Larchmont Chronicle
vol. 53, no. 5
• delivered to 76,439 readers in hancock park • windsor square • fremont place • Miracle Mile • Park La Brea • Larchmont •
MAY 2016
IN THIS ISSUE
SPRING Dining & Entertainment Guide. Section 3
BASEBALL ALL AROUND US: From a prominent neighbor celebrating Dodgers Opening Day with Vin Scully at Dodger Stadium to hundreds of local youngsters opening their careers with Pony League baseball, the sport is influential in local lives. In the photo above, with a background of the towering neon sign
'Mansionization' review back on track, after delays Hearings in May FIRST LADY is garden tour honoree. 1-3
CAGE FREE is better, scientifically. 1-11
BLUTHNER travels to Showcase. 2-2
By Suzan Filipek Mansionization is a hot topic, and an amended draft of the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance (BMO) is at the front lines with opposing factions pushing from both sides. Tom Rothmann, principal city planner for the Dept. of City Planning Code Studies Division, says calls come in daily. Some from powerful lobbyists, others from environmentalists. So many calls show the contentiousness of the debate. The City Planning Commission was set to consider the proposed draft this month, but the hearing has moved to Thurs., July 14. “The city would like to give See Mansionization, p 15
over The Grove’s parking structure and the giant clock on the Farmers Market Self Storage building, players in the Wilshire Warriors Shetland division (ages 5 to 6) play tee ball in Pan Pacific Park. The teams were the Rangers and the White Sox. See more photos on page 12.
Los Angeles: growing up with character, density? New challenges are complex As part of the Larchmont Chronicle’s continuing coverage of a proposed anti-growth ballot initiative that seeks to ban much construction in the City of Los Angeles for two years, the Chronicle is reprinting a thoughtful and relevant article on how the Los Angeles Conservancy is addressing this matter. The article, now edited slightly, first appeared in the March/ April issue of the “Los Angeles Conservancy News.” By Adrian Scott Fine and Cindy Olnick Los Angeles is entering a new phase of growth and physical transformation, as a postwar landscape defined largely by open space and lowrise buildings gives way to the
demand for density. Few large cities can lay claim to L.A.’s recent investment in public transit infrastructure and expansion. Los Angeles is changing at a rapid pace, and this will inevitably affect historic places. How do we plan for this change and manage it in a thoughtful way, so that the places we cherish are retained as an integral part of this new wave of development, rather than being needlessly thrown away? The Los Angeles Conservancy has been managing change in Los Angeles since our founding in 1978. Yet the magnitude of change we now face poses new challenges that See Los Angeles, p 8
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On your mark, get set, May 1 Voting, gardens on calendar Several events are taking place the first Sunday in May, with locals and dignitaries— sometimes local dignitaries— in attendance. First up ... get out and vote! Election for all Director seats for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council takes place that Sunday afternoon. Stakeholders—residents, property owners, business owners, students and others—can make democracy work and cast a vote. See page 7. Mid-City West Neighborhood Council also holds elections the same day. The annual Windsor SquareHancock Park Historical Society Garden Tour visits several lush estate gardens. Los Angeles' First Lady is honoree. See page 3. Mayor Eric Garcetti is among speakers at the 24th annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration at Pan Pacific Park. See page 16. Big Sunday's first full month of volunteerism has something for everyone. See page 16.
Vote
Sunday, May 1 See page 7
EXTERNAL TANK-94 is traveling across the Gulf of Mexico Photos: NASA through the Panama Canal up to Los Angeles.
ET-94 is heading to new home The tank will be routed through city streets
SPACE SHUTTLE ORBITER with its orange external tank.
ET is coming home. Los Angeles’ newest star will be paraded through the streets to its final destination—the California Science Center—sched-
uled for May 21. External Tank-94, (aka ET), a 15-story tall fuel tank for the Space Shuttle, left New See ET-94, p 14
Salute to grads! The annual special edition featuring tosses of hats to this year's graduates comes in June's Larchmont Chronicle. Advertising deadline is Mon., April 16. For more information contact Pam Rudy, 323462-2241, ext. 11.
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