photo by amy lyons same sex seniors rock for rights · 4/4/2010 · provide to the city, money...

Los Angeles Mayor AntonioVillaraigosa announced aplan Tuesday to cut services

at city parks, libraries and othernon-essential facilities two days perweek in an effort to balance thecity’s budget. The plan would notpertain to police and fire depart-ment services, but could affect localsenior and community centers, andfacilities like the GriffithObservatory.

The announcement came afterthe Los Angeles City Council andthe Los Angeles Department ofWater and Power (LADWP) cameto an impasse last week over rateincreases, with the city council call-ing for a .6-cent per kilowatt hourincrease, and the LADWP Boardcalling for a .7-cent per hourincrease. Because the city councilblocked the LADWP Board’s sug-gested rate increase, LADWP gen-eral manager, S. David Freeman,notified the city Monday that theutility would not turn over $73.5million it had previously agreed toprovide to the city, money that citycouncil leaders were counting on to

balance the budget. Freeman toldthe council that the $73.5 wouldnow be needed to cover the utility’soperating costs.

Many members of the city coun-cil balked at the mayor’s plan toshut down city services. The coun-cil is currently looking into ways toforce the LADWP to transfer themoney, and other ways to make theutility more accountable to cityleaders. Currently, the LADWPoperates as a quasi-governmentalagency, with its own Board ofCommissioners making decisions.

Los Angeles City CouncilPresident Eric Garcetti said theLADWP’s assertion that it needsthe $73.5 million to pay for operat-ing costs is false, and added that thedecision not to transfer the moneyamounts to political posturing.

“The DWP has approximately $1billion in reserve funds and hadcommitted to making the transfer tothe city’s general fund, regardlessof whether or not there was a rateincrease,” Garcetti said. “Thedepartment’s CFO testified beforethe council in February saying thatthis was financially feasible. This

Alice Herman was marriedto Sylvia, for 45 yearsbefore Sylvia’s death last

year. The two women first met inNew York, their opposite person-alities serving as the basis for astrong partnership.

“She was a gregarious ‘Villagekid’, I was a quiet, uptown col-

lege girl studying to be a school-teacher,” Herman said. “She waseverything I wasn’t and I waseverything she wasn’t, so togeth-er we were pretty okay.”

When Sylvia died last year, 73-year-old Alice was devastated.

“All I could think is ‘I don’tknow who Alice is withoutSylvia’,” she said.

Volume 20 No. 14 Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities April 8, 2010

INSIDE• Fairfax Theatre

undergoes historicreview. pg. 3

• WeHo hostswomenʼs

conference. pg. 4

Sunny andclear, withtemps around80º

See March page 22

BY EDWIN FOLVEN

BY AMY LYONS

See Budget page 21

BY AMY LYONS

See Lawsuit page 20

See Heilman page 22 See Donations page 20

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Police are searching for a suspect who robbed Pinkʼs Hot Dogsearly Monday morning. See 4.

WWW.BEVERLYPRESS.COM

photo by Amy Lyons

Alice Herman sought help from the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center afterher partner died and she could not afford to stay in her apartment.

n Groups Will Take to the Streets in Hollywood

Same Sex SeniorsRock for Rights

Heilman Rolls Lucky 7thTerm as WeHo Mayor

Budget Woes Worsen withLoss of DWP Fundingn Mayor Proposes Cuts to Services, While CityCouncil Contemplates Other Measures

T-Mobile FilesLawsuit OverCarthay CircleCell Towersn Residents StillContend EquipmentPoses a Danger

T-Mobile has filed a lawsuitagainst the City of LosAngeles aimed at reversing a

decision made last year thatblocked the cellular phone compa-ny from placing cellular phoneantennae on top of a building at6333 San Vicente Blvd., near anelementary school.

The Los Angeles PlanningCommission on July 14 sided withCarthay Circle residents, led byactivist Gene Krischer, who filed anappeal after a zoning administratorapproved the cellular equipmentplacement. The residents wereafraid the equipment would have anegative impact on children at near-by Carthay Center ElementarySchool. The appeal was grantedwith the help of CouncilmemberPaul Koretz, 5th District, who sidedwith the Carthay Circle residents.The appellants could not argue thecase on the basis of child safety,because the FederalCommunications Commission’sTelecommunications Act of 1996 Cops Hot on the Trail for

Dog Tip Bandit

photo by Edwin Folven

West Hollywood Mayor ProTempore John Heilman lastserved as mayor in 2006.

When West HollywoodCity CouncilmemberJohn Heilman is sworn

in as mayor later this month, itwill be the seventh time he hasheld the position — more thananyone else in the city’s quarter-century history. Of the city’s fivecouncilmembers, Heilman alonehas been continuously involvedin city government since beforeWest Hollywood even incorpo-rated as a city. As such, his careerin the city council offers a kind ofparallel with the history of thecity itself, as it has grown frominfancy to a well-entrenchedmunicipality.

Heilman first settled in WestHollywood in 1981, after he

Mountain ofMoney StillNeeded toSave Peak

With less than a weekremaining before itsexclusive deal to buy the

Cahuenga Peak property adjacentto the Hollywood sign runs outs,the Trust for Public Land (TPL)still has $3 million to raise to pre-vent the plot from returning to theopen market and potentially beingdeveloped.

“We’re going to make it,” saidLos Angeles City CouncilmemberTom LaBonge, 4th District, whohas worked with TPL to help raisemoney for the “Save the Peak”campaign. “It is absolutely critical

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9 Luis De Jesus LosAngeles and JohnHenry

Luis De Jesus Los Angeles gallerywill present artist David Adey’s

“John Henry” at its Bergamot Stationlocation from April 9 - May 15. Anartist’s reception will be held onFriday, April 9, from 6:00pm to9:00pm. Named after the larger-than-life character from American folklore,the exhibit combines hardcoverbooks, clamps, sawhorses, and steelwith logic defying engineering. Thegallery is located at 2525 MichiganAve. Call (310) 453-7773.

Turkey Day in April

Anew comedy, “Turkey Day”, willpremiere at The Eclectic Theatre

on Friday, April 9 at 8:00pm. The playtells the story of Bruce and Buffy, andthe innocent family dinner that turnsinto a nightmare of dysfunction.Tickets are $15. The Eclectic Theatre,5312 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Call(818)508-3003.

10 The MarxBrothers at The Alex

The Alex Film Society presentstwo screenings of The Marx

Brothers in “A Day at the Races” onSaturday, April 10 at 2:00pm and8:00pm. The film will be presented in35mm black and white. With a sanato-rium under threat from a local race-track mobster who wants to turn theplace into a casino, the Marx Brothersmust save the day. Author JoeAdamson, who wrote “Groucho,Chico, Harpo and Sometimes Zeppo”,will appear at the Alex prior to the8:00pm screening. Tickets are $13.50general admission, with discounts forseniors, students, children and AlexFilm Society members. The AlexTheatre, 216 North Brand Blvd. Call(818)754-8250.

11 It’s a Crooked World

The American Cinematheque at theEgyptian Theatre will present a

double feature of noir films onSunday, April 11 as part of its annualFilm Noir Festival. First up will be

“Drive a Crooked Road”, in whichMickey Rooney is cast against type asa car mechanic whose craving for fastcars and faster women steers him intoa blind alley in which there are no pitstops. After that, check out “Walk aCrooked Mile”, the story of an FBIagent (Dennis O’Keefe) and aScotland Yard inspector (LouisHayward) who track a spy ring in SanFrancisco. The double feature starts at7:30pm. Tickets are $11 with dis-counts for students and members. Call

(323)466-3456. The EgyptianTheatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd.

Jazzy Love Songs

Singing a sultry array of lovesongs, Tamela D’Amico will per-

form at the Catalina Jazz Club onSunday, April 11 at 7:30pm.Accompanied by a seven-piece band,the singer will perform pieces fromher new DC, “Got a Little Story”.Tickets are $20, plus a two-drink min-imum. Doors open at 6:00pm for din-

ner. Call (323)466-2210. CatalinaJazz Club is located at6725 Sunset Blvd.

12 HolocaustRemembrance Day

The Museum of Tolerance willhost a Holocaust Remembrance

Day (Yom Hashoah) event onMonday, April 12 at 11:00am. IrwinCotler, a Canadian member ofParliament will discuss the Holocaustand human rights. An internationalhuman rights lawyer, Cotler served ascounsel to former prisoners of con-science in the former Soviet Unionand in South Africa, including NelsonMandela. The program will alsoinclude a presentation by students inthe Museum of Tolerance’s JewishStudent Leadership Initiative. RSVPrequired. Call (310)772-2526.Museum of Tolerance, SimonWiesenthal Plaza, 9786 West PicoBlvd.

13 Small BusinessOwnership forVeterans

On Tuesday, April 13, the U.S.Small Business Administration

has teamed up with the VeteranBusiness Outreach Center and a hand-ful of additional entities to present aworkshop on loan programs, technicalassistance and government contract-ing for veterans seeking small busi-ness ownership. Presentations willinclude such topics as service disabledveteran-owned businesses and VAsponsored employment programs.Registration begins at 3:00pm, work-shop begins at 4:00pm. The VAHospital, 11301 Wilshire Blvd.,Building 500. Call (818)552-3222.

Breast CancerTreatment

Afree public lecture on breast can-cer treatment will be held at the

UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center onTuesday, April 13, from 7:00pm -9:00pm. Sara Hurvitz, a medicaloncologist, is actively involved in

designing and leading multiple clini-cal trials that are aimed at improvingthe treatment of breast cancer. Hurvitzwill clarify the basic approach to sys-temic breast cancer management andshed light on ongoing clinical trialsand new approaches to treatment.Ronald Reagan Medical CenterAuditorium, B Level, Room B130,757 Westwood Plaza. Parking oncampus costs $11. For more informa-tion, call (310)794-6644.

Student DesignChallenge

Thos. Moser, designers andbuilders of hand-crafted wood

furniture, has partnered withFIDM/Fashion Institute of Design &Merchandising and the SouthernCalifornia chapters of the AmericanSociety of Interior Designers (ASID)in the Thos. Moser student designchallenge, which will include anawards ceremony on Tuesday, April13. The competition is the culmina-tion of the FIDM course “FurnitureConstruction and Design” and invitesadvanced students to design compan-ion pieces to the Thos. Moser chaise.Awards will be given at a ceremony atthe Thos. Moser Los AngelesShowroom from 6:00pm – 8:00pm.For more information, visitwww.thosmoser.com. The showroomis located at 8705 Washington Blvd.,Culver City. Call (310)204-5761.

14 Student Productionof Blood Wedding

Aproduction of Federico GarciaLorca’s “Blood Wedding” will

be performed by the fourth-year the-atre students from the Los AngelesCounty High School for the Arts at theBarnsdall Gallery Theatre onWednesday, April 14 and Thursday,April, 15 at 7:30pm. The productionwill utilize song, chant, poetry, andmusic to explore the play’s themes oflove, death, passion and betrayal.Lorca based the tragedy on a truenewspaper account of a young bridewho abandoned her groom on herwedding day to join her lover. Fortickets, call the school at (323)343-6579. Barnsdall Gallery Theatre,inside Barnsdall Art Park, 4800Hollywood Blvd.

C a l e n d a r

Photo by Craig Schwartz

Left to right, Kevin Tighe and Glenn Davis star in the critically acclaimed“Bengal Tiger at The Baghdad Zoo”, which was on stage last year at theKirk Douglas Theatre and is being mounted again at the Mark TaperForum from Wednesday, April 14-May 30. For tickets and more informa-tion, call (213)628-2772. The Mark Taper Forum is located at 135 N.Grand Ave.

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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press 3 April 8, 2010

Regarding the article titled“Fairfax Theatre to be

Considered as HistoricLandmark” in the April 1 issue,Fairfax Avenue is the most histor-ical, sociological street in LosAngeles. After all, where else canyou feel the atmosphere of NewYork, Eastern Europe and theMiddle East, simply by taking astroll?

As a Southland teenager of the1950s, the area has many memo-ries for me. Parking cars at thelong gone Billy Gray’s Band Box,a nightclub which was the afterhours headquarters of MickeyCohen, the head of L.A.’s“Kosher Nostra”, who gave abonus for keeping an eye on hisbulletproof Cadillac. The neigh-borhood is also home to the SilentMovie Theatre and the FairfaxTheatre, where you could see twofeatures for seventy-five cents. Itis not ironic that the FairfaxTheatre’s closing coincides withPassover.

Eddie CressSylmar

Two of the front page articles inthe April 1 issue caught my

attention, including “HundredsProtest Cuts to Services” and“City Council Approves DWPRate Increases”.

Who can blame L.A. residents

who protest cuts to services? Yourfront-page story refers to the lossof services for children. The pri-mary duty of our mayor and otherelected officials is to provide forthe well-being and needs of ourcitizens. That implies a carefulassessment of priorities, especial-ly in a time of economic hardship.Certainly providing for childrenhas to take priority over the hugenumber of bureaucrats and admin-istrators who draw salaries fromthe city’s coffers.

Furthermore, astute leadershipwould find ways to augment thecity’s revenues without raisingtaxes and fees, but it’s a lot easierto just increase the DWP rates. Asto the amount of the rate increase,using the technique of “asking formore than you hope to get” seemsto work for our mayor. At leastsome of our city council memberssaw through that tactic and votedin opposition to the rate increase.Kudos to them.

George EpsteinDetroit Street

Regarding the article titled“Liquor License Hurdle is

Hard to Overcome” in the April 1issue, the article states that LittleBar owner Angelo Vacco needs aType 41 license, which allows anestablishment to serve liquorwithout also serving food. That isincorrect, it is a Type 48 alcohollicense. An alcohol license of anykind covers “the sale, service andconsumption” of alcohol. Type 41covers beer, Type 42 covers beer

and wine, Type 47 covers the ser-vice of food with spirits, and Type48 covers spirits without the ser-vice of food.

I love reading the BeverlyPress, since it fills the need forinformation so well regardingcommunity and neighborhoodnews in West Hollywood,Hollywood and the Miracle Mile.

Jeanne DobrinWest Hollywood

In regards to the article titled“Sun Won’t Rise on EasterServices at the Hollywood Bowl”in the April 1 issue, let me get thisright; from the article, 700 volun-teers produced a “spectacle” thatonly 1,000 people attended? Nowonder it’s cancelled. When youhave almost as many volunteers asattendees, this certainly can’t beconsidered a successful event.

Jon Burrows

Letters to the Editor

The Park Labrea News andBeverly Press encourages ourreaders to submit Letters tothe Editor. Letters must besigned by the author, and acontact phone number mustbe included. If you wouldlike to have your opinionheard, e-mail us at : [email protected].

Have an Opinion?Sound Off!

Fairfax Theatre isImportant Part ofHistoric Neighborhood

City Should Fix theBudget Without RaisingTaxes and Fees

Liquor License ArticleWas Wrong AboutPermit Type

No Surprise BowlʼsEaster Service Wasnʼt a Success

Theatre Will be Considered as a Historic Resourcen Buildingʼs OwnerContinues With Plan toBuild Condominiums


The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission will tour the FairfaxTheatre as part of the process to determine whether it qualifies as a cul-tural historic landmark. See Theatre page 21

BY EDWIN FOLVEN

The Los Angeles CulturalHeritage Commission voted

unanimously on April 8 to considerwhether the Fairfax Theatre shouldbe designated a cultural historiclandmark.

The decision is the first step in thedesignation process for the theatre,located at the corner of BeverlyBoulevard and Fairfax Avenue. Thefive-member cultural heritage com-mission and officials from city’sOffice of Historic Resources willnow tour the theatre and hold anoth-er hearing at a later date to decidewhether the theatre should be desig-nated a historic resource. The dateof the on-site tour and additionalhearing have not yet been set, butthe tour will likely take place duringthe first week of May, and the hear-ing will occur either on May 20 orJune 3, according to Edgar Garcia,preservation planner for the Officeof Historic Resources.

The owner of the building thathouses the Fairfax Theatre plans toconvert the structure into a 71-unitcondominium complex and retailspace. According to Ira Handelman,who represents the building’sowner, Alex Gorby, the goal is torevitalize the corner by creating aresidential and retail complex. The

Helane Wilbourne will askwomen an important question

on April 11: “What’s your plan?”

That simple question is the startingpoint for her workshop, a goal-set-ting seminar designed to trainwomen to set realistic, achievablegoals for everyday life and careerpursuits. An adjunct professor atthe Fashion Institute of Design &Merchandising on the subject oforganizational be-havior, Wilbournewill take her work-shop to the fourthannual West Holly-wood Women’sLeadership Conf-erence, a day-longevent at PlummerPark that includesnetworking, paneldiscussions andworkshops forwomen.

“I have seen men take charge insituations where they were not par-ticularly knowledgeable to lead perse, but they knew what resourcesthey would utilize and were givenan opportunity,” Wilbourne said.“In the same situation, I witnesseda woman who was capable of tak-ing on the challenge sit quietly andthen volunteer to help. After thefact, her perception was that hervice president must not have seenher as capable of leading thecharge. I very gently pointed out toher that he jumped at the challengeand subsequently she jumped at thechallenge to help him.”

A consultant for TheEntrepreneur’s Source, a leadingbusiness ownership and consultingorganization, Wilbourne said she isexcited to have the chance to workexclusively with women at the con-ference. In her daily work life, she

frequently meets clients who wantfreedom, independence and theability to create their own financialdestinies. For women, she said,there are some unique challenges.

“Women struggle with the manyroles that they play,” Wilbournesaid. “For many younger women

who might be on agreat leadershippath, they face thechallenge of thechildbearing ‘tick-ing clock’, whereasmen naturally seemto create an infra-structure thatallows them tofocus on theirendeavors.”

The conferenceis full of varying

workshops and options for womenworking in a slew of fields. AfterWilbourne mentors women in herleadership workshop — teachingthem how to strategize, delegateand be assertive — another power-ful woman, Maxine Lapiduss, asuccessful producer and sit-comwriter, will dole out tips on makingit in Hollywood. A participant inthe panel discussion titled “RisingStars: How Women are BlazingTrails in the Industry”, Lapidusseducates through humor and confi-dence. In answer to a questionabout the unique challenges facedby women in leadership roles, shequipped, “I don’t know, I’ve neverbeen a man before.”

On a more serious note, Lapidusssaid success is about “saying yes toeverything”.

“That is a very powerful signal to

Detectives investigating themurders of three members of

the same family in the LittleArmenia District of Hollywoodsaid there is nothing to connect thecrimes to the murders of fourArmenian men shot to death in aNorth Hollywood restaurant onApril 3.

Det. Dan Myers, of the LosAngeles Police Department’sRobbery-Homicide Division, saidinvestigators have looked into thepossibility that the crimes wereconnected, but found no evidencelinking the incidents.

“At this point, the only thing thatis similar is the nationality of thevictims,” Myers said. “Obviously,we are keeping our eye on theinvestigation in North Hollywood,and we haven’t ruled anything out,but we don’t have anything con-necting the two.”

Myers said the investigations intoboth crimes are in the early stages.The four men who were killed atthe Hot Spot Café at 11651Riverside Dr. had been dining in therestaurant when a suspect walkedup and began shooting. Three peo-ple died at the scene, and a fourthdied later at the hospital. Two othervictims were also shot and remainhospitalized, one in critical condi-tion. The deceased victims wereidentified as Sarkis Karadjian, 26;Harut Baburyan, 28; VardanTofalyan, 31; and Hayk Yegnanyan,25. The names of the injured vic-

tims have not been released. Newsreports indicated that the group hadattended a funeral earlier in the dayand then had gone to the Hot SpotCafé, but Myers said the group hadattended a memorial service for avictim who died a year earlier in avehicular accident. There were

additional people at the restaurantat the time of the shooting, butsome fled, and others gave policeconflicting accounts of whatoccurred. Investigators have saidthe shooting was not random, buthave not announced a motive orwhether the shooting is gang relat-

ed. The suspect was only describedas an Armenian man who wasapproximately 30 years old. Myerssaid officials are working withother agencies to gather informa-tion, but added that no official taskforce has been formed.

”We have reached out to anyonewho has been working in the area,dealing with Armenian criminalenterprises,” Myers said.“Obviously, we are looking at allpossible theories.”

Myers, who is one of the leaddetectives in the Hollywood mur-ders, said no new information isbeing made public. KarineHakobyan, 38, was found dead inthe driver’s seat of her Honda CR-V outside her apartment in the 5800block of Lexington Avenue onMarch 26. Hakobyan was found byher daughter, who had also discov-ered her father and eight-year-oldsister murdered in the family’sapartment in the 1200 block ofTamarind Avenue in December2008. The victims in that case wereidentified a Khachik Safaryan, 43,and his daughter Lusine.


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Police Say Valley and Hwd. Murders Not Connectedn Investigators Are StillAsking for Publicʼs Helpin Both Incidents

Los Angeles City CouncilPresident Eric Garcetti on

Tuesday launched “Garcetti 311”,a new application for iPhones thatwill allow users to submit photosof potholes, graffiti and otherproblems in the 13th CouncilDistrict. The application, devel-oped by CitySourced, is a pilotprogram that is designed to speedup the time in which the cityresponds to neighborhood prob-lems.

“The new app empowersAngelenos to improve our neigh-borhoods by providing a quick,easy way of letting city govern-ment know where there are prob-lems that need to be fixed,”Garcetti said.

Using the “Garcetti 311” appli-

cation, users will be able to reportproblems including abandonedbicycles and vehicles, deceasedanimals, bulky items, graffiti, ille-gal dumping, broken sidewalksand potholes, and overgrowntrees.

The application will automati-cally provide the location of theproblem, simplifying the reportingprocess for users. During the year-long pilot program, Garcetti’s staffmembers will submit the requeststo the appropriate city departmentsfor action.

The application will be madeavailable free of charge via iTuneslater this month. Within the nextthree months, CitySourced alsoexpects to expand availabilitysoon to other mobile platforms.

photo courtesy of the 13th District Council Office

Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti has launched a newapp for the iPhone where residents can report problems.

See Murders page 21

BY EDWIN FOLVEN

WeHo Conference Helps Women Become LeadersBY AMY LYONS

“Women struggle with

the many rolesthat they

play.”

Helane Wilbourne,adjunct professor at FIDM

Garcetti Launches DirectLine to City Services

“At this point, theonly thing that is

similar is thenationality of the

victims.”

-Det. Dan Myers, LAPDRobbery-Homicide Division

See Conference page 21

www.metro.net

www.metro.net

www.99only.com

Many people in the local com-munity are mourning the

death of Edith Carissimi, one of theformer owners of Musso and FrankGrill, which opened in 1919 and isHollywood’s oldest restaurant.

Carissimi died on March 30 atage 95 of natural causes at herapartment in Park La Brea. Her son,Fred Reich, said Carissimi had beensuffering from heart disease, but herdeath was unexpected. Carissimi,who lived alone but had two care-givers, died in her sleep, accordingto Reich.

Reich said his mother had notbeen involved in day-to-day opera-tions at Musso and Frank Grill forapproximately five years, but had a50 percent ownership stake untillast October, and visited the restau-rant often. In 1963, she marriedCharles Carissimi, the son ofJoseph Carissimi. Joseph Carissimiowned Musso and Frank Grill since1926 with partner John Mosso. Therestaurant was founded in 1919 byFrank Troulet and Joseph Musso,who later sold it to Mosso and

Carissimi. When Charles Carissimidied in 1969, Edith stepped in tohelp run the restaurant with Mosso.After he died in 1974, she operatedthe restaurant with Mosso’s daugh-ter, Rose Keegel.

Carissimi worked at the restau-rant nearly every day for nearlyfour decades, and did just abouteverything, from greeting guests torunning the office, according toRicky Kaye, the long time book-keeper for Musso and Frank Grill.

“Everyone should have an EdithCarissimi in their life. I was one ofthe lucky ones,” Kaye said. “Mrs.Carissimi was one of those peopleyou thought would always be there.

I visited her at home the Thursdaybefore she passed away, and we hada wonderful visit. She had a verylong and fascinating life.”

Musso and Frank, which is locat-ed at 6667 Hollywood Blvd., hasbeen part of the Hollywood scenefor more than 90 years. During the1920s through ‘40s, it was a gather-ing place for many high-profilepeople from the entertainmentindustry. Their clientele includedCharlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford,Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davisand Cesar Romero, among others.The restaurant was also often fre-quented by famous authors of the


Former Owner of Musso and Frank Passes Away

photo courtesy of Frank Reich

Edith Carissimi, one of the former owners of Musso and Frank Grill, oncereceived a commendation from former City Councilman, Michael Woo.

BY EDWIN FOLVEN

n Edith CarissimiHelped Run RestaurantAfter Her Husband Died

See Carissimi page 21

Six individuals have been namedas Los Angeles City Fellows, a

first-of-its-kind program to bringtop young talent from the businesssector into city government.

They include Alida Garcia-Okoebor, a litigation associate whoprimarily focuses on commercialdisputes and labor and employmentlaw; Jeremiah Jackson, a projectmanager who was involved in theCity of Sacramento’s effort to builda new arena for its NBA franchise;David Kim, who has worked as asenior associate atPricewaterhouseCoopers and ajunior analyst for Bear, Stearns &Co.; David Reich, an Iraq WarVeteran who served as an intelli-gence officer with a Navy SEALTeam; Peter Vu, a private equityassociate with American Capitalwho specialized in investmentanalyses and financial perfor-mance; and Nicole Williams, abusiness development manager forChatsworth-based Gigapix Studios.

The program was created byUnited Way of Los Angeles, whichwill manage and oversee the effort.Fellows will work full-time foraperiod of up to two years.

Each fellow will gain practicalexperience in the strategy and plan-ning between city government andthe business community. Fellowswill be assigned specific projects inareas such as green-technology jobcreation, new business retention,and redeveloping the city’s disad-vantaged communities. Fellowswill also acts as liaisons betweenthe business community and theMayor’s Office of Economic andBusiness Policy.

“The Los Angeles City Fellowsprogram is a shining example ofwhat we can accomplish when wethink outside the box,” Los AngelesMayor Villaraigosa said. “Thispublic-private partnership is a greatexample of a collaborative effortamong city stakeholders.”

Mayor LaunchesL.A. FellowsProgram

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Citing a lack of representation inthe current census, members of

the LGBT community are urgingthe federal government to includequestions about sexual orientationand gender identity in the next cen-sus. Senator Christine Kehoe, 39thDistrict, recently introduced a jointresolution calling on the UnitedStates Congress and PresidentBarack Obama to revise the censussurvey and to collect data identify-ing LGBT individuals.

“LGBT families and householdsare disproportionately underserved, and more likely to live inpoverty,” Kehoe said. “We call onthe U.S. Congress and the presidentto ensure that every person living inthe U.S. is counted and has accessto culturally competent health andhuman services.”

The resolution, SJR 28, is alsosponsored by Equality California(EQCA), an advocacy organizationfor the LGBT community. Geoff

Kors, executive director of EQCA,said the absence of questions aboutsexual orientation in the censuscould translate into fewer resourcesbeing devoted to services for theLGBT community. Data collectedin the census is used to determine

the number of seats allocated in theHouse of Representatives, as wellas the distribution of federal fund-ing for hospitals, job training cen-ters, schools, public works projectsand emergency services. For infor-mation, visit www.eqca.org.

Several observances of YomHashoah, or Holocaust

Remembrance Day, are being heldon Sunday, April 11.

Thousands of people are expect-ed to gather at the Los AngelesHolocaust memorial in Pan PacificPark on April 11 at 1:45pm for anannual Yom Hashoah observancesponsored by the Los AngelesHolocaust Museum, the Jewish

Federation of Greater LosAngeles, Second Generation andJewish World Watch. The keynotespeaker will be Ambassador DanGillerman, Israel’s permanent rep-resentative to the United Nationsfrom January 2003 to August2008. The Los Angeles HolocaustMonument is located on the northside of Pan Pacific Park, nearBeverly Boulevard. Call (310)821-

9919 or (310)280-5010 for infor-mation.

The City of West Hollywood isalso hosting a Yom Hashoahobservance on April 11 at 5:00pmin Fiesta Hall at Plummer Park,7377 Santa Monica Blvd. Theevent will commemorate individu-als who perished during theHolocaust, and will recognize peo-ple throughout the world who havefaced hate and violence. The pro-gram will include a musical theatreperformance of “The Kingdom ofNight”, which is based on the writ-ings of Elie Wiesel. After the pro-gram, a candlelight ceremony willtake place in Plummer Park at theBabi Yar Memorial, which com-memorates people who lost theirlives during World War II at BabiYar, located near Kiev, Ukraine.For information, contact Liz Tranat (323)848-6307, or visitwww.weho.org.

In addition, Mt. Sinai SimiValley will host a Yom Hashoahobservance on April 11 at10:00am. The keynote speakerwill be Rabbi Yakov Vann, whowill discuss “Spiritual Heroism inthe Holocaust”. The observancewill also include a display of Mt.Sinai Shoah Quilts, and a proces-sion to the Grove of RighteousRescuers. Mt. Sinai Simi Valley islocated at 6150 Mt. Sinai Dr. Forinformation, call (866)717-4624,or visit www.mountsinaiparks.org.


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Asection of Beverly Boulevardbetween Rossmore Avenue

and Wilton Place is currentlybeing repaved, and officials withthe Bureau of Street Servicesexpect the work to be completedwithin a couple of weeks.

David Ronge, a superintendantfor the Bureau of Street Services,said the repaving is one of threeprojects planned for BeverlyBoulevard that will be completedby June 30, the end of the city’scurrent fiscal year. They includerepaving a stretch betweenNormandie Avenue and KingsleyDrive, and between KingsleyDrive and Western Avenue. Twoof the projects are being paid forwith Metropolitan TransportationAuthority Proposition C funds,which come from a half-centcountywide sales tax measurepassed in 1990, while the third

will be funded by federal stimulusfunds.

Ronge said the work onBeverly will be done duringweekdays, and during periods thatwill not affect rush hour traffic.He added that lanes will be pro-vided for through traffic.

Los Angeles City CouncilmanTom LaBonge, 4th District, saidhe hopes the repaving of BeverlyBoulevard will make commutingsomewhat easier.

“We’ve been re-filling potholeson Beverly Boulevard for years,so I’m glad we’re finally able tothe right thing and re-surface itproperly,” LaBonge said. “I hopeeveryone in the Wilshire area willbe patient with us as the projectprogresses.”

Plans to repave sections ofThird Street and WilshireBoulevard remain uncertain, asthere are currently no funds avail-able.

Repaving Project Makes forSmoother Ride on Beverly


The Los Angeles Holocaust Memorial in Pan Pacific Park will be the siteof an annual Yom Hashoah observasnce.

Thousands to Commemorate Holocaust Victims

LGBT Groups Call for Changes to Census Form

WeHo HostsʻRussian StyleʼFestivalThe City of West Hollywood will

host the 5th annual “RussianStyle Festival”awards presentationon Wednesday, April 14 from 6:00to 9:00pm at Crystal Restaurant,7901 Santa Monica Blvd.

Individuals, businesses and orga-nizations that have had a positiveimpact on the lives of members ofWest Hollywood’s Russian-speak-ing community will be honored.Guest speakers will include WestHollywood Mayor Abbe Land;two-time gold medal Olympic icedance champion Oksana Grishuk;and host Stephen T. Nelson.

For more information or toRSVP, contact Tatiana Rodzinek at(323)848-6826, or visitwww.weho.org.

photo courtesy of the Fourth District Council Office

Work is under way on a repaving project on Beverly Boulevard.

BY EDWIN FOLVEN

http://play-losangeles.com/

www.rsabg.org


Let’s get something out of theway up front: the 1981 “Clash

of the Titans” wasn’t all that great,its top-of-the-line, stop-motioneffects juxtaposed with a rigid sto-ryline. The 2010 remake capturesthe jumbled spirit of the original,with just as campy a presentation.That said, I can’t deny the film’sgeneric entertainment value,despite poor performances.

Greek mythology is back for itssecond time this year. We’rereminded of the tension betweenthe gods and brothers, Zeus (LiamNeeson) and Hades (RalphFiennes). Zeus is just a little madat his finest creation, humanity,for their lack of gratitude towardshis gift of life. So against his bet-ter judgment, the god of godsdecides to unleash his bro on theworld of the living – a nice changeof pace for the lord of the under-world – in order to punish themand force their faith back into thehands of the gods. But Zeus’ off-spring, the demigod Perseus (SamWorthington), who is thought tobe dead, begrudgingly becomesthe champion of the people, tryingto find a way to destroy the evilcreature that even the gods fear,the Kraken. Sure, the premise isthe same as the original but theroad there is very different. Expecta couple of sequels.

Director Louis Leterrier reallyneeds to attend some acting class-es so he can better understand howto direct his cast. “Clash” doesn’trespect any of the big names thatgrace the screen. Jason Flemyng,as Calibos, doesn’t get enoughscreen time do anything substan-

tial. It’s hard to make out LiamNeeson’s face with the surplus ofCGI glow emulating from his cos-tume. And let’s not forget RalphFiennes, who proved his villainyas Voldermort in the “HarryPotter” films; he walks likeQuasimodo and talks like he’s onhis sixth pack of cigarettes for theday. Sam Worthington has alreadyproven himself an actor worth fol-lowing, and as Perseus he is ade-

quate, however he never reallycomes into his own as a warrior—something they might be savingfor future films. The best charac-ters are Io (Gemma Arterton), across between god and human

cursed with agelessness, and theAgrivian soldier Draco (MadsMikkelsen), each bringing some-thing new to the story not presentin the original.

This is cotton candy entertain-ment; you see it and want to feelthat sweet nostalgia melt in yourmouth, but when it’s over all youhave left is a queasy stomach andmaybe some heartburn. The CGIis mostly adequate. The visualhigh point comes with the attackof 30-foot scorpions, with the nextbest visual big bang happeningwhen the Kraken demolishes acity. The special effects low pointis Medusa…everything about her.“Clash of the Titans” is at its bestwhen each fantastical creature isunveiled, and at its worst whencharacters talk about their feelingsbetween battles or while they sitby fires in the woods.

Lately, films about mythology –Greek, Norse, and the fantasygenre as a whole – haven’t beenable to capture the same spirit ofimagination found in the sourcematerial. Humanity’s role in thecosmos isn’t a boring topic, yetfilmmakers seem to lack the awenecessary to create a world thatgoes beyond the limits of the

physical. “Clash of the Titans”suffers from an insufficient under-standing of Zeus’ dominion, andfeels too much like a mathemati-cal equation that just wants to getfrom A and B to end at C. If onlyLeterrier read a little more Dr.Seuss and watched fewer 3-Dtutorials.

“Clash of the Titans” could take“Percy Jackson” in a fight butreally it’s not as much a fight wor-thy of the gods as a schoolyardbrawl over who’s king of the play-ground.

But as for the roller coastereffect, it’ll keep you going untilthe end.

courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Sam Worthington stars as the mighty demigod, Perseus, who is the lastliving hope for humankind in the new version of “Clash of the Titans”.

photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Medusa turns any man who looks her in the eye to stone, an evil talentthat makes her the ultimate weapon in the new re-make of “Clash of theTitans”.

On ScreenWITH

TIM POSADA

The visual high

point comes

with the attack

of 30-foot

scorpions.

The ʻTitans ̓Donʼt as MuchʻClash ̓as Crash and Burn

www.westsideadultschool.org


photo by Richard Settle

West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land (left), Los Angeles CountySupervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, 3rd District, and Robin Conerly, exec-utive director of the West Hollywood Community HousingCorporation (WHCHC), celebrated the grand opening of the SierraBonita Apartments in West Hollywood on April 3. The WHCHC builtthe Sierra Bonita Apartments, which is the cityʼs first developmentdesigned for low‐income individuals with special needs. The com-plex features 42 one-bedroom apartments over ground-floor retailspace. The building, which is located at the corner of Sierra BonitaAvenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, is also the first all‐affordable,mixed-use project in the Eastside Redevelopment Area of WestHollywood. For information, call (323)874‐0018, or visitwww.whchc.org.

Koretz Visits Hope on Easter

photo Courtesy of the Fifth District Council Office

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz (center), 5th District, washonored prior to Easter services at Hope Lutheran Church inHollywood last Sunday, and was joined by Hope Lutheranʼs pastor,Mark Rasbach (left), and congregation member Carl Terzian.Koretz was recognized for recently helping to secure additionalparking around the church at 6720 Melrose Ave. during Sundayservices.

LAUSD Aimsto Strengthen AdultEducation

Learning Center Founder Honored

photo courtesy of Lee Salem

The Puente Learning Center, a non-profit organization dedicated toproviding tuition-free education programs to people of all ages,recently honored its founder, Sister Jennie Lechtenberg, at its 25thAnniversary Gala at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Lechtenberg(left) was pictured with Los Angeles City Councilman TomLaBonge, 4th district. The evening also included the presentation ofthe inaugural Puente Learning Center Community Service Award toFran Inman, president of the Majestic Realty Foundation. For infor-mation, visit www.puente.org.

The Great Cities Summit, ajoint federal initiative spon-

sored by the National Institute forLiteracy and the Department ofEducation’s Office of Vocationaland Adult Education, has select-ed the Los Angeles UnifiedSchool District (LAUSD) as oneof five urban areas that will pre-sent best practices for providingadult education with an emphasison reading instruction.

“Reading is the gateway tolifelong learning,” said LosAngeles Unified School DistrictSuperintendent Ramon C.Cortines. “We are aware of a highilliteracy rate among adults wholive within our boundaries andwe want them to know thatLAUSD is here to help them.” Expertise will be shared duringthe meetings scheduled this yearand during 2011 in five cities.New York, Chicago, Miami andHouston also were selectedrecently following a nationalcompetition. The Great CitiesSummit will convene leadingeducators who will assess theircity’s adult education needs, cre-ate action plans to address them,learn about available federalresources to support implementa-tion of these plans, form support-ive partnerships, and establish anetwork for collaborative peerlearning.

A major goal of the GreatCities Summit initiative is to ulti-mately support teachers inexpanding their knowledge ofadult reading acquisition andstrengthening their skills inteaching reading. Through a series of summit meet-ings, this initiative will explorethe needs and concerns of adulteducation students, teachers andlocal program administrators inlarge, urban settings.

For more information on theprogram, visit www.nifl.org.

Dining With Angels

New Affordable HousingComplex Opens in WeHo

photo by Richard Settle

West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land (right) on Monday presented aproclamation to Kim Crabtree of Project Angel Food, in recognition of“Dining Out for Life”. The annual fundraising event for Project AngelFood will be held on April 29 and features food from restaurants through-out the local area. For information, visit www.diningoutforlifela.org.

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One of the values of Theatre ofthe Absurd is that the play, the

playwright, the production, and theplayers can get away with almostanything because it’s hard to takeseriously something that seems sononsensical on the surface - words,thoughts and actions that would beshunned, banned, or consideredlibelous, obscene, or merely action-able in a serious context. Laughterremoves the sting from hate-speak,whether it’s culturally, racially, eth-ically or even personally obnox-ious, violent, vile or just plain hurt-ful. Taking his cue from TheAbsurdists, Max Frisch, a Swissarchitect who’d sat on the sidelinesduring the rise of Nazi Germanyfound his interest in architecturefading as he began to contemplatethe apathy and non-confrontationalstance taken by Europeans during,and after the anschluss (annexationof previously sovereign States) bythe Nazis from 1938 and on. Hisplay, “Biederman and TheFirebugs”, first performed in 1958,was inspired by the complacencyand tolerance of the rest of Europefor Hitler’s stride across Europe onhis way to world domination.Alistair Beaton’s translation of

‘Firebugs’, titled “The Arsonists”was first produced in 2007. It dealswith the contemporary complacen-cy of those who have eyes, but willnot see how history might repeatitself over and over. There’s plentyof laughter in this smart play, butit’s fear-tinged.

Mr. Beidermann, in an excep-tionally stunning performance byNorbert Weisser, is an upright busi-nessman and a gentleman, who isprotective of his home and his fam-ily, which includes Babette, hiscompetent, but nervous wife (anaffecting and very real BethHogan), and a sterling, if cheekymaid, Anna (a perkily smart DianaCignoni). Everyone’s a little ner-vous these days – it’s the ‘50s, orpossibly the present – and there arereports of arsonists in the neighbor-hood. The local Fire Department,

doubling as The Chorus (AlanAbelew, Chantal DeGroat, EricLosoya, Cary Thompson, JohnAchorn, Ron Botitta, Cignoni andHogan), is spending sleeplessnights futilely fighting fires in theupper class neighborhood, whichthey rarely get to before it’s too late.They’re also the class clowns, read-ier to stumble over their own feetthan put out fires. Achorn (hilariousin a scary way), is also the schlob-by intruder who alarmingly makeshimself at home in Beidermann’shouse, while Bottita, utterly splen-

did as Eisenring, a suitably over-bearing Head Waiter, prepares toserve a very untasty surpise for theheretofore secure and happy home-steaders. All that’s needed is theBeidermanns’ consent!

Director Ron Sossi takes armedcontrol of this fascinating play,scaring us even as we laugh, shud-der, and maybe even pray that ourown attics be not infested with fire-bugs, and that we might be morecounter-active than theBiedermanns if push ever came toshove… or at least have the senseto hide the matches.

Sossi gets great mobility and vig-orous cooperation from his actor-driven collaborative ensemble inthis witty and fascinating produc-tion; super set design co-operationfrom Birgitte Moos; great lightingdesign by Adam Blumenthal;excellent costumes by KathrynPoppen; and solid sound by SeanKozma.

Don’t hesitate to consider the

possibilities, and don’t hesitate tosee the play.

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble,2055 South Sepulveda Blvd.

Wednesday through Saturday8:00pm, Sunday 2:00pm, throughMay 23. (310)477-2055 orwww.odysseytheatre.com.

ʻThe Arsonists ̓Lights Witty,Provocative Fire on Stage


Mad About Theater

by Madeleine Shaner

Director RonSossi takes

armed controlof this

fascinatingplay, scaring us

even as we laugh.

Los Angeles Mayor AntonioVillaraigosa launched the

new “Visit Hollywood 2010”program on April 1 at theUniversal Hilton hotel. The pro-gram promotes tourism in LosAngeles by celebrating land-mark anniversaries, the openingof new attractions, the introduc-tion of new and remodeledhotels and two new websitesoffering discounts and specialoffers to visitors. The LosAngeles Convention andVisitors Bureau and theHollywood Chamber ofCommerce have teamed up forthe campaign, which will offerspecial discounts throughout the

year from participating busi-nesses. The program coincideswith the 75th Anniversary ofStarline Tours, the 50thAnniversary of the HollywoodWalk of Fame, the recent open-ing of Madame TussaudsHollywood, the 25thAnniversary of the musicworld’s landmark Rock Walk,and the opening of the new“King Kong 360 3D Created byPeter Jackson” attraction.Information, discounts and trav-el packages are available atwww.ExperienceHollywood.com and the official visitors infor-mation website of Los Angeleswww.discoverLosAngeles.com.

Visit Hollywood For NewDeals and Discounts

photo by Ron Sossi.

From left to right, Ron Bottitta and Norbert Weisser star in “TheArsonists”.

photo by Ron Sossi.

Left to right: Chantal DeGroat, Diana Cignoni, Alan Abelew, BethHogan, Eric Losoya and Cary Thompson show up with an excellentensemble effort in “The Arsonists”.

http://www.lcfcc.net/


Art Meets Fine Dining

The West Hollywood Avenues ofArt & Design and the Los

Angeles County Museum of Art(LACMA) is pairing fine art withfine food. On Monday, April 12,chef Andrea Cavaliere and somme-lier Stacie Hunt, of Du Vin Wine

and Spirits, will serve a special,prix fixe menu featuring cuisineand wine inspired by works of art.Influences for the artful dishesinclude Fernando Botero, LaddieJohn Dill, Damien Hirst, HelenLundeberg, Andre Masson andAndy Warhol. The dinner starts at6:30pm and costs $150 per person.Reservations required. Call(310)432-2000. Cecconi’s, 8764Melrose Ave.

Mortonʼs MakesApril 15 LessTaxing

As millions of Americans rushto file tax returns by April 15,

Morton’s The Steakhouse is givingcertified public accounts (CPAs)something to look forward to.Morton’s has designated Thursday,April 16, as CPA Appreciation Dayand is offering CPAs the chance towin a complimentary steak andseafood dinner to celebrate the endof the tax season. To enter the con-test, CPAs can call Morton’sBeverly Hills through April 14 tosubmit their name, phone number

and email address. On Wednesday,April 15, one winning CPA will berandomly selected and notified byphone. The lucky CPA and a guestwill then enjoy the scrumptiousmeal on April 16. The winner musthave proof they are a CPA.Morton’s Beverly Hills, 435 S. LaCienega Blvd. Call (310)246-1501.

Sweet Offer on Tax Day

To help make Tax Day a littleless stressful, Cinnabon is giv-

ing guests two free bite-sized cup-cakes on April 15. Pick from four

flavors – cinnacake classic, choco-late passion, vanilla bliss and 24-carrot cake – and chase your filingblues away. Those who want tosweeten the deal can enter theonline essay contest through April15 for the chance to win a $100 giftcard. In 500 words or less, partici-pants should explain why their lifeneeds more frosting. Visitwww.cinnabon.com to find aCinnabon location near you.

Disneyʼs Food &Wine Festival

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California Food & Wine Festivalwill create an array of culinaryexperiences for guests of everypalate from April 16-May 31 atDisney’s California Adventurepark and select locations acrossthe Disneyland Resort. Chefs,winemakers and brew masterswill be at this year’s tantalizingfestival, which features entertain-ing culinary demonstrations, out-standing wine and spirits semi-nars, and delicious food, wine andbeer. This year marks the fifthannual event, and will includedemonstrations featuring foodexperts and celebrity chefs GuyFieri, Cat Cora and Robert Irvineof the “Food Network,” as well asJeffrey Saad, Kerry Simon andmore. Daily educational andinteractive seminars on wine,beer and spirits will be part of thefun, as will a Riedel glass tastingduring which experts explain whyand how the glass matters whenproperly experiencing wine. Findout about all the fun by calling(714)781- 4565.

WinemakersDinner at LosOlivos

The Los Olivos WineMerchant & Café will host a

Spring Wine Maker Dinner onFriday, April 16, at 6:00pm. Thefeatured winemaker will be SamMarmorstein, founder of BernatVineyards & Winery, one of thesmallest wine producers in SantaBarbara County, with an organi-cally certified vineyard on a 10-acre ranch in Los Olivos. Themenu includes Bernat 2006chardonnay paired with house-smoked trout with green apple,preserved lemon, fennel, wildarugula, and jalapeno vinaigrette;Bernat 2007 pinot noir accompa-nied by grilled loin of ahi tunawith roasted organic tomatoes,soy glazed wild mushrooms, andharicot verts; and Bernat 2007cowboy cuvee and 2005 Syrahwith leg of spring lamb smokedover Bernat wine barrels with LosOlivos carrot puree, minted peas,and Syrah jus. Seating is byadvance reservation only. The

cost is $95 per person includingtax and gratuity. Call (805)688-7265 ext. 214. Located in theheart of Santa Barbara County’swine country at 2879 GrandAve., downtown Los Olivos.

Kudos for SouthCoast Winery

South Coast Winery won somenice awards in recent weeks

from the Jerry D. Mead NewWorld International WineCompetition. The winery won 17accolades, including two best ofvarietal awards, two best of classawards and nine silver awards,the latter of which includes winsfor the 2008 South Coast WineryGVR; 2008 South Coast WineryChardonnay San Chene; 2008South Coast Winery South CoastRoussanne; and 2008 SouthCoast Winery Semillon. Thewinery is on the grounds ofSouth Coast Winery Resort &Spa located at 34843 RanchoCalifornia Road, Temecula.South Coast Winery Resort &Spa, 34843 Rancho CaliforniaRd., Temecula. Call (951)587-9463.

Dining Out for Life

Make a reservation and goout to eat on Thursday,

April 29, when leading restau-rants around Los Angeles Countywill come together in support ofthe work of Project Angel Foodby participating in “Dining Outfor Life”. The event is an annualone-day fundraiser hosted bySubaru, held at more than 3,500restaurants throughout the coun-try to benefit HIV/AIDS serviceproviders. Participating restau-rants in Los Angeles will donate25 percent or more of their salesto benefit Project Angel Foodwhich cooks and delivers freemeals to homebound peoplestruggling with serious illnesses.Participating restaurants includeHamburger Mary’s, Vermont,Kitchen 24, Buddha’s Belly andmore. For a complete list ofrestaurants, visit www.diningout-forlifela.org or call (323)845-1800 ext. 234.

Move over Subway, there’s anew hoagie store in town. It’s

All About the Bread, at the north-west corner of Melrose and LaBreaAvenues, next to Pinkberry, pullsfreshly baked bread out of the ovenevery 30 minutes on a daily basis.What this means to customers isincredibly fresh sandwiches servedfast.

The bread has a slightly crispyexterior and a good deal of bulk.Not your average sub roll, it standsup to the sog factor, soaking in oilsand other spreads without wilting.The king of all subs at this deli isaptly titled The Godfather, and it’scertainly fit for even the bulkiest of“dons”. Piled high with Boar’sHead meats, this baby is a largeslice of sandwich heaven. Spicycapocollo, mortadella, prosciuttodi parma, ham, and provolone allgo into this scrumptious sub, and ifyou add “the works” – a smatteringof mild or medium Chicago stylepeppers, mustard, vegan mayo, oil,lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions– you’ll feel an explosion of tex-tures and flavors in your mouththat is unforgettable. The Chicagostyle peppers are a particularly

tasty topping, so don’t skip thesezesty little numbers.

The space is a simple deli stylerestaurant, with a half dozen tablesinside and about as many on thesmall patio. It’s an uncluttered,extremely clean place, with no gar-ishness and a comfortable spa-ciousness. The menu is neatlyscripted on a chalkboard behindthe counter and another chalkboardboasts daily specials. An orderlyarrangement of baskets is filledwith chips and cookies. Big choco-late chip cookies are freshly bakedon site, and the soda shelf includesspecialty items made with purecane sugar instead of theomnipresent high fructose cornsyrup.

If you’re not up for The

Godfather, there are plenty of otheroptions at All About The Bread. Themeatball sub is served with sauce onthe side, so customers can choosehow much marinara they want ontheir bread. The hot pastrami isanother popular pick, and the turkeycomes with cracked pepper season-ing. Alongside the meats in the delicase sit an array of salads and sides,including a Mediterranean arti-choke and cheese offering withblack olives, sundried tomatoes, redand green peppers, feta cheese andGreek dressing. The rustic tomatowith cucumber and feta cheese is

bursting with flavor, as is thecreamy dill potato salad.

It isn’t easy to find a truly greatsandwich along this stretch ofMelrose Avenue, and All About theBread fills the gap nicely. There areplenty of places to munch a greatsalad, or get a full-on dinner offer-ing, but no one does a sandwichquite as well as this tiny, tidy deli. Ifyou’re lucky, you might even snagone of the eight or ten parking spotsout front.

A small sub is $6.50, a large is$8.50, bargain prices for a qualitylunch. Call (323)930-8989. 7111Melrose Ave., Los Angeles.

Great Subs on Melrose:

All About the Bread

photo by Amy Lyons

“”The Godfather” lives up to its name, piled high with fresh Italian coldcuts by Boarʼs Head.

BY AMY LYONS

The bread has a slightly crispyexterior and a

good deal of bulk.

www.louises.com

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WEST HOLLYWOODPROPERTY CRIME

March 22

After leaving his $1,000 laptopcomputer and other items unat-tended atop a table at a restaurantin the 7100 block of Santa Monica,a man discovered at 8:00pm thatan unknown thief had stolen all ofthe items.

March 23

At 8:04am, following an arrest forbeing under the influence of a con-trolled substance in the 1200 blockof La Brea, a Caucasian male sus-pect was later additionally chargedwith burglary after stolen itemswere found in his backpack.

An unknown female suspect wasobserved shoplifting food itemsfrom a market in the 9000 block ofBeverly and then fleeing in a vehi-cle at 3:15am.

March 24

At 4:28pm, a woman reported thatwhile recently at a nightclub in the7900 block of Santa Monica, anunknown thief stole her unattendedhandbag containing a digital cam-era, cellular phone, credit card,identification and cash. The losswas estimated at about $760.

At a nightclub in the 8400 block ofSunset at 11:30pm, an unknownthief stole a manʼs wallet containingidentification, credit cards, cashand miscellaneous items, all val-ued at about $1,190.

March 25

During the night, an unknown thiefstole a microphone, valued at$3,500, from a recording studio inthe 7200 block of Santa Monica.

At 5:45am, an unknown thief stolea laptop computer, cellular phoneand portable backup drive from alocker at a health club in the 8600block of Santa Monica.

March 26

While standing on the sidewalk in

the 900 block of Hayworth at12:40am, three women wererobbed at gunpoint by twounknown African-American malesuspects who took the womenʼspurses, cellular phones, identifica-tion, credit cards, cash and miscel-laneous items and fled in a vehicledriven by a third unknown malesuspect. The loss was estimatedat about $910.

At 12:00pm, an unknown thief stolea cash bag containing about$1,112 from the reception deskdrawer at a business in the 600block of Huntley.

During the afternoon, an unknownthief stole a bicycle and locks fromthe subgarage of an apartmentcomplex in the 900 block ofHayworth.

At 9:05pm, as she walked on thesidewalk in the 1000 block of Croft,a woman was robbed at gunpointby an unknown Caucasian malesuspect who took the victimʼspurse containing identification,credit cards, cash and miscella-neous items all valued at about$370.

March 27

During the night, an unknown thiefstole a bicycle, golf clubs and rollerblades from a storage locker in thesubgarage of an apartment build-ing in the 1300 block of Harper.The loss was estimated at about$2,560.

A man reported at 2:20am thatwhile he was at a club in the 8800block of Santa Monica, anunknown thief stole his cellularphone and wallet from his pantspocket. The loss was estimated atabout $450.

At 11:00am, an unknown thief stolea wallet, containing about $300cash and identification, from atop acouch in a residence in the 900block of Curson.

Five unknown African-Americanmale suspects defrauded aninnkeeper after leaving a restaurantin the 8400 block of Fountain at8:30pm without paying their $72food bill.

March 28

During the night, unknown thievesbroke into an ATM at a business inthe 8900 block of Santa Monicaand stole about $6,800 cash andcaused about $600 damage to themachine.

At 11:12am, at a business in the8200 block of Santa Monica, aCaucasian male employee wasobserved stealing $97 from thecash register.

An unknown thief stole a menʼsbicycle, valued at $500, from theparking structure of an apartmentbuilding in the 1300 block ofHarper at 9:00pm.

At 9:30pm, a man reported thatunknown thieves had stolen a tableand two chairs from the patio areaof his condominium. The loss wasestimated at about $250.

March 29

While at a nightclub in the 8900block of Santa Monica, a man lefthis purse unattended in the patioarea of the club. At 1:20am, hediscovered an unknown thief hadstolen the purse and had fled onfoot.

March 30

At 8:25am, a business ownerreported that an unknown burglarhad broken into the business in the900 block of Fairfax and stolen alaptop computer, valued at about$2,500, and caused about $400damage to a glass door.

A man reported at 11:30pm that anunknown thief had stolen hislocked bicycle, valued at$ 1,500,from the parking garage of hisapartment building in the 1200block of Flores.

During the week, ten suspectswere arrested for burglary or theftafter being observed shoplifting atlocal markets and retail business-es.

During the week, thirteen vehicleswere burglarized by unknown sus-pects. Total estimate of damageand articles taken was $25,190.

During the week, four vehicleswere stolen by unknown thieves.

During the week, eight reportedstolen vehicles were recovered andthe owners notified.

During the week, eighteen vehicleswere impounded for thirty dayssince they were being driven by anunlicensed driver or a person witha suspended or revoked license.


The following information was reported to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Stationbetween March 22 and March 30, 2010. If you are a victim of a crime, here arethe telephone numbers of local law enforcement agencies; Los Angeles PoliceDepartment, Wilshire Division (323)485-4022 and Los Angeles County Sheriff’sDepartment West Hollywood Station (310)855-8850.

POLICE BLOTTER

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Gunman Tries to Rob Pinkʼs HotDogs, Steals Employeeʼs TipsEarly in the morning, on April

5, a suspect robbed Pink’sHot Dogs, the landmark stand atthe corner of La Brea Avenue andMelrose Avenue.

At 3:00am, Los Angeles PoliceDepartment Wilshire Divisionofficers received a radio call toinvestigate a robbery in the 700block of North La Brea Avenue.Two employees were closing thebusiness and walking out the reardoor when they saw a male sus-pect crouched behind a chair inthe rear patio area.

The suspect approached themwith a handgun, and orderedthem to open the door to the busi-ness and allow him entry.

The suspect then forced theemployees to lead him to the safe.Once at the safe, the employeestold the suspect that they did not

know the combination. The sus-pect demanded money from theemployees, and one of theemployees handed the suspect atwenty-dollar bill. The suspectthen told the employees not tomove or he would shoot them andleft the business.

The employees were not ableto see if the suspect left on foot orin a car.

The suspect is described as anAfrican-American male, approxi-mately five-feet-eight-inches tall,weighing 170 pounds, and about30 years old. He was wearing ablack jacket, black jeans, and agray ski cap with a handkerchiefover his face.

Anyone with informationabout this crime is asked to callWilshire Area RobberyDetectives at (213)473-0154.

Sting at Downtown Library NabsiPod Thief, Sends MessageA43-year-old career criminal

was arrested on April 1 in asting operation at the downtownCentral Library, after he swiped aniPod, placed on a table by an under-cover cop.

“Thefts at the library are toocommonplace, and we want to senda message to thieves: think twicebefore you take someone’s stuff,”said Lt. Paul Vernon.

Undercover officers cased thelibrary over several days, talking tosecurity officers and watchingpatrons, to figure out the best, orworst, place to set one’s computer,iPod or purse. “In this instance, itwas a third-floor end table, near thebathrooms and elevators, around5:00pm,” Vernon explained.

An undercover officer set a lap-top on the table and an iPod on topof the computer, then walked away.In a matter of minutes, AnthonyEugene Johnson nonchalantlypicked up the iPod and placed it inhis jacket pocket. Officers fol-lowed him through the library forseveral minutes then arrested himwhen he sat down with his own lap-top. The officers discovered theiPod among the bookshelves whereJohnson had stashed it.

The detectives booked Johnsonon a felony for committing a pettytheft with a prior conviction. Hisbail was set at $20,000.

In 2009, thefts at the CentralLibrary jumped from 35 to 47, a 35percent increase. Bike thefts morethan doubled to eight for the year.The most common items taken at

the library were personal electronicgadgets: laptops, iPods, and cellphones. For the first 3 months of2010, thefts at the library havedropped from 16 last year to 9 thisyear. Four patrons have discoveredtheir bicycles stolen from the racksoutside the library so far this year.

“We want to scare the crooks intothinking that any time they grab aniPod, it might belong to a cop,”Vernon said. “And we want thepatrons to be more aware. I’d loveto see every reading table have asign to warn visitors to watch theirstuff.”

Anyone with information on thiscrime is urged to call Central AreaDetectives at (213)972-1231.

“Thefts at thelibrary are toocommon, andwe want to

send a messageto thieves: think

twice beforeyou take

someone’sstuff.”

--Lt. Paul VernonLAPD Central Division

Burglars Sneak into Downtown LoftTwo suspects managed to bypass

a security door to a downtown loftbuilding and then walk into threedifferent, occupied lofts on March31, according to Los Angeles PoliceDepartment officials.

“This close call is a reminder forall residents to follow security pro-tocols, like verifying someone’sright to access before granting thementry,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, com-manding officer of detectives for theCentral Police Station. “The mostexpensive, high-tech system can beineffective simply by someoneholding a door open for a stranger.That puts your whole building atrisk.”

At the Nabisco Lofts, whileworkmen fixed pipes outside thebuilding, a man in his forties and awoman in her thirties entered thebuilding as a resident was leaving.In the next few minutes, the intrud-ers walked into three separate lofts

only to find someone present eachtime. They left without taking anyproperty.

Police warn residents to locktheir doors even when home andcheck the peep hole before openingthe door.

“Had these doors been locked,the burglars might have knocked tosee if someone was home beforetrying to bypass the lock. If a resi-

dent calls through the door, the bur-glar will usually make an excuseand leave.”

The man was described as bald,nearly six-feet-tall, and more than250 pounds, wearing glasses. Thewoman was five-feet-six-inchestall, 180 pounds, with braided hairand wearing high-top shoes. Theydrove away in a black ChevyAvalanche.

Anyone with information on thiscrime is urged to call DetectiveMike Mazzacano, Central BurglaryUnit, at (213)972-1231.

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Several local public officials were featured in a photo on the coverof the April 2, 1981 issue of the Park Labrea News during a ground-breaking ceremony for Pan Pacific Park. They included former LosAngeles County Supervisor Ernest Debs (not pictured); current LosAngeles County Supervisor and former Los Angeles CityCouncilman, Zev Yaroslavsky, 3rd District (left); the late Los AngelesCity Council President John Ferarro, 4th District; the late LosAngeles Mayor Tom Bradley; former County Supervisor EdEdelman; the late State Assemblyman Herschel Rosenthal; formerState Senator David Roberti; and Pan Pacific Park Citizen AdvisoryCommittee chairman, Seymour Robinson. The Board of Supervisors had approved funds for the park the pre-vious week, allocating $520,525 for landscaping, picnic facilities anda childrenʼs play area. Pan Pacific Park today is one of the localareaʼs premier recreation facilities, and is home to the Pan PacificPark Recreation Center, a public swimming pool and several sportsfields. It is also the site of the Los Angeles Holocaust Memorial,which will play host to an annual Yom Hashoah Holocaust remem-brance observance on Sunday.

Hollywood Burglar Grabs $31,000The Los Angeles Police

Department detectives aresearching for a suspect who bur-glarized an apartment unit inHollywood.

On March 2, between 8:20amand 12:15pm, a suspect gainedentry into an apartment complexlocated in the 1555 block of VineStreet. Once inside the complex,the suspect entered an apartmentunit through the front door.

The suspect stole a laptop com-puter, a safe box, and selected otheritems, worth an estimated total of$31,000. There was no weapon dis-

played and no one was injured.The suspect was described as an

African-American male between25 and 30 years old with black hair.He stands about 6 feet tall andweighs approximately 190-210pounds. He was last seen wearinga dark baseball cap, a red, white,and gray shirt, and dark pants.

Video surveillance footage of thesuspect is available throughwww.lapdtv.org. Anyone withinformation regarding this burglaryor other crimes is encouraged tocontact Hollywood BurglaryDetective Dixon at (213)972-2928.

photo courtesy of Dan Steinberg

A wax figure of comedian and television personality George Lopezwas unveiled at the Madame Tussauds Museum in Hollywood onApril 1. Lopez is featured on the show, “Lopez Tonight”, which airs onthe cable network TBS. Lopez also recently starred in an HBO com-edy special, and his long running sitcom, “George Lopez”, was aprime time hit on ABC TV for six seasons.Madame Tussauds Hollywood is located at 6933 Hollywood Blvd.For information, call (323)798-1670, or visit www.madametus-sauds.com.

Officials Break Groundat Pan Pacific Park

Mary HartReceivesAWRT SoCalTV AwardTelevision host Mary Hart will

receive the “Excellence inTelevision On Air” award duringthe American Women in Radio &Television Southern California(AWRT SoCal) “2010 GeniiAwards” on Wednesday, April 14 atthe Skirball Cultural Center.

AWRT SoCal is hosting theawards for the 53rd year, and willalso be honoring several other well-known television personalities andmedia professionals.

The honorees include actressBetty White; producer AlanaStewart, of “Farrah’s Story”;Lindsay Soto, a reporter and host onthe NFL Network; Lisa Foxx, aradio personality for Clear ChannelRadio; Rosemary Hernandez, gen-eral sales manager at CBS NewsRadio L.A.; Karla Keller, senioraccount executive for AnheuserBusch; and LaFern Cusack, AWRTSoCal past president and director ofcommunity affairs for the SouthernCalifornia BroadcastersAssociation.

Other honorees at this year’sGenii Awards include WendyBurch, of KTLA News; Pat Harvey,anchor for KCAL News; ChristineDevine, anchor for Fox 11 News;Dorothy Lucey, host of “Good DayL.A.”; and Ana Garcia, of KNBC-TV.

The Genii Awards are given toindividuals who have demonstratedexcellence in television, radio andrelated fields.

Proceeds from the Genii Awardssupport AWRT SoCal’s CollegeScholarship Fund and educationalprograms.

The Skirball Cultural Center islocated at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.For information and tickets, visitwww.awrtsocal.org.

The Los Angeles Dodgers andKABC Talk Radio 790 have

extended their partnership throughthe 2011 season, marking the 28thyear in which the Dodgers havebeen featured on KABC.

“The momentum that we builtwith KABC in the second half oflast season, combined with thequality of the broadcast and signalstrength makes KABC the placewhere we desire to be,” said Dodgerchief revenue officer MichaelYoung.

More than 800,000 listenerstuned into Dodger baseball onKABC in 2009, bringing the total tomore than 1.6 million listeners byOctober, which includes postseasonratings that were the highest inrecent history.

Hall of Fame broadcaster VinScully, who calls the first threeinnings of all home games and roadgames against Western Divisionopponents, is entering his 61st sea-son for the Dodgers. FormerDodger outfielder Rick Mondaybegins his 17th season callinggames on the radio, and CharleySteiner enters his sixth season withthe Dodgers. For information, visitwww.dodgers.com.

Dodgers Partnerwith KABC Radio

George Lopez Immortalized in Wax

When I wasn’t cookingor doing dishes lastweek, I took some

time off to plant a vegetable gar-den. It’s something I do everyyear around this time, but forthe last couple of years I’ve hadsome help from my neighbor,who very kindly did most of theheavy lifting for me, in trade fortomatoes and other home-growngoodies. It was a splendid part-nership. He dug up my pockethandkerchief patch andschlepped the sacks of soil andfertilizer from the nursery whileI labored at my computer com-posing memorable prose for myreaders. Once the ground wasturned over and replenished,we’d shop together for theplants and seeds – only thingswe liked – no rutabaga, whichI’ve never tasted, but I don’tlike the name, or aubergine,which I think might be eggplant.


Mad Musings

by Madeleine Shaner

Hey, Ho, The Cat and the Cabbages!

Or carrots and beets, whichDavid (the neighbor) said hadtoo many carbs, and anywaythey, in turn, didn’t like me andrefused to grow in my garden.Since it was mutual, I didn’tfight it.

I’ve never been particularlydrawn to vegetables – they werethings that grown-ups ate whilethey were trying to convince usthey were good for kids.“Yummy, yummy”, Motherwould say, “here come thestring beans! They’re good foryour tummy!” in badly scannedfree verse. “No, Mummy,Mummy,” in unison we’d say,“They make us feel yucky; takethem away!” (We didn’t likevegetables, but we were, allfour of us, literate – as you cansee by the semi-colon in themiddle of our loud complaints.)

I never really became a veg-gie lover, except for tomatoes,

which they tell me is a fruitanyway, and it’s easy to grow.Nevertheless, it’s hip to growyour own, as long as it’s legal,and I get a kick out of tellingfriends I have my own littlecabbage patch, overcomingtremendous odds - mainlyanother neighbor watching meplant seeds about 15 years agoand insisting that nothing wouldever grow there – it never hadand it never would. I was neverone to refuse a challenge. Ha!Did I show her?! I offered herand her husband a sack full ofprize-size tomatoes later thatsummer, but they said they hadallergies and unfortunatelycouldn’t eat them.

This year, David’s gone –moved away – so I’m up to myfingernails in potting soil andpotash. And a bit of a diversionhere: my new neighbors have acouple of beautiful children, anda very handsome cat. Wherebyhangs a tail! The cat is alsobeautiful, almost totally white,and is enamored of OH (OtherHalf), my husband. She’s aninside/outside cat, and visits usregularly. She’ll come to myoffice window, get my attention,then run like heck to get awayfrom me if I so much as make agesture as if to pet her. If I’msitting in the back, having mybreakfast by the pool, she’llcome as far as the back fence,get my attention, then race offin the opposite direction. If OHis back there, alone, she’llsqueeze through the fence andjoin him, stay at least while hereads the L.A. and N.Y. Times

news sections, let him pet her,then go about her business.Should I perchance come out-side, she disappears like a flashof white lightning. Although shewears a collar with three nameson it, her owners tell us sheonly answers to Kitty, whichisn’t one of them. OH gets a bitcarried away by all the attention– he’s never before been a catperson, even through a coupleof long-term resident pussies –

now he’s convinced that Kitty’ssweet on him. In fact, he’s say-ing maybe she’s a long-agosweetheart of his, come back inthe form of a beautiful white catto wait for me to disappear.(Well, he is a writer of movieand TV fiction, so he’s allowedhis fantasies.)

Returning to my veggie gar-den: before I took off a coupleof days to make my PassoverSeder, I had planted about halfof my vegetable seedlings:-cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach,strawberries, cabbages, a coupleof other things. The rain and thesun were cooperating beautifullywith my beautifully Davidless-dug soil growing, almost as Iwatched, into healthy littleplants. There were even somelittle onions peeking their brightgreen heads through the dirt,and a promise of beans. I mustsay I was happy with my littlegarden. Three hard-laboringdays later, I slipped out to checkon things and was dismayed tofind devastation!

Most of my little greenpromises were smashed into themoist earth, as if they’d beenscrunched by a giant’s carelessfoot. All my newly planted cab-bages and sprouts and yes,rutabagas’d been savagely dugup! And there was a series ofdirty paw prints on the wall ofmy neighbor to the north,putting the blame for the dese-cration where it obviouslybelonged, and clarifying the vil-lain(ess)’s escape route. Nowthat’s what I call alley catbehavior!

I called OH out and he wasequally dismayed. “Oh, that’swhere Kitty comes in throughthe fence when she visits me outback in the mornings, shemust’ve done it!”

And they talk about jealouswomen being cats? Like Hello-o-o, Kitty!!!

“Yummy,yummy”, Motherwould say, “herecome the stringbeans! They’regood for your

tummy!”“No, Mummy,

Mummy,” in uni-son we’d say,

“They make usfeel yucky; take

them away!”

Answers on page 22

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced that actorRussell Crowe will receive the 2,404th star on the Hollywood Walk ofFame on April 12 at 11:30am.Crowe, who is originally from New Zealand, won an Academy Awardfor Best Actor for his role in the 2000 film, “Gladiator”, and hasreceived two other Best Actor Oscar nominations for appearances in“The Insider” and “ A Beautiful Mind”. Crowe has also been honoredby several criticsʼ organizations, including the Broadcast Film CriticsAssociation, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the ScreenActors Guild and BAFTA. Crowe will next be seen in UniversalPicturesʼ “Robin Hood”, which will be released on May 14. Additionalfilms in which Crowe has starred include “State of Play”, “Body ofLies”, “3:10 to Yuma”, and “American Gangster”. Croweʼs star will be located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd., in front of theKodak Theatre. For information, visit www.hollywoodchamber.com.

Hollywood Star Crowe Gets HisOwn Hollywood Boulevard Star

Valenzuela Receives City HonorLegendary Dodger pitcher and

current Spanish-languagebroadcaster Fernando Valenzuelawill be recognized today at CentralCity Association (CCA) of LosAngeles’ 16th Annual “Treasures ofLos Angeles” luncheon held at theJW Marriott at L.A. LIVE inDowntown Los Angeles.Valenzuela will be joined by Lakerlegend James Worthy and other out-standing individuals and organiza-tions of Los Angeles that are alsobeing honored for exceptional con-tributions in the areas of arts andentertainment, healthcare, highereducation, sports and urban revital-ization.

The annual “Treasures” event isone of the city’s largest gatheringsof elected officials, business leadersand prominent Angelenos. Thisyear’s luncheon features L.A. CityCouncil President Eric Garcetti asmaster of ceremonies.“I’m very proud to share the stage

with Laker legend James Worthyand all the recipients of this year’sCCA Treasures award,” saidValenzuela. “There isn’t a city inthe world that has had a biggerimpact on me and to be honored byLos Angeles, the town that mademy dreams come true is very hum-bling.”

Valenzuela made his MajorLeague debut with the Dodgers in1980. In 1981, while leading theDodgers to the WorldChampionship, he became the firstplayer in Major League history tobe named Rookie of the Year andwin a Cy Young Award in the sameseason.

In 17 big league seasons,Valenzuela compiled a 173-153record and a 3.54 ERA with the

Dodgers, Angels, Orioles, Phillies,Padres and Cardinals. He wasnamed to the National League All-Star team for six consecutive sea-sons from 1981-1986 and in 1986he won 20 games while also earn-

ing the Rawlings Gold GloveAward.

This year marks Valenzuela’seighth season as the analyst for theDodgers’ Spanish-radio broadcastswhere he offers his insights from a17-year big league career alongsideHall of Fame broadcaster JaimeJarrín and Pepe Yñiguez.

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The Hammer Museum presentsan exhibit titled “The Red

Book of C.J. Jung: Creation of aNew Cosmology” running fromSunday, April 11 through June 6.

The exhibition explores the sem-inal work by Carl Gustav Jung(1875-1961), considered to be thefather of modern psychology.

Jung’s “Red Book” is one of themost influential unpublished worksin the history of psychology, butuntil now, it had been locked in aSwiss safe deposit box. The showis the first public exhibition of the“Red Book”, and it coincides withthe publication of a facsimile edi-tion by W. W. Norton & Company.The exhibition includes works ofart and archival materials, as wellas a series of public programs to

further explore Jung’s work andlegacy.

Jung began work on the “RedBook” in 1914 when he was 38years old. He had established a suc-cessful private psychological prac-tice in Zurich, but subsequently fellinto a period of personal and spiri-tual turmoil.

It was during this period thatJung formulated what wouldbecome his famous theories aboutarchetypes, the collective uncon-scious, and the process of individu-ation. For 16 years, Jung consis-tently documented his dreams andrecorded his fantasies in the “RedBook”, which resembles amedieval manuscript. The HammerMuseum will also present severaloil, chalk and tempera paintingsand preparatory sketches related tothe “Red Book”, as well as otheroriginal manuscripts.

For information, visitwww.hammer.ucla.edu.

photo © by the Foundation of the Works of C.G. Jung

This illustration from the “Red Book” by C.G. Jung will be featured in theexhibit at the Hammer Museum.

Carl Jungʼs ʻRed Book ̓Goes on Display at Hammer

photo courtesy of KCCLA

The Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles (KCCLA) presents a pro-gram titled “Spirit of Korean Dance” on Friday April 9 at 8:00pm. Theprogram is being held in conjunction with the Korean AmericanDance Association and is part of the KCCLAʼs 30th anniversary “GalaPerformance Series”. The dance program will feature “KosongOgwangdae”, a Korean masked dance/drama that comes from thevillage of Kosong. The program will be held in Ari Hall at the KCCLA,5505 Wilshire Blvd. For information, call (323)936-3015, or visitKCCLA.org.

Feel the ʻSpirit of Korean DanceʼHeld at KCCLA

The Los Angeles CountyMuseum of Art (LACMA) has

named Cynthia Janos as the newdirector of its capital and endow-ment campaign. Janos will helpguide the solicitation of gifts forcapital improvements, as well assecure annual financial support forthe institution.

Janos has 13 years of executiveexperience in intellectual property,specializing in the developmentand management of licensing pro-grams. LACMA’s capital improve-ment campaign is designed to unifythe museum’s campus, collections,exhibitions and educational oppor-tunities. The first phase of the capi-tal improvements raised more than$200 million and included the com-pletion of the Broad ContemporaryArt Museum (BCAM) and theinstallation of artist Chris Burden’soutdoor sculpture, “Urban Light”.Phase II of the campaign, whichbegan in 2008, seeks to raise anadditional $250 million. A signa-ture feature of Phase II will be theRenzo Piano-designed Lynda andStewart Resnick ExhibitionPavilion, scheduled to open in lateSeptember.

LACMA NamesNew CapitalCampaign Director

The show is thefirst public

exhibition of the‘Red Book’

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Since 1961

The Skirball Cultural Centerpresents an exhibit titled

“Monsters and Miracles: AJourney through Jewish PictureBooks” running Thursday, April8 through August 1.

Visitors will be guided throughthe colorful history of the Jewishpicture book, from the 16thCentury to the present.

The exhibit features more than100 illustrations and texts fromtime-honored classics and popu-lar favorites, from MauriceSendak’s “Where the WildThings Are” to Lemony Snicket’s“The Latke Who Couldn’t StopScreaming: A Christmas Story”.Other featured authors and artists

include Arnold Lobel, DanielPinkwater, Mark Podwal,Francine Prose, Isaac BashevisSinger, Art Spiegelman, andWilliam Steig.

Several special interactive sta-tions will also be included, wherevisitors can “make a monster”using art materials, or use head-phones to hear celebrities such asMayim Bialik, Allison Janney,Tony Kushner and HenryWinkler read their favorite sto-ries.

The Skirball Cultural Center islocated at 2701 N. SepulvedaBlvd. For information, call(310)440-4500, or visitwww.skirball.org.

photo © 2005 by Leonard Everett Fisher.

The exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center includes an illustrationfrom “The Dybbuk” by Leonard Everett Fisher.

Jewish Picture Books Visit Skirball

MOCA CreatesContemporary ArtBook for ChildrenThe Museum of Contemporary

Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) hascreated a new book titled “Breakingthe Rules: What is ContemporaryArt?” that is designed to make themuseum’s collection more accessi-ble to children.

Written by author Susan Rubin,the book is geared towards childrenages 8–12 and provides an introduc-tion to the work of 25 contemporaryartists represented in the museum’scollection. The book provides anunderstanding of what contempo-rary art is, and how it can be createdand interpreted.

“’Breaking the Rules’ fills a gapin the kind of art presented to youngaudiences,” MOCA director of edu-cation Suzanne Isken said. “Whileart books for children about AndyWarhol and Roy Lichtenstein multi-ply, texts about the more contempo-rary artists are few and farbetween.”

The book features full-colorreproductions of paintings, sculp-ture, photography and installations,accompanied by artist quotes andtext. Artist biographies, a bibliogra-phy, and a resource for locating con-temporary art nationally, are alsoincluded.

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Butterflies Go On Display at Natural History MuseumThe Los Angeles County Natural

History Museum (NHM) pre-sents the 20th annual Pavilion ofWings exhibit running from April11 through September 6.

Visitors can view the brilliantcolors and patterns of more than 40species of butterflies and moths.More than half of the species arenative to California, and includegiant swallowtails, American paint-ed ladies and California dogfaces.Among the new additions are thetropical small postman butterfly,and new species of moths includingpolyphemus moths, sphynx mothsand the elaborately patternedCynthia moth. Visitors can alsolearn about monarch butterfly

migration, and the lifecycles,defense mechanisms and hostplants of all butterflies.

The Pavilion of Wings will belocated in a newly re-landscapedexhibition space on the museum’ssouth lawn. The NHM also presentsits newly installed Victory Gardenand bird feeders, located just out-side the Pavilion of Wings on thesouth lawn.

Special ticketed admissionapplies to the Pavilion of Wings,with adult tickets priced at $3; stu-dents and seniors are $2; and chil-dren 5-12 are $1. Museum mem-bers and children under five arefree. For information, visitwww.nhm.org, or call (213)763-3466.

photo courtesy of NHM

More than halfof the speciesare native to

California, andinclude giantswallowtails,

American paint-ed ladies and

California dogfaces.

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does not give authority to localgovernments to regulate cellulartowers and related wireless facili-ties on the basis of their health andenvironmental effects. Both the LosAngeles Unified School District(LAUSD) and the Los AngelesCounty Board of Supervisors lastyear adopted resolutions that callfor a change to federal law to givelocal government more power onthe issue.

Though Krischer and his groupwere mainly concerned about childsafety, they successfully argued thatthe equipment was not needed forsufficient coverage in the area.

Though T-Mobile filed its lawsuitin September of last year, Krischersaid he was just made aware of thefiling last week, when an attorneyfor T-Mobile called him requestinginformation.

“I had no idea this was even hap-pening until last week,” Krischersaid. “We strongly hope that thedecision to keep cellular equipmentaway from Carthay Center Schoolis upheld for the sake of the chil-dren.”

T-Mobile spokesperson RodDelarosa said the company had nocomment on the case.

“T-Mobile does not comment on

sites where pending litigation isinvolved,” Delarosa said.

Koretz stood by his original deci-sion to oppose the equipment’splacement in the neighborhood.

“I certainly believe the decisionwas correctly reached and absolute-ly the right one to be made for thesake of the community,” Koretzsaid. “The later filing of a lawsuitwas predictable but might not makea difference. Those who don’t gettheir way often resort to litigation,which they often lose.”

The lawsuit alleges that the city’sdenial of T-Mobile’s applicationviolates the TelecommunicationsAct by discriminating against T-Mobile. The discrimination claim isbased on the fact that the cityallowed a competitor, Metro PCS,to place its equipment on an adja-cent building. The lawsuit alsostates that the application denialprohibits T-Mobile from providingwireless service in the area, a claimKrischer said he personally testedand found to be untrue.

“We had groups of people go tothe areas where T-Mobile indicatedtheir weakest coverage, and we gotfull coverage,” Krischer said “Wealready proved before the planningcommission that there is no gap incoverage.”

Michael Alberts, a resident of thearea who helped block T-Mobile’sapplication, said he also just learnedabout the lawsuit, but was not sur-prised.

“We essentially set a precedentthat others can follow,” Alberts said.

“Of course they want to do awaywith a precedent setting decision.They are not looking at the commu-nity impact, they are just looking attheir bottom line.”

Koretz said the residents oppos-ing the application were steadfast intheir original appeal and he thinksthe decision will stand.

“What impresses me the most isthe grassroots activism I’ve seen.It’s been a great privilege, working

closely on this issue with so manyconcerned members of the commu-nity. Our fundamental goal remainsthe same – to protect a neighbor-hood from the inappropriate andintrusive placement of these celltowers, whenever there’s an effortto impose them where they don’tbelong,” Koretz said.

A hearing is scheduled onOctober 19 in the U.S. DistrictCourt, Central District of California.

that we preserve the view of thefamous landmark and open the landto hiking and other recreationaluses for future generations.”

If the campaign is successful,TPL will turn the land over to theCity of Los Angeles, which willthen incorporate it into GriffithPark. The deadline looms, however.A year ago, TPL negotiated anexclusive option to buy the 138-acre plot for $12.5 million. But thatdeal expires on April 14, at whichtime the property will again go upfor sale.

Two months ago, TPL kicked offits final fundraising push by cover-ing over the Hollywood Sign withbanners that read “Save the Peak”.At the time, the group had alreadyraised $7.5 million towards pur-chasing the property — $4.3 mil-lion from a City of Los Angelesfund set aside for land conserva-tion, $1 million from the Tiffany &Co. Foundation, and additionalfunds from private donors.

Since then, however, TPL hasonly raised an additional $2 mil-lion, which leaves $3 million left toraise in the next week if the plot isgoing to be saved from potentialdevelopment.

“We feel pretty good about rais-ing the rest of the money, becausethis is what we do,” said TimAhern, director of media relationsfor TPL. “We’ve done thousands ofprojects around the country since1972, and it almost always comesdown to the wire.”

Ahern said the campaign hasentered “frantic fundraising” mode.A website has helped TPL raisemore than $87,000 from 1,042donors from 24 countries, most ofwhom gave less than $100. In addi-tion, Clear Channel Outdoor hasdonated space to TPL on more than

75 digital billboards around the city,which for the last several weekshave run ads counting down thedays until the deadline.

With so little time remaining,though, the campaign is nowfocused on securing big donations.

“We’re reaching out to a lot ofpotential big donors,” Ahern said.“Our development people are mak-ing a lot of phone calls to prospectsthat we think may help fund it —individuals, foundations, corpora-tions. We’re hoping to get some

yeses by next Wednesday.”Naturally, as part of the campaign

to save the view of the HollywoodSign, Ahern said the TPL has beenreaching out to potential high-pro-file Hollywood donors. A numberof Hollywood studios, organiza-tions, and leaders — including theAcademy of Motion Picture Artsand Sciences, the Walt DisneyCompany Foundation, and actorTom Hanks — have teamed up todonate a total of $3.1 million to thecause.

“We have an advisory committeeof people who live in Los Angeles,and we’re asking those people totap into their networks,” Ahernsaid. “We don’t really do a lot ofcold calling. A lot of it is word of

mouth. For example, we’re tryingto reach out to Hollywood stars,and Aisha Tyler has been a big sup-porter of ours. We’re asking her torecruit her friends, to see who elsein Hollywood we should be reach-ing out to. Hopefully she can helpopen the door for us with some ofthose people.”

Mitch Menzer, who co-chairsTPL’s California Advisory Board,said he’s also hoping to raise theorganization’s profile in LosAngeles.

“The Cahuenga Peak project hasbeen terrific for TPL,” Menzer said.“We’ve worked with TomLaBonge, and with the Departmentof Recreation and Parks. Part ofwhat we want to do is help cementthose relationships. I’m talking tomany friends of mine, and to localfoundations, about the campaign,but as much as it’s about fundrais-ing, it’s also about helping makeTPL more well-known.”

Menzer, too, said he expectessomeone, or several people, to stepin and provide the necessary funds,which is often how TPL reaches itsgoal.

If, however, TPL fails to raise thefinal $3 million before the deadline,Ahern said they would offer all ofthe campaign’s donors their moneyback. It would then be up to thedonors whether they wanted toleave their money with TPL for usetowards other conservation pro-jects.

As for the fate of Cahuenga Peak,it’s unclear what might happen ifthe TPL campaign fails. Many peo-ple, including Ernie Carswell, ofTeles Properties, who had been thelisting real estate agent for the par-cel, have called the plot nearlyimpossible to build on. It is, howev-er, zoned for development, and

LaBonge has maintained that withmodern technologies, no piece ofland is impossible to build on.

Keith Dickson, of the Fox RiverCo., which bought the land in 2002for less than $2 million, declined tosay whether anyone has been show-

ing the plot to potential buyers, orwhat his company planned to do ifTPL did not make its deadline.

“I think they’re going to make it,so it’s going to work out,” Dicksonsaid. “The Trust for Public Land isdoing a great job. They’ll make it.”


Donations Needed to ‘Save the Peak’From page 1

Lawsuit Filed Over Cellular TowersFrom page 1

photo by Ian Lovett

Donations are needed to purchase the land around the Hollywood Signto prevent private development of the land. Approximately $3 millionmore needs to be raised.

photo by Amy Lyons

T-Mobile wants to install cellular phone antennae on this building in theCarthay Circle area, and has filed a lawsuit seeking to receive permis-sion.

photo by Amy Lyons

Opponents of the plan to install cellular phone towers claim the equip-ment will endanger students at nearby Carthay Center ElementarySchool.

“We feel prettygood about

raising the restof the money,because this iswhat we do.”

-Tim Ahern, director of mediarelations for TPL

period, including F. ScottFitzgerald, Nathaniel West andErnest Hemingway.

Throughout the years, Mussoand Frank Grill maintained itsreputation as a Hollywood hotspot, and today continues to be aplace where tourists and residentscan dine in the same location ascelebrities such as Johnny Deppand Sam Worthington. LikeCarissimi, many of the restau-rant’s employees have workedthere for decades. Kaye saidCarissimi always treated the stafffairly, which was one of the rea-sons people stayed for so long.

“She treated us like family,”Kaye added. “This is one of thoseplaces where if you are here fortwenty years, you are still the

new guy. She knew everybodypersonally, and was wonderful tothe personnel.”

Charles Carissimi was Edith’ssecond husband. She had previ-ously been married to WilliamReich, Fred’s father, a studioexecutive who was involved inAmerican International Pictures.Reich said his mother loved therestaurant, and would alwaysthink about ways to makeimprovements, including puttingup new wallpaper and installingnew carpeting. Reich said shealso loved the customers, andwould commonly greet them atthe front door.

“She knew every actor andactress. She had tremendouscharisma and was extremely cos-mopolitan,” Reich said. “She waslike the captain of a ship.Everyone loved her, and she justlit up the place.”


MurdersFrom page 4

Conference Teaches LeadershipFrom page 4

Theatre to Undergo Review toDetermine Historic ValueFrom page 3

photo courtesy of Fred Reich

Edith Carissimi, one of the former owners of Musso and Frank Grill,passed away on March 30 at the age of 95.

CarissimiFrom page 6

shouldn’t be about politics or per-sonalities, this is about the ratepay-ers and the accountability theydeserve from the department if theyare being asked to pay more. Thedepartment should make the trans-fer.”

City Councilman Paul Koretz, 5thDistrict, said he expects the city willeventually receive the $73.5 million,and added that the mayor’s plan tocut city services two days a weekwill not occur. Koretz said the city’sChief Legislative Analyst testifiedbefore the city council onWednesday, saying that the mayorcould not impose the plan unilateral-ly, and that council would have tovote on it. He added that there is lit-tle chance the council wouldapprove such as plan.

“[For that to happen] I think L.A.would have to be hit by a meteor,followed by a large earthquake. It’san incredible proposal, and I amabsolutely certain it is goingnowhere,” Koretz said. “It is just atactic to get the council to do whatthe mayor wants with the DWP.”

City Councilman Tom LaBonge,4th District, also denounced themayor’s proposal, and called for theLADWP to transfer the money perthe original agreement.

“This is a crisis, there’s no doubtabout it,” LaBonge said. “Themayor wants to close the city downtwo days each week. We can’t letthat happen. I support the $73 mil-lion fund transfer from the DWP,which is the equivalent of theagency’s property tax to the city. Ihope that we can work together toresolve these issues as quickly aspossible.”

Koretz explained that largemoney transfers occur on an annualbasis because the city does notcharge the LADWP property taxes

on its facilities, as outlined in the citycharter. Koretz added that if themoney is not transferred, the councilmay try to change the city charter toallow the utility to be assessed prop-erty taxes, or may consider litigationagainst the utility. Los Angeles CityCouncilman Greig Smith, 12thDistrict, also announced Wednesdaythat as many as eight motions could

be proposed to enable the city coun-cil to exert control over the LADWPBoard, including changing theprocess by which the board isappointed. The mayor currentlyappoints members of the LADWPboard, and they are then confirmedby the city council. Smith’s planwould allow the mayor to appointtwo members, while two memberswould be appointed by the citycouncil, and the fifth by members ofneighborhood councils. UnderSmith’s plan, the city council couldalso remove the members of theboard and the utility’s general man-ager with a two-thirds vote.

Koretz said, however, that it ismore likely the council will return to

negotiations with the LADWPBoard on an acceptable rateincrease. Koretz reiterated that it isnot the right time to raise rates morethan .6-cents per kilowatt hour,because many residents are alreadysuffering from the effects of therecession.

“The mayor wanted to create anexpensive environmental program tolessen the DWP’s reliance on coal,and it is a good program, but at thesame time, we are in a near depres-sion, and I don’t think the residentshave the money to take that stepright now,” Koretz added. “Thecouncil did the responsible thing,which was to approve a rate increasethat would allow the DWP to pay itsbills.”

Villaraigosa has not backed downon his plan to shut down non-essen-tial city services, but also indicatedthat he would ask the LADWPBoard for a portion of the money —probably around $20 million — tokeep the city fiscally solvent for thetime being. City Controller WendyGreuel has said that the city wouldnot be able to pay its bills at the endof the fiscal year on June 30 if the$73.5 million is not transferred fromthe LADWP.

“There are no easy decisions orsimple ways to solve this budget cri-sis,” Villaraigosa added. “But as theCEO of this great city, it is myresponsibility to make these difficultbut necessary decisions to steer thecity out of this crisis and onto solidfinancial ground.”

The DWP Board is not scheduledto meet again until April 19. BothGarcetti and Koretz said in themeantime, the city would continueto work with the LADWP to cometo an agreement. Koretz said thecouncil would address the budgetagain on Friday.

Budget Will Worsen Without DWP FundsFrom page 1


The owner of the building that houses the Fairfax Theatre wants tobuild a condominium complex. The theatre has been closed sinceJanuary because of damage to its roof.

“This is a crisis,there’s no doubt

about it. Themayor wants toclose the city

down two dayseach week. Wecan’t let that

happen. ”

-Los Angeles City CouncilmanTom LaBonge, 4th District

Fairfax Theatre has been closedsince January after rains causedthe ceiling to partially collapse.Regency Theatres, which operat-ed the Fairfax Theatre, hasannounced that it will not bereopeing the venue.

A group known as the Friendsof the Fairfax Theatre, which iscomprised of local residents andpreservation organizations, filedthe application with the city tohave it considered as a culturallandmark. Mitzi Mogul, presi-dent of the Los Angeles HistoricTheatre Foundation, one of thegroups comprising the Friendsof the Fairfax Theatre, said sheis optimistic the cultural heritagecommission will designate thetheatre as a landmark. TheFriends of the Fairfax Theatrecontend that the theatre is histor-ically significant because it isone of the last remaining exam-ples of a neighborhood theatre,it was built in a distinct art decoarchitectural style, and it wasonce a center of the LosAngeles’ Jewish community.While films were always shownat the theatre, which was built in1929, it was also used for livetheatrical productions andorchestral concerts, and was agathering place for Jews duringthe years prior and during WorldWar II.

“I was delighted with thecommission’s decision, becauseit is the first step, and I believewe will prevail,” Mogul said. “It

has been part of the fabric of thatcommunity for the past 80years.”

Handelman said the decisionto consider the theatre as apotential historic landmark isnot a setback, and added that heis confident the commission willnot approve the designation. Theplan for the condominium com-plex includes the preservation ofthe theatre’s art deco façade.

“We don’t believe that thearchitectural elements meet thestandards for the designation,”Handelman said. “We respectthe process and we believe afterthey do this tour and the evalua-tion, there is a better than evenchance that it will not be desig-nated.”

Garcia said the five-membercommission will take severalfactors into consideration,including the condition of thetheatre’s exterior and auditori-um. He said the commission willexamine the original featuresthat remain. The theatre wasconverted into a triplex in the1980s, but the Friends of theFairfax Theatre contend thatmuch of the original featuresremain, including a stage andthe mechanical equipment usedfor moving props.

Garcia said a staff report willbe compiled after the on-sitetour of the theatre, and thatpubic comment is welcome. Forinformation, visit www.preser-vation.lacity.org.

Investigators are reportedly lookinginto a soured relationship the fatherhad with an unidentified person.

“We are still in the process ofgathering information and analyz-ing any physical evidence that mayexist,” Myers said. “We are alsohoping that anyone who may haveseen something will come for-ward.”

Myers added that the date forHakobyan’s funeral has not yetbeen set because the family is wait-

ing for relatives to arrive fromArmenia. He said the survivingdaughter is staying with familymembers, and that her security “hasbeen addressed.”

Anyone with information aboutthe murders in Hollywood is askedto contact Det. Dan Myers orMichael Whelan at (213)486-6850.Anyone with information about theNorth Hollywood murders is askedto contact Robbery HomicideDivision detectives at (213)486-6850. During weekends and off-hours, call the LAPD’s 24-hour, toll-free hotline at (877)LAPD-24-7.

the universe to bring it on,” shesaid. But before you say yes, setyour intentions, clarify your focusand be super clear about what it isthat you want…the reason my con-sulting company is called 68Seconds Inc., is because some verytuned in spiritual teachers havetaught that if you can hold athought for 68 seconds, you willmanifest it.”

The cost of the Women’sLeadership Conference is $35,which includes a lunch, workshopsand a panel discussion on womenleaders in healthcare reform mod-erated by West Hollywood MayorAbbe Land. The conference willrun from 9:00am – 5:00pm atPlummer Park, 7377 Santa MonicaBlvd. For information, call(323)848-6840.

“Obviously, weare looking at

all possible theories.”

-Det. Dan Myers, LAPDRobbery-Homicide Division

On top of the emotional loss,Herman also suffered a financialloss that changed her life. Hermanworked as a schoolteacher andsocial worker throughout her life,while Sylvia was CFO of a suc-cessful corporation. Sylvia’s socialsecurity benefit was $2,400 permonth, while Herman’s is $1,188.When Sylvia died, even though the

couple was legally married inCalifornia, Herman did not get anyof Sylvia’s social security benefits.That’s because the federal Defenseof Marriage Act denies same-sexcouples – both married and livingin common law marriage situations– Social Security protectionsafforded to heterosexual couples.Had Sylvia and Alice been hetero-

sexual, Alice would have been ableto get some form of survivor bene-fits based on Sylvia’s social securi-ty income.

Without Sylvia’s social security,Alice could not pay the $1,600 permonth rent on the Tarzana apart-ment that the couple had been shar-ing for the last several years.

“I had no other income and Iknew I had to act fast,” Hermansaid.

With assistance from the L.A.Gay and Lesbian Center, Hermangot affordable housing at TriangleSquare, the LGBT housing com-plex in Hollywood run by Gay andLesbian Elder Housing.

“I don’t know what I would havedone if I didn’t get into that apart-ment,” Herman said.

Though she feels like she gotlucky, Herman is determined tofight for the rights of same-sex cou-ples, particularly the right to marryand get equal benefits under feder-al law. On April 11, Herman will beone of hundreds of people to attenda rally in Hollywood to oppose dis-crimination in social security bene-fits for same-sex couples. The rally,“Rock for Equality”, will include ademonstration of senior citizens in

rocking chairs, to visually callattention to stories like that of Aliceand Sylvia. Los Angeles CityCouncilmember Paul Koretz, 5thDistrict, will join the rally andmarch from the L.A. Gay &Lesbian Center’sMcDonald/Wright building, to theHollywood Social Security office,where the rocking chair demonstra-tion will occur.

“LGBT workers pay into the sys-tem like everyone else,” Koretzsaid. “The federal government hasno business denying same-sex cou-ples equal benefits. It’s unfair, it’sun-American and it must change.”

The Los Angeles City Council inrecent weeks unanimouslyapproved a resolution proposed byKoretz and Councilmember BillRosendahl, 11th District, to endSocial Security policies that denyequal benefits to same-sex couples.

Lorri L. Jean, CEO of the L.A.Gay & Lesbian Center, said thedemonstration is just one importantstep in ending discrimination.

“We see first-hand the devastat-ing results of Social Security dis-crimination and its impact on thelives of the LGBT seniors we serveevery day,” Jean said. “It’s nothing


March for Equality ScheduledFrom page 1

Answers From Page 16

moved from Cleveland to attendlaw school at the University ofSouthern California. He quicklybecame involved in political caus-es, working with the Harvey MilkDemocratic Club and the Coalitionfor Economic Survival (CES),which advocates for affordablehousing. Before long, he becameinvolved with the campaign forcityhood.

Even when the cityhood cam-paign proved successful, Heilmansaid he never intended to run foroffice.

“I had always been involved inpolitical work,” Heilman said. “Iinterned for a congressman in col-lege, and worked on the McGoverncampaign as a kid. I never reallythought about running for office,though. But when we were tryingto put together a slate to representthe diversity of the community,some people asked me to do it, andI thought it would be fun. I certain-ly never thought I would be doing itfor this long.”

Larry Gross, who is now theexecutive director of CES, wasamong the group that encouragedHeilman to run for city council.

“He was a natural candidate,”Gross said. “Based on his commit-ment to the issues, based on hisinvolvement in the fight for rentcontrol and the establishment of thecity, he was a great fit.”

With support from CES, Heilmanran, and in 1984 he won a seat onWest Hollywood’s inaugural citycouncil. At first, Heilman said, thecouncil faced challenges that seemvery antiquated.

“When we first incorporated,there were lots of questions aboutwhether the city would even workat all,” he said. “Critics were askingquestions like, ‘Can gay people runa city?’ That was the kind of stuffwe faced in the early days. I thinkthat question has been put to bed.”

Still, for Heilman, the city’s corevalues, and many of the city gov-ernment’s goals, remain the same asthey were 25 years ago.

“We were very concerned aboutsocial services, and affordablehousing,” he said. “Obviously pub-lic safety and LGBT rights werereal concerns. Those were all majortopics that were part of the found-

ing of the city, and I don’t thinkthose priorities have changed.”

Within its first several years ofexistence, West Hollywood passedseveral pieces of legislation that,though they now seem quite ordi-nary, were groundbreaking at thetime. The city council passed a non-discrimination statute based on sex-ual orientation, and another non-discrimination statute based onHIV-status, in 1985 and 1987,respectively. And in 1985, WestHollywood also became the firstcity in the country to set up adomestic partnership registration.

“John has been an elected offi-cial that we can always count on insupport of the LGBT community,whether that is connected to civilrights or the social services weneed,” said Darrell Cummings,chief of staff at the L.A. & LesbianCenter. “When he really became ahero to us was when he worked toestablish the Jeff Griffith YouthCenter on Santa MonicaBoulevard. John was a real cham-pion for the center. He advocatedfor it and made sure it was funded,helped us negotiate with the land-lord and continues to offer support,even though it’s just outside WestHollywood city limits.”

Affordable housing, in particu-lar, is another cause Heilman haspersonally championed. In 1987,Heilman helped establish the West

Hollywood Community HousingCorporation, a non-profit organi-zation, funded largely by the city,which builds and maintains afford-able housing in West Hollywood.

“The city is about 85 percentrenters, and we became a city at atime of intense real estate specula-tion,” Heilman said. “In our com-munity, we had seniors living onfixed incomes, people with dis-abilities, and AIDS was just start-ing to become an issue, so we hadpeople living with the disease whohad lost their jobs and had noincome and no place to live. Rentcontrol was important to a hugepart of our population.”

Gross called Heilman the “mainarchitect” on the council of thecity’s rent control law, which wasone of the strongest in the nationwhen it was adopted in the late1980’s. Robin Conerly, executivedirector of the West HollywoodCommunity Housing Corporation,said the city continues to makeaffordable housing a priority.

“West Hollywood has really putits money where its mouth is interms of affordable housing,”Conerly said. “The buildings theysupport are usually architecturallysignificant, with multiple objec-tives. The new project on SierraBonita, for example, has 42 unitsof affordable housing, but it’s alsoa green project, and it’s right on atransportation corridor, to encour-age the use of public transit.”

Still, it is the city’s physicalchanges in its first 25 years ofwhich Heilman is most proud.

“When you look at SantaMonica Boulevard, if you lookedback at what it looked like 25years ago, and compare it to today,that’s a huge accomplishment,” hesaid. “It’s a real transformation,much more pedestrian-friendly.I’m also proud of the work we’vedone on the east side with the LaBrea Gateway project, which wasbig in terms of making the eastside feel like part of the communi-ty.”

In his seventh stint as mayor,though, Heilman admits that sev-eral of his prorities for the cityhave changed since he first heldthe position in 1985. In particular,he is more conscious of trying to

create a positive environment forthe city’s businesses.

“Probably in the early days, Ididn’t see the importance of eco-nomic vitality for a community asmuch as I do now, and the impor-tance of helping promote busi-nesses,” Heilman said.“Businesses create most of the taxrevenue for a city. The city canplay an important role in makingsure the businesses in a neighbor-hood are working together to pro-mote the whole area, like we’vedone on Sunset with the businessimprovement district.”

Learning how to get businessesto work together productively hasbeen part of a maturation processfor Heilman, for the city’s busi-nesses, and for West Hollywooditself. To those who charge that thecouncilmembers are tooentrenched, and have been inoffice too long, Heilman acknowl-edges the need for change, butalso points to the positive effectsof the government’s stability onthe city’s bond rating.

“There have been changes onthe council over the years,” hesaid. “Some change is healthy, butsome stability is also healthy. I

definitely see a time when I won’twant to do this any more, but rightnow there are a lot of things com-ing forward — the library, expan-sion of the parks. I see some goodthings on the horizon for the eastside, and I’d still like to be a partof that.”

He also hopes the city will con-tinue to mature — in a characteris-tic West Hollywood way, ofcourse. Though business promo-tion remains an increasing priorityfor him, there are some businessesthat Heilman doesn’t think areappropriate for West Hollywood.For example, he said he hopes thata plating business, which he saiduses toxic chemicals, would findanother home outside WestHollywood. The adult shops, onthe other hand, can stay.

“Some of the adult uses are per-fectly fine,” he said. “It’s moreabout how the business operates.Like Pleasure Chest, for example,has been there for a long time. It’snot offensive to the community,and it’s part of what makes WestHollywood a unique place.”

Heilman will be sworn in asWest Hollywood’s new mayor,again, on April 19.

Heilman Set to Become Next Mayor From page 1

photo courtesy of Joshua Barash

West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore John Heilman was pictured at theWorld AIDS Day Awards held last December in West Hollywood, andwas joined by current West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land (left) and cityCouncilmember Lindsey Horvath.

photo by Amy Lyons

Alice Herman will take part in the “Rock for Equality” march on April 11.

“When you lookat Santa MonicaBoulevard, if youlooked back atwhat it looked

like 25 years ago,and compare it to

today, that’s ahuge

accomplish-ment.”

-West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore

John Heilman

short of outrageous that, havingpaid into the system fairly andequally, often throughout decadesof hard work, LGBT people aredenied the same benefits. ”

“Rock for Equality” is presentedby the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Centerand the National Gay and LesbianTask Force, in coalition with theAIDS Community Action Fund. Itwill start at the L.A. Gay &Lesbian Center, 1625 N. SchraderBlvd. at 9:30am and will concludeafter a one-mile march to theSocial Security building at 1122N. Vine St. For more information,call (213)388-7625.

www.camsshuttersandinteriors.com

www.goldstarjewelry.net

www.olympiamc.com

photo by amy lyons same sex seniors rock for rights · 4/4/2010 · provide to the city, money...

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