Century City Westwood News 7.31.2020

Century City/ Westwood JULY 31 – AUGUST 28, 2020

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Century City New LA Marathon Finish Line

Photos: LA Marathon (Facebook)

The starting of the 2019 LA Marathon in Santa Monica.

Race organizers cite bigger finish line footprint in decision

By Sam Catanzaro

Century City is the new home for the Los Angeles Marathon race organizers have announced.

On Friday, the McCourt Foundation–owners of the LA Marathon–revealed plans for the 2021 course that begins at Dodger Stadium and finishes at Avenue of the Stars in Century City. Since 2010 the race has finished in Santa Monica. The course will follow its traditional route until Brentwood, where runners will double back on San Vicente, Sepulveda and Santa Monica boulevards before finishing at Avenue of the Stars.

“This exciting change allows for a more vibrant and interactive finish experience than previously

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possible. It will provide the opportunity for much greater spectator participation for family and friends with enhanced post-race activities including the Finish Festival with concerts and sponsor activations and puts runners close to hotels, transportation, and nightlife in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the best of LA,” reads a statement from the McCourt Foundation.

“We had a footprint challenge in Santa Monica, just from a space perspective,” added Murphy Reinschreiber, the chief operating officer of the Foundation. “We realized that

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there’s so much more we could do if we just had a bigger footprint at the finish line.”

The race–which has finished at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and California Avenue since 2010–has long been an economic booster for the City with 2,000 guests booking hotel rooms each year by some estimates and thousands visiting local restaurants and businesses. It has, however, presented residents and officials with hurdles including traffic, stretched security and neighborhood disruptions.

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JULY 31 – AUGUST 28, 2020

West L.A. Man Charged With Fraudulently Obtaining and Gambling Away COVID-Relief Loans Andrew Marnell faces up to 30 years in prison

By Staff Writer

A resident of the Beverly Grove neighborhood of Los Angeles was ordered held without bond this afternoon after being arrested on federal charges alleging he fraudulently obtained millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, some of which he used on gambling excursions to Las Vegas and transferred to his stock trading accounts.

Andrew Marnell, 40, was arrested this morning by federal authorities. Marnell made his initial court appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles, where he was ordered detained pending a hearing on Tuesday.

A criminal complaint unsealed in court this afternoon charges Marnell with one count of bank fraud and alleges he obtained more than $8 million in PPP loans through applications to insured financial institutions, and others, on behalf of different companies. During today’s court hearing, prosecutors said they now believe Marnell received approximately $9 million in fraudulent loans – a number that could rise as the investigation continues.

The affidavit in support of the complaint alleges that Marnell submitted fraudulent loan

applications that made numerous false and misleading statements about the companies’ business operations and payroll expenses.

The affidavit also alleges that Marnell, often using aliases, submitted fake and altered documents, including bogus federal tax filings and employee payroll records.

The complaint further alleges that Marnell then transferred millions of dollars from the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds to his brokerage accounts to make risky stock market bets. The affidavit also outlines how Marnell spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulently obtained loan proceeds at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino and other gambling establishments as recently as last weekend.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. In April, Congress authorized more than $300 billion in additional PPP funding.

The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of 1 percent. Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on

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Andrew Marnell at a blackjack table on July 11.

mortgages, rent and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend the proceeds on these expenses within a set time period and use at least a certain percentage of the loan towards

Photos: U.S. Attorney’s Office

payroll expenses.

The bank fraud count alleged in the complaint against Marnell carries a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

JULY 31 – AUGUST 28, 2020

CENTURY CITY-WESTWOOD NEWS

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Westwood Property Included in $100M Federal Embezzlement Lawsuit “The Mountain” property, Westwood apartment among assets sought by Justice Department

By Staff Writer

Two Westside properties are included in a federal lawsuit against former high-level officials in Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense.

The Justice Department has filed seven lawsuits seeking the forfeiture of real estate, a private jet, a yacht and additional assets purchased with public funds allegedly embezzled by former high-level officials in Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense (MOD), part of which were transferred to California bank accounts operated by the son of a convicted felon.

According to complaints filed Thursday in United States District Court in Los Angeles, between 2009 and 2016, individuals who were high-level MOD officials at the time and their associates used the MOD’s London attaché office to open at least

six unauthorized bank accounts and then transferred more than $100 million of Kuwaiti public funds from the National Bank of Kuwait into the unauthorized London accounts.

In order to disguise the nature of these transfers, some of them were falsely described as being intended for military purposes. According to the complaints, these funds were actually transferred to several California entities that had no business or contractual relationship with the MOD. With the complaints, the United States seeks to recover at least $104,380,000 laundered into and through U.S. financial institutions. The California entities that received the illicit funds are allegedly connected to a Los Angeles man – Victorino Noval, 58, formerly known as Victor Jesus Noval – who was convicted in 2003 of mail fraud and tax evasion in connection with a multimillion-dollar loan fraud committed against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Noval was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay more than $25 million in restitution.

According to the complaints, once in the

Photos: Getty Images

California bank accounts, the pilfered funds were used to purchase or contribute to the improvement of a parcel of land in Beverly Hills known as “The Mountain,” three homes in Beverly Hills, a penthouse and an apartment in Westwood, a private jet, a yacht, a Lamborghini sports car and approximately $40,000 worth of memorabilia of boxer

Manny Pacquiao. Each of these assets is subject to the forfeiture complaints.

“The Mountain”, a 157-acre undeveloped

property in Beverly Hills that was at one

point on the market for $1 billion–was once owned by the Shah of Iran’s family, then founder of Herbalife Mark Hughes.

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JULY 31 – AUGUST 28, 2020

CENTURY CITY-WESTWOOD NEWS

High School Sports Pushed LAUSD Announces Online Back Until Winter Start to School Year

Santa Monica High School’s Brett Edwards in action during the 2019 season.

All California high school sports will not begin until mid-December

Photo: Morgan Genser

By Sam Catanzaro High school sports in Santa Monica and statewide will not begin until December due to the rise in the coronavirus cases.

On Monday, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and CIF Southern City

High School, see page 6

Photo: TJ Montemer

Overland Avenue Elementary.

School year to begin August 18

By Sam Catanzaro

Four months after Los Angeles schools closed classrooms due to the novel coronavirus

(COVID-19) pandemic the Los Angeles Unified School District has announced that the upcoming academic year will begin remotely.

“Four months ago today, we made the difficult decision to close our schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Much has changed since that time: New research is

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JULY 31 – AUGUST 28, 2020

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Time for Newsom to Get Tough on Virus Scofflaws

Photo: Getty Images

OPINION

“the Memorial Day beach scenes, the unmasked protest marches and the actions of countless restaurant and bar customers demonstrate he must do something more dramatic,” writes Tom Elias in his latest column.

TOM ELIAS Century City News Columnist

It became plain during the July 4 holiday weekend that Los Angeles County has at least a partially scofflaw sheriff. So do several other California counties. They’re essentially enforcing only laws and rules they like.

As coronavirus hospital admissions neared capacities just before the nation’s 244th birthday, doctors readied rationing schemes deciding who would get ventilators in case of a shortage. Then Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered beaches and their parking lots closed in most coastal counties to slow the contagion.

When similar orders prevailed during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva stationed deputies at regular intervals along his county’s vast strands, their mere presence warding off would-be surfers and others who merely wanted to lounge on the sand.

California bent the COVID curve.

But not this time. A holiday drive along more than 20 miles of beaches revealed shutdown parking lots and plenty of “Closed” signs – but no deputies. As a result, wherever roadside parking was possible along the Pacific Coast Highway, beaches were crowded, surfers clambering down bluffs and cliffs headed for the unusually high waves that prevailed.

No deputies could be seen trying to hinder them, let alone write citations. If the pandemic revival of late June and early July continues into August, this will likely be part of the reason, just as big, mostly unmasked and un-socially-distanced Memorial Day beach and protest crowds helped cause the state’s second onslaught of COVID-19.

Newsom, who almost daily issues edicts

governing business and personal behavior, did little. Yes, before the holiday, he threatened to take some state funding from counties that wouldn’t follow orders on mask use and beach closings. The threats were paper tigers.

This was also true of his response when Merced County Sheriff Vernon Warnke refused to enforce state orders in May and June, claiming they meant “economic slaughter.” Now cases are surging in Merced County and Warnke is recanting.

Through all this, the scofflaw sheriffs continue commanding their corps of deputies as if they were tough law enforcement officers. They have not been penalized, making a mockery of state authority.

It’s not unique to California. Hours after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ordered his state’s residents to mask up in public, the sheriff of rural Lewis County told a crowd to go barefaced. Carrying a megaphone and wearing his uniform to prove he spoke officially, Sheriff Robert Snaza exhorted constituents, “Don’t be a sheep.”

This amounted to an endorsement of risking death for themselves and others.

It’s essentially a rebellion by local sheriffs against governors trying to save lives by using their emergency powers, one of the highest duties of any public official.

But at least five California sheriffs and a couple of mayors have told constituents Newsom’s orders are “unconstitutional and unenforceable.”

Given what’s happened around those counties, with caseloads and death tolls rising daily, it’s high time Newsom did more than just talk.

It is politic to urge citizens to be responsible, as the governor continually does. But the Memorial Day beach scenes, the unmasked protest marches and the actions of countless

ELIAS, see page 6

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Comedian Frequents Westwood Thai Restaurant, Century City Zinque, Cockroaches West Los Angeles dining scene

By Kerry Slater

A state appeals court panel has upheld a mIn a West Los Angeles dining scene update learn about a legendary comedian visiting a Westwood Thai restaurant three times in one week, a Zinqué opening in Century City and a local Hawaiian BBQ joint gets shut down for cockroaches.

we’re his favorite restaurant and his blessing is beyond words,” the restaurant wrote.

Hawaiian BBQ Joint Shut Down Over Cockroaches The West West Los Angeles branch of Ono Hawaii BBQ has gotten into a bit of trouble with the Los Angeles Department of Public Health.

A Public Health sign on the front door of the restaurant, located at 12115 Santa Monica Boulevard, says that the restaurant has been shut down due to a “live cockroaches.” The notice was dated June, 17. According to Public Health data, the restaurant reopened on July 10 after addressing the issue.

High School, from page 4 Section (which includes Santa Monica High School) announced the delay of the 2020 Fall sports season until December. Rather than sports being divided up into three seasons that run from August to June, there will be two seasons (Fall and Spring) that run from December to June.

“Over the last several months, and through the ever-changing situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been working on various scenarios to deliver Fall, Winter and Spring sports during the 2020-2021 school year,” said CIF Southern Section Commissioner, Rob Wigod. “From start to finish, the focus has been on how we can serve the young men and young women we are so fortunate to serve in the best way we possibly can, and I commend everyone involved for never wavering in their support of that philosophy.”

According to Wigod, regular seasons, some of which were 83 days (Soccer), 81 days (Basketball), 64 days (Football) and 57 days (Girls Volleyball) already had quite a range, in terms of the length of their seasons in previous years, but this year all sports will be around 72

LAUSD, from page 4 Photo: Instagram (@emporiumthai)

John Cleese (right) at Emporium Thai.

John Cleese Visitings Westwood Thai Restaurant Three Times in Two Weeks John Cleese, the legendary comedian known for his roles in Monty Python and Faulty Towers, visited a Westwood Thai restaurant three times in two weeks.

As seen on the Instagram page of Emporium Thai (1275 Westwood Boulevard), Cleese not only visited the restaurant three times in two weeks, but had high praise for the food as well.

“Wonderful, wonderful food,” Cleese said. “The best Thai I think I have ever had anywhere.”

“Three visits in two week! It’s official,

Ono Hawaiian BBQ

Photo: Courtesy

Zinqué Coming to Westfield Century City French-inspired Zinqué is opening a new location at Westfield Century.

According to a sign up on a plywood wall on the mall’s second story, the restaurant is eyeing a fall opening.

Zinqué, with locations in Venice, West Hollywood, DTLA, Newport, San Diego and Scottsdale, is known a French-inspired bistro known for its neighborhood bar feel.

The restaurant will take over the former Petros space at Westfield Century City.

available, additional information on school safety experiences from around the world, and updated health guidelines from state and county leaders,” reads a joint statement from LAUSD and San Diego Unified School District released Wednesday. “One fact is clear: those countries that have managed to safely reopen schools have done so with declining infection rates and on-demand testing available. California has neither. The skyrocketing infection rates of the past few weeks make it clear the pandemic is not under control. Therefore, we are announcing that the new school year will start online only.”

According to LAUSD, the school year will resume on schedule on August 18.

Teachers will receive expanded training in online education to better meet the needs

ELIAS, from page 5

Zinqué is coming to Century City

Photo: Facebook

restaurant and bar customers demonstrate he must do something more dramatic.

Newsom has dispatched several hundred state inspectors to enforce rules on businesses, but they sometimes work unpredictably and even at odds with his orders. One example: restaurants in Morgan Hill that followed the pre-Fourth of July order to close indoor operations were told to shut down outside tables – not part of the state order. Overall, inspectors issued at least seven citations on their first day out and hundreds since.

Newsom says he hopes persuasion will be enough to get Californians to follow his orders. It has not worked well enough, leniency most likely costing at least some lives.

JULY 31 – AUGUST 28, 2020

games or less.

“We believe that to help with the overlap of seasons, affecting student-athletes, coaches and facilities, we would standardize the length of the regular seasons to approximately 72 days, for those who previously had more days than that, while leaving the others with less than 72 days alone,” Winograd said. “The total number of days in some sports will be reduced, approximately 5%-12%, but schools can still play the same number of maximum allowable contests, if they choose, in that smaller window.”

In addition to this newly developed sports calendar, CIF announced that student-athletes will be given the opportunity to participate with outside organizations during their season of sport, something not normally allowed.

The 2020-2021 sports calendars will be placed on the agenda as an Emergency Action Item at the next scheduled meeting of the CIF Southern Section Executive Committee on Thursday, August 13, 2020.

To view the full schedule of play, visit smmirror.com/2020/07/high-school-sportspushed-back-until-winter/ of students, the District says, and students will receive additional training at the start of the year to become better online learners.

In addition, online supports for parents will be increased to make it easier for them to participate in the education of their students, according to LAUSD. Free meals will continue to be provided at the current distribution stations, LAUSD noted as well.

“The federal government must provide schools with the resources we need to reopen in a responsible manner,” LAUSD said. “The coronavirus has not taken a summer vacation, as many had hoped. Indeed, the virus has accelerated its attacks on our community.”

LAUSD said it will provide more detailed information about both online and at-school programs in the coming weeks, with final plans by the first week in August.

Which makes it high time Newsom put teeth in his orders. Yes, some localities fine face mask recalcitrants hundreds of dollars when they persist after being warned, but no one has punished scofflaw sheriffs and mayors.

If they won’t uphold rules they’re sworn to enforce, those officials should either be removed from office or see their agencies lose major state funding. The carrot plainly hasn’t worked well enough; it’s time for the stick.

Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com.

His book, “The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Government’s Campaign to Squelch It” is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net

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