Neighborhood: Central Hollywood
Hollywood Santa Parade
Councilmember LaBonge rode on the back of a rare 1952 Chrysler Phaeton with his wife Brigid, daughter Mary-Cate and son Charles at the parade on November 30th.
Tens of thousands of Angelenos lined the boulevards of Hollywood on Sunday night for the annual Hollywood Santa Parade. Stars from TV's Disney Channel rode on an elaborate float. High school marching bands from as far away as Connecticut trumpeted Christmas carols. Horses, llamas and firefighters on motorcycles were all part of the three-hour parade.
"Angelenos love this parade and they demonstrated their affection again on Sunday night," said Councilmember LaBonge, the parade's top promoter. "It was wonderful to see so many children and their families waving and smiling along the parade route."
Councilmember LaBonge saved the parade two years ago after the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that it could no longer afford to sponsor the Hollywood Christmas Parade, a 78-year tradition. The newly christened Hollywood Santa Parade was launched last year by Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilmember LaBonge.
Councilmember Dennis Zine and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo joined actors Fred Ward, Shirley Jones, Kyle Massey and Demi Lovato in the parade, whose biggest star was, of course, Santa.
For more photos of the event, click here.
Santa Parade Returns to Hollywood
Councilmember LaBonge presents Santa with a loaf of pumpkin bread, baked by an order of cloistered nuns in a monastery just below the Hollywood sign.
Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilmember LaBonge announced October 20th that the Hollywood Santa Parade will be one feature of the day-long Winterfest, a free, family-friendly event to kick off the holiday season on Sunday, November 30.
The event will include a concert by Disney Channel and "Camp Rock" star Demi Lovato, a traditional street parade and lots of games and food.
Winterfest will run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will be located on Hollywood Boulevard at Highland Avenue.
The City of Los Angeles, Lift Up America, and the Hollywood Youth Foundation are Winterfest’s presenting sponsors, which will include a special “VIP” area for more than 1,000 children who participate in Los Angeles-area programs for underprivileged youth.
"Grease" 30th Anniversary
Councilmember LaBonge honored the cast of "Grease" at Mel's Drive-In on Highland Ave. in Hollywood.
The Hollywood High School choir, dressed in poodle skirts and letter sweaters, serenaded cast member from the 1950s-era film "Grease," as Councilmember LaBonge celebrated the 30th anniversary of the release of the film.
"Grease was the most fun, classic movie and it showed off so many places in our great city of Los Angeles," the Councilmember said. "I'm happy to celebrate these wonderful actors and their film."
Besides “Grease” Director Randal Kleiser, stars Jeff Connaway (Kenicki), Jamie Donnelly (Jan), Barry Pearl (Doody) and Annette Cardona (Cha-Cha Di Gregorio) were on hand, as well as actress Ilene Kristen, who was the original Patty Simcox on Broadway.
The Hollywood High School choir sang a medley from the film to the actors. Visit our photo page
to see pictures of the students.
10-4 Day Parade in Hollywood
Councilmember LaBonge joins law enforcement officers and K-EARTH 101's Shotgun Tom Kelly at the culmination of the 10-4 Day Parade.
It was a big “10 - 4" for a parade of vintage police cars in Hollywood on Saturday, Oct. 4.
Councilmember Tom LaBonge’s Fifth Annual 10-4 Day Parade brought together public safety officers and KRTH Radio’s Shotgun Tom Kelly to discuss public safety awareness at a parade on Hollywood Boulevard.
Officers from the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff Office joined about a thousand vintage car enthusiasts at a ceremony at the Broderick Crawford star on Hollywood Boulevard. Crawford played CHP Chief Dan Mathews in the popular series “10-4” that ran from 1955-59.
“This parade is intended to be fun but carry a serious message about all that our public safety officers do to protect and serve us,” said Councilmember LaBonge.
New Highland Ave. Medians
With gold-tipped shovels in hand, Councilmember Tom LaBonge joined community members and agency personnel in breaking ground on new, landscaped medians along Highland Avenue in Hollywood. The two new medians fill in a gap between the Highland medians in Hancock Park south of Melrose and those in Hollywood north of Santa Monica Blvd. The Funding was provided through the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Call for Projects and the Hollywood Media District, a Business Improvement District (BID).
“These medians will create a river of green down Highland Avenue,” Councilmember LaBonge said. “We’ve been installing them as public money becomes available and they are transforming Highland from a strictly industrial area to a pleasant mix of industry and outdoor cafes and shops. This is the future of Hollywood.”
This particular median project was one of the first improvements that Councilmember LaBonge promoted when he was elected in 2001. Three new landscaped median islands will be installed on Highland Avenue from Melrose Avenue to Santa Monica Blvd., as part of this project. Decorative crosswalks at Melrose and Highland, already have been installed, and 53 pedestrian lights on Highland, from Melrose to Fountain Avenue, are scheduled. The $810,000 project was funded through the MTA, with matching funds from the BID. Construction started last week.
Others who attended the ground-breaking event were Bureau of Street Services Asst. General Mgr. Ron Olive and Hollywood Media District BID President Carol Cassella.
Fifth and Final Ride in Tour LaBonge
Members of the Los Angeles Police Department's bike escort confer about the route for the fifth and final ride in Tour LaBonge
Councilmember Tom LaBonge completed his “Tour LaBonge” series of summer evening bike rides on Wednesday, August 20th, by leading about 40 cycling enthusiasts on a 10-mile tour of Hollywood, Larchmont and the Miracle Mile areas. The ride culminated with a cruise along a neon-lit Hollywood Boulevard just past dusk.
“We could solve so many of the challenges facing Los Angeles right now if more of us rode bikes,” the Councilmember said. “We could take a big chunk out of air pollution, traffic and our waistlines, too.”
The Hollywood Ride was the fifth and final ride in “Tour LaBonge,” a series of five Wednesday evening rides in Council District 4. The councilmember launched the bike series to promote good health, instill a sense of community and help people avoid the financial strain of high gas prices. In keeping with tradition, the Councilmember served ice cream cones to all riders at Fire Station 27 at the end of the 10-mile ride.
The Councilmember highlighted some of his favorite spots in the area, including the new BCAM, Broad Contemporary Art Museum on Wilshire Boulevard. Michelle Mowery, bicycling coordinator for the Los Angeles Dept. of Transportation, joined the ride.
The City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation is updating its Bicycle Master Plan, a process that includes the gathering and analysis of data on improving the city’s bike route system. You can read more about the bicycle master plan by clicking here.
Memorial to Fallen Firefighters
The children and grandchildren of fallen firefighters helped open the City's first memorial to more than 250 firefighters who have died on the job.
How do you honor firefighters who work every day knowing they may be killed while protecting the public? How do you thank their families?
Councilmember LaBonge joined other city officials and the families of fallen Los Angeles firefighters at a bittersweet ceremony dedicating a memorial to those who have died.
The Los Angeles Fire Department Fallen Firefighter Memorial opened on Thursday, August 14th, in Hollywood at an event that was both poignant and affirming.
"It's such a nice place for families like mine to pay respect," said a tearful Lisa Wallace, whose father Harold Radcliffe was killed in a 1974 helicopter crash when she was nine years old.
Her father's name is listed with more than 250 others on a bronze monument designed by LAFD Capt. Dwayne Golden. The monument commands the plaza in front of the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society on Cahuenga Blvd. Councilmember LaBonge joined Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Dennis Zine at the $2.2 million memorial, which was funded by the Community Redevelopment Agency and private donations.
Larry King Squared
Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Tom LaBonge gabbed with talk show legend Larry King on the dedication of Larry King Square on Thursday, July 17th. The corner of Sunset and Cahuenga boulevards in Hollywood is now fittingly named for the interviewer since his "Larry King Live" is broadcast from the CNN studios at that location at 9 p.m. nightly. CM LaBonge presented King with a loaf of his signature pumpkin bread, which is baked by nuns at the Monastery of the Angels in the Hollywood Hills. "As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, I always thought I'd like to have a street named after me," King said. "I always wished for a loaf of pumpkin bread, too. Now I have both." CM LaBonge called King "an angel in the City of Angels."
