Los Feliz Ledger Vol 5. No. 10
Handful of Newcomers Join AVNC Board Three Seats Remain Open By Ian Lovett Ledger Contributing Writer ATWATER VILLAGE—Official results have been released by the City Clerk’s office for the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council election held March 20th. Two newcomers to the neighborhood council, Francisco Sanchez and Alex Venutra, were elected to represent North Atwater residents. In Central Atwater, two current neighborhood council members we re-elected—Pat Kane and current board cochair Robert Smith. The other co-chair, Leonora Gershman Pitts, was also re-elected to represent South
Serving the Greater Los Feliz, Silver Lake & Hollywood Hills Area | Distribution 34,500
“Los Feliz Forward” Sweeps GGPNC Election By Jessica Pauline Ogilvie, Ledger Contributing Writer LOS FELIZ—In an election with the highest voter turnout in Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council (GGPNC) history, voters elected 10 new members to the GGPNC on March 20th. Four were incumbent, and six have never served on the board before.
New board members are: Christina Khanjian, Harpreet Malhi, Frank Masi, Jessica Kornberg, Leslie VanKeuren and Mio Vuckovic. Re-elected incumbents are Alex DeOcampo, Mark Mauceri, Tomàs O’Grady and Ron Ostrow. All 10 elected were part of
“Los Feliz Forward,” an informal group of candidates who campaigned together with the stated goal of promoting change and reform of the GGPNC board. According to DeOcampo, a spokesman for Los Feliz Forward, the group consisted of “10 independent individu-
see AVNC RESULTS page 4
Autry President to Retire By Jessica Pauline Ogilvie, Ledger Contributing Writer
GRIFFITH PARK—After serving as president of the Autry Museum for 11 years, John L. Gray announced his retirement in March. He will continue to serve in his position until December, unless a replacement is found prior to that time. Founded in 1988 by film star Gene Autry, the museum—formerly called the Museum of Western Heritage— was conceived out of Autry’s love for the American West. After merging in 2004 with the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the museum was renamed the Autry National Center of the American West
April 2010
Photo by: Faith Resurreccion MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL TRACK BLESSING: Quechua native Hector Perez-Pacheco performed a traditional Native American blessing during Marshall High School’s celebration to commemorate the school’s new track and field, March 8. “These ceremonies are moments of collectiveness within ourselves and the blessing is in order because you want young people to be healthy, safe, and in good spirits,” said Perez-Pacheco. “That’s why I asked the ancestors to help the locale be conducive to that purpose.” Here, Perez-Pacheco blesses the new track with sage while Marshall high school students look on.
and became home to one of the most extensive collections of its kind in the country. In addition to its art collections, the museum offers programming including films, lectures and workshops, as well two research libraries. Gray served as president of the Museum of Western Heritage since 1999, and was later appointed president and CEO of the Autry National Center of the American West following the merger. “The Autry is making history intriguing [and] inspiring, and I’m very proud of that,” said Gray. During his tenure, Gray oversaw a $140 million capitol campaign, which created a substantial endowment and helped develop a new building. He also guided the museum in investing $7.5 million to preserve the Southwest Museum, housed at Mt. Washington. see GRAY RETIRES page 6
als coming together… with the feeling that we wanted to help the GGPNC grow and also provide thoughts and ideas that were new and different and be able to be inclusive.” Charley Mims, current GGPNC President, wasn’t surprised the group was elected. “They created a new political party and put on a sophisticated campaign that turned out more voters than the other candidates did,” he said in an e-mail. Mims ran for a seat in the March election in District E, where he garnered 548 votes to Kornberg’s 862 and Mauceri’s 798. He will remain on the board, however, as he was appointed to a two-year term last September. The Los Feliz Forward group also represented the formalization of a voting bloc on the GGPNC board, which often sees votes split down the middle with the same individuals voting the same way. The tensions that this divide causes became somewhat more defined during the campaign. see GGPNC RESULTS page 5
SLNC: Close Race Makes for Little Change By Ian Lovett, Ledger Contributing Writer SILVER LAKE—Much of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council (SLNC) board will remain the same—in an election that drew the second highest turnout of ten neighborhood council races March 20th with 600 voters. All but one incumbent won re-election in the March 20th election, according to official results released from the Los Angeles City Clerk’s office. And while the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council election saw all 10 “Los Feliz Forward” candidates elected, only three of the five candidates calling themselves “Silver Lake Forward” will join the governing board. The GGPNC posted the highest voter turnout March 20th, with 1,516 voters. In a very close race for the seven At-Large Representative
seats, current SLNC board members Janet Cunningham, Elizabeth Bougart-Sharkov, Vice-chair Claudia Vázquez and Co-chair Paul Neuman were all re-elected. Also, in the At Large category, Leonardo Chalupow-
icz, Sarah Dale and Charles Herman-Wurmfeld will all join the governing board. John Stoneburner, with 125 votes, lost out by nine ballots, while write-in candidate Kiki Crawford lost with 69 votes. see SLNC RESULTS page 11
Marshall Takes 2nd in State Decathlon: From left: Joanna Erdos, chaperone; Alejandra Cardenas; Asst. Coach Terry Colberg; Anastasia Lloyd-Damnjanovic, Kittinan Ponkaew, Andrew Dang, Brandon Schwartz, Marcos Chinchilla, Cherry Park, Liliana Delaguila, Amber Esponda, Coach Larry Welch; Principal Dan Harrison. For full story, page 21. Photo credit: Kimberly Gomez
Los Feliz Ledger [letter from the publisher] C ong rat u lations to all new board members of the Greater Griffith Park (GGPNC), Atwater Village and Silver Lake neighborhood councils. As we reported on the front page, the GGPNC’s election drew an unprecedented
number of voters. The community is commended for coming out and voting. But now, it’s important that all 1,516 voters who cast a ballot stay just as tuned in to board meetings, minutes and activities. The board is there to represent you, the members of the community. Stay involved. On another note: Our web-
site is gaining steam. We are up 36% in visitors to the site—from the month prior—producing a total of 11,047 page views. Finally, we are opening a sister publication called the Mid-City Press starting this month. The paper—much like the Ledger—is a community monthly and will be distributed to 25,000 homes and businesses in the mid-city area of Los Angeles.
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April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger BID Reduces Yearly Fees for Small Businesses By Jessica Pauline Ogilvie Ledger Contributing Writer LOS FELIZ—Following requests from smaller Los Feliz businesses to reassess the $200 fees they are required to pay each year, the Los Feliz Business Improvement District (LFVBID) has determined that businesses which have only one employee or one owner and an employee will now only pay $100. The fees go to the LFVBID to fund neighborhood projects, including beautification in the district, the street fair and community organizing. But many small local businesses have claimed that the fees are too high, given the current economic challenges, and that they are unfairly applied to businesses regardless of their size or profit. According to LFVBID President Chris Serrano, the change in fees is not permanent, since BID assessments are reviewed every year.
Names Released in Hillhurst Shooting By Ian Lovett Ledger Contributing Writer
[ POLICE BLOTTER APRIL 2010 ] Aggreviated Assaults: 7 Burglaries: 16 Theft From Vehicle: 45 Grand Theft Auto: 8 Robberies: 9 Burglary: Feb. 24, 3100 Rowena, 10 a.m. Suspects broke open storage unit and removed property. Burglary: March 3, 3700 Landa St., 1 pm. Suspects broke off the garage doorknob, smashed window and entered the property. Suspects did not take any property. Burglary: March 6: 1100 Coronado Terrace, at 2:00 am. Suspects entered through a side window and removed property. Burglary: March 7th, 2100 Lyric, 8:00 a.m. Suspects entered the property and removed property.
April 2010
Theft: March 7, 4300 Kingswell, 7 p.m. Suspects entered the victim’s gated and locked parking lot and removed property. Burglary: Date not available. 2400 Glendower Place, 3 a.m. Suspects pried open the front door to the residence. The alarm went off startling the suspect who entered. Suspect fled without taking any property. Crime Tip: Currently there has been an increase of bicycle thefts from locked and unlocked garages and front yards. Always secure your property, homes and vehicles. Safety Tip: Due to days getting longer and hotter, remember to never leave children or animals in a car. Temperatures increase rapidly even if the windows are cracked slightly.
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W. Silver Lake Dr. DWP Work Has Begun By Ian Lovett, Ledger Contributing Writer SILVER LAKE—The Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power (DWP) began work March 15th to replace a major water line, forcing a closure of West Silver Lake Drive between Rowena Avenue and Angus Street. The DWP estimates that the affected portion of West Silver Lake Drive will remain closed until July, with traffic on Rowena Avenue most impacted during the final month of the closure. Portions of other roads in the area will also be closed for construction at later dates, including Glendale Boulevard and Riverside Drive, until construction is complete, which the DWP estimates will be by August of 2012. “There will be an impact from this very important proj-
ect, but we’re going to get through it,” said Los Angeles City Councilmemer Tom LaBonge, 4th District. The construction is part of the River Supply Conduit Improvement/Lower Reach Project, which will replace a major pipeline from the 1940s. The pipeline brings water from the Los Angeles Reservoir and local groundwater wells to areas in the central part of the city. The line has a history of leaks and limited flow, and, according to the DWP, the project “is needed to comply with federally mandated Water Quality Regulations.” Metro bus routes will also be altered during construction. For more information visit www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ ladwp011501.jsp.
LOS FELIZ—Los Angeles Police Dept. detectives are continuing to investigate a March 21nd shooting in a parking lot on the 1900 block of Hillhurst Ave. that left four people wounded. According to police, the victims drove themselves to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, where they were treated. Two were released, while the other two were admitted; one man in critical condition. His injuries are expected to lead to some level of paralysis, police said. Lt. Steve Florez, of the LAPD Northeast Division, said the victims have not been cooperative in providing police with information about the incident. “We know they were involved in some type of dispute…” Florez said. “There were as many as eight people there, all male, and one or more of them pulled out a handgun and started shooting.” Florez said police have not recovered the gun, and that the victims could also be suspects. Police are currently reviewing surveillance video, but, thus far, no charges have been made. The victims were Argist Muradyan, 22; Abeyik Muradyan, 24; Laffi Muradyan, 28; and Sevak Dhanjanian, 21. None have any prior criminal record. Florez said he did not believe the incident was gangrelated. COMMUNITY NEWS
Page 3
Los Feliz Ledger AVNC results from page 1
Atwater residents, along with newcomer Rueben Martinez. Write-in candidate Lisa Robey, who owns the Violet Willow boutique on Glendale Boulevard, was the only candidate Business Representative. She will join the council having received all of the votes in that category. Another seat for a business representative remains open. Ginger Damon will remain on the council as one of the Community Groups/Nonprofits Representatives. She received 65 votes. Bruce Fleenor will also remain on the council to represent churches and religious organizations, and he will be joined by AVNC newcomer Nicholas Warnes. Lara Pranger also won reelection as the School Representative. There were no candidates for the two Parks and
Recreation Representative seats, which means three of the council’s 17 seats will remain empty. Still, AVNC Co-chair Robert Smith said he was confident the council would be able to fill any vacant seats. “I got involved because after I came to a few council meetings, they invited me to be part of the council,� Smith said. “Right now, anyone who is willing to get involved and come to meetings, we’ll find a place for them. Especially in smaller communities like Atwater, numbers are always a problem, but we always manage to find people whose hearts are in it.� Advertise in the
Los Feliz Ledger (323) 667-9897
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Picking Up Where the 2 Freeway Left Off
monly known as the Glendale Freeway) to connect to the 101 Freeway. Three years later, comBy Sharon Yi, Ledger Contributing Writer munity opposition halted the project as it would have deSilver Lake Neighborhood ECHO PARK—The Los Angestroyed hundreds of homes. Council. les County Metro Authority Construction stopped and still The project is projected (Metro) has submitted a new remains where it is today, the to cost $18 million—paid for design for where the 2 (Glenterminus ending straight onto by a federal grant and private dale) Freeway ends at North South Glendale Boulevard. funding. Glendale Boulevard—a historEcho Park, Silver Lake “That money’s been ically unsafe interchange that and the business owners on around for 15 years. And now has been debated for years. Glendale Boulevard have comwe finally have a project that The so called “Hybrid plained for over a decade about has a consensus,� between Design� offered last Decemheavy traffic, poor air qualMetro, CalTrans, the Los ber would end the freeway at ity and drivers coming off the Angeles Dept. of TransportiaNorth Glendale Boulevard, freeway speeding converting the onto the local southbound Echo Park, Silver Lake and the business owners street at 60 miles off-ramp into on Glendale Boulevard have complained for over per hour. open space a decade about heavy traffic, poor air quality and “Some folks and relocating drivers coming off the freeway speeding onto the came flying off it east of the 2 local street at 60 miles per hour. the handle, cutFreeway with a ting through right-turn only traffic from the tion and the community, said access to North Glendale Bou2 onto Duane Street and then Metro’s Project Manager Irv levard. onto Silver Lake Boulevard. Taylor. The open space will be [Thousands] of cars going up Construction could begin converted into a communityover that hill is a lot of trafin the spring of 2011 after fibeneficial space that will exfic for a neighborhood,� said nal environmental impacts tend from Allesandro Street to the SLNC’s Millar, referring and design details have been Waterloo Street. to studies conducted on the completed. According to Irv Taylor, area’s car counts. “Some type of a detour Metro Project Manager, the The new Hybrid Design would be worked out, to the concept was designed to prevent is the latest in a series of algreatest extent possible,� said commuter traffic from dumpternatives that have been proTaylor of the potential traffic ing—often at high speeds— posed—including one where snarl construction will create. into the communities of Silver a traffic light would have been “We are well aware that this is Lake and Echo Park, where the installed at the end of the freea critical project. We’re trying freeway abruptly ends. way at Glendale Boulevard— to do right by the community “I think, [this] is much but ultimately rejected. Three as we promised to do. We will more of a benefit for Silver government entities—Metro, be mindful of them as much Lake, because of [the] relocatCaltrans and the Los Angeles as can be.� ing [of] the south bound off Dept. of Transportation— Taylor estimated construcramp. It will be significantly along with local residents have tion will last about two years. more difficult to get through input and the ultimate say over In 1959, Metro set out to [the] neighborhood,� said design. construct State Route 2 (comRusty Millar co-chair of the
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COMMUNITY NEWS
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April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger GGPNC RESULTS from page 1
At a candidate forum on March 18th, current board members alluded to the difficulties board members have had in keeping personal attacks at bay during meetings, as well as in keeping meetings, which start at 7:00 p.m., from running past midnight. Candidates who were not part of Los Feliz Forward banded together at the last minute, handing out flyers and talking to voters together. An unknown group of individuals developed flyers stating that Los Feliz For-
Alex DeOcampo
ward was funded by developers and for preferential parking, a highly contentious issue among residents of Los Feliz. DeOcampo denied the accusations. The election also saw the largest turnout of 10 neighborhood council elections held throughout the city that day. Lines snaked out of the Hollywood Lutheran Church on New Hampshire Avenue, all day, where polls were set up. According to the Los Angeles City Clerk’s office, a total of 1,516 ballots were cast. The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council—which also had elections March 20th—saw
Frank Masi
Harpreet Malhi
the second highest turnout with 600 ballots. Most of the new board members expressed an interest in reforming the GGPNC’s bylaws, a source of contention among the board and some stakeholders. “There is a big need to reform within the board with regard to the bylaws, and the way we outreach,” said DeOcampo. “We want to make sure that we’re inclusive.” The introduction of six new members will likely change the tone of GGPNC board meetings, however Mims stated that his goals for the board—as its current pres-
Christina Khanjian
ident—remain the same. “I hope to have board meetings conducted in a civil manner,” he said in the same e-mail. “My goals [are] to protect what is good in our community, to support both local residents and businesses [and] to help improve and beautify our community,” he said.
Challenges have been filed to GGPNC election results in the past. None have been filed yet contesting the March 20th election; however voters have from April 1st to April 7th to file challenges. If none are put forth, the new board will be seated, and will meet for the first time on Tuesday, April 20th.
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Los Feliz Ledger [focus on the advertiser]
Glendale Memorial Hospital: A Heart Beat Away By Kimberly Gomez, Ledger Contributing Writer
Dr. Santo Polito, Glendale Memorial Hospital’s Heart Center director chats with Los Feliz Resident, Lee Anthony who was successfully treated for a heart attack at the facility. Photo Credit: Kimberly Gomez
GLENDALE—As an American Red Cross instructor, Los Feliz resident Lee Anthony read the frightening signs of his own heart attack. “I told my wife, ‘I think I’m having a heart attack,’ and called 911,� he said. Paramedics rushed him to nearby Glendale Memorial Hospital—a facility with a receiving site for the fast treatment of heart attack patients, known as (STEMI). Anthony was treated and back on his feet in days. Chosen by HealthGrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for the fourth consecutive year, Glendale Memorial performs about 3,500 cardiac procedures a year. Its newly opened Chest Pain Center was the dream child of Dr. Santo Polito, the Heart Center’s medical director. During his 42 years at Glendale Memorial, he saw first hand the additional psychological stress on patients who were admitted just for testing. “The stigma in the patient’s mind is ‘Gee, I was in the hospital for 3 days so I must have a heart problem,’ even if the doctor says no,� said Polito. Now, instead of days of testing, new technology in the Chest Pain Center shows whether a
patient has a heart problem and if not, they are released within two or three hours. There is no need for admittance. But in the serious event of a heart attack, where the first hour after the attack is the most critical, patients couldn’t be in a better place. “In the 1970s, if you sur-
vived a heart attack, you quit your job and you went home and sat in your chair and waited to die,� said Polito. “You come here with a heart attack and within 60 minutes you are cured. We’ve opened your artery, put in a stent and the next day you go home – that’s how far we’ve come.� Other offerings at the hospital, such as the Cardiac Fitness Center, help patients become even healthier than before they were ill, through continued care and education. “Here they see how much they are able to get control back over their mind and their body,� said hospital staffer Michelle Alan Galanti. It’s working perfectly for Los Feliz resident, Robert Granas, 84. A year ago, surgeons cleared a blockage in his heart. Since his recovery, he visits the fitness center often. “I’m greatly relieved that they have this sort of concentrated care nearby,� he said. “For me it’s the quickest and closest hospital for all that I have going on.�
GRAY RETIRES from page 1
Gray also spearheaded the museum’s contentious bid for expansion, which began in 2008. The 79,000 square foot, $175 million expansion would have included new galleries and classrooms; however it was strongly objected to by a community group called Friends of the Southwest, who expressed concern that the plan would eliminate much of the Southwest’s collection. The plan was abandoned late last year. Following his retirement, Gray plans to continue to be involved with the museum. “I’m going to have certain jobs that the board will ask me to do,� he said, “and I plan to attend every symposium.� According to Joan Cummings, Autry spokeswoman, Gray will also spend time in a house he recently built in New Mexico. “He’s going back to his love of horseback riding and
being out in the country and his love of the American West,� said Cummings. There are currently no contenders to take Gray’s place. Headhunting firm Korn/Ferry has recently been hired to conduct a search for the next president. In the meantime, while plans for expansion haven’t been put back on the table, plans for renovating the museum have. “During the next four or five years, we will be expanding internally and creating the exhibition room for the Southwest museum collections,� said Gray, as well as “expanding the Autry collections where there previously had been storage areas.� The museum’s goal, he said, in addition to finding more space for their collection, is to maintain the spirit of the West that the museum has sought to preserve.
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April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger
By Jessica Pauline Ogilvie, Ledger Contributing Writer LOS FELIZ—Ninety people packed the auditorium at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in late February—the first ever graduating class of Los Feliz CERT—other wise known as Community Emer-
gency Response Team. On the last night of class, the group—which ranged in age from 20 to late 60s— heard a final presentation by firefighter Mitch McKnight. After that, all 90 became certified as civilian responders to disaster. Organized by Daniel Sandman, chairman of the GGPNC’s public safety committee, the level one training program began earlier this year. “In talking to other [residents], it seemed like one of the
biggest concerns in the neighborhood was how can we be more prepared,” in case of emergency, he said. “The CERT program was the best way.” Developed in 1985 by the Los Angeles Fire Dept.
(LAFD), CERT trains civilians to respond to disaster while waiting for firefighters and medical personnel to arrive. The program, which is free to participants, consists of seven weekly three-hour classes, during which students learn basic information about fire, medical injuries, search and rescue and disaster psychology. At the end of the evening, the graduates were provided with an informational manual and wallet-sized tip sheet, as
well as CERT-issued helmets and vests. Los Angeles City councilmember Tom LaBonge spoke briefly and offered his thanks and congratulations to graduates. “It was so impressive to see how many dedicated students received their certificate for the completion of their work,” he said in a later interview. J.T. Spangler, 30, who completed the training, signed up for the course after feeling “the urge” to become more prepared should the worst
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come to pass. “It’s been very thorough,” he said. “I appreciated the breadth of information we covered.” Claire Kavanagh, 39, also completed the course after registering on the recommendation of a friend. “You can go into a disaster feeling more confident, more assertive,” she said. “And knowing that so many other community members have taken CERT,” makes you feel better as well. Following completion
of program, participants can continue their training through the Red Cross. Sandman hopes to organize “Level Two” CERT training within the next few months. In the meantime, he plans to continue to offer CERT for other members of the public who would like to volunteer, including, potentially, a group of seniors who have expressed an interest. “I think it’s exceedingly important that public safety be elevated,” within the community, he said.
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Page 7
Los Feliz Ledger
Silver Lake: Always Hip By Sharon Yi, Ledger Contributing Writer SILVER LAKE—It started off as a mass affinity towards American Apparel and skinny jeans—another metro fashion trend that should have peaked and been replaced by another denim cut. But with a casual noon stroll down Silver Lake Blvd., it’s clear that restaurants, boutiques and coffee shops have all been taken over by a cultural mass that has become impossible to ignore: the hipster. Where once there were the Baby Boomers—then the punks and the beatniks with Gen X— the new fights of the 21st century seem not to be against civil rights or evil corporations, but on “going green,� and mastering the technique of layering shabby and turning it chic. The hipsters are the new cultural identity of the Gen Y, the generation coming of age in an unwelcoming economy. Lacking a cause to their identity, their clothes similarly represent the likes of a broken time machine. Buddy Holly glasses from the 1950s and neon-colored cotton spandex of the 1980s are making a comeback. Throw in some vintage flannels and an American Apparel v-neck t-shirt and you get a mixed cocktail of 21st century cool. “If I go to a bar down the street from where I live I usually feel like I stepped into a different time zone. There’s this new ‘skinny jean’ thing where it looks like the guy is wearing his girlfriend’s jeans,� said Rob Wiethoff, a bartender on Sunset Boulevard and 33-year-old resident of Silver Lake. Silver Lake residents have
noticed the shift in the locals as well – even if they aren’t familiar with the word. “Why is it called the hipster? Does it have something to do with the hips and the jeans?’â€? said 45-year-old Miguel Montalvo, an artist and resident of Silver Lake for the last three years. He may never have heard the term, but he sure has noticed the crowd. “Silver Lake changed a lot these past years. There is a lot of young trendy guys,â€? he said. And as an afterthought said: “It’s nice‌ makes the neighborhood young.â€? Jamie Adner, a real estate agent with Keller Williams’ Hollywood Hills office noticed a younger trend in his clientele. “It’s so true, I can’t believe [the hipster] seems to be really becoming a critical mass. The number of restaurants and street life and the boutiques— it’s really stretching further from Sunset,â€? he said. And it’s a story that may just hit the big screen—or at least the little one in your living room. According to a recent Craigslist ad, Hollywood is looking for their next reality TV show hit—in Silver Lake. The posting reads: “Casting Silver Lake’s rich, wealthy, hipster. Guys and girls 21-30 whose personal style is homeless chic.â€? While the newcomers are being noted by the locals, some say, the true Silver Lake culture remains uninterrupted. Many, in fact, believe Silver Lake has been a “hipâ€? place even before the hipsters arrived. “I represent some older clients who live in that area
and it’s been bohemian for 80 years when the movie studios were first out there. I think it always attracted that kind of person. The [home] prices‌ are stratospheric. But profile buyers young or old like that vibe,� said Adner, the real estate agent. As the trendy youth continue to set up camp in Silver Lake, Adner predicts the
trends in real estate will only go up. “If the trend continues, home prices are going to go up quite dramatically‌ like [homes] near [the] Beverly Center. Silver Lake always was and is officially now the east village of Los Angeles,â€? he said. Still, the Silver Lake community is a very hetero-
geneous crowd. Seniors enjoy walking their dogs around the reservoir; young professionals milling around LAMill and struggling artists searching for a muse. “People from other cities say Silver Lake is a hipster crowd, but it’s not all or nothing. Take a look, we’re a mix of people,� said Silver Lake resident Erin Sheehan, 25.
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COMMUNITY NEWS
www.losfelizledger.com
April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger [silver lake correspondent]
10th “Festival of Childhood” Coming to Echo Park April 24th By Michael Locke, Ledger Contributing Writer ensemble, the Free to Be Me ECHO PARK— drumming circle, and a hip The Center hop dance team. for Nonvio“Childhood is a time of lent Education joy, where there is a longing and Parenting to be creative and play. At the (CNVEP) will Festival of Childhood we celhold its 10th ebrate children’s innate creannual Festival of Childhood; ativity in a safe, healthy and a day of fun and creativity that honors and celebrates the child. The festival focuses on a message of empathy for children and a day when families can experience the possibility of nonviolence in the world. The free outdoor event is held in conjunction with The Day of the Child, National Child Abuse Prevention Month and International Spank Out Day. Offered will be a myriad of creative activities, including a Ruth Beaglehole, executive director and founder of CNVEP. skate park, face paintloving environment,” said ing, gardening, clay play, butRuth Beaglehole, executive ton making, music together director and founder of CNand street (chalk) painting. VEP. Beaglehole was honored Entertainment will be proin 2006 as a “Woman of the vided by L’Esprit D’Afrique
April 2010
www.losfelizledger.com
Year” by the California State Assembly. CNVEP’s mission is to support and facilitate non violent child-raising rooted in connection and empathy. The organization offers ongoing parenting classes and individual support and professional trainings. Information: www. cnvep.org. The festival is Sat., April 24th at the Reservoir Street Closure, one block north of Sunset and Alvarado 3/23/10 in Bernies_Apr10.pdf Echo Park, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
OMGC’s Black and White Party Set for May 1 LOS FELIZ—Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish’s 3rd Annual “An Evening in Black & White”—silent auction/ cocktail party will be held Sat., May 1st from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the church’s multipurpose center, 2060 No. Vermont Ave. Tickets are $20 which inAdvertise in the
11:00:00 PM
cludes light fusion fare, a glass of wine, beer or soft drink and coffee. There will also be a nohost Martini Bar. Dress is black and white but not necessarily formal. For information: (323) 664-2111 or www.omogc. org/upcoming_events.html
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Page 9
Los Feliz Ledger [being whole]
Ready, Get Centered, Go!
Look for the May edition of the
Los Feliz Ledger on April 29th
By Elma Mayer, Ledger Columnist Like health and vitality, we often take centeredness for granted. We only notice when it’s missing. We may not even know why we are scattered, ineffective, irritable, depressed— but it’s usually because we aren’t centered. Being centered isn’t just a metaphorical condition. It’s a real state of being, even though it’s often intangible.
can do the same. Most people are unaware of the effects. Getting centered snaps you back into your true self. It clears away distortion and negative energy. Centering instantly re-sets a scattered energy field back to normal. And it’s applicable to any situation. Centering is a vital selfcare skill, just like basic hygiene or nutrition. But unfor-
Le Pilates Loft Celebrate with us as we host Silver Lake’s
International Pilates Day MAY 1, 2010
Just as environmental toxins and normal waste products unbalance our systems if not properly eliminated, energetic toxins can do the same. On a physical level, lack of centerdness can manifest as a wide range of symptoms, from spinal misalignment to clumsiness. Mentally, it can show up as mental chatter, forgetfulness, even ADD. Un-centered emotions can be overly turbulent or deadened. But physical and mental symptoms are just side-effects. The real problem is energetic. How do our energy fields become un-centered? Just as environmental toxins and normal waste products unbalance our systems if not properly eliminated, energetic toxins
Join us on May 1st at the Silver Lake Farmers’ Market
tunately, most people don’t know that they can center themselves, effectively and easily, in less time than it takes to shower or make a salad. Try it now. Say “Center” as you place your attention on your lower spine, and move your focus quickly up and out the top of your head. Use this technique anytime – when you’re out of sorts, before you make a decision or take action, even when you first wake up. Elma Mayer can be reached at www.nowhealing.com (323) 309-7687.
for Lectures and demonstrations
Located in the heart of Silver Lake, Le Pilates Loft offers private sessions, semi-private sessions and specialized programs tailored to each client’s unique needs and goals.
Pilates Fundamentals Managing Back Pain and Peak Performance 9am, 11am & 1pm
With a degree in dance and 20 years of teaching experience in the field of movement, Gold P.M.A. Certified Pilates instructor, personal trainer and studio owner Manon Laplante offers her extensive expertise in a unique private setting fully equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.
This special event is a program of the Pilates Method Alliance.
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Each member is solely responsible for all goods and services they provide. For information, contact Wanda Jewell, LCSW, (323) 664-1846.
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Page 10 FAMILY & HEALTH
1
Lynn Cohen, CSIP, LMT www.rolfworks.net 323-807-8986
www.losfelizledger.com
April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger [out there]
Snowflakes in Vegas? Ah, It’s the Spa‌ By Rona Edwards, Ledger Columnist LAS VEGAS— We didn’t want a “girls gone wild weekendâ€? rather a “girls fun, pampering weekend.â€? True, we could’ve checked into a spa but then the nightlife is boring with meals too healthy. Noticing Bette Midler was performing her last shows at Caesars Palace, we thought, she’s the ultimate “girls just wanna have funâ€? experience we were looking for. Enter Total Experiences, Harrah hotels’ newest program where you don’t have to be a high roller to be treated like one. All you have to do is book five or more rooms. You’ll be assigned a complimentary personalized planner who’ll tailor your trip to your desires albeit a bachelor party, birthday, reunion or simply friends meeting in Vegas. Discussing our goals with TE’s Lisa Craddock, we had no trouble filling up our itinerary, since Harrah’s owns several hotels in Vegas including Caesars, Paris and Rio. Driving to Vegas in my new Mini Cooper, we stopped at The Mad Greek, a kitchy little diamond in the middle of Baker, California offering terrific homemade Greek fare, crazily out of place in the desert just off the freeway. Using Diamond Check In, courtesy of TE, we experienced no lines. Checking into our luxurious room in the Augustus Tower, we also received passes to the spa, show tickets and Diamond Cards, which gained us access to the Diamond Lounge, a high rollers’ bar where top shelf drinks are prepared by handsome bartenders for gamblers rolling $50,000 or more at the tables. The Coliseum at Caesars— built for Celine Dion—currently houses Bette, Cher and Elton. We felt privileged to see the Divine Miss M’s The Showgirl
Must Go On; she was just the right act to kick off our trip. The next day, it was off to the Roman Experience—the spa at Caesars is an oasis from the hustle bustle casinos. Aside from the usual accoutrements, it has an artic room where actual snowflakes fall. We spent a few hours, decompressing, especially loving the heated chaise lounges. L.A. seemed like a distant memory. At Harrah’s, we saw “Cher,� “Aretha,� “Michael Jackson,� and of course, “Elvis,� at Legends – a surprisingly fun show of celebrity impersonations that rival the real stars. Then, dinner at Paris’ Mon Ami Gabi, an authentic French bistro, known for their delectable steak dishes and pommes frittes. The following day, I met Lisa and her boss, Veronica Smiley, at the delicious Payard Patisserie to discuss Total Experiences. “The idea is to personalize the Vegas experience,� she said. Recently, they planned a wine-paring dinner at Guy Savoy (the only Michelin rated restaurant in Vegas), enlisting the famous chef to greet the party personally. Other packages might include a cooking class with the chef, or learning to gamble with pros. Thanks to registering for the free rewards card, good at all the Harrah’s properties, we enjoyed discounts for eateries, shows and stores including Paris’ Le Village buffet where we ate our final meal in Vegas. Leaving Vegas refreshed and happy, we thought maybe we’ll come back to see Manilow? You see, what happens in Vegas doesn’t really have to stay there! For information: www.totalexperiences.com or (800) 649-1191.
Local Art Collective To Exhibit Starting May 1st SILVER LAKE—Eye Candy, an extensive exhibit presented by the Silver Lake Art Collective, will be shown at the Citibank Art Space starting May 1st. An opening artist’s reception will also be held that day from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The reception is open to the public. The collection comprises 250 works of art in the disciplines of photography, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics and installation art from over 40 local visual artists. The exhibit will offer a separate gift shop of works that can be purchased on a cash and carry basis. Citibank Art Space, 2450 Glendale Blvd. Thursday through Saturday, 12 noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., through May 23. Information: (323) 663-2164; www.silverlakearts.com
Los Feliz Lion’s Club Donates Art Supplies to King Middle School The Los Feliz Lion’s Club is donating $1,500 in art supplies to Thomas Starr King Middle School. The supplies will be held as a credit for the school’s art department at Silver Lake’s Baller Hardware, who has offered to provide the art supplies at just above cost. King students will also participate in the Lion’s Club annual International Peace Poster Competition, in which students worldwide compete.
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The other current SLNC Co-chair, Scott Crawford, won re-election to represent Region 1, as did current board member Clint Lukens. Turnout from Region 2 was decidedly low. Adam Marvel won re-election with four votes, beating out Gonzalo Hernandez, who received only one vote. In Region 3, current board member Anthony Crump also won re-election. He’ll be joined by Faisal Alserri, who beat out Joseph Malone for the second seat from the region. Rusty Millar won re-election in Region 4, as did Gale Jaffee, who garnered only four more votes than Meg Taylor for the second seat. In Region 5, Amanda Berman also won re-election, while write-in candidate Dale Benson will occupy the second
seat from the region. In Region 6, however, current board member Patricia McGrath lost her seat to Annemarie Ralph, who will be joined by fellow newcomer Susan Hutchinson. Region 7 enjoyed the highest turnout. Current board member Renee Nahum received 84 votes to beat a write-in candidate for the first seat, while Michael Masterson was re-elected to the region’s second seat with 89 votes. One seat in Region 2, will remain vacant.
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metro.net/works
EF I L E R C I TRAFF WORKS IN THE
ss lvedajepa i-405 sepu pro ct widening
il metroornanector c regional
e line ne/blu expo list tion con ruc
In November 2008, Measure R was approved, committing a projected $40 billion to tra;c relief and transportation upgrades throughout the county over the next 30 years. Here are updates on projects in the works: Barriers Installed For Sepulveda Pass Widening > Metro’s contractor is placing concrete barriers along the I-405 Freeway to separate construction areas for the Sepulveda Pass Widening Project. > A northbound carpool lane is being added between the I-10 and U.S. 101 freeways. Underground Route Considered For Regional Connector > A new underground light rail alternative underneath Little Tokyo has been added to the Regional Connector Transit Corridor Study. > The Regional Connector would create a seamless transit link between the Metro Gold, Blue and Expo lines through Downtown LA. Construction Underway To Link Expo Line/ Blue Line > Crews are installing a rail cross-over link for the new Exposition Light Rail line being built between Downtown LA and Culver City. > The Expo Line will share a track and two stations (7th St/Metro Center and Pico) with the Metro Blue Line as it leaves Downtown.
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LIFESTYLES Page 11
Los Feliz Ledger Eastside Eye
[Eastside Eye]
Picks for April pLAyLAnd From April 3rd through May 31st, check out this pop-up art exhibition space in Eagle Rock. pLAyLAnd features paintings, sculpture, video installations and performance by 23 artists from Reno, San Francisco and Los Angeles. April 3 - May 31, 2010, Opening Reception, April 3, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat. and Sun., 12 noon to 6 p.m., and by appointment. 4140 Eagle Rock Blvd. (323) 636-6262 or pLAyLAnd2010@me.com.
Edendaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Movie Past Revealed at Public Salon: Farmlab
7th Annual Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour Sat. April 10th and Sun. April 11th, 10 a.m. to 4.p.m.
By Kathy A. McDonald, Ledger Contributing Writer Not a Cornfield was one of Los Angelesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most creative, ambitious and perhaps largest public art installation. From mid-2005 to March 2006, a blighted industrial vacant lot just north of Chinatown became 32 verdant acres of living sculpture within view of downtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skyscrapers. Conceived by artist Laren Bon and funded by the Annenberg Foundation, the Not a Cornfield legacy continues to grow at Farmlab, now headquartered across from the northernmost end of the State Historic Park (the former Not a Cornfield site). Farmlab is an artistic think tank and meeting space that visibly demonstrates a more holistic approach to urban living. Junked cars are planters blooming with native plants; 15â&#x20AC;&#x2122; high barrels collect rainwater; and wildflower seeds that were collected in the State Historic Park are distributed for free. Each Friday, a free lunch hour public salonâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; lunch includedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;offers a range of thoughtful presentations by local artists, curators, historians and activists. Among the public salons scheduled in April are: video naturalist Same Easterson on
A self-guided driving tour of 50 native plant gardens in various locales from the San Fernando Valley to Santa Monica. Gardens in Echo Park, Atwater and Eagle Rock are among those on Sunday. Tickets $20. Information: Theodore Payne Foundation (818) 768-1802, www.theodorepayne.org
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Page 12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
â&#x20AC;˘ Farm Feliz: Volunteers Pick Up the Funding Slack
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â&#x20AC;˘ Updates and official ballot results for Greater Griffith Park, Silver Lake and Atwater Village Neighborhood Councils
Mon - Fri . . . 7am - 7pm Saturday . . . 8am - 6pm Sunday . . . . . . Closed
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Many of early silent filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most well known stars worked in Edendale from Roscoe â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fattyâ&#x20AC;? Arbuckle to Harold Lloyd to cowboy Tom Mix, who owned the Mixville studio (located approximately at Glendale and Fletcher Blvd., where the Ralphâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shopping center now stands). Today, little remains from that era. According to Birchard, the Public Storage on Glendale is the only major building with a silent film connection. It was once the famed â&#x20AC;&#x153;dark stageâ&#x20AC;? of Mack Sennett Studiosâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;home to the Keystone Cops. By 1928, film production had largely moved out of Edendale to Hollywood and Studio City (Mack Sennett wanted more room and moved his enterprise to what is now CBS/Radford). Edendaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stages were dismantled for scrap lumber. Historic photos of the time are on display at both the Silver Lake Library and at the Edendale Grill on Rowena Ave. Thanks to Farmlab for providing a glimpse of the past. Stop by on a Friday for some food for thought. Farmlab, 1744 N. Spring St., Public salons Fridays at Noon, farmlab.org
Los Feliz Ledger Online Look for these stories only at www.losfelizledger.com
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the Museum of Animal Perspectives on April 2nd; sustainable convenience store owners Melissa Rosen and Greg Horos of Franklin Avenueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Locali discuss their philosophy and year-old business on April 9th; on April 23rd, the Museum of Jurassic Technologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founding director and MacArthur grant recipient David Wilson will discuss the roots of the Soviet Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s space effort. Lauren Bon will present on Friday, May 21st. Recently at a Friday Farmlab public salon, silent film historian Robert S. Birchard, author of King Cowboy: Tom Mix and the Movies and other books, lectured and showed historic stills in a lively presentation on Edendaleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Los Angelesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first studio row, which was once located on Glendale Boulevard between Alvarado Street and Fletcher. Beginning in 1905 with William Selig, one-reel filmmakers established open air, outdoor studios in the developing area. Few houses and trees dotted the barren hillsides of Echo Park and Silver Lake in those days. Where the 2 Freeway meets Glendale Boulevard stood the Selig Polyscope Studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rustic complex of stages and offices surrounded by a Mission-style wall.
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The 19-member Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council has the most appointed positions (10) of any of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 89 neighborhood councils. Los Feliz Forwardâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a slate of 10 stakeholders who recently swept the GGPNC election winning all 10 seats they soughtâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ran on a platform of â&#x20AC;&#x153;reform,â&#x20AC;? including reducing the number of appointed positions to the GGPNCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board. What do you think? â&#x20AC;˘ There should be fewer appointed seats on the GGPNC board, allowing more seats to be decided in elections by the stakeholders.
â&#x20AC;˘ I really donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care about this issue.
Last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poll results: Do you think the Los Angeles Zoo should be privatized in order to help the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget crisis?
Los Feliz Ledger readers are split on this issue. 54 votes were cast: 26 said yes; 27 said no and there was one vote that was undecided.
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April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger [greetings from Tom]
[ERIC GARCETTI]
SL Drive Closure and Broken Meters
Lower Internet Tax Keeps Jobs Here
By City Councilmember Tom LaBonge
By Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti
I’m hearing from many of you about the major water line project that required the City to temporarily close West Silver Lake Drive between Rowena Avenue and Angus Street. This important project is going to inconvenience those of us in the neighborhood for the next several months. I hope you can be patient. The Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power and my office are dedicated to working with the community to ease the inevitable impact that the construction will have on the Ivanhoe Elementary School community, the Silver Lake neighbors and business owners alike. My staff and I will be available to provide you with frequent project updates. I hope you’ll bear with us while we complete this project, which is scheduled to take about five months. As the City Council addresses the City’s $212 million budget shortfall—which is the most serious fiscal matter we’ve faced in my 35 years of public service—I am working hard to make sure that we are fair to the public and to the city employees who are being laid off. I don’t know anyone
who hasn’t been affected by the economic downturn in the past year. That is why I pressed the Dept. of Transportation to avoid ticketing cars that are parked at broken meters, which people have complained to me about. We have already raised parking rates and we need to be fair about ticketing. After raising this issue on the Council floor several times, I introduced a motion requesting that the department clarify its policy on this point. At the subsequent public hearing, traffic officials say they do NOT issue tickets at broken meters unless the parked vehicle is in violation of the posted time limits. We also heard about meter vandalism and the inventory of aging meters. There are 40,000 parking meters in the City of Los Angeles. The department plans to install 10,000 new “smart” meters, which will accept credit card payment, within the next six months. Hopefully, that will alleviate some of these issues. Editor’s Note: to read more about this issue, see our editorial page, page 30.
LaBonge Promotes Jeanne Min To Chief of Staff
Los Angeles is facing a budget crisis of a magnitude not felt since the Great Depression. While some sectors of the economy have begun to recover, it has primarily been a jobless recovery. In Los Angeles, our unemployment rate is well above the national average, and that does not include those who are underemployed or have simply given up their job search. The City of Los Angeles has taken several steps to encourage local job creation. One challenge that we face is keeping Internet-based businesses in our city. These busi-
nesses use the Internet as the primary means to provide services—such as a search engine. The nature of Internetbased businesses makes it easy for them to pick up and move to another location, taking with them much-needed jobs for Angelenos. In addition to direct jobs that they create, Internet-based jobs have also demonstrated a multiplier effect. According to the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, one new job in Internet publishing, broadcasting and web search portals creates 2.8 additional jobs.
To help attract new, and keep existing, entrepreneurs in the city, I authored business tax reform to reduce taxes on Internet-based business which were previously being levied in the “Business and Professions” classification—a catch-all for business sectors that do not neatly fall into another category. My reform, which the City Council unanimously adopted in March, created a new media tax category specifically for Internet-based businesses, which will be taxed at a lower rate. Throughout the hearing process, the City Council heard testimony from several local Internet-based businesses, including those that were seriously contemplating moving out of Los Angeles. We want to keep these jobs here for Angelenos and this business tax reform will help us do that.
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Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge has announced the promotion of Jeanne Min to the position of chief of staff for Council District 4. Min has worked for LaBonge since he took office in 2001. She has previously worked with the city as Field Deputy, Legislative Deputy and Financial Director for District 4. She speaks fluent Korean and is the first Korean-American Chief of Staff in a Los Angeles Council Office in 20 years. Prior to working for LaBonge, Min served as the external affairs coordinator for the Korean American Coalition, a non-profit community organization in Koreatown. April 2010
Annual Lion’s Club Breakfast Set for May 1st ATWATER VILLAGE—The Griffith Park Lions Club 67th annual Pancake Breakfast will be May 1st, 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Wells Fargo Bank Parking Lot, 3250 Glendale Blvd. Breakfast will include sausage, eggs and “all you can eat” pancakes. Tickets are $5. On hand will also be a silent auction, door prizes and free eye tests for glaucoma. Local police and fire personnel will also be available to meet the public. For information: (323) 394-2452. www.losfelizledger.com
POLITICS Page 13
Los Feliz Ledger [people in my neighborhood]
[city sleuth]
Historic Fiction that Hits Home
Melissa Potter: Silver Lake’s Librarian
By Diane Kanner, Ledger Columnist
By Colleen Paeff, Ledger Contributing Writer
The Help by first time novelist Kathryn Stockett is the fictional account of three women from Jackson, Mississippi from 1962 to 1964 as they venture into civil rights activism. None of the characters participates in activism associated with the era—marching or sitting in at lunch counters—yet heroines and maids Aibileen and Minny reveal segregation’s injustices when their stories of domestic abuse are published through the efforts of white ally and journalist Skeeter Phelan. Tragedies like the assassination of NAACP leader
years, shopping at Loehmann’s to appear fashionable on a budget. In 1987 she took a leave from ARCO to run for the 10th District seat of the Los Angeles City Council against 12 opponents—all but one of them African American. Ultimately, Nate Holden was the winner. Evers would have had no way of knowing that a book like The Help would sell millions of copies, but she had her own “the help” story. While appearing at a political luncheon in a wealthy community she “was making polite chitchat when the conversation turned to the problems of ‘the help’—cooks who stole, gar-
No wonder The Help swept the book club circuit. It provides Southerners who lived through the era authoritative perspectives and those too young to have known much about the time a chance to learn. Medgar Evers coexist in the plot with inconsequential girlie past times like hair straightening and bridge playing. No wonder The Help swept the book club circuit. It provides Southerners who lived through the era authoritative perspectives and those too young to have known much about the time a chance to learn. Nickie Ruskey of the Oaks neighborhood of Los Feliz recalled at one book group discussion that Evers’ widow Myrlie was later a resident of Southern California. She attended Pomona College, worked for Atlantic Richfield, and served as a community advisor to the Junior League of Los Angeles where Ruskey was the organization’s president. After the book discussion, I skimmed the Los Angeles Public Library’s online catalogue. In 1970, the Los Angeles Times database revealed, Ms. Evers was a candidate for a congressional seat representing the San Gabriel Valley. She was a long shot because the district was a Republican stronghold, then overwhelmingly Anglo American. “But I’m not in this race to hand out recipes for southern fried chicken,” she told the paper. She lost. Evers’ 1999 memoir, Watch me Fly, reveals that business—not politics— was where she aspired and settled. She worked for ARCO for 12 Page 14 LIFESTYLES
deners who were lazy.” She was asked whether she had “help” problems. “Oh no,” she said. “My cleaning lady has been with me for years. She does everything, even windows! Later, I took off the suit I’d worn to the luncheon, put on my jeans, and said out loud, ‘Come on, maid, get busy.’ I then proceeded to clean my house.” Reading The Help, like other historic fiction, can deepen our understanding and compassion and inspire us to further explore the past.
Silver Lake Branch Library’s manager, Melissa Potter, didn’t expect to become a librarian. She thought she’d go into teaching, but had a change of heart. “I thought I’d be more useful at helping people oneon-one,” she said. As a librarian, though, Potter still helps people to get information. She is especially interested in helping teens. Early in her career, she worked for the San Diego Public Library system where, she said, they had a terrific children’s program, but not much going on for the teens. “I felt that teens should have their own programs, too,” she said. So Potter studied other programs and created her own in San Diego, eventually becoming the head of the Young Adult division for the San Diego Public Library system. After relocating to Los Angeles seven years ago, she worked at several Los Angeles Public Library branches, managing the Encino-Tarzana
branch, before coming to Silver Lake. Potter says every library she’s worked in has been different. Regarding the new Silver Lake library she said, “It’s an eco-friendly building and uses a Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) system [for checking materials in and out]. The patrons have been great about taking it on and learning how to use it.” She then laughed and pointed out another local difference—something, she said, her entire staff had noticed. “People like to tell you how long they’ve lived in Silver Lake.” Some of that neighborhood pride will be showcased in the library’s “Silver Saturdays” series. The program features a “prominent and talented” Silver Lake resident each month. Potter is especially excited about the upcoming April 10th event with White Oleander author Janet Fitch. “We’ve had so much support from....people wanting to help us out,” she said. “It’s
been really nice to feel so welcomed.” The Silver Lake Branch Library is in need of volunteers for the Grandparents and Books (GAB) program. Adults of any age are encouraged to call (323) 913-7451 for details.
Big Sunday Weekend, May 1st & 2nd The first weekend on May will mark Big Sunday Weekend 2010, when an expected 50,000 people, of all ages and backgrounds, will volunteer together at hundreds of different nonprofit sites from San Diego to Santa Barbara. There are projects for every age. Individuals, families, schools, houses of worship, and businesses are welcome to participate. The entire schedule is online starting April 1st, at www.bigsunday.org starting April 1st.
Begin again in 2010! Are you ready to live a more prosperous life? Are you ready to create enriching and loving relationships? Are you ready to experience health? Are you ready to change your pattern so as not to repeat the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result? Whatever area in your life that you need a fresh start .....this is your chance to begin again and live authentically. If not now, when? Why would you live in pain for one more day than you have to?
Robyn Bennett, Life and Career Coach
Master Degree Spiritual Psychology CPA & Bachelor of Science, Business Administration RYT & Yoga Teacher
323 356 3244
www.losfelizledger.com
April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger
[real estate]
Scams Proliferate in Slow Market By Richard Stanley, Ledger Columnist California is the leading state for real estate scams. A slow market, such as we have now, is fertile ground for scammers. Here are some common schemes: “Wanna rent a house?” Slow markets bring vacant houses—and con artists. A typical scam involved a house on Franklin Avenue in Los Feliz that sat vacant after a foreclosure. A sharp con artist found out about the vacancy and advertised the house for lease. He gained access to the property by using the lenderowner’s lockbox and began to show the house to prospective renters. He was neatly-dressed
and seemed very professional. One renter decided to rent the house. He gave a cash deposit and the first month’s rent to the “agent” and moved into the house. Only later did he learn that the lender knew nothing about his “lease”— and that he was being evicted. His money? Gone, of course. Similarly, a vacant house was put up for sale recently on Hollyvista Avenue in the Franklin Hills. Unbeknown to the listing agent, the house was also advertised for lease on Craig’s List—and for a very low price: $800 per month. The ad advised prospective renters not to call the phone number on the real estate sign, but rather, to e-mail inquiries. When contacted,
the “owner” said he could not show the house right now, but if cash, to lease it, was wired to an account, “keys will be waiting.” The prospective tenant is still waiting. Launderland Escrow A while back, sellers in Hancock Park sold a substantial house. The day escrow was scheduled to close, no word of the closing arrived from the escrow office on Wilshire Boulevard. No funds arrived in the seller’s account, either. The sellers decided to visit the escrow office, only to find it vacant—cleaned out. The title to their house had, indeed, been transferred to the buyer—the sellers no longer owned the house, but their money was gone with the escrow officer,
who, they later determined, left the country. They were cleaned out—and had little recourse. Another cleaning job that involves escrow companies is a scam whereby “dirty” money—often the entire sale price or a larger-than-usual deposit amount from nefarious sources—is deposited into the escrow account of a pending real estate sale. After the large deposit is in the escrow account, the buyer cancels the deal and the deposit is refunded by the escrow company--who has unwittingly “laundered” the dirty money. The most notorious scam of recent years involved a pair of high-flying Westside agents, Joe Babajian and Kyle Grasso. They and nine others, faced Federal indictments for bilking the Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of America and Lehman Brothers out of $50 million dollars on loans
of $142 million. This fraud contributed to the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Here’s how the scheme worked: Several of the group would buy houses at market value and require the sellers and their agents to hide the purchase prices from public records and the Multiple Listing Service used by realtors. Inflated purchase agreements— with inflated prices—were drafted using phony buyers. Often, the inflated purchase prices were hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars more than the actual purchase prices. A “dirty” escrow company and a “dirty” appraiser aided in getting new loans for the phony buyers. The loans, also, often far exceeded the true purchase prices. Finally, the dirty escrow officer distributed the excess money among the scam perpetrators. The participants also gained comsee REAL ESTATE page 16
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4110 EDENHURST AVE: Atwater Village. Great home with extra bd/bth in back studio. Pool, spa, yard. Upgraded. $599,000 WEB: 0283836 Gail Crosby 323.428.2864
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1936 MODERNE MASTERPIECE: Los Feliz. Stunning streamline Moderne 4bd/4.5ba, frml din rm, family room, redone kitchen/baths, hdwd flrs, pool, patio, 2 FPL, 3 gar. For lease $8,000/mo WEB: 0283851 Rosemary Low 323.660.5885
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USE THE WEB NUMBERS PROVIDED TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ON A PROPERTY THROUGH OUR WEBSITE
©2009 Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. is Owned and Operated by NRT LLC. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark. La Villa Bleue used with permission. Sotheby’s International Realty does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size or other information concerning the property provided by the seller or obtained from public records or other sources.
April 2010
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Su Casa REAL ESTATE Page 15
Los Feliz Ledger [ SELECT HOME SALES APRIL 2010 ] 90026 Single Family Homes 1,509 Westerly Ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $710,000 1,877 Park Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665,000 402 N Benton Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325,000
90027 Condominimums
4455 Los Feliz Blvd 303 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $285,000
90027 Single Family Homes 3642 3807 3084 3852 4027 1747
Holboro Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $910,000 Sunset Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 812,500 St George St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659,000 Franklin Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651,000 Cumberland Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637,000 N New Hampshire Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160,000
90039 Condominimums
real estate from page 15
missions and other inflated fees along the way. The appraiser was convicted of her charges, sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay part of $46 million in restitution. Other sentences for those convicted ranged as high as 14 years. Grasso received a sentence of a year and a day plus restitution of part of $13 million he conspired to steal because U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson found him to be “fundamentally a decent missing ad copy.pdf 3/5/10 person” despite his criminal be-
havior. Babajian was the sole indictee acquitted in the scheme. How to protect yourself Work with a known, reputable company and its agents. Generally, there is little chance that a major real estate company’s escrow office will run away with anyone’s money. If there is a problem, a major company with have errors and omissions insurance. If there is fraud, large companies have deep pockets. Never deal with people 12:16:28 PM over the internet, especially if
you suspect the e-mail is from an overseas source or the grammar and spelling seem odd. Never give your tax returns to strangers, such as to prospective landlords. If you are involved in a “short pay,” be sure the demands (the documents which state payoff amounts) are certified copies. It’s too easy to inflate some amounts. Richard Stanley is a veteran local realtor who may be reached at rstanley@coldwellbanker.com.
2,300 Duane St 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $600,000 2,344 Fletcher Dr 213 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334,500
90039 Single Family Residences
3424 Glenhurst Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $667,000 2122 Baxter St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569,000 3795 Valleybrink Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450,000 3261 Garden Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450,000 90068 Condominimums 1957 N Bronson Ave 116 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $479,000
90068 Single Family Homes 5692 6963 3500 2385 3373 7004 2865 2158 3449 1957
Holly Oak Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,480,000 Los Tilos Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,450,000 Multiview Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,314,000 Castilian Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,160,000 Deronda Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,090,000 Pacific View Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,049,500 Las Alturas St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 939,000 Alcyona Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549,000 Primera Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521,000 N Bronson Ave 116 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479,000
Sales are from the previous month. Source: Great American Real Estate Solutions
Page 16 Su Casa REAL ESTATE
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April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger [keen to be green]
Happy Birthday, Earth Day! By Meher McArthur, Ledger Columnist Forty years ago, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin was concerned about the deterioration of our natural environment and called for a nationwide “teach-in” to draw attention to the issue. On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day, about 20 million people joined in rallies, protests and educational events all over the U.S. This
friendly change in their lives and their commitments will be broadcast live on the web by local internet radio station DubLab to inspire others to join in. KCRW’s Anthea Raymond will MC and experts will be there to share green advice (www.sustainablesilverlake.org). For younger kids, Dragonfly DuLou on Hillhurst Avenue will host a free Earth Day Concert Sun. April 25th at 11 a.m. with local band Egg
Locally, an event called A Promise for the Planet will be hosted by Sustainable Silver Lake at Spaceland on Thurs. April 22nd, from 12 noon to 5 p.m. day marked the start of the (www.eggmusic.net), followed modern environmental moveby a recycled art-making ment. By Earth Day 2007, workshop (www.dragonflyduover a billion people celebrated lou.com). the day worldwide. new construction remodeling This year, Earth Day is Sustainable Saturdays at the additions being hailed as a “Call to AcSilver Lake Library tion Day,” and www.earthday. Why Plastic Bags are Bad for org lists events and programs the Environment, Sat. April 3, worldwide. Locally, an event 11 a.m., a talk with Q&A by called A Promise for the Planet Ellen Monocroussos of Heal will be hosted by Sustainable the Bay. Free. Silver Lake at Spaceland on 818 S. Broadway LosTo Angeles, Thurs. April 22nd, suite from1000 12 RSVP:CA90014 www.sustainable310.502.1449 lee@jubasais.com www.jubasaia.com noon to 5 p.m. Participants silverlake.org or call (323) can commit to one more eco913-7453.
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Earth Day, April 22nd – Make “Promise for the Planet” SILVER LAKE—Sustainable Silver Lake, a local volunteer group, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with “A Promise for the Planet,” Thurs. April 22nd from 12 noon to 5 p.m. at Spaceland, 1717 Silverlake Blvd. During the event, local residents, business owners,
celebrities and government officials will publicly make a pledge to adopt at least one more environmentally sustainable practice in their lives, such as giving up plastic bags, cycling to work, using public transport, or using less water. KCRW’s Anthea Raymond will be one of the em-
cees for the event. Local environmental experts will be on hand to provide information and suggestions on sustainability to ensure effective commitments. LA internet radio station DubLAB will also coordinate a live webcast and broadcast the pledges live from the Spaceland parking lot. For info: www.sustainablesilverlake.org
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April 2010
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Su Casa REAL ESTATE Page 17
Los Feliz Ledger [restaurant review]
Good Girl Brings Subtle Spice to Highland Park By Pat Saperstein, Ledger Restaurant Critic Good Girl Dinette is a perfect snapshot of Highland Park at this moment—incrementally gentrifying, but still a humble, unflashy place. Its Vietnamese comfort food has become a magnet for all the folks who fled Silver Lake looking for cheaper real estate only to realize that man cannot live by tacos alone.
Tucked away in a historic building on a side street off Figueroa, Good Girl feels like a secret discovery. Owner/chef Diep Tran cooked at Eagle Rock’s Blue Hen and ran a catering company before starting Good Girl a year ago. The high-ceilinged space is spare and a bit echoey; dinner here (or lunch on week-
Same great food, Same friendly service
ends) feels like getting invited to an impromptu dinner party at a cool loft-dwelling friend’s house. The menu covers a range of familiar Vietnamese dishes with a few ventures into the diner category—from banh mi baguette sandwiches, to pho noodle soup, spring rolls and main dishes served with white or brown rice. Most order the chicken curry pot pie ($10), which takes 30 minutes to cook. It’s a good choice, with chunks of chicken in a mellow curry sauce hiding under a flaky disc of biscuit dough. Vegetarians will appreciate the equally flavorful cauliflower curry version. Starters include crispy or fresh spring rolls and rice cakes topped with tofu and scallion dressing. Don’t miss the spicy fries, topped with a flurry of diced jalapeno, chopped garlic and cilantro—order them with cilantro-Maggi mayo on the side. Beef stew ($10) sounds prosaic, but balanced five-spice powder seasoning, chunks of carrot and good quality beef cubes lift elevate it. Sauteed greens were a little heavy on the salty fish sauce, but that was really the only quibble in the entire satisfying meal. Desserts are as good as the rest of the menu, especially the maple coconut bread pudding. Kid-friendly dishes like mini pho or plain fries are perfect for petite hipsters. Drinks include Vietnamese coffee or housemade citrus soda; and there’s free corkage. A spot of art on the walls and a touch more variety on the menu—maybe a Vietnamese hamburger or more daily specials—would be nice additions, but Good Girl has already established itself as a welcome addition to the area in just a year. Reviews are based on 4 forks as excellent from start to finish. Good Girl Dinette, 110 N. Ave. 56, (323) 257-8980
[the good life]
La Descarga By Tara de Lis Ledger Columnist The hottest new bar in Los A ngeles — L a Descarga—is holed up on the outskirts of our neighborhood—in one of the most unlikely locales. The former home of the Blacklite has given way to a sexy space evoking Hemingway’s Havana. The gritty setting is the perfect foil to the nostalgic experience inside— once you make your way past
century ago. That said, Moix is quick to dispel a key misconception: “We’re not a tiki bar. Everyone assumes rum equals tiki. We don’t even have the ingredients to do those drinks—and that’s on purpose,” he quips. “We’re a bar for rum purists.” On the back patio is the smaller cigar lounge and sipping station, which specializes in high-end spirits (again, all rum), with detailed descriptions given on the composition of the beverage (country of origin, sugar source, distillation process). Completing the experience are hourly live Latin music and burlesque shows, from
Be it the well-balanced mojito or a nicely tart daiquiri, the recipes were extensively researched to sync up with what you would have found at famed Cuban cocktail bar La Floridita more than half a century ago. a surprising speakeasy-worthy entry (no spoilers!). Much has been made of mixology bars in L.A., the kind of place that celebrates both classic cocktails and vintageinspired libations, with a nod to market-fresh ingredients and traditional techniques. For many people, rum is about “setting sail with a Captain Morgan” or hazy memories of coconut-flavored trace alcohol in the too-sweet fruit punch of a Bahaman beach getaway. Americans don’t typically associate rum as being an artisanal product. Be prepared to reconcile that belief. The amber-lit main bar is where you’ll often find partner Pablo Moix expertly mixing original and classic cocktail creations from the 100-percent, rum-based menu. Be it the well-balanced mojito or a nicely tart daiquiri, the recipes were extensively researched to sync up with what you would have found at famed Cuban cocktail bar La Floridita more than half a
10 p.m. to 1 a.m. To experience the all the action, reservations are highly recommended— once inside, you’ll see why. The intimate venue only holds 110 people. Unlike Hollywood clubs, the door policy here is democratic. It doesn’t matter who you know, how much your last movie grossed or how short your skirt… just e-mail your reservation request in advance, show up on time and dress nicely. Cocktail attired preferred. “You come in for a night out, we will treat you well, make you a nice drink, and you’ll have a good experience,” said partner Steve Livigni. It should always be that simple. La Descarga is located at 1159 Western Ave. Reservations recommended, call (323) 4661324 or on the website. www.ladescargala.com Tara de Lis is a freelance writer who lives in Hollywood.
CHI D YN A S TY Since 1983
“Most unique and exotic Chinese cuisine for the gourmet” Serving Los Feliz for 23 years Family owned and operated
Lunch-Dinner-Cocktails-Food to Go We Now Deliver! 11:30am-11:00pm Sun-Thur 11:30am-12:00 Midnight Fri-Sat
1813 Hillhurst Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90027 (323) 667-3388 www.chidynasty.com
April 2010
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LIFESTYLES Page 19
Los Feliz Ledger [ APRIL 2010 events calendar ] By Oliver Gettell ART â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Layers of Separationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yesterdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Comboverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; The photographer Corina Gamma will share her new work in Happyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main space. Her exhibit Layers of Separation is a series of wintry landscape images that are formally striking and emotionally tense. The sculptor Rochelle Botella will also present new art, in the project room. Her Yesterdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Combover series creates a humorous imaginary world via mixed media. Opening reception Friday, April 2nd, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Happy, Fri., Apr. 2nd, to Sun., May 30th. 4675 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz. Information: (323) 661-2200; happyonlinestore.blogspot.com
BOOKS Book Gossip A book group for people who love to read and talk about books. A librarian will also give reading suggestions. Los Feliz Branch Library, Wed., Apr. 14th, 12:30 p.m. 1874 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz. Information: (323) 913-4710; www.lapl.org Joyce Maynard and Dana Goodyear Joyce Maynard, a distinguished author, and Dana Goodyear, a staff writer at the New Yorker, will read from their work in the literary magazine Canteen. In addition, Goodyear will engage in a speed-fiction-writing contest with two audience members. Each will write a short fiction piece on an assigned topic, and the pieces will be read anonymously and judged by the audience. Skylight Books, Mon., Apr. 12th, 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz. Information: (323) 660-1175; www.skylightbooks.com
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books The largest, most prestigious
book festival in the country brings together the people who create books and those who love to read them. The two-day event features author events, storytelling, cooking demonstrations, poetry readings and nearly 300 exhibitor booths. General admission is free. Tickets are required for indoor panels and speaker sessions; they will be available Sunday, April 18th, at noon, through Ticketmaster.com. UCLA, Sat., Apr. 24th, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sun., Apr. 25th., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles. Info: (213) 2372665; events.latimes.com/ festivalofbooks
Information: (323) 644-4200; www.lazoo.org
MUSEUMS â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Home Lands: How Women Made the Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; This large-scale exhibit explores and honors the accomplishments and legacies of the diverse women of the American West, including the Native American women who first made their homes there
the open-air Greek Theatre welcomes the acclaimed Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso. An enduring and influential artist, Veloso has been making music since the 1960s. His sound draws on influences as varied as bossa nova, the Beatles, rap and modern poetry. Tickets are $45-$75. Greek Theatre, Thurs., Apr. 15th, 7:30 p.m. 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz.
and his eponymous jazz trio perform Friday and Saturday nights in the Lobby Jazz Bar at the Glendale Hilton. Friday nights include happy-hour specials from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. All ages are welcome. Hilton Los Angeles North/ Glendale Hotel, Fridays, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. 100 W. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale. Information: (818) 956-5466; www.glendale.hilton.com So Many Wizards The brainchild of multiinstrumentalist Nima Kazerouni, So Many Wizards will perform at the Silverlake Loungeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free Monday night residency this month. Silverlake Lounge, Mon., Apr. 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th, 9 p.m. 2906 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake. Info: (323) 666-2407; www.foldsilverlake.com
EARTH DAY Earth Day at Descanso Gardens With spring in full bloom, Descanso Gardens is an ideal place to celebrate Earth Day. Scheduled events include a Butterfly Appreciation Corner; a series of â&#x20AC;&#x153;greenâ&#x20AC;? displays teaching about eco-friendly topics; live So Many Wizards perform at the Silverlake Lounge every Monday in April. theater, puppet and music performances; Information: (323) 665-5857; and the many women from and a menu of local, organic www.greektheatrela.com. different cultures who migrated foods by Patina Catering. there. Museum admission is $9 Earth Day events are free with The Eagles for adults, $5 for students and regular admission ($8 general, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seniors, $3 for children 3 to 12, $6 students and seniors, $3 members the Eagles will rock and free for children under 3. children 5-12, free for children their hometown with a mix Autry Museum of the American under 5). of new hits and old favorites. West, Fri., Apr. 16th, to Fri., Descanso Gardens, Sat., Apr. Tickets are $45-$275. Aug. 27th. 17th, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, Fri., Apr. 16th, 4700 Western Heritage Way, 1418 Descanso Drive, La CaĂąada Sat., Apr. 17th, Tues., Apr. 20th, Griffith Park. Information: (323) Flintridge. Info: (818) 949-7980; 7:30 p.m. 667-2000; www.theautry.org www.descansogardens.org 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. Info: (323) 850-2000; Earth Day Expo MUSIC www.hollywoodbowl.com The theme for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Earth Day Expo at the Los Angeles Caetano Veloso Mark Z. Stevens Trio Zoo is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Celebrating California To kick off its 2010 season, The musician Mark Z. Stevens Wildlife.â&#x20AC;? Two days of fun interactive events, information booths, and arts and crafts will â&#x20AC;&#x153;2006â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s educate attendees on topics like conservation and recycling. Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Sat., Apr. 17th, and Sun., Apr. 18th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 5333 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park.
SHOPPING Unique Los Angeles Spring Show This two-day shopperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paradise will showcase the work of more than 300 independent designers and artists. There will be clothing, accessories, stationery, housewares, art and more. Admission includes a collectible tote bag designed by a guest artist, free drinks, unlimited re-entry for both days, access to workshops and a play area for kids. Tickets are $10; free for children under 12. California Market Center Penthouse, Sat., Apr. 24th, and Sun., Apr. 25th, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 110 E. 9th St., Los Angeles. Info: www.uniquelosangeles.com
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April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger
Marshall Academic Decathletes Take 2nd at State Competition By Kimberly Gomez, Ledger Contributing Writer SACR A MENTO —T h e Marshall High Academic Decathlon team won 2nd place of 62 teams at the 2010 California Academic Decathlon Finals held last month. Marshall was narrowly edged out by El Camino High; that team scored 50,590.1 compared to Marshall’s 50,029.8—a difference of only 560 points. El Camino—an LAUSD school that serves parts of the West San Fernando Valley— will now represent California at the 29th U.S. Academic Decathlon Championships in Omaha, Nebraska this month. “In the age of budget cuts and serious educational reforms that have impeded what schools can do—that a team like this, a title one inner-city school, can rise to the very top and compete with anybody is really something,” said Marshall Principal, Dan Harrison. Harrison went on to thank the Silver Lake and Los Feliz communities for supporting the decathletes. The Marshall squad won the hearts of many after earlier this year, having to overcome personal difficulties and an almost three-week disruption of critical training time while their coach, Larry Welch, was being investigated of miscon-
duct charges by the LAUSD. Welch was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing. Marshall hit their stride the last day of competition in March, when they won the “Super Quiz Oral Relay.” Many, including Welch, thought that last victory –which endeared the students to many in the crowd—would be enough to put them over the top. After that victory, Welch said, “the ovation from the audience was dumbfounding.” “So many people came up to me to say ‘I just love your kids.’” Marshall students also took the two highest individual scores of honors students competing: seniors Anastasya Lloyd-Damnjanovic, 8,733 and Cherry Park with 8601.7; and Junior Marco Chinchilla scoring 8,168.1—the 3rd highest among varsity students. In all, the nine-person team took home over 60 medals and awards. Teams are comprised of three honors students that have a 3.75 grade point average (GPA) and above; three Scholastic students with a 3.00 to 3.74 GPA and three Varsity students, with a 2.99 GPA and below. Marshall High Decathletes won the national championship in 1995.
Camelot’s Green Footprint Expands SILVER LAKE—Camelot Kids Preschool, on Rowena Avenue, recently unveiled two new classrooms for ages 4 and 5. The construction began in December 2009. According to Renae Plant, the school’s owner, creating an environmental friendly space was critical. According to Plant, some of the “green” elements to the new construction include: exposed beams and skylights to allow in natural light; oher lighting has motion sensors to turn off automatically when no motion is detected; and the yard is made from deconstructed granite reclaimed from previous job sites. In addition to the new classrooms, the school’s outdoor play area has been lined with synthetic grass, providing aesthetic and environmental benefits as it eliminates the need for frequent watering, pesticides and petroleum-driven lawn-mowers. The revamp also included the planting of bamboo, the expansion of the organic gardens, a sand castle and a new wooden play structure with rock climbing wall. Send the
Los Feliz Ledger your School News to: acohen@losfelizledger.com
of Good Counse l Sc
Don’t Ax the Libraries By Kristen Taylor, Ledger Columnist I’m lucky to live in such a library-rich neighborhood. My family uses all four of our neighborhood branches. Usually we make one library run a week to switch out multiple bags of books. Sure, we often have a small tab for late books, or more rarely a larger one for a book that was hiding in our personal collection, or behind a large piece of furniture. I never got upset about those fines, because
City Council’s plan to cover the $212 million shortfall includes plans to cut library services, branches and materials. Library staff could be cut by 20% by June. Branch libraries are already closed on Sundays and Friday mornings, but hours could be further reduced. The vision of our beautiful new libraries standing there ill-staffed or closed is reminiscent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD),
Part of the Mayor and City Council’s plan to cover the $212 million shortfall includes plans to cut library services, branches and materials. they were the classic definition of a small price to pay for the thousands of books we’ve borrowed. The number of library branches in town verges on superabundant, and the services at them are enviable. Reserve a book online and have it delivered to the branch of your choice? No problem. Check out a book at one branch and return it at another? Yes, you can. Find multiple copies of new releases on their own shelf? Right over there, Ma’am. But our gleaming library system just got covered by a dark cloud. Los Angeles is awash in red ink. Part of the Mayor and
which now has a bunch of beautiful new schools, and not enough money to put teachers inside of them. The budget has to be balanced somehow, and it’s difficult to argue that libraries deserve full funding more than parks, or transportation services, or the fire department. Any way you slice it, someone loses out on some essential service, and someone loses his or her job. But restricting access and staff at facilities that are already bought and paid for seems like a particularly bad way to save money. For more information, you can visit www.savethelibrary.org.
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Registration is now being accepted for 2010- 2011 School Year For information please visit, call or e-mail. 4622 Ambrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027
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April 2010
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SCHOOL NEWS Page 21
Los Feliz Ledger [holy trinity school]
High School Applications By Stephanie Intal, 8th grade The second trimester has come and gone. Because I am in 8th grade and graduating this June, I had to start thinking about high school applications. It was very hard for me to balance schoolwork and high school applications. This trimester was filled with stress, anticipation and accomplishment. It all began in January, right after Christmas vacation, it was time for me to get serious. As I was filling out my applications, I noticed that my first High School Placement Test was in two weeks. I was very stressed. I began practicing for them immediately. Once I saw the questions to the test I realized how easy it was. After the tests, I still needed to go to my interview. I was very scared because they were conducted by the principal. While I was getting interviewed, it was really nice and I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to worry about a thing. When I was done with
the interview, I felt so relieved because all I had to do now was wait for the letters in the mail. I could start focusing on my schoolwork again, and I really needed to catch up, so I spent most of my time doing homework, working on projects and studying for tests. Meanwhile, I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop thinking about if I got into the high school of my choice. My anticipation grew stronger each day. Finally, after a month of waiting, I got the acceptance letters. I ripped open the envelopes. I got into all of the high schools I applied to and received a scholarship, as well. I was so happy and felt so accomplished. I also got the Principalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Award this trimester. This was the hardest trimester so far, but I feel great and proud of myself. [Loyola High School]
Our basketball team had an excellent season going 26-3 before falling to Leuzinger High School in the CIF semifinals. Soccer also had another strong year going 18-7-5. Spring sports are under way and our defending national champion volleyball team is off to a nice start. Baseball won the El Segundo Tournament to open up the season and is also looking good. Other spring sports include trackâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; which is highlighted by Elias Gedyon who is trying to run an under 4-minute mileâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; golf, swimming and diving, tennis and lacrosse. Everyone is getting excited for football in the fall with our new coach, Mike Christensen as well. During this past month, all students have had to make requests for honors and AP classes for next year. As a fresh-
man, it has been difficult trying to figure out what classes I want to take, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to go wrong with any choice. Loyola was also featured recently on the NBC Nightly News where NBC did a piece on Loyolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior community service projects. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great video (watch it at: loyolahs.edu) and reflects just one of the many things that sets Loyola apart from other schools. [Pilgrim School] By Michael Wong, Grade 7 Once again, I am very excited to be writing about Pilgrim School. A few weeks ago, a dozen of us went on a class trip to Joshua Tree National Park for five days.
We got to rock climb, sleep in tents (which we constructed), make our own food, and many other things. Unfortunately, we had to leave. The week after we got back the annual Science Fair was held. Everyone has been preparing for the Fair for the past three months. There are a lot of events taking place in April. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Wizard of Oz,â&#x20AC;?an all school play, is going to happen in late April. Also, Spring Break, which I am really excited about, is the first week of April. A group of students will be traveling to Japan with our Japanese teacher, Hiromi Takahashi, during Spring Break. The Arts Center is opening in mid-April, which our headmaster, art teacher, and many more people are excited about. The class of 2010 is getting accepted to many colleges and more are on the way.
Sports for All Seasons By Griffin O. Cohen, 9th Grade At Loyola, we are well into our second semester. Winter sports ended on a strong note.
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April 2010
Edward Ruscha - Standard Station, 1966 - Screen-print - 30x44
R E T N E C S T AR ION
T P E E C N E I R F G N I 010 N 2 , E 7 P 1 l i O r Ap Saturday, 0 PM 0 : 8 – M P 0 6:0
540 S. Commonwealth Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90020 Call 213.385.7351 for more information The collection will also available for viewing Sunday, April 18, 2010 s 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Pilgrim School is a division of First Congregational Church of
Los Angeles
curateda Quinn Oliva r Amand lexande Peter A
lmaraz A s lo r a C oon John Alt mico David A Arnoldi Chuck chardy Don Ba ll Larry Be englis Lynda B ngston e B l A ly Bil rlant Tony Be lmins Vija Ce vis Ron Da Davy Woods ohn Dill J ie d d La Dowd Robert wards Greg Ed ns Ned Eva enstein lk a F e ir Cla zer Jim Gan ehry Frank G ode Joe Go Graham Robert ward Jim Hay erman Roger H Herms George ockney David H oses Andy M es Ed Mos reston Astrid P e Ken Pric ichards Bruce R ha Ed Rusc rnycroft Ann Tho Weiner Sharon
Artists
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of n o i t c e coll Quinn e h t m Fro and Jack Joan by r
Los Feliz Ledger [immaculate heart high school]
School Activities for Spring By Ana Cano â&#x20AC;&#x2122;12 & Marisol Medina y Cadena â&#x20AC;&#x2122;12 Spring is officially here and with Easter vacation starting off the month, Immaculate Heart students and faculty can relax and spend a week enjoying the fresh outdoors. Shortly after, with the return from spring break, the busy schedule for students resumes! Our April activities include Immaculate Heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Scholar Athlete Luncheon, which recognizes those many athletes who have maintained a GPA of 3.5 or higher while
playing at least one team sport. Juniors and seniors are also looking forward to their prom, which will take place at the Castaways in Burbank. Students will also observe Earth Day in April, with a special celebration planned by Immaculate Heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Environmental Club. Then, on Sat. morning, April 24th, the Girls Athletic Association will host its annual car wash on campus. Come bring your cars to our fundraiser, which will help benefit the GAA and IH sports programs! Finally, the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mostly highly anticipated celebrationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;will cap the month. The April 30th event honors Mary, the mother of Jesus, through liturgy, song, and dance. A colorful crowning will take place on the campus quad and will be among the highlights of the day.
[lycee francaise]
Help for Haiti By Sara Mahjoub, 10th Grade LILA took swift action in helping the victims of the recent Haiti earthquake. On Jan. 29th, our Haiti Relief Student Committee led an assembly to inform and educate our 200 secondary students on Haiti, its history, the devastation from the earthquake and the great humanitarian response from the world. In order to make our community aware of the critical situation, we decided to compare the life of a LILA student and the life of a Haitian one. It was evident how privileged we are and why we must help them, now more than ever. Students and teachers also wrote messages of hope and encouragement on a banner which will be sent to Haiti. Our elementary school organized a shoe drive where students and parents collected almost 600 pairs of shoes which will be delivered to Haiti earthquake victims. These
efforts were reported by ABC 7 News. Secondary students organized a cash and clothing drive and sold ribbons on campus where proceeds were donated to the cause. This proves how much a community, small but united, can take action and help people in distress. It is our duty as citizens of humanity to provide help to our fellow humans in need.
Ivanhoe Spring Fundraiser, April 18th SILVER LAKEâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Ivanhoe Elementary School will hold its spring Fiesta Fundraiser, Sun. April 18th, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Casita del Campo Restaurant. The event offers a full dinner buffet and cash bar. There is also a free wine bar from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Live mariachis will provide music and there will be a silent auction. Parents, friends, relatives and neighbors are invited to attend. Tickets: $30 at the door. 1920 Hyperion Ave.
Zoo Offers Trip to Botswana The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) is sponsoring a trip to Botswana/ Southern Africa, May 29th to June 8th. The trip will explore the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exceptional wildlife, exotic plant life and vast ecosystems in the Kalahari Desert and Okavango Delta. An optional pre-extension to Cape Town, South Africa and an optional postextension to Livingstone and Victoria Falls, Zambia are available. Los Angeles Zoo Director John Lewis will guide the tour along with African naturalist guides. The land package for the trip is $5,995 per person (double occupancy), plus $2,295 per person for the pre-extension to Cape Town and $1,495 per person for the post-extension to Victoria Falls. For information, call Melissa Grossenbacher at (323) 644-4792 or http:// lazoo.org/calendar/travel/ index.html.
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Page 24 SCHOOL NEWS LosFeliz_3-85_5_bw.indd 1
Gymnastics! Open Gym Theme Days Field Trips Games Dance Stunts Movies Kraf ts AUG 2nd - SEPT 3rd Monday - Friday 777 4(%+,5"'9- #/-
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April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger
Rose Scharlin: Ahead of Her Time By Kimberly Gomez, Ledger Contributing Writer SILVER LAKE—As the oldest cooperative nursery school in Southern California, Rose Scharlin’s has been a model for many schools since opening in1939. From the beginning, Rose Scharlin Cooperative
ning with just five families it quickly grew to 50. Originally housed at the Echo Park Playground, the school eventually incorporated as Lake View Cooperative Nursery School in Silver
A child enjoys imaginative play at Rose Scharlin’s “Butterfly Garden.” Credit: Kim Gomez
Nursery School was well before its time. Scharlin established the school as “an inter-racial and non-sectarian school for children” with classes in childcare for parents. Participating families ran the school: begin-
Lake, taking over an abandoned tennis court where it remains a mostly outdoor school today. “It was people getting together,” said Betty Markoff, who took her oldest daughter
to the school despite the rigors of the cooperative schedule. “You find people who you have things in common with—that’s the way we feel.” And no matter the decade, the issues seem to be similar for families. “In the archives I’ve read letters and correspondence and the issues that we have now were discussed back then so I feel we still have the same type of parent who was attracted to the school then,” said board president, Guy Vidal. “It’s a continuous family and I like that.” Teaching and supporting parents is part of the school’s success. The school works closely with the Center for NonViolent Education and Parenting—a non profit group dedicated to teaching parents how to parent more effectively by honoring and respecting a child’s dignity. “I think our strongest asset is that we follow this model that children are equal and have ideas and needs and you
have to be attentive and help them with that,” said school director, Gilbert Brebes. Parents are as attached to the school as their children. “When the blossoms turn into plums and ripen and fall and get run over by the bikes and squashed then it’s graduation time and that will be us I guess,” said George Hladky, whose second child is prepar-
ing to graduate soon. Hladky said he was feeling a little sentimental about closing the Rose Scharlin chapter of his life after helping out so many years in the schoolyard. The community plans to celebrate the school’s 70th anniversary soon by bringing together people from the past and present.
St. James’ Episcopal School For Preschool through Grade Six
Admission Open House January 6, 2010, 9:45 a.m.
Application Deadline January 15, 2010
R.S.V.P. to 213-233-0133 x306 625 S. St. Andrews Place Los Angeles, CA 90005 admissions@sjsla.org www.sjsla.org
If PILGRIM SCHOOL Is at the Top Of Your List, You’ve Done Your Homework.
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Pilgrim School is a division of First Congregational Church of Los Angeles
April 2010
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SCHOOL NEWS Page 25
Los Feliz Ledger [john marshall high school]
J-Students Exhibits Well Received
Advertise in the Los
Feliz Ledger (323) 667-9897
T ERESA OF VILA LEMENTARY CHOOL One of the Marshall student photos in the exhibit. Photo by: Faith Resurreccion
John Marshall Highâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journalism class showcased their latest photography collection at The Last Bookstore located in Downtown Los Angeles. The exhibit marks the third gallery show for the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photographers, in addition to displays at Trader Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Silver Lake. Josh Spencer, the owner of The Last Bookstore, graciously provided this artistic exposure for teenagers. Renowned street photographer John Free and political figures, including Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, rallied around the teen photographers during the Art Walk opening, March 11th. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It gave me a sense of empowerment seeing LaBonge show an interest in our work,â&#x20AC;? said photographer and film editor Viridiana Noriega. The work showcases their ability to seek the stillness and beauty in the people who inhabit the city of Los Angeles. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hidden in the soulful turn of their grandmotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smile; within an outdoor poem store at the Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Market; or perched on a telescope sign that stands sentinel at the Griffith Park Observatory, the photos reflect the depth and sensitivity of these local teenagers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s encouraging to see such beautiful visions of Los Angeles from such talented young people,â&#x20AC;? said bookstore manager Billy Mark. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Providing a space for these photographs is the least we could do.â&#x20AC;? Karla Jovel was delighted to see her work displayed so prominently in a public space. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice to know that people in the community are getting to see our photographs and I hope they enjoy the work as much as our class enjoys creating it,â&#x20AC;? said Jovel. Community members are
encouraged to support these local photographers during the next Downtown Art Walk, April 8th. The students will display and sell their work in the lobby of the Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Merchantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bank located on the corner of 4th and Main Street in downtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Old Bank District.
Faith Learning Aw a re n e s s Communication Discipline R E G I S T R AT I O N N O W O P E N Kindergar ten through 8th Grade Christina Fernandez-Caso, Principal 323-662-3777 â&#x20AC;˘ 2215 Fargo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039
"Your Child Is Worth the Investment!"
This is a GREEN EVENT, so bring your own beverage container and help save our planet!
Students, send us information about your school to acohen@losfelizledger.com
Page 26 SCHOOL NEWS
www.losfelizledger.com
April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger [senior moments]
The Multigenerational Household By Stephanie Vendig, Ledger Columnist
RAMONA RIPSTON Executive Director, ACLU/SC Speaking on Civil Liberties in a Different Key
FRED SOKOLOW JAZZ TRIO A Spring afternoon of smooth jazz, pungent political commentary, and celebration of Sunset Hall
The Sunset Hall Garden Party Sunday, May 2nd 1:30 PM Paramount Studios 5555 Melrose Ave, Hollywood, CA 90038 For questions or details about the party Call: 323/962 5277 Fax: 323/962 5208 Email: wendy@sunsethall.org Must RSVP by Wed. April 21st for sponsorship and advertising and Tues. April 27th for tickets. Sunset Hall is a member organization supporting social connection, learning and activism throughout the life span. Take advantage of this opportunity to renew or become a member. Combined Garden Party and membership special $85.00.
Learning languages builds our brains. Learning a new language increases communication skills. “Conversational Spanish,” a weekly class starting in mid-April, is presented by Sunset Hall Programs in
Last summer, my son returned home in order to reduce expenses while he transitions to a new career. He brought his dog, and three days a week, his children become part of the household. I am not the only one who is experiencing this “boomerang adult” phenomenon. Because of the economic downturn, adult children across the country are moving in with their parents. In fact, 62% of the more than 6 mil-
need more help. Finally, some older adults are moving in with their children to help raise their grandchildren. Michele Obama’s mother is an example of this. The results of the 2010 census will be very important for revealing this changing picture of America, as populations increase and decline throughout the country. According to the 2000 census, 3.9 million households are multi-generational. The number grew by 60% from 1990.
And just in the last decade, from 2000 to 2008, multigenerational households increased by 24%, to 6.2 million, according to the Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons (AARP). lion multigenerational households in the United States were created by grown children moving home; in half of those cases, financial trouble was the main factor in the decision. The increase in multigenerational households is also a consequence of people living longer. Older adults are moving in with their children and grandchildren because they
And just in the last decade, from 2000 to 2008, multigenerational households increased by 24%, to 6.2 million, according to the Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons (AARP). Families historically have migrated towards each other to face the trials of life creating a “safety network.” There are predictions that today,
more children will grow up in the presence of older relatives as more people in their 60s will be caring for 80 – 90 year olds. More children will know even their great grandparents and four-generation households will become more common. With grown children returning home and the flipside, parents moving in with children, there are adjustments and to be considered. There will be more on this subject in future columns.
GPACC Events for April On Wednesday, April 28th, the Griffith Park Adult Community Center (GPACC), will host a lunch and general meeting from 12:00 noon– 3:00 p.m. at Friendship Auditorium. Contact (GPACC) at (323) 644-5579 or visit at 3203 Riverside Dr., in the parking lot of Friendship Auditorium south of Los Feliz Blvd. to get a schedule of classes and events. Classes are also available at the Silver Lake Recreation Center, 1850 W. Silver Lake Dr. (323) 644-3946. Lunch is served five days a week at GPACC, from 12 noon. Coffee and gathering begins at 11:30 a.m. $1.75 is the donation for those over 60 years. For information on GPACC and to receive a newsletter, call Stephanie Vendig at (323) 667-3043 or e-mail at vendig@sbcglobal.net
partnership with Griffith Park Adult Community Club at Griffith Park Adult Community Center. Develop your conversational Spanish skills and
learn a little bit about cultural traditions.
For information or registration, contact GPACC at (323) 644-5579 or Wendy Caputo, Sunset Hall at (323) 962-5277
Conversational Spanish class, join la fiesta! SunsetHall_Apr10_v2.indd 1
3/29/10 10:54:43 AM
Los Angeles Breakfast Club
Making Los Angeles a better place through community service and friendship.
Wednesdays, 7:00 to 9:00 a.m.
First-time visitors – FREE (normally $6.00) Full buffet breakfast Songs – Movement – Interesting Speakers – Music Apr 7:
Author - Jane Edwards - “So Long Guys Good Bye is Forever” - 1942 8th Air Force Apr 14: TBA Apr 21: USC Emeriti College - Saul Jacobs & Bob Lipson - “Penniless Immigrant to American Icon” - Irving Berlin Apr 28: Southern California Edison “Renewable Energy”
Friendship Hall, 3201 Riverside Drive (1/4 mile south of Los Feliz Blvd.)
(323) 662-1191
April 2010
BreakfastClub_Apr10.indd 1
www.losfelizledger.com
3/25/10 7:56:59 PM
SENIOR MOMENTS Page 27
Los Feliz Ledger [THEATER REVIEW]
Classic in English and Spanish By Marilyn Tower Oliver Ledger Theater Critic It is a rare occasion when a Spanish theatrical masterpiece can be seen. “Bodas de Sangre” or “ Blood Wedding” by 20th century playwright Federico Garcia Lorca is part of the trilogy written by the young writer who was executed during the Spanish Civil War at the age of 38. It is currently in a stunning production directed by Denise Blasor at the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts in Lincoln Heights. The play, written in verse and completed in 1932, was Lorca’s first big success and gave rise to his fame. It is a story of deception and repressed passion set in a small rural village in Spain. Many critics see the story as a veiled criticism of the rigid rules that dominated Spanish culture at a time of internal upheaval and inevitable social change. The action takes place around a wedding. The tragedy opens in the home of the bridegroom, an upright young man who is anticipating with pleasure his upcoming marriage. His mother cautions that his bride was once
in love with Leonardo, the son of a family that murdered his father and brother. The scene shifts to the home of Leonardo who is now married; but all is not well as
A scene from “Bodas de Sangre” or “ Blood Wedding” now playing at the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts in Lincoln Heights.
Leonardo and his wife argue about his late night forays into the countryside. Eventually, we see the thoughts of Leondardo losing his first love to another leads to the pivotal action of the play. Standout performances are given by Christopher Fernandez as the bridegroom; Jordi
Vilauso portraying Leonardo and Rachel Garcia who plays his suffering wife. Carolyn Zeller-Collazo’s portrayal as the bride seemed a tad too impassive for the part. I saw the English language production of this play which runs until April 11th and will try to catch it in Spanish too. The story can be easily understood by those without a strong proficiency in Spanish. Aficionados of Spanish culture will enjoy the music and dance. Another classic, “Much Ado About Nothing,” currently at A Noise Within in Glendale is an excellent adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy about the war between the sexes. It is the story of the flirtation between sharp tongued Beatrice and confirmed bachelor Benedict. The mischievous tricks of their friends lead the two adversaries into romance. The bumbling constable Dogberry and his equally amusing cohorts add to the hilarity. The repartee between Benedict (portrayed by J.D. Cullum) and Beatrice (portrayed by Torri Higgison) is witty and charming. This production directed by Michael W. Murray and choreographed by Julia RodriguezElliott is particularly charming
in that all the dialogue is easily understood and the action moves quickly through the approximate 2 hours 30 minutes.
421 N. Avenue 19. Free parking. www. BFATheatre.org or (323) 225-4044. $30. Ends April 11th.
“Blood Wedding’ or “ Bodas de Sangre” runs Thursday., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m. at the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts ‘Teatro Carmen Zapata,
“Much Ado About Nothing,” runs in repertory with two other plays through May 21st at A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. $40 to $44. (818) 240-0910.
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Page 28 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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April 2010
Los Feliz Ledger
Spring Holidays: Interfaith Dialogues By Roberta Morris Religion and Spirituality Columnist Preparations for Passover began in observant Jewsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; households in March. For the house to be purified, a thorough housekeeping effort ensures that any trace of chametz is removed. Chametz is any grain or derivative, like bread, cereal, cake, cookies, pizza, pasta, and beer are disposed of before the holiday begins with the first Passover Seder. Also in preparation, here in Los Feliz donations were collected at the Chabad of Los Feliz to help needy families with funds for their various holiday expenses and purchases. The First Seder meal was celebrated at the Chabad on March 29th. The second night Seder was celebrated on March 30th at Temple Knesseth Israel on Vermont. Passover continues until 7:56 p.m., April 6th. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s believed by most Christians that the Sederâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Passover mealâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;was being celebrated by Jesus with his disciples for his Last Supper. Holy Week began in Christian churches on Palm Sunday, March 28th and continues through Easter, April 4th. As Lent comes to an end, parishioners and anyone in-
terested in interfaith dialogue and sharing are invited to Our Mother of Good Council parish on Vermont Avenue for five evenings of reflection, listening and discussion. Leaders from Sikhism, Judaism, Seventh Day Adventist and Buddhist communities were part of the program. The series ends with a presentation of Catholicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s essential beliefs on April 1st. Father Christopher Kelley at St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, calls Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Three Great Daysâ&#x20AC;Ś like a drama in three acts.â&#x20AC;? The celebration continues after Easter at St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with St. Thomasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sunday and the Easter Octave celebrated on April 11th, with a Solemn Mass at 10 a.m. and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Flowering of the Crossâ&#x20AC;? by children; and on Saturday April 17th, with a Blessing of the Animals in the courtyard at 1 p.m. All are invited. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bring your pets for a blessing,â&#x20AC;? said Father Kelley. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a fun occasion for all.â&#x20AC;? St. Mary of the Angels Anglican Church, 4510 Finley Avenue.
Star Gazing For April By Anthony Cook, Griffith Observatory The brightest planet, Venus, is eye-catching in the west-northwest during the evening twilight, and will get even higher and brighter through the summer. During the first half of April, Venus will help you to find fast-moving planet Mercury. Use binoculars to look below and to the right of Venus to spot Mercury within the same field of view. The slender crescent moon perches above these two planets on the evening of April 15th. Mars appears within the faint confines of Cancer the Crab, high in the south when darkness falls this month. On the 15th, the red planet creates an interesting sight in binocu-
lars as it skirts along the edge of the Beehive star cluster. Mars sets at 3:00 a.m. Saturn, in Virgo the Maiden, is visible nearly all night long and is easy to spot as a fairly bright golden â&#x20AC;&#x153;starâ&#x20AC;?, more than halfway between the due south point on the horizon and overhead at about 10 p.m. Its rings look very narrow as seen through a telescope this month. It is currently the featured planet for public viewing through Griffith Observatoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s telescopes. Jupiter can be spotted low in the east-southeast during dawn during the last half of the month. The giant planet will be best placed for viewing in about five months.
Easter Services at St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LOS FELIZâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;The following are Easter services for St. Mary of the Angels Anglican Church:Â
p.m. followed by Stations of the Cross, 6:30 p.m. Then Solemn Liturgy of the Day, 7:30 p.m. Â HOLY SATURDAY: April 3: Mattins, 11:15 a.m., in Chapel. No noon mass. Vespers, 7 p.m. in Chapel.
MAUNDY THURSDAY, April 1st: Mattins, 11:15 a.m.; no noon mass. Vespers, 6 p.m. Solemn Mass of the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seder Supper, 7:30 p.m. with a striping of the high alter and sanctuary, foot washing and Lenten soup supper. Â GOOD FRIDAY, April 2: Mattins, 11:15 a.m. in Chape; 12 noon to 3 p.m., on the hour, reading of the Three Passion Gospels. Confession also available. Vespers at 6
EASTER DAY, April 4: Early Mass, 8 a.m. Solemn Festal Mass, 10 a.m.; First Communions, Renewal of Baptismal Vows; Vespers, 5 p.m. The church is located at 4510 Finley Avenue. Information: (323) 660-2700.
The moon is in waning phases during the first half of April, reaching last quarter on the morning of the 6th and new moon on the morning of the 14th. It returns to the evening sky in waxing crescent phase a couple of nights later. It reaches first quarter on the 21st and is full on the 28th. The moon passes Mars on the 21st and Saturn on the 25th. The Lyrid Meteor shower is strongest in the pre-dawn hours of April 22nd. Use a reclining lounge to look high in the northeast to see as many as 18 meteors per hour. The greatest numbers of meteors are seen from wilderness areas far from urban glow. The best time to watch is between moon set at 2:21 a.m. and dawn (4:41 a.m.).
Easter Week at OMGC LOS FELIZâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Easter Week services at Mother of Good Counsel are as follows: April 1st: 8:30 a.m. communal prayer service followed by a bi-lingual mass of the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supper; April 2nd: 8:30 a.m. prayer service, Living Stations of the Cross, 12 noon, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seven Last Words of Christ,â&#x20AC;? 1 p.m., a 2:00 p.m. mass of the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Passion and then a 7:30 p.m. mass (Spanish). April 3rd: 8:30 a.m. Communal Prayer Service and 8 p.m. Easter Vigil. Easter April 4th, at 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 11 a.m. and at 12:30 p.m. (Spanish).
A Celebration of the Arts At First Church, we celebrate the importance of art, music, and literature year-round. This April, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve sharpened our focus even more with a month of amazing events. Call for more information
213.385.1341
#AMERON #ARPENTER IN #ONCERT 41st !NNUAL /RGAN #ONCERT 3ERIES 3UN !PRIL Â&#x2C6; PM $20 suggested donation
Maundy Thursday Service, April 1 7 p.m., Wylie Chapel Worship and Communion
Good Friday, April 2
7 p.m., Sanctuary A service of Music and Dramatic Readings based upon Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Seven Last Words from the Cross; Cathedral Choir under the direction of Dr. Ariel Quintana and Kimo Smith at the organ
Easter Sunday, April 4
Services at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Sanctuary
First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood Regular Sunday Services: Contemplative - 8:30 a.m., Wylie Chapel Classic Service - 9:30 a.m., Sanctuary Worship at 11 - 11:00 a.m., Sanctuary
1760 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, CA 90028 (323) 463-7161 www.fpch.org
April 2010
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Los Feliz Ledger [editorial]
[editorial]
A Tale of Two Kings
The Broken Meter Problem
by Joseph W. Lightfoot
By Daniel Schwartz
People are saying good things about King Middle School. But unless you’re talking specifically about the Magnet School it’s misleading to say things are going well there. In fact, if you speak to teachers in the “Home School” at King you’ll get an entirely different story. Walk into a Magnet classroom and you feel the energy. Talk with the Magnet teachers and their enthusiasm is palpable. Yet Home School teachers I’ve spoken with are frustrated and fatigued. In a Home School classroom the first thing you’ll notice is the crowd. Some have more than 40 students. The Home School teachers are saddled with paperwork, meetings, different levels of students in the same classrooms, having to change classrooms, discipline issues, broken copy machines, lack of resources for simple items like paper…the list goes on and on. Though Home School students, teachers, and parents are frustrated and discouraged by the disparities between the two schools, the point is not to pit the Home School against the Magnet; it‘s to create equity for all the children who attend King. Great schools are an essential part of a great community. All of our elementary schools—not just Ivanhoe and Franklin—are exciting places. They’re making our neighborhoods better. But we’ve abandoned the Middle School— except for the Magnet enclave. Everyone scatters after the 5th or 6th grade. The kids lose, and the community loses. The continuity that comes with being in the same group from elementary through high school benefits our children, our families, and the larger community. Many prospective King
parents, even those whose children might attend the Magnet, are worried their kids will be in danger: physically, socially and academically. Let’s address those fears honestly and directly. Some fears are groundless, but others have merit and deserve attention and action before parents will be comfortable sending their kids to King. This is a time of unprecedented demand for change in our schools and we should demand that the Home School at King be given the same privileges and resources as the Magnet. Then, all King students will have the same opportunity to excel, and none of us will have to worry that we’re hurting our kids by sending them to the neighborhood school. Take a chance and send your kids to King. Become involved. Nothing will change until the middle class takes responsibility and returns to the public schools. It has worked at the elementary and high schools. It can work in the middle school as well. It won’t be easy to accomplish, but our community and our kids will be much better off in the long run. Joe Lightfoot is the parent of an 8th grader in the Home School at T.S. King Middle School.
Submission Guidelines To submit a letter for Open Mike, send to acohen@losfelizledger.com or to 4459 Avocado St., LA, CA 90027. Include your name, area in which you live and contact information. Letters become property of the Los Feliz Ledger and may be edited for clarity or space for reprinting.
Page 30 EDITORIAL / OPEN MIKE
Last Christmas Eve, I parked at the last available spot on the block of Hollywood Boulevard between Vermont Avenue and Rodney Drive. My 15-year-old daughter wanted to buy her mother a stocking-stuffer at Wacko. She popped a quarter in the meter—nothing; the display still read 0:00. Next, a dime. Still nothing. So she wrote a note: “Meter failed. Took money, showed no time.” I put it on my windshield. Twenty minutes later we came out to a $50 ticket tucked neatly next to her note. Maybe because it was her change; maybe because she wrote the note, the father in me had had enough. My first thought: the city took our cash and—because their equipment is shoddy and doesn’t work right—they want to penalize us further. The people who impose this on us are our employees. Enough. I paid for the right to park and shop there. I did my bit, my part of the social contract and I expect the city employees to do theirs. I pay for lots of city services I don’t use and now I have to spend my time proving I did the right thing because their equipment doesn’t work? I contested the citation by phone and called the offices of our local city council representatives: Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge. I wasn’t given much hope initially. My second call to LaBonge’s office revealed that he was introducing a motion to the City Council on the subject of failed meters. I asked for a meeting to see what I could do to help. It turned out the motion was only about getting LADOT to clarify their policy and encourage them to better communicate it. But I was invited to attend a committee meeting of the Council to
listen and speak. By then my contest of the ticket had been rejected. At this meeting I found myself seated next to Amir Sedadi, Asst. General Manager of LADOT for Parking Management and Regulations—the man at the center of the issue. And as always, once you put a human face on the devil, it’s hard to demonize anymore. Mr. Sedadi was sympathetic and seemed genuinely distressed that the system had failed someone so thoroughly. More importantly, he assured the councilmembers that official LADOT policy is NOT ticketing at failed meters. So there it is, official and on the record: at a failed meter it’s legal to park for as long as the posted signs specify. But there are still plenty of wrinkles. For instance, “my” meter failed without displaying “FAIL.” Or, more critically, the fact that many failed meters, sometimes mysteriously, right themselves. You park at a failed meter, perfectly legally doing the right thing and by the time the meter officer comes along, its no longer failed. LADOT’s answer to this problem is a hot line (877-2153958), a phone number that is posted on meters. (Failed meters can also be reported after the fact in its website.) But this is a problematic stopgap solution. Not everyone has immediate access to a cell phone or the Internet later, and because of that the assumption of equal access is intrinsically regressive and discriminatory. And as Mary Rodriguez, field deputy in LaBonge’s office recently found out—and which
www.losfelizledger.com
was reported in the Los Angeles Times—even if you call the hotline you can still be ticketed and LADOT might still stand behind their ticket. Los Angeles Transportation officials say the problems result largely from aging and outdated technology and that the new pay-station models, seen in other neighborhoods across town, address most of these issues. Time will tell. I hope I don’t sound too cynical when I say that while I believe these people are genuinely sincere, it seems too predictable for a city official to answer that the solution is more funding for their department. And, the city’s fiscal crisis makes it hard to believe that added funding is likely to occur. But plainly the technology is failing, so their argument seems legitimate. Finally, according to the LADOT, vandalism is problem one. The likeliest reason my meter on Christmas Eve failed was that it had been stuffed with something, preventing the coins from dropping. In light of these conditions, the change I’d most like to see is in the behavior of our local transportation officers. I want my daughter’s note read; I want it considered and I want it tested. Yes, it’s a huge city, but we’re a city of neighborhoods, and these folks have local beats they patrol. I think they might find themselves less frequently regarded as the enemy if they perform their jobs with a bit more engagement. And most of all: In a place where I’ve lived most of my life, I’d like our city employees to not presume that I’m a vandal or a thief. Daniel Schwartz is a current resident of Silver Lake.
April 2010
Largest Real Estate Office in Los Feliz (160+ Agents) #1 Real Estate Office from Downtown LA to Hollywood CAR Chief Economist to speak at the Vista Theatre on the current and future state of the real estate market.
April 23rd @ 11am Open to all REALTORS
Followed by a free catered lunch for realtors at KW Los Feliz
5470 Los Feliz Boulevard
Ron McGee/Chris Laib
JUST
4330 Parva, Los Feliz Hills
$1,479,000
4 bedrooms/4 baths, Highly pampered Mediterranean North of the Boulevard. Great entertainment floor and glorious master suite. Eat-in kitchen, wide plank oak and marble flooring.
Chris Laib/Ron McGee
(323) 854-1820
1639 Golden Gate Ave
$729,000
(310) 902-1564
$620,000
If you love Cratfsman homes, this is your home! Lovely, quaint home, it has some upgrades. New kitchen and bath. Near Sunset Junction.
Steve Garza
(323) 823-0738
JUST
4129 Wawona Street
$605,000
Beautifully updated Traditional 3 bedroom/2bath+den. Hardwood floors, updated chef’s kitchen w/ pantry. Views of the San Gabriel mountains, yard w/room for a pool. www.4129wawona.com
Karen Lower
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1412-1410 Angelus Ave
$695,000
Silver Lake. Unique opportunity to own a 2 bedroom/2 bath character CA Bungalow c. 1906 and Architectural 1 bedroom/1 bath c. 2008. www.1412angelus.com
Karen Lower
(323) 804-8043
JUST
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1149 Manzanita, Silver Lake
(323) 376-1489
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Enjoy living in prime Sunset Junction, near Silver Lake’s trendiest shops and restaurants. Opportunity to take this 3 bedroom/2 bathroom home with guest house to the next level. Large lot, possibility of adding an additional unit. www.LAHomeConnection.com
Michael Remacle
$1,799,000
6 bedrooms/7 baths, Grand and storied Spanish estate property. On large flat lot, pool, 2 story dramatic entry. A treasure trove of original architecture and old world elegance. Motorcourt and pool cabanas. Needs Work.
SO LD !
1451 Fairbanks Place
$450,000
Echo Park Duplex! Income in the heart of one of the 10 best neighborhoods in the U.S. according to the Department of Urban Planning. Short Sales – Unpredictable? Yes. Impossible? No!
C. PINKY Luat Young
(213) 304-2974
Thinking of selling your home in the next 3 months? What you do now can make a difference of thousands & thousands of dollars.
4120 Ranons
$395,000
Represented Buyer – wins out in multiple offers! 2 bedrooms/1 bath, bonus guest space at lower level. Hardwood floors, peaceful tree lined street, beautiful views, lovely home in pride of ownership neighborhood.
C. PINKY Luat Young
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1660 Hillhurst Avenue LA, CA 90027 www.1660Hillhurst.com
1924 Myra Ave
$4,200/Month
Beautiful Franklin Hill’s Traditional 3bedroom/2bath stunning views. Hardwood floors, formal living room w/ fireplace, formal dining. Large kitchen, deck & hillside yard. Close to the village. www.franklinhillshome.net
Karen Lower
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Tel 323-300-1000 • Fax 323-300-1001 www.KWLosFeliz.com
2150 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027
323.668.7600
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Our Listings Are Selling!
Call us and let us show you why our approach to selling homes in your neighborhood is so successful. George & Eileen
Coming Soon
Open Sunday April 18th From 2 to 5 PM
1901 Oxford Ave Los Feliz $1,049,000 Circa 1924 2-Stry 4 bd 3.5 ba Mediterranean behind gates & classic details thru out. 3100 sq ft home offers a flexible floor plan w/2 large addt’l rms for possible master & family room. Patio enjoys view of Observatory. Updated systems. 5 fountains.
Just Listed
1901 Berendo Street Los Feliz $1,075,000 Gated & impeccably restored 1923 Spanish. 3 bd 2 ba+ family rm or home office. Gorgeous LR, lrg formal DR, gourmet kitchen opens to cozy sitting area & lovely grassy yard w/deck & pergola. Dark wood flrs, crown moldings. AC, updated plumbing & electrical. Stunning!
For Sale
3651 Holboro Drive Los Feliz Hills $1,445,000 Classic 4 bedrm, 3 ba1920’s Mediterranean in the hills w/wonderful views. Step down to spacious LR w/fireplace & coved ceiling that opens to a cozy patio. Cook’s eat-in kitchen. Formal DR. Lovely original details yet beautifully updated. 2nd patio offers rm for lap pool.
In Escrow
2120 India Street Silver Lake $95,000 Great opportunity to build your dream home or possible duplex on level vacant lot on a cul-de-sac in nice residential Silver Lake location. Good location centrally located to downtown, Glendale, Pasadena areas.
Coming Soon
3422 Amesbury Road Los Feliz Hills Call For Price Wonderful 1940’s Los Feliz Hills 4 + 3.5 Traditional home offering a formal entry which leads to a grand & spacious living rm w/fireplace, large formal DR, stunning paneled family rm. Pool, spa, patio and yard. Beautiful moldings & hrdwd flrs. 2800+ sq ft & large basement.
Just Listed
3031 Castle Street Silver Lake $569,000 Gorgeous 1+1 English Cottage with wonderful curb appeal offers a wonderful living room w/gas fireplace, large picture window & beautiful dark hickory floors. Updated kitchen & charming dining area. A/C. Lrg basement. Walk to reservoir, dog park & restaurants.
Just Listed & In Escrow
2160 Moreno Drive Silver Lake Hills $1,199,000 Wonderful 3 + 2.5 Traditional home w/breathtaking views of the reservoir! Gorgeous living w/fireplace and formal dining rm opens to great view deck. Gourmet kitchen. Beautfully refinished hardwood floors. Lovely landscaped yard. AC, solar panels. Ivanhoe school!
Sold For $70K Over Asking In 10 Days!
2018 North New Hampshire Los Feliz $765,000 Lovely 2 + 2 Traditional home in Franklin Square beautifully remodeled w/Cook’s kitchen & newly tiled baths & updated systems. Large living room with fireplace. Cozy breakfast area & dining rm. Hardwood floors. A/C. Backyard is a blank slate awaiting your gardeners touch.
Coming Soon
3327 Tica Drive Los Feliz Hills Call For Price Classic 1930’s 3 + 2.5 Spanish Beauty w/courtyard entry has been restored to it’s original grandeur. Wonderful living room w/gorgeous gas fireplace. Newer Cook’s kitchen with Viking range that leads to cozy den and lovely yard. Master suite. Beautifully renovated baths.
New Price
2252 Panorama Terrace Silver Lake Hills $899,000 Wonderful sunfilled 3 bd + 2 ba + hm office 1940’s Traditional home with Mid-Century Flair. Lovely hillside views from most rms. Formal DR. A/C. Updated, but w/original charm intact. Wood floors, fireplace, terraced yard, patio, balcony & Ivanhoe school.
Just Listed & In Escrow
3321 Wood Terrace Los Feliz $539,000 Charming & bright 2+1 English Cottage in the heart of Los Feliz. Spacious living room with hardwood floors & high inset ceiling opens to cozy formal dining room. The lovely patio is the perfect spot for afternoon barbeques. Central air & heat. Ivanhoe school.
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2249 Duane Street Silver Lake $700,000 Great investment or owner user property in great Silver Lake Hills location. Four large 1 bedrooms apartments + large bonus room. Nice views from several units & large front yard. Walking distance to the reservoir, dog park, shops and restaurants.