Hot on the heels of recent community discussions on two proposed ED1 (Mayor Bass’ Executive Directive 1) affordable housing projects in Larchmont Village at 507 N. Larchmont Blvd. and in the Windsor Village Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) at 800 S. Lorraine Blvd., the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) held a Housing and Historic Preservation Roundtable at City Hall on Feb. 22. The roundtable was to discuss the ACHP’s new Housing and Historic Preservation Policy Statement and to identify opportunities to implement its principles through local and statewide approaches.
Participants were divided evenly between preservation officials / advocates and YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) scholars and champions.
The former included California State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) Julianne Polanco, Los Angeles Office of Historic Preservation Principal Planner Ken Bernstein and Los Angeles Conservancy President and CEO Adrian Scott Fine. From the wide-open-development side were Terner Center for Housing Innovation Policy Director David Garcia,
UCLA Lewis Center Housing Initiative Project Manager
Shane Phillips and Local and Regional Policy Programs Director for CAL YIMBY Aaron Eckhouse. ACHP Chair Sara C. Bronin and ACHP Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee Chair Charles “Sonny” Ward moderated the discussion.
Tension in the room
There was a distinct tension in this arrangement as team YIMBY which, having wrested the machinery of state government to override community planning interests and weakened local control, had to reckon for the first time with the institutional strength of historic preservation at the federal, state and local levels.
The policy statement under discussion presented common sense steps seeking to encourage preservation solutions in solving the housing crisis, such as adaptive reuse of commercial buildings as well as consideration of historic resources even in planning review expedited to encourage development. In the zero-sum thinking of the YIMBY camp, such nuance is rather a foreign concept. In that movement’s public posturing, historic preservation is framed as elitist; neighbor-
On Preservation
by Brian Curran
hood “character” is mocked; historic houses and buildings are seen as impediments to greater density; and historic districts reinforce inequity.
The discussion started with the topic of the adaptive reuse of historic commercial buildings. That is a strategy, Ken Bernstein pointed out, at which Los Angeles has excelled. Park Mile in our community is now seeing a number of these projects. Bernstein also pointed out that, in post-pandemic Los Angeles, there exist the equivalent of 30 City National Plazas of vacant commercial space in the city, a seemingly enormous opportunity for new housing. Challenges to such adaptive reuse include high property costs, floor plates that may be too deep and the need for seismic upgrades. David Garcia of UC Berkeley’s Terner Center said that financial incentives would have to be provided to overcome these issues to allow new projects
to pencil out, particularly for affordable projects.
Dissension
The discussion found its fault line on the topic of historic districts and older neighborhoods. Adrian Scott Fine of the Los Angeles Conservancy called for the protection of naturally occurring affordable housing, i.e. historic apartments; and he asked, “How do we further densify historic neighborhoods without hurting communities?” Ken Bernstein suggested design guidelines were the best tool, however city planners’ hands have been tied due to state legislation such as Senate Bill (SB) 330, which prohibited anything but objective design standards. Bernstein did mention, cheerfully, that 500 permits had been granted for ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) in the 35 HPOZs in Los Angeles, a vital source of new housing.
Shane Philips of the UCLA Lewis Center would give no quarter to the idea of design guidelines, “You can’t have it all,” he said. “These are competing interests. Beautifully designed or affordable.”
SHPO Julianne Polanco pointed out that “if preservation is a community value, we
need to learn to work together.” Aaron Eckhouse of CAL YIMBY responded that perhaps some exemptions would be appropriate. However, he said, a much more critical view of what we preserve would be required.
ACHP Chair Bronin suggested that maybe cities could be given a “land budget,” an allocation of land set aside for preservation, to which UCLA’s David Garcia responded that this might work if cities had better data to help understand opportunities for adaptive reuse and quantify the amount of land and structures that are currently designated. (Los Angeles actually has such a tool in its own Historic Places LA database, which identifies all recorded historic resources and potential districts.)
Not encasing in amber
The discussion concluded with the basic understanding that historic preservation was a community value that had to be taken into account in the planning and development of new housing. However, YIMBYs argued that since the majority of historic resources were centrally concentrated in areas with the best transit and resources, flexibility is required. Historic districts
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Do you love your neighborhood, your quaint street with leafy trees and houses that date back to the early years of the last century?
So do Wall Street investors and real estate developers and brokers.
It’s time to stand up, again, to defend your turf. That’s the message local homeowner groups relayed to area residents last month.
“Our historic homes and our many, many affordable rent-controlled apartments are imminently threatened by a proposed ordinance that would make permanent Mayor Karen Bass’ Executive Directive 1 (ED 1),” Miracle Mile Residential Association President Greg Goldin wrote in a March email blast.
Development issues
There are two, related, real estate development issues that are very topical at this time. The first relates to the Executive Directive cited by Goldin. The purpose of ED 1 is to encourage the construction of 100 percent affordable housing. Mayor Bass signed that decree soon after she took office in December 2022.
The second issue involves the Dept. of City Planning’s “Housing Element Rezoning
800 LORRAINE at the corner of Eighth Street and Lorraine Boulevard, next to historic single-family houses in the Windsor Village HPOZ, is being proposed by a developer seeking to build pursuant to the mayor’s Executive Directive 1 (ED 1).
Program” that consists of several different implementation programs, including the Citywide Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) that, itself, will be implemented through one or more zoning code amendments being developed now (2023-2025).
CHIP anticipates the use of “incentives” that, according to the Planning Department, “will not modify the underlying zoning of a property, but will instead offer density, floor area, height, parking, and other incentives in exchange for providing on-site affordable housing units.” Although the
“OPPORTUNITY AREA” sites envisioned by city planners within the boundaries of the GWNC.
underlying zoning may not be changed, it appears that the results for the property owner and its neighbors will be the same as if it were.
ED1 replacement
As originally issued in late 2022, ED 1 — the mayor’s fast-track process for bureaucratic review of “100 percent affordable” housing construction applications — has been seen to result in existing low-density, low-height buildings potentially being dwarfed by six-story tall buildings proposed to be built next door, wrote Goldin.
He says that almost everyone he knows is onboard with the ED 1 goal to create affordable housing; it’s the method that’s in question, he adds.
“The mayor’s emergency decree was hastily drawn, with [unintended] huge loopholes for developers,” Goldin continued.
Several City Council committees are scheduled to review a draft ordinance that would formalize ED 1 as a permanent law. Depending upon how things go in the City Council review process, the new ordinance will affect
projects in neighborhoods within the Larchmont Chronicle circulation area, such as a seven-story housing project proposed at 507 N. Larchmont Blvd. and a six-story building proposed at 800 S. Lorraine. Neighborhood associations are urging residents to join in requesting City Council members to amend the ED 1 draft ordinance to require: protections for historic districts, 15-foot setbacks for tree planting, increased fire protection measures and more. Learn about reviewing
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City housing
(Continued from Page 3) the ED 1 ordinance at: tinyurl.com/ycypx5sm.
Housing Element rezoning
Los Angeles city planning employees currently on staff seek to change entirely the city’s urban design. They seek to do this through draft ordinances proposed to implement the revised Housing Element of the City of Los Angeles General Plan.
The staff’s CHIP “incentive” program includes draft ordinances and rules aimed to increase housing along major streets and in areas with access to public transit. The programs also encourage affordable housing on underutilized city properties and lands owned by religious organizations.
United Neighbors
Last year, the City Planning Dept. finally started to allow some community involvement with its zoning undertakings. Numerous Greater Wilshire-area neighborhood associations are among the many groups throughout California who are allied with United Neighbors (UN), a statewide coalition of renters, homeowners and community organizations. UN with community groups created new maps in response to the Housing Element maps originally released by the Planning
Dept. in March 2023, showing the city planners where density could be added in each community without the need to rezone single-family and sensitive multi-family zones. UN’s efforts bore fruit, and the community groups celebrated the removal of single-family rezoning overlays from the most recently released Housing Element maps.
Webinars
The most recent CHIP maps, uploaded for public review in late January of this year, together with draft ordinances released in March, are extremely complicated.
The Planning Dept. has scheduled webinars on Housing Element Rezoning for March 28 and 30. Webinars on the Housing Element Rezoning Program Ordinances are scheduled for April 2 and 9. Learn more about, and sign up for, the webinars at: tinyurl.com/ynkxwuxz.
You may view your block on the Planning Department’s new interactive maps, online. Be patient, the parcels and colors take time to populate. Images accompanying this article are exemplary screen shots — of just the neighborhoods within and around the boundaries of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council (GWNC) — taken from the department’s website: tinyurl.com/4xydrwdy.
The blocks surrounding the intersection of Melrose and Western avenues have undergone a real estate boom in the last few years. Closed storefronts have been replaced by restaurants, art galleries and other upscale businesses. The district is called Melrose Hill. In truth, the historic Melrose Hill neighborhood of Craftsman and Colonial Revival homes is east and north of that intersection. Inaccurate nomenclature aside, most agree that the changes are welcome. Rejuvenating any area takes a team of talent, but the driving force behind the ongoing effort is real estate developer Zach Lasry.
Lasry moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to become a filmmaker. He made a few short films but ultimately decided to work in real estate. “The instinct is very similar,” Lasry notes, in that collaborating with the
right people is key to success. He says that, too often after a walkable district gets popular, it gets corporate. Lasry says, “I thought, I’ll buy buildings and make it work with creative, independent people who will introduce other people into the mix.”
Zach formed an investment team of family and friends, including his father, Marc
Lasry, co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. With funding ready, he just needed properties and a plan.
In 2018, he was introduced to Tyler Stonebreaker, the founder, owner and CEO of Creative Space, a real estate service that devises business plans and helps find buildings that suit clients’ needs. The firm specializes in adaptive
Kristen
and
reuse and historic preservation. The gallery Hauser & Wirth had been a client.
“I was introduced to help Zach figure out what to do once he bought buildings,” says Stonebreaker. He also helped Lasry get his son into Wagon Wheel preschool. They started looking for possible locations to create a walkable commercial district and analyzed existing ones for ideas.
“We spent time on Larchmont,” Stonebreaker explains, noting that zoning restrictions and high rents were limitations they wanted to avoid. They asked, “What would be desirable to Hancock Park residents that Larchmont isn’t serving?”
When driving to visit his now wife in the Larchmont Village area, Lasry noticed the historically intact buildings along Western and Melrose avenues and was surprised that, “Somehow these buildings had not been ripped down.” Both Lasry and Stonebreaker liked its
central location near Hancock Park, Virgil Village and Los Feliz. Lasry bought 15 buildings along that intersection.
Populating them was a combination of coincidences and connections and making use of the fact that the area north of Melrose was designated a Federal Opportunity Zone to incentivize private investment. As Stonebreaker says, “The money has to be spent, so let’s help young entrepreneurs.”
Noah Holton-Raphael, Jack Biebel and Max Bahramipour, three New Jersey childhood friends, were making Italian-style deli sandwiches out of a cloud kitchen (commercial rental kitchen providing online orders only) on South Normandie Avenue when a mutual family friend, who was interning at Creative Space, introduced them to Stonebreaker who, in turn, introduced them to Lasry. Lasry invited them to join the Melrose Hill commu-
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nity, giving them a deal on the rent and building out the space to order. Ggiata opened in 2021.
The Ggiata group then introduced Zach to a fried chicken chef from the same cloud kitchen, and Le Coupé joined Melrose Hill [see On the Menu in this issue of the Larchmont Chronicle]. Other food establishments on the Hill include Organica, Café Telegrama, Italian restaurant Ètra (in which Stonebreaker is a partner), Filipino grill Kuya Lord [see On the Menu, in the Aug. 2022 issue of the Larchmont Chronicle], whose chef, Lord Maynard Llera, is a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef, and the soon-to-launch Bar Etoile from the owner of wine shop Domaine LA.
Other additions to the neighborhood are Pop Up Home, a curated collection of vintage furniture which, in 2023, was featured in “House Beautiful” and “Architectural Digest,” and L.A. Grocery & Cafe, a farmers’ market-driven grocery and deli due to launch by the end of April. Vessel Performance, a private training and physical therapy gym, is in the works.
Art galleries have quickly joined the community, with many owners mentioning the beauty of the historic architecture and proximity to both east side and Downtown artists and westside buyers. The New York-based gallery David Zwirner opened on Western Avenue after its senior director, Robert Goff, who lives in Beachwood Canyon and whose children now attend St. James Episcopal School, was scouting a location for a small Los Angeles outpost. He took his child to a playdate with another child from The Oaks School in Hollywood, whose father was Tyler Stonebreaker. “[Tyler] drove me around to see possible
(Continued from Page 2) should not be “frozen,” they argued, so as to allow different housing types that would be sympathetic to their historic environments.
A concession of sorts, but it neglected once again to grapple with the issue of design guidelines, which would be necessary for such development to be integrated successfully.
It was an interesting day that provided much needed “official” response to YIMBYs’ usual caricatures of preservationists and the preservation community. Let’s hope it leads to further discussion and understanding that preservation is about preserving what is best and significant in our city, not encasing it in amber.
The ACHP’s Housing and Historic Preservation Policy Statement can be read here: tinyurl.com/mazu6cu7.
TELEGRAMA is an eatery open until mid-afternoon on the west side of Western Avenue, just north of Melrose.
places,” and Melrose Hill was chosen. The gallery, which Goff runs with Alex Tuttle, will soon expand into adjacent buildings, also owned by Zach Lasry.
Other galleries in Lasry buildings include Sargent’s Daughters, Clearing, Mexico’s Morán Morán, and South Africa’s Southern Guild — making for a compact art walk. However, Western Avenue is a long, wide, busy street that lacks the charm and ease of Larchmont Boulevard, and it is still considered gritty, making some visitors cautious about spending time there.
Lasry is working on that. He
MORNING finds lively diners inside Café Telegrama.
has paid for a security patrol and a janitorial service which keeps sidewalks and alleyways clean. Street parking is tough there, so he arranged for the nearby Bank of America to allow for free public parking. Lasry is also working with the city by offering to pay for additional crosswalks, streetlights and medians. A crosswalk at the intersection of Clinton Street and Western Avenue is scheduled to be constructed in the summer.
Not every real estate owner can or will finance things like sanitation crews and medians. Many will not make
POP UP HOME, on the east side of Western Avenue, just south of Melrose, features vintage furniture and objects discovered by Tricia Benitez Beanum and her team.
certain that the architectural integrity of the structures is maintained. Many will not give young entrepreneurs a chance. But those are very good ways to build community.
Right: DAVID ZWIRNER displays art in adjoining gallery buildings (two from the 1930s and one just designed for him by Selldorf Architects) at the northeast corner of Western Avenue and Clinton Street.
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Paul R. Williams, FAIA, French Normandy masterpiece at 601 Lorraine is now available for the first time in almost 60 years. Originally built in 1932 for the William Collins family and acquired in 1966 by the Lee Chase family, who still owns it today. The curb appeal is stately and undeniably Paul Williams. The classic entry showcases Paul’s signature winding staircase creating a dramatic and
Paul R. Williams, AIA, French Normandy masterpiece at 601 Lorraine is now available for the first time in almost 60 years. Originally built in 1932 for the William Collins family and acquired in 1966 by the Lee Chase family who still owns it today. The curb appeal is stately and undeniably Paul Williams. The classic entry showcases Paul’s signature winding staircase creating a dramatic and elegant impression that carries you back to the Golden Age of Hollywood. The banister looks as spectacular as it did in 1932 and is rumored to have been carved on-site during construction. The grand-scale living room has high ceilings, crown molding, and Paul’s famous indooroutdoor flow with double doors to the backyard.
assisted them in this endeavor. Offering almost 5000 square feet of living space with 5 bedrooms 5 bathrooms, and over an 18,000 square foot lot, this stately property is ready to be restored, remodeled, or reimagined. Included in many publications, the Chase Residence was given a Landmark Award from the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society in 1994. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to own a true piece of Southern California architectural history.
The library/den has the original paneling and a hidden bar accessed by a secret panel to hide spirits during prohibition. In 1967 the Chase Family wanted to remove a wall in the kitchen that separated the butler’s pantry. Mr. Williams assisted them in this endeavor. Offering almost 5000 square feet of living space with 5 bedrooms 5 bathrooms, and over an 18,000 square foot lot this stately property is ready to be restored, remodeled, or reimagined. Included in many publications, the Chase Residence was given a Landmark Award from the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society in 1994. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to own a true piece of Southern California architectural history. offered at $5,488,000
323-422-7886
richard.battaglia@compass.com
DRE# 01493474
CAFÉ
Photo by Tyler Stonebreaker
n Neighbors responding to draft ideas
By John WelborneIn the March issue of the Larchmont Chronicle (and also via the Larchmont Buzz — “thank-you,” Buzz!), the very preliminary ideas about a possible central park(let) — being discussed by the board of directors of the Larchmont Boulevard Association (LBA) — were shared with the community.
The ideas were expressed in concept drawings prepared for the LBA by Jeffrey Smith and his team at JMS Design Associates. This landscape architecture firm came up with the drawings so the LBA could stimulate public discussion of the parklet concept and preliminary design approaches that might be used.
Details and background of the concept are in this newspaper’s March issue: tinyurl. com/4s7vsemz.
In response to the drawings presented, a number of readers
shared their thoughts, many of which comments follow here.
For example, Paulette Light Rake of Windsor Square wrote to LBA Beautification Committee chair Romi Cortier: “I just
read the Larchmont Chronicle article and wanted to reach out to say I think it looks amazing. Thanks for all you are doing to make it happen.”
Please continue to share
views on the central parklet concept by e-mail to the LBA: romicortier@me.com.
Farmers market
One commenter suggested these proposed permanent
improvements were being offered, “to benefit a few who go to the Sunday Farmers’ Market.” Not the case. The LBA goal, according to LBA
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Last month, the Chronicle reported that the Metro D Line Extension (the subway link between Western Avenue and Westwood) is on track to open in the spring of 2025. This Metro extension is big news for our area and has been a massive undertaking for all involved.
With the completion of tunneling (nine miles), the removal of temporary decking, the conclusion of major concrete pours and installa-
tion of a majority of track, much of the remaining work will center on interior design, electrical and mechanical elements and the installation of train control systems in stations and tunnels.
Work to complete the station entrance plazas at the Wilshire / Fairfax and Wilshire / La Brea stations is underway.
As Los Angeles leaders advocate for building a greener city, it is notable that Skanska, the project development
and construction company at the helm of Segment 1 (Western to La Cienega) of the extension project, recently deployed a fully electric (zero-emissions) compaction roller for construction activity at the Wilshire / Fairfax Station.
The roller is called a Hamm HD 12e VV, and it is one of just five units in North America being used before production of these rollers begins in earnest. The new roller is the second fully electric piece of equipment being piloted by Skanska in the D Line project.
Skanska is committed to reducing carbon emissions on its jobsites, and the company also competed a 90-day pilot project using an electric crawler excavator just down the street at the La Brea station site. The Volvo EC230 was used to load trucks with material being exported from the construction site. Accord-
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president John Winther, is “to benefit all merchants, customers, and visitors, seven days a week.” The focus the landscape renderers made on the Sunday market booths was only to insure that a Larchmont Central Park(let) would work for the market.
Melissa Farwell, a representative of the farmers’ market, has continued to review the evolving concept drawings and emphasizes that her company supports this parklet idea because it will be so valuable for the community without being a detriment when the market and its vendors are present two days a week. As Farwell observed previously, the seating and eating space also will benefit market shoppers. Recently, Farwell reaffirmed: “Everybody will benefit if this sort of parklet improvement can be made at the city parking lot.”
Some of the feedback received by Cortier came from the LBA’s Instagram account: • • •
“Not sure about taking away parking spots. How would that affect the local neighborhood? Traffic? We sure need more public seating / tables on Larchmont, but not sure if this is the best solu-
tion. Would love to see more details about it.”
• • •
“I love the idea! More green spaces can foster a stronger sense of community. However, I think the idea needs some refinement, especially considering how parking is always an issue in Larchmont. My concern is the traffic flow and ensuring that this initiative doesn’t negatively impact the businesses in the area.”
• • •
“There isn’t enough parking on Larchmont for all the
shoppers as it is. This will hurt businesses.”
• • • Keith Johnson, of the Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association (LVNA) area, posted: “Looking forward to making our Blvd more walkable and user friendly. Unfortunately it is a destination people drive to — to walk, shop and dine. I walk or pedal there; haven’t driven to the ‘Mont in years.”
Driveway safety, trash
Another resident in the LVNA area, wrote that, “My
husband and I have lived on Lucerne for going on 25 years now and have watched our community evolve over the years.
“I would be thrilled with the removal of that single parallel parking space on Larchmont. Many times I have seen drivers pulling out of that space so focused on the traffic pattern behind them that they almost collide with cars pulling out of the parking lot. I think this is a great use of this space. I’ve also had the pleasure of walking through Healdsburg and enjoyed how they have made their walkways more communal.
“My one concern with all the growth we have seen on the boulevard, especially with businesses that sell food items to-go, is the trash. It’s often we see careless people just leaving their trash near benches and the trash cans overflowing (although the bins with pull down handles I think do a good job to minimize this). If the outdoor areas aren’t technically assigned to any of these businesses, who will police the trash and perhaps people who take up residence longer than an intended coffee date or quick meal?
“I didn’t see this detail outlined in the Chronicle article, and I feel it’s an important
part of building something, because as they say, if you build it, they will come.”
Dining platforms
One Windsor Square neighbor, Suzanne Buhai, wrote to Cortier: “I see no need for this park. The logic of allowing people to sit and eat their take-out food, so that al fresco dining areas that are taking up parking spaces will surrender them, makes no sense to me. It seems at the heart of it, that some don’t like these al fresco areas. The street is lively now, those tables are filled, and Larchmont has not been this busy since I’ve been here (40+ years). People seem to love the al fresco dining.”
Tragedy of the commons
A concern was expressed by LVNA vice president Vince Cox: “Thanks for making the effort to think creatively about an important resource in Larchmont.
“Let’s start by contrasting the key difference between expanded restaurant seating and a new Central Park. The expanded seating is a remnant of COVID, and a recognition of the precarious economics of the restaurant business. The key fact, for our purposes, is that the restaurants have the right, ability, and incentive to carefully manage
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their precious space. I see no comparable mechanism for the proposed park space.
Parklets in urban spaces like Manhattan tend to be secured and managed by a private entity.
“The concept that comes to mind in connection with this proposal has become known as ‘the tragedy of the commons’ in the literature of economics and ecology. The idea is that an unmanaged public resource tends to be depleted by people who use the resource for short-
term gain. Examples include instances in which public green space is made available for free grazing by sheep or cattle, or maritime fish populations are opened to unrestricted harvest. Shortterm users benefit, and the resource is degraded or eliminated.
“Larchmont shopping district space is precious. Street vendors, political activists and solicitors, beggars, buskers, drug users, the mentally ill and the unhoused all have urgent short-term needs that Central Park will help them to address. Those needs conflict with the needs of people
By Suzan Filipek
Watch hundreds of butterflies flitter and shimmer around you at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County seasonal exhibit, “Butterfly Pavilion,” open through Aug. 25.
See 30 different species of shimmering butterflies as well as colorful native plants in an outdoor netted enclosure.
Visitors can walk among these colorful creatures and see all stages of their life cycle, from eggs to caterpillars
who hope to enjoy a serene, safe, and comfortable urban setting.
“It’s not fun for me to be Mr. Skeptic, but unless there is a legal right to regulate uses, and someone with the incentive and ability to systematically enforce that right, the planned Central Park will lower the quality of life on Larchmont Blvd. It will be a tragedy of the commons, and one more step in our sad transition from a high-trust to a low-trust community.”
Cleaning, programming Nora Houndalas, Windsor Square resident and former Boulevard proprietor of Le Petit Greek for decades (now running Greek Eats LA on Third Street), wrote: “I’ve always thought it would be a great idea to have a parklet. I love the drawings. Biggest difficulties will be in keeping it clean (maybe local school kids for community ser-
to chrysalises. Native species like the dark brown and yellow-fringed Mourning cloak, and the striking non-native Blue Morpho are among the varieties on display. Animal care specialists will be on site to answer questions.
Reservations for 30-minute timed tickets are required. Tickets are $8 per person in addition to the cost of general admission to the museum. The museum is at 900 Exposition Blvd. Free for members. Learn more at nhm.org.
vice rotate washing it down and picking up litter weekly) and sadly how will you
Transform fast-fashion waste into handmade weavings at Maker Night: Upcycled Weaving, a workshop with artist Sam Sklar at the Craft Contemporary on Thurs., April 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. The $12 fee includes materials. A family workshop, Upcycled Soft Sculptures, is with
artist Melora Garcia on Sun., April 14 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Space is limited. Advance tickets are required.
The Craft Contemporary is at 5814 Wilshire Blvd. Members are free. Visit craftcontemporary.org.
Earth Day in Focus: Arctic Indigenous Films, a program for families that will feature screenings of films by Arctic
keep homeless from camping there? But I absolutely love it.
“The trend for lunch over the past 15 years has been more grab and go — but let’s get people out of their offices or work-from-home life and under the open sky and trees — listen to the birds in those beautiful trees. Imagine board game days there and Rubix Cube or old-fashioned yoyo contests and lessons. Mahjong summer nights or chess day in the parklets. A quartet evening. Meet-your-neighbors coffee hour.
The list is endless. It’s a great idea! And it’ll leave alfresco for restaurants and not take-out places.”
As noted above, the LBA seeks more feedback on what is just a concept at this point. Write to: romicortier@me.com.
Indigenous filmmakers, is at the Academy Museum on Sun., April 21 and Mon., April 22.
The lands and people of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and parts of Russia will be featured. The program is supported by the Sámi Film Institute.
For more information visit academymuseum.org.
The Academy Museum is at 6067 Wilshire Blvd.
The Impressionists painted flowers and lush landscapes, and Rembrandt mastered selfportraits. Ed Ruscha’s palette, however, has been his adopted home, Los Angeles, depicting a mixture of commercial advertising, entertainment and the words and images of everyday American life.
Paintings of a can of Spam, a Standard gas station and the Hollywood sign are among some of his most iconic works. They are among the 250 paintings, drawings, prints, photos and books in “Ed Ruscha / Now Then,” the artist’s first retrospective exhibition in more than 20 years.
Much of Ruscha’s work draws on Southern California and its landscape. He arrived here in 1956 from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to study commercial art at what is now CalArts. He would ultimately merge his skills in graphic design and fine art, combining text and images to create his singular, modern style.
“Ed Ruscha is a defining figure of postwar American art and has drawn inspiration from Los Angeles for more than six decades,” Michael Govan, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director — and exhibition co-curator — said in a statement.
Ruscha’s exploration of photography took him to Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile for his work “Los Angeles County Museum Of Art on Fire” (1965–68). The black-and-white photo shows the William Pereira museum buildings engulfed in flames. The aerial perspective originated from a series of photographs taken from a helicopter.
Ruscha’s book “Thirtyfour Parking Lots in Los Angeles” (1967) features aerial views the artist directed of empty parking lots, including a blackand-white image of the former May Company on Wilshire. (It is now the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.)
Ruscha’s thick layers of paint outlining brand names aligned him with the Pop Art movement, such as his recreation of a can of Spam, titled “Actual Size,” partially named after an advertising term and also because objects in his paintings are often their actual size.
He took other familiar objects and transformed them into something new. In his painting of the 20th Century Fox production logo, he added his signature, a horizontal thrust making the image of the 20th Century Fox logo seem to loom out from the canvas.
His 1968 silkscreen on print, “Hollywood,” is composed of
billboard-size letters of the iconic sign on a horizon line, evoking the broad perspectives of the West Coast landscape.
The artist questions preconceived assumptions of language by breaking apart a three-letter word in his “Sin / Without,” 1990.
The exhibit has been co-organized by Govan and Christophe Cherix of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and their staffs. It was conceived in collaboration with the artist.
“Chocolate Room” (1970 / 2023) is a single-room installation Ruscha originally
created for the United States Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1970. Because of the fragile nature of its materials, the installation is being refabricated on-site by La Paloma Fine Arts studio in Los Angeles. We’re told the room will smell of chocolate.
“Ed Ruscha / Now Then” opens at BCAM at LACMA on Sun., April 7 and continues through Oct. 6. Visit lacma.org.
PARKING LOTS (May Company, 6067 Wilshire Blvd.) #25, 1967, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Ralph M. Parsons Discretionary Fund, © Ed Ruscha, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA
ACTUAL SIZE, 1962, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, anonymous gift through the Contemporary Art Council, © Ed Ruscha, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA
Girls who attend Girls Academic Leadership Academy (GALA) will start the 20242025 school year at a new location. Founded in 2016 by the school’s principal, Dr. Liz Hicks, in a facility on the eastern edge of the Los Angeles High School campus at Olympic and Rimpau boulevards, the school is moving four and a half miles to 2328 St. James Pl., near USC. Its new home is surrounded on three sides by the only all-girls college in Los Angeles, Mount Saint Mary’s (Doheny Campus).
Hicks spoke of her excitement regarding the new location. “We are sad to leave this area, but excited about having our own space that our students can grow in,” she said. Being next door to Mt. St. Mary’s is a big plus in Hicks’ eyes. She hopes to see the relationship between GALA and the college grow, and she is looking forward to bringing in some master’s program students from that school and from USC to observe and possibly do some student teaching at GALA.
The school, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the only public all-girls STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) school in California, was just named a California Distinguished School, and Hicks is proud of the school’s success rates.
GALA has a 100 percent graduation and college acceptance rate, and a large portion of the school’s graduates are going into STEM majors in college.
“That was a key thing we were
trying to change in California — working to have more women, and more women of color, in the STEM industry,” Hicks told us. But Hicks is also proud that GALA students learn how to use their voices and become leaders. The school has 60 clubs that are all student-initiated and student-run.
The new location was at one time a high school for special education students. Most recently, it was a LAUSD employee office. When the site
was no longer needed, LAUSD Superintendent Albert Carvalho announced that GALA would get to move onto the campus, giving the all-girls school its own space for the first time since its inception. “Being able to build our school the way we want to will be really nice,” said Hicks. She told us that one of the students had a great analogy: “We’ve been renting, and now we’ll have our own home.”
The first phase of funding provided by LAUSD will be for
Residents have organized a morning to spruce up Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax and La Brea avenues, making it shiny and bright.
The Miracle Mile Residential
A SIGN ENCOURAGES neighbors to come out for Operation Sparkle on Sat., April 13.
Association (MMRA) and the Mid-City West Neighborhood Council are hosting their third annual Operation Sparkle on Sat., April 13, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
According to MMRA Vice President Samantha Friedland, “We expect to have about 35 people help clean Wilshire Boulevard. SK Donuts is donating donuts, and Starbucks is providing the coffee for all the volunteers.” Friedland made signs that will be posted throughout the neighborhood to encourage attendance. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky
has committed to helping as well, as she did last year.
All of the gear, including trashbags, gloves, grabber claws and vests, will be provided by MMRA. The group
is meeting at Wilshire Green Park, aka The Turtle Park, at Sierra Bonita Avenue and Eighth Street at 9 a.m. If you have any questions, reach out to info@MiracleMileLA.com.
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ing to the pilot program’s initial findings, using that machine in place of a diesel-powered version lowered carbon-per-hour by 66 percent and saved an estimated $15.15 per hour. Additionally, noise output experienced in the surrounding area was reduced.
As the D Line extension work moves into its final stages, locals can start looking forward to having an option for reduced travel times west to Westwood or east to Downtown. It is estimated by Metro that subway users will be able to get all
the move. Secondary funding will be used to add more class space, which Hicks hopes will allow the school to increase enrollment. At some point, she hopes capital campaign money will enable the building of good sports and science facilities for the students.
GALA will hold its annual #LaunchHERfuture fundraiser breakfast at the Ebell Theatre on Fri., April 12, at 9 a.m.
Friends of GALA is sponsoring the event, and tickets can be purchased at fogala. org/lhf. Those interested in sponsoring the event should visit sponsorships@fogala. org. To learn more about the all-girls school, visit galacademy.org.
the way from Downtown to Westwood in approximately 25 minutes. City and county leaders expect this to provide a major bonus when our communities welcome the Olympic Games in 2028.
Puppets, crafts and food will fill the Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St., on Sun., April 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Bob Baker Day. Baker was the founder of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater.
Grand Marshal Sid Krofft who, with his late brother Marty, created the children’s television shows “H.R. Pufnstuf” and “Land of the Lost,” will oversee the stage events for the day. Megan the Bubbleologist will entertain; puppeteer Randal Metz will perform; and David Arquette will be Bozo the Clown and end the day with a pie fight with Jozo Bozo and Nunu clowns.
The April 21st free, family-friendly festival is a celebration of what would have been Bob Baker’s 100th birthday and the 60th anniversary of his theater. With that double whammy, this special day is going to be bigger than previous years. This is also the 10th year of the now annual event.
The celebration will include puppet performances every 40 minutes, a craft marketplace with more than 60 vendors and local artists, face painting, craft stations, history tents and much more.
Although entrance to the
event is free, a reservation is required. The theater is also asking for a donation from those who attend. Visit bobbakerday.com to register and learn more.
FAIRFAX LIBRARY
Adults
First Thursday Film Screening: Watch “Killers of the Flower Moon,” on Thurs., April 4, at 1 p.m.
Kids
Scottish Bagpipes: Learn about Scottish bagpipes, dress and music on Tues., April 9, at 4 p.m.
All ages
Book sale: Browse used books every Wednesday, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. All sales support the library branch. •••
FREMONT LIBRARY
Kids & Teens
Partial solar eclipse viewing: Watch from the patio with special glasses, while they last, on Mon., April 8, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Celebrate Día: Día is a celebration of kids and literacy. DJs “Again, Again” will use their distinctive style to engage the audience about Día in music on Mon., April 22, at 3:30 p.m.
Drop-in craft: Every Tuesday swing by for a different craft from 4 to 5 p.m.
LEGO Build: Every Thurs-
day, indulge in building from 4 to 5 p.m.
Teens
DIY seed bombs: Make a seed bomb and watch plants grow in your yard on Tues., April 23, from 4 to 5 p.m.
•••
MEMORIAL LIBRARY
Toddlers
Story time in the park: Bring a blanket, listen to stories and sing songs in Memorial Park Wed., April 3, at 10:30 a.m.
Kids
Ramadan READy: Learn about Ramadan through stories and art activities Thurs., April 4, at 3 p.m.
Reading to the rescue: Love dogs? Take this opportunity to read to a therapy dog on Wed., April 10, from 4 to 5 p.m.
Kids & Teens
Drop-in tutoring with Steve: Every Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m., drop in for oneon-one assistance with any subject.
Adults
First Friday book club: Discuss “Caste: the Origins of our Discontents” by Isabel
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WILSHIRE DIVISION
ROBBERY AND HOME
INVASION: Three Black male suspects accessed a home on Rimpau Boulevard through the Wilshire Country Club golf course, smashed the primary bedroom glass door and entered the house while two victims were sleeping on March 6, at 10:35 p.m. The couple was awakened and attempted to hit their panic alarm. The robbers threat-
Since1959
ened them with harm if they did not cooperate. The intruders ransacked their closets and left with approximately $50,000 in jewelry. If you have any information about this incident, please contact Wilshire Division.
BURGLARIES: A suspect entered a home on South Las Palmas Avenue through the rear door, took guns and left through the same door on March 8, between 6:45 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Lynn Shirley (323)
FAX
License #768437
OLYMPIC DIVISION
Furnished by Senior Lead Officer
Joseph Pelayo
213-793-0709
31762@lapd.online
Twitter: @lapdolympic
Three male suspects broke a door and forced their way into a home on the 100 block of North Mansfield Avenue. They stole firearms and a watch before fleeing on March 9, between 3:10 and 3:50 p.m.
Tools were taken from a garage at a home on the 600 block of South Arden Boulevard between March 5 at 9 p.m., and March 6 at 3 p.m.
THEFT: Porch pirates were at it again, stealing luggage, clothing and packages from a multiunit building on South Sycamore Avenue near Second
Olympic Division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is hosting a Coffee with the Captain event at the Anderson Munger YMCA, 4301 W. Third St., on Thurs., April 11, from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. Residents are invited to meet Capt. Aaron Ponce along with other LAPD Olympic officers.
WILSHIRE DIVISION
Furnished by Acting Senior Lead Officer
Joshua Parker
213-453-6836
38959@lapd.online
Twitter: @lapdwilshire
Street between March 5 at 10 p.m., and March 9 at 7 p.m.
GRAND THEFT AUTO: A tan 2023 Land Rover was stolen from the 200 block of South Orange Drive between March 8 at midnight and March 9 at 9:30 a.m.
BURGLARY THEFT FROM
VEHICLE: A catalytic converter was stolen from a white 2014 Toyota Corolla in the 400 block of South Cloverdale Avenue on March 5 at 11:40 a.m.
OLYMPIC DIVISION
AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS:
A man lunged at another man wielding a machete and accused him of theft on March 3, at 8:30 a.m., near Wilton Place and Beverly Boulevard. A male and female were involved in a verbal dispute on the sidewalk near Sixth Street and Irving Boulevard. The argument escalated and the man hit the woman victim in the head with a bottle
Libraries
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Wilkerson on Fri., April 5, at 1 p.m. Next month’s book is “Finlay Donovan is Killing It,” by Elle Cosimano.
Memorial’s environmental reading group (MERG): Discuss environmental issues through books. This month is “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Kimmerer on Tues., April 9, at 6 p.m.
Recycled origami: Learn how to use recycled paper to make origami on Thurs., April 18, at 3 p.m.
B.Y.O. needle arts: Work on needlecrafts Thursdays, from 1 to 3 p.m.
Los Angeles Public Health Department: Stop by to see what services they provide Tues., April 10, and Tues., April 24, at 2 p.m.
Art class: Paint and color every Wednesday at 3 p.m.
All ages
Dog adoption: Dogs come to the park looking for a new home Sat., April 13, at 11 a.m.
Recycle T-shirt bag: Teens Recycling for Change will teach everyone how to make produce bags out of T-shirts on Mon., April 1. from 4 to 5 p.m.
Earth Day event: Join Memorial Teens Leading Change group to learn about composting and recycling at home and join in family fun activities on
on March 11 at 1:30 a.m.
ROBBERY: An argument took place between two male family members near Sixth Street and St. Andrews Place on March 2 at 8:30 p.m. The interaction intensified with the suspect strong-arming the victim and taking his camera and money.
BURGLARY: A suspect smashed the front door of a multiunit dwelling and stole money and jewelry from a senior, female victim on March 3 at 11:30 a.m. on the 4800 block of Elmwood Avenue.
GRAND THEFT AUTO: A black 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe was stolen from the 300 block of North Bronson Avenue between March 2 at 10 p.m. and March 3 at 9 a.m.
A white 2004 Toyota Tacoma was stolen from the 4700 block of Oakwood Avenue between March 8 at 6:30 p.m. and March 9 at 5 a.m.
Another white vehicle, this time a 2020 Kia Sport, was stolen from Council Street near Manhattan Place between March 10 at 10 p.m. and March 11 at 7 a.m.
BURGLARY THEFT FROM
VEHICLE: A license plate was stolen from a vehicle on March 4 at 7 p.m. near South Wilton Place and Sixth Street.
Sat., April 20, from noon to 4 p.m.
Chess club: Play chess or learn how each Friday, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Book sale: Support your library by purchasing your next favorite read every Tuesday from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., every Saturday, from 3 to 5 p.m.
•••
Kids
May Day baskets: Create paper May Day baskets with flowers on Thurs., April 25 from 4 to 5 p.m.
LIBRARIES
FAIRFAX
161 S. Gardner St. 323-936-6191
JOHN C. FREMONT
6121 Melrose Ave. 323-962-3521
MEMORIAL
4625 W. Olympic Blvd. 323-938-2732
WILSHIRE
149 N. St. Andrews Pl. 323-957-4550
HOURS
Mon. and Wed., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tues. and Thurs. noon to 8 p.m.; Fri. and Sat., 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Libraries will be closed Sun., March 31 for Easter Day.
Hello, howdy and ‘God be with ye’ — words for
A salutation spells a beginning. They’re what we use to announce ourselves when entering a room or a group chat; the opening words of a phone call, email or handwritten letter. Their deeper meanings may wish good fortune or health — “salutation” itself comes from the Latin verb “to wish health to” — or, like a handshake, establish mutual respect — or at least acknowledgement.
Early greetings may have evolved from functional, intuited vocalizations, like early forms of “hey,” a single syllable at one time used when shouting to draw someone’s attention. The phrase became standardized in the 13th century as a call implying a challenge or rebuttal. “Hey” has lost its disputatious edge since then, used handily today as a relaxed, familiar welcome.
How about “hello?” A relatively young greeting not recorded until the early 19th century, the opener is an evolution of the original “hollo,” also a shout to attract someone’s notice. Its rise to popularity can be attributed largely to the advent of the telephone. In Alexander Graham Bell’s vision for his invention, call recipients would answer a ringing phone with the salutation “ahoy, ahoy.” In 1877, howev-
er, the year after Bell’s patent was filed, Thomas Edison wrote that he thought the word “hello” should be used as the opening for telephoned conversations. Edison’s amendment stood the test of time — the phrase “hello” was even included in early how-to guides on using the new technology — but Bell stuck by his nautical salute, continuing to answer calls with the phrase “ahoy, ahoy” for the remainder of his life.
Other salutations evolved over the centuries from sentiments of devotion or other forms of flattery. Though it’s almost gone the way of the dodo (like letter-writing itself), the phrase “dear,” a polite introductory word written at the start of correspondence before a name, dates back to the mid-15th century. The word originates with the Old English “deore,” which itself arises from the Proto-Germanic “diurijaz,” meaning “precious” or “expensive.” The Italian greeting “ciao” was born from a variant of the Venetian phrase “s-ciào vostro,” which translates literally to “(I am) your slave.” The expression was not meant in a factual sense, but rather as a promise of good will (similar to the English phrase “at your service”). And let us not forget “howdy.” Mostly as-
About 30 Miracle Mile neighbors convened to talk with officers from the Wilshire Community Police Station of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), at a recent Coffee with a Cop at Starbucks on Wilshire Blvd.
Realtor and resident Dmitris Savva said of the Miracle Mile, “It’s a great neighborhood.”
He’s just beginning to get involved with local politics. He likes that Wilshire LAPD initiated this gathering and would like to see more events like it to create a greater sense of community.
Benefits of gatherings
LAPD officers at the gathering told us they find these get-togethers helpful because they can connect with citizens and businesses in a relaxed forum. No one is a suspect or a victim, and residents can ask questions and get answers person-to-person. It’s all about building community.
Marwan Soghaier and his wife, Jeanette Corcuera, walked over to the event to join their fellow neighbors. Corcuera shared that she had an unfortunate incident occur with an unhoused male
Word Café by Mara Fisher
sociated with the Southern U.S. today, the term was used in 16th-century England as a contraction of a simple yet thoughtful question: “How do ye?”
Where salutations commence a conversation or written message, valedictions conclude them. From the Latin verbs “valere” and “dicere” (meaning “to be well” and “to say,” respectively), valedictions are words of parting that bid well-being.
The most commonly used variants, “goodbye,” or simply, “bye,” traces back to the late-16th-century “godbwye,” a contraction of “God be with ye.” Classic letter-writing outros include “sincerely,” derived from the Latin “sincerus,” meaning “whole, clean or pure,” and “cordially,” or “from the heart,” a development of the Latin word for the vital organ, “cor.”
If it’s a love letter you’re sending, maybe you’d end it with x’s and o’s (hugs and kisses whose sense is, to this day, of unknown origin), or perhaps “S.W.A.K.,” standing for “Sealed With a Kiss,” a sign-off used in letters sent between soldiers and their sweethearts during World War II. Those amorous ini-
tials are just one of many postscript acronyms popular at the time, which include the sentimental H.O.L.L.A.N.D. (Hope Our Love Lasts And Never Dies), the more risque V.E.N.I.C.E. (Very Excited Now I Caress Everywhere) and B.U.R.M.A. (Be Undressed Ready My Angel) and E.G.Y.P.T., which, spelled out, is too racy to print in these pages. Paramours used the covert system to maintain privacy from censors who monitored missives for any military secrets that might make their way in between the lines.
And now, a time for sweet sorrow as I bid thee “adieu” (literally “to God”). Be strong, be well, be in good health — ’til next month.
just prior to this gathering. She was trailed for multiple blocks during broad daylight while being yelled at. As she relayed the situation to Senior Lead Officer Timothy Estevez, he told her that her actions and reactions were all good. Then he proceeded to give her additional safety tips, including “carry pepper spray, be aware, cross the street, be cognizant, keep your head up and look around.”
