BEVERLY HILLS: A mysterious group called LA on the Move has released this video more or less summing up (in song!) Beverly Hills's entertaining/frustrating fight against the Purple Line subway extension and the tunnel that will probably have to run under Beverly Hills High (the story recently hit the big leagues!). It's actually a pretty good explanation for a hoedown, even laying out the problems with the alternative stop (at Santa Monica Boulevard) that Beverly Hills wants in order to keep the tunnel out from under the school. The Beverly Hills PTA released their own, less catchy video against the tunnel a few weeks ago--they went the fearmongering route, raising the specter of methane explosions blowing up school kids. [Curbed Inbox]

The other day I found myself visiting northernmost South Central on business. When I was done I decided not to hop on the next bus home, but rather to walk for at least a little bit. The rest of my day was wide open and it was pleasantly warm and sunny. I began by heading north along Broadway; when I got to Washington, I crossed the tracks of the Blue Line.

In the early 20th century the South Central neighborhood was sometimes characterized as "The Harlem of the West." In 1964 the stretch of the 10 Freeway that separates South L.A. from Central L.A. was completed, and "South Central" became coded shorthand for "any black neighborhood south of the 10." Nowadays, as with most of L.A., the population is mostly Latino, although the Central Avenue Jazz Festival still takes place there annually, celebrating the rich musical history of the famed avenue.

Continuing along Broadway under the 10 freeway, I entered the South Park neighborhood of Downtown - home of the Staples Center and LA Live - which the city seems to hope will develop into some kind of SoCal Vegas. Oddly, there's an older neighborhood in neighboring South L.A. called South Park. Although some have attempted to extend what has been traditionally thought of as downtown south into University Park and Exposition Park, the 10 is apparently a barrier enough that no one involved in the naming of (new) South Park had heard of nearby (old) South Park. It's ironic that the very freeways that connect far flung communities for those also have the effect of separating and sometimes even destroying them.

Around Eighth Street the sidewalks begin to fill up considerably and the ethnic complex diversifies -- there are many Asians and Caucasians, whereas to the south it was almost exclusively black and Latino. Traveling north, I passed Pershing Square on the left. The park was dedicated in the mid-1800s and has gone through significant changes. In the 1990s the city spent millions of dollars for some large, very early-'90s looking public art, including a monolithic purple tower that remains today as its looming centerpiece.

A little further north, I weighed whether or not to take the Angels Flight up the steep side of Bunker Hill. But decided to keep walking instead and take one of many tunnels that cut underneath the hill.

While the Second Street tunnel gleams with white tiles and is undoubtedly one of L.A.'s most-filmed locations -- on average appearing in-two new car commercials per month -- the Third Street tunnel, on the other hand, is older and will never likely be used to shill any product. It's dim -- it feels like it's lit with gas lights or Edison bulbs. It's dank -- water continually runs down its walls. Mineral deposits are on their way to forming stalactites. Although a mid-day sneak attack from Jack the Ripper is unlikely to happen there, I reached into my pocket and caressed my knife for comfort. I also kept an eye on the manholes lest a C.H.U.D. attempt to drag me into the underworld. In the end, the only real threat came from three separate bicyclists who rode on the sidewalk and all barked at me to get out of their way.

After I emerged from the tunnel I turned left on Second Street and passed under another freeway, the 110, leaving downtown and entering the Temple-Beaudry neighborhood. As with developers' efforts to extend the definition of downtown into South L.A., some have advanced the concept of "Central City West." Tellingly, the area west of downtown is colloquially referred to as "The New Jersey of Downtown L.A." as well as "Little Central America," depending on who's doing the talking.

Along a bleak stretch of Beaudry, cross-street rivals Canvas L.A. and the Edward Roybal Learning Center seem to compete for in the "L.A.'s Ugliest Buildings" sweepstakes, but both are trumped by the bandage-colored apartments situated atop a paved and graffiti-scarred hillside that I refer to as the Angeleno Heights Favela. They sit just outside the Angeleno Heights Preservation Overlay Zone which includes rows of beautiful Victorian and Craftsman homes.

Along Sunset apparent signs of gentrification abound. New vegan restaurants have recently opened on both sides of a street formerly lined with unremarkable Mexican restaurants. Costa Alegre advertises a new Vegetarian menu on a banner. At a curve in the road known as Mohawk Bend (and now a restaurantof the same name), was Gentlemen's Breakfast, a boutique men's shop where an optician named Konstantin was talking to someone on the phone, who apparently was trying to recruit him for a drum circle.

Heading toward Silver Lake along Sunset Boulevard, one passes through "The Cut," a sandstone hill carved out in the 1880s by the Ostrich Farm Railway to bring visitors from downtown to the ostrich farm in Griffith Park. Ostrich Farms were apparently quite popular back then. Lincoln Heights and South Pasadena also had them. Now the hill is more recognized for the murals painted by a Guatemalteco artist who goes by "Cache," whose favorite birds are apparently ostriches' distant flightless relatives: chickens.

Upon arriving at the loose border of Silver Lake, one is greeted by the iconic "Happy Foot/Sad Foot" sign -- a rotating sign advertising a foot clinic that alternately shows a cheerful, anthropomorphized foot and, on the other side, a bandaged foot that walks with the aid of crutches. It's such an icon that it's been alluded to in a David Foster Wallace novel and an Eels song, and sometimes the area is even referred to as "HaFo SaFo."

When I arrived home and plugged in my phone, which had died long ago, there was a text from my neighbor/Thai-teacher/pingpong competitor asking if I wanted to go for a walk. My feet had stopped being happy. I declined.

LA.StreetsBlog.org has debunked the argument that JMB Realty, which has donated to the political efforts of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, is slated to make money off the Westside Subway Extension.

Villaraigosa is the chair of the Metro Board of Directors, the body that makes the final decision on the subway route.

Articles have been published alleging that JMB stands to make $38.7 million if the Century City stop of the subway is located at Constellation Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars on a tract of land owned by the realty company.

Depending on which side of Constellation Boulevard the Century City station is built on, the land is either owner by JMB or the Hyatt. At this point, the Metro board has yet to make a decision on the final placement of the Century City station.

According to LA.StreetsBlog:

...Metro doesn't know what the exact cost of station construction will be because Metro doesn't know what the real estate costs will be to purchase property. Negotiations between Metro and land owners won't begin until after the project completes the "Final Design" stage.

To read the LA.StreetsBlog article, click here.

Sifting through Craigslist's vast virtual grab-bag is usually a pretty mirthless task, but yesterday, we came across an ad that actually made us chuckle. Headlined "Charming Bungalow in Prime Silver Lake Hills, $800," the post goes on to describe said bungalow thusly:

CRAFTSMAN STYLE THATCHED ROOF BUNGALOW FROM THE EARLY 90s

This 12 sq ft open air dream is a perfectly cozy spot for any aspiring artist.
Situated under a gorgeous citrus tree.
Ideal for single but could accommodate a couple for up to 5 minutes if both crouch.
Utilities included, no running water, no heat, no A/C.
Previous owner loved but outgrew the place.
Original wood-like door.
Pets allowed but (full disclosure) a skunk lives 10ft from the front door in a skunk hole.
Walking distance to local shops, silver lake reservoir and many real houses.

Brand is real Playschool (not a replica).
Only serious inquiries please. No scams.

Naturally, some spoilsport had to flag it for removal -- perhaps because the Silver Lake rental market is so competitive, people might take it seriously -- and it's no longer up on the site. However, we managed to snap a screenshot before it was yoinked.

· It Came From Craigslist Archives [Curbed LA]

A short edit I made of the wonderfully eclectic people I came across at Venice Beach CA. Much of this was inspired by Philip Bloom’s brilliant “Turin Brakes: Chim Chim Che-ree”

I just love how silent faces can tell stories.

Shot on the Canon 60D with a 30mm f/1.4, Color graded in Apple Color. Shot at 60p and conformed to 24p in Cinema tools. Music: That Home by The Cinematic Orchestra

Join the forum discussion on this post

Click here to view the full photogallery.

The Mandeville Canyon Hilltop House "began life some 60 years ago as a modest, typical Southern California ranch style home," but Lehrer Architects and the homeowners have spent the last 15 years "adding, subtracting, tweaking, transforming…elements of the inside and outside." The idea is to create "a 360-degree engagement of the landscape," so the spaces open to the garden and the many views--in an interview with the AIA/LA, Michael Lehrer calls it "a pavilion in the middle of many gardens." Meanwhile, the whole thing is stuffed with a fabulous photography collection.
· Lehrer Architects [Curbed LA]
· Touring W3 Architects's Green-Roofed Palleschi-Hart House [Curbed LA]

Singer and actress Julie Andrews has listed the Brentwood house she owned with her late husband, director and screenwriter Blake Edwards , for $2.649 million. Less than a month after coming on the market, the tidy white home with gray shutters is already in escrow.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A controversial new book makes several stunning claims about the Nicole Brown Simpson/Ron Goldman murders in 1994.

Author William Dear, a retired police officer and long-time private investigator, says O.J. didn’t commit the double homicide. “There is still a murderer out there.”

So,  if O.J. didn’t do it…who did?

Dear says Simpson’s son Jason was the culprit. And he says he can prove it. “Jason was never interviewed by the Los Angeles police department.”

The author of “O.J. Is Innocent And I Can Prove It” says Simpson was merely covering for his son. That Jason had an explosive temper, didn’t like Nicole very much and that he was obsessed with knives should have made him a suspect. Police focused on O.J.,, says Dear, in a classic rush to judgement.

He maintains Jason was certainly old enough (he was 24) strong enough (he was 5’11″ and 235 pounds) to kill two people. His book paints the picture of very disturbed young man. “At the time of the murders, he was on probation for assault with a knife.”

Dear also believes he has uncovered the murder weapon — a knife that was never introduced at trial. But a knife he said turned up in a storage facility owned by Jason.

CBS2 and KCAL9 reporter Serene Branson reports about Dear’s stunning claims and his 576-page “true account” of what happened.

He says he’s spent almost a million dollars trying to prove the case against Jason Simpson.

Dear believes O.J, was at the crime scene at some point but that he didn’t participate in the murders. “He was there but after the murder.”

Former O.J. Simpson pal Ron Shipp — a former police officer — believes his friend committed the murders and no one else. When he first heard about Dear’s book, he was stunned. “I thought did you blow a microchip?”

Of the book he says, “There are so many things in there that are wrong. So untrue.”

Branson made numerous attempts to get a comment from Jason Simpson — reportedly now living in Miami and working as a chef — but was unable to reach him.

She also tried to get a statement from the LA DA’s office who said they had “no comment” on the book. O.J. Simpson’s attorney also said he has no comment.

If you are new to Pinterest, this popular website allows you to create online pinboards and organize and share beautiful things you find on the web.  You can create your own visual collections or “boards,” and view and follow other boards, on pinterest.com.

Leave a comment with your vote on the top reasons why Pinterest rocks:

1. It’s so pretty
2. It’s like shopping
3. It’s usable
4. It’s inspiring
5. Your reason?

RELATED

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SATURDAY, MAY 19, 11AM – 6PM AT CLOVER PARK

Celebrating the Connection Between the City’s Communities,
Culture, Businesses, Environment and Art

 Featuring Music & Dance,Sustainable Workshops, Food Trucks, Cooking Demos, Community Resources,…

Time:May 19, 2012 from 11am to 6pm
Location:Clover Park
Street:2600 Ocean Park Blvd
City/Town:Santa Monica
Website or Map:http://www.facebook.com/Santa…
Export to Outlook or iCal (.ics)

The New York Times has one of the heartwarmingest tales of pedigreed private homebuying we've heard in a long time, about the Silver Lake home and studio of underrated architect Allyn Morris. The house came on the market last June and sold in July--to an 84 year lifelong modern lover who had nevertheless spent 51 years in a 1920s Tudor (she and her husband couldn't afford a Case Study House back in the fifties). Here's the Times: "Even as a schoolgirl in Los Angeles, Patricia Marks daydreamed about modern architecture. She doodled floor plans and remembers watching, spellbound, the construction of her new junior high school by Richard Neutra." When the Morris house came on the market, she visited during an open house and that night wrote her daughter an email: "Here is the most modern of modern houses I’ve ever seen and loved…I guess you can’t expect to have too many dreams answered…At least, I’ve had the opportunity to see the Morris House, to know it existed."

Marks's husband died in 2008 and she wanted to move out of the Tudor, but hadn't found a good alternative. So last year her daughter and son-in-law offered to help her buy the Morris, even if the hand-operated rear facade and circular stairway were a bit octogenarian-unfriendly. Their bid was helped along by a letter of recommendation from Marks's high school classmate, Howard Morris (Allyn's son), and they nabbed the house for $700,000, according to Redfin. Now, says the Times, "The coffee table she built in the 1950s matches the blue mosaics. Her aqua midcentury dishes and her red Prius echo the building’s palette. The Saarinen chairs that never suited her old home fit in here." Awww.
· A Reward for Decades of Waiting [NYT]
· Architect Allyn E. Morris's 1958 Home-Studio in Silver Lake [Curbed LA]

Hello!

We are Venice Arts, a non-profit organization providing free and low-cost multimedia arts programming for youth and adults.  This summer from July 2nd - July 27th, we are holding our third annual Summer Media Arts Summer Camp!

We will be offering week long youth workshops (at our newly renovated gallery space) in filmmaking, script-writing, directing, animation, photography, comics, and multimedia art.

To enroll in our camp for free you must be low-income and provide proof of income on registration day.

If you are not low-income you can still enroll for a small fee of $325 per week.

 
Registration Info & Location:

Saturday, June 23, 2012

10am-3pm

1702 Lincoln Blvd.

Venice, CA 90291

310.578.1745 / 310.392.0846

info@venice-arts.org

Registration is by appointment only, call 310.578.1745 to make your appointment now!  Classes fill up quickly so call today!

 
Learn more by visiting our website.
http://www.venicearts.org

Click here to view the full photogallery.

A few weeks ago, plans for a massive 200 foot ferris wheel on Ocean Front Walk in Venice ground to a halt, with talk of a zipline along the Boardwalk taking their place. Yesterday, Yo! Venice! posted details of that new plan, which would allow zipline company Greenheart to build a 750 foot "FlightLinez attraction" extending the length of Venice Beach Park, roughly from the skate park in the north to the basketball courts to the south. The proposed zipline (pdf available here) would require a concession agreement between Greenheart and the city of Los Angeles--the Department of Rec and Parks is overseeing the project. Greenheart/FlightLinez's past operations include an installation at Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, which was successful enough to provoke a letter of support from the mayor of Las Vegas in the Venice proposal. The Visitor Impact Committee of the Venice Neighborhood Committee will consider the proposal today, with a target of July for an opening.
· Proposed Venice Beach Zip-line Details [Yo! Venice!]
· Venice Boardwalk Ferris Wheel Tabled In Favor of Zipline Plan [Curbed LA]

Click here to view the full photogallery.

Photos by Elizabeth Daniels

The Chautauqua Residence, designed by William Hefner, looks out over a killer expanse of Will Rogers State Park, and Hefner told the AIA/LA that "The canyon and the views from the site absolutely determined the floor plan, the layout of rooms and their exact orientation on the site." From the entryway, the house leads right into the great room and out to an infinity pool to the edge of the site. The house wraps around the yard and pool on a double lot, with "secondary bedrooms" along the street side.
· Studio William Hefner [Official Site]

The first truckloads of dirt to fill in the canals arrived on November 15th, 1927. (Herald-Examiner/LAPL)

Los Angeles had annexed the Disneyland of its day, and proceeded to remake Venice in its own image. It was felt that the town needed more streets, not canals, and most of them were paved in 1929 after a three-year court battle led by canal residents.

Grand Canal November 11, 1927.

Looking north, Altair Canal on the left and Cabrillo Canal on the right.

In 1920 the 13 canals in the City of Venice were:

1. Grand Canal ( Grand Ave.)
2. Lion Canal ( Windward Ave.)
3. Coral Canal ( Main St.)
4. Altair Canal ( Altair Pl.)
5. Cabrillo Canal ( Cabrillo Ave.)
6. Aldebaran Canal ( Market St.)
7. Venus Canal ( San Juan Ave.)
8. Carroll Canal
9. Linnie Canal
10. Howland Canal
11. Sherman Canal
12. Eastern Canal
13. Grand Canal

The canals north of Venice were built by Abbot Kinney. The canals south of Venice were built by the Short Line Beach Company. While Kinney’s were considered the new “Venice of America”, the Short Line Canals were originally nicknamed “New Amsterdam”.

Thanks to WikiPedia and the LA Public Library for the info and pictures!

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Amanda and Patrick Shanley: “Clover And The Black Drink”

“Venice Acoustics” was started by Dom, a 21 year old business major and marketing minor that loves music. Dom and his partners are not looking to get paid by the musicians, they just want to help share the music of Venice and help “keep it weird”.

If your band would like to be featured on “Venice Acoustics”, email Dom by clicking here! Once your video is online, let us know and we will share it on Yo!Venice!

Join the forum discussion on this post

Brentwood residents have decided to send a clear message to burglars—that they've formed a neighborhood watch group and its working closely with police.

The group is distributing yard signs to the neighborhood to act as a visual deterrent for criminals and a reminder for residents to report suspicious activity.

Signs are $10 and can be purchased from Vicente Foods, located at 12027 San Vicente Boulevard, or by emailing info@neighborsnetwork.net.

The Neighbors Network is a way for the community to come together online to share information about crime with each other and police.

To sign up for Brentwood crime alerts from the Los Angeles Police Department, visit  alertcommunity.com.

In 2011, there was a 118 percent increase in the number of Brentwood-area burglaries from the previous year, according to the LAPD.

The Pacific Palisades Garden Club held it's annual Spring Garden Tour on April 29, taking home and garden lovers through five private gardens and a native plant garden at Canyon Chater Elementary School.

According to the PPGC, the tour visited two gardens on Iliff Street, one on upper Chautauqua Boulevard, another garden on El Medio and then one along San Remo.

The garden at Canyon Charter Elementary was a special stop for the PPGC, since the the club helped establish the garden. The garden is currently maintained by parents and students, says the PPGC.

Garden tour ticket sales will benefit school garden programs, local beautification projects and help build scholarships for horticulture and garden design students.

Scroll through the photo gallery for some highlights from the tour! If you have photos to share, please upload them to the story by clicking the "Upload Photos and Video" button just below the pictures.

• For more information from the Pacific Palisades Garden Club, click here.

Yesterday they made the neighborhood pancakes, today they rescued a bird as hundreds cheered. Thanks Station 63!

Today an LAPD motor officer outside the Venice Beach Police substation noticed a seagull struggling in a tree, caught in fishing line, or a kite line that was wound between the trees. He called for animal control, and just as the call came through, the engine and ladder truck from Fire Station 63 was rolling through. Without a moment of hesitation, the ladder truck moved into position, and the fire fighters went into action to save the struggling bird. Hundreds gathered around as the ladder went up… and a towel was put around the bird while the wire was cut. Everyone, including the fire fighters wanted to see the bird fly away. He looked OK, but was put in a box so animal control could make sure his wing wasn’t injured before returning him to the wild.

Thank you LAPD and Fire Station 63!

The seagull struggles and his feathers are worn from struggling against the line

A firefighter atop the ladder truck safely rescues the struggling bird

When I was a kid my parents had two big bee boxes. Bees are pretty docile creatures, don’t swat at them and they usually will not sting you (if a female honeybee stings you, it dies). If you do get stung, don’t squeeze the area where the stinger is (it will push more venom into your system), try and “brush it out” with a butter knife.

To help legalize urban beekeeping in Los Angeles, get involved with HoneyLove by clicking here!

The official word from the County of Los Angeles says that if you discover a swarm or colony of bees:

Avoid the area and keep children and pets away from the swarm or colony. Do not attempt to control the bees yourself. Call a professional. Please contact the District at (310) 915-7370 for assistance or referral. In an emergency dial 911.

As a general rule, stay away from all honey bee swarms and colonies. If you accidentally encounter bees, do not panic, but remain calm and quietly retreat until the bees are out of sight. If forced to run, use your arms and hands to protect your face and eyes from possible stings. Quickly take shelter in a car or building. Water or thick brush does not offer adequate protection.

Do not disturb or tease bees, and do not try to remove bees yourself. Do not shoot at, spray water at, throw rocks at, or douse bee colonies with chemicals. This will only irritate the bees. Also, do not attempt to control bees with aerosol pesticides.

GENERAL PRECAUTIONS
Listen for buzzing indicating a colony or swarm of bees.
Look for bees flying back and forth in a straight line.
Use care when entering sheds or outbuildings where bees may be established.
Examine work area before using lawn mowers, weed cutters, and other power equipment.
Examine areas before tethering or penning pets and livestock.
Be alert when participating in all outdoor activities.
Do not disturb a colony or swarm-contact a professional.
Teach children to be cautious and respectful of all bees.
Check with a doctor about bee sting kits and procedures if sensitive to bee stings.
Develop a safety plan for your home and yard.
Organize a meeting to inform neighbors about the AHB to help increase neighborhood safety and awareness.
Outdoor Safety
Keep pets and children indoors when using weed eaters, hedge clippers, tractors, power mowers, chain saws, or other power equipment until you are certain that no bee colonies are in the area. Honey bees are sensitive to unusual odors and loud vibrations. Attacks frequently occur when a person is mowing the lawn or pruning shrubs and trees, and disturbs a colony.
Keep alert for honeybee activity when outdoors.
Keep dogs under control when hiking. A dog bounding through the brush is more likely to disturb bees than one following quietly at your heels.
Stay alert when horseback riding through brush or under low hanging branches where bees may have established a colony.
Keep animals away from apiaries, commercial hives, and bee colonies. Numerous stinging incidents have involved animals either penned or tethered near established hives and colonies.
Leave the area quickly if you are attacked by bees. The attack could last until the victim leaves the area. Cover your face using your hands and arms to protect your eyes and mouth from the bees. Seek shelter inside enclosures where the bees cannot enter such as a car, house, tent, or other building. Do not jump into water for protection.

What To Do If Stung

FOR STINGS IN GENERAL:
Quickly move to a safe area.
Remove the stinger or stingers as soon as possible.
Scrape the stinger out with either a fingernail or credit card if readily available. Pulling out the stinger with your fingers is also an acceptable method since research has shown that removing the stinger as soon as possible is more important than the actual method of removal when it comes to minimizing the venom received.
Wash the sting area with soap and water.
Apply an ice pack for a few minutes to relieve pain and swelling.

FOR MULTIPLE STINGS OR HYPERSENSITIVE INDIVIDUALS:
Seek immediate professional medical care.
Remove the stinger or most stingers as soon as possible.
Count the number of stingers removed. This information will assist medical personnel in treatment.
Watch for breathing and/or vision difficulties.

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SMPD Sgt. Richard Lewis said its dispatch received multiple calls of “shots fired” and information of vehicles speeding away from the area at 11:14 a.m.

Lewis said officers were unable to locate the vehicles when they arrived, but several witnesses — including several golf players on the neighboring golf course — were able to provide statements.

He said the vehicles were seen speeding eastbound on Dewey with suspects firing rounds at each other from both cars.

He said neither the LAPD or SMPD had any victims or suspects.

“All of the hospitals have been notified,” Lewis said. “We did obtain evidence to multiple shell casings at the location from two different caliber guns meaning it was a car-to-car shooting, not just a one victim, one suspect.”

Lewis said there was no further information available on the vehicles or the suspects at this time.

There was a fatal shooting last year in June at Penmar Park.