WEEKEND EDITION
INSIDE SCOOP
HEALTH AND FITNESS
SANTA SHOOTER PLANNED TO FLEE PAGE 3 RESOLUTIONS MADE PAGE 12
DECEMBER 27-28, 2008
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Volume 7 Issue 349
Santa Monica Daily Press TOO MANY STARS HURT COWBOYS SEE PAGE 14
Since 2001: A news odyssey
Slowly but surely
THE THANK YOU AUNTIE ISSUE
Looking for a few good men and women
After a lawsuit and design changes, historic Mayfair Theater is ready for a major transformation
BY KEVIN HERRERA BY MELODY HANATANI
Editor in Chief
Daily Press Staff Writer
home of Vaudeville acts and the talking pictures, entertaining audiences through the Great Depression and wars. But for the past 14 years, the Mayfair Theater has been shielded from the public’s view, its marquee barely peeking above a barricade of worn boards erected after the historic building was heavily damaged during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, which essentially took it out of commission for good. After a years-long process that has involved repeated trips back to the drawing board, back-and-forth discussions with the Architectural Review Board, and even a lawsuit, the long-anticipated construction of a mixed-use project that involves preserving the theater’s ornate facade is expected to move forward. The project, which received final approval from the ARB in June, is currently in the plan check phase and could receive its building permit by Jan. 26, according to David Forbes Hibbert, the principal of DFH Architects, the firm overseeing the project. Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year and will take roughly two years to complete. “I think it’ll be a major positive for that part of Downtown,” said Chris Harding, the attorney representing the property owner, Karl Schober. “It’s a good example of adaptive reuse of a landmark property where landmarking doesn’t impede responsible redevelopment of the site.” Schober was not available for comment. The 49,000 square-foot development in the 200 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, which will be constructed behind the theater’s facade, includes 38 apartment units, ground-floor retail space and two levels of subterranean parking. The historic Mayfair facade, which is designed in the Spanish Rococo style, will be restored and incorpo-
WALKING BY A LANDMARK: The historic Mayfair Theater, which has been off limits since
CITY HALL If you don’t have any dinner plans near the end of January, the Human Services Division at City Hall could use your help with the largest homeless census in the nation. City Hall is looking for 200 volunteers to assist in the count, which is used to help preserve federal funding for local homeless programs, which this year amounted to $72 million across Los Angeles County. Data from the count also helps providers target housing and services to fit the needs of homeless people, and raise awareness about the issues of homelessness. Roughly 3,000 volunteers are needed countywide, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), which oversees the county. “Homeless Count data is essential to our work to end homelessness in the city and county,” said Rebecca Isaacs, LAHSA’s executive director. “LAHSA, and our partner agencies and organizations, use Homeless Count data on a daily basis. We need to update our 2007 data to know what homelessness looks like in 2009. “How many homeless people are there? Where are they? Who are they? How did they become homeless? What’s the best way to help them?” Assembling at deployment centers across the county, volunteers will break into teams and conduct sight-counts of homeless people in a certain census tract. Free training will be offered to prepare volunteers for their work. In Santa Monica the training sessions will be held at Virginia Avenue Park, Thelma Terry Center (2200 Virginia Ave.) on Jan. 15, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and at the Main Library, MLK Auditorium, (601 Santa Monica Blvd.) on Jan. 24 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. All volunteers must attend one training session. For the first time Santa Monica volunteers will visit every census for a complete, direct street count, whereas before, volun-
SEE MAYFAIR PAGE 10
the Northridge Earthquake, will be transformed into a 49,000 square-foot, mixed-use development that will include 38 apartments and ground-floor retail.
SEE COUNT PAGE 11
SANTA MONICA BLVD. It was the one-time
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com
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