07-06-09

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LOS ANGELES

DOWNTOWN

NEWS

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New restaurants, summer swimming, and other happenings Around Town.

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A DLANC committee gets some praise for eco-friendly efforts.

W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M

July 6, 2009

Volume 38, Number 27

INSIDE

The New Seoul Food

Something Old, Something Nuch Villaraigosa Lays Down His Agenda, but Trutanich Blows ’em Away

More plans for the Embassy Hotel.

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Urban Scrawl on Brattonology.

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All the latest Health news.

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photo by Gary Leonard

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was given the oath of office by his sister, Judge Mary Lou Villar. During his July 1, address, he pledged to shut down “failing schools.” by Jon RegaRdie executive editoR

Grand Performances’ summer series.

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John O’Hurley is the king of ‘Spamalot.’

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A

note to Mayor Garcetti/ Hertzberg/Caruso/Perry/ Chick/LaBonge/Wesson/ Nuñez/Alarcon (hah! That last one made me laugh as I wrote it) or whoever else envisions him or herself as having a chance to take the oath of office on July 1, 2013: You may want

to rethink the idea of allowing other newly elected officials to approach the speaker’s podium on the day you ascend to power. It certainly seems like THE REGARDIE REPORT

a magnanimous gesture, but you may get more than you bargained for. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was the headliner last Wednesday as 11 Los

It’s Still Not Easy Being Green Some Protest New CRA Environmental Standards, Saying They Will Increase Building Costs by anna Scott Staff wRiteR

Five great entertainment options.

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14 CALENDAR LISTINGS 16 MAP 17 CLASSIFIEDS

Angeles officials formally began their first, second or even third four-year term. But new City Attorney Carmen “Nuch” Trutanich stole the show. Incoming City Controller Wendy Greuel wasn’t bad either, earning a standing ovation from her former Council colleagues, though come to think of it, they may have been applauding the fact that she made it

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ne year after creating strict new environmental standards for large development projects, city officials are raising the bar again. The effort, spurred by the Community Redevelopment Agency, is generating concern from some housing developers, including nonprofit organizations. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa last year signed into law the Green Building Program, which requires developers of large projects throughout the city to meet standards estimated to cut energy usage by 15%. The program was rolled out gradually. Last week, the CRA board voted to set even more stringent requirements. The measure, which still requires City Council approval, would mandate that developers who receive $1 million or

more in agency funding meet higher environmental standards than the Green Building Program calls for through water- and energy-saving systems, recycled building materials and other strategies. While many in the development community praise the goal of sustainable development, they question the CRA’s timing. “At this junction, we should let the market catch up a bit,” said Jim Atkins, formerly of the developer South Group, which created a trio of ecofriendly high-rises in South Park. “The city’s Green Building Ordinance just got passed. At the same time we’ve had a significant slowdown in construction activity…. This is the wrong time to be putting another ordinance in place making it more difficult for the CRA to participate in projects.” CRA Assistant Project Manager Nick Saponara, who spearheaded the new policy, said any cost in-

out alive. Villaraigosa was very good at the morning event. His 31-minute address was thoughtful and laid out a clear agenda, with notable goals and even a vague allusion to his first-term shortcomings. He was better than he has been in a long time. But Trutanich was even better. see Inauguration, page 6

creases would be offset by the agency’s investment. Developments that the CRA invests in also often use other public funds, such as state money, that require meeting high environmental standards, he said. “The nature of funding these projects with resources outside of the CRA already brings the projects to a level of sustainability that makes it very easy to meet the new standards,” he said. “The benefits are believed to outweigh the costs.” Follow the LEED-er The CRA’s new effort is based on the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) system, which assigns points to projects for criteria such as water and energy consumption, landscaping, indoor air quality and other measures. Scores translate into one of four LEED levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum. Under the new CRA policy, projects that receive $1 million or more in agency funding would have to obtain at least LEED Silver certification. Developments with less than 50 residential units or smaller than 50,000 square feet would be exempt. The city’s Green Building Program also impacts new buildings with 50 or more residential units or larger than 50,000 square feet, even if privately see Green Buildings, page 7

Since 1972, an independent, locally owned and edited newspaper, go figure.


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07-06-09 by Los Angeles Downtown News - Issuu