Los Feliz Ledger Vol 7. No. 23
Sunset Junction Memories: Dancing In The Street
Read by 100,000+ Residents and Business Owners in Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, Echo Park & Hollywood Hills
September August 2011
Silver Lake Road Rage Victim Mourned
By Kathy A. McDonald Ledger Contributing Writer
By Erik Derr Ledger Contributing Writer
Photo Credit: Erik Derr
SUNSET JUNCTION—Sometime in the mid-1980s, I went to my first Sunset Junction. Definitely low-key and sited on a couple of blocks east of the actual junction of Sunset and Santa Monica boulevards, the early festivals did have those things that continued to draw people in for years: kitschy vendors, street food, local bands playing (I went that first year to see Lucinda Williams who lived in the neighborhood at the time), dramatically diverse people watching, drag queens and (just barely) leather-clad folk
Photo by
see MEMORIES page 5
City Council Passes Reforms Aimed At Strengthening NC System By Erik Derr Ledger Contributing Writer Just as the city’s neighborhood council system prepares for one of its biggest overhauls since its founding in 1999, the city’s neighborhood council system, perhaps ironically, is basking in one of its greatest victories so far—their involvement with the recent shutdown of the Sunset Junction Music Festival and Fair. The Los Angeles City Council on Aug. 16th passed a series of four neighborhood council system reforms that Councilmember Paul Krekorian, the sponsor of the package, announced as “an important step forward in see REFORMS page 9
Community News: Locals Weigh in on New LA Stadium, page 3
Cell Reception & Signage Still Poor in Park A Year After Menke’s Death GRIFFITH PARK—The issue of improving cell phone reception and signage in the park has been discussed by some community groups, but to date—a year after Sally Menke, one of Hollywood’s most celebrated film editors, was found dead at the bottom of a ravine in Griffith Park—no decision on or action has been taken. Menke, director Quentin Tarantino’s film editor, had reportedly entered the park at around 9 a.m. to hike with a friend and her Labrador resee MENKE page 5
GRIEVING: Maria Vasquez, mother of shooting victim Juan Vanquez, receives a comforting embrace during her son’s memorial mass near downtown. An estimate 50 family and friends turned out say good-bye to the industrious pizza delivery driver who friends say held two jobs, helped fund building the family home in Mexico City and was always ready to help someone in need. He was shot in the head in an apparent road-rage incident on Aug. 7th.
Police Charge 18-Year-Old With the Murder
appears that Beltran did not have any connection with Vasquez, but he said, Beltran may be affiliated with a street gang. Police said they have also identified a second suspect— a female—that witnesses said was a passenger in the car in which Betran was allegedly
hours of Aug. 7th in an apparent road rage killing. Before his death, he worked for both El Chavo Mexican Restaurant and Garage Pizza, both in SilBy Erik Derr ver Lake. Ledger Contributing Writer Meanwhile, less than three weeks after Vasquez was shot SILVER LAKE—Los Angeles and killed, family and friends Police have arrested 18-yeargathered at a downtown morold Jose Beltran in tuary to say their ficonnection with nal goodbyes to the Vasquez’s mother said she the killing of Juan well-liked 25-yearintends to bury her son near the Vasquez. old and to support Beltran, who Vasquez’s mother, house he had built for her with lives with his mothas she prepared to money he earned in Los Angeles. take her son’s body er a half-mile from the crime scene— back to Mexico Silver Lake Boudriving when the murder City for burial. levard and Scott Place—has took place. Charges have not Vasquez’s mother said she been charged with one count been filed against the womintends to bury her son near of murder and two counts of an, nor has her name been the house he had built for her attempted murder with enreleased. with money he earned in Los hancements, according to Vasquez died Aug. 14th, Angeles. Det. Larry Burcher with the after being taken off life supVasquez’s death was the LAPD’s Northeast division. port, after he was shot in the sudden end to a life that According to Burcher, it head in the early morning see MURDER page 6
Community News: Leonora Pitts-Gershman Named “Villager of the Year,” page 12
Theater News: Atwater’s New Theater District, page 23
City Sleuth: The Cahuenga Branch Library, page 24
Silver Lake Leaders Applaud Cancellation of Junction Festival By Erik Derr Ledger Contributing Writer SILVER LAKE—Since the plug was pulled by the city on the Sunset Junction Music Festival and Street Fair, Silver Lake community leaders have expressed their approval of the city’s actions while others in the community banded together to fill the void the festival left behind. Clint Lukens, co-chair of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council (SNLC), said the city’s refusal to allow the fair organizers to operate as usual was a victory for the people of Silver Lake. “This is a classic example of a selfish agenda reaching a tipping point,” Lukens said. see FESTIVAL page 7
Editorial: Tokofsky on the magic of Education, page 30
Los Feliz Ledger [letter from the editor] Whenever it is unusually hot now, I say to myself: “It’s Sally Menke weather.” A hot dry day now, eerily reminds me of last Sept. 27th, the hottest day ever recorded in Los Angeles and the day my friend Sally collapsed in Griffith Park and died. I had not heard the news, but only received an e-mail from a family member saying, “Have you heard about what’s happened to Sally.” I googled her name and the shocking reality came back in the immediacy of dozens and dozens of Internet stories. I am not much of a hiker (on my last hike a couple of years ago, I went off trail and
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got stuck, sort-of-like hanging off what seemed like an edge of a cliff), so I don’t know if cell reception and signage in the park can be improved. I would like to hear from those who do hike regularly in the park about this. Please email me at allisonferraro@losfelizledger.com. Sally only made one cell phone call that fatal day—to her husband. It’s not clear still, if she tried to use her phone again but did not have reception, or if she was too disoriented to make any further calls for help or find her way. But certainly if cell reception and a lack of signage in the park is an issue, it should be addressed by our neighborhood council and city officials.
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Los Feliz Ledger
Survey Says: Locals Oppose New Football Stadium By Erik Derr Ledger Contributing Writer
er_121610
Redistricting: Los Feliz In Tact Except for State Senate Level By Erik Derr Ledger Contributing Writer
ArtCycle Set for Sept. 17th EAST HOLLYWOOD—The East Hollywood Neighborhood Council and the East Hollywood Arts and Culture Committee will host the 3rd annual ArtCycle, a community event designed to celebrate the arts, bicycling, public space, and sustainable living in the heart of Los Angeles Saturday, Sept. 17th, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., on Santa Monica September 2011
Boulevard between Vermont and Virgil avenues. The event will feature artists, bands, deejays, bicycle tours to community art galleries and architectural landmarks, an art competition, collaborative street art projects, food trucks and more. Info: www.ArtCycleLA. com or contact info@easthollywoodartcycle.com. www.losfelizledger.com
Based on what community leaders said they wanted in the state’s new legislative district maps, finalized last month by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, the Los Feliz community managed to remain intact in all but the state senate level, through the mandated, once-a-decade redistricting process. The entire Los Feliz neighborhood and all of Griffith Park remained assigned to State Assembly District 43, which has been expanded to include Atwater Village, Burbank, La Canada-Flintridge, La Cresenta and a large chunk of Angeles National Forest. The district is served Assemblyman Mike Gatto, a Democrat. The aforementioned communities and also the West Hollywood area are now part of the 28th U.S. Congressional District, currently represented by Democrat Congressman Howard Berman. But, Los Feliz is also divided into the new configurations for state senatorial
districts 24, now represented by Democrat Ed Hernandez, and district 25, currently served by Roderick Wright, also a Democrat. The line dividing Los Feliz starts at the intersection of Los Feliz Boulevard and Riverside Drive, zig-zags down Commonwealth, Finley and Vermont avenues and cuts west along Franklin Avenue. Most of Los Feliz—except for the northeast portion of the community near the Los Feliz-Riverside intersection—currently falls into the 26th Senate District, which stretches west to Culver City and southward through South Los Angeles into the FlorenceGraham area. The new 24th District includes Eagle Rock, Little Armenia, Chinatown, Silver Lake, Echo Park, City Terrace and East Los Angeles. The new 25th includes homes above Los Feliz Boulevard all of Griffith Park, Glendale and Burbank. Then the district stretches north towards the Little Rock area in Antelope Valley and east to Big Pines and Mt. Baldy.
Frank Molina felt like he was “punched in the gut” back in 1980 when the Los Angeles Rams moved out from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to Anaheim. “My dad tried explaining that they were just moving ‘down the freeway’ to a better stadium,” said the Silver Lake landscaper. “But, I was just a kid back then, and if they moved to Anaheim or St. Louis, like they eventually did, it still felt the same. I couldn’t go see my favorite team anymore.” Then, Molina’s loyalties were tested when the Raiders came to town and set up shop in the Coliseum two years later. “I wasn’t too thrilled with the Raiders organization, I really didn’t think much of Al Davis, but it was good to have a team in our back yard again,” he said. “By the time Davis took them back to Oakland, I was thinking we really needed another team.” But now Molina is a lot older, has a wife, three children, a mortgage that he wishes had slightly lower payments and a business that’s “seen its share of struggles like everybody else’s.” He’s also been keeping an eye on local politics, particularly since city services at Griffith Park—where he’s always taken his family—have been cut back so dramatically. So, when it was announced the city had in principle approved a brand new football stadium mere minutes from where he lives, Molina felt like he “was punched in the gut again.” The city’s council’s enthusiastic support of a $1.5-billion plan to develop a new 72,000seat stadium downtown and a major expansion to the Convention Center “leaves such a bad taste in my mouth, with the politicians moaning and groaning all the rest of the time how bad the city’s hurting for money,” Molina said. “They want all us down here on the ground to tighten our belts, but, oh, no, not them up in their ivory towers. And, you know it’s going to cost us taxpayers at some point. It always does” In an unscientific survey conducted at several locales in Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Echo Park and Atwater Village, the Ledger asked about 50 people, see STADIUM page 27
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Los Feliz Ledger MENKE from page 1
triever on Sept. 27th, 2010, what turned out to be—at 113 degrees—the city’s hottest day on record. About an hour into the hike, Menke and her companion parted ways, after Menke decided to turn back. Searchers entered the park in the late afternoon after family and friends reported her missing. Menke’s body was found, her dog still awake by her side, at around 2 a.m. Sept. 28th.Authorities believe Menke had become disoriented and collapsed in the extraordinary heat. One of the most tragic aspects to Menke’s story, said Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, is that “she was only about 100 yards” from help, a football field’s length from residential houses along the 5600 block of Green Oak Drive. Menke isn’t the only hiker this year to get in trouble while traversing the park’s 52 miles of trails. In April, the Los Angeles Fire Dept. responded to another hiker in distress near Dante’s View, above Griffith Observatory. The woman, believed in her early 20s, was found unconscious but breathing—and heat was again a suspected factor. Senior Park Ranger Albert Torres, a 27-year city parks
MEMORIES from page 1
promenading. Serendipitously the festival is always held on the absolute hottest weekend of the summer—better for beer and lemonade sales, I suppose. That wouldn’t have changed this year but this year’s “junction malfunction,” left music fans like me recalling past years instead of sweltering on the asphalt and sidewalks in the late August heat. I’ve always felt the biggest acts weren’t the most memorable—although I saw Los Lobos play in the middle of Sunset Boulevard; danced to Chaka Kahn’s beats one sweltering night and grooved to Ben Harper in 2007. Harper’s set was outstanding—though marred by some sound issues and zero sightlines. People were hanging from the light poles for that one. No, the appeal of Sunset Junction has always been the unlikely mix of people that only gather together once a year and the side-bar events and community-created moments. Like the day-throughnight dance party courtesy of the I&I Reggae truck or the Silver Lake Music Conservatory’s showcase. The Conservatory’s kids September 2011
veteran and one of the emergency crews who responded when Menke was missing, said area first-responders have worked intently on improving response times and techniques over the last year. “It’s an ongoing effort by all to respond aggressively and effectively,” Torres said. Preparation by park visitors, however, has and always will be the best way to stay safe when entering the park—aside from taking and staying with a partner. “On a hot day, on any day, be sure you have plenty of water, proper clothing, extra clothing if conditions change [and] strong footwear [such as hiking boots],” Torres said. Carrying a fully charged cell phone is also a good idea, although reception can be spotty in the park. Then, even if your phone does work, Torres said, it’s equally important to know how to report your position within the park to authorities. “You’ll need to know how to describe your position by using landmarks” and other natural elements along a trail. “I learned very early on: stay on designated trails,” he added. Torres also recommended carrying a map of the park. LaBonge’s office has maps available and can be reached at (213) 485-3337.
played in the morning—way before the crowd showed and the people at the gate got serious about their jobs. In 2005, my son’s band the Flypaper Cartel rocked the Echo-sponsored stage on Santa Monica so early, I’m sure they woke up the neighborhood. The next year’s performances got off to a slow start because a broken water main cut off power. In a touching show of support, dozens of kids in the neighborhood and many of their parents happily made it out anyway and danced and cheered for the band. I skipped about 10 years of the event in the 1990s—put off the rowdy crowds and the grubby midway that added a honky-tonk vibe. I remember pushing my son in his stroller through mayhem and vowing never to return. The Junction had lost its appeal. But although it wasn’t an ideal family outing, once my kids got older and into music, it was remarkable that major bands could be just down the street and you could walk or bike to see them. (My son recalls The Whispers’ set as the best ever; a friend lauded Sleater-Kinney and Sonic Youth’s sets.) My best times at Sunset see MEMORIES page 30
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Los Feliz Ledger Los Angeles City Fire Dept. responded to the scene and transported Vasquez to the USC Medical Center, where he was declared brain dead and placed on life support. He was taken off of life support and pronounced dead after his mother, Maria Vasquez, arrived to the hospital from Mexico on Aug. 14th. Investigators later confirmed that Vasquez was driving co-workers home when another driver of a dark green Honda Civic with round taillights, was apparently incensed by something Vasquez did on the road.
Vasquez’s school peers stood together in the funeral home seemed headed in the best of lobby, remembering a friend directions. Vasquez had immiwho always seemed to have grated to California as a teen, a smile, a sympathetic ear, a escaping the economic stagnaword or two of wisdom and a tion of his own country with genuine enjoyment of life. hopes of finding a way to save Schoolmate Marcos Tellez money for his mother’s house said Vasquez’s story was of and his dreams to earn a high “the typical example of an imschool diploma here. He also migrant. He comes to Ameriwanted to return to live in ca, he had a lot of dreams; he Mexico, marry his sweetheart, was a hard worker.” have children and establish a But, perhaps just as imbusiness. portant, he added, Vasquez Several of the 50 or so atwas “a good person. I don’t tending the Aug. 24th memounderstand why things haprial mass and wake—held at pen like this. He always helped the Wah Wing Sang Gutierrez everybody.” & Weber funeral home on East One schoolCesar Chavez mate remembered Boulevard—said Vasquez never let they couldn’t After the mass, a group of her—or any othunderstand why er of his female Vasquez had to Vasquez’s school peers stood friends—walk die the way he together in the funeral home lobby, home alone. did. remembering a friend who always A n o t h e r “It was tofriend with blacktally senseless,” seemed to have a smile, a rimmed glasses agreed Det. Jose sympathetic ear, a word or two of and dark, shoulCarrillo, one of der-length hair dethe team from wisdom and a genuine clined to give her the Los Angeenjoyment of life. name, but said that les Police Dept.’s while Vasquez’s at(LAPD) Northtack remained a east Division The other motorist pulled mystery, the way he lived and working on the case. “This up and shot Vasquez in the died proved the importance shouldn’t happen to anybody.” head with a .32-caliber semiof telling people how you feel The official incident report automatic handgun. about them. says Northeast area patrol ofAlthough Vasquez didn’t “The thing that I learned ficers responded to a shooting have many family members from his experience is that call at the intersection of Silin Los Angeles, he made a life is too short, that death is ver Lake Boulevard and Scott number of friends at work and unexpected,” she said. “If you Place around 5:08 a.m., Aug. also at Evans College, the volove somebody, you should 7th. When officers arrived cational school where he was let that person know how they found Vasquez seated in studying English and honing much that you love them, in a car with a gunshot wound to other career skills. life, because later it’ll be too his head. After the mass, a group of late.” Paramedics from the MURDER from page 1
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Los Feliz Ledger laboration with neighborhood interests, much earlier planning and event applications submitted weeks, not days, before an event. “The most important thing is just communication,” she said. In the wake of the cancellation, several Silver Lake businesses stepped up to fill the void left by the fair’s cancellation. Led by merchants including Sarah Dale, owner of Pull My Daisy boutique who also sits on the SLNC board, local
of $142,000. Additionally, the city says event organizers still ““I am extremely proud of the owe it over $250,000 in outstakeholders of Silver Lake for standing bills from last year. their persistence in getting Festival organizers have their voices heard.” said they dispute last year’s Paul Neuman, co-chair city tab. They were additionof the SLNC’s governmental ally unable to come up funds affairs committee and comto pay the city for this year’s munications director for Los event, after appealing for doAngeles City Councilman nations on their website. Paul Koretz, said Sunset JuncOther than financial istion’s ongoing debt issues were sues, the fair has become a clearly a case of event organizsore spot for some in the Silver er Micheal McKinley playing Lake community. “a game of ‘chicken’ with the The oft-contentious city.” SLNC recently voted unaniMore importantly, Neumously for sevman said, the steps Led by merchants including Sarah Dale, owner eral resolutions that led to the of Pull My Daisy boutique who also sits on the aimed at forcing fair’s cancellation were “as much SLNC board, local stores are opening their doors the fair to become more responsive about the neighAug. 27th and 28th—the weekend the festival to neighborhood borhood council would have occurred—for such things as a needs and friendly affirming its role weekend sidewalk sale, a performing magician towards the local as a voice for the community. community.” and a popcorn truck. The neighborAdded Renee stores are opening their doors hood council had also asked Nahum, the neighborhood Aug. 27th and 28th—the the city to block the fair from council’s other co-chair: “I weekend the festival would going forward until its outthink the SLNC has reached have occurred—for such standing debts were paid. its stride. We can be a very things as a weekend sidewalk Established in 1980 by powerful force. We did a good sale, a performing magician Micheal McKinley as an efjob organizing the commuand a popcorn truck. fort to bridge Silver Lake’s nity.” Reform School, an art and Hispanic and gay populaThe Silver Lake Chamber school supply shop, also orgations, the Sunset Junction echoed these concerns saynized a ukulele orchestra and Street Fair grew into a naing organizers of such events even a few of the cancelled tionally-recognized music must “pay its permitting fees,” Sunset Junction musical acts event that featured upwards and that by doing so the fees were asked to conduct jam sesof 1,500 vendor booths and “could potentially be a great sions in the parking lot of the drew more than 30,000 visisource of revenue” and comSunset Boulevard’s 4100 bar. tors daily. munity outreach, said Sarah The city’s Board of PubThis year’s line-up would McGowan, president of the lic Works voted Aug. 24th have included kd lang, HanSilver Lake Chamber of Com4-0 to deny festival organizson, Melvins, Butthole Surfmerce. ers permits to stage the event, ers, Butch Walker, Clap Your McGowan said she would after organizers were unable Hands Say Yeah, Bobby like to see, in the future, event to pay copy.pdf the city 8/25/11 expected1:33:54 fees PM Womack and Lil’ Jon. Mt. St. Mary's College_July organization with better col- 2011.final FESTIVAL from page 1
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September 2011
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I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project > Metro is building new on- and o=-ramps to the I-405 at Wilshire Boulevard as part of the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project between the I-10 and US 101 freeways. > The project will add a 10-mile HOV lane, realign 27 on- and o=-ramps, widen 13 existing underpasses and structures and construct 18 miles of retaining and sound walls. For more information visit: metro.net/405.
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Los Feliz Ledger
LFIA Elects New Officers for 2011-2012
New Members to the Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce
By Michael Locke, Ledger Contributing Writer LOS FELIZ—The Los Feliz Improvement Association (LFIA) has elected officers for 20112012. The officers are Donald Seligman, President; Jordan Susman, Coordinating Secretary; Donna Kolb, Treasurer; Debbie Simons, Recording Secretary; Tess Nelson, First Vice-President; and Chris Laib, Second Vice-President. Seligman is a retired Dentist and Professor of Dentistry as well as a local historian; he is the author of Los Feliz, an Illustrated Early History. Most of the officers have the additional responsibility of chairing one of the organization’s committees. Seligman chairs the Communications Committee; while Jordan Susman co-chairs the group’s Police, Fire and Safety Com-
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Zoning, Hospitality and Parks committees, respectively. The LFIA is an organization whose mission is dedicated to serving Los Feliz. Its 12 standing committees (Beautification, Communications, Finance, History, Hospitality, Membership, Parks, Police/ Fire/Safety, Program, Schools & Library, Transportation and Zoning) work to preserve and
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September 2011
Los Feliz Ledger reforms from page 1
our continued effort to help strengthen and reform the neighborhood council system” that will improve “local democracy throughout our communities.” One particular issue is the public’s general lack of awareness of neighborhood councils. A 2007 study by the city’s Neighborhood Council Review Commission concluded less than half of all Los Angeles residents surveyed knew about local neighborhood councils or the city’s neighborhood council system, which now claims 95 individual councils spread across Los Angeles. The commission further found that while 21.3% of respondents considered themselves “very likely” to attend neighborhood council meetings, 40.8% were only “somewhat likely.” The study also found neighborhood councils are unduly burdened by the tasks of promoting themselves and organizing their own local elections. They were were thereby limited in their ability to adequately focus on issues affecting their communities. “As a whole, the system has not yet attained the systematic influence charter reformers expected,” the study read. There have been some neighborhood councils, however, that have been able to exert their clout. In August, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council (SLNC) helped cancel this year’s 2011 Sunset Junction Music Festival and Street Fair with a series of votes expressing their discontent with the event organizer’s staging and lack of financial and community complaint responsiveness. In issuing its decision to deny the Sunset Junction organization the special permitting it needed to hold the this year’s event, the city’s Board of Public Works credited, in part, the SLNC’s steadfast and unanimous opposition to allowing the fair to take place without the council’s requested problem-solving. “Wow. The neighborhood council helped bring down Sunset Junction. I didn’t even know there was a neighborhood council,” said Silver Lake singer Steve Loeb. Cindy Marie Jenkins joined the Atwater Village neighborhood Council because she saw the public’s understanding of neighborhood councils was limited. A specialist in new media outreach and promotions, Jenkins, in her early 30s, attended a meeting of the Atwater Village group and asked to be appointed as an atSeptember 2011
large board member, in charge of coordinating outreach. Now, a year later, Jenkins still sees a “big disconnect” between the neighborhood council system and general public, but “it’s not the fault of any one thing or another,” she said. Atwater Village’s neighborhood council, like so many others that she’s studied, needs, she said, to become more stakeholder-friendly in the way it collects as well as spreads information. The agenda documents for her council, for instance, have “not at all been [visually] appealing,” Jenkins said. Jenkins, like many of her fellow council members in the Greater Griffith Park, Echo Park and Silver Lake communities, said she welcomes improvements—like City Councilmember Krekorian’s recommendations—as long as individual councils are able to maintain their own unique identities and spirit of community activism. Krekorinan’s reforms are aimed at developing a new training for program for neighborhood council boardmembers; restructuring the neighborhood council funding system; easing the managerial responsibilities currently required of the Dept. of Neighborhood Empowerment by promoting regional collaborations among neighborhood councils and establishing a more uniform process for addressing grievances lodged against individual councils. BongHwan Kim, general manager for the city’s Dept. of neighborhood Empowerment, which oversees the neighborhood council system, believes the ability of neighborhood councils to work together will prove the biggest factor in determining their future success. After losing 50% of his department’s budget to city cost-saving measures, Kim admits he and his staff don’t have the resources to adequately administer and advocate for neighborhood councils. “If we could create smaller hubs [through regional council alliances], the councils would have more strength,” he said. For instance, he said, when facing funding issues, councils could work together and leverage the funds that they have—and end up stronger. In addition, Kim said, “if we can address a lot of the operational challenges, then that frees us up” to take on “more important roles we haven’t been able to fill yet,” such as serving as a liaison between the neighborhood councils and elected officials. www.losfelizledger.com
And, as far as their influence with city elected officials, Kim assures neighborhood councilors that city officials “do listen,” though, he acknowledges, “some listen more than others.” Kim warned that if the neighborhood council system doesn’t embrace the approved reforms to bring about genuine changes, the city could see “more neighborhood councils being decertified” and that could “trigger a downward spiral.”
Offering Coyotes Food Keeps Them Coming Back By Erik Derr, Ledger Contributing Writer Greg Randall tells Los Feliz residents to not believe everything they hear about coyotes. People, he said, tend to panic when they come across stories about critters roaming down Los Feliz Boulevard or eating back yard pets. As the city’s only wildlife specialist, he assures residents there’s not an influx of coyotes infiltrating our communi-
ties. Instead, it’s we who are impinging their community, “building homes in wildlife habitats,” said Randall. The reason more pets might be eaten by coyotes during the summer is because owners leave them outside more. Coyotes seen trotting down your street are there because somewhere in the area they found food and came back for more.
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Basic Training_911.indd 1
8/26/11Page 5:01 PM9 COMMUNITY NEWS
Los Feliz Ledger [greetings from tom]
[ERIC GARCETTI]
[mike gatto]
Water and Relationships: All You Need in Life
Ratepayer Advocate Must Review Latest DWP Rate Proposal
A Legislative Recap
By Councilmember Tom LaBonge
By Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Council President
By Assemblymember Mike Gatto We Southern C a l i f or n i a n s have always known how important it is to be good stewards of our environment. We understand the value of clean air, open space, and a healthy water supply. I have worked hard to effect sensible environmental policies, with which we can protect our resources and ensure that Southern California remains a desirable place to live and work. Below is a legislative update on my efforts this past year: Energy from Roads? This year, I authored AB 306, which would require California to study a new technology that can convert road vibrations from cars and trucks into electrical energy. The power, of course, can be stored and used to power lights, signs, call boxes, electric vehicles, and perhaps even homes within a few miles of the freeway. Removing Toxins from Baby Bottles. I co-authored AB 1319, which would prohibit the sale of baby bottles, formula cans, and similar products that contain the endocrine-disrupting chemical Bisphenol-A. It is not right to expose the most vulnerable amongst us to such chemicals. Ending Shark Finning. As a member of the Water, Parks, and Wildlife committee, I worked hard for the passage of AB 376, which seeks to eliminate the barbaric practice of shark finning, where fisherman remove the fins from sharks, then toss them overboard to die. A bowl of “shark fin soup” is not worth ruining our ocean ecosystem or tolerating this cruel practice, and
Autumn is almost here. The kids are back in school, and we get back into our busy routine of carpools and homework, sports practice and alarm clocks. Here’s a tip to ease the stress, while keeping fit. Take a walk or a ride along the Los Angeles River Greenway Trail and the Los Angeles River Bikeway. Drive east on Los Feliz Boulevard, over the bridge and park at the Los Feliz Golf Course, and hike the Greenway Trail on the east bank of the river or ride the Bikeway on the west bank. As you’re probably wellaware, the City of Los Angeles is in the midst of a major infra-
feels. This area has been heavily impacted by the effort to bypass the Silver Lake Reservoir and create new water lines through the area, while repairing or replacing aging sewer lines. Here’s something to consider. This is a once-in-a-century job. All the work is being done to repair an aging infrastructure and comply with federal mandates. The Headworks project is designed to provide a new transmission route for critical water-supplies, while keeping the Silver Lake reservoir an open, beautiful body of water for the community to enjoy. Some of the water and sewer lines in the area are
I was walking in the center median as we surveyed a water trunk-line installation project, when a man stopped his car and pointedly told me, “Councilman, I want my neighborhood back.” structure improvement project in the Los Feliz – Silver Lake area. It’s called the River Supply Conduit Improvement Project, mandated by the Federal Clean Water Act. At a recent meeting of City of Los Angeles Public Works, Dept. of Transportation, Los Angeles Police Dept. and Los Angeles Fire Dept. officials met to discuss the impacts upcoming closures are going to have on the community, I was walking in the center median as we surveyed a water trunk-line installation project, when a man stopped his car and pointedly told me, “Councilman, I want my neighborhood back.” I can certainly understand the way he
Page 10 POLITICS
nearly 90 years old. We need this infrastructure upgrade to assure and protect our critical water supply; and maintain our sewer system. If you have any questions about the work, go to www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ ladwp011501.jsp You only need two things in life: water and relationships—water to hydrate your body and grow the food that feeds you; and relationships that nurture your soul and make life fun and fulfilling. Securing the water that feeds the City, while maintaining our relationships with others helps us continue to enjoy and love the great City of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power (LADWP) has proposed a rate increase in light of new environmental regulations, the skyrocketing cost of energy, and needed improvements to power lines, water pipes and other infrastructure. Although this may sound
scribed by the voter-approved ballot measure is to create a committee composed of ratepayers to select the Executive Director of the Office of Public Accountability. I am proud that we are empowering LADWP customers to choose who will hold the department accountable. Mayor Villaraigosa, Los Angeles City Councilmember Jan Perry, and I recently appointed the committee’s mem-
Mayor Villaraigosa, Los Angeles City Councilmember Jan Perry, and I recently appointed the committee’s members, who include neighborhood advocates and business ratepayers. straightforward, the LADWP has previously shown a reluctance to be open and transparent about its need for a rate increase. That’s why I developed Measure I, which overwhelmingly passed on the March ballot. The public’s trust in the LADWP was significantly diminished when the agency demanded an up to 28% power rate increase last year. The City Council beat back that rate increase and an audit later revealed that the LADWP misled the public in justifying its call for the increase. The LADWP’s top priority must be its customers, and the Office of Public Accountability/Ratepayer Advocate created by Measure I is charged with holding the department accountable to them. It will review any LADWP proposal to change its rates, monitor its progress toward meeting its renewable energy goals, and more. The first step in establishing the Ratepayer Advocate as pre-
bers, who include neighborhood advocates and business ratepayers. My appointees are Sandy Itkoff and Rusty Millar. Rusty is an active member of the Silver Lake community and has been part of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council since its inception. Sandy is the Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Development at Angeleno Group and sits on the Energy & Environment and the Legislative Affairs committees of the Los Angeles Business Council. Because the Office of the Public Advocate will independently analyze the LADWP’s rate proposals and elicit feedback from the community, it is imperative that no rate increases are approved until the office has been established and conducted a thorough analysis. Angelenos deserve to have their Ratepayer Advocate in place before the department makes any more decisions that will impact the price we pay for our water and power.
www.losfelizledger.com
see GATTO page 11
September 2011
Los Feliz Ledger
ADVANCE COMPUTER LEARNING CENTER
ECHO PARK—With hopes of establishing an annual tradition for the surrounding community, the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council (GEPENC) approved spending up to $750 for the first “Echo Park Mariachi Festival,” Sat. Sept. 17th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A location is still being determined. The free musical event is a collaboration of the local Hispanic business community, Los Angeles Unified School District and the nonprofit Harmony Project, which funds music education programs in underserved areas. The festival will feature student players from the school district as well professional mariachi performers. During public comment on the issue at the August GEPENC board meeting, an audience member noted neighborhood council boardmember, Lisa Baca—who originated the festival idea with President Jose Sigala— serves on the Harmony Project’s board of directors. The speaker suggested Baca’s support for the festival funding request could possibly represented a conflict of interest. Baca, however, said that she had carefully reviewed neighborhood council ethical and procedural guidelines and no such conflict existed since the GEPENC’s funds would be used to hire a professional music group and to offset any added staging costs only. More information about the festival is available by e-mailing Baca at lisa. baca@gepenc.org
Call to enroll:
By Erik Derr Ledger Contributing Writer
GGPNC President Asks LaBonge for More Public & Free Access To Some Facilities at Griffith Park
LOS FELIZ—The Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council (GGPNC) is looking to fill the District A position on its governing board this month. The council is accepting applications for the seat in District A, which roughly covers Los Feliz Boulevard between Riverside Drive and Western Avenue all of Griffith Park and the many residential streets along the park’s boundaries, until September 9th. Candidates can e-mail the needed forms to Outreach Chair Dan McCarthy at dan.mccarthy@ggpnc.org, or send them in paper form to the council’s regular mailing address, P.O. Box 27003, Los Angeles, CA 90027, and directed to “District A Representative.” The council plans to then select and seat its new member during its September 20th regular meeting. The GGPNC is also searching for a volunteer to chair and bring new life to the council’s city services committee, which serves as a liaison between stakeholders and city agencies and representatives. For that spot, those interested are asked to email an inquiry to info@ggpnc.org. The seat was held previously by Mio Vukovic who was elected in 2010 but stepped down from the council earlier this year.
GRIFFITH PARK—The president of the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council (GGPNC) is seeking to have the batting cage facility at Pote Field remain available for public use and is requesting the elimination of free weekday, daytime play at the Vermont Tennis Courts be rescinded. The requests were made by GGPNC President Ron Ostrow in letters dated Aug. 16th to Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge. In his letters, Ostrow states that the batting cages, after an upcoming renovation, will be closed to the public. “Without this facility available,” he wrote, “parents will be forced to seek out another neighborhood or drive to private for-pay [batting] facilities. For those you use the facility a few times a week, these costs can quickly add up in a time of economic uncertainty.” Additionally, in a the second letter to LaBonge, Ostrow bemoaned the recent decision by the city to rescind free access to the park’s Vermont Avenue tennis courts between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. He wrote that the pay for play fees at the Vermont Tennis Court ($15 for a registration card and $5 per hour to play) as “a model… more akin to a private club than a public park.” Lastly, Ostrow states in his letter that “Griffith Park… was donated to be a free resource for the people of Los Angeles.”
n!
ATWATER VILLAGE—Atwater Village will be getting a facelift over the next few weeks, starting will regular trash pick-up service along Glendale Boulevard funded by the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council (AVNC). The panel voted 12-1 in favor of paying $2,700 for weekly garbage pick-up each Monday along the street. The neighborhood council had previously given businesses along the thoroughfare trash receptacles for their storefronts—but hadn’t specified a service to empty them on a regular basis, according to neighborhood councilor Jeff Hoffman. The city only maintains its own cans along the boulevard. Additionally, the council voted to spend up to $500 to sponsor the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council’s ArtCycle, an annual gathering along Santa Monica Boulevard during which many participants and visitors shuttle between the community’s myriad art galleries on bicycles. Also, the AVNC unanimously selected John Culik as the second board representative in the North Atwater. Perhaps to set the tone for Culik’s appointment later in the meeting, Robert “Fixer” Smith, the council’s co-chair, spoke briefly on council ethics at the start of the August meeting. “We’re all nice people,” he said. “Let’s keep it that way.”
By Erik Derr Ledger Contributing Writer
GGPNC Taking Applications to Fill Open Board Seat
So o
By Erik Derr Ledger Contributing Writer
Neighborhood Council Approves First Mariachi Festival, Sept. 17
in g
I was pleased to see so many schoolchildren in our district get involved in this cause. Exploring New Biofuels. I authored AB 768, which would incentivize the use of bio-methane produced in the United States. The California Air Resources Board has already adopted my proposals in their new regulations approved in June. Promoting Water Conservation. I authored AB 849, which standardizes the laws that localities can apply to gray water systems. These systems can now recycle your shower water for use on your flowers. Streamlining the Permitting Process. I authored AB 49, which would require the state and local governments to have one point of contact in each permitting office who can expedite permits, including environmentally related ones. This way, new projects would not languish. This is an important step toward stopping the annoying, inefficient current process, and putting Californians back to work. I will work to continue our State’s leadership on environmental policies as your representative. Please consider my office a resource for anything related to our government, and a welcome place for any ideas you may have for helping our state. You can contact me anytime by calling (818) 558-3043 or by emailing Assemblymember.Gatto@assembly.ca.gov. Mike Gatto is the Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore of the California State Assembly. He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and parts of Los Angeles, including Los Feliz, North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, and Van Nuys. He has served in the Assembly since June 2010. Website of Assemblyman Mike Gatto: www.asm.ca.gov/gatto
AVNC Votes “Yes” on Glendale Blvd. Trash Service & East Hollywood Art
Co m
GATTO from page 10
Los Feliz Ledger
2012 Calendar
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Have your ad or listing seen and read 60,000 a month. Coming with our January 2012 Edition. 1/16th, 1/8th, 1/4th and 1/2 page ads and individual listings available. Looking for locals to take photos of each month. Call (323) 667-9897 for information or to reserve your space now! POLITICS Page 11
Los Feliz Ledger
Medieval Cathedral Expert to Speak at Los Feliz Library Sept. 15 HILLHURST AVENUE— Denice Nossett, a librarian whose specialty is medieval cathedrals, will provide a virtual guided tour of familiar and famous cathedrals at the Architecture & Beyond Lecture Series Thursday, September 15th, 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at the Los Feliz Library, 1874 Hillhurst Avenue. Nossett, Senior Librarian at the Harbor City-Harbor Gateway Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, has been a member of the Adrian Empire, a medieval recreation society, for over 20 years and served in as both a local chapter presi-
Vahan Saroians
dent and national president. She is currently an advisor to the Board of Directors. Skylights Books at 1814 will have copies of architectural-related books for purchase and signing. The Architecture & Beyond Lecture Series starts its 8th year of providing free talks to the community. It is supported by the Friends of the Los Feliz Library and the merchants of Los Feliz Village BID.
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Loc a l l y o w n e d a n d o p e r a t e d s i n c e 1976. Page 12
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September 2011
Los Feliz Ledger
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Los Feliz Ledger [real estate]
Housing Industry Gearing Up “Gen Y” Buyers By Erik Derr, Ledger Real Estate Writer Back when Myspace.com was the rage of the social media scene, they were the youth whose mastery over computers and electronic gadgets fostered a contentious national debate over online privacy, user safety and, ultimately, the future of human interaction. Today, those tech-savvy
20 and 30-somethings—part of the so-called “Generation Y” generally born between the late 1970s and late 90s—hold the fate of America’s housing market, say several recent industry studies, including one released in July by the University of Southern California’s Lusk Center for Real Estate.
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“Population growth and the country for over 26,000 direct injection vehicle]. I take demographic shifts, particureal estate agents, simply to my job seriously but make sure larly the ongoing maturation emphasize the importance of to laugh a lot.” of a diverse, well-educated the coming tide of “Y” buyers Such choices, she said, Gen Y, will drive improveand the group’s preferred pur“affect my happiness quotient ments in the real estate market chasing ethos. and keep me waking up exover the next 10 years,” said a “Gen Y buyers expect a cited to go to work.” Lusk Center release about the different attitude and valueMichael Nourmand, the study. added service. They are turned president of Nourmand & AsStan Ross, Lusk Cenoff by the slick, disingenuous sociates and a Gen Yer as well, ter chairman, said that while salesperson of yesteryear,” said explained such tech-mindedGeneration Y ness is not so number apmuch a matproximately ter of being 77.4 million— caught up “Population growth and roughly the by all things demographic shifts, particularly same as Baby electronic as Boomers—the it is being younger set is the ongoing maturation of a diverse, respectful of more educated one’s time well-educated Gen Y, will drive and diverse— and resourcand prudent es. improvements in the real estate with money. “Pe opl e market over the next 10 years,” The Lusk need to get study suggests over the idea said a Lusk Center for Real Estate Generation Y of giving too will impact evmuch inforrelease about the study. ery level of resimation to dential product consumers,” except senior Nourma nd housing. Courtney Smith, herself a Gen said. “Consumers want [inforAnother study conducted Yer and agent with Nourmand mation]. You have to give what in the summer of 2010 by & Associates. “An agent had the consumer wants, or someULI/Lachman Associates better deliver more than that.” one else will.” found 37% of Gen Y conActually, maintaining a And that changes the sumers are renters; 35% own good web presence is a must sales paradigm. At the point homes; 26% live with their for any agent in today’s marconsumers, via online media, parents or siblings or in stuket, “but more important, have near-direct access to dent housing; and 2% live in in my opinion, is accessibilmost if not all of the propermobile homes. ity through technology. My ties available on the market, “They have watched the iPhone is an extension of my an agent’s job is no longer stock market, financial marhand. I answer e-mails and “finding, but helping [clikets and economy wipe out texts most waking hours of the ents] through a highly comtheir parents’ retirement day,” she said. “I expect it of plex and infrequent transacplans,” Ross said. As a result, my services providers, and so tion,” he said. they will tend to prefer “lowerdo my clients.” Ironically, despite the risk investment strategies.” According to Smith, the market changes on their beMeanwhile, data collected rule number one for Gen Y half, sometimes it’s the Gen recently by Wells Fargo finanagents “is that the corpoYers, more than even tradicial services concluded over rate structure won’t fly. I like tional buyers, who need to be 51 million of the eldest Gen meeting new clients at neighpersuaded to keep a re-tooled Yers are set to become firstborhood spots like Proof or agent in the transactional mix. time homeowners; as such, The Village Bakery instead Gen Yers can be “too the lender publicly announced of a conference room… Resmart for their own good,” that it’s focused on reaching cycled matte card stock with said Nourmand, who’s on octhe younger crowd, which it a quirky logo says something casion had to remind those of considers “a lifeblood” for the about who I am that a borhis own set that “usually, in housing industry. ing letterpress seal on [a] linen every real estate deal, there’s a That said, Wells Fargo [business card or stationary] little twist that comes up” and also reportedly screened precannot. I wear jeans to work, it’s wise to have an agent on sentations in theaters across I drive a TDI [turbocharged hand to solve it.
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Page 14 Su Casa REAL ESTATE
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September 2011
Los Feliz Ledger
BRIAN ADES TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS YOU NEED GOOD INFORMATION www.brianades.com | email: brian@brianades.com | cell: (310) 503-8080 [keen to be green]
Sustainable School Lunches and Picky Eaters By Meher McArthur, Ledger Columnist As families gear up for school again, one thing they might be pondering is school lunch. It certainly weighs heavily on my mind. I have a picky eater going into 1st grade. He no longer wants to eat the school food, which is OK with me as it’s usually inedible and wastefully packaged. So, armed with my stainless steel bottle and sandwich box, I am preparing for my school-year struggle to make lunches that are at once inexpensive, waste-free, tasty and nutritious. For some tips, I went to Jennie Cook (www.jenniecooks.com) a local sustainable chef and caterer who campaigns against unhealthy school food trends such as chocolate milk. “It’s important to keep introducing kids to healthy foods until they develop a taste for them,” she said. “Also, it helps for picky kids to eat with other kids who eat good foods, so that they copy their habits.” Sure enough, I’ve finally managed to wean my son off apple juice and onto whole apples—peel and all—largely because his buddies were eating them. Sadly, he will undoubtedly want to copy kids with the less healthy eating habits too, but perhaps if enough kids pack healthy
lunches, the apples and cucumbers will win out over cookies and Lunchables. Sustainable Saturdays at the Silver Lake Library: Jennie Cook will be giving a free talk, Sustainable School Lunches on Sat. Sept. 3rd at 11 a.m. For more info, contact www.sustainablesilverlake. org or call (323) 913-7451.
Hand Held Radio Training Offered SILVER LAKE—A training session for community hand held radio communication will be held Sunday, Sept. 18th from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Alegria on Sunset, 3510 W. Sunset Boulevard. Hand held radio communication is a useful tool in crime prevention and disaster preparedness. A loaner radio will be available to anyone who does not have one. The event is sponsored by the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council’s Public Safety Committee. For more information: ntrujillo6@roadrunner.com September 2011
www.losfelizledger.com
Su Casa REAL ESTATE Page 15
P ATRICIA R UBEN Sotheby’s International Realty Los Feliz Brokerage DRE# 01262286
323.671.2310 Patricia.Ruben@sothebyshomes.com
CONGRATULATIONS In our fast-paced world of constant communication, it is sometimes important to stop and take a moment to celebrate our successes. This is one of those times. Marc Giroux, Vice President and Brokerage Manager, and Frank Symons, EVP and COO Western and Mountain Regions, are very pleased to recognize and congratulate Patricia Ruben for her two extraordinary recent sales that define the legends of Los Feliz and would like to express thanks to the sellers that trusted her knowledge of the Los Feliz area, as we do. SOLD
SOLD
“Walt Disney’s” 4053 Woking Way Residence
“Van Griffith” 2630 N.Vermont Residence
Walt Disney’s personal residence.This historic home features circular rotunda, painted ceilings, Juliet balcony and the projection and screening room built to watch dailies of what are now classic films. Also includes the original playhouse featured in “The Man Behind The Myth.”
Circa 1925, historic compound with main and guest residences that neighbor Griffith Park. Enter via double gated driveway with parking for 10 cars. Park-like flat grounds includes swimmer’s pool, loggia with outdoor fireplace, stone paths and premier landscaping.
offered at $3,650,000
offered at $4,875,000
Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc.
LOS FELIZ
•
1801 North Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027
•
sothebyshomes.com
Local Experts Worldwide
SeleCted propertieS
NeW exclusIve
Walt Disney Woking Way ResiDence: los Feliz. Gated and historic home on large double lot, over one acre in total. 4bd/5ba, projection and screening room. Downtown views, www.waltdisneylahome.com $3,650,000 Web: 0284314 Patricia Ruben 323.671.2310 NeW exclusIve
3115 ettRick st: los Feliz. Incomparable modern new dream home. 4bd/3ba. huge open plan, chef’s kitch, yard and views.Ivanhoe school. www.ettrickmodern. com $1,499,000 Web: 0284303
Rick Yohon 323.270.1725
IN escroW
704VieW.coM: burbank. Picturesque,whimsical, 3+2.5+media rm+hdwd flrs,3fpl,updated kitch/bas+pl/ spa+tree house+guest house/2 car gar $929,000 Web: 0284328 Rosemary Low 323.660.5885
NeW exclusIve
Jeneen Oh/ Rosemary Low 323.493.4495
Rick Yohon 323.270.1725
NeW exclusIve
1809 silVeRWooD teRRace: silver lake. stunning reservoir views, elegant updated kit & baths, large balconies that capture the views. close to shops & restaurants $875,000 Web: 0284239 Joseph Lightfoot 323.665.1108
NeW PrIce
4450BeeMan.coM. studio city. charming & bright ranch-style trad 3bd/2ba + den + pool, kit, Flr w/ fpl,openflr pln,hwdflrs,French drs/shtrs, nu paint.Near park. $750,000 Web: 0284307
3456 Ben loMonD Pl: los Feliz. Grand old World spanish circa 1930. 3bD + 2.5ba + den. Dramatic authentic character w/chef’s kitchen and views. www.3456blP.com $1,195,000 Web: 0284331
HanDsoMe FRanklin Hills tRaDitional: los Feliz. 3bd/2ba Great floor plan, sunset views. romantic master suite, charming outdoor spaces, bonus off., Franklin school. $759,000 Web: 0284336 Carol Stewart 323.255.3800
NeW PrIce
1749 W silVeR lake DR: silver lake. 2 story trad. with updated baths, large eat-in kit, Fam rm. Dr to patio and terraced garden. hdwd flrs, period details $699,000 Web: 0284212
Joseph Lightfoot 323.665.1108
1406 n. Benton Way: silver lake. 3bd/1.75ba lg lr w/vaulted clng, wd windows, hdwd flrs, French drs from mstr open to spacious yard. close to cafes, shops, studios $699,000 Web: 0284230 Joseph Lightfoot 323.665.1108
NeW exclusIve
2305eFFie.coM: silver lake. Gated artsy, secluded, vus, romantic country setting, loftlike, w/dark hwd flrs, hi-beamed ceilings, nu Kit $675,000 Web: 0284281 Rosemary Low 323.660.5885
solD
Ruben/Yohon 323.671.2310
NeW exclusIve
2566 lake VieW aVe: silver lake. character triplex. two 1bd/1ba + studio. hdwd flrs. Gd for owner-user or investor. 1 unit vacant at coe $599,000 Web: 0284290 Joseph Lightfoot 323.665.1108
For Schools
807 n. Dillon st: silver lake. bright and leafy silver lake bungalow 3bd/2ba. hrdwd flrs large yard with trees. Garage converted to studio. $669,000 Web: 0284276
ecHo PaRk MoDeRn: hillside modern revisited. 3 bed, 2.5 bath+den, vus. remodel, all new systems. $649,000 Web: 0284319 Mahealani Dominguez 323.671.2332
NeW exclusIve
ecHo PaRk oasis: echo Park. c.1954 2bd/1ba charming traditional on a fenced/gated corner lot surrounded by lush mature bamboo and landscaping $579,000 Web: 0284318 Louise Leach 213.344.8090
2041 cUMMings DR: los Feliz. stunning 4bd/4ba Gated laughlin Park retreat in Park-like setting w/ lg heated Pool & spa also detached gsthse offering privacy. $10,900/mo Web: 0284325
Manvel & Nadia 323.376.2222
Sotheby’s International Realty - Los Feliz is proud to establish Sotheby’s International Realty for Schools. Sotheby’s International Realty for School’s mission is to help our local youth realize their full potential. Our organization and agents are currently supporting various initiatives at Micheltorena Elementary School on an ongoing donation program from closed transactions.
Southern California BrokerageS I sothebyshomes.com/socal I loS feliz 1801 North hIllhurst aveNue t 323.665.1700
uSe the WeB numBerS provided to find out more information on a property through our WeBSite
operated by sotheby’s International realty, Inc.. sotheby’s International realty® is a registered trademark. the yellow house used with permission. sotheby’s International realty does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size or other information concerning the property provided by the seller or obtained from public records or other sources.
Los Feliz Ledger [interior motives]
All Shades of White By Susann Thomason Tunick Ledger Columnist Recently while strolling through our beautiful neighborhood, my husband and I noticed a home being painted with many samples of white gracing its exterior. We discussed which white we preferred, and that led me to my topic for this article. White is still the most requested color for interior and exterior walls and trim. So which white is best? Whites reflect the colors of the room or the exterior. I’ve painted interior rooms white that looked out upon the swimming pool and the walls felt “blue” from the reflection.
as a trim color. Warmer whites include Benjamin Moore’s Linen White, Bone White (all stock colors) and Farrow and Balls #2003 Pointing. They consistently work beautifully inside, creating softness and absorbing colors from the room. Swiss Coffee is a long time favorite of decorators. Benjamin Moore’s OC-45 and Dunn Edward’s Swiss Coffee DEW342 will feel slightly yellow compared to the brighter whites, but work beautifully for exteriors where softness is needed. They’re also great for interior wood trim when using
Don’t paint until you’ve seen the color on both cloudy and sunny days, as well as morning, noon and night. The white will change with the circumstances. A brown sofa will darken the white while greens will reflect their hue. When sampling paint, ask your painter to apply very large samples of the color in several places. Don’t paint until you’ve seen the color on both cloudy and sunny days, as well as morning, noon and night. The white will change with the circumstances. I’ve polled my interior designer colleagues and here are their favorite whites: Benjamin Moore seems to be everyone’s favorite. For crisp, clean whites without yellow or grey undertones, try Super White, Decorators White, White Dove and Atrium White which are all stock colors. These are very pure, so make sure they’re warm enough for your project. They’re also great
soft colors on the walls. Dunn Edward’s Whisper, DEW340, a long time favorite of mine, adds softness to a white room without reading yellow. It works well on exterior and interior walls and trim. If you’re searching for a grayer white, try Dunn Edwards Bone China DEW339 or Ben Moore Paper White OC-55. They’ll seem grey compared to the crisp whites mentioned above, but a great combination with Decorator’s White for trim. White is always fresh, and never boring. It will showcase your art and rugs beautifully and will blend with the rest of the environment you create. Susann Tunick can be reached at susann@thomasontunick.com
1634 West Temple Street. Los Angeles CA 90026. www.parpaint.com
L.A.’s Number 1 Eco Paint Team
Make a Safecoat Purchase Through November and
Save 10%
1660 Hillhurst Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90027 Tel 323-300-1000 • Fax 323-300-1001 Web: www.KWLosFeliz.com Blog: www.kwLFBlog.com Page 18 Su Casa REAL ESTATE
Benjamin Moore n Pratt and Lambert n Spectrum Paint n Fine Paints of Europe n Valspar Lacquers n Cabot Stains n Zar Stains n American Clay Texturline Limewash n Breakthrough Metallics and Glazes n One Shot Sign Paint n Masons Select n Muralo Offer expires 11-30-2011. Please redeem this ad with your purchase.
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Los Feliz Ledger [ SELECT HOME SALES SEPTEMBER 2011 ] 90027 Single Family Homes
90026 Condominimums 1079 W Kensington Rd 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . $361,000 142 Rosemont Ave 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176,500
90026 Single Family Homes 815 N Occidental Blvd . . . . . . . . . . . $1,700,000 863 1442 1761 3017 3110 1747 1636 814 1754 1474 636 1748 1522 1880 2211 229 200 329 2215 227
Lucile Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,425,000 Kellam Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,100,000 W Silver Lake Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 975,000 Fall Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810,000 Berkeley Cir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799,000 N Dillon St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775,000 Golden Gate Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755,000 E Edgeware Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735,000 Redesdale Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675,000 Silver Lake Blvd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619,000 N Vendome St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615,000 Griffith Park Blvd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565,000 Sargent Pl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540,000 Lucile Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000 Montana St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474,000 Lake Shore Ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434,000 Robinson St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415,000 N La Fayette Park Pl . . . . . . . . . . . . 375,000 Reservoir St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370,000 N Vendome St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350,000
4455 4455 4455 4411 4455
Los Feliz Blvd 207 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $330,000 Los Feliz Blvd 501 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318,000 Los Feliz Blvd 705 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315,000 Los Feliz Blvd 207 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252,500 Los Feliz Blvd 205 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235,500
2630 5121 4100 5370 2050 2251 3550 2444 2190 3740 5035 4116 3716 3509 3953 4327 2337 5021 1739 4303 2006 3831 4540 1514 2030
N Vermont Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,550,000 Franklin Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,850,000 Cromwell Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,300,000 Los Feliz Blvd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,995,000 N Edgemont St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,670,000 N Hobart Blvd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,585,000 Amesbury Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,515,000 N Edgemont St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,260,000 Talmadge St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,238,000 Prestwick Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,160,000 Ambrose Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,085,000 Dundee Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 955,000 Clayton Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 950,000 Griffith Park Blvd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 945,000 Franklin Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925,000 Russell Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 894,000 Richland Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 873,000 Ambrose Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863,000 Deloz Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775,000 Ambrose Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775,000 N Hoover St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615,000 Fernwood Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599,000 Ambrose Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520,000 Myra Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396,000 N Vermont Ave 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390,000
90039 Condominimums
90027 Condominimums
2330 2279 2397 2929 4101
Duane St 206 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $615,000 Glendale Blvd 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480,000 Silver Lake Blvd 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380,000 Waverly Dr 303 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360,000 Perlita Ave B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195,000
90039 Single Family Homes
90068 Single Family Homes
2516 1950 2036 2483 2860 2641 1952 2212 2821 2715 2390 2807 3786 2233 3363 3796 3730 3201 3419 2322 3787
Kenilworth Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,350,000 Lucile Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,030,000 Meadow Valley Ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 913,000 Lindsay Ln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 873,000 Herkimer St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810,000 Armstrong Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810,000 Redesdale Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 749,000 Brier Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 745,000 Avenel St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725,000 Armstrong Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725,000 Silver Ridge Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700,000 Putnam St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 695,000 Glenfeliz Blvd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656,000 Fair Oak View Ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595,000 Hollydale Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590,000 Griffith View Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559,000 Edenhurst Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555,000 Garden Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529,000 Greensward Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000 Lake View Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499,000 Glenfeliz Blvd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485,000
2222 6748 6748 6702 1920 2700 2700 1900 6700
N Beachwood Dr 110 . . . . . . . . . . $460,000 Hillpark Dr 507 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405,000 Hillpark Dr 406 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365,000 Hillpark Dr 206 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309,000 Holly Dr 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297,000 Cahuenga Blvd E 4210 . . . . . . . . . . 270,000 Cahuenga Blvd E 4203 . . . . . . . . . . 265,000 Vine St 216 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240,000 Hillpark Dr 204 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230,000
90068 Condominimums
7146 7171 3315 2532 2330 2400 5606 1946 2657 3512 2182 6474 2257 3344 1841 2773 3889 5747 3255 2222 2133 3491 5516 2145 6419 2281 6363 5864 2303 2012 2781 3369
La Presa Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,925,000 La Presa Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,825,000 Durand Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,500,000 Wild Oak Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,875,000 Bronson Hill Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,876,000 Carman Crest Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,800,000 Green Oak Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,775,000 N Gramercy Pl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,625,000 Carman Crest Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,610,000 Multiview Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,500,000 Argyle Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,385,000 Odin St . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,381,500 Chelan Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,380,000 Wonder View Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,294,500 Outpost Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,266,500 Pelham Pl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,065,000 Fredonia Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,012,000 Briarcliff Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,005,000 Bennett Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 980,000 San Marco Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 974,000 Fairfield Ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 965,000 Wonder View Pl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 950,000 Green Oak Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 950,000 Hollyridge Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 949,000 Tahoe Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 943,500 Holly Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 931,500 La Punta Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 930,000 Locksley Pl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 910,000 Bronson Hill Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905,000 Pinehurst Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 887,500 Westshire Dr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875,000 Charleston Way 872,500
Sales are from 6/15/2011 to 8/14/2011. Source: Great American Real Estate Solutions
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Su Casa REAL ESTATE Page 19
Los Feliz Ledger [ SEPTEMBER 2011 events calendar ]
ArtCycle returns to East Hollywood this month. Photo credit: Cassandra Pruett
ART East Hollywood ArtCycle Part street fair, part bike ride. Participants in this third annual celebration of East Hollywood’s art and cycling subcultures include galleries, theaters and other creative spaces, all of which will buzz with art, live entertainment, food, dancing, children’s activities, and more. Sat., Sept. 17th, 2 p.m.-10 p.m. Santa Monica Blvd. between Vermont and Virgil, East Hollywood. Information: (323) 7394269; www.artcyclela.com.
BOOKS Architecture & Beyond Denice Nossett will take attendees on a virtual tour through famous medieval cathedrals. Los Feliz Branch Library, Thurs., Sept. 15th, 6:45 p.m. 1874 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz. Information: (323) 913-4710; www. lapl.org. Dan Fante The son of novelist John Fante (author of the great L.A. novel Ask the Dust) and an accomplished writer in his own right, Dan Fante will discuss and sign his new family memoir, Fante: A Family’s Legacy of Writing, Drinking and Surviving . Skylight Books, Fri., Sept. 2nd, 7:30 p.m. 1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz. Information: (323) 660-1175; www. skylightbooks.com. ‘Images of America: Atwater Village’ A book signing and lecture for this new book by Netty Carr, Sandra Caravella, Luis Lopez, Ann Lawson and the Friends of Atwater Village. The book features more than 200 vintage photographs. Atwater Village Branch Library, Tues., Sept. 27th, 4:30 p.m. 3379 Glendale Blvd., Atwater Village. Information: (323) 664-1353; www.lapl.org.
CULTURE Mexican and Latino Imagery in Los Angeles In conjunction with Latino Heritage Month, lecturer-in-residence Paul Apodaca will discuss how Latino and indigenous imagery and traditions have influenced the culture of Los Angeles. His presentation will include
Page 20 CALENDAR
www.losfelizledger.com
photographs and art. Free with museum admission ($10 for adults, $6 for students and seniors, $4 for children 3-12, free for children under 3). Autry Museum of the American West, Sat., Sept. 24th, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. Information: (323) 667-2000; www.theautry.org.
MOVIES Outdoor Movies The movies return to Barnsdall Art Park this month, giving film buffs a chance to vote on and view their favorite L.A. flicks. Beer, wine and food trucks will be available from 5:30 p.m. until sundown, and screenings will begin around 7:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and picnic. See website for details. Barnsdall Art Park, Sat., Sept. 10th, 17th, 24th, 5:30 p.m. 4800 Hollywood Blvd., East Hollywood. Information: info@ barnsdall.org; www.barnsdall.org.
PETS Strut Your Mutt Dogs and their owners can help raise money for homeless pets by joining this 1-mile walk and fundraiser. Afterward, a post-walk festival in the park will feature such canine treats as doggie yoga and massages, “pawdicures,” and free vet and training consultations. Registration is $30 in advance, $35 on site. Pan Pacific Park, Sat., Sept. 24th, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 7600 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. Information: Information: (435) 6444481; www.strutyourmutt.org.
SCIENCE Let’s Make a Comet What exactly is a comet made of? This 25-minute demonstration will explain just that, using household ingredients and dry ice to make a tiny comet from scratch. Attendees can learn about water in all its forms and why it’s so important to life on earth — and possibly elsewhere. Griffith Observatory, Thurs., Sept. 1st, Fri., Sept. 2nd, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sat., Sept. 3rd, Sun., Sept. 4th, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. 2800 E. Observatory Road, Griffith Park. Information: (213) 473-0800; www.griffithobservatory.org.
September 2011
Los Feliz Ledger [senior moments]
Medicaid and Long-Term Care Services By Stephanie Vendig, Ledger Columnist Our angst with the growing debt and economic insecurity in this country has created advocacy for using the “ax rather than the scalpel.” We are told that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid must be reduced since these programs are those in which costs are skyrocketing. Between “the Baby Boomers” the largest age group, and the current retirees who are sticking around too long, we do have difficult decisions to make. This demographic will not go away, and it is this group who is unprepared to shoulder the financial burden of long-term care services according to a recent survey by the SCAN Foundation and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (Los Angeles Times). Medicare is a health insurance program for people age 65 and older, whereas Medicaid is a “safety net” program for people with limited income, and who are in certain categories—children, pregnant women, parents of eligible children, disabled, blind, persons over 65, and
those needing long-term care services. Although it is a federally funded program with a basic framework designed by Congress, states (MediCal in
California) provide up to half of its funding and administer the program. All states, including California, have been struggling with their short-and long-term cost challenges. There are reductions in the income eligibility levels or services. Health provider fees are cut so low that recipients have difficulty
finding doctors. Before you need help, having a long-term care insurance policy could be helpful. Congress has just created the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Plan (CLASS) as part of the healthcare reform law starting next year to lower the costs of Medicaid and to encourage purchas-
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ing long-term care policies. Benefits start in 2017. Employers will automatically enroll people; workers can opt out of it, or you can get CLASS as an individual. CLASS benefits will be for any person over 18 with a qualifying disability limiting day-to-day living. For more information: www.kff.org/ healthreform/upload/8069.pdf
Conversational Spanish at GPACC on Wednesdays
Griffith Park Adult Community Club Calendar
September 14: Harriet Ells, Program Director - KCRW – “Keeping Public Radio Relevant” September 21: Jacobs & Lipson - USC Emeriti College – “Movie Themes are a Many Splendored Thing” September 28: Gerry Hans & Bernadette Soter - Friends of Griffith Park – “Preserving Native Animals & Plants in L.A.’s Urban Wilderness” Friendship Auditorium 3201 Riverside Drive
General Meeting and Lunch Making Sense of Medicare Wed., Sept. 21, 11:45 – 3:00 - Friendship Aud.* “The Real Cleopatra” - Prof. Stanley Burstein Wed., Sept. 28, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Free Computer Classes, thru Dec., all ages* 3203 Riverside Drive, just north of Los Feliz Bl. * Call for info and reservations (323) 644-5579 Lunch Program: Mon.-Fri., GPACC, 11:30 AM sign in, Noon lunch, Donation under 60 $4, 60+ $2 Club Info and Newsletter:
(1/4 mi. so. of Los Feliz Bl.)
Stephanie Vendig, (323) 667-3043 or vendig@sbcglobal.net.
For upcoming programs, see... www.LABreakfastClub.com or call (323) 662-1191
Join GPACC: Only $15/year for trips and news. For information on trips, call Doris Slater, (323) 667-1879
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SENIOR MOMENTS Page 21
Los Feliz Ledger [the good life]
Fall Beers – Rich Flavors By Tara de Lis, Ledger Columnist Even though Los Angeles
may be a town without traditional seasons, beer aficionados
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still look forward to certain annual releases. In fall, this typically involves a range of products, from Oktoberfest styles to produce-based brews like pumpkin beer to many other unique variations on the theme. Sam Adams was one of the country’s first large-production craft breweries, and continues to put out quality product. Their OctoberFest presents as a pretty amber color, but the taste is definitively robust. It’s made from a blend of five malts and ends up hoppy on the finish. San Diego’s Karl Strauss brewing company also makes its own Oktoberfest tribute to the annual Munich party, which in spite of the name, ac-
tually begins in September. It’s quite light, clean, food-friendly and at only five percent alcohol, quite quaffable. One of the most unique pumpkin beers out there is the T.R.E.A.T Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter from Anchorage, Alaska’s Midnight Sun Brewing Co. The brew is comprised of pumpkin, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Local to Southern California, the Bruery is headquartered in the Orange County city of Placentia. Its Belgianstyle Autumn Maple replaces pumpkins with roasted yams, plus maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla, kind of like liquid pumpkin pie. Newcastle is normally
[restaurant review]
Los Feliz Kneads Mother Dough By Pat Saperstein, Ledger Restaurant Critic
SOUTH AMERICAN & ITALIAN CUISINE
HOLLYWOODBOULEVARD— The Silver Lake-Los Feliz area has no shortage of pizza joints, some of them quite good. But until Mother Dough opened earlier this year on Hollywood Boulevard none offered a crust that approached that sour, chewy nirvana found at the best pizzerias. A wood-burning oven is positioned at the back of the brick-walled room, with pizza assembling and baking in view of diners. On the brown paper menu, an explanation of owner Bez Compani’s philosophy gently instructs diners in the nuances of traditional Neapolitan pizza. With wine, beer and appetizers, Mother Dough is designed for eating in the restaurant, rather than getting pies to go. Even for the sophisticated near-Eastside, Mother Dough’s fanatical approach to pizza perfection might take some getting used to. Compani has kept the menu compact to get the main attraction right, and though the
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pizzas cook for only a few minutes in the wood-burning oven, they take quite a while to prepare. So order a plate of olives or charcuterie and a glass of wine and relax for a while, because the pizza will be worth it. Five varieties each have a different character designed to let the ingredients shine. Slices, rather than crumbles, of whiskey fennel sausage buffalo mozzarella are randomly strewn on the sausage pie, giving each slice a slightly different taste. Some people find the slightly charred crust endearingly rustic, while others seem to think it’s a fault. On the oven-roasted vine tomato pie, a handful of cherry tomatoes have a smoky sweetness substituting well for sauce, playing up the subtle flavor of the buffalo mozzarella. On the prosciutto/arugula pizza, a base of cheese is topped with curls of smoky, salty ham jousting with a drift of slightly bitter greens. The zucchini pie adds manchego cheese to the B A C K
T O
known for its brown ale, but releases the “blood red” Werewolf in autumn. And it’s certainly got teeth—evidenced by bold bitterness but balanced by berries. The Original Fireman’s Brew Company is based in Woodland Hills, and as the name suggests, was founded by two L.A.-based firefighters. Together, they produce three beers: a blonde, a brunette and a redhead. The brunette, or “brewnette,” as its sometimes called, is considered their fall selection. It’s a traditional German double bock made with chocolate malts. Tara de Lis is a freelance writer who lives in Hollywood.
mix, while the simple margherita might be the best way to experience the simple zen of wild yeast sourdough crust. Italian and craft beers and a decently priced dozen wines provide plenty of choices for the simple menu. Pies are between $17 and $19—big appetites might want one per person, while lighter eaters might find one enough with a salad and another appetizer. If there’s still room, rotating desserts include triple chocolate mousse and roasted pears with chocolate. On a busy night, Mother Dough probably isn’t the place for impatient kids (or adults), though there are plenty of families in the earlier hours. But a little patience pays off big for the most grown-up pizza place in the neighborhood. Make it a night: Just a few doors down, sampling the wide selection of beer and wine at Bar Covell is a fine way to finish the evening. Mother Dough, 4648 Hollywood Blvd., (323) 644-2885.
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323.552.8992 8/26/11 4:07 PM September 2011
Los Feliz Ledger
New Theater District in Atwater Village
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lows the first 12 actors who sign up at 7 p.m. to perform for 5 minutes before a live audience. Tickets run from $10 to $25. The Collaborative Artists Ensemble has a new home at the 44-seat Berg Studio Theatre at 3245 Casitas Ave. Down the street, the Atwater Playhouse has been producing plays for the past several years. The playhouse also has a method acting school, a conservatory program and a full film production company. On Sept. 9th and 10th the company will present an evening of one-act plays from their annual playwriting festival. Tickets are $10. It appears that the street has crossed over the tipping point and is well on its way to becoming a mecca for theater in northeastern L.A.
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ATWATER VILLAGE— It’s wonderful to see the transformation of a neighborhood into a vibrant new scene like the theater and arts district evolving on Castitas Avenue in Atwater Village. Atwater Village Theatre at 3269 Casitas Ave., houses Ensemble Studio Theatre LA and the Circle X Theatre Co. founded in 1996. The two 99seat theaters were transformed from old factories. The companies share an outdoor lobby with tables and chairs and a bar with drinks and snacks. This fall, Ensemble Studio Theatre LA will present “House of Gold” by Gregory Moss which opens Oct. 22nd featuring a cast of nine and special effects incorporating animation, video and film. A guest production, “Stranger Things, ” by Ghost Road Theatre Company opens Sept. 2nd. Circle X has received a grant from the LA County Arts Commission to develop a new work. In the interim “Freak Machine” on the last Monday of every month al-
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By Marilyn Tower Oliver Ledger Theater Critic
Feliz Ledger (323) 667-9897
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Local Receives Artistic Theater Award LOS FELIZ—Local Robert Patrick will receive, Sept. 19th, the 2011 “Artistic Achievement” Award by the New York Innovative Theater Awards in New York. The award recognizes contribution to the “OffOff Broadway” community. Since 1964, Patrick has had thousands of productions of dozens of plays on six continents around the world.
Previous Artistic Award Recipients include: Pulitzer Prize winner Lanford Wilson; “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” director Tom O’Horgan; gay theatre pioneer Doric Wilson; Living Theatre founder Judith Malina; international puppeteer Basil Twistand and underground playwright Maria Irene Fornes.
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Los Feliz Ledger [eastside eye]
[city sleuth]
Mohawk Bend’s Savvy Design
A Library Built to Last
By Kathy A. McDonald, Ledger Contributing Writer HOLLYWOOD—In August, Kristofer Keith’s latest and most ambitious project opened: the 10,000 square foot Mohawk Bend in Echo Park. Owned by Los Feliz’s Tony Yanow and his wife Amy, the already wildly popular “gastropub” features a crowdpleasing menu with savory vegan and vegetarian specialties, and a changing selection of artisan cocktails from California spirits, craft beer—72 kinds—and wine on tap. Mohawk Bend occupies a 100-year old brick building that once was the Estudio Theater—longtime locals may recall how it sat empty and decaying for 26 years. To use the building and meet current building codes, Keith essentially built a building within the vast space. The exposed steel “I-beams” framing the interior are not only a design element but meet a structural requirement. Although there are retro touches—Yanow’s personal collection of vintage beer signs for instance—Keith purposefully avoided a fake nostalgic look. “I didn’t want something too slick either,” he said. “So I went for something down the middle, an industrial but stylized direction.” Among Keith’s other commissions is an ongoing transformation of Tantra restaurant, also on Sunset Boulevard. To be renamed Naya, Keith is reconfiguring the Indian restaurant, creating an all white dining room and an adjacent lounge in regal colors. There will also be a back patio for dining. As with all his projects, he said he stays away from
By Diane Kanner, Ledger Columnist
“theme-y” type designs or a signature personal style that doesn’t necessarily translate to every assignment. “I like to create a sense of place,” he said. For information: Mohawk.la/ [Eastside Eye pick] “The House That Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945– 1985,” at The Huntington, opens September 24 – January 30, 2012. This exhibition showcases woodworker and furniture maker Sam Maloof’s designs and surrounds it with artworks from 35 artists. The exhibition is one of dozens that are part of “Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945– 1980,” a collaboration backed by the Getty that brings together more than 60 SoCal cultural institutions, beginning in October 2011. www. huntington.org
The stately brick Cahuenga branch of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) was built in 1916, the same year film director D.W. Griffith filmed “Intolerance” on a Babylonianstyled set just a few blocks north at the junction of Hillhurst Avenue, Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards. The library name comes from its location: Hollywood and East Hollywood were once better known as “the Cahuenga Valley.” Branch libraries have come and gone from the city’s
[a dog’s life]
Weapons Seized from L.A. Shelters By Jennifer Clark, Ledger Columnist On Aug. 4th the Los Angeles Police Dept. (LAPD) raided six animal shelters in Los Angeles and seized ammunition and over 120 weapons including shotguns, rifles and handguns. These items were seized for the first gun audit of animal shelters in memory. According to a published news report, Brenda Barnette, general manager of Los Ange-
les Animal Services, wrote a letter to her employees, stating, “please give the LAPD all handguns, rifles, shotguns and ammunition that are at your shelters.” Some of the city’s 75 animal control officers were angered by the incident, stating they need the weapons in order to humanely euthanize ill or injured wildlife. Many Animal Shelter employees were shocked by this move as it implied that management didn’t
system but Cahuenga continues to serve. Programs for parents wishing to learn to read to their children, and for seniors wishing to master the computer, are held in the structure’s several classrooms. Amid the gritty commercial buildings of Santa Monica Boulevard between Virgil and Vermont Avenues, the Cahuenga branch at 4591 is a vision. And with the Bureau of Street Lights supply yard located a cross walk away, the library provides a hint that once upon a time, City Hall must
trust them with the weapons. Los Angeles City Councilmember, Mitch Englander stated, “I’m shocked by the number of guns. This raises questions about the kinds of weapons they have, what they’re used for and who is licensed to use them.” According to Barnette, the guns will be returned once the audit is complete and a more formal weapons procedure is put into place. This comes at a time when shelters are already feeling fragile after Los Angeles Animal Services is under investigation for time card fraud and animal theft allegations.
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have been trying to improve, not obliterate, the neighborhood. The $35,000 it cost to build and furnish it was provided by a man who never set foot in Los Angeles, Andrew Carnegie, who underwrote public libraries because he was appalled that public officials would not. After a $5.2 million gift to New York City for branch libraries received headlines in the late 19th century, the richest man in the world offered America’s communities library buildings on the condition that they, not he, fill them with books and be taxed to maintain their library systems. According to an article in the August issue of American Airlines’ publication, American Way, Carnegie libraries flourished in small towns. The heroine of Sinclair Lewis’ classic “Main Street” was a Carnegie librarian. During World War I, Red Cross volunteers gathered in libraries to roll bandages to forward to American troops. Of 1,689 Carnegie libraries, the article continues, 772 were still functioning in 1997, the last time a count was made. Los Angeles had six in its system in the early 20th century, but only three, including Lincoln Heights and Vermont Square, remain. Earthquakes, according to Cahuenga senior librarian Jie Ren, took a toll on the former buildings. The Cahuenga branch was extensively remodeled in the mid 1990s and is considered to be mid-sized, holding 42,000 volumes. The Friends of the Library bookstore is filled with contemporary titles and children’s books. Volunteers man the store twice monthly, with sales coming up September 10th and 24th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are great historic photos of the library on the website of the LAPL system, easily available for viewing to those with internet access. Library records indicate that the architectural style of the building is “Italian Renaissance,” but I believe the Beaux Arts influence is strongest, especially in the arched windows that are reminiscent of New York’s Grand Central Station. Its tiled hipped roof must have been the first in that area of Hollywood. The lawn is a bit scraggly, and the trees overgrown, but its vantage point over Santa Monica Boulevard, where its double-sided staircase with volutes and balustrades lends a palatial air, contribute to making the Cahuenga branch a less than hidden gem. As the airline magazine headlined, “Thank you, Mr. Carnegie.” September 2011
Los Feliz Ledger [Focus on the Advertiser]
The Los Angeles Breakfast Club By Kimberly Gomez, Ledger Contributing Writer
Pianist, Don Snyder, warms up the early risers at a recent gathering of the Los Angeles Breakfast Club which meets every Wednesday morning at Griffith Park’s Friendship Auditorium. Breakfast, interesting speakers and fun entertainment have been on the club’s program for over 85 years.
GRIFFITH PARK—The Friendship Auditorium on Riverside Drive, while a dependable fixture of the landscape going to and from Griffith Park, may also evoke a mild curiosity. If you’ve noticed just below the woodsy city recreation and park signage, there is another prominent marker noting that the Los Angeles Breakfast Club meets there every Wednesday at 7 a.m. Most passersby overlook this as the outright invitation that it’s meant to be, but this upbeat fun-loving club wants everyone to consider trying on something new, that happens to be this town’s oldest group of its kind. Founded in 1925 by horseback riding businessmen who would enjoy a chuck wagon breakfast before work, the “Ham and Eggers”—as the group calls themselves—have met every Wednesday since then to share a catered breakfast with old and new friends.
Throughout its history the club has attracted Hollywood royalty such as studio heads Louis B. Mayer, Jack and Harry Warner, Cecil B. DeMille. The club’s first secretary was Tarzan creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Their weekly programs—filled with live big-name entertainers and speakers—were so popular the club’s meetings were broadcast live in their entirety. “When I started coming here this whole room was filled to the rafters with people and it was a wonderful way for me and my husband to meet people,” said Dorothy Dickey, who benefited from the membership opening up to women in 1981. Local real estate agent Don Snyder tickles the ivories often of the piano on the stage. “Major names were singing for the club so if you were asked to sing it was a great honor,” he said. Snyder performed for the club as a child
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before becoming the regular pianist and singer of the weekly musical program. “I’ve seen great speakers, wonderful performers with a wonderful sense of camaraderie and it’s been an honor to be among them,” he said. But membership for the LA Breakfast Club has dwindled from its heyday in recent decade— just as 21st century has diverted the attention of many away from for Shrine clubs, Masonic lodges and other fraternal organizations across the country. But this unapologetically sentimental crowd is holding the torch of tradition while appealing to new members. As a club, besides encouraging everyone to meet for breakfast, there is modest obligation. Committee service or club members can voluntarily work for the Breakfast Club Foundation that supports work in the community and awards over $25,000 to 25 different worthy organizations each year. “The main thing is the friendship and it’s a wonderful way to start a Wednesday,” said president Richard Gilson. “Welcome to the club of hospitality!”
[Stargazing]
September 2011 By Anthony Cook, Griffith Observatory Autumn starts at 2:05 a.m., P.D.T. on the 23rd, and marks the moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator, moving south. It is one of the two days of the year when day and night are of equal length. Autumn will end on Dec. 21st. The moon reaches first quarter on the 4th, is full on the 12th, is at last quarter on the 20th, and is new on the 27th. Nasa is scheduled to launch a two-satellite lunar gravity probe mission called Grail on Sept. 8th. The last half of September is best for viewing comet Garradd, which is turning into a fine object for binoculars and telescopes, and should continue to be interesting for months to come. This month, the comet will move from Sagitta the Arrow to the southeast
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corner of Hercules the Hero. The giant planet Jupiter is the easiest bright planet to see this month. Outshining any star, Jupiter is noticeable in the east by 10:00 p.m., and is nearly overhead in the early morning. Binoculars will reveal its four largest moons, and a telescope will show its dark cloud belts. The moon poses near Jupiter on the 16th. Mars is still too far away to be eye catching, but it is visible amidst the stars of Gemini the Twins, then Cancer the Crab (starting on the 15th), appearing as an orange star, low in the east-northeast at dawn. The moon appears to the lower right of Mars on the 23rd. On the 30th, Mars will cross in front of Cancer’s “Beehive” star cluster, and will make an interesting sight through binoculars.
Los Feliz Ledger (323) 667-9897
Please join The Los Angeles Breakfast Club for a delicious, full buffet breakfast, interesting speakers and live entertainment. Wednesdays from 7:00 to 9:00am –$7 per person. First-time visitors are free. Call for a reservation: (323) 662-1191.
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LIFESTYLES Page 25
Los Feliz Ledger [family matters]
Cousins: Close But Objective By Kristen Taylor, Ledger Columnist My husband comes from one of those large, mid-century families that are created these days mostly in places like Utah. There are two parents, six children, 11 grandchildren and seven so-called outlaws. When we gather each year in Northern California at the family compound, which operates as a guest ranch the other 355 days of the year, we fill the place to capacity, and then some.
I spend a lot of time feeling grateful that because of our annual reunions, they’ve had the opportunity to grow up together, even though most of them live hundreds, or even thousands of miles apart. There’s something special about a cousin, a family peer who isn’t your sibling. The common family culture is a huge unifier and glue, as well as a support system for them. A cousin of roughly the same age
Look for our upcoming Annual
SCHOOL GUIDE Sept. 29th complete with school tour and enrollment information for 2012-2013.
A cousin of roughly the same age can be a great ally and companion in a way that’s different from an ever-present sibling. The third generation— the cousins—are old enough now that some of them have brought their own significantothers into the mix, and the eldest is planning to marry next year. My generation—the middle one—has been outnumbered for a couple of years now, and rather than a family tree, my mind diagrams us a pyramid, with Granny and Granddad on top, and the subsequent generations spreading out in ever-wider layers below them. Granny and Granddad always strike me as more Pharaonic than tree-like. It’s not just their numbers that gives the cousins’ generation prominence in my mind (although their volume and exuberance can get anyone’s attention). It’s also that I feel invested in those kids both as a mom and as an aunt, and
can be a great ally and companion in a way that’s different from an ever-present sibling. Often cousins are more sympathetic to your plight (maybe about your mean old mom) because they’re objectively removed from your immediate family’s way of doing things, but they’re also subjectively aware of the commonalities among the family as a whole. Cousins bring fresh perspectives and new ideas into kids’ lives within the comfort and security of a family. As I’ve watched our kid’s relationships with their cousins grow over the years, it’s lovely to see the ease that they have with each other, the acceptance and support they give to each other, the challenges they create for each other, and how that all leads to fun, learning, love, and great memories.
[pilgrim school]
Staying in Touch this Summer By Lily Kachikis We are nearing the end of summer and I have managed to stay in touch with all my Pilgrim friends. We all had different summer plans, many of us had several weeks of summer school, or club sports, family trips and sleep-away camps, but between texting and email, we kept each other updated on the fun things we did this summer. As I write this I am on a train with a group of Pilgrim parents and classmates, heading up to San Luis Obispo for a quick end of summer vacation. I love the train because I Page 26 SCHOOLS
can eat snacks from the snack car while I watch the California coast whiz by. The moms and dads of my Pilgrim friends like each other, so we get together as often as we can at parks, pools, and each other’s houses, but this is the first road trip we have all taken. As for school, we have already received our schedules, supplies lists, and emails to get ready for 6th grade. We have a list of books for summer reading and we are trying to read at least three or more books from that list. Time has gone by very quickly and the school year is just around the corner. I will miss summer but I am excited to begin a new year at Pilgrim School. www.losfelizledger.com
September 2011
Los Feliz Ledger
Author Lisa See at Pilgrim School COMMONWEALTH AVE— Pilgrim School is expanding its visiting writers and artists program to include evening programs, to which the public is invited. The inaugural evening event, on Wed., Oct. 5th at
7:00 p.m., features writer Lisa See. See will be answering questions and discussing her latest novel, as well as signing books. See is the author of New York Times bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peo-
stadium from page 3
said, “they all must be from Mars or something. Or maybe they really are as jaded and uncaring as people say they are. Either way, we need new leaders, true accountability when they’re in office, not just a campaign slogan. No stadium, period. Not now. Really, not now.” “I like football… Patriots,” blurted Shapparell’s smiling 5-year-old son, Jeremy, who didn’t participate in the survey. Tom Shima summed up the concerns of many surveytakers when he stopped just long enough from walking his Chihuahua mix, Ernie, to offer a name for what city’s leaders envision will be the city’s new football team. “They ought to really name these guys ‘The Gridlocks,’ because they’re going to bring so much more of that to L.A.,” he said. With that, Shima and Ernie continued on their way around Echo Lake.
simply, if they supported the new stadium. Approximately 64% of those who agreed to be interviewed responded “no,” while about 15% offered a resounding “yes.” The remaining 21% of those surveyed said they were somewhat supportive of the idea, noting a new stadium project sounded promising. “Heck, now’s the best time to build a stadium. It’ll be good for the area, bring in new jobs, new business for downtown businesses,” countered Atwater Village painter John Miller. “I agree with what the mayor said. It’ll be a jump-start for our economy.” Others had doubts about the timing of building a new stadium. Brenda Shapparell, a Los Feliz mother of two, said she couldn’t figure out how the city’s current city council got elected. “I mean, honestly,” she
ny in Love, Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan has recently been released as movie. Peony in Love is also movie-bound, directed by Ridley Scott’s daughter, Jordan Scott. Pilgrim School is located at 540 S. Commonwealth Avenue, Los Angeles 90020. Ample parking is available.
The public is invited to reserve a space at rsvp-ppp@ pilgrim-school.org. Copies of Dreams of Joy can also be ordered via the same e-mail address. For additional information, please contact Pilgrim School Secondary Librarian Kris Williams at kwilliams@ pilgrim-school.org or call (213) 355-5203.
Want to report about your school for the
Los Feliz Ledger ? Call Allison Ferraro at (323) 667-9897 For Details!
Sunday, September 25th is AVFM’s Annual Salsa Tasting Contest at noon!!! Contact joyce@see-la.org for more information.
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SCHOOLS Page 27
Los Feliz Ledger
Our Mother of Good Counsel Freshens Up Festival with OMGC FEST 2011 VERMONT AVENUE—The Our Mother of Good Counsel (OMGC) Fall Festival has a new program this year, including two customized weekends of fun to freshen up this Los Feliz tradition. On Friday, September 23rd, there will be a 3-Par Golf Tournament at the Los Feliz 3-Par Course with a post game gathering in the OMGC FEST Beer Garden.
Fees are $20 or $35. To sign Belgian Waffles. But this games, bingo, live bands, up, please email: omgc.golf@ year, there will not be any inflatable attractions, rock gmail.com. climbing, and On Sepmore—someA raffle for $5,000, an iPad2 and a tember 24th thing for every and 25th, the Play Station 3 will close of the event age. OMGC FEST A raffle for at 6:00 p.m. Sunday. 2011 gates will $5,000, an iPad2 open at 11:00 and a Play Station a.m. on Saturday and noon carnival rides. Instead, these 3 will close of the event at 6:00 Sunday. are being replaced with vidp.m. Sunday. As always, on hand will eo games, Minute-To-WinAlso coming soon to be the Chance Booth and It and hourly competitive OMGC: Oct. 15th and 16th
will be the OMGC R&R (Rummage & Recycling) Weekend, where the ever-popular “Grandma’s Attic” rummage sale and Book Booth are being teamed with an eWaste (computer & electronics) collection, bounce houses, and food trucks. For information: (323) 664-2111; 2060 No. Vermont Ave.
A product of our neighborhood schools. Proud to represent them in the California State Legislature. Parents: If your children are headed to the Capitol and would like a tour, or if you have any questions about how our government works, please contact my office at 818-558-3043 or Assemblymember.Gatto@assembly.ca.gov Gatto Ad_SEP11.indd 1
8/25/11 3:00 PM
INVITES YOU to An After-School Program in STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
ESLA’s After-School Program uses project-based learning to teach upper–level concepts in STEM and inspires students to use their hearts and minds to address real human needs. WHO: 5th, 6th and 7th graders TIME: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. FALL SESSION: September 12 – November 17 LOCATION: 1711 N. Van Ness Avenue, Hollywood COST: $350 per day per session (plus $150 for Robotics) REGISTER: www.es-la.com
TUESDAYS: ESLA Pre-Med: Gross Anatomy and Physiology Using dissection and creating plastic molds from major organs, students will be able to study and compare the anatomy of different animals as well as examine the vascular system to learn why and how each organ works. WEDNESDAYS: How Things Work: Radio Free Hollywood Build a short wave radio and broadcast your own radio show. This class will focus on the science of sound, transmission, and receiving technologies. THURSDAYS: Man vs Machine: Robotics Build your own robot and take the robot obstacle course challenge. This session will introduce students to robotics and computer programming. Throughout the course, we will examine ethical questions about humanity’s relationship to technology.
QUESTIONS: Call 310-720-7075 or Email information@es-la.com Page 28 SECTION TITLE
www.losfelizledger.com
September 2011
Los Feliz Ledger
Back to School Tips from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles The medical experts at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles say vaccinations, nutritious lunches and sleep schedules are top priorities for helping children and teens successfully transition from summer vacation into the new school year. Following here are tips from the hospital to ensure a good start to the new school year: Update your child’s vaccinations With record numbers of whooping cough cases sweeping the state of California during the past two years, lawmakers have made significant changes to vaccinations for the 2011-2012 school year. All students from 7th through 12th grade must now have the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine before the start of the academic year. Proper Nutrition A nutritious meal will ensure that your child has the energy to stay focused throughout their school day. Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but a nutritious lunch will help your child power through an afternoon slump and succeed in the classroom. School Year Sleep Schedule Transitioning from later summer vacation days into early school mornings is often difficult for children. To ease this transition, institute a sleep schedule prior to the start of the school year to help your child adjust to waking up earlier. On average, children should get 8 to 12 hours of sleep per night. Properly Fitting Footwear Back-to-school shopping often means a new wardrobe. Be sure to check your child’s shoes before he or she returns to school in the fall. A worn pair of shoes could mean that the structural support of the shoe is no longer sufficient. Even if the shoes looks fairly new, your child’s foot may have outgrown last year’s sneakers. Properly fitted and supportive
shoes are essential for healthy feet development. Eye Exams Studies conducted by the American Optometric Association indicate that 60% of children with learning difficulties actually suffer from undetected vision problems. As a parent, it is important to ensure that your child’s vision is at its best. A comprehensive eye exam should be as routine as a normal physical or check-up before school starts.
Host Families Needed for High School Students Foreign high school students are in need of host families for the new academic school year. The students—ages 15 to 18—are English speaking and originate from such places as Germany, the Former Soviet
Union, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Hungary, Croatia, Korea, Mexico, Slovakia, China, and other countries. Prospective families can review student applications and select the perfect match. Host families are eligible for a
monthly charitable contribution deduction on their itemized tax returns for each month they host a sponsored student. For information, call Pacific Intercultural Exchange at (866) 546-1402.
First Day of School Jitters The first day of school always brings a tidal wave of emotions, both positive and negative. It is important for parents to maintain an optimistic attitude to ensure a successful first day back at school. Parents should help their children write out a list of goals for the coming school year. This can help ease some uncertainties as well as motivate children. Tackling School Germs Keeping your child healthy and germ-free throughout the school year is difficult. Colder weather and contact with other students increases the chance of catching a cold or the flu. Parents should teach their child the importance of washing their hands throughout the day, especially before eating. Introduce a Homework Routine As fall approaches, it is a good time to sit down with your child and set up a homework and study schedule for the coming year. Implementing a routine will ensure that homework and assignments are completed on time as well as teach your child responsibility. Time should also be allotted for playing and other fun activities outside of academics. A steady homework space will also help with your child’s homework routine. Pick a designated spot in your home with good lighting, a desk, comfortable chair and positive energy for your child’s homework space.
Los Feliz Ledger SCHOOL GUIDE Advertise in our Upcoming Annual School Guide Space Reservation: Sept. 15th Artwork Deadline: Sept. 19th Paper Delivery: Sept. 29 Call 323-667-9897 to Reserve Now
Advertise in the Los September 2011
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Feliz Ledger (323) 667-9897 SCHOOLS Page 29
Los Feliz Ledger [ editorial ]
Let’s Believe in the Magic of School Like Harry Potter By David Tokofsky I just received my daughter’s state test scores for the 2010-11 school year in Math and what they call “Language Arts.” (I guess that is reading and writing.) My Rachel, who enters 5th grade this year, is doing well. Then I heard the new Los Angeles Superintendent John Deasy—with a Kennedy-like Boston accent—declare the scores are improved in Los Angeles, but not high enough. As a former Los Angeles Unified School board member for 12 years, I agree: scores should be higher—after all, these are our kids and we want them to be slightly better than average—but not at the expense of true learning and student enlightenment. Scores motivate. They do in athletics and in the classroom. Other than my work on the school board, I taught ESL
at John Marshall High School as well as Spanish and AP Government. I was also the soccer coach and the coach of Marshall’s first national championship Academic Decathlon team. In these capacities, I chose to emphasize scores in my classroom and on my teams. Doing so created a selfimposed benchmark for progress for my students and created the excitement of trying to “best” yourself competitively. Thirty years ago when I became a teacher I moaned about California public schools lack of measurement of student progress. Today, however, I feel we have lost touch with what matters in learning in order to “teach to the test” and reduce our kids to just a Math and Language Arts score. Today, kids and teachers are exhausted from the focus
on standardized testing that doesn’t even ask what our kids know about science, social studies, art, music, physiology, history or psychology. As we start school this year and particularly in the Los Feliz, Silver Lake, East Hollywood and Echo Park areas, lets try to remember how excited we are for our kids every September and how excited they are to see their friends and teachers and principal and to start to read together and to study again. Let’s try to retain that excitement through the entire school year. Let’s try to remember the crowds at the “back to school” sales fighting to get our kids the supplies they need. Let’s remember the experiences of summer and how much experiential learning matters: how excited our kids were to go to the beach or the mountains or to see their relatives or travel across the U.S. or abroad this summer. Let’s try to help our school educators—who deal with public attacks on their efforts regularly—and instead, offer our skills, time and knowledge to help the classroom and school. Excitement of course is not enough. The teacher is fundamental and we should fight for the best. The teacher your child gets matters more
than anything in their schooling. And yes, some, sadly, may not measure up. For these policies and lapses we cannot control, we need to be present to our neighborhood schools, public, charter, private, parochial or French. We need to lend our expertise, our resources—our time. When my students at Marshall High won soccer
memories from page 5
Junction times were spent at The Living Room’s parking lot party where you could find all the supposed community of the junction, with none of the cover charges. An eclectic roundup of local teenage bands performed. Parents and fans could watch the streaming crowds coming out of the fair looking rather haggard and fried after a day of party-
seasons, Mock Trial state competitions or the national Academic Decathlon for the first time for a Los Angeles school, I relied on all the faculty at Marshall to lend a hand or a lecture. I relied on local parents to lecture or coach. I relied on University professors and other knowledgeable friends to assist. In the end, people cheered the victories. What else but success can happen when everyone chips in? If Harry Potter taught us anything about school, it is that school is about magic— not testing. David Tokofsky is an educational strategist, father of two school age children, and former teacher at John Marshall High School and Los Angeles Unified School board member.
ing on city streets. One year, I finally found an ideal spot to listen to music: I stood at Griffith Park and Effie Street and listened to X’s “Los Angeles,” echoing vividly over the rooftops. The sound was clearer than if I’d been in front of the stage. And in the end that is my take on Sunset Junction, best experienced best from a distance.
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ALL TYPES of Guitars, basses, amps, efx pedals, mics, keyboards, drum machines, synthesizers, outboard/rack gear, reverb/echo boxes, etc in ANY condition… also guitar parts (necks, pickups, tuners, bridges, etc), old vacuum tubes, older drums, other instruments, etc. I come to you and pay cash—one piece or a garage full.
323-459-8708 Page 30 EDITORIAL / OPEN MIKE
www.losfelizledger.com
September 2011
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323.668.7600 georgeandeileen.com
Coming Soon
1859 Webster Avenue
Coming Soon
Silver Lake Hills
$839,000
Wonderful 2+2 Mid Century Post & Beam residence on a picturesque setting. Fabulous open floor plan with lovely views from most rooms. Spacious LR with fireplace, hardwood floors, great outdoor area for entertaining and relaxing. Lovingly updated. 1766 sq ft. Very Special!
Just Listed
3840 Clayton Avenue
Just Listed
Los Feliz
Call For Price
A great value in this 2+2.5 Franklin Hills residence with great views of the Silver Lake and Franklin Hills. Spanish pavers in LR & dining rm. Spacious wood decks to enjoy outdoor living and entertaining. Central air & heat & E/Q retrofitted. Bonus rm could be 3rd bedroom.
Just Listed
4003 Holly Knoll Drive Los Feliz $795,000 Beautifully updated 3+2 Traditional with large family rm. Living room with fireplace. Refinished hrdwd flrs. Newly renovated eat-in kitchen. New cabinets, countertops, flooring & stainless appliances. Newly renovated baths. Central AC & heat. Nice sized yard w/rm for a pool.
For Sale
972 North Los Robles
Dear George & Eileen. We can’t thank you enough for the wonderful job you did in selling our home in Silver Lake. Your professionalism and advice throughout the whole process was top notch. The recommendations that you 2516 Kenilworth Avenue gave us for paint colors, kitchen ideas, various fix ups and furniture arrangement really helped in making our home look it’s best. And, the people you recommended to do the work were also great to work with. Lastly your pricing strategy, and of course, your fabulous marketing and advertising were terrific. We couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Fondly, John & Nicole Cork
Pasadena
$1,395,000
2428 Meadow Valley Terrace Silver Lake Hills $719,000 Lovely 2+1.5 Traditional residence. LR w/fireplace & views of the Observatory & hills. Formal dining rm w/built-ins. Charming deco kitchen. Cozy den & 2nd fireplace. Huge bonus rm w/bar. Needs some TLC, but w/work could be home sweet hm Ivanhoe. Short sale.
Just Listed & In Escrow Over Asking!
1815 San Jacinto Street Silver Lake Hills $795,000 Great 3+2.5 Mid-Century with fabulous city views. Nice living room with fireplace & high ceilings opens to view terrace. Kitchen opens to large dining room. Large master suite with private bath and walk-in closet and city lights. Central AC & heat. Hardwood floors. Some yard & patios.
Sold
2264 Moreno Drive Moreno Highlands Silver Lake $1,350,000 Stunning Moreno Highlands 3+3.5 Architectural with sweeping views of the reservoir, city & San Gabriel mountains. Open living rm w/fireplace and huge decks to enjoy the views. Fabulous Cook’s kitchen. Cozy den. Great master with private bath, sitting area and deck. George & Eileen represented buyers.
3223 Ettrick Street
Los Feliz
$995,000
This wonderful 1948 built home has been expanded and beautifully renovated by the current owner. This 3 + 2 home, has a great LR w/fireplace that leads to the formal DR. Cook’s kitchen & breakfast leads to a charming den. Huge yard with room for pool. Master suite with private bath. Home office area. Ivanhoe!
In Escrow
$895,000
3607 Amesbury Road
Los Feliz Hills
$795,000
Lovingly maintained 3+2.5 Traditional w/Mid-Century feel. Large living room, wet bar, hrdwd floors & original casement windows. Charming kitchen, dining area. Fam rm & din area open out to a nice patio. Master suite w/private bath. Nice views from many rooms. Appx 2451 sq ft + large bonus rm or home office.
Just Listed & In Escrow Over Asking!
2953 Effie Street Silver Lake $995,000 Classic 1950s Mid-Century 6 unit apartment building in prime Silver Lake locale. Cited in 1954 by A.I.A. Approximately 4080 square foot building. Annual Income $89,376. Excellent owner user or investment property. Walk to great shops, restaurants & the reservoir. Minutes to downtown. Very special property.
In Escrow
1900 Monon Street Los Feliz $695,000 Lovely 3+2 Traditional home on a lovely cul-de-sac. Spacious LR. Beautifully remodeled kitchen w/ss appl, skylights & breakfast bar. Master w/private bath. Hrdwd flrs. Central air & heat. Garage w/direct access. Open kitchen & DR leads to fabulous patio surrounded by wonderful planting & a fountain. Franklin Elem.
Sold
4525 Cockerham Drive
Los Feliz
Lovely 3+2 Spanish home north of Los Feliz Blvd w/fabuous guest unit. Gorgeous LR, formal DR, hrdwd flrs updated kitchen, den near kitchen leads to yard w/rm for pool. Central AC. Guest unit w/living area, kitchen, bedroom & addt’l 3/4 ba. 2 car garage. Large Yard.
New Price
Just Listed & In Escrow Over Asking!
Impressive, gated & beautifully restored 4+ 5 1911 Colonial Revival Estate with Craftsman touches on a 16,736 lot. Stunning LR w/Batchelder fireplace. Large gourmet kitchen w/custom cabinets & top quality blt-in appl w/views of the incredible expansive grounds. 4151 square feet + basement & attic. Incredible.
2216 Commonwealth Avenue
4050 Garden Avenue
Atwater
$489,000
Set behind a hedge for privacy, this lovely 2+1 Spanish home oozes w/charm & character. Living rm w/fireplace. Charming kitchen. Large formal dining room. Hardwood floors. Central AC. Copper plumb. Nice front and rear yards. Garage is being used for fabulous gym, but could also be for home office.
Sold
Los Feliz Hills
$995,000
Influenced by legendary Architect Richard Neutra, this 2+2 Mid-Century is situation on a great lot with room for pool and offers possibilities to expand. Spacious LR w/fireplace, original quality built-ins. Sunny kitchen w/breakfast nook. Large formal dining room. Generous sized rooms and great home office.
1756 Micheltorena Street Silver Lake Hills $499,000 A very charming duplex built in 1942 on a huge 15,100 square foot lot with fabulous views. Each 1+1 apartment offers a charming kitchen, dining area, hardwood floor and laundry room. Wonderful terraced garden lot. Three car garage. Great for owner user or investor. Both units will be vacant at escrow close.