Wednesday, June 25, 2008

News Roundup, June 25

EVENTS
Welcome reception for Captain Eric T. Davis of the Wilshire Police Station
Monday June 30 2008, 7pm-9pm, Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. Washington Blvd.

MID-CITY WEST NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL ELECTION: JULY 1, 2008, 2-8pm HANCOCK PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 408 S. FAIRFAX AVE. Member Zach Shepard is running for re-election. Don't forget to vote!

NEWS
Renters benefitting from vacant/foreclosed homes and condos (LA Times)

City Council proposal for public transit to Dodger Stadium beginning July 25 (LAist)

LAPD could lose 500 narcotic and anti-gang cops (LAist)

Rental prices for the Viridian (Curbed)

Update on 5600 Wilshire (Curbed)

Future project at Wilshire and La Jolla (Curbed)

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There is now a copy of the Framework Element EIR on FixLosAngeles.com. This EIR is being used as a mitigation for the New Housing Element that includes almost 113,000 new housing units in LA by 2014. It addresses air quality, water, power and the rest of our infrastructure. The EIR was done in 1996 and updated in 2001. The Framework Element also addresses how community plans will be updated and states that there are serious Environmental impacts but that they can be mitigated by the Framework EIR. We need to weigh in on this and comment.

Go to www.fixlosangeles.com. On the left hand side of the page is the main menu. Go to the bottom and find Library. Click on it and that will take you to the EIR page which has a Growth and Infrastructure button. That is the Framework Element EIR completed in 1996 and updated in 2001. This is being used as the EIR for the New Housing Element.

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Paul (the owner of Busby's) is starting a monthly neighborhood meeting for all of us to express any grievances (or positive comments too) about traffic, parking, noise etc. Also, if you have any problems with Busby's this is a good place to air these and speak to the owner about them. Please also feel free to give him positive feedback.

Paul asked that you all meet him the first Sunday of every month in front of Busby's from noon until 1pm and then you'll all go upstairs for free soft drinks, coffee and sandwiches and have a discussion. The first Sunday of every month starting next month.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

To our neighbors in Saint Andrews Square, Rampart, Pico Union, Miracle Mile, Koreatown, Country Club Park,

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-billboard18apr18,0,878485.story

Time to address the BILLBOARD DISTRICTS along Olympic and Wilshire (St Andrews to Vermont) being proposed by Herb Wesson district 10 and Tom LaBonge.

This will have lasting effect on us all. It deeply effects the hearts and minds of our cities children and youth, and will be surrounding 3 - 6 of our metro trains stations and along our major corradors. What of our historic buildings, our Temples, Churches along Wilshire to be blocked by billboards.

Megatron TV's, billboards, picture Time Square. Imagine the light for renters. We can anticipate them offering small things in return, like a children's or youth program or new sidewalks with .05% of the moneys earned. I will be VERY interested in others research on how much these billboards bring in monthly. For the TV megatrons, are we looking at 50k per month each? Could we eventually be talking about 30 million annually to major land owners big business, and a bit to our council members? Who can help us gather this information? With all or most of that profit going outside of the area, let along the country. All at the expense of our children, youth's quality of life. We need green space, not billboards.

Can you please forward to your committee so we can all join and support the Wilshire Center/Koreatown NEIGHBORS to stop this insanity. The Building sized billboards popping all over are illegal bilboards. No permit has gone thru for these, and there is a moritorium on them. Although approx $150k is set aside for enforcement of illegal signage, no one has acted on this. I think we should charge the major corporations (BMW, SONY, liquor companies) and the owner of the building who is collecting these illegal fees $2,000 each per day, retroactive, and use that money to build a skate board park for our youth, and get those bill boards out of our neighborhoods!

Can we count on a letter from your organization(s) or from you individually ? Might you forward this to those affected ?

Green space not billboards,

Tina Mata

Saint Andrews Square Neighborhood Association

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

News Roundup June 3

Controversial plan to grant businesses PPD permits (LA Times)
Neighborhood Council Bill of Rights (CityWatch)
Apartments at Risk of Demolition (Apartments at Risk)
Support for the Expo Line (CityWatch)
History of the Miracle Mile post office building (Curbed)

there is a pop up store and archive for two local designers in the Chateau Burnside building for next week . Its a recession sale and there is a very exciting dollar room and amazing stuff for 5 10 15 dollars filling up a whole one bedroom app. Just to get an idea the sites are labelnyc.com and ankhbyracquel.com they are only sold at the label boutique in NY .Its a once in a lifetime event celebrating hard times with amazing stuff and a way to get to know our neighborhood.