Oppostie Page: Project Angel Food client joins Mayor Karen Bass and Richard Ayoub; tree trimming on Highland Ave.; the Hollywood Pool on Cole Ave.
EXECUTIVE
Dianna Eisenberg, dianna@mediadistrict.org
DISTRICT SAFETY
Calls For Service
The holiday season lead to a small uptick in Calls for Service that our Safety Officers responded to with an average wait time of less than 5 minutes.
Public Assists
Business was up for our retail and hospitality sector over the holidays, but studios going on break meant reduced requests for safety escorts and general information, overall.
Safety Officers are the eyes and ears of the Hollywood Media District, helping us deliver services wherever they are needed. Whether patrolling the district, assisting businesses and residents or engaging with the unhoused population, their presence adds a layer of security and comfort in the district while acting as the community’s firsts responders — trained and equipped to assist in in non-emergency circumstances.
Unhoused Contacts
As our unhoused population has continued to decrease, so has the number of unhoused contacts made by our Safety Team.
Incident Reports
Our street patrols were on-call to respond to minor public disturbance and property damage incident.
Business Contacts
To maintain constant communication with BID businesses, our Safety Officers conduct nearly 1,000 check-ins per quarter.
Vandalism Reports
Reports of graffiti and stickering fell from Q3, making the BID more welcoming to vistors and residents.
Service Requests
Requests for cleaning and repair submitted by the Safety Team decreased slightly, with fewer needs to report.
Hot Spot Patrols
The reduction in homelessness has decreased the number of designated hot spots in the district, and thus the need for such patrols.
Look upwards in the Hollywood Media District and you'll soon see more than clear blue skies. Our new Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system will capture plate info and unique car markings or dents as vehicles move through the streets, providing LAPD with critical information for solving crimes in the district. Having these solar-powered cameras visible at intersections throughout the BID will also act as a deterrent, preventing bad actors from causing disruptions in the community.
RESULTS YOU CAN SEE CLEAN & BEAUTIFUL
The Cleaning Team works 7 days a week, transforming the Hollywood Media District into a spotless and sanitary destination. Whether conducting scheduled tasks like emptying public trash bins (3x week), sweeping residential and commercial sidewalks (2x week) and pressure washing (daily) or responding to service request like collecting bulky items and removing graffiti, our goal is make the district welcoming for all.
12 TONS CLEANED ENCAMPMENTS
8 TONS REMOVED BY STREET SWEEEPERS
40 TONS COLLECTED IN TRASH BINS
1704 GRAFFITI & STICKERS REMOVED
579 BULKY ITEMS REMOVED
New For 2025
The new year has begun with new trash cans appearing across the Hollywood Media District . Made from recycled solid steel bar, these sturdy and stylish titanium recepticals will also add to the Districts curbside appeal.
Keep an eye out for 44 new bins in total to be installed by the end of February.
CLEAN & BEAUTIFUL
Our efforts to make the Hollywood Media District green and inviting continue with ongoing upkeep of existing landscaping as well as new trees and shrubbery being planted every month. Having completed our $100,000+ landscape and lighting upgrade for the Gateway To Hollywood medians on Highland Ave., our investments in improvement will continue in the coming year with a new welcome sign at Highland and Melrose Ave. and additional municiple art projects to be announced soon.
Tree Trimming
High winds are a major concern throughout SoCal. Regular tree trimming by the Hollywood Media District keeps branches clear of power lines while also maintaining the health of the trees.
Bus Bench Maintenance
Details matter. That's why the BID is constantly looking for ways to improve the district, even if its as small as refurbishing the bus benches around the district. It is amazing how a coat of new paint can make a world of difference.
SERVICE REQUEST
UNHOUSED SERVICES
While the homelessness crisis continues throughout LA County, the efforts of the Media District Public Safety Team continue to make a positive impact. Through daily check-ins with the district’s unhoused population , our staff helps provide individuals with the food, medical, family and housing services they needs to increase safety and reduce the total number of unhoused in our community.
As a result of our efforts, the unhoused population in our January 2025 monthly census was 11 indivduals, down from 46 in January 2024 — 78% improvement!
DISTRICT EXPANSION
On January 1, 2025 the Hollywood Media District expansion went into effect, adding almost two dozen new commerical, residential and municiple properties to the BID. From delicious new restaurants and cutting edge creative businesses to historically protected architecture and a vibrant community hub, the community keeps growing. 1
SALT'S CURE & BOND
• 1155-1157 N. HIGHLAND AVE.
• RESTAURANT FAMOUS FOR WHOLE ANIMAL BUTCHERY (SALT'S CURE)
• ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING AGENCY (BOND) 2 SUMAC MEDITERRAINEAN CUISINE
• 1156 N. HIGHLAND AVE.
• FALAFEL, SCHWARMA & MORE 3 HOLLYWOOD RECREATION CENTER & POOL
• 1122 COLE AVE.
• ATHLETICS, PERFORMING ARTS, EDUCATION & CHILD CARE FACILITIES
• OUTDOOR HEATED POOL 4
LA PUBLIC LIBRARY JOHN C. FREMONT BRANCH
• 6121 MELROSE AVE.
• LA HISTORIC-CULTURAL MONUMENT
• CLOSED FOR RENNOVATIONS
5 AVAILABLE COMMERCIAL SPACE
• 852 N. LA BREA AVE.
• 12,300 SQ. FT.
• PREVIOUS TENENT: '99 CENTS ONLY STORE'
• LGBT+
PROJECT ANGEL FOOD
They say you can best judge a city by how its citizens respond when tragedy strikes. For Los Angeles, the catastrophic wildfires last month tested all of the city’s residents, even those who live far away from the destruction in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena. And with rare exceptions, the people of LA have shown up for each other, providing mutual aid in this time of crisis and filling gaps when municipal services are stretched thin.
Such is the case with Project Angel Food, the Hollywood-based charity that has been providing meals to critically ill individuals for over 35 years. In the days following the fires, the organization went into overdrive, increasing production of fresh ready-to-eat meals for those who needed them and aiding in the distribution of emergency supplies such as non-perishable grocery packs, bottled water, toiletries, protective masks, flashlights and gift cards for clothing and essential items. So important to the recovery efforts was Project Angel Food that Gavin Newsom dropped in to help prepare meals during an MLK Day visit to Los Angeles just two weeks after the fires decimated Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. And the Governor was only one out of thousands of Californians who answered the call to volunteer.
"We had 8,000 calls and emails from people saying they wanted to help,” says Project Angel Food executive director Richard Ayoub. “That is the beautiful thing about Los Angeles. People step up in a big way. They like to take helplessness and turn it into hope.”
"People step up in a big way. They like to take helplessness and turn it into hope.”
Project Angel Food has a long tradition of turning helplessness into hope, dating back to 1989, when the non-profit was founded by activist and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson with a mission to prepare and deliver meals to people living with HIV/AIDS. The organization grew quickly as the pandemic spread throughout the 1990s, with Hollywood legends like Elizabeth Taylor, Barry Diller, David Geffen and Barbra Streisand providing early support.
After the turn of the Millennium, as the scourge of HIV/AIDS began to ebb, the organization turned its attention to providing for others in the community, expanding its mandate to include providing medically tailored meal to individuals fighting cancer, diabetes, renal failure and COPD. Since then, Project Angel Food has continued to grow. The group delivered its 19-millionth meal in January of 2025.
And meal 20 million isn't far behind, as Project Angel Food embarks on a major rennovation of its main facility at 922 Vine St. that will triple the number of meals it can provide to the community. Construction is already underway with a target opening of early 2026, at which time Project Angel Food will be able to produce and deliver a whopping 4.5M million meals annually.
Once that work is complete, phase two begins — the construction of a second building on the northeast corner of the intersection. This brand new North Campus will serve as a training facility for volunteers and an educational kitchen where clients capable of cooking for themselves will learn how to prepare their own nutritious meals. The new facility will also house an institute dedicated to studying innovative health and nutrition approaches.
“We're going to continue to prove the efficacy of medically tailored meals,” says Ayoub. “How it keeps people out of the hospital longer and keeps them healthier and reduce overall health care demands.”
Just as humans are complicated organisms where food and health are intertwined, cities are complex systems where disease and disasters must be addressed through various public, private and non-profit resources. Only by working together can Los Angeles face the challenges of the 21st century. As we move forward, Project Angel Food will remain a pillar of aid that the community can count on.
As of this writing, 90% of the funding for the expansion has been secured. To cover the remaining need, Project Angel Food is actively seeking partners in philanthropy to complete the project.
If you would like to learn more about being part of this transformational expansion, please contact Richard Ayoub at rayoub@angelfood.org, Campaign Consultant Bill McDermott at bmcdermott@angelfood.org, or Director of Institutional Giving and Strategic Partnerships Mindy Glazer at mglazer@angelfood.org.
Above: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Richard Ayoub and Gov. Gavin Newsom prepare meals.
Opposite: Rendering of the Project Angel Food expansion currently under construction.
BID EXPANSION MAP
Coming January 1, 2025
Hollywood Media District www.mediadistrict.org (323) 371-7438
