Larchmont Chronicle

Hello! The April 2021 issue of the Larchmont Chronicle is hitting doorsteps this morning. If you aren't able to lay your hands on a copy, feel free to page through our virtual copy here: https://issuu.com/larchmontchronicle/docs/lc_04_2021

TELEVISION CITY at Fairfax and Melrose has just applied to the City Planning Dept. From the April 2021 Larchmont Chronicle. To read more about it, follow the link:... https://larchmontchronicle.com/television-city/

To read up on the Real Estate sales in our neighborhood, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/real-estate-sales-55/

Silver Jubilee for A Silver Lining: 25 years on Larchmont By Billy Taylor From p. 8 of the April 2021 Larchmont Chronicle:... A Silver Lining owner Gary Fuss is celebrating his shop’s 25th anniversary, which is often marked, fittingly, as the silver anniversary. When asked about the milestone, Fuss told the Chronicle that he feels humbled to still be open and doing business after such a terrible year. When Fuss reopened his Larchmont Boulevard doors last May, after closing for the pandemic, he says that he was uncertain what it would mean for his custom framing shop. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/silver-jubilee-for-a-silver/

Creative office building planned in Media District, on Melrose By Suzan Filipek From p. 3, Section 2, of the April 2021 Larchmont Chronicle:... A five-story creative office building targeted to media companies and designed with an open space, post-pandemic perspective, is planned at the northwest corner of Melrose Avenue and Seward Street. Floor-to-ceiling windows, an open stairwell and ample outside spaces are among features of the project by developer Bardas Investment Group. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/creative-office-building-pl/

Assessors seek clarity of inheritance and other Prop 19 impacts By Billy Taylor From p. 6, Section 2, of the April 2021 Larchmont Chronicle:... California’s 58 county assessors are seeking clarification on the implementation of a new property tax measure with the hope to delay a provision that makes it more costly for children to inherit some homes from their parents. Narrowly approved by voters last November, Proposition 19 partially took effect on Feb. 16, but according to Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang, many homeowners are not yet aware of its impact. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/assessors-seek-clarity-of-i/

Plan a post-COVID escape to Mexico for food and culture by Helene Seifer From p. 14, Section 2, of the April 2021 Larchmont Chronicle:Although the coronavirus is still in our midst, progress of the vaccination campaign inspires thoughts of future travel. In 2019, 32 million Americans visited our southern neighbor; why not look ahead and plan a trip to our sister city in Mexico to explore the cultural riches and pure deliciousness offered by Mexico City?... Here are highlights from my own experience eating and arting my way from one end of Mexico City to the other when my sister and I visited just prior to the lockdown. Prices are in U.S. dollars. As of this writing, the places mentioned have survived the pandemic, but check before you go. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/plan-a-post-covid-escape-to/

Museums open after yearlong shutdown; Exhilaration is on display at Petersen By Suzan Filipek and Steven Rosenthal After a year of lockdown due to the pandemic, all of the four major museums along Miracle Mile’s Museum Row have or will soon open, with safety protocols in place.... To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/museums-open-after-yearlong/

Academy Museum rolls out virtual carpet By Suzan Filipek From p. 1 of the April 2021 Larchmont Chronicle:... While the Academy Museum nears its in-person opening, coming this fall on September 30, a star-studded virtual presentation of the space took place last month. Museum director and president Bill Kramer was joined by a host of Oscar winners during the 45-minute pre-recorded video tour for the media. Almost a century in the making, when it finally opens it is set to be the world’s premiere museum of motion pictures, said Academy Museum trustee Laura Dern. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/academy-museum-rolls-out-vi/

Good morning! The January 2021 issue of the Larchmont Chronicle should be hitting doorsteps and newsstands this morning! In the meantime, you can safely peruse our virtual edition here: https://issuu.com/larchmontchronicle/docs/lc_01_2021

Children’s Institute virtual gala sparkles, raises $470,000 By Helene Seifer From p. 4 of the January 2021 Larchmont Chronicle:... Confined to computer screen Zoom rectangles, the Children’s Institute’s third annual Cape & Gown Gala on Dec. 12 none-the-less sparkled in this difficult fundraising season. Emcee Loni Love, a comedian, Emmy Award-winning television host and actress, dazzled in cranberry-hued sequins while entertaining with humor and enthusiasm, and President and CEO Martine Singer warmly welcomed us in a poinsettia-red dress by her flickering fireplace. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/childrens-institute-virtual/

Opening date moved to the fall for the Academy Museum By Suzan Filipek From p. 14, Section 2, of the January 2021 Larchmont Chronicle:... If you’re anticipating a visit to see the Bruce the Shark exhibit from the movie Jaws hanging over the escalators at the new Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd., you will have to wait a little while longer. The opening date has been pushed back to Sept. 30. Originally scheduled to open last month, the opening was then moved to April 2021, before its latest move to the fall. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/opening-date-moved-to-the-f/

Theater: Great theater is ephemeral you have to be there; look to Juno By Louis Fantasia From p. 21 of the January 2021 Larchmont Chronicle:... January, as Professor Know-It-All might have told us before he retired, is named after Janus, the Roman god of gates, doors, transitions and new beginnings. Representations of Janus show him looking simultaneously forward and backward, but, with only Google to rely on (or rather, DuckDuckGo) and not the inestimable Professor, it’s hard to know if the god is being majestically double-headed or duplicitously two-faced. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/great-theater-is-ephemeral-/

Poker is like life it takes skill, good decisions and a bit of gambling By George Epstein From p. 13, Section 2, of the January 2021 Larchmont Chronicle:... As we begin another year, I thought we should take a break from our lessons on how to win more at the poker table. Instead, let us contemplate how much alike are the games of poker and life. Do you know who said: Life is just like a game. First you have to learn rules of the game, And then play it better than anyone else. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/poker-is-like-life-it-takes/

Can't find a copy of the Larchmont Chronicle? Flip through our current virtual version here: https://issuu.com/larchmontchronicle/docs/lc_10_2020

A quick trip through Los Angeles history with Wayne Ratkovich, Part II By John Welborne From p. 3, Section 2, of the January 2021 Larchmont Chronicle:... Last month, the Larchmont Chronicle featured the first half of a talk that Windsor Square resident, and famous real estate developer, Wayne Ratkovich presented to the Auxiliary of the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in the spring of last year. Also last month, Wayne received another accolade, being honored on December 8 by the USC Architectural Guild as recipient of the Guild’s 2020 Distinguished Business Leadership Award. The award was presented at the organization’s 61st annual awards dinner a Zoom gathering, of course. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/a-quick-trip-through-los-an/

Hope you're having a good Monday! The November Larchmont Chronicle is hitting doorsteps this Thurs., Oct. 29, pack full information and news, from the local elections to our annual dining guide. If you don't get your copy, let us know!

Catch up on some of the real estate sales in the neighborhood:

Harold A. Henry Park in Windsor Village: Wood family property now a public park By Jane Gilman From p. 9, Section 2, of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... What today is known as Harold A. Henry Park was once a family compound consisting of five houses. Dr. Eldie Preston (E.P.) Wood came to Los Angeles in the early 1900s and decided to invest in property. He liked the area between Wilshire Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard (then still 10th Street). The odd-shaped parcel he purchased became the site of a large home called the Big House, plus two one-story duplexes, a one-story Spanish-style home and a log cabin. The parcel’s borders were Francis Avenue, Windsor Boulevard, Ninth Street and Borck Place (now Lucerne Blvd). The Big House featured Craftsman-style architecture, and its largest room was the library, said Kathie Gauld, granddaughter of E.P. Wood. Kathie lived with her parents in the house that faced Ninth Street. To read all about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/harold-a-henry-park-in-wind/

Former Council President running for Supervisorcall him ‘Herb’ By Suzan Filipek From p. 21 of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... Former City Council President Herb Wesson couldn’t agree more with his opponent, he says. What distinguishes them is style. And, he adds, experience. I’m an action, in-the-community, frontline kind of a person. And I think that’s what this community wants, needs and deserves Somebody that is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get the job done. Within days of learning of COVID-19, he turned his office into a community hub, delivering food and dispensing face coverings, hand sanitizers, diapers and pet food. And he partnered with senior residential facilities to provide coronavirus testing. When COVID hit, I didn’t retreat, I attacked. I’m a kind of inyour-face, don’t care about titles, call me Herb, he told us last month on Zoom. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/former-council-president-ru/

‘Tweener’ Sen. Mitchell is poised to do more as Supervisor By Suzan Filipek From p. 20 of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... State Sen. Holly Mitchell has worked to support the poor and underprivileged from before she was elected, when she ran what was then the largest children and family advocacy program in the state. When you look at my body of work as a legislator, when you look at my experience running Crystal Stairs, it really falls directly in the lane that the Board of Supervisors oversees. That’s why this makes sense as the next step, Mitchell told us last month on Zoom about her campaign to represent the Second District on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/tweener-sen-mitchell-is-poi/

Haunted holidays came early for Wilshire Park neighbors By Suzan Filipek From p. 1 of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... Halloween came early this year to Wilshire Park. In lieu of its annual Halloween Haunt, the neighborhood kicked off the season with an in-your-own-front-yard picnic and a scavenger hunt. And residents opened a ghoulish storefront, d’See’s, as in deceased, said Wilshire Park Association (WPA) board member Lorna Hennington. To read all about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/haunted-holidays-came-early/

Having kept his promises, David Ryu seeks reelection By Billy Taylor From p. 15 of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... Heralded as the anti-corruption candidate when he first won in 2015, David Ryu now is fighting to hold his seat in Council District 4. For most of 2020, Ryu has been leading his constituents through one of the most challenging years in memory all while debating with his opponent, who, between them, is the bigger reformer? I plan to get reelected, rather, I need to get reelected, because there’s still so much that needs to get done, Ryu told Chronicle staff over Zoom last month." To read all about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/having-kept-his-promises-da/

CD4 candidate Nithya Raman seeks to unseat incumbent By Billy Taylor From p. 14 of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... Political newcomer Nithya Raman took some by surprise on March 3 when she won 41 percent of the vote for the 4th Council District seat. Her 31,502 votes were just 2,796 fewer than received by incumbent David Ryu, who she will face in the runoff election on Tues., Nov. 3. The message at the core of our campaign the need for basic rights and protections for every resident of Los Angeles is more vital and urgent now than ever before, read a statement from Raman following the certification of primary election votes. To read all about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/cd4-candidate-nithya-raman-/

Rimpau resident moves his haunted, horror treasures for public exhibit By Rachel Olivier From p. 9 of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... Halloween has been (mostly) cancelled, and many theaters have gone dark for the most part, but Rich Correll’s Icons of Darkness, at The Montalbán Theatre, 1615 Vine St., should provide plenty of entertainment for lovers of both Hollywood film history and Halloween through the end of the year. Icons of Darkness is an interactive display that represents about 60 percent of a collection of horror, science fiction and fantasy masks, costumes, models and other memorabilia that Correll, Hancock Park, has been collecting for more than 60 years. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/rimpau-resident-moves-his-h/

LACMA unveils renderings of gallery interiors and floor plans for the new building’s two levels By John Welborne From p. 10, Section 2, of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... As the last remnants of the 1965 William Pereira-designed Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) disappear, passers-by can imagine the vast amount of open space that will be under and around the new LACMA structure. One can envision dining inside the two-story-high interior of the new Ray’s & Stark Bar or on the terrace outside (still to be in the general vicinity of the existing restaurant, across the plaza connecting to the existing Resnick Exhibition Pavilion and the Broad Contemporary Art Museum [BCAM]). To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/lacma-unveils-renderings-of/

The 14th annual Wilshire Rotary Pumpkin Patch will be opening up this Sat., Oct. 10 and be open through Fri., Oct. 30. Hours will be 2 to 6 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. https://www.facebook.com/larchmontpumpkinpatch/posts/1200044363710291

COVID’s latest casualty: Halloween 2020, but candy endures By Caroline Tracy From p. 27 of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... Halloween is one of this community’s, and all of greater Los Angeles’, most beloved holidays. Maybe it’s our residents’ penchant for set and costume design or our balmy late October nights? Either way, the celebrations usually begin well before Oct. 31. As with all aspects of life in the COVID-19 era, things are a bit different this year. In fact, a set of guidelines handed down by the Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health on Sept. 9 essentially banned the holiday (listing any social gatherings, parades and door-to-door trick-or-treating as not permitted). The next day, however, officials released revised guidelines, upgrading trick-or-treating from not permitted to not recommended. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/covids-latest-casualty-hall/

Grace Yoo seeks fairness, transparency, respect for the bottom line By Helene Seifer From p. 19 of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... Attorney and community leader Grace Yoo, a first generation American, has spent the better part of 20 years advocating for the needs of under-represented groups and individuals in our community. Although her private law practice focuses on estate planning, her legal career also includes representing abused and neglected children while at the Los Angeles County Children’s Law Center. She was executive director of the Korean American Coalition and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), where she expanded language access in the courtroom. A long-time advocate for senior citizens, environmentalism and collaboration, Yoo served as advisor to both the Los Angeles Aging Advocacy Coalition and the Sierra Club Zero Waste Committee, and she co-founded the Environmental Justice Collaborative and the Asian Jewish Initiative. Yoo also spent four years as vice president of City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation Commission and she previously worked in the California State Treasurer’s office. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/grace-yoo-seeks-fairness-tr/

District Attorney 2020: Lacey vs. Gascón By John Welborne From p. 13 of the October 2020 Larchmont Chronicle:... What is being called the most important contest in the country outside of the presidency is the race to be top prosecutor in Los Angeles County. Sparring for the seat are incumbent District Attorney Jackie Lacey, seeking a third term, and her challenger, former San Francisco District Attorney (from 2011 to 2019) George Gascón, who moved south to run for the Los Angeles County job. To read more about it, follow the link: https://larchmontchronicle.com/district-attorney-2020-lace/