The Krekorian Sinkhole is No More

A 'hole lot of fillin'
(Photo by Jeremy Oberstein)

After a few months without being addressed by the City, a major sinkhole that closed down one lane of an important North Hollywood street, located in the 2nd Council District has finally been filled.

Bureau of Street Services workers were seen early this morning digging out the caved in concrete road and preparing it to be repaved. Repaving was finished by mid-day and is now setting. It can be assumed the road will be usable within a few days at most.

While the end result is a good one, one wonders why BSS took so long to fix the sinkhole, why there was no visibility within the Council office and why it took this blog browbeating the Council Office here and on Facebook to even get any resolution.

One can imagine this would never happen in Burbank, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica, San Fernando or any number of other cities in the County of Los Angeles.

Welcome to the City of El-Lay!

Thanks to Paul Krekorian Director of Communications, Jeremy Oberstein, for providing the updates and the photo.

Los Angeles Politics HotSheet for Tuesday

Carmen's Future?

Oh, Carmen. In a Trutanichesque display of chutzpah and tuna canning bravado our City Attorney packed up a bodyguard and a $2 million check representing the County's share of a city won lawsuit and headed to the County Hall of Administration to personally deliver the check and suggest that it go to political pal, Sheriff Lee Baca, to address the high profile issue of a backlog of rape investigation kits. Trouble is, state law says the County has to spend the dough on consumer protection.  Carmen's former BFF - DA Steve Cooley - called it a cheap political ploy (as Carmen has designs on Cooley's seat) and that the backlog was resolved some time ago.  One wonders if Carmen had the check in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist and offered the County Administrative Officer "an offer you can not refuse.
Read more »

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

He's back!

With July 1st, comes a new session for the Los Angeles City Council but the leadership of Eric Garcetti, Jan Perry and Dennis Zine remains intact, even though all three plan eventual runs for higher office; Mayor for Garcetti and Perry and City Controller for Zine.  That being said, Councilman Richard Alarcon was the sole vote for Herb Wesson as President Pro Tem of the Council.  Alarcon has an issue with Perry already being a declared for candidate for Mayor and continuing to serve in the leadership.

As the new session begins, some of our readers may find solace in the fact that Alarcon and Reyes only have two years left on the Council, you have four more years of Tom LaBonge, Tony Cardenas and  Bernard Parks though.

Read more »

Sunday Blog Roundup

Only four years left to really screw up Griffith Park!

Militant Angeleno has some shots of the latest design for City of Los Angeles street signs along with a fascinating history of previous LA designs.

L.A. Can't Drive: has the tale of a driver who could not handle North Hollywood's challenging five point intersection at Lankershim, Vineland and Camarillo.

Newly re-elected lame duck Clowncilman Tom LaBonge has his bucket list for LA's largest park at Griffith Park Wayist.  Wayist: "the Griffith Park Master Plan now reduced to a Vision Plan so that it can be filed away and ignored."

Read more »

Private Property Rights and Art Attacked by NIMBY Cranks and City Bureaucrats

In America, you certainly have the right to decorate your home any way you want, but apparently not in Valley Village.

Ten North Hollywood High students were commissioned to paint a Graffiti Art mural on a homeowner’s private fence. But the City came out and fined her, and is now forcing her to paint over it. This despite other murals in the area being allowed.

Certainly someone with a lot of time on their hands complained.  Supporters are appealing to Paul Krekorian and hope you will too.

Read more at NoHo Arts District.com

Stephen Box Food Truck Festival

Cross-posted from our sister blog, Downtown NoHo Times.

CD4 Council Candidate Stephen Box held a food truck festival in the NoHo Arts District Sunday.  Food truck operators are generally supporting Box as incumbent Tom LaBonge has been essentially hostile towards the popular businesses.  A number of locals turned out to meet with Box and sample fare from a variety of trucks.

The candidate spreads his message.

 More pics after the jump
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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

A school in Compton is the first to announce it's being taken over by parents as a result of the new Parent Trigger Law that was made possible by education activists such as MayorSam friend Lydia Grant.  McKinley Elementary, a horrible school noted for mega-poor results, saw 61% of parents agree to sign a petition to boot existing management.  Of course, reprobate school board members and culpable teachers' union leaders are crying in their beer and crying foul.  But the only thing that is foul is how they ran the school. Kudos to the parents!


Read more »

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Are they gay?

Bad news for Mayor Villaraigosa.  Many thought that his consolation prize for not running for Governor of California was that he could replace Dianne Feinstein as US Senator when she was to retire in 2012.  Oops. DiFi may not be retiring.

Read more »

Meter Person in Search of $$$ in NoHo

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday

The City of Long Beach is looking at something the City of LA should consider - privatizing it's airport.  The Federal Government has a program to allow this however only Chicago's Midway Airport has gotten anywhere near close (hmm...they may want to double check those deals).  However I believe the City should sell NOT lease LAX to the highest bidder, then put the sale proceeds into a trust for some stated civic purpose (like Police).  The City and LAWA have a hard enough leasing vendor spots without corruption; imagine if they had to approve leases for the whole airport.

The story over the outrage on the business killing crazy parking rules and overpriced parking meters in NoHo gets legs.  Not only an LA Times story but KTLA picks up the television pice of the story.  LeBong is "working on it." 


One blog writes its final chapter while another one emerges on the blog-LA-sphere.  The venerable Boi from Troy, USC loving gay Republican Scott Olin Schmidt, announces he is leaving the blog he has made home for five years.  On the other hand the guy who gave major juice to both the Huffington Post and the Drudge Report, Andrew Breitbart, fires up Big Hollywood this morning.  Breitbart says his new site is "not a “celebrity gabfest or a gossip outpost" but a "continuous politics and culture posting board for those who think something has gone drastically wrong and that Hollywood should return to its patriotic roots."

A few days ago I challenged the practice of being a NIMBY only and asked where is the vision for Los Angeles? 20 year old LA native and current Columbia student Adam Seiff crafts one in the Daily News of all places.  Seiff opines that the "L.A. of our lifetimes will be fueled by new industrial centers to provide high-paying jobs, affordable housing to live in and accessible public spaces to enjoy." 

Matt Burch, a fitness trainer at BodyImage Gym in the Noho Arts District became a local hero recently when he captured a purse snatcher.  Burch was working out at the Lankershim Boulevard gym when he noticed local NoHo Business Improvement District security guards having trouble catching up with the fleeing crook.  Burch dashed out of the gym, flew past the guards and tackled the bad guy until Police could arrive.  Burch says, however, don't try this at home.  He's a long time martial arts practioner and body builder who happens to be a veteran repo man and star of the TruTV network reality show Operation Repo.


Want some Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gear? The folks at Zazzle have a selection of mugs, notecards, keychains and greeting cards available for purchase.

Parking Meter Outrage Continues Across City

Editor's note: This story was scheduled to run tomorrow, however the LA Times has published a story on the issue as well this morning, one for which I was interviewed for, therefore I'm bumping up publication.

Addicted to spending, a City with a Mayor who is disbursing like a druken sailor at a rate 1/3 higher than when he took office a scant three years ago, Los Angeles is looking for every place possible to squeeze the populace for their last dime.

One of the ways our brilliant leaders are doing so is by increasing parking meter rates, extending the hours and days the meters are in service and reducing the amount of time motorists can park in business districts. In some cases meters are being extended as late as midnight (instead of the customary 6:00 p.m. deadline) and on Sundays as well (which always used to be free all day).

These last two points in particular have live theater owners in the fledgling NoHo Arts District fuming. After many lean years during subway and other construction the foot traffic that has finally come to patronize theaters, galleries and other businesses in the once downtrodden neighborhood is being severly impacted by the City's recent moves. The changes to hours and rates for parking meters are forcing patrons to leave theatres during the middle of shows to either feed the meter or move their vehicles. The City spent billions to build the NoHo District and now for a few million at most they're killing it.

One a silly piece in CurbedLA that claims meters are good because the funds earned by the no-armed bandits are used to revitalize the surrounding area. Not true in LA. Never true in LA. Previously parking meter money was banked in the local Council office as sort of a slush fund for the Clowncil members; until budget realities and bad PR forced them to give that up to the general fund. Now money earned in North Hollywood or Highland Park meters are being spent on potholes in San Pedro, tree trimming in Granada Hills or the Mayor's travel budget.

The bozos in City Hall won't admit - they're addicted to spending and like a crack whore who must turn her next trick to get some more blow, the Mayor and Clowncil spokes-holes rationalize with silly nonsense about how raising parking fees will cut traffic.

However until the people in this town wake the F up and get a clue as to what's going on they will like sheep continue to put more of their hard earned money into the meters oblivious that they have a say-so and then drive over to neighboring cities - like Burbank - who don't have parking meters.

Neighborhood Council Hosts Town Hall on NoHo Development

Here's an opportunity to have an input on the development going on in the greater North Hollywood area including the Valley Plaza shopping district, NoHo Arts District and the area around the North Hollywood Metro Station on Monday, November 17th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The Mid Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council presents: A Town Hall - Call to Action: "NoHo - the Vision for the Arts & Future Development."  The event will be held at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at 5220 Lankershim Blvd (near Magnolia Blvd),North Hollywood, CA 91601.Parking will be provided in the Academy garage.

To RSVP to Gary Baratta, Chairman of the Mid Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council Planning, Land-Use, Housing and Transportation committee, please click here or email netengineer2000us@yahoo.com.

A Theatre Grows in NoHo

Workers seen beginning construction this morning on a new retail/office center anchored by a Laemmle Theatres multiplex near the North Hollywood Metro Station. This development is the final piece of the CRA's "NoHo Commons" project which has brought several hundred apartments and shopping including the legendary HOWS Market to the NoHo Arts District.

(Photo by Jack Witt)