Larchmont Chronicle
Larchmont Chronicle The Voice of the Community since 1963
presort standard u.s. postage
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south gate ca. permit no. 294
JUNE 2013
vol. 50, no. 6 • delivered to the 76,439 readers in hancock park • windsor square • fremont place • park labrea • larchmont village • Miracle Mile
Cycle Wilshire, downtown to Fairfax, on CicLAvia June 23 Car-free route to include food trucks, 'hubs'
GRAD SALUTE Pages 19 to 31
SECTION ONE LVNA semi-annual meeting. 4 SOLAR trash bins coming to Blvd. 6 AUTHORS discuss their books. 7 FREE BOOKS at houses.
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ESCROW FIRM family affair. 10 PIZZA, BEEF On the Menu.
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GRADUATES tell college choices. 19 CHRONICLE celebrates 50th!
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CAMPS, summer programs. 39
Participants of CicLAvia will be riding down Wilshire Blvd. Sun., June 23 passing area landmarks and rest-stop "hubs" along the way. If a recent CicLAvia event with some 180,000 participants is any guide, many, many cyclists are expected to participate. The pedestrian-, skate- and bike-friendly route will run along Wilshire from downtown at Pershing Square to Fairfax Ave., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hu bs—pedestr i an -o n l y zones featuring food trucks and rest stops—will be at Fairfax, Rimpau Blvd., MacArthur Park, Western Ave. and at the starting point, One Wilshire. No cars or parking Automobiles will lose their right of the road, and, there is no street parking on the route from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m. Automobiles can cross the route at designated spots, such as at Vermont, Western and La Brea avenues. A podcast by architectural researcher and commentator Edward Lifson and an architectural walking guide by
Catherine Gudis will be available. The event is part of Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A., sponsored by the Getty Foundation.
Millennium two towers would be tallest in area PLUM to consider By Suzan Filipek The business community hails the economic activity the Millennium Hollywood mixed-use project will generate. Neighborhood groups oppose the development, and city officials have voiced concerns of the sheer size: two towers, each reaching more than 50 stories. “I hope they could be lowered… greatly,” Councilman Tom LaBonge said in a phone interview last month. “I do believe anything over 29 stories would overwhelm what we know and love of Hollywood.” The tallest building See MILLENNIUM, p 3
Neighborhood on tour SECTION TWO Real Estate Home & Garden
MAGIC connection in Brookside. 6 NEW MAYOR moving in?
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LIBRARIES kick off reading clubs. 10
For Information on Advertising Rates, Please Call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11
LANDMARKS on a tour organized by Greg Whitmann, center, included a Craftsman house used by a nursery school. Some 21 people joined Whitmann on the “Neighborhood Walk and Talk” May 19 between Third and Fifth streets, Gramercy Place and Western Ave. Whitmann represents the area on the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council board.
CULTURAL DAY featured games, food and more at Third Street Section 2, page 7 Elementary School.
Votes needed to light dark streets in Windsor Square Character of 1920s design will be maintained By Jane Gilman Ballots will be in the mail in early June for the final push to light up a portion of Windsor Square. Homeowners will be voting on a street lighting improvement district that includes adding lampposts on First and Second streets between Larchmont Blvd. and Norton Ave. The upgrade is needed to provide increased nighttime vehicle and pedestrian safety, said John Welborne, chairman of the Windsor Square Association street lighting committee. A straw poll taken last summer indicated property owners favor the new lights. That action allows formal voting by residents on these streets, said Welborne. Ballots must be returned before the City Council hearing set for Wed., July 24. Paul Newman, WSA board member who is directing the effort, said the new system will maintain the character of the existing 1920s design using ornamental concrete poles and traditional lamps, but will provide more light at less cost. The city will assess each affected property owner for his share of the cost of designing and installing the new system
based on linear frontage. The amount can be paid once or in annual installments over a 10-year period.
Spotlight on Seniors in July Our annual section will cover the young-at-heart and wiser set. Advertising deadline is Fri., June 14. To reserve space, call Pam Rudy, 323-462-2241 x 11.
On the Boulevard Glimpses by Jane Those ladies with svelte figures you see on the boulevard are exiting from Fly Wheel, our newest health enterprise. They join Curves and Yogaworks in helping locals adhere to their goal of keeping trim. Warning: We’ve just learned the Westside city parking lot will be closed June 3, 4 and 5 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for maintenance and repaving. *** We hear raising chickens is the newest fad among LarchSee BLVD., p 13
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