LO See S F Us J EL uly IZ 24 ST th RE at t ET he FA IR
Los Feliz Ledger
Vol 7. No. 1
Serving the Greater Los Feliz, Silver Lake & Hollywood Hills Area | Distribution 34,500
[Q & A]
City Council OKs Autry Renovations
New LAUSD Board Member Bennett Kayser
By Erik Derr Ledger Contributing Writer
By Erik Derr Ledger Contributing Writer After winning a close runoff election in May against Luis Sanchez, Bennett Kayser, a soft-spoken father of two who’s lived in Silver Lake with his wife Peggy for nearly 40 years, will be sworn in July 1st as the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) new board member in District 5. Kayser recently sat down with the Ledger and answered a few questions about the state of education in Los Angeles. Ledger: What type of leadership do you bring to the school board? Kayser: I’m a science and health teacher… a parent, a LAUSD student, back a zil-
Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge serenades the crowd with a song by Elvis Presley during his swearing-in celebration atop Mt. Hollywood, June 21st, the Summer Solstice. LaBonge leads an annual hike in Griffith Park each year on the Summer Solstice. He chose to celebrate this year’s first day of summer by taking the oath of office for his 3rd term on the Los Angeles City Council. All rights reserved by councildistrictfour
GRIFFITH PARK—Plans by the Autry National Center to expand its Native American exhibits with two dedicated galleries and an indigenous teaching garden are back on track after an affirming vote from the Los Angeles City Council. Dan Finley, the Autry’s president and CEO, said the renovated space would yield exhibits that teach visitors about the past, present of the state’s indigenous culture and showcase prized artifacts from the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, Los Angeles’ revered first museum, located in Mount Washington which merged with the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in 2003. see AUTRY page 10
see KAYSER page 17
[city sleuth]
Derby to Open as Chase Branch Bank, July 12th
The Puzzle Pieces of Politics
By Diane Kanner, Ledger Contributing Writer
By Erik Derr, Ledger Contributing Writer
LOS FELIZ— One of the great Los Feliz landmarks is about to open its storied doors to the banking public. On July 12th, Chase Bank will open a branch at 4500 Los Feliz Blvd. adjacent to Louise’s Restaurant in the structure popularly known as The Derby or The Brown Derby. The vociferous opposition of the local community in 2005, when Adler Realty Inc. proposed demolishing the landmark for condominiums and a supermarket, led to Historic Cultural Monument designation by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage
People In My Neighborhood: Teresa Grow, page 12
July 2011
Commission in May of 2006. Its wood reinforced dome was protected from alteration by the terms of the Historic Cultural Monument ordinance. For all its restaurant history, the building languished until J.P. Morgan Chase Bank leased a portion of the building from Adler Realty last year. Its distinctive dome was patched and painted on the exterior while the interior underwent renovation. Tellers and bank officers will receive patrons in the main circular room, under the distinctive dome and ATM machines will be available in the entry hall. The structure bears no resemblance to the original Brown Derby restaurant, see DERBY page 5
Community News: Slash honored at Beastly Ball, www.losfelizledger.com
Redistricting: Early Proposed Changes Cause Uproar Locally The legislative districts serving Los Feliz and its surrounding communities look to change significantly under boundaries proposed by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, the 14-member panel created after voters wrested control of the once-a-decade mapping process from lawmakers in 2008. Appointed by the state auditor’s office after an extensive candidate search that attracted about 25,000 candidates from the general electorate, the commission is composed of seven men and seven women, including five Republicans, five Democrats and four either Independent or party-unaffiliated voters.
Calendar: Ziggy Marley headlines Reggae Night X at the Hollywood Bowl, page 9
Following guidelines in the state constitution that include directives for district shape, location, population and socio-economic similarities, the redistricting group has until Aug. 15th to finalize maps for California’s 53 U.S. Congressional districts, 40 state senate districts, 80 state assembly districts and four Board of Equalization districts. The first of three rounds of draft maps was released in early June and caused a notnecessarily unexpected uproar among politicians and constituents who, among other things, complained new districts would group incongruent neighborhoods, therefore weakening the ability of elect-
ed officials to represent their communities. Those concerns, said California State Assemblyman Mike Gatto, are no stronger than in his 43th District, which currently includes portions of Los Feliz, Griffith Park, Silver Lake, Glendale, Burbank and North Hollywood. Under the new proposed map Gatto’s district would cover all of Los Feliz Village, a larger swath of Griffith Park, Mount Washington, Eagle Rock, Garvanza, Cypress Park, Elysian Park, Echo Park, Edendale, Silver Lake, El Serreno, Lincoln Heights, City Terrace and East Los Angeles. “People believe the district’s new boundaries would include see DISTRICTS page 6
School News: Pilgrim School’s Editorial: Local Stores Hit by Choir Serenades First Lady Obama Scammers and Illegal Dumping, www.losfelizledger.com page 22