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It’s good to know that shopping carts from our various retailers left
hither, thither and yon irritate others besides me. There were messages on
the TERA phone as well as in this week’s and last week’s letters to the
TERA e-letter. I’m still working on this issue, but I wonder if there’s a
way the Neighborhood Council could front the costs of picking the carts up
and then ransom them back to their rightful owners as a fund raiser for
needy causes within the Council’s jurisdiction? It could raise money for
Eagle Rock, get the carts off the street and at the same time encourage
the retailers to work a little harder at keeping the carts on site. The
Super A/ Sav-On shopping center on Yosemite and Eagle Rock has security
personnel on site and how hard can it be for Target to send its staff
around the eastern end of the perimeter of the site to pick up all the
carts that seem to escaped the confines of the parking lot, especially
around the bus stop?
I spent some time at City Hall today (Thursday) with ERCPR President
Linda Allen and consultant Mott Smith, working out some of the details of
the parking ordinance for Colorado Boulevard with staff from the City
Planning Department and LA Department of Transportation. Unlike some
situations where interaction with City staff can be confrontational, it
has been a pleasure working with Jane Blumenfeld and David Gay from the
City Planning Department and Jay Kim and (now retired) Alan Rifkin from
the Department of Transportation, all of whom want this experiment in
creating an urban environment where the car does not dictate the nature of
the development to succeed. And while we were in City Hall, we got the
opportunity to chat informally with the new Director of City Planning,
Gail Goldberg, who congratulated Eagle Rock on taking the lead in pushing
this innovative concept through the City’s process, and discussed various
other innovative ideas she had in the works to directly benefit the
communities in which life in the City actually occurs. Some of her ideas
may succeed and others may fail, but it was a pleasure talking to a person
who has a strong professional planning background with a vision of what
Los Angeles can be rather than a viewpoint mired in the mistakes and
misjudgments of the past.
The City’s Planning and Zoning Code hasn’t changed over the last week
and so I have nothing new to add about the proposed Charter School in the
Farley Building on the northeasterly corner of Colorado Boulevard and
Mount Royal Drive, other than to provide a special section of letters
below for others to express their views. I greatly appreciate the call for
civility in this matter by those such as Paul Vanderventer and the fact
that some seem to have recently heeded that request. As I said in last
week’s message, TERA’s Preservation, Planning and Development Committee
will be discussing this matter as well as the conversion of single family
dwellings to board and care facilities and the proposed Occidental College
Master Plan at its next meeting, Wednesday, August 16th, from 6:00 p.m. to
8:00 p.m. at the Eagle Rock Public Library meeting room. The library is
located on the southwesterly corner of Merton and Caspar, just east of
Eagle Rock Boulevard. One of the great things about meeting in the library
is that it makes for succinct discussions because the library closes at
8:00 p.m. and we must be finished by then. Please read the letters below;
there is lots of food for thought.
And finally, the TERA Board held its first meeting since the election
of officers and all new board members were present. These are all people
who have taken time away from their personal and professional lives to
invest in making sure that Eagle Rock remains one of the best places in
Los Angeles in which to live. They bring a wide variety of skills and
interests into the mix and, contrary to what some believe, they are from
all over Eagle Rock. And true to the TERA by-line, they have invested
heavily in their community, giving their time and their resources. There
is no one on the board who is doing it for personal gain or an ego boost.
It’s great knowing that they aren’t doing it alone. The TERA membership is
strong in its support of the organization, renewing in large numbers and
volunteering for the Home Tour, the Community Garden, attending community
meetings and supporting the preservation of a quality of life that is
envied throughout Los Angeles. Join us in volunteering for TERA events. We
look forward to meeting with you and continuing to work together for Eagle
Rock.
Michael Tharp,
President
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Sylvan
Amphitheater |
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The graphic for this story sent to the E- Letter was not as clear as it
might have been and some have written us to say some of the graphics we
use do not show up on their program, so here's the short version of what's
contained in the graphic:
Chuparosa Productions and Teatro Samai present: An Evening of
Storytelling performance for Children.
Requel Salinas presents "Malintzin, Malinche, Maria."
Teatro Samai presents "The Rabbit and the Coyote."
At the Sylvan Apmhiteater, Yosemite Park, Friday, August 18, 2006, 7:30
p.m. Free - Donations Accepted. For more information: Chuparosa Prods:
213-368-8831; Teatro Samai: 323-223-0098.
Sponsored by: Center for the Arts Eagle Rock & the City of Los
Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation.
From Jenny Krusoe, Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, email:
centerartseaglerock@hotmail.com; phone: 323 226 1617; http://w
ww.centerartseaglerock.org
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Position
Yourself and Your Business in Great Company: Eclectic Home Tour
Brochure Advertisements |
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Deliver your message to your Eagle Rock and Northeast neighbors with an
ad in the Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour brochure. The Home Tour will take
place on Sunday, October 15, 2006. To place an advertisement in the Home
Tour brochure, please contact Maedale Gongora at 323-255-
1267 and she will get back to you immediately with the
specifications for artwork on 1/8th, 1/4th/ or 1/2 page ads.
The prices are $75 for 1/8th page; $125 for 1/4 page and $250 for 1/2
page. Advertisements will be taken on a first come/first served basis. We
are getting an early start in order to avoid a last minute rush. If you
plan to run an ad this year, please make your arrangements early.
Thank you!
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Exhibits and
Readings at Carlotta's Passion Fine Art |
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"The Enchanted Worlds of Patssi Valdez and Magu" and "Works by Tony de
Carlo" exhibits have been extended until Sunday, August 20th at Carlotta's
Passion Fine Art. Here's an online review of the Patssi Valdez and Magu
exhibit:
http://eyespyla.com/www/phlog.nsf/
2ed490b9d9aa48fb8825713500604e81/6619f02e0096b
676882571be0063ff87!OpenDocument
There will be a reading by Diane Lefer, Friday (8/11/06) at 8:00 p.m.
Diane Lefer's third short story collection, California Transit,
was chosen for the Mary McCarthy Prize by Carole Maso and will be
published in April by Sarabande Books. Her fiction draws on experiences
including volunteering as an interpreter for immigrants held in detention
and as an observer of stressed or medical needs animals at the LA Zoo. A
2006 recipient of the C.O.L.A. fellowship in literature, Lefer has also
received support from the NEA, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and
the Library of Congress. As a playwright, her work for the stage includes
Harvest, produced in 2005 by Playwrights' Arena under the direction
of Jon Lawrence Rivera, her ongoing collaboration with exiled Colombian
theatre artist Hector AristizC!bal (including Nightwind which was
performed at Carlotta's Passion in March), and her recent commission from
Tour of Duty, an antiwar veterans organization, for a play about Pablo
Paredes, the Navy sailor who was court-martialed for refusing to deploy to
Iraq. Her other books include The Circles I Move In (of which Carol
Anshaw wrote: "Diane Lefer is creatively possessed, inhabited by the
characters she creates, fluent in their dialects"), Very Much Like
Desire (of which Oscar Hijuelos wrote: "Rarely has the encounter with
the Other been presented in such provocative and entertaining form"), and
the novel, Radiant Hunger (Laurie Stone, in the Village Voice said:
"Lefer carves a tattoo in the reader--a trumpet blast of distress").
This reading is free to the public.
We will soon post news for September readings by Consuelo Flores, Reina
Prado, Maria Elena Gaitan, and Pat Alderete. We look forward to your
visits! Thank you.
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Program Offers
Free Trees, Plants, Flowers to Web Site Shoppers |
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There is such a thing as a free bunch – of flowers, trees and shrubs –
thanks to a one-of-a- kind program that benefits gardeners, sheltered
workshops and the environment. Free Trees and Plants.com obtains from
growers and nurseries some of the millions of unsold plants that are
destroyed each year, hires workers with disabilities to package them and
then sends the plants for free to anyone who orders them at
www.freetreesandplants.com. Consumers simply pay for processing and
shipping costs, $6.95 for each unit of plants. Shipping fees benefit
workers with disabilities who package the plants.
“Now that the spring season has ended, the timing is ideal for
gardening enthusiasts to reserve any of the large variety of bulbs,
perennials, shrubs and trees that we feature for the fall planting
season,” said Cheryl Richter, a garden writer and photographer who created
the program with her husband, Greg, in their hometown of Lincoln, Neb.
“Each year millions of healthy high-quality plants go unsold and are
destroyed,” Cheryl Richter explained. “They go to the dump, are plowed
under or get burned or buried. Every plant we save and select for our
program is as good as, or better than, those featured in garden centers
and renowned garden catalogs.”
The Richters’ industry contacts alert them to the large numbers of
plants that have not been sold and are scheduled for destruction. They
then obtain the plants at little or no cost and arrange for delivery to
sheltered workshops that provide employment for workers with disabilities.
The workers process and package the items for shipment using a bare-root
packaging system devised by the Richters. A visit to the Web site reveals
a bounty of offerings, including evergreen, flowering and shade trees,
perennials such as red daylilies and black-eyed susans, shrubs that range
from lilacs to forsythias, and fall-planted flowering bulbs. “Everything
shown has been selected as an easy-to-grow gardening or landscaping
favorite,” added Greg Richter.
“Our concept began when we recognized that there is a terrible waste of
living things when unsold plants are thrown away,” Greg said. “We have
worked with sheltered workshops on other projects in the past and the
program quickly took shape. We are believers in direct action and social
responsibility, and we do not ask for or accept donations. Our program
does not seek charitable designation.”
For more information contact: Debra Ersch, Free
Trees and Plants.com, 402-429-9722 or 402/475-5507,
dersch@freetreesandplants.com
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NELAArt.org
August Second Saturday at Future Studio |
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NelaArt.org’s Second Saturday
Saturday, August 12, 2006
6:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Future Studio Gallery
5558 N Figueroa Street
(just south of Ave 56, Highland Park)
Second Saturday Presents Art:
Succulent Escapes: Mixed Media Works on Paper by Rebeca Guerrero
Presents Literature:
Book Signing by two Los Angeles authors (from 7:00 to 9 p.m.)
The Real Bush Diaries by Peter Clothier
Peter will make a presentation at 7:30 p.m.
Shooting Pigeons by Jack Spiegelman
Jack will make a presentation at 8:00 p.m.
Presents Music:
Later in the evening (after 9:00 p.m.), enjoy classical flamenco guitar
by Gabriel Reyna
All this, snacks, and viewings of Chicken Boy upon request. The Chicken
Boy shop will be open.
Future Studio Gallery is a project of Future Studio Graphics, and is
also known as the Home of Chicken Boy. Chickenboy.com
About Rebeca Guerrero
I was born in LA, yet I lived in Mexico from age 5 until 15. My
interest in art began in my early twenties when I was living in Madrid
where I studied art and literature for a year. Back in the States, I
studied Fashion Design, but the superficiality of the field soon took me
to explore painting. Currently, I exhibit locally, nationally and
internationally. I completed an MA at CSUF in Printmaking and an MFA at
CSULA in Painting and Drawing. It was in the latter grad program when I
began this series of Succulent works. In these works I portray large-scale
expressionistic succulent plants; the pieces give a sense of a landscape.
About Peter Clothier
Born in England, PETER CLOTHIER has made his home in the United States
since the early 1960s. A widely published writer know chiefly for his
thirty years as an observer of the contemporary art world, his previous
books include two volumes of poetry, two novels, a memoir, and the
monograph, "David Hockney". After many years as a teacher and university
administrator, Clothier enjoys his current status as a freelance writer
and "recovering academic." Theb
ushdiaries.blogspot.com
"The Real Bush Diaries" is a delightfully irreverent romp through the
first year of George W. Bush's second term in office in the form of a
daily "conversation" with the incumbent. At once intimate and polemical,
the book cuts a wide swath through the political, social and cultural
issues of present-day America, and offers a very personal take on the
outrageous deceptions and mismanagements of the Bush administration. The
author, a widely published poet, novelist, art critic and essayist, is a
former academic, now happily twenty years in recovery. "The Real Bush
Diaries" is based on his daily blog, "The Bush Diaries." It’s a raw and
often riotous look into the second coming of Bush. You would shake your
fist if you could put this book down long enough. A must-read for all
concerned Americans.
About Jack Spiegelman
“Jack Spiegelman could write about standing in line at the DMV waiting
to apply for plates and turn it into a masterpiece.”--Alan Bloom, Chicago
Herald- Examiner
Jack Spiegelman was born in Buffalo NY. He attended the University of
Buffalo and also the University of California at Berkeley. He is a writer,
a teacher, a painter, a golfer. He once shot a 74 at Bridgewater Golf Club
in Fort Erie Canada, a tough course. Jack has written seven books and many
stories and articles for various magazines including Esquire, New York,
Los Angeles Time Magazine, and others. He has had shows of his paintings
and is represented by the Chloe Noble agency in Los Angeles. In 1998, his
story Reunion in Buffalo was voted one of the best magazine stories of the
year by Publishers Weekly. A collection of his writings and paintings can
be found on his web site, www.bflowriter.co
m.
For more information about activities at NELAArt.org, contact Amy
Inouye at 323 254- 4564.
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ER Eclectic
Home Tour Volunteers Needed |
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TERA's Home Tour Committee Needs a Few Good Volunteers ASAP!
Please consider volunteering to help with this year's Eclectic Eagle
Rock Home Tour on October 15. Our Home Tour Committee also needs a few
more volunteers. If you'd like to work with a talented, dedicated, and fun
group of Eagle Rockers and meet your neighbors during our signature
community event, please contact Pauline.Mauro@gmail.com, or call (323)
550-1130 for details.
Docents Guide Home Tour goers through Eagle Rock's architecturally
unique homes. Morning or afternoon shifts on October 15 available. One
docent training session required prior to the Home Tour.
Other Volunteer Opportunities: We need volunteers to help set up, take
down, sell tickets, survey tour goers. Teenagers to retirees welcome!
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Summer Concerts
in the Park |
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Mark your calendar with the dates for THE EAGLE ROCK CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE SUMMER CONCERTS IN THE PARK, Sundays at 6 p.m.:
August 13: Summer Swingfest with "Swing Inc." (see next article below)
August 20: Country & Western
August 27: "Jack Lantz Big Band"
The Park is located at 1100 Eagle Vista Drive. All concerts run from 6
to 8 p.m., and there are pre- show activities planned at most of them as
early as 5 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs, and a picnic dinner or
purchase food from vendors. Thanks, Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce!
------------------------------------------
ER Summer Swingfest Sunday, August 13
Don’t miss the summer’s biggest, best party in Eagle Rock Park, back by
popular demand, the Eagle Rock Summer SwingFest 2006. Swing to the hep
cats from the popular SWING, INC. band. Join the fun, music, dancing and
enjoy FREE ice cream on Sunday, August 13. There will be lots of freebies
and surprises in store so don’t miss it! Festivities start at 5 p.m. and
the band goes on at 6 p.m. Enter the ERNC 2006 Swing Dance Championship
Competition for trophies and prizes! The event is brought to you by the
Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council in cooperation with the Eagle Rock Chamber
of Commerce Summer Concerts in the Park.
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August 12
Women’s Twentieth Century Club Fundraiser |
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The Women's Twentieth Century Club's Designer Apparel Fundraiser will
be held this Saturday, August 12th from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. This event
promises to be lots of fun as well as a fantastic fundraiser for our club.
Don't forget to tell friends and family to be there on August 12th.
For additional information, contact Lois Shilts or Helga Thomsen.
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Two weeks left
to see Audrey Mandelbaum's photography |
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There are just two weeks left to see Audrey Mandelbaum's photography
exhibit at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock! "Who’s There: Avoca Street
Portraits," is up for two more weeks, through Saturday, Aug. 19th. Please
stop by if you haven't already.
The Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, is located at 2225 Colorado Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90041, and is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6
p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or by appointment. (On Saturday, Aug.
19th please come by before 1:30, as there is an event scheduled at 2:00
p.m.)
"Who’s There: Avoca Street Portraits" is a series of 15
documentary-style portraits of the artist's neighbors on Avoca Street, a
one-third-mile long residential street located between Linda Rosa and Oak
Grove Drive on the eastern edge of Eagle Rock. The exhibit gives viewers a
chance to glimpse inside the homes of a very diverse cross-section of
Eagle Rock residents, and see the faces and personal surroundings of the
everyday yet extraordinary lives of fellow Eagle Rockers.
For more info: Please call 323.226.1617 or visit www.cen
terartseaglerock.org .
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Upcoming
Activities at St. Barnabas, Eagle Rock |
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--Saturday, August 19, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. A Parish Yard Sale with some near
antiques, a lot of vintage items, and just a bit of junk!
--Saturday, August 26, 10 a.m.-noon, "A Celebration of Blessings"
w/Breakfast, Music and Prayer. The requested $10 donation for the
ecumenical event is designated for repairs to the parish organ. All are
welcome.
--Saturday, September 9, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. The 2nd Annual St. Barnabas'
Book, Music and Fine Art Sale to benefit the parish organ fund. The
albums/tapes will include seventies pop, classical, and movie scores.
For more information contact the church at 323/254-7569 or email us at
stbarnabaseaglerock@earthlink.net.
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LETTERS ABOUT
THE PROPOSED CHARTER SCHOOL RELOCATION |
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I am making no judgement as to whether or not a school should be
permitted at the Farley Bldg. I was involved with TERA during its
formation and am periodically in touch with some of TERA's members.
I have been involved with the Westwood community for 30 yrs. and am
president of Holmby- Westwood Property Owners Assoc. for 12 yrs.
Your community has only to look at the schools on the westside and
understand the many problems (and they never end) surrounding schools and
the residential community. Specific Plans, Design Review Boards, and
public hearings are ever present and provide very little protection.
Look at Brentwood School, Archer School, Curtis School, Stephen S. Wise
School, Harvard/Westlake, and Buchley School. Every school is or borders
on a residential community. Schools forever need to increase enrollment
and are always coming back for new CUP's [conditional use permits]. They
find ways to count enrollment so that they appear to meet the number but,
in fact, have more students than allowed. Once in, the council rep will
never oppose anything that benefits education.
I cautioned your community, move slowly and understand all that is
before you.
Sandy Brown
------------------
Concerning the Los Angeles International Charter High School: please
let me introduce a voice about the kernel of goodness.
This debate is quickly accelerating to facts blurring the truth. In the
past 7 days I have seen a good deal of words written about a new school
idea that members of our community are undertaking. The communal response
has been focused on of all things - "young thugs" and parking. Judging by
[a community activist's] email to action I thought the sky was falling.
Let's just begin at the beginning.
After a small web search I was able to find some small information
about the school (listed below). Is there a member of the school who can
expand on this?
We as intelligent and committed community members should help get to
the kernel of facts and benefits. I must say that “parking” and “kids on
the street” are not it. In a city with significant educational problem we
should be supportive of almost any effort to combat that. Making a charter
school (or any school parental support) is an effort in the right
direction.
Yes parking may be a problem and I am sure there is a solution. As to
the idea that young people at Mt. Royal and Colorado will take over the
neighborhood, this sentiment is ill informed. The activity at Pete's Blue
Chip & Tommy's is a already bustling. We won’t be waking up a sleepier
auto shop area of Colorado that exists a mile in either direction. Perhaps
taking over one of those sites would kill two birds with one stone.
In my random neighborhood travels the school’s current site does appear
to have weekly riots. Some interesting and concerned students were working
late at school on a recent Friday night around the farmer’s market. Now I
know what they were doing there!
None of us really know what the ramifications if this will be. We need
to start the dialogue both written and in meetings in the best way
possible. Let’s move beyond the NIMBY and toward WYCDYC ("what you can do
for your country”).
Here's the info from the web on the school: http://www.volunteermatch.org/orgs/org48691.
html
Los Angeles International Charter High School
Address: 6218 Beard St., 2109 Merton Ave. LA, CA 90041
Contact: Vaughn Bernardez
Interest Area: Community, Education & Literacy, Immigrants &
Refugees, International, Sports & Recreation
Mission Statement:
Provide educationally disadvantaged students with a high-quality,
meaningful curriculum in a safe environment that fosters academic growth
as well as develop critical thinkers and motivated, positive leaders. The
main focal point our school is international relations and community-based
learning.
Description:
Our school will open on September 6th, 2005 with 100 students and 5
teachers. The school site is located in northeast Los Angeles. We are
currently working with Julie-Chavez Rodriguez from the Cesar E. Chavez
Foundation to provide community-service learning opportunities for our
students.
John Martin
5353 La Roda Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 340-4064
foolslogic@yahoo.com
-------------------------
Although my opinion may not be worthy of print, I think putting a High
School on the commercial strip of Colorado Boulevard is just Nutty,
especially given the heavy traffic the Boulevard carries every day. Nutty.
Loren Mark
---------------------------------
Subject:TERA e.letter 08.04.06
Michael: thanx for the clear, succinct explanation. I agree with need
more facts. Please keep us and the community updated on this important
issue.
We, my wife Jeannine Jaramillo and I live at 5148 Argus, down the
street from the Renaissance School. The major issue there seems to be the
lack of a sufficient space to safely pick up and drop off students, an
issue that I suspect will be of even larger proportion at the proposed
school.
Please add my wife’s email address, above, to your email list and keep
those updates coming.
Al Jimenez
5148 Argus Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90041
-------------------
Subject: nice letter
Michael, I just wanted to let you know I was really proud of my TERA
lifemembership after reading your Pres. message last letter. Thanks for
doing what you can to keep the minds of many focused on the relevant
points, and on the need for facts and not rumors. And also for printing
such a great letter from Paul. V.
Rebecca
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Occidental
Children's Theater 11th Summer Season |
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The critically acclaimed Occidental Children’s Theater will present
“Dracula and the Beanstalk,” an original story, plus three adaptations of
traditional folktales at 10 a.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday
through Aug. 19 in the Remsen Bird Hillside Theater on the Occidental
College campus. Tickets are $9 for adults and $6 for children. Group rates
are available.
In about an hour, a cast of six recent Occidental alumni will perform
four energetic and funny stories without props, sets or special costumes,
relying only on their acting and acrobatic skills. The cast carries it off
with the unflagging charm that has made this reliable company one of the
Southland’s --and the summer’s-- most entertaining children’s theater
offerings, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The scripts and the action for the tales are company-created and the
result of weeks of improvisation and revision. The three traditional
stories are the troupe’s versions of existing folk tales from around the
world. The title story was developed by actors and Jamie Angell, the
theater’s founding artistic director.
The theater company works in the round, so the audience is right on top
of the action. The unconventional material and the absence of props or
costumes force both the actors and the audience to rely on their
imaginations. It’s remarkably different from most anything else you see in
children’s theater today.
For more information, please call (323) 259- 2771.
Occidental College is located at 1600 Campus Road in Eagle Rock. For a
campus map and directions to the college, visit http:/
/www.oxy.edu/MapsDirections.xml.
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MORE
LETTERS |
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Subject: Solar connections
Hello! We live in the Eagle Rock area and are looking into getting
solar panels on our house and want to talk to local folk about the
process. We were wondering if there are other TERA members or TERA
newsletter readers who have had panels installed who would be willing to
share their story and experience. Maybe there's even a local Eagle Rock
company that does the installation?
I appreciate it!
Brenda and Jim Hughes
Brenda@jim-hughes.net
------------------------
Members of the community-
I am a resident and business owner here in Eagle Rock. I am concerned
because many, many people ride their bicycles ON THE SIDEWALK along Eagle
Rock Blvd. My 4 year old was run over in front of my store by a teenager
on a BMX last Friday. He was riding very fast and would have hit anyone
walking out of the store at that moment. I took her to emergency and she
is fine, besides the bruises and swelling on her shoulders and back.
We have two BRAND NEW bike lanes along Eagle Rock Blvd. and don't
understand why this is still happening. Please be aware that not just
youngsters, but older folk, too are biking along our sidewalks too. Remind
your children, and any bike rider you may know, to bike on the bike lanes
that were made just for them. Sidewalks are for pedestrians!!
S Mastroianni
Cactus Gallery & Gifts
---------------------
Letter to the Editor:
We currently have a storefront for lease on Colorado Blvd., next to
Patriot Martial Arts. Since we began advertising, we have been besieged
with calls from anxious, potential lessees that are purveyors of state
approved medical marijuana. Part of their offer is a guarantee of maximum
security, on site, plus other incentives. Although it would be extremely
lucrative (offers of higher rent), we have declined to lease to them. Does
anyone out there have any idea why such businesses want to lease in our
area? Also, for the record, when we had an opportunity to re-lease Chic’s
Liquor, to another liquor store operator, we decided it would be best for
the area not to do so. Instead, we leased space to THE COFFEE TABLE, for
expansion and also to a new Vietnamese restaurant.
It seems Los Angeles would rather have the existing liquor store there,
because they made it so extremely difficult, and expensive, to change
occupancy, it has become a real test of fortitude to finish the projects.
Besides the overwhelming expense of permits, plan checks, etc. It is
extremely interesting to note a new survey shows Los Angeles does not even
appear on a list of business friendly cities in LA County.
I could have told them the same thing after years of owning and
attempting to develop buildings in LA, including the “Bell Block”.
Unfortunately, we do not qualify as having enough influence to get on the
“Case Management” fast track that has been in the news lately. It is also
sad but it appears that the medical marijuana operators have no problem
getting through all the necessary permitting process. So much for other
normal businesses.
Paul and Leno Sislin
Lifetime TERA members
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