Rodeo Realty News LOCAL EXPERTISE, GLOBAL PRESENCE Los Angeles
January 2017
INSIDE THIS ISSUE CITY COUNCIL TARGETING BEL AIR MANSIONS FRED SEGAL TO OPEN STORE ON SUNSET STRIP COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS FROM LAX TO CUBA RESUME CITY COUNCIL TARGETING BEL AIR MANSION
Community News Federal funds to extend Purple line, improve Olympic bid
Federal funds to extend Purple line, improve LA’s Olympic bid. Local and federal officials recently announced that $1.6 billion in federal funds are being granted to the Los Angeles MTA, for the purpose of extending the Purple line subway through Beverly Hills and into Century City. Plans for hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles call for the Olympic Village to be housed at the UCLA campus, so extending the Metro light rail closer to Westwood greatly improves the prospects of LA being awarded the Olympics. The Purple line currently runs from downtown LA to the intersection of Western and Wilshire, with construction currently underway to extend the line along Wilshire to La Cienega. The newly funded extension will include the construction of stations at Wilshire and Rodeo in Beverly Hills and near Avenue of the Stars in Century City. With over 300,000 people currently driving to work in Century City, it’s expected that a completed Purple line will greatly improve westside traffic. Overall plans call for the 9 mile path to end at the VA Hospital in Westwood, offering a 25 minute ride from downtown to the westside.
Commercial flights from LAX to Cuba resume
After 53 years of government-imposed travel restrictions, Angelenos can now book direct flights from LAX to Havana, Cuba. American travelers had been banned from travelling to Cuba since 1963, but following the thawing of relations between the U.S. and Cuba in 2014, restrictions have gradually been lessened. Federal officials began approving commercial airline service in July 2015, and now Alaska Airline is offering regular direct flights between Los Angeles and Havana. While Cuba has remained an attractive, but unattainable vacation destination since the Cuban Missile Crisis, the true demand for such flights remains to be seen; American Airlines, which was already flying to Havana from other cities, has already announced plans to scale back their flights. Travelers will be pleased, however, to learn that, as of this writing, fares are as low as $318, reflecting Cuba’s location just 90 miles from Key West.
Community News LA rental market 7th most expensive, 5th most crushing
A recent report from the rental website Zumper indicates that rent in Los Angeles climbed 5.2 percent in 2016, but that the market remains the 7th most expensive in the country, with an average one-bedroom rental costing $2,030 per month. The neighborhoods seeing the highest increases were Hollywood Hills West, Mid-City, Beverly Hills, and Olympic Park. Nationwide, rental rates only rose 1.8 percent, and some of the most expensive markets, such as San Francisco and New York, actually saw significant declines over the year. Similarly, the high-end areas of Downtown LA, Westwood, Santa Monica, and Marina del Rey saw declines in rent. Meanwhile, on pace with Los Angeles rent, is Angelenos’ difficulty in paying their rent. A recent study by Harvard University found that over 58% of LA renters spend more than 30% of their household income on rent, the standard by which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determines whether a renter is costburdened. That percentage earned Los Angeles the rank of fifth worse nationwide, with only Miami, Honolulu, Daytona Beach, and Riverside having more renters struggling to pay their rents.
City Council targeting Bel Air mansions
A recent report from the rental website Zumper indicates that rent in Los Angeles climbed 5.2 percent in 2016, but that the market remains the 7th most expensive in the country, with an average one-bedroom rental costing $2,030 per month. The neighborhoods seeing the highest increases were Hollywood Hills West, Mid-City, Beverly Hills, and Olympic Park. Nationwide, rental rates only rose 1.8 percent, and some of the most expensive markets, such as San Francisco and New York, actually saw significant declines over the year. Similarly, the high-end areas of Downtown LA, Westwood, Santa Monica, and Marina del Rey saw declines in rent. Meanwhile, on pace with Los Angeles rent, is Angelenos’ difficulty in paying their rent. A recent study by Harvard University found that over 58% of LA renters spend more than 30% of their household income on rent, the standard by which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determines whether a renter is cost-burdened. That percentage earned Los Angeles the rank of fifth worse nationwide, with only Miami, Honolulu, Daytona Beach, and Riverside having more renters struggling to pay their rents.
Restaurant
Spotlight
Gus’s Fried Chicken
Sonoratown
Here’s Looking At You
1262 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles
208 E 8th Street, Los Angeles
3901 West 6th Street, Los Angeles
An import from Memphis, this spot on Pico and Crenshaw is the first Gus’s west of Texas. At this restaurant, everything is fried in peanut oil and there’s only one level of spiciness: “hot & spicy.” For starters, try their fried pickle spears or fried green tomatoes. Here, each plate comes with two or three pieces of chicken, a slice of white bread, baked beans and coleslaw as sides. Gus’s World Famous Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken also has several other sides to choose from, including the mac & cheese and bacon-laden collard greens. For dessert, try a slice of their pie: pecan, chess, chocolate chess, sweet potato and old-fashioned coconut. Gus’s Fried Chicken is open Sunday – Thursday from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., and Friday – Saturday from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
This hole-in-the-wall serves tacos, burritos, chimichangas, and quesadillas. The tiny Downtown storefront space was named after the first neighborhood in L.A., before it later became known as Chinatown. Every day the kitchen makes fresh flour tortillas, which are the base of each menu item. The standout here is the chimichanga, a soft fried tortilla stuffed with shredded chicken, Monterey jack and cheddar cheeses, fire-roasted tomatoes, and Anaheim peppers. Don’t forget to add a scoop of green tomatillo salsa, enjoy a bottle of Mexican coke and perhaps even a mesquitegrilled carne asada taco. There are a few stools in this place, but the cheap prices and the high quality makes the waiting lines worth it. Sonoratown is open Tuesday – Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Here’s Looking At You is a fusion restaurant that features a mixture of meat, seafood, and vegetable small plates. Co-owners Lien Ta and chef Jonathan Whitener say the menu influences span the globe, from Mexico to Vietnam to the local farmer’s market. Their meaty menu gives you the option between sweetbreads and tartars and trout and bonito, all served to share. The concept to this restaurant is based around “SoCal food.” A popular dish here is the hiramasa, a kingfish crudo layered between thinly sliced radish with Serrano chile cream, hibiscus onion and charcoal. For dessert, try the bubble gum ice cream or their seasonal bar pie. Here’s Looking At You is located on a corner in the middle of Koreatown and is open Monday – Thursday from 6 – 11 p.m., Friday from 6 p.m. – 12 a.m., and Sundays from 6 – 10 p.m.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS in LOS ANGELES
LACMA
The Broad
5905 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036
2210 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
Picasso and Rivera: Conversations Across Time December 4, 2016 - May 7, 2017
Creature November 5, 2016 - March 19, 2017
The current exhibition compares and contrasts two of the most successful and most self-aware artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera. Tracking their training, their careers, and their impact on modern art, the exhibit includes 150 paintings, etchings and watercolors presented alongside ancient objects from antiquity.
Annenberg Space for Photography 000 Avenue of the Stars #10 Los Angeles, CA 90067 CURRENT EXHIBITION:
The Broad’s new featured exhibition, occupying its first floor galleries, is a selection of pieces representing various views of selfhood and the human experience. Artists featured include Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ellen Gallagher, Leon Golub, Jenny Holzer, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, and Andy Warhol. Thomas Houseago’s Giant Figure (Cyclops) is shown in the U.S. for the first time.
IDENTITY: Timothy Sanders
The List Portraits September 24, 2016 – February 26, 2017 IDENTITY is an exhibit of large format portraits by noted photograher and documentarian Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. The exhibition is divided into five installments, each representing a marginalized group or ethnicity. One installment, called The Trans List, is being presented publicly for the first time.
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