New Sister Cities Brochures

Councilmember Tom LaBonge and members of the Los Angeles Consular Corps unveiled the first-ever comprehensive map and guide to the Sister Cities of Los Angeles this morning in a brief ceremony that drew representative from around the world.
“This wonderful map will help Angelenos learn the breadth of this person-to-person international diplomacy program,” said Councilmember LaBonge, who is the president of Sister Cities of Los Angeles, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation.
The two-sided, full-color publication features a brilliant map of the world and a picture of each Sister City on one side. On the opposite side, it has detailed information about each Sister City. It was produced by leading Los Angeles-based mapmaker Cartifact. Councilmember LaBonge commissioned Cartifact to produce a map of Griffith Park, which has been very popular.
The Sister Cities maps will be distributed to hotels and visitor information centers around Los Angeles by LA INC., the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“The Sister Cities program helps the world community to get to know one another better,” said Carol Martinez, Associate VP for Media Relations at LA Inc.
The Sister Cities program was created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 to promote trade, cultural exchange and understanding. Sister Cities of Los Angeles began in 1959 with Nagoya, Japan and has since then grown to include 25 cities on six continents. Among the Sister Cities members on hand for the press conference were: German Consul General Dr. Christian Stocks; Jocelyn Herve of Bordeaux, France; Affonso Jose Santo of Brazil; Rod Dixon of Auckland, New Zealand and many others. To view the map, click here.

Milt Davis Memorial

About 250 family members, friends, former students and fans of Dr. Milt Davis gathered on Sunday to memorialize a man who was an icon, coach, mentor and teacher to many in Los Angeles and across the country.
The memorial service, which was organized by Councilmember LaBonge, lasted for three hours as Dr. Davis was remembered for his leadership on the football field and in the classroom. Dr. Davis was an All-Pro football player, John Marshall High School coach and Los Angeles Community College counselor and science teacher.
“Milt Davis was my coach, my mentor and my good friend,” said Councilmember LaBonge, who played under Dr. Davis at Los Angeles Community College. “He was also a truly great man who deserves to be honored by our city for his contributions as a player, a teacher and a leader.”
Among those who attended were Dr. Davis' wife Yvonne, his daughter Allison, Olympic Medalist Rod Dixon, UCLA Teammate Charlie Dowd and representatives of Vista Del Mar, an innovative residence for orphans where Dr. Davis served as a volunteer for many years. Larry Nicola, owner of Nic's Restaurant of Beverly Hills, donated the food for the event. He had played under Dr. Davis at John Marshall High School. The event was held at the James West Alumni Center at UCLA, Dr. Davis's alma mater.

Berlin Air Lift Candy Bomber Gale Halvorsen Honored in Council

Col. Gale Halvorsen led the "Candy Bombers" over Berlin during World War II, who brought hope and joy to hundreds of German children courtesy of the United States.

Councilmember Tom LaBonge and Consul General of Germany Christian Stocks honored WWII flier Col. Gail Halvorsen in City Council Chambers today.

Col. Halvorsen is in Los Angeles to participate in a roundtable discussion on the 60th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift that is sponsored by the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles. In 1948, the Soviet Union prohibited food and needed supplies from reaching the parts of the City which it occupied. Germans were starving and medical supplies were in great demand. The United States Air Force and its allies initiated an airlift that dropped much needed supplies into the friendly landing strips.

Colonel Halvorsen approached an airfield, he noticed hundreds of young German children enthusiastically watching the planes land and decided on his next flight that he would make small parachutes with gum and candy attached to float down onto the children before landing.

Councilmembers Cut Ribbon on Vermont Triangle Streetscape

Pictured (L to R): SLO Gina Chovan; CMs LaBonge & Garcetti; Nyla Arslanian, Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council; Project Architect Pat Smith.

Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Tom LaBonge joined city officials and community members at a celebratory ribbon-cutting for the Vermont Triangle, which adds landscaping, seating and lighting to the busy intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and Vermont Ave. This $800,000 streetscape project, funded and managed by the Community Redevelopment Agency, took six months to complete.

“The trees, masonry wall and seating transform a bland concrete traffic triangle into a welcoming entryway to the Los Feliz business district,” said Councilmember LaBonge. “Small projects like this add a lot to a community. I commend the Los Feliz Business Improvement District for working with the city to make this happen.”

Added Council President Garcetti: “As a community, we are placing a high value on making our neighborhoods walkable. These improvements have transformed a gray cement triangle median into a nice place for pedestrians. The project is the result of the community working in partnership with city government and demonstrates how we can improve our city, corner-by-corner, block-by-block, neighborhood-by-neighborhood.”

The Vermont Triangle streetscape project is intended to help make the neighborhood more pedestrian-friendly. The Los Feliz Business Improvement District has committed to maintaining Vermont Triangle as a gateway to Los Feliz Village.

“Today's ribbon cutting for Barnsdall Park Transit Oriented District, also known as Vermont Triangle, has been a long time in the works but we are pleased to finally see the project completed,” said Leslie Lambert, CRA/LA Regional Administrator for the Hollywood/ Central area. “Most importantly, we are glad to be a partner in providing a safe and environmentally friendly area for commuters taking the Metro Red line and Buses.”

John Marshall H.S. Retires LaBonge Jersey

Councilmember LaBonge holding his retired jersey, number 50, with Marshall High School football coach Andy Moran (right) while Principal Dan Harrison (left) looks on.

At its 77th homecoming football game on Friday night, John Marshall High School retired Councilmember Tom LaBonge's #50 jersey in a brief ceremony after the coin toss.
The Councilmember played center and was team captain during his senior year in the 1970-71 season. Officials at his alma mater surprised him with the presentation at the game. Tom was also named Distinguished Alumni of the Year as the school's alumni association celebrated its 30th anniversary.
"Tom embodies everything we hope a Barrister will be," said Lead English Teacher Joanna Erdos, the school's alumni organizer. "He has worked tirelessly on behalf of his alma mater and is proud to be a Marshall Barrister." Friday's game was also the last one played on Boyd Field before a major expansion of the field and Haynes Stadium. Councilmember LaBonge had been instrumental in allocating over $1 million in City Prop K Funds for this project. (Marshall unfortunately lost the football game to Wilson High School, 39-25.)

Pachyderm Forest Exhibit Affirmed

More than 100 people attended yesterday's hearing before the City Council's Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee, which Councilmember LaBonge chairs.

Councilmember LaBonge presided over a three-hour public hearing on Thursday regarding the fate of the $40 million Pachyderm Forest Exhibit that is under construction at the Los Angeles Zoo.
Councilmember Tony Cardenas had introduced motions to close the exhibit to create the country's first municipal elephant sanctuary in the San Fernando Valley.
The hearing was before the City Council's Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee, which Councilmember LaBonge chairs. The committee heard testimony from more than 50 members of the public on both sides of the issue, as well as city officials, scientists and national zoo experts.
The committee recommended that the City Council deny the Cardenas motions and continue construction of the Pachyderm Forest Exhibit. The exhibit is about 25 percent complete.
For more information on that exhibit,
click here.