LC Real Estate 12 2023 by Larchmont Chronicle

FIX THE BEEP

Teens’ nonprofit helps Angelenos get smoke alarms in working order.

Page 10

Real Estate Libraries Home & Garden

HEAVENLY

Pumpkin bread and a dose of history served at The Monastery of the Angels. Page 12

VIEW

WORD CAFÉ

The world of printing presses led to some common terms heard today. Page 15

Section 2

LARCHMONT CHRONICLE

DECEMBER 2023

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

2 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

Ridgewood Place, St. Andrew’s Square were just designated It is my distinct honor to announce that Greater Wilshire has two new official historic districts to add to its collection. The California State Historic Resources Commission on Nov. 3 approved for inclusion on the California Register of Historical Resources the St. Andrew’s Square Historic District and the Ridgewood Place Residential Historic District. This is the first step on the neighborhoods’ paths to listing on the National Register of Historic Places — which advocates hope will take place by the end of January next year. This will mark the first time in more than a decade that our community has welcomed new historic districts and is cause to celebrate! In previous columns, I wrote about the history and evolution of these new districts’ original developments like Ridgewood Park and what the column denominated “The Places.” Described was how time, real estate marketing and the exigencies of other preservation campaigns — for other areas under threat — left remnants of these historic streets and neighborhoods adrift from their founding communities. From 2007 to 2010, Hancock Park, Windsor Square,

On Preservation by

Brian Curran

Country Club Heights, Windsor Village and Wilshire Park all became official City of Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs), preserving a vast area of Greater Wilshire. However, efforts to preserve more neighborhoods with the HPOZ mechanism stalled due to politics, associated costs and time. Up to 10 new districts were identified in 2014 by Survey LA, the eight-year survey of Los Angeles’ historic resources by the city and the J. Paul Getty Trust. Unfortunately, with the 2019 passage of the state housing law Senate Bill 330 (SB 330), further HPOZ endeavors were put on hold. But just as the state took one tool away, preservationists saw that the state offered another; one with less ironclad protections, but with more gravitas — a National Register Historic District. The applications to designate Ridgewood Place and St. Andrew’s Square Nation-

al Register Historic Districts were authored and shepherded through the review process by James Dastoli, a rising star in Los Angeles preservation who has also championed the successful nominations of several Historic Cultural Monuments. Organizing and working with teams of local residents and homeowners from the Ridgewood-Wilton and St. Andrew’s Square neighborhoods, Dastoli and the teams gathered survey data, architectural descriptions, photos and historical documentation on more than 200 properties. The result of this incredible community-driven effort, which can cost upwards of $30,000 when working with professional firms, is the creation of the two new districts flanking the community’s original designated area, the Wilton Historic District, which was added to the National Register in 1979. During the Nov. 3 state commission meeting, it was noted that both the Ridgewood Place and St. Andrew’s Place / Gramercy Place districts (combined into the new St. Andrew’s Square district) were identified by Survey LA as retaining sufficient integrity to convey significance. During commission member comments, Commissioner Janet

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Hansen commented about how important a role surveys play in identifying properties for the National Register. Commissioner Luis Hoyos, an eminent preservation architect and professor at Cal Poly Pomona, stated how good it was to see Los Angeles communities getting organized for these preservation efforts. Both his and Hansen’s

observations are significant statements from our state decision makers because they point to an important truth about preservation. While our city, state and federal governments do a heroic job of trying to manage their vast and growing collection of historic resources, it is up to us individuals to keep a watchful eye and to put in the effort to ensure the preservation of our historic neighborhoods, houses and resources.

Happy Holidays May Peace, Happiness, Health & Prosperity be yours during this holiday and throughout the New Year.

Pete Buonocore pete@coregroupla.com

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Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

SECTION TWO 3

Neighborhoods seek removal of another proposed upzoning

By Suzan Filipek Score one for Hancock Park, Brookside, La Brea Hancock and single-family neighborhoods everywhere in Los Angeles. “We are taking a quick victory lap together, but we need to stay vigilant!” reads a November email from the Hancock Park Homeowners Association (HPHOA) to residents. The glee shared by local homeowner groups was the result of the City Planning Dept. pulling back on two proposed density overlays for residential neighborhoods that could have resulted in four- to five-story buildings built next to single-family homes. The “Affordable Housing Overlays” and “Transit Oriented Community Expansions” are off the table now after fierce opposition to the Planning Dept. staff’s proposed Citywide Housing Incentive Program (CHIP). “At this time, single-family zoned land is not being considered as eligible for the Affordable Housing Overlay incentives in development,” Planning Director Vince Bertoni said in a statement on the Planning Dept. website on Oct. 26.

“Additionally, single-family zoned sites are not being considered in the expansion of the Transit Oriented Communities Affordable Housing Incentive Program.” (See tinyurl.com/vjjbnd4a) While welcoming the news last month, local homeowner groups remain cautious and vigilant as a third overlay is still on the table. Third upzoning overlay The third zoning strategy — Opportunity Residential Corridor — still threatens all single-family neighborhoods. By contrast, commercial business-zoned corridors offer sites to accommodate the city’s much-needed housing, the HPHOA wrote to residents. The message urges residents to write a second follow-up letter to the mayor and councilmembers to remove the third overlay. HPHOA President Cindy Chvatal-Keane and La Brea Hancock Homeowners Association President Cathy Roberts oppose the overlays in partnership with United Neighbors, a statewide coalition of renters, homeowners and community organizations. “The Planning Department obviously felt the pressure from our collective groups to remove the overlays,” Ma-

ria Kalban, of United Neighbors wrote in the email in November. “They had no idea anyone was looking at the Housing Element maps. But if we go away quietly now, we lose. We still have to see the actual Housing Element Maps, fight the Community Plan Updates…” The new maps are expected to be released by the city this month. The controversial upzoning plans were under the radar until they were discovered by homeowner groups. The city is proposing to accommodate construction on a 1.4-million-parcel “inventory of potential OPP RC STANDS FOR Residential (R Zoned) Opportunity Corridors — sites” from which the a City Planning staff idea about upzoning single-family lots. City Planning Department says it will choose Department’s draft “Plan to in our area are identified as a much smaller number of House LA” — the state-man- Transit-Oriented communiproperties to rezone to help dated Housing Element of the ties (TOC). These include the deal with a housing shortage. city’s General Plan. areas of the Larchmont Village See our accompanying chart The mandate requires zon- Neighborhood Association, from the Chronicle’s Novem- ing capacity for an additional north of Beverly Boulevard, ber story on this subject. 255,432 housing units to be plus Sycamore Square, La The inventory had includ- part of City of Los Angeles-ad- Brea Hancock and Brookside. ed parcels on both residential opted law by February 2025. View the Plan to House LA at streets and commercial corriNeighborhoods which had planning.lacity.org/plans-poldors, according to the Planning been most likely impacted icies/housing-element.

4 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

Residents voice concerns with TVC Plan’s traffic and density By Suzan Filipek

The Final Environmental Impact Report for the TVC 2050 Project proposed development at Television City was released by the Los Angeles City Planning Dept. on Nov. 21. “The Project would establish the TVC 2050 Specific Plan to allow for the continuation of an existing studio use and the modernization and expansion of media production facilities within the approximately 25acre Television City studio,” according to the document, at tinyurl.com/7zaprzje. Final EIR. What’s next? With the release of the Final EIR as well as the Sign Plan and the Traffic Manage-

ment Program, several public hearings will be scheduled, before votes by the City Planning Commission, City Council PLUM Committee, and the full City Council. This follows a question-and-answer session Nov. 15 held by Neighbors for Responsible TVC Development. Co-chair Danielle Peters said at the outset, “Our group is not against this development. We support it. We support jobs. Our goal is to make this something that is livable.” Several residents expressed concerns about the size and traffic impacts of the proposed development. “This area is already at a critical mass with traffic, and

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the density with this project could tip the scales with the quality of life, where people will just go somewhere else,” said resident Aaron Hasson. He lives near Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, across from the studio, and he was among the many who came out on a rainy night and filled the 70-seat Greenway Court Theater at Fairfax High. Brian Glodney, executive vice president of development and planning for developer Hackman Capital Partners, stated that the 70-year-old facility was visionary when CBS opened it in 1952. Hackman’s proposal is to modernize the facility, increasing it to a maximum of 1.85 million square feet of sound stages, production support, offices and other uses on the site. He was among four project team members at the meeting representing the developer. Several residents expressed concern with the impacts of traffic (5,000 additional parking spaces are proposed onsite), and a request to change the land to Regional Center zoning. Besides being twice the size of the “old Staples Center, it will bring thousands of commuters to the area,” Peters said. “Upzoning to Regional Center will allow you to build much bigger than zoning allows for,” she added. The Regional Center designation “doesn’t double the density. It brings the various land uses into modern land uses,” Glodney said. “The development does not increase the 1.75 FAR (floor

COMMUNITY MEETING, held at Greenway Court Theater, was attended by developer project team members (at the table on the left), and Shelley Wagers and Danielle Peters of Neighbors for Responsible TVC Development, on the right.

area ratio),” he added. But Peters said the FAR could rise to that existing in Century City — a 6.1 FAR — if the site were sold to a new owner with the Regional Center zoning. “For the community, it’s the long game. It’s not just your property going forward. “It could change the landscape of the neighborhood,” Peters said. Glodney countered that a new owner would have to reapply with the city, hold public hearings and conduct additional environmental review to build more density than allowed. “They would need to ask the city to exceed the 1.75 FAR. That’s the fail-safe.” Fifteen stories max Glodney added, “[An] unlimited amount of height is allowed under current zoning.” Yet, the project’s Specific Plan imposes a maximum of 225 feet, or 15 stories, on the 25-acre property, he said. “The height is less than

eight percent of the project, and it’s far from the edges,” he added. By contrast, one resident said the Park La Brea apartment towers are 150 feet high. Another point of contention is that the developer seeks a construction agreement with the city allowing construction to be underway for a period of 32 months up to 20 years. Glodney said Hackman Capital hoped the project could be built in 32 months, but if not, the project can be spaced out in five phases. It would not be 20 years of steady construction, he added. “It’s very difficult for the community to have a project that is open-ended and deal with that level of uncertainty,” Neighbors for Responsible TVC Development Co-chair Shelley Wagers responded. Emergency response times were also questioned by residents, as the local fire station, (Please turn to Page 6)

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

SECTION TWO

Happy Holidays

from My Family Tree to Yours LISA HUTCHINS

Lifelong resident of Hancock Park

Coldwell Banker Realty Hancock Park #1 Office Agent 27 of the last 30 years

Call Direct at 323-216-6938

Daughter KATE HUTCHINS Born April 9, 2002 Daughter GRACE HUTCHINS Born June 10, 2005

Mom Lucy McBain Lifelong resident of Hancock Park #1 realtor in Hancock Park 1973 – 1993 #1 realtor for Coldwell Banker in the USA for 13 years Grandfather Homer Toberman Lifelong resident of L.A., Civic Leader Local real estate developer, home builder, Hancock Park resident until he died at 86

Great-great-uncle Mayor James Toberman, sent here by President Lincoln as a tax collector in 1863. Despite that, he was elected Mayor of L.A. three times: 1872, 1878 and 1880. During his terms he paved Main St.and turned on the first electric lights in the city.

Great-grandfather C.E. Toberman “Mr. Hollywood” Built the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Chinese, Egyptian, El Capitan Theaters to name a few.

Subdivided, sold lots in 53 tracts, including parts of Las Palmas, McCadden, etc., and Outpost Estates in Hollywood. Owned Black-Foxe School at Wilcox and Melrose.

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6 SECTION TWO

TVC Today.

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

TVC Future concept.

TVC Plan

(Continued from Page 4) No. 61, is already shorthanded, a resident noted. Others questioned how paramedics would be able to snarl through two-lane Fairfax Avenue with added traffic. A Hackman representative said the Final EIR shows the fire services to be adequate. Also alarming to residents was the number of projects — 66 — proposed for the surrounding area. Developer transportation consultant Pat Gibson said only a few of those projects were in the works. “The six to seven major projects are going to be done by the time we start construction.” The developer plans to close the site during the construction, keeping the staging onsite to minimize street traffic. The finished project would include a Mobility Hub with employee shuttles to the subway and other sites. The developer said a Sign District will keep digital signs on-site without visibility from

the street. Alcohol use will be limited to 10 facilities on the site and two off-site. These and other measures are in the Final EIR, the project team said. But many attendees questioned the analysis and

reports. “You don’t live here. You don’t know what it’s like to make an EIR a real document. They falsify. They don’t really tell the story of what it’s like to live here for decades,” one resident said.

Candles by DWC at Grove pop-up All-natural candles made by residents of the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) are represented in the Home & Gift collection featured in a pop-up store at The Grove through Sun., Dec. 31. The candles, such as “Joshua Tea,” which is made of sun-dried tea leaves and bergamot, are among items in the MADE by DWC line. The product line also includes soaps, bath salts and journals featuring artwork by

women participating in the hand-crafting manufacturing project. Each purchase helps fund programs that provide handson training and mentorship at DWC. The women’s center helps end homelessness through job training and employment. The MADE by DWC popup is just east of the Farmers Market, past Gilmore Lane. Visit The Grove at 189 The Grove Drive.

SOLD: This home at 916 S. Rimpau Blvd. in Brookside sold for $1,442,000 in October.

Real Estate Sales* Single-family homes

537 N. Las Palmas Ave. 203 N. Lucerne Blvd. 135 N. St. Andrews Pl. 437 N. Windsor Blvd. 130 N. Windsor Blvd. 921 S. Citrus Ave. 578 N. Gower St. 741 S. Orange Dr. 916 S. Rimpau Blvd. 546 N. Martel Ave.

$3,251,890 $2,645,000 $2,600,000 $2,360,000 $2,281,000 $1,990,000 $1,979,000 $1,450,000 $1,442,000 $1,260,000

641 Wilcox Ave., #2A 646 Wilcox Ave. 681 S. Norton Ave., #103 611 N. Bronson Ave., #9 749 S. Cloverdale Ave., #101 739 Lorraine Blvd., #201 421 S. Van Ness Ave., #23 822 S. Windsor Blvd., #201 835 S. Lucerne Blvd., #208 585 N. Rossmore Ave., #512

$1,435,000 $1,287,000 $1,185,000 $1,175,000 $1,025,000 $955,000 $905,000 $890,000 $837,500 $740,000

Condominiums

*Sale prices for October.

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

SECTION TWO

4533 COCKERHAM DRIVE, LOS FELIZ | $38,000,000 20,000+ sqft multi-structure compound, ±2 acre promontory, long gated driveway, unobstructed views. Designed by Studio William Hefner Gated with a 650-foot driveway leading to a prime 2+/- acre promontory with vast unobstructed city to ocean views. Multi structure private compound includes a newly built limestone Neo-Classical mansion with over 20,000 square feet on 3 levels. Grand 2 story entry with sweeping staircase, library and living room with expansive entertainment view terraces. Bar/lounge, formal dining room with hand-painted walls. Imported historic stone fireplaces throughout. Bespoke kitchen and breakfast room/lounge. Bar, movie theater and game room. Spectacular gym with head on city views, terrace spa, steam room, infrared sauna and salon/glam room. Elevator between all 3 floors. 2 separate 1 bedroom guest houses, pool with fountains and nature paths under mature specimen trees and tranquil nature elements. Shown to pre qualified buyers only.

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8 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

LVNA meeting touches on crime among hot-button topics By Nona Sue Friedman The Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association (LVNA) semi-annual meeting drew more than 50 members via Zoom on Nov. 14. The agenda included remarks from Los Angeles Unified School District board member Nick Melvoin, California State Senator Anthony Portantino, Los Angeles Police Department officers and Hancock Park Home-

owners Association president Cindy Chvatal-Keane. One of the items that Melvoin, who lives in Larchmont Village, spoke about is his priority of greening school campuses. Van Ness Elementary recently received money to help green its campus. Next up was Senator Portantino, whose current state legislature district stops just short of the LVNA but who — like Melvoin — is running

After escrow fell out, Beverly Hot Springs back on market

By Suzan Filipek The Beverly Hot Springs spa is back on the market while business continues as usual at the only natural hot springs spa of its kind in the city. A previous sale recently fell out of escrow after the developer backed out. A 101-unit, seven-story apartment building was proposed at the site at 308 N. Oxford St. about one mile east of Larchmont Village. The property is now listed for $10.5 million, according to LoopNet. The facility has been fami-

ly-owned and operated for 38 years. According to spa goers, business is going well at the spa, which offers body treatments and pools with warm alkaline water that bubbles up from a well deep under ground. Some patrons of the spa are pursuing a historic designation to help protect the site going forward. (See Larchmont Chronicle: “Time for a relaxing bath at Beverly Hot Springs, but not for long,” Oct. 2023; and “Project bubbling at Beverly Hot Springs,” Sept. 2023.)

for Rep. Adam Schiff’s seat in Congress. Portantino says education is his number one issue. He also claims, “I am the community guy.” LAPD Capt. Sonia Monico and Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Hebel Rodriguez, both from Wilshire Division, along with SLO Joe Pelayo from Olympic Division, fielded questions about crime in the neighborhood. In response to an

armed attempted home invasion on Nov. 4, a white Tesla without a license plate casing and burglarizing homes on numerous recent occasions, and fears stemming from the war in Gaza, both police divisions have added extra patrol cars. With so much talk about crime, LVNA president Charlie D’Atri suggested planning a separate meeting with LAPD.

Chvatal-Keane spoke about land development and additional housing and zoning issues. Her United Neighbors presentation focused on the need for current residents to be aware of the kind, amount and location of new housing that is being proposed. Residents need to stay well informed to try to keep their neighborhoods intact, she warned.

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Plymouth ‘party house’ neighbors meet with CD13 By Nona Sue Friedman A notorious party house at 300 N. Plymouth Blvd. on the northeast corner at Beverly Boulevard has been dark for weeks. Despite threats of a party on Halloween, all was quiet. As the saying

goes, “Silence is golden,” and the North Plymouth Coalition (NPC) is happy with the silence. Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez of Council District 13 met with neighbors (Please turn to Page 14)

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Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

SECTION TWO

Mayor and CD 13 councilman speak at Windsor Square meeting

WINDSOR SQUARE president Larry Guzin introduces Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez (standing and waving) at the association’s annual Town Hall meeting, held this year in the Lounge at The Ebell.

in their homes. Councilman Soto-Martinez spoke with Dusseault and the attendees about his own office’s recent work in relocating four of the 200 encampments in his district, using the mayor’s Inside Safe program. He said that the stance he took in his campaign against WSA BOARD MEMBERS, Angie Szentgyorgyi — (left) and Tracey Durning discuss the Block Cap- e n f o r c i n g anti-camptain program.

The mayor also emphasized the need to assist people on the verge of becoming unhoused, to allow them to stay

MAYOR KAREN BASS was interviewed by Windsor Square neighbor and WSA board member Sarah Dusseault, at right.

ing prohibitions such as Municipal Code Section 41.18 — remains his position. Densification When the councilman was asked about the issue of densification of single-family neighborhoods, he noted that the Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs) and single-family (R-1) neighborhoods would not be impacted. He went on to say that each neighborhood would have to contribute to alleviating the city housing crisis. Soto-Martinez believes residents of each neighborhood should decide for themselves where they want to add housing, but every neighborhood has to do its part. The councilman also ad-

dressed issues with regard to the Department of Water & Power, center-lane parking on Larchmont and speed bumps. Committee reports Following the interviews, WSA president Guzin introduced numerous board members who updated attendees on such things as the Block Captain program, the RYLAN emergency preparedness program and Land Use issues affecting the area. John Welborne, the WSA’s vice president for planning and land use, reported on the in-process discussions of General Plan and Wilshire Community Plan revisions. The meeting concluded with the election of WSA directors for 2024.

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Just Sold | 203 N Lucerne Blvd

Just Sold | 2121 Ames Street Reimagined Los Feliz Traditional

Windsor Square Country English

3 Bed | 2.5 Bath | 2382 sq ft | 7937 lot

3 Bed | 2.5 Bath | 1838 sq ft | 6807 lot

$2,650,000 | Represented Buyer

$2,645,000 | $296,000 Over Asking | Multiple Offers

Just Sold | 2055 Lake Shore Ave

Just Sold | 1537 N Hoover Street Los Feliz Spanish

Elysian Heights Spanish Charmer

4 Bed | 2 Bath | 1668 sq ft | 6908 lot

2 Bed | 2 Bath | 1038 sq ft | 3141 lot

$1,776,000 | Represented Buyers | Won in Multiples

$1,375,000 | Represented Buyers | Won in Multiples

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Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01991628. 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.

By Casey Russell The Windsor Square Association’s annual “Town Hall” meeting took place in the Lounge of the Ebell Club on Nov. 15. More than 100 residents welcomed speakers Mayor Karen Bass and 13th District City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez. Following introductory remarks by WSA president Larry Guzin, board member Sarah Dusseault interviewed each the mayor and then the councilman. Bass remarked upon her appreciation of the warm welcome she has received from her Windsor Square neighbors and noted extra tolerance shown by her immediate Getty House neighbors on account of the many events she has been hosting there. She also cited the extra tolerance required when there are noisy protestors, such as at 5 a.m. the morning of the meeting. Homelessness Her main points involved giving detailed answers to questions that Sarah Dusseault asked about the city’s homelessness strategies, with the mayor emphasizing the need to create a system of “long-term interim housing” to move people from the streets and to prepare them for permanent housing.

10 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

Two local teens work to keep Angelenos safe and ‘beep’-free By Casey Russell Two local teens are on a mission to make sure Angelenos have working smoke alarms in their residences. Dylan Foley of Wilshire Park and Rowan Carney of Hancock Park started their nonprofit, Fix the Beep, two years ago. Prior to that time, neither girl had grand plans to become the safety ambassadors they are today. The mission began when Foley’s father had noticed a lot of beeping in the background of a video the family had been sent from a teacher and her class. It turned out that many educators were hearing beeps while teaching on Zoom. Realizing the beeping came from out-oforder smoke alarms, the girls began researching the problem and, ultimately, decided to step forward and take action. During the pandemic, Foley and Carney discovered that many people don’t realize how much of a safety issue an outof-order smoke alarm can be. They also learned that faulty smoke alarms are a common problem in low-income areas. Sometimes people don’t have the resources to change the batteries; some tenants don’t understand their rights; and other tenants are worried they will get in trouble if land-

FIX THE BEEP girls (left to right) Rowan Carney and Dylan Foley assembling kits.

lords come in and realize how many people are living in the dwellings. Whatever the reasons, “It’s very dangerous,” said Carney. It’s also required that landlords install and maintain smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. With their eyes newly opened, the girls wanted to help people to be safer in their homes by making the testing and replacement of batteries more accessible. With that goal in mind, Fix the Beep was born. “The first meeting was with our parents… everyone was being so collaborative and was wanting to help,” said Foley. The team started making kits that would include a battery tester, two types of batteries,

bilingual pamphlets and a magnet with a QR code to access fixthebeep.org. It just so happened that Foley’s elementary school, The Center for Early Education, was giving a community service alumni award to four former students. The girls applied and were awarded $1,000 that helped start their nonprofit. Their first partnership was with Flower Truck LA, an organization that does pop-up flower shops around the city and also teams up with local charities. A weekend partnership helped the girls raise $5,000 and started to get the word out about Fix the Beep. The duo also has partnered with A Sense of Home, an organization dedicated to preventing homelessness by creating homes for kids aging out of the foster care system. “A lot of our kits are given to young adults moving out of the system, so that they’ll have them in their first apartments,” said Carney. Family Fair Most recently, Fix the Beep partnered with My Safe LA at the Larchmont Family Fair in October. My Safe LA works to help people prepare for, and survive, disasters, but the organization’s representatives

DYLAN Foley, Rowan Carney and firefighter Kira Coblentz take a break from filming a fire safety video.

can only go into homes with a landlord’s permission. Partnering with My Safe LA to get Fix the Beep kits into the hands of actual residents — many living in apartments — was an effective way to help keep even more Angelenos safe. The Family Fair booth “turned a lot of heads at the Fair,” said Foley. “One woman stopped by and told us that her friend had died because his smoke alarm wasn’t working… he didn’t know there was a fire.” The girls have visited fire stations twice — once to make a fire safety video with the first female firefighter at Station #64 in San Dimas. Foley, a senior at Immacu-

late Heart, and Carney, a senior at Brentwood High, both plan to attend out-of-state universities. They are excited to learn how other areas are handling the issue but are committed to keeping Fix the Beep strong in their fire-prone home state. “We made this from the ground up, and we are giving back and helping people. It’s changed my perspective,” said Carney. Foley agreed, “This experience has reinforced what I love and want to do,” she said. “I’m very interested in business and innovation… helping a business give back to a community or even helping with marketing for nonprofits.” For more information, visit fixthebeep.org.

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

SECTION TWO

Hancock Park condo residents sue over ‘life-threatening’ flooding By Suzan Filipek When it rains, it really, really pours at The Rossmore. During one heavy storm last winter, 29 cars were flooded in the condominium complex’s underground parking garage at 585 N. Rossmore Ave. “Every car was a total loss,” said Caroline Debbané, president of The Rossmore Owners Association (the condo residents’ HOA). Some cars even floated as the water nearly rose to the ceiling. The water also flooded the elevator and electrical room. Luckily no one was hurt. During heavy storms, rainwater travels down from Melrose Avenue, flooding the garage in spite of flood barrier measures. “No matter what we do to protect our property, it’s not enough,” said Debbané. Residents blame an antiquated infrastructure — a storm drain with a too-small pipe that ends underground in front of the five-story complex, where water pressure is so forceful it uplifts a manhole cover. “With each storm comes the risk of a truly hazardous and potentially life-threatening situation,” says Debbané. “The city has neglected to

FLOODING OCCURS in front of The Rossmore condos and surrounding streets during heavy storms, such as during Hurriane Hilary in August, above.

properly address the issue. The storm drain system currently in place is overtaxed and grossly inadequate, causing increasingly dangerous conditions and property damage in the neighborhood every time it rains.” On behalf of The Rossmore Owners Association, attorney Mike McLachlan filed a complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court Sept. 2. He is calling in a state flood expert for the discovery phase, he said, adding that, in his 28year career, he has never seen anything like the volume of water that turned Rossmore

into a river and shot 6 feet out of the manhole, which was captured on a video. “The water had nowhere else to go.” Also listed as a plaintiff in the complaint is longtime penthouse resident Eleanor Corcoran, who was “forced to move out of the building because there was no working elevator in the building after the Jan. 9, 2023, flood,” according to the complaint. The city’s seven-page response on Oct. 24 denies the allegations, stating that the plaintiffs “knowingly … exposed themselves and,

therefore, voluntarily assumed the risks of any damages, injuries and/or liability.” The city filing adds that damages sustained were “caused by the natural instability of the area which has been of a duration and intensity beyond the capability and duty of the city.” Deputy City Attorney John Minor told the Chronicle that he has “requested documents from the Bureau of Sanitation and then will undertake the usual discovery, which generally consists of us asking: what are you complaining about,

and provide your proof.” A hearing has been set for Fri., Jan. 19 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Dept. 37. Flooding in the area has been documented since at least 1983 in correspondence among the city, the county and The Rossmore apartments and later, after it was converted to condos, the HOA. In a 1997 letter to then City Councilman John Ferraro, the building property manager wrote the “ownership entity” had spent more than $100,000 on a flood barrier and hired a consultant after the city said it was unable to fix the problem because of the cost. The consultant reported, “Due to the development in the area the past seventy years, heavy rainfall results in the storm drain becoming overloaded and being inadequate to handle the runoff.” By 2002, the project was referred to as the Rossmore Avenue Drain project by the city in documents and the Hancock Park Drain by the county. Around then, the Ballona Creek Watershed Task Force was initiated to create a plan for the stakeholders, which include Hancock Park. Fixing the problem, how(Please turn to Page 12)

12 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

Heavenly pumpkin bread from the Monastery of the Angels

PUMPKIN BREAD, freshly baked and ready to be wrapped!

families order the bread and peanut brittle and boxes of chocolates every year. Actor Bill Pullman dropped into the gift shop recently to buy some treats and stayed to sign bags wrapping their pumpkin bread. The late Tom LaBonge famously was known to carry loaves of the pumpkin bread in the trunk of his car to distribute around town. In its heyday, 65 Dominican sisters lived in the monastery. A few years ago, the number had dwindled to six. And then, the last remaining nun, Sister Mary John, an expert candy-maker, left in November 2022.

MONASTERY GENERAL MANAGER Carlos Sanchez in the gift shop.

The work continues Although now devoid of nuns, the monastery’s work continues. The Dominican friars are working with real estate agent Dominic Dutra, who specializes in helping religious communities repurpose their properties. While the friars seek a way to maintain the Monastery of the Angels as a sacred Dominican space, perhaps by converting it into a school, senior care facility or a home for retired priests, the monastery has its own civilian angel making sure the work continues: Carlos Sanchez.

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When Sanchez was hired in 1996, the sisters warned him not to get too comfortable because they wouldn’t need his help for too long. He’s still there. He began by sweeping up and letting in workers who needed to fix things around the complex. Then he began to take the nuns shopping and to their doctors’ appointments, many of them in the Larchmont Medical Building. As the nuns aged, he shopped for them. Before they had a website for ordering, he would take orders over the phone, pack up the goodies

(Continued from Page 11) ever, has not proved easy. It “involves the construction of mainline pipes and laterals across 23 intersections in nine different streets in the vicinity of the Wilshire County Club,” according to a March 23, 2001, city document. Plus, it apparently never has been affordable. In 1998, it was estimated to cost $11 million — more than the city’s entire Flood Control Capital Improvement Program annual budget. In a 1998 letter, a city engineer wrote to the then director of the Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Works, “On several occasions the storm water has burped out of the overtaxed 63-inch drain into a sump which is adjacent to an apartment building at [585 North Rossmore]. Both of the apartment building garages as well as the lobby have flooded at various times.” Some say streams and a river — the Cahuenga Wash

and take them to the post office to mail. When the sisters got overwhelmed with the baking, he oversaw the hired bakers. “I’m quality control,” he says. “It’s my duty to make sure the original recipe gets followed.” The work for him is more than a job. “I’m keeping traditions alive. I continue to do it for the sisters,” Sanchez explains. “If this bread ever stops, the sisters will be forgotten little by little. It keeps them alive in a way.” In addition, Sanchez, who lives in a small guesthouse on the property, believes people need the bread. “I get so many calls from grandmas, great grandmas. I’m helping them keep their family tradition alive. People get teary-eyed when they talk about it.” When Tom LaBonge passed away, nearly every obituary written about him mentioned the pumpkin bread he handed out all over the city. He was so associated with the Dominican nuns and their bread that when his wife, Brigid LaBonge, came into the shop to buy more loaves, Sanchez recounts, “She told me that (Please turn to Page 13) — added to the problem, as those were diverted from their natural courses to make room for development, such as with Susan Grossman’s house built on Lillian Way in the 1920s. “When water comes barreling down the hills,” it floods all of the area streets, preventing crossings on Lillian Way and Clinton Street during storms, Grossman told the Chronicle. “The city hasn’t adequately managed the water that comes through,” she said. Grossman is vice president of land use of the Hancock Park Homeowners Association. Grossman guesses the problem is only going to get worse, with El Nino predicted to bring wetter conditions, and with the drought in the rearview mirror. Meanwhile, the 39-unit Rossmore HOA has circulated a petition — which, as of early November, has garnered more than 467 signatures — demanding the city repair the “failed storm drain system.”

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By Helene Seifer Tucked into the Hollywood Hills, the Monastery of the Angels, established in 1924, might seem an unlikely place to find sweet treats, but the large sign promoting “MonasteryGoodies.com” at the corner of the property proclaims otherwise. Although the nuns and their staff make various chocolate candies and peanut brittle, the sisters are primarily known for pumpkin bread, some with nuts, some with nuts and cranberries. The monastery estimates it has baked well more than half a million loaves. In the 1980s, “pumpkin money” brought in 25% of the monastery’s income. Baking was not one of the original duties of the Dominican nuns; it started in 1972 when Sister Mary Agnes baked her grandmother’s pumpkin bread for dinner. It was such a hit with the sisters that they went into the baking business. Chocolates and brittle came later when a Pasadena candy-making family’s children weren’t interested in inheriting the business, so they donated their equipment to the sisters. Multiple generations of

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

SECTION TWO

Larchmont Family Fair brought smiles and fun, plus pie contest

Monastery

(Continued from Page 12) she buried Tom with a pumpkin bread.” Sanchez continues, “He’s the first man buried with it. I’m going to be number two.” The Monastery of the Angels & Gift Shop is at 1977 Carmen Ave., 323-470-5884. monasterygoodies.com. Pumpkin bread is $7.50 & $14.50; peanut brittle is $10.50 & $20; and various chocolate candies are $10.50 & $24.50.

Family-Run

test were Food Network host Daphne Brogdon of Brookside, Marino Ristorante chef Sal Marino of Windsor Square, Deborah Brooks of Hancock Park and former James Beard Award judge Heather John Fogarty of Windsor Square. There also were winners at the Family Fair’s talent contest, Larchmont’s Got Talent. The third-place winner, Rosy Donavan, won $200 for the song she sang. Lexi Adler sang and played guitar and

was awarded second place and $300. In first place, for the grand prize of $500, was Josephine Thomas, who sang and played guitar. Bob Baker Marionettes wandered Larchmont Boulevard during the event, bringing smiles to kids’ faces and confusing some local dogs (see photo). Proceeds from the event, a local tradition since 1966 and produced annually by the Larchmont Boulevard Association, support Boulevard upkeep, gardening, holiday decorations and more.

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By Casey Russell Neighbors came out in great numbers for the 2023 Larchmont Family Fair on Oct. 29. Fair organizers estimate that more than 10,000 people attended. “I think it went really well,” said Melissa Farwell, one of the co-chairs of this year’s event. “We got a lot of great feedback,” she said. A multi-ride inclusive wristband was new to the fair this year. Farwell said many parents and caregivers were happy to see it as an option for kids excited about the rides and bouncers. The pie-baking contest had winners in multiple categories. Jason Feuerstein of Miracle Mile North won for “Best Savory Entry’ with his lamb and chickpea hand pie. The “Most Creative Expression” award went to Ellie Martino of Wilcox Avenue for her “Com-pie-sition II in cherry, blueberry and strawberry” pie. “Best Overall Fruit Pie” was won by Barbara Fruhling. She baked her blueberry apple pie while visiting her daughter (a resident of Beachwood Drive) for a birthday. Judges for this year’s con-

14 SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

POLICE BEAT

Rear glass doors are recently targeted for home invasions OLYMPIC DIVISION

Furnished by Senior Lead Officer Joseph Pelayo

WILSHIRE DIVISION

Furnished by Senior Lead Officer Dave Cordova

213-793-0709 31762@lapd.online Twitter: @lapdolympic

213-793-0650 31646@lapd.online Twitter: @lapdwilshire

BURGLARIES: A male suspect broke a rear glass window and entered a locked residence on the 300 block of South Mansfield Avenue on Nov. 4 at 10 p.m. He took jewelry and fled in an unknown direction from the home.

The rear glass door of a home on the 200 block of South Lucerne Boulevard was smashed with an unknown object. The suspect entered and vandalized the home on Nov. 7 at 9 p.m. A home on the 100 block of South June Street was

burglarized on Nov. 9 at 9:30 p.m. The suspect entered the backyard and threw a security camera into the pool before breaking the sliding glass door of the home. The suspect then entered and ransacked and vandalized the home.

GRAND THEFT AUTO: A white Mistubishi was stolen from the 300 block of South La Brea Avenue on Nov. 2 at 9:15 p.m.. OLYMPIC DIVISION No information was available this month from SLO Joseph Pelayo.

NOTORIOUS PARTY HOUSE on Plymouth Boulevard as seen from inside an unpermitted fence and hedges that are too high.

Party house

(Continued from Page 8) Oct. 19. Los Angeles Police Senior Lead Officer Joe Pelayo, Deputy City Attorney Gabrielle Taylor and CD 13 Community Development and Planning Director Emma Howard also attended. According to a neighbor who was present, “It was a great meeting!” The various agencies each brought their own perspectives on different ways to eliminate disruptive parties from happening at the “Plymouth party house.” Members of North Plymouth Coalition felt seen and heard by CD 13 and appreciate the diligence of LAPD and the insight and attention from the City Attorney’s office, according to Sam Uretsky, advisor to NPC. Uretsky also told the Chronicle that the meeting opened paths of communication and created connection. On the same day as the meeting, NPC learned from Officer Pelayo that the Plym-

outh party house was cited by the Los Angeles Dept. of Building and Safety (LADBS) for an unpermitted fence as well as hedges that are too high. These infractions were supposed to be remedied by Oct. 30. As of press time, no visible changes have taken place at the property, however LADBS is supposed to reinspect the location in mid-December. If the violations haven’t been brought up to code, the home will receive a fine and another chance to repair the offenses. Two ordinances The NPC also learned that there are two ordinances — one regarding short-term housing and another about party houses — making their way through City Council. The goal of the proposed ordinances that Councilmember Soto-Martínez sponsors is to make it harder for party houses to operate in Los Angeles. Party houses plague many neighborhoods in the city, according to Officer Pelayo.

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WILSHIRE DIVISION Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Dave Cordova is out on sick leave. His interim replacement is SLO Hebel Rodriguez at 213-793-0715 or 35738@ lapd.online. BURGLARY THEFT FROM VEHICLE: A catalytic converter was stolen from a grey Toyota Prius on the 700 block of South Mansfield Avenue between Nov. 2 at 8:30 p.m. and Nov. 3 at 2:30 p.m. Another catalytic converter from another Prius was stolen between Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. and Nov. 8 at 6:30 a.m. on the 400 block of South Mansfield Avenue.

Larchmont Chronicle

DECEMBER 2023

SECTION TWO

Aardvark Letterpress minds its p’s and q’s — only in reverse Word Café by

Mara Fisher of drawers filled with metal single-character molds in every size and font imaginable. As I took in a dizzying display of drawers holding tiny metal parentheses, slashes, pound signs and asterisks, Brooks came over and asked, “Wanna see something cool?” “Always!” I replied. Brooks led me over to the shop’s Ludlow Typograph machine, a piece of equipment not unlike the one his father learned on. Brooks opened a few drawers and pulled out letter molds — an M, an r and two a’s — and assembled them together on a tray-like “composing stick.” He inserted the stick into the machine, and hot molten lead in a crucible attached to the machine was injected into the letter molds. A few clicks and thuds, and then, within seconds, a clack — the machine spit out a metal slug reading the mirrored version of my name — “ .” The piece, now ready for printing, was still warm to the touch. “That’s ‘typecasting,’” explained Brooks. “Typecasting…” I nodded, my own inner machinations clicking and whirring into action. I learned that this actors’ affliction is just one of the insults created by superimposing the jargon of the printing world — where replicability is the goal — onto people and ideas. To the layman, the word “stereotype” refers to an often unfair and untrue belief that individuals may hold about all people or things with a particular characteristic. The word originates from a type of cast metal printing plate developed in the late 18th century that was widely used

in the production of books and newspapers. Formed from the Greek stereós, meaning “solid,” and túpos, which translates to “blow, impression or engraved mark,” stereotype plates were often referred to by a different term — “cliché.” Another sin of sameness, “cliché” originates from the French verb clicher, meaning “to click,” which itself is thought to be an onomatopoeia based on the sound of a typeform striking metal when creating stereotype plates. Printmakers serve up popular idioms as well. To “mind one’s p’s and q’s” is to behave politely, but this descriptor of diligence originates with the typesetting process, where words and images are reversed. The lowercase p and q, being mirror images of

A HEIDELBERG WINDMILL press is just one of many century-old printing machines still in use at Aardvark.

one other — and which are consecutive in the alphabet — must be properly heeded. Another phrase, to be “out of sorts,” meaning ill or irrita-

ble, comes from the incidence of a printer running out of his or her required “sorts,” which is a name for individual letter blocks used for printing. Remembering Luis After more than five decades serving the community, Luis Ocon sadly passed away in October of this year. In a loving tribute posted on social media, Brooks and Cary note that, well into his 80s, Luis continued to be a fixture at Aardvark, often hard at work on the shop’s linotype machine. His legacy lives on in those who knew and loved him, and through the craft and artistry that was his life’s work. Aardvark Letterpress is located at 2500 W. 7th St. Visit aardvarkletterpress.com or call 213-388-2271 for more information.

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On a recent errands day, I struck etymological gold. I suppose I should say this wasn’t just any routine stop, but rather a visit to Aardvark Letterpress, where I was having some stationery printed. Located in a stately 1924 Spanish Colonial Revival building one block from MacArthur Park, Aardvark has been printing, using the time-honored letterpress method, since its founding in 1968. That was the same year Luis Ocon, at the time a busboy at the cafeteria at Britts Department Store across from the Original Farmers Market, married a waitress there named Helen. Luis was born in the small village of San Francisco del Oro in the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. At the age of 13, he moved to Mexico City to work at a newspaper press. Staying late at work after everyone else had gone home for the day, Luis taught himself the trade of linotype — the process of grouping molds of individual letters and casting them in molten lead to produce a single piece called a “slug,” which can then be used to print. Not long after, he became the press’ lead linotype operator. Luis left Mexico in 1964, landing in Los Angeles, where he met Helen. Though Luis spoke no English, and Helen didn’t speak Spanish, they fell in love and together raised five children. After their nuptials, Luis found work as a linotype operator at Aardvark Typographers, going on to purchase the business in 1978 and shift its focus from typesetting to letterpress printing. Thus, Aardvark Letterpress was born. I was visiting Aardvark that day for a “press check” to approve a test print of my design. At the door, I was greeted by Master Printer Brooks Ocon, Luis and Helen’s eldest son, who along with his brother, Cary, now runs the shop. Set in the building’s sunfilled corner unit, Aardvark is a treasury of centuries-old printing machines whirring and clicking like something out of a H.G. Wells novel. These steel workhorses are meticulously cared for and maintained, each day producing thousands of wedding invitations, business cards, stationery and any other paper good one could dream of. Once I arrived, Master Printer Bill Berkuta began to mix the ink for my project by hand, adding a drop of black to deepen the color until it reached the perfect hue — a sultry vermillion. Next, Bill would prepare the plate with my design before making a test print. In the meantime, I wandered around the shop, perusing sets

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16 SECTION TWO

DECEMBER 2023

Larchmont Chronicle