-buena-metrolink27-2009sep27,0,6617016,print.story
And, again, the rest of the story is at this link:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/metrolink/la-me-buena-metrolink27-2009sep27,0,6617016,print.story
But Smith - and his team of writer Nathan Olivares-Giles, researcher Maloy Moore and data analyst Sandra Poindexter - then go beyond what we already know to give a detailed proposal about how the Metrolink system can be made safer in several specific ways - and in relatively short periods of time compared to the major long term needed improvements. The article then tackles why this has not been done in the past - and then lists the external political obstacles that have to be cleared to fix the system.
And, in this city, the Los Angeles Times is increasingly only place where this kind of intensive research and reporting and solution finding is done on a consistent basis and on a wide range of issues.
Unfortunately, the LA Times and all other print media now face an increasingly on-line future in which the expensive content the public needs to be protected from harm is often not the content that drives the necessary number of page views to keep those institutions alive.
So the the next time local critics complain about the Los Angeles Times and its on-line photo albums of cute kittens - they should remember that one day some particularly cute kitten might pay for the story that will save their lives.
Click the lnk above for the full story or you can read below the story's opening:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/metrolink/la-me-buena-metrolink27-2009sep27,0,6617016,print.story
Death on the rails in L.A.
An analysis of crash data suggests that Metrolink could significantly reduce accidents by targeting a few particularly dangerous crossings.
By Doug Smith
September 27, 2009
Although Metrolink safety lapses drew national attention last year when 25 people were killed in a head-on collision with a freight train, many more have died from commuter trains hitting automobiles and pedestrians.
Over the 15 years leading up to the deadly crash in Chatsworth, accidents involving trains running on Metrolink's system killed 218 other people, according to a detailed examination of accident records by The Times. Through September 2008, the number killed on the Metrolink commuter rail system was 244. Hundreds more people sustained nonfatal injuries.
Critics say Metrolink leaders have not paid enough attention to safety and have done little to upgrade dangerous intersections where streets cross the tracks. In particular, the public railway has failed to adopt the sorts of safety systems and improvements developed and widely used by its sister agency, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Some of the clearest examples are in the San Fernando Valley, which includes two of Metrolink's most dangerous crossings -- at Buena Vista Street in Burbank and Sunland Boulevard in Sun Valley.
For the thousands of motorists who pass through it every day, the rail crossing at Buena Vista and San Fernando Boulevard can be a hair-raising passage. The intersection is a maze of sharp turns and confusing signals that require drivers to move with split-second timing.
Twice in recent years, that timing has gone fatally wrong just as a train was bearing down fast, leading to the deaths of motorists.
On Jan. 6, 2003, Jacek "Jack" Wysocki rolled his Ford truck into the path of a Metrolink train traveling 79 mph. The 63-year-old driver was killed along with one train passenger; two train cars derailed and flipped, injuring 20 other Metrolink riders.
Exactly three years later, 76-year-old Maureen Osborn was killed after turning in front of a Metrolink commuter going 75 mph. Osborn's car was dragged a third of a mile before the train could stop.
Both tragedies could have been predicted. Buena Vista and similar Metrolink intersections had all seen previous accidents and near-collisions.
Metrolink took no responsibility
They also could have been prevented. But if any Metrolink official saw trouble coming, records show no evidence of action. After each accident, leaders of the regional rail system took no responsibility, choosing instead to invoke a standard industry convention: They blamed the deaths on motorists who "tried to beat the train."
Even after a blistering 2003 critique of the crossing's design and signal system by the National Transportation Safety Board, nothing was done to correct Buena Vista's flaws. Facing no legal obligation to follow federal recommendations, Metrolink, Burbank authorities and the California Public Utilities Commission -- the state agency responsible for train safety -- made only minor refinements.
One expert says the history behind the Buena Vista-San Fernando crossing reveals a glaring flaw in the mind-set of Metrolink leaders: Because they have focused more on building ridership than on improving safety, even hazards that could have been eliminated or sharply reduced have been allowed to remain. Only after the horrific Chatsworth crash did Metrolink upgrade the status of its safety unit so that it reported directly to chief executive David R. Solow.
"I call it the culture of denial and deflection," said Najmedin Meshkati, a professor of engineering at USC whose studies of human factors in accidents have led him to become a vocal critic of Metrolink.
That culture also stands in stark contrast to what is practiced by the MTA, the largest of five rail agencies that contribute funds to Metrolink.
That agency, based only blocks from Metrolink's Los Angeles office, also had a record of numerous accidents and deaths after initiating its Blue Line light-rail service between downtown and Long Beach in 1990. Since then, the MTA's safety section has examined the causes and retrofitted many of the worst crossings with systems to prevent accidents. As a result, the Blue Line accident rate has dropped significantly.
And, again, the rest of the story is at this link:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/metrolink/la-me-buena-metrolink27-2009sep27,0,6617016,print.story
Friday, September 25, 2009
As The Neon Museum Leaves Downtown.... It's Time To Ask - Why?
latimes.com/news/local/la-me-neon-downtown25-2009sep25,0,973989.story
The story of why the Neon Museum - after 28 years - is leaving Downtown - for a second time (its current display at City Walk being its first defection) is long and complicated and it starts long before I was involved in the politics of Downtown.
I do recall, though, when its first small space in the Arts District in 1981 - around the corner from Joel Bloom's store, another lost landmark, much later opened in 1994.
I also remember when it was supposed to be the major public arts component of what later became LA Live – which instead became the Grammy Museum - but I don't recall how that came to be.
And by the time I started talking with the Museum of Neon Art – MONA - in the late 1990's, the clock was ticking on their then CRA subsidized space in South Park. It was clear then that with no new space to show potential donors or potential new board members - it would be impossible for MONA to raise the money needed to rent or buy a new space - or for them get further public grants to sustain themselves.
It also seemed clear, at least to me, that arts non-profits would soon need to consider developing earned income projects or joint ventures to guarantee their long term financial sustainability.
And this was before anyone realized local and regional governments will soon have the single largest part of their tax revenues going into the pensions and health benefits for retired workers who no longer work for the government, leaving less and less money for anything else.
So my idea was to find a large space, preferably underground or on the upper floors of an old building to keep the rents cheap - where there could be multiple food and beverage tenants sub-letting from the Neon Museum.
Those tenants would then each have their spaces displaying parts of the collection as their decor - and they would pay a higher than normal rent in exchange for those displays. The museum would then be able to exhibit those pieces at no cost to MONA and they would be viewable at night when they would normally not be seen – and there would a steady cash flow from those tenants.
But – best of all – the tenant’s build-outs would hopefully include all the seismic requirements, health and safety requirements and the entire HVAC infrastructure for the entire space.
Restaurants, lounges, bars, or music venues were the possible uses and their nighttime urban atmosphere would work perfectly with the neon.
Then, the museum itself, would have - besides its workshops and smaller display areas - one large and one or two smaller display rooms where - after the museum was closed – those spaces could be rented out as event spaces. This would bring in even more revenue and - again - allow the neon to be seen at night when the museum would normally be closed.
And even when I very conservatively ran the numbers - it seemed feasible that with the prices for underground spaces I was quoted - and how much the new venues - even after build-outs would pay - the museum should be at the very worst – totally rent-free – and that its net income would increase over the years as they amortized the costs.
I then found what I felt was the perfect space for the museum, introduced them to the owners and an agreement to agree was reached and MONA started to develop a business plan on how to do this project.
But soon after, the person who pushed the deal through at the company was hired away by another company, but the deal remained intact. Then the building was sold – and I was told the deal was, again, still on.
I then went on to other projects and assumed no news was good news. And it was only when I checked in about a year later to get a progress report did I discover - the deal had died, though I could never find out… why.
So I - and other people - tried again to find another Downtown home for MONA – as increasingly numbers of offers came from all over the country offering MONA free spaces. But there seemed to be a disconnect between what the Neon Museum was able to find - and afford - and what the City felt was the appropriate place for them to be. And with no new home in hand – MONA was unable to raise any funds themselves, so no deal could be made.
And the final place I proposed, I still feel can work for a museum of some kind in the longer term, but the amount of work it takes to make one of these deals happen.... makes doing them a full time job and I already have twenty other full time – and all 100% pro-bono - jobs.
So when the City displayed no interest in even looking at the space, I moved on.
And so now the Neon Museum appears to be all but gone from Downtown.
But that does not mean this has to be the end of the love story between MONA and Downtown. Unlike the lovers in the 500 Days of Summer, a happy ever after ending for us is still possible.
After all, the Neon Museum has once before abandoned us for City Walk - but still returned home – even while they faithfully retaining their presence at City Walk.
The good news/bad news for neon lovers is that as long as old buildings are torn down - there will be an endless supply of neon needing to be saved. So even if Glendale has the main museum - that does not stop MONA from having a branch in Downtown, once we finally get our act together.
And an auxiliary display only space Downtown would help the Glendale Neon Museum space as it would feed people from our much larger tourist base to the Glendale Museum.
But in order for us to do this – and other major cultural projects - we need to rethink how the City works with arts organizations - and how we are going to house our dozens of homeless museums of all kinds. Museums are important economic development engines and they are essential to our long term ability to attract tourists to Los Angeles.
The first step is for the CRA and other government agencies – and major foundations who are interested in helping non-profits become financially self-sustainable – to create a privately run non-profit corporation to do long term leases of potential future arts spaces.
Or - in today’s' depressed property market – give the corporation the ability buy large warehouses, or condo off the upper floors of buildings on Broadway - or condo off the basements of buildings – for use by arts organizations.
The non-profit corporation would then either do straight sub-leases to the arts groups or do some partial build outs first and then do the sub-leases. This will give the arts groups, museums and other cultural groups the benefit of the far lower rates of the master lease – plus lower combined infrastructure construction costs - as opposed to what it would cost an arts group to lease a smaller already subdivided and built out space.
And if for-profit entities are also given leases within the complex, their rents would help further lower the arts spaces rents – without any need for outside subsidies.
Additionally, each arts organization should be given an opportunity to develop their own earned income revenue streams – when possible – within their spaces. Lastly, all commercial tenants would also be chosen on the basis of their bringing synergistic audiences to the overall space.
However, if the corporation buys the buildings, then it can - over time -sell individual spaces to the arts groups. And if there are profit making businesses in the overall complex – the non-profits can collectively own those spaces and the rents from those spaces could help cover the costs of maintaining the entire building.
To give just one example of how this might work – say the Museum of California Design is given the opportunity to occupy such a complex – think of all the design-oriented retailers who would want to rent or own spaces next to that museum?
And then what better place would there be for a permanent home for the Architecture & Design Museum? Or LATDA - the Los Angeles Toy, Doll and Amusements Museum? Or a Fashion Museum? Or any other museum that is about… design?
So to do all this, the Corporation could buy a huge warehouse complex and give the spaces rent free to help these museums get started while at the same time leasing out other spaces synergistic uses who would want the proximity to both the museums and the other destination-type retailers. This would then cover the museum's rent.
And even before then, the Corporation can rent out the empty spaces for warehousing, if need be – and in their second phase, they can attract events and filming – which would become increasingly easier as the museums themselves start to install.
And this business plan has worked in the past.
During all this, business plans will be then developed and redeveloped on how each museum can either do a long term lease – or purchase of all or parts of the complex. And if one or more museums leave for another space – another new museum will have an already built out space ready to start the whole process all over again.
Additionally, parts of the project could even include future residential development to further help subsidize the overall project.
This way, these museums can get an initial space for very little money – while having a long term plan to increase their size and eventually buy the building – all of which will make it far easier for them to raise funds.
And by buying properties a bit off the beaten track to get affordable spaces, the design oriented retailers will also initially get very affordable rents themselves – while also still having the benefits of built-in audiences from the multiple synergistic retailers – and the growing complex of design museums.
But more on all this later.
Now it's time to get back to the story of the Neon Museum, and below is the latest news from the LA Times:
The story of why the Neon Museum - after 28 years - is leaving Downtown - for a second time (its current display at City Walk being its first defection) is long and complicated and it starts long before I was involved in the politics of Downtown.
I do recall, though, when its first small space in the Arts District in 1981 - around the corner from Joel Bloom's store, another lost landmark, much later opened in 1994.
I also remember when it was supposed to be the major public arts component of what later became LA Live – which instead became the Grammy Museum - but I don't recall how that came to be.
And by the time I started talking with the Museum of Neon Art – MONA - in the late 1990's, the clock was ticking on their then CRA subsidized space in South Park. It was clear then that with no new space to show potential donors or potential new board members - it would be impossible for MONA to raise the money needed to rent or buy a new space - or for them get further public grants to sustain themselves.
It also seemed clear, at least to me, that arts non-profits would soon need to consider developing earned income projects or joint ventures to guarantee their long term financial sustainability.
And this was before anyone realized local and regional governments will soon have the single largest part of their tax revenues going into the pensions and health benefits for retired workers who no longer work for the government, leaving less and less money for anything else.
So my idea was to find a large space, preferably underground or on the upper floors of an old building to keep the rents cheap - where there could be multiple food and beverage tenants sub-letting from the Neon Museum.
Those tenants would then each have their spaces displaying parts of the collection as their decor - and they would pay a higher than normal rent in exchange for those displays. The museum would then be able to exhibit those pieces at no cost to MONA and they would be viewable at night when they would normally not be seen – and there would a steady cash flow from those tenants.
But – best of all – the tenant’s build-outs would hopefully include all the seismic requirements, health and safety requirements and the entire HVAC infrastructure for the entire space.
Restaurants, lounges, bars, or music venues were the possible uses and their nighttime urban atmosphere would work perfectly with the neon.
Then, the museum itself, would have - besides its workshops and smaller display areas - one large and one or two smaller display rooms where - after the museum was closed – those spaces could be rented out as event spaces. This would bring in even more revenue and - again - allow the neon to be seen at night when the museum would normally be closed.
And even when I very conservatively ran the numbers - it seemed feasible that with the prices for underground spaces I was quoted - and how much the new venues - even after build-outs would pay - the museum should be at the very worst – totally rent-free – and that its net income would increase over the years as they amortized the costs.
I then found what I felt was the perfect space for the museum, introduced them to the owners and an agreement to agree was reached and MONA started to develop a business plan on how to do this project.
But soon after, the person who pushed the deal through at the company was hired away by another company, but the deal remained intact. Then the building was sold – and I was told the deal was, again, still on.
I then went on to other projects and assumed no news was good news. And it was only when I checked in about a year later to get a progress report did I discover - the deal had died, though I could never find out… why.
So I - and other people - tried again to find another Downtown home for MONA – as increasingly numbers of offers came from all over the country offering MONA free spaces. But there seemed to be a disconnect between what the Neon Museum was able to find - and afford - and what the City felt was the appropriate place for them to be. And with no new home in hand – MONA was unable to raise any funds themselves, so no deal could be made.
And the final place I proposed, I still feel can work for a museum of some kind in the longer term, but the amount of work it takes to make one of these deals happen.... makes doing them a full time job and I already have twenty other full time – and all 100% pro-bono - jobs.
So when the City displayed no interest in even looking at the space, I moved on.
And so now the Neon Museum appears to be all but gone from Downtown.
But that does not mean this has to be the end of the love story between MONA and Downtown. Unlike the lovers in the 500 Days of Summer, a happy ever after ending for us is still possible.
After all, the Neon Museum has once before abandoned us for City Walk - but still returned home – even while they faithfully retaining their presence at City Walk.
The good news/bad news for neon lovers is that as long as old buildings are torn down - there will be an endless supply of neon needing to be saved. So even if Glendale has the main museum - that does not stop MONA from having a branch in Downtown, once we finally get our act together.
And an auxiliary display only space Downtown would help the Glendale Neon Museum space as it would feed people from our much larger tourist base to the Glendale Museum.
But in order for us to do this – and other major cultural projects - we need to rethink how the City works with arts organizations - and how we are going to house our dozens of homeless museums of all kinds. Museums are important economic development engines and they are essential to our long term ability to attract tourists to Los Angeles.
The first step is for the CRA and other government agencies – and major foundations who are interested in helping non-profits become financially self-sustainable – to create a privately run non-profit corporation to do long term leases of potential future arts spaces.
Or - in today’s' depressed property market – give the corporation the ability buy large warehouses, or condo off the upper floors of buildings on Broadway - or condo off the basements of buildings – for use by arts organizations.
The non-profit corporation would then either do straight sub-leases to the arts groups or do some partial build outs first and then do the sub-leases. This will give the arts groups, museums and other cultural groups the benefit of the far lower rates of the master lease – plus lower combined infrastructure construction costs - as opposed to what it would cost an arts group to lease a smaller already subdivided and built out space.
And if for-profit entities are also given leases within the complex, their rents would help further lower the arts spaces rents – without any need for outside subsidies.
Additionally, each arts organization should be given an opportunity to develop their own earned income revenue streams – when possible – within their spaces. Lastly, all commercial tenants would also be chosen on the basis of their bringing synergistic audiences to the overall space.
However, if the corporation buys the buildings, then it can - over time -sell individual spaces to the arts groups. And if there are profit making businesses in the overall complex – the non-profits can collectively own those spaces and the rents from those spaces could help cover the costs of maintaining the entire building.
To give just one example of how this might work – say the Museum of California Design is given the opportunity to occupy such a complex – think of all the design-oriented retailers who would want to rent or own spaces next to that museum?
And then what better place would there be for a permanent home for the Architecture & Design Museum? Or LATDA - the Los Angeles Toy, Doll and Amusements Museum? Or a Fashion Museum? Or any other museum that is about… design?
So to do all this, the Corporation could buy a huge warehouse complex and give the spaces rent free to help these museums get started while at the same time leasing out other spaces synergistic uses who would want the proximity to both the museums and the other destination-type retailers. This would then cover the museum's rent.
And even before then, the Corporation can rent out the empty spaces for warehousing, if need be – and in their second phase, they can attract events and filming – which would become increasingly easier as the museums themselves start to install.
And this business plan has worked in the past.
During all this, business plans will be then developed and redeveloped on how each museum can either do a long term lease – or purchase of all or parts of the complex. And if one or more museums leave for another space – another new museum will have an already built out space ready to start the whole process all over again.
Additionally, parts of the project could even include future residential development to further help subsidize the overall project.
This way, these museums can get an initial space for very little money – while having a long term plan to increase their size and eventually buy the building – all of which will make it far easier for them to raise funds.
And by buying properties a bit off the beaten track to get affordable spaces, the design oriented retailers will also initially get very affordable rents themselves – while also still having the benefits of built-in audiences from the multiple synergistic retailers – and the growing complex of design museums.
But more on all this later.
Now it's time to get back to the story of the Neon Museum, and below is the latest news from the LA Times:
L.A.'s Museum of Neon Art is glowing, glowing, gone
The museum, which has been in downtown since 1981, is moving to larger quarters across from Americana at Brand in Glendale. The announcement has disappointed many downtown boosters.
By Cara Mia DiMassa
September 25, 2009
The Museum of Neon Art opened its doors in downtown Los Angeles in 1981 -- long before the city center was fashionable. For much of this time, the museum has moved around the area, looking for a spot large enough to show off its uniquely Southern California collection.
At its current location on 4th Street in the Old Bank district, visitors to the museum have a tendency to look befuddled after viewing the 20 pieces of neon and wonder where some of the more iconic pieces are located. The Grauman's Chinese Theatre dragon? The old Union 76 ball?
"People ask, 'Where's the Brown Derby?' " said Kim Koga, the museum's director, referring to the neon sign that once stood atop one of the city's most famous dining establishments and is now in the museum's permanent collection. "We couldn't get it in the door here."
Now, the museum has found the space it wants -- in Glendale. And many who live and work around the lofts and galleries that grew around the museum are sad to see it go.
The new space, on Brand Boulevard across from Americana at Brand, offers raw square footage as well as a chance to display some pieces on the building's exterior -- all in an area that has been experiencing its own sort of renaissance. No date has been set for the move.
The museum leaves a part of downtown that in the last decade has been transformed from an area of empty office buildings and sagging storefronts to one of L.A.'s most vibrant gallery districts, where thousands converge for the monthly art walk.
"We have this amazing relationship that won't end if they go to Glendale," said Bert Green, founder of the Downtown Art Walk and owner of a gallery at 5th and Main streets, "but I would prefer that they stay in downtown."
The announcement comes at a time when the downtown art scene is struggling, in some ways, with its own success. The Downtown Art Walk, which celebrated its fifth anniversary earlier this month, has grown to a point that some gallery owners and residents say has taken it away from its original purpose.
As many as 10,000 people now crowd downtown's streets one Thursday a month, according to some estimates. Many come to peruse the galleries, but others come to visit the area's bars, restaurants and many of the sidewalk vendors who also migrate to the area for the monthly event.
Green, who handed over the reins of the walk earlier this year, has moved his gallery's opening parties to the day before the event, and closes the gallery at 6 p.m. on art walk nights. He was getting 2,500 visitors to the small gallery at 5th and Main between 7 and 9 p.m.
"It was costing me hundreds of dollars to stay open," he said, mostly because of extra staff needed to manage the crowds, "and no one was buying anything."
Downtown boosters say the recession has hit downtown less than other artistic neighborhoods such as Culver City or Venice. While one gallery, the nonprofit Pharmaka, recently lost its space at 5th and Main, others are opening on upper floors, which lack walk-in foot traffic but sometimes offer more space and cheaper rent.
Brady Westwater, a longtime downtown activist, said that he was sad to see the neon museum leave, especially because it had hung on for so long when downtown's fortunes were on the decline. "We've now got Disney Hall, Gallery Row, Art Walk, SCI-Arc -- all of these things that have come in and are now institutions," Westwater said. "It's a tragedy that just as the theaters of Broadway are about to have their lights turned on again, the lights of the neon museum will be turned off downtown."
cara.dimassa@latimes.com
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Another Reason Why The Downtown Street Car Will Be a Success!
This Sunday's New York Times evaluates the economic impact of Phoenix's new light rail system which is based upon the same economic development model as the system being built in Downtown Los Angeles.
Their rail line connects Phoenix's different downtown districts in the way ours will link South Park's Staples Arena, Grammy Museum, LA Live and Convention Center to the almost twenty theaters in the extended Broadway theater district - and to Historic Downtown's Gallery Row, Fashion Walk and bars and restaurants before it finally connects with Bunker Hill's Music Center, MOCA, Disney Hall and Grand Avenue Project and Park.
And to the surprise of many in Phoenix, their new light rail has created a local economic boom while the rest of the city continues in a serious economic decline. The good news for LA is that riders in Phoenix are flocking to a system that has a lot fewer attractions along it than we have and it does so in a Downtown with far less density, considerably fewer tourists, a fraction of the residents and comparatively fewer potential riders of ever kind compared to Downtown LA.
Phoenix also does not have our growing concentration of high rise offices and high rise residential buildings all along their line that will attract far more rush hour commuters to LA's system - nor does it have a connection to a growing regional rail sysem.
The Phoenix light rail design is also a little less user friendly than LA's streetcar model which allows you step right from the curb into the car. The far shorter construction method of our model also means local businesses will not have to suffer through an extended construction period as they did in Phoenix (and have done in past traditional light rail projects in LA) - to reap all the economic benefits.
And the success of the Phoenix system increasingly makes it even more certain Councilman Jose Huizar's decision to champion this project will be one of the few economic development projects in Los Angeles in years to create substantial numbers of jobs awhile also raising tax revenues, benefiting both the residents and tax payers of Los Angeles.
And at a time too many economic development projects in LA - and particularly in Downtown - are still largely designed to provide high paying jobs for politically connected consultants and contractors, hopefully the success of this project - and the hoped for success of the overall Bringing Back Broadway Project - will demonstrate that with the right leadership, our city can accomplish the types of genuine economic development projects every city but LA seems to be able to regularly initiate and complete.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/us/20rail.html?hpw
Their rail line connects Phoenix's different downtown districts in the way ours will link South Park's Staples Arena, Grammy Museum, LA Live and Convention Center to the almost twenty theaters in the extended Broadway theater district - and to Historic Downtown's Gallery Row, Fashion Walk and bars and restaurants before it finally connects with Bunker Hill's Music Center, MOCA, Disney Hall and Grand Avenue Project and Park.
And to the surprise of many in Phoenix, their new light rail has created a local economic boom while the rest of the city continues in a serious economic decline. The good news for LA is that riders in Phoenix are flocking to a system that has a lot fewer attractions along it than we have and it does so in a Downtown with far less density, considerably fewer tourists, a fraction of the residents and comparatively fewer potential riders of ever kind compared to Downtown LA.
Phoenix also does not have our growing concentration of high rise offices and high rise residential buildings all along their line that will attract far more rush hour commuters to LA's system - nor does it have a connection to a growing regional rail sysem.
The Phoenix light rail design is also a little less user friendly than LA's streetcar model which allows you step right from the curb into the car. The far shorter construction method of our model also means local businesses will not have to suffer through an extended construction period as they did in Phoenix (and have done in past traditional light rail projects in LA) - to reap all the economic benefits.
And the success of the Phoenix system increasingly makes it even more certain Councilman Jose Huizar's decision to champion this project will be one of the few economic development projects in Los Angeles in years to create substantial numbers of jobs awhile also raising tax revenues, benefiting both the residents and tax payers of Los Angeles.
And at a time too many economic development projects in LA - and particularly in Downtown - are still largely designed to provide high paying jobs for politically connected consultants and contractors, hopefully the success of this project - and the hoped for success of the overall Bringing Back Broadway Project - will demonstrate that with the right leadership, our city can accomplish the types of genuine economic development projects every city but LA seems to be able to regularly initiate and complete.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/us/20rail.html?hpw
September 20, 2009
In Phoenix, Weekend Users Make Light Rail a Success
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER New York Times
PHOENIX — Among the many detractors — and they were multitudinous — who thought a light rail line in this sprawling city would be a riderless $1 billion failure was Starlee Rhoades, the spokeswoman for the Goldwater Institute, a vocal critic of the rail’s expense. “I’ve taken it,” Ms. Rhoades said, slightly sheepishly. “It’s useful.”
She and her colleagues still think the rail is oversubsidized, but in terms of predictions of failure, she said, “We don’t dwell.”
The light rail here, which opened in December, has been a greater success than its proponents thought it would be, but not quite the way they envisioned. Unlike the rest of the country’s public transportation systems, which are used principally by commuters, the 20 miles of light rail here stretching from central Phoenix to Mesa and Tempe is used largely by people going to restaurants, bars, ball games and cultural events downtown.
The rail was projected to attract 26,000 riders per day, but the number is closer to 33,000, boosted in large part by weekend riders. Only 27 percent use the train for work, according to its operator, compared with 60 percent of other public transit users on average nationwide.
In some part thanks to the new system, downtown Phoenix appears to be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise economically pummeled city, which like the rest of Arizona has suffered under the crushing slide of the state’s economy. The state, for years almost totally dependent on growth, has one of the deepest budget deficits in the country.
In the first quarter of 2009, downtown Phoenix saw its revenues increase 13 percent, while the rest of the city saw a fall of 16 percent, according to Eric Johnson, a redevelopment program manager for the city’s Community and Economic Development Department. (Businesses along the line suffered greatly during the many years of construction, it should be noted.)
“It is bringing us new customers who didn’t have time to get in the car and drive out here before,” said Joel Miller, a co-owner of Maizies Cafe and Bistro, which sits right along the rail line.
The gaggle of light rail users — including Arizona State University students, who use a line that connects its Tempe campus with the downtown campus — have given a small part of the city a new, dense connectivity that was more or less unheard of in the city two years ago. Pub crawls along the light rail have become a weekend staple, and restaurants have seen new customers from outside the neighborhood popping in off the line for brunch on the weekends.
“I think the biggest impact of the light rail is less tangible,” said Matt Poolin, owner of Matt’s Big Breakfast, a busy spot along the line, “which is that it really improves the image and perception of Phoenix’s downtown, which, although experiencing a significant renaissance in recent years, still is undergoing many improvements and changes. The light rail, largely because it is so well run and nicely appointed, is something that I think most people are really proud of and feel positive about. It is rare to hear anyone complain, despite all of the controversy.”
The controversy was largely attached to the rail line’s cost — $1.4 billion — and the relatively low ticket price — $1.75 each way, with all-day passes for $3.50 and discounted rates for longer-term passes. In a city with low density, miles of suburban sprawl to the east and west of downtown and a historical lack of passion for public transportation, the rail line, one of the nation’s 36 systems, seemed like a white elephant.
But its development over the last decade coincided with the city’s expansion of the downtown convention center, the rise of the new A.S.U. campus and the booming commercial and residential real estate market that helped fuel the growth of Phoenix, downtown and elsewhere, earlier in the decade. Since 2001, when the tax for the new rail line was approved, there has been about $5 billion in public and private investment — $3.5 billion of it private — around the site of the light rail, the city’s development agency spokesman said.
Valley Metro, the line’s operator, hopes to add 37 miles toward Glendale and northeast Phoenix, breaking ground in 2012 and completing the extensions by 2017.
“We would like to see a financial audit before they expand,” said Ms. Rhoades of the conservative Goldwater Institute, echoing those who have been critical of the expense. “We are also proponents of paying your own way, and we think the light rail remains too subsidized.”
The hooting of an oncoming sleek new train is a sound many in Phoenix are still becoming used to, but it has given the city a distinctly modern feel. “There has been this pent-up demand for downtown Phoenix to grow up,” said Nick Bastian, a real estate agent in the city who has developed a blog devoted to light rail news. “And the light rail has given people an excuse to say let’s go down there and check it out.”
MTA To Shut Down Subway Stations During Rush Hour!
Or at least that's what it seems like they are trying to do.
I can't believe the MTA is only putting in half the turnstyles in the Pershing Square & McArthur Park Stations commuters will need during the rush hour. But the worst of it is - many of those turnstyles are going to be tied up by people exiting - even though they don't need to pay fares. Yes, instead of having separate exits which do not have the ticket taking function - there will not only be too few turnstyles - but those too few turnstyles will be going in two different directions.
And even the Sheriff's officers are openly saying that whoever designed this system is (redacted) and... (redacted) - not to mention (redacted, redacted and redacted) - and that all of us who use the subway are totally (redacted) big time.
I can't believe the MTA is only putting in half the turnstyles in the Pershing Square & McArthur Park Stations commuters will need during the rush hour. But the worst of it is - many of those turnstyles are going to be tied up by people exiting - even though they don't need to pay fares. Yes, instead of having separate exits which do not have the ticket taking function - there will not only be too few turnstyles - but those too few turnstyles will be going in two different directions.
And even the Sheriff's officers are openly saying that whoever designed this system is (redacted) and... (redacted) - not to mention (redacted, redacted and redacted) - and that all of us who use the subway are totally (redacted) big time.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Support Iranian Street Artists! Free Event Downtown Tonight! 6 - 9 PM
Subject: TONIGHT!
http://www.crewest.com/
Join us tonight, Saturday, Sep. 19 from 6-9 pm
A very special Live event at Crewest:
Artists from L.A. will create work LIVE in the spirit of exchange with the artists in FROM THE STREETS OF IRAN.
Participating artists include:
Man One, ABCNT, John Carr, Contra, Karen Fiorito, Amitis Motevalli, O and Petal.
Come and watch some of the best local urban artists at work.
From The Streets Of Iran runs through September 26th @ Crewest
http://www.crewest.com/
110 Winston St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213627-8272
http://www.crewest.com/
Join us tonight, Saturday, Sep. 19 from 6-9 pm
A very special Live event at Crewest:
Artists from L.A. will create work LIVE in the spirit of exchange with the artists in FROM THE STREETS OF IRAN.
Participating artists include:
Man One, ABCNT, John Carr, Contra, Karen Fiorito, Amitis Motevalli, O and Petal.
Come and watch some of the best local urban artists at work.
From The Streets Of Iran runs through September 26th @ Crewest
http://www.crewest.com/
110 Winston St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213627-8272
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Four New Boutiques Open Since Last Fashion Walk
www.downtownfashionwalk.com
Now while all four of these stores - which will be open on tonight's Fashion Walk from 5:30 - 10 PM - have opened in the past month - which comes to about one new store a week - all but one have participated in past Art and/or Fashion Walk events.
First - KAPSOUL - had a sneak preview at last month's first Fashion Walk - and had a line out the door of eager buyers, despite their then limited selection. Now, though, the store is fully stocked
KAPSOUL 6th Street between Main and Spring
Cell 818-693-4180 Contemporary & vintage clothes, sunglasses
Next, 1-Man's Trash has long been located in Downtown Los Angeles but only recently has been an exhibitor at past Art and Fashion Walks. This, then, will be the Fashion Walk debut of their new store which will feature Erik Dixon's one of a kind re-worked vintage pieces for men, women and children. Among those who have worn his line are Usher Raymond, Ellen Degeneres, and Carmen Elektra. Also featured in the store is a carefuly curated selction of vintage clothing.
1-Man's Trash 651 S. Main Street Vintage inspired, re-made vintage And vintage clothing 818-355-1130
Christina Wheeler has also shown at past Downtown Art Walks before taking the plunge and opening her own store. She has been primarily showing her handbags and hats - but has recently returned to her roots as a clothing designer.
Symbiotic Form
www.symbioticform.blogspot.com 651 Main Street
213-631-6971 Vintage inspired woman's hand bags, hats, clothes and jewelry
In contrast, the all vintage store - ZLB - just appeared a couple weeks ago at 7th and Main with a selection of unusual vintage designs culled from the owner's purchases all over the US - and Europe.
ZLB Main and 7th NW Corner on 7th Side of Building Vintage Clothing of every kind and every price
We will have more on each of these stores and their owners shortly - but besides the fact the are few - if any - retail districts where no clothing stores are closing - I suspect that only on Downtown's Fashion Walk are new stores opening on a regular basis.
Now while all four of these stores - which will be open on tonight's Fashion Walk from 5:30 - 10 PM - have opened in the past month - which comes to about one new store a week - all but one have participated in past Art and/or Fashion Walk events.
First - KAPSOUL - had a sneak preview at last month's first Fashion Walk - and had a line out the door of eager buyers, despite their then limited selection. Now, though, the store is fully stocked
KAPSOUL 6th Street between Main and Spring
Cell 818-693-4180 Contemporary & vintage clothes, sunglasses
Next, 1-Man's Trash has long been located in Downtown Los Angeles but only recently has been an exhibitor at past Art and Fashion Walks. This, then, will be the Fashion Walk debut of their new store which will feature Erik Dixon's one of a kind re-worked vintage pieces for men, women and children. Among those who have worn his line are Usher Raymond, Ellen Degeneres, and Carmen Elektra. Also featured in the store is a carefuly curated selction of vintage clothing.
1-Man's Trash 651 S. Main Street Vintage inspired, re-made vintage And vintage clothing 818-355-1130
Christina Wheeler has also shown at past Downtown Art Walks before taking the plunge and opening her own store. She has been primarily showing her handbags and hats - but has recently returned to her roots as a clothing designer.
Symbiotic Form
www.symbioticform.blogspot.com 651 Main Street
213-631-6971 Vintage inspired woman's hand bags, hats, clothes and jewelry
In contrast, the all vintage store - ZLB - just appeared a couple weeks ago at 7th and Main with a selection of unusual vintage designs culled from the owner's purchases all over the US - and Europe.
ZLB Main and 7th NW Corner on 7th Side of Building Vintage Clothing of every kind and every price
We will have more on each of these stores and their owners shortly - but besides the fact the are few - if any - retail districts where no clothing stores are closing - I suspect that only on Downtown's Fashion Walk are new stores opening on a regular basis.
What Do Vegas Show Girls And Women On Fashion Walk Have In Common?
www.downtownfashionwalk.com
They all have or have had an opportunity to wear a hat created by Jill Pfieffer. One of the many unique character you will meet on the Downtown Fashion Walk, Jill will be showing some of her one of a kind hats at the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring.
Below is a short bio of a long life:
They all have or have had an opportunity to wear a hat created by Jill Pfieffer. One of the many unique character you will meet on the Downtown Fashion Walk, Jill will be showing some of her one of a kind hats at the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring.
Below is a short bio of a long life:
Biography
Jill started her life as an artist early, with private fine art lessons at the age of 7 and started selling portraits at the age of 10. She has pursued her vocation all of her life and spent many years working as a Costume Designer, Milliner, Wardrobe Master and Stylist.
She has worked in Las Vegas for the Luxor Hotel, the Excalibur Hotel, the Sands, the Desert Inn, the Las Vegas Hilton, the Stardust, and Circus Circus, among others, in Reno for Bally’s, in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, creating costumes, headdresses, and other wardrobe for shows such as “Lido de Paris”, “King Arthur’s Tournaments”, “Starlight Express”, “Viva Las Vegas”, “Sid and Marty Kroft’s Comedy Kings”, “Beach Blanket Babylon”, “Splash”, and “Jesus Christ Superstar”.
After settling in Los Angeles, Jill started creating one-of-a-kind cigar box purses and custom hats and sold them in the LA Garment Dist. for 5 years, where people from all over the world bought both the purses & hats.
A life-long educator, as well as an artist, Jill has taught at UCLA, in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, is still teaching millinery and has just started teaching painting.
Alternative Couture In Alternative Art Space At Fashion Walk!
www.downtownfashionwalk.com
On tonight's Fashion Walk, Crewest - one of the world's leading graffiti galleries - will host Nicole Moan Ceramic Corsets(Ceramic Corsets) and ethercult couture (custom apparel.
Both lines of clothing that look equally at home in an art gallery as they do on the human body. Also on the display in the gallery are examples of Iranian street graffiti. You can see examples at the Crewest website:
http://www.crewest.com/
And below is an interview with Steve Sattler of the Ether Cult.
Weapons of the Ether Cult
Interview: Steven Sattler
by Nathan Cartwright
Steven Sattler is an Idaho grown, Anarchist prone artistic mega-beast. From dodging the draft by starving himself to challenging skinheads in small towns in his white washed state, he is a true warrior of visual persuasion. He stands for chaos, but has an innate ability to make it all look so good in his mixed media compositions. Recently, I had the privilege to visit his studio and chat about his amazing creations and ideas about a New World Order.
Nathan: Steven, I often say there are two types of artists who thrive in The Hive; the illustrators and the mad scientists. Your work is definitely in the latter category. What influences have led you to the Sattler I know?
Steven: An early realization of the horrific state of adult life led me to art as a means of creating alternate realities. In grade school, comic books and sci-fi led me to the study of the aryan mythos, the possibility of real supermen was intriguing. Then I was introduced to surrealism by a nun who gave me a holy card that was by Dali, (I’m sure that she knew not what poisons she had let loose), eventually the army tried to send me to my death, making me a permanent enemy of the state. Finally zen and Krishnamurti put me on a quest for absolute freedom, something that appealed to my inherent non-conformist bent. My ongoing influences would be surrealism and it’s offshoots, except the current drivel that is pop surrealism, (I’m sure Breton is spinning in his grave), and French academic art and teachings, particularly J.L. Gerome. 200
NC: What are some of the obstacles you faced growing up in (the inland northwest) as an artist?
Steven: In the northwest, if you call yourself an artist you had better be able to paint signs or do horse portraiture or will likely get shot. They don’t hold well to the con game that is modern art. Growing up in a hot rod environment, an artist was the guy who could pinstripe or do flames. My dad’s advice was “you have a good eye for detail, you should be a forger or a counterfeiter”.
NC: Tell me about the Ether Cult.
Steven: Ethercult is an attempt to subvert the capitalist spectacle by using its own means against it. It’s a design collective using art as a weapon to confront the public in unexpected places, through clothing, furniture, graphic design, sounds, etc, anywhere that we can produce unsettling, unsellable, original statements of revolt. A current example would be ethercult couture’s invisible red carpet ensemble, an outfit so offensive it would have to be pixelated from head to toe. Ethercult is attempting to be a community college of pataphysics. A training ground for sedition. Our motto is ” We don’t want your money, your time, or your beliefs. Everything’s perfect, stay as you are.”
NC: How does art and economy tie together with this idea?
Steven: The only way to be avant-garde today is to remove money entirely from the art equation.
NC: Any new secret projects lined up in your mad scientist laboratory?
Steven: The main things would be a chess set reflecting the modern human beast (each piece being life sized mixed media sculptures), a new line for ethercult couture, a piece for next months bee-rotica show at the Hive entitled ” The persecution of Dennis Hopper in the 11th dimension” another anti celebrity rant, and continuing to hone my art skills, the better to realize any inspiration that comes my way.
On tonight's Fashion Walk, Crewest - one of the world's leading graffiti galleries - will host Nicole Moan Ceramic Corsets(Ceramic Corsets) and ethercult couture (custom apparel.
Both lines of clothing that look equally at home in an art gallery as they do on the human body. Also on the display in the gallery are examples of Iranian street graffiti. You can see examples at the Crewest website:
http://www.crewest.com/
And below is an interview with Steve Sattler of the Ether Cult.
Weapons of the Ether Cult
Interview: Steven Sattler
by Nathan Cartwright
Steven Sattler is an Idaho grown, Anarchist prone artistic mega-beast. From dodging the draft by starving himself to challenging skinheads in small towns in his white washed state, he is a true warrior of visual persuasion. He stands for chaos, but has an innate ability to make it all look so good in his mixed media compositions. Recently, I had the privilege to visit his studio and chat about his amazing creations and ideas about a New World Order.
Nathan: Steven, I often say there are two types of artists who thrive in The Hive; the illustrators and the mad scientists. Your work is definitely in the latter category. What influences have led you to the Sattler I know?
Steven: An early realization of the horrific state of adult life led me to art as a means of creating alternate realities. In grade school, comic books and sci-fi led me to the study of the aryan mythos, the possibility of real supermen was intriguing. Then I was introduced to surrealism by a nun who gave me a holy card that was by Dali, (I’m sure that she knew not what poisons she had let loose), eventually the army tried to send me to my death, making me a permanent enemy of the state. Finally zen and Krishnamurti put me on a quest for absolute freedom, something that appealed to my inherent non-conformist bent. My ongoing influences would be surrealism and it’s offshoots, except the current drivel that is pop surrealism, (I’m sure Breton is spinning in his grave), and French academic art and teachings, particularly J.L. Gerome. 200
NC: What are some of the obstacles you faced growing up in (the inland northwest) as an artist?
Steven: In the northwest, if you call yourself an artist you had better be able to paint signs or do horse portraiture or will likely get shot. They don’t hold well to the con game that is modern art. Growing up in a hot rod environment, an artist was the guy who could pinstripe or do flames. My dad’s advice was “you have a good eye for detail, you should be a forger or a counterfeiter”.
NC: Tell me about the Ether Cult.
Steven: Ethercult is an attempt to subvert the capitalist spectacle by using its own means against it. It’s a design collective using art as a weapon to confront the public in unexpected places, through clothing, furniture, graphic design, sounds, etc, anywhere that we can produce unsettling, unsellable, original statements of revolt. A current example would be ethercult couture’s invisible red carpet ensemble, an outfit so offensive it would have to be pixelated from head to toe. Ethercult is attempting to be a community college of pataphysics. A training ground for sedition. Our motto is ” We don’t want your money, your time, or your beliefs. Everything’s perfect, stay as you are.”
NC: How does art and economy tie together with this idea?
Steven: The only way to be avant-garde today is to remove money entirely from the art equation.
NC: Any new secret projects lined up in your mad scientist laboratory?
Steven: The main things would be a chess set reflecting the modern human beast (each piece being life sized mixed media sculptures), a new line for ethercult couture, a piece for next months bee-rotica show at the Hive entitled ” The persecution of Dennis Hopper in the 11th dimension” another anti celebrity rant, and continuing to hone my art skills, the better to realize any inspiration that comes my way.
Downtown Fashion Walk Starts 5:30 Tonight!
Over thirty fashion stores, events and free music open from 5:30 PM - 10 PM tonight along Main, Spring and Broadway between 4th and 7th!
All the details and the full map are at:
www.downtownfashionwalk.com
With updates at:
www.downtownfashionwalk.blogspot.com
All the details and the full map are at:
www.downtownfashionwalk.com
With updates at:
www.downtownfashionwalk.blogspot.com
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Downtown Fashion Walk Final Map and Schedule Now on Website! Thursday Sept. 17th!
Every you want to know about Fashion Walk is either on the website www.downtownfashionwalk.com - or on the new Downtown Fashion Walk blog - www.downtownfashionwalk.blogspot.com
Join us between 5:30 PM - 10 PM this Thursday September 17th, 2009
Join us between 5:30 PM - 10 PM this Thursday September 17th, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Downtown Fashion Walk Now Has Its Own Blog!
From now on most of the posts about the Downtown Fashion Walk be be appearing on... the Downtown Fashion Walk blog.
www.downtownfashionwalk.blogspot.com
www.downtownfashionwalk.blogspot.com
Friday, August 28, 2009
LOOKING FOR CREATIVE RETAIL AND RETAIL CONCEPTS!
Downtown LA needs creative retailers! We need visionaries who want to reinvent the future of retail in the 21st Century. So – do you know how brick and mortar can compete with cyber-stores? Do you know how department stores can reinvent themselves?
Do you have the next great concept for a fashion, book, art, furniture, speciality, collectibles or - whatever - store?
Well - if you have the right ideas - very soon, we will have a place where you can make them happen in Downtown Los Angeles.
Brady Westwater
bradywestwater@gmail.com or 213-804-8396
Do you have the next great concept for a fashion, book, art, furniture, speciality, collectibles or - whatever - store?
Well - if you have the right ideas - very soon, we will have a place where you can make them happen in Downtown Los Angeles.
Brady Westwater
bradywestwater@gmail.com or 213-804-8396
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Downtown Fashion Walk Map Now Up!
A very slightly updated version will be posted tomorrow morning! Just hit were to go!
http://downtownfashionwalk.com/main.html
www.downtownfashionwalk.com
http://downtownfashionwalk.com/main.html
www.downtownfashionwalk.com
Downtown Fashion Walk Store and Event List!
Until we finish getting the events up on Downtown Fashion Walk the website, here are about 90% of the stores, pop-ups and special events that will be held Thursday August 20th. SO - UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE - THIS WILL BE THE MOST UPDATED LIST OF EVENTS. But final list and map will be on website Wednesday night.
And last few additions will be added to this this site by afternoon Wednesday - and they will be listed as an UPDATE - and a map to everything will be posted on the website on Wednesday night. Copies of the map will also be available up at most of the stores listed on Main and Spring Streets starting at 11 AM on Thursday morning.
Entertainment and Special events are listed letters.
Downtown Fashion Walk – Where To Go
Thursday August 20th, 2009
5:30Pm – 10 PM (thought most stores will be open by noon)
Stores & Events Listed By Street
MAIN STREET & SIDE STREETS
1. M'ouments (Store)
125 W. 4th St. #106 (Enter Off Alley)
213 626 6606
www.mouments.tumblr.com
Former Comme des Garcon Guerrilla Store now
M'ouments, carrying brands like Comme des Garcon,
Unholy Matrimony and Sonia Boyjian
2. Blends (Store)
125 W 4th St
213 626 6606
www.Blendsus.Com
Limited Edition sneakers &
Urban Clothing
3. Elmer Ave. (Store)
125 W. 4th St.
888 356 3728
www.Elmerave.Com
Rock and Roll Rebels Designing
High-End Formal Wear
4. Skin.Graft (Store)
125 W. 4th St. #102
213 626 2662 www.skingraftdesigns.Com
Raw underground Style combined with
Sleek high-end couture
5. Fremont (Store)
120 W. 4th St.
213 626 1756
www.Fremontapparelco.Com
Classic Cool Couture
6. 621 Main Street
Pop-up store TBA
7. Crewest (Store)
110 E. Winston St.
Los Angeles
213 627 8272
www.Crewest.Com
Stellar graffiti artist art & clothing
8. The Gallery@118 Winston
118 E. Winston Street
Second floor
Vintage, N.OM by Natalia Benson earrings,
& clothing designed by Flock.
9. Stelladottir (Store)
430 S. Main St.
213 623 8464
www.stelladottir.com
Hand made, vintage inspired clothes and hats.
Last year’s Downtown store of the year.
10. Main Street Tattoo
438 Main Street
213-622-0387
www.mainsttats.com
A. 7 & 10 PM screening of Project Runway
Patio of Café Bermuda
464 S. Main Street
213-622-6644
11. Pussy & Pooch (store)
564 S. Main St
213 438 0900
www.pussyandpooch.com
Pet Couture & Grooming
12. Upper Playground (Store)
125 E 6th Street
213 623 4300
www.Upperplayground.Com
Fusion of fashion with fine art
with locally and nationally known artists
13. Mr. Cartoon's Tattoo Shop (Store)
129 E 6th St
213 488 0313
www.Mistercartoon.Com
Urban clothes & classic tattoos
14. Soulful Commandoe Flagship Store (Store)
121 E 6th Street, #131
213 291 9601
www.Soulfulcommandoe.Com
Ultra Exclusive Street Apparel & Accessories
15. Pacific Electric Ground Floor
Corner 6th & Main
Sample & Clearance Sales
Multiple Fashion District name Brands
16. PE Annex (pop-up)
618 Main Street
Pop-up store TBA
17. 630 Main (pop-up store)
Rhys Dwfen
www.rhysdwfen.com
A women’s contemporary collection of luxurious knit
18. 632 Main (pop-up store)
Jenny Han
www.jennyhan.com
A contemporary-chic collection of sweet and sexy pieces
19. Known Gallery (store)
651 Main Street
http://www.knowngallery.com/
Urban Art & Urban clothes
20. 1-Man’s Trash (store)
651 S. Main Street
Vintage inspired couture, designer vintage.
21.TSL Armor Jewelry (store)
651 Main Street
Urban Jewelry
http://www.knowngallery.com/blog/post/tsl-armor-releases-their-new-line-for-agenda
22. Symbiotic Form (store)
651 Main Street
213.631.6971
vintage inspired woman's hand bags, hats, clothes and jewelry.
www.symbioticform.blogspot.com
SPRING STREET & SIDE STREETS
22. Ed Hardy (Store)
433 S Spring St
213 627 3932
www.edhardyshop.com
Vintage-styled Tattoo Wear
Only Ed Hardy Outlet Store!
23. Phyllis Stein Art (store)
207 W. 5th Street
213-622-6012
323-896-7465 cell
http://www.phyllissteinart.com/
Todd Goldman clothes, Molly Schiot clothes
and paintings by David Thomas.
24. Polyester Books (Store)
(Todd/Browning Gallery)
211 West 5th Street
213 623 1176
www.Polyesterbooks.Com
Fashion, Style, Art & Design Books
Vintage/Contemporary Photographs
B. You’re The Top
Spring Arts Tower Main Space. One Night Event!
Multiple hat dealers & designers, vintage hats, book signing
by Project Runway’s Kate Hahn and Andrae Gonzalo.
201 W. 5th Street - 5th & Spring
http://www.deepglamour.net/deep_glamour/2009/08/party-with-deepglamour-on-august-20.html
25. TBA (pop-up)
109 W. 6th
TBA
26. Takashi Masuda (store)
110 W. 6th Street
Cell 818-693-4180
Contemporary & vintage clothes, sunglasses
27. Flea (store)
112 W. 6th
213-626-2122
Vintage clothes, furniture
(needs to close by 5 PM today)
28. Salon on 6 (store)
111 W. 6th
TBA Music, Fashion & Make-up
213-623-5033
29. Apliiq (Store)
114 W 6th Street
323 300 6492
www.apliiq.com
Apliiq applies unique rare textiles to
your everyday garments.
30 New York Hats (Store)
217 W 6th St
213 228 1915
New And Old School Hats
Located in historic chocolate store
filled with Bachelder tiles!
31. Crack Gallery (Store)
204 W 6th St
213 622 3493
www.crackgallery.com
Crack Gallery wants to get the city hooked on a new drug:
their own blend of fashion and art.
32. Shoes & Hand Bags (store)
204-½ W. 4th Street
213 622 3493
www.crackgallery.com
Handbags, Shoes & Accessories
BROADWAY & SIDE STREETS
(some of these stores may close early)
33. Goodwill (Store – Fashion Walk)
235 S Broadway
(213) 628-1748
www.Goodwillsocal.Org
Vintage/Used/Huge Selection!
34. Uniforms (Store – Fashion Walk)
217 W 4th St
213 617 8495
http://www.broadwayarmystore.net/ArmyStore/Default.htm
Military & Civilian Uniforms, Shirts
35. El Fino (Braodway Walk)
412 – 416 Broadway
Boot & Denim & Western Shirt Sale (Broadway/Fashion Walk store)
Going Out Of Business Sale!
36. Judson Building (Broadway Walk)
436 S. Broadway
Shoes/Men’s Clothes
C. American Mart (Store - Fashion Walk)
437 S. Broadway
OVER TWENTY CREATIVE VENDORS!
Fashion, Art, Collectibles, Jewelry!
37. Shoe Hut (Store – Fashion Walk)
529 S Broadway
213 688 8310
www.shoehutusa.com
Huge Selection Of Baseball Caps
& Shoes
38. Blue Jeans (store – Broadway Walk)
553 S. Broadway
Men’s Clothing, Boots, Hats
Large selection
D. Comedy Walk!
Three Hours of Free Comedy!
Entrance to Broadway Spring Arcade
542 S. Broadway
www.comedywalk.com
30 New York Hats (Store)
217 W 6th St
213 228 1915
New And Old School Hats
Located in historic chocolate store
filled with Batchler tiles!
39. Chanelli Outlet
625 S. Broadway
Rarely Seen European Brand
Bags. Clearance Sale! Ask to see
the bags in the rear.
40. Red Zone Footwear (Store – Fashion Walk)
629 S Broadway
213 622 8649
http://local.yahoo.com/info-20366907-red-zone-footwear-los-angeles?tab=reviews#reviews
Excellent selection of creepers, heels and punk and rock shirts
41. Pop-Up Store – TBA
624 S. Broadway
E. Palace Theater - Lobby
630 S. Broadway
Steve Henao fronts the fast rising band –
Katerpillar! Starting at 7 PM.
Act Right Gear will also have shirts
And last few additions will be added to this this site by afternoon Wednesday - and they will be listed as an UPDATE - and a map to everything will be posted on the website on Wednesday night. Copies of the map will also be available up at most of the stores listed on Main and Spring Streets starting at 11 AM on Thursday morning.
Entertainment and Special events are listed letters.
Downtown Fashion Walk – Where To Go
Thursday August 20th, 2009
5:30Pm – 10 PM (thought most stores will be open by noon)
Stores & Events Listed By Street
MAIN STREET & SIDE STREETS
1. M'ouments (Store)
125 W. 4th St. #106 (Enter Off Alley)
213 626 6606
www.mouments.tumblr.com
Former Comme des Garcon Guerrilla Store now
M'ouments, carrying brands like Comme des Garcon,
Unholy Matrimony and Sonia Boyjian
2. Blends (Store)
125 W 4th St
213 626 6606
www.Blendsus.Com
Limited Edition sneakers &
Urban Clothing
3. Elmer Ave. (Store)
125 W. 4th St.
888 356 3728
www.Elmerave.Com
Rock and Roll Rebels Designing
High-End Formal Wear
4. Skin.Graft (Store)
125 W. 4th St. #102
213 626 2662 www.skingraftdesigns.Com
Raw underground Style combined with
Sleek high-end couture
5. Fremont (Store)
120 W. 4th St.
213 626 1756
www.Fremontapparelco.Com
Classic Cool Couture
6. 621 Main Street
Pop-up store TBA
7. Crewest (Store)
110 E. Winston St.
Los Angeles
213 627 8272
www.Crewest.Com
Stellar graffiti artist art & clothing
8. The Gallery@118 Winston
118 E. Winston Street
Second floor
Vintage, N.OM by Natalia Benson earrings,
& clothing designed by Flock.
9. Stelladottir (Store)
430 S. Main St.
213 623 8464
www.stelladottir.com
Hand made, vintage inspired clothes and hats.
Last year’s Downtown store of the year.
10. Main Street Tattoo
438 Main Street
213-622-0387
www.mainsttats.com
A. 7 & 10 PM screening of Project Runway
Patio of Café Bermuda
464 S. Main Street
213-622-6644
11. Pussy & Pooch (store)
564 S. Main St
213 438 0900
www.pussyandpooch.com
Pet Couture & Grooming
12. Upper Playground (Store)
125 E 6th Street
213 623 4300
www.Upperplayground.Com
Fusion of fashion with fine art
with locally and nationally known artists
13. Mr. Cartoon's Tattoo Shop (Store)
129 E 6th St
213 488 0313
www.Mistercartoon.Com
Urban clothes & classic tattoos
14. Soulful Commandoe Flagship Store (Store)
121 E 6th Street, #131
213 291 9601
www.Soulfulcommandoe.Com
Ultra Exclusive Street Apparel & Accessories
15. Pacific Electric Ground Floor
Corner 6th & Main
Sample & Clearance Sales
Multiple Fashion District name Brands
16. PE Annex (pop-up)
618 Main Street
Pop-up store TBA
17. 630 Main (pop-up store)
Rhys Dwfen
www.rhysdwfen.com
A women’s contemporary collection of luxurious knit
18. 632 Main (pop-up store)
Jenny Han
www.jennyhan.com
A contemporary-chic collection of sweet and sexy pieces
19. Known Gallery (store)
651 Main Street
http://www.knowngallery.com/
Urban Art & Urban clothes
20. 1-Man’s Trash (store)
651 S. Main Street
Vintage inspired couture, designer vintage.
21.TSL Armor Jewelry (store)
651 Main Street
Urban Jewelry
http://www.knowngallery.com/blog/post/tsl-armor-releases-their-new-line-for-agenda
22. Symbiotic Form (store)
651 Main Street
213.631.6971
vintage inspired woman's hand bags, hats, clothes and jewelry.
www.symbioticform.blogspot.com
SPRING STREET & SIDE STREETS
22. Ed Hardy (Store)
433 S Spring St
213 627 3932
www.edhardyshop.com
Vintage-styled Tattoo Wear
Only Ed Hardy Outlet Store!
23. Phyllis Stein Art (store)
207 W. 5th Street
213-622-6012
323-896-7465 cell
http://www.phyllissteinart.com/
Todd Goldman clothes, Molly Schiot clothes
and paintings by David Thomas.
24. Polyester Books (Store)
(Todd/Browning Gallery)
211 West 5th Street
213 623 1176
www.Polyesterbooks.Com
Fashion, Style, Art & Design Books
Vintage/Contemporary Photographs
B. You’re The Top
Spring Arts Tower Main Space. One Night Event!
Multiple hat dealers & designers, vintage hats, book signing
by Project Runway’s Kate Hahn and Andrae Gonzalo.
201 W. 5th Street - 5th & Spring
http://www.deepglamour.net/deep_glamour/2009/08/party-with-deepglamour-on-august-20.html
25. TBA (pop-up)
109 W. 6th
TBA
26. Takashi Masuda (store)
110 W. 6th Street
Cell 818-693-4180
Contemporary & vintage clothes, sunglasses
27. Flea (store)
112 W. 6th
213-626-2122
Vintage clothes, furniture
(needs to close by 5 PM today)
28. Salon on 6 (store)
111 W. 6th
TBA Music, Fashion & Make-up
213-623-5033
29. Apliiq (Store)
114 W 6th Street
323 300 6492
www.apliiq.com
Apliiq applies unique rare textiles to
your everyday garments.
30 New York Hats (Store)
217 W 6th St
213 228 1915
New And Old School Hats
Located in historic chocolate store
filled with Bachelder tiles!
31. Crack Gallery (Store)
204 W 6th St
213 622 3493
www.crackgallery.com
Crack Gallery wants to get the city hooked on a new drug:
their own blend of fashion and art.
32. Shoes & Hand Bags (store)
204-½ W. 4th Street
213 622 3493
www.crackgallery.com
Handbags, Shoes & Accessories
BROADWAY & SIDE STREETS
(some of these stores may close early)
33. Goodwill (Store – Fashion Walk)
235 S Broadway
(213) 628-1748
www.Goodwillsocal.Org
Vintage/Used/Huge Selection!
34. Uniforms (Store – Fashion Walk)
217 W 4th St
213 617 8495
http://www.broadwayarmystore.net/ArmyStore/Default.htm
Military & Civilian Uniforms, Shirts
35. El Fino (Braodway Walk)
412 – 416 Broadway
Boot & Denim & Western Shirt Sale (Broadway/Fashion Walk store)
Going Out Of Business Sale!
36. Judson Building (Broadway Walk)
436 S. Broadway
Shoes/Men’s Clothes
C. American Mart (Store - Fashion Walk)
437 S. Broadway
OVER TWENTY CREATIVE VENDORS!
Fashion, Art, Collectibles, Jewelry!
37. Shoe Hut (Store – Fashion Walk)
529 S Broadway
213 688 8310
www.shoehutusa.com
Huge Selection Of Baseball Caps
& Shoes
38. Blue Jeans (store – Broadway Walk)
553 S. Broadway
Men’s Clothing, Boots, Hats
Large selection
D. Comedy Walk!
Three Hours of Free Comedy!
Entrance to Broadway Spring Arcade
542 S. Broadway
www.comedywalk.com
30 New York Hats (Store)
217 W 6th St
213 228 1915
New And Old School Hats
Located in historic chocolate store
filled with Batchler tiles!
39. Chanelli Outlet
625 S. Broadway
Rarely Seen European Brand
Bags. Clearance Sale! Ask to see
the bags in the rear.
40. Red Zone Footwear (Store – Fashion Walk)
629 S Broadway
213 622 8649
http://local.yahoo.com/info-20366907-red-zone-footwear-los-angeles?tab=reviews#reviews
Excellent selection of creepers, heels and punk and rock shirts
41. Pop-Up Store – TBA
624 S. Broadway
E. Palace Theater - Lobby
630 S. Broadway
Steve Henao fronts the fast rising band –
Katerpillar! Starting at 7 PM.
Act Right Gear will also have shirts
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Los Angeles Times Website Redesign A Home Run!
I just got back from the gym to find a IM from Dakota over at Curbed LA telling me to look at the LA Times website. And... my verdict is - the new design is a four bagger.
The design is far easier to read and far better organized. I'd go into my detail except.... I'm too busy writing my own website for next weeks' Downtown Fashion Walk....
The design is far easier to read and far better organized. I'd go into my detail except.... I'm too busy writing my own website for next weeks' Downtown Fashion Walk....
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Chief Bratton To Resign From LAPD!
Chief Bratton is about to leave Los Angeles after reforming and revitalising the Los Angeles Police Department and dropping crime and murder levels to far below what they were when he took over the department.
The first question is - what happens next?
The good news is that after Bratton left New York - the team he had built continued to reduce crimes levels - every year (except for a spike in murders last year) and this year - in a decline economy and with fewer cops, not only is overall crime still dropping, but even murders have resumed their decline in New York.
The second question is - will the Mayor and the City Council select the best person for the job - or will they allow politics to interfere - as has happened in the past with disastrous results.
Here is part of the LA Times story linked to above:
The first question is - what happens next?
The good news is that after Bratton left New York - the team he had built continued to reduce crimes levels - every year (except for a spike in murders last year) and this year - in a decline economy and with fewer cops, not only is overall crime still dropping, but even murders have resumed their decline in New York.
The second question is - will the Mayor and the City Council select the best person for the job - or will they allow politics to interfere - as has happened in the past with disastrous results.
Here is part of the LA Times story linked to above:
Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton to step down
8:59 AM | August 5, 2009
William J. Bratton is expected to announce plans to resign as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department today to take over as head of a private security firm, sources have told The Times.
Bratton is expected to announce his decision at a noon press conference today. He did not return several calls seeking comment.
The decision by Bratton, who has dramatically reshaped the LAPD and pushed down crime rates since taking over in 2002, took the city’s political and police leadership by surprise.
As Bratton flew back to Los Angeles from a personal trip to New York Tuesday night, aides to his boss, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, said Villaraigosa knew nothing of the planned departure.
Likewise, members of the civilian panel that oversees the LAPD, as well as the deputy and assistant chiefs whom Bratton entrusts with the day-to-day operations of the department, were caught off-guard when asked about Bratton’s imminent resignation.
Bratton, 61, leaves with more than three years remaining in his second term. In Los Angeles, he cemented his reputation as one of the country’s leading law enforcement minds.
As he did during a short stint as head of the New York City Police Department, Bratton implemented a crime-fighting strategy in L.A. built around an obsessive focus on crime data and a computer mapping system that is used to identify specific areas of the city that require more policing.
That approach, along with a management style that placed considerable authority in the hands of his field commanders, has produced results: Crime rates have fallen steadily each year since Bratton’s takeover.
In a Los Angeles Times poll earlier this year, respondents expressed strong support for both the department and its chief. Almost eight in 10 registered voters said they either "strongly approve" or "somewhat approve" of police performance today.
It remains to be seen whether the changes made over the last 6 1/2 years have taken deep enough root to outlast the man who oversaw them. In recent interviews with The Times, Bratton has said that he believed the department was prepared for his departure. "If I left tomorrow," he said in December, "this would continue after I'm gone."
Bratton has long brushed aside frequent rumors about him leaving the LAPD for other jobs. British tabloids have often breathlessly announced he was a front-runner to take over Scotland Yard. And during the recent presidential campaign, he was seen as a strong candidate for a top federal law enforcement job, such as at the Department of Homeland Security. When asked by The Times last month whether his decision to place his Los Feliz home on the market was a portent of some brewing decision to leave, he said he had no such plans.
Regardless, the termination of the consent decree last month seemed to signal a major turning point for Bratton and his outlook on his tenure at the LAPD. With the department now free of what he believed was the heavy stigma of federal oversight, there appeared to be little new for Bratton to focus his energies on.
"I never want to go and just maintain something," he said in an interview late last year. "I want to be able to fix something."
--Joel Rubin
Monday, August 03, 2009
Update On Fashion Walk And Broadway Walk!
Less than two weeks ago, I posted a call for cultural organizations and fashion businesses to join us in launching a beta version of a Fashion Walk and a Broadway Walk on the third Thursday of each month - starting August 20th.
And we now have... over 110... individuals, businesses and organizations joining us for our first effort - and we haven't even sent out a press release - or put up a website.
So - what happened?
Well, first, Erin Magner of RACKED LA linked to the story...
http://la.racked.com/archives/2009/07/21/downtown_designers_get_a_walk_of_their_very_own.php
... and 24 hours later - the story made the front page of the Los Angeles Times website. Adam Tschorn, of the LAT's Fashion blog ALL THE RAGE, posted his story on the event - and linked to each of the other blog posts and his post ended up on the front page of the LAT site for much of the day.
The rest - as they say - is history.
So we now have a very long list of press and media (longer than for any event for which I had actually solicited press) waiting to get our formal announcement.
But first we need to hear from everyone who has wants to appear or show in the two new Walks. We want to get everyone we can in that first release.
So try and get us all your final proposals by this weekend, if possible, or at least tell us what you already know you can do so far.
We can still take additions after that - but this weekend is the deadline for anyone who wants to be on the first version of the website and in our first full press release.
Thanks!
Brady Westwater
bradywestwater@gmail.com
213-804-8396
And we now have... over 110... individuals, businesses and organizations joining us for our first effort - and we haven't even sent out a press release - or put up a website.
So - what happened?
Well, first, Erin Magner of RACKED LA linked to the story...
http://la.racked.com/archives/2009/07/21/downtown_designers_get_a_walk_of_their_very_own.php
... and 24 hours later - the story made the front page of the Los Angeles Times website. Adam Tschorn, of the LAT's Fashion blog ALL THE RAGE, posted his story on the event - and linked to each of the other blog posts and his post ended up on the front page of the LAT site for much of the day.
The rest - as they say - is history.
So we now have a very long list of press and media (longer than for any event for which I had actually solicited press) waiting to get our formal announcement.
But first we need to hear from everyone who has wants to appear or show in the two new Walks. We want to get everyone we can in that first release.
So try and get us all your final proposals by this weekend, if possible, or at least tell us what you already know you can do so far.
We can still take additions after that - but this weekend is the deadline for anyone who wants to be on the first version of the website and in our first full press release.
Thanks!
Brady Westwater
bradywestwater@gmail.com
213-804-8396
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Downtown Fashion Walk Wants Some Steampunk!
After the success of the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk the second Thursday of the month - we are now starting Fashion Walk the third Thursday of each month along Main, Spring and Broadway. That same night, we are also launching an entertainment and other all other arts Broadway Walk along Broadway from 2nd to 9th Streets.
Both events will be on the third Thursday of each month. And both events would like the extend an invitation to the steampunk movement to join us. We want to build upon the excitement - and wonder - of the recent Edwardian Ball at the Tower Theater and success of Los Angeles based circus - Cirque Berzerk - currently playing to rave reviews in Downtown's Cornfield Park.
And if you have not yet seen Cirque Berzerk and the one a kind... spectacle... it produces - their shows have just been extended - yet again - until August 9th. (see above link for ticket details).
These two new monthly Downtown walks will debut - side by side - Thursday night August 20th and they will run from 5:30 PM - 10 PM. And since many of the area's buildings (and interiors) date from the steam punk era, the Historic Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood will provide an excellent environment to display and photograph all things steampunk.
Ad we will soon post more information about these events later. But, first, we are looking for any steampunk - or any other alternative clothing life-style - designers and dealers who would like to showcase their goods during Fashion Walk. We are also looking for unique entertainers to participate in our Broadway Walk.
So if you are interested, contact Brady Westwater at.... bradywestwater@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Both events will be on the third Thursday of each month. And both events would like the extend an invitation to the steampunk movement to join us. We want to build upon the excitement - and wonder - of the recent Edwardian Ball at the Tower Theater and success of Los Angeles based circus - Cirque Berzerk - currently playing to rave reviews in Downtown's Cornfield Park.
And if you have not yet seen Cirque Berzerk and the one a kind... spectacle... it produces - their shows have just been extended - yet again - until August 9th. (see above link for ticket details).
These two new monthly Downtown walks will debut - side by side - Thursday night August 20th and they will run from 5:30 PM - 10 PM. And since many of the area's buildings (and interiors) date from the steam punk era, the Historic Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood will provide an excellent environment to display and photograph all things steampunk.
Ad we will soon post more information about these events later. But, first, we are looking for any steampunk - or any other alternative clothing life-style - designers and dealers who would like to showcase their goods during Fashion Walk. We are also looking for unique entertainers to participate in our Broadway Walk.
So if you are interested, contact Brady Westwater at.... bradywestwater@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Economic Development Committee Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council July 28th Meeting 7 PM
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
Economic Development Committee Agenda
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DLANC_ED/
Committee Board Co-Chair David Hurtado @ davidhurtado@gmail.com
Committee Co-Chair Brady Westwater • 213-804-8396 •
BradyWestwater@gmail.com
Tuesday • July 28th, 2009 • 7:00 p.m.
1100 Wilshire Blvd. Community Room – Los Angeles, CA 90015
Park on the street, nearest subway stop is at 7th and Figueroa. When
you enter the building, let the security guard know you are there
for the Economic Development Committee and the security guard will
direct you to the room we are meeting in. If you need help, contact
Committee Co-Chair Brady Westwater bradywestwater@gmail.com
213-804-8396 (cell)
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
Mailing office DLANC POB 13096 LA CA 90013-096
TELEPHONE: (213) 473-6451
www.dlanc.com MAIL STOP: 968-01
DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENTwww.lacityneighborhoods.com
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL OFFICERS:
J. RUSSELL BROWN, PRESIDENT
BRADY WESTWATER, VICE-PRESIDENT OF ADMINISTRATION
PATTI BERMAN VICE-PRESIDENT OF OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION
ALEX CHA, TREASURER
ANNA DANIELLE DURAN, SECRETARY
MEETING AGENDA
1. Call to order.
2. Public comment on non-agenda items.
3. Approval of minutes of prior meeting.
4. Discussion of plans for future mixers.
5. Discussion on Fashion Walk and Broadway Walk publicity.
6. Discussion and action on DLANC participation on Fashion Walk, Angel's Flight Walk, Broadway Walk and promoting local businesses to hotel guests and new residents and $1,000 towards website and marketing materials.
7. Discussion and action on outreach for two proposed City West boundary expansions.
8. Discussion and possible action on Downtown residential housing market.
9. Discussion on Downtown workers survey on what changes people need before they would move Downtown.
10. Update, if any, on CEDS program and possible partnerships to get grant money for the community.
11. Discussion and action on promoting Downtown ED activities on DLANC website and other on-line forums.
12. DIscussion and action on helping create economic development incubators.
13. Discussion and action on what ED activities could support SDAT project focusing
upon financially sustainable housing and walkable neighborhoods.
14. Discussion and vote on committee budget priorities for next fiscal year.
15. New/old business/future agenda items.
16. Board member comment.
17. Public comment.
18. Adjournment.
The public is requested to fill out a "Speaker Card" to address the
DLANC Planning & Land Use Committee (Committee) on any item of the
agenda prior to the Committee taking action on an item. Comments
from the public on agenda items will be heard only when the
respective item is being considered. Comments from the public on
other matters not appearing on the agenda that is within the
Committee's subject matter jurisdiction will be heard during the
public comment period. Public comment is limited to 2 minutes per
speaker, unless waived by the presiding officer of the Committee.
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, services, and
activities. Sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices,
or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon
request. To ensure availability of services, please make your
request at least 3 business days (72 hours) prior to the meeting you
wish to attend by contacting Committee Co-Chair Brady Westwater at
213-804-8396 or bradywestwater@gmail.com.
SI REQUIERE SERVICIOS DE TRADUCCION, FAVOR DE NOTIFICAR A LA OFICINA
3 dias de trabajo (72 horas) ANTES DEL EVENTO. SI NECESITA
ASISTENCIA CON ESTA NOTIFICACION, POR FAVOR LLAME A NUESTRA OFICINA
AL 323-224-2316
--
Economic Development Committee Agenda
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DLANC_ED/
Committee Board Co-Chair David Hurtado @ davidhurtado@gmail.com
Committee Co-Chair Brady Westwater • 213-804-8396 •
BradyWestwater@gmail.com
Tuesday • July 28th, 2009 • 7:00 p.m.
1100 Wilshire Blvd. Community Room – Los Angeles, CA 90015
Park on the street, nearest subway stop is at 7th and Figueroa. When
you enter the building, let the security guard know you are there
for the Economic Development Committee and the security guard will
direct you to the room we are meeting in. If you need help, contact
Committee Co-Chair Brady Westwater bradywestwater@gmail.com
213-804-8396 (cell)
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
Mailing office DLANC POB 13096 LA CA 90013-096
TELEPHONE: (213) 473-6451
www.dlanc.com MAIL STOP: 968-01
DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENTwww.lacityneighborhoods.com
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL OFFICERS:
J. RUSSELL BROWN, PRESIDENT
BRADY WESTWATER, VICE-PRESIDENT OF ADMINISTRATION
PATTI BERMAN VICE-PRESIDENT OF OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION
ALEX CHA, TREASURER
ANNA DANIELLE DURAN, SECRETARY
MEETING AGENDA
1. Call to order.
2. Public comment on non-agenda items.
3. Approval of minutes of prior meeting.
4. Discussion of plans for future mixers.
5. Discussion on Fashion Walk and Broadway Walk publicity.
6. Discussion and action on DLANC participation on Fashion Walk, Angel's Flight Walk, Broadway Walk and promoting local businesses to hotel guests and new residents and $1,000 towards website and marketing materials.
7. Discussion and action on outreach for two proposed City West boundary expansions.
8. Discussion and possible action on Downtown residential housing market.
9. Discussion on Downtown workers survey on what changes people need before they would move Downtown.
10. Update, if any, on CEDS program and possible partnerships to get grant money for the community.
11. Discussion and action on promoting Downtown ED activities on DLANC website and other on-line forums.
12. DIscussion and action on helping create economic development incubators.
13. Discussion and action on what ED activities could support SDAT project focusing
upon financially sustainable housing and walkable neighborhoods.
14. Discussion and vote on committee budget priorities for next fiscal year.
15. New/old business/future agenda items.
16. Board member comment.
17. Public comment.
18. Adjournment.
The public is requested to fill out a "Speaker Card" to address the
DLANC Planning & Land Use Committee (Committee) on any item of the
agenda prior to the Committee taking action on an item. Comments
from the public on agenda items will be heard only when the
respective item is being considered. Comments from the public on
other matters not appearing on the agenda that is within the
Committee's subject matter jurisdiction will be heard during the
public comment period. Public comment is limited to 2 minutes per
speaker, unless waived by the presiding officer of the Committee.
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, services, and
activities. Sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices,
or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon
request. To ensure availability of services, please make your
request at least 3 business days (72 hours) prior to the meeting you
wish to attend by contacting Committee Co-Chair Brady Westwater at
213-804-8396 or bradywestwater@gmail.com.
SI REQUIERE SERVICIOS DE TRADUCCION, FAVOR DE NOTIFICAR A LA OFICINA
3 dias de trabajo (72 horas) ANTES DEL EVENTO. SI NECESITA
ASISTENCIA CON ESTA NOTIFICACION, POR FAVOR LLAME A NUESTRA OFICINA
AL 323-224-2316
--
It's the National Day of the Cowboy!
But this cowboy is along ways from his cowboy homes and even further away from this cowboy roots. So all you guys out there living the cowboy way - cowboy up while you can.
It doesn't last forever.
It doesn't last forever.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Join The Broadway Walk! And Fashion Walk, Too!
Broadway Walk Call for Projects!
If you are interested in Downtown – or Broadway – or both - or if you are involved in the performing or visual arts - you don’t need to read the article linked to above (and below) to know how the Art Walk has totally changed Main and Spring (but read it any way).
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/07/la_observed_on_kcrw_downt.php
What you do NOT know, though – is that it’s now Broadway’s turn to have its own walk. But rather than just visual arts – beginning on August 20th – on the THIRD Thursday of the money – the week after second Thursday Art Walk – Broadway will showcase ALL of the arts each third Thursday of the month.
And just like Art Walk started with only a handful of pioneers – we are looking a dozen cultural organizations and about that many individuals willing to perform or exhibit in vacant storefronts, in restaurants, on vacant upper floors of buildings, on sidewalks - – or … possibly… maybe even in a theater – or its lobby.
That same night we will also be holding our first Fashion Walk, on Main and Spring - and on Broadway, too - with over twenty boutiques being open - plus special events. So feel free to come to both events dressed as your real, your fantasy or your forbidden selves.
So – if there is anything you'd like to do on Broadway – or anyone you think we should be talking to – let us know.
August 20th, 2009 will go down as the date Broadway nightlife – finally - first came back to life.
And how often are you given a chance to create history?
Brady Westwater
bradywestwater@gmail.com
213-804-8396
If you are interested in Downtown – or Broadway – or both - or if you are involved in the performing or visual arts - you don’t need to read the article linked to above (and below) to know how the Art Walk has totally changed Main and Spring (but read it any way).
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/07/la_observed_on_kcrw_downt.php
What you do NOT know, though – is that it’s now Broadway’s turn to have its own walk. But rather than just visual arts – beginning on August 20th – on the THIRD Thursday of the money – the week after second Thursday Art Walk – Broadway will showcase ALL of the arts each third Thursday of the month.
And just like Art Walk started with only a handful of pioneers – we are looking a dozen cultural organizations and about that many individuals willing to perform or exhibit in vacant storefronts, in restaurants, on vacant upper floors of buildings, on sidewalks - – or … possibly… maybe even in a theater – or its lobby.
That same night we will also be holding our first Fashion Walk, on Main and Spring - and on Broadway, too - with over twenty boutiques being open - plus special events. So feel free to come to both events dressed as your real, your fantasy or your forbidden selves.
So – if there is anything you'd like to do on Broadway – or anyone you think we should be talking to – let us know.
August 20th, 2009 will go down as the date Broadway nightlife – finally - first came back to life.
And how often are you given a chance to create history?
Brady Westwater
bradywestwater@gmail.com
213-804-8396
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Julius Shulman, Dies at 98
To say an era has passed with the death of architectural photographer Julius Shulman is inadequate. It is the end of several eras.
At 98, Shulman was the last person living who knew or worked with every member of the generation of modern architects who came to prominence in the Los Angeles of 1920's and 1930's. He then worked with each new generation of architects who came after them during the 70 years after his first job with Richard Neutra in 1936.
He was also the last of that early generation of architectural photographers remaining just as he was one of the first to specialize in that field. He was also one the few Angelinos left with memories of what it was like to live in the Los Angeles of the late post WWI era and the boom times of the 1920's. He was also - possibly - the last of his generation to be an active participant in civic life well into the 21st Century, right up until his death.
The time I first met him - in a class at UCLA back in the 1960's - I remember how impressed I was by the energy of such an 'old' man - particularly one from such a distant era. I was also impressed by how surprisingly candid he was in all his answers to our questions. And when we met last a few years ago - forty years after our first meeting - I was just as impressed.
Below is the opening of the LA Times article; but, better yet, just hit the link above for the whole piece.
At 98, Shulman was the last person living who knew or worked with every member of the generation of modern architects who came to prominence in the Los Angeles of 1920's and 1930's. He then worked with each new generation of architects who came after them during the 70 years after his first job with Richard Neutra in 1936.
He was also the last of that early generation of architectural photographers remaining just as he was one of the first to specialize in that field. He was also one the few Angelinos left with memories of what it was like to live in the Los Angeles of the late post WWI era and the boom times of the 1920's. He was also - possibly - the last of his generation to be an active participant in civic life well into the 21st Century, right up until his death.
The time I first met him - in a class at UCLA back in the 1960's - I remember how impressed I was by the energy of such an 'old' man - particularly one from such a distant era. I was also impressed by how surprisingly candid he was in all his answers to our questions. And when we met last a few years ago - forty years after our first meeting - I was just as impressed.
Below is the opening of the LA Times article; but, better yet, just hit the link above for the whole piece.
Julius Shulman dies at 98; celebrated photographer of Modernist architecture
Shulman died Wednesday at his L.A. home. One observer says he had 'a profound effect on the writing and teaching of architectural history ... especially Southern California modernism.'
By Claudia Luther
12:03 PM PDT, July 16, 2009
Julius Shulman, whose luminous photographs of homes and buildings brought fame to a number of mid-20th century Modernist architects and made him a household name in the architectural world, died Wednesday night. He was 98.
Shulman, who had been in declining health, died at his home in Los Angeles, according to gallery owner Craig Krull, who represented him.
Starting with Richard Neutra in 1936, Shulman's roster of clients read like a who's who of pioneering contemporary architecture: Rudolf M. Schindler, Gregory Ain, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Eames, Raphael S. Soriano, John Lautner, Eero Saarinen, Albert Frey, Pierre Koenig, Harwell Harris and many others. His work was contained in virtually every book published on Modernist architects.
"He has a sense of visual bravura of composition," wrote the late Robert Sobieszek, photography curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, "so that he can take a rather mundane house and make it look exciting, and take a spectacular house and make it look triply spectacular."
Shulman had "a profound effect on the writing and teaching of architectural history and understanding architecture, especially Southern California modernism," said Thomas Hines, UCLA professor emeritus of architecture and urban design. And Newsweek magazine's Cathleen McGuigan wrote that some of Shulman's photographs of modern glass houses in Palm Springs and Los Angeles "are so redolent of the era in which they were built you can practically hear the Sinatra tunes wafting in the air and the ice clinking in the cocktail glasses."
After the Depression, Shulman's studio was one of three in the U.S. to which Arts & Architecture, Architectural Forum and other magazines turned to document the exciting new work being done in architecture. The others were Ezra Stoller's firm in New York and the Hedrich Blessing firm in Chicago.
Shulman's 1960 photograph of Koenig's Case Study House #22 -- a glass-walled, cantilevered structure hovering above the lights of Los Angeles, became one of the most famous architectural pictures ever taken in the U.S. It was, as architecture critic Paul Goldberger wrote in the New York Times, "one of those singular images that sum up an entire city at a moment in time."
But Shulman's work went well beyond merely taking beautiful pictures of houses and buildings. His mission was to use his photography to build the reputation of the architects who were bringing innovative design to the West. Indeed, his photographs were, by and large, all that most people would ever see of noted architects' works, many of which were later destroyed.
Neutra, whose association with Shulman lasted 34 years until the architect's death in 1970, acknowledged this.
"Film [is] stronger and good glossy prints are easier [to] ship than brute concrete, stainless steel or even ideas," Neutra said.
Shulman was born Oct. 10, 1910, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. Soon after his birth, the family moved to a farm in Connecticut, where they raised cows, grew corn and had a small fur business.
It was on the farm that Shulman first developed a love of nature that, he said, awakened him to light and shadow and influenced his life's course.
When Julius was 10, his father moved the family to the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, which at that time was predominantly Jewish, and opened the New York Dry Goods Store on Temple Street. His father died of tuberculosis in 1923, leaving Julius' mother to run the business and raise five children.
After graduating from Roosevelt High School -- where he took what would be his only course in photography -- Shulman spent seven years as what he called an "academic drifter," auditing geology, philosophy and other courses at UCLA and UC Berkeley. He returned to Los Angeles -- without a degree and still unsure what he wanted to do.
He was, by then, however, earning rent money from pictures he took at Berkeley with an Eastman box camera. And one photograph of the 6th Street Bridge over the L.A. River had won first prize in a national magazine competition.
It was a chance meeting with Neutra in March 1936 -- two weeks after Shulman left Berkeley -- that would open up the possibility of becoming an architectural photographer. A man who was renting a room from Shulman's sister, and who was working as a draftsman for Neutra, invited Shulman along one day to see Neutra's Kun house, which was under construction near Fairfax Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard.
As was his habit by then, Shulman took along a vest-pocket camera that was equipped with a bellows that unfolded.
"I had never seen a modern house before," Shulman said. It "intrigued me with its strange forms -- beyond any previous identity of a house in my experience."
Shulman developed a few of the pictures and sent them to the draftsman, who showed them to Neutra. The architect, then in his mid-40s, sent for young Shulman and ordered up more prints.
With Neutra's invitation to photograph other projects, Shulman was suddenly a professional architecture photographer....
(REST OF ARTICLE AT ABOVE LINK)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Weird - Even Scary - G-Mail Experience.
I just sent an email and mentioned I have been hit by a bad case of my mold fungus allergy. Then when I sent it - rather than the screen going back to g-mail - it came back to a company that removed... mold fungus.
Scary, huh? Anyone else ever have that experience?
http://www.amoldspecialist.com/
Scary, huh? Anyone else ever have that experience?
http://www.amoldspecialist.com/
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
National Archives of the Pacific Region To Be Hidden Away In Warehouse
Below is a warning from the Huntington Library's Carolyn Powell:
Notice to all researchers:
The current acting Archivist of the United States has proposed to close the Laguna Niguel branch of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and move the materials to the Federal Record's Center in Perris (Riverside County). The Perris facility is a warehouse with no reading room. This proposal is part of a larger plan to reduce the number of National Archives branch facilities by closing some and turning others into "storefronts" with reading rooms only and off-site records storage.
Considerations:
NARA's Pacific Region (Laguna Niguel) has more than 35,000 cubic feet of archival holdings dating from about l850 to the l980s. In addition to textual records there are architectural drawings, maps, and photographs. These holdings were created or received by the Federal courts and over 50 Federal agencies in Arizona, southern California, and Clark County, Nevada. Federal law requires that agencies transfer permanently valuable, noncurrent records to NARA.
The National Archives facility in Laguna Niguel has been in its current location for over thirty years, since the early 1970s. From this location, researchers have easy access to National Archives records and can also conduct research at the many other archival facilities and libraries in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties.
There is no public transportation available to the facility in Perris. The current facility in Laguna Niguel is freeway-close and is serviced by the Orange County Transit Authority with connections to area Metrolink and Amtrak stations. It is 15 miles from John Wayne Airport (SNA).
The National Archives has a potential opportunity to move its Laguna Niguel facility to the proposed Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California, where it will be part of a museum district / cultural terrace. This location will be approximately 10 miles to the northwest of the current facility and will increase traffic and visibility for NARA (rather than the warehouse in Perris, which will likely do the opposite).
How You Can Help:
Write a letter of concern to: Adrienne Thomas, Acting Archivist of the United States, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001 (Fax: 301-837-0483).
If you live in Orange County, California, write a letter of concern to your Congressional representative as well.
Spread the news to others in the archival, historical, genealogical, and library fields to help garner support and generate more letters of concern to help keep the NARA facility in Laguna Niguel.
Contact Information:
National Archives - Laguna Niguel (Pacific Region), 24000 Avila Road, 1st Floor , Laguna Niguel, CA, 92677-3497
(949) 360-2640; laguna.archives@nara.gov; www.archives.gov/pacific/laguna/
Notice to all researchers:
The current acting Archivist of the United States has proposed to close the Laguna Niguel branch of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and move the materials to the Federal Record's Center in Perris (Riverside County). The Perris facility is a warehouse with no reading room. This proposal is part of a larger plan to reduce the number of National Archives branch facilities by closing some and turning others into "storefronts" with reading rooms only and off-site records storage.
Considerations:
NARA's Pacific Region (Laguna Niguel) has more than 35,000 cubic feet of archival holdings dating from about l850 to the l980s. In addition to textual records there are architectural drawings, maps, and photographs. These holdings were created or received by the Federal courts and over 50 Federal agencies in Arizona, southern California, and Clark County, Nevada. Federal law requires that agencies transfer permanently valuable, noncurrent records to NARA.
The National Archives facility in Laguna Niguel has been in its current location for over thirty years, since the early 1970s. From this location, researchers have easy access to National Archives records and can also conduct research at the many other archival facilities and libraries in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties.
There is no public transportation available to the facility in Perris. The current facility in Laguna Niguel is freeway-close and is serviced by the Orange County Transit Authority with connections to area Metrolink and Amtrak stations. It is 15 miles from John Wayne Airport (SNA).
The National Archives has a potential opportunity to move its Laguna Niguel facility to the proposed Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California, where it will be part of a museum district / cultural terrace. This location will be approximately 10 miles to the northwest of the current facility and will increase traffic and visibility for NARA (rather than the warehouse in Perris, which will likely do the opposite).
How You Can Help:
Write a letter of concern to: Adrienne Thomas, Acting Archivist of the United States, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001 (Fax: 301-837-0483).
If you live in Orange County, California, write a letter of concern to your Congressional representative as well.
Spread the news to others in the archival, historical, genealogical, and library fields to help garner support and generate more letters of concern to help keep the NARA facility in Laguna Niguel.
Contact Information:
National Archives - Laguna Niguel (Pacific Region), 24000 Avila Road, 1st Floor , Laguna Niguel, CA, 92677-3497
(949) 360-2640; laguna.archives@nara.gov; www.archives.gov/pacific/laguna/
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Have Any Of You Cowboys Ever Tried 'Hiving' Calves From A Herd? Well - That's What The New York Times Says We Do!
According to the New York Times, whenever it's branding time - and time to turn little bulls into little steers, all us cowboys take our best cutting horses to perform:
"...a timeless ritual, hiving off calves from the herd..."
Well, I've been on ranches in most of the Western states, though its been quite a few years since I have been accused of 'hiving' any calves - but I have never once heard that 'timeless' expression used before from any cattleman or woman.
So I looked up the phrase "hiving off calves" in GOOGLE and I got exactly - one... hit.
And that was from this article.
I then tried cows, cattle etc - and still failed to get a single hit. So I next tried every possible variation of the verb 'hiving' or 'to hive' with every possible variation of noun describing anything bovine in nature - and I still could not get a single hit.
Now the verb 'hiving' usually means when part of one bee hive swarms off and sets up its own hive. The verb 'hiving' can also mean to move any part of a group from the larger group, though mainly (though not always) it means to set up another residence and not just a temporary separation. It can also be used as a medical term.
But those are still very rare uses of the word - and even then it is mainly used in the UK - and not the US, much less the American West.
Now as far as the rest of the article - it is excellent as one would expect from one of the New York Times finest and most respected writers, Erik Eckholm. I can recall many articles of his over the years and I have read a number of his books.
This article is also a detailed and highly sympathetic look at one of the latest challenges facing independent ranchers - and I highly recommend anyone who is cattle minded reading it.
But, still... I would like to suggest to Mr. Eckholm - that in any of his future forays into our cowhand culture - whenever he is describing a "timeless ritual" of us cowboys - that he might try for a slightly more... timeless... way of describing what it is we are doing.
"...a timeless ritual, hiving off calves from the herd..."
Well, I've been on ranches in most of the Western states, though its been quite a few years since I have been accused of 'hiving' any calves - but I have never once heard that 'timeless' expression used before from any cattleman or woman.
So I looked up the phrase "hiving off calves" in GOOGLE and I got exactly - one... hit.
And that was from this article.
I then tried cows, cattle etc - and still failed to get a single hit. So I next tried every possible variation of the verb 'hiving' or 'to hive' with every possible variation of noun describing anything bovine in nature - and I still could not get a single hit.
Now the verb 'hiving' usually means when part of one bee hive swarms off and sets up its own hive. The verb 'hiving' can also mean to move any part of a group from the larger group, though mainly (though not always) it means to set up another residence and not just a temporary separation. It can also be used as a medical term.
But those are still very rare uses of the word - and even then it is mainly used in the UK - and not the US, much less the American West.
Now as far as the rest of the article - it is excellent as one would expect from one of the New York Times finest and most respected writers, Erik Eckholm. I can recall many articles of his over the years and I have read a number of his books.
This article is also a detailed and highly sympathetic look at one of the latest challenges facing independent ranchers - and I highly recommend anyone who is cattle minded reading it.
But, still... I would like to suggest to Mr. Eckholm - that in any of his future forays into our cowhand culture - whenever he is describing a "timeless ritual" of us cowboys - that he might try for a slightly more... timeless... way of describing what it is we are doing.
Friday, June 26, 2009
MOCA Starts Its Comeback
First, the above link is to the LA Times post on the MOCA financial story and below is the full press release on the current financial status at MOCA and the announcement of its new trustees and officers for 2010. MOCA has managed to raise over fifty-seven million in just six months (with over eighteen million from the trustees and three million from other patrons) in difficult financial times and when the museum's continued existence was questioned by even many board members.
Significantly, the amount raised by trustees and patrons almost equals the thirty-million Eli Broad has pledged to MOCA over a period of five years - in just one half of one year.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 26, 2009
MOCA RAISES $57 MILLION, CONTRIBUTES $8.5 MILLION TO ENDOWMENT
ASSETS; NAMES THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS FOR 2010
Los Angeles, CA—The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), has raised nearly $57 million in the
last six months, and the museum’s Board of Trustees voted June 25 to contribute $4.25 million to MOCA’s
endowment assets, which will be matched by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, for a total $8.5 million
contribution. Additionally, the Board elected three new trustees and its officers for 2010.
Since December 2008, MOCA has undertaken an aggressive fundraising campaign, raising $56.9 million, including
$15 million from The Broad Foundation for exhibition support over five years and $15 million from The Broad
Foundation to match contributions that replenish the endowment. Other notable gifts include $16.4 million from
trustees, in addition to their $1.9 million in annual giving, and $3 million in individual gifts from patrons.
“This is the biggest turnaround of any cultural institution in recent history,” said Eli Broad, a life trustee and
founding member of MOCA, who serves on numerous arts boards around the country. “MOCA has attracted nearly
$57 million in just six months, clearly demonstrating this institution’s importance to the local, national, and
worldwide arts community.”
In addition to MOCA’s dramatic turnaround, the Board elected three new members: Carolyn Clark Powers, Darren
Star, and Marc I. Stern. The board also elected its leadership for the upcoming year: David G. Johnson was re-elected
as co-chair for a second term; Maria Arena Bell was elected as co-chair; Jeffrey Soros was re-elected as president for a
second term, and Fred Sands was elected as vice chair.
“I am pleased that we have enabled a successful turnaround in such a short amount of time,” said MOCA Chief
Executive Officer Dr. Charles E. Young. “The process of right-sizing the institution has not been easy, but these
changes were necessary to ensure the museum’s solid future. This could not have been achieved without the
continuing generosity of The Broad Foundation, the Board of Trustees, major donors and members, as well as the
dedication of the many artists and friends in both the Los Angeles community and around the world.”
“MOCA has achieved an unprecedented level of fundraising during the past six months, while at the same time
reducing expenditures to a sustainable level,” said David G. Johnson. “We are making a substantial contribution to
the endowment assets at this critical time and welcome new trustees, who bring exceptional experience and
commitment to MOCA. Building a dynamic board of trustees is essential in enabling the museum to move forward
with a clear vision for the future and to continue presenting outstanding exhibitions, providing vital education
programs, and expanding one of the most important collections of contemporary art in the world.”
- more -
MOCA RAISES $57 MILLION, CONTRIBUTES $8.5 MILLION TO ENDOWMENT ASSETS; NAMES THREE
NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS FOR 2010
Page 2 of 4
The three new Trustees bring diverse perspectives to MOCA’s Board.
Carolyn Clark Powers has a strong history of involvement at numerous arts, cultural, and educational institutions
around the country. In Aspen, Colorado, Powers serves on the boards of directors of the Aspen Art Museum, the
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and Jazz Aspen Snowmass. She also serves on the National Council for the Aspen Center for
Integrative Health, as a President Society Fellow at the Aspen Institute, and on the National Council of the Aspen
Youth Center. In Los Angeles, Powers currently serves on several groups that support the Music Center, including
the board of directors for Blue Ribbon, the Center Dance Association, and the board of overseers for the Los Angeles
Philharmonic. She also serves on the Collectors Committee and is a member of the Presidents Circle at The Los
Angeles County Museum of Art. In addition, Powers has served on the board of directors of P.S. Arts since 2006.
At the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Powers served on the executive committee of the National Committee
for the Performing Arts from 2004–08.
Powers has a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree
in clinical psychology from Antioch University. Powers and her husband, William C. Powers, reside in Manhattan
Beach, California, and in Aspen, Colorado, with their three children.
Darren Star has been a member of MOCA’s Acquisition and Collection Committee since October 2008 and a
MOCA Partner since February 2008. He has also been a major supporter of MOCA’s annual auction.
Star is the creator and executive producer of three of the last decade’s most popular television phenomenons:
“Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Melrose Place,” and the three-time Golden Globe®-and Emmy® Award-winning HBO
comedy series “Sex and the City.” In each series, Star’s multi-dimensional characters, captivating settings, and
layered plot lines hooked viewers, and became significant elements of contemporary pop culture. Star recently
released the “Sex and the City” film, based on his award-winning work on the series. The movie grossed more than
$415 million worldwide, and a sequel is in development. In addition, Star served as executive producer of the series
“Cashmere Mafia,” starring the award-winning actresses Lucy Liu, Frances O’Connor, and Miranda Otto. Star has
also revisited the widely popular “90210” project, serving as a writer for the updated series for the CW network. He
is currently working on a project for HBO.
Star’s dedication to his projects speaks to his commitment to engaging, and thought-provoking material. Star
attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he majored in creative writing. Star currently lives in
Beverly Hills, California.
- more -
MOCA RAISES $57 MILLION, CONTRIBUTES $8.5 MILLION TO ENDOWMENT ASSETS; NAMES THREE
NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS FOR 2010
Page 3 of 4
Marc I. Stern has vast experience in business and as a major supporter of cultural institutions in California and
around the country. Stern is vice chairman and at the end of June will become CEO of The TCW Group, Inc., an asset
management firm based in Los Angeles. Prior to his appointment as vice chairman, Stern served for almost 15 years as
president of the company. Stern is also chairman of Société Générale’s Global Investment Management and Services
in North America (GIMS) and a member of the management committee of Société Générale Group, the parent company
of GIMS and TCW. Stern currently serves as a director of Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ), and of Rockefeller & Co., Inc.
and is a member of the advisory board and an owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. Stern has a strong commitment to the
arts and to education. He serves as chairman and CEO of the Los Angeles Opera, leading the drive to bring
Wagner’s Ring Cycle to Los Angeles. He also sits on the boards of the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles
County, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the
Humanities, the California Science Center, the Aspen Music Festival and School, the California Institute of
Technology, and Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
A native of Vineland, New Jersey, Stern received a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Dickinson
College and a master’s degree in government and a law degree from Columbia University. Stern and his wife, Eva,
reside in Malibu, California. They have two children and five grandchildren.
MOCA’s new board leadership for 2009–10 includes two previous officers and two first-time officers.
David G. Johnson has served as co-chair of MOCA’s Board of Trustees since June 2008, and he will continue
serving in this role through June 2010. He was first elected to serve as a MOCA Trustee in December 2005 and has
served as a member of the Acquisition and Collection Committee since 2004.
Johnson is a partner of the Johnson-Roessler Company, LLC., a film entertainment company. He also serves on the
boards of Children Now, the Dream Foundation, KCET, and Reach Out and Read. Johnson is former chairman and a
current board member of Public Counsel Law Center and is a member of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Economy and Jobs
Committee and the California Council for the Humanities. He is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School.
Johnson and his wife, Suzanne Nora Johnson, reside in Los Angeles, California.
Maria Arena Bell has been elected co-chair of MOCA. Bell and her husband, William J. Bell, Jr., have been involved
with MOCA for many years and have made significant financial and art contributions to the museum. Bell is chair of
MOCA’s Acquisition and Collection Committee. She also served as the chair of the Opening Gala for ©
MURAKAMI. Maria Bell became a Trustee in 2008 after her husband served from 1997–2008.
Bell is a television executive producer and writer. She is currently the co-creative producer and writer for “The
Young and the Restless.” She is a frequent essayist and contributor to publications including T The New York Times
Style Magazine, C Magazine, Aspen Magazine, and Women’s Wear Daily. Bell serves on the boards of numerous
arts-related non-profit organizations, including Center Dance Arts, Americans for the Arts, Dicapo Opera Theater
and as president of PS Arts. She also serves on the Education Committee of the Guggenheim Museum, the Blue
Ribbon, the National Council of the Aspen Art Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the
advisory board of Phillips de Pury & Company. Bell was appointed by Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger as a state
commissioner on the California Commission on the Status of Women.
- more -
MOCA RAISES $57 MILLION, CONTRIBUTES $8.5 MILLION TO ENDOWMENT ASSETS; NAMES THREE
NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS FOR 2010
Page 4 of 4
In addition to being prominent supporters of the arts, the Bells are active collectors of contemporary art. They reside
in Bel Air, California with their two children.
Jeffrey Soros has served as president of MOCA’s Board of Trustees since June 2008 and will continue in this role
through June 2010. Soros has served on MOCA’s Board and on its Acquisition and Collection Committee since
2003. Soros is also an avid supporter of arts education and served as chair of MOCA’s Education Committee from
September 2006 through June 2008 and as vice chair from September 2005 through September 2006. Soros and his
wife, Catherine, have been avid supporters of MOCA, through the donation of funds, artworks, and major support for
the museum’s fundraising events, most notably the annual auction and gala.
Soros is president of Considered Entertainment, an independent film production and finance company. He also
serves on the boards of Creative Capital, The Screenwriters Colony, and The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for
New Americans. Soros and his wife have been members of the MOCA Director’s Forum since 1997. They reside in
West Hollywood, California with their two children.
Fred Sands has been appointed to serve as vice chair of MOCA’s Board. Sands was first elected as a trustee in 2002
and currently serves as chair of the museum’s Investment Committee. Sands is involved with several cultural
institutions in Los Angeles, including the Los Angeles Opera, where he serves on the board. He was also
appointed by President George W. Bush to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts and liaison to the
Kennedy Center, and by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California Arts Council.
Sands is chairman of Vintage Real Estate, which develops regional malls, and of Vintage Fund Management, LLC, a
private equity fund. He is the former chairman and sole shareholder of the second largest real estate and financial
services companies in California and the seventh largest in the United States, which merged into Coldwell Banker in
December 2000. Sands’s background also includes acquisition and turn around of distressed companies, including
radio stations, insurance companies, and commercial real estate projects. He was honored as the recipient of the
American Academy of Achievement Award, was named one of the “Top 25 CEOs of the Decade” by California
Business magazine, and named one of the industry’s top 13 “Movers and Shakers” in the country by the National
Association of Realtors. Sands and his wife, Carla, reside in West Los Angeles, California.
MOCA—Celebrating 30 Years as the Nation’s Leading Contemporary Art Museum
Founded in 1979, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), has achieved astonishing growth in its brief history—with three
Los Angeles locations of architectural renown; more than 17,000 members; a permanent collection of nearly 6,000 works international in
scope and among the finest in the nation; hallmark education programs that are widely emulated; award-winning publications that present
original scholarship; and groundbreaking monographic, touring, and thematic exhibitions of international repute that survey the art of our time.
MOCA’s mission is to be the defining museum of contemporary art. MOCA is a private not-for-profit institution supported by its members,
corporate and foundation support, government grants, and admission revenues. MOCA Grand Avenue is open 11am to 5pm on Monday and
Friday; 11am to 8pm on Thursday; 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday; and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. General admission is $10
for adults; $5 for students with I.D. and seniors (65+); and free for MOCA members, children under 12, and everyone on Thursdays from 5pm
to 8pm, courtesy of Wells Fargo. MOCA Pacific Design Center is open 11am to 5pm Tuesday through Friday; 11am to 6pm on Saturday and
Sunday; and closed on Monday. Admission to MOCA Pacific Design Center is always free. The Geffen Contemporary is open whenever there
are appropriate exhibitions for that space. For 24-hour information on current exhibitions, education programs, and special events, call
213/626-6222 or access MOCA online at moca.org.
Significantly, the amount raised by trustees and patrons almost equals the thirty-million Eli Broad has pledged to MOCA over a period of five years - in just one half of one year.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 26, 2009
MOCA RAISES $57 MILLION, CONTRIBUTES $8.5 MILLION TO ENDOWMENT
ASSETS; NAMES THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS FOR 2010
Los Angeles, CA—The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), has raised nearly $57 million in the
last six months, and the museum’s Board of Trustees voted June 25 to contribute $4.25 million to MOCA’s
endowment assets, which will be matched by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, for a total $8.5 million
contribution. Additionally, the Board elected three new trustees and its officers for 2010.
Since December 2008, MOCA has undertaken an aggressive fundraising campaign, raising $56.9 million, including
$15 million from The Broad Foundation for exhibition support over five years and $15 million from The Broad
Foundation to match contributions that replenish the endowment. Other notable gifts include $16.4 million from
trustees, in addition to their $1.9 million in annual giving, and $3 million in individual gifts from patrons.
“This is the biggest turnaround of any cultural institution in recent history,” said Eli Broad, a life trustee and
founding member of MOCA, who serves on numerous arts boards around the country. “MOCA has attracted nearly
$57 million in just six months, clearly demonstrating this institution’s importance to the local, national, and
worldwide arts community.”
In addition to MOCA’s dramatic turnaround, the Board elected three new members: Carolyn Clark Powers, Darren
Star, and Marc I. Stern. The board also elected its leadership for the upcoming year: David G. Johnson was re-elected
as co-chair for a second term; Maria Arena Bell was elected as co-chair; Jeffrey Soros was re-elected as president for a
second term, and Fred Sands was elected as vice chair.
“I am pleased that we have enabled a successful turnaround in such a short amount of time,” said MOCA Chief
Executive Officer Dr. Charles E. Young. “The process of right-sizing the institution has not been easy, but these
changes were necessary to ensure the museum’s solid future. This could not have been achieved without the
continuing generosity of The Broad Foundation, the Board of Trustees, major donors and members, as well as the
dedication of the many artists and friends in both the Los Angeles community and around the world.”
“MOCA has achieved an unprecedented level of fundraising during the past six months, while at the same time
reducing expenditures to a sustainable level,” said David G. Johnson. “We are making a substantial contribution to
the endowment assets at this critical time and welcome new trustees, who bring exceptional experience and
commitment to MOCA. Building a dynamic board of trustees is essential in enabling the museum to move forward
with a clear vision for the future and to continue presenting outstanding exhibitions, providing vital education
programs, and expanding one of the most important collections of contemporary art in the world.”
- more -
MOCA RAISES $57 MILLION, CONTRIBUTES $8.5 MILLION TO ENDOWMENT ASSETS; NAMES THREE
NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS FOR 2010
Page 2 of 4
The three new Trustees bring diverse perspectives to MOCA’s Board.
Carolyn Clark Powers has a strong history of involvement at numerous arts, cultural, and educational institutions
around the country. In Aspen, Colorado, Powers serves on the boards of directors of the Aspen Art Museum, the
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and Jazz Aspen Snowmass. She also serves on the National Council for the Aspen Center for
Integrative Health, as a President Society Fellow at the Aspen Institute, and on the National Council of the Aspen
Youth Center. In Los Angeles, Powers currently serves on several groups that support the Music Center, including
the board of directors for Blue Ribbon, the Center Dance Association, and the board of overseers for the Los Angeles
Philharmonic. She also serves on the Collectors Committee and is a member of the Presidents Circle at The Los
Angeles County Museum of Art. In addition, Powers has served on the board of directors of P.S. Arts since 2006.
At the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Powers served on the executive committee of the National Committee
for the Performing Arts from 2004–08.
Powers has a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree
in clinical psychology from Antioch University. Powers and her husband, William C. Powers, reside in Manhattan
Beach, California, and in Aspen, Colorado, with their three children.
Darren Star has been a member of MOCA’s Acquisition and Collection Committee since October 2008 and a
MOCA Partner since February 2008. He has also been a major supporter of MOCA’s annual auction.
Star is the creator and executive producer of three of the last decade’s most popular television phenomenons:
“Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Melrose Place,” and the three-time Golden Globe®-and Emmy® Award-winning HBO
comedy series “Sex and the City.” In each series, Star’s multi-dimensional characters, captivating settings, and
layered plot lines hooked viewers, and became significant elements of contemporary pop culture. Star recently
released the “Sex and the City” film, based on his award-winning work on the series. The movie grossed more than
$415 million worldwide, and a sequel is in development. In addition, Star served as executive producer of the series
“Cashmere Mafia,” starring the award-winning actresses Lucy Liu, Frances O’Connor, and Miranda Otto. Star has
also revisited the widely popular “90210” project, serving as a writer for the updated series for the CW network. He
is currently working on a project for HBO.
Star’s dedication to his projects speaks to his commitment to engaging, and thought-provoking material. Star
attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he majored in creative writing. Star currently lives in
Beverly Hills, California.
- more -
MOCA RAISES $57 MILLION, CONTRIBUTES $8.5 MILLION TO ENDOWMENT ASSETS; NAMES THREE
NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS FOR 2010
Page 3 of 4
Marc I. Stern has vast experience in business and as a major supporter of cultural institutions in California and
around the country. Stern is vice chairman and at the end of June will become CEO of The TCW Group, Inc., an asset
management firm based in Los Angeles. Prior to his appointment as vice chairman, Stern served for almost 15 years as
president of the company. Stern is also chairman of Société Générale’s Global Investment Management and Services
in North America (GIMS) and a member of the management committee of Société Générale Group, the parent company
of GIMS and TCW. Stern currently serves as a director of Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ), and of Rockefeller & Co., Inc.
and is a member of the advisory board and an owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. Stern has a strong commitment to the
arts and to education. He serves as chairman and CEO of the Los Angeles Opera, leading the drive to bring
Wagner’s Ring Cycle to Los Angeles. He also sits on the boards of the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles
County, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the
Humanities, the California Science Center, the Aspen Music Festival and School, the California Institute of
Technology, and Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
A native of Vineland, New Jersey, Stern received a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Dickinson
College and a master’s degree in government and a law degree from Columbia University. Stern and his wife, Eva,
reside in Malibu, California. They have two children and five grandchildren.
MOCA’s new board leadership for 2009–10 includes two previous officers and two first-time officers.
David G. Johnson has served as co-chair of MOCA’s Board of Trustees since June 2008, and he will continue
serving in this role through June 2010. He was first elected to serve as a MOCA Trustee in December 2005 and has
served as a member of the Acquisition and Collection Committee since 2004.
Johnson is a partner of the Johnson-Roessler Company, LLC., a film entertainment company. He also serves on the
boards of Children Now, the Dream Foundation, KCET, and Reach Out and Read. Johnson is former chairman and a
current board member of Public Counsel Law Center and is a member of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Economy and Jobs
Committee and the California Council for the Humanities. He is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School.
Johnson and his wife, Suzanne Nora Johnson, reside in Los Angeles, California.
Maria Arena Bell has been elected co-chair of MOCA. Bell and her husband, William J. Bell, Jr., have been involved
with MOCA for many years and have made significant financial and art contributions to the museum. Bell is chair of
MOCA’s Acquisition and Collection Committee. She also served as the chair of the Opening Gala for ©
MURAKAMI. Maria Bell became a Trustee in 2008 after her husband served from 1997–2008.
Bell is a television executive producer and writer. She is currently the co-creative producer and writer for “The
Young and the Restless.” She is a frequent essayist and contributor to publications including T The New York Times
Style Magazine, C Magazine, Aspen Magazine, and Women’s Wear Daily. Bell serves on the boards of numerous
arts-related non-profit organizations, including Center Dance Arts, Americans for the Arts, Dicapo Opera Theater
and as president of PS Arts. She also serves on the Education Committee of the Guggenheim Museum, the Blue
Ribbon, the National Council of the Aspen Art Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the
advisory board of Phillips de Pury & Company. Bell was appointed by Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger as a state
commissioner on the California Commission on the Status of Women.
- more -
MOCA RAISES $57 MILLION, CONTRIBUTES $8.5 MILLION TO ENDOWMENT ASSETS; NAMES THREE
NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS FOR 2010
Page 4 of 4
In addition to being prominent supporters of the arts, the Bells are active collectors of contemporary art. They reside
in Bel Air, California with their two children.
Jeffrey Soros has served as president of MOCA’s Board of Trustees since June 2008 and will continue in this role
through June 2010. Soros has served on MOCA’s Board and on its Acquisition and Collection Committee since
2003. Soros is also an avid supporter of arts education and served as chair of MOCA’s Education Committee from
September 2006 through June 2008 and as vice chair from September 2005 through September 2006. Soros and his
wife, Catherine, have been avid supporters of MOCA, through the donation of funds, artworks, and major support for
the museum’s fundraising events, most notably the annual auction and gala.
Soros is president of Considered Entertainment, an independent film production and finance company. He also
serves on the boards of Creative Capital, The Screenwriters Colony, and The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for
New Americans. Soros and his wife have been members of the MOCA Director’s Forum since 1997. They reside in
West Hollywood, California with their two children.
Fred Sands has been appointed to serve as vice chair of MOCA’s Board. Sands was first elected as a trustee in 2002
and currently serves as chair of the museum’s Investment Committee. Sands is involved with several cultural
institutions in Los Angeles, including the Los Angeles Opera, where he serves on the board. He was also
appointed by President George W. Bush to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts and liaison to the
Kennedy Center, and by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California Arts Council.
Sands is chairman of Vintage Real Estate, which develops regional malls, and of Vintage Fund Management, LLC, a
private equity fund. He is the former chairman and sole shareholder of the second largest real estate and financial
services companies in California and the seventh largest in the United States, which merged into Coldwell Banker in
December 2000. Sands’s background also includes acquisition and turn around of distressed companies, including
radio stations, insurance companies, and commercial real estate projects. He was honored as the recipient of the
American Academy of Achievement Award, was named one of the “Top 25 CEOs of the Decade” by California
Business magazine, and named one of the industry’s top 13 “Movers and Shakers” in the country by the National
Association of Realtors. Sands and his wife, Carla, reside in West Los Angeles, California.
MOCA—Celebrating 30 Years as the Nation’s Leading Contemporary Art Museum
Founded in 1979, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), has achieved astonishing growth in its brief history—with three
Los Angeles locations of architectural renown; more than 17,000 members; a permanent collection of nearly 6,000 works international in
scope and among the finest in the nation; hallmark education programs that are widely emulated; award-winning publications that present
original scholarship; and groundbreaking monographic, touring, and thematic exhibitions of international repute that survey the art of our time.
MOCA’s mission is to be the defining museum of contemporary art. MOCA is a private not-for-profit institution supported by its members,
corporate and foundation support, government grants, and admission revenues. MOCA Grand Avenue is open 11am to 5pm on Monday and
Friday; 11am to 8pm on Thursday; 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday; and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. General admission is $10
for adults; $5 for students with I.D. and seniors (65+); and free for MOCA members, children under 12, and everyone on Thursdays from 5pm
to 8pm, courtesy of Wells Fargo. MOCA Pacific Design Center is open 11am to 5pm Tuesday through Friday; 11am to 6pm on Saturday and
Sunday; and closed on Monday. Admission to MOCA Pacific Design Center is always free. The Geffen Contemporary is open whenever there
are appropriate exhibitions for that space. For 24-hour information on current exhibitions, education programs, and special events, call
213/626-6222 or access MOCA online at moca.org.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
National Home Sales In May Rise - And Fall - With Five Different Figures - In Morning LA Times
Below are two of the top three headlines on the LA Times website's Business section:
Now the 3.6% fall in the Peter Hong LAT article is from May of last year to May of this year - while the increase of 2.4% in the Bloomberg wire report is from the prior month of April of this year to May of this year.
Even more confusing is that the Bloomberg prices are going up article has a typo when it mentioned the 3.6% fall:
Yes, according to Bloomberg - sales this May were only 3.6% of May of last year - a staggering over 95% decline in sales!
Also in Bloomberg's LAT wire piece are details of the yearly 2.4% increase:
Then in Peter Hong's LAT piece, he leads with the 3.6% year to year decline and he explains how that figure is arrived at:
Hong then addresses the April to May increase - but he now uses a different set of figures - the absolute number of sales that month as opposed to the adjusting the stats on an annual basis, which he does explain :
So now instead of the 3.6% decline - and the 2.4% increase - we now have 6.6% and 9.2%! And the scary point is - other than the typo - all of these figures are correct!
They are just using different metrics.
Now as for how all this confusion could have been prevented - Peter Hong's piece had more details and a better explanation to a lay person of what was really going on and how the various figures compared with each other. There was really no need to run the Bloomberg piece which just confused the issue. At most, the additional figures also in the Bloomberg article could have been added to the Hong piece - which would have left everyone a lot less confused then the present dueling headlines.
BUSINESS »
•
U.S. home sales fall in May despite low prices and tax incentives
•
Home resales in U.S. rise 2.4% in May to 4.77 million rate
Now the 3.6% fall in the Peter Hong LAT article is from May of last year to May of this year - while the increase of 2.4% in the Bloomberg wire report is from the prior month of April of this year to May of this year.
Even more confusing is that the Bloomberg prices are going up article has a typo when it mentioned the 3.6% fall:
"Sales were 3.6 percent compared with a year earlier."
Yes, according to Bloomberg - sales this May were only 3.6% of May of last year - a staggering over 95% decline in sales!
Also in Bloomberg's LAT wire piece are details of the yearly 2.4% increase:
"Purchases increased 2.4 percent to an annual rate of 4.77 million, lower than forecast, the National Association of Realtors said today in Washington"
Then in Peter Hong's LAT piece, he leads with the 3.6% year to year decline and he explains how that figure is arrived at:
"May home sales were down 3.6% from the same month last year, the National Assn. of Realtors reported. The industry group based that figure on the seasonally adjusted annual rate of home sales, which is the number of homes that would sell for the entire year based on May's sales rate."
Hong then addresses the April to May increase - but he now uses a different set of figures - the absolute number of sales that month as opposed to the adjusting the stats on an annual basis, which he does explain :
"The total number of homes sold in May was 451,000, or 6.6% below the year-earlier number, but it was up 9.2% from the 413,000 homes sold in April."
So now instead of the 3.6% decline - and the 2.4% increase - we now have 6.6% and 9.2%! And the scary point is - other than the typo - all of these figures are correct!
They are just using different metrics.
Now as for how all this confusion could have been prevented - Peter Hong's piece had more details and a better explanation to a lay person of what was really going on and how the various figures compared with each other. There was really no need to run the Bloomberg piece which just confused the issue. At most, the additional figures also in the Bloomberg article could have been added to the Hong piece - which would have left everyone a lot less confused then the present dueling headlines.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Why Isn't The US - And World Press - Headling The London Times Story Proving the Election In Iran Was Stolen?
And why did the London Times bury this is the middle of their story - and give so few details of the poll?
This proves who has fixed this election. This story needs to be gotten to the people of Iran. But even the paper that has the story - has dropped it from the new stories
They also don't break down the figures for the other candidates. The US and world press needs to keep the facts of how this election was stolen on their front pages and and give support to the people of Iran in their efforts to overturn this election.
"Private polling of 5,000 voters conducted for the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and seen by The Sunday Times, suggested the reformist candidate would win at least 58% of votes across Iran. However, the official result gave him just under 34%."
This proves who has fixed this election. This story needs to be gotten to the people of Iran. But even the paper that has the story - has dropped it from the new stories
They also don't break down the figures for the other candidates. The US and world press needs to keep the facts of how this election was stolen on their front pages and and give support to the people of Iran in their efforts to overturn this election.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
LA Times Covers Rebirth Of Downtown's Main Street
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-main-street11-2009jun11,0,4047200.story
From the Los Angeles Times
Ordinance brings new life into downtown L.A.'s Main Street
The stretch between 4th and 6th was once the scene of homeless encampments. Today, boutiques and cafes cater to new residents. The catalyst was the adaptive reuse ordinance, launched 10 years ago.
By Cara Mia DiMassa
9:54 PM PDT, June 10, 2009
A decade ago, the stretch of downtown L.A.'s Main Street between 4th and 6th streets was a desolate collection of empty buildings and homeless encampments, an area where drug dealing was conducted in the open, and the only longtime residents lived in residential hotels. These days, that stretch resembles a bustling small-town main street.
There's the neighborhood bookstore, where an attentive shopkeeper knows her customers by name. A DVD store that stocks the kind of films that appeal to the hip residents who live in the building upstairs. And shop owners and customers who live side by side above the stores.
While much of downtown is struggling to attract the kind of ground-floor retail that many urbanists say is essential to turning a cluster of residential units into something more like a neighborhood, downtown's historic core has been seeing a surge forward lately.
Some downtown boosters who track such developments say that the vast majority of retail space along Main Street, from 4th to 7th Street, is now leased -- an accomplishment that they are touting as a sign of the neighborhood's successful reinvention.
The changes along Main Street -- and in downtown's historic core in general -- were launched 10 years ago this month, when a new city ordinance went into effect that made it easier to convert former bank, office and industrial buildings into residential and small retail spaces.
The ordinance was little noticed at the time. But the adaptive reuse ordinance, as it is known, has profoundly changed the way the city thinks about its long-neglected urban center. It streamlined the city's permitting process for those seeking to re-purpose the old buildings and allowed for flexibility in the city's zoning and code requirements.
"After decades of beating a dead horse, they realized that commercial was not going to come back to this neighborhood the way it was," said Bert Green, owner of an art gallery at 5th and Main. "It made sense to change the use of the buildings."
In 1999, downtown Los Angeles was an area very much in transition. The Staples Center had just opened. Walt Disney Concert Hall, L.A. Live and other downtown attractions were still years away from opening. Only 18,000 people lived in the city center.
"We had offices, we had some cultural attractions," said Carol Schatz, president and chief executive of the Central City Assn., a business advocacy group that pushed for the change. "But the one thing that we knew we needed to make downtown survive and thrive was residents."
While bigger, more extravagant projects for downtown were announced, and some even got underway, Historic Downtown kept plugging away.
"It may have been constructed," said developer Tom Gilmore, who many credit as the architect of the historic core's reinvention, "but it's not contrived."
Apartments and lofts in buildings were rented; some condos sold and retail spaces slowly began to fill along both Main and Spring streets. An art walk highlighted the assortment of galleries in the area. Restaurants began to draw people from beyond downtown.
"The community was organically grown by seeing what was needed and what could survive as destination retail," said Brady Westwater, a local activist and the former president of the Downtown L.A. Neighborhood Council, who has been instrumental in bringing businesses to the area.
Still, life in Historic Downtown is not for everyone. The area, just a few blocks away from Skid Row, continues to be a magnet for the homeless. It is still gritty and lacks the sort of luxurious high rises as other parts of the city center.
But even as other parts of downtown have seen some large-scale projects canceled and other condo developments switch to rentals as a way to ride out the economic storm, Historic Downtown has continued to collect new businesses: clothing stores, restaurants, bars and other amenities. Two new affordable housing projects are being developed.
Residents and shop owners in the area say that the relatively low cost of space in the area, combined with a certain amount of flexibility, has allowed them to take a chance in the area.
Jose Caballer, who lives in Gilmore's San Fernando building and runs a digital design firm out of an old bank building a few doors to the west, said that part of the appeal of the area is that it's like a sort of undiscovered country. "You can go and look at buildings and say, I want to do events here. If you are creative and resourceful enough . . . you can do it."
Brittany Hoa Pham, owner of Fremont clothing, said that her location along 4th Street has meant that, "We get an interesting group of people." But she admits that "once in a while, a homeless man or woman comes in and frightens me."
The challenge now for Historic Downtown, said Gilmore, is "how we end up a sustainable neighborhood, not a flash in the pan."
That's something that has been taking up a lot of Westwater's time recently.
After seeing success along Main and Spring streets, he has turned his attention to Broadway, where recent community efforts have focused on finding new uses for a collection of old movie houses and retail and office space along the street.
"We showed we could fix Main Street," he said. "Now, the challenge of developing a Broadway that works for everyone is the next step."
cara.dimassa@latimes.com
From the Los Angeles Times
Ordinance brings new life into downtown L.A.'s Main Street
The stretch between 4th and 6th was once the scene of homeless encampments. Today, boutiques and cafes cater to new residents. The catalyst was the adaptive reuse ordinance, launched 10 years ago.
By Cara Mia DiMassa
9:54 PM PDT, June 10, 2009
A decade ago, the stretch of downtown L.A.'s Main Street between 4th and 6th streets was a desolate collection of empty buildings and homeless encampments, an area where drug dealing was conducted in the open, and the only longtime residents lived in residential hotels. These days, that stretch resembles a bustling small-town main street.
There's the neighborhood bookstore, where an attentive shopkeeper knows her customers by name. A DVD store that stocks the kind of films that appeal to the hip residents who live in the building upstairs. And shop owners and customers who live side by side above the stores.
While much of downtown is struggling to attract the kind of ground-floor retail that many urbanists say is essential to turning a cluster of residential units into something more like a neighborhood, downtown's historic core has been seeing a surge forward lately.
Some downtown boosters who track such developments say that the vast majority of retail space along Main Street, from 4th to 7th Street, is now leased -- an accomplishment that they are touting as a sign of the neighborhood's successful reinvention.
The changes along Main Street -- and in downtown's historic core in general -- were launched 10 years ago this month, when a new city ordinance went into effect that made it easier to convert former bank, office and industrial buildings into residential and small retail spaces.
The ordinance was little noticed at the time. But the adaptive reuse ordinance, as it is known, has profoundly changed the way the city thinks about its long-neglected urban center. It streamlined the city's permitting process for those seeking to re-purpose the old buildings and allowed for flexibility in the city's zoning and code requirements.
"After decades of beating a dead horse, they realized that commercial was not going to come back to this neighborhood the way it was," said Bert Green, owner of an art gallery at 5th and Main. "It made sense to change the use of the buildings."
In 1999, downtown Los Angeles was an area very much in transition. The Staples Center had just opened. Walt Disney Concert Hall, L.A. Live and other downtown attractions were still years away from opening. Only 18,000 people lived in the city center.
"We had offices, we had some cultural attractions," said Carol Schatz, president and chief executive of the Central City Assn., a business advocacy group that pushed for the change. "But the one thing that we knew we needed to make downtown survive and thrive was residents."
While bigger, more extravagant projects for downtown were announced, and some even got underway, Historic Downtown kept plugging away.
"It may have been constructed," said developer Tom Gilmore, who many credit as the architect of the historic core's reinvention, "but it's not contrived."
Apartments and lofts in buildings were rented; some condos sold and retail spaces slowly began to fill along both Main and Spring streets. An art walk highlighted the assortment of galleries in the area. Restaurants began to draw people from beyond downtown.
"The community was organically grown by seeing what was needed and what could survive as destination retail," said Brady Westwater, a local activist and the former president of the Downtown L.A. Neighborhood Council, who has been instrumental in bringing businesses to the area.
Still, life in Historic Downtown is not for everyone. The area, just a few blocks away from Skid Row, continues to be a magnet for the homeless. It is still gritty and lacks the sort of luxurious high rises as other parts of the city center.
But even as other parts of downtown have seen some large-scale projects canceled and other condo developments switch to rentals as a way to ride out the economic storm, Historic Downtown has continued to collect new businesses: clothing stores, restaurants, bars and other amenities. Two new affordable housing projects are being developed.
Residents and shop owners in the area say that the relatively low cost of space in the area, combined with a certain amount of flexibility, has allowed them to take a chance in the area.
Jose Caballer, who lives in Gilmore's San Fernando building and runs a digital design firm out of an old bank building a few doors to the west, said that part of the appeal of the area is that it's like a sort of undiscovered country. "You can go and look at buildings and say, I want to do events here. If you are creative and resourceful enough . . . you can do it."
Brittany Hoa Pham, owner of Fremont clothing, said that her location along 4th Street has meant that, "We get an interesting group of people." But she admits that "once in a while, a homeless man or woman comes in and frightens me."
The challenge now for Historic Downtown, said Gilmore, is "how we end up a sustainable neighborhood, not a flash in the pan."
That's something that has been taking up a lot of Westwater's time recently.
After seeing success along Main and Spring streets, he has turned his attention to Broadway, where recent community efforts have focused on finding new uses for a collection of old movie houses and retail and office space along the street.
"We showed we could fix Main Street," he said. "Now, the challenge of developing a Broadway that works for everyone is the next step."
cara.dimassa@latimes.com
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Bernard Zimmerman, FAIA RIP
Few people loved architecture and Los Angeles as passionately as did Bernard Zimmerman - and none more than he did. I first met him in the successful fight to save John Marshall High School and later during countless AIA functions and events. Below is the memorial notice from the AIA:
Our beloved Bernard Zimmerman, FAIA, peacefully passed away on Thursday, June 4th. His family cordially invites you to be present at Bernard's funeral service. The service will commence on Monday, June 8th at 12 noon at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive,
Los Angeles, CA.
Following the service, you are invited to a reception to celebrate Bernards legacy at Temple Sinai of Glendale, 1212 N. Pacific Avenue, Glendale, CA. Food will be provided at the reception.
Map and directions here.
Bernard Zimmerman: The Conscience of the Architectural Profession
Bernard Zimmerman, FAIA, Architect, Planner and esteemed Professor of Architectural Design at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Department of Architecture of which he was a founder, passed away on June 4th, after a long illness, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 79.
In honor of his "selfless and relentless love of architecture and design excellence, and the tremendous effect, over many decades, of that passion on the life and culture of Los Angeles, its architects, students and its architecture," the American Institute of Architects/Los Angeles recognized Zimmerman's many contributions by honoring him with a Lifetime Achievement Award, in 1999. By way of introduction, Ray Kappe, FAIA, Founder of the Southern California Institute of Architecture SCI-ARC, stated: "During the last 50 years no architect has been as concerned about the state of architecture in our city as Bernard. No one has been more concerned about the education of our future architects than Bernard. Throughout his lifetime, he has unsparingly donated his time and energy to further and promote the professional status of American architects and architecture, particularly Los Angeles architects and their architecture."
Bernard Zimmerman was a leading practitioner of architecture for over 40 years. He was president of Zimmerman Architects and Planners, and was a partner in the Collaborative for Environmental Design, Pulliam Zimmerman & Matthews, Zimmerman & Robbins Architects and Zimmerman/Stafford Architects. He was previously associated with Richard Neutra Architects, Welton Beckett & Associates, Victor Gruen Associates and Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall. Mr. Zimmerman was involved with a wide range of architectural and city planning projects including: the IBM Pavilion, Osaka, Japan; Citrus restaurant, Los Angeles; Twin Towers, Century City; Bunker Hill, Los Angeles; Old Town Pasadena; Olympic Building, Los Angeles; Sunset and Vine Tower, Hollywood; Case Study House #29, Silverlake; Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles. He made a special contribution in the area of chain stores such as Zeidler & Zeidler Men's Stores and Standard Shoes, by elevating the level of design, architecturally and graphically. His work has been published in national and international design reviews such as "Arts & Architecture", "Architectural Record", "Domus", "L'Arca" and "Progressive Architecture".
Throughout his career, Bernard Zimmerman vigorously expressed his social and design concerns through dialogue with national and international architects and organizations, an active involvement on a local and national level with the American Institute of Architects, and numerous community projects. He created and directed the AIA "Architectural Panel" in the 1950's, the first organization to offer exciting and important public programs in Los Angeles. Through the 1960's, he chaired the AIA Program Committee. The most important program he created was the "Masters of Architecture" lecture series, founded in 1991. It is held annually at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and is a very successful collaboration between LACMA and AIA/LA, to which the public is invited.
In 1999 he conceived the "9 in 99" Conference held at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), featuring outstanding architectural thinkers, sharing "Big Ideas" for Los Angeles.
He was a board member of "Architects, Designers & Planners for Social Responsibility", and founder of "Architecture for Peace". He successfully provided leadership and generated support for countless committee initiatives to benefit threatened Los Angeles landmarks, such as the Angels Flight, the Dodge House, Hazard Park, Marshall High School, the Hollywood Sign, the Schindler Kings Road House and the Watts Towers. The "Citizens Committee to Build the Disney Concert Hall" which he spearheaded provided the incentive for the subsequent successful fund raising campaign.
Exhibitions on the work of Los Angeles architects and designers, conceived and directed by Bernard Zimmerman include: "Roots of California Architecture", "Irving Gill Architect", "Felix Candela Architect & Engineer", "Project Environment USA", "74 + 74: Best in the West", "Los Angeles 12", "L.A. 12+12+2", "L.A. 12+12+12", "Los Angeles: City on the Move", "100 Projects/100 Years" and "101 New Blood". These exhibitions were shown at venues such as the Milan Triennale in Italy, Pacific Design Center and the Yale University School of Art and Architecture Gallery. In the more recent exhibits, working with a younger generation of architects and designers, helping them to organize exhibits of their architecture, he had the amazing ability to inspire and energize them as he had energized his students throughout his years of teaching, which was so important to him.
A graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Architecture, Bernard Zimmerman was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He completed his Masters in Planning at the University of Southern California (USC). He was a member of the American Planning Association and of USC's Architectural Guild that honored him in 2003 as "a Distinguished Alumnus who has enriched and honored the profession of Architecture". He was recognized by Mayor Tom Bradley for his architectural, planning and exhibit work. He was interviewed on PBS by Maya Angelou on the state of architecture and urban design in 1975, for the series "Humanities Through the Arts". As a founder of the Architecture for Peace, he traveled to Russia on a Peace Mission in 1978 and was subsequently honored with an invitation to the White House for the celebration of the Peace Accord between President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachov. In 1995, he was inducted as one of Pacific Design Center's "Stars of Design". The Los Angeles Institute of Architecture & Design (LAIAD) that opened in 2001 was also co-founded by Bernard Zimmerman. One of the last Zimmerman inspired ideas was to establish the Architecture + Design Museum, located across the street from LACMA.
Bernard Zimmerman was an irreplaceable human being, who has touched so many of our lives. He will be greatly missed, and forever remembered as a passionate advocate for the profession.
The funeral will be held at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, 5950 Forrest Lawn Drive, in Griffith Park, on Monday, June 8th at 12:00 noon. A memorial is also being planned, to be announced.
Bernard Zimmerman is survived by his sons Eric, Josef and Derek; their wives Adela, Mamie, and Tamara; his daughter, Karla, her husband, Tom; his six grandchildren Katelyn, Kimberly, Kassandra, Thomas, Siren and Elijah; and a host of loving friends.
Our beloved Bernard Zimmerman, FAIA, peacefully passed away on Thursday, June 4th. His family cordially invites you to be present at Bernard's funeral service. The service will commence on Monday, June 8th at 12 noon at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive,
Los Angeles, CA.
Following the service, you are invited to a reception to celebrate Bernards legacy at Temple Sinai of Glendale, 1212 N. Pacific Avenue, Glendale, CA. Food will be provided at the reception.
Map and directions here.
Bernard Zimmerman: The Conscience of the Architectural Profession
Bernard Zimmerman, FAIA, Architect, Planner and esteemed Professor of Architectural Design at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Department of Architecture of which he was a founder, passed away on June 4th, after a long illness, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 79.
In honor of his "selfless and relentless love of architecture and design excellence, and the tremendous effect, over many decades, of that passion on the life and culture of Los Angeles, its architects, students and its architecture," the American Institute of Architects/Los Angeles recognized Zimmerman's many contributions by honoring him with a Lifetime Achievement Award, in 1999. By way of introduction, Ray Kappe, FAIA, Founder of the Southern California Institute of Architecture SCI-ARC, stated: "During the last 50 years no architect has been as concerned about the state of architecture in our city as Bernard. No one has been more concerned about the education of our future architects than Bernard. Throughout his lifetime, he has unsparingly donated his time and energy to further and promote the professional status of American architects and architecture, particularly Los Angeles architects and their architecture."
Bernard Zimmerman was a leading practitioner of architecture for over 40 years. He was president of Zimmerman Architects and Planners, and was a partner in the Collaborative for Environmental Design, Pulliam Zimmerman & Matthews, Zimmerman & Robbins Architects and Zimmerman/Stafford Architects. He was previously associated with Richard Neutra Architects, Welton Beckett & Associates, Victor Gruen Associates and Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall. Mr. Zimmerman was involved with a wide range of architectural and city planning projects including: the IBM Pavilion, Osaka, Japan; Citrus restaurant, Los Angeles; Twin Towers, Century City; Bunker Hill, Los Angeles; Old Town Pasadena; Olympic Building, Los Angeles; Sunset and Vine Tower, Hollywood; Case Study House #29, Silverlake; Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles. He made a special contribution in the area of chain stores such as Zeidler & Zeidler Men's Stores and Standard Shoes, by elevating the level of design, architecturally and graphically. His work has been published in national and international design reviews such as "Arts & Architecture", "Architectural Record", "Domus", "L'Arca" and "Progressive Architecture".
Throughout his career, Bernard Zimmerman vigorously expressed his social and design concerns through dialogue with national and international architects and organizations, an active involvement on a local and national level with the American Institute of Architects, and numerous community projects. He created and directed the AIA "Architectural Panel" in the 1950's, the first organization to offer exciting and important public programs in Los Angeles. Through the 1960's, he chaired the AIA Program Committee. The most important program he created was the "Masters of Architecture" lecture series, founded in 1991. It is held annually at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and is a very successful collaboration between LACMA and AIA/LA, to which the public is invited.
In 1999 he conceived the "9 in 99" Conference held at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), featuring outstanding architectural thinkers, sharing "Big Ideas" for Los Angeles.
He was a board member of "Architects, Designers & Planners for Social Responsibility", and founder of "Architecture for Peace". He successfully provided leadership and generated support for countless committee initiatives to benefit threatened Los Angeles landmarks, such as the Angels Flight, the Dodge House, Hazard Park, Marshall High School, the Hollywood Sign, the Schindler Kings Road House and the Watts Towers. The "Citizens Committee to Build the Disney Concert Hall" which he spearheaded provided the incentive for the subsequent successful fund raising campaign.
Exhibitions on the work of Los Angeles architects and designers, conceived and directed by Bernard Zimmerman include: "Roots of California Architecture", "Irving Gill Architect", "Felix Candela Architect & Engineer", "Project Environment USA", "74 + 74: Best in the West", "Los Angeles 12", "L.A. 12+12+2", "L.A. 12+12+12", "Los Angeles: City on the Move", "100 Projects/100 Years" and "101 New Blood". These exhibitions were shown at venues such as the Milan Triennale in Italy, Pacific Design Center and the Yale University School of Art and Architecture Gallery. In the more recent exhibits, working with a younger generation of architects and designers, helping them to organize exhibits of their architecture, he had the amazing ability to inspire and energize them as he had energized his students throughout his years of teaching, which was so important to him.
A graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Architecture, Bernard Zimmerman was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He completed his Masters in Planning at the University of Southern California (USC). He was a member of the American Planning Association and of USC's Architectural Guild that honored him in 2003 as "a Distinguished Alumnus who has enriched and honored the profession of Architecture". He was recognized by Mayor Tom Bradley for his architectural, planning and exhibit work. He was interviewed on PBS by Maya Angelou on the state of architecture and urban design in 1975, for the series "Humanities Through the Arts". As a founder of the Architecture for Peace, he traveled to Russia on a Peace Mission in 1978 and was subsequently honored with an invitation to the White House for the celebration of the Peace Accord between President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachov. In 1995, he was inducted as one of Pacific Design Center's "Stars of Design". The Los Angeles Institute of Architecture & Design (LAIAD) that opened in 2001 was also co-founded by Bernard Zimmerman. One of the last Zimmerman inspired ideas was to establish the Architecture + Design Museum, located across the street from LACMA.
Bernard Zimmerman was an irreplaceable human being, who has touched so many of our lives. He will be greatly missed, and forever remembered as a passionate advocate for the profession.
The funeral will be held at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, 5950 Forrest Lawn Drive, in Griffith Park, on Monday, June 8th at 12:00 noon. A memorial is also being planned, to be announced.
Bernard Zimmerman is survived by his sons Eric, Josef and Derek; their wives Adela, Mamie, and Tamara; his daughter, Karla, her husband, Tom; his six grandchildren Katelyn, Kimberly, Kassandra, Thomas, Siren and Elijah; and a host of loving friends.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
LA Times Confuses Wilshire District/Koreatown With Westlake District - With - Downtown!
Whenever I see a headline on the LA Times website about a shooting near Downtown - I always fear for the worst.
Not for the victims - though I do worry about them - but at how wrong the headline usually is. And this time - near Downtown - is... supposedly... at 6th and Virgil - which is just before Vermont. And that is a lot nearer to Hollywood than Downtown. It is also in the heart of the Wilshire District, parts of which are often called Koreatown.
But that area is mistakenly - called Westlake - on new new Times map - nothing even near it has never been called since Westlake - and Westlake historically ended at the east side Westlake/McArthur Park itself. Wilshire started at the park - and that is where the Wilshire District started.
And even today - if you want to use non-historical demographic date - the furthest west Westlake can be said to go is Rampart since the demographics of population living starting just west of Rampart is far more like as the rest of the Wilshire District and Koreatown then the demographics of the true Westlake - east of the Park.
The article also says the shooting took place just west of McArthur Park - which it did not - it took place just west of Lafayette Park - which is itself - well west of the Westlake District which is west of Pico-Union which is west of Downtown. And that neighborhood is not a low income community as stated in the article. It is largely a middle class area with many condos and even several streets of upper middle class single family homes.
And, of course, none of these areas are adjacent... much less near.... to Downtown.
Not for the victims - though I do worry about them - but at how wrong the headline usually is. And this time - near Downtown - is... supposedly... at 6th and Virgil - which is just before Vermont. And that is a lot nearer to Hollywood than Downtown. It is also in the heart of the Wilshire District, parts of which are often called Koreatown.
But that area is mistakenly - called Westlake - on new new Times map - nothing even near it has never been called since Westlake - and Westlake historically ended at the east side Westlake/McArthur Park itself. Wilshire started at the park - and that is where the Wilshire District started.
And even today - if you want to use non-historical demographic date - the furthest west Westlake can be said to go is Rampart since the demographics of population living starting just west of Rampart is far more like as the rest of the Wilshire District and Koreatown then the demographics of the true Westlake - east of the Park.
The article also says the shooting took place just west of McArthur Park - which it did not - it took place just west of Lafayette Park - which is itself - well west of the Westlake District which is west of Pico-Union which is west of Downtown. And that neighborhood is not a low income community as stated in the article. It is largely a middle class area with many condos and even several streets of upper middle class single family homes.
And, of course, none of these areas are adjacent... much less near.... to Downtown.
Two wounded in shooting near downtown L.A.
5:20 PM | June 6, 2009
At least two people have been wounded in a shooting in Westlake and one person has been arrested, authorities said.
Police are searching for additional suspects, said LAPD Officer Jason Lee. The shooting occurred today shortly before 4 p.m. at 6th Street and Virgil Avenue, where a fight had broken out between two groups of men, Lee said.
By late afternoon, the intersection had been blocked off as police interviewed possible witnesses. Dogs were helping officers search for additional suspects as a police helicopter circled overhead. About two dozen helmeted officers stood by near a command post that had been set up in the neighborhood.
The shootings occurred in a low-income community in Westlake just west of MacArthur Park.
--Ruben Vives and Robert Lopez
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sleeping With The Dead
It took awhile after I woke up late Friday morning before I realized it was… Friday and not Thursday.
And that realization was only possible after I first ruled out it being Wednesday since I didn’t recall much of that day either. But that’s how mornings are when one is still getting used to a life filled with extended periods of sleep separated only by brief and often barely remembered moments of transitory wakefulness.
But then I realized something more. I had just slept though Art Walk. Both the day of it and the night. I had missed my first Art Walk since our inaugural event at which 17 of us - which is one of two or three official head counts - first showed up so seemingly many years ago.
I then realized I didn’t know if the new restaurant owners I had helped with their utility problem at 5th and Main got their lights so they could have their doors open on Art Walk night to say hi to all their new neighbors. Nor did I know how the brand new Art Annex at the Farmer’s and Merchant's Bank did. And I also didn't how the ladies with the 3-Day pop-up store in the Annex filled with hats, purses and jewelry - whom I had brought there to try out Main Street before they opened new a store of their own in our latest Main Street incubator – had fared.
I equally had no idea what had happened at the still new vendor’s parking lot or how the local band was in their new place or anything about any of the dozens of other places, events and people that make up our community of Art Walk other than knowing that – one way or the other – it all managed to work out.
So I did the only thing I could do.
I went back to sleep.
And I dreamed of cowboy days and fighting nights and a time when my brain had more dopamine than sense. And I silently smiled and awaited the day I would soon be happily back with them all in the longest sleep of them all.
And that realization was only possible after I first ruled out it being Wednesday since I didn’t recall much of that day either. But that’s how mornings are when one is still getting used to a life filled with extended periods of sleep separated only by brief and often barely remembered moments of transitory wakefulness.
But then I realized something more. I had just slept though Art Walk. Both the day of it and the night. I had missed my first Art Walk since our inaugural event at which 17 of us - which is one of two or three official head counts - first showed up so seemingly many years ago.
I then realized I didn’t know if the new restaurant owners I had helped with their utility problem at 5th and Main got their lights so they could have their doors open on Art Walk night to say hi to all their new neighbors. Nor did I know how the brand new Art Annex at the Farmer’s and Merchant's Bank did. And I also didn't how the ladies with the 3-Day pop-up store in the Annex filled with hats, purses and jewelry - whom I had brought there to try out Main Street before they opened new a store of their own in our latest Main Street incubator – had fared.
I equally had no idea what had happened at the still new vendor’s parking lot or how the local band was in their new place or anything about any of the dozens of other places, events and people that make up our community of Art Walk other than knowing that – one way or the other – it all managed to work out.
So I did the only thing I could do.
I went back to sleep.
And I dreamed of cowboy days and fighting nights and a time when my brain had more dopamine than sense. And I silently smiled and awaited the day I would soon be happily back with them all in the longest sleep of them all.
Friday, May 01, 2009
Communities Come Together to Celebrate Lesley Taplin
The above link at blogdowntown describes the Lesley Gilb Taplin Memorial Celebration last night at Vibiana. At some point I will be able to write about Lesley and what she meant to all of us Downtown, but not quite yet.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Dopamine, Dopamine, Dopamine
My brain's life long craving for dopamine has finally run out of options.
Meanwhile, I keep intending to lay out the whole history of that battle online to see if there is any doctor out there who has ever seen a case like mine - and who might know if there is anything that can be done about it.
The reality today, though, is that the last drug that worked well enough for me to be something resembling normal stopped working so long ago, I can't even recall when that was.
The last drug that did anything to help me maintain a level of 'alertness' finally stopped last summer. Next, a couple weeks ago, the last drug that even kept me awake stopped working.
And then when one drug yesterday seemed to be able to keep me awake, it turns out to spiked my blood pressure by over a hundred points within hours of my taking it. Or at least that seems to be how high by blood pressure jumped when I was out last night based on my blood pressure today that many hours after taking the drug. My actual memories of last night, though, are ... shall we say.... close to non-existant.
And the hope that I would be able to somehow activate my 'fight or flight' syndrome and wrestle my way out of my problems - as was predicted by Thelma Moss of UCLA back in 1966 - now seems to be a hopeless one as finding the right sparring partners at the same time my body is injury free enough to grapple, seems to be an impossible equation.
So this post is just to goad me into finally laying out the whole story of this dopamine battle in the hopes that some doctor somewhere - will have treated someone like me and have some idea of what to do next. And... hopefully... I can stay awake enough over the next week to do that.
Meanwhile, I keep intending to lay out the whole history of that battle online to see if there is any doctor out there who has ever seen a case like mine - and who might know if there is anything that can be done about it.
The reality today, though, is that the last drug that worked well enough for me to be something resembling normal stopped working so long ago, I can't even recall when that was.
The last drug that did anything to help me maintain a level of 'alertness' finally stopped last summer. Next, a couple weeks ago, the last drug that even kept me awake stopped working.
And then when one drug yesterday seemed to be able to keep me awake, it turns out to spiked my blood pressure by over a hundred points within hours of my taking it. Or at least that seems to be how high by blood pressure jumped when I was out last night based on my blood pressure today that many hours after taking the drug. My actual memories of last night, though, are ... shall we say.... close to non-existant.
And the hope that I would be able to somehow activate my 'fight or flight' syndrome and wrestle my way out of my problems - as was predicted by Thelma Moss of UCLA back in 1966 - now seems to be a hopeless one as finding the right sparring partners at the same time my body is injury free enough to grapple, seems to be an impossible equation.
So this post is just to goad me into finally laying out the whole story of this dopamine battle in the hopes that some doctor somewhere - will have treated someone like me and have some idea of what to do next. And... hopefully... I can stay awake enough over the next week to do that.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
LA Weekly On LA Cowboy As One of LA's 100 People!
LA PEOPLE 2009: URBAN COWBOY — BRADY WESTWATER
BY LINDA IMMEDIATO
Published on April 20, 2009 at 4:35pm
At a BOXeight Fashion Week show, you expect to find the standard batch of bony models, fashion-forward magazine editors and flamboyant buyers, but who’s the silver-bearded cowboy? That’s Brady Westwater, a.k.a the L.A. Cowboy, director of Economic Development for BOXeight. He was instrumental in getting the event off the ground. If he seems slightly out of place runway-side, Westwater is right at home downtown, where nearly every resident and business owner knows who he is. They call him “the unofficial mayor of downtown,” or the “go-to guy.”
Westwater serves pro bono on 29 boards and committees, but much of his day to day is spent doing what he calls, “curating downtown.” The nonpaying job involves a lot of leg work. On a recent weekday, we snake up and down Main, Spring and Broadway, for blocks on end, as he makes his usual rounds.
“I walk around, see what’s happening, ask business owners what they need, if they have any problems, see who’s new to the neighborhood,” he says, taking strides at a steady clip. “This is a place where the impossible happens every day. We’re the only neighborhood where businesses are still expanding. We’re bringing in new business. Of the 50 business I brought downtown, every single one of them survived.”
When Westwater says he “brought” businesses, he means everything from leaking the availability of a space to the right people before it goes on the market and advertising on craigslist to handling the responses and actually brokering a lease. “I hear about people who need a certain space, or people who have a certain space, and then I refer them, or negotiate the lease. It’s a lot of referrals. Did you know there are actually only three people in L.A.?” He laughs. “The rest is done with mirrors.”
Curating downtown, creating the perfect resident-business symbiosis for an organic vibrant artistic community, is a labor of love for Westwater, who has spent his entire life downtown. His father’s law office was on Third and Spring. “All the theaters on Broadway and the department stores were still open,” he says, scanning the old buildings. “I’m the last of the generation who remembers that.”
Along our sidewalk travels, one business owner puts in a request for a public parking structure, another asks about a vacant building, then someone else asks if Westwater knows where to get cheap mannequins. At a 9,000-square-foot space Westwater calls the “incubator,” leaseholder Jose Caballer comes out to say hello. “The city owes a lot to Brady,” he says. “I don’t know how they’re ever gonna pay him back. I guess his legacy will be in the history books.”
Westwater has a real-estate license but doesn’t use it, and refuses to take any money for connecting the dots. That has to do with living the cowboy way, an ethos he adopted one fateful night when he was 17. He had decided to drive to Owens Valley. He wasn’t sure why, but something told him to go. On the way, he picked up a hitchhiker, a man 6 feet 2 inches and about as wide. They got drunk and became fast friends, and the evening ended with Westwater losing his virginity in a brothel in Nevada. He became a part of this man’s posse, with whom he earned a living catching and breaking wild horses in Wyoming and Montana, repossessing airplanes in South America, and traveling the underground street-fighting circuit to Turkey and India. Part of the cowboy way is to be an independent contractor, a free agent, and Westwater, who roams downtown L.A. like it’s his own Ponderosa, has never had a steady job or been on a payroll. “The cowboy life,” he says, “ is just adventure. Every morning waking up and talking life.”
BY LINDA IMMEDIATO
Published on April 20, 2009 at 4:35pm
At a BOXeight Fashion Week show, you expect to find the standard batch of bony models, fashion-forward magazine editors and flamboyant buyers, but who’s the silver-bearded cowboy? That’s Brady Westwater, a.k.a the L.A. Cowboy, director of Economic Development for BOXeight. He was instrumental in getting the event off the ground. If he seems slightly out of place runway-side, Westwater is right at home downtown, where nearly every resident and business owner knows who he is. They call him “the unofficial mayor of downtown,” or the “go-to guy.”
Westwater serves pro bono on 29 boards and committees, but much of his day to day is spent doing what he calls, “curating downtown.” The nonpaying job involves a lot of leg work. On a recent weekday, we snake up and down Main, Spring and Broadway, for blocks on end, as he makes his usual rounds.
“I walk around, see what’s happening, ask business owners what they need, if they have any problems, see who’s new to the neighborhood,” he says, taking strides at a steady clip. “This is a place where the impossible happens every day. We’re the only neighborhood where businesses are still expanding. We’re bringing in new business. Of the 50 business I brought downtown, every single one of them survived.”
When Westwater says he “brought” businesses, he means everything from leaking the availability of a space to the right people before it goes on the market and advertising on craigslist to handling the responses and actually brokering a lease. “I hear about people who need a certain space, or people who have a certain space, and then I refer them, or negotiate the lease. It’s a lot of referrals. Did you know there are actually only three people in L.A.?” He laughs. “The rest is done with mirrors.”
Curating downtown, creating the perfect resident-business symbiosis for an organic vibrant artistic community, is a labor of love for Westwater, who has spent his entire life downtown. His father’s law office was on Third and Spring. “All the theaters on Broadway and the department stores were still open,” he says, scanning the old buildings. “I’m the last of the generation who remembers that.”
Along our sidewalk travels, one business owner puts in a request for a public parking structure, another asks about a vacant building, then someone else asks if Westwater knows where to get cheap mannequins. At a 9,000-square-foot space Westwater calls the “incubator,” leaseholder Jose Caballer comes out to say hello. “The city owes a lot to Brady,” he says. “I don’t know how they’re ever gonna pay him back. I guess his legacy will be in the history books.”
Westwater has a real-estate license but doesn’t use it, and refuses to take any money for connecting the dots. That has to do with living the cowboy way, an ethos he adopted one fateful night when he was 17. He had decided to drive to Owens Valley. He wasn’t sure why, but something told him to go. On the way, he picked up a hitchhiker, a man 6 feet 2 inches and about as wide. They got drunk and became fast friends, and the evening ended with Westwater losing his virginity in a brothel in Nevada. He became a part of this man’s posse, with whom he earned a living catching and breaking wild horses in Wyoming and Montana, repossessing airplanes in South America, and traveling the underground street-fighting circuit to Turkey and India. Part of the cowboy way is to be an independent contractor, a free agent, and Westwater, who roams downtown L.A. like it’s his own Ponderosa, has never had a steady job or been on a payroll. “The cowboy life,” he says, “ is just adventure. Every morning waking up and talking life.”
Thursday, April 16, 2009
LA Times Hosts LA Cowboy And LA Observed
When I walked into LA Times event last night, one of the first people I saw was frequent LA Times critic - LA Observed's Kevin Roderick. I then wondered if someone's head was going to roll in the morning once the powers that be realized someone had invited not just one of us - but both of us to the LA Times forum featuring Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But all the appropriate authorities seemed friendly enough when they greeted us, so hopefully there will be no more LA Times layoffs - at least this week.
As for what happened when LAT Opinion Editor James Newton interviewed Arnold - the above link will detail that - along with showing a photo of Bob Hertzberg - aka 'Huggy Bear' - hugging the Governator.
I, however, got a sharp punch in the shoulder from the former speaker of the Assembly when he greeted me in the buffet line - since his right hand was filled with Italian spring rolls. I then retaliated with a stiff left jab - and made my get away.
I next tracked down a number of people from the business community and the green movement to ask them each about their true, off the record, opinion of the Mayor's proposed Green Tech manufacturing corridor along the LA River. Strictly off the record - they each used the term - bull shit. I then asked them if they had told the Mayor or his staff that - and they all looked at me as if I had just landed from the planet Mars.
Finally, just before we went into the room to hear the speakers, I was cornered by UCLA Chancellor Gene Block - and one of his henchmen - and they politely demanded of me why I was wearing a Bruins Wrestling sweat shirt - and why was said shirt in red and gold - which are the USC colors.
I equally politely replied that I was a second generation - on both sides of my family - Bruin - but that I now lived in occupied USC - i.e., Downtown LA - territory. So once I saw this shirt on e-bay - I knew I had to get it just to screw with everyone's minds.
And so far - my plan has succeeded beyond my wildest expectations.
But all the appropriate authorities seemed friendly enough when they greeted us, so hopefully there will be no more LA Times layoffs - at least this week.
As for what happened when LAT Opinion Editor James Newton interviewed Arnold - the above link will detail that - along with showing a photo of Bob Hertzberg - aka 'Huggy Bear' - hugging the Governator.
I, however, got a sharp punch in the shoulder from the former speaker of the Assembly when he greeted me in the buffet line - since his right hand was filled with Italian spring rolls. I then retaliated with a stiff left jab - and made my get away.
I next tracked down a number of people from the business community and the green movement to ask them each about their true, off the record, opinion of the Mayor's proposed Green Tech manufacturing corridor along the LA River. Strictly off the record - they each used the term - bull shit. I then asked them if they had told the Mayor or his staff that - and they all looked at me as if I had just landed from the planet Mars.
Finally, just before we went into the room to hear the speakers, I was cornered by UCLA Chancellor Gene Block - and one of his henchmen - and they politely demanded of me why I was wearing a Bruins Wrestling sweat shirt - and why was said shirt in red and gold - which are the USC colors.
I equally politely replied that I was a second generation - on both sides of my family - Bruin - but that I now lived in occupied USC - i.e., Downtown LA - territory. So once I saw this shirt on e-bay - I knew I had to get it just to screw with everyone's minds.
And so far - my plan has succeeded beyond my wildest expectations.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
DLANC Founder and Friend Lesley Taplin Killed In Car Crash
One of the founders of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, Lesley was killed early Tuesday morning in a car crash. The neighborhood council movement, all of Downtown - and every person who knew her had no greater - or more supportive or more loyal friend. There is so much more I would love to say about her - but I am still in too much shock to even believe she is no longer with us.
From: "Qathryn Brehm"
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:19:16 -0700
To: Qathryn
Subject: Lesley Gilb Taplin
Friends,
It is with a heavy heart I pass on the news of our friend, Lesley, who was killed in a freeway accident early this morning.
Lesley’s passion for life, her love for the whole of us she held so dear and the encouragement she showered on each of us will forever remain.
Details of a remembrance are being worked out. Please let me know if you wish additional information.
Qathryn Brehm
From: "Qathryn Brehm"
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:19:16 -0700
To: Qathryn
Subject: Lesley Gilb Taplin
Friends,
It is with a heavy heart I pass on the news of our friend, Lesley, who was killed in a freeway accident early this morning.
Lesley’s passion for life, her love for the whole of us she held so dear and the encouragement she showered on each of us will forever remain.
Details of a remembrance are being worked out. Please let me know if you wish additional information.
Qathryn Brehm
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Is Anyone Home At The Los Angeles Times? UPDATE! Over 24 HOURS Late - LAT Finally Posts The Rest Of The Story!
Liberals & Limbaugh
When this glitch first appeared on the Los Angels Times website - at least 24 hours ago - I was tempted to mention it - but didn't call it out since I assumed it would be shortly fixed. Well, now it's Sunday - and it's still not fixed. The below article is a challenge to four 'liberals' to listen to Rush Limbaugh - which I have to admit, I never have - and it then asked for their response.
And as you can see by the blank white space at the bottom of their proposal - evidently- not a one of them had a single word to say....
Yes, for 24 hours now there is not a single word there which means that for 24 no one at the LAT seems to have bothered to read the article on-line and notice that.
UPDATE - OK - after I finally called in the error to the weekend staff - it at last go fixed. But it was still the ultimate non-story that wasn't worth reading in the first place.
When this glitch first appeared on the Los Angels Times website - at least 24 hours ago - I was tempted to mention it - but didn't call it out since I assumed it would be shortly fixed. Well, now it's Sunday - and it's still not fixed. The below article is a challenge to four 'liberals' to listen to Rush Limbaugh - which I have to admit, I never have - and it then asked for their response.
And as you can see by the blank white space at the bottom of their proposal - evidently- not a one of them had a single word to say....
April 5, 2009
Last week in these pages, Andrew Klavan, a conservative who writes for the Manhattan Institute's City Journal, addressed himself to liberals, insisting that "whatever you claim, you still haven't listened to Rush Limbaugh."
He concluded with a proposal: "I am throwing down my gauntlet at your quivering liberal feet. I hereby issue my challenge -- the Limbaugh Challenge: Listen to the show. ... Ask yourself: What's he getting at? Why does he say the things he says? Why do so many people of goodwill -- like that nice Mr. Klavan -- agree with him?"
We asked four local liberals to take that challenge, and one fallacy in Klavan's argument quickly became clear: They all had already listened extensively to Limbaugh.
Here's what they concluded from the experience:
Yes, for 24 hours now there is not a single word there which means that for 24 no one at the LAT seems to have bothered to read the article on-line and notice that.
UPDATE - OK - after I finally called in the error to the weekend staff - it at last go fixed. But it was still the ultimate non-story that wasn't worth reading in the first place.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
New Downtown Ed Hardy Store Has Sneak Preview Sale!
The new Ed Hardy Store at 433 S. Spring - which is scheduled to open in about a week - is having an unadvertised two day only end of season warehouse sale from 10 - 6 this Saturday and Sunday. 25 item per person maximum.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Last Of The South Coast Cowboy Life!
The appellation cowboy is often used - but rarely earned.
One of the last local representatives of the old style breed is Steve Tellam of Ramona in San Diego County. The above linked story explains why he is the last full time traditional cowboy of his family - and likely one of the last in that part of San Diego County.
But the future of the American cowboy (though on my old range - cowhand - or just 'hand' - was preferred) is - fortunately - not restricted to the daily interaction of man and cow.
In my case, while I did my share of turning little bulls into little steers - though I declined to use my teeth for the task - and while I pulled more than my share of reluctant calves out of recalcitrant cow's rear ends - I found myself quickly gravitating to the catching and breaking of wild horses and - eventually - the training of rodeo stock.
But soon the ten of us found ourselves overseas and rather than roping up wandering cattle - we found ourselves lassoing stolen airplanes for insurance companies. And then - just when we thought we had gotten as far away from our Western ways as we could - there was the day that... well.... that's another story in the life of a 20th Century cowboy....
One of the last local representatives of the old style breed is Steve Tellam of Ramona in San Diego County. The above linked story explains why he is the last full time traditional cowboy of his family - and likely one of the last in that part of San Diego County.
But the future of the American cowboy (though on my old range - cowhand - or just 'hand' - was preferred) is - fortunately - not restricted to the daily interaction of man and cow.
In my case, while I did my share of turning little bulls into little steers - though I declined to use my teeth for the task - and while I pulled more than my share of reluctant calves out of recalcitrant cow's rear ends - I found myself quickly gravitating to the catching and breaking of wild horses and - eventually - the training of rodeo stock.
But soon the ten of us found ourselves overseas and rather than roping up wandering cattle - we found ourselves lassoing stolen airplanes for insurance companies. And then - just when we thought we had gotten as far away from our Western ways as we could - there was the day that... well.... that's another story in the life of a 20th Century cowboy....
Monday, March 23, 2009
Steve Hymon Out At Los Angeles Times!
Read Kevin Roderick's post above on just some of the reasons why the Los Angeles Times layoff of Steve Hymon is unimaginable.
What he doesn't say is that with the paper having more than a few reporters who know barely enough to even find their way around the city - and one LAT reporter in particular having proven himself - repeatedly - to be more interested in pushing his own personal agenda than telling the truth - the firing Steve Hymon is also morally indefensible.
What he doesn't say is that with the paper having more than a few reporters who know barely enough to even find their way around the city - and one LAT reporter in particular having proven himself - repeatedly - to be more interested in pushing his own personal agenda than telling the truth - the firing Steve Hymon is also morally indefensible.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Just Watched The First Ten minutes Of The New NBC TV Series - Kings....
But I'm having a hard time figuring out what language the script was so... badly.... translated from.
My guess is one of the more obscure tribal languages of the Southeast Asia mountains. That would explain why the syntax is totally unrelated to English.
But - on the plus side - with a little editing and the addition of a laugh track - it might be a real hit!
My guess is one of the more obscure tribal languages of the Southeast Asia mountains. That would explain why the syntax is totally unrelated to English.
But - on the plus side - with a little editing and the addition of a laugh track - it might be a real hit!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tickets For BOXeight Fashion Week Shows Now Available!
The final line-up for BOXeight's fifth season of fashion shows once again at the Historic Los Angeles Theatre - this Friday, Saturday and Sunday - is now on-line and tickets are going fast!
FRI, MARCH 13
GEN ART LAUNCH EVENT*
7-10pm Gen Art's Official Launch of BOXeight Fashion Week
8pm Raquel Allegra
GRAI
Society for Rational Dress
10-2am BOXeight Afterparty Event
& KIN Pop-Up Nightclub
11pm Sonia Vera Swimwear
12am JGerard Presentation
*BOXeight ticket not valid for Gen Art, got to www.genart.org to attend 7-10pm shows)
SAT, MARCH 14
2pm Jen Awad
4pm Smoke & Mirrors
5pm David Alexander
6pm COA
7pm Future Heretics
8pm martinMARTIN
9pm LAEKEN
10pm SkinGraft
11pm UNIF + KIN (Young Hollywood Presentation)
10-2am BOXeight Afterparty Event
& KIN Pop-Up Nightclub
SUN, MARCH 15
3pm Mike Vensel
4pm Hayley Starr
5pm The Battalion
6pm Sahaja
7pm Yotam Solomon
8pm Sjobeck
9pm Maxine Dillon
10pm Li Cari by Jazmin Whitley
10-2am BOXeight Afterparty Event
& KIN Pop-Up Nightclub
FRI, MARCH 13
GEN ART LAUNCH EVENT*
7-10pm Gen Art's Official Launch of BOXeight Fashion Week
8pm Raquel Allegra
GRAI
Society for Rational Dress
10-2am BOXeight Afterparty Event
& KIN Pop-Up Nightclub
11pm Sonia Vera Swimwear
12am JGerard Presentation
*BOXeight ticket not valid for Gen Art, got to www.genart.org to attend 7-10pm shows)
SAT, MARCH 14
2pm Jen Awad
4pm Smoke & Mirrors
5pm David Alexander
6pm COA
7pm Future Heretics
8pm martinMARTIN
9pm LAEKEN
10pm SkinGraft
11pm UNIF + KIN (Young Hollywood Presentation)
10-2am BOXeight Afterparty Event
& KIN Pop-Up Nightclub
SUN, MARCH 15
3pm Mike Vensel
4pm Hayley Starr
5pm The Battalion
6pm Sahaja
7pm Yotam Solomon
8pm Sjobeck
9pm Maxine Dillon
10pm Li Cari by Jazmin Whitley
10-2am BOXeight Afterparty Event
& KIN Pop-Up Nightclub
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Oh, God! Please Shoot Me If Ever Read The LA Times Again! Now They've Misplaced The Plaza Church!
I realize this is my FIFTH post about an error in the LA Times this weekend - but - seriously - I had no choice! They made me do it!
Even though working on the upcoming Fashion Week and writing the new website for the Historic Downtown Los Angeles BID and a dozen other projects has left me with barely even time to skim over the LA Times website this weekend - every single time I have, well.... read below the latest crime against God, man and nature.
And just in case you were recently dropped into LA from another planet - or you are a writer for the Los Angeles Times - the old Plaza Church is - and has always been on Main Street.
Yes, no one at the Los Angeles Times can even tell the difference between Main Street - and Olvera Street.
Even though working on the upcoming Fashion Week and writing the new website for the Historic Downtown Los Angeles BID and a dozen other projects has left me with barely even time to skim over the LA Times website this weekend - every single time I have, well.... read below the latest crime against God, man and nature.
And just in case you were recently dropped into LA from another planet - or you are a writer for the Los Angeles Times - the old Plaza Church is - and has always been on Main Street.
Quinceañeras get a special Catholic prayer book
The new booklet, developed over a decade, has the Vatican's blessing, but few priests seem to know about it. The aim is to ensure religious meaning in what is often just a lavish celebration.
By Alicia Lozano
5:16 PM PDT, March 8, 2009
As she sat primly under a portrait of the Virgin Mary, 15-year-old Angelica Arroyo's silver tiara glistened against the gold-plated altar of La Placita Church on historic Olvera Street.
Yes, no one at the Los Angeles Times can even tell the difference between Main Street - and Olvera Street.
I Didn't Mean To Make This A What The Hell Is Happening At The LA Times Weekend - But - When Did Lincoln Height's Avenues Become Part Of Downtown?
With the 'ID the neighborhoods project' going on at the LAT - how can a man be killed in Downtown in one sentence - and then also killed in Lincoln Heights in the next sentence? And yes, that area is NEAR Downtown - but it is - as the story says - in Lincoln Heights.
Police are searching for killer of homeless man
4:42 PM | March 8, 2009
Los Angeles police are continuing to search for a suspect in the stabbing death of a 66-year-old homeless man downtown over the weekend.
Carlos Green was pushing a shopping cart on the sidewalk on Avenue 19 in Lincoln Heights about 11 a.m. Saturday when he was attacked by an unknown assailant who stabbed him several times, according to Los Angeles police.
Why Did The Los Angeles Times Withhold A Key Story Point Until The Very End?
In the above linked story, a family accuses the Army of covering up their daughter's murder by saying it was a suicide, and they present some compelling evidence. The article also suggests there might be a pattern of covering up such murders.
Then, further into the article, the Army makes its case and it seems hard to reconcile the two points of view. Then at the end of the article, it turns out the family also hired their own private coroner and in paragraph 41 of 48 paragraphs - if you are one of the few who have made it that far - you will find his conclusion:
Wow!
That is what the family's own privately hired coroner told them.
Now that is something if I had known earlier, I would have looked at everything else in the article ... a bit differently.
However - since their private coroner was still lacking some key evidence - his verdict is not a final answer to the story (and he does state that) - and there are other important issues the family does raise which still need to be addressed.
But by this point, I am just a little suspicious about everything I just read. When I read fictional murder mysteries, I always enjoy a good surprise twist at the end. But in news stories - not so much.
Then, further into the article, the Army makes its case and it seems hard to reconcile the two points of view. Then at the end of the article, it turns out the family also hired their own private coroner and in paragraph 41 of 48 paragraphs - if you are one of the few who have made it that far - you will find his conclusion:
"I saw no evidence that it was not self-inflicted," Graham said.
Wow!
That is what the family's own privately hired coroner told them.
Now that is something if I had known earlier, I would have looked at everything else in the article ... a bit differently.
However - since their private coroner was still lacking some key evidence - his verdict is not a final answer to the story (and he does state that) - and there are other important issues the family does raise which still need to be addressed.
But by this point, I am just a little suspicious about everything I just read. When I read fictional murder mysteries, I always enjoy a good surprise twist at the end. But in news stories - not so much.
Reason #4,673 Why Los Angeles Needs A Museum Of Its History!
In today's Los Angeles Times, Steve Harvey does his usual excellent job on the re-opening of the historic Cole's bar/restaurant in the old Pacific Electric Building - but he also repeats a few of the older urban legends of Los Angeles.
First, the building, as it states on the owner's own website - is nine stories tall and not ten.
Second, it was never the city's tallest skyscraper - or it's first one, as other sources have claimed. The Braly Building - which is now the Continental - at the SE corner of 4th and Spring - reached 174 feet in 1903. The City then passed a 150 foot height limit on all future buildings in 1904. But even though the PE Building was designed in 1903, built in 1904 and opened in January of 1905 (which is why those three dates are given in different sources) - it was still built well below even the new 150 height limit.
Third, as far as Cole's being the former home of horses for horse drawn street cars in a building opened in 1905, I have always heard that horse drawn street cars were all replaced first by cable and then by electric cars by the mid/late 1890's before Huntington bought any of his lines. And I do know that the last cable line was electrified in 1902, by which time there were no horse drawn lines. So it is impossible for Cole's to have ever housed any horse drawn street cars.
http://www.historyoftechnology.org/eTC/v48no4/post_v48n4.html
Lastly - one often quoted fact NOT stated is that the PE Building was the largest building in square footage west of Chicago for many years - though some sources have amended that by saying, largest office building. Now I have no idea if that is true or not, but it would seem to me that some building in San Francisco or Kansas City or St. Louis (if those last two cities are considered west of Chicago, of course) should been larger - but I'll leave that for someone else to fact check.
Update - I just did some very cursory research on the size of the largest office building in the major Western cities in 1905 - and it appears the PE Building... probably... was the largest Western office building in square footage.
FURTHER UPDATE - info on the last horse drawn street cars in Los Angeles - and the date of 1896 I had in my head - turns out to be pretty close - by a few months:
MORE UPDATES ON HOSRE DRAWN STREET CARS!
Cole's occupies the bottom floor of the 10-story Pacific Electric Building, the city's tallest skyscraper in the early 1900s and for years the terminus for the Red Car trolley line, which clacked over more than 1,000 miles of track in Southern California.
Founder Henry Cole moved into the former headquarters of some horse-drawn streetcars. One of the first things he did was sprinkle sawdust on the floor.
First, the building, as it states on the owner's own website - is nine stories tall and not ten.
Second, it was never the city's tallest skyscraper - or it's first one, as other sources have claimed. The Braly Building - which is now the Continental - at the SE corner of 4th and Spring - reached 174 feet in 1903. The City then passed a 150 foot height limit on all future buildings in 1904. But even though the PE Building was designed in 1903, built in 1904 and opened in January of 1905 (which is why those three dates are given in different sources) - it was still built well below even the new 150 height limit.
Third, as far as Cole's being the former home of horses for horse drawn street cars in a building opened in 1905, I have always heard that horse drawn street cars were all replaced first by cable and then by electric cars by the mid/late 1890's before Huntington bought any of his lines. And I do know that the last cable line was electrified in 1902, by which time there were no horse drawn lines. So it is impossible for Cole's to have ever housed any horse drawn street cars.
http://www.historyoftechnology.org/eTC/v48no4/post_v48n4.html
Lastly - one often quoted fact NOT stated is that the PE Building was the largest building in square footage west of Chicago for many years - though some sources have amended that by saying, largest office building. Now I have no idea if that is true or not, but it would seem to me that some building in San Francisco or Kansas City or St. Louis (if those last two cities are considered west of Chicago, of course) should been larger - but I'll leave that for someone else to fact check.
Update - I just did some very cursory research on the size of the largest office building in the major Western cities in 1905 - and it appears the PE Building... probably... was the largest Western office building in square footage.
FURTHER UPDATE - info on the last horse drawn street cars in Los Angeles - and the date of 1896 I had in my head - turns out to be pretty close - by a few months:
In "Street Railways and the Growth of Los Angeles," Robert C Post says that the Los Angeles Railway's last horse car line, West Ninth Street, last ran on 08-June-1896 (page 131). The Main Street & Agricultural Park's last horse car ran in April 1897. If there were other indepedent lines that converted later, I couldn't find them in the book.
By the way, it's been ten years since I wrote up the Los Angeles cable car lines on my website, so I've been updating the articles. This month I also added a nice article by James Clifton Robinson, General Manager of the Los Angeles Cable Railway/Pacific Cable Railway. I also added contemporary newspaper articles about the Second Street and Temple Street cable lines. Next month I'm updating my article about the San Francisco cable cars that ran around the parking lots at Knott's Berry Farm.
Regards,
Joe Thompson
The Cable Car Home Page (updated 01-Apr-2009)
http://www.cable-car-guy.com/
San Francisco Bay Ferryboats (updated 30-Sep-2008)
http://www.cable-car-guy.com/ferry/
Park Trains and Tourist Trains (updated 31-Oct-2008)
http://www.cable-car-guy.com/ptrain/index.html
The Pneumatic Rolling-Sphere Carrier Delusion (updated erratically)
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com
MORE UPDATES ON HOSRE DRAWN STREET CARS!
Here's a little more information, all from the Los Angeles Times archive, which includes the inevitable new questions that seem to accompany new answers.
The June 9, 1896 edition confirms Joe Thompson's mention of the West 9th St line, "Electric cars are now running regularly on the Ninth-street line. The work of tearing up the old horse-car track and replacing it with a heavy modern track of big ties and heavy rails has been pushed to its completion." And so on.
The May 5, 1897 edition seems to be pushing the Agricultural Park horsecar line's finale from April into at least May, 1897, "By the end of May, the Main-street car line will be entirely changed to an electric system. At present, the Main Street and Agricultural Park Railway Company's new electric cars are running as far as the corner of Grand Avenue and Jefferson Street. From that point, passengers are carried to the end of the line, at the entrance to Agricultural Park, by the clumsy little horse cars." It goes on to cite late delivery of rails as the reason for the delay, and the expectation that all would be completed "perhaps within fifteen days." I could not find the exact date on which it finally happened, but the article goes on to mention that this will be the last horsecar line in the city "except the old Mateo-street line which runs parallel with the Santa Fé tracks, beginning near the Santa Fe Depot."
A lengthy article about Agricultural Park on September 28, 1897 simply gives April 1, 1897 as the date on which the Main & AP electric line opened, so that may be a reason for the discrepancy about the date, not asterisking the trackage south of Jefferson and Main.
Looking for the Mateo Street horsecar line, I found a few Times references before and after April 1897.
June 14, 1896, "Reopening the Santa Fe-avenue Horse-car Line." "The new car service on the line of the Mateo street and Santa Fe avenue Street-car Company was inaugurated yesterday afternoon" and on, describing the 15-minute headway in each direction and 22-minute running time for the three-mile trip, and that "Fifteen unusually large and fine horses have been purchased, and good service is assured." It also says that "as soon as Mateo street has been opened [completed?] the line will be double tracked and electrized (sic)."
The following year, on June 5, 1897 is mentioned that the city Board of Public Works recommended that the petition "from the Mateo-street and Santa Fé avenue horse-car line" asking for an ordinance legalizing the "straightening of the track."
If anyone has maps and interest, the 6/14/1897 piece gives this line's route as being from the Santa Fe depot south to Le Grande street, then east to Santa Fe avenue, then south to the city limits. That is a head scratcher, since the Santa Fe La Grande depot was on Santa Fe Avenue, but who knows what the streets did at that time, or what became of Le Grande Street. It also states that the line passed "the Southern California's roundhouse [?], the Los Angeles Rolling Mills, the Crystal Salt Works, the Ninth-street Oil Refinery, the Stimson lumber yards, the Union Oil Company, the Producers' Oil Company, and the city crematory."
There is information about the Mateo street line in http://www.erha.org/railwayhis.htm which mentions in one place that its motive power was horses, and then says that the Los Angeles Railway acquired it in April,1901. It doesn't say whether it was horse-car, cable, or electric at that time, but a May 16, 1901 Times item talks about residents on Mateo between Le Grande Street and Palmetto wanting LARy to clean the street up, as the company tore it up and scattered dirt all over the street when they "electrized" the line. Did it remain horse-powered until 1901?
See, we're right back to the question we started with.
--
Paul Jackson
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Staggeringly Inaccurate Los Angeles Times Headline - And The Story Isn't That Much Better!
There has been a battle for up in the Owen's Valley Inyo County over - what else? - water rights.
But instead of the local residents fighting the City of Los Angeles for taking their water - they are battling a power company that wants to pump more water out of the aquifer which would lower water levels throughout the area, damage local rural resident's wells, possibly drain a lake owned by a hunting club and likely damage the entire rural environment. So the local water committee supported the rural residents and the hunting club and recommended that Inyo County reject the plan.
And that is what the story very clearly says. But what does the headline say?
Well....
Yes, the water is being taken FROM the rural residents - as well as from the hunters. It is not the hunters versus the needs of the rural residents.
And then there is the error at the end of the 2nd paragraph - the claim that the plant services the 250,000 homes in the area. Well, between Inyo and Mono County combined - they don't even have 20,000 households - much less 250,000. The power is all sold to Southern California Edison and just added to the grid.
And not mentioned in the description of the 'environmentally-friendly' description of this project is the fact that this plant will ultimately destroy the existing aquifer - just as in just 20 years it already almost completely destroyed the aquifer it has been drawing water from. And the reason why this destruction of natural resources is being allowed?
Well - it's the state requirement that we generate 20% of our power from renewable resources - even though - in the long term - this type of energy generation is more damaging to the environment than coal.
But instead of the local residents fighting the City of Los Angeles for taking their water - they are battling a power company that wants to pump more water out of the aquifer which would lower water levels throughout the area, damage local rural resident's wells, possibly drain a lake owned by a hunting club and likely damage the entire rural environment. So the local water committee supported the rural residents and the hunting club and recommended that Inyo County reject the plan.
And that is what the story very clearly says. But what does the headline say?
Well....
Inyo County weighs rural residents' water needs against hunters' interests
The Planning Commission is expected to vote next week on whether to back a geothermal plant's request to pump water from an aquifer that also supplies a hunting club's scenic lake.
By Louis Sahagun
March 7, 2009
The Inyo County Planning Commission is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to recommend approval of a permit that would allow a geothermal plant to pump water from an aquifer that is the lifeblood of a 50-year-old hunting club, Little Lake Ranch, and its wetlands along U.S. 395.
Coso Operating Co. said it needs an additional 4,800 acre-feet of water a year to keep operating what it calls environmentally friendly steam-driven turbines already providing about 250,000 homes in the region about 200 miles north of Los Angeles with electricity.
Attorneys for the club of mostly Southern California hunters have argued that the pumping would irreversibly damage their scenic lake, local wells and the surrounding environment within a few years. The Inyo County Water Commission agreed and recently recommended that the county reject the proposal.
Yes, the water is being taken FROM the rural residents - as well as from the hunters. It is not the hunters versus the needs of the rural residents.
And then there is the error at the end of the 2nd paragraph - the claim that the plant services the 250,000 homes in the area. Well, between Inyo and Mono County combined - they don't even have 20,000 households - much less 250,000. The power is all sold to Southern California Edison and just added to the grid.
And not mentioned in the description of the 'environmentally-friendly' description of this project is the fact that this plant will ultimately destroy the existing aquifer - just as in just 20 years it already almost completely destroyed the aquifer it has been drawing water from. And the reason why this destruction of natural resources is being allowed?
Well - it's the state requirement that we generate 20% of our power from renewable resources - even though - in the long term - this type of energy generation is more damaging to the environment than coal.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Roberta Smith On The Heirarchy Of American Art
New York Times art critic Roberta Smith indulges in the guilty pleasures of 18th and 19th Century American naive painting - and then bemoans the lack of imagination of museums in displaying pre-20th Century American art.
And I agree with every word.
And I agree with every word.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Jeremy Strick Deconstructs MOCA Disaster
CultureGrrl blogger, Lee Rosenbaum, has an exclusive interview with former MOCA Director, Jeremy Strick reachable by the above link.
The coda for this whole story is the time honored mantra - it seemed like a good idea at the time. The only real income MOCA had was donations for programming and if they cut back on programming, donations fell so they had to keep on programming.
But without major gifts, government funding or a large endowment, even in good times, they was never quite enough money to cover the bills and then when things got tough - things got very bad real quick.
The coda for this whole story is the time honored mantra - it seemed like a good idea at the time. The only real income MOCA had was donations for programming and if they cut back on programming, donations fell so they had to keep on programming.
But without major gifts, government funding or a large endowment, even in good times, they was never quite enough money to cover the bills and then when things got tough - things got very bad real quick.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Prop B Has Lost - But Times Still Has Hours Old Story On Website!
After earlier saying that Prop B was going to win, the Times' last update before everyone at the paper went to sleep was before the 'no' votes took the lead. And the article doesn't seem to understand that for an incumbent Mayor with not a single credible opponent -and unlimited funds - to only get 55% of the vote is a staggering upset.
Hopefully, this will be a wake up call to City Hall that the status quo has to change and the selling out of the city to campaign donors and special interest groups must stop.
Hopefully, this will be a wake up call to City Hall that the status quo has to change and the selling out of the city to campaign donors and special interest groups must stop.
PROP B - LOSES! With over 99% of the votes counted - Prop B appears to have lost!
The neighborhood councils of Los Angeles and the people of Los Angeles have defeated the lies and deceit and the money of the local power structure.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
If You Live In The City Of Los Angeles - Vote NO On 'B' - TODAY!
The above link has the Los Angeles Times editorial against the phony solar energy measure that's on today LA City ballot along with other editorial and articles explaining that besides possible costing us an extra billion dollars - or more - that this is the worst possible way to get green energy.
The fact that this is also one of the most corrupt actions every taken by the City of Los Angeles is yet another reason to oppose this measure.
NO on B!
The fact that this is also one of the most corrupt actions every taken by the City of Los Angeles is yet another reason to oppose this measure.
NO on B!
Monday, March 02, 2009
14 Pigs Spotted Flying In Sacramento!
Now that the state of California is tens of billions of dollar in debt - and the situation for the next two years looks even... worse.... the state Assembly has finally decided to investigate if - just possibly - there might be some fraud and waste in all the rapidly expanding entitlement programs. Now I have seen estimates that as much as 1/4 to even 1/2 of Medi-Cal expenditures are fraudulent - or unnecessary - but no one really knows.
But I do know that Medi-Cal pays for all drugs are being sold on street corners throughout this city by drug dealers and that vans drive into Skid Row ever day to pick up 'patients' for $5,000 or $10,000 work-ups and treatments.
I also know the local gyms are filled with weightlifters during the day who are collecting workman's comp since they are too injured to work and I also know many if not most of the local drug dealers live in government subsidized housing.
So if this is what can be learned just by walking down the street - do the math and figure out how much organized, sophisticate fraud there is going on in these programs. And it's not just the taxpayers who are paying for this fraud - it is also the people who rightfully deserve these benefits who are now seeing their benefits being cut.
Below are excerpts of George Skelton's LA Times column on the subject:
But I do know that Medi-Cal pays for all drugs are being sold on street corners throughout this city by drug dealers and that vans drive into Skid Row ever day to pick up 'patients' for $5,000 or $10,000 work-ups and treatments.
I also know the local gyms are filled with weightlifters during the day who are collecting workman's comp since they are too injured to work and I also know many if not most of the local drug dealers live in government subsidized housing.
So if this is what can be learned just by walking down the street - do the math and figure out how much organized, sophisticate fraud there is going on in these programs. And it's not just the taxpayers who are paying for this fraud - it is also the people who rightfully deserve these benefits who are now seeing their benefits being cut.
Below are excerpts of George Skelton's LA Times column on the subject:
New Assembly panel goes on a quiet hunt for Capitol waste
If it works, it could mean the budget deficit had one positive aspect.
George Skelton
Capitol Journal
March 2, 2009
From Sacramento — In a small hideaway hearing room at California's Capitol, something unique happened last week. A new legislative committee convened with the single goal of making state government more efficient and less costly.
The event drew no attention. There were more committee members (14) than people in the audience. No reporters.
But, unlike most low-profile committees, members here didn't duck out soon after a quorum was counted. They hung around attentively, participating for the entire two-hour hearing. They seemed to be curious about whether this committee concept might actually work.
Creation of the Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee -- an eye-glazing name, unfortunately -- is at least one positive result of the state's deficit debacle.
Democrats now are acknowledging that waste -- if not its fabled cousins fraud and abuse -- exists throughout state government. And they intend to work hard at rooting it out. That's what they say.
It's the least Californians should expect after being told to dig deeper for $12.5 billion in higher taxes to help rescue the state from a $42-billion budget deficit. It's less about the dollar amount of any savings than about a sincere effort to eradicate government waste.
The committee chairman, Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate), describes government as "an onion," with politicians "layering on programs and pet projects layer after layer."
"Nobody ever doubles back and checks to see how the money is being spent and whether it can be spent better. This committee will be about looking back."
And why don't lawmakers reexamine their products?
"Term limits," replies De La Torre, who plans to run for state insurance commissioner when he's termed out next year. "Nobody cares to look back when your time is up in only six years. It's not sexy. It's the grunt work of government.
"Most politicians prefer to check the boxes. Do an education bill. Check the box. Do a public safety bill. Check the box. Do a healthcare. . . ."
The committee was De La Torre's brainstorm. "I'm a cheap progressive," he asserts.
The assemblyman was looking for a new gig last year after being fired as Rules Committee chairman by then-Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles). De La Torre had opposed Nuñez's proposal to provide "golden handshakes" for Assembly staffers who retired. The shakes were approved, and 55 aides grabbed them. Some were leaving anyway.
"I was cast out in the wilderness," De La Torre recalls. After Nuñez left, he proposed the anti-waste committee to new Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles). She endorsed it.
Republicans have been advocating such an effort for years. But they're perpetually the minority party.
The ranking Republican on the committee, Assemblywoman Audra Strickland of Thousand Oaks, says she's "very hopeful this will turn into an opportunity to look at the fraud, the waste, the abuse."
"I don't know why we can't make that No. 1," she says, "rather than always cuts in programs for foster kids and seniors and pink slips to teachers."
What fraud? I asked. She cited the filing of charges last summer in Los Angeles County against 21 people accused of bilking more than $2 million from a state-funded in-home care program for the disabled and elderly. Some defendants have pleaded guilty; other cases are pending.
"If that's the tip of the iceberg," Strickland continues, "we have a lot of work to do."
In fact, the state Senate is looking hard at the $1.6-billion program, called In-Home Supportive Services.
"It's one of the fastest growing programs and gets accused of having fraud, waste and abuse," says Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento). "I feel very strongly about its need. When people can get support inside their home, they don't end up as often in nursing homes that cost the taxpayers a whole lot more money."
But Steinberg adds that Democrats who advocate such social services have an obligation to make sure they're run efficiently and as intended. So he has created a new Office of Oversight and Outcomes to investigate their effectiveness.
The Senate's new "strike force," as Steinberg calls it, also expects this year to look at Medi-Cal, prisons and education.
Legislators have a special motivation to probe costly programs. Hardly anyone expects the recent deficit-reduction plan to hold up. They're anticipating that hard times will continue and tax revenue will keep slipping below projections. So they'll be forced to make more spending cuts.
During the maiden meeting of the Assembly committee, it learned about one striking example of inefficiency and incoordination. The Legislature over the years has ordered up more than 2,800 reports from state agencies that still haven't been delivered. Some are "in the mail." Some have been ignored. Some no longer make sense, if they ever did.
"This is a snapshot of state government at work and some of its inefficiencies," observed freshman Assemblyman Curt Hagman (R-Chino Hills).
In truth, many report requests are sops to lawmakers whose bills have been killed and who, as a consolation, are allowed to order up a study.
The committee told the agencies to compile lists of useful and wasteful reports -- and report back for orders.
I suppose it's a start.
george.skelton @latimes.com
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Los Angeles May Still Not Be The Most Corrupt City In The Country
With the underhanded way Measure B - the fraudulent 'solar power' ballot measure (which exists only to payback to union bosses for campaign contributions) - was put on Tuesday's ballot - it would seem with this multi-billion dollar give way of money from the pockets of Los Angeles citizens, it would seem that LA does deserve the title of the most corrupt city in the country. But with the way public officials have their hands out in New York and Chicago at every level of government, we may still be a few years from claiming the title.
As an example - look at the 'pay for play' game as it is played in the Bronx. And the only reason this was even noticed in New York - is that the person who got the pay - is about to run urban policy for this country:
Much more at the above link.
As an example - look at the 'pay for play' game as it is played in the Bronx. And the only reason this was even noticed in New York - is that the person who got the pay - is about to run urban policy for this country:
Buildings sprang up as donations rained down on Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion
BY BENJAMIN LESSER AND GREG B. SMITH
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Updated Sunday, March 1st 2009, 1:35 PM
The man who is President Obama's newly minted urban czar pocketed thousands of dollars in campaign cash from city developers whose projects he approved or funded with taxpayers' money, a Daily News probe found.
Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion often received contributions just before or after he sponsored money for projects or approved important zoning changes, records show.
Most donations were organized and well-timed.
In one case, a developer became a Carrion fund-raiser two months before the borough president signed off on his project, raising more than $6,000 in campaign cash.
In another, eight Boricua College officials came up with $8,000 on the same day for Carrion three weeks before the school filed plans to build a new tower. Carrion ultimately approved the project and sponsored millions in taxpayer funds for it.
Carrion resigned as borough president effective Sunday and begins his new job as director of the White House Office on Urban Policy Monday.
Much more at the above link.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thirteen Things To Keep You Awake At Night
Even if you're not a science freak - these 13 mysteries... about how little we know about ourselves and the world we live in.... is pretty cool.
Can Jordan Downs - Or The Los Angeles Housing Authority - Be Saved?
First, the good news. One of the most crime ridden, dangerous, gang run housing projects may be demolished and replaced with a mixed income community - including the existing residents. This is a project that has long been asked by all of the Watts residents I know.
The bad news is that this will all be done by the Los Angeles Housing Authority - the single most corrupt, dishonest and incompetent of the local government agencies. And from my every dealing and encounter with anyone at this agency, I can verify that the corruption and incompetence in this agency has run from the very top to the very bottom.
It is also filled with people who are not there to serve the people of Los Angeles or the people who live in its housing - but only to push their own political agendas.
Supposedly, the revolving door of new leadership at the top has improved the situation - but some time ago I gave up dealing with the agency - after being unable to find even a single honest or competent person to deal with - so I can't personally speak for the present situation.
But merely changing the people who run the agency won't even begin to fix all the problems of that agency and - so far - I have not seen the slightest internal interest in even investigating much less fixing those problems.
So the only hope for the residents of Watts, is that the private developer is insulated as much as possible from any dealings with the housing agency's staff. Below is a brief description of the project - with the rest of the LAT story at the above link.
Again, the rest of the story is at the above link.
The bad news is that this will all be done by the Los Angeles Housing Authority - the single most corrupt, dishonest and incompetent of the local government agencies. And from my every dealing and encounter with anyone at this agency, I can verify that the corruption and incompetence in this agency has run from the very top to the very bottom.
It is also filled with people who are not there to serve the people of Los Angeles or the people who live in its housing - but only to push their own political agendas.
Supposedly, the revolving door of new leadership at the top has improved the situation - but some time ago I gave up dealing with the agency - after being unable to find even a single honest or competent person to deal with - so I can't personally speak for the present situation.
But merely changing the people who run the agency won't even begin to fix all the problems of that agency and - so far - I have not seen the slightest internal interest in even investigating much less fixing those problems.
So the only hope for the residents of Watts, is that the private developer is insulated as much as possible from any dealings with the housing agency's staff. Below is a brief description of the project - with the rest of the LAT story at the above link.
L.A. officials envision revitalization for Jordan Downs housing project in Watts
The city is making plans to replace the 700 rundown units with a $1-billion mixed-use development, in hopes that bringing businesses to the area will reduce the influence of gangs.
By Ari B. Bloomekatz and Jessica Garrison
February 28, 2009
Los Angeles officials are embarking on a $1-billion plan to tear down the notorious Jordan Downs housing project and turn it into a "new urban village" -- an effort aimed at transforming the Watts neighborhood that would be one of the city's largest public works projects.
The city wants to replace the project's 700 dilapidated units, which were built more than half a century ago, with taller "mixed-use" buildings that would house not just low-income residents but also those paying market rates. The new development could include as many as 2,100 units.
By creating a denser community that serves people of different incomes, officials hope to draw businesses to the complex, such as coffee houses, supermarkets and eateries. Officials believe this would help reduce the influence of gangs in an area that has long been the base of the Grape Street Crips and create better lives for Watts residents. Included in the price tag is a proposal to turn Jordan High School into what officials describe as a cutting-edge model campus.
"This will have a transformative impact not just on the Jordan Downs housing project but on the surrounding community as well," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. "In order to make these communities thriving, you have to have a . . . retail component."
Already, L.A. officials have spent $31 million to purchase a 21-acre piece of land adjacent to the existing project on which they plan to expand. They have earmarked millions more for planning. The financing for the project would combine federal redevelopment money, state tax credits and private investments from retailers and developers of market-rate housing. Officials hope to get some money from President Obama's stimulus package and from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
City officials plan to hold their first meeting between the private planning firm they have hired, WRT-Solomon, and community members at Jordan Downs today.
What remains to be seen is whether Los Angeles and its housing authority, which until recently has been plagued by scandal and mismanagement, can carry out such a bold transformation, especially in such grim economic times. Past efforts to modernize Jordan Downs have ended badly, with housing officials fired or forced to resign amid allegations that they broke rules or embezzled funds.
City officials argue that they have turned the authority, the largest housing agency west of the Mississippi, around in recent years. And they argue that the bad economy actually helps their cause, because in tough times, private developers find government-funded projects a safer investment than the vagaries of the open market -- a point on which real estate experts agree.
Again, the rest of the story is at the above link.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Giant Theater Space Opening In Downtown Los Angeles!
I had heard the odd word about this project, but I had no idea it was of this scale- or this close to a public opening. Below is post by Sam Lubell at the ArchitectsNewspaper blog. Photos at the link above.
Last Saturday LA’s new X Repertory Theater Company (XRT) celebrated the opening of its mammoth headquarters—which they call Location X— on 1581 Industrial Street in the city’s Arts/Warehouse District. Members of the company spent weeks prior to the party sandblasting (yes, they did it themselves, respirators and all..) the 10,000 square foot former warehouse’s plaster walls to reveal gorgeous brick;and they’ve hired standout Venice firm Sander Architects to install mainstage and black box theaters, rehearsal rooms, offices, and a coffee bar/cabaret. The non-profit XRT, which officially opens on April 1, will be both a theater company and an acting school. Its space is one of several to recently open along the south edge of the Downtown Arts District, an atmospheric former wasteland that’s already the place to be for architecture school slackers and the rest of today’s Depression 2.0-era youth.
Posted by Sam Lubell: February 25th, 2009 under Other.
Why Are LACMA And MOCA Too Often Empty?
When you compare attendance figures of LA's two major contemporary and comprehensive art museums with their counterparts in New York and London - the difference is striking. Granted, they are much larger museums but even so when you are in them, it is rare that you will be even one room alone - much less in room after room in which you are the only person, as is too often the case at both MOCA and LACMA.
As for the reason why - as well as possible solutions - that is a subject for a later post. But below is one recent visitor's experience at LACMA:
As for the reason why - as well as possible solutions - that is a subject for a later post. But below is one recent visitor's experience at LACMA:
LAST NIGHT AT LACMA
posted by Beth Harris
The post below was co-written by Steven Zucker and Beth Harris
Spent the evening at LACMA , actually a small collection of museum buildings (including the new Broad Museum) separated by courtyards. The museums were all oddly empty. The exceptional exhibition of 20th century German Expressionism, a stunning new fabrication of Tony Smith’s Smoke, a terrific, if tiny Arts and Crafts exhibition, a well-represented collection of post-war American art, a European collection with some lovely canvases (including a great Gauguin), and two wondrous Serras were a treat but the empty galleries made us think perhaps the museum had closed and they had forgotten to shoo us out. Entrance to the museums was “pay as you wish” when we arrived in the early evening — so we knew the economy wasn’t the cause. Was everyone home watching Obama’s speech to congress?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Downtown Los Angeles Predicted To Be Among First Parts Of Nation To Recover From Recession!
According to WWW.GlobeSt.Com, Jack Kyser predicts Downtown Los Angeles will be one of the first areas of the nation to come out of the current business downturn.
And with the many new businesses moving to Historic Downtown along Main and Spring - and the number of existing businesses that are expanding - HIstoric Downtown is already leads the rest of Downtown.
For both last year and this year, we will have far more residents moving to the area - and far fewer vacant retail and restaurant spaces.
And with the many new businesses moving to Historic Downtown along Main and Spring - and the number of existing businesses that are expanding - HIstoric Downtown is already leads the rest of Downtown.
For both last year and this year, we will have far more residents moving to the area - and far fewer vacant retail and restaurant spaces.
Forecast Sees Faster Downtown Recovery
By Bob Howard
LOS ANGELES-Downtown L.A. could start its recovery from the recession sooner than other parts of the county, the state and the nation, thanks to its transportation links, the new L.A. Convention Center hotel and its stable commercial real estate markets. That is the gist of a forecast by Jack Kyser, founding economist for the Kyser Center for Economic Research at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., which recently presented a regional forecast as well.
Kyser, who presented his Downtown outlook recently at the Central City Association’s Ninth Annual Downtown Los Angeles Economic Forecast, tells GlobeSt.com that Downtown is uniquely positioned to come out of the downturn for a number of reasons. For one, upcoming events like the opening of the Gold Line rail extension from Union Station into East L.A. and the opening early next year of the Los Angeles Convention Center hotel will bring more people to and from the city.
Kyser estimates that the number of room nights Downtown will climb to 400,000 in 2010 from 245,000 in 2009 with the opening of the Marriott Marquis and the Ritz Carlton, which will make Downtown more competitive for major business shows and conferences. The hotels will attract business visitors as well as their families, Kyser notes. With the Metrorail connections available from Downtown, "There are a lot of things for those family members to see and do when they come to Los Angeles," Kyser explains, such as catching a train to Universal Studios or taking the Blue Line to Long Beach to the Aquarium of the Pacific or cruises to Catalina. In addition, the Downtown freeway system provides access to Los Angeles International Airport, Bob Hope Airport in Burbank and other destinations.
Kyser cites the 1.1% vacancy rate in the Central L.A. industrial market and the county's overall 2.2% industrial vacancy as evidence of its strength. He points out that the office market, although it has weakened with office markets around the country, has not been hit as hard as many others. Downtown didn't have the exposure to the subprime lenders that caused such havoc in the Orange County office market, nor did it depend on the financial companies like those on the Westside of L.A., he explains. With office tenants now keeping an even keener eye on rents, the class A office rates offered in Downtown are attractive when compared to other areas of L.A. county including Hollywood, the West Side and Santa Monica, Kyser points out.
Although the recession will continue throughout 2009, Downtown will fare well in that its residential and worker demographics supporting Downtown businesses. The area currently has 39,000 residents with an average household income of $100,000 or more per year. Approximately 440,000 people also work in Downtown.
Commenting on Kyser's forecast, Carol Schatz, president and CEO of the Central City Association, says that the factors he outlines show that Downtown L.A. is "creating a strong and diverse economy." The Downtown renaissance is creating jobs and business opportunities as well as new housing, entertainment venues and options for shopping and dining, she adds.
Kyser expects to see a reversal of the downsizing that some law firms have undergone because of the slowing in mergers and acquisitions. The new business that will be generated by workouts, bankruptcies and the like should mean at least stability if not growth in the legal sector, which has long been a key office tenant base in Downtown.
Although his outlook for Downtown's recovery overall is positive, Kyser says that the road to recovery will include "some potholes along the way." He notes that many observers are concerned about the flood of residential product that has come on the market. A host of condominium projects have come on the market and found that there were not enough buyers, so some have been converted to apartments, he explains, and some projects--both condos and apartments--are still under construction.
"The concern is whether there will be enough demand over the next year or two," Kyser says of the Downtown housing market. A large part of the concern has to do with condos that came onto the market that are too expensive for most of the likely buyers Downtown. As Kyser explains, the main drivers of the Downtown housing market are "younger people who like a gritty environment and empty nesters who want the convenience," and both of those groups are usually looking for more moderately priced units.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Why I HATED The Oscar Show So Much - Or - Why PIXAR Should Produce The Oscars!
First. the above link goes to Nikke Finke's blog to show I am not alone in feeling the show was a failure
And I finally realized why I unexpectedly hated the show so much.
I liked the concept of almost everything they tried to do: the presentation order; the musical numbers (other than horrible singing over the obits you couldn't read due to bad direction); the idea of the set; the multiple presenters; and even the attempted style and tone.
My strong negative response was due to how far their execution fell from everything they tried to achieve. Other than the wonderful Tina Fey/Steve Martin presenter banter - the writing was stilted, the direction was confused, the set simply did not work in so many ways, the taped pieces were forced and the musical numbers were.... uniformly embarrassing.
It was just too easy to picture how much better every single part of the production, could have been when contrasted to what happened on the stage during the Slumdog production number and whenever the Slumdog winners were on the stage.
And as for Hugh Jackman - he was always professional, always in command of the stage - and he was never for a second a David Letterman or Whoopi Goldberg embarrassment. But he was also never for a moment a host who could hold together the show like Bob Hope, Johnny Carson - or Billy Crystal.
My solution? Next year have PIXAR produce the show.
And I finally realized why I unexpectedly hated the show so much.
I liked the concept of almost everything they tried to do: the presentation order; the musical numbers (other than horrible singing over the obits you couldn't read due to bad direction); the idea of the set; the multiple presenters; and even the attempted style and tone.
My strong negative response was due to how far their execution fell from everything they tried to achieve. Other than the wonderful Tina Fey/Steve Martin presenter banter - the writing was stilted, the direction was confused, the set simply did not work in so many ways, the taped pieces were forced and the musical numbers were.... uniformly embarrassing.
It was just too easy to picture how much better every single part of the production, could have been when contrasted to what happened on the stage during the Slumdog production number and whenever the Slumdog winners were on the stage.
And as for Hugh Jackman - he was always professional, always in command of the stage - and he was never for a second a David Letterman or Whoopi Goldberg embarrassment. But he was also never for a moment a host who could hold together the show like Bob Hope, Johnny Carson - or Billy Crystal.
My solution? Next year have PIXAR produce the show.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Worst Oscar Show - Ever
This is not a TV show. This is the biggest mass suicide since Johnstown.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Los Angeles Times LA Neighborhood Maps Project Now On-Line!
After years of complaints from local bloggers - myself included - about the inability of the Los Angeles Times to get the names of our city's neighborhoods correct - or to even agree among themselves what any one neighborhood should be called - the Times now has a beta website up for Angelinos (a word which is, of course, spelled two different ways in this town) to debate what their neighborhoods should be called.
My comments in the article by Bob Pool are pretty much self-explanatory, but there were some underlying points I was trying to make. To begin with, different people call their neighborhoods by different names and many neighborhoods have been called different names at different times. This is an art and not a science.
But there are certain rules that should be followed. For one thing, in areas where the larger neighborhood does not have a commonly accepted name, expanding the boundaries of one of the sub-neighborhoods needs to be done very carefully.
Hancock Park is the poster child for that. Expanding it to include large parts of the former Mid-Wilshire (and Park Mile) district and parts of what are now Koreatown and Hollywood makes no sense. Hancock Park has large single family homes on large lots with exact boundaries defined by the subdivider. The same is true with the adjacent Windsor Square, which is also now part of Hancock Park.
In this case, the larger area needs to be called Mid-Wilshire or some other name that reflects the overall character of all the sub-neighborhood - and not the specific characteristics of the one sub-neighborhood.
The same problem occurs with moving the name Beverly Glen - which was originally a small lot subdivisions from the 1920's - with many much larger homes, too, and a newer planned community built in the mid/later 20th Century. Both of those characteristics are quite different from the nature of the former BHPO area now also called... Beverly Glen. Again, the larger name should correctly describe the larger area.
Finally, in the article, I took exception with taking a very distinct - and rather small area - Pico-Union - and expanding it far to the West - taking that name into areas that have nothing to do with the original neighborhood. Even I had to agree, though, that I had absolutely no idea what that area should be called, either. Just that it was not Pico-Union.
But I do want to commend the Times for taking the leadership on this issue (and, more specifically, reporter Bob Pool, California Editor David Lauter and LAT database Editor Doug Smith and his staff)and making it possible for us to have an open public debate on.... who we are and where we live.
Lastly, I have offered the neighborhood councils as a place where the debate can be started and I think the local home owners groups, neighborhood associations, block clubs and chambers of commerce should join in.
So let the debate being!
My comments in the article by Bob Pool are pretty much self-explanatory, but there were some underlying points I was trying to make. To begin with, different people call their neighborhoods by different names and many neighborhoods have been called different names at different times. This is an art and not a science.
But there are certain rules that should be followed. For one thing, in areas where the larger neighborhood does not have a commonly accepted name, expanding the boundaries of one of the sub-neighborhoods needs to be done very carefully.
Hancock Park is the poster child for that. Expanding it to include large parts of the former Mid-Wilshire (and Park Mile) district and parts of what are now Koreatown and Hollywood makes no sense. Hancock Park has large single family homes on large lots with exact boundaries defined by the subdivider. The same is true with the adjacent Windsor Square, which is also now part of Hancock Park.
In this case, the larger area needs to be called Mid-Wilshire or some other name that reflects the overall character of all the sub-neighborhood - and not the specific characteristics of the one sub-neighborhood.
The same problem occurs with moving the name Beverly Glen - which was originally a small lot subdivisions from the 1920's - with many much larger homes, too, and a newer planned community built in the mid/later 20th Century. Both of those characteristics are quite different from the nature of the former BHPO area now also called... Beverly Glen. Again, the larger name should correctly describe the larger area.
Finally, in the article, I took exception with taking a very distinct - and rather small area - Pico-Union - and expanding it far to the West - taking that name into areas that have nothing to do with the original neighborhood. Even I had to agree, though, that I had absolutely no idea what that area should be called, either. Just that it was not Pico-Union.
But I do want to commend the Times for taking the leadership on this issue (and, more specifically, reporter Bob Pool, California Editor David Lauter and LAT database Editor Doug Smith and his staff)and making it possible for us to have an open public debate on.... who we are and where we live.
Lastly, I have offered the neighborhood councils as a place where the debate can be started and I think the local home owners groups, neighborhood associations, block clubs and chambers of commerce should join in.
So let the debate being!
L.A. neighborhoods, you're on the map
In a city where one block is considered Hancock Park and the next Hollywood, The Times unveils an online map of the boundaries of 87 communities. If you don't like what you see, submit changes.
By Bob Pool
February 19, 2009
Nevermind where we're going. Question is: Where are we now?
"We're in Woodland Hills," said Anthony Tholberg as he stood outside his home late last week and mulled over that question.
Tholberg, 23, grew up in the mid-century modern house in the 19800 block of Friar Street. No wonder he was puzzled when he was handed a copy of a new map that labeled his 54-home enclave as being in the community of Winnetka.
The Los Angeles Times is unveiling the new map of neighborhoods today on its website at www.latimes.com/mappingla. Years in the making, it is designed to be a tool that will allow reporters and editors to be consistent when describing neighborhoods in news stories in a city that sometimes seems to change the names like most people change socks.
Dorothy Parker famously said Los Angeles was "72 suburbs in search of a city," so it's not surprising that residents take their neighborhood names so seriously. Those designations are part tradition and history -- but also part economic and political. Many residents see big differences in property value if you live in tony Hancock Park as opposed to more working-class Mid-City.
In the Valley, there's a grand tradition of seceding from traditional neighborhoods. Parts of gritty Van Nuys have become Valley Glen and Lake Balboa, while a portion of Canoga Park re-christened itself West Hills.
For its new map, The Times listed Winnetka, not Woodland Hills, as Tholberg's community. The dividing line followed Topham Street and the new Orange Line busway where they bear south from Woodland Hills' long-standing northern boundary, Victory Boulevard.
"We're going to keep calling ourselves Woodland Hills here," predicted the college student. "Our mail is addressed Woodland Hills and that's what everybody's always called it. We've always considered the intersection of Victory and Corbin as where Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Reseda and Canoga Park meet."
The "Canoga Park" that Tholberg referred to is labeled Winnetka too on The Times' map.
Fortunately, those who disagree with the map have a chance to persuade the newspaper's mapmakers to reconsider. Readers can use the interactive website to redraw any section of the map they feel is incorrect and submit the alteration for editors' consideration. And editors may be busy.
In Highland Park, the map uses Avenue 50 as the dividing line between that community and next-door Mount Washington. That may have plopped hundreds of homes and businesses into Mount Washington by mistake, according to locals.
"I think a lot of people in Mount Washington will be upset by this. It's going to hurt their real estate values," said David Robles, a 34-year-old math coach at Aldama Elementary School. The Times map says his campus is in Mount Washington.
"We're in Highland Park," he said. "A lot of people around here would love to be in Mount Washington, but they're not."
Robles and others at the school said the boundary should be at the base of the hill that gives Mount Washington its name.
Across town, salesman John Kim stood outside his apartment on Manhattan Place a few steps from Melrose Avenue and shook his head at the newspaper's map. It said he lives in Hancock Park.
"This should be Koreatown," said Kim, a 10-year resident of the area. "Hancock Park is a nice area. My landlord jokes this is the 'Koreatown Ghetto.' To me, Hancock Park doesn't start until past Wilcox. Koreatown should go west to Arlington."
Up the street, carwash cashier Leyda Pena suggested that the neighborhood should be considered Hollywood instead of Hancock Park. "The map shows Hollywood is on the other side of the street," she said, pointing to the north side of Melrose. "We should be too."
Pena said she lives in South-Central Los Angeles, an area The Times' map initially didn't recognize as a neighborhood. Instead, it broke South Los Angeles into places such as Exposition Park, Leimert Park, West Vernon, Harvard Park, Green Meadows and Vermont Vista.
Why is neighborhood naming so difficult? The city of Los Angeles has posted hundreds of blue street signs denoting scores of neighborhoods -- from Little Ethiopia to Little Tokyo to Little Armenia. But the city has never drawn the official boundaries of each district.
Los Angeles activist Brady Westwater, who in the past has been a vocal critic of what he has considered the misnaming of neighborhoods in news stories, acknowledged that nailing down names that everyone will agree on will be difficult.
"The first lynch mob is going to be coming down the hill down Beverly Glen Boulevard," he predicted as he studied the preliminary map. The area the newspaper is calling Beverly Glen includes upscale areas north of Beverly Hills that use a Beverly Hills mailing address.
"You'll also get some blowback from Van Nuys -- it's been chopped up. For some reason Pico-Union is being pushed west. No way west of Hoover can be considered Pico-Union."
Westwood historian Greg Fischer, who since the late 1980s has researched original Los Angeles subdivision tract names and sparked a campaign to memorialize them around town with officials city signs, noted that the neighborhood of Little Tokyo is missing from The Times' map.
"If Chinatown is there, Little Tokyo would certainly seem to have a place," Fischer said. "Rancho Park is not really a good name. It's actually 'South Westwood.' Beverly Glen is very suspect -- 'Beverly Crest' would probably be better."
There will be space for recognition of original housing tract names in a "sub-neighborhood" list that will be attached to each of the 87 communities the Times' map recognizes. Eventually, the map may become an electronic entryway to detailed neighborhood information -- crime statistics, census information, economic data and links to Times stories, said Times Database Editor Doug Smith, the map project's coordinator.
Smith, a veteran Times reporter, said the map was compiled with information drawn from such references as a mid-1990s mayor's office map, a 2001 Times map that plotted potholes in the city, the Thomas Guide, U.S. census tracts and Times staffers' personal experience and knowledge.
"To be honest, it's more seat-of-the-pants than scientific," Smith said. "We didn't go to original Spanish land grant maps. The authority is the collective wisdom of the L.A. Times."
California Editor David Lauter, who pushed to give readers an opportunity to review and comment on the project, urged that the map's basic communities be limited to 100. He said "sub-neighborhoods" could list historic or ceremonial names found in the city.
There was lengthy debate over many districts. "Mount Olympus" or "Hollywood Hills West?" Where does Porter Ranch end and Chatsworth begin?
Web designer Ben Welsh wondered whether a small section of the Los Feliz area should be singled out as a neighborhood that locals know as Franklin Hills. Cautioned researcher Maloy Moore: "I've met people who are very adamant that they live in Franklin Hills, not Los Feliz."
Smith said adjustments will continue to be made to the map when readers and users submit convincing arguments and as demographics and situations change.
Even as Smith spoke, his colleagues were incorporating some of Westwater's suggestions and rethinking such decisions as the use of the South-Central Los Angeles name.
"This will be a work in progress," Smith said.
bob.pool@latimes.com
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Excellent Article On Coming Crisis In Russia
What is happening today in Russia is only the beginning of their crisis - and ours. This is the best summary I have yet seen.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
OMG! More Hot News From Pravada! Hairy Yeti Women Seducing Russian Men!
Normally, I only read the financial news in Pravda - but once I followed the cat's eyes photos - I discovered the fascinating world of Pravda's inner National Enquirer. And, no, this is not an 'Onion' version of Pravda. It's the real deal:
Weird hairy females seduce hot-blooded Caucasian men
17.12.2008 Source: Pravda.Ru URL: http://english.pravda.ru/society/anomal/106840-weird_females-0
A sensational incident took place in the Chegemsky Gorge of the Northern Caucasus. Researchers found evidence to prove the existence of Bigfoot in the area. Local residents say that Yeti females – people refer to these weird creatures as the Almasty – come into contact with humans and even attempted to have a sexual intercourse with local men.
People say that they have had quite a number of encounters with yeti in the area around the town of Elbrus.
“There are many deserted barns over there with boulders and woods around. They most often spot the Almasty there. They come to town from there,” local resident Adelgery Tilov said.
The settlement of Elbrus is entirely surrounded by woods and mountains. Each resident has seen the Bigfoot at least once in a lifetime. Moreover, local women know some men, who communicate with the Almasty, with their females, to be more precise.
“A yeti female looks like a gorilla, of course, but she can definitely temp a man,” one of the elders, Kazi Khajiyev said. “The Almasty can bewitch a man. They say that a man, whom a wild woman tries to seduce, sees not the hairy ape-like creature, but the woman that he wants to see. It is something like hypnosis,” the man said.
The locals try to avoid a sudden meeting with the yeti. They traditionally put some of their food and drinks outside every night after dinner to feed the wild creatures.
“A wild human being is a human being, that is why we try to get along with them. My grandfather used to tell me that the Almasty have always lived here. They increased their population after the Balkars deserted their villages. The Almasty took their homes, that’s why they let humans see them so often nowadays,” Adilgery Tilov said.
Adilgery says that fire is the ultimate attraction to the yeti. Most of the encounters occur when people sit by the fire.
“I had to go to a neighboring village one summer day. I was supposed to stay there for a night so I accommodated myself in a deserted barn. I made a fire near the barn and fell asleep. I opened my eyes very early in the morning and saw someone sitting by the fire. A female yeti was giving me a very thoughtful look. She was not tall, a bit more than one meter in height. She was black and her fur was all messy . I was scared to death, and was lying there still, thinking what she was going to do next. She stayed there for about ten more minutes, got up and vanished in the woods,” the man said.
“Wild man does not like to be bothered. If someone offends the Almasty, they may respond in the most terrible way. One summer day children were playing games in our village. A wild woman was sitting not very far from the kids, basking in the sun. One of the boys ran up to the woman and pulled her by the fur. She did not move, but gave the boy a fierce look. The boy died from a strange disease several days later,” Tilov said.
Many locals say that the Almasty can cast an evil spell on humans. Nafisat Boziyeva is one of those who suffered from such a curse.
“I knew the story from my early childhood, but it could never occur to me that the story was true. It happened before the revolution. One of our ancestors encountered a wild woman in the woods. They developed affection to each other, and he even brought her to the village as if she was his wife. It was obviously a shock for the villagers. Many women were openly laughing at the wild female, and so she cursed them. There were several women of our clan among the cursed. Many of our female descendants have never been able to have their own families since then. They become either unhappily married or spend the whole life alone,” the woman said.
Life.ru
© 1999-2006. «PRAVDA.Ru». When reproducing our materials in whole or in part, hyperlink to PRAVDA.Ru should be made. The opinions and views of the authors do not always coincide with the point of view of PRAVDA.Ru's editors.
Even Pravda Has A Cat Photo Album On Its Website!
It's a far cry from.... http://icanhascheezburger.com/ - but the Russian paper of record now features a link to photos of cat's eyes on its website.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Broadway's Historic 'Tower Theater' Reopens This Saturday With Famed Edwardian Ball!
The Edwardian Ball
Descends on Downtown LA for the First Time
Following SF’s 9th Annual Weekend-Long Celebration (Jan. 23 - 25)
At Tower Theater
Saturday, January 31, 2009
LOS ANGELES, CA – Paradox Media, Vau de Vire and Cirque Berzerk presents The Edwardian Ball - Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2009. A splendid San Francisco tradition flies south for the winter, presenting an elegant, turn of the century celebration of music, theatre, dance, circus arts, DJs, ballroom dance, fashion, technology, and of course, the art and stories of Edward Gorey. Costumed attire is requested! Held in the historic Tower Theater, and hosted by LA's own big top phenomenon Cirque Berzerk in partnership with Edwardian Ball co-creators Rosin Coven and Vau de Vire Society, the night promises an unforgettable blend of audience and performance with humor, darkness, and style. Also featuring Helios Jive, DJ Xian (LADEAD), Jill Tracy, Miz Margo, Dark Garden Corsetry, and many special guests.
Tower Theater is located at 802 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014. For more information on the venue please call 213-629-2939 or visit http://www.towertheaterla.com. Doors open and show begins at 8:00pm, and all ages are welcome. General admission tickets cost $25, and a limited amount of $75 VIP tickets are available that include reserved balcony seating and hosted absinthe bar, courtesy of Obsello Absinthe (21+ only). Tickets can be purchased at Necromance (7208 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046; 323-931-2997). For more information and online tickets, please visit http://www.edwardianball.com.
Since 1999 The Edwardian Ball has steadily grown from an underground club phenomenon into a full-fledged festival of arts and culture, focusing on the esteemed works of the late, great author/illustrator Edward Gorey. Now, with the blessings of The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, this one-night-only Los Angeles event of everything under the midnight sun reaches across cultural boundaries to include audiences of all ages and backgrounds, where literary fans are as welcome as goth club goers, where the high flying trapeze and steam-powered machines create the backdrop for elegantly dressed ballgoers waltzing their way into the antique portrait studio. Event producer/founder, Justin Katz, muses, “No one city can contain this celebration where the old-world meets the world-to-be with an unforgettable tip of the top hat, curtsey, and a splash of absinthe poured over a silver spoon… So we’re thrilled to bring the Ball to LA.”
For almost a decade, The Edwardian Ball has been featuring Gorey tales brought to life on stage. A truly prodigious and original artist, Edward St. John Gorey (1925-2000), gave to the world over one hundred works, including The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Doubtful Guest and The Wuggly Ump; prize-winning set and costume designs for innumerable theater productions from Cape Cod to Broadway; a remarkable number of illustrations in publications such as The New Yorker and The New York Times, and in books by a wide array of authors from Charles Dickens to Edward Lear, Samuel Beckett, John Updike, Virginia Woolf, H.G. Wells, Florence Heide and many others. His well-known animated credits for the PBS Mystery series have introduced him to millions of television viewers. Gorey's masterful pen and ink illustrations and his ironic, offbeat humor have brought him critical acclaim and an avid following throughout the world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gorey).
Heralding dozens of various performers, Cirque Berzerk has been performing since 2005. Spearheaded by husband and wife team Kevin Bourque and Suzanne Bernel, Cirque Berzerk is a tight-knit family of performers who have banded together to put their unique spin on the face of contemporary circus theater. Complete with their own big top tent (and still buzzing from their sold-out, multi-weekend “Beneath” shows at the Los Angeles State Historic Park in summer 2008), they have performed for various types of events and clients including Carmen Elektra’s New Year’s Eve Bash at Paramount Studios, Best Buy, PlayStation3 Computer Entertainment System and a host of private shows at locations ranging from nightclubs to the Ritz Carlton. The troupe’s signature style blends hardcore circus choreography with the glamorous themes of cabaret and vaudeville. Stunts include aerial performance, contortion, various stunts involving fire and incredible stilt action. More information on Cirque Berzerk is found at www.cirqueberzerk.com.
A hidden gem in downtown LA's Broadway movie palace district, The Tower Theater was the first theater designed by renowned architect S. Charles Lee. The Tower opened in 1927 as the first movie palace in downtown LA wired for sound films, and was the sneak preview location for the Warner Brothers' classic, The Jazz Singer (1927). The theater's opulent exterior and interior feature French Renaissance motifs with lavish Spanish, Romanesque and Moorish influences. Popular with film industry location scouts but rarely used for live events, the venue owners saw how special this production was and on January 31st… so will enthralled audience members.
# # #
Descends on Downtown LA for the First Time
Following SF’s 9th Annual Weekend-Long Celebration (Jan. 23 - 25)
At Tower Theater
Saturday, January 31, 2009
LOS ANGELES, CA – Paradox Media, Vau de Vire and Cirque Berzerk presents The Edwardian Ball - Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31, 2009. A splendid San Francisco tradition flies south for the winter, presenting an elegant, turn of the century celebration of music, theatre, dance, circus arts, DJs, ballroom dance, fashion, technology, and of course, the art and stories of Edward Gorey. Costumed attire is requested! Held in the historic Tower Theater, and hosted by LA's own big top phenomenon Cirque Berzerk in partnership with Edwardian Ball co-creators Rosin Coven and Vau de Vire Society, the night promises an unforgettable blend of audience and performance with humor, darkness, and style. Also featuring Helios Jive, DJ Xian (LADEAD), Jill Tracy, Miz Margo, Dark Garden Corsetry, and many special guests.
Tower Theater is located at 802 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014. For more information on the venue please call 213-629-2939 or visit http://www.towertheaterla.com. Doors open and show begins at 8:00pm, and all ages are welcome. General admission tickets cost $25, and a limited amount of $75 VIP tickets are available that include reserved balcony seating and hosted absinthe bar, courtesy of Obsello Absinthe (21+ only). Tickets can be purchased at Necromance (7208 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046; 323-931-2997). For more information and online tickets, please visit http://www.edwardianball.com.
Since 1999 The Edwardian Ball has steadily grown from an underground club phenomenon into a full-fledged festival of arts and culture, focusing on the esteemed works of the late, great author/illustrator Edward Gorey. Now, with the blessings of The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, this one-night-only Los Angeles event of everything under the midnight sun reaches across cultural boundaries to include audiences of all ages and backgrounds, where literary fans are as welcome as goth club goers, where the high flying trapeze and steam-powered machines create the backdrop for elegantly dressed ballgoers waltzing their way into the antique portrait studio. Event producer/founder, Justin Katz, muses, “No one city can contain this celebration where the old-world meets the world-to-be with an unforgettable tip of the top hat, curtsey, and a splash of absinthe poured over a silver spoon… So we’re thrilled to bring the Ball to LA.”
For almost a decade, The Edwardian Ball has been featuring Gorey tales brought to life on stage. A truly prodigious and original artist, Edward St. John Gorey (1925-2000), gave to the world over one hundred works, including The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Doubtful Guest and The Wuggly Ump; prize-winning set and costume designs for innumerable theater productions from Cape Cod to Broadway; a remarkable number of illustrations in publications such as The New Yorker and The New York Times, and in books by a wide array of authors from Charles Dickens to Edward Lear, Samuel Beckett, John Updike, Virginia Woolf, H.G. Wells, Florence Heide and many others. His well-known animated credits for the PBS Mystery series have introduced him to millions of television viewers. Gorey's masterful pen and ink illustrations and his ironic, offbeat humor have brought him critical acclaim and an avid following throughout the world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gorey).
Heralding dozens of various performers, Cirque Berzerk has been performing since 2005. Spearheaded by husband and wife team Kevin Bourque and Suzanne Bernel, Cirque Berzerk is a tight-knit family of performers who have banded together to put their unique spin on the face of contemporary circus theater. Complete with their own big top tent (and still buzzing from their sold-out, multi-weekend “Beneath” shows at the Los Angeles State Historic Park in summer 2008), they have performed for various types of events and clients including Carmen Elektra’s New Year’s Eve Bash at Paramount Studios, Best Buy, PlayStation3 Computer Entertainment System and a host of private shows at locations ranging from nightclubs to the Ritz Carlton. The troupe’s signature style blends hardcore circus choreography with the glamorous themes of cabaret and vaudeville. Stunts include aerial performance, contortion, various stunts involving fire and incredible stilt action. More information on Cirque Berzerk is found at www.cirqueberzerk.com.
A hidden gem in downtown LA's Broadway movie palace district, The Tower Theater was the first theater designed by renowned architect S. Charles Lee. The Tower opened in 1927 as the first movie palace in downtown LA wired for sound films, and was the sneak preview location for the Warner Brothers' classic, The Jazz Singer (1927). The theater's opulent exterior and interior feature French Renaissance motifs with lavish Spanish, Romanesque and Moorish influences. Popular with film industry location scouts but rarely used for live events, the venue owners saw how special this production was and on January 31st… so will enthralled audience members.
# # #
Monday, January 19, 2009
Los Angeles Times STILL Can't Get It's LA Neighborhoods Straight! UPDATE FROM LA TIMES! More Updates And Partial Correction!
How hard can it be for the Los Angeles Times to take a Thomas Guide, talk to some people who know something about this city - and then mark up that book with the correct names of our city's neighborhoods.
And, I am told by a veteran reporter, one such book once existed. So I would like to offer the LA Times the help of the neighborhood councils in drawing up a map of where our city's neighborhoods are.
Lately, the problem near Downtown has been that anything west of Downtown is automatically called - the Westlake District - no matter how far into Koreatown or Mid-Wilshire it is - or how close to Downtown it is - even when it's actually Pico-Union neighborhood - which is east of the Westlake District.
But now they've managed to screw this area up even worse.
The exact same street they used to say was in Westlake - Westmoreland Ave just east of Vermont - they are now saying is in the... Pico-Union neighborhood....even though the Westlake District is located between Pico-Union and Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown neighborhood that Westmoreland is actually located in. (Correction - Westmoreland this far south could be Koreatown - but NOT Mid-Wilshire. But all articles about Pico-Union clearly state Hoover is the furthest west the area goes so it is NOT Pico-Union).
So the Los Angeles Times has now decided there are not one, but two Pico-Union neighborhoods - one on each side of the Westlake District.
UPDATE!
Just got an email from California editor David Lauter - and the Times is now working on putting together an on-line map of Los Angeles neighborhoods; they will then invite the public to comment upon it.
And since the LAT isn't the only one who has trouble telling one neighborhood from the other, and since there are so many different potential boundary lines - this is a chance to get at least a semi-official guide to what is what and where the hell it is.
MORE UPDATE!
First, I forgot to mention the LA Times new project will use census blocks as the matirx for their neighborhood maps. Second, as one person below mentions - some maps DO list this as being in the Pico-Union neighborhood while others list it as being in Koreatown. And there is a legitimate question as to how far south Westlake goes and what the area below that is called if it is not Westlake.
But it is clearly NOT mid-Wilshire as it might be if it were a little further north (an area which the LAT has been increasingly calling... Westlake) and while it might be Westlake adjacent - possibly Harvard Heights might be a better description as the below poster suggests - or it might be the Harvard Heights neighborhood in the Westlake, Pico-Union or Koreatown... District.
Which brings us to the question - are neighborhoods parts of larger districts - and, if so - what would you then call the various East and West Los Angeles's?
My head hurts and I need to lie down now.
And, I am told by a veteran reporter, one such book once existed. So I would like to offer the LA Times the help of the neighborhood councils in drawing up a map of where our city's neighborhoods are.
Lately, the problem near Downtown has been that anything west of Downtown is automatically called - the Westlake District - no matter how far into Koreatown or Mid-Wilshire it is - or how close to Downtown it is - even when it's actually Pico-Union neighborhood - which is east of the Westlake District.
But now they've managed to screw this area up even worse.
The exact same street they used to say was in Westlake - Westmoreland Ave just east of Vermont - they are now saying is in the... Pico-Union neighborhood....even though the Westlake District is located between Pico-Union and Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown neighborhood that Westmoreland is actually located in. (Correction - Westmoreland this far south could be Koreatown - but NOT Mid-Wilshire. But all articles about Pico-Union clearly state Hoover is the furthest west the area goes so it is NOT Pico-Union).
So the Los Angeles Times has now decided there are not one, but two Pico-Union neighborhoods - one on each side of the Westlake District.
Apartment building partially collapses, injuring 4
Fire officials estimate 20 to 30 people were inside the Pico-Union building when the front portion collapsed. The injuries were not believed to be life-threatening
By Scott Gold
January 19, 2009
The front of a small apartment building in the Pico-Union neighborhood collapsed Sunday night, injuring at least four people.
A portion of the building in the 1600 block of South Westmoreland Avenue collapsed shortly before 9 p.m. Fire officials said between 20 and 30 people were inside at the time.
None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. One woman was hospitalized with multiple lacerations. She was in stable condition, paramedics said.
UPDATE!
Just got an email from California editor David Lauter - and the Times is now working on putting together an on-line map of Los Angeles neighborhoods; they will then invite the public to comment upon it.
And since the LAT isn't the only one who has trouble telling one neighborhood from the other, and since there are so many different potential boundary lines - this is a chance to get at least a semi-official guide to what is what and where the hell it is.
MORE UPDATE!
First, I forgot to mention the LA Times new project will use census blocks as the matirx for their neighborhood maps. Second, as one person below mentions - some maps DO list this as being in the Pico-Union neighborhood while others list it as being in Koreatown. And there is a legitimate question as to how far south Westlake goes and what the area below that is called if it is not Westlake.
But it is clearly NOT mid-Wilshire as it might be if it were a little further north (an area which the LAT has been increasingly calling... Westlake) and while it might be Westlake adjacent - possibly Harvard Heights might be a better description as the below poster suggests - or it might be the Harvard Heights neighborhood in the Westlake, Pico-Union or Koreatown... District.
Which brings us to the question - are neighborhoods parts of larger districts - and, if so - what would you then call the various East and West Los Angeles's?
My head hurts and I need to lie down now.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A Park Comes To Historic Downtown Los Angeles!
At the CD 9 Quimby Fees Committee meeting today, it was announced that the parking lots on the east side of Spring Street between the El Dorado condos under construction and the just finished Rowan condos will no longer be the site of a hotel - but will instead become.. a park.
The city has just negotiated a price of $5,600,000 for the 36,518 foot site - which comes out to about $157 a foot - with a proposed closing date by the end of March. This still has to go to council for approval, but with Jan Perry's support, a willing seller and unanimous community approval at the meeting, this should be a no brainer.
This first ever acquisition of parkland downtown by the controversial Quimby fee program is a result of actions taken many years ago by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. After I introduced a motion at our Transportation and Public Works Committee asking.... What the hell was happening to your Quimby fees? - first that committee and now our Parks Committee has been asking that question non-stop. Jan Perry also quickly picked up the issue and for the past few years, she has been a strong advocate for us on this.
And for those not following the story, Quimby fees are in lieu fees paid by developers of single family home subdivisions or condo projects upon the recordation of their track maps. That money is then to be used to either buy new parkland - or improve existing park spaces. Their other option is the dedication of park space from the project which is commonly done in large subdivisions, but which is not feasible with most condo projects.
Our problem, though, was no one knew how much of that money had been spent - and no one seemed to know how much of that money was left. The skyrocketing prices of land Downtown also made it hard to either find a willing seller - or a seller willing to sell at a price the city could justify. And since the city can only what a property is actually worth - with no recent comps in the current down market, it was hard to justify any of the current asking prices for unimproved land. This new comp, though, will make it easier to negotiate other purchases.
The next steps are for the Recreation and Parks Department to get the necessary sign-offs on the purchase from the City while also looking for possible matching funds for the purchase (which will be unlikely to to the shortness of the escrow) and matching funds for the actual development of the park, a more likely possibility.
There will then be a series of public meetings so the community can have input on the uses and design of the park - and there will also need to be a business plan developed to maintain the park since Rec and Parks does not have the budget to maintain existing parks, much less new parks.
Among the possibilities discussed at this morning's meeting was a Mellos-Roos benefit assessment district where adjacent property owners will pay for part of the maintenance, a underground parking garage (and the new ones are a lot better looking than the Pershing Square disaster), and a restaurant whose rent would help cover maintaining the park as well as providing security for the park.
Among the uses very briefly discussed were recreation facilities for the growing number of toddlers in the community, a dog park, movie screenings on the blank wall of the Rowan Building and arts events to be held in conjunction with the Art Walk and Gallery Row.
This park will also complement the neighboring Gilmore developed properties by protecting the views from both the Rowan and the El Dorado - plus it should considerably help the sales on the February 8th action of just under half of the Rowan's units. Not only will many of the units have better protected views - but the entire complex will have direct access to a new park.
Lastly, among the other things that still need to be worked out is how this park will relate to both the easement driveway next to the El Dorado which provides access from Spring Street to the Gilmore garage on Main Street and how the park will interact with Harlem Alley on the eastern rear side of the property. There is a possibly that Harlem alley could be largely or partly converted to a pedestrian walkway with shops and cafes added to the already existing Lost Souls Cafe.
The city has just negotiated a price of $5,600,000 for the 36,518 foot site - which comes out to about $157 a foot - with a proposed closing date by the end of March. This still has to go to council for approval, but with Jan Perry's support, a willing seller and unanimous community approval at the meeting, this should be a no brainer.
This first ever acquisition of parkland downtown by the controversial Quimby fee program is a result of actions taken many years ago by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. After I introduced a motion at our Transportation and Public Works Committee asking.... What the hell was happening to your Quimby fees? - first that committee and now our Parks Committee has been asking that question non-stop. Jan Perry also quickly picked up the issue and for the past few years, she has been a strong advocate for us on this.
And for those not following the story, Quimby fees are in lieu fees paid by developers of single family home subdivisions or condo projects upon the recordation of their track maps. That money is then to be used to either buy new parkland - or improve existing park spaces. Their other option is the dedication of park space from the project which is commonly done in large subdivisions, but which is not feasible with most condo projects.
Our problem, though, was no one knew how much of that money had been spent - and no one seemed to know how much of that money was left. The skyrocketing prices of land Downtown also made it hard to either find a willing seller - or a seller willing to sell at a price the city could justify. And since the city can only what a property is actually worth - with no recent comps in the current down market, it was hard to justify any of the current asking prices for unimproved land. This new comp, though, will make it easier to negotiate other purchases.
The next steps are for the Recreation and Parks Department to get the necessary sign-offs on the purchase from the City while also looking for possible matching funds for the purchase (which will be unlikely to to the shortness of the escrow) and matching funds for the actual development of the park, a more likely possibility.
There will then be a series of public meetings so the community can have input on the uses and design of the park - and there will also need to be a business plan developed to maintain the park since Rec and Parks does not have the budget to maintain existing parks, much less new parks.
Among the possibilities discussed at this morning's meeting was a Mellos-Roos benefit assessment district where adjacent property owners will pay for part of the maintenance, a underground parking garage (and the new ones are a lot better looking than the Pershing Square disaster), and a restaurant whose rent would help cover maintaining the park as well as providing security for the park.
Among the uses very briefly discussed were recreation facilities for the growing number of toddlers in the community, a dog park, movie screenings on the blank wall of the Rowan Building and arts events to be held in conjunction with the Art Walk and Gallery Row.
This park will also complement the neighboring Gilmore developed properties by protecting the views from both the Rowan and the El Dorado - plus it should considerably help the sales on the February 8th action of just under half of the Rowan's units. Not only will many of the units have better protected views - but the entire complex will have direct access to a new park.
Lastly, among the other things that still need to be worked out is how this park will relate to both the easement driveway next to the El Dorado which provides access from Spring Street to the Gilmore garage on Main Street and how the park will interact with Harlem Alley on the eastern rear side of the property. There is a possibly that Harlem alley could be largely or partly converted to a pedestrian walkway with shops and cafes added to the already existing Lost Souls Cafe.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Neighborhood Council Activists Defeat Political Machine In Court Today!
It's only fitting that the first person to report today that activists gathered together by the neighborhood councils, under the leadership of city attorney candidate Noel Weiss, turned back a well financed attempt by powerful special interest groups to censor the "No on B" argument on the March ballot - was none other than David Zahniser of the Los Angeles Times.
Because if Zahniser had not uncovered the secret report that Eric Garcetti and other supporters of Measure B had kept hidden from the public and most of the city council prior the to city council putting this measure on the ballot - we would known know just how staggeringly dishonest the supporters of this measure were and continue to be.
Because if Zahniser had not uncovered the secret report that Eric Garcetti and other supporters of Measure B had kept hidden from the public and most of the city council prior the to city council putting this measure on the ballot - we would known know just how staggeringly dishonest the supporters of this measure were and continue to be.
Judge upholds wording of Measure B's ballot argument
He refuses to remove key passages warning that Los Angeles' solar energy initiative in the March 3 election would create a monopoly.
By David Zahniser
5:02 PM PST, January 8, 2009
A judge on Thursday refused to remove key passages used by neighborhood activists in their ballot argument against Measure B, the solar energy proposal heading to Los Angeles voters in the March 3 election.
Mitchell Schwartz, a political strategist who staged Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 2005 inaugural gala, had asked the judge to take out wording in the voter pamphlet warning that the solar plan would give a monopoly to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the union that represents employees at the city's Department of Water and Power.
But Superior Court Judge David P. Yaffe said the measure -- which has been embraced by Villaraigosa and the City Council -- is open to a range of interpretations. "The proposition is so vague and so encompassing that speculation about just about anything is fair game," he said.
Yaffe issued a tentative ruling that is expected to become final today. But his statements did little to end a heated debate over the solar proposal, which seeks to add 400 megawatts of solar energy to rooftops and parking lots by 2014.
Those who signed the argument against Measure B accused allies of the mayor of using expensive lawyers to squelch the opposition's political views. After Schwartz went to court, signers of the ballot argument against Measure B hired a lawyer -- city attorney candidate Noel Weiss -- and dubbed themselves "the Solar 8."
The group's members includes former DWP president Nick Patsaouras, now a candidate for city controller, and former Los Angeles Daily News editor Ron Kaye.
In his tentative ruling, Yaffe also refused to remove language that warned that "no competitive bidding" would be used by the solar program. And he declined to take out wording that warned that the DWP would use "outdated technology" for the initiative. "The judge did the right thing," Weiss said.
Schwartz, who served last year as state campaign director for President-elect Barack Obama, did not attend the hearing. But attorney Stephen Kaufman, who represented Schwartz, said opponents of Measure B had made false or misleading statements that would be corrected during the campaign.
In the opponents' ballot argument, "the implication is that this is a self-serving deal being foisted on the voters here, and that is simply not the case," Kaufman told the judge.
He said his client scored one important victory, by forcing opponents of Measure B to remove a passage stating that no public hearings had been held on the solar proposal. Instead, the argument will say that the DWP did not provide "engineering or operational input" before Measure B went on the ballot.
The measure was proposed by Working Californians, an advocacy group headed by two high-level officials from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The Measure B campaign paid for Schwartz's legal fees.
Schwartz, president of the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, was part of a select group that attended a Feb. 29, 2008, presentation on the solar plan by the union's Local 18 business manager Brian D'Arcy. His public relations firm, Bomaye Company, provided services to the DWP between 1999 and 2003. During that period, the firm helped promote the DWP's green initiatives, including one of its existing solar programs.
Schwartz's latest firm, skImpact, has a contract with CH2M Hill, a company that has been accused by the DWP of overbilling. But Schwartz said he is not doing any work related to the city or its electrical utility -- and only joined the lawsuit at Kaufman's request.
"I'm not part of the insider crew at all," he said. "I know them, but I'm not part of them. I just think the solar thing is really good."
david.zahniser@latimes.com
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
COAGULA - The Leading LA Based Art Journal - Goes 100% Digital!
COAGULA Art Journal has just become the first - that I know of - art magazine to completely abandon dead tree distribution - for the 100% digital world. Details in press release below.
And for those who are not currently readers of Coagula - now is the perfect time to start your addiction to the publication called everything from the National Enquirer of the Art World - to the only art world publication that is eagerly read cover to cover.
And I can still recall the day I found the very first issue on the staircase of an old loft building in the Arts District and the day soon after when I first met Mat Gleason, the founder and publisher of Coagula. Shortly later - on occasion - I wrote for it during its early days and Mat Gleason was the only person in 1998 then willing to print my expose of Mike Davis that started that multi-year literary war. (I was also - very briefly - a temporary trustee of the legacy - but that's a whole different story....)
I can also still recall when having a copy of it in Europe during the early 1990's could be traded for access to any party or event in the European art world, and it wasn't too bad in making friends with female of the species, either.
So click on the link above and read yourself a little Coagula. You may love it - or you may hate it - but you will never be bored by it.
And for those who are not currently readers of Coagula - now is the perfect time to start your addiction to the publication called everything from the National Enquirer of the Art World - to the only art world publication that is eagerly read cover to cover.
And I can still recall the day I found the very first issue on the staircase of an old loft building in the Arts District and the day soon after when I first met Mat Gleason, the founder and publisher of Coagula. Shortly later - on occasion - I wrote for it during its early days and Mat Gleason was the only person in 1998 then willing to print my expose of Mike Davis that started that multi-year literary war. (I was also - very briefly - a temporary trustee of the legacy - but that's a whole different story....)
I can also still recall when having a copy of it in Europe during the early 1990's could be traded for access to any party or event in the European art world, and it wasn't too bad in making friends with female of the species, either.
So click on the link above and read yourself a little Coagula. You may love it - or you may hate it - but you will never be bored by it.
January 7, 2009
Greetings, hope the new year is going well.
Coagula Art Journal enters its 17th year of publishing by going PRINT ON DEMAND this February! After 16 years of trudging thru galleries hoping that the stack of free Coagula magazines has not been exhausted, readers will now be able to freely download and peruse the latest issue of Coagula in its entirety, right at home.
A printable version will be delivered to individuals by the simple click of a mouse key. Rather than target 12,000 Gallery-goers across the U.S. art scene, the Print On Demand Coagula will be aimed at 100,000 art professionals and art fans, worldwide, who are a part of the contemporary art world that reads COAGULA from cover to cover. Our archives and art world news can be enjoyed any time at Coagula.com and, come February 1, all will be able to get their hands on the LowDown on High Art in the comfort of their own home or office. Acquiring the full-color glossy issue of our magazine will be just a couple of clicks away.
Beautiful full color, hugely expanded new audience, international in scope, with major growth in Los Angeles, New York and nationwide. No wonder we're excited about our new format. For years, avid readers complained that they can't find the magazine, since they get snapped up quickly, often within a few days of being delivered to galleries and museum.
We're up and running, working on the February/March issue right now.
Editorial Deadline: January 14th
Coagula is always open to your editorial suggestions - it is a large art world and our editorial staff appreciates being notified of interesting developments that you know about.
Advertising Deadline: January 20th
Does the gallery wish to reach a larger audience? Does your company offer goods and services to an upscale clientele? Have you got something going on? Would you like to let the art world know about the things you are doing or have available, or how to find you? Coagula Art Journal, Issue #96, deadlines on Tuesday, January 20th. Distribution throughout the art world begins on February 1st. Please contact us to advertise to our readership all activities taking place during February and March, or for general contact purposes and web traffic, etc. Or to publish an advance schedule.
Again: Monster Distribution in Beautiful Color
The art world's largest distribution.
The art world's ONLY 100% verifiable circulation/readership.
The art world's most cost effective and competitive pricing schedule.
Ad Space closes: Tuesday, January 20th.
We recommend earlier contact to reserve space.
Editorial information must be submitted by January 14th.
Reach the Art World.
Advertise in Coagula.
Contact Michael Salerno at 323.223.6089, MS@MichaelSalerno.com
Coagula Art Journal
The LowDown on High Art
The world’s largest free art publication is still free!
Feel free to forward this message to anyone you believe would appreciate its receipt.
As always, your comments and feedback on this service are welcome. If for any reason you no longer wish to be included, please let us know.
Thanks and best regards,
Michael
323.223.6089
MS@MichaelSalerno.com
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Support Your Local Literary Blog!
Anyone who lives in Los Angeles - or anywhere, for that matter - and who cares about literature is, of course, a regular reader of Mark Sarvas' blog - The Elegant Variation aka TEV. But if for some unfathomable reason TEV is not a regularly visited bookmark of yours - it should be. And you are not familiar with the site - here is a link:
http://marksarvas.blogs.com/elegvar/
The reason for this post is that Mark Sarvas is up for a weblog award for the best literature blog. However, unlike some of the other blogs, he has been characteristically remiss in promoting himself. So if you are not familiar with 'The Elegant Variation' - sample it now and then click on the hot link at the top of this page and vote. And you can vote once a day until the 13th.
http://marksarvas.blogs.com/elegvar/
The reason for this post is that Mark Sarvas is up for a weblog award for the best literature blog. However, unlike some of the other blogs, he has been characteristically remiss in promoting himself. So if you are not familiar with 'The Elegant Variation' - sample it now and then click on the hot link at the top of this page and vote. And you can vote once a day until the 13th.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Beijing Brings Back Broadway - Big Time!
While people in Los Angles debate whether or not even the handful of theaters on Los Angeles' Broadway can be reborn as legitimate Broadway theaters - China is about to build 32 - yes - thirty-two - legitimate theaters in one place to create their own Broadway theater district.
Huge theater complex set for Beijing
32 theaters hope to tempt audiences, musicals
By CLIFFORD COONAN
Move over Broadway -- China is looking to become the global destination of choice for musicals.
Theatergoers in the Chinese capital are hoping a giant entertainment project that will contain 32 theaters when construction is complete will rival the West End and Broadway, with some of the world's top musicals such as "Fame" and "The Lion King" running year-round.
Backers are spending $686 million on the project, and the main theater will seat 2,000 people, with the others accommodating auds of between 300 and 500.
Creative Beijing will be home to a complex of theaters for musicals in the Haidian district in the capital's northwestern suburbs. Local media have already dubbed it "China's Broadway," and it will be Asia's biggest base for the production of musicals.
"The capital is a traditional cultural center, with the biggest audiences and the best performing talents," Xu Feng, spokesman for developer Beijing Nederlander New Century Intl. Theater Management, told the China Daily.
Chinese auds have really taken to Western-style musicals such as "Hairspray," "Mamma Mia!" and "The Lion King," even though tickets can be expensive. Many musicals are being customized for local auds to run in the Mandarin language, often with big impresarios such as the Broadway's Nederlanders or Cameron Mackintosh involved.
Foreign producers are keen to make an impact in China to offset flagging fortunes in home markets that are feeling the pinch of the economic crisis.
Nederlander recently produced a Chinese version of "Fame" at the Central Academy of Drama, having brought "42nd Street" to China last year. Beijing Shibo Real Estate is putting up the coin, and marketing director Li Yanping expects the theaters to stage more than 100 musicals a year.
In 2007 British producer Mackintosh announced plans to stage shows such as "Les Miserables," "Phantom of the Opera" and "Miss Saigon" in China.
The organizers hope the new cluster of theaters will rival Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts in terms of ticket sales but also generates profits through the marketing of musical-related products and souvenirs and the operation of talent agencies.
Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997926.html
Rowan Building Auction Media Preview!
I just received a press release for the demonstration of how the auction will work at next months sale of close to half of the units at the Rowan Building at 5th and Spring. And those sales combined with whatever units have already been sold (though that part is still not clear) will equal over 50% of the units which will allow the new owners to close their escrows. T
Downtown Properties is inviting the media to attend a demonstration of a groundbreaking auction technology that will help homebuyers in the current real estate market. Media are invited to “test drive” the technology in advance of a residential Internet auction taking place at the Rowan Building downtown in February. The demonstration will take place on Friday, January 9 at 11 a.m. at The Rowan.
Please see the media advisory below for more information about the event.
Best,
Ashley
Ashley Greer
Casey & Sayre
310-473-8090
agreer@cswpr.com
MEDIA ADVISORY
HOMEBUYERS CAN OUTSMART REAL ESTATE MARKET BY SETTING THEIR OWN PRICES THROUGH HIGH-TECH AUCTION OF
DOWNTOWN LOFTS
Media invited to “test drive” groundbreaking auction technology January 9
LOS ANGELES – On Friday, January 9, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. Downtown Properties will unveil a groundbreaking technology to help homebuyers outsmart the current real estate market. Homebuyers will be able to set their own prices on 79 distinctive lofts in the historic Rowan Building downtown in the largest-ever simultaneous residential Internet auction on February 8.
Created by Nobel Prize nominee Dr. Charles Plott and auction pioneer William R. Stevenson, the auction technology allows buyers to bid on more than one unit throughout the auction and see what others are bidding on large bidding screens at the auction site or at home on their own computers. This technology gives buyers enormous versatility to switch their bids between multiple units and there is no pressure from an auctioneer calling a sale. The auction ends only when no bids have been submitted for a specified period of time. Built in 1911, The Rowan is located in the heart of the Old Bank District and has been meticulously converted into 206 designer live/work lofts which retain the elegance of the building’s original Beaux Arts style with modern luxuries.
WHAT: Demonstration of groundbreaking auction technology by Plott and Stevenson and tour of The Rowan’s distinctive loft residences
WHEN: Friday, January 9 at 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: The Rowan, Ground Floor
460 S. Spring Street (corner of 5th and Spring Streets)
Downtown Los Angeles
CONTACT: Carolyn McEwen
310-473-8090 (o), 310-699-9800 (cell)
cmcewen@cswpr.com
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Every Great Writer Will One Day Meet The Single Great Subject That Will Define Them Forever. For Mary McNamara That Subject Is - Heidi 4 Paws
When Mary McNamara was unexpectedly 'demoted' from the book review section to reviewing... TV shows.... it seemed that a great writing career was suddenly stillborn.
Well... not necessarily the case. Because you can peruse the annals of literature from the Greeks onward and never find the opportunities that lie in critiquing.... "Heidi 4 Paws".
Well... not necessarily the case. Because you can peruse the annals of literature from the Greeks onward and never find the opportunities that lie in critiquing.... "Heidi 4 Paws".
Review: 'Heidi 4 Paws'
Let's pause to reflect on the effect of dressed-up dogs retelling the beloved orphan-in-the-Alps tale.
By MARY McNAMARA
Television Critic
December 20, 2008
There is nothing in this life to prepare a person to review “Heidi 4 Paws,” which premieres on KCET Sunday morning.
When my editor handed it to me with a gleam in her eye, she said: "It's Heidi. With dogs." I was confused. Did Heidi Klum have a new reality show involving dogs? Had Heidi Montag snagged a canine Christmas special?
"No, it's the story 'Heidi.' With dogs."
I began to feel bovine in my incomprehension. "Heidi" with dogs instead of goats?
"No, the dogs play all the characters."
Including, it must be added, the goats.
And there it is. "Heidi 4 Paws" is a live-action retelling of Johanna Spyri’s classic tale of an orphan sent to live with her cantankerous grandfather high in the Swiss Alps -- with dogs in all the roles. Dogs in kerchiefs and Swiss frocks, dogs in alpine hats and canine approximations of lederhosen, dogs in wigs and spectacles and, yes, little Clara's wheelchair.
Having said that, we can now watch as the world instantly divides. Into those who find dogs in dress-up charming and adorable and those who consider it a crime against the natural order of things. If you are a member of the former group, then this is the film for you. The costumes are exquisite, the dogs wear them well.
Some of us, however, fall into the latter category. I have nothing against live-action animal films -- I think "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" cleaned up at the box office simply because it was a darn good movie -- but I believe the only person who should put clothing on dogs is William Wegman, and then not always.
It's a difficult prejudice to put aside in this case, especially since the poor mutt playing Miss Rottenmeier is forced to wear shoes -- shoes! -- but it is a prejudice not shared by everyone, and so we move on.
"Heidi 4 Paws" is the dreamchild of successful screenwriter Holly Goldberg Sloan ("Angels in the Outfield," "Made in America"), which explains the name talent, including Angela Lansbury, Steve Guttenberg and Julian Sands, who provide some of the voices. Sloan, as she recently blogged on the Huffington Post, spent the last five years melding her twin obsessions with dogs and "Heidi."
This answers the first wild-eyed question that springs to mind when "Heidi 4 Paws" opens with three dogs on a train. Why on Earth would anyone think to do this? Not, apparently, to create an instant camp classic, although this may be the end result, but because she wanted to make a children's film incorporating her twin obsessions with dogs and "Heidi." Next question.
And there are many more, including why do Detie (Joanne Baron) and Grandpapa (Richard Kind) sound like they are from Long Island and Brooklyn, respectively? Was it really necessary to have the doggy versions of Peter the Goatherder (Sands) and Heidi (Meghan Strange) yodel? How come the "goats" look like little Martians, and will plush versions of them be available in time for Christmas? What is it about Angela Lansbury's voice that makes even a dog in a Grandmama wig seem comforting and wise?
There are things to recommend "Heidi 4 Paws" (honestly, I cannot write this title often enough) beyond the obvious you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it appeal.
On Huffington, Sloan apologizes for the "homemade" appearance of the dogs' moving mouths, but the special effects, though not up to feature film standards, are pretty good. Though clearly not filmed on location, the production value all around is high.
Sloan's script, meanwhile, is very smart, a faithful retelling of the "Heidi" tale down to the devotion to goat's milk and cheese, yet with enough snappy modern flourishes to temper the saccharine tone of the original and keep young audiences watching. "Why do you have nothing?" asks the Grandpapa when Heidi arrives on his doorstep. "Maybe because I'm an orphan?" she answers. It's a great line, and the yellow lab puppy playing Heidi really nails it.
Still there is a definite homespun quality to "Heidi 4 Paws," a let's-put-on-a-show jocularity to much of the dialogue and its delivery, which is both charming and slightly off-putting, as if the viewer had just opened the wrong door at a party and found the talented but undeniably eccentric sister sitting on the floor playing dress-up with her dogs.
You see how difficult this is to explain. Best watch it for yourself. I guarantee you've never seen anything like it on television. And these days, that's saying something.
mary.mcnamara@latimes.com
Monday, December 29, 2008
Two Amazing Photos By Luis Sinco And Lori Shepler In Today's LA Times Piece On USC Quarterback Mark Sanchez!
Both photos are reminiscent of Rubens at his most exuberant heights with their management of controlled chaos. And even by the exceptionally high standards of LA Times photographers - these two photos stand out. The story by Kevin Baxter is also excellent, marred only by the sad fact that no one at the LA Times has even the slightest clue as to how many people live in this city - nor ever cares to learn such facts; one of dozens - yes dozens - of bone-headed errors in the paper over the past few days....
PS - Luis Sinco also did a photo of a certain Marlboro smoking soldier in Iraq.
PS - Luis Sinco also did a photo of a certain Marlboro smoking soldier in Iraq.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Robert Graham dead at 70
I didn't know he had been ill the past six months so his passing was a real shock. The above link goes to the LAT' obit. More later.
Possible Good News For LA In Proposed IndyMac Sale!
Los Angeles's two biggest banking institutions collapsed this past year - leaving us with only City National Bank from the once many locally headquartered multi-billion dollar financial institutions of national importance. Countrywide collapsed strictly from its internal problems.
However, a troubled but still functioning IndyMac failed immediately after a run caused by New York Senator Charles Schumer's highly unethical remarks (which directly benefited IndyMac's New York based competitors) but it appears Schumer will escape any legal consequences for his actions.
The bad news/good news of the proposed take over, which could be announced as soon as Monday, is that the buyers were constituents of Senator Schumer (surprise, surprise) - but the good news is that the buyers are not another bank - but a consortium of private equity and hedge funds.
This means that at least for the short term, the headquarters should remain in the Los Angeles area (it is presently headquartered in Pasadena) and there is at least a possibility, slim although it may be - that IndyMac could either remain locally headquartered or - more likely - when it is acquired - there is still a possibility a local firm or local investors will be able to acquire it. More likely, though, an out of state bank will gobble it up for its extensive local branch network - and its huge loan serving portfolio.
But whatever happens - hopefully - both local officials and the governor will do everything they can to keep the bank locally based. After all - there is a first time for everything....
And...
However, a troubled but still functioning IndyMac failed immediately after a run caused by New York Senator Charles Schumer's highly unethical remarks (which directly benefited IndyMac's New York based competitors) but it appears Schumer will escape any legal consequences for his actions.
The bad news/good news of the proposed take over, which could be announced as soon as Monday, is that the buyers were constituents of Senator Schumer (surprise, surprise) - but the good news is that the buyers are not another bank - but a consortium of private equity and hedge funds.
This means that at least for the short term, the headquarters should remain in the Los Angeles area (it is presently headquartered in Pasadena) and there is at least a possibility, slim although it may be - that IndyMac could either remain locally headquartered or - more likely - when it is acquired - there is still a possibility a local firm or local investors will be able to acquire it. More likely, though, an out of state bank will gobble it up for its extensive local branch network - and its huge loan serving portfolio.
But whatever happens - hopefully - both local officials and the governor will do everything they can to keep the bank locally based. After all - there is a first time for everything....
IndyMac Is Set to Be Sold to Private Investors
December 27, 2008, 8:31 pm
IndyMac Bancorp, one of the largest banks to fail as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis, is close to being sold to a consortium of private equity and hedge fund firms, people briefed on the matter told DealBook.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, along with a team of former Lehman Brothers bankers who are now with Deutsche Bank, have been engaged in the sale process since federal regulators declared IndyMac insolvent in July and seized the company. The deal could be announced as soon as Monday, these people said.
The buyers include private equity firms J.C. Flowers & Company and Dune Capital Management and the hedge fund firm Paulson & Company, these people said.
And...
The consortium would buy the entire bank, including its 33 branches, reverse-mortgage unit and $176 billion loan-servicing portfolio.
The deal is a coup for Dune Capital, founded in 2004 by ex-Goldman Sachs partners Steven Mnuchin and Daniel Niedich, and the other partners because they are picking up a solid bank on the cheap.
J.C. Flowers, led by former Goldman partner J. Christopher Flowers, focuses on financial firms, having attempted to acquire student lender Sallie Mae last year. But the firm has struck few deals so far amid the banking crisis.
Paulson & Company, led by John Paulson, has been one of the biggest winners in the subprime mortgage meltdown, having reaped billions of dollars by betting against risky home loans. Mr. Paulson recently indicated to investors in his hedge funds that he is prepared to start buying up low-priced debt like prime mortgages and investing in financial institutions.
When Indymac failed, more than 130 F.D.I.C. employees swooped in on the bank to prepare it to reopen under government supervision. The bank was founded in 1985 by Angelo Mozilo and David Loeb, who also founded Countrywide Financial. IndyMac once specialized in “Alt-A” home loans, which often didn’t require borrowers to fully document income or assets.
It collapsed after defaults mounted and as tight capital markets caused losses on mortgages it couldn’t sell.
The seizure came after panicked customers withdrew more than $1.3 billion of deposits over 11 business days. The withdrawals followed comments in late June by Charles Schumer, the Democratic senator from New York, questioning IndyMac’s survival.
–Zachery Kouwe
The Single Most Sexist Remark By A Politician In 2008 Was Made By.... Caroline Kennedy??
In a political year in which almost every rule was broken - including the myth that Americans were too racist to elect a black man president - and a woman would have almost certainly won the White House if Barack Obama had not run, it is a little startling to read Caroline Kennedy's response to a question she did not like when interviewed by the New York Times on her fitness to be appointed to replace Hillary Clinton as US Senator of New York:
That's right. When she wanted to insult the New York Times reporters, she called them the single lowest form of journalistic life she could think of - writers for women's magazines. And then she continues:
Ah, yes. A lifetime of wealth and privilege where she couldn't be bothered to do all the little common place things... like voting. After all - voting is what the little people do. But it is in the closing line where the reporters clearly allow her to hang herself with her own words... and her own attitude towards them.
With that.... she dismissed her subjects.
With several weeks to go before Mr. Paterson makes his decision, she is doling out glimpses of her political beliefs and private life. But when asked Saturday morning to describe the moment she decided to seek the Senate seat, Ms. Kennedy seemed irritated by the question and said she couldn't recall.
Have you guys ever thought about writing for, like, a woman’s magazine or something?” she asked the reporters. “I thought you were the crack political team.”
That's right. When she wanted to insult the New York Times reporters, she called them the single lowest form of journalistic life she could think of - writers for women's magazines. And then she continues:
“I’m not a conventional choice,” Ms. Kennedy said. “I haven’t followed the traditional path, but I do think I’d bring a kind of a lifetime of experience that is relevant to this job.”
Ah, yes. A lifetime of wealth and privilege where she couldn't be bothered to do all the little common place things... like voting. After all - voting is what the little people do. But it is in the closing line where the reporters clearly allow her to hang herself with her own words... and her own attitude towards them.
As things wrapped up, a reporter tried to pose another question, but she interrupted him.
“I think we’re done,” she said.
With that.... she dismissed her subjects.
The Top Two Emailed Stories On The LA Times Website Are Both By... Joel Stein!
The 'good' news is - one of them is worth reading and it has been mainly number one or two for the almost week since it has been written (and I will not embarrass Joel by linking to the other one which is so poorly written it doesn't even make any internal sense).
Now there are two reasons why Joel Stein could have written this column. One was to make people debate what should be said and what should not be said for politically correct reasons - even if such things are stated in an outrageous context - as opposed to at times denying a situation that has a certain amount of truth in it in due to the potential of those statements being misunderstood and having a negative affect on society.
The other is Joel Stein will simply say anything that will get him attention.
Now there are two reasons why Joel Stein could have written this column. One was to make people debate what should be said and what should not be said for politically correct reasons - even if such things are stated in an outrageous context - as opposed to at times denying a situation that has a certain amount of truth in it in due to the potential of those statements being misunderstood and having a negative affect on society.
The other is Joel Stein will simply say anything that will get him attention.
How Jewish is Hollywood?
A poll finds more Americans disagree with the statement that 'Jews control Hollywood.' But here's one Jew who doesn't.
Joel Stein
December 19, 2008
I have never been so upset by a poll in my life. Only 22% of Americans now believe "the movie and television industries are pretty much run by Jews," down from nearly 50% in 1964. The Anti-Defamation League, which released the poll results last month, sees in these numbers a victory against stereotyping. Actually, it just shows how dumb America has gotten. Jews totally run Hollywood.
How deeply Jewish is Hollywood? When the studio chiefs took out a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times a few weeks ago to demand that the Screen Actors Guild settle its contract, the open letter was signed by: News Corp. President Peter Chernin (Jewish), Paramount Pictures Chairman Brad Grey (Jewish), Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger (Jewish), Sony Pictures Chairman Michael Lynton (surprise, Dutch Jew), Warner Bros. Chairman Barry Meyer (Jewish), CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves (so Jewish his great uncle was the first prime minister of Israel), MGM Chairman Harry Sloan (Jewish) and NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker (mega-Jewish). If either of the Weinstein brothers had signed, this group would have not only the power to shut down all film production but to form a minyan with enough Fiji water on hand to fill a mikvah.
The person they were yelling at in that ad was SAG President Alan Rosenberg (take a guess). The scathing rebuttal to the ad was written by entertainment super-agent Ari Emanuel (Jew with Israeli parents) on the Huffington Post, which is owned by Arianna Huffington (not Jewish and has never worked in Hollywood.)
The Jews are so dominant, I had to scour the trades to come up with six Gentiles in high positions at entertainment companies. When I called them to talk about their incredible advancement, five of them refused to talk to me, apparently out of fear of insulting Jews. The sixth, AMC President Charlie Collier, turned out to be Jewish.
As a proud Jew, I want America to know about our accomplishment. Yes, we control Hollywood. Without us, you'd be flipping between "The 700 Club" and "Davey and Goliath" on TV all day.
So I've taken it upon myself to re-convince America that Jews run Hollywood by launching a public relations campaign, because that's what we do best. I'm weighing several slogans, including: "Hollywood: More Jewish than ever!"; "Hollywood: From the people who brought you the Bible"; and "Hollywood: If you enjoy TV and movies, then you probably like Jews after all."
I called ADL Chairman Abe Foxman, who was in Santiago, Chile, where, he told me to my dismay, he was not hunting Nazis. He dismissed my whole proposition, saying that the number of people who think Jews run Hollywood is still too high. The ADL poll, he pointed out, showed that 59% of Americans think Hollywood execs "do not share the religious and moral values of most Americans," and 43% think the entertainment industry is waging an organized campaign to "weaken the influence of religious values in this country."
That's a sinister canard, Foxman said. "It means they think Jewsmeet at Canter's Deli on Friday mornings to decide what's best for the Jews." Foxman's argument made me rethink: I have to eat at Canter's more often.
"That's a very dangerous phrase, 'Jews control Hollywood.' What is true is that there are a lot of Jews in Hollywood," he said. Instead of "control," Foxman would prefer people say that many executives in the industry "happen to be Jewish," as in "all eight major film studios are run by men who happen to be Jewish."
But Foxman said he is proud of the accomplishments of American Jews. "I think Jews are disproportionately represented in the creative industry. They're disproportionate as lawyers and probably medicine here as well," he said. He argues that this does not mean that Jews make pro-Jewish movies any more than they do pro-Jewish surgery. Though other countries, I've noticed, aren't so big on circumcision.
I appreciate Foxman's concerns. And maybe my life spent in a New Jersey-New York/Bay Area-L.A. pro-Semitic cocoon has left me naive. But I don't care if Americans think we're running the news media, Hollywood, Wall Street or the government. I just care that we get to keep running them.
jstein@latimescolumnists.com
Monday, December 22, 2008
Charles E. Young New CEO At MOCA!
Charles E. Young is MOCA's new CEO - which is also a new position - and Jeremy Strick is no longer the director - but that position remains unfilled. There is also a new advisory board with some blue chip names on it, the terms have been settled for Eli Broad's donations, substantial sums have already been pledged from other sources, no art will be sold, MOCA will remain independent and there is also a 90 period during which MOCA can shop around Broad's offer. The deal seems to satisfy almost everyone's demands.
And if MOCA does finally accept the deal, this seems to fulfill the requirements laid down by Jan Perry and Eric Garcetti for the city to consider throwing in some Bunker Hill CRA funds into the pot.
All that's left now are getting some additional board members, a new director, and then... answering the big question.
Where do they build the new building to house the permanent collection?
Below is LAT 's Culture Monster post:
And if MOCA does finally accept the deal, this seems to fulfill the requirements laid down by Jan Perry and Eric Garcetti for the city to consider throwing in some Bunker Hill CRA funds into the pot.
All that's left now are getting some additional board members, a new director, and then... answering the big question.
Where do they build the new building to house the permanent collection?
Below is LAT 's Culture Monster post:
MOCA accepts Eli Broad's $30-million lifeline, appoints CEO
11:05 PM, December 22, 2008
After weeks of conjecture, the board of the financially strapped Museum of Contemporary Art has voted to accept a $30-million bailout offer from billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, a founder and life trustee of the museum and the city’s largest arts patron.
In addition, MOCA’s beleaguered director, Jeremy Strick, has resigned and MOCA has appointed UCLA Chancellor Emeritus Charles E. Young as the museum’s first chief executive.
The Broad deal, to be announced today, ends speculation that the museum might opt to accept a merger offer made last week by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
According to the agreement, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation will match contributions to MOCA’s endowment up to $15 million and provide $3 million a year for exhibition support for five years.
In an interview Monday, Broad, a staunch downtown supporter, said he made his offer because it would be a “real blow to this city” if the downtown museum, a linchpin of the planned Grand Avenue redevelopment, did not survive.
Broad said he was not requiring MOCA to raise $15 million in matching funds in order to receive the $15-million challenge grant but rather would match endowment funds “dollar for dollar” with what MOCA was able to raise from trustees and others, with a cap of $15 million.
“It’s very simple — they raise a dollar, the foundation puts in a dollar,” Broad said.
The agreement also includes a 90-day window to “allow any responsible party to replace the Broad Foundation on identical terms.”
In an interview Monday, MOCA board co-chairmen Tom Unterman and David G. Johnson said that museum trustees had pledged or promised more than $20 million in new gifts since the museum’s financial troubles became public in November. The executives declined to name specific board members who were planning donations.
Broad’s agreement calls for MOCA to “continue operating as an independent world-class contemporary art museum” and to maintain both its headquarters on Grand Avenue and the Geffen Contemporary space in Little Tokyo. The plan requires MOCA to “keep its collection intact and not sell any works of art.”
The agreement also requires MOCA to operate with an annual budget of “no less than $13 million and no more than $16 million in cash expenses” but says that the museum may operate at a higher level if it has the cash income to do so. In recent years, the museum’s budget has averaged $20 million, Unterman said.
Broad said he did not demand the resignation of Strick or the appointment of Young in order for MOCA to accept his challenge grant, although he supported both decisions and was consulted about the choice of Young.
Through a spokeswoman, Strick, who led the museum for nine years, declined to comment.
During his tenure, Strick presided over financial shortfalls that resulted in the museum’s dipping into funds from “restricted” accounts.
“We’re a donor — we’re not on the board, we’re not running MOCA in any way, shape or form,” Broad said of his charitable foundation.
Broad’s decision to make the $30-million offer to MOCA in November pitted the city’s most powerful arts patron against LACMA, which houses the largest art collection west of the Mississippi.
Broad, who funded the $56-million Broad Contemporary Art Museum on the LACMA campus, dashed the county museum’s hopes of acquiring his extensive private collection of contemporary art when he disclosed plans in January to instead retain his holdings for loan to multiple museums. He said Monday that he perceived no rift between himself and LACMA and would continue to support both the county museum and MOCA.
Unterman said Young was being given the title “chief executive officer” rather than director because Young is expected to oversee the museum’s business operations rather than make artistic decisions.
“Chuck Young is a very distinguished leader and fills many roles, but he would be the first person to say that he is not a person of the art world,” Unterman said. “We didn’t want to connote that he is going to be the next director of the museum.”
Young will work in tandem with a newly appointed advisory committee of arts leaders, including John R. Lane, president and chief executive of the New Art Trust and director emeritus of the Dallas Museum of Art; Warhol Foundation President Joel Wachs; John Walsh, director emeritus of the J. Paul Getty Museum; and financial advisor Gary Cypres. A successor to Strick has not been named.
Broad, 75, made his initial fortune in real estate through Kaufman & Broad, now KB Home. He also founded and led SunAmerica, now a subsidiary of American International Group, until 2000, when he stepped down to concentrate full time on philanthropy.
Although also noted for substantial gifts toward educational and medical institutions, Broad made a spate of major donations to Los Angeles arts institutions in 2008. Not only did the Broad Contemporary Art Museum open, but the businessman also donated $6 million to Los Angeles Opera for its upcoming production of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle and $10 million to the new Broad Stage at Santa Monica College.
--Diane Haithman
New Management And Financial Plan To Be Announced At MOCA - Tomorrow Morning!
For Immediate Release:
Monday, Dec. 22, 2008
Media Contacts:
Elizabeth Hinckley, MOCA, 310-854-8199 or cell 323-864-0429
Karen Denne, The Broad Foundation, 310-954-5058 or 310-702-4280
MOCA to Announce Financial Improvement Plan,
New Management
WHO: Tom Unterman (MOCA Board Co-Chair ), David Johnson (MOCA Board Co-Chair ), Eli Broad (Founder of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation), Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (tent.), City Council President Eric Garcetti, City Councilwoman Jan Perry, New MOCA CEO To Be Announced
WHAT: MOCA trustees, local philanthropists and city leaders will hold a press
conference to announce a plan to improve the museum’s finances and
introduce new management.
WHEN: Tuesday, December 23, 3008
Media Check-In 10:00am
Announcement 10:30am
WHERE: Museum of Contemporary Art, Grand Avenue
250 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Parking is available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall garage, $8 flat rate for three hours with MOCA validation ($17 deposit required upon entry).
Monday, Dec. 22, 2008
Media Contacts:
Elizabeth Hinckley, MOCA, 310-854-8199 or cell 323-864-0429
Karen Denne, The Broad Foundation, 310-954-5058 or 310-702-4280
MOCA to Announce Financial Improvement Plan,
New Management
WHO: Tom Unterman (MOCA Board Co-Chair ), David Johnson (MOCA Board Co-Chair ), Eli Broad (Founder of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation), Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (tent.), City Council President Eric Garcetti, City Councilwoman Jan Perry, New MOCA CEO To Be Announced
WHAT: MOCA trustees, local philanthropists and city leaders will hold a press
conference to announce a plan to improve the museum’s finances and
introduce new management.
WHEN: Tuesday, December 23, 3008
Media Check-In 10:00am
Announcement 10:30am
WHERE: Museum of Contemporary Art, Grand Avenue
250 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Parking is available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall garage, $8 flat rate for three hours with MOCA validation ($17 deposit required upon entry).
Los Angeles Times SCOOPS Nikki Finke On SAG Vote Postponement! UPDATE!
OK - it's official. It IS the end of the world as we know it.
UPDATE!
Complete story up - and no one else seems to have the news.
UPDATE!
Complete story up - and no one else seems to have the news.
Screen Actors Guild delays strike vote
The union, which has been rocked by internal dissent, will convene a special meeting of its national board to discuss the matter.
By Richard Verrier
8:51 PM PST, December 22, 2008
Rocked by growing internal dissent that is splintering Hollywood's largest union, the Screen Actors Guild has postponed plans for a controversial strike authorization vote until after the union's national board meets to discuss the matter.
The union's 120,000 members were poised to vote on the planned strike referendum next month, with ballots going out Jan. 2.
But in an e-mail to the union's board members Monday night, SAG Executive Director Doug Allen said he and SAG President Alan Rosenberg agreed to push back the strike referendum until after the board convenes a special meeting Jan. 12 to "address the unfortunate division and restore consensus."
"This division does not help our effort to get an agreement from the [studios] that our members will ratify," Allen wrote. "This will provide us with more time to conduct member education and outreach on the referendum before the balloting."
The union's leadership has argued that a strike authorization vote is necessary to give them leverage in contract negotiations with the studios that have stalled for months.
To pass, a strike authorization must be approved by 75% of members who vote.
But the guild's "education campaign" to build support for the referendum has met with growing resistance within the union.
Opposition boiled over last week when SAG's New York members openly rebuked Rosenberg and demanded that he call off the strike vote. Rosenberg has repeatedly spurned the idea, saying that would undermine the union and only benefit the studios.
More than 130 high-profile actors, including Tom Hanks, Robert Redford and George Clooney, have also urged the union to reconsider its decision.
But SAG says nearly 100 celebrities, including Mel Gibson and former SAG President Ed Asner, have declared their support, arguing that the studios' contract offer is unacceptable and threatens the future of actors in the digital era.
Just what the board may do at the Jan. 12 meeting is uncertain.
Although Allen said in the e-mail that the strike vote would begin immediately after the meeting, that is by no means clear.
In fact, moderates, who hold a slim majority on the board, are expected to press for a delay in the strike vote to see whether negotiations can resume with the studios.
The board could vote to replace the current negotiating committee with a task force, as New York division board members have advocated.
The board also could move to have Allen step aside as the chief negotiator.
richard.verrier@latimes.com
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday Headline On Daily News Site - 'Fire Damages Canoga Park Porn Set'!
It's nice to see at least one newspaper knows their reader's priorites.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Los Angeles Times Website HIDES Most Important Local Story Of The Year! UPDATE!
David Zahniser just wrote a groundbreaking expose of how the City of Los Angeles got caught - by him - hiding a report from the citizens of Los Angeles on a projected - but hidden from the public - 2.1 billion dollar raise on DWP rates in a political pay off to powerful union bosses. But not even a single word of that story can be found on the front page of the website. All that can be found on the front page is a brief line about some solar energy plan being called 'risky'.
Then in the California section of the website, it is buried as item number.... seven. (UPDATE - By early afternoon, this story is now totally off main page and buried as item number... eleven.... on California page.)
At a time when the city is in critical financial difficulty, what more important story can there be than one that demonstrates how the City of Los Angeles is no longer run for the benefit of its people - but that it is now run for the benefit of the powerful public employee unions that fund the elections of our elected officials.
It is a major blow to the Los Angeles Time's journalistic credibility to hide this story from its web readers. In any other city - this expose would be the front page 'Section A' headline story.
But not at the Los Angeles Times.
Then in the California section of the website, it is buried as item number.... seven. (UPDATE - By early afternoon, this story is now totally off main page and buried as item number... eleven.... on California page.)
At a time when the city is in critical financial difficulty, what more important story can there be than one that demonstrates how the City of Los Angeles is no longer run for the benefit of its people - but that it is now run for the benefit of the powerful public employee unions that fund the elections of our elected officials.
It is a major blow to the Los Angeles Time's journalistic credibility to hide this story from its web readers. In any other city - this expose would be the front page 'Section A' headline story.
But not at the Los Angeles Times.
Analysis calls ambitious L.A. solar plan 'extremely risky'
An outside consultant says Measure B, which easily made the March 3 ballot, is more costly than portrayed by the city's Department of Water and Power.
By David Zahniser
December 19, 2008
When members of the Los Angeles City Council agreed last month to put an ambitious solar energy plan on the March 3 ballot, they talked effusively about their desire for cleaner air and "green" technology jobs -- the kind that could boost the economy during a recession.
What they didn't discuss was an analysis by a city-hired consulting firm that called the solar plan "extremely risky" and considerably more expensive than was being portrayed by the Department of Water and Power.
Measure B, which calls for unionized DWP workers to install solar panels on rooftops and parking lots across the city, sailed onto the ballot with a unanimous vote. But days earlier, the council's top policy advisor was so troubled by the proposal that, in an e-mail to Council President Eric Garcetti, he recommended that the council delay it until a future election.
After receiving the analysis from the consulting firm, Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry Miller warned Garcetti that the solar measure could result in "substantial increases" to the electricity bills of DWP customers.
Neither Miller nor Garcetti made those findings part of the public record. Since then, Miller's office has rebuffed requests from The Times for a copy of the consulting firm's analysis, saying the state's public records law allows city officials to withhold any document that would reveal the "deliberative process" between the council and its chief legislative analyst.
Miller said Thursday he is no longer worried about the cost, as long as the DWP can secure $1.5 billion in solar tax credits. But he said the agency still must deal with other findings from the consultant, which concluded that the utility "does not have the planning mechanisms and resources in place" to accomplish the solar plan.
Garcetti, for his part, said the consulting firm's findings were not made part of the record because they were among several opinions that he solicited informally on the ballot measure. Solar industry experts disagreed with the numbers produced by the consultant, he said.
"They said that this [ballot measure] was absolutely doable and that that [the consultant's analysis] was wrong."
Still, foes of Measure B said the findings confirm their worst suspicions about the measure -- and the process used to get it on the ballot.
Opponents have called Measure B a backdoor mechanism to make voters sign off on a huge package of DWP rate increases. And they accused Garcetti and Miller of concealing the findings of the private analysts, P.A. Consulting Group.
"That's the problem with City Hall," said former DWP Commission President Nick Patsaouras, who opposes Measure B and is running for city controller. "They think the average taxpayer is not smart enough to tell them the truth."
In a Nov. 4 e-mail obtained by The Times, Miller told Garcetti that he entered into a "quick contract with a very reputable firm" to study the solar plan at Garcetti's request. He offered to keep the analysis from other council members even as he complained that DWP officials had failed to do their own thorough analysis of the measure. "It concerns me greatly that the department did not come forward with this information themselves," Miller wrote. "It would have been as available to them as it was to me."
Miller later concluded: "Since this request came directly from you, I am not sharing this with [Councilwoman] Wendy [Greuel] or the other members until you clear it."
Garcetti said he later gave Miller permission to give the findings to other council members -- and would not have voted to place the measure on the ballot if he thought the findings were accurate.
Still, Councilman Bernard C. Parks, who heads the council's Budget and Finance Committee, said he never received the findings -- and wished that he had.
"If this is accurate information, or at least a point of view, the council should get the chance to ferret through this," Parks said.
The DWP has already agreed to impose increases of nearly 24% on electricity bills between 2006 and 2010. DWP officials contend the solar plan would lead to rate hikes of no more than 4% for the average household, and that those would occur no sooner than 2011.
But according to a one-page summary attached to Miller's e-mail, P.A. Consulting Group warned that ratepayers could face annual surcharges of up to 12% per year if Measure B passes.
The analysis also said that the solar plan would cost $3.6 billion, not the $1.5 billion suggested by DWP General Manager H. David Nahai.
"Bottom line is they do not believe that the department can deliver on this program at all, and that the costs associated with the program are way understated," Miller wrote in his e-mail to Garcetti.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and council members have embraced the solar plan, which was spearheaded by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the union that represents DWP employees. Under the plan, all the solar panels would be owned by the DWP and installed by the utility's workers.
In the mayor's office, the measure was handled by Deputy Mayor Nancy Sutley, who was recently tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to fill a high-level environmental post in Washington, D.C. Sutley said Thursday that she never received a copy of the outside analysis. "I heard it referred to once and never again," she said.
Sutley said she could not respond to the assertions in the analysis because she did not know what they were based on. She also said she never asked for the document because she wasn't sure it existed.
Councilwoman Jan Perry, who heads the Energy and Environment Committee, said Miller showed her the one-page summary of the consulting firm's findings. Perry said she was "alarmed" by the potential effect on DWP ratepayers but did not keep the document because she thought it was confidential.
Asked why she voted to put the measure on the ballot anyway, Perry said she thought she could unearth more details about the solar program in the months leading to the election. "I felt that through the committee process, we would be able to better vet the proposal, which is what I'm doing now," she said.
Greuel, who is also running for city controller, said she also looked at Miller's document but concluded that the DWP had answered all the questions raised by it.
Representatives of P.A. Consulting Group did not respond Thursday to requests for comment.
The findings zeroed in on the surcharge -- known as the Energy Cost Adjustment Factor -- that the DWP places on power bills to cover the costs of fluctuating prices, including natural gas and sources of renewable energy.
The firm warned that the surcharge, which stands at 4% annually, could triple if Measure B passes.
DWP officials said they had not received a copy of the outside analysis. But in an interview two weeks ago, Nahai said the prospect for a larger surcharge was unlikely.
"Is that within the realm of political possibility? I would say no."
david.zahniser@latimes.com
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Confusing LA Times Story On MOCA, Eli Broad and Jeremy Strick!
Two posts down, the New York Times says that MOCA is - for now - accepting Eli Broad's offer and working on the details.
The below Los Angeles Times article says at the end of one sentence, that MOCA is moving towards the Broad deal - but the rest of the article is mainly about Jeremy Strick's resignation - or non-resignation - and the back history of the MOCA crisis. I can only assume that another longer story on just the Broad deal is being written by another reporter which is why this story focuses on the Strick angle.
The below Los Angeles Times article says at the end of one sentence, that MOCA is moving towards the Broad deal - but the rest of the article is mainly about Jeremy Strick's resignation - or non-resignation - and the back history of the MOCA crisis. I can only assume that another longer story on just the Broad deal is being written by another reporter which is why this story focuses on the Strick angle.
Director Strick said to be latest casualty at MOCA
10:40 PM, December 18, 2008
The financially troubled Museum of Contemporary Art struggled with efforts to secure its future Thursday as its beleaguered director, Jeremy Strick, approached the end of his tenure and board members moved toward a bailout deal with billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad.
One member of the museum’s Board of Trustees, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Strick had resigned during a “tearful” scene at a meeting of the board. A MOCA spokeswoman, however, denied that.
“Jeremy Strick did not submit his resignation; that is inaccurate,” said spokeswoman Elizabeth Hinckley. “MOCA’s official position is that Strick did not resign as the director of MOCA. He is still the director of MOCA. He has not resigned at all.”
The museum issued a statement after the board had met for much of the day saying that trustees were still considering outside proposals to stabilize the institution’s bottom line.
“The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees is continuing to review the options presented to the full board today. MOCA anticipates making a further announcement as early as next week regarding the outcome of these discussions,” the statement said.
The problems at MOCA, which was founded in 1979 and is widely considered one of the finest contemporary art museums in the world, became public knowledge in mid-November, when The Times reported that Strick was seeking large cash infusions from donors to solve a financial crisis.
The museum’s federal tax returns show that early in this decade, it had spent all $20 million of its unrestricted funds to meet routine operating costs. By mid-2007, it had borrowed an additional $7.5 million from “restricted” accounts, designated by donors for specific uses.
As a result of the revelations, the California attorney general’s office is looking into the museum’s finances.
The MOCA board convened Thursday for the second time this week to continue to discuss two recent bailout offers: a merger proposal from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and a $30-million donation from Broad, contingent on MOCA’s being able to match $15 million of the grant with other funds.
Broad came forward in late November with the $30-million offer. And this week, LACMA stepped up to the plate by proposing a merger with MOCA that would allow the downtown contemporary museum to exhibit its collections at LACMA’s Broad Contemporary Art Museum and the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion under construction on LACMA’s Wilshire Boulevard campus.
Strick, who grew up in Los Angeles, was brought in as director in 1999. He earned his bachelor’s degree in art history at UC Santa Cruz and pursued doctoral studies at Harvard. Before coming to MOCA, he had served as a curator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the St. Louis Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.
At MOCA, the low-key and scholarly administrator was perceived as a lavish spender. On his watch, the museum’s budget rose from $15.6 million in fiscal 1999-2000 to $21.2 million in 2006-07.
-- Diane Haithman
It's Official! The City Of Los Angeles Is Now More Corrupt Than Chicago!
Thank God for David Zahniser at the LA Times or it would have take a lot longer to shine some light on the city's proposed solar initiative program. Luckily, I think there is still time for the city to call a special session on Monday and remove this measure from the ballot. At that time each member of the city council should also personally apologize to the citizens of Los Angeles for their actions.
Analysis calls ambitious L.A. solar plan 'extremely risky'
An outside consultant says Measure B, which easily made the March 3 ballot, is more costly than portrayed by the city's Department of Water and Power.
By David Zahniser
December 19, 2008
When members of the Los Angeles City Council agreed last month to put an ambitious solar energy plan on the March 3 ballot, they talked effusively about their desire for cleaner air and "green" technology jobs -- the kind that could boost the economy during a recession.
What they didn't discuss was an analysis by a city-hired consulting firm that called the solar plan "extremely risky" and considerably more expensive than was being portrayed by the Department of Water and Power.
Measure B, which calls for unionized DWP workers to install solar panels on rooftops and parking lots across the city, sailed onto the ballot with a unanimous vote. But days earlier, the council's top policy advisor was so troubled by the proposal that, in an e-mail to Council President Eric Garcetti, he recommended that the council delay it until a future election.
After receiving the analysis from the consulting firm, Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry Miller warned Garcetti that the solar measure could result in "substantial increases" to the electricity bills of DWP customers.
Neither Miller nor Garcetti made those findings part of the public record. Since then, Miller's office has rebuffed requests from The Times for a copy of the consulting firm's analysis, saying the state's public records law allows city officials to withhold any document that would reveal the "deliberative process" between the council and its chief legislative analyst.
Miller said Thursday he is no longer worried about the cost, as long as the DWP can secure $1.5 billion in solar tax credits. But he said the agency still must deal with other findings from the consultant, which concluded that the utility "does not have the planning mechanisms and resources in place" to accomplish the solar plan.
Garcetti, for his part, said the consulting firm's findings were not made part of the record because they were among several opinions that he solicited informally on the ballot measure. Solar industry experts disagreed with the numbers produced by the consultant, he said.
"They said that this [ballot measure] was absolutely doable and that that [the consultant's analysis] was wrong."
Still, foes of Measure B said the findings confirm their worst suspicions about the measure -- and the process used to get it on the ballot.
Opponents have called Measure B a backdoor mechanism to make voters sign off on a huge package of DWP rate increases. And they accused Garcetti and Miller of concealing the findings of the private analysts, P.A. Consulting Group.
"That's the problem with City Hall," said former DWP Commission President Nick Patsaouras, who opposes Measure B and is running for city controller. "They think the average taxpayer is not smart enough to tell them the truth."
In a Nov. 4 e-mail obtained by The Times, Miller told Garcetti that he entered into a "quick contract with a very reputable firm" to study the solar plan at Garcetti's request. He offered to keep the analysis from other council members even as he complained that DWP officials had failed to do their own thorough analysis of the measure. "It concerns me greatly that the department did not come forward with this information themselves," Miller wrote. "It would have been as available to them as it was to me."
Miller later concluded: "Since this request came directly from you, I am not sharing this with [Councilwoman] Wendy [Greuel] or the other members until you clear it."
Garcetti said he later gave Miller permission to give the findings to other council members -- and would not have voted to place the measure on the ballot if he thought the findings were accurate.
Still, Councilman Bernard C. Parks, who heads the council's Budget and Finance Committee, said he never received the findings -- and wished that he had.
"If this is accurate information, or at least a point of view, the council should get the chance to ferret through this," Parks said.
The DWP has already agreed to impose increases of nearly 24% on electricity bills between 2006 and 2010. DWP officials contend the solar plan would lead to rate hikes of no more than 4% for the average household, and that those would occur no sooner than 2011.
But according to a one-page summary attached to Miller's e-mail, P.A. Consulting Group warned that ratepayers could face annual surcharges of up to 12% per year if Measure B passes.
The analysis also said that the solar plan would cost $3.6 billion, not the $1.5 billion suggested by DWP General Manager H. David Nahai.
"Bottom line is they do not believe that the department can deliver on this program at all, and that the costs associated with the program are way understated," Miller wrote in his e-mail to Garcetti.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and council members have embraced the solar plan, which was spearheaded by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the union that represents DWP employees. Under the plan, all the solar panels would be owned by the DWP and installed by the utility's workers.
In the mayor's office, the measure was handled by Deputy Mayor Nancy Sutley, who was recently tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to fill a high-level environmental post in Washington, D.C. Sutley said Thursday that she never received a copy of the outside analysis. "I heard it referred to once and never again," she said.
Sutley said she could not respond to the assertions in the analysis because she did not know what they were based on. She also said she never asked for the document because she wasn't sure it existed.
Councilwoman Jan Perry, who heads the Energy and Environment Committee, said Miller showed her the one-page summary of the consulting firm's findings. Perry said she was "alarmed" by the potential effect on DWP ratepayers but did not keep the document because she thought it was confidential.
Asked why she voted to put the measure on the ballot anyway, Perry said she thought she could unearth more details about the solar program in the months leading to the election. "I felt that through the committee process, we would be able to better vet the proposal, which is what I'm doing now," she said.
Greuel, who is also running for city controller, said she also looked at Miller's document but concluded that the DWP had answered all the questions raised by it.
Representatives of P.A. Consulting Group did not respond Thursday to requests for comment.
The findings zeroed in on the surcharge -- known as the Energy Cost Adjustment Factor -- that the DWP places on power bills to cover the costs of fluctuating prices, including natural gas and sources of renewable energy.
The firm warned that the surcharge, which stands at 4% annually, could triple if Measure B passes.
DWP officials said they had not received a copy of the outside analysis. But in an interview two weeks ago, Nahai said the prospect for a larger surcharge was unlikely.
"Is that within the realm of political possibility? I would say no."
david.zahniser@latimes.com
MOCA Accepts Eli Broad's Offer!
No word from LA Times, but this very good news just in from the New York Times:
December 19, 2008
Los Angeles Museum Agrees to Accept Rescue Deal
By EDWARD WYATT
LOS ANGELES — The board of this city’s financially troubled Museum of Contemporary Art reached a preliminary agreement on Thursday to accept a financial rescue offer from Eli Broad, the billionaire philanthropist who was a founding trustee of the museum and is one of this city’s largest arts patrons, according to three people close to the board.
The agreement, which the board voted on at a long meeting Thursday afternoon, is not final and is subject to numerous conditions, including Mr. Broad’s examinations of the museum’s financial accounts, according to the people, two of whom attended the meeting on Thursday.
The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not final and they were not authorized to talk about it, said that the museum’s executive committee was continuing to meet Thursday night to hammer out details of the deal.
They also cautioned that the agreement could fall apart and that a competing offer from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for a merger of the two institutions had not been completely dismissed.
Museum officials could not be reached for comment Thursday night. In a statement issued at about 4:40 p.m. Pacific time on Thursday, the museum said: “The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees is continuing to review the options presented to the full board today. MOCA anticipates making a further announcement as early as next week regarding the outcome of these discussions.”
Two people who were present at the meeting said that after a vote, the board authorized the executive committee to complete the deal. One of those people said the board favored Mr. Broad’s offer because “it allows us to remain an independent, ongoing museum.”
The offer from the Los Angeles County Museum would merge the operations of the two institutions and exhibit some of the contemporary museum’s work at the county museum’s campus.
The Museum of Contemporary Art has run into increasingly difficult financial straits in recent years as its fund-raising has failed to keep up with its spending and the museum’s management dipped into restricted funds in order to pay for ongoing operations.
As a result, the museum’s endowment has declined from more than $40 million near the beginning of the decade to about $6 million currently, according to people who have been briefed on the museum’s finances. The erosion of resources has been made worse by the recent declines in the financial markets, which have taken substantial bites out of the investment portfolios of many cultural institutions.
Mr. Broad offered last month to come to the museum’s rescue, offering up to $15 million in matching funds to help rebuild the endowment. He said he would give the museum one dollar for every dollar it raised. He also offered to give the museum $15 million over five years to pay for exhibitions.
The city’s mayor, Antonio R. Villaraigosa, urged the trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art on Thursday to take another 30 days to conduct a public review of proposals to rescue their institution, which is facing a financial crisis. The board’s trustees met for the second time in three days to evaluate the two competing rescue offersBroad.
The mayor asked the museum to voluntarily invoke a clause in its lease on two city buildings that calls for the appointment of a panel of “contemporary art experts” to help oversee the museum if it breaches its contractual obligation to remain a “museum of ‘world class’ stature.”
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Los Angeles Times Finally Discovers Mike Davis And His 'Facts' Are Frauds! (except they only got the second part right!)
Back in the distant reaches of time - about ten years ago, in fact, I launched what was at the start a one man war against Mike Davis and his latest book - 'Ecology of Fear'. This was at a time when everyone from Business Week to the LA and New York Times was praising him for his command of the 'facts'; facts I easily proved - hundreds of times over - were often complete fiction.
Ecology of Fear's central premise was that it was more dangerous to live in Southern California than almost any place in this country. I, however, pointed out that the biggest environmental dangers to human life in this country were from extreme changes in heat and cold - and real hurricanes and real tornadoes - none of which we suffer from in Los Angeles. This was an argument which no one paid much attention to.
So it is quite... satisfying... for the LA Times to today finally discover that I was also completely right on that point. See the attached link above or the article below for details.
Now as far as where Mr. Mike Davis is today, he recently left his position at UC Irvine and is now hunkered down at the UC Riverside. But Davis no longer teaches geography or urban planning or history or political science or anything that directly applies to the subjects of his constant stream of books. Instead, Mike Davis now occupies a position for which his books such as 'City of Quartz' and 'Ecology of Fear' and 'Victorian Holocausts' have proven him eminently qualified to hold.
Mike Davis is now a professor of - drum roll, please ... creative writing.
Ecology of Fear's central premise was that it was more dangerous to live in Southern California than almost any place in this country. I, however, pointed out that the biggest environmental dangers to human life in this country were from extreme changes in heat and cold - and real hurricanes and real tornadoes - none of which we suffer from in Los Angeles. This was an argument which no one paid much attention to.
So it is quite... satisfying... for the LA Times to today finally discover that I was also completely right on that point. See the attached link above or the article below for details.
Now as far as where Mr. Mike Davis is today, he recently left his position at UC Irvine and is now hunkered down at the UC Riverside. But Davis no longer teaches geography or urban planning or history or political science or anything that directly applies to the subjects of his constant stream of books. Instead, Mike Davis now occupies a position for which his books such as 'City of Quartz' and 'Ecology of Fear' and 'Victorian Holocausts' have proven him eminently qualified to hold.
Mike Davis is now a professor of - drum roll, please ... creative writing.
Disaster area? Southern California has it made in the shade
The region is actually one of the safest in the country, researchers say. Extreme heat and cold are far more deadly than earthquakes and wildfires.
By Thomas H. Maugh II and Mary Engel
December 17, 2008
Southern California may think of itself as disaster-prone, alternately bemoaning and reveling in its status as earthquake-, wildfire- and mudslide-plagued.
But it seems a reality check is in order: The region is actually one of the nation's safest -- at least in terms of human lives.
The natural hazards that bedevil us are small potatoes compared with those in other parts of the country, researchers said Wednesday in releasing a disaster map of the U.S.
Extreme heat and cold, flooding and tornadoes are the deadliest natural hazards, and they strike most frequently in the Gulf Coast, the northern Great Plains and the Mountain West, researchers reported online in the International Journal of Health Geographics.
"There is a public perception that the risk of dying in earthquakes and hurricanes is higher than that from everyday hazards," said Susan L. Cutter, a respected health geographer at the University of South Carolina who led the study. "Most people say earthquakes are big events that kill lots of people, but they don't. The same is true for hurricanes."
Heat waves, extreme cold and flooding "don't garner as much attention in the news, and may not be as catching to the eye for publicity . . . but the risk associated with them over the course of a year is quite high," said Tricia Wachtendorf, associate director of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware.
"Because of their frequency, they are going to be impacting a greater number of people," she said.
Most studies of natural hazards have tended to map one type of disaster, making it difficult to compare relative risks, Cutter said. There also have been conflicting claims about which natural hazards caused the most deaths.
To attempt to get a handle on the issue, Cutter and graduate student Kevin A. Borden used data from two national databases for the period 1970 to 2004. They identified 19,958 deaths from natural hazards and mapped them on a county-by-county basis.
Heat and drought together were the greatest hazard, accounting for 19.6% of the total, followed by severe summer weather at 18.8% and winter weather at 18.1%. Earthquakes, wildfires and hurricanes combined accounted for less than 5%.
Mortality was greatest in the South, where most people were killed by severe weather and tornadoes. In the northern Great Plains, heat and drought were the biggest killers. In the Mountain West, winter weather and flooding caused the most deaths, and in the south-central U.S., floods and tornadoes posed the biggest risk.
California is lucky because "we don't have lots of severe weather," said Kimberly Shoaf of UCLA's Center for Public Health and Disasters. "Although we have heat, it is constant heat.
"It's not the temperature itself but the difference between the average temperature and the heat extremes" that is dangerous because it catches people unprepared, she said.
As for the wildfires that sweep through the region with alarming frequency, they create the perception that Southern California is particularly disaster-prone -- but fires claim relatively few lives.
Earthquake preparation has gone a long way to mitigate the risks in a seismically unstable area. California has "done a great deal in terms of its emergency management and risk reduction, has been very proactive, so it doesn't surprise me that the number of deaths has been fairly low," Wachtendorf said.
Charlie Sardou, interim communications manager for the greater Los Angeles chapter of the American Red Cross, wasn't surprised that the nation's earthquake capital ranked low on deaths from natural disasters.
He said California's strict building codes protected the state from the huge losses seen in countries with more vulnerable structures.
But the number of deaths is just one measure of a disaster, Sardou said. A large quake would damage homes and businesses, close freeways and all but shut down Los Angeles and other cities.
"The bigger question is what would happen to the quality of life here in Southern California for some time afterward," Sardou said. "The total amount of damage could be many, many times greater than, say, a [Hurricane] Katrina."
Added Jay Alan, spokesman for the state's Governor's Office of Homeland Security: "We do face obviously the potential of a major disaster in the form of an earthquake or a tsunami. Those are things Kansas doesn't have to worry about."
But even for property damage, earthquakes rank low in the overall scheme of things.
"Floods tend to be No. 1 for everything because they happen frequently and affect large areas," Shoaf said. "We had two flooding events this year where the entire Midwest was covered. . . . The property damage for that is huge."
thomas.maugh@latimes.com
mary.engel@latimes.com
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Los Angeles Times Goes On-Line With Reuters Tribune BK Story!
Los Angeles Times reports story of its potential BK:
Tribune is preparing for bankruptcy filing
From Reuters
Publisher and broadcaster Tribune Co. is preparing for a possible bankruptcy-protection filing as soon as this week, The Wall Street Journal reported on its website today, citing people familiar with the matter.
Tribune Co., whose newspapers include the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times, in recent days has hired Lazard Ltd. as its financial adviser and a legal counsel for a possible trip through bankruptcy court, the paper reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Messages left with Tribune and Lazard were not immediately returned.
The Journal, which cited a Tribune spokesman saying the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation. It said a Lazard spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The paper said Tribune has been on wobbly footing since last December, when real-estate mogul Sam Zell led a debt-backed deal to take the company private.
Tribune so far has stayed ahead of its $12 billion in borrowings with the help of asset sales, but dwindling profits are now tightening the noose, it said. The company's cash flow may not be enough to cover nearly $1 billion in interest payments this year, and Tribune owes a $512 million debt payment in June, the paper said.
Wall Street Journal Says Tribune/LA Times Could Go BK - This Week!
Looks like Sam Zell and the Los Angeles Times may be headed to court...
DECEMBER 8, 2008
Tribune Co. Taps Lazard,Weighs Filing for Chapter 11
Tribune Co. is preparing for a possible filing for bankruptcy-court protection as soon as this week, according to people familiar with the matter, in another sign of trouble for the newspaper industry.
In recent days, as Tribune continued talks with lenders to restructure its debt, the newspaper-and-television concern hired Lazard Ltd. as its financial adviser, as well as legal counsel for a possible trip through bankruptcy court, according to people familiar with the matter.
A Tribune spokesman said the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.
