Volume 21 No. 10 Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park...

Voters hardly went to thepolls in droves Tuesday,but an estimated 15 per-

cent of registered voters cast theirballots and elected seven incum-bent city councilmembers, includ-ing Councilmember TomLaBonge, 4th District, to a thirdterm. Voters also decided mea-sures ranging from a medical mar-ijuana tax, to money for libraries,and police pension reform.

In West Hollywood, incumbentcouncilmembers John Heilmanand Abbe Land won decisively, asdid newcomer John D’Amico,who received the second mostvotes behind Land. IncumbentLindsey Horvath was not re-elect-ed. The controversial billboardtax, Measure A, was also soundlydefeated.

Heilman’s office would notcomment on the election victory,as results were not official as ofWednesday.

In the 4th District race, whichsaw some fiery pre-election candi-date forums, LaBonge won with55 percent of the vote, followedby Tomas O’Grady, with nearly31 percent, and Stephen Box withalmost 14 percent.

“I’m very grateful to the voters

of the Fourth District for re-elect-ing me to the Los Angeles CityCouncil,” LaBonge said. “We had

a dedicated group of volunteerswho did a fantastic job talking to

The Hollywood UnitedMethodist Church has longbeen a staunch supporter of

marriage equality, and decided topublicly show their support on abanner affixed to a fence outside thechurch at Highland and FranklinAvenues.

On Jan. 31, members of the con-gregation were outraged whensomeone defaced the banner by cut-ting out the word “Equality” from a

phrase that read, “We Will AlwaysSupport Marriage Equality” on thebanner. Members of the congrega-tion put up a new banner on Feb. 6that read: “Dear Vandals: You CanCut the Word Equality Out of OurBanner, But You Can’t Cut theMessage Out Of Our Church. WeWill Always Support MarriageEquality.” On March 2, the bannerwas defaced again by someone whocut out the word “Equality”.

Police have launched an investi-

Mayor Antonio Villarai-gosa joined members ofthe Los Angeles Police

Department, and other city offi-cials last Friday to launch theTracking and Automated GraffitiRemoval System (TAGRS), acitywide graffiti tracking pro-gram that will use smartphonephotos of graffiti to gather evi-dence and apprehend vandals.

“TAGRS is an innovative, city-wide anti-graffiti program thatgets at the root of the problem—the criminals who tag,”Villaraigosa said. “Graffiti blightsneighborhoods, devalues proper-

ty and has no place in our com-munities. By using smartphonesto gather evidence, the LAPDwill be able to track graffiti andapprehend the criminals who van-dalize our city.”

TAGRS allows graffiti clean-ing crews to take photographs ofgraffiti tags with smartphones.Those photos will then beuploaded to an LAPD databaseand used to gather evidence forprosecution and restitution.

“This database will help ourlaw enforcement and city partnersteam-up to ID, arrest and prose-cute the worst taggers and tag-ging crews in the city,” saidCouncilmember José Huizar,14th District.

The program raises safetyissues as clean up crews may beput in harms way.

Robin Babbini was an honorroll student, an overachieverand prom queen. When she

was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovariancancer at the age of 17, she and herfamily were devastated. Shevaliantly fought the disease withaspirations of becoming a fashioneditor for four years but passedaway on June 29, 2006.

Her mother, Paulinda Babbini,has created the Ovarian CancerCircle Inspired by Robin Babbini, anon-profit group formed in herdaughter’s memory, that will behosting the first annual “Dance tothe Decades” fundraiser on Sunday,March 20 at the House of Blues’Foundation Room, featuring danc-ing to music from the late ‘50s tothe ‘80s.

Volume 21 No. 10 Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities March 10, 2011

INSIDE• Project beginson Burton Way.

pg. 3

• Reward offeredin murder. pg. 4

Partly cloudy,with tempsaround 75º

See Church Banner page 20

See Program page 21

BY EDWIN FOLVEN

BY JOSE MARTINEZ

BY JOSE MARTINEZ

BY JOSE MARTINEZ

See Fundraiser page 22

See Incumbents page 21

WWW.BEVERLYPRESS.COM

n Paulinda BabbiniOrganizes OvarianCancer Benefit

n Effort Raises Issues AboutSafety and Cost

photo couresy of Paulinda Babbini

Paulinda Babbiniʼs daughter Robin passed away in 2006 after a four-yearstruggle with ovarian cancer.

n Hollywood United Methodist Vows toContinue Support for LGBT Community

n Library InitiativeWins; WeHo BillboardMeasure Defeated

photo by Jose Martinez

Incumbent City Councilmember Tom LaBonge was reelected to repre-sent the 4th District. He was joined at an election night celebration byhis wife Brigid, and his children, Charles and Mary Catherine.

Most Local Incumbents Sail to Victory

A Mother’s Love Knows No Boundaries

Banner Defaced in Battlefor Marriage Equality

Smartphone Program Aims toCatch Taggers Red-Handed

photo courtesy of Kathy Cooper-Ladesma

An unknown suspect cut the word “Equality” out of the churchʼs bannerfor the second time in two months.

http://www.johnnyrocketsla.com/

10 TchaikovskyConcert

Actress Anika Noni Rose willplay the role of “Juliet” in the

L.A. Philharmonic’s all-Tchaikovskyprogram running Thursday andFriday, March 10 and 11 at 8 p.m.,and Saturday and Sunday, March 12and 13 at 2 p.m. The program fea-tures the composer’s three “Fantasy-Overtures” inspired by theShakespeare plays “Hamlet”, “TheTempest” and “Romeo andJuliet”. Preceding each performancewill be from the Bard’s works per-formed by actors Orlando Bloom,Malcolm McDowell and MatthewRhys. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 11S. Grand Ave. (323)850-2000,www.laphil.com.

12 Chamber Music

The Da Camera Society presents achamber music performance

titled “Elinor Remick Warren: APortrait” on Saturday, March 12 at 4p.m. in the Pompeian Room at theDoheny Mansion at Mt. St. Mary’sCollege. The performance will be intribute to Warren, one of the mostacclaimed composers of the 20thCentury, and will feature sopranoLori Stinson, tenor Robert MacNeiland pianist Mark Robson. Tickets are$75. 10 Chester Pl. (213)477-2929,www.dacamera.com.

Big Band Show

The Pat Longo Hollywood BigBand will perform on Saturday,

March 12 from 7 to 11 p.m. at theHollywood Palladium. The show willfeature Peter Marshall, theModernaires and vocalist NancyOsborne. Admission is $35. 6215 W.Sunset Blvd. www.patlongobig-band.com.

13 Eva Marie Saint

Academy Award winning actressEva Marie Saint and her hus-

band, producer/director JeffreyHayden, will perform “Love Letters”on Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m. at theWriters Guild Theatre in BeverlyHills. The performance is a benefitfor the Epilepsy Foundation ofGreater Los Angeles. The play is atouching portrayal of a bittersweetrelationship traced through lettersexchanged between a man andwoman over their lifetime. Ticketsare $40 to $125. 135 S. Doheny Dr.(310)670-2870, www.Brown-PaperTickets.com.

Cancer Discussion

The John Wayne Cancer Instituteis hosting a panel discussion on

the latest findings in cancer detectionand treatment on Sunday, March 13at 3 p.m. at the Skirball CulturalCenter. The discussion is hosted bythe John Wayne Cancer InstituteAuxiliary, and will cover advance-ments in early detection, cutting edgetreatments, and breakthroughs ingenetic research. 2701 N. SepulvedaBlvd. Admission is free, but RSVPrequired to Garrett Durand,(310)582-7436, or e-mail [email protected].

15 Lunch Discussion

Congregation Shaarei Tefila wel-comes all seniors to its weekly

luncheons, which feature specialguest speakers and friends everyTuesday at noon at Kanner Hall.On Tuesday, March 15, the featured

speaker will be Naomi Vanek, whowill speak on “The Trial of QueenEsther Meets ‘The Trial’ of FranzKafka”. Admission is $5. 7269Beverly Blvd. (323)938-7147.

16 Alzheimer’sBenefit

The Alzheimer’s Association’s 19thannual “A Night at Sardi’s” bene-

fit will be held on Wednesday, March16 at the Beverly Hilton. The eventwill honor Robert A. Iger, presidentand CEO of the Walt DisneyCompany, for his contributions in thefight against Alzheimer’s disease. Thegala and performance will also featurestars from television, film and theaterperforming songs from Cole Porter’ssongbook. A reception begins at 6:30p.m., and dinner begins at 7 p.m.(818)906-0240, www.alz.org/galas/la.

‘Death of aSalesman’

Actor Stacy Keach and actressJane Kaczmarek will star in a

staging of Arthur Miller’s PulitzerPrize winning tragedy, “Death of aSalesman” running from Wednesday,March 16 through 20 at the SkirballCultural Center. All performanceswill be recorded to air on L.A. TheatreWorks’ syndicated radio theater series,which broadcasts weekly on KPCC.Tickets are $20 to $49. 2701 N.Sepulveda Blvd. (310)827-0889,www.latw.org.

Soul & Jazz

Jadar Entertainment is holding thefirst installment of the “Soul & Jazz

in the Heart of L.A.” series onWednesday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. atthe Elevate Penthouse Lounge onWilshire Boulevard. The performancewill feature saxophonist Mark AllenFelton and harpist Mariea Antionette.811 Wilshire Blvd. Admission is $20.www.jadarentertainment.com.

Book Discussion

Author and medium Paul Selig willparticipate in a book signing and

discussion on Wednesday, March 16 at7:30 p.m. at the Bodhi Tree in WestHollywood. Selig, a playwright andeducator who serves on the faculty ofNYU and directs the MFA in CreativeWriting Program at Goddard College,

will discuss his book, “I Am theWord”. 8585 Melrose Ave. (310)659-1733, www.paulselg.com.

17 Indie Music

The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel& Spa is holding “Indie

Thursdays” in the Lobby Bar featuringindependent talents from all genres ofmusic. The group, Petree, will performon Thursday, March 17 at 7:30 and9:30 p.m. Fronted by lead vocalistStephen Petree, the band’s music hasbeen featured on several televisionshows. Additional performancesinclude Matt Palmer on March 24, andElaine Eye on March 31. 1755 N.Highland Ave. (323)856-1200,www.renaissance-hollywood.com.

Chamber Gala

The Greater Los Angeles AfricanAmerican Chamber of Commerce

(GLAAACC) will hold its 18th annualEconomic Awards Dinner onThursday, March 17 at 5:30pm at theSheraton Los Angeles DowntownHotel. The Keynote Speaker will beMarie C. Johns, deputy administratorfor the U.S. Small BusinessAdministration. Honorees includeAssembly Speaker John A. Pérez, andCity Councilmember Jan Perry. 711 S.Hope St. (323)292-1297,www.glaaacc.org.

Upcoming

Cathedral Chapel School (CCS) isinviting golfers of all skill levels to

participate in its 7th annual GolfTournament and 5th annual Hall ofFame Dinner on Wednesday, March 30at the Brookside Golf Club inPasadena. The event begins with golf atnoon; a social hour at 5:30 p.m., and thedinner at 6:30 p.m. All proceeds will beused for the Art and Science BuildingFund. A foursome is $600; while indi-vidual players are $150. Dinner only is$50, $25 for children 14 and under.RSVP is requested before March 21.(323)938-9976, (562)243-5491, or e-mail to [email protected].

2 March 10, 2011 Park Labrea News/Beverly Press

C a l e n d a r

photo courtesy of the Geffen Playhouse

International music legend Sergio Mendes brings his samba sound tothe Geffen Playhouse running Thursday, March 10 through 13. Mendes,who will appear with his 10-piece band, will perform his signature mix ofbossa nova and samba music, along with percussion accents and a dis-tinctive pop instrumentation that defines Brazilian music. The perfor-mances are at 8 p.m. on March 10 through 12; 7 p.m. on March 13.Tickets range from $42 to $102. 10886 Le Conte Ave. (310)208-5454,www.geffenplayhouse.com.

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In an attempt to create a middleschool in West Hollywood, the

Laurel School will hold anothercommunity meeting at PlummerPark on Saturday from 10 a.m. tonoon to inform parents about theaddition of 7th and 8th grade class-es at the school.

“Over the past year, we have

been hard at work supporting theincredible efforts of LAUSD tobring a public middle school to theWest Hollywood community,”Councilmember Abbe Land said.“We are truly grateful for the com-mitment of school board memberSteve Zimmer and look forward towelcoming all interested families tocome and hear more about theopportunities at Laurel School andhow we can work together as acommunity to make this the bestmiddle school option it can be.”

The school offered classes

Park Labrea News/Beverly Press 3 March 10, 2011

Developer Rick Caruso hasembarked on another high-end

residential and retail project at8500 Burton Way, and hopes tospur an economic upturn in thearea.

The project includes 88 luxuryapartments to be built overground–floor retail space, whichwill include a Trader Joe’s market.The project will replace a used cardealership at the corner of SanVicente Boulevard and BurtonWay, and contrary to a report in theLos Angeles Times that a ground-breaking was held on Tuesday,work had been underway at the sitesince last month, according to rep-resentatives of Caruso Affiliated.The project was approved approxi-mately two years ago under former5th District City CouncilmemberJack Weiss, and is supported bycurrent 5th District CouncilmemberPaul Koretz. Other nearby organi-zations that also support the devel-opment include the Burton WayHomeowners Association and theMid-City West CommunityCouncil (MCWCC).

“It seems like the project has thesupport of many community orga-nizations and people seem excitedabout having a Trader Joe’s cominginto the neighborhood,” Koretzsaid. “I didn’t have a role in theapproval of the project, but it gen-

erally seems like a good project andseems pretty non-controversial. Ilive in the neighborhood and willenjoy shopping at the Trader Joe’s.”

The $60 million, eight-story pro-ject is expected to be completed byearly fall 2012. The residentialunits will feature numerous ameni-ties and 24-hour concierge service,and residents will have VIP accessto events held at The Grove.

“Residences at 8500 Burton Waywill offer stunning views, will beequipped with all the latest tech-nologies, and provide premier ser-vice which is a hallmark of Caruso,creating an appealing lifestyleoption,” said Paul Kurzawa, COOof Caruso Affiliated. “It is also grat-

ifying that our project is creatingjobs when so many people are outof work and providing a muchneeded boost to the local economythrough the creation of new tax rev-enues.”

Harald Hahn, the president of theBurton way HomeownersAssociation, said members of hisorganization are looking forward tothe project’s completion.

“We don’t have a market any-where near in our neighborhoodsince the Ralphs closed down at theBeverly Connection, and that willbe a benefit to our community,”Hahn said. “I see no objection to aresidential project there. It certainly

New Caruso Project Begins on Burton Way

photo courtesy of Caruso Affiliated Holdings

A rendering shows how the new housing and retail project on BurtonWay will look when completed.

photo by Rafael Guerrero

The elementary students at Laurel School will soon be joined by middleschool students in the 7th and 8th grades.

Laurel School Hosts Meeting onNew 7th and 8th Grade Classes

n Development WillInclude Housing and aTrader Joeʼs

n Offering Middle GradesWill Help With Transitionto High School

BY EDWIN FOLVEN

See Laurel School page 22 See Project page 20

BY RAFAEL GUERRERO

www.metro.net

Aphysical education teacher atHelen Bernstein High School

in Hollywood was arrested March 1after allegedly assaulting a studentoutside the boys’ locker room.

Jorge Chavez, 33, was bookedfor corporal injury on a child andcould be charged with felonyassault pending the outcome of aninvestigation.

“There are still a lot of witnessesto be interviewed and two sides tobe heard,” said Officer Bruce

Borihanh, a spokesperson for theLos Angeles Police Department.

The incident occurred Feb. 28around 10 a.m. Chavez allegedlypunched and slammed the male stu-dent, but Chavez reportedly deniedthe charges and said the studenttried to force his way into the lock-er room and began swinging andcursing at Chavez when he wasdenied entry.

Chavez had been working atBernstein High for just six dayswhen the incident occurred. He pre-viously worked as a teacher atNimitz Middle School for fouryears and held a temporary teach-ing position at another school fromOctober 2010 until February.


The Los Angeles City Council onWednesday renewed a $50,000

reward for information leading toan arrest in the murder of a 39-year-old victim who was killed whileworking in a Hollywood medicalmarijuana dispensary last June.

The money will be coupled witha $5,000 reward from the County ofLos Angeles, and officials hope itwill generate some new leads in thecase. The victim, Ila Ali Packman,was found stabbed to death on June24 inside the Hollywood Holistic IIdispensary at 1607 N. El CentroAve., just south of HollywoodBoulevard.

“We are thinking robbery was themotive and they killed him forsome reason,” said Det. LisaSanchez, with the Los AngelesPolice Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division. “Marijuanawas taken and they took the sur-veillance equipment.”

Officials believe marijuana val-ued at approximately $3,000 wasstolen, and Sanchez added that it isnot known whether the murder wascommitted by an individual or mul-tiple suspects. She said Packman

was working alone at the dispen-sary, which is one of the outlets thatis seeking a permanent businesspermit under the city’s medicalmarijuana ordinance. Packman was

photo by Edwin Folven

Ila Ali Packman was last seen alive smoking a cigarette outside theHollywood Holistic II medical marijuana dispensary.


Students at Helen Bernstein High School in Hollywood participate in P.E.on the schoolʼs expansive sports fields. The alleged incident occurredoutside the boyʼs locker room,

Bernstein High School TeacherAccused of Assaulting Student

n City Council ExtendsMedical Pot Ordinance

n Instructor Has BeenRe-Assigned PendingInvestigation

BY EDWIN FOLVEN

BY RAFAEL GUERRERO

Officials Reinstate Reward in Dispensary Murder

See Reward page 21

See Teacher page 20

The City of Beverly Hills, the Beverly Hills Library, and the StartToday And Read (STAR) Literacy Program hosted the 17th

annual volunteer tutor recognition luncheon at Lawry’s the Prime RibRestaurant on March 3. The Beverly Hills Library literacy programcurrently has 98 adults in its program looking to improve their read-ing skills and has 61 tutors who volunteered a total of 2,100 hours lastyear helping students earn their U.S. citizenship, obtain a driverslicense and/or G.E.D. The luncheon also acknowledged LiteracyCoordinator Delores Allmond, who is retiring after 17 years of ser-vice, as well as award-winning television producer, director and pop-ular mystery author Stephen J. Cannell, who passed away onSeptember 30, 2010. Cannell suffered from dyslexia and was anenthusiastic supporter of the literacy program, and spoke at the 15thannual volunteer luncheon.

Journalist Honored for HelpingOthers to Improve Reading Skills

photo cøurtesy of the Star Literacy Program

Representatives from State Senator Fran Pavley and AssemblymanMike Feuer present volunteer and Beverly Press staff writer JoseMartinez with awards for five years of service.

www.belmontvillage.com

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Chuck Berrington has coachedvarsity baseball in Southern

California for 13 years and hasmade the playoffs in all but one ofthose seasons. He has coached atWestlake High School, Taft HighSchool in Woodland Hills and atProvidence High School inBurbank. In his time coaching, hehas acquired one skill that hasproven to be a key to his success.

“I’m the fixer of programs,”Berrington said. “I am good atstarting over a program fromscratch.”

That skill will serve him well ashe enters his first season as thehead coach of the Fairfax HighSchool baseball team. The FairfaxLions finished last season with an18-12 overall record and 6-6 in theWestern League, good enough for athird place finish behind PalisadesHigh School and Westchester HighSchool respectively. They won twogames in the CIF City-Sectionplayoffs before getting bounced 2-1 by Venice High School.

This season, the team has a com-pletely new look after losing nineplayers to graduation, full ofjuniors and freshmen, with a fewseniors and sophomores sprinkledin for flavor.

“Our freshmen have to pick upthe varsity game a lot faster thanthey probably should,” Berringtonsaid. “It’s a big step to face varsitypitching. There are only two guyson the team who got playing timeconsistently last year.”

Despite the inexperience of theteam, Berrington will not be goinginto games without any weapons.Junior starting pitcher StevenGiannelli, returns to the team aftera solid 2010 season where he fin-ished with a 5-1 record and a 1.24ERA in 34 innings. He was namedto the CIF All-City Section teamand Berrington expects a lot of bigthings from his ace pitcher.

“I knew he was the horse and themost talented player on the teamwhen I first arrived,” Berringtonsaid. “I see a lot of upside in him.”

Berrington added that Giannellistill needs to learn a few things likehow to take better care of his bodyand his arm, but he expects him tomove on and eventually pitch at thecollege level.

Berrington said he expects theLions to win most of the gamesGiannelli starts. With him startingone game per week, that leaves onegame where his young hitters canstep up and carry the team. JuniorsCameron Nesbitt, Anthony


Lions Get Ready to Swing for the Fences


The Fairfax High baseball team is preparing for a challenging season.See Baseball page 22

n Fairfax High TeamHas Many PromisingYoung PlayersBY RAFAEL GUERRERO

Motion Callsfor FasterRepairs toWilshire Blvd.Los Angeles City Councilmem-

ber Tom LaBonge, 4th District,introduced a motion at theMetropolitan TransportationAuthority Board meeting on Feb. 24to have Wilshire Boulevard repavedas soon as possible.

Wilshire Boulevard is the heavi-est-traveled Metro bus corridor inLos Angeles County, and providesvital service to the residents, work-ers and tourists, according toLaBonge. Unfortunately, the heavyload takes a significant toll on thestreet, and results in more wear andtear on Metro buses and privatevehicles.

The City of Los AngelesDepartment of Public Works hasbeen working to maintain the thor-oughfare by filling potholes, and amore substantial resurfacing andreconstruction of WilshireBoulevard is planned by the cityand Metro as part of the WilshireBus Rapid Transit Curbside BusLane Project, which will likely startlater this year.

LaBonge’ motion, which wasseconded by mayor and fellowMetro board member AntonioVillaraigosa, directs Metro to workwith the City of Los AngelesDepartment of Public Works toidentify immediate strategies toeradicate damage and unsafe roadconditions on Wilshire Boulevard.Further, the motion calls for theMetro Board to direct the CEO todevelop a long-term strategy forensuring that Wilshire Boulevardand other heavily traveled MTA busroutes are maintained in a first-classcondition.

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Park Labrea News/Beverly Press16 March 10, 2011

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Couples Photographs Displayedat Belmont Village of Westwood

Belmont Village of Westwoodrecently held a reception for

an exhibit featuring the work ofnoted photographer ThomasSanders. The show is a collec-tion of couple portraits that payshomage to love and commitmentas seen through the eyes of 16couples.

One of the photos featuredRobert and Ruth Blank (above),who have been married for 63years. According to the Blanks,their marriage has been a truepartnership from the beginning.They met when they wereyoung, fled the Holocaust andreunited again after World WarII.

“We came from Europe

together, we learned Englishtogether, and we are together for-ever,” Robert Blank said. Another couple included in theexhibit are Harold and LilFischer, who have been marriedfor 73 years.

“I think that she’s very tolerantand I love her very much,” HalFischer said.

“I know all of his ‘mishigas’and it makes it easy to get along,and I want to get along!” LilFischer added.

Belmont Village of Westwoodis located at 10475 WilshireBlvd. For information, call(310)475-7501, or visitwww.belmontvillage.com.

photo courtesy of Julie M. Walke/Belmont Village

More than 800 kindergartenand 1st grade students who

are part of the Youth OrchestraLos Angeles (YOLA) programwill perform in two concerts atthe Cathedral of Our Lady ofAngels on Saturday, March 12 atnoon and 6 p.m.

YOLA is a partnership of theLos Angeles PhilharmonicAssociation, the HarmonyProject, and the EXPO Center, aCity of Los Angeles Departmentof Recreation and Parks facility.The students will come togetherwith their local YOLA orchestras— which are based in South L.A.and in the Rampart District — toperform two free concerts that area culmination of the YOLANeighborhood Project, a projectinspired by the HarlemChildren’s Zone that is designedto build healthy communitiesthrough education and concertprograms.

The concert, which is speciallyarranged for the YOLA orchestra

with a choir of over 400 neigh-borhood students, will be led byconductor and Dudamel Fellow,Manuel López.

“The YOLA NeighborhoodProject represents an evolution ofthe L.A. Phil’s pre-existing edu-cation and community pro-grams…leveraging the strengthsof each to create zones of musicalactivity in specific neighborhoodsand provide multiple entry pointsinto the world of music and thework of the L.A. Phil,” saidDeborah Borda, president andCEO of the Los AngelesPhilharmonic Association. “Ourgoal is to saturate the two neigh-borhoods in which YOLA is cur-rently situated, South LA and theRampart District, with high-qual-ity music and music-makingopportunities for youth, families,and the community at large.”

The Cathedral of Our Lady ofthe Angels is located at 555 W.Temple St. For information, visitwww.LAPhil.com.

Youth Orchestra to Perform inCommunity Concerts

The Youth Policy Institute(YPI) is organizing 150 vol-

unteers for “PromiseNeighborhood Day” inHollywood on Saturday, March12.

Community volunteers willsurvey residents to gather feed-back on needed improvementsto help children succeed acade-mically. Information gatheredwill assist the planning processfor the Los Angeles PromiseNeighborhood, and will be usedto develop an implementationapplication to be submitted tothe federal government. Thedoor-to-door survey will be fol-lowed by a resource fair held at12:30 p.m. at Le Conte MiddleSchool, 1316 N. Bronson Ave.

The Los Angeles PromiseNeighborhood program,received a planning grant fromthe U.S. Department ofEducation last September.

Promise Neighborhoods isPresident Barack Obama’s sig-nature education and povertyinitiative to create a “cradle-to-career” network of support ser-vices designed to transformentire communities. Educationand training resources for fami-lies include early childhoodeducation, and college prepara-tion services

For information, visitwww.ypiusa.org.

In an attempt to save budgetfunds, Mayor Antonio

Villaraigosa called on the Board ofFire and Police PensionCommissioners (LAFPP) lastWedneday to curb pension costsand reject a proposed increase toretiree healthcare subsidies forsworn personnel.

“To increase benefits for retireesat the same time that we are layingoff and furloughing currentemployees is simply irresponsible,”Villaraigosa said. “The city cannotafford the benefits it currently pro-vides and it certainly cannot affordto increase them. I urge the LAFPPboard to do the right thing andreject this proposal.”

The city has a projected budgetshortfall of $350 million for fiscalyear 2011-2012 and increased pen-sion costs account for $170 million.The proposal before the LAFPPwould increase the retiree healthsubsidy by seven percent, costingthe city $4.8 million annually or$1097.41 per employee per month.

“Our pension system is unsus-tainable,” Villaraigosa said. “Wehave to reduce our pension liabilityand reform our system as a whole.Freezing the retiree health subsidyfor sworn personnel is a start, butwe also must reform our civilianpension plan, starting with raisingthe retirement age to sixty five.”The mayor’s plan requires newhires to pay 11 percent of theirsalary into the pension fund; andreduces the maximum pension ben-efit for new hires from 100 percentto 75 percent of their salary.

Mayor Calls toCurb RisingPension Costs

Youth PolicyInstitute HoldsSurvey

The U.S. Small BusinessAdministration (SBA)

announced March 1 they would beissuing a $1.6 million grant to itsLos Angeles Regional SmallBusiness Development CenterNetwork. The grant is intended tohelp spur job creation and businessexpansion.

The grant was provided under akey provision in the Small BusinessJobs Act of 2010 that allocated $50million in grants to the SBA’s SmallBusiness Development Centers(SBDC) across the country.

The grant will allow the LosAngeles Regional SBDC to expandservices to underserved geographicareas and ethnic populations includ-ing Latino and Asian communities,hire additional business adviserswho specialize in internationaltrade and export assistance to helpexpand existing international tradein new export markets, and to scaleup existing youth entrepreneurshipprograms, particularly in areas witha high concentration of Latinoyouth and small business ownershiplike East Los Angeles.

“This is yet another example ofthe Small Business Jobs Act puttingproven tools in the hands ofAmerica’s entrepreneurs and smallbusinesses,” SBA RegionalAdministrator Elizabeth Echolssaid. “SBA’s network of 900 SmallBusiness Development Centerscontinues to play a critical role inhelping them grow businesses andcreate jobs.

SBA Issues$1.6M Grant

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‘Sample Saturday’ atCapitol Drugs March 26

Capitol Drugs/PowerZone willhost their “Sample Saturday”

on March 26 from noon to 4 p.m. The event is being combined

with the West Hollywood Chamberof Commerce Health Fair. Morethan 100 sports, nutrition, home-opathy, medical practitioners andvendors will provide informationand samples.

Thousands of products will bepriced at 20 percent off. The eventwill also include free spinal exams,neck and shoulder massages,acupuncture consultations, spraytans and more.

In addition, nurses from Cedar-Sinai Medical Center will performfree health screenings on a firstcome first serve basis. The eventwill also include professionalbodybuilders, a special appearanceby Michael Mooney, journalist anddirector of education forSupernutrition, and free Bio-Pureprotein shakes from Country Life.

Capitol Drugs/PowerZone islocated at 8578 Santa Monica

Blvd. One hour validated parkingis available in the 24 Hour Fitnessparking garage. For information,call (310)289-1125, or visitwww.capitoldrugs.com.

Autry Corrals TheoWestenberger CollectionThe Autry National Center has

received the gift of a com-prehensive collection of morethan 9,500 photographs — alongwith thousands of negatives,transparencies, contact sheetsand studio material — from theestate of photographer TheoWestenberger (1950–2008) andwill create an archive to honorand build on the legacy of thefemale artist.

Photographs from the archivewill be on display at the Autry inboth solo exhibitions and as partof larger group and thematicshows. The first program will bethe “Theo Westenberger Lecturein the Arts,” a public programthat showcases exceptional fem-inist artists or research, whichwill take place at the Autry onSaturday, April 30. The lectureshowcases the 2011 recipient ofthe “Theo Westenberger Grant”for Women of Excellence, whichrecognizes excellence and inno-vation in art.

A second program to be pre-sented this coming summer willbe the Theo Westenberger Awardfor Artistic Excellence, an invita-tional competition to honor theachievements of outstandingwomen artists in the fields ofphotography, film and newmedia, and to promote work thattransforms how people see theAmerican West.

“This is a landmark gift for theAutry, and I want to thank TheoWestenberger’s estate for mak-ing it possible,” said Daniel

Finley, president and CEO of theAutry National Center. “Wecouldn’t be more excited to bethe new home for the TheoWestenberger collection, fromher widely recognized celebrityportraits to the lesser-knownmixed-media works she createdduring her early years inSouthern California. We aredelighted that this incrediblearchive will join our permanentcollection, enhancing the Autry’scommitment to promoting adeeper understanding of theexperiences of the women of theWest—past, present, and future.”

The Autry National Center islocated at 4700 Western HeritageWay in Griffith Park. For infor-mation, call (323)667-2000, orvisit www.theAutry.org.

photo courtesy of The Autry Center

This unnamed cowboy is one ofhundreds of photographs in thenew Theo WesternbergerCollection now on display.

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American Legion HonorsPublic Safety Personnel

Hollywood American Legion Post43 held its annual “Law andOrder Night” on March 7, wheremembers of the Los AngelesPolice Department, L.A. City FireDepartment and the Los AngelesCounty SheriffʼsDepartment were honored fordemonstrating an exemplarycommitment to public safety. The honorees included Dep. DonSteck (left), of the WestHollywood Sheriffʼs Station;Melanie Allen, widow of L.A. Cityfirefighter Glenn L. Allen, whowas killed as a result of a ceilingcollapse at a house fire in theHollywood Hills on Feb. 16;American Legion Post 43 FirstVice Commander Ted Ott; and Lt.Robert Binder, of the LAPDʼsHollywood Division. Steck andBinder were presented theAmerican Legion Medals ofMerit, and Allen received theAmerican Legion Medal ofHeroism on behalf of her latehusband.

photo courtesy of Don Schilling

Local TeacherReceivesAwardMichael Sabin, a teacher at

Virgil Middle School in theLos Angeles Unified School District(LAUSD), was presented with the2011 Outstanding Middle LevelSocial Studies Teacher of the Yearby the California Council for theSocial Studies on March 5 inSacramento.

“There are so many fine educa-tors out there that I am quite hum-bled to receive this award,” Sabinsaid.

Sabin has been an educator withthe LAUSD for 20 years. The awardhonors a teacher who demonstratesinnovative and effective instruction.

Sabin has served as a literacycoach, librarian and history andsocial studies expert over the courseof his career. He was also featuredin the LAUSD instructional videoseries, “Best Practices in thehistroy/Social Science Classroom”

The Boys & Girls Clubs ofAmerica — Los Angeles

County Alliance will honor 28 localBoys & Girls Clubs “Youth of theYear” winners on March 15 at theMuseum of Tolerance in LosAngeles. Two awardees will beselected to serve as co-L.A. County“Youths of the Year”, and will beeligible to enter the State ofCalifornia competition, and eventu-ally the regional and national com-petitions.

The “Youth of the Year” programis designed to recognize outstand-ing teens’ service to the Boys &Girls Club and community, acade-mic performance, and contributionsto family. One youth is selected torepresent his or her local Boys &Girls Club, and join their counter-parts from across the country toenter the national “Youth of theYear” scholarship program.

ʻYouth of TheYear ̓AwardsTo Be HeldMarch 15

There are currently 28 Boys & GirlsClubs organizations in Los AngelesCounty serving more than 100,000youth annually. The names of theaward winners will be announced atthe Museum of Tolerance, and eachwinner then begins a one-year termas the teen spokesperson for alltheir respective Boys & Girls Club.“These young people who earnreconition as ‘Youth of the Year’ areliving proof that Boys & GirlsClubs are effective,” said DavidWalker, executive director the Boys

& Girls Clubs of America — LosAngeles County Alliance.

For information, visitwww.bgca.org.

“These young peo-ple who earn areliving proof that

Boys & Girls Clubsare effective.”

--David Walker

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The NFL Blue RibbonCommission held its third of

four meetings on Tuesday to dis-cuss the environmental and trafficimpacts of the proposed DowntownEvents Center and Farmers FieldStadium.

“It is our responsibility to ensurethe financial interests of the Cityare protected and that the event cen-ter does not cost taxpayers a dime,”said commission co-chair and SonyPictures CEO Michael Lynton.

The Environmental ImpactReview and Traffic Subcommitteemet Tuesday, where representativesfrom Anschutz EntertainmentGroup (AEG) outlined their workwith the Los Angeles CountyMetropolitan Transit Authority

(MTA) and the City of Los AngelesDepartment of Transportation(LADOT) to mitigate trafficimpacts and ensure public transitoptions are enhanced and expand-ed.

“A Downtown Event Center willgive Los Angeles area residents thechance to see how easy it is to getdowntown by public transit,” saidHilary Norton, executive directorof Fixing Angelenos Stuck inTraffic (FAST). “FAST believesthat this stadium will convertSunday transit riders into Mondaythrough Friday transit riders.”

The Fiscal Impact Subcommitteeheld the commission’s first meetingon March 4 in the San FernandoValley to discuss the fiscal impact

of the proposed stadium and repre-sentatives from AEG issued a pre-sentation on the stadium and atten-dees were given the opportunity toask questions and provide input.

“A Downtown Event Centerwould strengthen the economy ofthe San Fernando Valley and all ofLos Angeles,” said Harvey Berg,vice-chair for the Valley EconomicAlliance. “The transparency of thecommission and sub-committeegives me confidence, and demon-strates that the interest of allAngelenos will be first and fore-most.”

The Fiscal Impact Subcomittee ischaired by First Deputy MayorAustin Beutner, and other membersinclude Mark Attanasio, co-founderof Crescent Capital Group, andBert Boeckmann, president andowner of Galpin Motors.

The Job Creation subcommitteemet Monday in South Los Angelesand discussed local job creation andecomomic development.

Park Labrea News/Beverly Press18 March 10, 2011

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DODGER NEWSAll Aboard the Dodger Blue Express

The Los Angeles Dodgers haveannounced a new Spanish-

language radio partnership withUnivision Radio Group effectivefor the 2011 and 2012 seasons.Univision Radio Group’s KTNQ1020AM will broadcast all 162regular season games in additionto eight Spring Training gamesand all potential postseasongames.

The Dodgers’ award-winningSpanish-language radio broadcastteam will be led by Hall of FamerJaime Jarrín with Pepe Yñiguezand legendary Dodger pitcherFernando Valenzuela. “We arethrilled to see a partnershipbetween two of the greatest andmost established brands within theSpanish-speaking community in

Los Angeles – Univision and theDodgers,” Jarrín said. “This is agreat time in our broadcast’s longhistory and we look forward toexpanding our fan base with ournew partner Univision, a leader inSpanish programming.”

Jarrín has spent more than half acentury as “The Spanish voice ofthe Dodgers” and will enter his53rd season in the Dodgers’Spanish-language radio booth in2011. Jarrín was inducted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fameon July 26, 1998 as the recipientof the Ford C. Frick Award,becoming only the secondSpanish-language announcer to beinducted into the Hall of Fame.

For information, visitwww.dodgers.com

Dodgers Will Broadcast AllGames in Spanish This SeasonThe Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation

Authority (Metro) will offer bus service fromUnion Station to Dodger Stadium beginning March28 with the Dodgers pre-game series. The service willbe provided throughout the regular 2011 baseball sea-son under a $450,000 grant approved by the MobileSource Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee(MSRC).

“Following last year’s successful launch, Metro ispleased to offer fans the Dodger Stadium Express busservice, which provides a direct link to DodgerStadium from a vast network of trains and buses com-ing into Union Station,” said L.A. County Supervisorand Metro Board Chairman, Don Knabe. “Weencourage fans to take advantage of public trans-portation throughout the season to save time andmoney.”

Round trip tickets on Metrolink trains connected

with the Dodger home games will cost between $8and $10.

Service on the Dodger Stadium Express will start90 minutes prior to the beginning of the game, andwill end 45 minutes after the end of the game. TheDodger Stadium Express will pick up fans at thePatsaouras Bus Plaza, adjacent to the east portal ofUnion Station.

Passengers will be dropped off and picked up in theDodgers parking lot behind Left/Center field. Servicewill be provided every 10 minutes prior to the start ofthe game, and will run approximately every 30 min-utes throughout the game.

Dodger Stadium admission tickets will be honoredas fare payment, and people without a ticket will paythe regular one way fare of $1.50.

For information, call (323)GO-METRO, or visitwww.metro.net.

Stadium Commission HoldsSubcommittee Meetings

SoCal Appealsand SettlementUnit Created

The Board of Equalization(BOE) created an appeals

and settlement unit in SouthernCalifornia on Feb. 23 to addressthe significant increases inappeals and settlement cases. Jerome E. Horton, Chairman ofthe BOE, applauded the cre-ation.

“The establishment of thisnew unit, closer to the SouthernCalifornia taxpayer base, willaccelerate the resolution ofappeals for taxpayers and settle-ment cases for taxpayers withdisputed tax liabilities, educatethe public on reporting andcompliance requirements inCalifornia, and enhance collec-tion efforts,” Horton said.“Accelerating the appeals andsettlement process will beinstrumental in improving vol-untary compliance with currenttax laws.”

The newly created unit willassist with the increased case-load of appeals and settlementcases. The acceleration in reso-lution of appeal and settlementcases will be a benefit to tax-payers by enabling them toresolve existing liabilities whilecontinuing to do business.

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The Korean Cultural Center, LosAngeles is holding an exhibit

titled “Pearls of Wisdom: End theViolence” running through March31.

The exhibition by artist KimAbeles examines the social issues ofdomestic violence. Free of past con-ceptions of survivors only as vic-tims, Abeles publicly shares theirlessons as the vital source materialfor a dialogue on domestic violence,and how it can be stopped. Theexhibit was organized on the 20thAnniversary of “A WindowBetween Worlds” (AWBW), theonly national non-profit organiza-tion using art as a means to enddomestic violence. The exhibitionfeatures words, advice and imagesby more than 800 survivors ofdomestic violence, and concernedcommunity members. It is based ona two-year community engagementproject created by Abeles, in collab-oration with AWBW.

The exhibit will run concurrentwith the 100th Anniversary ofInternational Women’s Day.A multi-generational conversa-tion, moderated by project chair

Sandra Mueller, will be heldwith Abeles, Heeseon Choi,Suzanne Isken, Suzanne Lacy,Cathy Salser, Nathalie Sanchez andBarbara T. Smith.

The Korean Cultural Center, LosAngeles is located at 5505 WilshireBlvd. For information, call(323)936-7141, or visitwww.kccla.org.


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Korean Exhibit Focuses on Domestic Violence

Photo courtesy of Korean Cultural Center

The Korean Cultural Centerʼs “Pearls of Wisdom: End the Violence”exhibit focuses on domestic violence and runs through March 31.

The price of gasoline passed the $4-per-gallon mark this week,causing concern amongst motorists and companies whose liveli-

hood depends on the fuel. But the price of gasoline was also a majorproblem in mid-1970s, when public officials were struggling with theimplementation of an emergency gasoline-rationing plan. The March14, 1974 issue of the Park Labrea News featured a photograph ofCalifornia State Emergency Services Director Herbert Temple (left),the late Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, and Hal Cone,L.A. County Emergency Service Coordinator, discussing the rationingplan that was in place that year. An oil embargo by the OPEC nationshad forced the federal government to institute the plan, which resultedin “odd-even” days for gasoline purchases. The OPEC embargo endedlater that month and the gas prices eventually went down, but notbefore it caused a major disruption in U.S. transportation, and in peo-ple’s pocketbooks.

Gasoline Costs a Big Concernfor Many in the 1970s

www.parklabrea.com

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gation into the incidents, and at thistime are considering them as casesof vandalism as opposed to hatecrimes, but that may change once amotive is determined and who isinvolved. Rev. Kathy Cooper-Ladesma, who heads the congrega-tion at Hollywood United MethodistChurch, said she was shocked tolearn the vandalism had occurred asecond time.

“The banner was fine, and thenaround three o’clock, one of theparishioners called and said it hadhappened again,” Cooper-Ladesmasaid. “This time it happened in broaddaylight, and at one of the busiestintersection in Los Angeles. Webelieve it is the same person whodoesn’t believe in the message weare putting forth. They are sending aclear message that they don’t believea church should believe in equality.”

Cooper-Ladesma said the vandal-ism occurred sometime between 11a.m. and 3 p.m. on March 2, and saidshe hopes someone saw what hap-pened and will report the informa-tion to the police. She added that theincident has upset many people inthe 350-member congregation, buthas also inspired the church to con-tinue pushing for marriage equality.The vandalized banner will remainup until early next week when thechurch replaces it with an announce-ment about Easter, but Cooper-Ladesma said plans call for a newbanner with the marriage equalitymessage to be created and put upagain after Easter.

“Some folks were absolutelyheartbroken. They were in disbeliefthat this could happen,” Cooper-Ladesma said. “We are supposedly

in a place that believes in marriageequality, so it was very dishearten-ing.”

Capt. Beatrice Girmala, the com-manding office of the Los AngelesPolice Department’s HollywoodDivision, said officials are very con-cerned about the incidents. She hastaken a personal interest in catchingthe perpetrator, and said peoplecould call her office directly at

(213)972-2900 to report informationabout the crime. Girmala added thatit appears the incident was motivat-ed by hate, but at this time, policehave no leads.

“The Los Angeles PoliceDepartment has a zero tolerance pol-icy of hatred or any type of discrim-ination. We were absolutely out-raged that this is going on, and havereached out to the church and hadthe senior lead officer from that areaspeak to them about the situation,”Girmala said. “We are doing ourutmost to see if there is any commu-

nity information that will lead to thearrest of the hateful vandals. We takethis very seriously because smallacts of vandalism are a precursor tosomething else.”

The vandalism was alsodenounced by members of theLGBT community, including theL.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, whichis located in Hollywood.

“Despicable acts like this demon-strate the persistence of anti-LGBTprejudice and also the necessity ofcontinuing to fight it,” said DaveFleischer, director of the Center’sLeadership LAB, which includes theVote for Equality program, theLGBT Mentoring Project and theEmerging Leaders program. “We aregrateful that the Hollywood UnitedMethodist Church has stood side byside with the LGBT community insupport of marriage equality and aresorry that as a result they were tar-geted for vandalism. We look for-ward to being in the trenches togeth-er in the future.”

Cooper-Ladesma said the churchhas for years been at the forefront ofequality issues, and supports therights of all people to marry.Hollywood United MethodistChurch dates back 102 years, andhas been located at the corner ofHighland and Franklin Avenues forthe past 82 years. The church is iden-tifiable by the large red ribbonsaffixed to the wall in support of peo-ple suffering with HIV and AIDSthat were put up in 1993.

“They are not going to bully us,”Cooper-Ladesma added. “It reallyhas strengthened our resolve to fightfor marriage equality for all of God’schildren.”


Project Moves Forward on Burton WayFrom page 3

Church Banner Defaced in HollywoodFrom page 1

Teacher Accused of Injuring StudentFrom page 4


Hollywood United Methodist Church has a long history of support forLGBT rights, and has displayed red ribbons in support of the victims ofHIV and AIDS since 1993.

��Our People, Our Places

�� Publishing April 28, 2011

Go to www.beverlypress.com Click on “65th Anniversary Issue”

for advertising and editorial information,or call (323)933-5518

“It really hasstrengthenedour resolve to

fight for marriage

equality for allof God’s

children.” -Rev. Kathy Cooper-Ladesma,

Hollywood United Methodist Church

“It’s a personnel matter and I’vegot to protect the confidentiality ofeveryone involved,” said AngelaHewlett-Bloch, principal atBernstein High.

The student was treated at anearby hospital emergency roomwith visible injuries. There arereportedly photographs showing abig welt on the student’s face but

they had not been released by thedistrict. The student reportedlyalso had visible injuries to the face,lip, and jaw, according toBorihanh.

Chavez, who had no prior crimi-nal history involving violence, wasreleased on $50,000 bail and,according to a Los AngelesUnified School District spokesper-

son, was reassigned to a non-cam-pus position where no students arepresent pending the result of theinvestigation.

Borihanh added that there wasno set timetable on when the inves-tigation would be completed andhanded over to the district attor-ney’s office, which will decidewhether to formally file charges.

has taken away an eyesore, thebuilding architecturally looks veynice, and it should be a benefit.”

Jeff Jacobberger, chair of theMCWCC, added that the councilalso voted in favor of the project.He said the neighborhood councilhad asked some additional land-scaping around the site, which thedeveloper agreed to install.

“For a long time it was a used carlot, and I think an attractive devel-opment like that is much betterthan a used car lot,” Jacobbergersaid. “It will be eight-stories, but atthe location, a little height is notinappropriate. The size of the pro-ject was not particularly controver-sial with the neighborhood coun-cil.”

Jacobberger added that the coun-cil did not believe the traffic gener-ated from the project would causemany problems because the projectwill be located at the convergenceof three major thoroughfares.

“People would be on BurtonWay, San Vicente or La Cienega,and won’t be cutting through

neighborhoods,” Jacobbergeradded. “Because of the way those

streets are configured, it shouldn’tbe an issue.”

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last seen smoking a cigarette out-side the building around 3:30 p.m.and was found dead inside the dis-pensary around 9 p.m. by theowner, who immediately calledpolice. The detective said the dis-pensary is across the street from abusy gym, and is hoping someonethere may have some information.

Los Angeles City CouncilPresident Eric Garcetti, 13thDistrict, initiated the renewal of thereward.

“LAPD needs the public’s helpwith finding the perpetrator of thisheinous crime, and we're extendingthe reward offer to provide anincentive for people to come for-ward,” Garcetti said. “If anyoneknows anything about the Packmancase, I urge them to contact the

police.” Sanchez added that investigators

learned from acquaintances thatPackman was an upstanding personwho was not involved in any crimi-nal activity.

“Everybody that we’ve spoke tothat knew him said he was a goodguy,” Sanchez added. “He had noenemies, he was just a really niceguy. It is really sad.”

Anyone with information aboutthe murder is asked to contactdetectives Sanchez or Martinez at(213)486-6890. During weekendsand off hours, call the LAPD’s 24-hour hotline at (877)LAPD247.

In addition to the reward in themedical marijuana dispensary mur-der, the city council also approvedan extension to its medical marijua-na ordinance on Monday. Thatapproval came the day before vot-ers approved Measure M, an initia-tive that will clear the way for thecity to tax medical marijuana dis-pensaries. The extension of theordinance will give the city moretime to make revisions to the law toaccommodate new provisions.

The extension was a proceduralmeasure that enables the temporaryordinance to remain in effect for anadditional 22 months while the citydetermines how to implement thetax and a lottery that will determinewhich dispensaries will be allowedto stay open. It will also give thecity time to figure out how to reactif the medical marijuana dispen-saries are successful in legal chal-lenges against the city.

The city adopted the temporarymedical marijuana ordinance after aLos Angeles Superior Court judgeruled in December that some partsof the city’s permanent ordinancewere unconstitutional. The judge

had threatened to place an injunc-tion on the city’s permanent ordi-nance, but gave officials time tomake revisions. In January, the citycouncil approved the temporaryordinance with revisions to addressthe judge’s concerns about clientprivacy and the criminal provisions.The judge had also required the dis-pensaries that were suing the city topost a $350,000 bond to cover costsif the injunction went through,which to date has not been posted.

“The court is still considering theissue of whether the bond must beposted in full or can be posted inpro-rated shares by the applicabletwenty-one plaintiffs,” said FrankMateljan, a spokesperson for theLos Angeles City Attorney’s Office.“During this period of court consid-eration, the court has, on it ownmotion, stayed the injunction. Theinjunction, therefore, has nevertaken effect.”

The city is still in the process ofindentifying which dispensarieswill be allowed to stay open, andwill be holding a lottery on a yet tobe determined date to choose fromthe approximately 130 dispensariesthat have applied. Dispensaries thatwere open prior to the city’s mora-torium in 2007 will be allowed toparticipate.

The city will now concurrentlywork on implementing the tax onmedical marijuana dispensaries thatwas passed by voters on Tuesday.The new law will place a five per-cent business tax on the moneygenerated by he dispensaries.Under state law, the dispensariesare not allowed to sell medical mar-ijuana, but can take in money foroperational costs. Official believethe tax will generate $10 millionannually for the city.


Program is Designed toIdentify Graffiti TaggersFrom page 1

Reward Offered in Dispensary MurderFrom page 4


Ila Ali Packman was murdered ina medical marijuana dispensary inHollywood. A reward totaling$55,000 is offered for informationthat will lead to an arrest and con-viction.

voters and helping to get out thevote.

With the election behind him,LaBonge is excited to continuewith the tasks at hand.

“My priority has always been toserve the people of the fourth dis-trict and the City of Los Angeles,”LaBonge said. “Our challenge as acity is to resolve our fiscal mattersand to re-engineer Los Angeles citygovernment to be more effective,with a renewed focus on meetingthe needs of our communities. I’mconfident that, together, we canovercome these challenges. Wehave to work together to make thehard choices that face us and agreeon the best way forward in theseuncertain times.”

Despite not winning the election,O’Grady was proud of his cam-paign and is determined to remaina city political figure.

“I got 30 percent of the vote,that’s more than I had expected,”O’Grady said. “The fact that I got5,000 votes, to LaBonge’s 8,000, isreally amazing.”

O’Grady will begin creating hisown non-profit group this weektargeting education and environ-mental issues.

“I want to get gardens in everyschool. I want to get back to someaction items,” O’Grady said.

Voters favored fire and policepension plan reforms (CharterAmendment G); and voted yes toallocating more money to libraries(Charter Amendment L); yes totaxing medical marijuana (CharterAmendment M); and no, narrowly

by less than three percent, to taxinglocal oil producers (Proposition O).

Amendment L was an importantmeasure to LaBonge.

“As one of the authors, I’m sopleased that the voters saw fit toapprove Measure L,” LaBongesaid. “This is an investment in ourcity that will pay dividends fordecades to come. Our libraries andour parks, from Pan Pacific Park toGriffith Park and everywhere in

between, are treasured resourcesthat must be protected and proper-ly funded to give Angelenos outletsfor our minds and our bodies.”

Charter Amendment H, whichcalled for contract bidder campaigncontribution and fundraisingrestrictions won easily; as didCharter Amendments I and J whichcalled for Department of Water andPower (DWP) oversight.

Council President Eric Garcetti,13th District, spearheaded both ofthe DWP-related amendments.

I developed these ballot mea-sures to create independent over-sight and increase transparency atDWP, and I thank the voters forpassing them by overwhelmingmargins,” Garcetti said. “TheDWP’s top priority must be its cus-tomers, the people of Los Angeles.This election was about the votersmaking sure the agency is ultimate-ly accountable to them. These mea-sures are key components to mak-ing sure 2011 is the year we bringreal reform to the DWP.”

As the city scrambles to plug aprojected $350 million budgethole, voters said yes to establishinga contingency reserve fund(Charter Amendment P), yes tocampaign finance (CharterAmendment N), and yes to imple-menting provisions for hiring civilservants (Charter Amendment Q).

Of the 10 City of Los Angelescharter amendments on the ballot,nine were easily decided favorably,with the lone ‘nay’ being the high-ly contested local oil productiontax.

Most Incumbents to Remain in OfficeFrom page 1

photo courtesy of Brett White

West Hollywood CouncilmemberLindsey Horvath (left), who is pic-tured at a press conference lastAugust, was not reelected. Votersdid elect incumbent councilmem-bers Abbe Land (right) and JohnHeilman to new terms.

photo by Jose Martinez

Graffiti can be found in the alleys in the neighborhoods aroundFairfax High School, and officials are hoping a new program that willgather evidence about vandals will help reduce the problem.

According to Erik Sanjurjo,the City of Los Angeles PolicyDirector, cleanup crews maywear bulletproof vests if the pro-gram proves too dangerous, orthe sheriffs will be given thetask of photographing graffiti.

“Father Boyle’s people [whencleaning up graffiti] have beenshot on the east side so safety isa concern,” Sanjurjo said.

Public Works graffiti abate-ment contractors have beentrained to access the systemusing more than 90 new smart-phones. The total cost of theprogram is $345,000 over twoyears.

Amidst the controversy sur-rounding the city’s official useof cell phones, including thetotal number of cell phonesissued to city employees, or theexact cost the city is paying forthe use of the phones, supportersof the program insist it is moneywell spent. Sprint donated the 92smartphones to be used for theTAGRS program; however, thecost of phone usage will be$75,000 a year.

Los Angeles City ControllerWendy Greuel is currently con-ducting a city audit on city-issued cell phones. It is estimat-ed that the city spends $5 mil-lion a year on cell phones usedby employees.

“Combating graffiti isabsolutely essential in our cityand I commend Public Worksfor finding more efficient meth-ods using the latest technologyto do so,” said Claire Bartels,Los Angeles Chief DeputyController. “I am equally con-cerned about the costs associat-ed with maintaining technologyand this is why I’m finalizing anaudit of the city’s use of cellphones to ensure we have appro-priate controls built in to con-tracts and that we monitor theirusage and control costs. I lookforward to sharing the findingsof my audit next month.”

According to Sanjurjo, themoney for the use of the smart-

phones is coming from federalCommunity DevelopmentBlock Grant (CDBG) funds, oneof the longest-running programsof the U.S. Department ofHousing and UrbanDevelopment. The grant fundslocal community developmentactivities such as anti-povertyprograms, but Sanjurjo insiststhis is a sound investmentregardless of where the moneycomes from.

“The district attorney willprosecute taggers criminally andwill sue to recover costs forcleanup, so this is a one-twopunch,” Sanjurjo said. “We willmake money in the long run.”

Huizar is a strong supporter ofthe program.

“The city uses $10 million ayear in clean up costs so payingfor cell phones is a drop in thehat,” said Huizar spokespersonRick Coca. “This is a fantasticinvestment under any scenario.It more than pays for itself.”

The TAGRS database systemis now fully operational withplans to eventually expand tothe Wilshire area andHollywood, with all 17 policedivisions to follow.

“This databasewill help our

law enforcement

and city partners

team-up to ID,arrest and pros-ecute the worst

taggers andtagging crews

in the city.” -Councilmember

José Huizar, 14th District

through 6th grade, but the effort toadd 7th and 8th grade classes beganlast April and was a relatively fastprocess, according to PhyllisScadron, one of the principals ofLaurel School.

“We had to walk around theneighborhoods to obtain signaturesfrom parents and go to otherschools to let them know we wouldbe adding the classes,” Scadronsaid.

The school was also required toget a minimum of 60 studentsenrolled in 5th and 6th grades inorder to be able to offer the classes.Scadron said the process took lessthan two months and the only otherthing left to do was spread the word.

“Once the classes were in place,we had to advertise, advertise, and

advertise to let people know theywere available,” Scadron said.

The incorporation of a middleschool option began with the addi-tion of two 7th grade classes at thestart of the current school year. The8th grade classes will be added inthe 2011-12 school year when thecurrent class of 40 7th graders moveon to the next grade. The 6th gradeclass has 36 students enrolled whilethe 5th grade class has 25. Thesestudents will each make up the mid-dle school population that will havetwo classes for each grade.

The addition of the 7th and 8thgrade classes at Laurel will giveparents in the West Hollywood areathe closest LAUSD middle schooloption for their children.

“Creating a middle school option

for the City of West Hollywoodsolidifies LAUSD’s commitmentthat every West Hollywood familywill have access to outstanding pub-lic schools from pre-K to gradua-tion,” LAUSD School Board mem-ber Steve Zimmer said.

Land added that giving WestHollywood families a viable middleschool option was a long time com-ing.

“I’ve been advocating for a mid-dle school in West Hollywood foryears,” Land said. “We’re thrilled asa council and as a community tohave this option at Laurel.”

According to Scadron, the near-est middle schools for WestHollywood families prior to LaurelSchool’s effort were JohnBurroughs Middle School, locatedat 6th Street and McCadden Placeor Hubert Howe Bancroft MiddleSchool, located at 929 N. LasPalmas Ave. Some parents chose tosend their children to public middleschools located in the San FernandoValley, magnet or private schoolsor, in a few cases, families movedout of the West Hollywood areaaltogether. Scadron added that themiddle school option at Laurel willbenefit the students because statis-tics have shown that students whoonly have to make one transitionfrom middle school to high schoolperform better.

The meeting on Saturday isanother in a series that have beenheld to inform parents and givethem a chance to provide their inputon what types of courses they want

offered. Scadron said they already have

video journalism and drama coursesin place for the 8th grade students to

choose as their electives. They willalso offer Algebra for 8th grade, andhave a physical education and bandprogram planned.


Baseball Team Faces ChallengesFrom page 6

Fundraiser Benefits Cancer SurvivorsFrom page 1

Answers From Page 16

School Hosts Meeting for ParentsFrom page 1


The new students will find numerous amenities to help them learn atLaurel School, and will use the schoolʼs expansive playgrounds.


Laurel School will offer 7th and 8th grade classes next year, and will beholding a meeting this Saturday to meet with prospective parents.

Dedicated to working in herdaughter’s name, Paulinda’sthoughts never stray far from Robin,a former cheerleader and studentbody president. Born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 1986, Robinattended Pilgrim School and PacificHills High School in WestHollywood, before attending theUniversity of California, SantaBarbara (UCSB) where she was amember of national sorority KappaKappa Gamma, as well as co-cap-tain of the American Cancer

Society’s Relay for Life, which shefounded.

Originally misdiagnosed, Robin’sgynecologist told the family she wasjust a young woman adjusting towomanhood.

“If we had known the symptomsat sixteen when she started com-plaining…” Paulinda said beforetrailing off. “But I just shrugged itoff because she could get up and goto school and get involved, it wasn’tlike she was lying in bed. We didn’ttake it seriously enough.”

As a senior in highschool, Robin was diag-nosed with ovarian cancer,yet she never gave up.

“She was very motivated,in fact, when she got sickshe kept up with her schoolwork and became the promqueen, and she was in themiddle of her chemo treat-ment at that time,” Paulindasaid.

Robin also volunteeredfor the City of WestHollywood’s Tiny Tots pro-gram as a summer coun-selor, where she made suchan impact that the cityoffered to co-sponsor the“Dance to the Decades”fundraiser.

“Women’s health is anissue the city talks about,and when Paulinda came totalk to us, we decided tohelp get her non-profit offthe ground,” said FranSolomon, deputy to WestHollywood Mayor JohnHeilman.

Noting that March isWomen’s History Month,the magnitude of the event

is not lost on Solomon.“Robin was a nice young woman,

very dedicated, who loved childrenand died way too young,” Solomonsaid. “It will honor her memory andall the other women we’ve lost whodidn’t have enough education onovarian cancer. Even if we only saveone or two women, it would beenough of an honor in Robin’sname.”

Symptoms that women should beaware of include cramping, bloating,constipation, shortness of breath,unexplained weight gain or loss, andnausea. Paulinda stresses that earlydetection is key and urges women torequest a pelvic/rectal exam, a trans-vaginal sonogram, and a CA 125blood test to rule out the possibilityof ovarian cancer.

“Know the symptoms and edu-cate yourself so when you go to thegynecologist you can be very proac-tive about your health,” Paulindasaid. “If people know the symptomsand know what to ask doctors, theyhave a better chance of surviving itthan we did.”

Whereas most children areinspired by their parents and oftenthink of them as their role models,Paulinda finds her strength fromRobin, who she calls her hero.

“When Robin got sick she said wehave to get involved and educatepeople. It was her motivation andinspiration that made me getinvolved. And that gave me a lot ofsatisfaction to talk to other women.Robin is my strength. I couldn’t justlet her die and not do anything aboutit.”

Scheduled to speak before stu-dents at Cal State Northridge nextmonth, Paulinda is determined toeducate people about ovarian cancer.

photo courtesy of Laulinda Babbini

The fundraiser will be held in memory ofRobin Babbini, who wanted to find ways tohelp victims of ovarian cancer.

“My fight is for all our sisters butmy inspiration belongs to Robin,”Paulinda said.

The “Dance to the Decades”fundraiser will take place onSunday, March 20 from 7 p.m. –10:30 p.m. at the House of Blues’Foundation Room, 8430 SunsetBlvd. Tickets are $50 and will

include complimentary food fromWhole Foods, Sebastiani Wine, andsilent auction including one night atthe Beverly Wilshire Hotel, a $500gift certificate for service fromLexus, and box seats to a UCSBpolo game. For tax deductible tick-ets, call (323)842-8100 or visitwww.theovariancancercircle.org.

Mendoza and senior David Wenteare going to have to step up andcarry the team offensively this sea-son, according to Berrington.

The young Lions got off to arough start this season, losing theirfirst three games, all on the road.They finally got on the winningtrack Monday with a 5-4 vicoryover Lincoln High School in sixinnings after the game was called

due to darkness.Whether the Lions can pull off a

playoff run this season remains tobe seen, but their future lookspromising.

“I see a bright future next yearwith the juniors becoming seniorsand the young guys getting anotheryear of experience,” Berringtonsaid. “That’s how you build theprogram from the bottom up.”

Broadcasts Will Offer InformationAbout L.A. MarathonDuring the March 20 Honda L.A.

Marathon presented by K-Swiss, runners, fans and those con-cerned about traffic can get real-time updates thanks to expandedand interactive radio broadcasts ofthe race on AM 570 KLAC andFOX Sports LA. The broadcast ofthe 26th annual marathon will beginat 5 a.m. and last throughout theentirety of the race.

Emmy Award-winning broadcast-er Geoff Nathanson and Fox SportsWest track and field analyst TomFeuer will anchor the broadcast andtake questions and comments fromlisteners via Twitter. Americanmarathon star Milena Glusec (with abest time of 2:31:14) will provide

on-the-course coverage of the elitefield with Time Warner Cablesportscaster Randy Rosenbloom.

www.camsshuttersandinteriors.com

www.olympiamc.com

Volume 21 No. 10 Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park...

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