2 Downtown News
January 31, 2011
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AROUNDTOWN Chrysler-Fiat Dealership To Open Jan. 31
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new car dealership featuring five brands under the Chrysler umbrella, including Fiat, is set to open on Monday, Jan. 31, said Ralph Kisiel, spokesman for The Chrysler Group. The dealership at 2025 S. Figueroa St. includes showrooms for Chrysler, Fiat, Dodge, Ram Truck and Jeep, and will create more than 100 jobs. Chrysler officials said the building, which has sat empty since 2004, will function as a “showplace” for new concepts and vehicles under the Chrysler Group umbrella. The site will also hold one of the first North American Fiat outlets. The Italian carmaker in 2009 took a 20% ownership stake in the Detroit company, helping it to emerge from bankruptcy. The Chrysler building is perhaps most eye-catching from the rear: It backs up against the 110 Freeway and features a five-story, LED-lit, glass-encased podium displaying cars. The dealership is one of a series of additions that could change the look and activity level of the Figueroa Corridor. A headquarters for Chinese automaker Build Your Dreams is scheduled to open in April at 1800 S. Figueroa St.
Last Chance for Love Lines
you can get a feature box, a photo and 35 words. To prove your undying love, see the ad on page 12 or email loveliness@downtownnews.com.
President Palmer Joins Music Center Board
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he President has joined the board of directors of the Music Center. OK, not President Obama, but Dennis Haysbert, who played President David Palmer on several seasons of the Fox action show “24.” The actor, who also has appeared in the CBS program “The Unit” and is seen frequently in Allstate TV commercials, was one of five people recently appointed to the board that oversees the Downtown performing arts complex. Also joining the panel are Colleen Bell of Bell-Phillip Television, William Hagelstein of advertising and marketing agency Rubin Postaer and Associates, philanthropist Joyce Kresa and Susan Wegleitner of J.P. Morgan Securities.
Chamber Dinner To Honor Three
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ou only have a couple more days to send a free message of amour to your significant other. The submission deadline for Los Angeles Downtown News’ annual Love Lines is Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 5 p.m. Love Lines, those missives of affection and pet names, will be published in the Feb. 7 issue. The first 20 words of a message are free and for $25
he Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce will welcome a new board chairman, and give out some big prizes, at a dinner on Feb. 10. The event will install Joseph Czyzyk, the chairman and CEO of Mercury Air Group, as the chair of the chamber board. The Chamber will also present the Civic Medal of Honor to Barry Sanders of Latham and Watkins, the Distinguished Business Leader award to Ed Roski of Majestic Realty, and the Corporate
photo by Gary Leonard
Fans clamored for autographs from Luke Walton and other current and former Lakers at the Lakers All Access All-Star Edition on Thursday, Jan. 27. The event at Staples Center was organized by the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission.
Leadership Award to the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live, 900 W. Olympic Blvd. Tickets are $500. Registration at lachamber.com.
Police Seek Shooting Suspect
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APD detectives are searching for a suspect who shot a man in the face on Wednesday, Jan. 26, in the Fashion District. The suspect is believed to be about 18 years old and Hispanic and was last seen wear-
ing a baseball cap and a white shirt with gray writing, “similar to an Ed Hardy style shirt,” police said in a statement. The suspect approached a 25-year-old man on a Pico Boulevard sidewalk, between Main and Los Angeles streets, and shot him, Lt. Paul Vernon said in a statement. “Our victim was sipping on his cup of coffee, like he does every day, waiting for his boss to pick him up,” Vernon said. “The suspect came out of nowhere and shot him point blank in the face.” The victim, who was shot in the side of the face near the jaw, was taken to a hospital and was later reported to be in stable condition.
2011 Annual:Downtown 1/26/2011 11:14 AM Page 1
NOTICE OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
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DRAFT REMOVAL ACTION WORKPLAN
2011-2012
CENTRAL REGION 9TH STREET K-8 SPAN SCHOOL
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Public Comment Period: February 4, 2011 to March 7, 2011 WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED? The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) invites public comment on the draft Removal Action Workplan (RAW) for the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) proposed Central Region 9th Street K-8 Span School Redevelopment. The RAW describes the removal and off-site disposal of approximately 1,120 cubic yards (1,680 tons) of soil from the site. The site is 3.23-acres and consists of the former 9th Street Elementary School property and parking lot (Area A) and an adjacent hardware store (Area B). The Site is bordered by East 8th Street to the northeast, Towne Avenue to the northwest, East 9th Street to the southwest, and Stanford Avenue to the southeast in downtown Los Angeles. During environmental investigations, concentrations of lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in soil and volatile organic compounds (benzene, ethylbenzene, and PCE) in soil gas exceeding DTSC health risk levels for school sites were detected in Area A. In addition, four metallic subsurface anomalies and a former auto wash rack and an oil/gas storage area were identified in Area B, which will be addressed in a separate investigation. Therefore, DTSC recommended that LAUSD remove the contaminated soils and transport them to a permitted offsite disposal facility. DTSC also recommended LAUSD dig up and remove, if necessary, the subsurface anomalies, former wash rack, and oil/gas areas. The DTSC has prepared a Responsible Agency Checklist (Checklist) and an Addendum based on the Final Environmental Impact Report dated August 31, 2010 and prepared by LAUSD. The Checklist and Addendum states that the proposed cleanup will not have a significant negative impact on the human health and the environment because of the defined amount of contaminated soil to be removed, the removal’s short duration, and the controlled manner in which the contaminated soils will be removed, loaded onto trucks and taken away to an approved/permitted off-site facility for lawful disposal/treatment. HOW DO I PARTICIPATE? This notice is to provide the interested community an opportunity to learn more about the project and provide comments to the DTSC about the proposed cleanup during a thirty (30) day public comment period that starts on February 4, 2011, and ends on March 7, 2011. Your participation is encouraged. Comments concerning the draft RAW may be submitted in writing to Angela Garcia, Project Manager, DTSC, 5796 Corporate Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630, and must be postmarked by March 7, 2011. WHERE DO I GET MORE INFORMATION? A copy of the draft RAW and other project documents are available at the Little Tokyo Branch Library, 203 S. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles; Plasencia Elementary School, 1321 Cortez St., Los Angeles; Para Los Niños Middle School, 1617 E. 7th St., Los Angeles; LAUSD Office of Environmental Health and Safety, 333 S. Beaudry Ave., 27th Floor, Los Angeles, and at www.laschools.org/find-a-school. Also, all site documents and the Administrative Record pertaining to this project are available for review during office hours at the DTSC Regional Records Office, 5796 Corporate Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630. Contact: Angela Garcia at (714) 484-5490 for an appointment. Project documents can also be found at http://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/. CONTACT: If you have any questions or wish to discuss the removal activities, please contact Jeanne Matsumoto, DTSC Public Participation Specialist, at (714) 484-5338 or email: jmatsumo@dtsc.ca.gov; or Angela Garcia, DTSC Project Manager, at (714) 484-5490 or email: agarcia@dtsc.ca.gov. Media queries contact: Jeanne Garcia at (818) 717-6573 or email: jgarcia1@dtsc.ca.gov. TDD users can use the California Relay Service at 1-888-877-5378 and ask to speak to Jeanne Matsumoto at (714) 484-5338. For information on the DTSC, visit our web site: www.dtsc.ca.gov. Si desea información en español, comuníquese con: Jeanne Garcia al (818) 717-6573