Neighborhood: Greater Griffith Park
Honoring the Golden Years
Carolyn James from the Department of Recreation and Parks Senior Citizens Section, Councilmembers LaBonge and Krekorian stand behind four centenarians, including 104-year old Virginia Davis and 103-year old Paul Cooks.
On November 14th, Councilman LaBonge joined hundreds of seniors, their relatives and care-givers at the annual 90+ Legacy Luncheon at Friendship Auditorium in Griffith Park. It was a festive affair, honoring Los Angeles seniors over the age of 90. About a dozen were better than 100. The Nonagenarians and Centenarians dined on a turkey dinner with all the trimmings and dessert of pumpkin pie. Councilman LaBonge served food and then did a floor show, serenading the group with his version of Elvis Presley's "If I Can Dream". 104-year old Virginia Davis and 103-year old Paul Cooks were crowned the King and Queen as the most senior guests. Davis has been attending the fete since the tender age of 94. Click here to see more photos of the event
2011 Veterans Day
Forest Lawn hosted a beautiful Veterans Day Ceremony on Friday 11.11.11 at 11am. Councilman LaBonge was joined by Mayor Villaraigosa, Council President Eric Garcetti (dashing in his Naval Officer's uniform), LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, LA County Sheriff Lee Baca and City Controller Wendy Greuel. Hundreds of veterans from all branches of U.S. military service and their families were in attendance for the laying of the ceremonial wreath, speeches and musical performances.
Click here to see more photos of the ceremony
Los Angeles River Day and Cleanup
Councilman LaBonge (top center in Orange) rallies the clean-up crews at Friendship Auditorium in Griffith Park before turning them loose on the Los Angeles River.
Councilman LaBonge lead a cleanup of a portion of the Los Angeles River near Griffith Park on October 30th. The event was a cleanup and opportunity to hold a River Day expo with information on upcoming projects along the River, including a multi-modal pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian bridge that will connect the North Atwater area with the LA River Bikeway. Hundreds of volunteers from the Pacific Asian Volunteer Association turned-out to comb the river-banks for trash and debris. Clean-up crews reported that they didn't pull-out nearly as much trash as in recent cleanups, a good sign that the river is staying clean, at least in that stretch of the river south of the Los Feliz Bridge. click here to see more photos of the cleanup
Seeking partners to operate the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
The Los Angeles City Council voted 9-2 on August 12th to seek proposals from potential partners to operate the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Councilman LaBonge says the City has to plan for the future to keep the zoo open and to maintain its mission of promoting education and conservation. "We're going to go out there and see who in the world could be a partner with the City of Los Angeles to operate out zoo, to expand our zoo, to continue the great care for the animals," said Councilman LaBonge, whose district includes the zoo. "We'll have an opportunity in seven or eight months to see if we want to reject this or not. We'll see who's out there." The city would save about $20-million dollars over five years under the partnership proposal, according to a study by city-hired consultant KPMG. Potential partners will have 90 to 120 days to submit their proposals, which the city will begin to weigh early next year.
07.20.11 Tour LaBonge Bike Ride on the Los Angeles River
Join us July 20th for the Tour LaBonge Bike Ride along the Los Angeles River. We'll meet at the Mulholland Fountain at the southwest corner of Riverside Drive and Los Feliz Boulevard at 6:00 PM. Allow a little extra time to get there because of all the construction going on in that area to upgrade critical infrastructure. Look for Council District 4 staffers, who will direct you on how to park and unload your bicycle. We'll be riding on the newly renovated and expanded Los Angeles River Bikeway. The LAPD and General Services will provide a police escort for the riders. Wear a helmet. All riders must sign a waiver. Children must be at least 12 years old to participate.
Beastly Ball at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Councilman LaBonge is joined by Betty White and a group of Chefs and Resauranteurs to announce the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association's 41st annual Beastly Ball.
Councilmember Tom LaBonge and officials from the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens and the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association announced the upcoming Beastly Ball fundraising gala on June 18th, 2011 at the zoo. It's the 41st Annual Beastly Ball gala and fundraiser, during which GLAZA raises more than a million dollars for zoo operations. Officials announced that Guns N Roses guitarist Slash will be the recipient of the first-ever Tom Mankiewicz Leadership Award for his support for zoos worldwide and his support for the Elephants of Asia Exhibit. Click here to see more photos
No car dealership on the streets of Los Feliz
(May 12, 2011; Los Angeles) – Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge unveiled new, specially-made signs on Los Feliz Boulevard Thursday which specifically prohibit parking vehicles for sale there. Joined by Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and Amir Sedadi, Interim General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Councilmember LaBonge recognized the leadership of community groups, including the Los Feliz Improvement Association and the Los Feliz Towers Association in getting an ordinance that bans parking vehicles for sale on a busy stretch of Los Feliz Boulevard and Franklin Avenue. “I also applaud our City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and area Assemblyman Mike Gatto for helping to make this important ordinance a reality.” Said Councilmember LaBonge, “I want to go to Felix Chevrolet if I’m in the market for a car or truck. I don’t want the dealership out on the street.” The ordinance, approved by the Los Angeles City Council in April 2011, makes it unlawful to park any vehicle for the purpose of advertising to the public the private sale of that vehicle :
- On Los Feliz Boulevard between Interstate 5 and Western Avenue.
- On Franklin Avenue between Hillhurst Avenue and Western Avenue.
Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said, “The critical parking shortage on these streets is exacerbated by those who park vehicles for sale on the streets. This creates traffic hazards and congestion and becomes a public nuisance. Those who try to use City streets as car dealerships will now pay the consequences.”
The City Council may amend the Ordinance after conducting a public hearing to include additional streets and public lands within the City of Los Angeles. Enforcement of the ordinance starts May 12th with a 72-hour warning period. A first violation is punishable by a $100 fine. A second-time offender may be hit a fine of $250. A third violation and any subsequent violation of the ordinance will result in a $500 fine. The City Council may increase the amount of fines from time to time. Scofflaws’ vehicles could be towed away and impounded under certain conditions. Click here to see more photos of this event
Cleaning Up the Los Angeles River in the Los Feliz area and Fern Dell in Griffith Park
Councilmember LaBonge joins students from Cheremoya Avenue Elementary School for a river cleanup in the Los Feliz area on April 30th. The event was sponsored by Bank of America, which sent scores of volunteers to do the hard work of picking up trash. There were also volunteers from Immaculate Heart on hand to lend a hand. In the Fern Dell cleanup, volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints cleaned-up trails and picnic areas in Griffith Park. What a great job everybody did, working together to clean and beautify our treasured public areas. click here to see more photos
