LC 04 2021 by Larchmont Chronicle

Larchmont Chronicle

VOL. 59, NO. 4

• DELIVERED TO 76,439 READERS IN HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT •

IN THIS ISSUE

APRIL 2021

Reckoning with racism and equity n Discussion April 30

SUMMER CAMPS & PROGRAMS

LPGA to play without spectators. 2

SURFING is included in Camp Directory. 10

1986 LIBRARY FIRE, volunteers 2-9 For Information on Advertising Rates, Please Call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11 Mailing permit:

By Suzan Filipek Find out how three different organizations are taking action in these COVID-19, economicrecession times when our country is also reckoning with racism, at an informative, virtual panel hosted by Jill Govan Bauman, WindJill Govan sor Village, Bauman president and CEO of Imagine LA. “We have identified three very different organizations (a college, a YMCA and Walt Disney Imagineering) that have taken bold steps and learned a lot in the process. All are also inspired to tell their stories so that many more can start to see the process and the amazing benefits,” Bauman said. The panel discussion, “Rising Together: Building Equity in Organizations — A Free Virtual Conversation,” will take place on Fri., April 30 from noon to 1:15 p.m. Charmaine Utz, a licensed clinical social worker and founder and CEO of Living Unapologetically, will moderate the panel of three: Krysta Esquivel, executive director, YMCA of San Diego County, Youth & Family Services; Jennifer Tucke r - Ta t l o w , executive director, San Diego State Barbara University; Bouza and Barbara Bouza, FAIA, president business operations, design and delivery, Walt Disney Imagineering. “Imagine LA is beyond thrilled to be hosting this conversation,” said Bauman, whose organization, Imagine LA, works to end the cycle of family poverty and homelessness. To sign up, visit imaginela. org.

“RESTAURANT ROW” on Larchmont has another new deck for dining — in place of six metered parking spaces in front of Le Petit Greek and Village Pizzeria.

Community to discuss future of Larchmont n Should Boulevard’s in-street dining areas revert to parking post-COVID-19? By Billy Taylor Although indoor restaurant dining, on a very reduced scale, is currently allowed, local Larchmont restaurateurs and some diners are wondering if outdoor dining-in-thestreet should stay a focus on the Boulevard. At press time, there were five reasonably expansive outdoor table installations replacing former metered parking spaces in the block of Larchmont between First Street and Beverly Boulevard. Several of these include wooden decking, railings, and other improvements. One new wood deck, finished just a week ago, is in the middle of Larchmont’s veritable “Restaurant Row” that includes — between 121 and 139-1/2 N. Larchmont: Kreation Organic Juicery, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Muraya Sushi, Le Petit Greek, Village Pizzeria, Sweetfin Poke and Uncool Burgers. Further up the block, Chef Steve Vernetti reports that customers of his eponymous

Greater Wilshire interim election results revealed See Section 2, page 15

Design for Living

Our annual home and lifestyle section wll be featured in the May issue of the Larchmont Chronicle. Advertising deadline is Mon., April 12. For more information contact Pam Rudy, 323-4622241, ext. 11.

restaurant at 225 N. Larchmont Blvd. are happy with the enlarged outdoor area, spanning both sides of the sidewalk and including the restaurant’s own wood deck. “The outside street dining is a wonderful experience for our diners, and it provides a safe environment for our staff. It’s miraculous and a life saver for our business and essential to our continued success. Our diners and staff hope every day that the city makes it a permanent fixture on Larchmont Blvd. I believe it’s an important aspect for Larchmont to retain that village feel that drives so

many Angelenos to our beautiful street,” says Vernetti. Whether parking spaces might be permanently replaced with outdoor restaurant dining, as well as the seemingly eternal question of should there be limitations on the number of restaurants in this long block of Larchmont, are topical questions, says John Winther, president of the Larchmont Boulevard Association (LBA) that represents merchants from First Street to Melrose. Looking forward Winther told the Chronicle: “The year 2021 marks the 100th See Larchmont, p 6

Academy Museum rolls out virtual carpet

n Online programs to begin this month

not wait until September. By Suzan Filipek Jacqueline Stewart, AcadWhile the Academy Museum nears its in-person open- emy Museum chief artistic ing, coming this fall on Sep- and programming officer, tember 30, a star-studded vir- announced a series of virtual tual presentation of the space programs to begin this month. “We’ve been hard at work took place last month. Museum director and presi- bringing visitors dynamic, dent Bill Kramer was joined diverse programming,” she said. The series will be launched by a host of Oscar winners during the 45-minute pre- on the Academy Museum webrecorded video tour for the site leading up to the live media. See Academy, p 18 Almost a century in the making, when it finally opens “it is set to be the world’s premiere museum of motion pictures,” said Academy Museum trustee Laura Dern. VISITORS may explore the museum’s Movie buffs, ground floor at no charge, including the however, need Spielberg Family Gallery.

www.larchmontchronicle.com ~ Entire Issue Online!

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

Kudos to candidates ... and be wary of the State Senate

Editorial

By John Welborne Our community owes thanks to the 44 candidates and the 447 stakeholders who voted (and the approximately 590 who attempted to register for the city-mandated, COVID19-era, vote-[only]-by-mail election for directors of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council [GWNC]). Historically, GWNC elections always have been neighborhood gatherings on one weekend day, with registration issues efficiently addressed before a stakeholder is handed ballots to mark and submit. Regardless of the kerfuffle of 2021, “Thank you” to everyone who participated. State housing bills By and large, GWNC stakeholders live, work or own property in our neighborhood council area (approximately Western to La Brea, Melrose to Olympic). Much of our area consists of residential buildings, developed since the very early 1900s by private-sector land subdividers responding to market demands at the time. Vast numbers of the units constructed here are single-family homes in single-family subdivisions. Also within Greater Wilshire, there are neighborhoods that include duplexes, and there are neighborhoods originally developed with multi-unit apartment buildings. Over time, there has been government rezoning (“up zon-

ing”) in some areas (such as the GWNC’s Geographic Area 9, the “Oakwood – Maplewood – St. Andrews Neighborhood” that extends from about Van Ness to Western, Beverly to Melrose. There, real estate developers have been buying up single-family homes and demolishing them to build denser, taller and far more lucrative apartment building projects. Some politicians, heavily funded by the real estate and construction industries, including a large cadre of such politicians from the San Francisco Bay Area, want to expand such up zoning and demolition to almost all single-family neighborhoods in Los Angeles. These elected officials pretend that they are advocates for affordable housing (construction of which is urgently needed), but their proposed laws will not create much affordable housing, mainly expensive, market-rate housing. And their laws dramatically will change the quality of life for the people who have invested in single-family homes in single-family neighborhoods. Again, all without providing adequate, needed affordable housing. The legislative activities are taking place in Sacramento, right now — with little thoughtful oversight by California media outlets. However, this situation is the subject of several columns and stories in Section 2 of this month’s issue of the Larchmont Chronicle. Senate Bill 9 and Senate Bill 10 are two of this legislative session’s problematic housing bills being discussed right now in Sacramento. Two concerned and informed residents from Sherman Oaks, Maria and Jeff Kalban, have prepared an instructive Zoom video presentation about SB 9 and SB 10. It will be available statewide on Wed., April 7 at 5 p.m. To learn more about the event, see: tinyurl.com/655h8bmu .

‘What brings you to the Larchmont Farmers Market?’

That’s the question inquiring photographer Talia Abrahamson asked locals along Larchmont Blvd.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so now that I can come back and support everybody, that’s why I’m back.” Chris Boadle with daughter Nicola Prince-Boadle Hancock Park

Calendar Hancock Park Neighbors Met with Councilmember Nithya Raman

The Association sponsored a town hall meeting with our new Councilmember, Nithya Raman, on March 15. Prior to the Zoom meeting, which had more than 250 participants, the Association provided the Councilmember a list of questions based on neighbors’ priorities, concerns and issues. Some of the issues covered at the meeting were: • Safety and Security — Regarding the increase in homicides and robberies in Los Angeles and funding for the LAPD, Councilmember Raman said her proposal is to align the LAPD in a more proactive, community-centered model. She supports moving some police funding to support specially trained responders for problems such as homelessness, mental health and traffic enforcement that may not require a full police response. • Land Use, R-1 Zoning and HPOZs — Councilmember Raman supported last year’s proposed Senate Bill 1120, the precursor to this year’s SB 9. However, she said she has not yet reviewed SB 9, but she does support SB 10. She said the City Council has not yet been asked to take a position on these two measures. She does not support the elimination of R-1 zoning, and she supports HPOZs. However, she also is very committed to adding housing in the city. • Homeless Crisis Response — The Councilmember supports creating Access Centers that can provide complete services, but she does not yet have a detailed plan as to where and how to locate and fund these centers. She also said that the Council District 4 discretionary funding budget will be used to backfill areas where city services are cut, but the CD 4 volunteer Discretionary Task Force that existed for the previous five years will not be continued. Other issues discussed, but on which the Councilmember has not yet taken a position, include: underfunded City Employee pension funds; balancing citywide initiatives (such as Streets for All) with interests of local constituents (such as in Hancock Park); and postponement of repairs to our sidewalks and streets. The entire meeting is on our website, www.hancockpark.org – News and Events. Ms. Raman encouraged individual residents to contact Su Lee (suin.lee@lacity.org), her district field manager for our area, with their questions and concerns. o o o If you are planning to make any changes to the street-visible portion of your house, hardscaping and windows, check with our HPOZ Planner Suki Gershenhorn (suki.gershenhorn@ lacity.org) before starting. The HPOZ Preservation Plan can be found at preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park. Also a form is online at: preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial. screening.checklist. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180. Adv.

Fri., April 2 – Good Friday. Sun., April 4 – Easter Sunday; Passover ends. Thurs., April 8 – Yom HaShoah Remembrance Day. Sun., April 11 – Yom HaShoah commemoration ceremony hosted by the Holocaust Museum LA via webinar at 11 a.m. Visit holocaustmuseumla.org. Mon., April 12 – Ramadan begins. Wed., April 14 – Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council board meeting via Zoom, 7 to 9 p.m. Check greaterwilshire.org to confirm and for login. Thurs., April 22 – Earth Day. Sun., April 25 – 93rd Academy Awards at 5 p.m. on ABC. Thurs., April 29 – Delivery

“Tasty treats for a Sunday!” Mike Siebold with son Noah Hancock Park

of the May issue of the Larchmont Chronicle.

Larchmont Chronicle Founded in 1963 by Jane Gilman and Dawne P. Goodwin .

Publisher and Editor John H. Welborne Managing Editor Suzan Filipek Associate Editor Billy Taylor Contributing Editor Jane Gilman Staff Writers Talia Abrahamson Helene Seifer Advertising Director Pam Rudy Advertising Sales Caroline Tracy Art Director Tom Hofer Classified and Circulation Manager Rachel Olivier Accounting Jill Miyamoto 606 N. Larchmont Blvd., #103

Los Angeles, CA 90004 323-462-2241 larchmontchronicle.com

LPGA returns to Wilshire in April

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) returns to the Wilshire Country Club Wed., April 21 to Sat., April 24. The tournament will feature a field of 144 players, with Minjee Lee (the 2019 winner) set to defend her title after the event was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year’s event is expected to take place without spectators. Visit la-open.com for more information. Write us at letters@larchmontchronicle.com. Include your name, contact information and where you live. We reserve the right to edit for space and grammar.

“I go to the Farmers Market every Sunday. I love shopping local with local farmers and support our community that way.” Luba Vitti with friend Mariah Melrose Neighborhood

“The food!”

Alex Rudolph “I shop here every Sunday; can’t do without it.” Caitlin Scanlon Windsor Square

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION ONE

Digital billboard ordinance on a ‘dangerous’ path back to PLUM

By Suzan Filipek Revisions to billboard and other signage law in Los Angeles are on a dangerous path if you ask Patrick Frank, president of Scenic Los Angeles. His group recently declared victory after the City Planning Commission approved a citywide sign ordinance, Version B-Plus, which would restrict new digital billboards to Regional Commercial Centers, such as the Staples Center and Sunset Boulevard. “This was a milestone, worth celebrating by everyone who cares about scenic beauty, traffic safety and reducing billboard blight,” said Frank following the Feb. 26 unanimous Commission vote. However, not everyone was exuberant with the decision. “Version B-Plus has been hotly contested since its [2015] inception,” according to billboard insider.com. Also posted on the online site after the recent Commission hearing: “Public comments were close to evenly split on the advantages and perceived disadvantages of digital displays. The Commission’s decision ex-

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YOUTH SPORTS. AROUND THE TOWN SUMMER CAMPS & PROGRAMS CAMP DIRECTORY SCHOOL NEWS ON THE MENU

15 4 9 10 12 17

SECTION TWO VIEW:

Real Estate Entertainment Home & Garden

MUSEUMS REV UP.

ON PRESERVATION 2 HOME GROUND 3 THE NIMBY DIARIES 4 LIBRARIES 10 MUSEUM ROW 12 REAL ESTATE SALES 12 AT THE MOVIES 16 THEATER REVIEW 17 POLICE BEAT 18 POKER FOR ALL 19 BEEZWAX 19 CLASSIFIED ADS 19

presses a far more one-sided view, with some Commissioners arguing there are no reasonable community benefits that warrant turning Los Angeles into Times Square or West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip.” Paid lobbyists spoke in favor of the digital signs, said Frank, while the 30 neighborhood groups that have weighed in on the issue support the restrictions. “Several folks from our side made excellent statements, and the Neighborhood Councils that testified added measurable heft to our position,” added Frank, who also spoke at the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee meeting March 23. Return to PLUM Despite the Planning Commission’s approval, the proposed ordinance embarks on a slippery slope when it returns to the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Com-

impacted with additional signage if PLUM’s version were to be approved include Olympic and Wilshire boulevards, Melrose and La Brea avenues and Third Street, to name a few. PLUM’s version also allows for a more lenient takedown plan. (The B-Plus version requires removing 10 DIGITAL SIGNS on bus shelters are static signs in exchange being promoted by billboard lobbyists. for erecting one digital mittee of the City Council, sign.) The PLUM version stipuwhere some of the elected of- lates that 30 digital billboards ficials have been more favor- must be erected on city-owned able to the billboard industry lots before any can be placed in the past, Frank said. on private land. PLUM’s “dangerous” alterThe city’s financial woes in nate version of a new billboard 2015 motivated PLUM memordinance, revised in Dec. bers to ease billboard restric2020, would allow billboards tions to raise funds, Frank said. in every commercial zone that A brighter financial future is one block in size, which is — augmented by the recent most of them, said Frank. $1.35 billion federal bailout for Local streets that could be the city — might help ensure

an outcome with less billboard blight, hopes Frank. The ordinance is expected to return to PLUM from the Planning Commission, although a date had not been set as we went to press. It requires a two-thirds vote of the full City Council to pass. Digital bus shelter signs Frank told us there is another imminent threat of visual blight coming to neighborhoods — digital signs on bus shelters. Frank urges residents to respond to a separate, related issue — where lobbyists are pushing for digital ad screens on bus shelters. This attempt is taking a separate path through the Public Works Dept. “If you are part of a Neighborhood Council or local association and would like us to make a presentation about either of these issues, please get in touch by emailing patrick. frank@scenic.org,” he said.

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

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Not the same Around Town Pandemic pauses Tennis Club’s 100th Around the Town without

Patty Hill anthropic in our community, and we wish her and her family the very best. And, of course, discreet inquiries about filling this vacancy, preferably for a minimum of two decades, will be welcomed at 323-462-2241, extension 15. — Editor

Thank You

County High Future Artists Gala is May 2

for supporting our Larchmont businesses!

www.LARCHMONT.com

©LC0321

“An oasis in the city”

LARCHMONT BOULEVARD ASSOCIATION Representing businesses from 1st Street to Melrose

By Helene Seifer If the roar of the crowd seemed a little quiet when the Los Angeles Tennis Club (LATC) celebrated its 100th anniversary on Oct. 27, 2020, it’s because gathering members and long-time tennis pros for a toast and reminiscences over Zoom is a pretty modest affair. The pandemic put real party plans on pause. “We were founded on the heels of a pandemic,” explains Colleen Connors, LATC’s director of communication and membership director, referring to its founding six months after the deadly Spanish flu epidemic finally ended its twoyear rout. “And here we are not able to celebrate our 100th be-

Singers, dancers, musicians and other artists past, present and future from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) will participate in a collective virtual performance for the Future Artists Gala Sun., May 2 at 5 p.m. The benefit will include performances by alumni such as Grammy-nominated artists Josh Groban and the band Haim, as well as Angel Blue, Phoebe Bridgers and Corbin Bleu, among others. Tickets start at $25. For more information and to see what’s in store, visit lachsagala21.org.

cause of a pandemic.” Connors stresses how careful the club has been to protect the health of workers and guests, noting “We were the first club in Los Angeles to close and the last to reopen.” Following Centers for Disease Control guidelines, LATC does offer outdoor activities by reservation to members only. Tennis, lane swimming, and even working out on the gym equipment the club moved outside is available on a limited basis. Dinners and sharing the club with friends will have

to wait, according to Connors. Also in the waiting room is a date for their anniversary party. “At this juncture we are hesitant to make plans.” Board President Michele Weiss adds that the club will wait until it’s completely safe for face-to-face socializing and probably throw a combined holiday party and 100th bash. Connors is ready and eager to help make a memorable event for members as soon as the city sounds the all-clear. “Oh, boy! What we’re all longing for is to see people. We can’t wait to connect!”

Nonprofits that aid women are featured at Ebell’s RCA event April 5

Learn about local nonprofit programs that aid women at a free event hosted by The Ebell’s Relief Compassion Action (RCA) group and Social Services Committee (SSC) via Zoom on Mon., April 5 at noon. The event, co-chaired

by Randi Jones, RCA director and Arden Teplow, the SSC chair, is in lieu of the annual luncheon. Three of the organizations are new this year and will have representatives speaking at the event: Critical (Please turn to page 8)

Yom HaShoah commemoration April 11

Pay tribute to victims and survivors of the Holocaust at a commemoration hosted by the Holocaust Museum LA, via webinar, Sun., April 11 at 11 a.m. The annual event, normally held in Pan Pacific Park, has taken place since 1992. The victim’s stories will be

shared and the keynote address will be given by Aomar Boum, associate professor and vice chair of undergraduate studies in the UCLA department of anthropology. For more information and to register for the free event, visit holocaustmuseumla.org.

BOGIE’S LIQUOR

Open 7 Days Hours: Open 12 noon Close 2 a.m.

We carry the finest in Beer • Wine • Spirits • Champagne • Kegs

5753 Melrose Ave.

Call 323-469-1414

©LC0221

With this April 2021 issue, the Larchmont Chronicle bids “adieu” to our longtime Society columnist Patty Hill. She and her husband are leaving Los Angeles, and she no longer will write her monthly column. Patty has been our Society columnist for 23 years, a record close to her longest-serving predecessor, Lucy Toberman, who was the Chronicle Society columnist for 28 years. We thank Patty for regularly sharing her keen awareness of matters social and phil-

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Larchmont

(Continued from page 1) year since the Larchmont Boulevard shopping district came into existence. The LBA and others plan to celebrate that in the fall. But, in addition to looking back, we believe now is the time to look forward. At our March LBA board meeting, we concluded that this would be a good time to generate discussion about possible improvements to the Boulevard, especially given the number of store vacancies, which seem to have been growing for longer than just the past year.” Patty Lombard Winther explained that he appointed LBA board member (and author of the book “Larchmont” — available at Chevalier’s) Patty Lombard to represent the LBA in a community discussion of Larchmont issues. Winther also has reached out to the three largest neighborhood associations surrounding the Boulevard (Windsor Square, Larchmont Village, Hancock Park) and to the landlords’ association, the Larchmont Village Business Improvement District (LVBID), asking each of them to appoint someone to participate in these discussions with Lombard, the Council District 4 staff, and local planners and

other interested parties. Commenting on the task before her and the community, Lombard said: “As a resident and observer of Larchmont life, I appreciate the opportunity to serve the LBA in this important community conversation. I hope it will be a robust community discussion with many interested parties, and look forward to creating new local history as we celebrate Larchmont’s centennial and plan for our future.” Added Winther: “There are many issues confronting the Boulevard, not just whether in-street restaurant seating should continue to replace street parking.” He mentioned possible revision of the 30-year-old “Q Conditions” that limit the types of retail activity on Larchmont, as well as the future of the street trees and watering them, plus whether there can be, or should be, additional landscaping and seating, especially in “Lower Larchmont” (the portion between First St. and Beverly Blvd.). Winther said other issues warranting community discussion would include better integrating into the Larchmont community the businesses north and south of Beverly and nearby, plus maintaining cleanliness and security for the merchants and their customers.

Windsor Square Among the first local organizations to respond to Winther’s invitation was the Windsor Square Association (WSA). The association’s boundaries wrap Lower Larchmont on three sides, and the matter of Larchmont’s future was a subject of discussion at the WSA board’s February and March board meetings. The board decided to place a detailed advertisement, giving background on the technical details of the existing “Q Condition” rules and providing readers an opportunity to question themselves about their own thoughts on the existing regulations. The text is somewhat legalistic because the subject matter is a city ordinance and the background information and questions were drafted by a lawyer (WSA president Larry Guzin). The “Q Conditions” law can be read here: tinyurl. com/4fpamyff . In addition to drafting this public service ad, Guzin appointed WSA’s newest board member, Gary Gilbert, as the association’s representative to the new committee initiated by the LBA. Gary Gilbert Longtime Windsor Square resident Gary Gilbert explained that he has been thinking about the future of Larchmont (Please turn to page 7)

“LOWER LARCHMONT” is shown with street tree locations noted by numbers.

COMMUNITY QUESTIONS: LARCHMONT VILLAGE Q CONDITIONS

See questions at right

IN-STREET OUTDOOR DINING, MORE RESTAURANTS, FINANCIAL SERVICES OFFICES, FORMULA BUSINESSES, ON-SITE LIQUOR SALES, RETAIL CANNABIS SALES Working with other neighbors, the Windsor Square Association (WSA) is reviewing the restrictions that have been in effect since 1992 on retail store leasing on Larchmont Boulevard, especially between First Street and Beverly Boulevard. Learn more from the Los Angeles Dept. of City Planning at: tinyurl.com/3d4bpvm7. The WSA is contributing this questionnaire to the dialogue. To discover your own views, please answer the questions on the page at the right. If you want to share your thoughts, please write to wsinfo@windsorsquare.org.

Definitions for this Questionnaire “Larchmont Village” includes the properties on Larchmont Boulevard between First Street and Melrose Avenue. “Lower Larchmont” includes the 26 properties, with approximately 76 retail tenant spaces, on Larchmont Boulevard between First Street and Beverly Boulevard, including 5210 West Beverly Boulevard. “Larchmont Village Q Conditions” is a City of Los Angeles ordinance effective since 1992 that imposes zoning limitations upon the uses of property in Larchmont Village. See: tinyurl. com/4fpamyff. “Restaurant” is a business that operates primarily to sell food to be consumed on the premises. An “Additional Food Business” is one that sells food primarily to be consumed off-premises, including bakeries, ice cream parlors, yoghurt shops, candy shops, doughnut shops, bagel shops, juice bars, pizza parlors, wine shops, liquor stores, grocery stores, drug stores, convenience stores, delicatessens, catering services, and coffee stores. Drive-through fast-food establishments are prohibited by the Larchmont Village Q Conditions. “Formula Businesses,” sometimes “chain stores,” include retail stores, restaurants and other establishments that are required by contract to adopt standardized services, methods of operation, décor, uniforms, architecture or other features virtually identical to businesses located in other communities. “Financial Services” include banks, savings and loan associations, thrift associations, real estate offices, insurance companies, brokerage firms, title insurance companies, financial advisors, and escrow offices. “Liquor Sales” refers to sale by Restaurants of beer and wine or beer, wine and hard liquor, to be consumed on the premises. “Cannabis Sales” refers to retail sales of psychoactive, recreational Cannabis products, excluding sales of non-psychoactive CBD.

Larchmont Village Q Conditions and Current Status Current Restaurants and Additional Food Businesses Larchmont Village Q Conditions allow a total of ten (10) Restaurants on Lower Larchmont and an unlimited number of Additional Food Businesses. Currently, there are a total of sixteen (16) businesses operating as Restaurants selling food to be

consumed on the premises (although they may not have Certificates of Occupancy as restaurants) and eleven (11) Additional Food Businesses in Lower Larchmont. Drive-through fast-food establishments are banned outright.

Restaurants: Burger Lounge Go Get Em Tiger Good Goose Café Great White (coming) Le Pain Quotidien Le Petit Greek Louise’s Trattoria Kiku Sushi

Additional Food Businesses: Erin McKenna’s Bakery Groundwork Coffee Jamba Juice Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Kreation Organic Juicery

Muraya Noah’s Bagels Sam’s Bagels Sweetfin Poke Tacos Tu Madre Uncool Burgers Vernetti Village Pizzeria

Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese Peet’s Coffee Pressed Juicery Rite Aid Pharmacy Salt & Straw Ice Cream Starbucks Coffee

Current Financial Services and Real Estate Offices

Current Larchmont Village Liquor and Cannabis Sales

Larchmont Village Q Conditions currently allow a total of nine (9) Financial Services businesses on the ground floor in Lower Larchmont, of which three (3) may be real estate offices. Currently there are a total of six (6) Financial Services businesses, including two (2) real estate offices in Lower Larchmont (five on the ground floor).

Onsite Liquor Sales Beer and wine are currently sold in Larchmont Village Restaurants, generally until 10:00 p.m. and, in one case, until 11:00 p.m., but onsite hard liquor sales are not allowed. Cannabis Sales Cannabis products are not currently sold in Larchmont Village.

Questions? wsinfo@windsorsquare.org

©LC0421

Larchmont Chronicle

Larchmont

(Continued from page 6) for much of the past year and has been discussing the matter with his friends and neighbors and, “most recently, with CD4 Councilmember Nithya Raman, an urban planner herself, who enthusiastically supported the idea of the entire community working together, and who already has identified members of her staff to assist the project,” he notes. Gilbert has a number of suggested approaches for the community review of the Larchmont zoning issues, a history of which was recounted by the Los Angeles Dept. of City Planning in 2015 and is available here: tinyurl.com/3d4bpvm7 . Gilbert has explained that he believes the initial approach to these issues should be casual, with outreach to stakeholders that is “more thought-provoking, more accessible.” He says that the committee may determine that formal polls or surveys, perhaps professionally drafted, might be useful at a later date. But for now, these are some of the questions he believes that neighbors should consider: “I’m sure you’ve noticed that many restaurants have added outdoor dining spaces on the street. Do you think

APRIL 2021

that once we are back to normal, these outdoor areas should remain?” “Do you think it’s worth giving up parking spaces to allow these spaces to stay?” Gilbert also recommends that people consider their answers to more open-ended questions, such as: “In order to maintain a balance of merchants on a street to serve the community, the current restrictions on the boulevard limit the number of dine-in restaurants. How would you feel about adjusting the restrictions to add a few more? How would you feel about removing all restrictions and allowing as many restaurants as the landlords wish?” “The current restrictions prevent [some] restaurants from serving alcohol. How would you feel about lifting those restrictions?” Gilbert advocates highlighting a few topics of importance to get the conversations going throughout the community, mentioning the Nextdoor application as another way to gather residents’ views. Other questions that Gilbert thinks should be reviewed are: “What kinds of stores do you wish were on Larchmont Blvd. that aren’t there that you would frequent?” “What stores that used to be

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there do you miss most?” He mentions even more specific, thought-provoking questions that people should consider, such as: “If you can order a book from Amazon and have it delivered for $17.50, would you pay $20.00 for the same book from Chevalier’s in order to have a locally-owned bookstore remain on the Boulevard?” Gilbert says he believes that “the entire community needs to begin addressing questions like this one because the reality is that it’s going to take a real effort from all of us to make a commitment to our merchants if we want to try to ensure the Boulevard’s success.” As part of the review getting underway, Gilbert also recommends other open-ended queries such as: “How do you think we can bring back the Larchmont we all love so much?” “Do you think we as local residents should have any say in who a landlord rents his property to?” The LBA’s president, John Winther, says these are just the types of thought-provoking questions that the committee of stakeholders should consider, stating that he agrees with Gilbert’s saying that what will be involved will be “at least a few months of meetings —

IN-STREET DINING on Larchmont became a feature of the pandemic.

conversations with landlords, with city planning, with folks ... who know the Q Conditions well, maybe interviews with other neighborhood reps who have gone through this, as

well as the ongoing conversations and updates with the CD4 team.” Next steps Patty Lombard says that feedback that she already is hearing from Gilbert, on behalf of the WSA, as well as local architect and planner, John Kaliski, FAIA, who she has asked to participate on the committee, makes her optimistic that this all-hands review (the first since the “Q Conditions” were debated and adopted 30 years ago) can lead to improvements for the Boulevard that will set it on its way for a successful second hundred years. Anyone with suggestions to offer about Larchmont may reach out to Lombard at: patty@larchmontbuzz.com .

Great White on the move to open in June on Boulevard The Westside restaurant Great White plans to bring its casual-coastal theme to Larchmont in June. It will be offering indoor and outside dining at the former Prado spot at 244 N. Larchmont Blvd. “We are really excited to open Great White in Larchmont Village,” co-owner Sam Trude told us in an email. “We specifically sought out

Larchmont for our second location because of its neighborhood charm. We think our casual, all-day offering of breakfast, lunch, and dinner is best suited to communities with walkable main streets, and we feel that Great White will complement the existing offerings in the neighborhood as well. We couldn’t think of a better neigh(Please turn to page 8)

QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY

See background at left

(These are just to get neighbors thinking. If you want to share your thoughts, write to wsinfo@windsorsquare.org)

A. In-Street Dining on Lower Larchmont (Choose one):

E. Financial Services on Lower Larchmont (Choose one):

o A. 1. Opposed to Continuing In-Street Dining Post-COVID-19

o E. 1. Maintain the Financial Services Status Quo

I am opposed to retaining in-street outdoor dining in Lower Larchmont after the COVID-19 emergency, and I favor reinstatement of diagonal parking spaces. A. 2. In Favor of Continuing In-Street Dining Post-COVID-19. I am in favor of retaining in-street outdoor dining in Lower Larchmont after the COVID-19 emergency, despite elimination of diagonal parking spaces.

o o

B. Number of Restaurants on Lower Larchmont (Choose one): o B. 1. Maintain the Restaurant Status Quo

o o

I would like to maintain current Larchmont Village Q Conditions unchanged, continuing to allow a total of a maximum of ten Restaurants and an unlimited number of Additional Food Businesses. B. 2. Allow an Unlimited Number of Restaurants I would like to change Larchmont Village Q Conditions to allow an unlimited number of Restaurants and Additional Food Businesses. B. 3. Allow an Increased Number of Restaurants I would like to change Larchmont Village Q Conditions to allow an increased number of Restaurants, allowing a grand total not to exceed _____ food service establishments (including Restaurants and Additional Food Businesses). [Suggest a number.]

C. Drive-Throughs in Larchmont Village (Choose one): o C. 1. Maintain the Status Quo — Bans Drive-Through Fast-Food o

I would like to maintain the current Larchmont Village Q Conditions banning drive-through fast-food establishments C. 2. Allow Drive-Through Fast Food Establishments I would like to change Larchmont Village Q Conditions to allow drivethrough fast-food establishments.

D. Formula Businesses in Larchmont Village (Choose one): o D. 1. Opposed to Unregulated Formula Businesses o

I am opposed to unregulated chain stores and Formula Businesses in Larchmont Village. D. 2. In Favor of Formula Businesses I am in favor of no regulation of chain stores or Formula Businesses in Larchmont Village.

I would like to maintain the current Larchmont Village Q Conditions, limiting Financial Services businesses on the ground floor to a total of nine (9), of which three (3) may be real estate offices. E. 2. Allow an Unlimited Number of Financial Services I would like to change Larchmont Village Q Conditions to allow an unlimited number of Financial Services on the ground floor, including real estate offices. E. 3. Allow an Increased Number of Financial Services I would like to change Larchmont Village Q Conditions to allow an increased number of Financial Services businesses on the ground floor, allowing a total of _____ Financial Services, including _____ real estate offices. [Suggest numbers.]

F. Onsite Hard Liquor Sales in Larchmont Village (Choose one): o F. 1. Maintain the Liquor Sales Status Quo o F. 2.

I would like to maintain the current Larchmont Village liquor guidelines to allow Restaurants to sell beer and wine only, to be consumed on the premises only. Allow Restaurant Sales of Hard Liquor I would like to change the Larchmont Village liquor guidelines to allow Larchmont Village Restaurants to sell beer, wine and hard liquor, to be consumed on the premises only.

G. Liquor Sales Hours in Larchmont Village (Choose one): o G. 1. Maintain the Liquor Sales Hour Status Quo I would like to maintain the current Larchmont Village liquor sales hours.

o G. 2. Allow Extended Hours of Beer and Wine Sales

I would like to change existing legal guidelines to allow Larchmont Village Restaurants to sell beer and wine until 2:00 a.m., to be consumed on the premises only. G. 3. Allow Extended Hours of Beer, Wine and Hard Liquor Sales I would like to change existing legal guidelines to allow Larchmont Village Restaurants to sell beer, wine and hard liquor until 2:00 a.m., to be consumed on the premises only.

H. Retail Cannabis Sales in Larchmont Village (Choose one): o H. 1. Opposed to Retail Cannabis Sales

I am opposed to retail sale of Cannabis products in Larchmont Village.

o H. 2. In Favor of Retail Cannabis Sales

These questions (and your answers) are for you. If you want to share your thoughts or become more involved, you may write to the WSA at wsinfo@windsorsquare.org.

©LC0421

I am in favor of retail sale of Cannabis products in Larchmont Village.

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION ONE

Silver Jubilee for A Silver Lining: 25 years on Larchmont By Billy Taylor A Silver Lining owner Gary Fuss is celebrating his shop’s 25th anniversary, which is often marked, fittingly, as the silver anniversary. When asked about the milestone, Fuss told the Chronicle that he feels “humbled” to still be open and doing business after such a terrible year. When Fuss reopened his Larchmont Boulevard doors last May, after closing for the pandemic, he says that he was uncertain what it would mean for his custom framing shop. “It was like a really long vacation, but not a good one,” Fuss says with a laugh. “We were starting all over again.” That’s when his phone began to ring. “Customers that I have had for generations wanted to know how they could help,” he says. “God bless this community.” It was the community atmo-

OWNER Gary Fuss marks 25 years of custom framing.

sphere in Larchmont that attracted Fuss more than two decades ago. At that time, he was working for a framing company after relocating to Los Angeles from New York City in 1987. He had aspirations to open his own shop, and one day while eating lunch on Larchmont Boulevard, he realized it was the

perfect place for him to put down roots. Fuss first opened his shop at 121 N. Larchmont Blvd. on Feb. 5, 1996, where he operated until 2007. When his landlord threatened to double his rent, Fuss needed to find a new, more affordable space. That’s when a customer gave him a penny — that

had been blessed by Pope John Paul — for good luck on the search. Six days later Joane Pickett called to enquire if he’d like to lease her space at 115 N. Larchmont Blvd., where he’s been ever since. And that penny, according to Fuss, it’s become a family heirloom after it was sent back east to Fuss’ brother, who was fighting cancer at the time. “He survived!” says Fuss. Reflecting on the past 25 years, Fuss says that he has many fond memories, not least of which is the time that he did custom framing work for former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley, which included a letter signed by Babe Ruth. “I have so many great memories here on Larchmont,” Fuss says. “When I first opened shop here, there was literally a butcher and baker on the Boulevard. Those shops are gone, but I hope Larchmont keeps that same charm.”

As for the future, Fuss says that you can find him and his longtime associate Jorge Rodriguez, who has been with Fuss since the beginning, working in the Larchmont studio. Visit asilverlinings.com.

Great White

(Continued from page 4)

(Continued from page 7)

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borhood to be a part of next.” Construction continues at the 60-seat restaurant site, which is expected to have a similar menu as the first Venice location. Menu items include breakfast burritos, avocado toast, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and coffees and teas as well as wine and beer. Unique items to Larchmont will also be offered. Prado served Caribbean fare for 28 years before closing in November 2018, followed by a brief stint by Café Parisien at the space. Great White is the owners’ third project, which also includes Gran Blanco, a dinner spot with a full bar in Venice.

‘Preserving Los Angeles’ topic of talk at Chevalier’s

Hear how historic preservation has revived Los Angeles neighborhoods and created a downtown renaissance when Ken Bernstein, principal city planner with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, discusses his new book, “Preserving Los Angeles: How historic places can transform America’s cities” at a virtual talk through Chevalier’s Books on Weds., April 28 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit chevaliersbooks.com

Ebell event

Mass Dance Company, Jenesse Center and Los Angeles Family Housing. Representatives from other recipient organizations include Alexandria House, Families and Criminal Justice, Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children, and Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles/Hope Transitional. The Ebell of Los Angeles’ RCA endowment recently awarded a total of $160,000 to 15 local nonprofits serving women. The RCA, formerly the Rest Cottage Association, was founded in 1918. For more information, contact Meredyth Deighton at meredyth@ebelloflosangeles. com.

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION ONE

Girl Scouts cookie season extended; Outdoor boothing begins

By Talia Abrahamson The only thing sweeter than an extra week of Girl Scouts cookie season is being able to purchase cookies from Girl Scouts themselves. After nearly two seasons of digital cookie sales, the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA) extended cookie season until April 18 to accommodate newly approved outdoor-distanced boothing. “The resiliency of our girls never ceases to amaze me,” GSGLA CEO Theresa EdyKiene wrote in the email announcement to troops. “Through every challenge, they innovate, create, and overcome. This past year has been somewhat of a rollercoaster, and throughout the ups and downs, loops and drops, we cannot thank you enough for sticking with us as we ride this rollercoaster together.” Although circumstances are subject to change, Girl Scout booths are being planned in April at the Melrose Trading Post and Vons, 1430 Fairfax Ave. The most current information can be found on the GSGLA website or Girl Scout Cookie Finder app. Other permitted in-person cookie selling methods, in addition to selling at booths, include cookie “lemonade” stands at residences, outdoor drive-through boothing and door-to-door contactless marketing, such as door hangers or fliers. Girl Scouts also partnered with GrubHub this year, and local troops have been working to fill delivery orders. Alternatively, customers can enter their zip code on the GSGLA website and be routed to a local troop’s Digital Cookie webpage, which is a personalized landing site for buying cookies. Like all other troops, St. Brendan’s-based Troop 3245 has been perfecting the art of virtual cookie-selling strategies throughout the season. Dance video The seventh-grade Girl Scouts put together a commercial to direct potential customers to their troop’s Digital Cookie website. Within two weeks, the budding entrepreneurs worked remotely to create the video, which showcases their dance skills and business savvy. “It was based off a Tik Tok song that was kind of trending in early quarantine,” Girl Scout Lauren Ide said. “The goal of the video was to make a commercial –– you could say a music video –– about cookies, but also make it in a way that kids would want to listen.” The Zoom landscape has allowed the troop to try new activities, like screenwriting, a

TROOP 3245 went camping in Ojai before the pandemic and members hope to use cookie proﬁts to go camping again at Lake Tahoe, when it is safe.

virtual art show and a danceoff. Cookie season this year, too, has called for different and creative skills.

Booths are missed Even so, the pandemic has made it so virtual programming cannot by itself recap-

ture the core experiences of being Girl Scouts and selling cookies. “It’s taken away some of the social skills, like going up to strangers and asking how their day was and if they want to buy the cookies, and then moving on to the next person,” Girl Scout Fiore Chung said. “Also, online, they just pay with credit card, so you can’t learn how to give them back change.” Girl Scout Lauren Lee said that boothing in previous years was her highlight because she was selling cookies with her troop. “We got to booth with our friends, so we were definitely more cheerful, and we had more energy to attract people to buy our cookies,” Lee

said. “I feel that is the part of selling cookies that I really enjoy, and I think we missed a big part of that during the pandemic.” Girl Scout Jessica Jang, along with a few other Troop 3245 Scouts, decided not to sell cookies this season while sales were being conducted online. The troop, which usually requires each Scout to sell some number of boxes, made selling optional this year because of the general unknowns of the pandemic. “I felt like it would be hard to send people emails and have them actually buy cookies right now,” Jang said. Troop leader Karen Ide said that, if sales stay consistent, the troop will sell about a (Please turn to page 13)

Larchmont C

APRIL 2021

SECTION ONE

Surfing, music, hiking, art, crafts, enrich

Overnight camps

Boy Scouts of America 2333 Scout Way, 90026 213-413-4400 glaacbsa.org Catalina Island Camps 707 W. Woodbury Rd., #F Altadena, 91001 626-296-4040 catalinaislandcamps.com Camp Hollywoodland Closed, to reopen in 2022.

323-467-7193 laparks.org/camp/camp-hollywoodland Camp JCA Shalom Shalom Institute 8955 Gold Creek Rd. Sylmar, 91342 818-889-5500 campjcashalom.com

guideddiscoveries.org

Habonim Dror Camp Gilboa 38200 Bluff Lake Rd. Big Bear Lake, 92315 323-653-6772 campgilboa.org Pali Adventures 330778 Hwy 18 Running Springs, CA 92382 909-867-5743 paliadventures.com

Camp Ramah 385 Fairview Rd. Ojai, 93023 310-476-8571 ramah.org Girls Scouts Lakota Camp 11220 Dorothy Lane Frazier Park, 93225 213-213-0123 lakotacamp@girlscoutsla.org girlscoutsla.org/ en/camp/ summer-camp.html Gold Arrow Camp P.O. Box 155 Lakeshore, 93634 800-554-2267 mail@goldarrowcamp.com goldarrowcamp.com Griffith Park Boys Camp Closed, to reopen in 2022. 323-664-0571 gp.boyscamp@lacity.org laparks.org/camp/griffithpark-boys-camp Guided Discoveries 27282 Calle Arroyo San Juan Capistrano, 92675 800-645-1423 info@gdi.org

YMCA Summer Camps: Round Meadow and Whittle P.O. Box 70 Fawnskin, 92333 909-866-3000 ymcala.org/camps/ sleep-away-camp

Day camps

General camps

818-304-3016 Los Angeles City College Closed, to reopen in 2022. 213-550-5115 monarchcamps.com Pan Pacific Day Camp Closed, to reopen in 2022. 323-939-8874 laparks.org/reccenter/ pan-pacific Silver Lake Beach Camp 4607 Prospect Ave., 90027 323-445-3790 silverlakecamps.com

Silver Lake Recreation Center Day Camp Closed, to reopen in 2022. 323-644-3946 laparks.org/reccenter/ silver-lake Summerkids 3697 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Altadena, 91001 626-577-9979 / 626-398-1426 info@summerkids.net summerkids.net

Aloha Beach Camp 30100 Pacific Coast Hwy., 90265; 818-932-4600 alohabeachcamp.com Camp Keystone 2854 Triunfo Canyon Rd. Agoura Hills, 91301; 818-889-2224 campkeystone.com

Tom Sawyer Camps 707 W. Woodbury Rd., #F Altadena, 91001 626-794-1156 tomsawyercamps.com

JCamp at Westside Jewish Community Center 5870 W. Olympic Blvd., 90036 323-938-2531 jcampwestside.org

Tumbleweed Day Camp 1024 Hanley Ave., 90049 310-472-7474 tumbleweedcamp.com

Monarch Camps Los Angeles Valley College 5800 Fulton Ave., 91401

UCLA Recreation 2131 John R. Wooden Center 90095; 310-825-3671 recreation.ucla.edu

Art camps Children’s Arts Institute CCS Campus 14702 Sylvan St. Van Nuys, 91411

For over 20 years we have offered a safe, fun-filled program

June 7 - September 18

Westland Campus 16200 Mulholland Dr., 90049 818-780-6226 ccsteaches.org

(weekly)

9am to 3:30pm - Beginner to Advanced - Ages 6 and up - Patient instructors, gentle school horses - Limited group size - Health precautions observed - Arts & Crafts

Wizard of Art 1947 Hillhurst Ave., 90027 323-661-0341 thewizardofart@gmail.com thewizardofart.com

©LC0421

From surfing and sailing, to music, art and drama, to enrichment courses, to overnight camps in the wilderness, campers have a variety of summer programs to choose from — even this year. Most of the camps listed are open for kids to participate either virtually or in-person (or some combination). Each organization with in-person participation has COVID-19 health and safety protocols for campers to follow, which can be found either on the website or through contacting the organization. Only a handful of camps contacted said that they would remain closed this year (but check back next year!). They have remained in our directory, with a note on their closure, for future reference. Check websites or contact the organizations directly for more information.

YMCA Anderson Munger 4301 W. Third St., 90020 323-427-9622 Hollywood Wilshire 1553 N. Schrader, 90028 323-467-4161 ymcala.org/programs/daycamp-child-care

Dance camps

Sophie Dance 2501 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 90403 323-219-5930 3407 Glendale Blvd., 90039 213-280-8074 sophiedance.com Studio B by Sophie Dance 5867 W 3rd St., 90036 323-455-7314 sophiedancestudiob.com

Drama camps

Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Summer Arts Conservatory CSULA Bldg. 20 5151 State University Dr., 90032 818-957-1619 summerartsconservatory.com Shakespeare Youth Festival Fais Do Do 5253 Adams Blvd., 90016 Lyric Theatre 520 N. La Brea Ave., 90036 Sacred Fools Theater 1078 Lillian Way, 90038 323-334-0370 shakespeareyouthfestival.com Studio LOL 12434 Moorpark St. Studio City, 91604 818-660-3460 studiolol.com Theatre 360 Performing Arts Camp 2623 E. Foothill Blvd., #104 Pasadena, 91107 626-577-5922 theatre360.org Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts 8115 W. Third St., 90048 323-655-9232 yadakids@gmail.com yada.org

Garden camps

City Seedlings Closed, to reopen in 2022. gardenschoolfoundation.org Discoveries Camp at Descanso Gardens 1418 Descanso Dr. La Cañada Flintridge, 91011 818-354-3418 ceconline.org/summer Huntington Explorers Camp Closed, to reopen in 2022. huntington.org/explorers Zoo Camps and Classes Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION ONE

hment courses are some camp activities Sports camps

5333 Zoo Dr., 90027 323-644-4200 lazoo.org/plan-your-visit/ camps-and-classes

Blast Sharks Swim Camp 818-445-5188 teamunify.org

Museum camps

La Brea Tar Pits and Museum 5801 Wilshire Blvd., 90036 213-763-3499 tarpits.org/tar-pits-programs

Campbell Hall Sports Camp 4533 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Studio City, 91607 818-505-2415 campbellhall.org

Natural History Museum 900 Exposition Blvd., 90007 213-763-3466 nhmlac.org/adventuresnature

Enterprise Farms 3919 Rigali Ave., 90039 323-665-8977 enterprisefarms.com

School of Rock 7801 Beverly Blvd., 90036 323-999-1919 fairfax.schoolofrock.com Los Angeles College of Music Summer Xperience 300 S. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena, 91105 626-568-8850 summer@lacm.edu lacm.edu Los Angeles Opera Camp 135 N. Grand Ave., 90012 213-972-3157 connects@laopera.org laopera.org/community/geton-stage/opera-camp/ Rhodes School of Music 215 N. Larchmont Blvd. Unit C, 90004 323-522-4888 rhodesschoolofmusic.com

miraclemile @fusionacademy.com

fusionacademy.com/ summer-programs

Got Game Summer Academy 408 S. Fairfax Ave., 90036 310-975-8524 gotgamecamp.com

Immaculate Heart 5515 Franklin Ave., 90028 323-461-3651 immaculateheart.org Kid’s KO-R Third Street Elementary 201 S. June St., 90004 323-481-3268

New Covenant Academy 3119 W 6th St., 90020 213-487-5437 e-nca.org Summer at Mayfield

srodriguez@pilgrim-school.org

camppatriot.weebly.com

Steve and Kate’s Turning Point School 8780 National Blvd., Culver City, 90232 323-272-2141 culvercity@steveandkate.com steveandkatescamp.com/ culver-city

LA School of Gymnastics 8450 Higuera St. Culver City, 90232 310-204-1980 lagymnastics.com Learn To Surf 641 Westminster Ave., #5 Venice, 90291 310-663-2479 learntosurfla.com (Please turn to page 12)

Experience Immaculate Heart! Join Us for a Summer of Discovery

Middle School Summer Session June 14 ̶ July 9, 2021 One, Two and Four-Week Classes For Girls Entering Grades 4 - 8 Academics, Enrichment, & Learning Fun! CSI/Forensic Science Computer Programming Cooking Classes Crafts & Creativity Filmmaking Drama Workshops

French & Spanish Knitters & Knotters Marvelous Math Mock Trial Panda Sports Rad Robotics

Salsa Dancing Speech & Debate Swimming Writing Workshops

UL A T E H E

Harvard Westlake Middle School 700 N. Faring Rd., 90077 Upper School 3700 Coldwater Canyon Studio City, 91604 818-487-6527 summerprograms@hw.com hw.com/summerprograms

Marymount High School 10643 W. Sunset Blvd., 90077 310-472-1205 mhs-la.org/academics/summer-at-marymount

Pilgrim Camp Patriot 540 S. Commonwealth Ave., 90020; 213-400-8885

EST

I M

Camp Super Duper Pilgrim School 540 Commonwealth Ave., 90020; 866-309-7322 campsuperduper.com

Fusion Academy 5757 Wilshire Blvd., Prom. 1 323-692-0603

marlboroughsummerschool.org

Got Game Sports Camp 408 S. Fairfax Ave., 90036 310-975-8524 gotgamecamp.com

M A RIA

Buckley School 3900 Stansbury Ave. Sherman Oaks, 91423 818-783-1610 buckley.org

Center for Early Education 563 N. Alfred St., 90048 323-651-0707 admissions@ceeschool.org centerforearlyeducation.org

Marlborough Summer School 250 S. Rossmore Ave., 90004 323-964-8401 summer@marlboroughschool.org

Page Academy Hancock Park 565 N. Larchmont Blvd., 90004 323-463-5118 pageacademyca.com

Golden State Gymnastics 1828 N. Keystone St. Burbank, 91504 818-558-1177 goldenstategym.com

School camps

Campbell Hall Summer School 4533 Laurel Cyn Blvd. Studio City, 91607 818-505-2415 campbellhall.org

Loyola High School 1901 Venice Blvd., 90006 213-381-5121 loyolahs.edu/academic/ summer-session

1906

T RA

Colburn School 200 S. Grand Ave., 90012 213-621-4535 colburnschool.edu

Camp Wildfolk Larchmont Charter School 1265 N. Fairfax Ave., 90046 424-341-5522 campwildfolk.com

500 Bellefontaine Pasadena, 91105 626-799-9121 mayfieldsenior.org/academics/ summermayfield-for-credit

Burbank Music Academy Rock-n-Roll Camp 4107 W. Burbank Blvd. Burbank, 91505 818-845-7625 burbankmusicacademy.com

kidskor.org

Music camps

Camp TIOH 7300 Hollywood Blvd., 90046 323-876-8330 bbenchana@tioh.org briskinelementary.org/ community/camp-tioh

Fitness By the Sea 1541 Palisades Dr. Pacific Palisades, 90272 310-459-2425 fitnessbythesea.com

IMM

Los Angeles County Museum of Art 5905 Wilshire Blvd., 90036 323-857-6512 lacma.org/programs/ art-classes-camps

CAMPERS of all ages learn how to surf safely at Learn to Surf in Santa Monica. Surf camp is also held at a second location in El Segundo.

U L ATA S

...and More!

“Educating the Hearts & Minds of Young Women Since 1906”

5515 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028 ♥ (323) 461-3651 ♥ www.immaculateheart.org

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION ONE

Camps

Special interest camps

(Continued from page 11) Marlborough Sports Camp 250 S. Rossmore Ave., 90004 323-964-8401 marlboroughsummerschool.org

Wolverine Sports Harvard Westlake 700 N. Faring Rd., 90077 3700 Coldwater Canyon Studio City, 91604 818-487-6527 summerprograms@hw.com hw.com/summerprograms

Cal State Young Writers 5151 State University Dr., 90032; 323-343-5901 calstatela.edu/lawp

Institute for Educational Advancement 569 S. Marengo Ave. Pasadena, 91101 626-403-8900 educationaladvancement.org

California Science Center Hands-On Science Camp 700 Exposition Park Dr., 90037 213-744-2019 californiasciencecenter.org/ programs/summer-camps

Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles 3055 Overland Ave., 90034 310-836-3464, ext. 310 lyceela.org/summer-camp LILA Ecole du Soleil Closed, to reopen in 2022. ecoledusoleil.com

Neville Anderson, MD, FAAP Amaka Priest, MD Courtney Mannino, MD, FAAP Board-Certified Pediatricians • We care for children 0-21 years old • Most PPO Insurance plans accepted

Call Today! 323.960.8500 321 N Larchmont Blvd., Suite 1020 . Los Angeles . CA . 90004 . www.larchmontpediatric.com

©LC0421

• Complimentary “meet the doctor” appointments available

Sci–Arc 960 E. Third St., 90013 213-613-2200 sciarc.edu/academics/summer-programs

Summer Institute for the Gifted University of California, Los Angeles, 90095 866-303-4744 giftedstudy.org

Pilgrim School finds new head of school within its ranks By Billy Taylor Wilshire Center’s Pilgrim School has tapped Patricia Kong to be its next head of school, effective immediately. Kong has served at Pilgrim for the past two decades as an associate head and director of admission as well as teacher for math and Spanish. She is replacing Paul Barksy, who left Pilgrim to pursue a graduate degree in theology. Of the decision, “I am profoundly honored and humbled,” Kong told the Chronicle. “After 20 years at Pilgrim, my job has become my passion,” explained Kong, noting that she is proud to know each student by name. “I love and deeply care for each one of them. Their growth and individual success are my priority.” As the new head of school, Kong says that she is committed to the educational approach and philosophy at Pilgrim School. Further, she believes Pilgrim’s “forward-thinking and holistic approach” has positioned the school well for the future, and she hopes to build on that foundation: “I will continue to look ahead for the best educational practices and experiences for our students and utilize our rich city as an extension of our campus. “I also believe strongly that it is time for independent schools to step up in a meaningful way with regard to diversity, inclusion and equity,” she adds. Kong herself represents such diversity. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Kong says that she is “most proud” to be named the first K-12 CAIS (California Association of Independent Schools) Korean American and female head. “I am committed now more than ever to ensure that Pilgrim School will continue to thrive in the future and become the most diverse, inclusive, and equitable school, one that truly reflects and represents our diverse city and continues to send students to the most reputable universities and colleges,” said Kong. Founded in 1958, Pilgrim School is an independent, co-educational college preparatory day school for students in preschool through Grade 12. Visit pilgrim-school.org for more information.

NEW HEAD Patricia Kong.

Core College Counseling JUNIOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS Have you begun searching for colleges? Are you OVERWHELMED by too many college choices? (Did you know that there are more than 4000 colleges across the US?)

How many AP classes does a student need to take to apply to a selective college? Is the FAFSA for everyone? What should I know about the Khan Academy? REDUCE YOUR ANXIETY!! Make an appointment to meet NANCI LEONARD who has been working with public and private students for 30 years! Guaranteed: Your stress will vanish! NANCI LEONARD 310-717-6752 nancitheexteacher@yahoo.com Nanci Leonard is a Certified College Counselor who has assisted thousands of students in discovering colleges that are the right “fit.” Google: Core College Counseling for more information or call 310-717-6752. Nanci has been a Brookside resident for 45 years.

©LC0421

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

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ESLA ends search, announces president, head of school

Kenneth Rodgers, Jr.

Girl Scouts

(Continued from page 9) third of its usual total. However, the troop hopes to finish the season with boothing, if conditions allow for it, and boothing generally increases sales. With their cookie profits, Troop 3245 wants to head to Lake Tahoe over the summer in order to reconnect and stay for a group camping trip. The troop has been

LARCHMONT CHARTER By Sally Shapiro 11th Grade

As COVID vaccinations increase, things are opening up, including schools. Larchmont Charter has announced its plan for returning. Once we come back from Spring Break on April 12, students will participate in a form of hybrid learning on Wednesdays. A third of the students from each homeroom will come to school in the morning for an hour and a half. Another third will come in the afternoon and the rest will remain in online learning. It is still unclear how Larch-

BUCKLEY

By Jasper Gough 11th Grade Spring Break will end April 5 and both Middle and Upper School classes will resume. Later that week, on April 8, students in the theater will participate in an online performance for the entire school, promoting social change. The next day during Advisory, advisors will host the annual Virtual Arts Awards, congratulating people who have earned some artistic achievement this past year. The 11th Grade will have their last required college counseling session on April 14. Since it’s the last one, we will be going over the

The Episcopal School of Los Angeles (ESLA) announced last month Kenneth Rodgers, Jr. as its next president and head of school, following a five-month search that included 30 candidates. Currently the Dean of Academics at ESLA, Rodgers will begin his term as head of school on July 1. Rodgers holds a Master in Education degree from Pepperdine University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from USC. “The outpouring of love and support from the ESLA community has been humbling,” Rodgers said in a statement.

As a member of the ESLA senior administrative leadership team, Rodgers has spent the past year developing updates to the ESLA curriculum, such as incorporating Black, Queer, Latinx and Environmental studies into

the core humanities offerings for upper school students. These updates will be publicized in the coming months and piloted next year. The school aims to “push the bounds of what secondary, college-preparatory education

can and should encompass,” the March 15 statement read. Prior to pursuing a career in education, Rodgers attended Boston’s Berkley College of Music and worked as a musician and songwriter. Visit es-la.com.

IMMACULATE HEART

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together since kindergarten, and they said they cannot wait to get back together again. With so much uncertainty, though, this cookie season has also taught the troop an exercise in patience and gratitude. “I feel like, when it gets back to normal, all of us will be a lot more grateful that we’re all together and that we’re selling cookies to people, and I think that we’ll like that,” Lee said. mont will keep students from mingling in halls and stairways. Some students are excited to get back to pre-pandemic life while others are worried about safety. HP AD correction:Layout 1 3/23/21 12:35 PM Page 1 Larchmont junior Jackson Burton is hesitant, stating “Every time cases drop, people take that as a sign to start opening. History is gonna repeat itself again unless 5515 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028 ♥(323) 461-3651 ♥ www.immaculateheart.org we wait until vaccines are even more readily available.” Junior Zahin Hossane is also conflicted, “I’m willing to go back to school in small groups and with precautions in place. At the same time, I don’t want to risk catching the ES T. 19 37 virus and dealing with long-term effects.” While the reactions are mixed one thing is clear, returning back to some form of normalcy is getting closer.

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more critical things like formatting college essays and writing our recommendation letters. The Middle and Upper schools will host BSC Exec elections on April 16. This election will decide who will be the Treasurer, Vice President and President of the Upper School. Only 10th and 11th graders can run for President, but anyone can run for Vice and Treasurer. The 12th graders will have their final college counseling session on April 27. They will celebrate going off to college and get bits of advice for how to proceed going into it. Lastly, on April 30, The Upper School will have BSC Rep Elections. In these, we vote on who our six class representatives will be for next year. It’s six representatives per grade, so about thirtysix representatives in total.

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OAKWOOD SCHOOL By Scarlett Saldaña 10th Grade

In these past months at Oakwood School, elementary students have been able to learn through a hybrid of in-person and remote learning model, while groups of secondary students safely visit campus to practice for sports, the musical, STEAM and many more.

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Last March, secondary students also visited school to participate in community-building activities with a small cohort, and these successful events will continue throughout the rest of the school year as vaccines con-

tinue to be administered. Bearing this in mind, after spring break, Oakwood is planning for secondary students to transition into a hybrid-learning model! While there are more details to come about this change, Oakwood is creating guidelines to ensure that the mix of remote learning and in-person classes will allow students to

learn in safe environments with social distancing and masks on. At the end of April, the Class of 2027 will visit Oakwood to attend the beloved Ice Cream Social.

This is always an exciting event for incoming students, and it’s a great way to socialize with other classmates before their 7th Grade year begins.

SAINT BRENDAN

my fellow students get into great schools like Loyola, HarvardWestlake, Marlborough, Providence, Marymount and Immaculate Heart and more. St. Brendan School is now able to do more regular activities now that some of us are back on campus. Speaking of such activities, we are starting a CYO basketball team for boys and girls where all games will be played safely outside. For this month, we have Holy Thursday, April Fools’ Day and Easter vacation. We look forward to these events, and many more, to be hopefully done in a fashion where we can safely have everyone be present.

By Lucas Bland 8th Grade

H y b r i d instruction for St. Brendan School is now finally present, and students are back on campus for the first time in a year. The process has been successful so far, and students will be able to learn at a much faster pace. Along with this good news, our 2nd graders have done their First Reconciliation ceremony, and 8th graders have received their letters of acceptance! I’m so happy to see

Local school hosts virtual auction for charity, supplies Hancock Park Elementary School last month hosted a virtual “Making the World a Better Place” silent auction that raised money for school supplies and a local charity. The project was a collaboration among teachers, students and local artists. It produced more than 150 art submissions for the online auction, from March 15 to 22, which raised nearly $2,500. The profits from the event will be divided between a local charity and supplies for the school, including items needed for use when in-person instruction returns. According to Hancock Park Elementary educator Kamille Maslon, a survey was taken by students, who picked People for Community Improvement, a Black-owned nonprofit based in south Los Angeles, as the organization that they most wanted to help. “Through this event, our

PORTRAIT of James Baldwin by artist Ingrid Elburg was a part of the silent auction.

students are learning that they too can make a difference by simply creating art or a book of poetry,” said Maslon. “Being a part of this auction has brought all of us teachers, students and community members so much joy.” Visit hancockparkes-lausdca.schoolloop.com.

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION ONE

Equestrian is an individual sport with a league of its own

“I would travel only by horse, if I had the choice.” - Linda McCartney My only knowledge about genus Equus is that top fuel funny cars have a representational stampede called horsepower under their hoods (I used to write for “Drag Racer” magazine.) My wife was raised on a Central Illinois farm, and she and her siblings showed horses. Without her, I couldn’t have written this column on equestrian sports. The horse is as American as hot dogs, rock‘n’roll and grape-flavored Skittles, and along with camels, originated and evolved in North America. They spread across the Bering land bridge several million years ago into Eurasia. Equus dwindled to near-extinction in North America, though thankfully for Hollywood, returned home en masse with the early Spanish explorers. Imagine Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid without horses. The Inside Track Marlborough School’s Charlotte Murray brings to mind the film “National Velvet.” It’s no western, though the story does depend on horses, and it was filmed in California. Murray is one of Marlborough’s equestrian team captains, a real-life counterpart to the young Elizabeth Taylor’s Velvet Brown. She’s been riding English 10 years, and is a senior at Marlborough School. “I got involved through my older sister, who started riding at a young age as well,” said Murray. Her biggest accomplishments to date are win-

placement points per event towards a cumulative overall Youth championship. The organization holds four shows a year, Sports all at Hansen Dam Horse Park by Center in nearby Lake View Jim Terrace. The 38-acre equestriKalin an facility is snuggled against the majestic Angeles National ning CPHA (California Pro- Forest off the 210 Freeway. fessional Horsemen’s AssociaWalking the course tion) Junior Medal Finals in Equestrian is not a popular September 2020, and a top-24 sport because of cost. Ownat Maclay Finals in Lexington, ing a horse can be a financial Kentucky two months later. challenge. This is where the There is both an interscho- IEL becomes so important. lastic equestrian association The organization leases horses Est. 1999 and an interscholastic eques- to riders and offers trainers at trian league (IEL). Marlbor- reasonable rates.“Educate, Enable, and Equip the Christian Leaders of Tomorrow” MARLBOROUGH student Charlotte Murray rides her horse Bolt. ough’s equestrian team com“We keep it affordable so we petes through the IEL and par- can include a lot of riders,” Est. pion 1999of the 3-3 Junior Hunters borough coach Daniel Lynch. ticipates in events throughout said Nall. “The Marlborough kids are for Zone 10. “Educate, and EquipMarlborough the Christian Leaders Tomorrow” the year, thoughEnable, most have School ofhas “The season before the pan- pretty elite,” confirmed Nall. been put on hold due to the one of the area’s top eques- demic, we came in first for Thanks to my wife for pandemic. The competitions trian teams. Ava Horowitz was varsity and JV levels, and the explaining to me the differseparate riders by ability, not JV Equitation and JV Overall team as a whole finished sec- ences between a bit, bridle, Enable, and Equip theher Christian age or grade, and once a rider Champion, and teammate Jor- ond in the IEL 2018-19 season “Educate, halter and reins. I owe a Lea wins a championship at one dan Ellis was the 2020 Cham- school standings,” said Marl- day at the drag races. level, she must bump up to the next. Equestrian is also one of the few sports where girls and boys compete head-to-head. TOP 10% in CA and nation for Gender is neither obstacle nor academic performance advantage, though at the middle and high school levels, 95 percent of those who compete TOP 10% in CA and nation for in the IEL are girls. academic performance TOP 10% “When you are a young acade female, riding is such an empowering sport,” explained IEL president Suzanne Nall. IN “It teaches them to pay attenCOVID-19 tion, and how to control and NCA Online be responsible for a large aniEducation System is the BEST! mal. It also teaches them not IN IN COVID-19 to be victims.” NCA Online IEL horseCOVID-19 shows are comEducation System NCA Online -Effective remote learning environment -Immediate feedbackis the BEST! Est. 1999 prised of three disciplines — Education System is the BEST! -Highly effective, passionate teachers -Customized learning based on data dressage, hunter and jump“Educate, Enable, and Equip the Christian Leaders of Tomorrow” -Effective remoteteachers learning environment er — and riders are awarded -Proven LMS and learning apps -Collaboration among & peers -Immediate fe

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION ONE

school activities in order to give the students a small sense of normality and prepare for the slow shift into hybrid learning. Those activities include JV/Varsity tennis, lacrosse, and golf, track and field, as well as performance arts activities like dance. Academically, Marlborough will be re-introducing robotics, debate and study sessions. Each year the 9th grade student council breaks into five committees to select its upper school class identity which is a Marlborough tradition. The committees are: Color, Song, Shirt, Decoration and Presentation. The 9th grade student council on March 15 will reveal our class colors, which is the culmination of a long selection process.

MARLBOROUGH By Avery Gough 9th Grade

I have some exciting news for Marlborough students: we will soon be back on campus parttime for hybrid learning. There will be three cohorts with overlapping class schedules. The cohorts will be a mix of all the grades. We don’t know all of the specifics, but at press time, a meeting was scheduled for March 16 to explain the schedule in more detail. In the meantime, Marlborough has begun to incorporate after-

The colors will be incorporated into graduation decorations and the class banner, which will be unfurled in 10th grade. The class of 2024 decided on sage, lavender and pearl. The song committee ran its own election and the class voted for “Story of my Life” by One Direction. The shirt committee is designing a shirt with the chosen colors and the decoration committee will present decor at the All-School Meeting. All of these elements will be showcased in a video that the presentation committee will put together that explains the song and the colors. Our last day before spring break was March 26 and we restart April 12. I hope everyone has a great break and stays safe!

THIRD STREET By Sofia Kirilov 5th Grade

March was Women’s History Month, and all of us at Third Street Elementary celebrated the contributions of women to history, culture and society. On March 8, International Women’s Day, we had a schoolwide assembly with our students presenting interesting facts about inspiring women throughout history. When I think about innovative women, I think of trailblazers like Marie Curie, who was the first person (man or woman) in history to receive two Nobel Prizes in two different fields, physics and chemistry. She not only persevered to break multiple barriers (girls were not even allowed to go to school when she was growing up), but made groundbreaking scientific discoveries. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who made our first virtual fundraiser, Shine Online, a huge success. Students participated in weekly themed challenges to drive donations and win prizes. The theme for week one was “Kindness Club, week two was “Too Fit to Quit,” week three

IMMACULATE HEART By Quinn Lanza 12th Grade

Richard Neil Grimm January 22, 1946 – February 4, 2021

Richard Grimm died February 4, 2021 due to complications from a long battle with head and neck cancer. He was born in Los Angeles on January 22, 1946, the youngest son of Lawrence Trevor and Harriett Grimm. He attended Black Foxe Military Academy and the University of the Pacific, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. Richard received a secondary teaching credential from USC and taught briefly before completing his law degree at Southwestern Law School. He was a practicing attorney for 40 years; Grimm and Scholnick Attorneys at Law specialized in landlord tenant disputes.

Richard met his wife, Polly, on a blind date that turned into a 44-year love story; they were married August 7, 1976. He is survived by his wife and their two children, Tiffany (married to Joaquin Figueroa) and Kevin; two grandchildren, Shane and Ryder; and

his sister, Patty Thompson. Trevor Grimm, his older brother, predeceased him. Richard was a kind, loving, generous man—always upbeat and full of joy for all of life’s adventures. He was a founding member of the Westchester Rat Pack, friendships of which span seven decades. He loved the out-of-doors (hunting and fishing), participated in Civil War reenactments, was a docent at the Autry museum and filled his retirement years with travel and knifemaking. He will truly be missed and forever loved by his family and friends. Due to COVID-19, the celebration of his life will take place at a later time.

Adv.

At Immaculate Heart, virtual learning is running smoothly, and the pandemic has not stopped our school from continuing its beloved traditions. This past month, students formed committees to help plan the 100th celebration of Mary’s Day, which is set to take place on April 30. Meanwhile, sports teams continue to practice in hopes of league competition soon. Teams have mostly returned to in-person, socially distanced, practices. Only sports that take place outside have been permitted to compete in league this year for obvious reasons, and sports such as volleyball will likely be moved outside. Unfortunately, it looks like the basketball team will not be having a season this spring. Finally, Immaculate Heart is gearing up for reopening on April 12 as long as Covid-19 numbers remain low and meet Los Angeles Country restrictions.

was “Hooray for Hollywood,” and week four was “A Minute a Win It.” Everyone had a blast and the money raised provides for classes like the music and art classes I have this semester. For our music class, I am learning how to play the ukulele! I am very excited about spring break! I am also eager to hear more news about our school reopening. It would be wonderful if we can safely return to school, and for me to finish my last year at Third Street at school, with my friends and teachers in person!

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION ONE

Dining face-to-face outdoors: We dared a double-date Last month, my husband and I enjoyed our first meal out, trusting the science that patio dining was safe. Now that more restrictions have been lifted and we are fully vaccinated, are we ready for the next step: a dining double date? However eager I am to return to some semblance of normalcy, I still feel hesitant about sitting less than two feet away from unmasked friends across a three-foot wide restaurant table, but we tried it anyway. Deciding we definitely weren’t ready for indoor eating, we booked one of the prettiest outdoor spaces around, heading to Bacari in Beverly Grove. They’ve expanded their outdoor space since the before times, taking over the sidewalk and an adjoining patio in addition to the tree-shaded courtyard outside the restaurant proper. We and our vaccinated friends sat in that original courtyard, which has a secret garden feel, at a table which was well-spaced from others. It was a chilly night, but standing heaters spread warmth, and the plants, string lights and rustic walls lent a homey aura. Any unease we felt dissipated once we settled in with our cocktails and wine and QR code menus (they also inexpli-

cably gave us paper menus). Although I used to advocate for sharing everything among tablemates, we are taking baby steps back into the world, so we decided to confine crosscontaminated tasting to within each couple. Bacari has a varied menu of small plates representing the flavors of Italy, the Middle East, Mexico and a dollop of California fusion. Savory dishes range from $9 to $13, sweet ones run $6.50 to $8.50, and there are plenty of gluten-free and vegan options. Our friends were delighted with their burrata and tomato in pesto salad, their pita dipping plate with vegan paté, hummus and hazelnut beet spread, shawarma tacos (marinated chicken, tahini, cabbage), hamburger with Worcestershire aioli, Asian pear and brie pizza, and bread pudding with ice cream. In spite of our resolve not to share across the table, we couldn’t resist trying a spoonful of their bread pudding dessert, which was, as they say, the bomb. My husband and I started with a bowl of sweet and perfectly plump Prince Edward Island mussels. The steaming broth was deeply flavored

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CHRIST THE KING By Wynter Williams 8th Grade

March has been an exciting month, and all of our Vikings are as lively as ever. Saint Patrick’s Day rolled around, and CKS Vikings made sure to dress in green and to learn the history of the holiday. Eighth grade students were very excited to receive their letters of acceptance to their prospective high schools. Our fantastic Parent Board organized a fundraising event for our

we ordered. A shallow bowl was filled with a white creamy, soupy liquid, studded with fingernail-sized purple pillows drizzled with green sauce. One bite, however, solved the mystery delightfully, revealing that the itsy bitsy bits were ricotta and beet gnocchi in a goat cheese fondue with chimichurri. It was adorable, with a very delicate and subtle taste. Two cornbread-crusted fried chicken sliders were good, though not as exceptional as some of the other renditions flooding menus everywhere. Pickles and olive aioli definitely amped up the overall expe-

rience. Carmelized cauliflower florets in chipotle sauce brought a nice kick to the table, but the vegetable star of the evening was the three mushrooms stuffed with five cheeses, pecans and pesto. The mushrooms still maintained their integrity (too often they’re cooked to soggy softness), nicely countering the saucy, gooey cheese and bright pesto. All in all, our Bacari night was a delicious, safe and charming way to celebrate our liberating vaccinations with friends. Bacari, 8030 3/4 W. Third St., 323-452-9149.

school on March 26. All students, family members and friends were invited to join our virtual paint night. Attendees learned step-bystep how to paint a breathtaking Hawaiian sunset, and we can all say that the event brought everyone a little closer to one another. However, the real champions of this month were our wonderful decathletes who placed first overall in the Hub Five Regional Academic Decathlon, which was held virtually on March 6. Scarlett Gonsalves placed first in literature, Lawrence Notar first in English, Gian Parades second in science, Wynter Williams first in social studies, Alyssa Apan first in

fine arts, Henok Tsega second in current events, Kelcey Raiz first in religion and Tony Kim placed first in math. In addition, our team, with the support of Jacqueline Liego and Valerie Valencia, placed first in logic and second in the super quiz. Winning first place overall gave our team the opportunity to participate in the national competition. In that event, the CKS team placed first in logic, Alyssa Apan placed third in fine arts and Lawrence Notar placed third in English. We are proud of our excellent team and commend the members for their hard work and unwavering will to succeed. Go Vikings!

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Academy

(Continued from page 1) broadcast of the Academy Awards April 25. Kickoff April 22 Pre-opening museum programming will kick off with “Breaking the Oscar Ceiling” on April 22, hosted by museum Trustee Diane von Furstenberg and moderated by Stewart. The conversation will feature Sophia Loren, Whoopi Goldberg, Marlee Matlin and Buffy Sainte-Marie. Other pre-opening virtual programs, with times and dates to come, include the Conversations with the Artists series, which will feature the 2011 film, “Pariah,” and the 2001 film, “Y Tu Mamá También.” The In Conversation series will feature discussions with writer / director Spike Lee and “Joker” composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. Among the museum trustees and award winners at the media’s virtual rollout March 10 was Board of Trustees CoChair Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix. “Like many of you, I grew up as a movie lover,” he said. Yet, after moving to Los Angeles in 1998, he was disappointed it lacked a “mythical center for the film capital of the world… Well, all of that is about to change.” The 300,000-square foot, six-story museum at Fairfax Ave. and Wilshire Blvd. is housed in two buildings. The 1939, glittering-gold May Co., renamed the Saban, Building, has been fully restored. The Streamline Moderne landmark

OSCARS®, OF COURSE, will be on display at the new Academy Museum.

is connected by glass bridges to the dome-shaped Sphere Building, which houses the 1,000seat David Geffen Theater — suspended above the Walt Disney Company Piazza — and is topped on its roof by the Dolby Family Terrace with panoramic city views. “We are making a museum in the center of Wilshire, and where the Miracle Mile starts,” said Pritzker Prize-winning architect and designer of the museum, Renzo Piano. (From an historic point of view, Miracle Mile started at the La Brea end when developer A.W. Ross erected his first retail structure at the corner there in 1924.) The new museum’s gallery space includes permanent and temporary exhibitions, with those spaces designed by Kulapat Yantrasast and his wHY Architecture studio. “Cinema and good design have always been a way to create empathy,” Yantrasast said on the tour. Stories of Cinema The museum’s permanent, core exhibition is titled “Stories of Cinema.” The exhibition spans three floors of the

museum, beginning in the Saban Building’s lobby, in the Spielberg Family Gallery. This free exhibit will feature multiple screens telling the history of cinema from the Lumière brothers to the modern day. Diversity Exhibit features within Stories of Cinema will include Rita Moreno — the first Latino actress to win an Oscar; her iconic role in “West Side Story” was not defined by stereotypes, said Moreno on the tour — and Danai Gurira, who played a warrior in “Black Panther.” Gurira spoke of the elaborate beadwork and stitching of the African-inspired costumes in the film that will be on display. “[The exhibit] will take your breath away,” she said. While much of Hollywood’s past did not acknowledge the medium’s diversity, this museum “gives me hope the future of Hollywood will,” Gurira added. Stories of Cinema will also include galleries developed in collaboration with writerdirectors Spike Lee and Pedro Almodóvar and composer Hil-

MULTIPLE GALLERIES at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures provide spaces for wide-ranging exhibitions.

Academy Museum Inaugural Exhibitions (Opening Sept. 30, 2021) Spielberg Family Gallery: Stories of Cinema begins here. Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery: Hayao Miyazaki. LAIKA Gallery: The Path to Cinema: Highlights from the Richard Balzer Collection. Hurd Gallery: Backdrop: An Invisible Art. East West Bank Gallery: The Oscars® Experience. dur Guðnadóttir. “I want to see yellow school buses double-parked in front of the museum,” said Lee. “Maybe it sparks something in [the students], and they say, ‘Hey, you know what, I want to be a filmmaker.’” Other galleries The inaugural temporary exhibition, “Hayao Miyazaki,” the first museum retrospective in the Americas for the artist, will include 300 objects, including his original imageboards and large-scale film clips of his animated films. Installed in the museum’s Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery and

designed as a journey, visitors will explore Miyazaki’s characters and imaginary worlds, including a Magical Tree installation, which represents a gateway to another world in many of his films. Once the museum opens, programs will also include artmaking workshops, such as Hayao Miyazaki Family Day. Other galleries and their inaugural exhibitions are listed in the above sidebar. “The Academy Museum is for everyone. Our programming will help to open eyes and minds,” Stewart said. Visit academymuseum.org.

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION ONE

Big Sunday is on the move; ‘Wild and Woolly’ events this month

By Suzan Filipek Big Sunday — the 20-plusyear volunteer group based just north of Hancock Park and west of Larchmont Village — is looking for a new home. “Our lease is up at the end of the year,” David Levinson, Big Sunday founder and executive director, told us. Levinson is looking for a new site for the group’s headquarters with equal capacity of about 4,000 square feet for office, event and warehouse spaces. “We’re excited about the many possibilities and opportunities — which might, this go-round, even include

parking space!” Many of the group’s 2,000-annual ways for people to help others take place at schools, homeless shelters and

at its Melrose headquarters. Developer Bardas Investment Group purchased the property at 6111 Melrose Ave. last year. (See story on page 3 of Section 2.) Since its founding in 1999, Big Sunday has grown from humble beginnings to become one of the largest community service groups in the country. After a brief time in an office on Beverly Blvd. across from El Coyote, Big Sunday moved to the Melrose location 12 years ago, where it offers events several times a week

in addition to around the city and county. Programming went virtual during the pandemic, but free food is distributed every Friday to schools and nonprofits, and a “Foot the Bill Fund” program made available to residents in 200 cities helped keep their lights on or get through other hardships right now, Levinson said. “Wild and Woolly” Big Sunday is going to the dogs — and the cats and horses — this month, when it debuts a new animal-friendly

program, “Wild and Woolly.” Participants can sign up to help with spay and neuter programs, pet food drives, horse therapy and more. “With so much that people have been going through, we thought it would be nice to do something for animals,” Levinson said. “It’s a new thing for us, and it should be fun.” The volunteer group is also planning to soon offer some outdoor inperson events, with masks and social distancing, for the first time since COVID-19 cases resurged last fall.

No-frills, no-Zoom barbecue served up much-needed funds

By Helene Seifer In 2021, after a year of too many hours connecting online for work, cultural events, fundraisers and even to visit friends and family, the new pandemic problem is “Zoom burnout.” David Levinson, Big Sunday’s executive director, decided to give people a break. “I think people are Zoomed out,” stated the Hancock Park resident. The sixth annual Big Sunday Fundraiser, held March 20 and 21, involved e-mailed invitations that offered a delivered meal and nothing else. Participants purchased a $250 meal ticket, and ribs magically appeared on the designated day. “The response was fantastic!” according to Levinson. “We had a goal of what we were hoping to raise, and we got more than double that.”

Over 400 meals were delivered, and many of the paid drivers were artists and others affected by loss of jobs and income during the coronavirus restrictions. As with all charity campaigns, the bulk of the funds raised came from sponsorships. Roughly 60 individuals, foundations and corporations gave sponsor-level financial support, including the Original Farmers Market, NBC-Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Temple Israel of Hollywood, where Big Sunday began. Levinson concludes, “We were truly touched and humbled by the outpouring of support.” Big Sunday works year-round with volunteers to make a difference in our community. To join the effort, go to bigsunday.org.

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SECTION ONE

APRIL 2021

Spring Is in the Air

CMY

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All activities will be monitored to maintain the most up-to-date recommendations in safety protocols.

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Larchmont Chronicle

DEVELOPMENT

MUSEUMS

Really open floor plans dominate in Seward Media Corridor.

CULTURE

Wear your mask and enjoy reopenings after a year of shutdowns.

Page 3

Pritzker prizewinning architect’s designs were among trip’s highlights.

Page 12

Real estate EntErtainmEnt, LibrariEs HomE & GardEn

Page 14

VIEW

Section 2

LARCHMONT CHRONICLE

APRIL 2021

HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • GREATER WILSHIRE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT

326 S. Windsor | Windsor Square | $9,995,000 SOLD Represented Buyer. Recently constructed, 5Bd / 9 bas, den, office, gym & 13 seater theater. Pool & spa Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101

330 S. Irving Blvd. | Windsor Square | $4,499,000 Estate quality! 5Bed/3.5 in House + 2Bed/1.5 Huge Guest house + Yard! Must see! Lisa Hutchins 323.460.7626 CalRE #01018644

505 S. Rimpau Blvd. | Hancock Park | $9,200,000 One of a kind. Sophisticated, stylish & stunning estate designed by Gordon Kaufmann. 505Rimpau.com

546 S. Rimpau Blvd. | Hancock Park | $6,999,000 Grand Italianate w/ gst house! 6bed/6.5bBa, Amazing details! 2story entry! Co-listed.

201 S. Plymouth Blvd. | Windsor Square | $4,599,000 IN ESCROW. Beautifully remodeled & restored English just 1 block to Larchmont. 3 bed/3.5 ba+1 bed GH

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Lisa Hutchins 323.460.7626 CalRE #01018644

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165 N. Las Palmas Ave. | Hancock Park | $4,499,000 Stately English Tudor on a beautiful treelined st. 5Bd / 4.5Bas, covered patio, large pool & 3 car-garage.

571 Cahuenga Blvd. | Hancock Park | $2,935,000 All redone in 2018. 3Bd / 3Bas + studio apt, pool.

604 S. Arden Blvd. | Hancock Park | $2,264,000 SOLD OFF MARKET OVER ASKING. 4 Bed / 3.5 bath, corner of Arden & 6th

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Lisa Hutchins 323.460.7626 CalRE #01018644

156 S. Arden Blvd.| Hancock Park | $1,999,000

637 Wilcox #1B | Hancock Park | $1,000,000

568 N. Windsor Bl. | Larchmont Village | $1,000,000

145 S. Hudson Ave. | Hancock Park | $25,000/MO

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IN ESCROW. Duplex blocks from Larchmont Village ready for your creativity. 568Windsor.com Loveland Carr Group 323.460.7606 CalRE #01467820, #0888374

Stately Country English on one of the finest blocks in Hancock Park. 6 beds + 2 baths, pool with spa. Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101

142 N. Hudson Ave| Hancock Park | $18,500/MO GolfCourse View Estate! 5Bed/4.5 Bas 1bed/1ba guest rm, pool, 3rd St + Marlborough schools close. Lisa Hutchins 323.460.7626 CalRE #01018644

1166 S. Victoria Ave.| Hancock Park | $4,950/MO Oxford Sq. home 3 bed & 2 ba. Wood floors. French doors. Spacious backyard. Artist workshop.

346 Westminster | Windsor Square | $4,000/MO JUST LEASED. Sweet 3+1.25 home w/hardwood floors and newer appliances. Sweet backyard. Garage.

135 S. Alta Vista Blvd. | Miracle Mile | Price upon Req 2 Story character Spanish 4/3.5 + Guest house. Appx. 3,100 sqft. Lot. Showing after April 12.

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Developing affordable housing: Don’t believe the YIMBY hype

For anyone paying attention, affordable housing is currently being heralded as the cure-all for a host of the city’s ills. Homelessness, workforce housing, urban flight, poor public transportation, climate change and segregation will all vanish if the city BUILDS! Builds more, builds bigger, builds faster and builds everywhere. Here in Greater Wilshire, we are in the eye of the storm. In Hollywood to our north, the Hollywood Community Plan Update has passed the City Planning Commission with the promise of more density, and — in Sacramento — San Francisco’s State Sen. Scott Wiener and Bay Area YIMBYs seek to end single-family housing and local control. (YIMBY is an abbreviation for the real estate industry-sponsored “yes in my back yard” movement. It’s supposedly a counter to NIMBY – “not in my back yard” — get it?) Now don’t get me wrong, I am neither anti-development nor do I deny the desperate need for more affordable housing. I do, however, question the veracity of some of the claims of local groups such as Abundant Housing, the Friends of the Purple Line and LA Forward ... and even some of the reasoning coming out of Council District 4 Councilmember

On Preservation by

Brian Curran

Nithya Raman’s office. They all are trumpeting that the affordability crisis has reached such a degree that all other considerations (historic preservation among them) must be laid aside for the greater good. I am also curious why these groups are putting their faith in what amounts to what retired city planner Dick Platkin, writing in “CityWatch Los Angeles,” called “trickle-down affordable housing.” That means expecting the real estate and development interests to adequately provide the solution to a social problem that they are partially responsible for. That certainly is a definition of wishful thinking. Consider Hollywood, where the City Planning Commission just passed the new Hollywood Community Plan Update — that included the up zoning of central Hollywood ... in an effort to drive real estate development ... in the hope this will provide needed new affordable units ... which will come as a result of the construction of many

New Listing 322 S. Rossmore| $5,750,000 5 Bed+5 Bath|Hancock Park

more market-rate units. What the planning commissioners neglected to do, however, was to protect the vast concentrations of existing (and often historic) affordable and rent stabilized units, which now will be prime targets for demolition and redevelopment. While the theory is that these units will be replaced, oftentimes years later, it is soon that the existing communities will be displaced and the neighborhood “cleansed” (as the “Los Angeles Times” put it), while newer affluent professionals with cars move in ... or not, inasmuch as Hollywood has among the highest vacancy rates in the city, according to a recent UCLA study.

Closer to home, YIMBY advocates call for the end of single-family zoning, including in Historic Preservation Overlay Districts (HPOZs), calling it exclusionary and racist. They argue that social justice demands that existing residents must make room for “missing middle housing” so as to welcome those who historically have been denied access to resource-rich communities. Their theory, here, is that the more of these new residences that contractors build, the cheaper housing will get. Senate Bill 9 is being sold as one such tool to achieve this. SB 9 would allow lot-splitting that encourages land speculators

to buy houses, demolish them wholly or partially, split the lot, and build six to eight marketrate housing units where one house previously existed. This will increase land values exponentially and make affordable housing impossible. SB 9 also eliminates objective zoning standards and allows unregulated building size. SB 9 and these other YIMBY and developer proposals do not require units to be affordable. Why would a developer volunteer to earn less money than the free market will supply? For example, in our readers’ general vicinity, new units in modern four-plexes rent for far above (Please turn to page 19)

TELEVISION CITY at Fairfax and Melrose has just applied to the City Planning Dept. for review of its proposed “TVC2050 Speciﬁc Plan.” Detailed information is available now at tvc2050.com .

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Creative oﬃce building planned in Media District, on Melrose

By Suzan Filipek A five-story creative office building targeted to media companies and designed with an open space, post-pandemic perspective, is planned at the northwest corner of Melrose Avenue and Seward Street. Floor-to-ceiling windows, an open stairwell and ample outside spaces are among features of the project by developer Bardas Investment Group. Plans include 68,000 square feet of new office, retail and open space in four buildings at 6101-6107 Melrose / 713735 N. Seward. The project includes two existing historic buildings that are part of the 100,000-square-foot campus. The design by architect Ben Toam of Otherworks (formerly with Rios) also includes ground-floor food services and subterranean parking to be entered from Seward. The new development/adaptive re-use project is envisioned as an anchor at the end of the Seward Media Corridor, which is home to — among other entertainment companies — Netflix, one of Bardas’ tenants. The Media Corridor extends north to Santa Monica Blvd. The Fremont Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library is next door on Melrose.

AN ALL-WHITE building with floor-to-ceiling windows, viewed from the east on Seward. Melrose is at left. Proposed as a five-story, media-focused project, it adjoins the John C. Fremont Library.

Project requirements include a zoning and height change and a traffic study; so far an application has been submitted to the City Planning Dept. West Hollywood developer and founder and managing principal at Bardas, David Simon, has also met with business and community groups, including the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council’s Land Use Committee. Simon was part of the team that developed Columbia Square in Hollywood. “I’ve always been focused on media spaces from a real estate perspective in L.A.,” he said.

The 74-foot-tall commercial development at Melrose and Seward will replace a parking lot and a late 1920s singlestory commercial building. That building’s sole remaining tenant is Big Sunday, the massive local volunteer group. Big Sunday will be moving by the end of the year (See story on page 19 of Section 1). Renderings show a white corrugated metal façade and setbacks on Melrose with terraces and balconies above. The project will create a new pedestrian access. Simon explained that, prior to the pandemic, “everything was heading towards outdoor

OUTDOOR spaces, above and below right, are among features of the Bardas Investment Group development, at Melrose and Seward.

space, but it really accelerated it, and that was the main focus of the building. And, Southern California has the climate for it. “Our goal is to keep the media companies in L.A. and not have them move out.” And keep the jobs here as well, he added. Locally, in commercial real estate, life sciences and entertainment properties are thriving, unlike many other commercial business sectors, explained Simon. Entertainment companies are not interested in the highrise buildings of the past. “Media companies are very finicky on the type of space they want — creative environment, low density, space to collaborate and ease getting in

and out.” Simon hopes to break ground in 12 to 18 months, and to complete the project in approximately three years.

Home Ground to return in May

Paula Panich, our Home Ground columnist, is away from home this month. We look forward to reading her column in our next issue in May.

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

It can take a village to go an extra mile to house each one of us

The February front-page Larchmont Chronicle article about Giorgio has been on my mind. “We talk about how homelessness is growing at such a rapid rate and we can’t stay on top of it. Our neighborhood truly is a village and it’s important to take care of your village,” commented Olivia Kazanjian, (Larchmont resident). When we see Giorgio, hunched like an old man on a walker, we are witnessing the insidious demise of a large percentage of our population in one man. How does our dysfunctional system allow a shopping cart to become someone’s “home” filled to the brim with old clothes and mementos long forgotten? Have we grown so used to walking past people sleeping on sidewalks that we’ve given up on Giorgio? On all the Giorgios, “because we can’t stay on top of it”? A statement that has been far too easy for us to accept. I reached out to my friend Sarah Dusseault, a commissioner at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), for her guidance on helping Giorgio. Sarah connected me with Eduardo, who gave me a heartwarming account of helping an unhoused neighbor get off the street. That neighbor, Lansing, lived behind a store in the Sunset Square area for seven years. Many of the neighbors looked after him. When Lansing could no longer live behind the safety of a locked gate, he moved to a corner on Sunset. “The neighbors rallied and

The NIMBY Diaries by

Marilyn Wells began looking for ways to help Lansing,” Eduardo recalled. One of the neighbors had already discovered that Lansing was a U.S. military veteran and was eligible to receive benefits. Ms. Dusseault helped connect the dots by finding a case manager and mental health resources, and everyone switched into high gear to help Lansing. One neighbor suggested finding another gated area. “I thought, that’s like moving him from the middle seat to a window seat. No, we’re going to upgrade him!” exclaimed Eduardo. Lansing was hesitant because he didn’t want to leave the comfort of his neighborhood. The neighbors finished the final mile of the marathon by locating an affordable unit in the area and helping Lansing move into his new home. As I listened to the determination of the Sunset Square’s neighbors to help one man, I felt empowered. It does take a village. A village willing to go that extra mile for all of its residents. I wonder what it would be like to run into Giorgio at Village Pizzeria, wearing nice clothes with his hair combed back. As a community, it is our duty to insure that the people who work in an area can live there. Teachers, Larchmont

employees and our elderly residents who need to scale down should all be able to find housing. We can make a difference in people’s livelihoods by welcoming all new developments that include affordable units, especially what is referred to as the “Missing Middle” — units for both low and middle incomes. At a recent Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee meeting, Windsor Square’s Tommy Atlee, a recent Yale graduate, now a law student, argued in favor of a new five-story apartment building proposed for 500 N. Larchmont Blvd., “I can’t afford housing in the

neighborhood I grew up in. This building would give me that opportunity.” Our village can chip away at the larger problem, one person at a time, by saying “yes” to affordable housing. Too many people spend more than half of their income on housing, because rents have soared and wages have not kept pace. A worker needs to earn $41.96 per hour in the City of Los Angeles to afford the average rent of $2,182. My background as a mental health professional has taught me that the most meaningful parts of our identity are found in the

community. For this reason, I want to live in a neighborhood that values social, racial and economic diversity. It’s not enough to move the teacher or the young lawyer who can’t afford Los Angeles rents from the middle seat to a window seat if we’re not willing to ask what an upgraded ticket looks like for every neighbor, including our unhoused like Giorgio. Larchmont Chronicle guest columnist Marilyn Wells, Psy.D. is a resident of Hancock Park and an advocate for people with lived homeless experience. She is the co-founder of storiesfrontline.org.

Can local millennials afford the proposed five-story Larchmont building?

By John Welborne Veteran local real estate developer Raffi Cohen is proposing a new five-story apartment building for 500 N. Larchmont Blvd., on the northeast corner of Rosewood. The land now houses Snooknuk, a two-story commercial building and a few other buildings. Under regular local zoning law, a future apartment building on this property would be allowed to be up to four stories tall and have 14 market-rate units. What is proposed would be five stories tall and have 21 units — five additional market-rate units in exchange for providing two units for “extremely low income” (ELI) tenants. (These are households with maximum family incomes of $23,700 for one person up to

therefore support this project. Will they be able to afford the rent? The average perunit rent in the City of Los Angeles is $2,182 per month. One-bedFIVE-STORY apartment building proposed room units on for Larchmont and Rosewood, viewed from nearby Rossmore Rosewood, looking northwest. Avenue are available for as low as approximate$44,650 for eight people.) Rents for one of those two ly $1,770 per month, while ELI units could be as low as one-bedroom units in the LG $655 per month. The rents Apartments, two blocks north, for the other units — the 19 on Melrose at Larchmont, market-rate units — have not range from $2,450 to $3,730 per month. been established. If the Larchmont and RoseSome millennial-aged individuals who grew up in neigh- wood project is approved, it borhoods near the proposed will be several years before project complain that they its construction is complete cannot afford to buy a single- and the rental rates for its 19 family home like their par- new market-rate apartments ents’ homes, and they say they are announced.

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Assessors seek clarity of inheritance and other Prop 19 impacts

By Billy Taylor California’s 58 county assessors are seeking clarification on the implementation of a new property tax measure with the hope to delay a provision that makes it more costly for children to inherit some homes from their parents. Narrowly approved by voters last November, Proposition 19 partially took effect on Feb. 16, but according to Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang, many homeowners are not yet aware of its impact. To learn more about how the measure potentially impacts local residents, we asked Prang to explain his concerns. Prang says the new measure makes “significant changes” to the California Constitution regarding tax benefits. “Homeowners who meet certain criteria now have expanded taxsaving options, but children who inherit property may face increases in property taxes,” he told the Chronicle last month. Basis transfer Essentially, Prop. 19 does two things. “First, Prop. 19 allows homeowners over 55, disabled, or victims of natural disasters to transfer their property tax basis with them when they sell their home and purchase a new one anywhere within the state — up to three

LOS ANGELES County Assessor Jeff Prang.

times. They can also transfer that tax basis to a home of greater value. Previously, eligible homeowners could only transfer their property tax rate to a home of equal or lesser value and only in a limited number of counties. This is effective April 1,” says Prang. Tax the children The second part of Prop. 19 went into effect Feb. 16 and imposes limits on the intergenerational transfer of the assessed value of the family property. “Previously, parents could transfer their primary residence, and up to $1 million in additional property, to their children without a change in the assessed value, even if the children used it as a rental,” explains Prang. But now,

only a parent’s principal residence may be transferred to the children, and that home must then become the principal residence for the children, or — maybe — one of them, within one year of the transfer. “If these conditions are not met, the home will be reassessed,” Prang explains. Lebowski loophole Supporters of Prop. 19 celebrated its victory as a way to eliminate what was dubbed the “Lebowski loophole,” which is a reference to a 2018 Los Angeles Times report that found actor Jeff Bridges and a sibling had inherited a Malibu home which they leased for $16,000 a month while maintaining their parent’s annual property tax of about $5,000. Does Prop. 19 appropriately address that loophole? Prang says yes. “But it imposes a one-size-fits-all approach and impacts a broad range of homeowners that includes middle-income families with modest real estate investments,” he counters. Ambiguities That’s not the only issue. According to Prang, there are numerous ambiguities in the measure. As just one example, he points to language that suggests that, if a parent transferred property to his or

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her children, and there were multiple children, all of the children would have to live there to claim the transferred property tax rate. “Absurd perhaps, but the language is confusing,” he says. With these issues in mind, Prang supports legislation to clarify the voter-approved measure: “I am working with

Paul Williams’ life and work explored at WSHPHS lecture

Hear how Paul Revere Williams, the orphan son of an African American fruitand-vegetable merchant, became one of Los Angeles’ iconic architects, at a presentation of the book “Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940: Paul R. Williams,” by Marc Appleton, Stephen Gee and Bret Parsons. The talk, presented through the Windsor SquareHancock Park Historical Society, is Wed., April 21 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers, or $60 for an autographed copy

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of the book with the talk. For more information on this and other talks in the series, visit windsorsquarehancockpark.com.

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the State Board of Equalization, the California’s Assessors’ Association, and state legislators to craft legislation addressing major issues. “Until legislation is adopted, there will be uncertainty and confusion for many property owners,” Prang concludes. Learn more at assessor. lacounty.gov/prop19

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

I volunteered at a COVID-19 vaccination site

By Caroline Tracy In February I had the opportunity to volunteer at a COVID-19 vaccination site through the Medical Reserve Corps of Los Angeles (MRCLA). The experience was rewarding on many levels and helped me to see the impressive inner workings of our public healthcare system. I wanted to volunteer because, after a year of living in suspended animation, I needed to do something. I also wanted to get the vaccine. I had heard that you could get the shot if you volunteered, so (admittedly) that was a driving factor. However, it was clear that shots are only given to volunteers if supplies allow. I knew that it wasn’t a guarantee, yet, as the day drew nearer, I became more and more excited to see this historic operation unfold and be a part of it. Friends’ experiences A lot of my excitement was kindled by friends’ anecdotes about their own experiences. A doctor friend had volunteered and witnessed first-hand the sheer relief people felt to finally get vaccinated. Another (non-doctor and non-clinical) friend volunteered at a church in Inglewood. After a day stationed as a greeter, she felt energized and hopeful because of helping others and being use-

ful, not to mention social (in a safe way). I also had heard a particularly moving episode of public radio’s “This American Life,” detailing the reactions of people getting their vaccines. Everyone described the experience of witnessing this emotion as heartwarming and invigorating. I was inspired. My first step was to apply for membership with the MRCLA and then, once accepted, sign up to volunteer with Disaster Healthcare Volunteers of California. Once you get approved for that, you take a survey indicating which date(s) and mega-pod(s) you prefer. I chose The Forum and anxiously awaited my deployment. The day at The Forum When my day came, I arrived at The Forum at 7:30 a.m. All of the check-in details, from staff parking to waiver forms and temperature checks, went as described in the e-mail I had received confirming my deployment. I joined the other volunteers in a tented area where coffee and refreshments were served while we awaited our assignments. Some were sent to traffic control, some to computer systems / management, and many to the observation area. That was where I was stationed for the day. Before leaving for our respec-

DR. BARBARA FERRER, working in the post-vaccination observation area at The Forum.

tive areas, all of the volunteers were asked who wanted a vaccine. Of the 100+ volunteers, about 15 raised their hands. During my time in the observation area, my co-volunteers and I monitored people during the 15-minute waiting period (between the time they received the vaccine until the time they were cleared to drive off). We were told to look for anyone who wasn’t feeling well or was having trouble breathing, at which point we would flag one of the doctors who had been pointed out to us during our briefing. I didn’t come across anyone who had any medical

trouble. People were happy to be checked on and many pleasantries were exchanged. I was encouraged and happy to see many teachers coming through the line that day. Just there to help I liked the energy of the group that I was working with: doctors, nurses, a former NASA engineer (we bonded over our mutual interest in a littleknown but very good show called “Strange Angel,” about rocket engineering at Cal Tech in the late 1930s). As with my friends mentioned above, many had already been vaccinated. They weren’t in it for the shots — they were just there to help. Boston connection Two of the volunteers that I got to work alongside all day (our shift ended after the last appointment around 5 p.m.) happened to be none other than Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and her daughter. I had fangirled enough to know that Dr. Ferrer had a connection to my hometown of Boston. While Ferrer was born and raised in Puerto Rico, she raised her own two children in Boston, and her kids and I went to the same high school. I introduced myself and found her to be a completely familiar character:

brilliant, warm, a devoted public servant. Even her clothes reminded me of growing up in Boston in the 1990s, albeit with a modern spin. I remarked on how well organized everything was, and she was in total agreement, praising the staff at The Forum and all of the other County pods (where she also had volunteered her time). We shot the breeze as much as we could, but ultimately we were there to work. Whenever I glanced in her direction during the day, she was engaging people in their cars. She never tired. Watching her made me feel more connected to my home, more connected to grass roots organization and service. I limped to my car at the end of the day, shot in arm, fulfilled. In mid-March, I returned to The Forum to receive my second shot. My family and I were having old friends for an outdoor lunch that day, and my husband was perplexed at the timing of things. He thought I could be stuck in line at The Forum for hours and was worried I wouldn’t make it home in time for the luncheon. I was in and out at The Forum in 20 minutes. I didn’t see Dr. Ferrer, but I saw some of the other volunteers I worked with, and I thanked them for helping ... and for helping me.

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

From the Central Library ﬁre 35 years ago, a story just now being told EXCLUSIVE TO THE LARCHMONT CHRONICLE

By Sally Stewart Beaudette The shocking April 29, 1986 news broadcasts of the senseless fire ravaging a Downtown building so loved — and then burned and waterlogged — led to a cry for volunteer help from every news source region-wide. I was one of many who heard that cry, and I knew instinctively that, early the next morning, the senior recognized elected and appointed public leaders of the City and County of Los Angeles emergency and logistics teams were instantly needed with their expertise and resources to meet ... as equals ... turf and politics set aside. It was their Library! As is often true, there was tension between them in the months before the fire. Only one person in the private sector could call that meeting ... Lod Cook, chairman of the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) ... who at the time set the vision for community caring. During the early afternoon of the fire, I called him at his top-floor office in ARCO Tower, across Flower Street from

the burning Central Library. I clearly explained the situation and, with his agreement, — and in his name — his staff then brought together a 7:30 a.m. meeting the next morning. Everyone asked to be in that next-morning group attended without exception ... taking chairs around the huge walnut conference table that filled the wood-paneled Board Room on ARCO Tower’s Executive Floor. No agenda. No paperwork. No note-taker. No camera. No press. And no leaks. No ARCO representative was there. It wasn’t necessary. An ARCO presence filled the room. There must have been someone quietly solemn from the Library and hoping for help he or she could barely define. Someone ceremoniously closed the huge door when about 25 leaders had filled every chair. I sat purposely not at one end, but with my back to the magnificent city-view windows in the midpoint of the long side of the table filled with Chiefs of City and County Fire and Police departments in uniforms, emergency department leaders, staff of County Supervisors and City Council-

members. No list exists. All had filled out name badges with bold markers, to be readable from across the table. Around the table that morning, in that unfolding crisis, they met as equals. Vital. Respectful. Respected. They came for the Library. They waited for whoever would lead. I began. I remember my words, spoken from my heart and wisdom without notes. “I’m Sally Sturdy Stewart ... third generation Los Angeles. My corporate attorney father Herbert Sturdy was managing partner of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher at 634 South Spring Street. He rewrote the City Charter for Mayor Sam Yorty and led the creation of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the largest natural open space within a one-hour drive of the largest population in the nation. He was Walt Disney’s attorney. “I’m proudly vice-chair of the KCET Public Television board and co-president of the Los Angeles Conservancy that is saving and revitalizing historic places in our city. “And I was a co-chair of Tom (Please turn to page 11)

“CENTRAL LIBRARY, Los Angeles” is a poster by David Lance Goines, released by the Los Angeles Library Association to commemorate the opening of the restored and expanded Central Library in 1993. Goines writes of the poster: “The greatest library known to antiquity was that founded by the first Ptolemy at Alexandria. The story of its destruction is of doubtful authenticity, but other libraries really have suffered dreadful fates. Knowledge put to the torch is a common theme, even in our own time, even among our own kind. Like the fabled phoenix, the Los Angeles Central Library was renewed and stands, more splendid than before, a gem sparkling in the smog-beautiful sunset diadem of tall buildings. City of Angels, heart of soaring celluloid dreams. It really does look like this.” Poster by David Lance Goines

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Extended hours, books in bundles at libraries The Library To Go program at the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) has become so popular that the hours have

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for the pickup book program will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 7:30 p.m., with regular pickup hours

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In addition, LAPL is now offering book bundles for kids.

If a parent (or child) is looking for something to read, but isn’t sure what to choose, he or she can sign up for book bundles, five books based on the reader’s interest, theme and reading level, personally selected by library staff. For more information, visit lapl. org/kids/book-bundles.

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Larchmont Chronicle

Central Library (Continued from page 9)

Bradley’s successful re-election campaign under Fran Savitch. [I paused.] “In this circle right now, I am nobody. ... And I am everybody! “Our Library needs each and every one of you right now, with your resources and expertise. That’s why I called Lod Cook as the fire was still uncontrolled to ask you to come together this morning ... and you have come responding to that call! “Every one of you leading your departments and teams is urgently needed to talk to each other and work together starting in this room right here, right now, to serve and save our Library! “Your cultures and turfs could make that challenging. Not now. You lead our city and county, and you can make things happen. Every idea shared and red tape cleared will make a difference. “Simply, we in this City need you ... and we trust you.” And with those words, the room came slowly alive with connecting, commitment, business cards and empowerment. And they left talking and going to work on the project. There is no other record of

APRIL 2021

that important half hour. Freezers and KCET As Susan Orlean reports in her wonderful tome, “The Library Book,” published in 2018, the Library staff reserved space in huge freezers Downtown to house hundreds of thousands of waterlogged books, to be thawed and returned after the building would again be ready for them — a long time later. Next: So, right from the early morning ARCO meeting, I raced to KCET and directly into the live broadcast studio where I explained the urgent immediate need for people to drive to our Downtown Central Library and, in trunks and on seats (which was my understanding), to cautiously load up and transport wet books to be frozen so they wouldn’t grow mold and have to be thrown out, but could be placed back on new shelves ... eventually. I learned later that the single largest immediate response from volunteers came from KCET’s intense constant onair appeals. [It turned out that volunteers’ personal vehicles were not needed to transport the books. We volunteers carried piles of wet books out from the library shelves and carefully stacked them on wooden pallets outside. There, they were

SECTION TWO

THANK-YOU NOTE sent from “Dick Shunary” to the first 600 of the 2,400 volunteers who helped save the books at Central Library in 1986.

bound together with plastic stretch wrap, and the pallets were loaded on trucks and were driven to frozen food warehouses on the east side of Downtown. – JHW, Ed.] Thanks given Another aspect heretofore publicly unknown: Five days later, I drove to the Library temporary offices (donated by ARCO, across the street) to ask if there was a plan to officially thank the volunteers who had worked under the guidance of the emergency Library leadership team. They were honestly swamped, and they said “no.” So they authorized me to create — and with 10 KCET and Los Angeles Conservancy friends

— to address, personalize, stamp and mail “Thank You” notes to the first 600 volunteers who had signed in and begun helping on Day 1 and during the first five days. The Library personnel trusted me, and they gave us their handwritten lists with approximately 600 signatures and addresses as of that time. I saw several signed-in with their address: “Pershing Square.” Obviously Downtown without-homes people. Hearing someone comment that she thought they just came to the saving-the-books effort for coffee, I responded, “No ... this is where they live, and this is their Central Library that they love, and

they came as fellow volunteers to help.” Over two days in my living room in Toluca Lake, we personalized 600 “Thank You!” postcards from “‘Dick Shunary’ and 2400 fellow volunteers.” Someone took a formal photo of our incognito team holding open books in front of our faces. We mailed the 600 postcards all at once at the former main Downtown post office — Terminal Annex. A friend later said, unknowingly, that she had received the nicest personal “Thank You” from Mr. Shunary at the Library ... she’d been so happy to help in the crisis. Postscript: Last night, I checked an untouched file box I have deep in a dark understairs closet, hoping to find a bright yellow postcard if I had saved one. My hand reached down between the papers and suddenly came up with this ... the only remaining one. A true miracle! I thank the Larchmont Chronicle for asking me to share this story about the 1986 Central Library fire that never has been told — prior to right now. Sally Stewart Beaudette now lives in Damariscotta, Maine, and she visits “home” in California when COVID-19 allows.

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Museums open after yearlong shutdown

By Suzan Filipek After a year of lockdown due to the pandemic, all of the four major museums along Miracle Mile’s Museum Row have — or will soon — open, with safety protocols in place. The first among them is the Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., which had its rollout last month. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to open April 1, and the La Brea Tar Pits Museum follows on April 8. At the Petersen Museum, three exhibits that were

up to three family members through 2021. All tickets must be pre-purchased, including those for health care personnel and first responders, who also need to provide a physical copy of professional verification at museum check-in. Visit Petersen. org. All of the museums follow health and safety protocols set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state and the county to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Please turn to page 13)

launched during the pandemic are on view: “Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed,” “Extreme Conditions” and “Redefining Performance,” featuring Porsche’s most innovative road and race vehicles. In addition, “The Aesthetic of Motoring: 90 Years of Pininfarina” debuted at the Petersen March 25, featuring four vehicles by the storied Italian car design firm and coachbuilder. As a thank-you for their service during the pandemic, the Petersen is offering free admission to health care workers and first responders and

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Exhilaration is on display at Petersen By Steven Rosenthal At about the same time I first learned that the museums were reopening, I received an invitation to review the “Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed” show at the Petersen Automotive Museum. I realized that I hadn’t been out in public for over a year. I thought about the opportunity and learned that the Petersen, along with other museums along Museum Row, were taking the strictest safety precautions prescribed by Los Angeles County and CDC guidelines. When I arrived, a security officer signed me in, and he scanned my

body temperature. It flashed green, the security officer signaled a normal reading, and I was off to see the “Supercars” and special exhibits. As I entered the elevator, I passed signs requesting masks and social distancing. When the doors opened, a colorful array of the most dreamedabout cars sparkled in the exhibit hall. These aggressive performers are striking. My heart pumped, and the adrenalin rose just seeing these automobile treasures, sculptures shaped by speed, wind and the road. With these beauties, the exhilaration begins before you

ITALIAN car exhibit debuted at the opening March 25.

get behind the wheel, and accelerates to stupendous when the cars’ unbelievable performance kicks in. On display are some historical dream machines and modern speedsters built with gold, titanium, carbon fiber and the synthetic Kevlar, a heatresistant and strong synthetic fiber, for additional performance refinement. Two hundred-plus mph is common on these dream rigs, which hug the ground and stand waist high. The favorite Supercar on my wish list is the 1993 Vector W8, which clocks at 242 mph with a formidable turbocharged V8 sporting 625 horsepower. It looks like it’s moving while parked in its exhibit spot. In addition to the new “Supercars” exhibit, the museum debuted an exhibit celebrating Italian design firm and coachbuilder Pininfarina, “The Aesthetic of Motoring: 90 Years of Pininfarina.” You will also find the Hollywood Dream Machines on the first floor featuring the legendary DeLorean time machine from “Back to the Future” and a mock-up transport from “Star Wars.”

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LA BREA TAR PITS, in Hancock Park, will open Thurs., April 8.

Photo by Gina Cholick. Courtesy of NHMLAC

MUSEUMS

(Continued from page 12) Staff members and visitors are required to wear face coverings, capacity is limited, and social distancing is enforced with designated navigation paths within the exhibitions. LACMA LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., opens Thurs., April 1 with six new exhibits. They are: “Yoshitomo Nara,” “Cauleen Smith: Give It Or Leave It,” “NOT I: Throwing Voices (1500 BCE - 2020 CE),” “Bill Viola: Slowly Turning Narrative,” “Vera Lutter: Museum in the Camera” and “View From Here: Recent Acquisitions.” Visit lacma.org.

La Brea Tar Pits “Mammoths and Mastodons” will be on view at the La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., when it reopens on Thurs., April 8. The exhibit explores the world of these Ice Age animals, whose fossils have been found at the Tar Pits and at sites around the world. The museum will be open Thursdays through Sundays with an expanded schedule in the coming months. Visit tarpits.org to reserve your timed ticket entry. Craft Contemporary is set for a Sun., May 9 reopening. Check its website in coming weeks for more information. Visit craftcontemporary.org.

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Plan a post-COVID escape to Mexico for food and culture

By Helene Seifer Although the coronavirus is still in our midst, progress of the vaccination campaign inspires thoughts of future travel. In 2019, 32 million Americans visited our southern neighbor; why not look ahead and plan a trip to our sister city in Mexico to explore the cultural riches and pure deliciousness offered by Mexico City? Here are highlights from my own experience eating and “arting” my way from one end of Mexico City to the other when my sister and I visited just prior to the lockdown. Prices are in U.S. dollars. As of this writing, the places mentioned have survived the pandemic, but check before you go. Must-try tastes For a landlocked city, there’s a lot of excellent fish and seafood in this town, and Contramar has some of the best. Executive Chef Gabriela Cámara’s bright and airy restaurant specializes in extremely fresh ingredients simply prepared with herbs, vinegars or light sauces, enabling the individual ingredients to sing. A standout dish is fish Contramar, a butterflied whole grilled white fish sold by weight and sauced with the colors of the Mexican flag: one side swathed in red adobo; the other in a green parsley pesto. Delectable! Ours cost $18. Contramar.com.mx. A charming restaurant with political inclinations (the wait staff’s shirts have silk-screened power fists and the menu declares, “White Supremacy is Terrorism”), Masala y Maiz sits on a boutique-lined side street off Glorietta Insurgentes (Rotary of Insurgents). Chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval mash up Mexican, Indian and East African flavors to create mouth-watering and beautifully presented dishes. Our wonderful brunch included $8 giant prawns coated in spicy berbere, an Ethiopian chili blend, and $7 beets mixed with yogurt, fried chickpeas, cucumber and roasted coco-

BERBERE-SPICED PRAWNS from Masala y Maiz.

nut. masalaymaiz.com. Expendio de Maiz is a tiny storefront with a unique concept: sit at one of two communal sidewalk tables and eat whatever you’re given until you say, “Stop!” Owner and original Chef Jesús Salas Tornés’ ode to heirloom corn, now helmed by Ana Gonzalez, serves a succession of mainly blue corn tortillas topped with such delights as sardines and nasturtiums or avocado, crema and chorizo. We stopped after five plates each and the whole brunch set us back $20 total. expendiodemaiz.com. In a rating of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America, Quintonil was awarded a well-deserved 11. Named for a green Mexican herb, this highend restaurant in the “Beverly Hills” area of the city is known for their $120 ten course prix fixe, but we ordered four dishes à la carte totaling $72. Chef Jorge Vallejo‘s inventive and beautiful plates included charred avocado atop insect dust and fish in grasshopper adobo sauce. A show-stopper was pork showered in gossamer petals of roasted plums and figs, basking in contrasting puddles of deep red sweet chili sauce and pale gold pureed potatoes. If you can forget about all the edible bugs, you’ll be in food heaven. Quintonil.com. Cultural riches Of course, we do not live by food alone; we also must feed our souls with Mexico City’s abundant heritage of art and culture. Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo are essentially the

QUINTONIL’S SHOW-STOPPING PORK with fruit “petals” and sauces.

modern patron saints of the city, and one of the best places to enjoy their art is Museo Dolores Olmeda. It’s well-worth the 45-minute Uber ride to the city outskirts to visit the hacienda of Rivera and Kahlo’s former patron. The interior is packed with their paintings and domestic artifacts, and peacocks and lush greenery adorn the beautiful grounds. Head back into the city proper to visit the Frida Kahlo Museum, the bright blue home where she was born and died. Rooms surrounding a plant-filled courtyard remain decorated as they were when Kahlo and Diego Rivera were in residence. The extraordinary Diego Rivera Mexican history mural adorning the walls at the National Palace in the city center depicts the struggles for freedom against the French, the Spanish and assorted dictators. In a “where’s Waldo” move, Rivera hid an image of his wife amid the throngs of

FRIDA KAHLO AND DIEGO RIVERA exhibition at Dolores Olmeda Museum.

characters displayed. Head to the sprawling Chapultepec Park to visit what is generally regarded as the most important museum in Mexico City. The Museo Nacional de Anthropologia (National Museum of Anthropology) recounts the history of ancient Mexico through artifacts and dioramas. Other worthwhile museums in the park are Museo de

Arte Moderno (Modern Art Museum), which features paintings by muralists including David Alfaro Siqueiros, who has a mural on Olvera Street, and the Museo Rufino Tamayo (Rufino Tamayo Museum), founded by the artist himself and featuring his work. Museos Soumaya and Jumex share a plaza in a tony neighborhood filled with sidewalk cafes and ritzy shopping. The visually striking Soumaya is clad in 16,000 reflective hexagonal aluminum tiles. This most visited art museum in Mexico contains notable 15th to 20th century European art and paintings by Mexican muralists. Museo Jumex, a beautiful white concrete building (Please turn to page 15)

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Voters elect GWNC directors

SOUMAYA MUSEUM’S sweeping aluminum-clad curves.

Mexico

(Continued from page 14) with signature sawtooth roofline, has one of Latin America’s largest collections of contemporary art. Those interested in architecture must visit the last residence designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Mexican architect Luis Barragán, Casa Gilardi. Here the architect’s fascination with light and color is epitomized by yellow-filtered light in a corridor leading to a turquoise indoor / outdoor room containing both a dining table and a swimming pool. Also of interest is the nearby Casa Luis Barragán, the architect’s former home and studio, where he experimented with

his design concepts. Do consider a visit to the magnificent art nouveau Palace of Fine Arts. The building’s opulent interior includes fine murals, a Marotti crystal roof and the world’s only Tiffany stained glass stage curtain. It’s worth catching a colorful Ballet Folklórico performance there. Off the beaten path A lesser-known activity is the street art walking tour of murals commissioned to address violence against women, honor indigenous communities and commemorate the devastation of the 1985 and 2017 earthquakes. To book a tour, message mural project creator Aida Mulato through Instagram @jóvenesartesanos.

By John Welborne On March 23, the Los Angeles City Clerk released “unofficial” election results from the March 16 Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council (GWNC) elections. Approximately 450 voters elected 19 new Directors for the 21 seats on the GWNC Board of Directors. Most of the seats also have elected Alternates, who were the runners-up in the vote count. Final results were due to be released after the Larchmont Chronicle’s press deadline because ballots postmarked by March 16 still may be counted up to March 26. (The final results will be included in our updated story online.) The following are the unofficial winners, listed by seat, with the Director’s name first and any Alternate’s name second. 1. Brookside: Owen Smith, Joane Hennenberger Pickett; 2. Citrus Square: Jeffry Carpenter; 3. Country Club Heights: Brian Donahoe, José Tamayo; 4. Fremont Place: Vacant; 5. Hancock Park: Jennifer DeVore, David Trainer; 6. La Brea / Hancock: Cathy Roberts; 7. Larchmont Village; Charles D’Atri, Kathryn Burke; 8. Melrose Neighborhood: Christopher Hauck, Philip A. Farha; 9. Oakwood-Maplewood-St. Andrews Neighborhood: Bind-

hu Varghese; 10. Ridgewood Wilton - St. Andrews Square: Patricia Carroll; 11. Sycamore Square: Conrad Starr, William Schneider; 12. Western-Wilton (We-Wil) Neighborhood: Juan Portillo Jr.; 13. Wilshire Park: Michael Duggan, John Gresham; 14. Windsor Square: Gary Gilbert, Caroline Labiner Moser; 15. Windsor Village: Stephanie Shim, Beau Lloyd; Renter (tie as of 3-23-21): Hayden Conner Ashworth and Bailey Benningfield; Business: John Winther, Raphie Cantor; Education: Scott Appel; Religious: Vacant; Other Nonprofit: Cindy Chvatal, Helen Eigenberg; and AtLarge: Brian Curran, Joe Suh.

GWNC geographic areas

For the first time in the 20-plus years of the GWNC, there was an organized slate of candidates running for some of the available seats. Sponsored by several local “progressive” organizations, the slate consisted of six people running for six seats. Two members of this slate were elected as Directors (Bindhu Varghese in the OakwoodMaplewood-St. Andrews Neighborhood and Juan Portillo Jr. in the Western-Wilton [We-Wil] Neighborhood). Kathryn Burke was elected as an Alternate for Larchmont Village, and Raphie Cantor was elected as an Alternate for the Business category. For the Renter category, there was a tie at press time, with slate member Bailey Benningfield to become either the Director or the Alternate, depending upon the drawing of straws. New GWNC board members are expected to take their seats at the April 14 meeting of the Board of Directors. Learn more at greaterwilshire.org.

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Spy thriller takes place in Cuban Missile era; corrupt FBI tale

The Courier (9/10): 105 minutes. PG-13. I remember Oleg Penkovsky (a scintillating Merab Nididze) very well. He was a highly placed Soviet official who fed secrets to the West before and during the Cuban Missile crisis. This film purports to tell the whole harrowing story. The courier was Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch in an Oscar-deserving performance), a British businessman who was recruited to receive and deliver the secrets to British and American intelligence. Directed by Dominic Cooke from a script by Tom O’Connor, this is a story that has begged to be told for more than a half-century. I don’t know how accurate the details are, but the basic facts are true, except that the relationship between Wynne and his wife, Sheila (Jessie Buckley, who was such a hit in 2019’s “Wild Rose”) was totally made up because little to nothing is known about her. Even though you know the outcome (well, I did), it’s tense and dramatic the whole way through, a terrific film. My main objection is that they should have added graphics to the end telling what happened to Wynne after. If you are telling a true story, finish it. City on a Hill (8/10): 10-part series. TV-MA. The performances of Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge highlight this gripping crime series set in Boston. Bacon plays a corrupt FBI agent and Hodge is an ambitious Assistant District Attorney taking on a case that challenges the city’s criminal justice system. It’s as much about the charac-

Since 1959 License #768437

ters’ personal relationships as it is about the case. The supporting cast sparkles. I hated to see it end. Prime and SHO. Subtitles Although Netflix has beaucoup films to watch, they devastate their foreign films by inserting voice-overs, dubbing the dialogue with English-speaking actors, which destroys the enjoyment of the film. It’s disconcerting for many reasons. First, the lips are not synchronized, which is bad enough. But worse is that the actors are generally second rate. You know that all the dialogue is being read by someone in front of a screen watching the actors emote, which loses any hope of verisimilitude. Every time I try to watch a foreign film on Netflix, I feel as if I’m watching Woody Allen’s brutal satire of dubbed films, “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” (1966). If you want to watch foreign films, you should try MHz Choice, which shows only foreign films, and they do not dub the dialogue. Further, the subtitles are first-rate. When Hollywood does subtitles, they are generally awful if not amateurish, often white on white, blending in with the background. Here is a sampling on MHz Choice: Agent Hamilton (8/10): 10part series. TV-14. This is a Jason Bourne-type adventure with seemingly everyone in the world after secret agent Carl Hamilton (Jakob Oftebro) after a series of bombings and cyberattacks in Stockholm. Who are the good guys, and who are the

At the Movies with

Tony Medley bad guys? Can we trust anyone, even Hamilton? Oftebro is an attractive protagonist / antagonist (who knows?). And his girlfriend, Sonja (Katia Winter), is drop dead gorgeous. It is deviously convoluted as twists keep occurring. MHz Choice. Swedish, English and Russian. Spiral (8/10): Eight seasons of eight episodes each, starting in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021. TV-PG. This is a French crime drama

that looks at each situation from various points of view, showing immense corruption on all sides. Vaguely similar to “Law and Order,” it’s different from American crime dramas because of the way that judges, magistrates, and officials in France work together with detectives. The only drawback is a tendency towards showing long, detailed scenes of burned and mutilated bodies, which is unnecessary — often disgusting — and detracts from the overall excellence of the show. I finally started fast-forwarding through those scenes. Caroline Proust shines as the main protagonist detective showing the challenges and sensitivities facing an attractive woman in a violent man’s world. The supporting

cast includes many fascinating characters. Won the 2015 International Emmy for best Drama Series (Season 5). MHz Choice and Prime. French. Murder in… (7/10): Seven seasons of nine episodes each. A gorgeous collection of murder mysteries, each one set in a different, picturesque region of France. The stories are good, and the cinematography and locations are visually charming. MHz Choice. French. What is MHz? MHz Networks offers viewers access to a library of the best foreign television mysteries, dramas, comedies and documentaries subtitled in English through its subscription streaming service, MHz Choice. For more information, go to mhzchoice.com.

Pols and Pinks; St. Pat’s back at Bergin’s

By John Welborne There are some signs of normalcy returning to town. Pink’s Hot Dogs is back

TOM BERGIN’S is serving outdoors and in, here with a midday crowd on St. Patrick’s Day.

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open (observing all the protocols, of course). So is Tom Bergin’s, “The House of Irish Coffee, Est. 1936.” These familiar destinations, one on La Brea, one on Fairfax, are welcoming customers, who obviously are very happy to be back. For this year’s St. Patrick’s Day at Bergin’s, the large outdoor canopy that was erected the first time outdoor dining was allowed is again a popular spot. In addition, there were spaced-out (physically, we mean) diners at tables and standing at the bar inside the restaurant. Ever notice how much pols love Pink’s? The accompanying photos of some of our local elected leaders, living and not, make that point. In the middle of last month, Pink’s turned

out a small (socially distanced) crowd of Tom LaBonge family and friends to salute the late councilman for something he so much would have appreciated — having a Pink’s hot dog named for him! The “Tom LaBonge Mr. Los Angeles” hot dog is a mouthful, both to say and to eat.

TOM LaBONGE and the new “Tom LaBonge Mr. Los Angeles” hot dog are saluted by (from left) Richard Pink, Brigid LaBonge and Zev Yaroslavsky on March 12, 2021.

Inc.

POLS LOVE PINKS, including, from left with Patt Morrison, former councilman Tom LaBonge, former supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, city attorney Mike Feuer and councilman Paul Koretz, all ready to speak before the “Pink’s Square” dedication in 2018.

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Will blockchain be part of art’s post-pandemic world? And, 29 percent said they would not go to the theater at all until 2022. So, funding, yes; audiences, maybe? Can you have art without an audience? Adding to the equation is the fact that 78.1 percent of the participants said they would be willing to pay 10-25 percent more for their tickets when they do return, to help arts organizations make up lost revenues. This, while well-intentioned and perhaps even necessary, will only make performances more expensive and exclusive than they are now, and add to what will inevitably be an inflationary race to make up lost income. This may result in the elitism of the 1950s of my youth, when “those people” who regularly attended theater and concerts could afford it, and the rest of us got our culture from radio and TV (yes, radio and TV once did that!). What are we paying for when it comes to theater and art? What is the “value” of an

Theater Review by

Louis Fantasia artistic event, and how is that value determined? The most depressing phrase I’ve heard on this subject recently has been, “The value of the artwork is in the blockchain.” Once more: “The value of the artwork is in the blockchain.” This was in reference to a “non-fungible token” or NFT that recently sold at Christie’s for nearly $70 million. It’s a nice enough piece of digital art (that anyone can download), done by a (formerly) amateur artist who calls himself Beeple (real name Mike Winkelman). The work was bought with Ethereum Bitcoins, and is stored as part of a blockchain. On its website,

Spice up your meals with Pantry Party comestibles

By Rachel Olivier When Lauren Jack first started putting together her ideas for Pantry Party, it was from a love of variety in tastes and flavors. Jack says she enjoyed obtaining jams, spices, oils and other flavorful items from small local makers at farmers markets. She also liked knowing that she was supporting local farmers and purveyors. Jack grew up on Lucerne Boulevard with sister Ali, and Lauren went to Marlborough, obtaining her postgraduate degree from U.C. Santa Barbara in environmental science. Her bachelor’s is from Rhode Island School of Design. After 10 years of working in fine art, some of those years working at the Marciano Art Foundation, Jack wanted a different challenge and went to work making sustainable packaging more available, efficient and cost effective for businesses. Part of sustainable packaging includes keeping items local. This became her postgraduate project at U.C. Santa Barbara. When the pandemic hit, restaurants began trying to find other ways for people to take their food home, such as selling sauces and mixes. But people were staying close to home, ordering take out and delivery, popping into the grocery store, and, Jack suspected, falling into flavor ruts. She said she had an idea for introducing new flavors to those who were essentially trapped at home. She set up Pantry Party, a bi-monthly subscription service of sweet, savory and spicy comestibles. Jack said she contacted res-

Christie’s declares that the artwork is “unique.” So is every Big Mac McDonald’s ever made. But… I get it: when Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to repaint the Sistine Chapel, it was unique and privately held art. Japanese investors in the 1980s bought Van Goghs to keep in safes. Art bubbles have burst over everything from 17th century Dutch tulips to Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. I get it: art is what we say it is and worth what someone will pay for it. But I’ve never heard it put so bluntly before: “The value of the artwork is in the blockchain.” I thought — o silly boy! — that the value of art was in what it did to you, the viewer, the listener, the audience member. That’s why audiences need to be in theaters: to be “touched” in the same

space, at the same time, with the same breath, as those performing. It doesn’t work if you are on the other side of the screen. Film, of course, is designed to cross that screen through its manipulation of optics and perception. But I’m talking about “live” art, whose blockchain exists only in the ephemeral moment of performance. The value of that, to quote King Lear’s favorite daughter, is “nothing,” just as is the “value” of her love for him. Nothing. Price-less. Going forward into the brave new world of post-pandemic art, we’d better figure out where its value lies before it’s too late, or like Lear we’ll end up howling with a dead Cordelia in our arms, wondering how we got here. Don’t worry. I’ll feel better in May. I promise.

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April is Emergency Preparedness Month In addition to water, food, and critical medications, you should also keep these important items around in case of emergency: • Battery Powered Radio & extra batteries • Flashlights with extra batteries • First-aid kit • A large bucket, some garbage bags, and plastic ties • Dust masks and gloves • Plastic sheeting and duct tape • Basic tool kit with gas shut-off wrench • Multi-tool or pocketknife (with can opener) • Fire Extinguisher & matches

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COMESTIBLES are packed in bi-monthly Pantry Party boxes (with some from these first two of the series already consumed for tasting).

taurants, chefs and makers, sometimes watching them prepare the items, and also worked to ensure the packaging was, for the most part, recyclable or reusable. The idea behind the subscription box, she said, is to provide flavors that are unique, fresh and easily added to dishes while cooking at home. This was a box that would deliver an adventure for taste buds where physical adventure might be denied. Product QR codes lead to ideas for recipes. Jack taste-tests everything and likes thinking that she might be helping to expand someone’s palate. Subscriptions are $60 per box, every other month. Some items may be purchased separately and start at $10. For more information, visit pantryparty.co (yes, that’s “dot-co” and not “dot-com”).

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In the opening of “The Wasteland,” T.S. Eliot reminds us that “April is the cruelest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing / Memory and desire, stirring/ Dull roots with spring rain.” Eliot also reminds us that “winter kept us warm…” but that’s another story. This month saw some metaphorical lilacs sprout in the art world, including the fact that the American Rescue Plan stimulus bill included $470 million for the arts (mostly through grants to the NEA, NEH, and state arts councils). Good, right? Almost. In a recent survey carried out by theater-consulting firms AudienceView and TheaterMania, 70.5 percent of respondents (from lists of theater-goers) said “widespread vaccinations” would be needed before they felt comfortable entering a crowded theater; 93.5 percent felt they would not be comfortable unless masks were compulsory.

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POLICE BEAT Rash of car thefts continue across Greater Wilshire WILSHIRE DIVISION BURGLARIES: Technology equipment and credit cards are among the items stolen from an apartment within a building located on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Highland Avenue on March 1 between 5:30 and 8 p.m. after a suspect gained access through a rear patio door. A 17-year-old boy arrived home on the 100 block of N. McCadden Pl. to find a male suspect inside the residence eating food in the kitchen on March 7 at 9 p.m. When the boy confronted the suspect, the man fled with the food items out a rear door. A laptop, bag and credit cards were stolen from an apartment within a building located on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Highland Avenue on March 7 between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Computer and camera equipment was stolen from inside a Wilshire Boulevard apartment between March 8 at 10:50 p.m. and March 9 at 7 a.m. after a suspect broke a lock box and used the key to access the unit. Unknown property might have been taken after a suspect kicked in the front door to a home on the 300 block of S. Orange Dr. and ransacked the interior on March 11 between 10 a.m. and 6:51 p.m. GRAND THEFTS AUTO: A grey 2015 Hyundai Sonata was stolen while parked on the 400 block of S. Cochran Ave. between March 1 at 9 p.m. and March 2 at 10 a.m. A black 2020 Volvo XC60 was stolen while parked on the 100 block of S. Alta Vista Blvd. between March 3 at 9 p.m. and March 4 at 7:40 a.m. A black 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen on March 5 at 5 p.m. while parked near the corner of Waring and Highland avenues. A black 2018 Hyundai Sonata was stolen while parked in an apartment garage on the 300 block of S. Detroit St. on March 7 between 2:11 and 2:25 p.m. A black 1999 Honda Civic

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was stolen while parked on the 400 block of S. Cochran Ave. between March 8 at 10 a.m. and March 11 at 1 p.m. A silver 2012 Hyundai Sonata was stolen while parked on the 100 block of N. Orange Dr. between March 12 at 10 p.m. and March 13 at 11 a.m. A white Chevy S10 was stolen while parked on the 600 block of S. La Brea Ave. on March 13 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. A grey Ford F15 was stolen while parked on the 200 block of N. Beachwood Dr. on March 13 between 3 and 4 p.m. OLYMPIC DIVISION ROBBERY: A woman was waiting for a taxi in front of her home on the 1000 block of S. Gramercy Pl. when a grey sedan pulled up. A man jumped out of the car and grabbed the woman’s purse, causing her to fall to the ground as the suspect fled in the car on March 10 at 5:55 p.m. BURGLARY: A suspect entered a residence through a rear door to a home on the 1200 block of S. Wilton Pl. on March 16 at 9:15 a.m. The victim confronted the suspect as he walked in the front door, causing the suspect to flee without any property.

GRAND THEFTS AUTO: A grey 1999 Lexus was stolen while parked on the 800 block of S. Gramercy Pl. between March 1 at 10 a.m. and March 2 at 3 a.m. A white 2012 Kia Rio was stolen while parked near the corner of Norton Avenue and Olympic Boulevard on March 7 at 9:50 p.m. A black 2017 Kia Sportage was stolen while parked on the 100 block S. Gramercy Pl. on March 5 between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. A white 2001 Chevrolet Van was stolen while parked on the 400 block of S. St. Andrews Pl. on March 15 between 2 and 7 a.m. A black 2015 Hyundai Sonata was stolen while parked on the 500 block of S. Wilton Pl. on March 15 between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. A white 2012 Toyota was stolen while parked on the 400 block of S. St. Andrews Pl. between March 16 at 10 p.m. and March 17 at 8:30 a.m. THEFTS FROM AUTO: Property was stolen from a vehicle parked on the 600 block of N. Bronson Ave. after a suspect broke in on March 9 at 10:15 p.m.

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involved shooting occurred. The suspect was struck by gunfire and transported to a local hospital. Officers recovered the handgun at the scene. The LAPD later posted on Twitter that the suspect “underwent surgery and is listed in critical but stable condition.” The investigation was still ongoing at press time.

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A man was shot by a police officer while trying to enter the Olympic Police Station while holding a gun on March 23 at 2:20 p.m. The man came to the front doors of the station, which were locked due to COVID-19 protocols. When two officers went outside to see what the man wanted, officers noticed the man’s gun and an officer-

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

Unbelievable! I was dealt a nearly one-in-three-million hand In Texas Hold’em, with 2,598,960 poker hands possible, some are so rare that it is practically unbelievable when a player catches one of them. Indeed, when that happens and another player has a big hand, it will be very costly for the latter. A while back, that happened to me. It was shortly before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the Hustler Casino in Gardena, Calif., where I enjoy $4 - $8 low-limit Hold’em. That day, I had been playing only a short time, during which

I lucked out to win a huge pot in addition to several smaller ones. So, I was happily well ahead when this happened. In an early position, I was dealt Ac-9d — a hand playable in any position, even an early one. So I called to see the flop along with four opponents: Ad – 6s – 6h. That gave me two-pair, aces and sixes. Probably the top twopair. Unless an opponent held an Ace with a bigger kicker (e.g., A-K vs. my A-9) or a third six in the hole, my hand was

On Preservation

tle density increases in neighborhoods as a moderate way of increasing housing,” while at the same time prudently coming out as a supporter of single-family housing. When it was pointed out to her that SB 9 ends single-family zoning, she said that she would need to study the matter further. The false narrative around affordable housing that the Councilmember and her staff unfortunately are hearing is the result of the lobbying efforts of market-rate developers and contractors. But this narrative is not going anywhere (at least, in terms of producing needed affordable housing). Only real planning that takes into account population

(Continued from page 2)

what is affordable to someone making the county’s average household median income. The reality is that no developer is likely to buy an expensive single-family-home property to demolish it. Rather, developers are likely to go to urban Los Angeles areas where single-family land is cheapest (relatively). Those will be the single-family neighborhoods in low and moderate-income communities of color. In a recent town hall with the Hancock Park Homeowners Association, our Councilmember Nithya Raman said she supported SB 9 and “gen-

Family-Run

Poker for All by

George Epstein the favorite. I decided to open the betting and see what I could learn from it. Three of them called; there was no raise. I smiled to myself, certain that I was well ahead. Very confident. Even more so when the turn growth, infrastructure capacity and traffic (and historic preservation!) — as well as state and federal affordable housing subsidies from Sacramento and Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-like entities — will guarantee a sustainable city with the affordable housing we seek. This is especially important to remember as our own Wilshire Community Plan is soon due for an update, and then the pressure will be on us.

was the As. I had Aces-full-ofsixes! Imagine my excitement. I focused on not giving any tells so my opponents would have no clues as to the monster I held. Now my goal was to build the pot as big as possible. If I again opened the betting, surely some of my opponents would muck their hands; you cannot make any money that way. So I decided to go for a check-raise. The player to my immediate left, a loose-aggressive player, came out betting. At this point in the hand, the bets were doubled in size ($8 instead of $4) compared to the first two rounds of betting. That would help to build the pot I was so sure of winning. Trying to read his hand, I figured him for a big pair in the hole — second best to my full house. The other two players pondered a bit, and then decided to call. “Good,” I said to myself, as I planned to complete the check-raise. All three of them called my raise. The pot was

HUGE! In my imagination, I was already adding a third rack to my chips. I smiled. The dealer then placed the River card on the board. I gasped; it was a third six! If an opponent held a six in the hole, he had just caught four sixes — quads. That would render my full house a poor second-best. I calmed myself when I realized that for that to happen, my opponent would have had to catch a oneouter — a 50-to-1 long shot. Not likely. I called his raise. Guess what: At the showdown, he turned up 6 – K suited. That hand took all my previous winnings and then some. “Unbelievable,” a player to my right commiserated with me. I had to take a break so I would not go on tilt. Yes, unbelievable — but it did happen. George “The Engineer” Epstein, a long-time resident, is the author of three poker books including “The Art of Bluffing: and “Hold’em or Fold’em – An Algorithm for Making the Key Decision.”

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Larchmont Chronicle

APRIL 2021

SECTION TWO

2321 Chislehurst Drive

5 Bed 5 Bath | $5,995,000 List

SOLD! Extremely private 1937 Traditional-style estate & guest house on prized, half acre+ parcel. Five bedrooms, 5 baths, lush grounds, oversized pool & spa, mesmerizing views, poised on one of the best streets in desirable Los Feliz. Movein condition. This is a special home indeed, ideal for family gatherings or large group celebrations and awaits its next lucky steward.

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Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. DRE 01866771. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate.