LC Section One 09 2023

Larchmont Chronicle

In his words: Franco speaks about his life off the streets

By Helene Seifer

Franco Iervolino, formerly known as Giorgio when his home was a bus bench and his haunt was Larchmont Boulevard, was forcibly removed from the Boulevard on April 20, 2022. A host of county outreach workers made it happen (as first reported in “Giorgio, taken for help by County dept.,” Larchmont Chronicle, May 2022, page 1.)

He was taken to County USC Hospital (now named Los Angeles General Medical Center) for assessment, then moved to Gateway Hospital and Mental Health Center in Echo Park for interim care. In July 2022, Franco, 65, was placed in a senior care facility in the Fairfax neighborhood. He now has a conservator to oversee his financial arrangements and care, a public defender to represent him in court, a team of social workers and free access to medical and mental health care.

At the end of his first year in the senior care facility near Fairfax and Olympic, Franco

Bring

n Rides, costume contest back at local tradition

By Casey Russell

The 58th annual Larchmont Family Fair, produced by the Larchmont Boulevard Association (LBA), will take place on Sun., Oct. 29, from noon to 5 p.m. The 2023 Family Fair’s theme is: Fun for Everyone!

profit organizations, schools and LBA merchants. A new addition to this year’s fair is a version of the usual Sunday farmers’ market, to be located in the parking lot of Bank of America at First Street.

n HopeNet food pantries’ 31st benefit

By Suzan Filipek

Enjoy the end of summer while sampling sushi, dining on pizza and savoring bakery treats at HopeNet’s 31st annual Taste of Larchmont on Mon., Sept. 18, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Enter under a colorful balloon arch in the parking lot by the clock (209 N. Larchmont Blvd.) to pick up or buy your passport to 19 participating eateries on the Boulevard.

The paper passport is your ticket to sample food from restaurants and sidewalk booths and to enjoy desserts and coffee offered under canopies at the parking lot.

Wilshire Blvd. to close for six weekends

For information on advertising rates, please call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11

Mailing permit:

As in past years, there will be rides for children, a stage with entertainment and food and booths organized by non-

Finding homes, shelter is key to solution, says councilmember

n Street safety is also on Yaroslavsky’s agenda

By Casey Russell

The Chronicle recently spoke with CD5 Councilwoman Katy Young Yaroslavsky about her first eight months in office. Here are excerpts from that interview.

Yaroslavsky told us that she and her team have been hard at work on both homelessness and street safety. The councilwoman said that Mayor Bass’ Inside Safe program is working well for CD5. Inside Safe

See Franco, p 13 Halloween & Harvest

Our annual Halloween & Harvest section will be featured in the October issue of the Larchmont Chronicle . Advertising deadline is Mon., Sept. 11. For more information, contact Pam Rudy, 323462-2241, ext 11.

aims to move people out of homeless encampments and into interim housing while long-term housing is found.

CD5 has benefited from two Inside Safe cleanups this year — on Sixth Street behind the Academy Museum and on San Vicente Boulevard between Third Street and Wilshire Boulevard, plus points south on San Vicente. Yaroslavsky told us that the mayor’s office has been helpful in bringing together all the necessary departments for Inside Safe’s success. Partnering with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the CD5 team was also able to remove an encampment on Jasmine Avenue near Culver City in front of a school and day care center. “We have a lot more work to do,” said Yaroslavsky. But the councilwoman is pleased that there hasn’t been repopulation in the three areas mentioned.

Larchmont, between First and Beverly, will be closed to traffic, and admission to the fair will be free. Rides and food will require payment. The fair serves as a fundraiser for Boulevard gardening, holiday decorations and more.

For more information about the LBA, visit Larchmont.com. To reserve a booth — while they last — contact sharonsweeney@fairwaygroupadv.com prior to Oct. 1.

Wilshire Boulevard will be closed beginning the weekend of Sept. 29 and continuing for up to six weekends as Metro continues its work on the Purple (D) Line Extension project. The design-builder will be removing concrete deck panels on Wilshire between La Brea Avenue and Detroit Street. The work begins on Friday nights at 9 p.m. and continues through 6 a.m. the following Mondays. La Brea will also be closed at Wilshire in both directions.

‘Summer Soiree’ honorees

FOURTH-GRADERS Elsie Mohr and Lola Kessler check out their new school on orientation day at Hollygrove@Selma. See our Back to School Section 3.

YMCA Summer Soiree at the local Anderson Munger Family YMCA featured (from left) honorees Scot Clifford and Jane Gilman, Board Chair Chase Campen, Soiree Co-Chairs Patti Carroll and John Winther, honoree Michael Pak and Executive Director Rae Jin. Learn more in “Around the Town” on Page 8.

Editorial

By John Welborne

Larchmont Chronicle; Larchmont Charter

Your community newspaper is concerned about community issues. A critical issue relates to one of the four campuses of Larchmont Charter School (LCS), whose original campus is just a few blocks from our newspaper office on Larchmont Boulevard.

Larchmont Charter School also has a campus in Hollywood, on Selma and Cherokee avenues, adjoining Schrader Boulevard and the so-called, but useless to families, “Selma Park.” The elementary school and mini-park are located in City Council District 13, now overseen by Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez.

On this matter, we hope his oversight is constant and helpful.

Many more details about the recent “Inside Safe” cleanup — for which Mayor Karen Bass, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and the councilmember are sharing credit — are contained in the story on Page 10 of this, our annual “Back to School” edition. It was good to see the Aug.10 all-day mobilization that helped street dwellers find transitional housing while cleaning the neighborhood’s streets, sidewalks and pocket park. For the children, their families and others going back to school this month at the Selma campus, a return of the prior civilized

DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF HANCOCK PARK

Est. 1948

137 N. LARCHMONT BLVD. LOS ANGELES 90004 www.HancockPark.org

Protecting and Rebuilding Streets and Sidewalks

Los Angeles is a City made up of hundreds of neighborhoods. Many of these Los Angeles neighborhoods have been designated historic districts, and these communities protect large numbers of historic resources and preserve the authentic character of our historic Los Angeles.

The Hancock Park Historic Preservation Overlay Zone / Preservation Plan was developed by the community, written by the Planning Department and passed unanimously by the City Council in 2007.

The Hancock Park Preservation Plan has five main goals. The first two are: Goal 1 — Preserve the historic character of the community. Recognize that the maintenance, enhancement, and preservation of the character of the neighborhood, as a whole, takes precedence over the treatment of individual buildings, structures or sites. Goal 2 — Preserve the historic streetscape. Promote the maintenance and enhancement of the traditional streetscape and parkways.  There is an entire chapter dedicated to how we must preserve and maintain our historic streetscape. In Chapter 11 of our Hancock Park Preservation Plan, regarding “Public Realm: Streets, Sidewalks & Public Buildings,” the Plan states: “Public spaces contribute to the unique historic character of our preservation zone.” Clearly, the City understood the importance of preserving the streetscape and the overarching need to make our sidewalks and streets safe!

In past years, we have been able to work with the City to schedule infrastructure repairs as the budget allowed. Thanks are due to former councilmember David Ryu who successfully secured continuing funding for repairs and maintenance by having our infrastructure repair become part of the annual City budget. Until now. We are now told that, due to all the other fiscally challenging situations plaguing the City ... too many to list ... our infrastructure funding has been eliminated. Our infrastructure is at a crisis point, and without proper maintenance, it will totally fail. City leadership must act. We need City leaders to allocate funds fairly across the City. The Association is encouraging our current councilperson and her office to help secure funds for repairs. We hope you will join us and make your support known.

The Association’s Annual Meeting will be held on Monday, October 16th remotely via Zoom.  At that meeting, you’ll hear from our councilperson, LAPD, and the Association’s Committee Chairs. And, most importantly, you’ll learn more about the ongoing and vitally important rezoning program.  Visit our website — HancockPark.org — to find out what’s going on and to learn how you can participate.

Calendar

Mon., Sept. 4 — Labor Day.

Tues., Sept. 12 — Mid City West Neighborhood Council board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Pan Pacific Park Senior Center, 141 S. Gardner St., midcitywest.org.

Wed., Sept. 13 — Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council board meeting, 6:30 p.m. at the Ebell of Los Angeles, 743 S. Lucerne Blvd., greaterwilshire.org.

Fri., Sept. 15 — Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown.

Mon., Sept. 18 — Taste of Larchmont on the Boulevard, 6 to 9 p.m.

Fri., Sept. 22 — First day of autumn.

‘What is your best school memory?’

That’s the question inquiring photographer Casey Russell asked locals.

Sun., Sept. 24 — Yom Kippur starts at sundown.

Thurs., Sept. 28 — Delivery of the October issue of the Larchmont Chronicle

sidewalk environment is very welcome.

The previous unacceptable situation along this stretch of Selma Avenue was one where vagrants took over the sidewalk and the park adjacent to the school, creating an extremely hostile environment.

On multiple occasions, the new councilmember (who took office last December) promised that the situation would be addressed and that the sidewalks would be free of vagrant encampments when school started in August. The community — not just the school but residents of many multi-family units within a block or two of the former encampment — is grateful that the crisis was addressed on Aug. 10, a dozen days before LCS students returned to school on Aug. 22.

Now, the community’s charge to its councilmember is to support continuing and vigorous enforcement of the city council-adopted ordinance that prohibits such hazards near schools. Councilmember Soto-Martinez may dislike that ordinance (which has been on the books prior to his taking his oath of office) and its Section 41.18 (e), a point he made during his campaign, but he is obligated to follow the law — as are all the public safety, sanitation and other officials who work for the city. See the ordinance at: bit.ly/3OJrVTl.

Letters to the Editor

Bravo to Chronicle

My August ’23 issue of the Larchmont Chronicle just arrived. I’m so impressed you’re continuing a

Larchmont Chronicle

Founded in 1963 by Jane Gilman and Dawne P. Goodwin

Publisher and Editor

John H. Welborne

Managing Editor

Suzan Filipek

Contributing Editor

Jane Gilman

Staff Writers

Talia Abrahamson

Casey Russell

Helene Seifer

Advertising Director

Pam Rudy

Advertising Sales including Classifieds

Caroline Tracy

Art Director Tom Hofer

Circulation Manager

Nona Sue Friedman

Accounting

Jill Miyamoto

606 N. Larchmont Blvd., #103 Los Angeles, CA 90004 323-462-2241

larchmontchronicle.com

heritage — that is, print journalism — that seems ever on the wane. I’ve read daily newspapers for decades and note, with dismay, their shift in editorial policy (those that remain) and their ever-accelerating demise.

So, the Chronicle is really admirable in its support of such a vital community component. It is informative, contemporary, explores issues in

(Please turn to page 3)

CORRECTION

“We used to play Jeopardy every Friday in my fifth-grade class. The teacher did the game with current events, geography and math. We loved that teacher! We never had a bad day with her — Ms. Munroe. I actually just reconnected with her, so I got to see her 40 years after fifth grade!”

Andy

PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE

Museum docent Michael “Dr. Mike” Landau.

CORRECTION

The paper incorrectly named Michael “Dr. Mike” Landau as Martin Landau in last month’s story, “See Los Angeles history through the ‘windshield of the car’.”

“Once, our teacher let us have a party, and one of the students brought Grimace Shakes from McDonald’s, and I loved it!”

Kayla Kim La Brea Hancock

“My favorite memory is my first field trip in second grade because we went to the zoo. A lot of my friends were in my group, and we got to see lots of animals.”

“During my senior year of high school, all my friends and I opened our college admission letters together and, luckily, we all got our first choice!”

Wasif and Parsley Windsor Village

Mason Henderson with mom, Kim Larchmont Village

Letters

(Continued from page 2) depth, and appears as current as a monthly journal can be. And is vibrant. Bravo.

Fritz Kasten Woodside, Calif.

In-home assault and robbery

On the afternoon of Aug. 10, my next-door neighbor answered his door, and three thugs burst in and sprayed him in the face with extremely toxic chemicals, beat him up, breaking multiple ribs, etc., bound and gagged him, and threw him down the basement stairs after having cut all the security and power lines. He somehow managed to crawl headfirst out of a narrow basement window and come broken and bloody to my house for help. I had to call 911 twice, and even then, the police response time was ridiculously slow. Neighbors on either side of us have had their homes broken into multiple times, but this latest is altogether something else and very frightening. There seem to be no con-

sequences for assault and robbery, and if perpetrators are apprehended, they are released in short order. It appears we must all live in fear or decide to leave town (as many have).

I know you care deeply about Hancock Park, as do we. Perhaps you may have ideas (through the Chronicle or otherwise) on how to exert pressure on city officials to make our neighborhood safe again.

Rossmore Ave. Resident Hancock Park

[The editors have forwarded this letter to staff in the offices of Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez and LAPD Chief Michel Moore. – Ed.]

Getting recognition

Thank you for giving Christine [“Christine Meyer: An under-the-radar leader in our community,” Aug. 2023] the recognition she so richly deserves. I have been involved with her in Le Salon Français

de Los Angeles and am so grateful for all the time and energy she gives to Le Salon.

Jan Gabrielson Cheviot Hills

‘The Ants’ is a hit

Regarding your recent review [“An inconvenient truth at the on-pause Mark Taper Forum,” Aug. 2023], please note that “The Ants” played to sold-out houses [at the Geffen Playhouse, June 20 to July 30]. Maybe your columnist didn’t like it, which is fine, but to call it “unsuccessful” is flat out wrong. It’s a hit. Most people have loved it. You’re actually in the minority.

Ramiz Monsef

Playwright of “The Ants”

See additional Letter to the Editor in Section 2, Page 8. Write us at letters@larchmontchronicle.com. Include your name, contact information and where you live. We reserve the right to edit for space and grammar.

Billboard blight: revenue for governments, vendor?

By John Welborne

Glowing digital ads for new TV shows and personal injury attorneys may soon be at a Metro property near you, if city officials approve a proposed billboard scheme.

A public hearing is set for Thurs., Sept. 14, to consider Metro’s request to display digital signs in certain places throughout the city. The Los Angeles City Planning Commission (CPC) will hear public comment that day on a draft city ordinance to allow Metro’s proposed Transportation Communication Network (TCN) to proceed. Learn more at bit.ly/3QTSHex.

If approved, the ordinance will leave the city uglier, less safe and further from its own clean-energy goals, says national nonprofit advocacy group Scenic America (bit.

ly/3QIXm2I).

Currently there is a citywide ban on off-site digital billboards. In addition to Scenic America, other nonprofit groups oppose this latest proposal to loosen billboard regulation.

According to a July 12, 2023, message from the Coalition for a Beautiful Los Angeles (losangelesbeautiful@gmail. com), City Council President Paul Krekorian is “the driving force behind this effort to monetize and commercialize our visual landscape, attempting to rush the program through as quickly as possible.”

If moved forward by the CPC, the draft ordinance would next go to the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) committee of the city council before heading to the full city council.

Tailwaggers celebrates its 20th with wagging tails and kisses

By Casey Russell

This September, Tailwaggers celebrates its 20th anniversary with a weekend of fun.

At the Larchmont location (147 N. Larchmont Blvd.), the parking lot will be transformed into a carnival-themed atmosphere on Sat., Sept. 16, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Pet supply vendors will provide food for pets, while hot dogs, vegan dogs, cotton candy and snow cones will be available for the humans.

Carnival games including a ring toss, flip the (fake) toad, tip the (fake) cat and a ball roll will be played. Pet prizes will be given to winners, and pet treat samples will be given to non-winners.

Customers can expect to find many items discounted during the anniversary weekend and on Saturday, customers will be given one ticket for every $10 spent at the store. Tickets also will be available for purchase

at $3 each. They can be used for games, food, raffle baskets or the grand prize barbecue cooker.

The 20-year milestone of the store and the 10-year anniversary of the reestablished

Tailwaggers Foundation will be marked by an adoption fair on Sun., Sept. 17.

Brian Boulter, regional manager of Tailwaggers, told us that grab bags will be given out to the first 100 customers who come into the store Saturday and Sunday.

Though the Larchmont location opened as recently as 2021, Tailwaggers’ first store debuted at 1929 N. Bronson Ave. in 2003. With a Palm Springs Tailwaggers currently under construction, the store will soon have a total of four locations.

Career Change

We recently spoke with owner Todd Warner. Warner told us that for many years he had volunteered for rescue organizations while working in post-production as an editor. Feeling ready for a change in career, Warner said, “I realized I could open up a store that could at least support the

Grand Opening Sale!

rescues.”

The Tailwaggers stores give discounts to many shelters and rescues. They also collect donations from customers who drop off food, bedding and even medical supplies for rescued animals. Additionally, every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Larchmont Tailwaggers store works in conjunction with rescue organizations to hold pet adoptions.

Foundation

In 2013, Warner went a step further in helping pets by reestablishing the Tailwaggers Foundation — an homage to the Tailwaggers Club founded in 1929 that became well known when actress Bette Davis was elected president of the Southern California branch. Warner told us that Walt Disney, Howard Hughes and Judy Garland were all part of the original foundation.

The revitalized Tailwag-

Taste of Larchmont

(Continued from page 1)

This year’s participating eateries are: Bacio di Latte, El Cholo, Esco’s Pizza, Fancifull Gift Baskets, Great White, Holey Grail Donuts, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, Kiku Sushi, Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits and Cheese, Le Pain Quotidien, Le Petit Greek, Levain Bakery, Louise’s Trattoria, Muraya, Starbucks, Sweet Fin Poke, Sweet Lady Jane, Terroni and Trader Joe’s.

Money raised supports nearly a dozen local food pantries.

HopeNet is celebrating its 35th anniversary of providing free, accessible and healthy food to anyone who wants or needs it, HopeNet Executive Director and local resident, Roya Milder, told us.

“My family and I have

gers Foundation works with approximately 25 local pet rescue organizations each month. Warner explained that shelters don’t have the money to solve medical issues of animals in their care. “We help provide life-saving medical treatments to rescued dogs and cats and this helps them get adopted,” he said. The owner told us it is much more likely for an animal to find a home if his or her medical issues have been resolved.

Warner lived in Brookside for many years and loves the Larchmont area. Though he now lives in Los Feliz, he is at his stores almost every day and regularly walks his two rescue dogs, Henry and Baxter, around Brookside and Larchmont Village.

For more information about the celebratory weekend, or about Tailwaggers itself, email info@tailwaggers.com or visit tailwaggerspets.com.

attended the Taste of Larchmont for years, which makes me particularly pleased to be able to bring the ‘Taste’ to our community this year for the 31st time.”

Milder continues, saying that the Taste of Larchmont event “has really become a mainstay on the annual calendar, and we are exceptionally grateful to all of the restaurants, sponsors and attendees who make this happen. It is so meaningful to generate the funding for HopeNet that helps us relieve food insecurity in Metro Los Angeles. I hope people will continue to support HopeNet so that the work we do will continue.”

Passports for the Taste of Larchmont are $50 each. Raffle tickets are $20 for five and $5 for one ticket. Passports usually sell out before the event. Get yours at hope-net.org.

TREAT-SEEKING pets enjoy their visit to Larchmont’s Tailwaggers.

tloking its U. S. debut, this extraordinary exhibition features "time in a bottle." Teenager • shot rare photographs documenting pre-WWII life in Krakow and the descent into the Holocaust. Rfter his depor tation to Ploszow concentration camp (from "Schindler's List"), ores bur ied a gloss jar containing his photography that he miraculously unear thed ofter the war.

Yaroslavsky

(Continued from page 1)

Need for beds

“The challenge for our district is a lack of interim beds,” said Yaroslavsky. Every neighborhood has concerns about the unhoused, and the councilwoman’s office is methodically working to move across

the district to house the unhoused. Unfortunately, motel beds in the area are priced at a higher per-night rate than the city can spend.

Yaroslavsky is pleased that her team has partnered with council members in other districts for interim housing while CD5 brings on additional beds in its own district.

But the need for beds in CD5 is very real. When the councilwoman gained office, it was for a district that doesn’t yet have any general population adult interim housing units. There are some family units, senior units and senior veteran units — fewer than 100 in total — which is the least of any of the 15 city council

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districts. Because CD5 has no general population adult interim beds, if an unhoused person doesn’t fall within one of the non-general adult population categories, there is not a bed available for him or her. “We can’t move these people until we can move them to a bed,” said Yaroslavsky.

To solve this problem, the councilwoman has been looking to use city parking lots and other city-owned land in the district for interim housing.

“We are proposing approximately 30 units of small interim housing at a site on Pico Boulevard at Midvale Avenue.” It is currently a city-owned parking lot. “We are also looking at other sites across the district onto which we can put other kinds of housing: interim, supportive, 100 percent affordable, domestic violence survivor beds — there’s a need for all of it,” said Yaroslavsky.

A project called The Pointe on La Brea, which should be opening in the next month, will bring online 49 units of adult permanent supportive housing. “It’s a drop in the bucket,” said the councilwoman. “We need lots and lots of drops in the bucket.”

Street safety

When asked about her work on street safety, the councilwoman told us the issue is very personal to her. Yaroslavsky has three young children, and the family walks to school, crossing La Cienega Boulevard each school day.

Last spring, at the same moment a Hancock Park Elementary School mother was struck by a car while walking her first-grader to school, Yaroslavsky was walking her second-grader to school. “All Angelenos deserve to feel safe walking or biking on our streets. We have the obliga-

tion to do that work and find a way to pay for it. We can’t just keep saying there’s no money for it. That’s unacceptable,” said the councilwoman.

In response to the Hancock Park Elementary tragedy, Yaroslavsky’s office partnered with the Department of Transportation to make immediate design changes to streets adjacent to the school. Quickbuild fixes were installed including new paint, reflectors, extra signage, lane delineators and speed bumps. The councilwoman told us that she has received good feedback from parents and from the school on those improvements. But, she said, “We need to do it everywhere.”

Slowing speeders

The CD5 team is looking at possible improvements across the district to prevent drivers from speeding. “We need to fund the things that we say we care about,” said Yaroslavsky. The councilwoman told us she is going to be pushing hard in this year’s budget to get more money allocated for both the staffing and actual improvement work that needs to be done.

Right now, on Rosewood Avenue, a street that many drivers use as a cut-through, Yaroslavsky is piloting a slow street program between Fairfax and La Brea avenues. “We’ve installed one of two roundabouts there to help slow down traffic,” said the councilwoman. She is also working to make sure crosswalks are more visible and has worked to install 30 speed humps around schools. The councilwoman tells us that she aims to work with each school and community in the district to find out what they need from the city and then to get it done. “There is a lot we can do to narrow the lanes and get people to slow down,” said Yaroslavsky.

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YMCA, a luau, Rotary, honoring Mark Peel, galas to come

The Anderson Munger Family YMCA hosted its inaugural Summer Soiree dinner and fundraiser on its rooftop sports deck overlooking the expansive Los Angeles skyline on Aug. 18. The skies were pink, the air was warm, the guests were dressed in their best summer threads and the party was on!

Around the Town with Sondi Toll Sepenuk

Guests including Elsa and Larry Gillham, Pam Rudy and Pierre Debbaudt, June Bilgore, Martha and John Welborne, Richard Battaglia, Debbie and Mark Alpers, Alysoun Higgins, Jeannine Balfour, Laura Foti Cohen, Maria and Abel De Luna, Jennifer Enani, John and Terrill Perfitt, Danielle Reyes, Jennifer Rissier and more, were ushered up to the rooftop welcome reception where they immediately were wowed by the Y’s new and brightly painted rooftop murals. Next, they were drawn to the silent auction area that included lots of tempting purchases for charity. Delicious appetizers, dinner and desserts came from Homeboy Industry’s Homegirl Café.

During the dinner, four awards were presented to civic leaders. At the outset, the Social Impact Award went to Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, who told stories of her own son’s attendance at the YMCA’s Camp Whittle near Big Bear — a familiar site described fondly by three teens interviewed just before her award. The Community Impact award went to Michael Pak, who started the Koreatown Run Club.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to the Larchmont Chronicle’s co-founder Jane Gilman, who was recognized

for her years of dedication and community service. Longtime YMCA volunteer Scot Clifford received the Visionary Leadership Award. “I have a long history with the Y,” laughed Clifford. “I started at the Wilshire YMCA, then the Hollywood Y, and now the Anderson Munger YMCA, and it was an honor and privilege to be a part of it, but they gave so much more to me than I gave to them.”

Anderson Munger Executive Director Rae Jin also recognized current board chair Chase Campen and Summer Soiree co-chairs Patti Carroll and John Winther for their service.

• • •

The next night — the Saturday before the not-so-big tropical storm on Aug. 20 — saw 800 members and guests of The Beach Club gathered on the sand for a Centennial Luau to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the venerable Santa Monica institution. Many present and former resi-

dents of our part of town were spotted in the throng, including Bill and Daisy Brookes Spurgin, Chip Stuart, Don Liebig, Jim and Ginny Shelton, Carlotta and Ann Keely, Martha and John Welborne, David and Elita Hotaling Bal-

(Please turn to page 9)

skin deep

by Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald

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Adv.

COUNTY SUPERVISOR Holly J. Mitchell told attendees about her own son’s adventures at the YMCA’s Camp Whittle.

LONGTIME FRIENDS Elsa Gillham, left, and June Bilgore join in the YMCA salute to Jane Gilman, center.

SUMMER SOIREE Co-Chair Patti Carroll, left, and YMCA Executive Director Rae Jin review the schedule for the evening’s program.

Around the Town

(Continued from page 8) four and Alyce de Roulet Williamson, whose father was a founding member of the Club in 1923.

• • •

Earlier in the month, at the Wilshire Rotary Club Aug. 2 meeting at the Ebell Club, Jane Gilman transitioned from her longtime status as an honorary member to become a regular member.

• • •

Our “On the Menu” columnist, Helene Seifer, shared this report about an earlier event at the Ebell Club on July 28:

“The club was host to a grilled cheese night in honor of the late acclaimed Campanile chef Mark Peel. His widow, now of two years, Daphne Brogden, planned the dinner as an homage to her late husband and his popular grilled cheese nights at the restaurant. The event officially kicked off an effort to raise funds for the Mark Peel Culinary Scholarship Endow-

ment Fund at his alma mater, the Collins College of Hospitality Management at California State Polytechnic University – Pomona.

“The sold-out casual dinner seated 120 people who enjoyed crispy, melty grilled cheese sandwiches prepared by Brogden with help from their children, Vivien Peel, 17, and Rex Peel, 14.

“For more information about the Endowment Fund, go to crowdfund.cpp.edu.”

• • •

Mark your calendar. Several gala fundraising events are on the fall horizon.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic marks the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney Concert Hall on Thurs., Oct. 5, with an homage to the architect of the iconic building, Frank Gehry.

The inaugural fundraising gala for the Paul R. Williams Scholarship and Education Fund will take place Wed., Oct. 11, at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Architect Paul Revere Williams, who passed away in 1980, was known to many as the “architect to the stars.” His namesake foundation aims to inspire the creative youth of a new generation.

The dinner fundraising event, entitled, “Strollin’ on the Avenue,” will celebrate Williams’ legacy.

moved longtime honorary member Jane Gilman to official status Aug. 2 at the Ebell Club of Los Angeles.

WILSHIRE

Pam Rudy, WRC co-vocational director; Elsa Gillham, WRC treasurer; Jane Gilman; Makiko Nakasone, District 5280 district governor; WRC President Janice Prior; and Dan Hodgkiss, WRC membership director.

Learn more at thepaulrwilliamscollection.com.

Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey and Sofia Coppola will be honored at the Academy Museum’s third annual gala on Sat., Oct. 14. Co-chairs include Ava Duvernay, Halle Berry and Ryan Murphy.

Mingle with artists and supporters of Craft Contemporary at its annual benefit and auction on Sat., Oct. 21. Museum Executive Director Suzanne Isken will be honored at the event.

This year’s Art+Film Gala at LACMA honors artist Judy Baca and filmmaker David

to

Fincher on Sat., Nov. 4. Museum Trustee Eva Chow and actor Leonardo DiCaprio will co-chair the 12th annual event.

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will be honored at the Holocaust Museum LA’s 15th annual gala, “We Educate to Stop Hate,” Mon., Nov. 6, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Also honored will be philanthropist Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Sandra Gerson Kanengiser, a daughter of Holocaust survivors. Melissa Rivers will host.

And now you’re in the Larchmont know!

ROTARY CLUB of Los Angeles (WRC)

Left

right:

ON THE ROOF, YMCA supporters dine. Left to right: Danielle Reyes, Jennifer Rissier, Jeannine Balfour, Maria and Abel De Luna, John and Terrill Perfitt and Jennifer Enani.

Sighs of relief with Selma encampment gone as students return

By Suzan Filipek

Parents and school officials breathed a big sigh of relief when a seemingly entrenched homeless encampment was cleaned up adjoining Larchmont Charter School’s Selma campus and its surroundings just in time for the first day of school.

“Many parents said, ‘Hallelujah. This is amazing. We’re so happy,’” said school spokesman Dave duMonde. But, he added, “Those who understand the history say it’s better than before, but we don’t hear the long-term plan.”

An army of city and county employees plus social service providers arrived at the threeblock site Aug. 10 as part of the mayor’s 24th action under her Inside Safe program. They provided vouchers to 61 unsheltered people for beds at hotels and shelters, according to Council District 13 Senior Advisor Josh Androsky.

The cleanup continued the next day. Hollywood BID (Business Improvement District) organized steam cleaning of the street and sidewalks. Meanwhile, LAPD has been patrolling the area, and City Recreation and Parks rangers have been locking an adjacent mini-park at night.

“The encampment situation

on Selma Avenue is a work in progress,” Amy Held, executive director of Larchmont Charter School (LCS), said in a recent letter to school families.

“We’ve been at that campus for more than a decade,” she told us in a phone interview.

“The last five years really have been a challenge.”

A change in leadership always adds to the challenge, she said, alluding to last year’s

municipal election.

“I do think it’s such an incredibly challenging issue, and it’s so sad. It’s much bigger than our school.”

The goal going forward, she said, is to ensure regular cleanups are maintained.

“Inside Safe seems like a comprehensive approach and not just about moving people around. I applaud the mayor. I’m glad the councilman

stepped up, and I know LAPD has been there all along. I’m very happy and hopeful,” Held said.

The cleanup happened late by most measures, but in time for when the Selma campus reopened with nearly 200 more pupils than last school year, for a total of 700 students including two new grade levels. The two added grades are part of a restructuring plan for LCS. The

Selma site now has two campuses at that one location: Selma middle school has 515 fifththrough-eighth graders; and Hollygrove@Selma includes third- and fourth-graders. The encampment at Selma was a challenge by anyone’s measure. The Hollywood area has the second largest unhoused population in our city, only behind Skid Row, said

(Please turn to page 11)

BEFORE — The sidewalk for children’s walk to school. AUGUST 22 return to school along a cleared Selma sidewalk.

Encampment

(Continued from page 10)

Councilman Hugo SotoMartinez in a newsletter following the cleanup. Addressing Hollywood’s problems will require still more outreach, more services and more housing, he said.

“There’s currently a long list of folks who want to be off the streets and under a roof,” said Soto-Martinez.

School officials are sensitive to these needs as well.

“We care about the unhoused people there and that they are getting the care and resources they need,” duMonde of LCS said. “But we also want to see law and order enforced in our school.”

Parents had been pleading for months with Councilman Soto-Martinez’s office to remedy the situation. So, when something finally happened, “It was sort of a surprise when we got a notice from the mayor’s office the day before. We knew it was coming but were getting mixed messages,” duMonde said.

Coffee with a Cop

Rumors surfaced of the imminent plan to shelter the Selma unhoused during a Coffee with a Cop meeting Aug. 8 at Mother’s California Market in Hollywood. Several senior lead officers from the Hollywood

Community Police Station and State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo were in attendance. The senator attended the event, she said, as part of her effort to get to know new areas in the district following a recent redistricting.

“The idea is to bring communities together, because so many of these issues have become very hostile and we can’t have that because it’s not going

to solve anything. They affect our kids, our neighborhoods.”

The senator, who said she previously was unaware of the homelessness issue at Selma, was brought up to speed as a group of parents gave reports of discarded needles, feces, fights and shouts they witnessed daily when they took their young children to school last spring.

“You have a lot of parents

very concerned who’ve been trying desperately to get the councilman to help with this, and there has been very little response from the councilman,” said parent Meredith Quill of Windsor Square.

“This is incredibly dangerous. It is unsafe for kids to be at this campus.”

The cramped sidewalks forced parents to walk their young children in the street to get to and from school.

A city mini-park next door to the school, which had once been frequented by students, had evolved into a homeless enclave serving several encampments on both sides of Selma from Schrader Boulevard to Las Palmas Avenue.

In the park, an electric box had been illegally accessed, a security guard had been attacked, fights broke out regularly in front of the school,

and camp residents exposed themselves, the parents said. Hopes were fading that the tents and debris near the school and adjacent park would be cleaned up in time for the first day of school on Aug. 22, as promised last spring by the council office. While CD13 did send its Care Plus cleanup services

(Please turn to page 12)

SELMA PARK denizens before cleaning. Note blue tent.

SELMA PARK closed. Note electric vault in foreground.

ELECTRIC VAULT in the sidewalk vandalized for power.

ELECTRIC BOX was accessed near the children’s play area at the city park adjacent to Larchmont Charter’s Selma Campus.

Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Fire Dept.

STATE SENATOR Maria Elena Durazo speaks with LCS Selma campus parents at a Coffee with a Cop event held at Mother’s California Market in Hollywood in August.

Encampment

(Continued from page 11) again in late July, within hours, the tents and shopping carts returned, jamming the walkway, duMonde told us.

Illegal wiring

When Assistant Chief Dean

Zipperman and Capt. Kory Jackson from the Los Angeles Fire Dept. Operations West Bureau office completed a visit to the site on Aug. 4, they “found a fire / life safety concern and ADA violations at the site with regards to illegal wiring.

“In addition, the entire side-

Colette C. Witt

walk from the fence line to the curb is completely covered with tents, debris and trash. Due to this area being in the direct path of an elementary school access point, this is a safety hazard to children and parents trying to traverse

(Please turn to page 14)

February 19, 1933 — July 21, 2023

Colette Witt called Hancock Park home for more than five decades after moving to South Lucerne Boulevard in Windsor Square, and then to North Rossmore Avenue, where she lived at the time of her passing on July 21, 2023, at the age of 90. She could often be seen walking to her Larchmont Boulevard hair salon or shopping on Larchmont, and she particularly loved stopping at her favorite newsstand, “Above the Fold,” where she frequently bought French language magazines, a throwback to her years growing up in Europe during World War II.

Colette was born in Paris, and she spent her formative years in Bern, Switzerland, before coming to California where she met her husband, Dr. Charles B. Witt, Jr., after college. They were married nearly 63 years before he passed in 2019, also at the age of 90.

She was a formidable conversationalist. It didn’t matter the subject or with whom she was speaking: Colette showed the same respect to everyone, whether it was a formal address or a quick word when passing on Larchmont Boulevard. Thanks to her European education, she spoke French and German, and she maintained an admirable level of fluency all her life. She taught elementary

school French to students at Pilgrim School in the years when two of her children attended the school. She was a fearless and graceful skier, something she loved and learned very young growing up in Switzerland and passed on to her children, teaching them to ski as toddlers.

Among her many passions was philanthropic and volunteer work, and she was recognized by the Larchmont Chronicle in 1992 as a Woman of Larchmont. She was proud of serving as president of the many organizations she joined, including the Junior Philharmonic Committee of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl Patronesses, the Good Samaritan Hospital Auxiliary, Le Salon Français de Los Angeles, and as Regent of the Los Angeles chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, among others. But her most important roles in life were that of friend, wife, mother, and grandmother. There was never a more loyal friend, more devoted wife, more inspiring mother, or more loving grandmother. She is dearly missed by all whose lives she touched. Colette leaves behind her children — Charles III, Alexandra and Walter — and seven grandchildren, whose hearts will never be quite the same without their “Mommy Coco” present in all of their lives.

Hugh Maguire

April 22, 1933 - May 18, 2023

Hugh John Maguire, a native Angeleno born on April 22, 1933 to Alfred Leo Maguire and Margaret Boyle Maguire, passed away peacefully on May 18, 2023 of natural causes at home, surrounded by his family. He was the loving husband of Maryly Roney Maguire, a fellow student at UC Berkeley in the 1950s; the father of Kathleen, Hugh Jr. (Tom Lindblade), Patrick, and Maryly (David Koch); and a mentor to six grandchildren who dubbed him Boppy: Emiley, Molly, Grady, Charlie, Grace, and Jack.

A child actor in the early 1940s, with roles in over thirty films, including Leave Her to Heaven and Going My Way, Hugh grew up on the Paramount lot, throwing a football with Bing Crosby and learning to play chess with Merle Oberon. Hugh went on to athletic success as a quarterback at Loyola High School and CAL, under legendary coach Pappy Waldorf, before receiving his commission in the USAF as a jet flight instructor. After serving his country, Hugh built a successful career as an investment banker, while he and Maryly grew their family.

Well-known in the Los Angeles business and social communities, Hugh was an iconic, well-loved, caring human being who believed in a firm handshake and the importance of helping others. Hugh is deeply missed, and we hope many of his attributes live on in all of us.

A Memorial Mass and Celebration of Life for family and friends took place in Hancock Park on July 11, 2023. For further information, email MaguireUC@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Homeboy Industries, www.homeboyindustries.org. Adv.

SELMA AVENUE approaching Selma Avenue Elementary School, one block south of Hollywood Boulevard.

CLEANUP COMMENCES with placing of traffic cones to close the street to traffic on August 10.

MOBILIZATION — skiploaders and garbage truck on the left; mini-bus transportation to transitional housing on the right.

SKIPLOADER sits ready for cleanup to follow street-dwellers’ departures from the sidewalks and park. ADV.

Franco

(Continued from page 1) called his public defender / lawyer about his upcoming one-year placement assessment before a judge and discovered that his previous lawyer no longer represented him. He had to find out on his own the name of his new public defender, and that lawyer never returned his calls. His conservator informed the court of Franco’s wish to stay in the senior care facility for another year, but the judge wanted to hear directly from Franco. No one from his team came to be with him when he appeared before the judge electronically via Zoom. No public defender, no conservator, no social worker. Franco alone, in front of a monitor, told the judge that he needed to stay where he was for another year because of his health problems. It was approved.

Now that he has spent more than 16 months off the streets, how does Franco feel about his journey? He tells us in his own words.

How Franco became homeless after his divorce

From Franco: “I’ve been solving problems daily for 10 years as I became homeless, non-stop, daily, believe it or not. Consecutive problems created by my goddamn divorce.

“I said [to the manager of my apartment building] I’m going to get the check Monday from Social Security. Can you wait till Monday, and I’ll pay you the rent? She said, ‘No, today is the first. I’m going to file papers against you.’ Can you believe that?

“The apartment is $150, a six-floor building. Western and Santa Monica. Most of the peo-

ple are welfare beneficiaries. They have criminal records, drug addiction records, drug problems. Most are unemployable, they have no job. I have to get up at 5 o’clock in the morning to drive to Arcadia, at least 45 minutes on the freeway to get there by 7 o’clock. My job starts at 7:30. As a beginner in the factory, punctuality is very important.

“I did not have enough money in the bank to rent a better apartment, and I had no security in the job. I didn’t know if they were going to keep me or not. People have been there for 15 years and, if they don’t like you, they let you go.

“When I lost the apartment I had to quit the job. Where am I going to sleep, in the street?

I got unemployment benefits but after nine months benefits expired. And there was a war in Iraq and there was no job opening. In America the economy was kaput, finished.

“So I was stuck. No money in the bank. Divorced. Homeless. Without a job. I ended up in the street, and I had difficulty since then. For 10 years.”

The bureaucracy of medical care

Franco now has access to free medical care. He goes to the Saban Community Clinic in Hollywood for his medical needs, if someone will drive him, and a psychiatrist periodically visits his senior care facility. He says he has medication for chest pain, for his heart, for high blood pressure and for frequent urination. However, as Franco often says, “Bureaucracy takes patience,” and it sometimes takes months to see a doctor or get a referral. He has complained of chest pain for a year and finally got an electrocardiogram in August and an appointment with a cardiologist for October. He had a constant cough and was told to take over-the-counter cough syrup until his appointment scheduled for six weeks from that date.

Says Franco: “My cough is getting better, but Dr. Leon used a stethoscope, listened to the lungs. ‘You sound a lit-

tle wheezy, do you smoke?’ I smoke about five-to-six cigarettes a day. But I don’t have shortness of breath. When I walk, I get tired or fatigued. I breathe deeply because of the fatigue. When you exercise your breath will accelerate. Have you seen someone play soccer or basketball? They pant. For me, walking is an exercise. I make an effort to walk, it’s not easy. I stop, take a big breath, relax, continue. I get a little tired pushing this goddamn walker and every block I stop, take a deep breath. But that is not shortness of breath. Shortness of breath is when you can’t breathe. I never had shortness of breath, like I can’t breathe. But they gave me this inhaler. I haven’t decided whether to use it or not.

“Antibiotics is the answer. They prescribed it for five days. Take two capsules the first day and then one every day. When the pharmacy delivered the medication

yesterday, Mike [the facility’s medicine coordinator] said, ‘Let’s start tomorrow. We’ll take two in the morning.’

“In the morning, the nurse brought one [capsule], not two. I told her it should be two, but she cannot do anything. She’s not in charge of the medication. The person in charge is Mike, who prepares the medication for the next day.”

Franco’s cough did clear up on antibiotics. He’s lucky he could even get to the clinic appointment. Franco’s social worker didn’t want to drive him, and the manager of his facility wanted Franco to pay for his Uber. Finally, approval was given for the county to pay, and Franco made his way to the Saban Clinic. But then, when the appointment was completed, the Saban Clinic called Franco’s place to send a taxi to pick him up and take him back to the facility, but the manager there refused.

(Please turn to page 14)

Joan Catherine Aker Shewfelt

November 14, 1927 – July 8, 2023

Joan Catherine Aker Shewfelt died at home of natural causes, surrounded by her loving children, sons and daughtersin-law and grandchildren. She was 95.

Joan, the eldest of 6 children, was born in 1927 to Maurice and Catherine Green Aker, in Hankinson, North Dakota, a small town in the southeast corner of the state. With the strains of the Depression taking its toll on the town and her family, leadership was thrust upon her at an early age, a mantle she picked up and shouldered throughout her life. A gifted student with tremendous intellectual curiosity, Joan left Hankinson for Mundelein Women’s College in Chicago. A devotee of language and literature, Joan became editor of the school’s literary journal and graduated in 1949 with a BA in English. She moved to Los Angeles in 1952.

Joan met Donald Shewfelt at a Catholic singles function in 1954. Their first date was at Tom Bergin’s, where Joan impressed Don with an order of bourbon on the rocks. They married on July 9, 1955. Don and Joan’s seven children were born between 1956 and 1966. Joan embraced her role as wife, mother and homemaker, and created a household full of love and laughter, family and friends, literature, art and culture, and a commitment to instilling in their children the core values that she and Don shared. They both embraced the beauty of an ordinary life lived extraordinarily well. It is a creed best captured in the finale of George Eliot’s Middlemarch (of all novels perhaps the closest to Joan’s peaceful heart): “for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”

Don and Joan were loyal parishioners at Cathedral Chapel Church for more than 60 years and all 7 children attended Cathedral Chapel School. In addition to her commitments to the parish, Joan became an active volunteer with the Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Mothers with Children, participating in both fundraising and community outreach. She found the work very rewarding and remained a supporter of these efforts for the rest of her life.

Joan thoroughly enjoyed meeting people and had a genuine interest in getting to know them better. She made everyone feel welcome and special, a trait she impressed on all her family. Joan’s home was legendary for its well-stocked kitchen, fresh baked goods, a strong sense of order and for welcoming all family and friends. It was always a hub of activity, made all the more important to her when her grandchildren, her treasures, came to swim at Grandma’s pool.

Committed to her literary bucket list, Joan was 40% of the way through The Brothers Karamazov in her 95th year.

Joan was predeceased by Don who died on April 26, 2020, and her grandson, Kyle, who died in 2000. She is survived by her children: Eric (Olga Lucia), Mary Hughes (Kenny), Kristin (Luigi Girotto), John (Layne), Kurt (Jeralee), Ellen Multari (Alfred), and Craig (Maki); 15 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

A funeral mass for Joan and a Celebration of Life for both her and Don will be held on Friday, September 8 at 10:00 at Cathedral Chapel Church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Cathedral Chapel Church and School, Loyola High School or the Good Shepherd Center.

Ecclesia Gnostica Gnostic Christian Church Bishop Dr. Stephan Hoeller

SITTING on his walker in the weeds in front of his senior care facility is Franco (“Giorgio”) Iervolino.

Keeping it clean in CD13

We all see bulky items and trash on our streets and sidewalks, but do you ever wonder how those items get picked up?

In addition to working with city departments through the 311 system to keep our streets clean, we partner with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps to make sure we can respond to constituent requests as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Encampment

(Continued from page 12) the school…with the possibility of being exposed to this illegal wiring and other hazards causing immediate hazard of injury or possible electrocution to civilians.”

Residents were equally affected, according to Stephanie, who spoke at the Coffee with a Cop event and asked to not give her last name. She said the problem was made worse since Council District 13 was among the few districts that weren’t following the law, and so the homeless were migrating to this area. “They’re here because they’re allowed,” she said.

Just as the schoolchildren are forced to walk in the street — because the sidewalks are packed with tents and people — residents have to walk in the street there and at Western Avenue and other spots in CD13, she said.

The councilman, who said in his campaign that he was opposed to enforcing Section 41.18 of the City’s Municipal Code, maintains that unless there are beds available, he

will not support moving people from the street, regardless of where they are camped.

(Section 41.18 flatly prohibits homeless encampments within 500 feet of “sensitive facilities” such as schools and day care centers. The ordinance also requires sidewalks be unobstructed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA].)

Further frustrating parents, LAPD officers have said that, without the councilman’s support, their hands were tied.

With an estimated 3,000 homeless individuals on the street in Council District 13 (confirmed by CD13), there will never be enough beds, parents said. (There are 400 temporary housing units and 300 crisis beds in CD13, and all are full, according to CD13’s Androsky.)

While the homelessness issue on Selma has been ongoing for several years, it had gotten worse during COVID-19, when a shelter-in-place order was issued by the former mayor.

Under former Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, weekly maintenance cleanups helped keep the problem in check despite the

shelter-in-place order. Then, regular cleanups stopped soon after Councilman Soto-Martinez came into office, and the problem escalated, Senior Lead Officer Paul Jordan said.

Androsky explained to us that the cleanups can only be done by the Los Angeles sanitation department, which was short-staffed, and that LAPD must be on site.

The councilman doesn’t want to simply shuffle people around, he added, which would probably only result in them losing their case manager and hope of housing in the process.

Speaking of the Aug. 10 Inside Safe action, Androsky told us, “It’s an unfortunate situation” — for the students, parents and everyone involved — but while “this patient, meticulous work we were able to set up did take longer than anybody wanted, we now have this result that I think everybody is happy with.”

By providing housing, you avoid shifting the homeless closer to homes and businesses nearby, Androsky added.

Once sheltered, the transferred individuals are offered

The Los Angeles Conservation Corps provides beautification and cleanup services to our neighborhoods, while at the same time providing paid work experience and educational opportunities to at-risk young adults.

So, if you need something cleaned up in District 13, follow this simple three-step process, and our teams can jump into action.

First, submit a request on the 311 app or at myla311.lac-

a myriad of other complimentary services, including medication and drug treatment plus food and an ID to help find employment, all while on the road to permanent housing. “They can become a part of normal society instead of being outside of

Franco

(Continued from page 13)

Franco continues: “The guy [at the clinic’s front desk] said to me, ‘No worry. I’m going to get you transportation.’ And he called the taxi. Now the bill goes onto the medical bill from the doctor.

“I need a lot of patience here. I don’t know how much patience I have.”

They call this living?

The senior care facility where Franco lives provides a semi-private room with a bathroom, three meals a day, and occasional chair exercise classes and entertainment. But that’s just part of the equation. The interior is dreary, with industrial colors and little decoration except when holiday decorations are hung. The large front room is not used by the residents; it houses a desk for the workers, and I’ve rarely seen it used. The two-story building has a living / dining room on each floor where residents, many in wheelchairs or sitting on their walkers, sit mindlessly in front of the blasting televisions. I’ve never seen anyone reading or playing cards or discussing politics.

Outside, there is a cement patio, steps and a ramp down to the broken sidewalk out front. The parkway where Franco usually sits to get some air is overgrown with weeds. There used to be some furniture on the patio, but it was removed when vagrants began using it. Often when I visit, there’s the unmistakable

CD 13 Council Report by

Hugo Soto-Martinez

ity.org.

Next, if the issue is urgent or if your request hasn’t been taken care of within two weeks, call our office at 213-207-3015. Lastly, when speaking to our team, try to provide: the location of the trash / bulky items / etc., your 311 request number and any other relevant details. Our team is here to work with city departments, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and, most importantly, community members, to help keep the streets of District 13 clean, safe and beautiful for everyone.

it,” Androsky said.

Besides the school staff, students and nearby residents, others affected by the Selma encampment included the newly reopened and recently remodeled Hollywood YMCA and the Kings Los Angeles language school.

smell of marijuana outside, not necessarily from the residents, many of whom smoke cigarettes, but from homeless people and van-dwellers who tend to hang around. For the first few months I visited, I regularly had to step over a man, splayed out and napping, to enter the front door. Meals are served on paper plates; drinks in plastic. Franco complains all the time about the quality of the food.

From Franco: “The food is very lousy. The service is very negligent. You have to beg. I need a glass of water. ‘Later.’ I ask for a glass of milk. ‘There’s no milk and the kitchen is closed.’

“For dinner, 20 grams of meat with potato and one slice of bread. Nothing else. Breakfast, the same as yesterday. Scrambled eggs. Sometimes with sausage. Sometimes without. No toast. It’s detrimental! Today’s lunch? One corn dog with a little bit of beans. Not even hot.

“The food has no nutritional value. You decay in here. When I went to the Saban Clinic they keep saying, ‘You keep losing weight. You’re not eating well.’ I told them many times they don’t have good food, but [Saban Clinic] doesn’t have any control over that.

“You gotta admit this place is completely screwed up. I pray for the people [who live here]. These people are lost. Their life is finished. I don’t have the strength, the courage anymore to see these people who live in this condition.”

BEFORE: Children’s playground in Selma Park on cleanup day, Thursday, Aug. 10.

AFTER: Children’s playground the day following the cleanup.