Neighborhood: Central Hollywood
Hooray for Hollywood on its 125th Birthday
Councilman LaBonge, Jimmy Kimmel and Councilman Eric Garcetti pose next to Hollywood's 125th Birthday cake.
Councilman LaBonge helped blow-out-the-candles on Hollywood's Birthday cake on Tinsel Town's 125th Birthday bash at Hollywood and Highland on February 1st. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce organized the fete to mark the occasion, with Councilmembers LaBonge and Garcetti, various members of the Chamber Board of Directors, including Marty Shelton and Leron Gubler, and Late-Night Talk-Show host Jimmy Kimmel, who does his ABC show on the Walk of Fame. The birthday cake was created by celebrity chef -- "Ace of Cakes" Duff Goldman. A flash-mob of dancers kicked-off the festivities, which included memorabilia and vintage photos from the Hollywood Historical Society.
And the Inaugural Made In Hollywood Award goes to ... "The Artist"
Councilman LaBonge presents the Made In Hollywood Award to the Cast and Crew and Producers of "The Artist", including Academy Award-nominated Director Michel Hazanavicius and Lead Actor Jean DuJardin.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge presented the Cast and Crew of the Academy-Award Best Picture nominated “The Artist” with the first-ever “Made in Hollywood” Award on January 31st, 2012. The film has been honored by the Golden Globes, the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild. And, this past weekend, Jean Dujardin won the SAG-award for Best Actor for his starring role in “The Artist”, while Director Michel Hazanavicius was honored as Film Director of 2011 by the Directors Guild of America. Ironically, “The Artist” -- produced and financed primarily from France -- is the only one of the nine Best Picture Oscar-nominees that was shot exclusively in Los Angeles and Hollywood. Local locations for the film include the Orpheum Theater, the American Film Institute, Cicada Restaurant, the Bradbury Building, the Wilshire Ebell Building and the Paramount and Warner Brothers back-lots, among other recognizable Los Angeles landmarks. “We want to recognize and honor productions that are made right here in the cradle of the movie business … Hollywood,” said Councilman LaBonge. “Every movie shot here in Los Angeles brings jobs and revenue to our city, utilizing the best film professionals in the world – from the grips to the caterers, actors to post-production houses.” Councilman LaBonge says he'd like to make the "Made In Hollywood" Award an annual, presented in the run-up to the Academy Awards to the Best Picture nominee or other notable feature film that is filmed exclusively in Los Angeles. The Councilman and his staff are working on declaring February 3rd, 2012 as "The Artist" Day in the City of Los Angeles. Click to see more photos of the event
Councilman LaBonge moves to help victims of the Hollywood arson-spree
Councilman LaBonge, surrounded by Los Angeles City and County officials, at a news conference announcing the arrest of a suspect in the string of Hollywood Arson Fires.
Councilman LaBonge introduced an emergency motion in City Council this week to help victims of a wave of arson fires in Hollywood during the New Year's holiday. With the arrest of a suspect, and the apparent end of the fires, Councilman LaBonge is looking to recovery for those affected. There were more than 50 deliberately-set blazes in Hollywood and the neighboring communities of Studio City and North Hollywood, causing more than 3-million dollars in damages. The arsonist mostly targeted vehicles parked outside homes or in car-ports under apartment buildings. Councilman LaBonge's special motion -- seconded by Councilman Paul Koretz and passed unanimously by the City Council on January 4th -- requests the Department of Building and Safety establish or modify any existing expedited permitting process to assist the victims of the arson fires to make the necessary repairs to their damaged structures. "We want to help our residents get back to normal as quickly as possible with as little red-tape as possible in the wake of the arson-fires," said Councilman LaBonge.
The Hollywood Christmas Parade is coming to town!
Here comes Santa Claus, riding onto the Walk of Fame for the 2011 Hollywood Christmas Parade. It's the 80th anniversary of the historic parade, featuring Marie Osmond as Grand Marshall and scores of celebrities and performers. The parade travels a U-Shaped route, starting at Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Drive. It will move east on the Walk of Fame to Vine Street, turn right and head south on Vine Street to Sunset Boulevard, where it will turn right and head west to Orange Drive. Here are some street closures and parking restrictions you should be aware of:
Tow-Away No Stopping, 12 AM Saturday (11/26/11) to 6 AM Monday (11/28/11)”
Hollywood Boulevard between Highland Avenue & Orange Drive
Orange Drive between Hollywood Boulevard & Hawthorn Avenue
“Tow-Away No Stopping, 6AM to Midnight, Sunday (11/27/11)”
Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea Avenue & Orange Drive
“Tow-Away No Stopping, 11AM TO Midnight, Sunday (11/27/11)”
Hawthorn Avenue between La Brea Avenue & Mc Cadden Place
Lanewood Avenue between La Brea Avenue & Orange Drive
Sunset Boulevard between Highland Avenue & La Brea Avenue
De Longpre Avenue between Highland Avenue & La Brea Avenue
Fountain Avenue between Highland Avenue & La Brea Avenue
El Cerrito Place between Franklin Avenue & Hollywood Boulevard
Sycamore Avenue between Franklin Avenue & Hawthorn Avenue
Sycamore Avenue between Sunset Boulevard & Fountain Avenue
Orange Drive between Franklin Avenue & Hollywood Boulevard
Orange Drive between Hawthorn Avenue & Santa Monica Boulevard
Mansfield Avenue between De Longpre Avenue & Fountain Avenue
- MORE -
City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation 100 S. Main St.., Los Angeles, CA 90012 · City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation 100 S. Main St.., Los Angeles, CA 90012 ·
Page Two
“Tow-Away No Stopping, 11AM TO Midnight, Sunday (11/27/11)” Hollywood Boulevard between Highland Avenue & Vine Street
Vine Street between Hollywood Boulevard & Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard between Vine Street & Highland Avenue
Franklin Avenue between La Brea Avenue & Highland Avenue
Highland Avenue between Franklin Avenue & Sunset Boulevard
Santa Monica Blvd between La Brea Avenue & Gower Street
La Brea Avenue between Franklin Avenue & Fountain Avenue (East side of street only)
Cahuenga Boulevard between Yucca Street & Hollywood Boulevard (West side of street only)
Yucca Street between Gower Street & Argyle Street (North side of street only)
Freeway Closures: U.S. 101 Hollywood Freeway:
Northbound and southbound off-ramps of Cahuenga Boulevard and Highland Avenue will all be closed at 3:00 p.m., reopening at 10:00 p.m. No Parking Sign Postings: On Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, posting will begin on those streets that are designated “NO PARKING” for Saturday, Nov. 26, Sunday, Nov 27 and Monday, Nov 28, 2011.
Parade-watchers are urged to use public transit.
Don't get caught in an Oscar Jam!
Be advised: Oscar takes-over Hollywood this weekend and there will be no red-carpet for most of us drivers. A number of streets in Hollywood will be closed for the 83rd Academy Awards presentation, which will be held at the Kodak Theater on Sunday, February 27. Traffic has been affected all week, and will be affected for a few days after the Oscar ceremonyclick here to see street-closure info
It's like a new library at the Will and Ariel Durant Branch in Hollywood
What a pleasure to read my favorite storybook, "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel" to third-graders from Gardner Street Elementary School.
My staff and the Los Angeles Public Library organized an Open House to show off the beautiful improvements to the Will and Ariel Durant Branch library in Hollywood. Funded by a generous grant from the La Kretz Family Foundation via Hollywood property-owner Morton La Kretz and his daughter Linda Duttenhaver, the Durant Branch was given a stunning makeover. Improvements include new flooring and neon-signage, fresh paint and upgraded computer areas. The result is a library that's brighter, more airy and more able to serve the needs of children and adult users. The Open House included a book-reading for third-graders at Gardner Street Elementary School.click here to see more photos
Operation Clean Sweep scours Council District 4
My staff and I fanned out on Friday and Saturday January 7th and 8th to clean-up neighborhoods in Council District 4. From North Hollywood to Koreatown ... mid-Wilshire to Hollywood ... Los Feliz to Silver Lake, we really cleaned-up. Many thanks to the Bureau of Sanitation, which provided several trucks and drivers to help us pick-up bulky items, such as old couches, mattresses, assorted furniture and rugs, old toys and construction waste left on the streets and sidewalks. We also removed discarded Christmas Trees, palm-fronds and other yard-waste. We cleaned-up several tons of debris from the streets and sidewalks of Los Angeles. It's amazing what you can do with a little cooperation and a lot of heavy-lifting.
Tour Bus Sting in Hollywood
The interior of a party-bus, much like the ones that cruise the streets of Hollywood, taking revelers on Club tours with free-flowing alcohol. Disclaimer: this photo in no way suggests the pictured tour-bus is involved in any wrongdoing.
On December 10th, the CHP's Commercial Enforcement Unit conducted a task-force sting-operation in Hollywood. The target: tour-bus operators, limo-companies and so-called "party-busses". The idea is to ensure that those companies have the proper licensing and safety procedures. The task-force made 85 stops. They issued 47 citations, more than a third of which were tour-bus operators. 11 vehicles were impounded. Some were rogue tour companies, operating without valid licenses. Some were party buses with open liquor and no partition between the driver and passengers. This Hollywood-focussed sting operation shows great effort in enforcing the law as it relates to tour-operators who want to do business in Tinsel Town. Our office will continue to work with CHP to keep an eye on these problematic companies.
