Local Vet and Fairfax High Grad Still Serves Today

Transcription

WWW.BEVERLYPRESS.COM
INSIDE
• Library measure
considered. pg. 3
• Bike room to be
built near subway
station. pg. 4
Sunny and
breezy, with
temps around
74º
Volume 20 No. 45
Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities
November 11, 2010
Israeli Mayor Recounts Life on Gaza Border Local Vet and Fairfax High
Grad Still Serves Today
n Leader Gives
Perspective
During L.A. Visit
n Volunteer Assists at the VA Center
BY IAN LOVETT
BY MATT MCKINLEY
D
A
avid Buskila, the mayor of
Sderot, Israel, remembers
a time when people from
the town used to go to the open-air
markets in Gaza every day, and
people from Gaza would come to
Sderot to work in the factories.
“We were like good neighbors
then,” Buskila said in an interview
with the Beverly Press during his
a trip to Los Angeles this week.
Buskila’s parents immigrated
from Morocco to the nascent
Jewish state in 1956, and Buskila
was born later that same year in
Sderot, a town on a border with
photo courtesy of Ariel Vered
Gaza which had been set up to
David
Buskila
(right),
the
mayor
of
Sderot,
Israel,
was
joined by Ronald
accommodate the influx of North
Lauder
(left),
chairman
of
JNF,
and
Stanley
Chesley,
president
of JNF,
African immigrants. Like many
people in the town, his parents at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the Sderot playground.
spoke Arabic and French, and
Buskila speaks some Arabic as grow. While the first wave of came mostly in the form of rocket
well, which made communication immigrants to Sderot in the 1950s attacks. Between 2000 and 2008,
easier on those day-trips into had come from North Africa, in Buskila said that approximately
the ‘60s came a wave from 8,000 Kassam rockets were fired
Gaza.
By the time he became mayor Romania, then a wave from from Gaza into Sderot. The town
in 1989, however, those trips had Russia and Ethiopia. When of 25,000 lost a quarter of its popBuskila took office in 1989, ulation.
ended.
Buskila said that during those
“That all finished in 1988, at the Sderot had a population of 10,000
time of the first intifada,” Buskila people. When he left in 1998, it years, many of the city’s normal
said. “Now it is all closed. had more than doubled to 25,000 activities ground to a halt.
Commerce slowed to a crawl, and
Nobody is allowed to go back and people.
For the last decade, though, children’s playground lay abanforth.”
Still, the town continued to contact between Sderot and Gaza
See Mayor page 22
‘Birthday Boys’ Epitomize Friendships
n Trio Celebrates 52
Years of Camaraderie
fter spending three years in
the U.S. Army Air Corps
during World War II, Mort
Schecter is still serving his country
at the Veterans Affairs West Los
Angeles Medical Center. The 87year-old Northridge resident volunteers three days a week at the VA to
help clothe underprivileged veterans.
“It’s actually a nice clothing
department,” Schecter said. “I feel
good dressing those guys.”
Schecter gets donations from the
Jewish War Veterans Post 603 and
the American Legion Hollywood
Post 43. Post 603 gives him $300 in
clothing to distribute per month and
Post 43 gives him bags of clothing
each week. Underwear, pants and
T-shirts are bought new, but other
items like shoes and suits come
through donations. Most recently,
Schecter gave a homeless Marine a
blanket and raincoat.
Schecter enjoys giving back
because some of his friends have
moved into the 360-unit veterans
home on the grounds of the West
Los Angeles Medical Center.
Much of his crew from the 2nd
Air Division, 8th Air Force have
passed away, but Schecter keeps
busy with American Legion
Hollywood Post 43. With 487
n FDA Determines
“E
Machines Were
Used Improperly
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
photo by Edwin Folven
Jack Delson, Jim Cowen and Eddy Feldman still get together regularly.
know and love that keeps them
returning for their birthdays every
year.
Feldman, who is 90 years old, is
considered the “young man” of the
trio. Delson is 91 and Cowen 95.
Feldman has lived at Park La Brea
See Veteran page 22
photo by Matt McKinley
World War II veteran Mort
Schecter is an active member of
the Hollywood American Legion
Post 43.
Human Error Caused
Radiation Overdoses
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
ach birthday for fifty
years, we haven’t
missed one. That’s got
to be some kind of record,” Jim
Cowen said. “When we gather at El
Cholo, they recognize us when we
come in. They say, ‘here come the
birthday boys’.”
Since 1958, Cowen, Eddy
Feldman and Jack Delson have gotten together every year to celebrate
each others’ birthday, during recent
years at the El Cholo Restaurant in
Santa Monica, near Delson’s home.
The three met in the late 1940s
through their involvement in the
Los Angeles Furniture Mart, and
have remained close friends ever
since.
The three men talk about old
times and their love of sports, but
mostly it is the camaraderie of getting together with friends they
members from different wars, conflicts and diversities, it’s easy to
make friends and share stories, and
Schecter has plenty of good ones to
tell.
In 1942, he graduated from
Fairfax High School and enlisted in
the U.S. Army Air Corps. The Air
Force remained a branch of the
Army until 1947. He flew as a tail
gunner aboard 35 missions on a B24 Liberator bomber, 26 of which
he U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has determined that the improper
use of CT scan machines by hospital technicians led to the radiation overdoses suffered by 269
patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center between February 2008
and August 2009, as well as radiation overdoses at other hospitals
in California and Alabama. The
patients at Cedars-Sinai received
eight-times the normal dosage of
radiation during CT brain perfusion scans, a procedure used to
diagnose strokes.
The FDA launched an investi-
See Birthday Boys page 20
"! "! !!!"!"
gation last year into the CT scan
machines and the procedures hospitals follow when the overdoses
were discovered at Cedars-Sinai.
The investigation determined that
radiation overdoses also occurred
at other hospitals in the Los
Angeles area, including Glendale
Adventist Medical Center and
Providence St. Joseph Medical
Center in Burbank. Additional
cases were discovered at hospitals in other parts of California,
and in other states. The FDA
determined that 385 patients who
received CT brain perfusion
scans at five hospitals in
California, and one in Alabama,
received radiation overdoses.
The agency’s investigation
found that when properly used,
the CT scanners did not malfunction. Instead, it is likely that the
See Overdoses page 22
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
2 November 11, 2010
12 Poker for Seniors
Calendar
T
he Claude Pepper Senior Center’s
Poker Group is holding a day of
poker fun at the Normandie Casino on
Friday, Nov. 12. At 11:30 a.m., a seminar will be held by author and columnist Richard Burke on the poker odds,
followed by a mini- buffet luncheon
and a low buy-in limit hold ‘em tournament with cash prizes. For reservations, call (310)559-9677.
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S.
Grand Ave. Neary is the director and
solo organist, and will be joined by
the singers and accompanying organist, Edward Murray, in a performance
of works by Purcell, Bach, Harvey,
Mendelssohn, Liszt and Tavener. For
information, call (323)850-2000, or
visit www.laphil.com.
Doctors Symphony
T
he Los Angeles Doctors
Symphony Orchestra will perform on Friday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. at
the Ebell Theatre, 741 South Lucerne
Blvd. The performance will feature
the debut of “Ancient Dreams” by
composer Karim Elmahmoudi, a Park
La Brea resident. The Los Angeles
Doctors Symphony Orchestra is one
of the oldest community orchestras in
the United States featuring health professionals. Tickets are $15; $12 for
students and seniors. For information,
call
(800)838-3006,
or
visit
www.ladso.org.
Cello Rock
T
he duo Oak & Gorski will perform on Friday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m.
at 2nd Street Jazz, 366 E. 2nd St. Oak
& Gorski use the cello as their lead
instrument and have created their own
unique brand of “cello rock”. For
information,
visit
www.cellorock.com.
13 Home Walk 5K
T
he United Way of Greater Los
Angeles
is
hosting
its
“HomeWalk” on Saturday, Nov. 13 in
Exposition Park, 700 Exposition Park
Blvd. The 5k walk raises public
awareness and funds programs to end
homelessness. All money raised funds
permanent supportive housing.
Registration begins at 7 a.m.; the walk
begins at 9 a.m. Registration is $35.
For information, visit www.unitedwayla.org.
Electronic Waste
Collection
T
he City of West Hollywood and
California Recycles are co-sponsoring a document shredding and
Blues Concert
A
photo © 2010 Dave Perkes SEACollectiv
The musical group, Dengue Fever, will perform their highly
acclaimed score to the silent film classic, “The Lost World” (1925), on
Friday, November 12 at 8 p.m. at UCLAʼs Royce Hall. The band has
been described as psychedelic rockers with a Cambodian flair.
Songwriter and guitarist Zac Holtzman is a silent film fan, and Dengue
Fever will provide a live score to the offbeat stop-motion film, based on
Sir Arthur Conan Doyleʼs novel. Ticket holders are invited to attend an
exclusive after party in the Royce Hall West Lobby, immediately following the show. Tickets are $28, $33 and $38. For information, visit
www.uclalive.org.
electronic waste collection on
Saturday, Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. in the parking lot of West
Hollywood City Hall, 8300 Santa
Monica Blvd. The event is for residents and business owners in West
Hollywood only. Items to be dropped
off include obsolete documents, televisions, laptops, DVD players, fax
machines, telephones, radios, monitors, cellular phones, stereos, keyboards, microwaves, printers, computers, VCR players and scanners. For
visit www.californiarecycles.com.
Diabetes Walk
T
he
American
Diabetes
Association is hosting the annual
“Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes” at
the Universal Studios Back Lot on
Saturday, Nov. 13. Volunteers are
being sought to help in the fight
against diabetes. The route is approximately three miles. Donations will
fund research to prevent, cure and
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stepoutLA.com.
14 ‘Forever
Flamenco’
T
he Fountain Theatre presents a
special performance of “Forever
Flamenco!” on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 8
p.m. at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre.
The show will feature dancers Yaelisa
and Fanny Ara, Vanessa Acosta and
Timo Nunez. The theatre is in the
Barnsdall Art Park , 4800 Hollywood
Blvd. Tickets are $25 to $45. For
visit www.FountainTheatre.com.
Organ Concert
M
artin Neary and the Millennium
Consort Singers will perform
on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the
nn the Raven and LDR Biz presents “Blues Night at Stevie’s
Creole Café/Bar” beginning on
Sunday, Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m. Ann the
Raven, a legendary blues DJ on 88.5
FM for more than two decades, handpicks the stars of her show at Stevie’s.
The program will begin with
Francesca Capasso and The Cats-ARenos, as well as Harmonica “Slim”
Edward. Stevie’s is located at 16911
Ventura Blvd, in Encino. Tickets are
$12.50, or $15 at the door. For information, call (323)272-6080 or
(818)528-3500.
16 Memory
Screenings
O
lympia Medical Center and
Leeza’s Place, located at 5901
W. Olympic Blvd., are holding free
memory screenings on Tuesday, Nov.
16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local residents who are 65 and over will receive
the free screenings as part of National
Memory Screening Day. RSVP
required. For an appointment, call
(323)932-5414.
Think You Can
Dance?
T
he “So You Think You Can Dance
Tour” takes the show directly to
fans during a performance on
Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m.at Staples
Center. The production features this
season’s most popular routines, as
well as original pieces created specifically for the tour. The dancer line-up
includes a mix of Season 7 contestants, including Adéchiké, Ashley,
Billy, Jose, Kent, Lauren and Robert,
as well as all stars including Ade,
Allison, Courtney, Dominic and
Kathryn. Season 6 winner, Russell,
will also be featured. Tickets are
available at www.AEGLive.com or
ticketmaster.com.
Business Forum
T
he
Sustainable
Business
Council of Los Angeles will
host a panel discussion titled “Tools
& Tips for Building a Sustainable
Business” on Tuesday, Nov. 16 from
7 to 10 p.m. at the Valcucine
Showroom, 9030 Wilshire Blvd. The
panel will cover topics such as how
to obtain angel investors, corporate
sponsors, and affordable IP/business
attorneys, as well as effective marketing and social media strategies,
and how to create a successful, sustainable business model . Admission
is $25. To RSVP, visit www.sustainablebc.org.
‘Pandemonium’
T
he co-creators of “Stomp” have
taken their concept to a new
level with “Pandemonium”, which
will be staged on Tuesday, Nov. 16
through 18 at UCLA’s Royce Hall,
340 Royce Dr. While “Stomp” creates rhythm with everyday objects,
“Pandemonium” transforms everyday objects into instruments, recreating every section of a symphony
using bottles, whirly toys, traffic
cones, oil drums, wood planks, bottles, glasses and many other objects.
Tickets are $20 to $60. For information, call (800)745-3000, or visit
www.uclalive.com.
17 Dutch Theatre
T
he
Roy
and
Edna
Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT) is hosting a performance by the
Dutch
theatre
ensemble,
Wunderbaum, titled “Looking for
Paul” running Wednesday, Nov. 17
through 20. The show explores the
relationships between public artworks and communities, the functions of contemporary artistic practice versus popular culture, and the
wide-ranging work of artist Paul
McCarthy. REDCAT is located at
631 W. 2nd St. Tickets are $25 to 30.
Call (213)237-2800, or visit
www.redcat.org.
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3 November 11, 2010
Housing Will Change Landscape on La Cienega
n Residents and Local
Officials Hope Project
Will Improve the Area
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
photo by Tim Posada
The John C. Fremont Library in Hancock Park is one of the branches that has experienced cutbacks.
Voters May Decide Whether to
Keep Libraries Open Longer
n City Council
Considering
Ballot Measure
BY IAN LOVETT
W
hen the City of Los
Angeles had to close a
$485 million budget deficit this
spring, the public libraries found
themselves on the chopping
block.
More than 300 library employees were laid off, and service was
cut dramatically at all 73 city
libraries, with even the central
library now closed Sundays and
Mondays.
Now, the same city council
that cut the Library Department’s
funding has proposed writing an
increase in funding for the library
into the city’s charter, which
would effectively prevent the
council from making such cuts in
the future.
Next Tuesday, the city council
will vote on whether to put a
measure onto the March ballot
that would amend the city’s charter to increase the Library
Department’s annual allotment
from the city’s general fund by
70 percent. Voters would then
have to approve the measure by a
simple majority.
City Councilmember Tom
LaBonge, 4th District, who cosponsored the motion, said the
increase would be enough to
restore library service to 20092010 fiscal year levels, when
regional libraries operated seven
days a week, and branch libraries
six days a week.
“This is the right thing to do,”
See Library page 21
Cathedral Chapel School
Kindergarten through Eighth Grade
755 South Cochran Avenue • Los Angeles, CA 90036
A Member of the Miracle Mile Community since 1930
• Classroom Internet Access
“Welcome to the
• Apple Mac Computer Lab
w/ Internet Access
2010-2011
• Honors Math Program
school year!”
• Spanish Program
Ms. Bravo
• Music Program
• Departmentalized Junior High
• Extended Day Care
• CYO Sports
• Lunch Service
• Outreach Concern Counseling Program
• Fully Accredited by WASC and WCEA
Call for information:
(323)938-9976
www.cathedralchapelschool.org
he Los Angeles City Council on
Wednesday approved a large
mixed-use housing project planned
at 375 N. La Cienega Blvd., at the
location of the former Acapulco
Restaurant and some neighboring
buildings.
The five-level project, known as
Luxe @ 375, will include 125
apartments and some ground-level
retail space. The developer, NMS
Properties, is still in the process of
securing retail tenants and determining the rents for the market rate
apartments. The project will also
include 11 units designated for people who are considered very low
income, or earning no more than 30
percent of the area’s median
income, which would likely place
rents for those units around $400
per month.
The project was supported by
Los Angeles City Councilmember
Paul Koretz, 5th District, who said
NMS Properties worked with the
community and his office to come
up with a design that would not be
problematic for the neighborhood.
The area is zoned for large commercial projects, and the developer
already has the entitlements to
build at the site and could have constructed a large shopping center or
other retail project. Koretz said he
believes the new housing will bring
a welcome change to an area that is
currently not very pedestrianfriendly. He also added that having
more people living in the neighborhood may reduce loitering that
occurs around an adult strip club
located near the development site.
A building that formerly housed the Acapulco Restaurant on La Cienega
Blvd. will be converted into housing.
“They have minimized every
impact, compared to what they
could have done by right,” Koretz
said. “I also think it will have a positive impact on the strip club, with
people congregating near the property where the project will be built.
I am also hoping to bring some
walkability to the area, and this new
building will help in that regard.”
Penny Lane Emerson, a
spokesperson for NMS Properties,
said the developer hopes the project
will reinvigorate the stretch of La
Cienega just north of Beverly
Boulevard by providing housing
for residents who will spend money
at local businesses.
“It will definitely pump more
money into the local economy,”
Emerson said. “Once the building
is there, it will be more gentrified.
You always see that when there is a
flood of people in the area.”
Koretz said some of the other
concerns that have been mitigated
involve
traffic
congestion.
According to a transit study conducted by the Los Angeles
Department of Transportation, the
housing project is anticipated to
bring just under 470 new car trips to
the area daily. Koretz said that is
dramatically less than the approximately 5,250 daily car trips through
the area that would have occurred
with a large retail development.
NMS Properties also agreed to
other measures that will mitigate
the project’s impact on neighbors,
including roof setbacks at the rear
See Housing page 21
4 November 11, 2010
Metro to Create Bike Room at Subway Station
n Facility Will Offer Racks and
Other Amenities for Cyclists
T
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
T
he Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (Metro) Board has
approved a new 1,018-square-foot
space for the Hollywood and Vine
Red Line Station’s bike room,
which is designed to encourage
cyclists to use public transportation
by providing a place for them to
store and fix their bikes.
The new bike room will be located in space that is part of the W
Hotel and Residences complex that
was originally intended to house a
retail business. The developers of
the complex, Legacy Partners,
agreed to provide Metro with the
space as part of the agreement
allowing the developer to build at
the site. The bike room was originally proposed to be located near
the entrance to the Hollywood and
Vine Station, but will now be located in a larger space on Vine Street.
Cyclists complained that the original location was too small to meet
their needs.
“Four hundred square feet
sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t
allow you to do more than store
bikes,” said Jeff Jacobergger, chair
of the Mid City West Community
Council and an avid cyclist.
Metro Bike Program manager
Lynne Goldsmith said that bike
racks are the only certainty for the
room at this point, and estimated
that they will hold at least 50 bicycles. Final plans for the room may
include room for non-profit organizations to hold safety classes.
Goldsmith added that there will
likely be a hoist and repair station
for cyclists, but Metro probably
Local Businesses Receive
Preferred Treatment
would not supply
tools unless they
are attached to the
repair station.
“We think that
most serious bicyclists carry some
tools with them,”
Goldsmith said.
Metro is also
considering a bike
rental facility at
the site, but it
would have to be
contracted to a
private
entity.
Once completed,
the bike room will
be accessible by
key card, and
users will have to
register online or
by
mail.
Goldsmith it had
not yet been
determined how
much the cards
would cost, and
added
that
approximately
150 people will
first be allowed to
register to gauge
demand. Metro
spokesperson
Dave Sotero said
Cyclists
will
be
able
to
store
their
bikes
inside a new
the transit agency
will fund the pro- room that Metro plans to create near the Hollywood
ject, and will be and Vine Red Line Station.
soon accepting
private bids for the construction. It have an additional $92,000 to use
is expected to cost approximately for equipment and other costs,
$100,000. Sotero said Metro may
See Bike room page 21
Risqué Sign Removed at
Store on Melrose
photo by Ian Lovett
A sign that many people believed to be offensive was taken down
last week from the front of a lingerie shop that was planning to open
at 7576 Melrose Ave. The future plans for the store, which was to be
called “FUK U”, have not been determined. Los Angeles City
Councilman Paul Koretz, 5th District, and members of the Mid City
West Community Council, complained about the sign to the buildingʼs landlord, who reportedly terminated the lease with the proprietors of the business.
LADWP Plans
New Solar
Project
T
he Los Angeles Department of
Water and Power (DWP) has
advanced plans to build a fivemegawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic
installation.
The $15.3 million facility will be
named the Van Norman Bypass
Reservoir Solar Project, and will
become the city’s largest solar
endeavor to date. It involves the
construction of solar modules on a
575,000-square-foot rigid roof that
covers a potable water reservoir in
the San Fernando Valley. The project will help the city meet its
renewable energy goals, as well as
pending state renewable energy
goals.
“This is an exciting step as we
launch our initiative to expand
development of local solar on cityowned property,” said Lee Kanon
Alpert, president of the Board of
Water and Power Commissioners,
which approved the initial environment documents required under the
California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA) on Nov. 2.
The Van Norman Solar Project
will be constructed over a six-month
period in late 2011. Proceeding with
the project is subject to funding allocation, and officials are currently
seeking funding sources. The reservoir is located off the Golden State
(5) Freeway and contains approximately 80 million gallons of treated
drinking water, about one-third of
the city’s normal supply.
he Los Angeles City Council
approved a motion on Nov. 3
instructing the City Attorney’s
Office to draft an ordinance that
would give preferential treatment to local businesses in bidding for city contracts. The
motion was authored by City
Councilmembers Bernard C.
Parks, 8th District, and Paul
Krekorian, 2nd District.
According to Parks, the City of
Los Angeles presently spends
approximately 84 percent of its
procurement funding with businesses that are located outside of
Los Angeles. Of the $1.1 billion
allocated for government contracts, only $180 million goes
back to local businesses. “We should be taking every
opportunity that we can to keep
that money here so that our taxpayers’ money is spent to create
local jobs,” Krekorian said. The proposed ordinance
would give local companies an
eight percent preference in their
bids for government contracts
during the two processes that
award procurement funding: low
bid contracts and request for proposals (RFP). In a low bid contract process, the local preference
will lower the bid price. For
example, if a local business submits a bid of $1 million, the local
preference ordinance will take
eight percent off their bid.
With RFPs, a local business
will be given additional evaluation points. For example, if a
local business submits a proposal that generates 100 total evaluation points, they will be given
eight percent more points.
To receive a local preference, a
business must have filed and
maintained a Business Tax
Registration Certificate for the
prior six months, occupy building space in Los Angeles County,
and have 50 percent of its fulltime employees working in Los
Angeles County at least 60 percent of the time.
6 November 11, 2010
Officials Crack Down on Parked Cars for Sale
I
n an effort to prevent the illegal sales of
used cars along Los Feliz Boulevard,
Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los
Angeles), City Councilmember Tom
LaBonge, 4th District, and members of
the Department of Motor Vehicles
Investigation Unit participated in a crack
down on the sales on Nov. 6.
For years, unlicensed dealers who
“flip” automobiles have taken advantage
of the exposure along Los Feliz
Boulevard by parking vehicles for sale on
the thoroughfare. In recent months, officials have seen an increase in the vehicles
parked along Los Feliz Boulevard.
According to LaBonge, the situation has
prevented people who live along the
boulevard from parking their own cars
there.
“This curbside car lot is a visual blight
for this beautiful neighborhood,”
LaBonge said. “Along with the parking
issues these cars pose, many of them
aren’t registered, attracting a criminal ele-
Farmers Market
to Host Annual
ʻKettle Kick-Offʼ
T
he Original Farmers Market,
corner of 3rd and Fairfax, is
hosting the Salvation Army’s
“Kettle Kick-Off” on Monday,
Nov. 22 from 5 to 6 p.m. on the
Market’s Plaza.
The event kicks-off the
Salvations Army’s
holiday
fundraising drive, where members
collect donations outside markets
and retail stores with the familiar
red kettles. The kettle drive is the
largest fundraiser of the year for
the Salvation Army, and proceeds
are used for a variety of programs
for disadvantaged people, such as
housing, job placement, meal service and more. The Original
Farmers Market has been a benefactor of the Salvation Army for
decades. The “Kettle Kick-Off
features the Salvation Army
Tabernacle Children’s Choir, as
well as appearances by numerous
celebrities.
The Original Farmers Market is
located at 6333 W. 3rd St. For
information, call 933-9211, or
visit www.farmersmarkla.com. To
donate to the Salvation Army, call
(800)SAL-ARMY.
ment into this community. Thanks to the
efforts of the DMV Investigation Unit and
my partnership with Assembly Member
Gatto, Los Feliz Boulevard is restored as
a necessary traffic corridor for this city.”
Investigators from the DMV, headed by
Deputy Chief Vito Scattaglia, conducted a
raid on Nov. 6 to identify unlicensed dealers and to send a message that their
actions will not be tolerated. It is believed
that most people selling cars along Los
Feliz Boulevard belong to “car-flipping”
rings, wherein a car will be purchased
from a lawful owner, but never re-registered until it is sold again. The DMV
impounded seven vehicles, and six misdemeanor citations were issued. Two people
were arrested for interfering with a peace
officer.
“The main issue here is that it’s not a
simple issue of selling cars,” Scattaglia
said. “There are circumstances that make
this issue a big deal. Many times these
vehicles are sold to individuals, who have
no desire to properly register the vehicle
because of the fact that they are not
licensed, or their license is suspended, or
the vehicle will be used to conduct illegal
activity.”
Scattaglia added that DMV fees and
taxes are not being paid and that many
vehicles lack basic safety requirements,
such as proper lighting, brakes, power
steering and smog-control devices. He
emphasized that the issue is a high priority for his team and the raids will continue
in the area.
The operation followed a motion introduced by LaBonge on Oct. 15 that is
aimed at restricting car sales on city
streets. A previous ordinance prohibiting
curbside car sales was struck down in
court as violating the First Amendment.
LaBonge’s motion directs the City
photo courtesy fo the Fourth District Council Office
Attorney’s Office to draft an ordinance for
consideration by the city council prevent- Cars parked on Los Feliz Boulevard being offered for
ing illegal car sales while maintaining free sale have caused concerns recently. A sting operation
was held to remove the vehicles.
speech laws.
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7 November 11, 2010
City Honors Native American Residents
M
ayor Antonio Villaraigosa
joined several members of
Los Angeles City Council and the
Native American community on
Nov. 5 to launch the city’s
American Indian Heritage Month
celebration.
“The American Indian community is a living story of overcoming
adversity with a dignified spirit of
hope, determination, and pride as
the first people of Los Angeles,”
Villaraigosa said. “November may
be American Indian Heritage
Month, but we must not forget the
sacrifice and struggle our American
Indian neighbors continue to grapple with as well as the innumerable
contributions they have made to the
diverse tapestry of the City of Los
Angeles.”
Villaraigosa welcomed guests at
an opening reception in city council
chambers. Later, the mayor joined
West Hollywood
Hosts Annual
Veterans Day
Observance
T
he City of West Hollywood will
host its annual Veterans Day
Ceremony on Thursday, November
11 at 11 a.m. at the Sal Guarriello
Veterans’ Memorial, located at the
intersection of Holloway Drive and
Santa Monica Boulevard.
The City’s Veterans Day
Ceremony is held to honor members of the United States Armed
Forces. Public parking will be
available at the Kings Road parking
structure, 8383 Santa Monica Blvd.
For more information, contact
Liz Tran at (323)848-6307, or visit
www.weho.org.
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":6,7057 5:79 7+,7 5 tribal leaders from all over the state,
as well as business and community
leaders in the Native American
community, at a formal celebration
at the forecourt at Los Angeles City
Hall that included cultural entertainment, guests and native food.
The mayor also acknowledged this
year’s honorees, which include the
LAUSD Title VII Indian Education
Program, a program that incorporates cultural literacy and visual
arts enrichment into the curriculum
of more than 2,500 American
Indian and Native Alaskan students; and the United American
Indian Involvement, Inc., a nonprofit agency that reaches out to
impoverished communities to provide services and advocacy for the
Native American Community.
Los Angeles is home to the
largest urban Native American population in the United States. The
community of Los Angeles is comprised of more than 140,000 people
who claim Native American ancestry. The Native American population in Los Angeles County has
nearly doubled since 1990, the year
the federal government formally
declared November as National
American Indian Heritage Month.
For information on Native
American Heritage Month events,
visit www.culturela.org.
photo courtesy of the Fourth District Council Office
City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, 4th District, and Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa honored members of the Native American community.
8 November 11, 2010
Ignore the Negative Press,
ʻMegamindʼ Dominates
I
don’t like referencing the opinions of other film critics, but this
has been a unique year, with the
low quality of films making it easy
for the filmic elite to assume that
everything is bad.
However, many critics have lost
their ability to analyze films with
the general audience in mind.
There are times
when a film is so
terrible that it
perhaps becomes
the responsibility
of reviewers to
steer people away from the theatres
because the product combines idiocy with racially and sexually irresponsible
content
(i.e.
“Transformers: Revenge of the
Fallen”), but there are some films
that are just fantastic for what they
are, yet the reviews don’t reflect
that quality. All that said, ignore
what the other critics are saying,
“Megamind” is a fantastic viewing
experience rich with great action,
wonderful character chemistry and
a reflective plotline that’ll ring true
for any fan of the superhero genre.
In a rather unique twist, this isn’t
the traditional battle between a
superhero and a supervillain, but
the story of what happens after the
villain defeats his great foe. In an
original story akin to Superman’s
exodus from the dying planet of
Krypton, Megamind (Will Ferrell)
is the last of his kind from another
planet, and so is his lifetime nemesis, Metro Man (Brad Pitt). After
crash-landing on Earth, Metro Man
is lucky enough to land in the living
room of a rich family, while
Megamind and his minion, subtly
named Minion (David Cross),
crashes into a state penitentiary
where he’s raised by a group of loving, yet morally compromised
felons. Through many unsuccessful
attempts to gain the approval of his
classmates, Metro Man included,
Megamind learns that the one thing
he can do well is be evil, thus
Megamind is born and our villain is
ready to take on the do-gooders of
Metro City, or “Metrocity”, as he
likes to call it. We quickly jump forward to Mega’s latest caper, which
is successful, taking down Metro
Man — only to find that he
should’ve been more careful what
he wished for. The world is not
enough and our blue-headed villain
has to find a new purpose in the
wake of victory.
If you’re expecting originality,
then
don’t
go
to
a
superhero/supervillain film. This is
a blatant formula film, but isn’t that
the point. When Megamind creates
a holographic persona and channels
Marlon Brando from the 1978
“Superman” film, it’s hard to imagine viewing this one without a
working knowledge of the genre.
It’s
pretty
fantastic
when
Megamind wins the day and
becomes stuck in
an “existential”
dilemma as he, as
the diabolical villain with a knack
for contraptions,
wins — something that rarely
happens in other superhero films
since most evil geniuses are so
wrapped up in their next maniacal
plan that they don’t know what to
do if or when they finally win. How
sad and a tad wonderfully hysterical
at the same time.
The voice actors work some fantastic magic here. Ferrell, as
Megamind, doesn’t go Robert
Goulet on us but keeps things
photo courtesy of Paramound Pictures
Supervillains, Megamind (Will Ferrell), left, and Minion (David Cross), celebrate their new dominion over Metro City.
“Anchorman”-dramatic with a dash
of “Stranger Than Fiction” sincerity for dramatic effect. Cross, as
Minion, steals the show with stellar
pronunciation. Jonah Hill, as Hal,
and Tina Fey, as Metro City
reporter, Roxanna Ritchi (even her
name feels just like the comic book
obsession with alliterated names,
like Lois Lane, Peter Parker, Matt
Murdock and J. Jonah Jameson),
bring their usual charm to the film
with animated avatars that are quite
similar to the actual actors in
appearance and mannerisms. Pitt,
as Metro Man, even gets in a few
good rhetorical punches while on
screen.
The critics have been wrong on
several key films this year: underplaying the fun of “The Losers”,
claiming “Toy Story 3” is better
than “How to Train Your Dragon”
when it was really a regurgitation of
the part two, and deeming “RED” a
boring action film. “Megamind” is
another missed opportunity where
critics let their general exhaustion
with reviewing films cloud their
ability to simply enjoy something.
In the end, go check out
“Megamind” for yourself. If you
enjoy superhero stories, then this
one’s chock full of homage to the
genre and has some original action
in its own rite as well.
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Will Ferrell voices Metro Cityʼs
leading supervillain, Megamind.
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8614 West Third St. • Across from Cedars-Sinai Medical Towers
9 November 11, 2010
ʻThe Ohio 4thʼ Combines Humor with Loose History
Mad About
T
he 29th President of these
United States, Warren G.
Harding, is not remembered for
much more than dying in office
after less than two years, a leave-no
mark-president with a bad habit of
philandering, a legacy of corruption
and fraud, and a fistful of scandal
that included The Teapot Dome, an
earmark federal oil reserves scheme
that earned him the title of the by Madeleine Shaner
Worst and Most Corrupt American
President to [that] date.
for the budding acting company to
Playwright Daniel Shoenman’s swallow, as it were, especially
quite silly, sometimes funny farce, with the Ohio powers-that-be
produced
by
dad,
Elliot (Weston L. Nathanson and
Shoenman, laced at times with bits Michael Butler Murray) in attenof vibrant humor, is less concerned dance at the show that could make
with oil scandals and political or break the group’s future in the
legacy than it is with the fact of his Popcorn Capital of the World.
leading man’s sudden death on
A frantic Cori Clark Nelson as
stage on opening night of the play Emily Harris, and Josh Sherman as
within the play about the life of the John Lavelle, the producers and
more than slightly lascivious directors of the never-seen play
Harding,
whose
portrayer within the play, try to keep it all
(Michael Butler Murray) passes together despite, or maybe because
out completely cold in flagrante of the efforts of the versatile Kim
almost delicto, which is a hard pill Swennon, who gamely plays the
Theatre
photo by Craig Schwartz
Cori Clark Nelson, as Emily (left), John Lavelle, as Josh, and Weston I.
Nathanson, as Mr. Strubble, star in “The Ohio 4th”.
Queen Rania of Jordan Visits
Marlborough in Special UN Event
photo courtesy of the United Nations Foundation
Q
ueen Rania of Jordan joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and hundreds of teen girls at a rally held on Nov. 5 at Marlborough
School. The rally was held to raise awareness and funds to help adolescent girls in developing nations around the world, and was part of
the United Nations Foundation’s “Unite for Girls Tour” and the new
“Girl Up” campaign.
“The case for girls is so compelling. If you can give a girl the smallest chance, she can make the biggest change,” said Queen Rania, a
“Girl Up” global advocate. “This program will give a girl in California
the opportunity to help a girl in Malawi buy school supplies.”
Through the campaign’s support, girls around the world will have
the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted and positioned to be the next generation of leaders. Funds raised through the
campaign will support proven United Nations programs that help the
hardest-to-reach girls in such countries as Malawi, Ethiopia,
Guatemala and Liberia. Campaign supporters are encouraged to spend
five minutes to learn about the issues facing girls, or donate $5 or more
to provide girls with basic needs such as school supplies, clean water,
health services and more. Marlborough School is part of the National
Coalition of Girls Schools, a “Girl Up” founding partner. For information, visit www.GirlUp.org.
inner cast’s bit of a dummy femme
fatale as well as the Senator Will
Peck’s girl in chief; James R.
Strubble, Allen Cutler, Diane
Sutton, Susan Rodgers and Chloe
Peterson come prepared to do or
die, whichever the case may be.
Annie McVey directs with a fairly sure hand for farce — a rare talent — keeping the audience mystified, mind-boggled and happy
whenever laughter or mystification
may be called for. Gary Guidinger’s
set design is simple and impressively easily switched from backstage
chaos to serene lobby, with local
popcorn and bottled water on display.
There’s no history to be learned
in this short play, but plenty of
hearty laughs are joined by all.
Presented through Nov. 21 by
The Inkwell Theater at the Hudson
Mainstage, 6539 Santa Monica
Blvd. The play is staged Fri.-Sat. at
8 p.m.; Sun. at 3 p.m. Call
(323)960-7714,
or
visit
www.plays411.com/ohio4th.
photo by Craig Schwartz
John Lavelle, as Josh (right), Cori Clark Nelson, as Emily (back left), and
Chloe Peterson, as Mary, star in “The Ohio 4th:.
10 November 11, 2010
LAHTF Highlights Hawaii Theatre this Saturday WeHo Prepares for City
T
he Los Angeles Historic
Theatre Foundation, in association with Hollywood Heritage, presents “All About the Music Box &
Hawaii Theatres” on Saturday, Nov.
13 at 10:30 a.m. The event offers a
free comprehensive tour of a
restored classic theatre, the Music
Box, and a peek inside the Hawaii
Theatre/Salvation Army facility in
Hollywood.
Opened as the Carter DeHaven
Music Box Theatre on Oct. 20,
1926, the Music Box went through
several owners and corresponding
name changes over the years. It
became a radio studio theatre in
1936, then returned to showing
films as the Music Box Theatre in
the early-1940’s. It was later renamed the Fox Theatre (not to be
confused with the Fox Theatre at
Hollywood Boulevard and Wilcox
Avenue), the Pix Theatre and later
the Henry Fonda Theatre. In 2007, a
restoration project began to bring it
back to its 1926 appearance. The
restoration has been completed, and
the venue is now named the Music
Box.
The Hawaii Theatre, formerly
located at 5941 Hollywood Blvd,
opened on May 6, 1940. The exterior of the Hawaii Theatre featured a
Council Nominations
T
photo courtesy of Don Solosan/LAHTF
The Music Box has been fully restored to its original appearance.
tropical mural over the box marquee. Round glass walls flanked
either side of the front entrance, and
inside, the auditorium was decorated with tropical jungle murals and
had a simple atmospheric effect on
the ceiling to continue the theme.
The theater was later converted into
the Salvation Army Tabernacle in
the early 1960s, and remains their
Hollywood headquarters today.
Historian Ed Kelsey will present
a comprehensive overview of both
theatres, and visitors will embark
on a behind-the-scenes tour of the
Music Box, including backstage
areas, dressing rooms and the
rooftop garden. Immediately following the tour of the Music Box,
visitors will tour the Hawaii
Theatre.
The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting,
preserving, restoring and supporting Southern California’s historic
theatres. Admission is $7. For
visit www.lahtf.org.
New Act Makes $1B Accessible for Small Businesses
A
pproximately $1 billion in new federal grants are
being made available to small businesses
through the Affordable Care Act, including more than
$278 million for projects in California. The funding
will be distributed through therapeutic discovery project credits and grants for small biotechnology companies that are producing new and cost-saving therapies. The goal is to support companies and create
jobs, while also increasing U.S. competitiveness. The announcement about the grants was made
on Nov. 3 by Secretary of the Treasury Tim
Geithner and Secretary of Health and Human
Services Kathleen Sebelius
“The United States has the most innovative companies, the most ambitious entrepreneurs and the
most productive workers in the world,” Geithner
said. “These grants will help make sure our companies, entrepreneurs and workers can continue to
invest and innovate, which will strengthen our
economy now and far into the future.”
The therapeutic discovery project program targets
projects that show significant potential to produce
new therapies, address unmet medical needs, reduce
the long-term growth of health care costs, or
advance the goal of curing cancer within the next 30
years. The allocation of the credit also reflects
which projects show the greatest potential to create
and sustain high-quality, high-paying jobs and to
advance competitiveness in the fields of life, biological and medical sciences. “With this funding, they’ll be able to hire more
staff, improve facilities and move forward with
research projects that might otherwise have been put
on hold. We can’t afford to see promising discoveries discarded or innovative businesses move overseas. Thanks to the funding provided today, firms
can avoid these roadblocks and continue to do business right here in the U.S,” Sebelius added. For information and list of companies, visit
www.irs.gov/businesses.
‘WeHo@25’ Art Exhibit
Celebrates City Anniversary
photo courtesy of Andrew Campbell
T
he City of West Hollywood will showcase the history of its art and
culture with an exhibit called “WeHo@25 — a 25th Anniversary
Celebration in Art” running through Dec. 27 in a temporary gallery
located at 8270 Santa Monica Blvd.
The exhibit features 51 works of art by 45 artists from West
Hollywood or with a strong connection to the city. The collection is
composed of paintings, sculptures, mixed-media projects, photography
and video works. An opening reception was held on Nov. 4, and art
consultant Tony Clark joined West Hollywood Councilmember Abbe
Land in discussing artist David “Rudy” Gardner’s work.
Exhibit hours will be Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m., or by appointment.
For information, call (323)848-6883, or visit www.weho.org.
he nomination period for
individuals interested in running for the West Hollywood City
Council will begin on Monday,
Nov. 15 at 8 a.m., with the deadline for filing nomination papers
on Friday, Dec. 10 at 5 p.m.
The City of West Hollywood
Municipal Election will be held
on Tuesday, March 8, with three
positions open on the city council. The open positions currently
belong to Mayor John Heilman,
and Councilmembers Lindsay
Horvath and Abbe Land.
The nomination process
requires a potential candidate to
gather between 20 and 30 signatures by voters registered in West
Hollywood. Potential candidates
must be at least 18 years old, residents of West Hollywood and
registered voters within the city.
Interested candidates can pick up
the necessary forms from the
West Hollywood City Clerk’s
Office at West Hollywood City
Hall, 8300 Santa Monica Blvd.
For information, call (323)8486409,
or
e-mail
twest@weho.org.
In the City of Los Angeles,
candidates
must
file
a
Declaration of Intention to
Become a Candidate by noon on
Saturday, Nov. 13. The March
2011 ballot will include elections
in the even-numbered Los
Angeles City Council Districts,
as well as the Los Angeles
Unified School District and the
Los
Angeles
Community
College District. As of Nov. 9,
two candidates had filed in the
Fourth Council District, including incumbent Councilmember
Tom LaBonge, and political consultant Phil Jennerjahn. For
information, visit www.cityclerk.lacity.org/election.
Boeing Funds ʻ024uʼ Environmental
Grant in support of BREATHE LA
B
REATHE LA has received a
$50,000 grant from Boeing to
support the “O24u” environmental
education program. The “O24u” program works with
afterschool programs to teach children about the effects of pollution
on the environment and their lungs.
To highlight one area of measurable
impact, 83 percent of the children
involved reported taking on at least
two new sustainable environmentally-friendly practices at home.
During the current school year, an
additional 10,000 children will participate in the program.
“We are excited that aerospace
pioneer Boeing is sponsoring our
own pioneering program, which
makes the environment better for
children today and in the future,”
said Enrique Chiock, CEO of
BREATHE
LA.
BREATHE LA, which is headquartered at 5858 Wilshire Blvd., is a
non-profit organization dedicated
to protecting people’s health in Los
Angeles County.
“Boeing is pleased to work with
BREATHE LA to teach so many
thousands of children environmental responsibility,” said Jim Herr,
senior manager of the California
region for Global Corporate
Citizenship for Boeing. “Boeing
recognizes that climate change and
pollution are serious global concerns, and has set a clear strategy to
take action as a responsible corporate citizen and neighbor.”
For
information,
visit
www.BreatheLA.org.
Councilman Koretz Honored Czech Fulbright Scholar Studies at LAGLC
by Hope Lutheran Church T
he Czech Republic is known
for a lively gay social scene,
but the LGBT movement lacks
momentum and infrastructure. An
ambitious 29-year-old activist is
preparing to take a leading role in
changing the situation by organizing her community, armed with the
knowledge gained from spending
three months at the L.A. Gay &
Lesbian Center.
Kristyna Ciprova, a native of
Prague, had no idea whether the
Czech government, which funds
the highly competitive FulbrightMasaryk Scholarship, would
approve her proposal to study at an
LGBT organization. Most recipients of scholarships from the prestigious international educational
exchange program do their research
at universities. But after visiting the
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s website and learning about its wide
range of services and political
activism, she knew she had to try.
“In the Czech Republic, people
see activism as suspicious, and not
very many LGBT people are active
publicly,” Ciprova said. “The
largest LGBT group we had just
disbanded because it didn’t have
photo courtesy of Hope Lutheran Church
Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz (right), 5th District, joined
pastor Mark Rasbach, of Hope Lutheran Church, at the churchʼs 68th
birthday celebration on Nov. 7. Koretz was honored for his help in
securing additional parking for members of the congregation on
Sundays, as well as efforts to reduce crime in the surrounding area.
Hungary Representatives Highlight
Importance of Jewish Relations
photo courtesy of Andrew Friedman
Ambassador Bela Szombati (right), the Washington representative of
the Republic of Hungary, and Ambassador Balazs Bokor, Hungaryʼs
representative to the Western States, recently met with Los Angeles
Fire Commissioner, Attorney Andrew Friedman (center). The
Ambassadors conveyed that the new Hungarian government
believes it is crucial to maintain excellent relations with its Hungarian
Jewish constituents. The first Jewish culture center in Europe was
recently established in Budapest as a joint venture between Israel
and Hungary. This month a new synagogue will be reopened in Buda,
led by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis.
enough financial support. I wanted
to visit an LGBT organization that
was thriving so I could learn about
recruiting volunteers, getting more
leaders involved and building a
strong, vibrant LGBT community.”
Ciprova previously served as a
judge at an LGBT film festival —
her country’s most visible LGBT
community event — and ultimately
worked for a non-profit organization on fighting homophobia and
bullying in high schools. In addition to her professional work,
Ciprova is one of the leaders of a
new, all-volunteer LGBT organization called PROUD.
Known as one of the most
accepting countries in the region,
the Czech Republic has several
legal protections for LGBT people,
who can serve openly in the military and cannot be fired because of
sexual orientation. Same-sex couples can also enter into domestic
partnerships. However, the 2006
domestic partnership law came at a
significant cost. Couples who enter
into domestic partnerships are not
permitted to adopt children.
Ciprova’s work in the United
States was part of the Center’s
Kristyna Ciprova
Leadership LAB, which helps
LGBT people from around the
world study techniques for community organizing and volunteer management. Its Vote for Equality program mobilizes hundreds of volunteers each year for door-to-door
canvasses in which volunteers talk
to voters about marriage equality.
For
information,
visit
www.lagaycenter.org/LAB.
foot.
POLICE BLOTTER
The following information was reported to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station
between October 25 and November 4, 2010. If you are a victim of a crime, here
are the telephone numbers of local law enforcement agencies; Los Angeles
Police Department, Wilshire Division (323)485-4022 and Los Angeles County
Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station (310)855-8850.
West Hollywood
Property Crime
October 25
At 8 a.m., a business owner reported that during the previous weekend, unknown suspects burglarized
the business in the 8000 block of
Santa Monica and stole several
handbags, valued at approximately
$9,500, and approximately $1,000
from a register. Damage to door
was estimated at approximately
$500.
October 27
At 10:30 p.m., a victim reported
that an unknown suspect burglarized an apartment in the 1300
block of Harper and stole jewelry
and belts. The loss was estimated
at approximately $18,750.
October 28
At 8:30 a.m., an unknown thief
stole a purse, cellular phones,
identification and a ring from an
unlocked vehicle parked in the
7300 block of Fountain. The loss
$469.
An unknown suspect stole an
unlocked bicycle, valued at $710,
from an unsecured subgarage in
the 1200 block of Havenhurst at
3:30 p.m.
October 29
At 2:20 a.m., an unknown suspect
burglarized a business in the 8500
block of Sunset and caused an
estimated $1,000 in damage to a
door and cash register. A glass
window was also shattered at an
adjoining business, with damage
estimated at $500.
Unknown suspects burglarized a
storage unit in the 1200 block of
Laurel at 10 a.m. and stole two
desktop computers valued at
approximately $1,500.
At 7:30 p.m., investigators recovered a necklace, valued at $600,
that was stolen a few months ago
from a victimʼs residence in the
1000 block of Orange Grove. The
necklace was recovered at a pawn
shop in West Hollywood, but no
further information was provided.
October 30
At 9:02 a.m., a victim reported that
an unknown thief stole a bicycle,
valued at $320, from a storage unit
at a condominium in the 1200
block of Laurel.
An unknown thief stole a wallet,
valued at $200, from a purse that
had been left unattended at a bar
in the 7700 block of Santa Monica
at 11:59 p.m.
October 31
At 1 a.m., unknown suspects burglarized an apartment in the 1400
block of Harper and stole two laptop computers, gold necklaces and
liquor, all valued at approximately
$7,050. Damage to the front door
$100.
An unknown African American
male suspect forcibly robbed a victim walking near the corner of
Kings and Santa Monica at 1:30
a.m. The suspect stole an iPhone,
valued at $400, and fled on foot.
Two unknown African American
male suspects robbed two victims
at gunpoint in the 1200 block of
Vista at 2:27 p.m. The suspects
stole wallets, purses, a cellular
phone, identification, credit cards
and cash before fleeing on foot.
The loss was estimated at approximately $255.
At 8 p.m., an unknown suspect
stole a purse left unattended in
front of a residence in the 300
block of Almont. The purse contained cash, a cellular phone, prescription eyeglasses and miscellaneous items, all valued at $1,450.
An unknown male suspect forcibly
robbed a victim near the corner of
Santa Monica and Almont at 10:48
p.m. The suspect stole a cellular
phone valued at $330 and fled on
November 1
At 4:35 a.m., a Caucasian male
suspect was arrested for taking a
vehicle without the ownerʼs consent after deputies learned the
vehicle he was driving in the 700
block of Genesee was reported
stolen.
An unknown African American
male suspect stole a laptop computer from a table at a restaurant in
the 8500 block of Santa Monica at
9:10 pm.
November 2
At 9 a.m., a victim reported that
unknown thieves stole two plastic
drums filled with metals from the
backyard of a residence in the 500
block of Flores. The loss was estimated at approximately $475.
November 3
At 3 p.m., an unknown thief stole a
camera, tripod, batteries and memory cards from a business office in
the 9000 block of Sunset. The loss
$8,030.
November 4
At 3 p.m., unknown suspects burglarized a residence in the 1000
block of Hilldale and stole a laptop
computer, valued at $2,000, and
several jewelry items.
During the week, one male suspect
was arrested for burglary after
being observed shoplifting at a
retail business in West Hollywood.
During the week, three drivers
were arrested for driving under the
influence of alcohol following three
separate traffic collisions in West
Hollywood.
During the week, unknown suspects burglarized eight vehicles in
West Hollywood. The total estimate of damage and loss was
$3,510. During the same period,
unknown thieves also stole three
vehicles.
During the week, six stolen vehicles were recovered in West
Hollywood and the owners were
notified.
During the week, 15 vehicles were
impounded for 30 days after being
driven by an unlicensed driver or a
person with a suspended or
revoked license.
Masked Robbery Crew Makes Off with $6,000 Cash
T
he Los Angeles Police
Department has released surveillance camera images of a threeman robbery crew who robbed customers and employees at a resale
business near downtown Los
Angeles on Oct. 29 and stole more
than $6,000 in cash.
“This was such a brazen robbery,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the Central
Detective Division. “Thankfully, no
one was hurt, this time.”
Around 4:10 p.m., three
unknown Hispanic male suspects
forced their way through the cargo
entrance of California Liquidators,
located at 664 S. Santa Fe Ave. All
of the suspects were armed with
guns, one suspect wore a
Halloween mask, while the other
two covered their faces with darkcolored hooded sweatshirts.
“The videotape clearly
shows how the suspects shoved
their guns into the faces of frightened customers and employees,”
Vernon said. “One customer, a
woman, was actually kicked in the
photo courtesy of LAPD
The surveillance camera shows one robber wearing a hockey mask.
shoulder while she lay on the floor,
even though she was obeying their
commands.”
The suspects had backed a white
or silver Toyota Camry into the
loading area behind the store, and
fled in the car after committing the
robbery.
“Typically, suspects will share
information or brag about their
exploits,” Vernon added. “We’d
like anyone with information to
come forward.”
Anyone with information is
asked to call Det. Al Rasch at
(213)972-1245.
Shooting Kills One Near Glendale Blvd.
H
omicide detectives with the
Los
Angeles
Police
Department’s Rampart Division are
asking for the public’s help with
information about a pair of shootings that left one victim dead.
On Nov. 7 around 1:50 a.m.,
police received a call about a shooting in the 400 block of North
Westlake Avenue, and discovered a
male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim stated that
he was standing on the sidewalk
when a car drove by and he heard
several gunshots, and then felt pain
in his leg.
The victim was transported by
ambulance to a local hospital where
he was treated.
At around 1:53 a.m., a call came
in about another shooting at the
intersection of Glendale Boulevard
and Park Avenue. Upon arrival,
officers found an abandoned tan
colored Mercury van at the southeast corner of the intersection.
A few minutes later around 1:59
a.m., a third call was received about
a shooting victim who was at a
medical facility in the 1700 block
of West Temple Street. When offi-
Four L.A. Residents
Earn Courageous
Citizen Awards
The Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s Office presented awards
on Nov. 4 to four Los Angeles residents who performed heroic deeds.
The District Attorney’s Office’s
Courageous Citizen Awards were
presented to Mitchell Cohen,
Adriana Martinez, Osmar Gonzalez
and Aaron Rivas. The awards honor
individuals who have acted at considerable personal risk to help a
victim or help capture a suspect,
and to people who have testified in
court, knowing that it could put
them in peril.
In October 2005, Cohen helped
save the life of a person injured in a
violent traffic collision caused by a
driver who ran a red light at 60
miles per hour. Immediately following the crash, the assailant
jumped out of his wrecked vehicle,
carjacked another vehicle and fled
the scene. Cohen, who witnessed
the collision and carjacking as he
stood waiting for his child’s school
bus, aided the injured driver and
called 911. The victim, who sustained a punctured aorta and
required the removal of his spleen,
credits Cohen with saving his life.
Cohen went on to identify the carjacker and testify at trial.
Martinez, a Los Angeles resident
was driving through Skid Row in
February 2008 when she saw a man
attack a male victim with a
knife. Martinez tried to call 911,
but her phone did not work. She
asked bystanders to help, but they
did nothing. Martinez tried honking
her horn to scare the attacker to no
avail. Ultimately, Martinez drove
away and found other bystanders
who called for help. The victim survived, and the suspect was later
arrested, convicted of assault with a
deadly weapon causing great bodily injury.
In January, Gonzalez and Rivas,
20, both of Los Angeles, captured a
purse snatcher who used a taser to
immobilize his victim. Gonzalez
and Rivas pursued the assailant for
roughly a half-mile. The suspect
fought with Rivas until Gonzalez
tackled and restrained him.
cers arrived at the scene, they discovered that a male victim with a
gunshot wound had been taken to
the facility by two unidentified citizens. Los Angeles City Fire department rescue personnel responded
and pronounced the victim dead.
The detective’s investigation
revealed that the driver of the
Mercury van had been in the 400
block of Westlake Avenue when he
was involved in an exchange of
gunfire with the victim standing on
the sidewalk.
The driver apparently was also
wounded by the gunfire, drove
away from the scene and collided
with a vehicle on Burlington
Avenue and Temple Street. The driver continued eastbound to
Glendale Boulevard, and stopped at
Park Avenue.
The man then abandoned the van,
left the location and was found
nearby by two unidentified citizens
who drove him to the medical facility. Detectives believe the incident
is gang related.
Anyone with information about
the case is asked to call Detectives
Cortina or Pere at (213)484-3634.
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Laugh Bowl II: UCLA-USC Rivalry Extends to Comedy
L
School Board Official
Buys Student Painting
augh Factory will present
“Laugh Bowl II: UCLA vs.
USC”, and is holding preliminary
events in November leading up to
the main contest in February. The
second annual comedy competition
pits students from both campuses
against each other as part of a
showcase of talent from the two
schools.
uditions will be hosted and
judged by comedians Josh
Macuga and Ricardo Martinez. The
UCLA auditions will be held on
Friday, Nov. 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. at
the Kerckhoff Grand Salon at the
UCLA campus. The USC auditions
will be held on Monday, Nov. 22
from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Laugh
Factory, 8001 Sunset Blvd. The
victorious student will receive
open-mic coaching from Laugh
A
Factory founder and owner Jamie
Masada; the opportunity to perform
on stage at the Laugh Factory;
$5,000 in Laugh Factory gift cer-
The victorious
student will
receive the
opportunity to
perform on stage
at the Laugh
Factory.
tificates; and the opportunity to
meet with the MTV talent department and perform in an upcoming
MTV comedy showcase event. The
winner’s school will also take home
the Laugh Factory Laugh Bowl II
trophy.
The top-20 performances from
the auditions will be posted online
and open voting will run from Nov.
29 through Jan. 6 at www.laughfactory.com/contests/LaughBowl/resu
lt. After votes are tallied, the topfive semi-finalists from each school
will be announced on Jan. 7. The
final 10 student comedians will
then compete in the Laugh Bowl II
semi-final comedy show at the
Laugh Factory on Jan. 13. Online
voting will resume from Jan. 20
through Feb. 2 to select four finalists, with the final competition
occurring on Feb. 24.
For information, call Daron
Moore at (323)848-2800, ext. 22,
or visit www.laughfactory.com.
A photo on the cover of the Nov. 7, 1974 issue of the Park Labrea
News featured Richard E. Ferraro, of the city Board of Education,
accepting a painting given to him by Fairfax High School student,
Kyu-Sun Ahn. An 11th grader at the time who had immigrated to Los
Angeles from Korea, Ahn had created the painting the previous
spring and displayed it at the schoolʼs curriculum fair. Ferraro saw
the painting at the fair, and wanted to purchase the work. According
to the accompanying article, Ferraro was going to display the painting in his office.
ʻNight of Hopeʼ Raises $220k for JFS
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Pictured at the event were David Stapf (left), president of CBS Television
Studios; Susie Forer-Dehrey, chief operating officer for JFS; Debbie
Barak, executive vice president of business affairs for the CBS Network
Television Entertainment Group; Abby Leibman; Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis; CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler;
and Paul S. Castro, chief executive officer for JFS.
I
n honor of Domestic Violence
Awareness Month, CBS senior
executives recently held the “Night
of Hope” event, which raised more
than $220,000 to help the Jewish
Family Services (JFS)/Family
Violence Project provide shelter
and counseling to victims of violence.
“Victims of domestic violence
often have nowhere to turn and the
JFS/Family Violence Project fills
that critical void,” Tassler said. “All
of us at CBS are moved by their
important work, motivated to host a
Night of Hope and incredibly grateful to everyone in the entertainment
industry who supported their efforts
to provide a safe haven and hope for
all those who are impacted by
domestic violence.”
For information, call (818)5050900, or visit www.jfsla.org.
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Petersen Museum Commemorates
ʻSixty Years of Thunderʼ
Marla Gibbs
Returns to
Olympia Medical
photo courtesy of Olympia Medical Center
Marla Gibbs will attend free diabetes education classes at
Olympia Medical Center.
A
photo courtesy of the Petersen Automotive Museum
The Petersen Automotive Museum presents an exhibit titled “NHRA:
Sixty Years of Thunder” running through May 29, 2011.
The new exhibit will cover the history of the National Hot Rod
Association, from its early creation as a way to get street racing off the
public highways and on to sanctioned drag strips, through six decades
of nitro, tire smoke and thunder. The exhibit will feature historic photography, videos, interactive displays and actual race cars. Guests
can see how the sport literally grew from the first dragster (a 10-foot
long car known as “Bug”) up to Kenny Bernsteinʼs record setting 300
m.p.h. top fuel dragster. Visitors can also learn how Super Stock cars,
like the 1963 Plymouth called “Melrose Missile”, helped shape the
muscle car movement, and how altering a vehicleʼs wheelbase for
weight transfer led to creation of the “Funny Car”. Additional features
include a diorama featuring the famous Stone, Woods, and Cook
1941 Willys Gasser as it sits ready to leap when the light turns green.
Additional vehicles on display include dragsters, funny cars, altereds,
gassers, pro stocks, super stocks and drag bikes.
The Petersen Automotive Museum is located at 6060 Wilshire Blvd.
For information, call (323)930-CARS, or visit www.petersen.org.
Answers on page 22
ward-winning actress Marla
Gibbs, spokesperson for the
Center for Wound Management
and Hyperbaric Medicine at
Olympia Medical Center as well as
a previously healed patient, will be
attending a free diabetes education
and foot screening at the Center on
Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 11 a.m. to 6
p.m. Gibbs will be attending to
raise awareness for National
Diabetes Month. Information will
be provided about how to detect
and prevent complications from
diabetes. The treatment of the complications is paramount in preventing lower extremity amputations in
diabetics. For an appointment, call
(866)322-8446.
Letters to the Editor
Steve McQueen Saved
Reader in WeHo
In 1965, at the age of 36, I
arrived in West Hollywood and
my
second
job
was
working the front door of a popular nightclub nextdoor to the
Playboy Club, called The Trip.
One night, three thugs tried to get
into the club without paying the
entrance fee. It was not only my
job to check IDs, but to prevent
their entering without paying the
fee. A fight ensued and while I
had one thug on the ground, the
other two jumped on top of me.
All of a sudden they were off of
me and when I got up, there was
Steve McQueen, holding the two
by the nape of the neck until the
sheriffs arrived and took them
away. Yes, I also was a fan of
Steve McQueen.
Robert A. Greene
West Hollywood
Correction: No ʻBill
Boardʼ
A letter by William Board, aka
“Bill Board”, was posted on the
website and subsequently published in the paper on Nov. 4. It
was later determined that the
ʻKids E.A.T. 4 Life Galaʼ Honors Creary
C
ooking With Gabby’s “Kids
E.A.T. 4 Life Gala”, honoring
Dr. Ludlow B. Creary, will be held
on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 6:30
p.m. at the Beverly Wilshire Four
Seasons Hotel, 9500 Wilshire Blvd.
A cocktail reception and silent
auction will take place at 6:30 p.m.,
with dinner and entertainment at 8
p.m. Cooking With Gabby is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
improving the health of children
utilizing the unique Education,
Activity and Total Health (EAT)
philosophy. The goal is to eliminate
hunger, as well as unhealthy
lifestyles that cause obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
name was fictitious. We apologize
for the oversight. Thank you to
our alert readers for pointing this
out.
Have an Opinion?
Sound Off!
The Park Labrea News
and Beverly Press encourages our readers to submit
Letters to the Editor via email at: editor@beverlypress.com. Postings on our
website at www.beverlypress.com and www.parklabreanews.com may also
be considered as Letters to
the Editor.
In your letter, please
include your full name,
mailing address, daytime
phone number, and e-mail
address. This information is
seen only by the editor and
is not used for any commercial purpose. Letters that do
not contain contact information cannot be published.
Letters become the property
of the Park Labrea
News/Beverly Press, and
may be republished in any
format.
Letters typically run 150
words or less and may be
edited.
The gala also features an 80th
birthday tribute honoring Creary,
the organization’s chairman of the
board, for his lifelong dedication to
healthcare and his philanthropic
contributions. Proceeds from the
gala directly support 300 disadvantaged 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students battling diseases brought on
by unhealthy life choices.
For
information,
visit
www.KidsEat4Life.org.
‘Buhai Brunch’
Fights Against
Child Violence
Maira Kalman Exhibit Goes ʻCrazyʼ
at the Skirball Cultural Center
T
he Skirball Cultural Center presents the first major museum
survey of the work of illustrator,
author, and designer Maira Kalman
in an exhibit titled “Various
Illuminations (Of A Crazy World)”
running from Nov. 17 through
February 13. The exhibit features
original works on paper that span 30
years, along with less widely seen
works in photography, design,
embroidery, textiles and performance. Many of Kalman’s bestknown works are on display in the
exhibition, including iconic covers
she has created for The New Yorker
magazine; Stay Up Late, Ooh-la-la
(Max in Love), and other children’s
books; drawings from her critically
hailed illustrated edition of Strunk
and White’s, The Elements of Style;
and artwork from her illustrated
online columns for The New York
Times, “The Principles of
Uncertainty” and “And the Pursuit
of Happiness”. To provide context
for this survey, Kalman has created
a special installation, furnishing the
gallery with chairs, ladders and
“many tables of many things”
drawn from her collections, such as
fezzes, bobby pins, balls of string,
handwritten lists, and moss.
“Maira Kalman creates a world
that is like no other, yet is universal
in its appeal,” said Skirball Museum
director Robert Kirschner. “With
imagination, wit, and charm, she
offers original perspectives on modern life, in all its idiosyncracies, in a
way that lifts the spirits. Whether
she is exploring the everyday or the
extraordinary, Kalman’s regard for
humanity communicates a joy and
optimism that we at the Skirball
embrace in our mission.”
Born in Israel in 1949, Kalman
emigrated to the United States at
age four. Although she received no
formal training as an artist, Kalman
is well-studied in art historical
precedents, and counts among her
influences illustrators such as Saul
Steinberg, William Steig, and
Ludwig Bemelmans, and artists
such as Henri Matisse, Marcel
Duchamp, the Surrealists and Marc
Chagall.
To commemorate the opening of
the exhibition, Kalman will hold a
discussion and book signing on
Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. The
Skirball Cultural Center is located
at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. For
visit www.skirball.org.
T
photo courtesy of the artist and the Julie Saul Gallery, New York
Maira Kalmanʼs Woman with a Face Net” will be included in the exhibit
titled “Various Illuminations (Of A Crazy World)” at the Skirball Cultural
Center, running from Nov. 17 through February 13, featuring original
photography, design, embroidery, textiles and performance pieces created over 30 years.
Hosts 39th Anniversary Gala
Young Musicians Hold Benefit Concert LAGLC
he L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Entertainment Inc. will be honored
T
(LAGLC) is holding its 39th
anniversary Gala on Saturday, Nov.
13 at the Hyatt Regency Century
Plaza Hotel. The event will feature
appearances by celebrities, including Carol Burnett and Jane Lynch.
Lynch will be honored with the
Rand Shrader Distinguished
Achievement Award, presented by
Matthew Morrison. Harrah’s
photo courtesy of AYSM
The American Society of Young Musicians (ASYM) recently hosted its
18th annual Benefit Concert to support musicians programs nationwide.
The evening featured honorees and appearances by celebrities, including Izzy Chait (left), who received the Musician Advocate Award, along
with George Brown, Jarvee Hutcherson, Engelbert Humperdinck,
David Longoria and many others. Entertainment was provided by guitarist Justin Foutz vocalist and ASYM spokesperson, Raz B, as well as
the Izzy Chait Band. For information, visit www.ASYMusicians.org.
# " %%
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$' Life in BeverlyGrove is good! Living in a grand dame house in
BeverlyGrove is even better for those who appreciate the lifestyle of
an Angelino…Breakfast at Toast, lunch at the Grove and dinner at the
Little Door and dessert at Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors: at no time did
you depend on a car, that’s living…there are so many more restaurants,
places to go and things to do so close to home.Your place will become
a destination of all who know you. Best of all you can live, work and
play in this rambling Spanish Revival. Feel like on a perpetual vacation
in a place called home.
" "#!
with the Center’s Corporate Vision
Award. Other notable attendees
include Dave Koz, Perez Hilton,
Erin Hamilton, Stephanie Miller,
Julie Brown and Lorri L. Jean,
CEO of the LAGLC.
The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza
Hotel is located at 2025 Avenue of
the Stars, Century City. For information, visit www.laglc.org.
he Harriett Buhai Center of
Family Law is holding its
11th annual “Buhai Brunch” on
Sunday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m.
to noon at the House of Blues,
Sunset
Strip
in
West
Hollywood.
The event supports the center’s programs to protect victims of domestic violence and
improving the well-being of
children living in poverty.
Grammy nominated reggae
stars, the Wailing Souls, will
perform at the brunch. Last
year, more than 300 people
attended the event, which
included a surprise appearance
by vocalist Toni Braxton. Past
supporters have included
Stevie Wonder, Angelina Jolie,
George
Clooney,
and
Courtney Love.
The Harriett Buhai Center is
co-sponsored by Black Women
Lawyers of Los Angeles, Los
Angeles County Bar Association and Women Lawyers
Association of Los Angeles.
For information, call (213)3887505 ext. 317, or visit
www.hbcfl.org.
Asian & Tribal Arts
Show Returns to Los
Angeles Area
T
he Los Angeles Asian & Tribal Arts Show
(LAATA) returns to the Los Angeles area for
its 20th anniversary show on Saturday, Nov. 13
and 14. The LAATA brings Asian and tribal art galleries together to showcase unique art and artifacts
from around the globe. They include works by fine
art photographer, Mike Glad, who will have a special exhibition titled “Vanishing Cultures” at the
show documenting the exotic and remote places
that Glad encountered while trekking through
Yemen, the wooden monasteries of Myanmar and
villages of Pakistan. All items at the show are vetted for authenticity, and include museum-quality
items from China, Japan, Korea, India and Africa,
as well as Oceanic and Native American cultures.
The LAATA will open with a wine and cheese preview reception and silent auction on Friday Nov.
12 to benefit the Fowler Museum of Cultural
History’s Textile Council, and will also feature
gallery talks with participating dealers.
The LAARTA is held at the Santa Monica Civic
Auditorium, 1855 Main St.
The show is open Nov. 13 from 11 a.m. to 7
p.m., and Nov. 14 from 11 p.m. to 5 p.m. General
admission is $10. For information, call (310)4552886, or visit www.caskeylees.com.
Blind Children’s Center Celebrates
Halloween Patients and Families
photo courtesy of Laurie Headley
Preschool students at the Blind Childrens Center celebrated
Halloween with a party on Oct. 29 for students with visual impairment and their families. The Blind Childrens Center, which is
located at 4120 Marathon St, in East Hollywood, is a non-profit
organization serving visually impaired children from birth through
second grade. The center is funded entirely by private financial
support, and never charges the families in need of its services.
For information, call (323) 664-2153, or visit www.blindchildrenscenter.org.
' &! "'#! '
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" !! ' ! "# DODGER?NEWS
Special ʻBatting Practiceʼ
Event Honors Veterans
T
photo courtesy of Mike Glad
he Los Angeles Dodgers will host a special
Veterans Day Batting Practice on Thursday, Nov.
11 at Dodger Stadium.
Approximately 80 members of the military, including representatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force,
Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard, will be
treated to a batting practice event at the stadium. The
group will hit on the field at Dodger Stadium, throw in
the Dodger bullpen, hit in the indoor batting cages, and
get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Dodger clubhouse.
Two representatives from each branch will participate
in a home run hitting contest to conclude the event, and
the winner will receive four tickets to next season’s
opening day game against the San Francisco Giants on
April 1.
In addition, members of the Los Angeles Dodgers
franchise in attendance will include Special Advisor to
the Chairman and Hall of Fame Manager, Tommy
Lasorda (a 1946-47 Army veteran); Special Advisor to
the Chairman, Don Newcomb (a 1952-53 Army veteran); General Manager Ned Collette and former
Dodgers Roy Gleason (a 1967 Army veteran); Steve
Yeager; Kenny Flandreau and Bobby Castillo. Dodger
broadcaster Charley Steiner will emcee the event. For
information, visit www.dodgers.com.
Birthday Boys Still Celebrate
From page 1
since 1964, and said he has seen
many changes in the area over the
years. An attorney, Feldman still
practices law and advises clients
about issues affecting senior citizens. Both Delson and Cowen are
retired, but still remain physically
active. Cowen, who lives in San
Gabriel, enjoys playing bridge and
gets in a round of golf at least once a
week. Delson is a member of a performing arts group based in Santa
Monica that stages plays at various
venues, including retirement homes.
All three said they look forward to
the next birthday gathering —
Feldman’s birthday is Feb. 13,
Delson’s is May 1 and Cowen’s is
August 19 — and wouldn’t miss it
for anything.
“We make it a point to always get
together on our birthdays. It is just
something we started back then and
have been doing ever since,” Delson
said. “We have had so much in common all these years. We are all sports
nuts, and we all share the same interests.”
Cowen added that it is remarkable
that they have all remained friends
for so long. He added that he wrote
a letter to the Guinness Book of
World Records last year, but never
heard back.
Feldman said it is also remarkable
how the three became friends, having each come from different parts
of the country. Feldman, who is
originally from Chicago, said he
came to Los Angeles in the late
1940s after a stint in the Army,
where he served as a legal affairs
advisor for the troops. Feldman
passed the Illinois State Bar in 1941,
and decided to practice law in a
warmer climate like Southern
California. Shortly after he arrived
in Los Angeles, Feldman met a labor
lawyer who told him about an open
position at the furniture mart. He
originally was hired as an assistant
manager, and later became the
mart’s director in 1958. Feldman
said it was a boom time for the furniture industry, because large numbers of people moved to Los
Angeles during the 1940s through
‘60s, and “everybody needed furniture.”
Cowen, who had a background in
journalism and public relations,
served during World War II as a public information officer on the staff of
Gen. George S. Patton. He said he
“We make it a
point to always
get together on
our birthdays. It
is just
something we
started back
then and have
been doing ever
since”
-Jack Delson
had been a sportswriter for a newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky prior
to being drafted, and then joined the
general’s staff when a position
opened. While he didn’t work
directly with the general, Cowen
said Patton would address the staff
regularly and he met the general
approximately 20 times. He added
that serving under Patton was one of
the most memorable things he has
done in his life. Cowen also said that
he fell in love with California while
in the Army during training in the
Mojave Desert near Indio, and the
warm climate inspired him to
move to the area. After being
discharged from the Army, he
came to Los Angeles and
eventually became advertising
and public relations director
for the furniture mart.
Delson, who joined the
Army six months before Pearl
Harbor, was stationed at an
early warning station in
Iceland during the war.
“That’s why I live in
California,” Delson joked.
“When I got out, all I wanted
was nothing but summers for
the rest of my life.”
Delson had spent some time
in advertising sales for the
New York Times, and came to
Los Angeles after World War
II and opened a small publishing company. He began representing an association of independent furniture companies,
many of whom did business at
the furniture mart. He began
publishing the Western
Buyer’s Guide, with information about the furniture businesses, which is how he came
to know both Feldman and
Cowen.
Delson and Cowen retired
in the 1980s, but Feldman
remained at the furniture mart
until 1996. Feldman said he Eddy Feldman, Jack Delson and Jim Cowen all said they like to talk about
loves to stay busy, which is sports when the celebrate their birthdays, but it is being together with old friends
why he continues to practice that they enjoy the most.
law. He added that he thoroughly enjoys living at Park
La Brea, in large part because
aspect of life without having to go remain mentally active, while
it’s near the Original Farmers more than a couple of miles,” Cowen emphasized the importance
Market, which he visits weekly. He Feldman added. “It’s a very sophis- of physical activities such as golf.
said while things have changed over ticated neighborhood today.”
Delson added that he keeps young
the years, the neighborhood remains
All three men said there are by entertaining others. One thing the
one of the most vibrant areas of the secrets to living a long life, and three did agree on is when they will
city.
agreed that they are fortunate that be getting together next — in
“Everything is of such a quality longevity runs in their families. February for Feldman’s 91st birththat one can be satisfied in every Feldman said it is important to day celebration.
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LINOLEUM CITY
4849 Santa Monica Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90029
(323)469-0063
Serving the Community for over 60 Years.
We understand your needs and deliver promptly.
Carpet • Vinyl • Hardwood Floors • Linoleum • Tile
Laminate Floors • Cork • Carpet Runners
Professionally Installed or Do-It-Yourself
Library Issues May Be Placed on Ballot
From page 3
LaBonge said. “Everybody loves
the library, and nobody wants to see
libraries shut down. Because of the
budget crisis, we’ve had to reduce
service. We want to make sure the
library is getting a very good piece
of the pie.”
Currently, the city charter only
allots money from the city’s general fund to two departments: the
Library Department and the
Department of Recreation and
Parks. Recreation and Parks is
allotted 0.0325 percent of the general fund each year, while the
libraries are allotted 0.0175 percent. The ballot initiative would
increase the Library Department’s
share to 0.03 percent of the general
fund, which would have afforded
the department an additional $53
million this fiscal year.
The increase in funding will be
phased in over four years.
According to Peter Persic, a
spokesperson for the Los Angeles
Public Libraries, the library had
never been more popular before the
budget cuts, but circulation and visits have dropped in the last fiscal
year, from a circulation of 19 million in the 2008-2009 fiscal year to
18 million in the 2009-2010 fiscal
year. Meanwhile, use of online
library resources than can be
remotely accessed has climbed during the same period.
“It’s really reduced the access
people have not just to the collections, but also to resources like
after-school programs and computers,” Persic said. “Access to computers is especially important in
this economy, when people use the
computers to look for jobs online
and work on resumes, especially
people who don’t have their own
“Access to
computers is
especially
important in
this economy.”
-Peter Persic,
spokesperson for the Los
Angeles Public Libraries
computers at home.”
The cuts to libraries faced vocal
opposition from a variety of groups
across the city, and City Council
President Eric Garcetti, 13th
District, said at the time that he
thought the Library Department
would be among the first to have its
funding restored.
Still, some policy experts remain
cautious about “ballot-box budgeting”. At the state level, voter-mandated allotments for certain departments and initiatives constrain law-
makers’ options when trying to
pass a budget. In the future, if the
city council had to close another
budget gap, they would not be able
to cut funding for the libraries without another voter-approved charter
amendment.
Heather Rose, an adjunct fellow
at the Public Policy Institute of
California, said there can be “unintended consequences” of designating certain percentages of the budget to specific departments.
“It constrains the decision-making process,” Rose said. “If districts
have huge revenue shortfalls, they
have to cut from somewhere else. I
can imagine every group getting in
there and saying how much money
has to go to their particular area.”
When asked about the possibility
of the charter amendment tying the
council’s hands, LaBonge said the
city would find other ways to
become more efficient.
In fact, Jeff Jacobberger, chair of
the Mid-City West Community
Council, said tying the council’s
hands was part of the appeal of the
charter amendment. In years when
budget cuts are necessary,
Jacobberget said, it is always politically very difficult to cut funding
from police or fire departments.
Instead, libraries and other departments endure cuts.
“In many ways, libraries prove a
real public safety benefit, because
Natural History
Museum Seeks
Contributions
T
Bike Room Will Encourage
Riders to Use the Subway
From page 4
depending on whether the Metro
Board approves the allocation at
its next meeting on Dec. 9.
Sotero added that numerous
cycling advocacy groups have
provided ideas about the new
bike room, including the L.A.
Bike Working Group.
-Tony Cella contributed
to this article
he Natural History Museum of
Los Angeles County has
launched the public phase of its
$135 million campaign to transform the museum. As part of the
campaign, titled “NHM Next”, the
museum is re-imagining more than
half of its public spaces and creating new permanent exhibitions on
the nature and culture. To date, the
campaign has raised more than $80
million through a public-private
partnership, with $38 million from
the County of Los Angeles and
State of California, and $42 million in private gifts. With one of the
most diverse audiences of any cultural institution in the nation, and a
slate of The museum will feature
several new exhibitions opening
over the next three years, and will
serve more than 1 million visitors
annually by 2013.
“NHM Next is creating dramatic
new ways for the people of Los
Angeles and visitors from around
the world to learn about the story of
life on Earth. Support from the
County of Los Angeles and the
State of California, along with significant individual gifts, has helped
make essential structural improvements possible,” said NHM president and director, Dr. Jane Pisano,
Launched in 2007, the “NHM
Next” campaign includes renovation of public spaces, remodeled
galleries, and five new permanent
exhibitions and experiences. They
include the new Age of Mammals
and Haaga Family Rotunda galleries; a new large-scale permanent
dinosaur exhibition that will open
in July 2011; and an exhibition
about the natural and cultural history of Los Angeles.
For
information,
visit
www.nhm.org/NHMNext.
photo by Tim Posada
The John C. Fremont Library is a community resource, and the plaza
often serves as a gathering place.
they offer safe places for young
people to go and resources to
engage them,” Jacobberger said.
“This amendment is trying to put
libraries on the same footing with
police and fire.”
Housing Project Approved
From page 3
of the property so it will be in down the street, you think people
proportion with other buildings should be walking,” Jacobergger
and will not cast shadows on added. “Projects like this would
nearby homes. The units will make streets like La Cienega a
also feature opaque materials lot more attractive.”
around
balEmerson added
conies, giving
that the former
“Projects like Acapulco building
neighbors more
privacy, and will
this would is currently occuhave landscaping
pied by the nonand other fea- make streets profit organizatures to help it
tion, Groundlings
like La
blend in with the
Relations
and
s u r r o u n d i n g Cienega a lot People, and a
neighborhood.
video distribution
more
Jeff
Jacobcompany and an
attractive.” interior design
berger, chair of
the Mid City
firm also have
-Jeff Jacobberger, offices in some
West CommuniMid City West adjacent buildings
ty Council, also
Community
Council that will be demolsaid the project
will be a benefit
ished to make way
to the area.
for the new pro“When you look at this stretch ject. The parking lot for the forof La Cienega, and you have that mer Acapulco will also be used
old Acapulco and a car wash and as a Christmas tree lot during the
a strip club, it’s not a street that is holidays, but the developer
particularly attractive to pedes- hopes to begin work on the protrians, and when you think about ject early next year, Emerson
the Beverly Center being right added.
photo courtesy of NMS Properties
A rendering shows how the project on La Cienega Boulevard wil
look once it is completed.
Veteran is Still Serving Today
From page 1
were on the “Belle of the East”.
Schecter would ride backward and
fight off enemy attacks with .25caliber machine guns on a
hydraulic-operated turret.
“At 25,000 feet, the temperature
could drop to forty below zero, so
we had heated suits and winter
clothes in addition to oxygen
tanks,” Schecter said.
He was first stationed in
Wendover, Utah and later in
Norwich, England. Half his missions were over France and the
other half were over Germany. He
started as a private, but jumped to
sergeant and then to staff sergeant
after he got his wings.
On one occasion, Schecter’s
plane had to make an emergency
landing. He said the front strut was
hit and collapsed, but luckily, the
six 1,000-pound bombs onboard
were not affected.
“The saddest part of the war was
seeing planes get shot down and all
the vacant beds later on,” Schecter
said.
Luckily for him, Schecter had
one of the easiest jobs on D-Day.
His group flew four missions that
day. After he flew the first mission,
which went out at 3 a.m. and
bombed a port in France scot-free,
his day was done. Another group
took the plane out later and bombed
targets in Germany. On the way
back to England, the plane ran out
of gas. The pilot pushed the bail-out
bell and the seven men in the front
“It’s an honor to
have the
Schecters as
members. They
are a very
supportive,
communityoriented
family.”
-Terry Duddy,
American Legion
Post 43 Adjutant
of the plane parachuted out. The
three men in the back didn’t hear
the bell, and crash-landed on a
farm. A wing broke and the plane
turned over, but four English farmers pulled the men out alive.
“Nobody was hurt,” Schecter
said. “It was unreal — a miracle.”
Schecter was discharged in 1945.
He was awarded with a
Distinguished Flying Cross and
several other medals.
He grew up playing baseball, so
he would play whenever he could
while in the service, whether it be at
Fort Knox or in Denver, Colorado.
Today, he enjoys watching his
grandson, Ben, play in Little
League. Ben, 11, and his father,
Glen, 51, are part of the Sons of the
American Legion and make up
three generations at Post 43.
“It’s an honor to have the
Schecters as members,” said Terry
Duddy, the Post 43 Adjutant. “They
are a very supportive, communityoriented family.”
Post 43 will be having an open
house today at 1 p.m. for members
and their families. It will include a
changing of the flag, roll call of
deceased members from the past
year and a luncheon in honor of
Veterans Day. Post 43 is located
just south of the Hollywood Bowl
at 2035 N. Highland Ave.
photo by Matt McKinley
Mort Schecter is a proud member of the Hollywood America Legion Post
43, which is having a luncheon on Veterans Day in honor of those who
served.
Mayor of Sderot Visits L.A.
Overdoses Caused by Improper Use of Machines
From page 1
From page 1
doned — a hazard not worth the
risk. Three-quarters of the town’s
children suffered from post-traumatic stress.
Things started to change in the
winter of 2008-2009 with
Operation Cast Lead, a threeweek offensive by the Israeli air
force and army against Hamas
operations in the Gaza Strip.
According
to
Amnesty
International, the offensive killed
1,400 Palestinians, including 300
children.
On the Israeli side of the border,
however, Buskila said the military
operation has calmed the rocket
attacks enough for life to return to
normal. In the last two years, only
540 rockets have been launched
from Gaza into Sderot, and most
of the 6,000 residents who fled the
area have returned to the town.
“We can manage normal lives
now,” Buskila said. “Not one hundred percent normal. But people
can be more relaxed now.”
In addition, in March of 2009,
an Indoor Recreation Center
opened in Sderot. Built by the
Jewish National Fund (JNF), an
American organization devoted to
developing parks and infrastructure in Israel, the recreation center
has had 50,000 visitors in its first
16 months of operation and, quite
literally, provides refuge for children amid a continuing conflict.
“From the time a siren goes off
indicating an incoming rocket,
Sderot’s residents only have 15
second to find shelter,” said JNF
President Stanley Chesley. “A
generation of children was growing up cooped inside their homes
and in fear. With the Sderot
Indoor Recreation Center, which
doubles as a bomb shelter, JNF
wanted to give the Sderot’s youth
and families a place to have fun
and connect with friends, beyond
the conflict. “
Buskila said the recreation center has “brought childhood back
to children in Sderot.”
Bouskila became mayor of
Sderot again in 2008, before the
missile attacks had ceased,
because he wanted to bring hope
back to the town while residents
were leaving in droves. Now that
people have started to return, he
says he hopes that in his lifetime,
the border between Sderot and
Gaza will again be open, and they
will again feel like “good neighbors”.
“I don’t believe it will happen
in the near future,” he said. “But
let’s hope it will happen one day.”
photo courtesy of Ariel Vered
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently visited an indoor
recreation center opened in Sderot. The center was built by the
Jewish National Fund (JNF), an American organization devoted to
developing parks and infrastructure in Israel.
improper use of the scanners resulted in the overdoses. The FDA is
recommending a series of steps to
enhance the safety of CT scans that
are designed to reduce the likelihood of radiation overexposure in
the event of improper use of the CT
scanners.
The FDA has sent a letter to the
Medical Imaging and Technology
Alliance, the major professional
industry organization for manufacturers of CT scanners and other
radiological imaging devices outlining safety changes.
The changes include manufacturing CT scan machines with a console notification device to alert the
operator of a high radiation
dose; providing information and
training on brain-perfusion protocols to all facilities that use CT
equipment; clarification of parameters affecting dose, along with clear
instructions on how to appropriately set those parameters; and organization of all dose-related information into one section of each
machine’s user manual.
“Improving patient safety is part
of our public health mission,” said
Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of
FDA’s Center for Devices and
Radiological Health. “Patients
should not have to worry that a
device designed to diagnose an illness exposes them to unnecessary
risks.”
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
was cited for deficiencies in protocol by the California Department of
Public Health for the radiation
overdoses, but the department did
not levy any fines. The hospital put
in place measures to correct the
problem, which met the state’s
requirements. A written statement
from the hospital said the corrective
actions include “double checks to
our process whenever a protocol is
changed”, and a retraining of staff
that operates the machines. The
radiation overdoses at Cedars-Sinai
also prompted a new law requiring
the dosage of radiation to be indicated on the imaging film the CT
scan machines produce, as well in
The FDA determined that the radiation overdoses that occurred at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and other hospitals were cause by improper use of the scanning machines.
the patient’s permanent medical
record. The bill also requires hospitals to report any over-radiation to
patients, the treating physician and
the California Department of Public
Health. In addition, hospitals are
required to verify the calibration on
CT machines on an annual basis, in
compliance with federal law.
The FDA’s investigation found
that while unnecessary radiation
exposure should be avoided, a medically-needed CT scan has benefits
that outweigh the radiation risks.
The agency recommended that
patients follow their doctor’s recommendations for receiving CT
scans.
Approximately 90 of the patients
who received radiation overdoses at
Cedars-Sinai Medical are now
suing the hospital.
Answers From Page 16

Local Vet and Fairfax High Grad Still Serves Today

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