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INSIDE
• Lakers legend
visits school. pg. 3
• A must read —
Tim’s take on ‘Fifty
Shades’ pg. 18
Sunny and
warm into
the weekend
Volume 25 No. 10
NN
Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities
ELECTION COVERAGE NN
March 5, 2015
WeHo deputy misconduct
prompts changes to system
n Council may seek greater oversight
By jonathan van dyke
photo courtesy of the Carolyn Ramsay Campaign
CD4 candidate Carolyn Ramsay addressed supporters during a long election night on Tuesday.
Ramsay, Ryu headed for runoff
n Candidate Tomas
O’Grady remains a
close third in count
By jonathan van dyke
Carolyn Ramsay and David
Ryu led the unofficial vote count
in the primary election for the 4th
District Council Office as of
Wednesday afternoon, with
Tomas O’Grady trailing by
approximately 60 votes.
In the uncertified final vote
tally — which does not include
some vote-by-mail ballots or provisional votes — Ramsay
received 15.32 percent (2,911),
Ryu received 14.61 percent
(2,776) and O’Grady received
14.29 percent (2,715) in the race
Voters approve changes
to WeHo city council
See CD4 page 21
See Council page 20
Noteworthy women honored in March
n Actress and Park La Brea resident honored
By Luis Rivas
n Third-place candidate
is still to be determined
By jonathan van dyke
West Hollywood Mayor John
D’Amico, candidate Lauren
Meister and candidate Lindsey
Horvath led a tight race for West
Hollywood City Council as of
Wednesday afternoon — a result
that could lead to the end of Mayor
Pro Tempore John Heilman’s long
tenure on city council.
D’Amico received 1,892 votes,
Meister received 1,750 votes,
Horvath received 1,692 votes and
Heilman received 1,664 votes,
according to the unofficial final
results — which do not include
some mail-by-vote ballots or provisional votes.
According
to
the
West
Hollywood City Clerk’s Office,
to
replace
termed-out
Councilman Tom LaBonge. The
top two will advance to the general election.
“I’m just grateful to all the
people who voted for me,”
Ramsay said Wednesday morning. “I’m grateful my message of
protecting neighborhoods and
holding the city accountable res-
The West Hollywood City
Council will examine potential
changes to its council deputy system, but not until after the election
process is finished, officials said.
In recent weeks the deputy system has come under fire. Each city
council member works part time,
and therefore employs a fulltime
deputy to represent his or her office.
Councilman John Duran’s deputy,
Ian Owens, has been on paid leave
after alleged misconduct.
Owens is accused of eavesdropping on Mayor Pro Tempore John
Heilman’s deputy, Fran Solomon.
Owens alleges Solomon, who was
working on Heilman’s reelection
campaign for the March 3 election,
was working for the campaign on
city time.
Owens, in a letter addressed to the
city, said he was a “whistleblower”
about Solomon’s campaign misconduct. He also alleged that Duran and
he had sex before he was hired, and
that Duran had made unwanted
advances while he was his deputy.
“Ian and I met years ago, had sex
once, and it never happened again,”
Duran said in a statement. “We
became friends. Hernan Molina
was my deputy at this time. Hernan
got promoted many months after
that. I hired Ian to be my interim
deputy because of his background
in finance, hotel development and
real estate. He was qualified for the
position. In the years he worked for
me there were never any sexual
advances made toward him. And
there were never any allegations of
sexual harassment filed until after
he was walked out of city hall.”
The Los Angeles County
Sheriff’s Department is leading a
criminal investigation into the
issue, and its findings will be submitted to the Los Angeles County
District Attorney’s Office in the
near future, said Lt. Martin
Rodriguez, with LASD’s Major
Crimes Bureau.
West Hollywood City Attorney
Michael Jenkins said the city’s own
internal investigation was ongoing,
but officials “hope to have it
photo by Jon Viscott
Incumbent John D’Amico and newcomer Lauren Meister won seats.
there are approximately 700 more
votes to be counted, which will be
tabulated during the next few days.
Officials said the final results
would be certified on March 16.
“I’m going to wait until all the
See WeHo page 20
Los Angeles will be honoring women from the past and
present who have contributed to the arts, advocacy and
women’s rights this year during International Women’s
Day and Women’s History Month. There will be a series of
events raising awareness about issues affecting women
and honoring women from Los Angeles.
One woman who has contributed greatly to the arts is
Park La Brea’s resident star, Patricia Morison, who will be
turning 100 next week. A birthday celebration will be held
at the Pantages Theater during a private event on March 9,
and at a public event at the Pasadena Playhouse on March
15. Morison is best known for her long career in film and
theatre.
Morison, now retired and a resident of Park La Brea
since the early 1960s, remembered some of the challenges
of being a women in film and theatre.
“They were the same challenges that women have in most
businesses,” Morison said. “But in show business, men seemed to think that actresses were somehow more available
photo courtesy of Harlan Boll
so there was a little bit more men making passes.”
Actress and Park La Brea resident Patricia
Prior to a long career in film, Morison was first a singer Morison, pictured in the 1946 film “Dressed to
See Women’s page 22 Kill”, will be honored for contributions to the arts.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
2 March 5, 2015
Calendar
6 Film Discussion
D
irector, screenwriter and producer Ned Benson will discuss his
life and career on Friday, March 6 at
7:30 p.m. at Vidiots Annex. Benson
will specifically examine the origin
and evolution of his three-film series,
“The Disappearance of Eleanor
Rigby”. A question and answer session will follow the discussion.
General admission is $15; $10 for
students. 302 Pico Blvd., Santa
Monica. (310)392-8508, vidiotsfoundation.org.
on Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Short films by Los Angeles filmmakers will be shown, followed by a discussion with the directors and a panel
led by Elvis Mitchell, host of
KCRW’s “The Treatment” and curator
of Film Independent at LACMA.
General admission is $45. LACMA’s
Bing Theatre, 5905 Wilshire Blvd.
(323)857-6010, www.lacma.org.
‘Peter and the Wolf’
Variety Show
A
ctor and narrator Damon Gupton
will join the Kaleidoscope
Chamber Orchestra for a performance
of “Peter and the Wolf” on Friday,
March 6 at 8 p.m. at First
Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica,
and on Saturday, March 7 at 8 p.m. at
First Baptist Church in Pasadena. The
show is part of the orchestra’s “Tales
and Tribulations” series, and will also
include performances of works by
Rave and Tchaikovsky. General
admission is $10; free for audience
members 17 and under. First
Presbyterian Church, 1220 2nd St.,
Santa Monica; First Baptist Church,
75 N. Marengo Ave., Pasadena.
(323)795-8001, www.kco.la.
7 Legal Clinic
V
olunteer attorneys from the
Beverly Hills Bar Association
Barristers will answer legal questions
during a free legal aid clinic on
Saturday, March 7 from 10 a.m. to
noon in the Elm Room at Roxbury
Park in Beverly Hills. Small claims,
wills and trusts, business disputes,
consumer law and landlord-tenant
law will be discussed. 471 S.
Roxbury
Dr.
(310)601-2422,
www.bhba.org.
Children’s Music
F
amilies are encouraged to attend
West Hollywood’s “soundSpark”
music series for young children on
Saturday, March 7 at noon in the West
Hollywood
Library
Children’s
Theatre. Composer and violinist
Stephanie Cheng Smith will perform.
The series offers free solo and duo
performances by emerging artists.
625 N. San Vicente Blvd. (323)8486377, www.sassas.org.
C
omedian and writer Chris Piehler
is hosting the “Piehler’s Variety
Pack” show on Saturday, March 7 at
7:30 p.m. at the Tao Comedy Studio.
The show includes stand-up comedy,
magic, music and mind reading.
Audience members can also participate in a “speed haiku” competition.
Tickets are $10; proceeds benefit the
Michael J. Fox Foundation for
Parkinson’s Research. 7466 Beverly
Blvd, Ste. 201. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1303434.
photo courtesy of Mike Pingel
Steven Fales’ solo hit “Confessions of a Mormon Boy” runs from Sunday,
March 8 through Sunday, April 26 at the Zephyr Theatre in Hollywood.
The play is a hilarious, harrowing and inspiring true story of his life.
Showtimes are at 7 p.m., Sunday. Tickets are $30. 7456 Melrose Ave.
(800)838-3006 ext. 1, www.mormonboyonline.com.
Classical Concert
C
onductor Alex Trager and the
American Youth Symphony
return to Walt Disney Concert Hall on
Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. as part of
the LA Phil’s “Sounds About Town”
program.
Works
by
Dooley,
Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich will
be performed. Tickets start at $43. 111
S. Grand Ave. (323)850-2000,
www.laphil.com.
Jazz Concert
J
azz lovers are invited to a free performance by Alison Lewis on
Saturday, March 7 at 4 p.m. in the
West Hollywood City Council
Chambers. The performance caps the
city’s “2015 Winter Sounds” series.
Lewis and her jazz quartet will perform versions of songs by Stevie
Wonder, Sting, Cole Porter, Rogers
and Hammerstein, Herbie Hancock
and the Beatles, as well as original
works. 625 N. San Vicente Blvd.
(323)848-6377, www.weho.org/arts.
Art & Music
J
ack Rutberg Fine Arts presents an
evening of music and art on
Saturday, March 7, in conjunction
with the new exhibit, “Collectible:
Modern and Contemporary Work”.
The Lyris Quartet and M.B. Gordy
will perform. A wine reception begins
at 7 p.m., followed by the musical performance at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.
357 N. La Brea Ave. (323)938-5222,
www.jackrutbergfinearts.com.
Film at LACMA
F
ilm buffs won’t want to miss the
Los Angeles County Museum of
Art’s annual “Young Directors Night”
8 ‘Reborning’ Dolls
D
oll artists Amy Karich and
LaJuana Hawkins will lead a discussion on Sunday, March 8 at 3:30
p.m. at the Fountain Theatre.
“Reborn” dolls resemble babies, with
as much realism and detail as possible. The design process, called
“reborning,” is elaborate and timeconsuming. The discussion follows a
matinee performance at 2 p.m. of the
play, “Reborning”, by Zayd Dohrn,
about a young artist who crafts custom-made dolls and begins to suspect
that a demanding client may be the
mother who abandoned her at birth.
Admission to the discussion is free;
tickets to the play start at $10. 5060
Fountain
Ave.
(323)663-1525,
www.FountainTheatre.com.
Chamber Music
C
hamber music aficionados are
invited to a Le Salon de Musiques
performance on Sunday, March 8 at 4
p.m. at the Dorothy Chandler
Pavilion, 5th Floor. Musicologist
Julius Reder Carlson will introduce a
program of works by Berger, Ysaye,
Hahn and Cras. Guests will enjoy a
champagne buffet following the con-
cert. Tickets are $75; $39 for students.
135 N. Grand Ave. (310)498-0257,
www.lesalondemusiques.com.
10 Women’s Book Club
M
embers of the Women and
Books Club will discuss
“Orphan Train”, by Christina Baker
Kline, on Tuesday, March 10 at 7 p.m.
in the West Hollywood Library
Community Meeting Room. The club
meets monthly to discuss books written by women authors. Admission is
free. 625 N. San Vicente Blvd.
(310)652-5340, www.weho.org/wab.
11 Career Fair
J
ob seekers are encouraged to attend
a career fair on Wednesday, March
11 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the
Doubletree Hotel — Downtown. Job
Opportunities include inside sales
reps, account executives, retail managers, account managers, insurance
sales agents, customer service reps
and more. 120 S. Los Angeles St.
www.HireLive.com.
Japan Earthquake
J
apan Foundation, Los Angeles presents a screening and discussion of
the film “Live Your Dreams: The
Taylor
Anderson
Story”
on
Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. The
film focuses on stories of courage and
sacrifice during the Great Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011. A
discussion with director Regge Life
follows the film. 5700 Wilshire Blvd.,
Ste. 100. www.jflalc.org.
13 Ebell Membership
Cocktail Hour
E
bell of Los Angeles is hosting a
special membership cocktail hour
on Friday, March 13 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Participants can meet Ebell members,
learn about the club, network and tour
the historic Ebell building and
grounds. Tours will be held at 5:30,
6:30 and 7 p.m. Admission is free to
prospective members and current
Ebell members who bring a nonmember friend; $10 for Ebell members who do not bring a prospective
member. Tickets include food and a
drink voucher, and a cash bar will be
available. RSVP to Jessica Hernandez
at (323)931-1277 ext. 131, or email
[email protected].
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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
3 March 5, 2015
Lakers legend offers inspiration to students
n Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
joins excited students at
Kingsley Elementary
By jonathan van dyke
photo courtesy of Dassler Jimenez
Residents opposed to a medical marijuana dispensary on Western
Avenue demonstrated outside the building last Friday.
Police crack down on pot
sales outside dispensary
n Neighbors are fed up Los Angeles City Attorney Mike
with medical marijuana
store in community
By edwin folven
A medical marijuana dispensary at Western and Barton
avenues in Hollywood is under
investigation for buyers purchasing marijuana, and then selling it
to teens.
Dassler Jimenez, a resident
and business owner in the neighborhood, said he often witnessed
teens gathering on Barton
Avenue near the Natural
Remedies Caregivers dispensary
at 927 N. Western Ave. and soliciting people to buy them marijuana. He said he first called police,
but the problem went unabated.
He then called CBS2 News,
which broadcast a report by
David Goldstein last week showing teens near the dispensary asking adults to purchase the marijuana, and following the purchase, teens exchanging and
smoking the marijuana on nearby
streets.
The activity was reported to
Feuer, who immediately began
working with narcotics investigators from the Los Angeles Police
Department’s
Hollywood
Division to address the issue. On
Feb. 25, the same date the report
was broadcast, police held an
undercover operation near the
location and arrested one adult
for furnishing marijuana to a
minor, a felony. They also issued
a citation to a 17-year-old juvenile, who allegedly solicited the
purchase, for misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
Feuer was in Washington D.C.
this week and was unavailable
for a direct comment, but Rob
Wilcox, a city attorney’s office
spokesman, provided a statement
from the city attorney.
“We continue to work aggressively to enforce Prop D, with
475 unlawful dispensaries closing since I took office. When I
became aware of this particular
situation, we reached out to
LAPD, and within two hours,
arrests were made,” the statement
read. “My office is concerned
with this type of activity and the
See Neighbors page 21
Scaffolding goes up around
Academy Museum site
n Workers will study
condition of facade
By jonathan van dyke
Construction workers began
installing scaffolding on Tuesday
around the May Company
Wilshire building, at the northeast
corner of Wilshire Boulevard and
Fairfax Avenue. They will continue the work through March 13
from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.
The northbound right lane of
Fairfax Avenue next to the building will be closed during the work
through Friday.
The Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences has proposed a
new museum for the site.
“The important thing to note
about this scaffolding is that it
doesn’t signal the construction of
the Academy Museum,” said
Morgan Kroll, spokesperson for
the museum.
Instead, Academy officials said
the scaffolding is being installed to
ensure public safety as they continue to study the condition of the
building’s 76-year-old façade.
“We did do some façade testing
at the end of last year, but we’re
continuing that,” Kroll said.
The
proposed
Academy
Museum would be dedicated to
films and filmmaking. It would
include permanent and changing
exhibition spaces and three theatres with a combined seating
capacity of up to 1,350 people.
See Work page 20
The homemade paper Dr. Seuss
hat atop the head of Kingsley
Elementary kindergartner Harley
Cruz gave her a foot of extra height
during an assembly last Friday, but
she was still dwarfed by the
school’s imposing visitor.
Nonetheless, she walked up to
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and thanked
the Lakers legend for a “wonderful” assembly before scurrying
back to her seat.
Abdul-Jabbar spoke to approximately 275 students at the East
Hollywood elementary school on
Thursday morning to kick off Read
Across America — which celebrates reading and the life and
works of Dr. Seuss.
“When I talk to kids in these circumstances, I just want them to get
an idea that they should start thinking now about what they want to do
in the future,” Abdul-Jabbar said
photo by Jonathan Van Dyke
Hall of Fame player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar demonstrated his signature
skyhook, much to the delight of students.
after the assembly. “Usually when
you wait until they get to the high
school age, it’s too late and they’ve
already made some bad choices.
Peer pressure and the influence of
gangs are overwhelming. If you get
a chance to impact them now
before those issues predominate,
you get a chance to turn many of
them into really effective and productive scholars and contributors to
their society, to their community.”
The morning assembly opened
with a short film chronicling
Abdul-Jabbar’s life from high
school, to UCLA, from Milwaukee,
to the Lakers and currently as an
See Students page 22
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
4 March 5, 2015
Driver charged in crash that killed LAPD officer Auto burglaries shift to new
Authorities allege
areas in Wilshire Division
truck’s brakes were
n
improperly maintained
By edwin folven
By edwin folven
An increase in auto burglaries
that was recently occurring in the
neighborhoods around Wilshire
Boulevard between Fairfax and
La Brea Avenues has decreased
since police issued a warning two
weeks ago.
However, authorities are concerned that thieves may now be
targeting vehicles in the Melrose
District, which has experienced a
slight increase in auto burglaries
during the past week.
Det. Wes Lin, with the Wilshire
Division’s Auto Theft Unit, said
the auto burglaries and thefts in
the central portion of the division
around Wilshire Boulevard
decreased dramatically after additional police resources were
devoted to the area, and an article
about the thefts was published in
the Feb. 19 issue of the Park
Labrea News and Beverly Press.
“It virtually died out. In the last
week, I think we had one [auto
burglary in that area],” Lin said.
“We dedicated a couple of special
problems unit cars to the center of
the division, and that, in conjunction with the article, helped clean
up that central area.”
Lin cautioned motorists to continue to be vigilant in protecting
their parked vehicles, particularly
in the Melrose District neighborhoods. Eight vehicles were burglarized last week in the area
between Willoughby Avenue and
Beverly Boulevard, and La Brea
A truck driver who collided with
a Los Angeles Police Department
patrol car in Beverly Hills last
March, killing one officer and
injuring another, has been charged
with felony gross vehicular
manslaughter with negligence.
The Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s Office announced the
charge on Monday against Robert
Maldonado, 46, who was arrested
by California Highway Patrol
investigators on Feb. 27.
Maldonado is charged in the death
of LAPD officer Nicholas Chuong
Lee, 40, who was assigned to the
Hollywood Division.
Lee and his unidentified partner,
a probationary officer who had
been with the department for
approximately three months at the
time of the collision, were responding to a call on March 7 of
“unknown trouble” and were passing through the city of Beverly
Hills when their vehicle was struck
by a truck on Loma Vista Drive.
The collision caused the truck to
flip over, and it came to rest near
the intersection of Robert Lane and
Loma Vista Drive. Lee’s partner
was hospitalized and later released.
Investigators contend that the
brakes failed on the truck as
Maldonado was driving down
Loma Vista Drive, a steep road in
the Hollywood Hills above the
Sunset Strip. Maldonado, of
Pacoima, is an independent operator who owns his own trucking
company. He allegedly failed to
photo by Aaron Blevins
The truck that collided with an LAPD patrol car in Beverly Hills last March
overturned on Loma Vista Drive.
inspect and maintain his truck,
which led to the fatal collision,
according to authorities.
The defendant posted $50,000
bail on Feb. 28, and is scheduled to
return to court on March 20 for
arraignment, according to Los
Angeles County District Attorney’s
Office
spokeswoman
Jane
Robison.
Before his assignment in
Hollywood, Lee, a 16-year LAPD
veteran, was assigned to the
Wilshire and Van Nuys divisions.
He was born in Seoul, South Korea,
and moved to the U.S. at age 6,
along with his parents. The family
settled in Koreatown.
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie
Beck issued a statement about the
arrest and felony charge.
“This was a terrible tragedy, and
the Los Angeles Police Department
thanks the CHP for all their efforts
throughout this investigation,”
Beck said. “We hope this arrest can
bring some small piece of closure
to the family. Officer Nick Lee was
a great cop and a great man. The
LAPD is forever grateful for the 16
years he spent protecting our great
city. We will never forget him or his
sacrifice.”
Lee was memorialized in front of
the Hollywood Division last April
with a star on the police station’s
memorial walk. The stars are identical to those on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame, and honor officers
from the station who have been
killed in the line of duty. Lee was
the eighth Hollywood Division
officer to receive a star on the
memorial walk.
Case is closed on Oscars dress stolen from hotel
By edwin folven
Detectives from the West
Hollywood Sheriff’s Station have
ended their investigation into the
theft of a dress worn by actress
Lupita Nyong’o to the Academy
Awards on Feb. 22 that was reported stolen last week from the
London West Hollywood hotel.
Sgt. Richard Bowman, with the
West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station,
said the dress’ manufacturer,
Calvin Klein, declined to press
charges. The dress was recovered
last Friday at the hotel after an
anonymous caller reported to
TMZ that it had been left in a
restroom that was undergoing renovations. Authorities initially were
uncertain whether it was the actual
dress stolen from Nyong’o’s room,
but Bowman confirmed on
Wednesday that the pearl-studded
garment, valued at $150,000, was
the missing dress. No arrests were
made.
“The dress has been picked up
by the manufacturer. We can’t do
anything if there is no victim,”
Bowman said. “The case is
closed.”
An assistant to Nyong’o called
police at approximately 11:25 p.m.
on Feb. 25 to report that the dress
was missing. Police believe it was
stolen from the actress’ room earlier that day between 8 a.m. and 9
p.m.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department spokeswoman Nicole
Nishida said the anonymous caller
reportedly told TMZ that the dress
had been taken to an undisclosed
location in the garment district in
downtown Los Angeles, and it had
been determined that the nearly
6,000 pearls affixed to the dress
were fake. The identity of the
caller has not been determined.
Calls and emails to Calvin Klein
representatives seeking comment
were not returned.
THIS SUN. MAR. 8
and Fairfax avenues. Only three
vehicle burglaries had been
reported in the area during the previous week.
“Traditionally, we don’t have
that many in the northern end of
the division,” Lin added. “We
have also had an increase in the
southeastern portion of the division, between 12th Street to the
north and the 10 Freeway to the
south.”
The detective said the auto burglaries in the Melrose District
have primarily occurred during
the early morning hours, and
involved vehicles owned by residents. He said in one break-in, a
camera valued at $3,000 was left
visible in a console. In others, cell
phones and a laptop computer
were left in plain sight in back
seats. He cautioned motorists to
hide valuables in the trunk, and to
park in well lit areas.
“Out of sight, out of mind,” Lin
added. “Also, if you are walking
your dog at night and see a guy
looking into cars, we want you to
call the police.”
Lin said police have also
recently experienced an increase
in the theft of work vehicles, primarily Ford Econoline vans. He
said thieves are likely stealing the
vehicles because tools are left
inside and can be easily sold. Four
vans and a panel truck were
recently stolen from neighborhoods south of Pico Boulevard.
Anyone with information to
call (213)922-8247.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
5 March 5, 2015
Parks staff considers city running the Greek
n Commission tables
the issue until
next meeting
By jonathan van dyke
The Los Angeles Department of
Recreation and Parks (RAP) staff
is examining the possibility of the
department operating the Greek
Theatre itself.
A Wednesday agenda item was
tabled until the RAP commission’s
next meeting, which included a
staff recommendation to cancel the
current request for proposal (RFP)
process to find an operator for the
Greek Theatre.
Current operator Nederlander,
with new partner AEG, has been
competing against Live Nation to
run the historic music venue for
potentially the next 20 years.
Previously, the Los Angeles City
Council voted against concurring
with the RAP commission’s recommendation to enter into contract
negotiations with Live Nation. In
the same motion, the city council
requested that the RAP commissioners “consider preparing, in
consultation with the community
and the [city council’s] arts, parks,
health, aging and river committee,
a new RFP for concessions and
operations of the Greek Theatre to
be released after review and
approval by the city council.”
The Greek Theatre, located at
2700 Vermont Ave. in Griffith
Park, was officially dedicated in
1929. In 2014, the venue generated
more than $27 million in gross
receipts and paid $1.9 million in
revenue sharing to the department,
according to the staff report.
The report recommended the
RAP commission consider beginning a new RFP process after further community input — or it
could consider operating the Greek
Theatre as an open venue managed
by RAP staff.
“Self-operation might be a
viable option while a new RFP is
processed and completed,” the
report read. “Self-operating the
Greek Theatre as an ‘open venue’
would enable RAP to maintain
control of the programming calendar while providing open access to
all promoters on a non-exclusive
basis.”
The open venue option could be
a long-term option, the staff report
read. RAP officials could not be
reached for comment.
The staff report notes that Red
Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver,
Colo. operates as an open venue,
and it is “one of the leading open
Master Chorale
debuts world
premieres
Artistic director Grant Gershon
leads the Los Angeles Master
Chorale in performances of two
world premieres on Sunday,
March 8 at 7 p.m. in the Walt
Disney Concert Hall.
“Songs of Ascent”, by Swan
family composer in residence
Shawn
Kirchner,
and
“Succession”, by Korean American
composer Nackkum Paik, will be
performed, along with works by
Brahms and Whitacre. Tickets start
at $29. The Walt Disney Concert
Hall is located at 111 S. Grand Ave.
For information, call (213)9727282, or visit www.lamc.org.
and profitable models.” The staff
report also said eliminating the
intermediary contractor could
increase revenue to the department,
allowing its staff to maintain the
theatre.
In the agenda item, staff members request that the RAP commission allow them to prepare a report
on self-operation.
Community members were surprised about the new potential
plan.
“We’re very curious about the
details,” said Chris Laib, president
of the Los Feliz Improvement
Association. “Speaking for myself,
it seems to me that the department
and city should probably focus on
their core business and not expand
into the concert business. It’s a
very tricky operation with some
crazy personalities. It’s not as simple as booking acts and selling
tickets.”
Los Angeles City Councilman
Tom LaBonge, 4th District, said he
is watching the item closely.
“I truly believe the Greek
Theatre is a very special place and
it needs to be operated by a professional company, not the city of Los
Angeles, which at its core business, is taking care of the parks,”
he said.
LaBonge added that he would be
willing to listen to what the RAP
commissioners have to say, but he
is skeptical of the self-operation
plan at this point.
“I represent the people adjacent
to the fabulous Greek Theatre, and
I’ve never seen neighbors ever
speak so strongly of an existing
operator (Nederlander),” he said.
“So I must gather more information as we go forward.”
The initial bids by Live Nation
and Nederlander-AEG were for
management of the Greek Theatre
for potentially 20 years — 10 years
upfront with the possibility of two
five-year renewals.
“Nederlander and AEG Live
appreciate the outpouring of community support for our proposal of
the Greek Theatre,” said Alex
Hodges, CEO of Nederlander. “We
are pleased that the city council
discussion and recommendation
appear to have prompted the
Strategic Advisory Group’s analysis to be set aside. While we are
confident that we are the best possible operator of the Greek, we also
look forward to cooperatively
working with the city as it considers the next options available for
the venue. We love the Greek and
only want what is best for the
venue, the people of Los Angeles
and the loyal fans.”
Live Nation, which declined to
comment, received a higher score
from
third-party
consultant
Strategic Advisory Group, which
prepared the RFP for the Greek
Theatre.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
6 March 5, 2015
Immaculate Heart names
school’s new president
Immaculate Heart’s Board of
Trustees has named alumna and
longtime educator Maureen
Shannon Diekmann as the next
president of Immaculate Heart
High School and Middle School,
effective July 1.
The selection caps a comprehensive search for a replacement
for Julie Sheehan McCormick,
who will retire in June. Ruth
Anne Murray, chair of the
Immaculate Heart board, praised
Diekmann as “extremely qualified” for the position “by virtue of
her vast experience in the field of
education, as well as by her personal knowledge, understanding
and support of the philosophy,
mission and unique culture of our
school.”
Diekmann has been associated
with Immaculate Heart for many
years. She is an alumna from the
class of 1969 and mother of two
graduates: Shannon, class of
2005, and Mary Kathleen, class
of 2007. She served as president
of the parent council while her
daughters attended Immaculate
Heart, and she was also a board
member of the school’s alumnae
association. For the past several
years, Diekmann has also been a
member of Immaculate Heart’s
Board of Trustees and chair of its
education committee.
Diekmann earned a bachelor’s
degree in English from Loyola
Marymount University; a master’s degree in education from
California State University, Los
Angeles; and a master’s degree in
educational administration from
Mount Saint Mary’s College. She
also participated in an advanced
management program at UCLA,
and is credentialed as a teacher
and administrator.
Diekmann is currently executive director of early childhood
education for the Los Angeles
Unified School District, where
n Beverly Hills awards
woman for starting
classes in the area
By Luis Rivas
Maureen Shannon Diekmann
she oversees a federally-funded
program that provides instruction
for 36,000 children. Additionally,
Diekmann is a part-time faculty
member for educational leadership and policy studies at
California State University,
Northridge, and a member of the
Los Angeles County Policy
Roundtable for Child Care and
Development.
“I am most grateful to be able
to serve Immaculate Heart,”
Diekmann said. “Even though I
have been associated with the
school for many years, it will be
important for me to take some
time to listen and learn from the
students, teachers, parents and
administrators who spend their
days on campus working in concert to empower and encourage
young women. With the support
of the Board of Trustees and the
many leaders within Immaculate
Heart, we will continue to be dedicated stewards of the traditions,
philosophy and the future success
of this school we love so much.”
Founded in 1906, Immaculate
Heart is located at the corner of
Franklin and Western avenues in
the Los Feliz District. The school
educates young women in the 6th
through 12th grades. For information, visit www.immaculateheart.org.
Marlborough school appoints
head of school’s replacement
Marlborough School, an independent, school serving young
women in grades 7-12, announced
on Wednesday that Dr. Priscilla G.
Sands will become its ninth head of
school, effective July 1.
Sands joins Marlborough from
the Springside Chestnut Hill
Academy in Philadelphia, where
she has served as president since
2011.
She began her career teaching
drama and English at her alma
mater, Agnes Irwin School in
Philadelphia, where she rose quickly through the ranks, overseeing the
community service program, serving as director of admissions and
financial aid and eventually being
named assistant head of school. In
1996, Sands was tapped to lead
Springside School, and in 2011,
when Springside merged with the
all-boys Chestnut Hill Academy,
the new board appointed Sands
president of the combined institution, Springside Chestnut Hill
Academy.
“On behalf of the entire
Marlborough Board of Trustees, I
am delighted to welcome Dr. Sands
and her family into our school community,” said board president
Christine Ewell. “Her strong com-
Program gives gift of dance to Parkinson’s patients
mitment to the education of girls,
deep understanding of the changing
landscape of 21st century education
and thorough knowledge of the
expectations of highly selective
colleges and universities make Dr.
Sands
an
ideal
fit
for
Marlborough.”
During Sands’s 19-year tenure at
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy,
enrollment grew 63 percent; a fully
transformed and unified campus
was unveiled; extensive sustainability initiatives earned the school
“Green Ribbon” status from the
U.S. Department of Education;
and, most recently, she established
the Center for Entrepreneurial
Leadership, a program that
enhances the school’s core curriculum and has garnered national
attention.
“I am honored and excited to
have been chosen as the next leader
of Marlborough,” Sands said. “As a
strong believer in the power of allgirls education, I look forward to
working with the talented and dedicated administration, faculty and
staff to further the important mission of the school.”
Sands will replace Barbara
Wagner, who will step down at the
end of the academic year.
Beverly Hills resident Linda
Berghoff has been dancing since
she was 10 years old — which may
seem young, but is rather late to get
into dancing, she said. Berghoff has
danced all her life recreationally,
and while in high school and college. However, in 2006 she was
diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a chronic and progressive
movement disorder.
Berghoff feared she wouldn’t be
able to dance anymore.
“I felt like my world was coming
to an end … So when I was diagnosed, you know, it was devastating,” Berghoff said.
According to the Parkinson’s
Disease Foundation, there are
approximately one million people
in the U.S. currently diagnosed
with the disease. Although the individual experiences vary from person to person, the primary signs of
the disease include body tremors, a
slowness of movement, rigidity and
impaired balance and coordination.
The cause of Parkinson’s disease is
still unknown and there is no cure.
After her diagnosis, while she
was visiting family in New York
City, she came across an ad in a
newspaper about a dance program
for people with Parkinson’s disease, “Dance for PD,” by the world
renowned Mark Morris Dance
Group.
The program started in 2001 and
quickly began gaining local,
national and international attention.
By 2007, the program began
expanding to Germany, the U.K.
and Canada. The program was
impressive because it did not treat
its participants as patients in a support group, but rather challenged
them as dancers, Berghoff remembered.
“It was a real dance class, but it
was built for people with movement disorders,” Berghoff said.
“We would do ports de bras, which
photo courtesy of Invertigo Dance Theatre
Linda Berghoff, “Dancing Through Parkinson’s” teacher (right), and
Laura Karlin, founder and artistic director for Invertigo Dance Theatre,
(left), both started the “Dancing Through Parkinson’s” program.
means carrying of the arms — in
ballet, that’s the first thing you do
— and other dance movements.
There was a little bit of foot work in
the chairs and then if people were
able to get up, we worked at a ballet barre. We did all the classic
movements. It was just like a real
dance class.”
After learning more about
“Dance for PD,” Berghoff returned
to Los Angeles and solicited the
help of her longtime neighborhood
friend, Laura Karlin, founder and
artistic director of the Invertigo
Dance Theatre. In 2011, Karlin and
Berghoff, with training from the
Mark Morris Dance Group, started
a similar “Dance for PD” program
called
“Dancing
Through
Parkinson’s” in Los Angeles with
the Invertigo Dance Theatre.
Both Berghoff and Karlin, as
well as a staff of dance instructors,
currently teach “Dancing Through
Parkinson’s” classes at two Los
Angeles locations, the Electric
Lodge dance studio in Venice and
at the YMCA dance studio in
Culver City.
On Feb. 23, the Beverly Hills
Community Health and Safety
Recognition Commission recognized Berghoff with its first award
for her work with “Dancing
Through Parkinson’s.”
Berghoff has remained humble
and wants to re-focus attention to
the classes.
“It’s bigger than me,” she said.
Myra Lurie, chair of the community health and safety commission,
said Berghoff remains a modest
and unassuming individual who
has contributed greatly to people
with Parkinson’s disease.
“Through this program and her
generosity in sharing her personal
experiences with Parkinson’s,
[Berghoff] has touched thousands
of Parkinson’s patients and helped
them to lead happier lives. [She] is
an unsung hero and we are proud to
present her with this well-deserved
honor,” Lurie said.
When she’s not visiting family in
New York City, Berghoff regularly
co-teaches both classes. Most of the
participants, which range from 15
to 20 per week and sometimes 36
per class, are regulars. Participants
are not required to pay to attend the
classes, but instead are encouraged
to donate when and what they can.
“Some people come and donate
what a normal dance class might
cost, about $15. Some people do
not feel that they are in a position to
donate. It’s not what they’re choosSee Dancers page 11
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
7 March 5, 2015
Crosswalk, stoplight set for Santa Monica
n Officials say move
will help improve
pedestrian safety
By edwin folven
photo by Jonathan Van Dyke
U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) is sworn in by Judge Jacqueline
Nguyen at UCLA’s Royce Hall last Sunday as his family watches on
stage. Lieu is replacing long-time U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman.
Lieu swears-in, in front
of home crowd at UCLA
n Elected officials laud
new congressman’s
ideas and acumen
By jonathan van dyke
After local and state officials
praised new U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu
(D-Calif.) on Sunday afternoon,
the stage was set for the congressman to have his official district
swearing-in — but then the fire
alarm went off at UCLA’s Royce
Hall.
Upon having the packed crowd
seated again, Lieu joked that he
was told the audience had made
record time leaving and re-entering
the building in 12 minutes, and he
had no problem waiting for a
moment he is still relishing — the
confluence of his American dream.
After he was sworn-in by Judge
Jacqueline Nguyen, Lieu reflected
on his journey.
“[My story] is the story of
America’s past generations and
that of the generations to come,” he
said.
Lieu is the son of immigrants
who opened a small business and
worked hard, he said, and because
of that, he felt compelled to serve
the country in the U.S. Air Force.
Lieu said it was necessary for him
to continue to give back to
America, a country that had given
so much to him and his family. He
said he would not forget his immigrant roots, and promised his continued support for comprehensive
immigration reform — something
he believes will eliminate “the
underground economy” and
increase the national gross domestic product.
“The one thing no one can
change is that every day the rest of
America looks more like
California,” he added.
Lieu commended the 40 years of
work by predecessor, Henry
Waxman, and said he hoped to do
right by Waxman’s legacy. His first
congressional bill will involve climate change, which Lieu said was
one of the main reasons he ran for
Congress.
“Only one [issue] can kill us and
that is climate change,” Lieu said.
“We have the facts.”
The congressman said he would
make every effort to have his office
be a conduit of the people, encouraging calls and walk-ins. Lieu also
said he is working on a constitutional amendment that would close
the Citizens United loophole in
regards to corporations financing
elections.
“Too many voices are not
included and I want to change
that,” he said.
Lieu also said he favors
President Barack Obama’s plan to
buoy the middle class through tax
cuts and other measures, and he
added that he would encourage
greater investment into academic
research.
Before Lieu was officially
sworn-in, local and state officials
spoke on his behalf, along with
actor/writer/director Tim Robbins,
who said Lieu is a progressive ally
to the people of California.
“It is because of obstacles to
progress that we stand here today
in support of Ted Lieu,” Robbins
said.
U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.)
said the people of the 33rd
Congressional District were fortunate to have Lieu as their representative. She first began working
with Lieu in the California State
Assembly nine years ago, and
commended him for his legislative
record.
“Only one [issue]
can kill us and
that is climate
change.”
-Ted Lieu
U.S. Congressman
“You have the ability to identify
and focus on issues people might
not be aware of,” she said. “I’m
excited to work with you again.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric
Garcetti said his experience collaborating with Lieu during the outset
of his congressional tenure has
been positive — the two have
worked closely together regarding
veteran homelessness.
“We need someone who has that
undying optimism,” Garcetti said.
“He has been someone who
already has done things to protect
this earth.”
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (DCalif.) went a step further, adding
that Lieu already had the attention
of senior members of Congress.
Lieu was elected the freshman
Democratic class president.
“Today the freshman class,
tomorrow the United States of
America,” Waters said. “They have
big things in store for you, Ted
Lieu.”
A crosswalk and stoplight will be
installed on Santa Monica
Boulevard between Orange Grove
Avenue and Ogden Drive after the
West Hollywood City Council
approved the project on Monday to
address pedestrian safety in the
central portion of the city.
The decision came four days
after a woman, who police said was
intoxicated, was struck by a hitand-run driver while crossing Santa
Monica Boulevard. The collision
occurred at approximately 1 a.m.
on Feb. 26 near Santa Monica
Boulevard and Hayworth Avenue.
The victim was hospitalized, but
has since been released.
Although the stoplight project
was planned prior to the hit-andrun collision, it is part of the city’s
approach toward preventing similar
future incidents along busy thoroughfares in the city, said Joshua
Schare, public information officer
for the city.
“This is probably the beginning
of additional changes,” Schare said.
“This was the first of what [the city
council] felt was most important.”
The new signalized crossing will
replace an existing marked crosswalk and a crosswalk with a flashing beacon that can be activated by
pedestrians. The two existing crosswalks are located within one block
photo by Edwin Folven
The existing marked crosswalk at Santa Monica Boulevard and Orange
Grove Avenue will be replaced by a new crosswalk and stoplight.
of each other east of Fairfax
Avenue.
The idea was to consolidate the
two crosswalks into one, with a signal that gives pedestrians the
opportunity to cross while stopping
traffic only once. A red light will
provide greater safety for people on
foot, while also maintaining traffic
speeds, according to Bianca Siegl,
long range and mobility planning
manager for West Hollywood.
“This [combines] both crosswalks into one,” Siegl said. “It also
provides better spacing and traffic
flow in the area. One of the things
we would see with the flashing beacon is that traffic would back up
into the other crosswalk.”
West Hollywood Mayor John
D’Amico said the new signalized
crosswalk will be beneficial for the
community.
“That will be a safer way to go,”
D’Amico said. “We want to move
forward with as many things on as
many fronts as possible to make the
crossing safer.”
The city will hold two pedestrian
safety pop-up workshops on Santa
Monica Boulevard on March 10, in
which members of the public can
provide input on safety measures.
One workshop will be held from 9
a.m. to noon at Santa Monica
Boulevard and Westmount Drive,
and a second workshop will be held
from 3 to 6 p.m. at Santa Monica
Boulevard and Hancock Avenue.
Approximately 130 people particiSee Crosswalk page 9
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
8 March 5, 2015
Water main rupture
soaks Rossmore
Junior League ready for L.A. Marathon
n Race takes place
from Dodger Stadium
to Santa Monica
By Luis Rivas
photo by Karen Villalpando
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) crews have
repaired a water main rupture that occurred on Tuesday near the
intersection of Rossmore Avenue and 3rd Street.
DWP spokesman Albert Rodriguez said members of a crew that was
already in the field noticed water seeping from the ground at approximately 10:30 a.m. near the southbound lanes of Rossmore Avenue,
north of 3rd Street. The workers determined there had been a rupture in a six-inch water main, and called in additional resources to
fix the problem.
Rodriguez said the water was not shut off because the pipe is a secondary main, but approximately 30 customers in the area, including
Marlborough School, experienced periods of low water pressure.
The pipe was repaired at approximately 8 p.m., after which street
repair crews began repairing the road.
AHF concerned with HIV report
Officials from AIDS Healthcare
Foundation (AHF) last week
expressed concern over a Journal of
the American Medical Association
(JAMA) article reporting results of
a Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) study that found over 90
percent of new HIV infections
identified in the U.S. were attributed to, or passed on from HIV-positive individuals who were not in
medical care or treatment.
According to an AIDS.gov blog
post, the CDC study, first published
in JAMA Internal Medicine on Feb.
23, “estimates that 91.5 percent of
new HIV infections in 2009 were
attributable to people with HIV
who were not in medical care,
including those who didn’t know
they were infected. In comparison,
less than 6 percent of new infections could be attributed to people
with HIV who were in care and
receiving antiretroviral therapy.”
“We were not surprised that this
CDC study found a significant portion of new HIV infections arose
from HIV-positive individuals who
were not in care or may not even
have known their HIV status; however, we were shocked to see that
the number was as high as it is —
nine out of ten new HIV infections
in 2009 occurred this way, over
91.5 percent,” said AHF president
Michael Weinstein. “Such off-thecharts numbers suggest that
HIV/AIDS resources, funding and
energies must be directed toward
far more aggressive and proactive
HIV testing, linkage to medical
care and antiretroviral treatment for
those already infected rather than to
the more expensive and esoteric
HIV prevention methods such as
PrEP. We’ve known for over four
years that ‘treatment as prevention’
works. Until this study, we just didn’t know how great the need was
for us to fully deploy ‘treatment as
prevention’ to get as many HIVpositive individuals in care and on
treatment as soon possible in order
to break the chain of infection.”
In his blog post on the AIDS.gov
website, Eugene McCray, director
of the CDC’s Division of
HIV/AIDS Prevention, National
Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral
Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention,
said of the study that “these findings are a signal of the unprecedented opportunity we have to
reduce HIV infections in America.
“But more than that, they are a
call to action — for all of us to work
toward a time in which every person with HIV knows of their infection and receives the care they
need,” he added. “If we can get
anywhere close to that vision, we
can dramatically reduce HIV infections in this country and ultimately
help bring an end to HIV in the
United States.”
The 30th annual ASICS Los
Angeles Marathon is fast approaching. Thousands of runners and
spectators will crowd the streets of
Los Angeles beginning early
Sunday, March 15. The first race is
set to start at 6:50 a.m. for handcycle participants.
The marathon, stretching 26.219
miles across the city, is continuing
with its “Stadium to the Sea” route,
beginning at Dodger Stadium and
ending in Santa Monica.
The L.A. Marathon started in
1986, raising awareness for charitable organizations and promoting
fitness and health, according to
L.A. Marathon representatives.
This year, the marathon will once
again highlight several iconic locations in Los Angeles, including
Dodger Stadium, Chinatown’s
famous Twin Dragon Tower
Gateway, El Pueblo de Los Angeles
State Park, the Walt Disney
Concert Hall and several others.
An estimated 25,000 people
from all 50 states and more than 55
countries will participate in the
marathon. The city of West
Hollywood, once again, is one of
the community partners for this
year’s marathon.
Hundreds of local and national
charity organizations also participate every year in the marathon.
This year, the local Junior
League of Los Angeles, headquartered on Larchmont Avenue, will
sponsor runners for the marathon
for the fourth year in a row.
The Junior League of Los
Angeles is part of a national organization that promotes volunteerism,
especially among women. In Los
Angeles, the organization has
photo courtesy of the ASICS Los Angeles Marathon
Competitors in the ASICS Los Angeles Marathon run underneath
Chinatown’s famous Twin Dragon Tower Gateway.
approximately 1,100 members,
with a focus on empowering transitional foster youth and promoting
children’s literacy.
“Our goal is to train our members
to be the most effective volunteers
that they can be, from nonprofit
management to fundraising, from
running a project, to the day-to-day
of running a nonprofit organization,” said Courtney Garvin, president of Junior League of Los
Angeles.
Garvin and the Junior League of
Los Angeles are hoping to raise
$25,000 this year through the
marathon. Currently, the organization has raised close to $10,000 but
there’s usually a big push toward
the end, she said.
“It’s been a great way for us to
get exposure and a great way to
energize people and get attention
— especially for our fundraising,”
Garvin said.
Registration for the marathon is
still open but will sell out and reach
capacity at 25,000 registered participants by this Friday, according to
ASICS LA Marathon representa-
tives.
The registration fee for U.S. residents is $190 and $205 for non-residents. However, to participate in
Saturday’s pre-L.A. Marathon 5K
race, the registration fee is a flatrate of $40.
The marathon will begin at
Dodger Stadium and end at the
intersection of Ocean Avenue and
California Avenue in Santa
Monica. In West Hollywood, runners will run along Sunset
Boulevard, lead south on San
Vicente Boulevard, west on Santa
Monica Boulevard and south on
Doheny Drive, continuing into
Beverly Hills.
Residents have been notified that
parking is prohibited along the L.A.
Marathon route. For alternative
parking areas, visit the city of West
Hollywood’s
website
at
www.weho.org/parkinglots.
For information about the ASICS
2015 L.A. Marathon, visit
www.lamarathon.com. For the full
route,
visit
www.lamarathon.com/event/cours
e-map.
Mendoza’s bill addresses school meal programs
To address childhood hunger and
improve access to the National
School Lunch and Breakfast programs, California Sen. Tony
Mendoza (D-Artesia), a former elementary school teacher, introduced
State Bill (SB) 708.
The bill would direct schools to
make applications for free or
reduced price meals available electronically online, to provide them in
multiple languages and to follow
uniform standards.
The National School Lunch
Program and the School Breakfast
Program are federally funded meal
programs operated in public and
nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. They
provide nutritionally balanced,
low-cost or free breakfasts and
lunches to children each school day.
The National School Lunch
Program was established in 1946
and the School Breakfast Program
in 1966. In California, all public
schools, except charter schools,
must serve at least one free or
reduced-price meal during the
school day.
In 2012-13, approximately 3.7
million of California’s 6.2 million
school children were eligible for
free or reduced-price school meals.
To be eligible for the meal programs, the household income for a
family of four must be less than
$43,000.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Hollywood mourns the
passing of Dr. Spock
Flowers and memorabilia were placed on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame early Friday as news broke that actor Leonard Nimoy had
died.
Nimoy, 83, was best known for his longtime role as Mr. Spock on the
television show and movie franchise “Star Trek”.
His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, said the cause of his death was endstage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nimoy announced
last year that he had the disease, attributing it to years of smoking,
a habit he had given several decades earlier.
His first starring movie role came in 1952 in “Kid Monk Baroni”. He
also directed a number of the “Star Trek” movies and the comedy
“Three Men and a Baby”.
Nimoy’s star is located at 6651 Hollywood Blvd.
Schiff cautious regarding Iran deal
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
on Tuesday called for caution
regarding the U.S.-Iran nuclear
negotiations after Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
addressed Congress on the matter.
Netanyahu said a proposed U.S.Iran deal had major flaws, including that it would leave Iran’s
nuclear infrastructure largely intact
and a sunset provision would allow
Iran to gradually escape most
restrictions on its nuclear activities
after 10 years.
“This morning, Prime Minister
Netanyahu laid out the concerns
held by many Israelis about a possible agreement with Iran over its
nuclear program,” said Schiff, who
is the ranking member of the House
Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence. “Given the behavior of
the Iranian regime and its threats to
wipe Israel off the map, these concerns deserve our serious consideration. We must approach negotiations with Iran with our eyes wide
open, aware that this regime has a
long history of deceit and cynicism
in its dealings with the international community. At the same time, we
must consider the consequences of
a failure to reach an agreement and
whether there is a plausible alternative to military action. This was a
subject on which I would have
liked to have heard much more
from the prime minister.”
In his speech, Netanyahu said the
U.S. should hold out for a better
deal regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities, and that if Iran refuses to
accept more stringent terms, the
U.S. and its allies should reinforce
the current economic sanctions
placed on Iran.
“My own belief is that in the
absence of an agreement, Iran will
again begin to enrich to 20 percent
and beyond, bringing on a new line
of faster and more efficient centrifuges,” Schiff said. “Congress
will pass — with my support — a
new set of even more stringent
sanctions and we will work to keep
the international community behind
them.
“From here, it may be a race for
time between increased pressure on
Iran and the possibility it brings that
country back to the negotiating
table, and crossing a red line that
brings Israel, the United States or
both, to war.”
Schiff added that he is still skeptical that an agreement will be
reached, and that the Iranian clerics
are prepared to make the concessions necessary to end their nuclear
aspirations.
“But we will know soon enough,
and I would encourage my colleagues to reserve judgment until
we see whether in fact we have a
good deal, a bad deal or no deal at
all,” he said.
Crosswalk installation
From page 7
pated in similar workshops held a
few weeks ago, Siegl said.
Lt. David Smith, with the West
Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, said
the central portion of the city does
not experience a “high volume” on
pedestrian vs. vehicle collisions,
but surmised that the new signalized crosswalk will improve safety.
He said police have few leads and
no information about the vehicle
involved in the hit-and-run collision on Feb. 26, and reiterated that
it is also the responsibility of the
pedestrian to ensure their own safety before stepping off the curb.
“She admitted she had been
drinking. There were no broken
bones. She suffered mostly bruising
and soft tissue injuries,” Smith
added. “It was a marked corner, but
she was not in a crosswalk.”
Anyone who has any information regarding the collision is urged
to contact investigators with the
West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station
at the phone number (310)8558850.
9 March 5, 2015
Yew pine replanted for Beatles legend
Los Angeles City Councilman
Tom LaBonge, 4th District, and the
Los Angeles Department of
Recreation and Parks, were joined by
the public — including some members of the Harrison family — for a
special replanting ceremony of the
George Harrison tree in Griffith Park
last week.
The event took place on Feb. 25,
which would have been the former
Beatle’s 72nd birthday.
The George Harrison Monument
is located at the Charlie Turner
Trailhead, which leads to the summit
of Mount Hollywood. The tree was
planted on Feb. 25, 2002, which had
been declared “George Harrison
Day” in the city. In 2004, hundreds
of fans gathered to celebrate
Harrison’s life and work with a
plaque dedication. Near the tree
stump, the plaque reads, “In memory
of a great humanitarian who touched
the world as an artist, a musician and
gardener.” It concludes with a quote
from Harrison: “For the forests to be
green, each tree must be green.”
The George Harrison tree, a yew
pine, was killed last year due to a
beetle infestation.
photo courtesy of the 4th District Council Office
For a tree re-planting in honor of George Harrison, Los Angeles City
Councilman Tom LaBonge, 4th District, was joined by Olivia Harrison's
sister, Linda Arias; friend of the Harrison Family, Paula Greenfield; sister of George Harrison Louise Harrison; and Chris Carter.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
10 March 5, 2015
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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
11 March 5, 2015
Electrical facility receives AHF seeks to strengthen disease response
drought-tolerant plants
photo courtesy of Lyn Cohen
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is installing
drought-tolerant landscaping in front of an electrical distribution
facility located in the 5800 block of 3rd Street. The project was
inspired by a firehouse garden at the neighboring Fire Station 61,
which was created through a partnership between firefighters at the
station, the First-In Fire Foundation and the Windsor
Square/Hancock Park Historical Society. The firehouse garden
includes drought-tolerant plants, river rock and gravel, and the new
project will extend the landscaping features along 3rd Street
between Alta Vista Boulevard and Formosa Avenue.
DWP releases January numbers
On Monday, the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power
(DWP) released its water conservation numbers for January 2015,
showing a 22 percent reduction
since January 2007 — the year that
the city’s water conservation ordinance was implemented — and a
15.8 percent reduction in water use
since last year.
However, the city’s January 2015
conservation numbers did not hit
the mark when compared to the
California Water Resources Control
Board’s 2013 baseline year, and the
state is expected to credit the city
with only 1.1 percent conservation
when the statewide numbers are
published this week.
“We are on track for a fourth dry
year in this drought with the
warmest winter for the last 120
years,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric
Garcetti said. “This has direct and
serious impacts to our water supply
and the Eastern Sierra snowpack.
I’m asking Angelenos to heed our
call to reduce their water use by 20
percent by reducing sprinkler use,
checking for leaks and removing
your grass. Now is the time to do
what we can to cut back even more
and prevent a severe water shortage
when summer comes around.”
“We spoke last week with many
of the state’s major water agencies,
and we are all facing the same
dilemma in our January reporting
— extremely low precipitation coupled with higher-than-normal temperatures,” said Marty Adams,
DWP’s senior assistant general
manager for the water system. “The
good news is that we are still saving
lots of water, but the numbers show
that we are still too quick to return
to old watering habits as soon as the
weather gets nice. With the wet
weather we have had, there is
absolutely no reason for anyone to
turn their automatic sprinklers back
on. Don’t be a watering robot. If we
don’t save water now and encourage our plants to develop stronger
root systems, both our water supply
and our landscapes will be at risk
this summer.”
This month, DWP’s snow surveys were showing snowpack
water content only at 18 percent of
normal this time of year.
Similarly,
the
California
Department of Water Resources
announced that their surveys in the
Sierras were only 25 percent of normal to date statewide.
Officials demand report on valley
Last Thursday, U.S. Reps.
Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Judy
Chu (D-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (DCalif.) sent a letter to National
Park Service Director Jonathan
Jarvis urging the agency to
release the Rim of the Valley
Corridor Special Resource Study
draft report.
The representatives said that
the draft report had been completed months ago, and is stuck in
bureaucratic limbo.
The Rim of the Valley is an
area that includes the mountains
encircling the San Fernando, La
Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi
and Conejo valleys of Los
Angeles and Ventura counties.
In the letter, the members
expressed their “strong concern
over repeated and lengthy delays
in the issuance of the Rim of the
Valley Corridor Special Resource
Study and the repeated failure of
the National Park Service to meet
its own deadlines.”
The representatives added that
the preservation of the lands
included in the resource study is
of great importance to the people
of Southern California.
“We are committed to ensuring
that these lands are protected for
generations to come, and the
National Park Service plays a
vital role in achieving this in a
timely manner,” the letter read.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
(AHF) officials last week called for
sweeping reforms to the World
Health Organization (WHO) and
other international agencies in
order to strengthen global preparedness for public health crises
and prevent, or more effectively
respond to, another dangerous epidemic like the most recent Ebola
virus outbreak, which has claimed
9,365 lives — including two AHF
physicians — and infected over
23,000 individuals in nine countries since March 2014.
As the first reported cases of
Ebola spread through West Africa
last spring, the lack of adequate
medical facilities and critical protective equipment — in addition to
the unprepared and confused
response by intergovernmental and
global health agencies — prompted AHF physicians and medical
staff to redirect their attention and
resources towards caring for those
afflicted by Ebola, officials said.
“Ebola caused a big disruption in
the HIV care and treatment services we provide in my country
and we tragically lost two medical
doctors who were fighting to keep
patients alive, one in Sierra Leone
and one in Liberia,” said AHF
Sierra Leone country manager
Miata Jambawai.
Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan, AHF’s
medical officer in Sierra Leone,
died of Ebola on July 29, 2014. He
was overseeing AHF’s HIV/AIDS
care program in Sierra Leone and
was also the country’s leading
Ebola specialist, officials said. Dr.
John Taban Dada, a consultant with
AHF’s partner organization in
Liberia, People Associated for
People’s Assistance (PAPA), died
on October 9, 2014.
“As the outbreak intensified, we
desperately
approached
the
WHO’s offices in Sierra Leone in
order to get proper advice on how
to manage HIV patients under
these circumstances, what protective gear to wear and where to procure it,” Jambawai said. “The
response from the WHO was close
to null. They did not know the
answers and as a result, AHF staff
turned to Medecins Sans Frontieres
(MSF) for advice. MSF was able to
provide the necessary information,
including how to use and where to
procure the personal protective
gear.”
“If the international air traffic
control were managed like global
public health is managed right
now, there is no doubt that planes
would be colliding in the sky every
day,” said AHF president Michael
Weinstein. “Given the epic failure
of Dr. Margaret Chan to manage
the WHO’s response to Ebola as
thousands of people were literally
dying in the streets of West Africa,
we call upon her to step aside now
to make way for a leader who is up
to the task of transforming the
agency and fighting the next international public health emergency.
The world needs a different kind of
international agency that can rapidly and effectively respond to public
health threats before they become
an epidemic. We look to the
[United Nations] Security Council
to create a new structure fully pre-
pared to execute quick, coordinated responses to international emergencies when every second
counts.”
AHF officials called for a contingency fund for outbreaks to be
headed by an experienced independent financial mechanism that
takes into account a comprehensive group of global public health
stakeholders and that the United
Nations Security Council needs to
be involved in the rapid decision
making when the world is facing
global public health threats, like
the Ebola crisis.
Dr. Jorge Saavedra, who has
served in the past as a board member at the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
(GF), representing Latin America
& The Caribbean, and who serves
as
AHF’s
global
public
health ambassador, said, the world
cannot afford to create several
global funds for different diseases.
“It is logical to conclude that
since the Global Fund has growing
experience on funding the response
to three transmittable diseases
globally, it should also be the one
to manage a contingency fund for
other transmittable outbreaks,”
Saavedra added. “The point here is
that the current GF board can
decide to adapt or just remain a
spectator while a different kind, or
parallel, global financial mechanism is being created. After 12
years in existence, we believe that
the Global Fund can now be transformed and rapidly adapted to
manage additional funds to cover
other transmittable diseases.”
Dancers overcome Parkinson’s disease
From page 6
ing to do and that’s fine,” Karlin
said.
Although the classes are serious, they’re fun and modified to
be accessible to people with
Parkinson’s disease and others
with impaired movement, such as
seniors, Karlin said.
Not everyone who participates
in the classes has physical ailments. Several physical therapists, medical students, friends
and family members of people
with Parkinson’s disease also
attend the classes.
“We’re very clear that when we
are teaching, we’re not talking
down to anybody. It’s really not
about saying, ‘Oh, you have
Parkison’s.’ I mean, the classes
are challenging. They’re not
dumbed down. But we make sure
we modify them,” Karlin said.
Currently, Invertigo Dance
Theatre is looking to expand into
two more locations this year,
according to Karlin, but they are
picky. Every location has to be
accessible to people with disabilities, Karlin said.
“At two current locations, we
came through with a lot of
research … we have to keep in
mind that a lot of our participants
may be in wheelchairs. It has to
be accessible to all people with all
stages of movement … with parking … We can’t do something
with street parking blocks away
from the location,” Karlin said.
Neither the Mark Morris Dance
Group nor Invertigo Dance
Theatre claim that their dance
classes prevent or slow down the
onset of Parkinson’s disease.
However, Karlin and Berghoff
both said that several of their class
participants have said that the
dancing has made them feel better, stronger and more confident.
“It’s a disease that can come
with a lot of fear, depression and
isolation, because it is a degenerative disease … and so a lot of
people say that there’s a joy in a
community that they’re able to
connect with. They leave classes
walking taller and smiling more,”
Karlin said.
However, it’s undeniable that
music brings joy to people, and
that’s beneficial, Berghoff said.
“But there’s something different that happens in dance, because
you’re learning something new,
learning choreography, and listening to music and rhythm. A lot of
studies are showing that synapses
in the brain fire in a beneficial
way that don’t fire when you’re
on a treadmill or bicycle. I’ve had
Parkinson’s for nine years and
you could barely tell,” Berghoff
said.
For more information on the
Invertigo Dance Theatre, visit the
group’s website at www.invertigodance.org.
Bill would prevent terrorists from buying firearms
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (DCalif.) and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.)
introduced the Denying Firearms
and Explosives to Dangerous
Terrorists Act of 2015 bill to give the
U.S. Department of Justice authority
to prevent a known or suspected terrorist from buying firearms or explosives.
“Under current law, known or suspected terrorists on terrorist watch
lists are prohibited from boarding
airplanes, but they are legally
allowed to buy firearms and explosives anywhere in the United States.
That makes no sense,” Feinstein
said. “The Kouachi brothers, responsible for the attacks in Paris, were on
U.S. terrorist watch lists, including
the no-fly list. However, if the brothers had instead been in the United
States, they would have been able to
legally purchase weapons. Sadly, this
situation isn’t rare. Individuals on the
consolidated terrorist watch list who
sought to purchase a weapon in 2013
and 2014 cleared the background
check in 455 out of 486 attempts. We
need to close this dangerous loophole and keep weapons out of the
hands of terrorists.”
The new bill would allow the
attorney general to deny the purchase
or transfer of a firearm or explosive
to a known or suspected terrorist if
the prospective recipient may use the
firearm or explosive in connection
with terrorism.
It would also maintain protections
in current laws that allow a person
who believes he or she has been mistakenly prevented from buying a
firearm to learn of the reason for the
denial, and then to challenge the
denial, first administratively with the
U.S. Department of Justice, and then
through a lawsuit against the Justice
Department.
KV.3.5 issue_New Quark Template24 3/4/15 5:16 PM Page 12
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
12 March 5, 2015
The Larchmont
R ESTAU R ANT NEW S
T
he Larchmont co-owners
Mathew Cape and Spoon Singh
have announced the appointment of
Kevin Kathman, a former French
Laundry alum, as the new executive chef. Kathman has designed a
new California-inspired menu with
European and Asian flavor profiles.
The new menu features smoked
sturgeon with fennel, potato salad,
caviar, horseradish and Meyer
lemon; chicken liver pate with crostini; smoked pork belly with celery
and apple slaw; and roasted baby
beets with goat cheese. Signature
entrées include pan roasted salmon,
rock shrimp risotto and Moroccan
braised lamb shoulder. Kathman
also makes “steak frites” prime flat
iron steak with béarnaise butter,
bordelaise and rocket sauce.
Desserts include bread pudding
with bitter chocolate, sea salt and
banana mouse; and panna cotta
with passion fruit, grapefruit, blueberry, basil and pine nuts. 5750
Melrose Ave., (323)464-4277.
By Jill Weinlein
Pizza Party
at Obica
O
bica in Century City is offering
an evening of pizza tastings on
Wednesday, March 11. The chefs
will make one pizza after another to
be continuously served all evening.
10250 Santa Monica Blvd.,
(310)556-2452.
The Coffee Bean
& Tea Leaf
S
ample Coffee Bean & Tea
Leaf’s new Thai tea and vanilla
rooibos tea beverages now through
Sunday, May 17. On Thursday,
March 12 from 2 to 6 p.m., guests
are invited to taste the new teas for
only $2. The Thai tea varieties are a
twist on the popular Southeast
Asian drinks. The Thai iced tea
latte and Thai tea ice blended drink
combine robust Assam black tea
with the flavor of sweet and creamy
condensed milk. The vanilla rooibos tea latte and vanilla rooibos ice
blended drink offer a caffeine-free
herbal infusion with natural nutty
flavors combined with sweet hints
of vanilla spice. Additionally, The
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf will offer
its signature chai tea ice blended
drink with cinnamon, cardamom,
clove and star anise. For a special
treat, customers can pair the new
beverages with vanilla chai teacake, which is baked with cinnamon and cardamom, and topped
with sweet vanilla bean glaze. 5115
Wilshire Blvd., Unit G; 8735 Santa
Monica Blvd., (310)659-8207;
7915 Sunset Blvd., (323)851-8392.
Jersey Mike’s Subs
J
ersey Mike’s Subs restaurants
are joining Operation Gratitude
for the 5th annual “Month of
Giving” fundraising campaign in
March. Throughout the month, customers can donate to Operation
Gratitude at any Jersey Mike’s
restaurant. The campaign will culminate in Jersey Mike’s “Day of
Giving” on Wednesday, March 25,
when 100 percent of sales at Jersey
Mike’s locations nationwide will
bill be donated to more than 120
charities, including hospitals, youth
organizations, food banks and
more. 6361 Wilshire Blvd.,
(323)413-2009;
7100
Santa
Monica Blvd. Unit 153., (323)8501111.
Del Frisco’s Grille
D
el Frisco’s Grille has teamed
up with Santa Monica Free
Ride to offer an easy way for diners
to access the restaurant in March
while Colorado Boulevard in Santa
Monica is closed for construction.
Throughout the month, Del
Frisco’s Grille will send a Free
Ride vehicle to pick up guests in
Santa Monica from their home or
office. The roundtrip is free, and the
restaurant will also offer a complimentary appetizer, with additional
purchase, to all riders. 1551 Ocean
Ave., (310)395-7333.
photo courtesy of Mexicano
Mexicano Opens in Baldwin Hills
C
hefs Jaime and Ramiro’s newest Los Angeles-area restaurant,
Mexicano, recently opened in Baldwin Hills. Guests pass through
wrought iron gates into the main dining room, which is decorated with
artwork from the chefs’ home state of Jalisco, Mexico. An outdoor patio
is available for alfresco dining, with incandescent bulbs and steel pendant fixtures illuminating the space. Menu highlights include a 10minute, cooked-to-order grilled tamale, Nayarit cod ceviche, and
pechugas de pollo. The cocktail menu features Mezcal-based cocktails
such as the Sereno, made with ginger and lime; the Placero, with cactus, lime and chicharron salt; and the Mezcapán, featuring mazapán (a
sweet confection similar to marzipan), orange flower water and lime.
The restaurant also offers three varieties of raspados — a Mexican version of a snow cone — in Jamaican, tamarindo and vanilla flavors.
Desserts include mini churros that can be dipped in cinnamon-laced
café, guavas marinated in Mexican-style eggnog, and chile en nogada
ice cream topped with candied poblano chile strips — a play on the traditional chile dish from Mexico. 3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.,
(323)296-0798.
Woofstock 90210
P
Planned Parenthood LA Food Fare
F
ood and beverage lovers are
invited to Planned Parenthood
Los Angeles’ 36th annual “Food
Fare” on Saturday, March 7 at the
Barker Hanger in Santa Monica.
“Top Chef” finalist Brooke
Williamson, and Nick Roberts,
from The Tripel, Hudson House and
Playa Provisions, will be honored at
the event. Nearly one dozen
California craft breweries will present beer samplings in the Beer
Chicks’ beer garden, and more than
100 Los Angeles restaurants will
offer gourmet bites. Participants
include Playa Provisions, Lucques,
Blue Plate Oysterette, Drago
Centro, Clementine, Wilshire,
A.O.C., Chichen Itza, Auntie Em’s
Kitchen, Little Beast Restaurant,
Angelini Osteria, Joe’s Restaurant,
Salt’s Cure, Border Grill and
Umami Burger. Beverages will be
served by Caffe Luxxe, Diabolo
Beverages, Joia All Natural Soda
and
Outpost
Cold
Brew.
Participating wine and spirits companies include Jardesca California
Aperitiva, Ventura Limoncello
Company, Herb Lamb Vineyards,
Elixir G, Beckmen Vineyards, Flask
Fine Wine & Whisky, Four Brix
Winery, Fogline Vineyards and
Ambhar Tequila. Desserts will be
served by Valerie Confections,
Beachy Cream, Sweet Lady Jane,
Jamaica’s Cakes, Jennifer Pennifer
Bakes, Pazzo Gelato and Sugar
Rush by Iisha. Planned Parenthood
Los Angeles’s Food Fare offers separate sessions from 11a.m. to 2
p.m., and from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. A
raffle and silent wine auction will
also be held. Tickets are $175 for
the early session and $275 for the
evening session. 3021 Airport Ave,
Santa
Monica.
www.pplafoodfare.com.
et lovers are invited to
“Woofstock 90210” on Sunday,
March 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on
Roxbury Park’s “Wiggly Field” in
Beverly Hills. The festival for dogs
and their owners is presented by the
city of Beverly Hills’ Community
Service Department. Visitors can
enjoy a pet parade, pet-related vendors, adoptions, entertainment and
more. Food trucks including the
Cousin’s Main Lobster, The
Beignet Truck, Dogtown Dogs, The
Grilled Cheese Truck and more will
be on hand to feed hungry pet owners. Approximately 150 animals
will be available for adoption from
the Pet Care Foundation/Pets
90210. Roxbury Park is located at
471 S. Roxbury Dr. For information, call (310)285-6830, or visit
www.beverlyhills.org.
photo by Bob Freeman
Vince Vaughn placed his the handprints and footprints in cement in the
TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX theatre’s forecourt on Wednesday, becoming the 280th star since 1927 to be honored in front of the iconic
Hollywood theatre. Vaughn has appeared in numerous films, including
“Rudy”, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”, “Zoolander”, “Old School”,
“Wedding Crashers” and “Fred Claus”. He can next be seen in
“Unfinished Business”, which opens on March 6.
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The Bazaar By José andrés
A Night of Champagne and Tapas
at the SLS Beverly Hills
S
ipping champagne paired
with José Andrés’ tapas at The
Bazaar in the SLS Hotel is a
great way to start a weekend.
Four varieties of Champagne
Jacquart, from the Champagne
region of France, were poured, and
paired with tapas created by
celebrity chef, Andrés, named
“Outstanding Chef” in 2011 by the
James Beard Foundation.
Andrés owns restaurants in
Beverly Hills, Las Vegas and
Washington D.C., and South Beach
in Miami. The interior of his
Beverly Hills restaurant is a mix of
California meets Las Vegas, with an
indoor piazza designed by Philippe
Starck.
Pierre-Samuel Reyne, the sales
director for Jacquart, said in 1964,
30 wineries from the Champagne
region pooled their expertise in
wine making, vineyards and
resources to create Jacquart
Champagne.
Fifty years later, Jacquart is one
of the leading internationallyknown champagnes.
“Jacquart is very popular over in
Europe and is now being introduced to the American market,”
Reyne said.
We started with flutes of Jacquart
Brut Mosaique, made with a blend
of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot
meunier, providing flavors of pear
with a hint of orange peel.
A tray of American
sturgeon
caviar
cones was paired
with the full brut
champagne,
offering a pleasing fruity finish. A caprese-style
salad was also delivered with sweet
cherry tomatoes and mozzarella
balls on verdant pesto.
A board of jamón serrano layered
with slices of dry cured ham and
lightly toasted bread topped with a
delicious tomato jam was served.
The acidity of the champagne
enhanced the spiced flavors.
Flutes of rosé mosaique cuvée
with an intense pink hue were
poured. Reyne said rosé cuvée is
made by either leaving the skin of
the grape intact, or adding red wine.
The Jacquart rosé is made with
pinot noir grapes to create balanced
champagne.
Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival
will showcase culinary Team USA
Coastal Luxury Management
(CLM), announces their first-ever
partnership with ment’or BKB
Foundation (formerly Bocuse d’Or
Foundation), originally founded in
2008 by Thomas Keller, Daniel
Boulud, and Jérôme Bocuse, for the
eighth annual Pebble Beach Food
& Wine festival taking place April
9-12.
CLM is partnering with the ment’or BKB Foundation, a leading
nonprofit organization devoted to
inspiring culinary excellence in
young professionals and preserving
the traditions and quality of cuisine.
Among ment’or’s many unique initiatives is the organization’s
responsibility for selecting, training, and sending Team USA to
compete in Bocuse d’Or, the biennial event in Lyon, France that took
place January 27-28. Team USA
made history by placing second and
receiving the Bocuse d’Argent
award for the first time ever.
Considered one of the most rigorous culinary competitions in the
world, 24 countries competed on
the world stage during this year’s
Bocuse d’Or competition.
“Team USA’s podium placement
at the 2015 Bocuse d’Or competition is an extraordinary example of
where the United States stands in a
global conversation about cuisine
and culture,” said Chef Thomas
Keller, president of ment’or.
“We’re looking forward to continue representing the great strides
that American chefs are making at
this years’ Pebble Beach Food &
Wine festival.”
At Pebble Beach Food & Wine,
ment’or will present Team USA for
a very special evening of intimate
dinners and culinary demonstrations as inspired by the prestigious
biennial competition. Team USA’s
Chef Philip Tessier of the Thomas
Keller Restaurant Group and his
Commis Skylar Stover of The
French Laundry in Yountville, CA
will design a menu inspired by the
“Culinary Olympics” at The
Imperial Dinner, the pinnacle of the
four-day festival, curating a menu
that will highlight what helped the
Team win the silver prize at the
Bocuse d’Or competition. Attendees are invited to explore
the three world-class resorts including The Inn at Spanish Bay, Lodge
at Pebble Beach, and Casa
Palmero, where more than 100
celebrity chefs and 250 wineries
come together to showcase a
dynamic weekend of exceptional
dinners and chef collaborations,
Grand Tastings, and cooking
demonstrations featuring the industry’s leading experts and most coveted restaurants in the world.
Tickets or gift certificates are
now available and may be purchased a la carte or as a weekend
package, with prices ranging from
$100 to $4,750 for a VIP, all inclusive four-day pass including Lexus
transportation and access to exclusive celebrity chef and winemaker
after-hours parties. Three total
weekend packages are available.
Tickets can be purchased at:
http://www.pbfw.com/.
13 March 5, 2015
We enjoyed green apple and fennel with manchego cheese and
chopped walnuts with the rosé
cuvée, which offered an elegant finish of peach and apricot. It is an
excellent champagne to sip during
an afternoon tea at the SLS, or with
By Jill Weinlein
Andrés’ crispy chicken croquettes.
We also sipped Jacquart’s Blanc
de Blancs with Andrés’ Japanese
tacos made with grilled eel, shiso,
cucumber, wasabi and chicharron.
We also enjoyed succulent seared
scallops with distinctively smooth
romesco sauce. It was a spectacular
pairing.
The Blanc de Blancs is made
with 100 percent chardonnay
“Only 150 cases have
been sold in the
United States,
so it is quite a treat to
be enjoying this bubbly,
the Jacquart
Blanc de Blancs.”
Pierre-Samuel Reyne
Jacquart representative
photo courtesy of The Bazaar by Jose Andres
Chef José Andrés, known for his creative creations, offers caviar cones
on his tapas menu. Above is an ahi tuna dish, and to the left is sautéed
shrimp with garlic and a Guindilla pepper.
grapes from Cote des Blancs. The
golden color has a nose of cherry
blossoms, vanilla and white pepper.
It also complemented Andrés’
smoked yellowtail with crispy rice.
“Only 150 cases have been sold
in the United States, so it is quite a
treat to be enjoying this bubbly,”
Reyne said.
The Jacquart alpha cuvée is the
crown jewel of the company. It was
made in 2005 from grapes with low
acidity that give it a velvety quality.
It’s aged for seven years to allow
for lovely coloring with notes of
honeysuckle and lime.
We enjoyed the alpha cuvée with
Andrés’ eggplant dipped in buttermilk tempura and topped with
honey air. We also ordered a plate
of the chef’s tender loup de mer
with celery root puree and sea
beans, and divine sautéed shrimp
with garlic and guindilla pepper.
It’s hard to decide which desserts
to order, with options like chocolate
bonbons, speculoos and praline
milk chocolate rocher on the menu.
Cookies include alfajore, chocolate
chip, vanilla crescent, chocolate
mint shortbread and pecan pie varieties.
The pastry chef also makes walnut brownies and milk chocolate
mousse cake, along with chestnut
and chocolate cream puffs.
Chocolate-covered pop rocks are
also available, as are vanilla, lemon
poppyseed, chocolate and red velvet cupcakes.
Dinner is served from 6 to 10
p.m., Monday through Wednesday;
6 to 11 p.m., Thursday and Friday;
5:30 to 11 p.m., Saturday, and 5:30
p.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday. $$$$ 465 S.
La Cienega Blvd., (310)246-5555.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
14 March 5, 2015
Police Blotter
The following crimes occurred in West Hollywood and the areas patrolled
by the LAPD’s Wilshire and Hollywood divisions between Feb. 23 and
March 1, and were compiled from www.crimemapping.com. To report a
crime, the telephone numbers of local law enforcement agencies are: Los
Angeles Police Department, Wilshire Division (213)473-0489 and Los
Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station (310)8558850.
Feb. 23
At 1:10 a.m., an unknown suspect
committed a burglary in the 7200
block of Beverly.
petty theft in the 1000 block of San
Vicente at 8 a.m.
At 8:15 a.m., a theft was reported
in the 100 block of S. La Cienega.
An unknown suspect committed a
burglary in the 9000 block of Santa
Monica at 3 a.m.
An unknown suspect committed a
petty theft in the 6600 block of
Selma at 8:30 a.m.
At 8 a.m., an unknown suspect
committed a petty theft in the 5500
block of Wilshire.
At 1:30 p.m., an unknown suspect
burglarized a vehicle parked near
the corner of Melrose and Vista.
An unknown suspect committed a
theft in the 6600 block of Sunset at
3 p.m.
An unknown suspect burglarized a
vehicle parked in the 4800 block of
W. Olympic at 2 p.m.
At 3:30 p.m., an unknown suspect
committed a petty theft in the 200
block of N. Lucerne.
At 3 p.m., an unknown suspect
committed a burglary in the 800
block of El Centro.
An unknown suspect assaulted a
victim near the corner of Wilcox
and Hollywood at 8:05 p.m.
An unknown suspect committed a
petty theft near the corner of 3rd
and Gardner at 4 p.m.
At 8:10 p.m., an unknown suspect
burglarized a vehicle parked near
the corner of Wilcox and Yucca.
At 5 p.m., an attempted vehicle
burglary was reported in the 700
block of N. Cherokee.
An unknown suspect burglarized a
vehicle parked in the 300 block of
N. Sycamore at 11 p.m.
An unknown suspect committed a
petty theft in the 7000 block of
Sunset at 9 p.m.
Feb. 24
At 11 p.m., an unknown suspect
burglarized a vehicle parked in the
600 block of N. Kilkea.
At 3 a.m., an unknown suspect
burglarized a vehicle parked in the
8300 block of W. 4th.
An unknown suspect burglarized a
vehicle parked in the 300 block of
N. Poinsettia at 3:30 a.m.
At 9 a.m., an unknown suspect
committed a petty theft near the
corner of Yucca and Highland.
At 2:12 a.m., a suspect assaulted
a victim during a domestic violence incident in the 600 block of
Kings.
An unknown suspect assaulted a
victim in the 6000 block of Santa
Monica at 4:45 a.m.
At 8 a.m., an unknown suspect
burglarized a vehicle parked in the
4800 block of Edgewood.
At 10:10 a.m., an unknown suspect burglarized a vehicle parked
in the 6200 block of Sunset.
A suspect assaulted a victim during a domestic violence incident in
the 8800 block of Cynthia at 8:35
a.m.
At 6 p.m., an unknown suspect
burglarized a vehicle parked near
the corner of Wilshire and
Masselin. A second vehicle was
also reported stolen in the same
location at approximately 6 p.m.
An unknown suspect committed a
burglary in the 300 block of N.
Bronson at 6 p.m.
At 7 p.m., an unknown suspect
burglarized a vehicle parked in the
7000 block of Fountain.
A theft was reported in the 7800
block of Santa Monica at 8 p.m.
At 8:40 p.m., an unknown suspect
committed a petty theft in the 6800
block of Hollywood.
An unknown suspect burglarized a
vehicle parked near the corner of
DeLongpre and Mansfield at 10:30
p.m.
Feb. 25
At 2:30 a.m., an unknown suspect
committed a burglary in the 900
block of N. La Cienega.
An unknown suspect committed a
robbed a victim near the corner of
Beverly and San Vicente.
Feb. 27
Feb. 28
An unknown suspect assaulted a
victim near the corner of Franklin
and Highland at 12:30 a.m.
At 2:30 a.m., an unknown suspect
committed a petty theft in the 7900
block of Santa Monica.
An unknown suspect burglarized a
vehicle parked near the corner of
Beverly and Spaulding at 12:30
a.m.
An unknown suspect burglarized a
vehicle parked in the 1200 block of
S. Orange at 2:30 a.m.
At 1 p.m., an unknown suspect
committed a theft in the 5400 block
of Sunset.
An unknown suspect committed a
burglary in the1200 block of Laurel
at 8:15 a.m.
At 3 p.m., an unknown suspect
At 4 a.m., an unknown suspect
robbed a victim near the corner of
Formosa and Sunset.
A petty theft was reported in the
100 block of The Grove at 1:50
p.m.
At 3 p.m., an unknown suspect
assaulted a victim near the corner
of DeLongpre and El Centro.
An unknown suspect committed a
petty theft in the 1800 block of
Whitley at 4:30 p.m.
At 4:55 p.m., an unknown suspect
committed a petty theft in the 100
block of N. La Cienega.
March 1
At 2:35 a.m., an unknown suspect
committed a burglary near the corner of Vista and Hawthorn.
At 4:30 a.m., an unknown suspect
assaulted a victim near the corner
of Las Palmas and Santa Monica.
An unknown suspect committed a
burglary in the 600 block of N.
Mansfield at 10:50 a.m.
Search identification website pays damages
A company that advertised its ability to help consumers identify people
that had searched for them online has
agreed to pay more than $1 million
and change its business practices, the
Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s Office announced last
Friday.
MyLife.com will pay $800,000
over a period of nearly two years in
civil penalties to be divided equally
by the district attorney’s office and
the Santa Monica City Attorney’s
Office. MyLife.com also will pay
$250,000 in restitution to its customers.
Since
2009,
MyLife.com
promised users free access to services that included the ability to see
who was searching for them on the
Internet, prosecutors said. In reality,
free users had to provide identifying
information and did not receive any
tangible benefits in return, according
to court documents.
To induce users into becoming
paying customers, the company used
blurred or obscured photos designed
to appear as if they were the people
searching for the targeted consumer,
according to the civil complaint.
In addition, MyLife.com advertised a $7.95 monthly rate for its services when in fact users were
charged upfront for the equivalent of
an entire year at the monthly rate,
prosecutors added. Paid customers
then saw their yearly memberships
automatically renewed without their
explicit consent.
Under the terms of the final judgment and injunction signed on
Wednesday, MyLife.com is barred
from making any untrue or mislead-
ing representations to promote sales
or representing that a consumer will
receive information for free and
without obligation, when in fact a
paid membership is needed to
receive the information.
The website must also honor any
customer’s requests to cancel a paid
membership. It cannot represent that
photos of individuals are related to
search results unless the photo
depicts the individual referred to in
the marketing material. MyLife.com
also cannot take payments for a paid
membership longer than one month
unless the terms of the transaction
are clearly displayed.
The case was investigated by the
Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s Office, Consumer
Protection Division, and the Santa
Monica City Attorney’s Office.
Feb. 26
An unknown suspect burglarized a
vehicle parked near the corner of
Hudson and DeLongpre at 9:20
a.m.
An unknown suspect committed a
petty theft in the 100 block of Kings
at 5 p.m.
near the corner of Melrose and
San Vicente at 11:50 p.m.
At 2:45 p.m., an unknown suspect
committed a burglary in the 500
block of S. Van Ness.
A theft was reported in the 900
block of Crenshaw at 3:20 p.m.
At 4 p.m., an unknown suspect
committed a theft in the 5600 block
of Wilshire.
An unknown suspect burglarized a
vehicle parked in the 7700 block of
Melrose at 4:30 p.m.
At 5:40 p.m., an unknown suspect
assaulted a victim near the corner
of Curson and Romaine.
An unknown suspect committed a
burglary in the 800 block of
Hilldale at 6:19 p.m.
At 10 p.m., an unknown suspect
burglarized a vehicle parked near
the corner of Clinton and Orange.
An unknown suspect assaulted a
victim in the 1200 block of N.
Formosa at 10:45 p.m.
At 11:30 p.m., an unknown suspect committed a petty theft in the
1200 block of N. Harper.
A suspect assaulted a victim during a domestic violence incident
Dutch movie pirater indicted by federal grand jury
A federal grand jury last week
indicted a Dutch national on federal computer hacking and identity theft charges related to the theft
of digital versions of three motion
pictures.
Joey Vogelaar, who used the
online monikers of “TyPeR” and
“neXus”, was named in a twocount indictment that alleges
unauthorized access to a protected
computer and aggravated identity
theft.
Vogelaar, 28, a resident of Delft,
the Netherlands, allegedly stole
pre-release digital copies of the
Sony Pictures Entertainment film
“How Do You Know” and the
Paramount production “Rango”,
as well as the Dreamworks movie
“Megamind”, which at the time of
the alleged theft was in theatrical
release.
In 2010, Vogelaar allegedly
used a username and password
belonging to another person to
access a computer system where
the films were located. The com-
promised computer system was
located at a company outside of
the studios that was involved in
the production process.
The computer hacking charge
carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal
prison. The charge of aggravated
identity theft carries a mandatory
two-year sentence to run consecutive to any other sentence imposed
in the case. The Federal Bureau of
Investigation investigated the
case.
Beverly Hills ‘tip jar bandit’ pleads no contest in thefts
A former juice store employee
has pleaded no contest to felony
grand theft for stealing money
from the shop’s cash register, the
Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s Office announced last
week.
Jessica Mary Shub, 20, of
Beverly Hills entered the plea to
one count of grand theft of personal property in the case.
Los Angeles County Superior
Court Judge Mark Windham of the
Airport Branch sentenced Shub to
one year in a live-in residential
drug rehabilitation facility, three
years of formal probation and
ordered her to pay $1,500 in restitution.
The cash register theft happened
over a two-month period in 2014
while the defendant worked at
Jamba Juice, prosecutors said.
Months later, on Feb. 17, Shub
was charged in misdemeanor case,
allegedly stealing an undetermined
amount of money from the tip jars
at various Beverly Hills businesses
that included a pizzeria and an ice
cream parlor. She was known as
the “tip jar bandit”.
As a result of the defendant’s no
contest plea in the felony case, the
misdemeanor charges have been
dismissed. The cases were investigated by the Los Angeles Police
Department, West Los Angeles
Division, and the Beverly Hills
Police Department.
LAPD detectives seeking help in identifying murder suspects
Los Angeles Police Department
Northeast Division Homicide
detectives are asking for the public’s help in providing any information that would lead to the
arrest of the suspect or suspects
responsible for the murder of 34year-old Olugbenga A. Oni.
On March 1, at approximately
9:30 p.m., Northeast Area patrol
officers received a radio call of an
ambulance death investigation in
the 6000 block of North Figueroa
Street. Upon arrival, officers met
with Los Angeles Fire Department
paramedics who directed them to
the victim who was lying on the
ground with a stab wound to the
upper torso.
LAFD paramedics pronounced
the victim dead at scene.
The suspect or suspects have
not been identified and no
weapons have been recovered.
The motive for this crime is
unknown. Anyone with information is urged to contact Northeast
Division Homicide Detectives
Governo or Zesati at (323)3445731.
15 March 5, 2015
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Music Educator
Award nominations
sought
photo by Luis Rivas
Donny Most, best known for his role as “Ralph Malph” in the TV series
“Happy Days”, performed hits from the Swing Era March 1 at the Catalina
Bar and Grill.
Donny Most transforms
‘Ralph Malph’ into sweet,
swinging sounds
By luis rivas
H
eavy rain didn’t stop hundreds
of jazz, swing and big band
aficionados from attending a soldout performance by former “Happy
Days” actor Donny Most last
Sunday night at the Catalina Bar
and Grill on Sunset Boulevard in
Hollywood.
Most is probably best known for
his role as the red-headed “Ralph
Malph” in the “Happy Days” television series that aired for more
than 10 years. Most, now with silver hair, also continues to appear in
film and television, such as a guest
appearance on “Glee”, and works
behind the scenes as a director.
However, prior to his acting
career, Most was a singer — at one
time performing professionally
with a band.
“I’m back with my first love,” he
said.
Most shared the stage with close
to 20 musicians in his big band,
including a full horn section of
trumpet players and saxophonists, a
guitarist, pianist, drummer and
stand-up bassist.
He is now best known for his
nationally-touring show, “Donny
Most Sings and Swings,” covering
classics from the Swing Era by
artists such as Frank Sinatra, Bobby
Darin, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke
Ellington, Dean Martin and others.
Most performed hit after hit,
after opening with the 1947 classic
“Almost Like Being In Love”,
including “Lady Is A Tramp”, “It
Had To Be You,” “I’ve Got You
Under My Skin”, “Shake, Rattle &
Roll” and others.
Between songs, he drank Jack
Daniels from a coffee mug, while
reminiscing about his early exposure to music. Most was more interested in the standards of the Swing
Era than the contemporary rock ‘n’
roll of his childhood of the 1950s
and 1960s. He remembered seeing
Darin, an iconic1950s singer and
actor, perform when he was a
teenager.
“When I saw Bobby Darin perform — forget about it, just forget
about it. I mean, I was blown away
by his performance,” Most said.
Most will be performing at
Martinis Above Fourth in San
Diego on March 19 and other locations to be announced.
For information, visit www.donmost.net.
The deadline to turn in nominations for the third annual Music
Educator Award is March 15. The
award is open to current U.S. music
teachers, and anyone can nominate
a teacher — students, parents,
friends, colleagues, community
members, school deans and administrators. Teachers are also able to
nominate themselves. Nominated
teachers will be notified and invited
to fill out an application.
The award was established to
recognize
current
educators
(kindergarten through college, public and private schools) who have
made a significant contribution to
the field of music education and
who demonstrate a commitment to
the broader cause of maintaining
music education in the schools.
One recipient will be selected
from 10 finalists and will be recognized for his/her impact on students’ lives. The third annual winner will be flown to Los Angeles to
accept the award and receive a
$10,000 honorarium at the Special
Merit Awards Ceremony &
Nominees Reception honoring
recipients of the Lifetime
Achievement Award, Trustees
Award and Technical Grammy
Award during Grammy Week 2016.
The winner will also attend the 58th
Annual Grammy Awards ceremony. The nine additional finalists will
receive a $1,000 honorarium, and
the schools of all 10 finalists will
receive matching grants.
Pr e m u i m P o s i t i o n s
Ba c k C o v e r :
$1 5 00
Inside Front Cover: $ 1 35 0
I ns i de B a ck C o ver : $ 13 50
Everything you need to make your
‘Erin Go Bragh’
photo by Edwin Folven
Vine American Party Store on Melrose Avenue has everything revelers
need to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, on Tuesday, March 17. The store
offers a special section devoted to the holiday honoring Ireland’s patron
saint, with everything from party favors, shamrocks and leprechaun decorations to emerald-colored beads, hats, glassware and more. Vine
American Party Store in located at 5969 Melrose Ave. For information,
call (323)467-7124, or visit www.vineamericanparty.com.
M od u l ar S i zes
Fu l l p ag e :
3/ 4 pa ge :
Ha l f p a ge :
1/ 4 pa ge :
$1 1 00
$9 0 0
$7 0 0
$4 0 0
photo coutesy of Rich Schmitt Photography
Celia Brugman (Kaiser Permanente, HeartThrob Sponsor), Dr. Curley
Bonds (Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, WFHC Community
Partner) and Celia Bernstein (Director of Development, WFHC)
enjoyed the Westside Family Health Center’s “I HEART WFHC” event
on February 21 at TAG Gallery in Santa Monica.
They ™ Westside Family Health Center
The Westside Family Health Center (WFHC) held their first annual
Champagne and Dessert Dance Party Fundraiser, “I HEART WFHC,” on
Saturday, Feb. 21 at the TAG Gallery at Bergamot Station.
During this event, 120 guests enjoyed food, drink, dancing, art and a
prize drawing, all while supporting WFHC. Attendees included supporters, vendors, patients, sponsors, WFHC Board and team members and
community partners.
“We thought the event was just about perfect,” said WFHC board
member, Stephanie Negriff. “It was a great venue — perfect size — and
well attended.”
Proceeds from the event will go toward providing high quality, patientcentered care and education to WFHC’s 9,734 patients who rely on
WFHC for their primary medical needs as well as specialty care referrals
and health education.
“We help the most vulnerable populations — uninsured, low income
or disenfranchised. Without us, people have nowhere to go,” said Debra
A. Farmer, WFHC’s president/chief executive officer.
Community tours of WFHC, located at 1711 Ocean Park Blvd. in
Santa Monica, can be scheduled by contacting Celia Bernstein, director
of development, at [email protected] or (310)450-4773, ext.
254. For medical appointments, call (310)450-2191.
Publishing in June 2015!
An all-new edition of the
ENTERTAINMENT
& DINING GUIDE 2015
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
16 March 5, 2015
Crossword Puzzle
Across
1. Iraqi port
6. Pain in the neck
10. Spring dance
14. Rehem
15. Cork’s country
16. “___ of the Lock” by Pope
17. International ___
20. Lease
21. Branch of molecular science
22. Global positioning meas.
23. “Middlemarch” author
24. Backgammon equipment
27. Word of support
28. Red ink amount
32. Nigerian language
33. Crackerjack
35. Female chaperone
37. Roundtable
40. Like this puzzle
by Myles Mellor
41. Reed section member
42. Atlantic catch
43. Georgetown hoopster
44. “48___”
45. Match parts
46. Camp craft
49. Datebook abbr.
51. Evil Arabian spirit
54. Someone who depresses or
worries others
58. Area in Central America
60. Gazillions
61. Gab
62. Formerly nitrogen
63. Strengthen, with “up”
64. D.C. bigwigs
65. Novices
3. Leave speechless
4. Flea market deal
5. Circus site
6. Stand up to
7. Dead letters?
8. Fit for farming
9. Bottled spirits
10. Chatters idly
11. Don Juan
12. Oil grp.
13. Grid
18. Columbus Day mo.
19. Bill’s partner in love
23. Dump
24. Profundity
25. Gem State
26. Rabbit
27. Groove-billed ___
29. Reserved
30. Condescending one
31. Beach particles
33. Microbrewery output
34. Funny
35. Twosome
36. Play for a sap
38. Starve
39. It keeps an eye on TV
44. Boss
45. Disreputable, slangily
47. PIN requester
48. Civil rights org.
49. Paternity identifier
50. Brilliant success
51. Conflict
52. Circle overhead?
53. Auth. unknown
54. Holiday ___
55. Philistine
56. Gay Talese’s “___ the
Sons”
57. Regards
59. Hurt
Down
1. Thai money
2. Burn soother
See Page 22
‘Race for the Cure’ to be held
The Susan G. Komen “Los
Angeles County Race for the Cure”
will be held on Saturday, March 7
at Dodger Stadium. Thousands of
people are expected to participate in
the event, which celebrates breast
cancer survivors, honors those who
lost their battle with the disease and
raises funds to help save lives
through breast cancer services and
research grants.
Celebrities expected to appear
include singer and drummer Sheila
E., Los Angeles Lakers player
Jordan Hill, WWE’s Lilian Garcia,
paralympic athlete Blake Leeper,
Olympian Carmelita Jeter, and
actress Kate Linder, star of “The
Young and The Restless”.
“Pink carpet” celebrity arrivals
Norman Lear speaks at The Wallis
The Wallis Annenberg Center for
the Performing Arts (The Wallis)
and Writers Bloc, Los Angeles present “Norman Lear in Conversation
with Phil Rosenthal” on Thursday,
March 12 at 8 p.m. in the Bram
Goldsmith Theater. The event is
part of The Wallis’ ongoing new
series,
“Arts
&
Ideas:
Conversations at The Wallis”.A
legend in the television industry,
Lear created “All in the Family”,
one of the most groundbreaking
series in history.
Through the lens of a sitcom, the
series broke television taboos by
brazenly examining the political,
social and cultural issues of its time,
including racism, homosexuality,
women’s rights,
abortion and breast cancer.
During a nine-year run in the
1970s, “All in the Family” earned
four Emmy Awards for Best
Comedy Series, and a Peabody
Award in 1977. Rosenthal is the
Music and science come together
at ‘First Fridays’ series
Runners hit the streets
in L.A. Marathon
The Natural History Museum of
Los Angeles County is hosting
“First Fridays — An Evening of
Smooth Beats and Science” on
Friday, March 6 from 5 to 11 p.m.
Visitors can take a tour titled
“Finding L.A.’s Hidden Wildlife
One Photo at a Time” held at 5,
5:30 and 6 p.m. The tour will be led
by Richard Smart, of the Natural
History Museum Citizen Science
Program.
A discussion titled “The Newest
Frontier of Science Is in Your
Backyard” will be held at 6:30 p.m.
with Natural History Museum curator of herpetology Dr. Greg Pauly.
With the help of citizen scientists
throughout Southern California,
scientists have made many discoveries about reptiles and amphibians
begin at 7 a.m., followed at 8 a.m.
by opening ceremonies and the
“Sea of Pink” Survivor Parade, in
which hundreds of survivors will
wear pink and march to the stage in
a show of support and inspiration.
The 10K run begins at 8:30 a.m.,
followed by a 5K run at 9 a.m. The
course winds through the hills of
Chavez Ravine around Dodger
Stadium.
Sheila E. will perform at 9 a.m.,
and participants can enjoy live
entertainment, the Whole Health
Pavilion,
Komen
Breast
Educational Center, Komen Place
Store, Dave and Buster’s Kids’
Zone and more until noon.
For information and registration,
visit www.komenlacounty.org/race.
that were previously unrecorded in
the region. Citizen science can help
fill a gap in the region’s biodiversity knowledge, and Pauly will
explain who people can get
involved with citizen science projects. Additionally, a new
“Conversation: Science Salon”
will be held at 7:30 p.m. with the
Nerd Brigade, whose members
have a diverse backgrounds in science and science communication.
Musical performances run from
5:30 to 10 p.m., with the KCRW DJ
Lounge with Raul Campos and special guest Sabo, starRo and JMSN.
Tickets are $18. The Natural
History Museum is located at 900
Exposition Blvd. For information,
call (213)763-DINO. Or visit
www.nhm.org.
creator, writer and executive producer of “Everybody Loves
Raymond”.
Tickets start at $25. The Wallis is
located at 9390 N. Santa Monica
Blvd.
For information, call (310)7464000 or visit www.thewallis.org.
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A photograph in the March 7, 1996 issue of the Park Labrea News
and Beverly Press showed runners competing in the annual L.A.
Marathon. The route extended through the local area, with runners
heading along Melrose Avenue, from the intersection of Highland
Avenue, which was the 14-mile mark for the event. The accompanying
story stated that a team from Mordigan Nurseries, formerly at the
Original Farmers Market, participated in the marathon. This year, the
ASICS L.A. Marathon will be held on Sunday, March 15, and the route
extends from Dodger Stadium, through Hollywood and West
Hollywood, to Santa Monica. For information, see page 8.
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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Women pave the way
for the next generation
17 March 5, 2015
Smallest full moon of the year is tonight
Griffith
Observatory
has
declared tonight’s full moon to be
the official 2015 “Mini Moon,
” the smallest full moon of the
year. This designation is in
response to the astronomical
amount of attention directed in the
last few years to the recently
invented “Super Moon,” a full
moon advertised to be much bigger
and brighter than usual.
The “Super Moon” label is relatively new and has no official astronomical meaning, but fairness dictates that smaller full moons receive
equal attention.
The cause of both the “Mini
Moon” and “Super Moon” phenomena is the Moon’s elliptical
orbit around the Earth. When the
full moon occurs within 24 hours of
the Moon’s closest approach to
Earth in its orbit (perigee), it is
labeled a “Super Moon.” Similarly,
when it occurs within 24 hours of
the farthest distance from Earth
(apogee), it shall henceforth be
labeled a “Mini Moon.” On
Thursday, March 5, the full moon
will occur at 10:05 a.m. within 13
hours of this month’s apogee,
which creates the smallest full
moon of the year. On that evening,
the Moon will appear 7 percent
smaller (and 15 percent fainter)
than an average full moon. The difference in size between a “Mini
Moon” and a “Super Moon” is
about the difference in size between
a nickel and quarter when both are
viewed at a distance of 7-and-a-half
feet.
The Griffith Observatory will be
open on March 5 with free telescopes available to view the “Mini
Moon” and other celestial objects.
Public telescope viewing is set to
begin at 7 p.m. if skies are clear.
‘Zimmerpalooza’ makes science fun for children
photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Visionary Women
Visionary Women hosted the inaugural “Women in Technology”
forum on Feb. 26 at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. Visionary
Women members Angella Nazarian, Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse,
Veronica Smiley and Ambassador Nicole Avant hosted the event,
along with luxury retailer net-a-porter.com.
Celebrities, industry VIPs and 12 students from the local Ladies
First program were among the 200 guests who attended the event.
The students are pictured with Nazarian (center), who founded
Visionary Women. Ladies First is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, empowering and inspiring female students to
become college and career-ready high school graduates.
The event was moderated by five-time Emmy-winning journalist
Giselle Fernandez, and included a panel presentation by four leaders in the technology industry — Dawn Ostroff, president of Condé
Nast Entertainment; Pauline Fischer, vice president of original programming for Netflix; Doris Kim Sung, founder of Dosu
Architecture; and Julie Uhrman, founder and CEO of Ouya.
“We launched the Visionary Women Salons in an effort to build a
multi-generational community of engaged women who want to connect with the world’s most inspired thinkers through dynamic discussions,” said Nazarian, a best-selling author and speaker. “We’re
excited to work with an accomplished lineup of women to launch
our salon and to witness the tangible changes following the
events.”
For information, visit www.visionarywomen.com.
Historic Carthay Circle
6160 Barrows Drive
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The Zimmer Children’s Museum
will
host
its
event,
“Zimmerpalooza”, on Sunday,
March 8, featuring kindie bands, a
singer-songwriter style of children’s music, including The Beat
Buds and Twinkle Time and
Friends. Other activities include
sparkly galaxy dough, mini rocket
launchers, Saturn ring toss,
extraterrestrial eyes and more.
Every activity has been designed to
be engaging for children of all ages.
New this year is a showcase of
process-based and collaborative art
created by participants of the
Zimmer Children’s Museum’s sig-
nature early childhood education
classes,
including
Messy
Masterpieces and Tinker Time.
Artists featured are as young as 18
months. This will be a celebration
of the arts, live music and a day of
family fun.
Proceeds from “Zimmerpalooza”
support the Zimmer’s Family
Access Program of the “We All
Play” Initiative. Each year, hundreds of low-income families are
able to experience the programs of
the Zimmer Children’s Museum for
free or at deeply discounted admission and membership rates through
the museum’s Family Access
Program.
Tickets for the event are $25 general admission per person (for child
or adult), or free for museum members and EBT cardholders. Family
memberships begin at $99, and
include free admission tickets for
the entire family to this event, as
well free admission to the museum
all year with other museum benefits.
The Zimmer Children’s Museum
is located at 6505 Wilshire Blvd.,
Suite 100. For more information or
to purchase tickets and sponsorships, visit http://www.zimmermuseum.org/zimmerpalooza.html.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
18 March 5, 2015
‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ is predictable and
ultimately disappointing
Tim may be a little late to the “50
Shades” party, but perhaps for
good reason. We present his
review, which is one of the funniest
– and best – reviews we’ve read on
the flick. Tell us what you think.
Editor
As a favor for her roommate,
English literature major Anastasia
Steele (Dakota Johnson) conducts
an interview with 27-year-old business tycoon Christian Grey (Jamie
Dornan). Oops, she trips in his
dashing presence. Making matters
even more uncomfortable, she
stammers through each question
haphazardly scribbled on paper. A
subtext emerges.
Does Ms. Steele even realize
she’s nibbling on the pencil Mr.
Grey loaned her? Is Mr. Grey thinking all kinds of shady things about
the brunette attached to that pencil?
The opening scene comes to a
climax when our leading lady exits
the building, welcomed by some
Seattle rain, as if God provided her
the cold shower she desperately
needed. Not even 10 minutes into
the film, and “Fifty Shades of
Grey” is already funnier than most
Adam Sandler flicks.
To be fair though, “Fifty Shades”
isn’t softcore anything. How can a
film so tame that France found it
suitable for 12 year olds evoke such
outrage? It promotes domestic
abuse. It inaccurately depicts
BDSM. It’s just “Twilight” fan fiction. OMG, that’s not my Christian.
Have you ever wanted to see a
film just to hate it? This should’ve
been that film, but it’s not. It’s not
bad enough to hate, but it’s not
good enough to linger upon during
a candlelit bubble bath.
The initial promotion was incredible: an edgy trailer complete with a
killer rendition of Beyoncé’s
“Crazy in Love”. Who is this man
of mystery, Christian Grey, and
what bizarre sexual world will he
introduce to young virgin
Anastasia? But the tantalizing
premise falls flat almost immediately. Never has sex looked so
mundane and procedural.
For you prudes (or rational
adults) who know nothing of
James’ bestselling “Fifty Shades”
trilogy, here’s the skinny. A naive
photo courtesy of Universal Pictures/Focus Features
Dakota Johnson stars as curious college student Anastasia Steele in
“Fifty Shades of Grey”.
Male quilters highlighted at
Craft & Folk Art Museum
A new exhibit at Craft & Folk Art
Museum (CAFAM) highlights
male artists in quilting.
The exhibition, “Man-Made:
Contemporary Male Quilters”, is
the first of its kind in Los Angeles.
“I was interested
in how all these
artists were very
conscious of their
gender identity
when they took up
quilting.”
-Suzanne Isken
Executive Director
Craft & Folk Art Museum
With backgrounds in contemporary visual art, media and fashion,
the eight male artists featured in the
exhibition have been identified as
leading makers whose quilts act as
non-functional art pieces.
Curated by CAFAM Executive
Director Suzanne Isken, “ManMade:
Contemporary
Male
Quilters” is on view through May
3.
Though quilting is culturally
viewed as “women’s work,” men
have participated in the practice
since the early 1800s in both pro-
fessional and domestic capacity.
The art quilt movement developed in the 1980s as a practice akin
to painting, led by professional
artists rather than domestic makers,
according to CAFAM.
“I was interested in how all these
artists were very conscious of their
gender identity when they took up
quilting,” Isken said. “To some
degree, they all felt they had to
address their maleness by making
quilts with cement, or about heavy
metal or sexual preference; but
their prior training as painters,
ceramic artists, scientists, videographers or the like became just as significant, bringing great energy and
distinctiveness to the objects they
create.”
Artists Dan Olfe and Joel
Otterson are notable for utilizing
new materials and technologies in
quilting.
Olfe is a retired professor of
engineering who conceptualizes his
quilts using the same 3D design
software used by video game
designers.
Otterson is known for making
“quilts” out of concrete.
The Crafts & Folk Art Museum
is located at 5814 Wilshire Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90036.
Admission is free every Sunday.
Regularly, it’s $7 for adults, $5
for students, teachers, seniors and
veterans.
It’s free for CAFAM members.
college student meets a dashing but
emotionally distraught rich dude
with a secret: he’s all about whips,
gags and pretty much anything you
chuckle at when you walk by
Spencer’s. He’s “dominant” and he
wants Ms. Steele to be his “submissive” — his words.
But Annie really just wants love,
not a creepy guy who makes her
sign a nondisclosure agreement
about their relationship and won’t
let her drink a few too many. She
initially expresses concern. Wait for
“But I get the
appeal: who
doesn’t want to
watch a train
wreck? That’s
‘Fifty Shades of
Grey’ — so much
effort put into
trash. Johnson is a
splendid actress,
but she is so much
more engaging in
previous comedy
roles.”
it. With the gravitas of Lady Gaga,
he almost near declares, “I was
born this way.” This is who he is,
and Anastasia is either in or out. In
that moment, a thousand therapists
rolled their eyes.
After Christian’s alluring reveal
and 40 sexless minutes of screen
photo courtesy of Universal Pictures/Focus Features
In “Fifty Shades of Grey”, Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson step into
the roles of billionaire entrepreneur Christian Grey and curious college
student Anastasia Steele.
time, we enter the next plot device:
the signing of the dominant/submissive contract, a list of the dos
and don’ts of doing it in Christian’s
“playroom.” No, not a man cave.
Don’t worry, Anastasia is confused
too. “Like, your Xbox and stuff?”
she inquires. Poetry I tell you.
Poetry.
There’s a bit more sex, mostly in
the playroom with all Christian’s
clearly never-been-used sex toys,
and a lot more contract talk, but it
all feels like a set up for a franchise.
I can only hope they find some
shameless way to split the third
book into two films. Give it the old
young-adult-novel-adaption treatment.
I loathe reality television. It rots
your soul in ways once reserved for
infomercials. But I get the appeal:
who doesn’t want to watch a train
wreck? That’s “Fifty Shades of
Grey” — so much effort put into
trash. Johnson is a splendid actress,
but she is so much more engaging
in previous comedy roles. Even
Irish breakout star Jamie Dornan,
who tragically attempts an
American accent, was enjoyable in
the first season of ABC’s “Once
Upon a Time”. Here, the pair is just
uncomfortably reminiscent of Depp
and Jolie in “The Tourist”.
It’s also hard to believe the
directing by Sam Taylor-Johnson
(“Nowhere Boy”) or screenwriting
by Kelly Marcel, who brilliantly
co-wrote “Saving Mr. Banks”,
combine to create such a limp production.
I don’t buy it. We only have one
culprit left: the novelist herself.
This reeks of the same “stank” all
over those sparkling vamps. Just as
Stephanie Meyers’ creative control
over “Twilight” likely ruined what
could’ve been at least enjoyable
films, James probably stuck her
nose in a medium she doesn’t
understand.
Or perhaps Universal Pictures
didn’t want to poke the MPAA bear,
because this is clearly watered
down NC-17 material. At this rate,
I’m not sure who is to blame for all
the mediocrity.
What I do know is rather simple.
Any scandal surrounding this film
is far more interesting than the film
itself.
L.A. Zoo and aquarium feature baby animals
The Los Angeles Zoo and the
Aquarium of the Pacific in Long
Beach are offering discounted
combo tickets to visit both locations.
Tickets can be purchased online
or at either location and used on
different days.
Visitors to both institutions can
enjoy special exhibits and activities, including seeing baby animals, such as baby sharks and
baby penguins.
In addition to the animal attractions, the L.A. Zoo offers a variety
of opportunities to learn more
about animals with close-up
encounters, special feedings and
shows, all free with paid Zoo
admission, including Elephants of
Asia Training Demonstration,
World of Birds Show, Marsupial
Talk,
Hawk
Training
Demonstration, Keeper Talks and
more.
At the Aquarium of the Pacific,
visitors can explore the Wonders
of the Deep exhibit to see animals
that live in the dark depths of the
ocean, from glowing flashlight fish
to moon jellies which can be
touched. Visitors will also be able
to touch sharks, rays, horseshoe
crabs and tidepool animals at the
aquarium and feed colorful lorikeet birds. Visitors to the aquarium
can also watch feeding sessions
with sea otters, seals and sea lions,
penguins, and other animals as
well as underwater scuba diver
shows in its largest exhibits.
photo by Jamie Pham
Some of the featured baby animals include the Babirusa piglets and
their mom at the L.A. Zoo.
The zoo/aquarium combo ticket
is available for $39 per adult (12
and older), $26 per child and $38
per senior (ages 62 and older).
The landmark Los Angeles Zoo
and Botanical Gardens, drawing
1.6 million visitors each year, is
home to a diverse collection of
1,100 animals representing 250
different species, many of which
are rare or endangered. The L.A.
Zoo, open daily except Christmas
Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., is
located in Griffith Park. For more
information call (323)644-4200 or
visit www.lazoo.org.
The Aquarium of the Pacific is a
nonprofit AZA-accredited institution.
Home to more than 11,000 animals and visited by 1.5 million
people annually, the aquarium
invites visitors to explore the
waters of Southern California and
Baja and the Northern and
Tropical Pacific. The aquarium is
open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
and is closed on Dec. 25 and during the Grand Prix, April 17-19.
For more information visit
aquariumofpacific.org or call
(562) 590-3100.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
19 March 5, 2015
Dead Sea Scrolls come to Los Angeles
The California Science Center, in
cooperation with the Israel
Antiquities Authority, presents
“Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition”
opening on Tuesday, March 10.
The exhibition explores the science and significance of the Dead
Sea Scrolls, manuscripts composed, copied and hidden in caves
2,000 years ago. More than half the
scrolls on display have never before
been seen in the Unite States, and
some have never been exhibited
since their discovery.
“This exhibition
demonstrates a
remarkable blend
of science and
history.
Cutting-edge
conservation
technology will
allow our guests to
see the most
significant
archeological find
of the last
century.”
-Jeffrey Rudolph
California Science Center
president
Of special interest will be sections from 10 of the Dead Sea
Scrolls, including parts of the oldest
discovered copies of the Hebrew
Bible, also known as the Old
Testament. The fragmentary scrolls
in the exhibition contain passages
from the books of Genesis, Isaiah
and Psalms, as well as an ancient
marriage contract dating to the 1st
century. Visitors will experience the
Dead Sea Scrolls within the historical and cultural context of ancient
Israel.
Through
multimedia
exhibits, guests will explore the sci-
photo courtesy of the California Science Center
The Dead Sea Scrolls will be on display at the California Science Center
beginning Tuesday, March 10.
ence and technology used to date,
assemble and preserve the ancient
manuscripts for future generations.
Additional highlights include a
three-ton stone from Jerusalem’s
Western Wall, limestone capitals
from the First Temple period
(1000-586 BCE), ossuaries (ancient
bone boxes) from the early Roman
period, and a signature preserved
for millennia on the unique Archer
Seal. More than 600 artifacts from
the Bronze Age to the Byzantine
period in Israel will also be displayed, including delicate jewelry,
pottery shards bearing royal seals,
weapons such as sling-stones and
arrowheads, and objects excavated
from active archaeological sites in
Israel.
“Dead Sea Scrolls: The
Exhibition” was created by the
Israel Antiquities Authority from
the collections of the Israel
National Treasures, and features the
most comprehensive collection of
ancient artifacts from Israel ever
organized.
“This exhibition demonstrates a
remarkable blend of science and
history,” California Science Center
president Jeffrey Rudolph said.
“Cutting-edge conservation technology will allow our guests to see
the most significant archeological
find of the last century.”
The centerpiece of the exhibition
will be the presentation of 20 texts
(10 scrolls at a time, in two rotations) that are part of the remarkably preserved trove known as the
Dead Sea Scrolls. The scrolls were
discovered in a group of caves near
Khirbet Qumran, close to the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea.
Most of the texts are written in
Hebrew, though some are in
Aramaic and Greek.
To enhance the visitor experience, the science center encourages
visitors to view “Jerusalem 3D”, a
film premiering at the California
Science Center IMAX® Theater on
March 10.
The California Science Center
and IMAX Theater are located at
700 Exposition Park Drive. Adult
tickets are $19.75. For information,
call (323)SCIENCE, or visit
www.californiasciencecenter.org.
Foundation announces new center director
The
Jewish
Community
Foundation of Los Angeles (The
Foundation) announced recently
that it has promoted Elana Wien to
director of its Center for Designed
Philanthropy.
Wien, who joined in 2012,
advances from senior program officer at The Foundation, the largest
manager of charitable assets and
planned-giving solutions for Los
Angeles Jewish philanthropists.
In her new position, she will
oversee The Foundation’s institutional grant programs and will lead
all program initiatives of the center,
which was created by The
Foundation as a resource for donors
seeking to shape philanthropic
strategies.
“Since
coming
to
The
Foundation, Elana Wien has distinguished herself through the caliber
of her thinking, passion for our mission and commitment to assisting
donors in designing and fulfilling
their charitable ambitions.
We look forward to the energy
and leadership she will contribute
to this pivotal role with our donor
community,” said Marvin I.
Schotland, president and chief
executive officer.
Wien joined the center from
Washington, D.C., where she
served as a public affairs consultant
for a major telecommunications
initiative and, prior to that, served
as assistant regional director for the
Los Angeles office of a Jewish
international nonprofit agency. In
her work as a senior program officer at The Foundation, she provided customized philanthropic services for center clients, such as
equipping donors with funding
opportunities in specific areas of
interest, managing their grant making process and, reciprocally, working with grant recipients.
Wien earned her master’s degree
from the Universidad de las
Americas
as
a
Rotary
Ambassadorial Scholar to Mexico
and graduated magna cum laude
from the University of California,
Berkeley.
“The Center is a unique and
invaluable resource to Los Angeles
philanthropists,” Wien said. “And I
am excited and honored to serve as
its director.”
Children’s Burn Foundation
honors Lynda Wolfson
The Children’s Burn Foundation,
which provides expertise and programs to prevent pediatric burns
and to heal severely burned children, will honor Lynda Wolfson
Fadel at the organization’s 20th
Annual Giving New Hope Benefit
at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on
Tuesday, March 10.
Fadel will receive the foundation’s Giving New Hope Award for
her commitment to the foundation
and community.
“Each year the foundation
bestows the Giving New Hope
Award to leaders within our community who have given young people hope for a better future,” said
Doug Mancino, chairman of the
board of trustees of the Children’s
Burn Foundation and a partner with
Seyfarth & Shaw. “This year, we
are honored to recognize Lynda for
her tireless dedication to the
Children’s Burn Foundation and
her devotion to our community.”
The foundation is currently funding the treatment of burned children
locally, nationally and internationally. Locally, in addition to medical
support, the foundation assists
young survivors through its programs including teen support
group, camps and emergency family assistance and child and family
support groups.
Nearly 56,500 elementary school
children as well as thousands of
parents and caregivers are reached
annually throughout Los Angeles
County through the burn preven-
tion programs of L.A.Troupe /
Safety
Smart
Theatre-InEducation, a burn prevention program for expectant parents and
Careful, That’s Hot!, a scald prevention program.
“This year, we are
honored to
recognize Lynda
for her tireless
dedication to the
Children’s Burn
Foundation and
her devotion
to our
community.”
-Doug Mancino
Chairman of the board of
trustees of the Children’s
Burn Foundation
The benefit will be emceed by
Fritz Coleman, well-known television weather anchor on NBC
Channel 4. Cocktails, a silent auction and mystery boxes will begin
at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at
7:30 p.m., award presentation and
entertainment. For more information, contact
the Children’s Burn Foundation
office at (818)907-2822 or visit
www.childburn.org.
LAUSD and union reach agreement
The Los Angeles Unified School
District (LAUSD) and a union that
represents skilled craft professionals have reached a three-year contract agreement.
The 1,300-employee Unit E, Los
Angeles/Orange County Building
and Trades Council includes electricians, plumbers, carpenters,
roofers, etc.
The agreement provides Unit E
members a lump-sum payment of
2 percent for the 2013-14 school
year and salary increases of 2 percent in 2014-15, 2 percent in
2015-16 and 2.5 percent in 201617.
Beginning with the 2016-17
school year, most Unit E employees will receive an adjustment
based on the prevailing wage set by
the California State Department of
Industrial Relations.
In addition, there are provisions
for the staffing flexibilities to serve
schools with high maintenance
needs.
“I want to thank the building and
trades council for their professionalism and dedication to our students,” said Roger Finstad,
LAUSD’s director of maintenance
and operations.
“This agreement not only allows
us to attract and keep the very best
and well-trained employees, it
strengthens and prioritizes maintenance and repair services to those
school communities who need it
the most.”
“We are pleased to have reached
this agreement with the district,”
said Chris Hannan, business representative for the trades council.
The agreement will go into effect
upon ratification by unit members
and adoption by the LAUSD Board
of Education.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
20 March 5, 2015
Council to examine deputy system
From page 1
wrapped up soon, perhaps as early as
the end of the week.”
Heilman, Mayor John D’Amico
and city manager Paul Arevalo introduced a motion on Monday that
would examine changing the way
city hall staff members and the
deputies conduct themselves. The
motion was tabled until April, however, because Duran was absent from
the meeting, and the city election on
Tuesday and the upcoming special
election will result in a change of
council members.
“[The deputy system] has been a
challenging organizational structure
for a number of years,” Arevalo said
at the meeting. “That program is
unique to West Hollywood and how
it is structured. There aren’t any other
cities that have similar-type positions.”
The agenda item read that “in light
of the pending deputy vacancies in
the city council offices, there is a
unique opportunity to reevaluate the
council support staffing and possibly
create a more streamlined, transparent and efficient council and constituent support system.”
The motion called for a council
subcommittee to work with Arevalo
to produce a new deputy and city
manager’s office system.
“I’m willing to manage the program and step up and provide the
leadership necessary,” Arevalo said.
“We do need to create institutional
“I’m willing to
manage the
program and step
up and provide the
leadership
necessary.”
-West Hollywood City Manager
Paul Arevalo
changes in order for there to be significant changes in productivity,
transparency and effectiveness of the
program.”
The agenda item noted that no
changes would be implemented until
after the special election on June 2 to
replace former councilman and current Los Angeles County Assessor
Jeffrey Prang.
The agenda item calls for a freeze
in the hiring of council deputies as
positions become vacant, and instead
recommends using the city manager’s staff and remaining council staff
as “pool resources for all council
offices” for approximately a sixmonth period.
“Over the years there have been a
number of concerns raised regarding
the productivity and functionality of
[the current structure] including
duplication of effort, inconsistent
responses to constituent questions,
supervisory challenges and blurred
lines of authority,” the item read.
The item calls for a proposed
“Legislative and Community
Advocacy Program” with a return to
the “grassroots” nature of city council staff with a stronger “in the field
presence.”
“I think there is a whole host of
things [that could be changed for the
better],” D’Amico said on Tuesday.
“Certainly, what you’ve been hearing
about and reading about in the press
is part of [why we are examining the
system]. And also, we want to make
sure the residents are getting the most
value for their dollars. In 2015, there
might be better ways for us to do
community outreach, resident-assistance work and legislative writing.”
It is possible a new system would
give the city manager more oversight, with staff duties split into a legislative arm and a community outreach arm.
D’Amico said that the deputies
have been very helpful to the council
members over the years, specifically
in regards to scheduling and representation in the community.
“I have some reservations about
handing over that much access to
the city manager’s office,” he said.
“I think many of our residents have
found the deputies incredibly helpful over the years.”
WeHo council will undergo changes
From page 1
votes are counted on Thursday,”
Heilman said in a statement. “I love
the city of West Hollywood. I certainly hope I will prevail on
Thursday, but if not, I will stand by
to congratulate the new council
members and assist them in any
way I can to improve West
Hollywood.”
Heilman has been a city councilman since the city was created 30
years ago.
“I am very proud of the positive,
issue-driven campaign I ran, and
clearly my message resonated with
the voters,” Horvath said in a statement. “While as of Tuesday night’s
vote count, I am in third place, it is
too early to declare victory. With
hundreds of ballots outstanding, and
not a huge gap between those of us
in the top four positions, it is clear to
me that anything could happen after
the remaining votes are counted. At
this point, I would like to congratulate all of the candidates on their
efforts, but I know it is going to be a
very long week for every one of us.”
D’Amico said he was, so far,
pleased with the outcome of the
election.
“The headline has to be that reasonableness and ethical standards
motivate the voters of West
Councilman helps ring in
Chinese New Year
photo courtesy of the 5th District Council Office
Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, 5th District, was onhand to join in the Chinese Lunar New Year festivities held at the
Beverly Center this year.
Community members bid farewell to the Year of the Horse and welcomed the Year of the Sheep. For the occasion, the court area of the
Beverly Center was transformed into an interpretation of the traditional Wishing Tree with Spring Festival elements, sheep-themed decorations and symbols of good fortune. Koretz added an ornament to
the tree and honored special guest Jeremy Lin, point guard of the Los
Angeles Lakers.
Hollywood,” he said Wednesday
morning. “I could not be happier
that Lauren Meister has joined our
council. The outcome of the final
race will be known on Friday and I
look forward to helping move our
West Hollywood forward.”
Meister said she was hopeful the
results hold.
“To be honest, I was very cautious and it wasn’t until they read
the 11th precinct [out of 11] that I
felt really good about the win,
because anything can happen,” she
said. “We had an upbeat campaign,
we talked about the issues, and I
think the community responded
positively.”
Meister, during the past two
decades, has been a member of the
city’s public safety and planning
commissions, along with president
of the West Hollywood West
Residents Association.
“[The election] was about parking, traffic and housing affordability,” she said. “I think parking was
the one issue that resonated the most
among the residents.”
Of the remaining candidates,
Joseph Guardarrama (1,525) and
Larry Block (826) received the
largest number of votes. There were
a total of 12 candidates.
Filing papers are due this Friday
for candidates declaring to run in the
special election slated for June 2 to
replace former city councilman and
current Los Angeles County
Assessor Jeffrey Prang.
“Right now, I can’t tell you ‘yes’
or ‘no’,” said Guardarrama, referring to whether he will enter the special election. “There are a lot of different options that I need to weigh.
Running for office is not something
you decide lightly. You have to
weigh all your options. This is not a
run-off, it is a brand new election.”
Block said he was pulling papers
to run, but he is also waiting to officially declare for the special election.
photo by Jonathan Van Dyke
A lane of traffic on Fairfax Avenue will be closed while work continues on the historic May Company Wilshire building.
Work begins on study of
building’s facade
From page 3
Plans include a banquet and conference space with a maximum
occupancy of 1,200 people. An
approximately 4,000-squarefoot café with seating for 150
people and an approximately
5,000-square-foot store are also
planned.
The proposed development
would rehabilitate and adaptively reuse the exterior of the May
Company Wilshire building,
which is classified as a city historic-cultural monument.
Plans also call for the demolition of a 1946 addition to build
what is being called the New
Wing. The New Wing would
include a spherical structure
housing a state-of-the-art theatre
with seating for up to 1,000 people, which could be used for
special events and occasional
exhibits.
The development’s final environmental impact report (FEIR)
was released on Feb. 20. It must
still be approved first by the Los
Angeles
City
Council’s
Planning and Land Use
Management Committee and
then by the full city council. The
date for a committee hearing has
not yet been set, but Academy
officials said they are hopeful
they can begin construction later
this year for a projected 2017
opening.
Mayor launches OurCycle LA
program for people in need
Mayor Eric Garcetti last week
launched OurCycle LA, a program
to refurbish city computers slated
for replacement and give them to
Angelenos in need.
“By getting creative and innovative, we’re stretching our taxpayer
dollars by providing a second life
for city computers,” Garcetti said.
“Each computer represents an
opportunity — an opportunity to
connect, an opportunity to protect
the planet, an opportunity to work.
With OurCycle LA, we’re not only
helping bridge the digital divide,
we’re simultaneously supporting
our economy by providing job
training, creating employment
opportunities, and boosting L.A.’s
growing e-waste management sector.”
Computers not suitable for refurbishment will be recycled by a local
e-waste social enterprise company
committed to providing job training
to
previously
incarcerated
Angelenos who face barriers to
employment.
Garcetti worked with City
Council President Herb Wesson,
10th District, Councilman Bob
Blumenfield, 3rd District, the Los
Angeles Information Technology
Agency, the Los Angeles General
Services Department and the Los
Angeles Bureau of Sanitation to
collect approximately 10,000 old
computers from all city departments and jump start the OurCycle
LA program.
The computers were donated to
the LA Cleantech Incubator which
contracted with human-I-T, a
local nonprofit dedicated to trans-
forming old technology into educational tools for those in need, to
assess each computer’s viability.
The approximately 3,000 computers determined to be refurbishable
will be fully retooled by human-I-T
and loaded with software including
Microsoft Windows 7, MS Office,
and a web browser.
The computers that are not viable
will be transferred to Isidore
Electronics Recyling, an e-waste
recycling social enterprise company that provides on-the-job training
and employment for previously
incarcerated Angelenos.
A number of partner organizations are engaged in the distribution
component of OurCycle LA. The
refurbished computers will either be
donated to nonprofit centers that
provide computer labs to lowincome communities or given
directly to families who have never
had high-speed Internet at home.
Nonprofit recipients will be determined by a lottery through LA
Shares, and individual participants
are recruited by Community Build
and the Koreatown Immigrant
Workers Alliance.
The
California
Emerging
Technology Fund has donated
$150,000 to OurCycle LA to refurbish 2,500 computers and to provide
digital literacy training to 2,500
individual recipients and to help
1,500 households get Internet service; REDF has donated $50,000 to
provide hands-on job training for 10
Angelenos who have barriers to
employment; and Citi provided
$50,000 in support of financial literacy training for 2,500 recipients.
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
21 March 5, 2015
Neighbors upset about dispensary
From page 3
nuisance it can cause in our neighborhoods. That’s why I strongly
encourage residents to contact my
office immediately when they see
illegal activity like this. We will do
everything we can to put a stop to
it.”
Wilcox said Natural Remedies
Caregivers is one of the dispensaries that could qualify for limited
immunity under Prop. D, which
established regulations in Los
Angeles for medical marijuana
dispensaries. According to authorities, the dispensary was not directly involved with the sale of marijuana to minors, and therefore was
not implicated in any crimes. Prop.
D prohibits the sale of medical
marijuana to people under 18 years
old, and also stipulates that dispensaries be located more than 1,000feet from schools. Natural
Remedies Caregivers conforms
with the distance requirement,
according to authorities, but
numerous schools are located
within a few blocks of the dispensary.
Det. Burt Feldtz, who heads the
narcotics unit for the LAPD’s
Hollywood Division, confirmed
that Natural Remedies Caregivers
is a Prop. D compliant dispensary,
and police were unaware of the
specific activity last week involving sales to minors outside of the
dispensary. However, he said it is
an all too common problem in the
city of Los Angeles.
“Everywhere you see a medical
marijuana dispensary, you are
going to have that problem. That
location has been on my radar, but
as of recently, we didn’t have any
reports,” Feldtz said. “I have my
guys watching the different locations and sitting in parking lots,
and you see it all the time. People
go into the marijuana dispensaries,
and they don’t even get out of the
“My analogy is,
you have to lie to
get high. They go
to a quack of a
doctor to get a
prescription; you
don’t go to a real
doctor.”
-Det. Burt Feldtz, LAPD
Hollywood Division
parking lot before they start divvying it up. We do follow them away,
and in some cases, we make an
arrest or issue a citation. When a
kid is involved, it goes up [in the
level of seriousness].”
Feldtz said police will continue
to monitor the situation at Natural
Remedies Caregivers, and made
clear his opinion on Prop. D and
medical marijuana.
“The whole thing is a joke,”
Feldtz said. “My analogy is, you
have to lie to get high. They go to
a quack of a doctor to get a prescription; you don’t go to a real
doctor. When Prop. D passed, it
allowed a certain amount of dispensaries to stay. A lot have gone
away, but there are still a lot
remaining.”
Feldtz said he knows of eight
dispensaries currently operating in
Hollywood, and although he did
not identify the locations, he said
three are non-Prop. D compliant.
He added that two additional dispensaries previously operated in
the strip mall where Natural
Remedies Caregivers is located,
but have since closed.
Jimenez said the problem is not
just the sale of marijuana to
CD4 election heads to runoff
From page 1
onated.”
Ramsay, who worked as
LaBonge’s deputy and chief of
staff, declared her candidacy on
Sept. 3, 2013.
“The reason I filed on day one is
because I knew it was going to be
tough and the caliber of other candidates was going to be excellent
and top notch,” Ramsay said. “My
feeling all along is that voters had
a much better airing of the issues
because there were so many people in the race.”
Candidates Wally Knox, Teddy
Davis, Steve Veres and Sheila
Irani also finished with between 11
and 7 percent of the vote. There
were at total of 14 candidates.
“I think the results speak for
themselves,” Knox said. “I think
we had a remarkably substantive
campaign. We were told at the
beginning of the race that the public did not want to hear the big
issues, and that was completely
wrong.”
Ryu, a community health direc-
photo courtesy of the David Ryu Campaign
CD4 candidate David Ryu (center) celebrated early election returns with
supporters.
minors, but a criminal element the
dispensaries attract, which has
resulted in graffiti, auto burglaries
and thefts in the area. While the
issue has subsided following the
recent crackdown, he believes the
problems will continue.
Jimenez organized a small
protest last Friday with approximately 20 people at the corner of
Western and Barton avenues.
Demonstrators waved signs with
slogans such as, “Stop Selling Pot
to Children on Our Streets.” He
said residents want the Natural
Remedies Caregivers to close, and
will be working with the
Hollywood
Studio
District
Neighborhood Council on the
issue.
“We don’t want it in the neighborhood,” Jimenez said. “We are
going to do another protest every
two weeks. The next protest will
be on March 13.”
Jose Torres, a member of the
Hollywood
Studio
District
Neighborhood Council, said he
plans to bring the issue up at the
council’s next meeting on
Monday. He added that he is aware
of illegal sales occurring outside
Natural Remedies Caregivers, and
agreed it is a problem.
“They don’t have community
support,” Torres said. “They need
to close.”
Lyudmla Lukyanova, business
manager for Natural Remedies
Caregivers, said the employees
were unaware that the medical
marijuana sold to people with a
prescription was re-sold to minors
near the dispensary. She said two
security guards had been hired to
prevent such occurrences, and she
switched security companies after
the report surfaced about the illegal sales.
“We didn’t see what was happening. It was the security guards’
tor, released a statement on the
early results:
“There are still very many ballots to be counted, but I am humbled by the support that I have
received in every neighborhood
across this diverse district. Win or
lose, we showed last night that the
best way to fix a city hall that wasn’t listening was to run for office,
and make the city listen. Every
day, I’m inspired by my volunteers
that have driven this campaign,
and their energy builds me up. If
we make the runoff, we’ll run the
same way we did for the primary
— one voter and one vote at a
time. And if I’m chosen to serve on
the city council, I’ll govern the
exact same way I ran the campaign: by listening to the community first.”
Ryu was the district’s top
fundraiser, but his campaign team
credited his success in the manner
in which the money was spent.
O’Grady said he was hoping for
a little luck of the Irish, and that he
had been told that there were a lot
of provisional votes yet to be
counted. The Los Angeles City
Clerk’s Office reported that there
are approximately 43,814 votes
citywide that have not been counted.
“I’m obviously very, very proud
given the amount of money we
spent versus the other two, and
what all the other candidates spent,
and how little it did,” O’Grady
said. “Hopefully we can make up
the other 60 votes. I want to call
the other candidates and be done
with it, but that’s such a low num-
photo by Edwin Folven
The Natural Remedies Caregivers dispensary is at the center of neighborhood complaints about illegal pot sales.
fault. We had two security guards
before, and now we have four,”
Lukyanova said. “Now, we don’t
have any problems. We have been
here for five years and we didn’t
have any complaints from residents.”
Jimenez disputed that claim, and
said he is bracing for more issues.
“We don’t care if they put 100
guards there,” Jimenez added. “We
don’t want the dispensary there.”
Wilcox encouraged anyone
experiencing issues involving
medical marijuana dispensaries to
contact the neighborhood prosecutors assigned to LAPD stations.
The neighborhood prosecutor
for the Hollywood area is Jackie
Lawson, who can be reached at
(213)978-7840, or email [email protected]. The neighborhood prosecutor for the
Wilshire Division is Mehrnoosh
“Nooshi” Zahiri, and she can be
reached at (213)978-2220, or
email
[email protected].
ber.”
O’Grady credited his attendance
at approximately 60 to 70 meetand-greet sessions for his success,
along with his personality.
“If anything, I’m known for
being authentic,” he said. “I’m not
saying that in a good way. You
either love me or hate me, but at
least you know it’s not packaged
in any way.”
The Los Angeles City Clerk’s
Office has until March 24 to officially certify the election results,
although officials said they would
try to announce a final count sooner. The general election is scheduled for May 19.
Legislative leaders author bill
to allow for iPoker gaming
Sen. Isadore Hall, III (D-South
Bay), and Assemblyman Adam
Gray (D-Merced), have introduced identical legislation to
legalize Internet poker (iPoker) in
California.
SB 278, authored by Hall, and
AB 431, authored by Gray, would
specifically authorize the operation of an iPoker website within
California’s borders and would
require the California Gambling
Control Commission, in consultation
with
the
California
Department of Justice, to prepare
regulations for the operation of an
iPoker website.
Federal law essentially prohibits
online gambling in the United
States but allows individual states
to offer intrastate Internet gaming,
subject to state regulation to prevent gambling by minors or persons located outside of the state.
Currently, only Nevada, Delaware
and New Jersey allow forms of
legal intrastate Internet gaming.
Hall and Gray serve as chair-
men of each legislative house’s
policy committee that oversees
gaming within the state, and are
seeking to lead a productive dialogue on an iPoker regulatory
framework.
“The issue of iPoker in
California has historically been
divisive, dealing legislators, the
governor and the public a folding
hand,” Hall and Gray said in a
statement. “It is time to work
together, stop bluffing and take
control of this issue. Our bills do
not create winners and losers. Our
bills do not take one entity’s side
over another. Our bills will give
the Legislature, the governor, tribal governments, other gaming
entities, technology providers and
the public an opportunity to have
an open, honest and thorough
debate on this issue. This will not
be a rushed process. Any iPoker
proposal must put California taxpayers first and must ensure a safe
and responsible entertainment
option for adults.”
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
22 March 5, 2015
Women’s achievements recognized
From page 1
in Manhattan. Landing her first
leading role remains one of her most
cherished highlights of her career.
“When I first auditioned for a
Broadway show, it was called the
“Two Bouquets”, a Victorian
Operetta, and I got the leading role.
I was just out of drama school and
that was lovely,” Morison said.
Morison then arrived in
Hollywood in 1939 under a contract
with Paramount Pictures, and performed in film and theatre into the
1970s.
She credits her vitality and long
life to her genes. Her mother was
Irish and a passionate leader who
many women admired, she said.
“My mother was the first woman
to speak at the House of Commons
[of England] after World War I to
address the issue that many women
wanted to keep their jobs after the
war. And many of them had lost
their husbands and wanted to keep
their jobs … so they said to my
mom, ‘You’re Irish — you can
speak for us’,” Morison said.
This year, Global Women’s
Strike, a women-led international
social justice organization, has
called for the 16th annual global
action in support of women’s rights
on Saturday, March 7, on the eve of
International
Women’s
Day,
observed March 8.
International Women’s Day traces
its roots to the early 20th century
during a time of heightened labor
struggles in North America, Europe
and elsewhere. Women’s History
Month, the celebration of the contributions women have made in the
U.S., was first celebrated in 1987
after Congress passed a joint resolution calling for Women’s History
Month to be officially observed in
March.
The event will feature speakers,
performers, booths with community
resources and information ranging
from raising the minimum wage to
spreading awareness on the slayings
of women in Ciudad Juárez,
Mexico.
Alexandria House, a transitional
home for women and children
escaping abusive relationships, is
one of several organizations
involved in the planning process.
Organizers hope to raise more
awareness for their organization and
issues impacting women, said Judy
Vaughan, founding director of
Alexandria House.
“It’s really important to us at
Alexandria House to address some
of the things that keep women and
children living in poverty,” Vaughan
said. “There’s a huge overlap with
economic issues of no affordable
housing, the difficulty to get decent
childcare, no increase in public benefits, cuts in adult education in Los
Angeles Unified School District and
preventing folks from getting a
decent paying job.”
In addition to providing shelter to
women and children moving from
emergency shelters to permanent
housing, Alexandria House also
takes part in financial management
workshops, counseling, providing
health care, job assistance, legal
counsel, education and other
resources.
Nancy Berlin, founding member
and board member of Alexandria
House, is on the planning committee for this year’s International
Women’s Day celebration on March
7.
“This year, we decided to focus
on honoring the women and the
mothers and caregivers who usually
go unnoticed,” Berlin said.
Women’s History Month is
undoubtedly a great thing, but often
the focus is only on famous women
at the expense of other women who
have made equally great contributions, Berlin said.
“We wanted to focus not only on
famous women, but on everyday
women who have been part of our
lives. While we will be honoring
some famous women who were
fighters for women and others,
we’re also going to be honoring
women who take care of others,
such as the women of Alexandria
House,” Berlin said.
Vaughan looks forward to
International Women’s Day because
of the international context of local
issues.
“It helps me understand local
issues as global concerns. It’s an
international movement. It’s celebrated throughout the globe. Many
Students excited by visit with NBA legend
From page 3
author of eight best-selling books.
The rapt crowd broke into cheers as
the former NBA player walked into
the gym, which was decorated in
purple and gold.
Abdul-Jabbar told students about
his own struggles during grade
school.
“I stood out,” he said. “It was
very difficult for me to fit in. Each
of you is a unique and distinctive
individual and you will have your
own way through life.”
Students lined up in the middle
of the gym to ask questions of the
former Laker. Topics included the
work it takes to become a professional basketball player, the civil
rights era, writing tips and more.
Abdul-Jabbar said he wasn’t initially very good at basketball, and
he originally wanted to play baseball. A Harlem Globetrotters video
inspired him.
“I got over it and I kept playing
and I got better,” he said.
In regards to his early academic
struggles, Abdul-Jabbar joked that
he wasn’t the best at writing in cursive when he was a child.
He told the students that they
should aspire to go to college — he
was the first person in his own family to attend — and that when they
were done they should strongly
consider coming back to the neighborhood where they grew up to
help make it a better place.
Councilmen offer details about
L.A. River project financing
Los Angeles City Councilmen
Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District, and
Bob Blumenfield, 3rd District,
announced that further details have
emerged on how to incorporate an
Enhanced Infrastructure Financing
District (EIFD) along the Los
Angeles River.
The full city council heard a
report during the regular council
meeting on Friday from the Los
Angeles Economic Workforce and
Development Department, which
presented recommendations on
how to proceed with incorporating
a new state law with city policy.
The new law allows local officials
to direct a portion of future property taxes for community improvement projects along the river, such
as affordable housing, habitat
restoration, and improved infrastructure.
“The new state law provides a
means for the city of Los Angeles
to move forward on projects that
will benefit all constituents in communities along the L.A. River,”
O’Farrell. “I am already working
with my colleagues in the county
and look forward to improving the
look, feel and economic investment
of our neighborhoods that touch
our urban waterway.”
During the report, staff provided
more details on what steps the city
will take to start the EIFD process,
including the establishment of city
policy on the topic, directing funds
of up to $75,000 to report on the
financial analysis and forming a
working group to identify boundaries and specific projects within
the community.
Staff indicated the adoption of an
Enhanced Infrastructure Financing
District along the river is at least a
year away.
“That’s what community is all
about,” he said.
Many Kingsley Elementary students recently attended, through
help from Beyond the Bell, AbdulJabbar’s Camp Skyhook, which
places an emphasis on learning
STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills applied in
the wilderness of the Angeles
National Forest.
“The kids go up there and they
have people there who are trained
to take them through various little
observations and experiences with
the flora and fauna of the area, and
just talk to them about how technology impacts that area and
explain to them different aspects of
how technology is involved with
what they are learning,” AbdulJabbar said.
“To have the opportunity to
develop those strategies and those
skills and that knowledge base, is
something [our students] will
remember for all their lives,” said
Kingsley Elementary principal
Karina Salazar.
At the end of the assembly, three
students were chosen for a skyhook
— Abdul-Jabbar’s famous shot —
mini-clinic in front of their peers.
The auditorium erupted with
applause after each skyhook was
made.
“Working in an inner city school,
the opportunity to interface with a
figure of his stature, who is nationally and internationally known, it is
such a treat for our community,”
Salazar said, adding that she was
hopeful the students would be
inspired by his story. “The kids
were remarkable. They had some
very well written questions and
they were really curious. Many of
them had actually conducted
research and we saw that in their
questions that were thought provoking.”
photo by Luis Rivas
The Alexandria House provides a multitude of services for women and
their children who are in transition into permanent housing.
issues here in the U.S. are experienced globally. It also helps me look
at the realities of how race and class
impact some of the issues that
women are dealing with,” Vaughan
said.
Connecting back to issues of
labor reform and economic strife,
Vaughan feels that more attention
has to be given to the role of women
in society.
“I know people talk about the
recession getting better, but for a lot
of people, they haven’t seen this
glimpse of new hope,” she said.
In addition to Alexandria House,
Californians United for a
Responsible Budget, No More Jails
LA, Veterans for Peace-Los
Angeles, Military Families Speak
Out and other organizations are par-
ticipating for this year’s event.
The event will take place
Saturday, March 7, at Los Angeles
Alliance for a New Economy’s
headquarters at 464 Lucas Ave, Ste.
2.
Additionally, on March 13, The
Ebell of Los Angeles, a philanthropic and educational organization
founded by women, will host a special membership cocktail reception
for guests to meet Ebell members
and learn more about the organization. It will take place at the Ebell of
Los Angeles, located at 741 S.
Lucerne Blvd. Guests are encouraged to RSVP with Jessica
Hernandez at (323)931-1277 ext.
131 or email [email protected]. For information, visit
www.ebella.org.
Assemblyman proposes new
public high-tech university
Assemblyman Mike Gatto (DGlendale) has introduced AB
1483, legislation that will start
the process for a new, public
University of California campus.
The legislation would provide
the much-needed extra capacity
to meet demand for trained
employees, and promote the socalled STEAM subjects (science,
technology, engineering, arts and
mathematics). The bill would
also start the process for the
required study on the feasibility
and potential locations for a campus, and appropriates $50 million
for land acquisition and initial
building costs for the future
“UC-Tech” campus.
The new campus would provide an elite technical curriculum
comparable to Caltech. However,
with Caltech’s base tuition at
$43,000 a year compared to the
$13,000 base tuition for in-state
students at University of
California schools, it would save
California students at least
$120,000 during the course of
earning a four-year degree.
“Tech and creative jobs are the
future, yet too many California
students are unable to get the
education they need here in
California,” Gatto said. “It is
time for the legislature to prioritize higher education with bold
moves, ones that will make a
meaningful difference in the educational levels and skill-sets of
Californians for generations to
come.”
For
information,
visit
www.asm.ca.gov/gatto.
Affordable housing plan proposed
California Assembly Speaker
Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego),
joined by local and state officials
including Los Angeles Mayor Eric
Garcetti, has announced a proposal,
put forth by Assembly Democrats,
to create more affordable housing
in California.
The plan includes establishing a
permanent source of funding for
affordable housing by placing a
small fee on real estate transaction
documents, excluding home sales,
and increasing the state’s Low
Income Housing Tax Credit by
$300 million.
The plan includes legislation to
create a framework for how
California will spend any funds
received from the National
Housing Trust Fund that are expected to flow to states in 2016. It also
calls for using a portion of the
Proposition 47 funds to reduce
recidivism through investment in
rapid rehousing and housing supports for formerly incarcerated
Californians.
Answers From Page 16
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
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