LC 03 2016

Page 1

Larchmont Chronicle

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IN THIS ISSUE

Bungalow pleads 'no contest'

Several trees downed by weather, age

Probation set for illegal take-out

ANNUAL EDITION. Section 3

DOWN with the old— up with the new. 5

EIGHTY-FIVE magical years. 8

By Suzan Filipek After five years of lawsuits, appeals and continuances, the Larchmont Bungalow pleaded “no contest” last month to three criminal counts, including operating without a permit. After all this time and money, Bungalow owner Albert Mizrahi is right back to where he started, said deputy city attorney Serena Christion. He either needs to remove tables and chairs at the site at 107 N. Larchmont and get a certificate of occupancy or close, she added. The “no contest” plea means “he’s not contesting the compliance, and the judge (Commissioner Elizabeth Harris) finds him guilty. It’s saying ‘I’m not really… but kind of guilty,’” Christion explained. “He opened with a certificate of occupancy for a takeSee Bungalow, p 7

MARCH 2016

Three mature trees fall unexpectedly

TABLES AND CHAIRS, inside and out, have been at the Larch-

By Sondi Toll Sepenuk The Hancock Park area is a lovely place to live: homes built in the 1920s, ornamental streetlights in the parkways, and mature trees that have grown and flourished for over 80 years. Unfortunately, for many of those trees, their days may be coming to an end. The combination of disease, age and weather has contributed to the common occurrence of trees coming down hard and unexpectedly. See Several trees, p 4

Summer Camps

GOOD NEWS: everything is on sale. 2-4

Ideas for fun camps, school programs, special interest activites and more will be featured in the April issue. Advertising deadline is Mon., March 14. For more information contact Pam Rudy, 323-462-2241, ext. 11.

PARK MILE is studied at June 1978 re-organizing meeting of the Windsor Square Association (originally founded in 1925). Shown with the Planning Department’s “Existing Land Use” map are Norman Phillipon, Norman Murdoch (also County Planning Director), Marcus Crahan (elected as WSA president), Beatrice Challiss, Dick Workman and Ben Root. Story Sec. 2, page 10.

For Information on Advertising Rates, Please Call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11

Photo by Dick Stroebel

Miracle Mile in March

Mailing permit:

A truly special annual edition

MIRACLE MILE’s western end includes the 5900 Wilshire Building, with actual sections of the former Berlin Wall facing Wilshire Blvd. and LACMA across the street. Steel ribbons wrap the newly remodeled Petersen Automotive Museum. The tall 6100 Wilshire Building is at the corner of Wilshire Blvd. and Fairfax Ave. See the special Miracle Mile Section in this issue of the Larchmont Chronicle. Photo by Billy Taylor

By John Welborne The special section of this month’s Larchmont Chronicle showcases a central part of not only our community but of all of Southern California. The Mile has much to offer, and our Miracle Mile Annual Edition gives you a taste of what is there and what is to come. Read about “Living in the Mile,” "Working in the Mile,” “Museums in the Mile,” “News of the Mile” and more. Enjoy!

www.larchmontchronicle.com ~ Entire Issue Online!

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

Community Comment

Calendar

By John Welborne We get letters

And sometimes many letters. This month, they start on this page and “jump” on . . . and on. Please keep them coming.

Park Mile

The historic photo on page 1 is from the era when neighborhood groups, allied as the Wilshire Homeowners’ Alliance, worked for two years to get the city to adopt compatible zoning for the then approximately 35 vacant lots on Wilshire Blvd. between Wilton Place and Highland Ave. As a result, developer proposals for 27-story buildings and even six-story buildings adjacent to single-family homes were thwarted. Neighborhood protections are the law, thanks to the Park Mile Specific Plan. More on this, plus one resident’s seeming challenge to the adopted Park Mile Plan, is in Section 2.

'Home Ground'

Also in Section 2 is the well-received new column that made its debut last month. “Home Ground” is written by Paula Panich. She has written for the “New York Times,” the “Los Angeles Times,” “Gastronomica” and numerous other publications. At her home in Larchmont Village, she also gardens and makes art.

Wed., March 9 – First Ever Big Sunday Gala! République Restaurant, 624 S. La Brea Ave., 6 to 9 p.m. Wed., March 9 – Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council meeting, The Ebell, 743 S. Lucerne Blvd., 7 p.m. greaterwilshire.org. Fri., Sat., Sun, March 11, 12 and 13 – Larchmont Sidewalk Sale. Sat., March 12 – St. Anne’s Guild Spring Boutique and Box Lunch, 155 N. Occidental Blvd., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sun., March 13 – Daylight Savings begins, turn your clock forward one hour. Sun., March 13 – Ridgewood Wilton Neighborhood Association annual meeting and elections, 221 S. Wilton Pl., 3 to 5 p.m. Sun., March 13 – La Brea– Hancock Homeowners Association annual meeting, 4 to 6 p.m. Contact CRmaison@ gmail.com for location. Sun., March 20 – Palm

“What are your plans for spring break?” That is the question inquiring photographer Sondi Toll Sepenuk asked locals along Larchmont Blvd.

Sunday and first day of spring. Fri., March 25 – Good Friday. Sun., March 27 – Easter Sunday. Thurs., March 31 – Delivery of the April issue of the Larchmont Chronicle. Mon., April 4 – Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Transportation Committee meeting, Wilshire Methodist Church, 4350 Wilshire Blvd., 7 p.m.

“We’re going to stay local and see Los Angeles.” Nina Bailey with daughter Keira Larchmont

Letters to the editor Removing Dead Trees and Planting New Elms

Neighborhood spirit

Because Los Angeles continues to suffer from lack of adequate rainfall and falling ground water levels our parkway trees are suffering. Our trees are critical to managing the many environmental challenges facing us including lowering temperatures by providing shade, purifying water and cleaning the air. Trees take much less water than regular landscaping and should be a vital part of any landscaping plans, especially drought tolerant plantings. We just have to keep in mind that trees need regular, deep watering; twice a month. As part of the Association’s commitment to maintaining the health as well as the beauty of Hancock Park we’ve been able to get a firm commitment from the Council Office to remove this year many of the dead parkway trees. In fact, the City has already started on Rossmore. We will then remove the stumps and plant a new healthy tree. This last month the Association planted new Elm Trees on Rossmore Blvd. While trees live a long time, they don’t live forever and the stately elms and sycamores that make up most of Hancock Park’s arbor are reaching the end of their life span. And the severe water conditions haven’t helped. Drive down Rossmore and take a look at the new trees and imagine how beautiful the summers will be as these elms join their more mature neighbors and continue to shade Rossmore. The Association’s Committees are always looking for help, so visit the website, see if there is a committee that you’d like to work with and contact us. The HPOZ Preservation Plan (http://www.preservation.lacity.org/ hpoz/la/hancock-park) regulates our HPOZ. Contact our City Planner, Renata Dragland (renata.dragland@ lacity.org), and use the online form (http://preservation. lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist) if you plan on making changes to the exterior of your house. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System - http://anti-graffiti.lacity. org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180. Adv.

Here is a wonderful story that makes us all remember why Windsor Square/Hancock Park is so special. A large parkway pine tree uprooted and fell down on Jan. 31. It was so big that it totally blocked 2nd St. between Lorraine and Irving. (It was planted on the south side of 2nd, and landed on the north side, hitting our wall.) Many people called the City. We had assurances that City staff was coming and confirmation numbers. Nothing. A police patrol car came and tried to get the city staff out.

Larchmont Chronicle Founded in 1963 by Jane Gilman and Dawne P. Goodwin Publisher and Editor John H. Welborne Managing Editor Suzan Filipek Associate Editor Billy Taylor Contributing Editor Jane Gilman Advertising Director Pam Rudy Art Director Tom Hofer Circulation Manager Rachel Olivier Accounting Jill Miyamoto 606 N. Larchmont Blvd., #103

Los Angeles, CA 90004 323-462-2241 larchmontchronicle.com

Nothing. Then a young off-duty fireman drove by. He happened to have an axe and chainsaw in his trunk. So, he went to work. Another car came by with a family, including their son. He happened to have a chainsaw. So the second young man began to help. Then a neighbor who lives at Wilton and 2nd saw this, went home and got his chainsaw. The tree was cleared by three good Samaritans who simply took the initiative. But then, a senior woman saw what happened. She lives on Lorraine. She went home and got her … broom! (It was an indoor broom; not an industrial or outdoor broom.) She swept and swept. She made sure the debris, including lots and lots of sawdust, was cleared. Crazy! We had to rush to a funeral. All I could do was come out and tell them I was totally in awe of their good spirit and hard work. What awesome people. I asked if I could share the picture [on Page 3, at right – ed.], and they said yes. Truly great neighbors! Dena Bloom Windsor Square

“My family is coming into town and we’re going to go to Disneyland!” Katherine Lewis Brookside

“We are going to go to Palm Springs for a tennis tournament at Indian Wells.” Katie Leff with son Ben Hancock Park

Larchmont closings

Following news that several beloved stores on the boulevard are either closing or relocating, residents took to the Larchmont Chronicle’s website and social media to vent their frustrations. “This situation completely sucks. Pickett Fences is a cor(Please turn to page 3)

“We’re probably going to go to Hawaii. But… maybe Cancun? I don’t know, we love both! Where do you want to go, Giuliana?” Giuliana: “Hawaii!” Suzie Mirzaians with daughter Giuliana Glendale

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

LETTERS (Continued from page 2) nerstone store on Larchmont, has been for years, and I really resent the changes being brought about by landlords who think they’re making Rodeo Drive East.” “Woot woot! Just saw on Pickett Fence’s page that they are staying on Larchmont and moving to a better location! Can’t wait to check it out— see ya, greedy landlord.” Rachel Capata “Not Pickett Fences!!! This is terrible.” Julie Stromberg “Terrible, terrible, terrible. Mizrahi has ruined everything good about Larchmont. Hans and Coffee Bean have been there for decades.” Jennifer Gibbons “I love that Coffee Bean. I have been going there since high school in the ‘90s. I miss the quaint neighborhood shops and cafes.” Desiree Sumilang Kwik

Sidewalk Sale Friday March 11 Sunday March 13 NEIGHBORHOOD SPIRIT. Tree cutters who solved the problem on 2nd St. between Lorraine and Irving are (L to R): Dan Pearl (holding Buddy, the dachshund), Lynda Pearl, John King, Debbie King Herman, Dick Herman and Simon Cleary.

“These landlords are poster boys for rapacious, pointless greed. Their greed drives away beloved and trusted businesses and replaces them with either some place that won’t last or with nothing at all. There is no business plan here, no long term solutions for the community, just selfish bastards bent on destroying the fabric of a community—not to men-

SECTION ONE

tion people’s livelihoods—for their own gain. Tom Kneafsey obviously gets something out of this, because he hasn’t done a thing to halt Mizrahi, Simms, et. al. The LBA can’t even manage to keep the sidewalks clean. It’s just sad.” Jane De Haven “Albert Mizrahi is a crook— he has been illegally operating (Please turn to page 11)

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SECTION TWO Real Estate

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

Age, weather downs several trees Although the city of Los Angeles tries to remove a fallen tree within two days, sometimes the city gets backlogged and the removal takes longer. In the case of the Lorraine tree, which was completely blocking 2nd St., a few neighbors pitched in to help. An off-duty fireman, who happened to have a chainsaw in his truck, along with a family passing through in their car, who also happened to have a chainsaw in their car, plus a neighbor from Wilton and 2nd St. all stepped in, clearing the tree. “The tree was cleared by three

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A TREE at 9th St. and Hudson barely missed the house.

PINE tree uprooted on Lorraine was cleared by trio of chainsawequipped Good Samaritans.

good Samaritans who simply took the initiative,” wrote homeowner Dena Bloom. Water parkway trees The city of Los Angeles does not water parkway trees, so it is up to the homeowners to tend to the trees that grow between the sidewalk and the street. Elena Stern, senior public information director, Dept. of Public Works, advised the Chronicle through email about the correct way to water parkway trees during the drought. “Trees should be watered slowly and deeply,” she instructed. “During winter and periods of rain, watering may be reduced. During summer and periods of heat, watering should increase.” Many properties use irrigation systems that are not efficient for slow, deep watering, so Stern recommends to water deeply manually with a soaker hose or a slow hose drip.

“Tree failure from weather, i.e. wind/rain, is always a problem,” says Stern. “When soil becomes soaked, whole failure of the tree roots can occur.” Stern points out that many people are linking drought to tree failure, but says that the Public Works Department is not familiar with any research that validates that. However, drought could hasten a diseased tree’s demise.

“Disease can be amplified by drought. If a tree has a disease and a drought occurs, the disease can be worsened. Conversely, if trees are droughtstressed and a disease is introduced, the tree may be more susceptible.” If you experience a downed tree in your neighborhood, go online to bss.lacity.org or call 311. The emergency response is two workdays or less.

Big Sunday to host charity gala Local charity Big Sunday invites friends and neighbors to join them for a night of entertainment and fine dining to benefit the non-profit on Weds., March 9. The gala takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at République Restaurant on La Brea Ave.

A first for Big Sunday, organizers hope the event will raise funds to cover programming for the upcoming year. Windsor Square resident, Paulette Light, and Melanie Staggs will be honored. Tickets are $250. Visit bigsunday.org.

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(Continued from page 1) Most recently, the neighborhood lost at least three large, mature trees during the rainstorms, along with many smaller trees and branches. A California sycamore on the 500 block of N. Cahuenga Blvd., which had been inspected as recently as November 2014, was felled along with a parkway tree at 9th and Hudson that came crashing into the homeowners’ yard, barely missing the house. On 2nd and Lorraine, a large parkway pine tree uprooted Jan. 31. (See Letters to the Editor, page 2.)

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

5

SECTION ONE

Fourth move is a charm for Picketts’ Pickett Fences

LONG MAY SHE WAVE. The 6th grade Saint Brendan School Girl Scout tirement ceremony Feb. Donated by the Larchmont Boulevard Association, the cation, the city parking lot by the Rotary Clock.

Wiley Pickett is back at work remodeling Pickett Fences’ newest site. “He’s building a really beautiful store,� said co-owner Joane Henneberger Pickett. The boutique, which first opened on Larchmont Blvd. 15 years ago, is moving into the former Alternative Apparel site at 219 N. Larchmont. Opening day is expected to be later this month. It’s the fourth move for the shop, and not one Joane had particularly wanted, but after their landlord did not renew the lease, the Brookside couple was determined to find another local spot. “We love Larchmont so much and felt really strongly about wanting to stay here,� said Joane. As luck would have it, a larger space opened up right across the street. And it’s loaded with history, as it is the former home of Security First National Bank, dating back to 1929. The bank’s original pillars and exterior lights will stay, and its vault will serve as one of the store’s dressing rooms; 100-year old wood Wiley salvaged after the Northridge quake will

decorate the country general store. Rustic double doors from the former Alternative Apparel will also stay. The new space is larger than the last store by about 500 square feet, allowing for an expansion of merchandise, including women’s jeans and dresses, men’s and children’s clothing, accessories, gifts and housewares. Designers and vendors will be showcased in pop-ups and trunk shows at the Picketts’ fourth location. They opened their first store at 111 N. Larchmont, followed by 115 N. Larchmont. Those two stores were combined in 2001. Joane is a big fan of the area’s history and plans to frame and hang photos of the original bank. Vintage toys and other finds, including a pharmacy cabinet from her hometown in Southern Illinois, will also be displayed. Craftsman extraordinaire Wiley will do the rest. Meanwhile, adds Joane, “we are currently having a huge moving sale, featuring lots of clothing, lingerie, pajamas and gifts at 50 percent off.�

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

City expands homelessness services with focus on housing Discretionary funds Upon entering office, I created the Discretionary Funds Task Force, a volunteer-driven advisory team that works to identify, review, and prioritize projects that will benefit the district in the long-term. The purpose of this program is to refocus the funds on their intended purpose of benefitting the District and its neighborhoods. As part of this reform, the office of CD4 is committed to seeking community input on how its discretionary funds should be used, and to making full public disclosure of all such

expenditures. Task Force meetings take place every first Tuesday of the month. To request funding for specific projects in your neighborhood, visit davidryu. lacity.org and fill out the discretionary funds request form and email it back to us at cd4. funding@lacity.org. Clean and Green The Los Angeles Conservation Corps Clean and Green Youth Program is coordinating various street maintenance efforts and services throughout the district with youth from the area, cleaning and improving the same area in which they live. These youth earn a paycheck while developing funda-

Chronicle Questions for the Councilman

Greater Wilshire council elections

By Billy Taylor Each month, based upon queries received from readers (tips@larchmontchronicle.com), or whatever is on the minds of our inquisitive editors, we shall forward a question or two to be answered by our representative in City Hall.

Q: Is there any progress in having City agencies report on, and possibly conduct modest lab tests for, alternative materials for asphalt road repair?

A: My office is working with the Bureau of Street Services to provide an update on this matter. In addition, my office submitted a motion on Jan. 13, asking the Department of Public Works, Bureau of Street Services and Department of Sanitation to report to the City Council on the feasibility of a citywide sidewalk repair/reconstruction pilot program using alternative materials including, but not limited to, composite rubber/plastic pavers. Q: I am trying to get a right-turn-only sign on my street— Plymouth Blvd., northbound at Third St. The traffic gets worse and worse. What can be done?

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The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council (GWNC) needs your help to elect the next batch of board members to serve area communities. The GWNC will elect 21 board members and alternates to serve a two-year term. Elections will be held on May 1 from 12-4 p.m. at The Barking Lot—336 N. Larchmont Blvd. Those who live, work, own property or have an ongoing interest can vote. Interested candidates were required to file by March 2. A full list of candidates will be found in the April issue of the Larchmont Chronicle.

mental workplace skills and a sense of community. LA Conservation Corps and its crews, regularly remove overgrown vegetation, garbage, and bulky items. This effort is of special benefit for the residents of CD4. To request service in your neighborhood, email us at cd4.issues@lacity.org. Elections Lastly, I want to encourage my constituents to get even more involved in their communities. The 2016 Neighborhood Council elections are coming up. I hope you will consider running for a position or at least taking the time to vote for one of your neighbors. Visit empowerla. org/elections to learn more.

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of various exotic animals (e.g. elephant, lion, and a baby giraffe) at private events in Council District 4. Last week, the Personnel and Animal Welfare Committee heard my Council motion to begin Report work on a new law that will proby tect our residen- David E. Ryu tial neighborhoods and the welfare of wild and exotic animals in our City. If passed, this law will prohibit the use of these animals at private parties and on public property.

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The Comprehensive Homeless Strategy with a focus on expansion of housing services for homeless individuals was approved on Feb. 9 by my City Council colleagues and me. The vote was historic—the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a similar plan the very same day. This is a monumental opportunity for collaboration and represents growing efforts for the City and County to coordinate homelessness services. Exotic animals Last year, LAPD responded to several calls from residents regarding the presence

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

HONOREES IN WINDSOR VILLAGE Vickie Bascoy

Longtime Windsor Village resident Vickie Bascoy was honored Feb. 21 with a Certificate of Recognition by Councilman David Ryu for her “exemplary commitment and dedication to our community and years of faithful service.” The councilman was among guests at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel Mt. Lebanon/St. Peter’s Cathedral luncheon. Bascoy serves as a neighborhood Vickie Bascoy advocate and community organizer for Windsor Village Concerned Citizens and is one of the founding members of the Windsor Village Historic Preservation Committee. She also is a Realtor with Coldwell-Banker, Larchmont Village North. Her works of charity and community leadership are well-known.

Bungalow pleads 'no contest' (Continued from page 1) out; he signed a covenant that he would not have tables and chairs… He’s guilty,” said Todd Maland, investigator with the city Building and Safety Dept. Mizrahi and the Larchmont Bungalow LLC were also charged with violating an order to comply with city codes and providing false information on required documents. In the deal reached with the city, Mizrahi agreed to the plea in exchange for being placed on probation and having his sentencing suspended for 18 months. Besides bringing the restaurant into compliance with city zoning codes, Mizrahi agreed to pay costs incurred to investigate and prosecute the case. A court hearing was set for Aug. 3 to review Mizrahi’s progress and the costs. Final sentencing was set for Aug. 7, 2017. The deal reached in Los Angeles Superior Court was “thanks to Rocky,” said Christion. Defense attorney Rocky Delgadillo is the former City Attorney, who “talked to (current City Attorney Mike) Feuer and discovered there was no way I was ever going to dismiss the case,” said Christion—who was the fifth deputy city attorney on the case, and, the “most stubborn,” according to her. Delgadillo did not respond to calls or emails. Part of the deal in the criminal case guarantees that Mizrahi cannot appeal. “If they don’t have a certificate of occupancy, they must shut down. We made sure everybody understood that… so we have a chance of ending this,” Christion said. The criminal case was on hold several years pending resolution of a civil case that Mizrahi filed against the city, claiming discrimination. Although the city won that case, several continuances were granted in the criminal case, and Mizrahi’s attorneys also sought exemption from

the Boulevard’s Q Condition zoning. City Planning, however, found no cause for the exemption, allowing the criminal case to move forward.

SECTION ONE

Diane Dicksteen

Diane Dicksteen’s community service has earned her the Citizen Recognition Award from the Greater Wilshire N e i g h b o rhood Council. The award will be presented at Diane Dicksteen the Council’s Wed., March 9 meeting at 7 p.m. at The Ebell, 743 S. Lucerne Blvd. Dicksteen serves as president of the Windsor Village Neighborhood Assoc. and is a volunteer at the Los Angeles Zoo. Born in Scotland, she was educated in England and arrived in Los Angeles in 1974. She has been a Windsor Village resident ever since. She worked on renovation of Harold Henry Park and on Metro subway issues.

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Ne i g h b o r h o o d C o u n c i l

ELECTION SUNDAY, MAY 1 12:00 Noon to 4:00 p.m.

Candidates for Greater Wilshire’s 15 geographic area Director and Alternate seats and six special interest category Director and Alternate seats have registered. A list will be published in April. The election takes place on Larchmont Boulevard at The Barking Lot, 366 North Larchmont Boulevard, on Sunday afternoon, May 1st.

Flamenco Festival features noted guitarist at Ebell

Information about registering to vote in the Neighborhood Council election and other details can be found at: https://empowerla.org/elections/region5/gwnc16

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

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Flamenco guitarist Vicente Amigo will perform Fri., March 18 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater, 4401 W. Eighth St. The Grammy-award winning artist’s performance is part of the Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival. His most recent, seventh release, “Tierra,” is a blend of Spanish and Celtic influences. He’s forged musical ties with Sting to Brazilian masters to jazz guitar innovators. Born outside of Seville and raised in Córdoba, Amigo began working professionally as a teen, accompanying noted flamenco singer El Pele and guitarist Manolo Sánlucar, with whom he toured for six years. For tickets and more information visit kalakoa.com.

“THERE’S A MAGIC here,” says co-owner Margie Christoffersen.

and I don’t think you can go to too many restaurants where you see servers and hosts hugging and kissing people coming through the door.” Throughout March, El Coy-

ote is offering 85-cent pizzas and tortilla soup, and on March 5, a taco or cheese enchilada with rice and beans will be available for 85 cents (dine-in only limitations apply).

Filming in Windsor Square Filming in the neighborhood—some people love it and some people loathe it. On the plus side, it brings in extra money, supports an iconic Southern California industry, and can be exciting to experience. On the negative side, the influx of people and vehicles is disruptive, making parking difficult, blocking regular access to streets and homes, and generating noise. These differences of opinion can cause stress on blocks where filming is frequent. While the city permitting process and the film companies themselves have a responsibility to maintain good relations with our neighborhood, it’s clear that many problems with filming can be prevented if residents themselves would be more thoughtful. We think a refresher course on Windsor Square’s “Good Neighbor Filming Policy,” which is available in its entirety on the Windsor Square Association’s website, will help. See: windsorsquare. org/filming The filming policy begins with this mission statement: “Common sense and common courtesy for the benefit of the film industry and the preservation of our neighborhood.” It then sets out these basic restrictions: — Each block may film up to 14 days per calendar year, maximum. — No single shoot may last more than 5 consecutive days. — There must be a 30-day respite between shoots on a block. — Filming is permitted between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm, and not on weekends or holidays. It is up to residents to decline offers of film shoots when they are aware that there have been several on the block in close succession, or when their house has been used much more frequently than others. They should also not sign off on shoots that will go later than 10:00 pm. There are sometimes situations when residents do not know in advance that two shoots have been scheduled close together. We have been assured that the city permitting agency and FilmLA are working to improve their performance in this regard. If a situation such as that arises, neighbors can contact Guy Langman, FilmLA Community Outreach Liaison, at 213-977-8644. Please check out the “Good Neighbor Filming Policy” on the WSA website for more complete information on all aspects of filming in Windsor Square. If we homeowners do our part to comply with the above guidelines, it will make the experience of filming a lot smoother for everyone involved. And your neighbors will thank you! The Windsor Square Association, an all-volunteer group of residents from 1100 households between Beverly and Wilshire and Van Ness and Arden, works to preserve and enhance our beautiful neighborhood. Join with us! Drop us a line at 157 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004, or visit our website at windsorsquare.org. ADV.

©LC0316

By J. Marina Muhlfriedel El Coyote, one of the city’s most venerable and beloved Mexican restaurants, is honoring its 85th anniversary this month with 85-cent menu specials and a daylong celebration, replete with giveaways, a Mariachi band and cake on Sat., March 5. On that date in 1931, Blanche and George March opened the original restaurant at First Street and La Brea Avenue. Twelve years later, El Coyote moved to its current location at 7312 Beverly Boulevard. An integral part of Los Angeles culture, generations of Angelenos have shared El Coyote’s classic Margaritas and signature cuisine while celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, showers, marriage proposals, divorces and even wakes within the festively decorated rooms and patio. Celebrities from John Wayne to Kate del Castillo and from Kevin Spacey and Jay Leno to Jessica Simpson and even Princess Grace have been spotted at the candlelit tables. Currently owned by the Marchs’ nieces Margie Christoffersen and Barbara Buser, with Margie’s son with Wayne Christoffersen serving as general manager, the 90-person staff turns out approximately 1000 meals a day. The restaurant’s friendliness, value and commitment to pouring a fair drink make it a favorite with locals and visitors alike. “There’s a magic here,” says Margie Christoffersen. “The mission statement of El Coyote has always been ‘Caring’—and that’s for everyone who walks through our door, employees as well as customers— and I think that caring comes through. We have a manager who has been here 63 years,

©LC0316

8

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

9

Windsor Square residents Schwartz, Garcetti face off for mayor By Billy Taylor An experienced political advisor and Windsor Square resident will be among the candidates to challenge Mayor Eric Garcetti, also a resident in Windsor Square (at Getty House), in 2017. Having filed a Declaration of Intent in January, Mitchell Schwartz is one of six candidates currently registered for the mayoral race. Schwartz, 55, boasts an impressive resume, which includes working as a political strategist for President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and as Communications Director for the State Dept. under President Clinton. “I’m running for mayor of Los Angeles because I love

Book festival has contest The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will be Sat., April 9 and Sun., April 10 at USC. With the theme, “inspire us,” the festival includes a contest this year. Deadline to enter your music, photography, poetry or art for the contest is March 4. Visit events.latimes.com/ festivalofbooks.

bent Garcetti will be no easy task. According to the City Ethics Commission, as of Dec. 31, Garcetti had raised $2.2

MITCHELL SCHWARTZ

ERIC GARCETTI

this city and because I believe we can do much better by the everyday Angelenos whose voices are not being heard and whose services are not being met,” reads Schwartz’s campaign website. With an emphasis on putting the people of Los Angeles first, Schwartz hopes he can “make the city even greater.” Where to start? Schwartz says he will focus his efforts on the city’s crumbling infrastructure, curb mega-developments and promote affordable housing, address a 20 percent rise in violent crime and the homeless epidemic, identify solutions to gridlocked traffic on streets and highways, and fix an education system that is failing.

Uphill battle Even for an experienced political strategist like Schwartz, taking on incum-

million. No small amount, especially considering he’s the only candidate yet to report raising any money at all.

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10

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

POLICE BEAT

Armed robbery on Van Ness; 'trick' accident which distracted the men long enough for the victim to run out the front door for help. Both suspects fled the location in a dark sedan—where a third suspect was waiting— without any property. BURGLARY: A suspect entered a victim’s residence through an open window on the 100 block of N. Gramercy Pl. on Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. The suspect removed an iPad and several purses before fleeing.

A victim was sleeping at his home on the 500 block of N. Beachwood Dr. when he heard a noise coming from the rear door at 12:25 a.m. As the victim approached he heard the twisting of his doorknob, followed by the door being shaken. This triggered the exterior motion sensor light, which caused the suspect to flee. GRAND THEFT AUTO: A suspect lifted keys from inside a victim’s house, while he was

home, on the 600 block of S. Norton Ave. on Jan. 30 between 1 and 4 p.m. The suspect then took the victim’s vehicle from his garage. A 2015 Nissan Sentra was stolen from the corner of Van Ness Ave. and 4th St. between Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 7 a.m. THEFT BY TRICKERY: A suspect swindled money from his victim by pretending his vehicle was hit by the victim’s vehicle on the corner of 6th St. and Wilton Pl. on Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. BURGLARY THEFT FROM VEHICLE: A suspect removed an unsecured tonneau cover to gain entry to a victim’s 1997 Toyota T-100 truck and removed filming equipment between Jan. 26 at 5:45 p.m. and Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. on the 200 block of N. Ridgewood Pl. A suspect removed the catalytic converter from a vic-

Furnished by Senior Lead Officer Joseph Pelayo 213-793-0709 31762@lapd.lacity.org Twitter: @lapdolympic tim’s 2005 Toyota Prius on the 300 block of N. Windsor Blvd. between Feb. 10 at 10 p.m. and Feb. 11 at 7:30 a.m. The catalytic converter was stolen from a victim’s 2002 Honda Odyssey on the 200 block of N. Norton Ave. on Feb. 11 at 2:55 a.m. Wilshire Division crime reports for February 2016 were not available by press time. 911 is for emergencies only. To report non-emergencies, call 877-275-5273.

Woman robbed at gunpoint working in Mile pet store By Billy Taylor On the night of Feb. 17, Christine was working the night shift at a local pet supply store when her life changed forever. “The suspect came in with a gun and forced me into the backroom,” she says of the traumatic experience. Christine was finishing her shift at My Pet’s Place, located on the corner of Olympic and La Brea, when the man walked in. The suspect—a male African American, described as 5’7” and “in good shape”—

quickly told Christine to “go to the back of the store.” Afraid for her life, she led the suspect to the store’s back office. It was there that he demanded she give him all the money on the property. The suspect quickly fled after she complied, leaving Christine in shock but unharmed. A police report was filed, but by press time no arrests had been made. Following the incident, My Pet’s Place will close at 6 p.m. each night until additional security equipment is installed.

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ROBBERY: A victim arrived home to the 300 block of S. Van Ness Ave. on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. to hear “don’t move” from two suspects who were pointing a semi-automatic gun at him and wearing green bandanas over their faces. One of the suspects watched the victim while the other suspect rummaged through the second-floor bedrooms. As the suspect was walking back down the stairs, he slipped,

OLYMPIC DIVISION

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (Continued from page 3)

Ask Dr. Dr. Richard H. Katz. DDS Dear Dr. Katz, My 15 yr old son just joined his school wresting team and wouldn’t you know it he cracked his front tooth during his very first match. His school has a policy that all student/ athletes who play contact sports must wear a mouthguard So we went to the local sporting goods store and bought a boil and bite guard, the one where you put in boiling water and form to the teeth. The tooth ended up needing a crown, which cost me $1500. Why didn’t the guard protect his teeth and protect my wallet?? Signed, Harold Edwards in La Puente Dear H.E.L.P. It’s commendable that your school has a mandatory policy on mouthguards but the boil and bite guards are NOT the way to go. They are cheaper to buy and also guard your teeth cheaply, by not fitting well and occasionally falling out during activity. In the past year Katz Dental Group has created a new service to the community, INYOURFACEMOUTHGUARDS. Our team of dentists and/or dental assistants will travel to your school and take impressions of the entire team to make the student/athlete the most protective and coolest sportsguards. Each school can create their own guard with team colors, names, numbers and anything you want. And of course we also offer individual sportsguards for the student and adult. Let’s face it — people who play sports are bigger, faster and stronger than before. Join Harvard-Westlake and other schools who are being protected by INYOURFACEMOUTHGUARDS

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a 31-year success? By doubling the rent is what I heard. This landlord (as predicted) has slowly chipped away at the personality of Larchmont. How long until Landis and Chevalier’s are replaced by some weird overpriced eatery or nosebleed expensive clothing. Mizrahi brings misery.� Whitney Smith

across the street from us 14 days a year from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., our objections fall on deaf ears. We don’t care about each other. As a longtime resident and “industry� professional, I hope this letter might spark a conversation. Paul Miller Windsor Square

11

Shop local and save! Sidewalk sale March 6 to 8 Support neighborhood businesses and get great bargains on clothing, beauty products and more at the semi-annual Larchmont Sidewalk Sale Fri., March 11 to Sun., March 13.

Chronicle columnists

I want to welcome the new column, “Home Ground,â€? by Paula Panich. I know it will add to my enjoyment of the Larchmont Chronicle. It made me recall my past life. (I turned 89 last November.) Her analogy, “I was a camera, the images sharply developed and indelible,â€? is absolutely beautiful and encouraged me to reminisce of years past. And her story about the death of her 92-year-old neighbor brought tears to my eyes. (Would that all people in the world could make friends of their neighbors.) Yes, the column really got to me . . . Certainly it will add to Helene Seifer’s elegant column on our local restaurants and Bill Bentley, Professor Know-It-All’s, intriguing information. And, Jane Gilman’s recounting of the development of Park La Brea added to my knowledge of this historical neighborhood marvel. Interesting, to say the least. In addition to the local news, I appreciate your contribution to our community. These and your other feature columns make the Larchmont Chronicle very special. Keep up the good work. George Epstein Mid City West

I suggest we take a look at the issue of filming in our neighborhoods. It is my belief that families who repeatedly rent their homes and property to film companies without regard for their neighbor’s privacy and convenience are doing damage to our community’s sense of decency and concern for one another. It wasn’t too long ago when we all banded together in mutual support during the 1992 riots and the earthquake of 1994. Since then, it seems our

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a restaurant on Larchmont for over five years. Hopefully this is another failure of his, just like his horrendous excuse for a juice (now a yogurt) shop. I implore all Larchmont locals to not support Albert’s businesses.� Sean Jacobs “This miserable landlord is a money grubbing barbarian. How do you drive away a business that is beloved and

doors have been shut and it’s back to everyone for him- or herself. We no longer know each other’s kids’ names or even care to meet the new families who move in next door. All we are interested in knowing is how much they paid for their houses. The result is that when big film production trucks park

SECTION ONE

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

Preservation on agenda at Brookside meeting series

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sider.net. The Preservation & Development section of the site will also include meeting minutes, resource links and information provided by guest speakers, the City Council and other organizations. Ray Forbes is president of the Friends of Brookside and a board member of the Brookside Homeowners’ Association.

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Turtlenecks can only go so far to hide a double chin. And maybe they were more of an 80’s look anyway. A double chin, otherwise known as submental fullness, formerly only addressed by liposuction, can now be treated by the injectable Kybella. Kybella’s active component, deoxycholic acid, (a naturally occurring molecule in the body), breaks down fat cells to be carried away by your lymphatic system. The process also boosts collagen production to tighten the skin under your chin. Some patients achieve the results they are seeking with one appointment, others elect for additional injections with treatments scheduled four to six weeks apart. The results are nothing short of astounding. But we know that seeing really is believing. To view remarkable before and after photos, visit our website and select Kybella under our service menu. From March 1st through June 30th, receive a discount of $100 off Kybella through Allergan’s rewards program Brilliant Distinctions. Opt for 20 or more units of Botox with Kybella and receive a $200 discount. To learn more about Kybella, contact our office for a consultation and save the turtlenecks for ski season. Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald is a Board Certi-

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STREAM BRIDGING: At the Brookside Homeowners’ Association annual meeting in 2015, new Councilman David Ryu said he would like to see the famous stream that gives the community its name. In a recent visit with residents, he got his wish. Pictured, L to R and adjacent to one of the backyard bridges, are Pete and Patty Allee, Sandy Boeck, Councilman Ryu, and Owen Smith.

By Roy Forbes Brookside residents concerned about preservation and residential development issues in their neighborhood met Feb. 1 to hear about their options. They listened to presentations concerning the city’s Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ program), a Baseline Mansionization Ordinance and efforts to tighten it up, and something most in attendance had never heard of before—a CDO, or Community Design Overlay. A CDO district is a specified set of boundaries within which there are design guidelines and standards customized for that area. Ken Bernstein, the manager of Office of Historic Resources within the city’s Planning Department, spoke at the third in a series of monthly meetings designed to empower residents with information to help them decide the most appropriate course(s) of action to preserve the character of Brookside. Many residents in recent months have come to feel the area is threatened. The meetings are agnostic in the sense they are not designed to steer residents to a particular solution with respect to preservation and development. Rather, the meetings are intended to provide factual information about options and exposure to a variety of perspectives from people with direct experience in this field. These meetings were initiated by Brookside residents Jan Wieringa and me in December, and they will continue at least through June. We’re starting to see a number of homes in Brookside being flipped. Given what’s happened to similar size homes in adjacent neighborhoods, where they’ve been torn down and grossly overbuilt relative to the lot size, in a style that’s often out of character to the rest of the neighborhood, it’s gotten many neighbors nervous. The meetings are being videotaped and will be posted on a community website to be launched in March, Brook-

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

13

SCHOOL NEWS

A magic candy bar saved Holocaust survivor Leon Prochnik By Jane Gilman Many six-year-olds have an imaginary playmate, but Leon had an imaginary chocolate bar named Milka, a talisman that he turned to in time of trouble. The Holocaust survivor fled with his family from Poland in 1940 when the Nazis overtook the country and started rounding up and killing Jews. The young boy was convinced that Milka possessed magic powers that could save his family from certain death. Milka was the real name of a candy bar manufactured in his father’s Suchard chocolate factory. When visiting the factory, he would dip his arm in the tub and lick it off. “It usually made me sick,” he recalls. The Park La Brea resident now tells the story of his escape to school children who visit the Museum of Tolerance

in West Los Angeles. At first, Prochnik felt his story was too childish to recount to the public, but the response from the middle school students he talked to has been affirmative. His program, titled “Remember It Forever,” appeals to both

LARCHMONT CHARTER

IMMACULATE HEART

March is an exciting time at Larchmont. The 5th graders have just completed studying the American Colonies. Sorted into groups, each group either performed a song, made an artifact, or cooked a dish that represented their colony. The presentations were great! March is also when all the new families who entered the Lottery will find out if they got a spot. This year, we had over 1,500 students applying for open spots in kindergarten through 12th grade. Families will be notified by mid-March, and we’re looking forward to having them join our Larchmont community. Also in March, our high school is performing the musical, “Pippin” on the 16th and 17th. It has been modified to be “familyfriendly” and many of us are excited to see our older siblings singing and dancing! With graduation fast approaching, the “Step-Up” fundraiser was a huge success. Famous chef, and dad to one of our 5th graders, Mark Peel, served up a delectable dinner at the fundraiser’s shindig. A huge “thanks” to all those LCS parents who came out to support their kids’ school! For the first time in LCS history, the 4th graders will also be having their own “Flying Up” graduation ceremony, because they are also moving to the Selma campus. Your rockin’ and rovin’ reporters, signing off!

Spring has sprung! Here at Immaculate Heart the (slight) changing of weather has enlivened campus flora and fauna along with a plethora of student activities. Throughout the month of February, students were excited to hear from those 28 juniors who attended the Close-Up program in Washington, D.C. During their stay in our nation’s capital, they were able to visit monuments, listen to a Supreme Court case, and interact with students from Florida, Louisiana, and Georgia. This year, the trip was extended by four days due to extreme weather conditions. As a result of getting stranded by a blizzard, students were given a close up look at both DC and real weather! In early March, seniors look forward to the second Kairos retreat of the year. That following week, on March 11, many seniors will model fashions during the 71st annual Mother/ Daughter Luncheon & Fashion Show in Universal City. The event is always a community-builder for students and their families. Also on tap this month is the spring musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie” after months of set building, costuming, and rehearsals. The Genesians have been busy preparing for this production in our auditorium. The musical opens March 18, and will run through the 20th. Throughout this month, students continue to work hard on academic pursuits, including the scheduling of classes for the next school year.

By Ondine Bader and Charlie Hoge 5th Grade

sters to send him drawings based on the speech. One student included a message in his drawing: “Thank you for sharing your story with us. So now we can share it. You are the bravest person I know.” Another endorsement came from Gigi Bizar, a seventh grade history teacher at Westridge School. “Leon brings history alive with his story of hope and SURVIVOR recently spoke to eighth-graders at Immaculate Heart High School who are studying the Holocaust.

By Oona Holahan 11th Grade

children and their parents, and he would like to tell it to as many students as possible. “Chocolate is the ingredient that first captures the children’s imagination,” explains the former movie director and screenwriter. He tells them about how Milka “helped” the family’s escape through Lithuania and finally to Japan before boarding a boat to Canada. “I’d been enrolled in school until my Polish/Jewish parents could secure transit visas that would allow us to continue our escape from the Nazis.” Thanks to Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania, the family was given the visas, a copy of which Prochnik shows in his speech. His Power Point talk, which comes after students tour the museum, has inspired young-

magic. Our entire seventh grade was mesmerized by his engaging style. He has such a unique and important story to tell. Schools will be thrilled if you have him come and tell it.” Prochnik has created a website rememberitforever.org. “It was meant to be that I would create a program so that youth could view a Holocaust experience through the eyes of a child,” he said.

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14

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

SCHOOL NEWS

Schoolhouse celebrates seven decades of history in Hollywood City Councilman David Ryu joined students, parents, alumni and prospective families on Jan. 27 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of

Hollywood Schoolhouse. With a Town Hall meeting and open house, organizers honored the school’s founders and celebrated 70 years

worth of campus and program transformations. Showcasing new construction on campus, guests were given tours of the school’s new building, which

is set to open this spring. Established in 1945 by Ruth Pease on Highland Ave., the Hollywood Schoolhouse—formerly the Little Red Schoolhouse, and originally the Small Fry Nursery School—was created to help meet childcare needs for the post-war community in Los Angeles. The school has since grown to house 300 students from pre-

LA COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS By Eliana Estrada 11th Grade

This month at LACHSA, students are kneedeep in homework, projects, and performances. Decision letters will be emailed to incoming students for the 2016-2017 school year, a very anxiety-inducing occasion. (I remember how terrified I was!) March performance schedule includes the theatre department’s season play, “Waiting for Lefty” on Mar. 4-5. On Mar. 9, music technology students showcase their unique projects in the Techwerks concert. On Mar. 15, the piano department holds a spring recital. Visual artists host an evening of experimental film and video on Mar. 16. The opera and pit orchestra students present “The Marriage of Figaro” March 18-19; and on Mar. 24, sophomore theatre students perform their second-year project. Visual artists and theatre students also hold department fundraisers this month. We conclude March with the beginning of our spring break! Students brace themselves for the difficulty of the second half of the semester, and we anxiously look forward to summer vacation.

CURTIS By Jasper Gough 6th Grade Sixth graders in Ms. Hand’s class went to the St. Joseph Center and the Westside Children’s Center on Feb. 10. At the St. Joseph Center, they helped out at the food pantry and the Bread and Roses Cafe. And at Westside Children’s Center, they entertained the toddlers. In addition, Ms. Cohen’s sixth grade went to the St. Joseph Center and the Westside Children’s Center on Feb. 24. The whole school had a treat, with a five-day winter break from Feb. 12-16. Time to pull out your reading glasses! Curtis had a book spree from Feb. 5-11. If you were looking for a book, you found what you were looking for in the auditorium.

school through sixth grade. “The theme of the day seemed to be that the more things change, the more they stay the same, as the event also highlighted the consistency of the school’s commitment to academic exploration, civic engagement and diversity throughout the years,” said director of development Stacey McShane.

MARLBOROUGH

By Clementine Wolodarsky 11th Grade On Jan. 16, Marlborough juniors and sophomores gathered at the Peterson Automotive Museum for their annual semi-formal. Semi-formal, which takes months to plan, is a festive night filled with dancing, eating appetizers and socializing with boys. This year, however, the planning committee put an original spin on their dance by hosting it in a room full of vintage cars. In addition to the traditional activities that one would expect at a school dance, guests spent time admiring the old cars and even getting to sit in a Ford Model T when they were tired out by the dancing. A very exciting part of semiformal is the high attendance of boys and the excitement of buying a new dress. This year, however, dresses were forced to share the stage with another popular look––the jumpsuit. Overall, this year’s semi-formal was a success, and girls agreed that the night had been very exciting. As girls and their dates spilled out on to Wilshire, it was clear they were having a fun time.

ST GREGORY

By Su Hyun Park 8th Grade In the month of February, St. Gregory Nazianzen School celebrated Catholic Schools Week from Feb. 1-5. Some special days were Mix Match day, Twin day, Pajama day, Class Color day, and a Sports day. The week was exciting. To celebrate the first day of Lent which is Ash Wednesday, the school held a special mass. Students learned ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. St. Gregory had its annual talent show on the 18th. All participants who rehearsed showed off their skills at the talent show. St. Gregory will had an important mass on the 28th with a bake sale hosted by 4th and 1st grades. After the mass, St. Gregory Nazianzen School held an Open House from 9 to 2p.m.

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

Voted Silicon Valley’s “Outstanding School of The Year.”

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

SCHOOL NEWS TURNING POINT By Steven Haker 8th Grade

February at Turning Point School was exciting and full of many different activities, which the students very much enjoyed. The month began with the basketball playoffs, in which our 7th and 8th grade boys’ basketball team played until their tragic defeat on

Feb. 3. We also had the Hoop-AThon to celebrate! Let me explain: the Hoop-A-Thon is an annual fundraiser held by Turning Point, where primary, elementary, and middle school students spend

part of their day shooting baskets to earn donations. The way this works is parents and family members sign a pledge to donate money to the school to sponsor the student they chose. This year, we are donating a portion of that money to Weemes Elementary, a local public school where Turning Point often does volunteer work. Also, on Feb. 18, our Middle School play “Hello Dolly!” opened. This extremely well-produced and entertaining play was enjoyed by the school and broader community.

BRAWERMAN EAST By Talia Zipkin and Benny Schwartz 3rd Grade

We have a great class at our school that we call Problem Solving. We work in four different

ECHO HORIZON

By Zander Penn and Lianna Levine 6th Grade

February is a festive, fun, and exciting month at Echo Horizon! On the first Friday, the 6th grade class hosted Movie Nite with “Daddy Daycare." The 6th graders sold snacks to raise funds groups to learn about problems in the community and try to think of ways to help solve them. We are working on homelessness, saving water, kindness, and food waste.

My group is called the Image, we have been working on what we can do to help the homeless. We decided to have a competition between the classes to see which grade could bring in the most items to donate. We collected notebooks, pens, crayons, toiletries and other things that people need. The winning class would have a free-dress day. Everyone did such a great job that we had one all school free-dress day and another day for Grade 4. Another thing we do at Brawerman East is we have lots of music. Our after school drama class put on a production of Peter Pan. Seventeen kids in Grades K-4 were in the show. I loved watching it. Even if they seemed a little nervous before the play started they did a great job! We also get to play instruments in Grades 3 and 4 music classes.

for a class gift to the school. Last month, the entire school celebrated Valentine’s Day. We exchanged cards with friends and teachers, played games together as a class, and of course, ate Valentine’s Day themed treats. The 6th grade boys’ basketball season is underway and the games with Brawerman and Seven Arrows have been nothing but nail biting excitement. The 5th grade boys team won both of their games with Brentwood and Westside Neighborhood School. This month students are off to various places for field trips!

CATHEDRAL CHAPEL By Lea Sung 6th Grade

It looks like 2016 will be another banner year for Chapel. Our boys’ “B” basketball team took 1st at the St. John Bosco tournament. Our girls and boys “A” basketball teams made it to the playoffs. We reached out to our community during Catholic Schools’ Week with visits to personally thank our local firefighters and police officers with cards, songs, and goodies. Our academic decathlon team brought back the Quizbowl championship along with 7 individual awards and a 1st place in SuperQuiz. The Chapel Speech Team earned two 1st place and a 2nd place at the Our Lady of Peace event. In recognition of one of America’s most influential leaders, a beautiful Mass was held celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Everyone is looking forward to the annual geography bees for kinder through 8th. It’s been an exciting month of learning, practicing our faith and serving others.

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

17

SCHOOL NEWS ST JAMES

By Arlin Alas 12th Grade

By Santiago Kelly 6th Grade

Last year, the drama program at Los Angeles High School was dead. This year, eight enthusiastic student actors, with sponsor Kevin Glynn and director Bev Meyer, revived the program by performing a play by Ariel Dorfman, Speak Truth to Power: Voices from Beyond the Dark. According to Meyer, “Speak Truth to Power" is an educational program developed by RFK Human Rights, an organization that teaches students and others about human rights violations worldwide. The program is based on the stories of 30 international defenders who are actively participating in movements or finding ways to stand up against violations.” Typically, our previous drama program produced Shakespearean plays, but this year was different. Glynn emphasized that, “a play like 'Speak Truth to Power' could be good for our student community because families in this community may have gone through similar experiences. Shakespeare is great but the language is difficult. We had the opportunity to do something different.” Glynn continues, “I thought a show like this would be good here.” Glynn hopes that the theater program will expand, “we want a program that makes students feel comfortable and interested in theater. We are looking forward to performing a comedy for our next play.”

month of February was filled with excitement at St. James’ School. There were many celebrations regarding African American History Month and Lunar New Year, otherwise known as Chinese New Year. On Feb. 1, we began our celebrations, where we were all treated to a delicious barbecue lunch during our Family Reunion Picnic. On Feb. 8, we celebrated Lunar New Year, with riveting dance, Korean Drumming, games, and a Korean Barbeque Lunch. Next, on Feb. 18, we had our monthly In-n-Out Lunch, where we were surprised and absolutely thrilled to have experienced a “Fraternity/Sorority Stepshow”. Feb. 20 was the day that St. James’ hosted an Adult 70’s Throwback Party, where the parents celebrated and acknowledged past African American leaders, with “Soul Train Dance”. After that, on Feb. 24, we had an Assembly, featuring two African-American women, who spoke to us about the importance of African-Americans throughout American History. The day after (Feb. 25), we had an All-School Chapel, which featured an amazing performance from our Gospel Choir. Lastly on Feb. 25, we had our annual “Skate Night”, that consisted of laughter and good times.

PAGE

ten students. We also eat a “green eggs and ham” breakfast! We will also participate in Jump Rope for Heart where we learn jump roping skills, learn how to take care of our hearts, and learn about helping kids with special hearts. March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t forget to wear something green, and if you don’t, people will pinch you because it is like a tradition. This month is also daylight savings time so fast-forward your clocks. Countries all around the world change their clocks one hour ahead. We will end the month with our Spring Class parties and begin our Spring Break from Mar. 21-25. Happy Spring!

By Skyla Wilkins 3rd Grade Woo hoo! Our school has passed our goal for Pennies for Patients! The student body raised over $4,857.24! Our second grade was our school winner, donating a total of $1,702.63! I would like to thank everyone for helping us collect money for the Leukemia Society. Read Across America is on March 2. This day our school celebrates Dr. Seuss’s birthday and elementary students read to the pre-school and junior kindergar-

The

YAVNEH

By Yitzi Dear 8th Grade In Yavneh, learning never stops! From Feb. 23 to March 1, we had our annual winter break, but no, school doesn’t have to mean no learning. Before the break, the students were presented with a checklist. Throughout the following week, the students were challenged to learn anything for at least forty minutes, like psalms, and to pray three times a day. Those who accumulated at least thirty out of forty-two possible points were awarded a gift certificate. What’s more, those who managed to accumulate at least thirty-eight points will be given a ticket to a Harlem Globetrotters basketball game, to attend with their classmates and teachers. Furthermore, every participant will be automatically submitted into a raffle, where they will be eligible to win fantastic prizes, including a basketball signed by Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin. However, for every fifteen extra minutes anyone learns in addition to their forty, they will be awarded an extra ticket for the raffle, which will be held for 5-8th grades in a week’s time. These rewards motivate students to continue learning even during the Winter Break!

HOLLYWOOD SCHOOLHOUSE By Arun George 6th Grade

Last month was February! And you know what that means… People were writing very personal, very loving and caring valentines. Here’s the thing though. We are taught that exclusion is totally wrong, and it hurts people’s feelings. But how can we celebrate Valentine’s Day without that? At my school, we had a party and a talent show, and we also hung our valentines.

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There was just one problem. You can’t have a personal valentine because everyone is supposed to get one. I find that giving out a valentine to everyone in a class defeats the exact purpose of Valentine’s Day. I just feel like the holiday has turned into another excuse to stock up on candy until Halloween. But, at least I like candy.

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18

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

SCHOOL NEWS PACIFIC HILLS By Kevin Castillo 12th Grade

The cold and harsh climates of the winter months have finally left us, and now the first month of a warmer and brighter season, March, is upon us. After rigorous months of lectures and studying, students at Pacific Hills can enjoy a light

break at the later weeks of March. Starting Mar. 21, Pacific Hills students will embark upon Experiential Learning trips, which are educational field trips that allow students to travel to new areas and learn new things that couldn't be learned on campus, before they relax on spring break. Students can study our city’s Spanish history, explore literary and film locations of Los Angeles, participate in a week of community service, or visit colleges and universities locally and in San Diego on the College Road Trip.

Seniors also have one last trip to bond together on the Channel Islands Camping Trip before their eventual farewells when they embark onto a new college lifestyle. Speaking of college, Pacific Hills seniors have started receiving acceptances from colleges in and out of California.

CHRIST THE KING By Penny Diaz 8th Grade

February certainly proved to be a busy month for Christ the King.

To celebrate Catholic Schools’ Week, students had many entertaining activities throughout the first week of February. They listened to a panel of guest speakers talk about their careers, watched a mathematics magic show, and participated in fun games during Spirit Day. Also, our Academic Decathlon Team participated in the practice Quiz Bowl hosted by Cathedral High School and placed third overall.

Our Lady Vikings varsity basketball team is the current division champions! In addition, a special service was held on Ash Wednesday to commemorate the beginning of Lent, and our 8th graders have started their Stations of the Cross every Fridays. There was no school on Presidents’ Day, and students ended the month with a student council school assembly. During this assembly, there was a skit to teach “Kind Acts and Kind Words,” and the winners for the #randomactsofkindness was awarded.

PILGRIM

Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers, including me, participated in Spirit Week, where we had certain themes for each day. For example we had Twin’s Day. My friend and I dressed up in the same Drew Brees jersey and black socks and sandals. Then we had tin foil accessory day. One student wore a tin foil mask, and I made a tin foil bow tie. We all had fun participating, and it helped propel us into the second half of this school year. The elementary students had the privilege of meeting author and illustrator Salina Yoon and got to hear her talk about her new book, "Be a Friend." Keep reading and go Patriots!

By Christopher Woods 6th Grade I hope everyone has had a great month celebrating Chinese New Year (year of the Monkey), Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day! February was Black History Month, and a bunch of Pilgrim Parents put together another great Black History Museum in the art labs, displaying artifacts and art celebrating the history and contributions of African Americans to our country.

BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS are this month for St. Brendan Basketball Association players. The neighborhood recreational league serves 6 to 13 year-olds from the Mid-Wilshire communities. Pictured is a February 20 game between the Hot Wheelers and the Red Ryders (who won).

‘Field of Dreams’ becomes a budgetary nightmare In a message to alumni, parents and community leaders, Mark Brooks, outgoing head of Pilgrim School, provided an update for its much-publicized Field of Dreams project. And budget hawks won’t be happy. According to Brooks, due to a change in the contractor as well as a “number of decisions that will ultimately improve the outcome,” the project is expected to cost $1.5 million more than originally planned. Brooks gave no explanation as to why a new contractor was needed, but he did note that the company stepping into the

position, DTI Corporation, is owned by Pilgrim parent and alumnus David Ikegami. Brooks says it was under Ikegami’s leadership that “new, cutting-edge design” methods were identified. The project, which broke ground in June 2015, aims to build an athletic field over a new underground parking facility, and is part of a multiphase campus expansion. “We continue to seek major gifts to the campaign and ask that everyone in our community continue to place Pilgrim as a top philanthropic priority,” said Brooks.

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

19

RELIGION Celebrate spring, New Year Celebrate Nowruz, the Iranian New Year and the first day of spring, with live performances, a parade and children’s events Sun., March 13 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd.

Storytelling, calligraphy and drop-in crafts programs for children and youth take place from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A concert blending Sufi poetry and folk songs is at 5 p.m. in Hancock Park. Free.

Chorale to perform works by Schubert Hollywood Master Chorale will perform a “choral portrait� of Franz Schubert featuring works from different stages of the Romantic Era composer's life, including his "Mass in G." The concert is on Sun., March 20 at 7 p.m. at the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church, 505 N. Rodeo Dr. For tickets visit hollywoodmasterchorale.org.

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

Art show costumes and La France fêted at events On a Wednesday night at the end of January, more than 7,000 art lovers converged on the Los Angeles Convention Center for the opening night premiere party of the 20th annual Los Angeles Art Show. Attendees nibbled fabulous fare from over 25 area restaurants including El Coyote, Pinks and Fabiolus Cucina and sipped artisan vodkas, beers and wines as they wandered through 90-some prominent galleries from 15 countries. Anne Hathaway and Adam Schulman hosted the event

which proceeds benefit St. Jude Children’s’ Research Hospital, the leading institution in treating childhood cancers. (St. Jude’s never bills the families of their young patients.) Among those strolling about the installations and live art performances were former 4th District Councilman Tom LaBonge (whose efforts brought the Los Angeles Art Show back to downtown from its former location in Santa Monica), Melinda Ann Ferrell, Scott Medlock, Miguel Santa-

na, Dee Dee and Paul Sorvino and Scott Forester.

Around the Town with

Patty Hill t t t Speaking of galas, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Museum opened its 24th annual “Art

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of Motion Picture Costume Design” Feb. 6. All five nominees for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design had their costumes displayed with 100 costumes from 18 other top films. “Cinderella’s dress is made of three miles of fabric!” exclaimed museum director Barbara Bundy. In a tent of lavender and white in the park adjacent to FIDM, 600 guests dined on a sumptuous buffet. Among the crowd were: Shelia Tepper, Susie Goodman, curator Kevin Jones, associate curator Christina Johnson, “Revenant” designer Jacqueline West, “The Danish Girl” designer Paco Delgado, Lyn and David Tobman, Julie Weiss, and costume designers Guild President Salvador Perez, Jr. The great news is that the exhibit continues until April 30 and is free and open to the public. (P.S.: When you go, don’t miss the concurrent display of rare ladies’ fans circa 1880’s. A donation from philanthropist Mona Nesseth, the display includes a magnificent lace, mother-of-pearl and diamond-encrusted piece that belonged to Phoebe Hearst.) t t t Speaking of bon appetite, on Feb. 13, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) annual fundraiser, “La Vie En Rose: An Evening in Paris” honored philanthropist and LACO board chairman K. Eugene Shutler for his dedication to the arts and civic engagement. The Millennium Biltmore Hotel was the scene of La Grande Fête, which netted $475,000 for LACO’s artistic and educational activities. More than 300 patrons of the music-filled gala, which celebrated the remarkable culture and cuisine of La France, feasted on beautiful music from Camille Saint Saëns to post-war ballads and a soaring Can-Can finale straight out of the Follies Bergère. LACO director Jeffrey Kahane opened the evening with a vibrant program of great French classical composers. Then special guest Anne Carrere channeled the spirit of Edith Piaf with authentic interpretations of the songs of love and loss that made (Please turn to page 21)

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EVENING IN PARIS guests at Chamber Orchestra gala at the Biltmore included Jeffery and Hannah Kirschner.

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

21

SECTION ONE

Italian hotspot downtown; local sushi

New chef takes helm of The Larchmont There’s a new executive chef at The Larchmont—5750 Melrose Ave.—and he’s changing the menu. Michael Bryant is bringing his signature “New American” cooking technique to the neighborhood by perfecting classic dishes, but with “exciting” new flavors. A native of Virginia, Bryant’s mother was an immigrant from France who taught him to use fresh ingredients and make his own sauces. Taking this advice, Bryant says he sources produce from a farm in Ojai, as well as from the Hollywood and Larchmont Village Farmer’s Markets. Using locally sourced ingredients, Bryant likes to reimagine traditional dishes, with a twist. He has added a roasted chicken with chanterelles to the menu, which he says is overflowing with mushrooms, yet remains subtle and balanced. For more information, visit thelarchmont.com.

of meat scraps. Mains include pink snapper with mussels and clams, grilled quail with sausage and polenta, and a 22-ounce veal chop. The hefty

On the Menu by

Helene Seifer chop was nicely charred and medium rare as promised, but the mushroom, cured pork and butter sauce was too salty. For $49, which was $20 more than most other entrees, it should have been perfect. Service was impeccable— efficient yet casual. Questions were answered almost before we asked them. Dishes came quickly, but we didn’t feel rushed; our meal took two hours, including lingering over coffee macchiato and wonderful doughnut holes with anise sugar and salty bourbon caramel sauce. Starters range from $6 to $18, first courses $17-$22, most mains are $27-$29.

Officine Brera. 1331 East 6th St., DTLA. 213-5538006. t t t If fish is your preference, raw fish your passion, and not breaking the bank your predilection, then Murakami is a local option that fits the bill. A cute little joint, this sushi restaurant treats its fresh fish with respect. The purist can find Spanish mackerel and uni nigiri sushi, and bowls of assorted fish on rice or salad. Equally good are the spicy tuna on crispy rice and fancy rolls. There’s sashimi, teriyaki salmon, sweet soy baked cod, miso soup, and an array of sake options. Most two-piece sushi selections are $6.50 or under; bowls are $15 for four fish; rolls are $3.50 for veggie rolls to $15 for a dragon roll: a California roll with eel and avocado on top. Murakami. 7160 Melrose Ave. 323-692-1450.

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To dine at many downtown restaurants, one feels like an urban adventurer leaving civilization in search of the next perfect bite. Officine Brera, a recently opened Italian place, seems poised on the edge of the known DTLA universe. Located next to the Los Angeles Gun Club and across from the only building for blocks that seems to be inhabited, this sister restaurant to The Factory Kitchen is stunningly beautiful in that hip, vibey way that only a renovated industrial space can achieve. Sporting high ceilings with exposed air ducts, original giant frosted multi-paned windows, wood floors and tables, a glass-enclosed kitchen with a roaring wood-fired roasting oven, and an attractive bar, it’s probably most important that the crowd buzzed at a decent decibel level. We settled in and ordered terrific $12 cocktails: gin, aperol, rhubarb bitters and egg whites for me; tequila, aperol, rhubarb, and chili for him. Meaty meals prevail here, although there are plenty of fish dishes, too. Indulge in cured pork back fat with chestnut honey or housemade “head cheese” with pickled onion and mixed greens. There’s a small, but interesting selection of carbs, such as bread dumplings with beans and pork, gnocchi with cheese fonduta, and three kinds of risotto. The ancient grain house-made pasta was perfectly al dente with a full-flavored and tender “Butcher’s table” meat ragu, a wonderful use

Shop and lunch at St. Anne’s Guild Spring Boutique Shop for handcrafted items and support a great cause at St. Anne’s Guild Spring Boutique and Box Lunch. The event will be held Sat., March 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Foundation Room at 155 N. Occidental Blvd. Easter baskets, toys, books, clothing, jewelry, baked goods and more will be among the offerings. Founded in 1908, St. Anne’s offers residential care and transitional housing for young mothers and their children, counseling for former foster youth as well as access to a host of social-service agencies. The box lunch must be ordered in advance for $25. To order call Agnes Sanzone, 323- 462-8402, or Roseanne Boken, 310-293-4748. Free parking. Proceeds benefit St. Anne’s home for young women.

Around the Town

(Continued from page 20) “the little sparrow” a star. This unforgettable evening was chaired by Pat and Sandy Gage. Guests included: long-time patrons Janet and Nick Ciriello, Danny First, Claudette Lussier, Karen Benjamin and Alan Chapman, Hannah and Jeffery Kirschner, Dia and Corey Redmond, Victoria Yust, and B.J. Dockweiler. And that’s the chat!

Voices of Belmont Village

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

ENTERTAINMENT

‘God’ has all the answers at the Ahmanson; Rev. King at Matrix

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moments and deep emotions. And, with the brilliant performances of these two actors, this is a moving and exhilarating evening at the theatre. Through April 10, The Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave., 323-852-1445, matrixtheatre.com. 4 Stars t t t Vieux Carre by Tennessee Williams is billed as his most autobiographical work. Written in the 1930s, it wasn’t produced on Broadway until 1977. It takes place in a dilapidated boarding house in the French Quarter of New Orleans that houses a collection of Williams-esque characters. A series of scenes involving these inhabitants of 722 Rue Toulouse are woven into the structure-less play. But, it has the essence and style of the dramatic genius that is Williams, and can be seen in all his later work. Director Jeremy Lelliott and the ensemble cast work gamely to capture the period and to delineate and separate the many plots and scene locations within a limited physical space. There is an old fashioned, on-stage radio Foley station, designed by Jeff Gardner, that allows the play’s sound effects to be part of the action. A production of Pay

‘Pinocchio’ musical on Nine O’Clock calendar ©LC0316

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same way. Through March 13, Ahmanson Theatre, Center Theatre Group, 135 S. Grand Ave., 213-972-4400, centertheatregroup.org. 4 Stars t t t April 3, 1968 -the night before the assassination of Martin Luther King. Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee. This is the setting for The Mountaintop by Katori Hall. King (brilliantly played by Larry Bates) has delivered his glorious “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech. He returns alone to his motel room, stressed, paranoid, exhausted. Enter Camae (the sassy Danielle Truitt), a mysterious hotel maid who, over the course of this one act play, prompts King to confront his life, his past and his legacy. As the play progresses, a series of revelations and surprises uncover the great leader’s vulnerability and foreshadows the tragedy that is about to happen. The nuanced directing of Roger Guenveur Smith enhances the dramatic

The magical transformation of a puppet into a boy comes to the stage at Nine O’Clock Players’ production of “Pinocchio.” The story by 19th-century Italian writer Carlo Collidi is

Larchmont Chronicle

PART TIME AD SALES POSITION AVAILABLE

.This is an excellent opportunity to work with an established monthly newspaper. The Larchmont Chronicle is looking for an additional part-time advertising sales person.

This position requires good people skills, excellent verbal skills, and an enthusiasm for our newspaper – published monthly in the Mid-Wilshire area since 1963.

.The ideal candidate has print advertising sales experience, outstanding organizational skills, and computer skills. This

The ideal candidate is well acquainted with the residential areas and businesses surrounding Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Fremont Place, and the other eleven neighborhoods of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, plus Miracle Mile and Park La Brea.

associate will be approaching and meeting with potential advertisers to promote advertising sales in the Larchmont Chronicle. ....... If you are experienced and interested, please send your résumé and contact information to Publisher John H. Welborne, either by e-mail to john@larchmontchronicle.com or by mail to Larchmont Chronicle, 606 N. Larchmont Blvd., Suite 103, Los Angeles, CA 90004.

of a wooden puppet carved by a poor toymaker, Gepetto, who one day receives a visit from a fairy who brings the toy to life. When Pinocchio doesn’t obey his Pappa Gepetto, many misadventures ensue. Performances of the musical are at 2 p.m. at the Assistance League of Los Angeles Theatre for Children, 1367 N. Saint Andrews Pl. in Hollywood on Sat., March 19 and Sundays, March 6, 13 and 20. Tickets are $12. The theatre is one of many programs for at-risk children under the umbrella of the Assistance League of Los Angeles Visit nineoclockplayers.com.

What You Want Theatre Company. Through March 12, Lankershim Arts Center, 5108 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, 323-944-2165, couerage.org/vieuxcarre.com. 3 Stars

The

Maven arketing

by Pam Rudy

Spring Is Coming!

Spring has arrived and with it, a sense of excitement and beauty. Those two elements should be manifested in every advertisement created to sell your business. Convey a sense of excitement with your advertising by incorporating language and images that appeal to the sense of sight, taste, smell, hearing and touch. Use tasteful images that are appropriate to your message. Stir the pot of excitement with exotic words and colorful, fun phrases. Simplicity is the key to creating a good ad. Make your ad visually appealing by the use of empty space and choice wording. Use blank space to set your ad off from the surrounding editorial and ads. Say as little as possible but make each word count. Avoid adding details that the reader doesn’t need. Your goal is to have the reader come to you or call for additional information. You should not include every detail in your ad message… just the highlights to intrigue them enough to seek more information from you. Color is another important element in adding excitement and beauty to your advertisement. Flip through our newspaper and note which ads catch your eye first. Undoubtedly they will have color and be easily read without excessive detail.

Market, Market, Market Your Business! Contact Pam at The Larchmont Chronicle 323-462-2241 ext. 11

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and Mr. Hayes is in complete control of each beat. God is assisted by Archangels Michael (David Josefsberg), who asks some uncomfortable questions of the deity, and Gabriel (James Gleason) who quotes scripTheater ture. This Review one act play by is beautifully Patricia directed by Foster Rye Broadway veteran Joe Mantello. The allwhite heavenly set with De Mille proportions is by Scott Pask and the celestial lighting design by Hugh Vanstone. This is a must see but be prepared to never think of the Bible in quite the

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God is in Heaven—well actually the stage of the Ahmanson Theatre—but everything is definitely right with the world. An Act of God written by God, transcribed by David Javerbaum, covers the new Ten Commandments in detail. Plus the Old and New Testaments with revealing words about the act of creation, and an update on Jesus’ family. Plus, plus. The deity, as channeled by Uber talent Sean Hayes, has all the answers and is more than willing to share them along with some complaints about the misuse of his name. Like all good plays, the seemingly non-stop laughter is tempered with some dramatic moments

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION ONE

23

ENTERTAINMENT

Drone warfare crackles, ‘Ceasar’ hails homages to history

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jumping team, decided that was his ticket. Egerton’s performance was so spot-on that the real Eddie cried when he saw the first screening. The Finest Hours (8/10): Gripping, with fine special effects, but lags during the final 10 minutes when suddenly a horrendous storm and all the effects, like the audio, completely stop, which seems somewhat unrealistic, and the film slows interminably, exacerbated by the music which had, up until then, been a fine addition enhancing the tension, but becomes maudlin. Still, a fine film. Hail, Caesar! (7/10): This look at Hollywood in 1951 has lots of homages to Hollywood history. There are refer-

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At the Movies with

Tony Medley ences to Esther Williams (an unnamed character played by foul-mouthed Scarlett Johansson) and Busby Berkeley choreography and Loretta Young and the baby she denied (Judy), Hedda Hopper (a shrewish Tilda Swinton), a singing cowboy who can’t act (take your pick) named Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich), the Hollywood Ten, and Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), among many others. In fact, as to the latter two, the Hollywood Ten and Mannix, a real life Hollywood fixer for MGM, they aren’t just references; they are what the movie is about. Race (5/10): Too long, too slow, has clumsy recreations of the sporting events, has an actor who doesn’t reflect Jessie Owens’ pleasing personality, and replaces facts with Hollywood fiction; Jessie deserves better. Crazy About Tiffany’s (3/10): Director Matthew Miele follows his charming and informative documentary, “Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s," with this disappointing snoozer about the jeweler, Tiffany’s. What it ends up being is a display of highly offensive conspicuous consumption by some snooty ladies who wear their privilege at the end of their stuck up noses. Zoolander 2 (5/10): This is a sequel to the poorly received Zoolander (2001) which has

apparently achieved cult status, another way of saying that it did poor box office but a lot of people see it on DVD or other ways. Why, I don’t know. While the production values are very good and the music is exceptional, the story is ridiculous, even when one recognizes that this is a parody on the fashion industry. The cinematography provides lots of good shots of Rome, but this is just too overdone and silly. Deadpool (0/10): The song “Angel of the Morning� opens this movie accompanying the credits. That was the last thing I liked. Whether creator Stan Lee knows it or not, this is strikingly reminiscent of Stephen J. Cannell’s anti-hero private eye, James Rockford, as played by

James Garner. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) has the same devilmay-care attitude as Rockford and defies every superhero rule, except the one that says he can’t be killed. If you like superhero movies like I like private eye movies, you will probably be entertained and get all the in-jokes. The film is egregiously violent and has some torture scenes that are gratuitously offensive and bothersome. As far as I’m concerned all these Marvel X-Man superhero type films are intellectual diarrhea, filled with boring sameness. How many times can one sit through the same thing? Triple 9 (0/10): Dark, profane, and violent, this is a film with no raison d’être or moral, despite an impressive cast.

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Eye in the Sky (10/10): This could be considered a remake of the 1948 Clark Gable classic “Command Decision� updated to the 21st century of drone warfare, and is as good. Appropriately, an excellent Helen Mirren plays Clark’s role as an officer who has to make a terrible decision. The tension crackles as time is a-wastin’ while everyone passes the buck. This is exceptionally realistic, especially the thought-provoking non-Hollywood ending. (Opens March 11). Eddie the Eagle (8/10): A feel good true story of unathletic Eddie, played to a T (overbite and all) by Taron Egerton, who wanted to be an Olympic athlete and when he discovered England didn’t have a ski

24

SECTION ONE

MARCH 2016

Larchmont Chronicle

MARKETS

STORYTIME

MUSEUMS

New grocery stores open in area neighborhoods.

Literature specialist Virginia Walter was recently at Memorial.

Korean comics, past and future, are featured in a new exhibit.

Page 3

Page 8

Page 9

VIEW

REAL ESTATE LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS HOME & GARDEN

Section 2

LARCHMONT CHRONICLE

MARCH 2016

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2

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

Local filmmaker adds comedy to right-wing politics By Billy Taylor As the presidential election season approaches and campaign rhetoric intensifies, a local filmmaker is busy working on a political comedy that will leave audiences wondering if it’s art imitating life, or vice versa?

“Swing State” is written and directed by Larchmont Village resident Jonathan Sheldon. The story follows a down-onhis-luck radio host whose fortunes improve after he takes over a conservative talk show and adopts a fictional Republican persona.

Sheldon says he had the idea nearly a decade ago, while watching a music disk jockey impersonate a right-wing talk show host. “My thought was wouldn’t it be interesting to watch a character change from being liberal-minded to a right-wing

WINDSOR SQUARE house on the 100 block of N. Norton Ave. to play governor’s mansion in “Swing State.”

pundit,” says Sheldon. It was an idea he played with until last year, when the country’s political environment provided the perfect backdrop for just such a plot. “There are lines that I wrote in the script that have since been used, practically verbatim, by Trump,” laughs Sheldon. “There’s also a scene where a Republican plays music by a liberal musician, and that too has already played out on the campaign trail.” Filming in neighborhood Sheldon says he recently wrapped an 18-day film shoot with locations in Hancock Park and Windsor Square. In the movie, actor Billy Zane plays a corrupt state of Washington Governor. Sheldon needed to find a filming location with the right look, inside and out. “We scouted a lot of places, but in the end went with a house on Norton Ave. in Windsor Square,” says Sheldon, adding, “it’s a very believ-

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able governors’ mansion.” Asked for details on the house, Diana Knox, an agent at Partners Trust, explains that famed architect, Paul Revere Williams, originally designed the residence in the 1920s. “Williams was an amazing architect responsible for many iconic Los Angeles buildings,” according to Knox, that include collaborating on the spider-like LAX Theme Building and both the Beverly Hills Hotel and Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. Even with such a pedigree, Knox says she didn’t think the house would be grand enough for the movie. “But Jonathan loved it. And in the end, it worked out perfectly.” Sheldon is keeping busy with post-production final touches on “Swing State,” but he has his eyes set on screenings at both the Los Angeles and Tribeca Film festivals. “We should know in about a month,” he says, “watch this space.”

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

3

Lassens brings health food to Miracle Mile Lassens Natural Foods and Vitamins is now open at the corner of Wilshire Blvd. at 710 S. La Brea Ave. The 12,000 square foot grocery store is on the ground floor of Wilshire-La Brea, the mixed-use apartment build-

ing in the eastern part of the Miracle Mile. Parking inside the Wilshire-La Brea is free for shoppers with validation. The family-owned market specializes in fresh, organic groceries, meat and produce, as well as vitamins and sup-

plements. The location is the 11th for the health food grocer, which first opened in Camarillo in 1971. It is the company’s third location in Los Angeles. For more information, visit lassens.com.

A FULL-SERVICE market, Sprouts includes grass-fed beef, fresh produce and a coffee bar.

Sprouts opened newest Market on N. La Brea Sprouts Farmers Market opened its newest store for the “everyday shopper” last month at 915 N. La Brea Ave. “It’s finally here,” said a shopper at the Feb. 9 grand opening Feb. 9 of the 17th store in the Los Angeles area. Muffins and coffee and discounts were offered to opening day visitors of the full-service, 34,000 square-foot site.

Fresh produce, grass-fed beef, seafood and ready-to-eat meals are among offerings. A coffee bar and bakery plus wine and beer and bulky items are also in the full-service store. Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company has partnered with the store to offer non-toxic home, baby and cosmetic products.

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©2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office is owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC.Coldwell Banker® and the Coldwell Banker Logo, Coldwell Banker Previews International® and the Coldwell Banker Previews International Logo, are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Broker does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size or other information concerning the condition or features of property provided by seller or obtained from public records or other sources, and the buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information through personal inspection and with appropriate professionals.

4

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

Thrive Décor and Diane Merrick will close their stores in June By Sondi Toll Sepenuk Don’t shed your tears just yet. The bad news: two of Los Angeles’ most notable stores will be closing June 1. The good news: everything is on sale at 40 percent off the original price. Thrive Décor (7427 Beverly Blvd.), the beloved neighborhood antique store owned by Windsor Square resident Randy Esada, and Dianne Merrick (7407 Beverly Blvd.), owned by none other than 80-yearold Diane Merrick herself, have jointly decided to close their showrooms. “Beverly Blvd. has been a huge disappointment,” says Esada of Thrive’s current location at the corner of Beverly Blvd. and N. Vista St. “There’s no foot traffic, and there’s not enough crosswalks.” Esada’s store carries everything from 18th century furniture to Art Deco pieces to Modern Art. It’s an antique collector’s paradise, and its abundance of hard-to-find tables, chairs, glassware, lamps, paintings and even an Italian 18th century lady dress form mannequin make it hard to walk in and walk out within the same hour. Merrick’s store, on the other hand, is known as a “clothing salon” that also sells antique furniture, jewelry, fine china, cashmere and whatever else Merrick finds interesting. Merrick started her clothing boutique on Melrose Avenue in 1971. Her store was famous for its warm, friendly, shabby chic atmosphere and for carrying California lifestyle brands such as Juicy Couture, C&C California and J Brand before they exploded into their own namesake stores. But Diane didn’t start with clothing. It was used furniture that caught her fancy first. “Before they built the Design Center, there were little railroad shacks, and they would rent them out monthly,” remembers Merrick. “I was selling used furniture for six months, and then I teamed

Visit six gardens on Society tour

“Living Alfresco” is the theme of the eighth annual Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society garden tour. This year’s tour takes place on Irving Blvd. in Windsor Square on Sun., May 1 from 2 to 6 p.m. The tour will feature the gardens of the Getty House, official residence of the Mayor, and five other outdoor living spaces. Suz Landay, chairman, said wine and food pairings will be featured at each venue. For more information, go to losangelesgardenparty.org.

up with a lady who did antique shows and we leased a place on Melrose. We shared the space and I paid $60 a month!” Merrick eventually took over the showroom, added clothing and vintage jewelry and stayed at her famous Melrose location until Kitson took over the space. Merrick moved to Beverly Blvd. in 2006. Esada, an interior designer, opened his original showroom in Larchmont Village in 1998. He then opened Antiquarian Home on Melrose Avenue before finally settling on Beverly Blvd. five years ago. That’s when he met Diane. “I saw him building out his store, this big, fabulous guy with bright white teeth, and I loved him the minute I met him,” gushes Merrick of her friend Esada. The two friends have become so close that they both decided to close their stores togeth-

RANDY Esada and Diane Merrick enjoy a moment of relaxation before their stores close June 1.

er and go out with a bang. Esada currently does about two thirds of his business online, and he plans to continue with the online sales as he looks into his next venture. “The face of retail is chang-

ing,” says Esada. “More people are going online, so what’s the point of having a big, glamorous showroom that you’re paying a fortune for… unless it’s your own?” As for Merrick, this is not

the end of her retail career, either. “For my next venture, I expect to have similar things, but only things that I love,” she says with a relaxed smile. “I want to have more freedom to travel… to go to estate sales and to travel to Paris and to find the items I love.” In the meantime, as Esada and Merrick plot their next moves, both Thrive Décor and the Diane Merrick store will be offering 40 percent off in March, then 50 percent off in April and May before they shutter their doors permanently on June 1. “There’s never been a better time to buy antiques than right now,” Esada says emphatically of his antiques that are already priced at market wholesale. “If you walk out of the store without an antique, you didn’t come in to buy one!”

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

Coldwell Banker Congratulates

Lisa Hutchins

on 22 CONSECUTIVE YEARS of being the NUMBER ONE agent in Hancock Park/Windsor Square

For a free evaluation of your property call or text her at 323-216-6938

ŠLC0315

251 N. Larchmont Blvd.

5

6

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

Mansionization encroaches on neighborhood's historic fabric This is a memo of gratitude to the city of Los Angeles. In late March 2015, an Interim Control Ordinance (ICO) went into effect in 15 residential neighborhoods. Five of them are in Council District 4 and one, Larchmont Heights, is an area of small bungalows north of Beverly. I live in Larchmont Heights. This ICO is a set of rules, passed by the City Council, that impose temporary restrictions on developers and others who want to either tear down existing houses or pile on square footHome age to existing Ground houses, yieldby ing results that are out of scale Paula Panich with lot sizes and surrounding neighborhoods. Adoption of the ICO is a reaction to the legitimate fear of what’s known throughout the city as “mansionization,” a word as difficult to say as its meaning is to endure for most who live in neighborhoods unprotected by other means, such as an Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ). But most people in the city know what this unwieldy word

means: huge houses on small lots. The rules vary by neighborhood. For Larchmont Heights and a few others, the ICO prohibits any building permits for plans that exceed 120 percent of the prior or existing structure. (Exceptions, especially for existing homeowners, are spelled out.) This is where my gratitude comes in. Last month, I wrote about the death of our muchmissed neighbor. It took awhile to settle her estate, but by the time developers (“flippers,” in common parlance) bought her house, the ICO was in effect. The house next door was 1,250 square feet; its remodel is about 1,500. Until we learned about the ICO, the sale next door put us into a tailspin. Why? The most obvious answer is privacy. My back garden is a private space, a refuge; so are the two small buildings in which I work. The etching press is in the garage; the library and desk are in a 100-square-foot cottage. Both are contemporaneous with the

RESIDENTS on the 500 block of N. Arden are

1921 house. My lot and hers are 5,000 square feet. It’s already tight back here. But these are personal reasons to fear a looming second story next door; other reasons have to do with mostly hidden dimensions within the human experience. Most of us are rarely aware of them. We don’t all relate to the same things, nor do we see the same things. Much of it is cultural, but our transactions with our environment are always deeply personal. I won’t see what you see; there seems to be persuasive evidence that what we do “see” around us depends on how we think about things. Life is lived, af-

ter all, from the inside out. People who are attracted to the community fabric of our local historic neighborhoods— their scale, their pedestrian-friendly streets, and our shared village center with diagonal parking—are likely to have this environmental proportion embedded in their experience. It may relate to childhood, or to the loved landscape of an equally loved grandmother. It’s a human scale. It fits the human body, which throughout the world has for millennia been the measurement by which we have lived. To paraphrase the landscape historian John Stilgoe,

a cityscape, a neighborhood boundary, is what city planners and geographers say it is—a discrete area. But it may be something else too, something that defies price per square foot and building surveys. It may be a prism through which we see our world. The ICO, described by many as a “time-out” for inappropriate building, will expire in early 2017. City planners are at work revising the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance, citywide guidelines that may adequately protect neighborhoods. The amendments will go before the city Planning Commission on May 12.

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

7

Wisteria dubbed 'one of seven wonders' View one of the largest plants in the world while enjoying live music and the offerings of some 100 crafters and food vendors Sun., March 13 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 2016's "Wistaria Festival" in Sierra Madre. Judged by the Guinness Book of World Records to be

the largest blooming plant on the planet, and dubbed “One of the Seven Horticultural Wonders of the World,” the wisteria vine that covers the park in downtown Sierra Madre is estimated to weigh at least 250 tons and have more than a million blooms each year.

THE WISTERIA in Sierra Madre is more than 120 years old.

Public shows its support to curb mansionization

THREE MUSKETEERS deliver your packages to upper Larchmont: from left to right are Carl Mitchell, USPS; Rubin Misquez, UPS; and Ted Green, FedEx.

Amendments to a law intended to curb mansionization—the building of homes out of scale with their neighborhood—are scheduled to go before the city Planning Commission Thurs., May 12, two months later than earlier proposed. The later date was set to accommodate public input and environmental analysis, city officials said. More than 650 letters and emails were received by a January deadline concerning the proposed drafts of the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance.

CHASE CAMPEN The Family Realtor

-unit building. Entrance leads center-island. bedroom. master.

-suite -appointed

-

CHASE CAMPEN (323) 788-4663 chasecampen@gmail.com I have been one of our neighborhood s top producing real estate agents for more

KW Larchmont

The shrub was originally purchased for 75 cents by William and Alice Burgman in 1894 from Wilson Nursery. Tickets are available through eventbrite. Go to wistariafestival.com or contact the Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce at 626-355-5111 for more information.

8

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

LIBRARY CALENDAR

Music, movies, egg hunt and crafts herald advent of spring at libraries FAIRFAX LIBRARY 161 S. Gardner St. 323-936-6191 Children Snack attack: Thurs., March 10 at 4 p.m. Reader's Theater: Kids grades 2 and up read scripts

Mon., March 21 through Wed., March 23 at 3:30 p.m. Egg hunt and craft: Thurs., March 24 at 3:30 p.m. Storytime: Wednesdays at 10 and 11 a.m. Teens Teen Council: Tues., March

8 at 3:30 p.m. DIY dreamcatchers: Tues., March 15 at 3:30 p.m. Volunteer orientation: Tues., March 29, 4 to 5 p.m. Adults First Thursday films: Thurs., March 3 at 2:30 p.m.

Author talk: Boze Hadleigh speaks Fri., March 4 at 3 p.m. Quilters Guild: For all levels Sat., March 5 at 1:30 p.m. Art of speaking: Saturdays March 5 and 19, 3 to 5 p.m. Friends of the Library: Meets Tues., March 8, 11 a.m. Support pals: Meets Saturdays, March 12 and 26 at 1:30 p.m. M.S. support group: Meets Thurs., March 17 at 6 p.m. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators: Thurs., March 24 at 6:30 p.m. Computer comfort class: Taught Mondays at 1:30 p.m. Friends of the Library book sale: Wednesdays, 12 to 4 p.m. FREMONT LIBRARY 6121 Melrose Ave. 323-962-3521 Children Interactive science show: Thurs., March 3 at 4 p.m. Glow in the dark crafts: Thurs., March 10, 4 p.m. Cello quartet: Performs Sat., March 12 at 2 p.m. BARK: Read books to therapy dogs Sat., March 19, 2 p.m. Storytime: Wednesdays, 10:30 and 11 a.m. Teens Teen council: Tues., March 15 at 3:30 p.m. Adults Friends of the Library book sale: Fri., March 4. 12 to 4 p.m.; Sat., March 5, 12 to 5 p.m. Book club: Meets Tues., March 8, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. MEMORIAL LIBRARY 4625 W. Olympic Blvd.

323-938-2732 Children Family storytime: Wed., March 9 at 4 p.m. Family movie night: Mon., March 21 at 4 p.m. Teens Recycled paper crafts: Thurs., March 24 at 4 p.m. Adults First Friday book club: Meets Fri., March 4 at 1 p.m. Fun & Games for adults: Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. Computer comfort class: Taught Mondays through Thursdays, 3 to 5 p.m. Friends of the Library book sale: Tuesdays,12:30 to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday @the Movies: Free film Tuesdays at 5 p.m. Knitting circle: Saturdays at 10 a.m. WILSHIRE LIBRARY 149 N. St. Andrews Place 323-957-4550 Children Baby storytime: For infants up to age 2, Mondays, 6 to 6:15 p.m. Preschool storytime: For kids ages 3 to 5, Thursdays, 3 to 4 p.m. Adults Medi-Cal and CalFresh: Tues., March 8, 1 to 5 p.m.

Library Hours

Mon., Weds.: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Tues., Thurs.: 12 - 8 p.m. Fri., Sat.: 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Closed Mon., March 28.

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

9

MUSEUM ROW

Mapplethorpe coming to LACMA; Cruise-in; Women's Month fêted LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART—Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, and first day of spring is celebrated Sun., March 13 from 11:30 a.m. t 3PCFSU .BQQMFUIPSQF 5IF 1FSGFDU .FEJVN FYBNJOFT his photographic work from the 1970s to his death in 1989, opens Sun., March 20. Ends July 31. t 1IZTJDBM 4FY BOE UIF #PEZ JO UIF T PQFOT 4VO March 20. Ends July 31. t .PSSJT (SBWFT 5IF /BUVSF PG 5IJOHT FOET +VMZ t 5IF 4FEVDUJWF -JOF &SPUJcism in Early 20th-Century (FSNBOZ BOE "VTUSJB FOET July 10. t 3BJO 3PPN BMMPXT WJTJUPST UP FYQFSJFODF UIF BCJMJUZ UP DPOUSPM SBJO &OET "QSJM LACMA is free the second Tuesday of the month. 8JMTIJSF #MWE 857-6000; lacma.org. KOREAN CULTURAL CENTER‰ -PPLJOH UP UIF GVUVSF PG ,PSFBO $PNJDT JODMVEFT works from the past and present, as well as the future of e-comics seen and heard on smart phones, tablets and PCs

CARTOONS of the past and tomorrow are featured in a new exhibit at the Korean Cultural Center.

Ends March 11. Films, classes and cultural FWFOUT 7JTJU XFCTJUF GPS MJTUings. 8JMTIJSF #MWE LDDMB PSH CRAFT AND FOLK ART MUSEUM‰ -JUUMF %SFBNT JO (MBTT BOE .FUBM DVSBUPS XBML through is Sun., March 6 at 1 Q N 3471 SFRVJSFE t .BEF XJUI 1PSDFMBJO BSUJTU talk with Keiko Fukazawa is 4VO .BSDI BU Q N 3471

SFRVJSFE t 6QDPNJOH %SFBNT JO (MBTT BOE .FUBM &OBNFMJOH JO "NFSJB UP UIF QSFTFOU t .BEF JO $IJOB /FX $FSBNJD 8PSLT CZ ,FJLP 'VLB[BXB &YIJCJUT FOE .BZ 8JMTIJSF #MWE DBGBN PSH GSFF PO Sundays. LOS ANGELES MUSEUM OF THE HOLOCAUST— 8IFO .BO UP .BO JT B 8PMG 4DFOFT GSPN UIF -JGF PG -JEJB

#VEHPS FOET .BSDI t 7JTBT UP 'SFFEPN "SJTtides de Sousa Mendes and UIF 3FGVHFFT PG 8PSME 8BS ** recognizes Portuguese Consul (FOFSBM XIP JTTVFE WJTBT UP people seeking to escape Nazioccupied Europe. )PMPDBVTU TVSWJWPS TQFBLFST and tours on Sundays. 1BO 1BDJGJD 1BSL 4 (SPWF %S MBNPUI PSH "MXBZT GSFF PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM‰7BMMFZ$PO a model building competioin, FYIJCJUJPO BOE TXBQ NFFU JT on Sun., March 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. t #SFBLGBTU $MVC $SVJTF JO GFBUVSFT MJWF NVTJD GPPE BOE the fastest, rarest and mostCFMPWFE DBST PO 4VO .BSDI 27 from 8 to 10 a.m. t 1SFDJPVT .FUBM TJMWFS DBST %JTOFZ 1JYBS DBST BOE .JDSPTPGU 9CPY 'PS[B SBDJOH TJNVMBUPST BSF BNPOH FYIJCJUT 8JMTIJSF #MWE 903-2277; petersen.org. ZIMMER CHILDREN'S MUSEUM—Celebrate National Women's Month learning BCPVU FYUSBPSEJOBSZ QFPQMF JO IJTUPSZ BOE JO PVS MJWFT XJUI

stories and crafts Sun., March GSPN UP Q N 5PEEMFS 5PXO 'SFODI DMBTTes, sing-a-longs and more for children of all ages. 8JMTIJSF #MWE 4VJUF [JNNFSmuseum.org. LA BREA TAR PITS & MUSEUM‰$BNQ BEWFOUVSFT for boys and girls this month. 7JTJU UBSQJUT PSH GPS EFUBJMT t 5JUBOT PG UIF *DF "HF 5IF -B #SFB 4UPSZ JO % TDSFFOT FWFSZ IBMG IPVS B N UP Q N EBJMZ JO UIF % UIFBUFS t *DF "HF &ODPVOUFST XJUI a (life-size puppet) sabertoothed cat are Fridays at 11 a.m., 1 and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m., 1, 2 and 3 p.m. 'SFF GJSTU 5VFTEBZ PG FBDI NPOUI FYDFQU +VMZ "VHVTU 8JMTIJSF #MWE 1"(& UBSQJUT PSH JAPAN FOUNDATION— Japanema: films screen the second and fourth WednesEBZ PG FWFSZ NPOUI BU Q N $10. -BOHVBHF DMBTTFT QFSGPSmances also offered. 8JMTIJSF #MWE 761-7510; jflalc.org.

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Featured Listing for the Month of March by

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134 Fremont Place

04/17/2015 Represented both Buyer & Seller - Sold $3,760,000 12/16/2015 Represented Seller - Sold $3,900,000 Stunning Georgian Colonial Style Home 24hr security guarded home in Fremont Place. Recently renovated all 3 fireplaces with city permit. Upgraded gourmet kitchen with brand new commercial quality, high end stainless steel appliances, beautifully redone landscaping in front and back yard. Master bedroom with hot tub and fireplace and 2nd master bedroom with hot tub. All bathrooms are redone with natural stone marble floors, French doors & windows throughout. Large family room with fireplace, formal living room, dining room, exercise room, 2 car garage, laundry inside and circular driveway. 4 bedrooms, 5.5 baths main house, large finished attic, large basement great for storage, swimming pool with waterfall, Guest house. Rare opportunity to own a beautiful home in Fremont, Hancock Park.

June Ahn

International President’s Elite CalBRE: 01188513

cell: 323.855.5558 juneahn21@gmail.com

119 N. Larchmont Blvd.

10

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

Park Mile Specific Plan has protected area residents for 37 years By John Welborne The revelation in last month’s article (“A neighbor’s correspondence seeks Park Mile change�) concerning Brookside resident Jan Wieringa’s letter to the city brings up the issue of whether the Park Mile Specific Plan should be changed, as

implied by her letter. She wrote that she “would like to see many mitigations made to the development plans that CIM is proposing� and stated that she believes “this large new multi-family development will forever change the character of this

charming neighborhood.� It is worth reviewing not only how low is the allowable density under the adopted Park Mile Specific Plan, but also how the developer’s proposed height and number of units in the block across from Wieringa’s 8th St. home will be even lower

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! For a truly lucky deal, take a look at this Clinton St. townhouse! Tennis Club adjacent Available for lease beginning March 3 beds 2.5 Baths 1,700 Sq. Ft.

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than permitted by the Plan. Even more interesting is to reflect back to the 1970s ‌ and to what was being proposed at the time when the Wilshire Homeowners’ Alliance began a fight for—and won—the ultimate, extreme low density that now exists in the Park Mile. 8th & Hudson—330 units For much of the land adjacent to Brookside (not even called that back then), there was a specific development proposal reported on the front page of the August 1978 Larchmont Chronicle. For only the blocks between Tremaine Ave. and Rimpau Blvd., between 8th St. and Wilshire Blvd., architecture firm Leo A. Daly Associates was proposing a 330-unit “residential park.â€? Three schemes, which would have closed Keniston and Hudson avenues south of Wilshire for one block, incorporated a mix of high-rise towers up to 27 stories and low-profile town houses. The land for this 330-unit condominium proposal, which the developers named “Cathedral Park,â€? was vacant. It had been vacant since before it was purchased in 1923 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese as a site to replace downtown’s St. Vibiana’s Cathedral. Building moratorium This Leo A. Daly plan was one of many developer proposals held up by a build-

ing moratorium initiated by Councilman John Ferraro in response to local constituents’ desire to have a Park Mile Specific Plan adopted first. After adoption, Leo A. Daly’s proposed 330-unit project could not be built; the Archdiocese sold the land; seven RD3 (“Restricted Density�) townhomes and an office building (now the House of Lebanon) were constructed between Tremaine and Keniston; and Farmers Insurance built the two, three-story office buildings now on the remainder of the land along Wilshire between Keniston and Rimpau. All this was done in conformance with the newly adopted Park Mile Specific Plan. Restrictive Plan What is today allowable on the remaining vacant former Farmers property east of Rimpau, extending to Muirfield Road, also is subject to the density, height, setback, parking, and other restrictions of the Park Mile Specific Plan. These restrictions clearly are far more limiting than what the developers sought in their late 1970s proposal for 330 units and 27 stories. The adopted restrictions only allow three stories for new buildings, and the allowable density is very low. Not including the existing, historic, seven-story Farmers tower, and assuming that a new parking structure is built above (Please turn to page 11)

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EIGHTH STREET POTENTIAL for a ten-unit, three-story RD3

EIGHTH STREET PROPOSAL by CIM Group for six two-story single–family homes.

Fremont Place adjacent

call 323.934.5666

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Exquisite old-world charm. Spacious & well maintained 2-story Duplex with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, fenced yard & garage. Appliances included.

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

11

Park Mile Specific Plan (Continued from page 10) ground to provide the required parking for offices in that tower, the zoning allows only 30 units, three-stories tall, along Wilshire Blvd., plus a five-unit three-story RD3 townhouse building and a ten-unit threestory RD3 townhouse building along 8th St., plus the parking structure up to three stories tall along Wilshire. The accompanying drawing depicts that allowable height and density. The drawing shows a total of 45 new units allowable on the vacant parking lots. If the parking for the office tower were built underground, then 14 additional threestory units could be built on Wilshire, totaling 59 new units on the vacant parking lots. CIM’s proposal By contrast to the 45 (or 59) units allowed, the current CIM Group proposal is to have 34 units on those vacant lots. As presented to the community and the city last fall, CIM Group proposes eleven condominium townhouses, twoand-a-half stories tall, on the Wilshire frontage in the western block that has the existing tower and three triplex buildings, three stories tall, on the Wilshire frontage in the eastern block (nine condominium units total). In the remainder of that eastern block, the proposal is for eight freestanding, singlefamily condominium homes, two-and-a-half stories tall, and six two-story single-family homes along Eighth Street. That equals 34 units on

the now-vacant lots, with the balance of the allowable units proposed to be in the historic tower. Along 8th St., in the western block containing the existing tower, CIM Group proposes only a deck and swimming pool, in lieu of the allowable three-story townhouse building with five units. The total number of Park Mile-allowable residential units on these two blocks is significantly lower than the density proposed by Leo A. Daly in the 1970s. That proposed density would have allowed approximately 198 units on the land where CIM Group proposes to follow the Park Mile’s allowable maximum unit count that is in the mid-80s, which includes the units to be in the existing historic tower. Challenge to Park Mile Plan Regarding the Jan Wieringa correspondence referenced in last month’s Larchmont Chronicle, current Windsor Square Association president Larry Guzin wrote last month to Brookside president Owen Smith and other neighborhood leaders, stating that someone’s thinking that the Park Mile property across from her house “should have lower density than the other properties adjoining our single-family homes between Highland and Wilshire . . . [s]eems selfish.” Guzin wrote further: “[T]hat selfish approach meddles with the Plan that has provided the highly-successful protections for all of our neighborhoods for nearly 35 years. I really urge

ALLOWABLE height and density for CIM Group’s “Wilshire Mullen” property under the restrictive

PROPOSED

you to try to educate your residents, some of whom may be relatively new to the area, that all of us … already have very advantageous adjacent zoning. “Our task is to make sure that new developers, like CIM Group, faithfully comply with the adopted rules that all other developers have followed in previous decades. It seems very selfish for some nearby resident or residents to think that a developer should have to do something different just for the benefit of that resident or residents.” Guzin’s letter concludes: (Please turn to page 15)

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1243 S. VICTORIA AVE., OXFORD SQUARE This house has had 14 changes of title since its creation in 1909.

the corner of 7th and Figueroa streets.

crash and retired.

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*Represented buyer

3255 Country Club Drive 4 bedrooms / 3 baths 2,630 sqft / 11,104 lot Listed for $1,375,000

deasy/penner&partners

Michele Sanchez CalBRE#: 01230003

msanchez@deasypenner.com

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If you have a house with an interesting history, I’d like to hear about it!

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12

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

Home & Garden

Cherry Blossoms celebrated at festival Take part in the Cherry Blossom Festival and other activities at Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge. Cherry Blossom Festival This year’s festival will feature Japanese cuisine, origami, music and more Sat., March 12 from 9 a.m. to 6

p.m. and Sun., March 13 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Below are some of the festival highlights scheduled for both days. Discovery stations will be available to learn about flowering trees from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cherry trees will be on sale at the gift shop between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Visitors can learn about the art of paper folding at the origami station from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Patina will have tempura and sushi selections, as well as beverages and snacks, at the Camellia Lounge from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: June Kuramoto will perform

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on the koto from 1 to 2:30 p.m. George Abe will play the Japanese flute from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Family activities Admission to Descanso Gardens will be free to the public Tues., March 15. See “The Autobiography of Big Bad Wolf” performed by the Ensemble Shakespeare

Theater Saturdays March 19 and 26, Sun., March 20 and Fri. March 25. Take a walk with veteran bird watcher Karen Johnson Sun., March 27 from 8 to 9 p.m. Bring binoculars. For more information, call 818-949-7980, or go to descansogardens.org.

Learn how architecture is art, get exercise practicing tai chi and hear about Chinese influences in English gardens this month at Huntington Library, 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. Learn about the American Arts and Crafts movement and how architecture is a fine art in a series of lectures given each Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Practice tai chi to get exercise in the garden Saturdays from 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Wear

comfortable clothing. Explore the connections between impressionism and gardening, and then make a garden fresh meal at Taste of Art: The Artist’s Garden, Sat., March 5 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hear how Chinese culture influenced English gardens beginning in the 18th century at a talk Tues., March 22 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information visit huntington.org.

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Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

13

Home & Garden

Over 50 years

Your Neighborhood Flooring Choice for Custom Area Rugs to Custom Installations Staff Experts Provide Personal Service to Select the Ideal Flooring for Your Home

Help pollinators in your garden

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Bees, butterflies and other pollinators are essential members of the ecosystem and responsible for helping produce food and beauty. You can turn your garden or balcony into a pollinator’s habitat to help them in their task. Even a window box of flowers can help. Check with your local nursery for advice on native pollinator plants. The Xerces Society for Insect Conservation posts lists of native plants on their website (xerces.org) that include color, appearance, water needs and bloom period. The list of pollinator plants for Southern California includes poppies, lupine, sunflowers, fuschsia, aster and goldenrod. Supplement pollinators’ diets with a birdbath, fountain, or even the occasional puddle or bit of rotten fruit. Trees, shrubs, herbs and other plants help feed caterpillars, grubs and the immature stage of other pollinators. Leave patches of open soil for ground nesting bees and leaf litter to shelter butterflies, bumblebees and other pollinating insects. Finally, put away pesticides. Temporary leaf damage is a small price to pay for all the benefits pollinators bring to the garden.

AUSTRALIAN FLAME trees are among the drought-tolerant options to be discussed.

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Shopping at Koontz Hardware (formerly Larchmont Hardware) is so much fun. It’s like a treasure hunt. Come in and see if you can find these things: The “Stud Buddy,� A new dry wall stud finder that is the world’s simplest and a lot cheaper than other stud finders. “Frog Tape.� The most advanced tape to give you absolutely sharp paint lines with no color bleed. You can use them up to 21 days indoors. The “Curious Chef� real kitchen tools for kids. There are “Measuring and prepping kits,� “Cupcake and Decorating� kits, “Cookie� kits, even “Pizza� kits. Think of the fun you can have shopping here! Larchmont customers be sure to say “Hello.�

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A GEODE is cracked open at the Monrovia Rock Hounds Show and Sale.

flourish in drought-stressed climates Sat., March 19 from 10 a.m. to noon. Discover the new trends for gardening in the Southland Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hear how to identify and classify plants using printed and digital keys Fridays from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Organic fruit and vegetable gardening is the topic at a class taught Sat., March 19 from noon to 4 p.m. Kids camp Explore nature and the imagination at spring camp for kids ages five to 11 Mon., March 14 through Fri., March 18 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Morning and afternoon extended care available. Learn how the milkweed plant is important to keeping monarch butterflies around and take milkweed seedlings home Sat., March 19 from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information on these and other activities visit arboretum.org.

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Geodes, gems, Australian trees and monarch butterflies are discussed this month at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. See the variety of rocks, gems and minerals on display, and maybe get your own geode cracked open, at the Monrovia Rock Hounds Show and Sale Sat., March 5 and Sun., March 6 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Drought-tolerant alternatives to lawns are discussed at a Crescent Farm class Sat.,

14

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

Home & Garden

Traditional uses of native plants, color, design demonstrated at Payne Help clean up and prune the grounds Sat., March 5 from 9 a.m. to noon. Bring a hat, gloves, kneepads and other tools for personal use. Shovels, trowels, rakes, hoes, pruners and refreshments will be provided. Visit Payne’s booth at the Hollywood Farmers Market at Ivar and Selma Sun., March 6 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Get advice from horticulturists

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and use your Payne discount. California native plants Discover traditional uses for native plants at a class with Nicholas Hummingbird Thurs., March 10 at 1:30 p.m. Learn about native plant horticulture, Sat., March 12 at 8:30 a.m. or advance to native plant propagation at 9 a.m. Hear how to replace your lawn with native plants and landscape with Lili Singer, director of special projects and adult education Thurs., March 17 at 9 a.m. Expand your knowledge of how to maintain a native landscape Sat., March 19 at 9 a.m. Hear about the California gnatcatcher and coastal cactus wren Sat., March 19 at 9 a.m.

Beautiful roses topic at club

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Thomas Cairns, chemist, toxicologist, author and internationally known rose expert, will talk about growing beautiful roses at the Los Angeles Garden Club meeting Mon., March 14 at the Visitor’s Center Auditorium in Griffith Park, 4730 Crystal Springs Dr. The meeting begins at 9:15 a.m. with coffee and refreshments; the presentation starts at 11 a.m. First-time visitors and members attend for free; non-members pay $5. For more information, contact Joyce Parrott at 310-4718512 or go to losangelesgardenclub.org.

with Dan Cooper, who is an authority on bird identification and distribution in southern California. He is also author of "Important Bird Areas of California" and more than a dozen peer-reviewed papers on California natural history. He will talk about how these two sensitive bird species depend on low-elevation coastal sage scrub in southern California and in the hills surrounding the L.A. Basin. See how California natives add color to the garden all year round Sat., March 19 at 1:30 p.m. Steve Gerisher of

Larkspur Garden Design will show how colors affect each other and how they influence design and plant placement. Teachers can get hands-on training on planning, design, plant palettes and installation and maintenance practices for native plant school gardens Tues., March 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This new class includes practical do’s and don’ts, as well as ways to use the garden in conjunction with Common Core Standards. For more information, call 818-768-1802 or go to theodorepayne.org.

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Learn the many ways California native flora flourish and can be used at classes at the Theodore Payne Foundation, 10459 Tuxford St., Sun Valley. A three-part class on California native garden design begins Fri., March 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with classes following on Fridays March 18 and April 8. The California Native Plant Horticulture class is a prerequisite.

Larchmont Chronicle

MARCH 2016

SECTION TWO

15

Saddling a big-belly horse is a cinch with this Old West trick a few accompanying knee jabs in the horse’s bloated belly. When the blower was forced to deflate and the saddle was cinched tight, the length of pipe was tucked between the saddle strap and the horse’s belly for future use. A cinch, right? t t t Why is a target in shooting called a “bull’s eye?� queries Anne Mansfield. Bull is not just a male bovine, but a very useful word with a variety of uses. It can be a blunder or an inadvertent contradiction of terms; a Papal decree; a useless or unnecessary pretence; a rising, optimistic stock market; a drink

from the swillings of empty wine casks; or a clumsy lout (bull in a China shop). Bull’s eye was the name given to targets with different colored, concentric circles emanating outward, small to large from the center. This does not refer to the boastful talk, which usually accompanies tests of shooting skill, but from the same circles that surround the actual eye of a bull. t t t What’s the origin of “cole slaw?� asks Naomi Taradash. This salad of sliced raw cabbage, sometimes wrongly called “cold� slaw and now combined with mayonnaise, is an old Dutch dish which was first used in the Middle Ages to accompany grilled

sausages. It comes from the Dutch koolsla, which is literally “cabbage salad� and has been morphed into the German kohl and then into the English “cole.� t t t How about “blow-gut?�

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takes place the afternoon that this March issue of the Larchmont Chronicle is distributed. A Park Mile Design Review Board consultation with the developer begins at 4 p.m. on March 3 at the Memorial Branch Library, 4625 West Olympic Blvd. The public is welcome to attend and testify.

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Park Mile Specific Plan (Continued from page 11) “We don’t want one or two, or a handful, of [residents] spoiling the Park Mile Plan for the rest of the residents of the Wilshire Homeowners’ Alliance area.� Design Review meeting The next public discussion of the CIM Group proposal for the former Farmers property

ponders Claire Simpson. Interesting coincidence. See answer to first question for one explanation. A “blow-gut� is also a rarely used term for a puffed up, boastful person or more commonly called, a “blowhard.�

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Why is something which is for sure a “lead pipe cinch?� wonders Bill Boynton. This one almost got me— almost. Contrary to popular belief, this expression has absolutely nothing to do with plumbing in which “lead pipe� means Professorgalvanized iron Knowpipe (lead pipe It-All would buckle Bill at the least bit of pressure). Bentley The origin actually dates from the days of the Old West where it was the only sure way for saddling and cinching a blower (a horse that distends its belly). A short length of so-called lead pipe was slipped under the saddle strap and turned like a tourniquet with

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Larchmont Chronicle's

Miracle Mile 2016

2 Miracle Mile 2016

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Inside the Miracle Mile . . .

NEW Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Hear what people say about it.

8 MUSEUM RENAISSANCE.

LIVING IN THE MILE.

4

WORKING IN THE MILE.

10

NEWS OF THE MILE.

6

12

Larchmont Chronicle

Miracle Mile 2016 3

29TH annual edition

. . . developments, restaurants

GUESS who's opening for dinner?

6

TOY STORES, museums and libraries offer children's crafts, games and more.

27

WILSHIRE COURTYARD WINS THE 2015 LA TOBY AWARD Tishman Speyer congratulates the LA team on receiving the prestigious Outstanding Building of the Year Award, recognizing excellence in commercial property management. Operated and managed to world-class standards, Wilshire Courtyard is the distinctive jewel of LA’s Miracle Mile. The million-square-foot, two-building sustainable property has recently completed extensive renovations to complement a variety of desirable amenities for its industry-leading tenants.

MIRACLE MILE

FOR LEASING INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Published by the Larchmont Chronicle 323-462-2241

John Ollen jollen@tishmanspeyer.com 213.443.5051

Patrick Nally pnally@tishmanspeyer.com 310.335.0040

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The annual edition is delivered to residents, businesses and employees in the greater Miracle Mile area. It also is delivered to residents in Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Fremont Place, Park LaBrea and Larchmont Village, bringing the total readership to 100,000. COVER PHOTO by Bill Devlin Photography: Right foreground, the re-imagined and remodeled Petersen Automotive Museum. Left foreground, the southeastern edge of the former May Company building (now being remodeled into the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures) and the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) and other buildings of LACMA. The tall tower in the foreground is 5900 Wilshire. The tower in the background, east of SAG-AFTRA Plaza, is 5670 Wilshire. P_0116.149_WC8x10Ad_AF_R8_ol.indd 1

1/29/16 11:18 AM

4 Miracle Mile 2016

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Apartments offer proximity to shopping, entertainment Living in the Mile Sandra Bruno is an enthusiastic resident of Miracle Mile. She lives in an apartment in a French Colonial-style building on Cloverdale Ave. She selected the area because of the interesting architecture. Another bonus for Sandra is the proximity of shopping and cultural venues. She doesn’t drive, so “I can walk everywhere,” she says. Sandra picks up her groceries at Trader Joe’s or Farmers Market, attends events at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Grove and likes to dine at a

Oakwood alternative to staying in a hotel Where to put out-of-town guests? Oakwood Miracle Mile, which recently opened at 5659 W. Eighth St., has the answer. Oakwood provides furnished apartments with an open kitchen with granite countertops and master suites. There is a library with coffee and tea bar, a courtyard with a barbecue grill, spa, and conversation seating areas. Other amenities include a fitness center and concierge services. Rooms start at $219 per night.

variety of restaurants including Callender’s on Wilshire. “The only downside is the parking. When my son visits, he has a difficult time finding parking on the street.” Mediterranean, English Tudor, Colonial, Moderne and Spanish-style apartment buildings flourish in Miracle Mile, ranging from plain to fancy. Prices fluctuate too, depending on size and amenities. Windsor Court at 401 S. Detroit Ave. is in the “fancy” category. It is one of four buildings managed by Essex Properties that offer rooftop pools, fitness centers, security gates and high speed internet. Pets are welcome but there are breed restrictions. Parking is available for two cars and there is guest parking. Residents living in Park La Brea have the amenities of a resort with two pools, fitness center, landscaped parks and jogging tracks, theater with an activity schedule. There are 4,244 apartments ranging from one, two and three-bedroom in towers and one and two-story garden-adjacent units. Pets are permitted. Gas fireplaces add a welcom-

WINDSOR COURT units at 401 S. Detroit Ave. are pet-friendly.

ing touch to apartments at Palm Court, 760 S. Burnside Ave. The 132-unit building features a pool, Jacuzzi, balconies, rooftop sundeck, fitness center and security guard on staff. Amenities at the high-rise at 5550 Wilshire Blvd. include garden courtyard, gas barbecues, theater, sauna/steam room with lockers and fitness center. Rents at most of the upscale buildings start at $2200 for a one-bedroom, $2800 for two bedrooms. Brick covers the four-story English Tudor building at 603 S. Cochran Ave. One-bedroom apartments start at $1425.

ENGLISH TUDOR-STYLE architecture adorns the building at 603 S. Cochran Ave.

ROOFTOP SUNDECK is among amenities at Palm Court.

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Larchmont Chronicle

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Miracle Mile 2016 5

© 2016 Cedars-Sinai

S:10.25 in

Sometimes I overreact. Sometimes I underestimate. Sometimes I search it. Sometimes I put it off. Sometimes I freak out. But, I trust my Cedars-Sinai doctor every time.

cedars-sinai.edu  1-800-CEDARS-1

T:15.75 in

Sometimes I just ignore it.

S:15.75 in

Sometimes I self-diagnose.

6 Miracle Mile 2016

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Renaissance underway on, over Wilshire Museums in the Mile By Suzan Filipek Art museum director Michael Govan is perhaps the greatest fan of the futuristic design in the works for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “I think it’s going to be beautiful… It will be fantastic,” he enthused one day last month. The $600 million project, which includes a gallery space over Wilshire Blvd., is planned to open in 2023. Its designer, Peter Zumthor, of Switzerland, is among the “greatest architects in the world,” has built two worldclass museums in Europe and this will be his U.S. showcase. “But that’s not the point,” says Govan. “You’re going to have a safe, much more accessible, userfriendly museum and a better experience in the park.” The 100,000 square-foot museum will replace a hodgepodge design started in the 1960s. Four buildings will be demolished. (The Japanese Pavilion, Broad Contemporary Art Museum and the Resnick

LACMA CEO Michael Govan prepares for 2023 opening.

Pavilion will remain). In place of the demolished buildings (Ahmanson, Hammer, Art of the Americas and Bing) will be seven inhabitable pillars holding up a “table top” gallery space which will reach across Wilshire to the Spaulding Ave. parking lot. Standing on pillars 26 feet from the ground, the transparent glass building reflects a changing societal value system, moving away from the thick temple-like facades of the 19th century, Govan explains.

The suspended design returns about two acres of ground space to the park. “That’s the genius of going across the street,” said Govan. He will soon visit Zumthor and his team in Switzerland prior to the project’s environmental impact review set to start with the city in late spring. Its opening in 2023 is timed to debut with the opening of a Metro subway station, what Govan calls, “a game changer” that will provide visitors from downtown and elsewhere easier access to the museum. Inroads in technology will make for a more refined, “revolutionary” experience. Viewers will be able to in a glance learn about the art and history of a picture in the city’s 300+ languages, predicts Govan. The Muirfield Road resident took over the reins at LACMA a decade ago, leaving friends behind who wondered why he and his wife and daughter left a good life in New York for a cultural wasteland. “Most of our New York friends didn’t see it as a step up. Now they’re all looking for houses in L.A.,” he smiles. “It’s a really exciting place to be... It seems like the right

LACMA'S design traverses over Wilshire Blvd. View above faces west, with the 5900 building behind the proposed gallery.

time to be here. L.A. has so much to offer.” An artist in his youth, Govan majored in art history and was drawn from graduate school to join the Guggenheim Museum. He stays in touch with artists throughout the country via his single-engine plane, and he will continue to plan exhibits, which during construction will take place in BCAM and the Resnick. “The idea is for us to close [partially] as [the Academy Museum] opens,” Govan says. The $388 million Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, under construction at the Wilshire May Co. building, is targeted for a 2018 debut. Like Zumthor, its architect Renzo Piano is a Pritzker win-

ner; he is restoring the historic May Co. building at the corner of Fairfax Ave. to include six floors of exhibition spaces. Movie memorabilia will include hundreds of items, from a full-scale model shark from “Jaws” to Dorothy’s slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.” Glass bridges will connect the building to a sphere in the rear featuring a 1,000-seat theater and a rooftop terrace. Petersen progress A pizza oven, an à la carte menu and a full bar will greet visitors at Drago at the Petersen Automotive Museum. The Italian-California restaurant will be ensconced within the museum’s ribbon-patterned stainless steel façade, evok(Please turn to page 8)

Councilmember David Ryu

Richard Bloom

“It is my honor to represent the Miracle Mile.”

Assembly Member, 50th District  California State Assembly  





   Mile Community   Proudly  Serving the Miracle 





District Office (310) 450-0041 Capitol Office (916) 319-2050 

 

Website: http://asmdc.org/members/a50/

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213.473.7004 davidryu.lacity.org

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Fourth District, City of Los Angeles

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Miracle Mile 2016 7

8 Miracle Mile 2016

'What do you think of the new Academy Museum?'

MUSEUMS

That is the question inquiring photographer Sondi Toll Sepenuk asked visitors at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art at the top floor of the Broad Ccontemporary Art Musuem, adjacent to the future home of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

LOCAL ARTISTS are featured in upcoming shows at CAFAM.

70,000 visitors per year who enjoy juried art exhibits, movies and language classes. Japanese language classes, traditional tea ceremonies and movies take place at the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, inside the Wilshire Courtyard. The Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust is the oldest Holocaust museum in the United States. Founded in 1961 by a group of survivors, the Museum moved to its permanent home in Pan Pacific Park, an award-winning building designed by architect Hagy Belzberg, in 2010. Learn German and attend cultural events at the GoetheInstitut, inside Wilshire Courtyard. Zimmer Children's Museum offers sing-a-longs and more for toddlers on up. See page 26.

focus on Los Angeles-based artists. CraftNight is on the first Thursday of the month and CraftLab is on the second Sunday of the month. Craft Affair, an annual gala, takes place in October. “We also have a new buyer in our CAFAM Shop, which has a new look and products. People can shop online, at cafamshop.org,” says spokesman Sasha Ali. History, art, movies The Korean Cultural Center, at 5505 Wilshire Blvd., is housed in a building that opened as a Bank of America in 1929. It was purchased in April of 1980 by the South Korean government, and was re-designed by Han Yu- ICE AGE Hair Ball promises a jung. The museum has about wild time June 4.

“Finally there’s going to be a museum dedicated to the movie industry in Los Angeles. It’s long overdue and much appreciated.” Robert Mostacci West Hollywood

“The design looks like a glass spaceship landing on Fairfax. With the lights at night, it will be beautiful. It will be great because of the location connected to LACMA. When the subway is finished, it will be so nice because you don’t have to drive here in your car!” Ben Barcelona Silver Lake

“I think it’s a great idea to upgrade the area with the Academy Museum.” And “I love that they are going to incorporate the older (1930’s May Company) building into the plans.” Kay Burt and Elizabeth Cummings Long Beach

“I’ve been reading about it and I’m excited because it’s right here, so when we come up to LACMA with our out-ofstate friends and family, who I know will want to come see it, we will be able to do both!” Renee King Orange County

Investment and Management Company

Thank You to the Miracle Mile Community for Your Support. – Natalie Migranova Property Manager

For leaSiNg iNForMaTioN CoNTaCT: Joel Frank lic. 00967530 T 310.550.2513 joel.frank@cbre.com

alex Bergeson lic.# 01934076 T 310.550.2683 alex.bergeson@cbre.com

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(Continued from page 6) ing the speed and curves of an automobile. Felderman, Keatinge and Associates is the architecture firm. Seating will include an outdoor patio shaded in the style of the exterior red metal ribbons. The restaurant opening is expected this summer. The recently completed renovation at the museum, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, added 15,000 square ft., while the original 1962 Welton Beckett building (once an Ohrbach’s Dept. Store) remained architecturally intact. World-famous site Comedian Will Ferrell meets a life-size (puppet) sabertooth cat on his hashtag stop at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum. Share your experiences at the world-famous excavation site at #HowDoYouMuseum. Wear an over-the-top hairdo to the annual Ice Age Hair Ball Sat., June 4, with cocktails, dancing and fashions inspired by the La Brea animals. Day, overnight and weekly camps for boys and girls are offered, and don't miss the new 3D film "Titans of the Ice Age." Upcoming exhibitions at the Craft and Folk Art Museum

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Miracle Mile 2016 9

10 Miracle Mile 2016

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Black Dog owner reflects on beginnings Working in the Mile By Billy Taylor Most days you can find Brad Gold behind the counter of one of Miracle Mile’s most beloved café and coffee shops, a business he has owned and operated for over 17 years. Located at the corner of Wilshire and Hauser boulevards, Black Dog Coffee serves breakfast, lunch and a wide selection of beverages to residents and tourists alike. How it all began A Los Angeles native, Gold grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1950’s. “When I was in school, almost everybody was from somewhere outside California.” As a boy, his parents owned an Orange Julius franchise in Burbank where he worked while in high school and college. The experience instilled a strong understanding of what it takes to be successful in the restaurant business. “Hospitality and food are in my DNA,” he says. After years of working as a senior manager for a restaurant chain, Gold was laid off at the age of 53.

“The chain had expanded too quickly and signed a few too many leases in locations that were marginal,” says Gold. “Over the years, I had interviewed enough middle-aged job applicants to appreciate that it was time to become self-employed.” Even with experience in the industry, Gold knew it wasn’t going to be easy: “I was short on cash and in a big hurry.” With these limitations, Gold set off to find a location. “I needed to find an underperforming café, that already existed, with an owner motivated to sell,” says Gold. Luckily, he found just what he was looking for eight blocks from his home. Using a small amount of money borrowed from family and friends, Gold took control of 5657 Wilshire and quickly changed the name, menu and look of the café. “My wife did a great job of designing on a dime,” he says. What’s in a name? According to Gold, deciding on the name Black Dog Coffee

was a long, but funny process. “We had a contest to come up with something. It got to the point that friends were leaving names on my answering machine.” Gold says “Jews for Java” and “He-brew” were both being considered until one day he and his wife were talking about a black Lab he had owned years ago. Tears filled his eyes as he recalled the special bond they’d shared. (Please turn to page 22)

OWNER Brad Gold stands with his staff at Black Dog Coffee.

Miler likes area's history and its diversity Edward Rubin is a fourthgeneration Angeleno. His parents built a home on Alta Vista in 1934, near where he lives today with his husband of 26 years, poet Sam Ambler. “My grandmother supervised the construction to make sure that all the details that she wanted were perfect,” he said. As a child, his mom would take him to Van de Kamp’s Bakery on Wilshire Blvd., and the Farmers Market on Fairfax. “I used to visit Santa Claus at the May Company at Christmas, and play in the park at the Tar Pits. I even remember the old Carthay Circle movie

theatre. “I never expected that, decades later, I would purchase a home in the neighborhood where my family is from… but I knew that the Miracle Mile was perfect for us. “We wanted a neighborhood that had an identity, a history, a diverse population, and where you could walk to stores easily, and was also near a major cultural institution. LACMA certainly fulfilled that wish! “Every time we walk in our neighborhood, even after 19 years, we still talk about how lucky we are to live here. There is so much going on, and it is all at our fingertips. The Mira-

EMMY award winning art director Edward Rubin's new book is about Vermont.

cle Mile has the best of living right in the middle of a major (Please turn to page 22)

Congratulations to the Larchmont Chronicle for 53 Years of publication in the Miracle Mile! Stay informed of the latest news on the Purple Line Extension: 213.922.6934 metro.net/purplelineext twitter.com@purplelineext facebook.com/purplelineext Don’t forget to support local businesses in the local Eat Shop Play Wilshire program. Make the pledge at metro.net/eatshopplay. Cheers to 53 more years.

16-1574ps ©2016 lacmta

The Metro Purple Line Extension team would like to thank the Larchmont Chronicle and the community for allowing us to become a neighborhood partner while we build the subway line in the heart of your Miracle Mile.

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Miracle Mile 2016 11

OPEN NOW Experience 120 additional vehicles

Purchase your tickets today at PETERSEN.ORG/VAULT

12 Miracle Mile 2016

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Metro Miracle Mile work continues News of the Mile With not one, but two, Miracle Mile subway stations planned for the Purple Line Westside Extension to Westwood and beyond, the Mile will be a hub of construction activity for some time to come. When completed, the extension will reach west for about nine miles with seven new stations. The high-capacity, high-speed, dependable alternative now available for riders from the San Fernando Valley or Wilshire Center to Downtown will also become a plus for those who live and work in Miracle Mile. New destinations to be available for all Purple Line riders will be in Beverly Hills, Century City and Westwood. The under-construction first section of the Purple Line Extension is funded by local Measure R funds that were approved by voters in November of 2008, along with federal “New Starts” matching funds and a low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program.

This first tunnel section from Western Ave. to La Cienega Blvd. includes new subway stops at La Brea Ave., Fairfax Ave., and La Cienega. Current activity in the Miracle Mile involves preparation for the decking to go over the La Brea Ave. station site. The actual decking activity will take place beginning in June and will last for 22 weekends. That approach—weekendsonly for the street closures, versus a single seven-week street closure option—was the consensus choice of community members and city elected leaders. The closure will consist of three separate decking phases at, and near, Wilshire Blvd. and La Brea Ave. The first phase will involve three weekend closures from Detroit St. to La Brea. The second phase will close the La Brea intersection for three weekends. The third, and longest, phase involves 16 weekend closures from La Brea to Highland Ave. In the meantime, Metro’s contractor will continue to

install the “soldier pile” steel I-beams that not only provide lateral and subjacent support for the soil outside of the excavation area, but also will serve as the columns upon which the edges of the concrete deck units will rest. Pile installation takes place daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pile installation work on the north side of Wilshire is expected to be completed in April, and then work will begin on the south side of Wilshire. Find detailed information on Purple Line construction, as well as Metro’s “Eat, Shop, Play” support program for affected local businesses, at metro.net/projects/Westside. (Please turn to page 14)

METRO contractor's drill rig with a core barrel for installing piles at La Brea Ave. and Wilshire Blvd.

METRO traffic control along Wilshire and La Brea, looking north.

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14 Miracle Mile 2016

NEWS OF THE MILE

DESMONDS on the fashionable Mile in 1936 is included in the group’s photo archive.

YouTube productions, curbing development on MMRA agenda By Suzan Filipek The digital age is thriving at the Miracle Mile Residential Association which sports its own YouTube channel, Tweets and publishes an online newsletter. Residents of more than 1,600 homes and apartments are privy to interviews with the new city councilman and experts on city zoning and preservation issues in their neighborhood through the MMRA Channel. A recent interview with Jill Stewart, spokesperson for the Neighbor Integrity Initiative that seeks to curb development

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citywide, was linked to the group’s February newsletter. “We’re also planning a revamp of our website this year. We had a record number of visitors to our site last year— our historic photo collection is very popular,” said MMRA vice president and director of communications Ken Hixon. He initiated efforts to bring the group out from the pre-digital dark ages three years ago. “Part of it is a generational thing,” said Hixon, who was inspired by his son to reach out to a younger audience. “If they can’t connect by a smart (Please turn to page 30)

Residents await next step for historical preservation By Sondi Toll Sepenuk The wait is almost over. He hopes. After two years of countless meetings, fundraisers and the distribution of door-to-door fliers regarding the pros and cons of establishing an HPOZ (Historical Preservation Overlay Zone) in the southern Miracle Mile area, residents are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. “During the HPOZ process, we were required to do a historical survey,” says Mark Zecca, board member of the Miracle Mile Residential As-

NEWS: METRO (Continued from page 12)

A community meeting at which the latest Purple Line news will be presented and discussed with stakeholders will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in LACMA’s Dorothy Collins Brown Auditorium on St. Patrick’s Day, Thurs., March 17. Before or after the meeting, Tom Bergin’s and Molly Malone’s will be welcoming guests just south and north on Fairfax Ave.

Mid City West sets agenda for council elections

sociation (MMRA) and HPOZ committee chair. “The MMRA paid about $65,000 for Architectural Resources Group, Inc. (ARG) to prepare the survey.” Now that the survey is complete, the MMRA is awaiting approval from the City of Los Angeles Planning Department. If the department approves the survey, it will then conduct public workshops to create a preservation plan for area located between Wilshire Blvd. on the north, San Vicente Blvd. on the south, Fairfax Ave. on the west and La Brea Ave. on the east. Many residents have already

By Billy Taylor Board members of the Mid City West Community Council gathered Feb. 9 in the auditorium of the National Council of Jewish Women to debate, among other things, the election season. “The big news this month is the upcoming election,” said Board chair Scott Epstein, as he opened the meeting. No, the 22 officers present weren’t discussing the race for the White House, they were debating the most effective way to promote the upcoming Mid City West Community Council Election. Neighborhood councils elect board members to serve a two-year term. Anyone who lives, works or has a vested interest in the area can vote. The election will be held on May 1 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; but if you can’t make it to the polls, you can now vote online, says Epstein. “Online voting is a new tool added to the neighborhood council election system this year,” he added, noting that stakeholders can vote online starting April 10 until 3 p.m.

(Please turn to page 23)

(Please turn to page 23)

HPOZ COMMITTEE Mark Zecca.

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THE PERMANENT I N S TA L L AT I O N ACROSS FROM LACMA I S 4 3 3 F T TA L L . If art is a work produced by inspired imagination and skilled creativity, then 5900 Wilshire has to be considered. Perhaps that’s why it is home to the best and brightest in entertainment, art, and media. Located across from LACMA, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and the La Brea Tar Pits, and minutes from some of LA’s best shopping and dining, 5900 Wilshire features unobstructed 360º views of the city. Come and take a look at the most centrally located business address in town. We think you’ll find it a work of art.

Miracle Mile 2016 15

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Newcomers, oldtimers among galleries on Mile

By Georgia Dolenz The Miracle Mile has long been renowned for its collection of art galleries, offering locals and tourists some of Los Angeles’ finest art collections. New to the neighborhood, Sprüth Magers has added Los Angeles to its list of addresses, which include Berlin, London and Cologne and soon-to-be Hong Kong. The gallery's specialty is groundbreaking modern and contemporary art, and the Mile site opened last month with an exhibit of new work by John Baldessari. Meanwhile, other galleries have left the area. “Unfortunately, a couple of galleries recently had to relocate due to the new Metro stop at the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax,” explains James Panozzo, founder of LAUNCH LA, a nonprofit art gallery and event company based on La Brea. While the new Metro line has been blamed for some relocations, the decline began several years before with some galleries migrating to Downtown and East Los Angeles. Rozalia Jovanovic wrote in 2014 for Art Net LA, “The presence of larger and more

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established galleries Downtown... indicate that the area is less wooly and more accessible than it might have once been.” She questioned if the migration was a “sign that the Los Angeles art world is maturing, or is this just a matter of course in the episodic and migratory nature of L.A.’s perennially de-centered gallery scene?” Maybe, but meanwhile galleries continue to make the Mile their home. Here's a few that showcase local, national and international art: ACE Gallery 5514 Wilshire Blvd. acegallery.net ACME Gallery 6150 Wilshire Blvd. acmelosangeles.com MK Gallery 170 S. La Brea Ave. mkgallery.com 1301PE Gallery 6150 Wilshire Blvd. 1301pe.com Papillon Gallery 357 S. Curson Ave., 8K, papillongallery.com Sprüth Magers 5900 Wilshire Blvd. spurthematers.com

Neighborhood bars and lively venues to try

By Georgia Dolenz The Miracle Mile has been home to some of the best food, nightlife and venues Los Angeles has to offer. Here are a few of the local venues that call the Mile their home. Voted #1 sports bar in Los Angeles by MSN, Busby’s is a Mile staple and offers a selection of beers, pub food and of course, their free karaoke sessions on Wednesday nights. 5364 Wilshire Blvd. 323-839-4835 The El Rey is a City of Los Angeles historic-cultural monument in the heart of the Miracle Mile. With its art deco design and live-music acts, this landmark venue offers a unique night out. 5515 Wilshire Blvd. 323-936-6400 Voted Miracle Mile’s best neighborhood bar, Little Bar boasts a New England style and serves up creative cocktails and a selection of 18 beers on tap. Relax with a game of darts and play some of your favorite tunes on their jukebox. 757 S. La Brea Ave. 323-937-9210 (Please turn to page 21)

“LIVE ART” is featured at the free festival.

Tarfest 2016 is on its way with live music and art Preparations already have begun for the 14th annual Tarfest. The free music and arts festival takes place over several weekends in late September at the LA Brea Tar Pits and is open to all ages. The festival is hosted by LAUNCH LA, a non-profit social enterprise. Tarfest organizers aim to bring together some of the nation’s most distinctive emerging artists, performers and cultural innovators.

Last year, the festival included food trucks, kid’s activities, live music, wine bars, an art pavilion, dance performances and live paintings. A variety of new, innovative artists and musicians can be expected at this year’s event, says founder James Panozzo. The dates and times for the 2016 Tarfest will be released over the coming months, as well as program details for each weekend. For more information visit tarfest.com.

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CELEBRATE WITH US ALL YEAR LONG! THE ORIGINAL FARMERS MARKET 2016 ACTIVITIES & EVENTS ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATION: Thursday, March 17, All Day: Stop by for traditional Irish food and music, including the sounds of Glen the strolling bagpiper from 12:30-3:30pm and Stuart Marks & The Paddy O'Dors Band from 6-9pm in the West Patio. Magee's Kitchen will be serving their famous corned beef, cabbage and potatoes. Green beer and imported Irish beers will be on tap from E.B's and Bar 326!

FRIDAY NIGHT MUSIC AT THE MARKET: Friday Evenings, May 27–August 26, 7–9pm: Free concert performances every Friday on the West Patio featuring L.A.’s best musicians.

22ND ANNUAL GILMORE HERITAGE AUTO SHOW: Saturday, June 4, 11am–5pm: Nearly 100 breathtaking American classics are on display throughout the Market; everything from customs, hot rods, trucks and more! This year's theme is, The Sky's the Limit — A Tribute to the American Convertible.

TASTE OF FARMERS MARKET: Tuesday, July 19, 5-9pm: For one evening only, our merchants take you on a strolling gastronomic and shopping adventure throughout the Market, letting you enjoy delicious food and live music. Ticket info will be available on farmersmarketla.com in early June.

FALL FESTIVAL: Saturday & Sunday, October 15 & 16, All Day: A favorite event since 1934, Fall Festival features a bounty of live music, a petting zoo, arts & crafts for kids, world famous pie-eating contests and more!

HANUKKAH CELEBRATION: Tuesday, December 27, 2:30pm: Celebrate Hanukkah with the lighting of a giant menorah, music and arts and crafts.

CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES: December 18-24: The Market is decked out in Yuletide finery to welcome the season. Celebrate the holidays with music, arts & crafts, variety shows, Dickensian carolers and more. All activities & events are free unless otherwise noted. Schedule is subject to change. Visit farmersmarketla.com/events regularly for updates.

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Lift a pint of green ale on St. Patrick's Day at these classic spots By Helene Seifer Everyone is a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. For those who wish to lift a pint for Erin go Bragh, there are several classic Irish pubs on the Miracle Mile to try. For 80 years, crowds have

flocked to Tom Bergin’s for St. Patrick’s Day. Owner Derek Schreck tents the parking lot so up to 1,000 people can attend at a time. “At 6 a.m., we start serving a full Irish breakfast, with bangers, eggs, beans, roasted tomatoes—and

Irish coffee!” The party continues until 2 a.m., and usually 5,000 to 6,000 people attend. Shreck says there’s a DJ and, “We have corned beef sandwiches, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, whiskey ice cream,

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Guinness, Harp.” They’ll be pouring Coors Light into special Coors cups that turn green when filled with beer. “We have Irish in our family history,” said Dwayne Call, manager of Magee’s Kitchen in the Original Farmers Market and great, great nephew of original owner Blanche Magee, “but we’re known as Irish primarily because we serve corned beef and cabbage every day.” Back in 1934, the market was a dusty field, and the Magees built a permanent stall to better serve the farmers who sold produce out of their carts.

On St. Patrick’s Day, Magee’s serves corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and a few sides from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. “We serve over a 1,000 pounds of corned beef that day!” The Farmers Market goes full Irish, as Call explains, “There’s live music (bagpipes) and green beer!” Established in 1969, Molly Malone’s is known for live music, but on St. Pat’s, they really rock—with a bagpiper and live bands playing rock ‘n’ roll from noon till 2 a.m. Brew-slinging starts at 6 a.m. According to manager Ernesto Sanchez, about 1,200 people are served, fueled by corned beef and Irish stew!

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Chefs in the Mile share kitchen secrets

Bars in the Mile (Continued from page 18) The Mint was established in 1937 and has showcased some of the music industry’s greatest musicians over the years. Whether you’re catching a show or just enjoying the atmosphere, The Mint serves up tapas-style cuisine and live music every night of the week. 6010 West Pico Blvd. 323-954-9400 Communal seating and a $6 happy hour menu every night of the week makes Ras-

young and old, rich and poor, everybody!” Chef Manzke’s cooking reflects that diversity, serving both rotisserie chicken with fingerling potatoes and black kale, and salmon crudo with celery root, pink pomelo, smoked sesame and tangerine dashi. “If I have any secret weapon, it’s the farmers’ markets. I buy every fruit and vegetable there. I don’t work with recipes; I work with what’s fresh at the markets.” He frequents at least five different markets a week! ••• Karen Hatfield explains why she and her husband Quinn opened Odys + Penelope in the area. “In my view this is cal a popular bar and restaurant with the locals. Rascal’s Wednesday night Burger Bash and all-day Sunday happy hour are worth checking out. 801 S. La Brea Ave. 323-933-3229 Candela is a chic little restaurant specializing in authentic, tantalizing Mexican food in a relaxed atmosphere. With $1 tacos all-day Wednesday, it’s easy to see why this joint is a favorite with the locals. 831 S. La Brea Ave. 323-936-0533

the most central place in Los Angeles. It’s adjacent to everything! We love it here and feel very attached to the community.” She has no doubt about their secret weapon. “I stand near the front and I see it. People walk in, take a breath, and go ‘aaah!’” The meat and wood smoke fragrance emanating from two grills and a smoker is “captivating.” Apple, oak and almond wood provide unique aromas for their smoked lamb lettuce cups with green hummus, grilled trout with roasted fennel and beets, and dry-aged churrasco sirloin cap, crispy onions and horseradish potatoes.

••• “For me, being in the Miracle Mile is like being in the middle of nowhere, but the center of everything!” explains Eric Greenspan, whose The Roof on Wilshire has a prime view from atop The Hotel Wilshire. “We’ve got a great, diverse community. Relaxed. Not sceney like Hollywood; not posh like Beverly Hills. All ethnicities, age groups.” His secret weapon? “We cook almost everything on a griddle. We cook our fish on a griddle to get a crispy skin. We roast our steaks on one. I wave the flag of a good old-fashioned pancake griddle!” Besides branzino with fennel and oven dried cherry tomato, and filet

mignon with fingerling potatoes and salsa verde, Chef Greenspan does make pancakes on his griddle, too! ••• LACMA’s Ray’s and Stark Bar exemplifies both fine and food arts. Perhaps LACMA’s art inspires Executive Chef Fernando Darin to plate spaghetti alla chitarra with Santa Barbara sea urchin, finger limes and black garlic, and braised beef cheeks with carrots, roasted cippolinis and salsa verde. But he says his secret weapon is “Definitely vinegars and citrus. Finding balance is essential in cooking, and using the right acidity is fundamental. I have close to 15 different vinegars.”

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By Helene Seifer The Miracle Mile is known for its museums, but recently its artsy reputation extends to the art of food, as acclaimed chefs are helming restaurants along the corridor and cross streets. We asked a few of the best why they settled in this part of town and also to reveal their secret weapons in the kitchen. ••• “I feel like where I am is kind of the crossroads between neighborhoods,” République chef Walter Manzke states. He loves the proximity to Hancock Park, Koreatown, Hollywood and Beverly Hills. “We get such a diverse clientele;

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WORKING IN THE MILE (Continued from page 10)

'Black Dog' owner reflects “So, Black Dog it was,” he says. Gold’s love for canines doesn’t just end with a namesake. Not only is the café dogfriendly, but a portion of sales every Friday goes to support The Best Friends Animal Society. Gold also promotes in his monthly newsletter what he calls “adorable fur babies who are up for adoption” by the No-Kill Adoption Center. Gold says he’s grateful to have so many regular customers, and he credits customer service and quality ingredients as reasons for his success. He has three homemade soups on the menu that change daily, and a large selection of vegetarian and vegan options. But how’s the coffee? Black Dog uses organic and fair trad-

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ed coffee beans from Groundwork Coffee for its caffeinebased drinks and also offers the beans in one-pound bags, which can be ground to order. Visit blackdogcoffee.com.

Photographer, art director (Continued from page 10) urban area while still being able to have a house and a garden on a quiet street. Plus, it is easy access to downtown, the West Side, Beverly Hills and Hollywood. “My great grandparents got to Los Angeles in 1900, and living in the Miracle Mile– where my family established their roots–makes me really feel like I am always home. “The area’s 1930’s architecture, from Spanish to French chateau, make it visually interesting, a plus for a photographer.”

Vermont, by way of Mile His first book, however, takes a look at a different place: “Vermont, an Outsider’s Inside View.” The Emmy-award winning art director, artist and internationally exhibited photographer first visited the picturesque state when working on an independent film in 1998. He became friends with a seventh-generation Vermonter. “I realized that I needed to photograph the special world [he] was showing me—the real world of Vermonters who live and work there and love it,” he said. Funding the four-year project on a home equity loan, Rubin interviewed and snapped 20,000 photographs of the state’s inhabitants—from the state governor to its farmers, artists, mechanics, supreme court justices, waitresses and activists. “I had no plan—I photographed friends, and then

Personal coach helps clients lead happy, fulfilling lives Life coach Catherine Barron has helped people from all walks of life, online. “It’s a mobile-friendly business,” says Barron, Cochran Ave. The former property investment consultant had a friends of friends, and then strangers,” he said. The artistic journey took him to Verona, Italy, where he helped guide the printing for the project. The result is the coffee-table-sized, 228-page book featuring 200 color and black-and-white photographs, recently published by Fine Arts Press. “I believe my book will become a lasting, classic document of a very particular place and time, and also a record of perhaps what is being lost now in the United States—a sense of community,” he says.

spiritual awakening which inspired her to return to school to study psychology to help people CATHERINE have fulBARON filling lives that are generated by real, not superficial, “happiness,” she says. Successful people, those who want to be successful and others who have suffered for years—from grief, loss, separation or divorce—are among her clients. “I have helped clients break the cycles that control them; such as, obsessions, fears, shame or guilt. Many of these components keep people from growing into their full potential as a human being.” Sometimes they just need a little help in realizing their true “genius,” “hidden strength” and “magnificence,” she says. She enjoys visiting the Grove and patronizing other local spots. “I do walk everywhere, to eat, market, work out, and shop too; as there are many specialty and interesting places to buy from and see.” Visit her at yourtalktime.com.

Exciting changes are in the air in Sycamore Square Change is constant in Sycamore Square with new construction, new businesses, new housing and the Metro Purple Line. “The changes are exciting and will bring a lot to our neighborhood, we just have to survive the chaos in the meantime!” says Charla Gardner, president of the Sycamore Square Neighborhood Association. Lassens Natural Foods & Vitamins opened their doors in February. “The convenience of having a food store, with natural and organic options, within walking distance is great,” said Gardner. The Mansfield, a six-story, 138 unit mixed-use project at 5100 Wilshire Blvd., has a move-in ready completion date of October 2017. The Association is working to bring a city Historic Preservation Overlay Zone to the area, as just last month two homes were demolished on the 800 block of Citrus Ave. A hearing date is set for Wed., March 23 regarding an application for a 7-11 store to open at Olympic and La Brea for 24 hours operation and license to sell beer and wine. Visit sycamoresquare.org.

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locate funds for print advertising. Guest speakers A Los Angeles Fire Dept. community coordinator for Battalion 18, Chin Thammasaengsri, stressed the importance of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training for residents. The free program prepares citizens for

emergency and disaster situations. Thammasaengsri said new classes are starting across the city in March. More information is at cert-la.com. LAPD Wilshire Division Senior Lead Officer Inga Wecker was on hand to highlight a new tool available to Wilshire Division police officers—cameras attached to patrol vehi-

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Residents await next step in HPOZ As he travelled the neighborhood for work, he began to witness homes closer to his own being torn down one-byone. “I saw Beverly Grove homes being demolished, and it completely destroyed the character of the area.” Zecca decided that the historic architecture of the Miracle Mile neighborhood was too important to leave to developers whose primary motivation appears to be adding square footage. “There are three main reasons to establish an HPOZ,” says Zecca. “One, to protect the historic integrity of the neighborhood. Two, to protect multi-family units, which will help stabilize rents and save affordable housing. And three, to give the neighborhood a voice in local development.” In addition, Zecca points out that HPOZs stabilize neighborhood rental turnover rates and add to home values. “Housing built before 1978 is rent stabilized, so rents don’t increase dramatically when the lease is up. People stay longer instead of it being like a giant beehive with people zipping in-and-out (Please turn to page 24)

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(Continued from page 14) contributed generously to the cost of the survey, but more is needed. “The cost has been substantial but for a worthy cause,” says Zecca. Zecca was one of the first Miracle Mile residents to push for an HPOZ back in 2014. He realized that his neighborhood was in a “donut hole,” surrounded by other established HPOZ neighborhoods but left unprotected itself. “I knew that if we didn’t act, the developers were going to come after us,” says Zecca. Zecca moved from West Hollywood to the Miracle Mile in 2010. He loved the charming 1920s architecture and fell in love with an English Country style home that was painted pink on the interior. After years of restoration, his labor of love now reflects the home’s original character. “When I lived in West Hollywood, I witnessed the city tearing down every vestige of old Hollywood and it really upset me,” reflects Zecca. “If you erase history, why would anyone want to come to see the area anymore?” Zecca is a realtor for Keller Williams on Larchmont Blvd.

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(Continued from page 14) on May 1. Get out the vote Debating a motion that would allocate funds to promote the election, members of the Board’s Ad Hoc Elections Committee told the group they recommend using only Facebook advertising as the vehicle to communicate details to the general public. Board member Josh Paget led the charge saying “print media is a waste.” Paget’s assessment was met with fierce opposition, as other board members scoffed at the idea of voters—especially the elderly—heavily connected to social media. In the end, the Committee’s recommendations were ignored by the Board, who approved an amendment to al-

cles with accompanying audio recording boxes on the officers’ belts. The equipment is part of a program to increase the number of recording devices available to officers in the field. For more information on the Mid City West Community Council, visit midcitywest. org.

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News: Next step in HPOZ (Continued from page 23) each year, therefore, the residents are more invested in the area. Homeowners like stability, and an HPOZ gives them that.” During the city workshop process, which will occur after the survey is approved, the neighborhood THE AREA was unprotected from is encouraged to design its out-of-scale developments. own HPOZ “preservation plan,” which would encom- “ARG did a bio of each and pass all of the guidelines that every home to determine if property owners would have the house is a contributor or to follow when making cer- a non-contributor to the histain changes to their proper- toric significance of the neighties. For the Miracle Mile area, borhood. The firm also looked neighbors are mainly con- into the history of the neighcerned with McMansioniza- borhood itself. It found that tion and protecting the front Jewish retailers were not welfaçades of the original 1920s come in downtown L.A., so the homes. developer A.W. Ross, who de One of the most fascinating veloped the commercial strip parts of the HPOZ process, ac- on Wilshire Blvd., welcomed cording to Zecca, has been the them to open their upscale desdfsdf historical survey. partment stores in the Miracle

Mile. Other neighborhoods of the time had restrictive covenants outlawing Jews and other minorities from living in certain neighborhoods. This area was free of covenants, so Jewish families settled here.

CIM Group

That makes the Miracle Mile significant historically.” In the end, the completed survey found that 80 percent of all the homes and buildings surveyed were historic and worthy of preservation.

Miracle Mile Times — March 2016 —

applauds the

LAPD WILSHIRE DIVISION for its community outreach programs

Zecca hopes the HPOZ will gain final approval by March of 2017. “We have to think about the future,” he says presciently. “We need to preserve the neighborhood for future generations.”

Woodwards Sell Another Home in Miracle Mile

T

he Woodward Team, Mary, Andrew and John, have been assisting buyers and sellers in the area for more than 40 years. They know the area, live here, love it here.

The Woodwards attribute success to their ability to provide outstanding market strategies, negotiation skills and their knowledge of the Miracle Mile and surrounding neighborhoods.

and its service to the Wilshire Community, including the Miracle Mile and adjacent Brookside,

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Larchmont Chronicle

Miracle Mile 2016 25

29TH annual edition

Parade, Safety Summit on Civic agenda

KICKOFF FOR last fall for TarFest drew County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Chamber president Steve Kramer at LACMA.

Chamber expands borders, plans forum on area future The Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce is changing its name to reflect an expansion in the area it covers. The addition of “Greater” to the name indicates wider outreach to businesses from Pico Blvd. to Melrose Ave., Nor-

mandie Ave. to La Cienega Blvd. The organization, which was brought back to life by Stephen Kramer in 1993, provides resources for its members, advocacy for community issues and networking opportunities. Civic, state and county lead-

In Miracle Mile Exquisite Floral Arrangements & Plants for Every Occasion!

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By Jane Gilman A recent “Ceremony of Trees” brought together members of the Miracle Mile Civic Coalition to say farewell to the 82 mature trees that will be removed from the Wilshire Blvd. medians and parkways. “However,” said Lyn MacEwen Cohen, MMCC president, “we are so pleased that two of the palms have been replanted at Wilshire Police Station.” “We are also planning a Fourth of July patriotic parade to celebrate the nation’s birthday and to commemorate our organization’s 30th anniversary,” Cohen said. She added that a Safety Summit is planned in the next few months with the theme “cyber terrorism.” The summit draws key speakers from law enforceers have been featured speakers at Chamber meetings. The group is the originator of TarFest, a mixture of music and art events that is held free of charge at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum grounds each September. A forum on “The State of the Mile” will draw business leaders to the El Rey Theater on Thurs., May 12. The Chamber-sponsored event will address the future of the area as seen by museum, civic and business officials, said Meg McComb, executive director. Black Dog Café will cater the luncheon meeting, which begins at 11:30 a.m.

CEREMONY to say goodbye to median trees drew, left, Lyn MacEwen Cohen, Randy Murphy, Walter Marks III and Steve Rosenthal.

ment and military agencies. MMCC also plans an event to honor the victims of 9/11 on its 15th anniversary. “For his work with the Coalition, we

will honor Brad Burlingame who died recently. Our group works closely with First-In Fire Foundation to support first responders,” Cohen said.

26 Miracle Mile 2016

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Art, science and music programs are offered at various venues Whether your child wants to explore the Pleistocene era, hear stories, create art and music or watch movies and play games, you can find it at the following venues.

Libraries

Egg hunt, SAT prep, crafts Toddlers ages 18 months

to 3 years can enjoy stories, rhymes and songs on Wednesdays at 10:15 and 11 a.m. Teens can make dreamcatchers to hang up at home Tues., March 15 at 3:30 p.m. Children can attend the yearly egg hunt Thurs., March 24 at 3:30 p.m.

in

Other programs vary, but include craft, entertainment and education programs for kids, and craft, Student Smart SAT and college essay workshops for teens. Contact the branch for more information. Fairfax Library 161 S. Gardner St.

Rig inhtt heh♥ M miiR ra acclle eRoef e mMil ilee! !

323-936-6191 lapl.org/ branches/fairfax Storyteller, movies, games Families can enjoy an afternoon of stories and music about plants, animals and the natural world with a musical storyteller Wed., March 9. See Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” Mon., March 21 at 4 p.m. Other activities include teen council, craft programs, movies and game days. Contact the branch for a schedule. Memorial Library 4625 W. Olympic Blvd. 323-938-2732 lapl.org/branches/memorial • • •

Museums

Craft and knit Bring the family and learn how to emboss and paint on thin aluminum sheets to create metal art Sun., March 13 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. All skill levels are welcome to join the Yarn Bombing Los Angeles Knit Graffiti Collective monthly meeting Sat., March 19 from 2 to 5 p.m. CraftLab Workshops offered on the second Sunday of the month are appropriate for all ages. Craft & Folk Art 5814 Wilshire Blvd. 323-937-4230; cafam.org

Cathedral Chapel School • •Kindergarten through 8th8th grade Kindergarten through grade

FullyAccredited AccreditedWASC WASC WCEA • •Fully && WCEA Schoolwide4G 4GInternet Internet Access • •Schoolwide Access

• Honors Math Program Math Program • Honors Sports • CYO • CYO Sports Hot Lunch Program • • Hot Lunch Program Concern Counseling • Outreach • Outreach Concern Counseling • Extended Day Care • Extended Day Care Decathlon High Academic • Junior • Junior HighMusic Academic Decathlon Program • Instrumental

• 36 MAC Computer Lab • Spanish Program • Spanish School iPad Program • Middle Program • •Middle School iPad Program Departmentalized Junior High Classroom Art &Junior MusicHigh Program • NEW! State-of-the-Art • Instrumental Music Science ProgramLab • •Departmentalized • 36 MAC Computer Lab

• Classroom Art & Music Program

• Art Center & Science Lab

Please call for an Appointment.

©LC0315

2013 2nd Place Archdiocesan Academic Champions Morning Tours Available. 2013Tuesday 3rd Place AJHD State Champions

Art camp, brush painting Children from ages 3 to 17 can explore a variety of art activities at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in-

755South South Cochran Cochran Ave., L.A.L.A. 90036 755 Ave., 90036 Information(323) (323) 938-9976 938-9976 or ForFor Information or cathedralchapelschool.org cathedralchapelschool.org

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

School of Ballet

Cathedral Chapel School 755 S. Cochran Ave. Ph: 323-938-9976 Principal: Tina Kipp Grades: K to 8, 286 students cathedralchapelschool.org

Pre-Ballet to Pre-Professional Training in Russian Style Classical Ballet & Contemporary Ballet

Hancock Park Elementary 408 S. Fairfax Ave. Ph: 323-935-5272 Principal: Ashley Parker Grades: K to 5, 800 students hancockparkschool.com Wilshire Crest Elementary 5241 W. Olympic Blvd. Ph: 323-938-5291 Principal: Carolyn Mayes Grades: K to 5, 292 students

Visit our website for online registration For the Spring Semester

Wilshire Private School 4900 Wilshire Blvd. Ph: 323-939-3800 Principal: Edward Shin Grades: K to 6, 50 students MIDDLE SCHOOLS

©LC0315

Dance Arts Academy, 731 S. La Brea Ave. (S. of Wilshire)

323-965-0333

Day camp, critters, puppets Kids in grades kindergarten to four can attend Adventures in Nature spring day camp Mon., March 21 through Fri., March 25, where they can have hands-on experiences with plants and animals. Other activities are critter clubs for children ages 3 to 5 and junior scientist clubs for kids ages 6 to 9, where youngsters can learn about spiders, flies, butterflies and other critters. The “Ice Age Encounters” puppet show features a puppet saber-tooth cat and her kitten Nibbles. Performances are Saturdays and Sundays. Check website for schedule. Page Museum 5801 Wilshire Blvd. 323-857-6300; tarpits.org Puppies, art, culture Children can hear stories (Please turn to page 27)

School Directory

Marat Daukayev

Girls’ and Boys’ classes Ages 3 and up beginning to advanced levels www.maratdaukayev.com

cluding drawing, painting, sculpture, and more. Internships for high school students are also offered. The Boone Children’s Gallery in the Hammer Building is a free creative space where visitors of all ages are invited to learn the art of East Asian brush painting Saturdays and Sundays starting at 10 a.m. Check the website for a schedule of classes. Los Angeles County Museum of Art 5905 Wilshire Blvd. 323-857-6000; lacma.org

Fusion Miracle Mile 5757 Wilshire Blvd. 1st Floor Promenade 323-692-0603 Principal: Katheryn Nguyen

Grades: 6 to 12, 25 one-onone students fusionacademy.com John Burroughs 600 S. McCadden Pl. Ph: 323-549-5000 Principal: Steve Martinez Grades: 6 to 8, 2,200 students burroughsms.org NEW LA CHARTER 1919 S. Burnside Ave. 323-939-6400 Principal: Brooke Rios Grades: 6 to 8, 300 students. newlosangeles.org HIGH SCHOOLS Fairfax 7850 Melrose Ave. Ph: 323-370-1200 Principal: Carmina Nacorda Grades: 9 to 12, 2,000 students fairfaxhs.org Los Angeles 4650 W. Olympic Blvd. Ph: 323-900-2700 Principal: Helena Yoon-Fontamillas Grades: 9 to 12, 1,600 students lahigh.org

Larchmont Chronicle

Miracle Mile 2016 27

29TH annual edition

themed tea party or come to a craft fair at Whimsic Alley, scheduled every couple of months. Or book a birthday party or other event in the Great Hall. Call store for availability and schedule. Whimsic Alley 5464 Wilshire Blvd. 310-453-2370 facebook.com/whimsicalley

Basketball, swimming, funday Royal Basketball for ages 3 to 17 is on Mondays, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays 2 to 6 p.m. Family swim time is on Sundays from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. JExplorers is for kids learning about Jewish culture, religion and heritage through fieldtrips and other activities.

The Sunday Funday series has classes for youngsters from 18 months to 11-yearsold on soccer, cooking, painting, dancing and more. Contact WJCC for a schedule. Westside Jewish Community Center 5870 Olympic Blvd. 323-938-2531 westsidejcc.org

NATIONAL PUPPY day will be celebrated at Zimmer. Two kids exploring Camp Zimmer's Construction Zone area are on page 3.

Activities for children and teens (Continued from page 26) about women who have contributed to a more just world on National Women’s Day, Sun., March 6. Celebrate spring with Holi, the Hindi Festival of Colors Sun., March 13. Hang out with puppies for National Puppy Day Sun., March 20. All activities begin at 3 p.m. Other programs include an art studio and shadow play on Mondays; sing-a-longs on Tuesdays and Fridays; work with chalk on Wednesdays; story time is Thursdays; and exploring the world with your senses is Fridays. Zimmer Children’s Museum 6505 Wilshire Blvd., #100 323-761-8984 zimmermuseum.org

Other venues

Batman v. Superman, Lady Midnight book signing Cassandra Clare signs her new young adult release, “Lady Midnight,” a continuation of the Mortal Instruments series, Tues., March 8 at 7 p.m. Teens on up can celebrate the upcoming “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Injustice” movie Sat., March 19 at 7 p.m. There will be a trivia event sponsored by DC Entertainment with prizes and giveaways. Call store or check website for other events. Barnes & Noble 189 The Grove Dr., Ste. K 30

323-525-0270 barnesandnoble.com Parades, music, crafts Bring the family to the Wags and Walks pet adoption event Sat., March 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hear bagpipes and eat corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day Thurs., March 17 starting at 12:30 p.m. Other family activities include live music, parades and other activities the rest of the year, usually centered on holiday and seasonal events. Check calendar online for schedule. Farmers Market 6333 3rd St. farmersmarketla.com Games, toys, events Arguably the oldest toy store on the Mile, Kip’s Toyland carries a selection of classic and retro toys. They also have a yearly toy drive. Kip’s Toyland, Farmers Market 6333 W. 3rd St., Stall 720 323-939-8334 kipstoyland.com Toy launches Youngsters can partake in seasonal parties and events at Miracle Mile Toys. Contact the store for more information. Miracle Mile Toys 5363 Wilshire Blvd. 310-651-1414 miraclemiletoys.com Tea parties, craft fairs All ages can partake in a

Art Deco explored on Mile tour The changing profile of Mir- Auto Supply, now the Interacle Mile will be highlighted national House of Pancakes,” by the Art Deco Society of Los said Lynxwiler. The DominAngeles’ tour guez-Wilshire Sat., April 23 at building was 10 a.m. named after its The two-hour developers, the tour begins at Dominguez famthe Stiles Clemily, heirs to the ents-designed, land grant given black and gold in California by terra cotta bank King Carlos III building at 5209 of Spain. Wilshire Blvd. Project archi “Along the tects were Morwalk we’ll see gan, Walls & Clewhat remains of the Art Deco ON TOUR, the Domin- ments. Lynxwiler n e i g h b o r h o o d guez-Wilshire building. is co-author of and review how it’s changing. Landmarks “Wilshire Boulevard: Grand include the former Sontag Concourse of Los Angeles.” Drugs, Dominguez-Wilshire, Tickets must be ordered in Wilshire Tower, and Western advance. Visit adsla.org.

Summer school built around you. On your time. At your pace. For fun or for credit. To catch up, get ahead, or make up a grade. Taught just for you - one-to-one - always. Summer at Fusion doesn’t take away your summer fun. Our flexible scheduling allows you to attend classes on your schedule. Go on vacation, sleep in, or come to class early - whatever works for you. Each class is one teacher and one student per classroom, allowing for a completely personalized summer school. Contact us to learn about our unique summer programming. Fusion Miracle Mile 323.692.0603 5757 Wilshire Blvd. Promenade 1 Los Angeles, CA 90036

28 Miracle Mile 2016

Miracle Mile Real Estate

HOME ON Sierra Bonita Ave. was listed for $1,549,000.

The following is a list of some homes currently for sale or recently sold.* 748 S. Cloverdale Ave. 801 S. Burnside Ave. 922 S. Sierra Bonita Ave. 916 S. Masselin Ave. 907 S. Hauser Blvd. 854 S. Dunsmuir Ave. 5826 W. Olympic Blvd., #PH 402

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

$2,600,000 1,699,000 1,549,000 1,395,000 1,137,000 1,090,000 999,000 *List prices.

Miracle Mile Apartments Following is a list of many apartment buildings in and around the Miracle Mile area. It is not exhaustive. Write to info@ larchmontchronicle.com with additions or corrections. Call the numbers listed to get information on units available to rent. All are ZIP Code 90036 unless noted. Avalon Wilshire 5115 Wilshire Blvd. 864-558-2875 Broadcast Center Apartments 7660 Beverly Blvd. 323-594-8180 Burnside Villas 649 S. Burnside Ave. 818-430-4109 Carthay Circle Apts. 6209-6225 Olympic Blvd., 90048 877-671-1579; 323-936-3793 Cochran Apartments 657–665 S. Cochran Ave. 844-560-1982 Cochran Island Apartments

342 S. Cochran Ave. 323-932-0450 Cochran House 740 S. Cochran Ave. 323-606-8720; 844-782-0223 The El Rey Apartments 660 S. Cloverdale Ave. 323-243-1365 HPG Miracle Mile 318 S. Detroit St. 213-634-1581 Linda Manor Apartments 456 S. Cochran Ave. 844-739-2871; 310-430-2973 Masselin Park West 5700 6th St. 877-392-8602 Micropolitan at Urban Lights 739 S. Ogden Dr. 213-805-6143 Museum Garden Metro 5353 Wilshire Blvd. 213-893-8501 Museum Terrace 600 S. Curson Ave. 213-893-8486; 323-931-9583

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Palazzo Communities 348 S. Hauser Blvd. 844-807-8617 Palm Court Apts. 740 S. Burnside Ave. 323-930-2564 The Preston 630 S. Masselin Ave. 213-893-8491 Ridgeley Apartments 649 Ridgeley Dr. 877-362-8150 Oakwood Miracle Mile 5659 W. 8th St. 323-931-5659 Tiffany Court 616 Masselin Ave. 323-937-5737 Wilshire Embassy Apts. 5805 W. 8th St. 323-933-6020 109 N. Sycamore Ave. 323-665-1700 632 S. Cloverdale Ave. 310-933-4191 630 Hauser Blvd. 844-591-4029 640-641 S. Detroit St. 310-425-9070 806 S. Detroit St. 323-957-2255 908 S. Detroit St. 310-271-2229 5550 Wilshire Blvd. 818-334-8926 5600 Wilshire Blvd. 877-620-0664; 323-937-0306 5880-5882 W. 8th St. 310-425-9070 6300 W. Olympic Blvd., 90048 310-425-9070 6526 W. Olympic Blvd., 90048 310-425-9070

Directory of elected officials Sen. Barbara Boxer 312 N. Spring St., Ste. 1748 213-894-5000 boxer.senate.gov Sen. Dianne Feinstein 11111 Santa Monica Blvd. Ste. 915, 310-914-7300 feinstein.senate.gov Rep. Karen Bass 4929 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 650
 323-965-1422 karenbass.house.gov State Senator Ben Allen 26th District 2512 Artesia Blvd., #320 Redondo Beach, CA 90278 310-318-6994 sd26.senate.ca.gov County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl 500 W. Temple St., #821
 213-974-3333 supervisorkuehl.com Councilman David E. Ryu 200 N. Spring St., 
Rm. 425 213-473-7004 davidryu.lacity.gov 351 N. BEVERLY DRIVE | BEVERLY HILLS

GEARYS.COM

Councilman Paul Koretz 200 North Spring St., Rm. 440 213-473-7005 cd5.lacity.org

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Miracle Mile 2016 29

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30 Miracle Mile 2016

NEWS: MMRA (Continued from page 14) phone they don’t connect at all,” Hixon explains. While spearheading fullspeed into the future, the group stays close to the Mile’s early 20th-century roots. It boasts a 500-photo archive that helped drive a record 120,000 visitors to its website last year, said Hixon. A recent comment on the site was posted from a former employee at Ohrbach’s, who recalled “dealing with” Joan Crawford in the department store (now the Petersen Museum). Almost every week someone remembers going to Du-Par’s (still a Farmers Market favorite) or a Van de Kamp’s bakery on Wilshire (now Rite Aid), adds Hixon. In other news, the group is on a first-name basis with its one-time foe, Metro. “We had a bumpy year and a half, especially about night-

Ken Hixon behind the camera.

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

time utility relocation,” said Hixon. Problems arose when Metro began construction on its Purple Line subway extension. The group quickly mobilized and mounted a petition drive. Coming of age in the 1960s, when civil unrest was the norm, comes in handy, said Hixon. “We learned to be assertive back in the 60s,” Hixon says of his fellow board members. Metro officials found a savvy group, who did their home work, studying environmental reports and construction analyses. Their hard work paid off… and continues to pay off. They meet every six to eight weeks with Metro officials on ongoing construction plans and how best to minimize the effects on the neighborhood. “They have to be at the top of their game,” Hixon says. After all, members of the MMRA are at the top of theirs. The group formed in the early 1980s when planned twin office towers would have encroached into the residential area. Several developments later, they haven’t looked back. “You don’t want to see my files,” laughs MMRA president James O’Sullivan. Visit miraclemilela.com.

Playground dedicated at Wilshire Green Park Privately owned Wilshire Green Park got a huge public benefit when it was outfitted recently with new playground equipment. The new modern equipment, padded ground covering, and a new fence drew rave reviews from the nearly dozen children who attended the dedication ceremony. Miracle Mile Residential Association President James O’Sullivan and Caria Gorman, Wilshire Courtyard property manager, officiated at the ribbon-cutting held in January at the park on 8th St. behind the Wilshire Courtyard complex. The playground was in need of updating, and the original fence was corroded and unstable. Tishman Speyer, owner of Wilshire Courtyard, spent $70,000 on the repairs and improvements. Tishman Speyer and the Miracle Mile Residential Association co-manage the park created in the early 1980s by Wilshire Courtyard developer Jerry Snyder and the MMRA as a buffer between the twoblock long office complex and the adjacent residential area. Calvin Hamilton The playground is named in honor of former city Planning Director Calvin Hamilton who

FROM LEFT Caria Gorman, Wilshire Courtyard property manager; James O’Sullivan, MMRA president; and Desiree Cirrincione, director, Tishman Speyer. Photos by Ken Hixon

helped facilitate the negotiations. Hamilton established the “Centers Concept” portion of the city General Plan that is directing real estate developments around subway stations in Hollywood, and soon, the Miracle Mile. MMRA’s beginnings At the dedication ceremony, O’Sullivan related how the area’s residential association was created to combat the original plans of Wilshire Courtyard, which featured twin office towers with minimal set-back from the residential area. O’Sullivan paid tribute to the MMRA’s founding president, Lynn Cohen, and devel-

PARK’S NEW playground got an a-okay from area youth.

oper Jerry Snyder for mitigating the impacts of the project by building the park that has proved to be such an enduring asset to the neighborhood. Ken Hixon contributed to this article.

Melissa Levinson shops all over the world so that you don’t have to.

Please come visit our two showrooms on La Brea Avenue. We are also thrilled to announce that the Grand Opening of our new 6,000 sq.ft. showroom on Jefferson Blvd. in the spring. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more details.

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©LC0316

Regular buying trips make it possible to find something perfectly suited for your needs.

Larchmont Chronicle

29TH annual edition

Miracle Mile 2016 31

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32 Miracle Mile 2016

29TH annual edition

Larchmont Chronicle

SHOP DINE REL A X … M AKE MEMORIES

N O R D S T R O M • B A R N E Y S N E W Y O R K • A M E R I C A N G I R L P L A C E • T O P S H O P T O P M A N • A P P L E • C O A C H • PA I G E • N I K E T H E G R O V E U G G ® A U S T R A L I A • J .C R E W • J .C R E W M E N S S H O P • A N T H R O P O L O G I E • G A P • M I C H A E L KO R S • S P L E N D I D • AT H L E TA LUCY ZAHRAN & CO • MADEWELL • VINCE • M·A·C COSMETICS • HONEST BEAUT Y • FRESH • SEPHORA • BARNES & NOBLE S E E ’ S C A N D I E S • S P R I N K L E S C U P C A K E S • T H E W H I S P E R R E S TA U R A N T & L O U N G E • U M A M I B U R G E R B A R V E R D E AT N O R D S T R O M • L A P I A Z Z A R I S T O R A N T E I TA L I A N O • B L U E R I B B O N S U S H I B A R & G R I L L COMING SUMMER 2016: SHINOL A

1 8 9 T H E G R O V E D R I V E • L O S A N G E L E S , C A L I F O R N I A 9 0 03 6 • 3 2 3 -9 0 0 -8 0 8 0 • T H E G R O V E L A .C O M

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