St. James’ awarded National Fund for Sacred Places grant
When I decided to send my sons to St. James’ Episcopal School, I knew little about the church itself or the parish. The school, founded in 1968, had grown to become a neighborhood institution, to which many of the residents of Windsor Square, Hancock Park, Koreatown and adjacent neighborhoods have sent their children for elementary education. It was at a school event that I first entered the great sanctuary of St. James’ and marveled at its superb architecture and extraordinary stillness in the midst of the bustling city. A couple of years later, a chance email from the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) about a grant program for historic churches arrived just about the time I learned about a St. James’ parish capital campaign. Through the process of filling out the NTHP grant application with Associate Rector Rev. Jon Feuss and Rector Mother Kate Cress, the true significance of St. James’ to our community became clear.
On Oct. 21, the National Fund for Sacred Spaces awarded St. James’-in-the-City Episcopal Church a grant of $150,000 for the restoration of its roof. This project is included in the parish’s multiphase capital campaign for church
On
Preservation by Brian Curran
restoration and improvement.
Established in 2016, the National Fund for Sacred Places is a collaboration between the Partners for Sacred Places, a nonprofit whose mission is to maintain and make use of historic houses of worship, and NTHP, the nation’s premier historic preservation organization. St. James’ was chosen from hundreds of candidates across the country, not only due to its historic and cultural significance to Los Angeles, but also its exceptional service to the community.
Founded in 1911, when it was based at Ardmore Avenue and Pico Boulevard, the growing congregation purchased a lot at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and St. Andrews Place in 1920, commissioning Bay Area architect Benjamin Greer McDougall to design a restrained, dignified sanctuary in the Gothic Revival style. Completed in 1926, the church was constructed in reinforced concrete with a stucco overlay, with decorations and appliqués
of cast concrete and a 100-foot tower. The interior boass a ceiling which soars to 60 feet held up with mighty redwood trusses and a floor of glazed ceramic tiles with decorative motifs.
The stained glass windows were designed by Los Angeles’ oldest family-owned glazier, Judson Studios, and the images depict not only religious and biblical subjects, but also more modern themes such as motion pictures, freeways, Latino and Korean immigrants and the Los Angeles skyline. The church also is home to a spectacular Murray M. Harris (“Father of Organ Building in the American West”) organ from 1911 relocated from the now demolished St. Paul’s Cathedral Downtown.
ST. JAMES’-IN-THE-CITY Episcopal Church circa the 1960s.
many parishioners. His funeral, also held at St. James’ in 1965, was attended by Duke Ellington, Robert F. Kennedy and Gov. Pat Brown.
among the poorer residents of the city. This effort grew rapidly and, in 1988, led to St. James’, in partnership with other churches, founding Hope-Net. That nonprofit has developed a network of food pantries, soup kitchens and family housing programs throughout the city (and is the beneficiary of the annual Taste of Larchmont).
St. James’, though originally a church frequented by the city’s wealthy establishment, began to see significant changes in the 1950s. Desegregation set the stage for the church to strike out in favor of social justice, and the congregation invited Hancock Park resident Nat King Cole to sing at services, which scandalized
Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, the parish continued to open up beyond its exclusive reputation, reaching out to welcome African Americans and newly arriving Korean and Latino immigrants. With new congregants and a changing neighborhood came new needs. In 1968 Father Sam D’Amico established the St. James’ Episcopal School, which welcomed children from the growing Korean community. It was in 1980, however, that St. James’ really made its mark with the setting up of the parish food pantry and, later, soup kitchen, to address the growing hunger
Today St. James’ continues to be not only a thriving Episcopal parish with many social services and ministries but also a continuing center of the community and culture. It houses what is believed to be the oldest Boy Scout Troop in the United States (Troop 10) sponsored continuously by the same organization. It also is home to Los Angeles’ oldest Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, The Arlington Group. St. James’ also has claimed a space as a cultural center through its Great Music at St. James’ programs, featuring the Choir of St. James’, classical Sundays at Six, and the International Laureates Organ Series. While today the church building is closed as its restoration is commencing, we can all look forward to visiting a refreshed and revived St. James’!
Silver Lining ends sterling service; place last orders by Dec. 14
By Helene Seifer
The busy frame shop A Silver Lining is closing the first week of January 2025, after nearly 29 years of sterling service on the Boulevard. Customers travel from all over Los Angeles to have their treasures preserved by owner Gary Fuss and framer Jorge Rodriguez, and many local businesses and nearby homes display photographs, paintings, certificates and memorabilia framed by the skilled duo.
“We framed a good amount of stuff for Village Pizzeria. At least 70-80 percent,” Fuss recalls. “If I went to different houses around here, I probably framed 90-100 percent of their stuff. When Antonio Banderas lived here with Melanie Griffith, we framed probably 90% of the house.”
A Silver Lining framed many items for actor Brad Garrett’s home and his comic book store in Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. They also put a plexiglass cover over a painting of Jesus at Christ the King Catholic Church. Fuss explains, “Pope John Paul had come and blessed the painting, so everybody went there to touch it. It was being worn down.”
Art and framing Although Fuss has been practicing the art of framing for 40 years, he first aimed to become a fine artist, and some of his works are hung in the store. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Fuss faced a dilemma while at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan: his work needed to be framed for his final presentation. “I took a class at the Brooklyn Museum on how to make picture frames,” Fuss explains.
“I bought a mat cutter, which was $600, and started matting my stuff, then matting my friends’ art, and they started paying me. So, I was actually in business a year before I graduated.”
While in college, “I did art history as a minor, which I fell in love with. I became a Chris-
tian after that because I studied all the paintings of Jesus.” Fuss credits his faith for his success.
“Yes, I’m creative. Yes, I’m a good salesman. Yes, I’ve been doing this for years. No matter what’s been thrown at us, we have been blessed.” He points to their post-pandemic business boom. They average 5,000 framing jobs per year.
In Los Angeles
Fuss moved to Los Angeles, following his pediatrician brother, who now works at the National Institutes of Health.
In 1991 Fuss took a job as manager of Grey Goose Custom Picture Framing — which was then on La Brea Avenue, and now on Hillhurst Avenue — where Jorge Rodriguez was a framer. Five years later Fuss was ready to start his own framing business and wanted Rodriguez to join him. He discussed possible store names with his brother, focusing on the word “silver,” and states, “Originally, it was going to be The Silver Lining.” His brother vetoed that, pointing out that he should have a name that was higher in the telephone directory listings, so he changed one word and selected A Silver Lining because of its alphabetical superiority.
A Silver Lining opened on Larchmont Boulevard in 1996. Its current store is its second location on the Boulevard. “I’ve been blessed by being in
a community that supports small businesses. When I first started, a lot of people told me parking here is not easy, the rent is not easy, but when you
have a relationship with your customers, which I do, that’s the most important thing. Without the community, we would not be here this long,
there’s no question.” Jorge Rodriguez Rodriguez is quick to say that Fuss is the owner, he’s
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OWNER GARY FUSS with framed baseball memorabilia.
JORGE RODRIGUEZ and Gary Fuss in front of A Silver Lining.
(Please
LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries building 90 percent complete
By John Welborne Construction
scaffolding used to support the forms for pouring LACMA’s new concrete museum building have
been removed. Ninety percent of construction has been completed, and an opening is planned for April 2026. Learn more at: buildinglacma.org.
A Silver Lining
(Continued from Page 3) the framer. Fuss says simply, “He’s my brother.” Because they’ve worked together for more than 30 years, many expect that Rodriguez will take over the business when Fuss retires in January. However, Fuss is not closing the store because he turned 67 in November. It’s because he’s losing his “brother,” Jorge Rodriguez. “I cannot continue because my wife has Alzheimer’s,” Rodriguez explains. Four years ago, he sent his wife of 30 years back to El Salvador to live with her
mother. Now 86, Rodriguez’s mother-in-law can’t handle the responsibility anymore.
“I’m going back to El Salvador to take care of [my wife].
That’s the real, true story of why we’re actually closing. She enjoys when you take her out, even if she does not remember the next day where you took her. I want to give her a few more years of happiness.” His daughter, who graduated from college in San Diego two years ago and is a therapist for children, will stay here to continue her own career.
Fuss and Rodriguez are too busy getting their orders fin-
ished to consider throwing themselves a goodbye party before they close — and a women’s clothing store moves in. Those who have put off their custom framing have until Dec. 14 to place an order. Fuss may do some framing out of his home in Sherman Oaks, and he hopes Rodriguez returns someday so they can continue framing together. In the meantime, Fuss might take a long-needed vacation. “I would like to visit Europe to see all the beautiful stuff I studied in college.” He is also contemplating writing a book about his experience. Gary Fuss looks up while
framing baseball memorabilia. “Someone once told me, ‘Your brother is a doctor, but don’t think that what you do isn’t important.’” He pauses to the sound of Rodriguez sawing
wooden frame pieces, before adding, “We create happiness.” Place your frame orders by Dec. 14 with: A Silver Lining, 115 N. Larchmont Blvd., 323464-8284.
DAVID GEFFEN GALLERIES building at the County Art Museum, shown in Mid-November, no longer is supported by the scaffolding used in construction. In the background, from left, are Park La Brea towers, One Museum Square apartments on Curson Avenue and the SAG-AFTRA Building, originally developed as the western U.S. headquarters of Prudential Insurance Company. The glass at ground level behind the grand staircase is the south wall of the new museum store. Photo above by Bill Devlin
GROUND LEVEL of the west end of the new David Geffen Galleries building features a restaurant (the windows at left) and a museum store (the windows behind the grand staircase).
SEE-THROUGH MUSEUM at ground level opens up views to and from Hancock Park. The ground-level glass at left will be the restaurant, and a museum store will be in the glassed-in space behind the staircase at right.
Pawn Shop restaurant and bar moves forward
By Suzan Filipek
The Pawn Shop, a restaurant and bar planned for the former Brothers Collateral building at Melrose Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard, has taken a big step forward.
The City Zoning Administrator approved a conditional use permit for the sale and dispensing of alcoholic beverages on the site at 5901 Melrose Ave. on Oct. 22. That day, the city also released a Letter of Determination with rules and guidelines for The Pawn Shop’s hours and operation. These were met with approval by the neighbors, including the Hancock Park Homeowners Association, which had opposed the project.
The city requirement stipulates that hours are limited to 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 9 a.m. to midnight Thursday to Saturday. Valet parking service and a parking plan are required, and live music must end by 10 p.m.
Permission was granted to open as early as 6 a.m., up to 24 times a year, for sporting events, and on-site security will be required.
“This is a win for the neighborhood accomplished
in great part by neighbors advocating for the best interests of the neighborhood and showing up in great big numbers,” Sam Uretsky, a resident in the Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association area, wrote in an Oct. 23 email.
“All in all, this is a huge swing from the applicant’s requested 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week, hours of operation; no parking plan; and no community involvement in oversight,” he added.
More than 100 people attended the June hearing for the 260-seat Ventana Ventures redevelopment of the 7,808-square-foot, two-story property.
After the hearing, Diego Torres-Palma, managing partner at Ventana Ventures, told the Chronicle in an email:
“As a resident of Windsor Square, I know how special our neighborhood is.
The Pawn Shop will only enrich our community as a gathering place where the entire family can watch live sporting events and enjoy food from a James Beard award-winning chef.”
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Be aware; speak up to save local trees
By Casey Russell
The recent unlawful removal of mature trees in the Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) of Windsor Square has put some neighbors on high alert. Lauren Gabor, a longtime resident, first noticed well-loved trees being removed without approval in 2023. Since then, she and other locals have seen more trees being razed on other properties, often to make way for constructing accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
In fact, an historic Craftsman Windsor Square house that Gabor and her husband owned for decades lost a 70-foot ash tree, a mature Chinese pistache and a likely 108-year-old deodar cedar when the new owner decided to clear space to make room for a pool and ADU on the property.
Not knowing who else to call, the couple lodged a complaint with the city, and further tree-cutting ceased. The city stop work order had been put on the property pending review before the Windsor Square HPOZ Board for unauthorized removal of historic trees.
Gabor was heartened to learn that, because Windsor
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PRIOR TO BEING removed, a mature deodar cedar stood in the front yard and a 70-foot ash stood in the backyard of a Windsor Square Craftsman house.
THE SAME CRAFTSMAN as it looks now, with the long-standing trees having been removed.
Neighbors pleased with committee vote on CHIP rezoning
By Suzan Filipek
Single-family neighborhoods had cause for celebration last month, when the City Council Planning and Land Use (PLUM) Committee voted unanimously to build new housing in commercial and multifamily areas.
Local residents and others from neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles spoke in favor of preserving the city’s single-family zoning at the hearing Nov. 19.
The result, a 4-0 vote in favor of a recommendation from the City Planning Commission, followed a two-year effort and left single-family neighborhoods intact, for now. There is still caution ahead, as the matter now goes before the full City Council
for a final vote.
Letter writing campaign
“[At the hearing,] there was no discussion about adding single-family neighborhoods among the committee members. And we realized that getting our letters out early to all the members was critical. Their minds weren’t being made up at the last minute,” wrote Maria Pavlou Kalban and Cindy Chvatal-Keane in an email following the hearing.
Kalban and Chvatal-Keane are leaders of United Neighbors, a coalition of residential groups throughout the state, which spearheaded a massive letter-writing campaign.
Chvatal-Keane also is president of the Hancock Park Homeowners Association.
“[Planning Director] Vince Bertoni came up to us [at the hearing] and thanked us for our outreach and our focus on better solutions,” the pair said.
Neighborhood groups locally and citywide have been working with City Planning staff and meeting with City Council members and the mayor’s office on the drafting of the Citywide Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) ordinances that were before the PLUM Committee.
United Neighbors’ goal has been to maintain single-family housing while finding housing solutions that meet the state’s goals by having a plan in place by February 2025. The city is tasked by the state with finding land to
build an additional 255,000 homes to help offset a housing crisis. While waiting for a meeting to be set at City Council, the United Neighbors team asks residents to write to their councilmembers to support the CHIP ordinance as recommended by the PLUM Committee. The Planning Dept. has identified enough zoning on commerical streets to meet the state mandate, they said.
This home at 822 S. Longwood Ave. in Brookside sold for $2,425,000 in October.
Real Estate Sales*
Single-family homes
prices for
Two affordable housing projects on Larchmont ring alarm bells
By Suzan Filipek
Halloween may be over, but the startling fear that can accompany the holiday continues for residents adjoining Upper Larchmont Boulevard, where two new projects are the bane of the neighborhood.
Both proposals are at various stages of review by the Los Angeles Housing Dept. (LAHD). Once passed there, they will go to the Dept. of City Planning. Since the two projects now are in pre-approval, little information is available, according to local resident Sam Uretsky.
But both projects are being fast-tracked under the mayor’s Executive Directive 1 (ED1) to build affordable housing.
531 N. Larchmont
One is at 531 N. Larchmont Blvd. on a 6,444-square-foot lot previously in the permitting process for a four-story building under the city’s TOC (Transit Oriented Communities) ordinance, a program to encourage construction of affordable housing near public transit.
The original project included 21 units, two of them affordable, and two levels of subterranean parking. The architect, representing the owner, worked collaborative-
ly with abutting neighbors and members of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council (GWNC) Land Use Committee and decreased the height from an initial proposal for five stories to four stories.
Those plans changed after the owner, an endodontist, hired a new architect, Metropolis Architecture.
Now, a 67-unit, six- or seven-story, 100 percent affordable housing project is being proposed.
The Department of City Planning has requested revised documentation because the applicant’s Housing Crisis Act (HCA) Vesting Preliminary Application included errors. City Planning told us they will review the revised materials once they have been received. We asked the Housing Dept. officials about the process involved between city bureaucracies and were told:
“ED1 projects often touch many City Departments which are involved in their specific part of the project.
“For LAHD, our department is responsible for drafting and recording the affordability covenant restricting affordable units on the property to ensure they remain as affordable units. Once we have done this, we share this recorded
agreement with Planning and LADBS (Los Angeles Dept. of Building and Safety).”
The new building proposed at 531 N. Larchmont includes a ground-floor dental specialist practice and now only one floor of subterranean parking, presumably to serve that practice. There is no tenant parking, Uretsky told us.
There is a 2,800-square-foot roof deck. Setbacks are 5 feet on each side of the building and 8 feet at the rear.
Prison design
“The architecture is from the School of Prison Design, and its color palette is Halloween! Seriously, it’s black, orange, white and silver … the plans are probably the scariest thing you will see this Halloween,” said Uretsky.
Tenants of this building will have the potential to get up to 201 resident parking permits and 134 visitor parking permits for the existing parking district on Lucerne and Arden boulevards, according to Uretsky.
507 N. Larchmont
Things don’t look much better at 507 N. Larchmont Blvd., where a 1921 single-family home rests on a 7,005-square-foot lot.
“Here we go again. There is a new proposal filed to re-
place the previous ‘bait and switch’ ED1 project that our neighborhood successfully stopped,” said Uretsky.
The new application for this project was filed on Sept. 24.
The developers had pulled out of the seven-story building proposed at the site on May 1, after neighborhood outcry. The tallest buildings nearby are three stories.
Now, the developers are planning to build a smaller five-story project, said Sean Tabibian, a principal with 507 N. Larchmont LLC.
The Affordable Housing Referral Form (AHRF) for the project was recently finalized. There are no additional updates, as the applicant has yet to file a complete Planning Application, according to the Planning Dept., which responded to Chronicle inquiries as follows:
“The applicant submitted an Affordable Housing Referral Form (AHRF), one of the first steps toward filing a case with the Department of City Planning. The application was then sent to the Affordable Housing Services Section [of City Planning] for review. This referral was assigned on Sept. 30, 2024 ... Once the applicant has the referral and all materials required for case
filing, then they need to submit a complete Department of City Planning Application at one of the Department’s Public Counters to file the case.
“The description of the project listed in the AHRF is as follows:
“Demolition of existing uses and the construction, use, and maintenance of a new 100% affordable mixed use, five-story, 42-unit building (inclusive of one market rate manager’s unit) also containing 2,880-square-feet of ground floor commercial retail use.”
Negative impacts
According to Uretsky, “Clearly the negative impact of these two proposed buildings — scale, burden on existing infrastructure, privacy, noise, parking, lack of greenery and aesthetics — cannot be underestimated! Keep in mind that these buildings, if approved, will accelerate similar inappropriate development, irretrievably changing the character of Upper Larchmont.”
The architect for 531 has stated he plans to attend a Nov. 26 Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee meeting, which will be after the Chronicle has gone to press.
Streetlights are finally bright on Ridgewood and on Wilton
By Nona Sue Friedman
After more than six months of darkness, the streetlights of Ridgewood Place and Wilton Drive are fixed and
shining bright. The lights had been vandalized in the spring when thieves took the copper wire inside the lights, making them inoperable.
The Pawn Shop
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The remodeling design by architecture firm Omgivning will maintain the size of the existing building and restore and enhance its architectural details, according to city doc-
uments. The project’s tentative name is in homage to the former Brothers Collateral pawn shop at the site. The two-story canary yellow shop was run by Rudy Gintel, of Hancock Park, and his brother, Ernest Gintel, for more than 40 years until
Repairmen came on Nov. 12 and, within hours, all the lights were working and junction boxes were sealed shut to prevent future theft of copper wire.
Los Angeles City Council District 13 and residents of the area had been extremely frustrated with the lack of response from the Bureau of Street Lighting (BSL). “It shouldn’t take over six months to repair a streetlight, even more so because welllit streets are safer streets,” according to Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez of CD13. Now, that frustration is behind all of them.
Streetlight repair wait time is an issue all across Los Angeles, in part because BSL staffing has a more than 30 percent vacancy rate, according to CD13.
On Nov. 6, prior to the repairs being made, SotoMartínez introduced another motion to Los Angeles City
2020.
Built in 1934, the building was a Cut Rate Drugs store in its earlier life.
Construction is likely to take a year, but no official opening date has been set, a spokesperson for the developer said.
Council to allocate an additional $200,000 from his discretionary fund to expedite streetlight repairs by BSL. The motion was approved by
the council on Nov. 18. This is the second $200,000 from his discretionary fund he has earmarked for repairing streetlights in his district.
AT LAST, STREETLIGHTS are shining bright again at the corner of Wilton Drive and First Street. Photo by Sheila Hoyer
Pink’s celebrates 85th with charity chili
By John Welborne
On five evenings early last month, Pink’s Hot Dogs on La Brea and Melrose avenues touted its 85 years at that location by raising funds for charity. The venerable company got some help from Pink’s fans including Mayor Karen Bass, Fifth District Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, actors George Lopez and
Henry Winkler and comedian Gabriel Iglesias. Some of those, including the mayor and the councilmember on the Nov. 8 first night, even got behind the counter to sling chili, mustard and onions.
The five Chili Dogs for Charity evenings offered 85-cent hot dogs for 85 minutes starting at 8:05 p.m. Greeting the hungry guests were the Pink
family — Richard Pink, his wife Gloria, and his sister Beverly. The Pinks donated 100 percent of the gross proceeds from the Chili Dogs for Charity sales to a different charity each night, with the following having received $5,000 each: the George Lopez Foundation; the National Foster Youth Institute; This Is About Humanity; the California Community Foundation; and $2,500 each to the Concern Foundation and Knock Knock It’s Christmas, sponsored by K-EARTH 101.
Founded in 1939 by Paul and Betty Pink, Pink’s Hot Dogs started with a simple $50 pushcart and has grown into a beloved institution, now serving more than 1,200 hot dogs and 200 hamburgers daily.
Larchmont Family Fair brought fun to Boulevard
By Casey Russell
The 59th Larchmont Family Fair was a great success, according to Melissa Farwell, the Larchmont Boulevard Association (LBA) board member who chaired this year’s event. She estimates that 10,000 visitors attended the fair held the Sunday afternoon before Halloween.
According to Farwell, people especially loved the addition of the carnival games and that
this year’s layout of tents and booths on the Boulevard allowed the fair to “flow.” Food booths were in the street rather than in the city parking lot, and there were more nonprofit booths and rides, including a small train this year.
“It was so great to see the community come and enjoy themselves,” said Farwell. “We are so grateful that the [residents] embrace the fair as they do.”
FOOD VENDORS were located in the center of the Fair, near the location of the possible future Larchmont Central Park(let).
SCORES of nonprofit organizations and LBA member businesses had booths at the Fair.
HAIRY HARRY POTTER won first prize in the pet costume contest.
RIDES AND SLIDES were popular Fair features.
LBA FAIR STALWARTS, from left, Mel Miyamoto, John Winther and Edie Frere.
TRAIN at the Family Fair circled the dining area.
PINK FAMILY (from left) Richard and his wife, Gloria, and sister Beverly oversee the 85-year-old local landmark.
COUNCILMEMBER Katy Yaroslavsky slings the chili at the first of five nights of Chili Dogs for Charity.
MAYOR Karen Bass comments on her colleague’s cheese technique at the Pink’s Hot Dogs charity event.
READY for Halloween are some young Larchmont Family Fair costume contest entrants on the fair’s stage.
Be proactive with your gratitude; volunteer or make a donation
By Nona Sue Friedman
As the end of the year rolls around, we try to remember to display gratitude. It starts with Thanksgiving and hopefully continues through to the end of the year, if not all year long.
Included in this article are ways you can make the holidays merrier for those who are less fortunate in the community.
Operation Shoes From Santa is an annual event hosted by the Olympic Community Police Station, 1130 S. Vermont Ave., to obtain new shoes for school-aged children. Please drop off a pair or three at the bins in the station by Tues., Dec. 3.
The shoes will be distributed to pre-selected children the following day at 6 p.m. while Santa and his elves hand out hot cocoa and treats. For more information, call the Senior Lead Office at 213-382-9141.
Farmers Market Poultry and Huntington Meats, both located in the Original Farmers Market at 6333 E. Third St., are teaming up for their fourth pajama drive for kids. Donate unwrapped, new pajamas for infants to 18-yearolds, valued at $10 or more, and receive either a dozen eggs or a pound of ground
dinator, describes the bounty from food deliverers as “a well-rounded meal delivered with a smile by a caring friend.” Sanchez can arrange for you to be paired with your son, daughter, niece, nephew, wife or husband to make the time even more meaningful.
SVMOW needs help throughout the year, but particularly during the holidays. It’s an excellent opportunity to see the impact of hot meals brought to people living by themselves. Contact Sanchez at 213-484-7775 ext. 125 to help out.
Village and meet Santa Claus.
Drop toys at 601 S. San Pedro St. by Wed., Dec. 18, so organizers can prepare for the big giveaway days later.
The Midnight Mission is the oldest continuously running shelter in Los Angeles, operating since 1914.
If you can’t commit to meal delivery, SVMOW also is making senior gift bags. You can purchase items from their Amazon Wish List (www.a.co/ bcOt5QZ) or create your own gift bags at home and deliver them to the SVMOW office at 2303 Miramar St. in Los Angeles.
Help from home
beef or homemade sausages.
They are accepting pajamas through Sat., Nov. 30, and hope to get 300 pairs. They also are looking for slippers, robes, toothpaste and toothbrush sets and story time books. All donations will be given to the Union Rescue Mission in Downtown Los Angeles.
St. Vincent Meals on Wheels (SVMOW) welcomes volunteers of all ages to deliver meals from 7:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. on days you select.
New toy donations are needed for the Midnight Mission’s annual Christmas Toy Giveaway. Kids facing homelessness visit Santa’s Toy
SVMOW has the drivers, it just needs helpers to bring hot meals to lonely seniors.
Sonia Sanchez, development associate and volunteer coor-
Want to do some good for others but also hang with your family and friends? Here are a couple of ways to make that happen.
The Karsh Center at Wilshire Boulevard Temple is always looking for in-person volunteers; however, they also are always in need of kits.
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A BIN FULL of donated pajamas in front of Huntington Meats at the Original Farmers Market.
Photo by Huntington Meats
SANTA AND HIS ELF make a stop at Olympic Division LAPD to hand out toys. Photo provided by Olympic Division LAPD
Trees
(Continued from Page 5)
Square and Hancock Park are both HPOZs, there are rules and penalties for homeowners who don’t follow the rules. But, as Gabor pointed out when we spoke, not many people are aware of the protections that are in place and, because of this, trees are being unnecessarily lost.
Neighbors vested in the historic, leafy charm of these neighborhoods hope to educate residents and potential buyers about governing regulations. “It’s one of the few places, aside from Griffith Park, where you have such old trees,” said Gabor. She
Volunteer
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The items for the goody bags are purchased on your own, assembled at home and then brought to the Karsh location at 3750 W. Sixth St. The kinds of kits needed range from new baby bags, winter kits, children activity kits and more. Contact volunteers@ karshcenter.org to find out what is currently most pressing for them.
The Assistance League of Los Angeles (ALLA) wants to collect 650 no-sew fleece blankets by Tues., Dec. 31. The warm, soft blankets are a comfort to children, especially those who are experiencing
pointed out that, in many areas of the city, the sun beats down upon us. In juxtaposition, these local areas with old growth trees have filtered light coming through trees that shade homes, provide oxygen, offer habitats for animals and keep energy costs down. “The trees keep the neighborhood looking the way it does and contribute to the urban canopy,” she said. Because, years ago, neighbors worked hard to designate Windsor Square and Hancock Park as HPOZs, residents of these areas are part of a powerful collective community. As such, decisions regarding building facades and landscapes are not left to one
homelessness, are underserved or are in foster care. The blankets will be distributed in January.
At ALLA’s Family Day of Service on Nov. 16, volunteers gathered at their headquarters, 6640 W. Sunset Blvd., to make these blankets. All of the needed materials were donated by The Mannequins (a division of ALLA), by Lawyers’ Mutual and by Campbell Hall Episcopal School.
Kai Tramiel, who is Sr. Director of Membership and Community Engagement of ALLA, addressed the Nov. 16 crowd and encouraged volunteers “to make the blankets with love; they will feel it.”
These volunteers made
individual.
Gabor informed us that mature trees, in front and in back of residences, fall under the purview of the HPOZ Board. Those property owners who do not comply with regulations are subject to penalties.
The Bureau of Street Services also has rules about tree removal. It prohibits people from removing trees native to California, and noncompliance with the Bureau’s rules results in fines plus the cost of replacing trees and the suspension of building permits for up to 10 years.
Spreading the word about these guidelines is of utmost importance. Even though these safeguards are in place,
about 140 blankets, which fell drastically short of the ALLA goal.
This is your chance to gather a group of friends and create your own blankets when it’s convenient for you. It takes four people about 30 minutes to finish one blanket. It’s a pretty simple process that you easily can do at home. To see what’s involved, visit campsite.bio/fds24 for directions.
ALLA has all the supplies you need. Call (323) 545-4847 to arrange a pick-up time for materials.
Not feeling crafty? ALLA is also looking for 650 cozy stuffed animals. You can organize a drive at school, collect with a local group or
neighbors are the ones responsible to be the eyes and ears that lead to city enforcement.
Residents who notice unlawful tree removal need to know they are within their rights to call the city. Complaints go to the Department of Building and Safety and, often, a halt is put on any permits that rule-breaking homeowners were hoping to submit. A red alert is put on the property, alerting city departments that work cannot be continued until the registered complaint is resolved.
According to the Code Enforcement Bureau, the case of the Windsor Square craftsman owner who removed two
just buy some on your own and drop them off. Finished blankets and stuffed animals can be dropped off at the League office.
Good Shepherd Center (GSC) has four facilities that serve about 93 women and 40 to 50 children who have been homeless. GSC has four residences for them to live in. This year, GSC managers are looking for full-size toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant and anything else that would be helpful to someone finally getting a home. Supplies can be dropped off at Good Shepherd’s office, 1650 Rockwood St., Mon. to Fri. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alexandria House is looking for a plethora of donations. Everything from teen gifts, toys for infants to 10-yearolds, home goods for new residents and supplies for gift decorating. Drop off items at the office, 436 S. Alexandria Ave., by Wed., Dec. 18. Alexandria House is a transitional home for women and children that has provided safe and supportive housing since 1996.
mature trees has been upgraded to an official order to comply.
Residents can help safeguard trees by making sure HPOZ board members are aware of noncompliance issues. Also, when putting a home on the market, sellers can ask their realtors to inform potential buyers about HPOZ guidelines and can encourage brokers and prospective buyers to follow the HPOZ Preservation Plan.
Gabor says she knows that it is a privilege to live in an HPOZ area, but that, “It gives us the authority, but also the responsibility” to take action to care for these neighborhoods. She believes that acting swiftly to save a tree before removal is key.
For more information visit tinyurl.com/2h3sm8vd.
LIBRARIES
FAIRFAX
161 S. Gardner St. 323-936-6191
JOHN C. FREMONT 6121 Melrose Ave. 323-962-3521
MEMORIAL
4625 W. Olympic Blvd. 323-938-2732
WILSHIRE
149 N. St. Andrews Pl. 323-957-4550
HOURS
Mon. and Wed., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tues. and Thurs. noon to 8 p.m.; Fri. and Sat., 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Libraries will be closed Thurs., Nov. 28 and Fri., Nov. 29, for Thanksgiving Day, Wed., Dec. 25, for Christmas Day and Wed., Jan. 1, for New Year’s Day.
Memorial dedicated to fallen officers at Wilshire LAPD unveiled
Prostitution is spreading from Western, affecting quality of life
By Nona Sue Friedman
One of the world’s oldest occupations is alive and well along the Western Avenue corridor, one of three main prostitution tracks in Los Angeles, bleeding into the neighborhood. Unfortunately, some of the prostitutes are underage and victims of sex trafficking, while others are well educated college students eager to make easy money, according to local police authorities.
St. Andrews Square Neighborhood Association (SASNA) abuts Western and is the most impacted area within the Larchmont neighborhoods. The illegal activities and their aftermath are affecting the quality of life. These escapades leave litter not only on the streets and curbs of SASNA, but also in Ridgewood-Wilton and Windsor Square. Condoms and their packaging along with sex toys are thrown out of cars littering the streets, and bottles with urine are left at the curb along with discarded food and their wrappings for kids and morning walkers to see daily.
Meeting with CD13
Loretta Ramos, a 15-year resident of SASNA, and her husband tried for 18 months, through emails and phone calls, to get in touch with their Councilmember Hugo SotoMartínez’s field deputy, Karla Martinez, about the prostitution in the neighborhood.
After becoming incredibly frustrated, Ramos reached out to Soto-Martínez’s chief of staff, Patricia Castellanos, who finally set the wheels in motion for a community meeting.
Since then, residents and CD13 staff have had two meetings about the sex trafficking in their area.
Martinez organized the first meeting Aug. 13. About a dozen residents came to a Zoom and voiced concerns about the illegal activities on their streets and vented frustration about not getting a response from the councilmember’s office. Lt. Robert McDonald, LAPD West Bureau Vice Coordinator, Human Trafficking Task Force, a 37-year veteran of the force, was at the meeting.
The group brainstormed multiple ways CD13 could engage different ways to alleviate the situation. Some suggestions were getting in touch with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, increasing overnight parking enforcement, adding LAPD black and whites and vice patrols and reaching out to and collaborating with other council districts who face this same problem.
At the second meeting, on Oct. 29, about 20 residents were anxious to hear what the councilmember’s office had accomplished in the past two
(Please turn to Page 14)
By Nona Sue Friedman
It took a decade from concept to installation, but on Nov. 7, the Fallen Police Officers Memorial and Garden at the LAPD’s Wilshire Community Police Station was officially dedicated. This memorial commemorates the eight officers of Wilshire Division who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
The dedication ceremony included a Los Angeles Police Department bagpiper, multiple speakers, a rose placed at the memorial for each fallen officer and songs performed by a civilian employee of LAPD.
Volunteer efforts and numerous financial contributions made the memorial possible. Donors include FirstIn Fire Foundation, Park La Brea Apartments and Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society (WSHPHS), among others.
Richard Battaglia, past president of WSHPHS, read remarks from the current president, Joseph Guidera, who worked on the design of the memorial for the last year and a half. Guidera wrote, “I chose honed black absolute granite for its sense of dignity and permanence and classic beauty. The obelisk’s shape conveys a serene sense of calm, simple elegance and somber remembrance.” He continued, “We wanted the monument to be slightly larger than life-size to represent the immense courage and
sacrifice of these eight fallen officers.”
The ceremony concluded with the song “Stand by Me,” which has the recurring line “I won’t be afraid just as long as you stand by me.”
An attendee observed that it was a fitting conclusion to a police ceremony.
The memorial is in the breezeway at the front entrance to the station at 4861 Venice Blvd.
RECEPTION GUESTS, including Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society members (left to right) Richard Battaglia, Jane Gilman, Marlene Zweig, Judy Zeller and Barbara Coad, flank Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky (second from right).
DETAIL OF the inscription on the memorial.
ATTENDING OFFICER’S shadow is cast upon the memorial.
THE GRANITE MEMORIAL with plaques memorializing each fallen officer.
ONE OF THE DRIVING FORCES behind the memorial, Lyn MacEwen Cohen, addresses the crowd.
POLICE BEAT
Tasing on Western, domestic violence with a trombone case
OLYMPIC DIVISION
ROBBERIES: A suspect punched, kicked, tased and pepper sprayed a victim on Nov. 1, at 1:30 a.m. The suspect took property and attempted to drag the victim into a vehicle near Western Avenue and Second Street.
BURGLARIES: A burglar entered a multi-unit building through a window and stole property from the 5000 block of Rosewood Avenue. The suspect fled when the victim returned home on Nov. 1, at 9:15 p.m.
Property was taken from a multi-unit building on Nov. 8, at 2 p.m. It’s unknown how the suspect entered the
Prostitution
(Continued from Page 13)
months. Ramos said the only thing the office came back with was that it was in negotiations to contract with Journey Out.
Journey Out
Journey Out is a Los Angeles based nonprofit that helps victims rebuild their lives once they voluntarily decide to leave sex trafficking. Jour-
apartment on the 100 block of South St. Andrews Place.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT:
A couple had a fight on Nov. 3, and one hit the other, with the suspect hitting the victim with a trombone case causing physical harm, on the 300 block of South Manhattan Place at 2:50 a.m.
GRAND THEFTS AUTO:
On Nov. 2, a vehicle was stolen from the 100 block of South Van Ness Boulevard.
A car was stolen from the 600 block of North Bronson Avenue on Nov. 8, at 4 p.m.
BURGLARY THEFTS
FROM AUTO: Property was taken from a vehicle on the 600 block of North Plymouth
ney Out builds trust and relationships with the girls on the street. At press time, CD13 still did not have a signed contract with Journey Out.
According to resident Ramos, neither of the meetings yielded satisfactory action or answers for the residents. And the nightly activity hasn’t changed. “It’s a very layered situation, but it’s a quality of life issue. There are
OLYMPIC DIVISION
Furnished by Senior Lead Officer
Daniel Chavez
213-793-0709
36304@lapd.online
Instagram: @olympic_slo1
Boulevard, Nov. 9, at 4:30 p.m.
A burglar took property from a car parked on the 100 block of South Wilton Place on Nov. 9, at 10 p.m.
WILSHIRE DIVISION
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY:
A female suspect, who is currently in custody, got into a fight with an Uber driver. She believed the car belonged
so many condoms, and it’s just getting worse and worse. My husband picks up condoms constantly, especially in front of the [Wilshire] library, because he doesn’t want the kids to have to see that,” says Ramos.
Their next meeting is scheduled for Mon., Jan. 6 with Soto-Martínez attending so residents can get concrete answers and solutions from the person in charge.
St. Brendan School
Simultaneously to SASNA’s interactions with CD13, St. Brendan School (SBS) at 238 S. Manhattan Pl., reached out to Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Danny Chavez.
The school has witnessed prostitutes hanging around as late as 9 a.m. right in front of the school. That means kids see “half-naked women, in thongs and fishnets,” according to Chavez, strutting their stuff as students are dropped off to school.
Chavez had one meeting
WILSHIRE DIVISION
Furnished by Senior Lead Officer
Tyler Shuck
213-712-3715
40740@lapd.online
Twitter: @lapdwilshire
to her mother, who she said was Whoopi Goldberg. The altercation took place on the 200 block of South Formosa Avenue.
BURGLARIES: A suspect entered an apartment, possibly with a key, and removed property on Nov. 1, on the 400 block of South Cochran Avenue.
with the school principal and a key parent at SBS. According to Chavez, the commanding officers at Olympic Community Police Station, “are giving their resources and attention to this issue and have been very supportive” in tackling the illegal activities. Capt. Rachel Rodriguez, one of the commanding officers at Olympic, says, “It’s the prominence of activity at all hours” that is a particular concern. She continues, “They aren’t just women of the night, like it was 10 years ago.” They work all hours.
Ways to help SLO Chavez is looking for help from the community. He is compiling a map of known areas of activity that officers can regularly patrol. If you know of a particular address that’s always getting used, email him at 36304@ lapd.online. He also recommends good lighting onto the street as well as motion detec-
The 400 block of South Mansfield and the 200 block of South Citrus Avenue both had their power cut off while suspects broke into the homes through a rear window on Nov. 1.
Suspects broke the rear door of a home on the 300 block of North Arden Boulevard, took property and fled on Nov. 2
A home under construction on the 300 block of South Orange Drive was burglarized on Nov. 9.
Suspects used a tool to break the rear glass window of a home on the 400 block of South Highland Avenue. Suspects removed property and fled on Nov. 15.
tors. “LAPD is aware of the problem and will combat it with resources and constant patrol,” he said.
Council districts
The presence of sex trafficking has been dealt with differently over the years.
The late Councilmember Tom LaBonge’s office installed no-turn signs along Western. His office also helped Ridgewood-Wilton get streetlights, making streets less appealing for sexual encounters. Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s office appropriated more than $100,000 for overtime to the LAPD to address prostitution and human trafficking. O’Farrell’s office also increased overnight parking patrol. All of these measures once helped to curb the human trafficking and prostitution situation in the neighborhood. With additional funds, LAPD could implement surveillance cameras, additional lights and more task forces, said Lt. McDonald.
Ancient astronomers mapped and named the starry sky
Last month, in the darkened quarters of the Getty Center’s exhibition “Lumen: The Art and Science of Light” (on view through Dec. 8), I caught sight of a 13th-century brass astrolabe. The ancient instrument, first developed in Greece around 250 B.C. and later perfected by Islamic scientists, comprises a round metal disk with movable plates. In addition to calculating daily time, engravings on the device enable one to plot the locations of celestial bodies and determine local latitude.
We have Arab astronomers to thank not just for evolving the astrolabe, but for naming many of the stars — more than 200 of them — still visible to the naked eye today.
The medieval astrolabe would surely have been able to tell early scholars the location of the third-brightest star in the night sky. Located in the constellation Centaurus, named for the mythical half human, half horse, the star actually comprises two adjacent components. Centauri A, called Rigil Kentaurus, is a Latinisation of the Arabic “rijl al-ainṭūrus,” meaning “the foot of the centaur.” The second star, Toliman, goes rogue in its naming with an approximation of the Arabic “aẓ-ẓalīmān,” meaning “two male ostriches.”
Turning our astrolabe toward the northern constellation of Lyra (thought to resemble a lyre), we see its brightest star, Vega. That name comes from a loose transliteration of the Arabic word “wāqi’,” meaning “falling,” as part of the star grouping was also thought to look like a landing eagle.
The red supergiant Betelgeuse, in the constellation of Orion, is the 10th-brightest
star in the night sky. The star is located on the anthropomorphic constellation’s upper torso, interpreted as “yad al-jawzā’” or “hand of Orion.”
An error in a 13th-century reading of that phrase, of the Arabic initial “yā” as “bā,’” made the rounds, leading to the pronunciation we know today. Further down in the constellation, the central star of Orion’s Belt is the blue supergiant Alnilam, a corruption of the Arabic “alni ẓā m,” meaning “string of pearls.”
Astronomers also named stars based on their behaviors, as is the case with the 14th-brightest star, Aldebaran. Located in the Taurus constellation, the red giant receives its name from “al dabarān,” meaning “the follower,” as it appears to follow the open star cluster known as the Pleiades across the night sky. Mirzam, the 46th on the list, is named for the
WVA Board election results are in
By Casey Russell
The Windsor Village Association held its annual board elections the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
Elected candidates were Barbara Pflaumer, current board president, and Heather Brel, who currently serves as the board’s vice president. Also maintaining their positions on the board were Andrew Lo, who was running for his third term, Jeff Estow, who has served for four years, and current WVA treasurer, Chris Urner.
Celeste Shields was elected as a first-time board member.
Arabic word meaning “herald” because it rises before Sirius, the brightest star in the sky aside from the sun.
A star to call your own
In 1979, the International Star Registry (ISR) was founded with the purpose of granting the general public the ability to “buy” and “name” stars. While the names aren’t verified by the scientific community — the International Astronomical Union is the only recognized authority on official star names — the notion of having your name counted amid the constellations, even unofficially, appears to be compelling. According to the ISR website, “Three million celebrities, royalty and individuals” have already made their mark on the cosmos. I’d like to think their
stars are rubbing shoulders with falling eagles, the hand of Orion or a centaur’s foot — or living for a few billion years in the embrace of two
male ostriches.
“Lumen: The Art and Science of Light” is part of the PST ART: Art & Science Collide series.
ASTRONOMERS ON MOUNT ATHOS (detail), in “The Travels of Sir John Mandeville,” about 1400–1425. Tinted ink on parchment.
Image © The British Library Board
Word Café by Mara Fisher
