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.

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.

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:

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?

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.

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.

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.

Worst Oscar Show - Ever

This is not a TV show. This is the biggest mass suicide since Johnstown.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

# # #

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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".

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

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.

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....

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:

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.

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

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:

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).

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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