The term may be unfamiliar to more conventional brew lovers, but it’s far from new. In fact, it dates back several centuries as the solution to spoilage during transcontinental shipping. Imperial beers—sometimes referred to as “amped up” beers—are basically a colloquial way of saying a heavier, bolder, higher-alcohol version of the original product.

One of the most typical types of beer to “amp up” is an IPA, which are already have a bigger, more bitter bite than other ales. However, the “I” in a regular IPA actually refers to “India” pale ale, not “imperial.”

Sierra Nevada debuted its Hoptimum last year, basically an IPA on steroids, thanks to the use of whole hop cones. It’s now an annual release available from March to August.

Firestone’s Double Jack plays alpha male to the regular Union Jack IPA. The malts are similar, but Double’s hops are higher, and big bro clocks in a 9.5% alcohol versus 7.5%.

Karl Strauss’ Off the Rails is a hefty tribute to twenty-plus years of success with the Red Trolley Irish Ale. Essentially doubling the beloved recipe, Off the Rails is a malted caramel pleasure.

Playing off the classic, light “witbier”—wheat beer—style, Samuel Adams’ Imperial White is known for more complex aromas and tastes than its ancestors, with notes of spice and citrus.

Oregon favorite Rogue has set its sights on revving up a lighter beer with the Morimoto Imperial Pilsner, which has undertones of soft fruit and minerals.

Tara de Lis is a freelance writer who lives in Hollywood.

Channel 4 news anchor Colleen Williams (back row, right) and Glendale senior librarian Mary Alice Wollam were among the judges of the Cabrini Literary Guild’s annual creative writing contest. Top winners included (right to left) Emma Collins, first place, Immaculate Heart High School; Elizabeth Medina, second place, Sacred Heart High School; Lizvett Malespin, Bishop Conaty Our Lady of Loretto High School; and Maura Turcotte, fourth place, Immaculate Heart High School.

Two students at Immaculate Heart High School were among the four top award recipients in the Cabrini Literary Guild’s annual creative writing contest.

The Cabrini Literary Guild, a philanthropic organization, announced the awards during a luncheon presentation April 12th at the Oakmont Country Club in Glendale. Entries from Catholic high schools in the Los Angeles area addressed this year’s topic on perseverance.

Garnering 1st was Immaculate Heart senior Emma Collins, who wrote about her personal growth as a member of a competitive high school rowing team. And Immaculate Heart junior Maura Turcotte placed 4th after sharing the lessons she learned climbing the Cinder Cone in Lassen National Volcanic Park.

Judging the contest were Colleen Williams, the co-anchor for Channel 4 News; Mary Alice Wollam, the senior library supervisor at the Glendale Public Library; and Katherine Peters Yamada, a columnist for the Glendale News-Press.

Serving as master of ceremonies was Patrick Caneday, an author and the writer of the “Small Wonders” column in the Burbank Leader and Glendale News Press newspapers.

90026 Condominumums
1425 Silver Lake Blvd 4 $325,000

90026 Single Family Homes
1407 W 2nd St $904,090
1705 Rotary Dr 769,000
817 Glendale Blvd 740,000
1501 Murray Dr 655,000
2336 Berkeley Ave 615,000
1351 Coronado Ter 614,000
1521 Mccollum St 600,000
717 Parkman Ave 518,500
729 Maltman Ave 505,000
1853 Preston Ave 460,000
1007 Laveta Ter 389,000
834 N Vendome St 384,000
1343 N Alvarado St 315,000
235 N Alvarado St 270,000

90027 Condominums
4343 Finley Ave 37 $400,000
4343 Finley Ave 1 336,000
1971 Rodney Dr 107 280,000
1600 N Hobart Blvd 9 180,000

90027 Single Family Homes
2225 N New Hampshire Ave $2,750,000
3509 Griffith Park Blvd 1,399,000
2073 N Catalina St 1,355,000
2311 Richland Ave 1,225,000
3896 Franklin Ave 1,067,000
2609 N Commonwealth Ave 1,050,000
2410 Lyric Ave 1,000,000
2027 Hollyvista Ave 929,000
2057 N Catalina St 900,000
1900 N New Hampshire Ave 889,000
1908 Monon St 790,000
4231 Newdale Dr 782,000
3901 Clayton Ave 630,000
1404 N Hoover St 600,000

90039 Condominimums
2847 Avenel St $503,500
2018 Griffith Park Blvd 223 324,000
2018 Griffith Park Blvd 111 285,000
2354 Fletcher Dr 233 250,000
4101 Perlita Ave D 245,000

90039 Single Family Homes
2055 W Silver Lake Dr $1,375,000.00
2483 Lindsay Ln 1,231,000
2493 Lanterman Ter 810,000
3665 Glenfeliz Blvd 599,000
2667 Queen St 570,000
4149 Brunswick Ave 540,000
2919 Acresite St 515,000
3954 Edenhurst Ave 479,000
2742 Partridge Ave 240,000

90068 Condominimums
2222 N Beachwood Dr 312 $385,000
2700 Cahuenga Blvd E 3309 320,000
3625 Fredonia Dr 9 314,000
6736 Hillpark Dr 304 255,000

90068 Single Family Homes
3062 Hollyridge Dr $1,850,000
2932 Lakeridge Dr 1,705,000
6491 Rodgerton Dr 1,240,000
2047 E Live Oak Dr 1,225,000
2418 Canyon Oak Dr 1,200,000
2252 Bronson Hill Dr 1,199,000
3260 Bennett Dr 1,060,000
2421 Creston Way 1,020,000
5919 Tuxedo Ter 955,000
3050 N Beachwood Dr 920,000
2600 Carman Crest Dr 885,500
2010 Holly Hill Ter 830,000
3318 Oak Glen Dr 790,000
2411 El Contento Dr 705,000
3311 Oak Glen Dr 551,000
2966 Goodview Trl 500,000
3059 Valevista Trl 400,000
7300 Caverna Dr 200,000

Sales are from the previous month.  Source: Great American Real Estate Solutions

GRIFFITH PARK—The proposed construction of two youth baseball fields has fueled an ongoing community conflict, leaving the words of Col. Griffith J. Griffith echoing throughout Los Feliz and the 4,310-acre park in its backyard: that he decreed the land Griffith donated to the city in 1896, “must be made a place of recreation and rest for the masses, a resort for the rank and file, for the plain people.”

Griffith’s words have led to a four-year confrontation over the interpretation of his intent and allegations that sides are either: “pro youth baseball,” and by extension, children versus those wanting to protect open space.

If approved, the ballparks—initially proposed by the city’s Dept. of Recreation and Parks in 2009 with the support of District 4 City Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge and funded primarily by the city’s Proposition K “LA for Kids Program”—would place two youth league baseball fields in the Crystal Springs picnic and recreation area along the east side of Griffith Park. The ball fields would reestablish fields that were demolished in the 1950s with the construction of the I-5 Freeway and respond to the community’s growing need for sports facilities, according to LaBonge.

“I grew up in this area and they took the fields away that my brothers played on because of the Golden State Freeway,” said LaBonge.

As the area has experienced steadily growing numbers of families filling nearly a dozen elementary and secondary schools, a dearth of regulation youth baseball fields in Los Feliz, East Hollywood, Atwater Park and Silver Lake has become obvious to parents who say they spend several hours a week shuttling children to crowded leagues that play in Hancock Park and Toluca Lake.

But as the project began moving forward in 2010—achieving the City Council’s competitive Proposition K approval for $500,000—it was met with resistance by a small group of community members. Some have said there should be no new construction within the park of any kind; while others have said they are OK with new ballfields, just not at the Crystal Springs location.

According to LaBonge, Crystal Springs is the third location in Griffith Park his office has explored.

“One of the things in my job right now is I’m absolutely trying to build back opportunities that others had,” said LaBonge. “I think it’s suitable that [the baseball fields] be placed [in Crystal Springs] and I’m pushing the Dept. of Recreation and Parks to move forward.”

Several of the most outspoken opponents to the baseball fields’ placement in Crystal Springs are associated with the Friends of Griffith Park (FoGP) activist and preservationist nonprofit group, which declined to comment for this story. These members—most of whom, according to public records, own property nestled into or around the base of Griffith Park—have organized letters of petition and have had a strong contingency, speaking out at advisory Local Volunteer Neighborhood Oversight Committee (LVNOC) meetings mandated by the Proposition K project guidelines.

The intent of these meetings is to vet the project plans and for the committee’s seven person council to make recommendations on how to best facilitate the project. The LVNOC members were appointed by the District 4 council office and the Dept. of Recreation and Parks.

Public comment during these meetings have become lengthy assemblies for each side of the discussion—those against, being of a notably older age group, often starting their points with the clarification they are “not anti-baseball” before explaining why Crystal Springs is not an appropriate location.

Among such reasons opposing views take is the destruction of trees, displacement of picnickers and the close proximately to an existing equestrian trail.

Those in favor, including several baseball-playing children, have expressed the value of youth sports and the need for additional adequate facilities, as well as sentiments such as, “It’s easier to find places for picnic blankets than for [ball] fields.”

Of the seven-person LNVOC committee—which will ultimately vote on the project in an advisory capacity to the city’s Bureau of Engineering—one is a member of the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council; two are FoGP board members; two are members of the Griffith Park Master/Vision Plan Working Group; one is Vice President of Equestrian Trails, Inc., Corral 38 nonprofit organization; and four are baseball parents and coaches from the surrounding neighborhood.

Open discussions have shown a clear ideological divide between the LVNOC members in support of the ball fields in Crystal Springs and those opposed, holding up the project almost since inception. Citing public comment, some members of the LVNOC have indicated the committee should decide whether the project was appropriate at all or whether an alternative location should be considered.

The community’s concerns with the Crystal Springs location gave way to the city’s Dept. of Engineering—in consultation with the City Attorney—to consider alternative options or whether existing facilities could suffice without additional construction.

Since then, an outpouring of community input has ensued, rallying sides for and against the project.

The most referenced of such alternatives is North Atwater Park, an annexed portion of Griffith Park across the Los Angeles River and the 5 Freeway situated adjacent to equestrian stables in a residential neighborhood of Atwater Village.

Last month, according to LaBonge, a $4 million passive parks program was completed for North Atwater Park, which, he said, “turns our attention towards the river and the environment there. So it would not be suitable to try to build fields there,” he said.

Cathie Santo Domingo, Project Manager city’s Bureau of Engineering’s Recreational and Cultural Facilities Program, said she was surprised to find such significant public outcry against the project and the Crystal Springs location.

“For a relatively small project we probably have over 200 emails for and against this and probably close to 30 or 40 postcards submitted during public comment that are speaking against this project,” she said.

Resistance to the proposed ball fields has been great enough that the Bureau of Engineering has reprogrammed the project’s construction funds from the 2011-12 fiscal year to that of 2012-13, to take more time to explore alternatives and further weigh public sentiment.

Furthermore, since the time the ball field project application was submitted for Proposition K funding, Griffith Park has been established as a historic monument. This means any project that moves forward will require a historical impact report in addition to an environmental report. These additional steps, as well as examining alternative options, said Sheila Irani, Director of Special Projects in Los Angeles City Council District 4, will add an extra $100,000 to $150,000 worth of costs to the ball field project.

“I’ve never seen such conflict at an LVNOC,” said Irani. “It’s hard to believe that we’re getting into so much for two baseball fields.”

Locating the two ball fields at Crystal Springs places them adjacent to the park’s current, single regulation adult-sized, Pote Field. According to Santo Domingo, doing so would remove approximately 32 trees; relocate 12 trees and move seven frequently used picnic tables to the open south side of the Crystal Springs area.

Most of the possibly impacted trees, according to Santo Domingo, were planted by the city as part of the Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigos’s “Million Trees LA” program and the Forest Lawn Memorial Park as part of a mitigation agreement.

Each tree potentially removed, Irani said, would be replaced in the area with two additional trees. One sycamore with a 48-inch-diameter trunk would be removed but the planning committee has gone to great lengths to ensure one California Live Oak would remain where it currently stands, despite the city arborist’s report that says it is diseased and will likely die in 10 to 15 years.

“There are 10,000 trees [in Griffith Park],” said Irani. “It’s not like we’re taking out a forest. These trees were planted there by man sometime in the last 30 years so we’re just going to replant them someplace else.”

In an unofficial community poll the Los Feliz Ledger conducted in March, 88% voted in favor of the baseball field addition. Six local neighborhood councils have approved a motion in support of the baseball fields as well, including the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council.

Mark Mauceri, a member of the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council (GGPNC) since 2008 and co-chair of the LVNOC, is leading the charge to have the baseball fields built.

To build more sports facilities beyond Griffith Park’s three golf courses, 27 tennis courts and nearly 40 miles of equestrian trails, was one of his main platform points when he was elected to the GGPNC as a write-in candidate. At that time, he said, this notion was met with hostility by the GGPNC. Now the GGPNC Sports & Recreation Chair, he recalled back then, “[The GGPNC] flat out told me ball fields would never get built.”

Since then, Mauceri has pushed to influence a changing of the GGPNC’s guard.

In 2009 he helped oust current FoGP vice-president Bernadette Soter from the council, and along with fellow-member Thomas O’Grady—who ran for LaBonge’s city council seat but lost in 2011—led the “Los Feliz Forward” slate of 10 to be elected to the GGPNC in 2010.

These politics have caused disruption of the GGPNC board and in return allegations of disenfranchisement and questionable tactics. Additionally slanderous accusations have been thrown at Mauceri and O’Grady.

According to Mauceri, the conflict over baseball parks at Crystal Springs is an extension of this political power grab.

At a recent LVNOC meeting, voicing her concerns with the proposed location during the public comment section, Soter said, “People, working class people, people of color use those picnic grounds and they have for decades. We have no right to evict those people from their recreation, which is every bit as good a bit of type of recreation [as children playing baseball].”

But Mauceri claims such statements are misleading.

“There is this group of people who have made this a war and they have been successful in making this a war because they have made it a war of attrition,” Mauceri said in a subsequent interview, referencing the project proposal’s lengthy vetting process. “I’ve got news for you,” Mauceri said, “every baseball field that was ever built in America cleared some trees… We’re not losing any open space, we’re transitioning it to recreational use. It’s not like we’re putting up a stadium.”

Pointing to Chicago, New York and Boston, when it comes to sports facilities, Mauceri said those cities are laughing at Los Angeles. Amidst the cultural and financial wealth of Los Feliz and Silver Lake—especially with the prominence and resources of Griffith Park in its backyard—he added, this is something the city needs and deserves.

And he refuses to give up.

“They’ve got better baseball fields in the Dominican Republic than we do in Los Feliz,” he said. “It’s a wonderful environment for putting community together and getting exercise for kids. There are a thousand reasons why we should do this. But at the end of the day there are these people saying, ‘You can’t do this.’ We’re saying, ‘Yes we can.’”

Vahan Saroians, center, Associate Real Estate Broker at Coldwell Banker Los Feliz, is pictured with brother-in-law Steve Cummings, sister Alina, sister-in-law Nellie and brother, Armen Yeghyaza.

LOS FELIZ—Recently, Vahan Saroians recalled the urgency his parents felt when they sent him, at 15, away from their home in Tehran, accompanying his grandmother to Vienna, Austria, to save him from being drafted into the Iran-Iraq war.

His close friendship with his grandmother, Siranoush, defines how he conducts business in real estate and gives back to the community every day.

“I think she influenced a 100% how I approach people in my life,” said Saroians. “She cared about everybody and made sure they were taken care of and loved.”

With degrees in finance and law, Saroians has practiced real estate law for 12 years establishing his strong work ethic and certified negotiating skills. Since 2005, he has been a sellers’ and buyers’ agent at Coldwell Banker’s Los Feliz office and is their top broker representing clients from Glendale to the Westside.

Saroians’ expertise in both commercial and residential properties gives clients more options in today’s market where some buyers consider 2 to 4 unit properties for themselves to live in while using the other units for rental income.

“Commercial property, especially apartment buildings, will always be in demand,” said Saroians. “When prices are high, people need a place to rent. When times are tough people need a place to live.” Saroians even helps clients learn to manage their properties.

He credits his team, including assistant, Rita Papazian—the heart and soul of his operation—to back him through his often 12 hour work days.

“We were kind of a realtor’s worst nightmare and he was very supportive,” said client Joan Dans. “He knows the law, the market, style and design and value and he treated us like family.”

Saroians said he relies on family—especially his parents, Gourgen and Tamara—who live with him, to keep him centered.

Undeterred by the recession, he had his highest number of transactions in 2011. Eighty percent of his business, he said, is from referrals.

“It’s satisfying on a personal level to see people reach their dream and to have a part in that,” said Saroians. “[Clients] know I have their back and that I represent them zealously.”

LOS FELIZ

The new church building totals 18,900 square feet. The purchase price was $1,630,000.

“This building was an ideal solution because it allows the church to accommodate its growth while remaining in Los Feliz,” said Herzig.

The property includes a 350-seat sanctuary, small theater, chapel, a banquet hall with a commercial kitchen and numerous offices, classrooms and conference rooms. The church building was constructed in 1920 and a second building was added in the 1950s.

“The new building is ideal for us and we look forward to many years of continued service to the Los Feliz and greater Los Angeles community,” said The Reverend Dr. Neil G Thomas, Senior Pastor of MCCLA.

MCCLA will be moving from 4953 Franklin Avenue in Los Feliz, a 6,321-square-foot church building it has owned for about four years.

The seller, Mount Hollywood Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) of Los Angeles is leasing space at the new MCCLA building and plans to continue to hold services there for the next year.

Carl Whidden represented Mount Hollywood in the sale.

SILVER LAKE

“I don’t know of a worse tragedy in my [37] years of working with the city of Los Angeles,” said 4th District City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, at a community meeting to address the street’s pedestrian safety April 30th at Ivanhoe Elementary School, also on Rowena Avenue.

“Never have I seen anything so tragic as to know that someone lost their life with their dad right there… It’s a tragedy upon tragedy,” he said.

Lately the thoroughfare—that runs between Hyperion Avenue and Glendale Boulevard, just south of the Los Angeles River and Interstate 5—has been the setting to many of the neighborhood’s most dramatic scenes.

Residents have complained of health problems caused by the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power’s (LADWP) River Supply Conduit Improvement project that has been tearing up the street to lay new pipelines. Sizable housing developments are moving in, bringing more construction, people and traffic.

Also, in late March, a jogger was hit by a car while running around the nearby Silver Lake Reservoir. The accident broke her hips and knocked out all her teeth.

At the April 30th community meeting, the sense of the 100 or more in attendance was heated and demanding.

Parents told stories of their children walking to Ivanhoe Elementary School and cars almost hitting them.

“If my son had not jumped back, he would have been dead,” said one mother, nearly in tears.

“They’re 10 and 11 years old,” another parent said. “They’re walking by themselves. We need more signage.”

Some complained the streets were too dark too.

“If [Rowena is] going to be [treated like] a freeway, it needs to be lighted like one,” someone said.

With a panel of more than a dozen other city employees from the council member’s office, LADWP, the Los Angeles Police Dept. of Transportation (LADOT), City Planning, and the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council (SLNC), LaBonge led the meeting’s two-hour conversation. Introducing a coterie of officials, he called on audience members and fielded responses.

The stakeholders campaigned for more police on Rowena to give out speeding tickets; more signs and more lights too.

LaBonge suggested red light cameras at intersections. The council member also said his office would buy a speed feedback sign for the street. On Tesla Avenue, where the jogger was hit, in June the Dept. of Water and Power will begin construction on a pedestrian pathway. Plans are also in review for lane restrictions on Rowena to increase space for parking, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Some asked the 35-mile-per-hour speed limit be lowered on Rowena, but that is a state-level issue, according to LaBonge. Most of all, he encouraged people to be safe, make eye contact with drivers and pedestrians and slow down.

The residents’ speaking grew direct and loud at times, clearly frustrated over the lack of immediate answers or plans for action. They called on LaBonge to make changes. LaBonge made plans with some community members for later discussions. He noted others’ complaints for his office’s further review.

But still, there were grumbles from the audience and at times people cut off the councilmember and his deputies to speak.

“We are in a land mine situation, we must do something now,” a woman said. “I will tell you, Tom, the next death will be on you.”

LaBonge replied, “Everybody who dies, whether they’re in my district or South L.A., or the Valley, I care about. But I can’t guarantee [it won’t happen that] someone passes through our neighborhood, not paying attention, violates the law and there’s a tragedy,” he said.

Mary Rodriguez, LaBonge’s Education Deputy and Field Deputy for Los Feliz and Silver Lake, said after the meeting their office is doing “all kinds of things” to help the situation, but people must be patient.

According to Rodriquez, the council office is working with LADOT, LADWP, the Los Angeles Unified School District, City Planning, the Bureau of Street Lighting and the SLNC in many ways to address the problems.

There will be results, she said.

“It’s just not going to happen right away. . . We’re working with everybody that we can think of,” Rodriguez said. “It all takes time and we have these major infrastructure projects. It’s an old neighborhood with lots of infrastructure that needs work. I mean all major infrastructure—it’s time now. And we’re working on [safety] as it goes along.”

LaBonge promised change as well.

“Once [the DWP project] is done, which is still probably well over 18 months away, we will change Rowena,” LaBonge said. “But tell everybody to slow down, whether you’re in Silver Lake, Toluca Lake or Lakewood.”

SILVER LAKE—The next phase of the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power’s construction of an improved water system will be along Glendale Boulevard—west of the fire station and Fletcher Drive. Glendale Boulevard, Rowena Avenue and Lakewood Avenue will be closed for up to three months.

Glendale Boulevard between Rowena Avenue and Fletcher Drive will be a one-way, southbound street for up to eight months.

For info: ladwp.com

In this version, Annie is actually a lying, thieving, gold-digging, manipulative shrew who battles the sad and beautiful owner of the orphanage, Miss Hannigan, for the attention of Daddy Warbucks.

Hannigan and Warbucks are both wounded from their previous relationships and their pending romance could be the end of Annie’s Machiavellian plans to make Warbucks her father and steal his millions.

“Tomorrow…,” was co-written by student Madeline Stefani and Broderick Miller, who also directs.

SCTG produces original plays and musicals for young children and teenagers in Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park and Hollywood.

Sat. May 5th, 7 p.m. and Sun. May 6th, 2 p.m.; Fri. May 11th, 7 p.m. ; Sat., May 12th 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sun. May 13th, 2 p.m. $15. Rosenthal Theater

Inner-City Arts Center, 720 Kohler, Los Angeles.

Five hundred attended the 2nd Annual Hike for the Homeless, April 28th. Participants met at the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round for a pre-hike stretch led by comedians Wayne Federman and Brian Whalen.  Actor Vincent de Paul, fittingly was Master of Ceremonies.  Proceeds from the event benefit the new Family Housing Project for Women and Children in Hollywood and the Cardinal Manning Homeless Shelter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Los Angeles which helps families move out of Skid Row into permanent housing. Hikers were treated Yuca burritos after the hike. Cardinal Manning Center Executive Director David Fields had high praise for the many individuals teams and sponsors that made the event a success.  Top sponsors for the event were Forest Lawn Memorial Park, St. Vincent Medical Center and Michael Locke of Locke & Partners, Keller Williams Los Feliz Realty. Photo by Brian Pickering.

Allison Cohen Ferraro

Regarding the recent death of a 24-year-old woman, hit by a car on Rowena Avenue, part of the problem remains a lack of available parking in Silver Lake and Los Feliz. Creative alternatives for such must be explored.

Parking near the Los Feliz Ledger’s office, which is situated above Little Dom’s on the corner of Hillhurst Avenue and Avocado Street, is abysmal, especially on Thursdays and Fridays, street cleaning days. I—and others that work in my building, including many Little Dom’s employees and guests to the restaurant—often have to park across Hillhurst Avenue and dart across the busy street to get to work in the building or to eat at the restaurant.

We also are forced to park in the nearby residential area or “bogart” nearby parking meters at 2-hour increments all day. Fortunately, some Little Dom’s workers ride bikes to work, including one kitchen worker, whom I only know as “Benny” who bikes each day from Mid-City.

Tangier has a parking lot, with at least 25 parking spaces, that is unused every day until the restaurant opens in the evening. I have not spoken to the owner of the Tangier lot, but intend to: to ask the owner to please allow us to at least pay to use the lot, for pedestrian safety; less congestion on nearby residential streets and so metered parking in front of local restaurants and stores are available to customers, as they rightfully should be.

In our story about a small minority in opposition to the construction of two youth ballfields in the Crystal Springs area of Griffith Park, it is disappointing that no one who opposes the ballfields was willing to talk with the Ledger.

We tried contacting Gerry Hans, President of the Friends of Griffith Park; Joe Young, V.P. Legal Affairs, Friends of Griffith Park; Carol Henning, Secretary, Friends of Griffith Park; Bernadette Soter, V.P. Outreach and Communications and one of the founding members of the Friends of Griffith Park; Dora Herrera, boardmember, Friends of Griffith Park; and Jeff Gardner member, Friends of Griffith Park. We would very much like to report their concerns to help educate our readers.

HILLHURST AVENUE—Recently, the MOMS Club of Los Feliz held a food drive for two local service organizations.

For six hours, club members stood outside the local Albertson’s on Hillhurst Avenue, asking incoming customers to purchase food items off of a pre-printed list. Customers generously helped to fill shopping cart after shopping cart with fruit cups, peanut butter, pasta, soup and other family staples. Cash donated was used to purchase diapers.

The beneficiaries were Our Mother of Good Counsel’s St. Vincent de Paul Society, which provides food to the homeless and and Childrens Hospital’s Project NATEEN, which offers counseling and support to teen mothers and their families.

The food drive was the latest in a series of charitable events organized by the Los Feliz MOMS Club. Other recent events included a bake sale to raise funds for UNICEF, the creation of Thanksgiving baskets for Project NATEEN families, and a holiday toy drive for underserved children.

For information about the Los Feliz MOMS Club, e-mail losfelizmomsclub@gmail.com

David, known as a “folk troubadour” and Johnny, who plays rock, have melded their musical genres and play, on guitar and piano, both original and cover material, such as Paul Simon, Tom Waits, The Beatles and Oasis.

Full of surprises and truly eclectic, they are known to never play the same set list twice.

1760 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz

Los Angeles is known for its sunshine and now I want us to also be known as the solar capital of the world.

I am proud that two initiatives I authored to facilitate the use of solar energy are moving forward.  Not only will they reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, they will create thousands of jobs in the growing clean technology industry.

In April, Mayor Villaraigosa signed into law my ordinance to create a pilot program at the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power (LADWP) to make it easier for the utility’s customers to sell solar energy back to the LADWP.  The CLEAN LA Solar program makes Los Angeles the largest city in America with such a “feed-in tariff” program.

CLEAN LA Solar is expected to create 4,500 jobs and generate $500 million in economic activity while offsetting 2.25 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2016.  The pilot program will offer 10 megawatts (MW) of solar power generation developed by third parties and sold to LADWP for distribution on the city’s power grid.  LADWP will expand the program based on the experience of the initial 10 MW pilot. For more information: ladwp.com/solar.

Additionally, the Los Angeles City Council recently approved an ordinance I authored with Councilmember Ed Reyes to streamline the installation of solar panels on residential and commercial properties.  Among other things, the new law removes barriers to retrofitting parking lots to accommodate solar structures, modifies existing height restrictions to account for solar panels, and establishes a new, expedited process for solar installation proposals that do not meet the city’s zoning code, the bulk of which was written well before the solar technologies of today.

Los Angeles’s earliest settlers built our city to maximize the use of the sun for farming and other economic activity. Now, we will use modern technology to harness the power of the sun like never before.

The first week of May will begin Advance Placement (AP) testing at Loyola. AP classes are offered beginning sophomore year, and many upperclassmen take multiple AP classes, which are designed to be college-level courses. I am currently taking three: AP Chemistry, AP English and AP United States History. Our year of preparation culminates with these big exams, where students can score from a 1-5 with 3 being a passing grade.

Loyola’s “Comedy Sportz Club” will be hosting an alumni match on Friday, May 18th at 7 p.m. at Loyola’s Hannon Theater. The matches are always a lot of fun and the students do a great job participating in fun improv games.

Seniors are continuing to count down their final days of high school as well. After AP testing, senior week comes, where we have an all school liturgy and our school awards assembly. The following week, seniors have their final exams.

Coldplay will play three nights at the Bowl - May 1st, 2nd & 4th

ART

‘Howard Terpning: Tribute to the Plains People’
A new exhibition by one of the world’s foremost painters of the American West opens this month. Also at the Autry this month are a concert by Willis Earl Beal (Wed., May 2nd, 8 p.m.), an artist’s talk by photographer Karen Halverson (Sun., May 6th, 10 a.m.) and a lecture about Angel Island by Judy Yung (Sun., May 20th, 2 p.m.). Admission to the Autry is $10 for adults, $6 for students and seniors, $4 for children 3-12 and free for children under 3.

Autry National Center, Sat., May 12th-Sun., July 1st
4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. Information: (323) 667-2000; www.theautry.org

Rouge Taxidermy Show
Robert Marbury curates this mixed-media show featuring work by 24 artists and taxidermists. (All animals have been procured ethically.)  Participants include Sarina Brewer, Scott Hove, Kat Marie Moya and Adam Wallacavage. An opening reception will be held Friday, May 4th, 8 p.m.-11 p.m.

La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Fri., May 4th-Sun., May 27th
4633 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz. Information: (323) 666-7667; www.laluzdejesus.com

BOOKS

Helen Knode and James Ellroy
Novelist Helen Knode will read from and discuss her new book, Wildcat Play, a mystery involving oil, double-crossing and murder set in Central California. Knode will be joined in conversation by her ex-husband and fellow crime writer, James Ellroy. Also at Skylight this month are Les Plesko (Tue., May 8th, 7:30 p.m.), Cecil Castelucci (Tue., May 22nd, 7:30 p.m.) and Mark Dery (Tue., May 29th, 7:30 p.m.).

Skylight Books, Wed., May 2nd, 7:30 p.m.
1818 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz. Information: (323) 660-1175; www.skylightbooks.com

CLUBS

Los Angeles Breakfast Club
For more than 85 years, the LABC has gathered folks from all walks of life to enjoy a meal and one another’s company. Check the club website for up-to-date information about upcoming guest speakers. Breakfast is $7 per person and free for first-time visitors. Annual club membership is $100.

Friendship Auditorium, Wed., May 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th, 7 a.m.
3201 Riverside Drive, Los Feliz. Information: (213) 665-1154; www.labreakfastclub.com

FESTIVALS

Silver Lake Jubilee
Returning for its third year, this weekend music and art festival gathers a diverse lineup of bands, comedians, theatrical performances, readings and screenings, plus food and crafts from neighborhood vendors. Featured acts include Autolux, Dunes, Abe Vigoda, Lake, Batwings Catwings, Gangi and more. Single ticket $20, two-day pass $35.

Sat., May 26th and Sun., May 27th
Santa Monica Blvd. between Sunset Blvd. and Commonwealth St., Silver Lake. Information: www.silverlakejubilee.com

FILM

Cinespia
Picnics and movies in a cemetery might have sounded like a strange combination years ago, but thanks to Cinespia, it’s become an annual tradition. The beloved alfresco movie screenings are due to return this month.

Hollywood Forever, Sat., May 12th
6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Information: www.cinespia.org

HOLIDAY

Patina Mother’s Day Brunch
Because whose mom doesn’t like flowers? This buffet brunch is held in Descanso’s Rose Garden and prepared by Patina Restaurant Group. Brunch is $52 for adults, $19 for children 4-12, and free for children 3 and under. Reservations are required by Tues., May 8th.

Descanso Gardens, Sat., May 12th, 10 a.m. and noon, Sun., May 13th, 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.
1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. Information: (818) 790-3663; www.descansogardens.org

MUSIC

Caught a Ghost
Songwriter and producer Jesse Nolan, drummer Stephen Edelstein, and vocalist-percussionist Tessa Thompson take up the Satellite’s free Monday night residency this month, offering four weeks of modern-inflected soul. Supporting acts include Yellow Alex and the Feelings, the Peach Kings, and Busy Living. Must be 21 or over.

The Satellite, Mon., May 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, 9 p.m.
1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake. Information: www.thesatellitela.com

Coldplay
Touring behind their latest album, Mylo Xyloto, the British arena-rock band will play three nights at the Bowl. The Pierces and Metronomy will open the show. Tickets are $49.50-$150.

Hollywood Bowl, Tue., May 1st, Wed., May 2nd, Fri., May 4th, 7 p.m.
2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. Information: 323-850-2000; www.hollywoodbowl.com

Kina Grannis
Singer-songwriter and California native Kina Grannis visits the Ford on her In Your Arms world tour. Imaginary Friend will open. Tickets are $21-$25.

Ford Theatres, Fri., May 18th, 8 p.m.
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E., Hollywood. Information: (323) 461-3673; www.fordtheatres.org

SCIENCE & NATURE

Native Plants: The Big Picture
Gardening expert Lisa Novick will give an illustrated talk about the history of California plants and how they can be used to enact positive environmental change. Admission is $8.

Los Angeles Zoo, Fri., May 18th, 7 p.m.
5333 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park. Information: (323) 644-4200; www.lazoo.org

Public Star Party
Each month, the Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers host these astronomy events for the whole family. Attendees can try out a variety of telescopes; talk to astronomers about the sky and their equipment; and view the sun, moon, planets and other celestial objects. Admission is free. Also at the observatory this month are All Space Considered (Fri., May 4th, 7:30 p.m.) and a public viewing of a partial solar eclipse (Sun., May 20th, 5:24 p.m.).

Griffith Observatory, Sat., May26th, 2 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
2800 E. Observatory Road, Griffith Park. Information: (213) 473-0800; www.griffithobservatory.org.

THEATER

‘Evangeline, the Queen of Make-Believe’
This multimedia theatrical performance draws both inspiration and music from the work of David Hidalgo and Louie Perez, of Los Lobos. The show is directed by Theresa Chavez and Rose Portillo and stars Karen Anzoategui, Danielle  Barbosa and Daniel Chacon. Tickets are $32 ($22 for previews, which run May 3rd-11th).

Bootleg Theater, Thu.-Sun., May 12th-27th
2220 Beverly Blvd., Westlake. Information: www.foldsilverlake.com

‘Songs for a New World’

Marco Gomez directs a collection of stories by Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown. The cast features Andrea Arvanigian, Malek Hanna, Mookie Johnson and Joanne O’Brien. Tickets are $30-$35 general admission, $20 for students and seniors.

The Met Theatre, Fri.-Sun., May 11th-June 3rd
1089 N. Oxford Ave., East Hollywood. Information: 323-465-0693; www.domatheatre.com

At the beginning of a Dodger game or even an NPR broadcast, the listener hears that the program is “brought to you by” and a list of corporate sponsors or donors.  So, how is it that special interests can sponsor ballot initiatives without the voter being made aware of the same?

I’ve authored legislation that would change that. The bill is AB 65, and it would require that the top five contributors to a ballot initiative campaign be listed right in the ballot pamphlet.

Ensuring that voters are well informed before heading to the ballot box is critically important to creating a rational system of governance in our state.  For example, just last year, out-of-state oil companies spent millions to place an initiative on the ballot in an attempt to overturn California’s clean-air laws. Environmentalists had to counter with millions of their own, just to inform voters of this cynical attempt by out-of-state interests to purchase an exemption at the ballot box.

And that‘s just one example. There are plenty of other instances of special interest groups, in many cases from out of state, trying to affect California law or even the rights of California citizens with a ballot initiative.

I believe the electorate would be better informed if they simply knew who was the “money” behind a ballot initiative, because in almost every instance, knowing—who seeks to change California law to their benefit—is half the battle.  Letting the sunshine in will help voters make informed decisions, and informed decisions are always best.

Mike Gatto represents all or part of Silver Lake, Franklin Hills, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Glendale, Burbank, North Hollywood, Valley Village and Van Nuys in the California State Assembly.  His web site is asm.ca.gov/gatto or  e-mail Mike at: assemblymember.gatto@assembly.ca.gov, or call him at (818) 558-3043.

LOS FELIZ

The council’s 21 recommendations also included declaring a city fiscal emergency allowing the mayor to invoke a one-year city employee salary reduction as well as mandating multi-year balanced budgets for infrastructure and to control city employee costs including compensation, benefits packages, pensions and worker’s compensation.

Also included in the GGPNC’s recommendations was the raising of the city retirement age from 55 to at least 65 and an overhaul of the city’s outdated technological abilities to collect, store and process data.

GGPNC board members said they hope to help guide the city in the restoration and city financial stability to prevent the end of programs and projects.

Teachers make a good school. If you have engaging and invested teachers leading the class, the students will be just the same. Marshall is no exception. In a class of 40, it’s easy for students to “slip between the cracks and fall behind. Having to teach a class that large seems daunting, but somehow most of the teachers at Marshall manage and do a pretty great job.

So far, the teachers I have met are some of the most passionate, inspiring, and dedicated that I have ever known.

Because of the overpopulated classes, you have to work that much harder to get one-on-one treatment that is readily available at a private school. Public school has gotten a reputation of not being as good as private education, and the truth is, public schools have fewer resources per student. This makes it more important for students at public schools to apply themselves. If they do, they can equalize the difference.

Tickets are $5. On hand will be a silent auction, door prizes and free glaucoma screenings. Information: (323) 394-2452.

Plastic is one of the great inventions of our age. It can be molded into any shape and is amazingly strong and durable. We use it so widely now—in domestic appliances, medical equipment, cell phones and even clothes—that it is hard to imagine life without this incredible material.

However, we have been wasting plastic in increasingly large quantities and allowing this waste to damage the environment. The plastic bag is the most obvious example. Americans use an average of 500 plastic bags yearly, and almost all of these are thrown away, not recycled.

Giving up plastic bags was the subject of my first column for the Los Feliz Ledger over three years ago, so I was excited that this April, after years of debate, the Los Angeles City Council’s Energy and Environment Committee moved forward with a plan to ban not only plastic, but also paper bags in supermarkets. This will force us to use re-usable bags when we shop, something that may be hard to adjust to, since we are so used to the convenient plastic bag. But we will adjust, I am sure. One tip: leave your reusable bags in your car so they are always handy when you shop.

Many companies are giving away tote bags—also a smart advertising move—so reusable bags are easy to come by. We can also try making them ourselves out of groovy fabrics (www.skiptomylou.org/2009/07/17/how-to-make-a-simple-reversible-totebag/)  or old t-shirts: www.instructables.com/id/FASTEST-RECYCLED-T-SHIRT-TOTE-BAG/.

Some argue that it will be hard to change our habits and remember to bring these bags with us (see above regarding leaving them in your car trunk). But, like plastic, habits are malleable. We will adapt.

EAST HOLLYWOOD—Remnants from the auto shop at Hollywood High School, have been transformed by artists into art that will be shown and sold at a benefit exhibition to support new school-based health centers in Los Angeles County.

Wellness Works, Thurs., May 17th, Barnsdall Gallery, 4800 Hollywood Blvd. 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. $50 general admission, $100 VIP (reserve wine tastings, artist reception from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. plus main event). Tickets: www.schoolhealthcenters.org.

Griffith Park is the most remarkable place.  How amazing that we have this wilderness in the middle of a metropolis. It is the most special thing about Los Angeles even though man has made some “improvements” by creating institutions and parking lots around the perimeter.  Every little encroachment should be carefully considered. [The park] is not just there for the few who want to play ball, it is there for millions.  By the way, my poll of my friends showed 100% against building ball fields.

Seems that family time spent enjoying the flora and fauna in the middle of the city would be nurturing for parents and children. Rather than dropping kids off at a ballpark invest some time every week with your kids in nature.  Tell them about that “sick” live oak—why was it protected? Why do you now feel it can be chopped down and how can that happen when it was once protected? (I would like to know also.)

I hope that parents who want to have their kids play baseball would instead go the extra mile to find a more suitable place for new fields. How about working together to find already-adulterated land in your neighborhood (not the park)?

I voted for Mr. LaBonge last time because I remember him saying at a campaign debate that he would preserve Griffith Park.

Joe Fronek, Los Feliz

In 2007, the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan breathed new life into the L.A. River. Under the plan, a renewed River would be a continuous, functioning ecosystem that supports native fish, bird and mammal populations, treats storm water runoff and establishes an interconnected network of parks and trails for community residents to enjoy. A renewed river would also create much-needed jobs through the work associated with the project, provide for a more sustainable L.A., and serve as a cultural destination point.

In April 2010, the Dept. of Interior established the “America’s Great Outdoors” program, to reconnect Americans with nature by leveraging the support of the federal government and working with the private sector, nonprofit organizations, communities and states. The goal of the program is to preserve open space, wildlife, and historic and cultural resources, and to enhance neighborhood parks through public-private partnerships and locally supported conservation strategies.

The L.A. River is a perfect choice for this innovative initiative. I was proud to work with Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard in requesting that the Interior Department designate the L.A. River as a part of this program, and was delighted when Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar came to our community to inaugurate the L.A. River into the program.

My colleague and I are already working hard on the next step—a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study—and have succeeded in obtaining some preliminary funding to begin the effort. Once concluded, Congress must approve the project recommendation before it can proceed to the construction phase.

With your input and support, I will work with my colleagues in the House and Senate to implement these recommendations and to secure the necessary funds to make this exciting vision a reality.

A renewed and reborn River will be a vital component of our community. While the final results will take some time, our planning and persistence will pay off, and communities and residents once divided by the concrete channel will be united by a reborn L.A. river—a true urban waterway.

Representative Adam Schiff serves in the U.S. House of Representatives.

SILVER LAKE

The most popular rumor amongst employees around the complex is that a housing development with underground parking is moving in, with construction starting before the year’s end.

The Ralphs grocery store is supposed to stay open during construction. CVS employees were told that store, too, would stay open, but some have suspected that’s a management tactic to avoid panic. CVS employees were also asked not to speak with press.

Other hearsay has suggested the construction of a mall complex like The Grove or an expansion of the Ralphs into adjacent storefronts.

The property owners, Western Realty, would not confirm any of these speculations.

“It is our intention that it remain retail,” said Laurie Arroyo, Partner at Western Realty, stating that negotiations are currently underway but could not discuss further specifics.

Currently three storefronts sit closed and vacant and the 20 Video movie-rental shop will close at the end of May. 20 Video is unloading its inventory at heavy discount, which would leave one to believe there are no plans for relocation. The Round Table Pizza that once occupied a space reportedly went out of business some months back, while the Baskin Robbins and KFC were reportedly offered early termination on their leases.

Tony Cornejo, owner of Tony’s Barbershop, said he and other tenants received month-to-month sublease contracts from Wester Realty.

“They told us everybody had leases to the year 2012,” Cornejo said. “Now three of the stores are gone… We don’t even know what they’re doing.”

Instead of waiting, Cornejo said he bought another shop in Cypress Park that will run conjointly until his local lease ends.

A still shot from the KCET investigative report on possible signage at the Los Angeles Zoo.

GRIFFITH PARK—Commercial banners, signs and billboards may well be coming to the Los Angeles Zoo and Botantical Gardens.

Last December, the Los Angeles City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee, passed a motion to add the zoo to a list of preliminary “grandfathered” so-called “Sign Districts,” meaning they would be exempt from the city’s new citywide revised sign ordinance. The ordinance has been under review since 2008, following a memorandum on billboards and other advertising signage in the city, brought upon largely by large supergrahics that some feel blight the area.

If the “grandfathering” is approved, it would not be the first time commercial off-site signage—advertising a business at a location other where the sign is placed—would be permitted in Griffith Park.

According to Jason Jacobs, the L.A. Zoo’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations, the same sort of off-site signs, banners and exhibit sponsorships had been the result of partnerships between the zoo and various companies for years leading up to 2010. Movies, toys, cars and other products were all advertised in the zoo, he said.

Then, when the city’s Dept. of Recreation and Parks was publicly prohibited by city agencies from placing advertisements in other public parks for the Warner Brothers film, Yogi the Bear, it became the subject of public outcry and a KCET investigative television report.

Quickly the city put a clamp down on commercial advertisements in public parks, including the zoo. If the L.A. Zoo is permitted a “grandfathered” “Sign District” status, it will be a return to formerly standard practices and a return of a potential lost revenue stream, said Jacobs.

In 2008 and 2009, respectively, the Figueroa and Olympic sign districts at downtown’s L.A. Live and the Hollywood “Sign District”—that runs between Hollywood and Fountain boulevards between Western and La Brea avenues—were already approved with “grandfathered” statuses.

Since then, private businesses and Los Angeles city councilmembers have added areas to this growing list; the most recent of which is the 133-acre L.A. Zoo.

Including the zoo there are currently 17 other “Sign Districts” with special “grandfathered” allowances that would permit sign types otherwise prohibited by the city’s revised proposed sign ordinance.

For non-grandfathered “Sign Districts” there are more zoning requirements, procedures and guidelines. If the zoo had not been added to the list of “grandfathered” districts—meaning it and other areas would be exempt from the city’s new sign ordinance—no off-site signage would be permitted there.

Of the list of 17 proposed “grandfathered” areas—which includes USC, Koreatown and Universal City, among others—only LAX and the zoo are city-owned entities and only the zoo is a municipal park.

In the most recently released public report from the dept. of City Planning on the proposed revised citywide sign ordinance, dated Nov. 21, 2011, there is language that reads there can be no loopholes “that could be construed to allow off-site signs in city parks or public facilities.”

The proposed citywide sign ordinance also contains language that states specifically, “no off-site sign shall be allowed in any park or other facility owned by the city of Los Angeles unless such sign is allowed within a Sign District.”

But by being “grandfathered”—the zoo could apply for such off-site signage.

While community members and park visitors have been vehemently against such signage at the zoo and Griffith Park, some city officials said they feel otherwise, either as a result of wanting more department latitude or the ability to help ease the city’s current budget crisis.

“We at Rec[receation] and Parks would never put up a billboard; would never put up a supergraphic at one of our parks,” said John Kirk Mukri.

Instead, he said, “what is needed is clear policy from my commission and the citizens of L.A. for signs in the parks,” said Mukri. “I feel strongly that every department of the city that’s governed by a commission should have the ability to come up with it’s own policy.”

The 2010 “Yogi the Bear” episode was a learning experience, Mukri added.

The zoo’s addition as a possible “grandfathered Sign District” comes at a time when city budgetary concerns are at a high.

A public-private partnership for the zoo—that would turn over management to a private operator—is under consideration as the City Council has asked the zoo to examine how it might reduce its cost to the city’s general fund.

According to zoo Director John Lewis, the zoo recently cut 14 unfilled positions and the Board of Zoo Commissioners will be recommending a fee increase.

“We understand the sensitivity and our intent is not to put up digital signs and be gaudy and intrusive,” said Lewis. “Our intent is to find another way besides tax dollars to maintain zoo operations.”

For Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, the step towards possible zoo signage may be necessary.

Los Angeles’ parks and public services, he said, are facing a desperate situation after facing cuts said Krekorian, who also a member of the PLUM committee.

The cuts are, “massive,” “destructive” and “devastating,” he said.

“There have been serious proposals in our city to close our zoo. There have been serious proposals to sell our zoo to a private operator… Because of that we have asked stakeholders involved in the zoo how can we increase sponsorship? How can we increase private support? Part of that involves a little bit of flexibility on recognition of sponsors,” he said.

Areas wishing to erect signage with “grandfathered” “statuses are not automatically approved but instead, must proceed through the city’s planning department process and public hearings.

Then, the eligible “grandfathered” sites must apply for “Sign District” status with the Dept. of City Planning.

Application fees cost more than $100,000 followed by City Planning research, public outreach, a vetting processes of environmental review, compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and a recommendation to the Planning Commission and City Council for final review and approval.

“I would be very hesitant to see signs throughout the zoo,” said District 4 Councilmember Tom LaBonge, whose district includes the zoo. “I know there’s some sponsorships that may be appropriate. I haven’t read the action yet word for word, I’m going to look at it and we’ll go from there.”

Watching Cirque du Soleil’s Iris A Journey Through the World of Cinema at Hollywood and Highland’s Kodak Theatre is like no other live theater experience. The entire theater becomes part of the performance, as characters wander through the audience or soar thrillingly above with acrobatic finesse. In the balcony, musicians perform Danny Elfman’s kinetic score; and manic, physical energy seems to explode from the stage.

The exuberance of the performers and their graceful and gravity-defying abilities are all part of the show, a stylized tribute to movies and cinematic history. What’s unusual for the performers is to participate in a production that lasts for months. Since its premiere last summer, Iris has gone live more than 225 times.

“For me, the challenge of doing a show eight times per week, is to keep yourself fresh, to be generous and have a very good presence,” said Genevieve Alpert, a member of the 80 person company.

Alpert is just one of the many Cirque performers who have made Los Feliz their home during the show’s run.

In Iris, she plays a camerawoman, a new adventure for the Montreal-based actress. A filmmaker by training, she spends 45 minutes each day applying and layering her character’s transformative make-up.

Not every moment of Iris is rousing and acrobatic. Los Feliz’s Robert Webber appears in one of the show’s more romantic interludes, a classic Hollywood trope: a beautiful woman on high (an aerialist literally) is wooed by a man beneath her status who yearns for her. Webber’s unique skill, honed after studying acrobatics in China and at the National Circus School of Montreal, is the ability to manipulate objects. A traditional style of performance in the Peking Opera called Flying Fork, Webber demonstrates his considerable balancing skills via a broom in Iris.

The talent throughout is impressive. Iris continues at the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood and Highland. www.cirquedusoleil.com

Eastside Eye Pick for May

Japanese Garden, The Huntington. The 100-year old Japanese Garden at the Huntington has reopened after a yearlong closure and $6.8 million renovation. Expect a harmonious symphony of garden design and the expert refurbishment of a ceremonial teahouse now set within a traditionally landscaped tea garden. The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=512

This spring students from grades kindgergarten through 12 have been busy preparing for a performance of our all-school play, School House Rock.  This musical, based on a television show, will be fun for the student singers and dancers, as well as a great play for the audience to enjoy.   An added benefit of this play is that while the student actors memorize the words to the songs of School House Rock, they are also learning. The songs within the play cover a whole range of topics from economics and history, to Grammar, math and science.

Heading up the production is one of Pilgrim’s beloved music teachers, the wonderful and caring Ms. Evelyn Park.  Ms. Park says:  “I think the play is going to be really fun and the kids have been working really hard. This time, there is a lot of dancing, not just singing and acting.”

“I enjoy the play because my dream is to become an actor and singer,” said Logan, one of the play’s actors.

A home spa’s design depends on the style of your home, the size and location of the room and the rooms’ natural light.

To create a calming space and restful ambience, select soothing neutral colors such as shades of whites, greys, soft blues, greens or bisque. Counter tops, bathtub surrounds, shower dams and seats should always be a slab material.  Marble travertine, some lime stones and many of the engineered slabs, like Caesarstone, work beautifully.  I prefer to use just one stone to keep continuity and a sense of calm.  If budget allows, use a slab material, such as marble or travertine, on the shower floor and walls for the ultimate luxury.

Stone, concrete and ceramic tile should be used for the bathroom floor. Surprisingly, wood works well, too, and does wonders to bring warmth to the room.   If you decide upon a tile, try to use the same on the shower floor for a continuous effect.  I like to take the tile up and over the shower dam. This creates a beautiful flow.  If you opt for the warmth of wood, protect your wood floor with bathroom mats.

Consider concrete tiles for the bathroom floor, even though they should not be used for the shower floor.  Most tile shops carry an interesting selection and many times you can create your own colors and patterns.  Concrete tiles work beautifully in Spanish, Mediterranean and modern homes.  Keep the slabs and shower tiles simple and let the bold floor shine.

Selecting tile can be a daunting task.  Color, shape, thickness and trim pieces must be considered as a whole.  While the slab and tiles need to coordinate, don’t be afraid to add a decorative detail, such as a border.  Check out www.walkerzanger.com, www.annsacks.com, www.thomasontunick.com for creative ideas.   Cosmos Tile, (323) 936-2180, has a great selection and reasonable prices. Finally, for your floor, consider radiant heat for ultimate comfort.

Whether you’re using a free standing or drop-in tub, try to create a niche in the wall for bath products.  I like to tile or stone the entire wall and then create a niche that is, at least, 12-inches high by 12-inches in length and 50-inches deep. This way, all of your favorite bath products are at your fingertips.

Susann Tunick can be reached at Susann@thomasontunick.com. This is the last column of two on creating a home spa. Susann’s previous column on this subject ran in our April 2012 edition, available online at losfelizledger.com

Since February, individual restaurants can decide if dogs can dine on their patios in Los Angeles County.

Restaurants wishing to cater to dogs must adhere to rules including that: dogs may not walk through the restaurant to reach the patio; pet food and water must be in a one-time use container; employees can not have any contact with the animals and pets are to remain off of tables and chairs.

So, what is proper public doggie dining etiquette? Here are a few tips:

• Be aware of patrons who might be afraid of your dog.

• Keep your dog on a leash.

• Bring your own reusable water container.

• Make sure your pet has gone potty before sitting down to a long meal.

• Leave a nice tip. Your waiter has just spent the last hour working around your dog and avoiding tripping over its leash with plates full of food.

A solar eclipse Sunday, May 20th, will reduce the sun to a slender crescent as seen from Southern California. The alignment of sun and moon will produce a ring-type “annular” eclipse along a 200-mile wide strip of the western half of the United States after the shadow crosses the Pacific Ocean. From Los Angeles, the eclipse runs from 5:24 p.m., P.D.T., to 7:42 p.m. Maximum eclipse happens at 6:38 p.m., when the moon hides 79% of the sun’s face.

The annular eclipse shadow crosses a number of scenic areas, including Lassen National Forest in northern California, the eastern portion of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, and Zion National Park in Utah. In an annular eclipse, the moon is too far away to completely block the light of the sun.

The next total solar eclipse will happen in 2017. For viewing a partial or annular solar eclipse, proper eye protection is necessary. Only use filters or viewers intended for solar observation.

Venus, is visible in the west-northwest at sunset but drops closer to the sun on successive evenings as the June 5th date approaches its rare transit across the sun’s face. Through a telescope or even binoculars, the planet’s slender crescent phase can be seen.

Mars shrinks as its distance from us increases. On May 8th, the planet is as far away as the sun, 93 million miles. Saturn is well placed for viewing after dark. A telescope will reveal its system of rings and several of its moons. The moon is full at 8:35 p.m., and is at the closest point of its orbit only five minutes later. The center of earth and moon will then be 221,801 miles apart.

At the solar eclipse, two weeks later, the moon will be just over a day past its farthest point from earth when the center of the two bodies will be 252,549 miles apart.

Mr. O’Grady, who is the parent of one former Franklin student, two current Franklin students, and one future Franklin student, came to talk to us about a non-profit organization he co-founded called Enrich LA.

Enrich LA’s goal is to have a garden in every school.  There are about 600 schools in L.A., so they’re going to need some help.  During his visit to room 8, Mr. O’Grady showed us slides of some of the garden projects in progress and some of the Enrich LA volunteers in action.

Besides teaching us about the importance of growing and eating fresh vegetables, he also showed us how much a garden improves the look of a school.

ECHO PARK—Recently Jackass stuntman “Steve-O” spoke to a full room of about 100 teenagers in Echo Park, about his college years at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College.

There, he said, he learned skills he would put to use in making his career—fire-breathing acrobatics, skateboarding and balancing acts.

But despite chuckles, levity was not the point. Instead, “Steve-O” discussed the mistreatment of animals he saw while with the circus and his recent becoming a drug-free vegan.

“The most compassionate diet is the healthiest diet,” he said. “If you produce food with cruelty, it’s harmful to your body. If food is produced with compassion and not cruelty, it’s very healthy for your body.”

Renee Olstead of the ABC series The Secret Life of the American Teenager also spoke about her veganism, and then the room of students marched down the street to the nearby McDonalds on Glendale Boulevard to protest the company’s treatment of the chickens used in its McNuggets.

“People look up to celebrities and they want to be like them, it’s just a fact of life,” later said Tracy Reiman, the Executive Vice President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who hosted the event.

PETA also works companies to dissuade inhumane practices; leads investigations and enacts media marketing campaigns.

There are also the street-level activists as well. Among them are the nearly nude “Water Ladies” who shower on the street dispensing information about water consumption related to meat production; “the Lettuce Ladies” who pass out vegan food and informational leaflets dressed in lettuce bikinis; and “Sexy Refs” dressed as referees passing out “vegetarian starter kits” at sporting events.

Touring PETA’s new all-vegan, dog-friendly West Coast headquarters—on Sunset Boulevard at Mohawk Street—the 22,000 square-foot building took a year of renovations before opening last March. Now it sits with immaculate white washed walls, cork floors and some recycled wood paneling.

A year and a half ago Reiman moved from Norfolk, Virginia—where PETA is based—to Los Angeles in hopes of growth on the West Coast.

Expanding from a small Silver Lake office to the new headquarters came about 60 employees from Norfolk as well.

PETA’s close links with celebrity supporters, the film industry and constant designs on tapping into youth culture were all reasons to expand the operations to Los Angeles, said Reiman.

“This is sort of the epicenter of youth culture,” she continued. “It’s where the trend-setters and early-adopters are, and we want to be where all of those people are… We really just felt like we could make a huge difference being here and we really want to reach the kids,” she said.

GRIFFITH PARK

Relay for Life is a community gathering Walk-A-Thon to fight against cancer. As Cancer never sleeps, teams of people will camp out on the football field throughout the evening.

Relay for Life brings together people throughout the country to help prevent cancer, raise awareness, save lives and diminish suffering from disease.

For information to register your team, sign up as a team member, a survivor or to make a donation to your Griffith Park Communities Relay for Life, visit www.relayforlife.org/griffithparkca.

“Working” takes the Broadway musical production based on the book by Studs Terkel into the venue of a small theater.

“Tennessee in the Summer” delves into the angst swirling around Tennessee William as he struggles with alcohol and drugs near the end of his life and showcases the talents of several actors from Los Feliz and Silver Lake.

The underlying thesis of “Working,” adapted for stage by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, is that all work has dignity and meaning. Some musical numbers are quite good; others are too loud given the small theater space. The best vignettes feature one or two actors. Standouts were the poignant soliloquy of the weary teacher portrayed by Judy Nemetz and the stonemason scene by Michael D’Elia and Michael Zemenick.  A group of farm workers sang the show’s most lyrical song, “Un Mejor Dia Vendra” (“A Better Day Will Come.”)

The able cast takes on different characters which quickly coalesce from one scene to the next through quick scene changes involving a simple set made up of box cubes on rollers and plastic rolling office chairs. Costumes by Kelly Graham also help identify the different roles.

Director August Viverito has made effective use of the small space to create a charming production. This play is suitable for all ages.

“Tennessee in the Summer,” by San Francisco based Joe Besecker, is a drama about the life of playwright Tennessee Williams. The adult drama, that has won several international writing awards, deals with Williams’ homosexuality, substance abuse and his relationships with his mother, schizophrenic sister and long time lover Frank Merlo.

The play opens in a seedy hotel room in New York City circa 1972. Williams, sitting at his typewriter is clearly frustrated. A sensuous young woman in a white slip reclines on the bed. Eventually, viewers realize she represents the feminine side of Williams’ personality. The drama moves through the sordid aspects of his life and involves profanity, homosexuality and personal depravity.

Of prominence, was the skillful acting by the small ensemble cast of four. Tamara Braun, from Silver Lake—best known for winning an Emmy for her role of Ava Vitalion on “Days of Our Lives” as well as her roles on “All My Children” and “General Hospital”— was a stand-out as the character “Woman.” Los Feliz resident Jack Heller was also effective as Williams. The play was directed by another Los Feliz resident—Sal Romeo.

“Working,” Lex Theater,  6760 Lexington Ave., Hollywood, through May 12th  Fridays and Saturdays, 8p.m.;  Sundays, 3 p.m.  $34 at www.theprodco.com or (800) 838-3006. “Tennessee in the Summer,” Sidewalk Studiio Theatre, 4150 Riverside Dr., Burbank; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. $20. brownpapertickeets.com or (800) 838-3006.

It is distressing to hear the continuing news that California’s educational system, serving the very young to the older adult, is endangered.

Complaints or needs for reforms because of inefficiencies or poor quality of teaching have receded into the background. Lack of revenue is the big problem.  The once-cherished notion that all students, regardless of individual means, can take advantage of educational opportunities is disappearing, and we are all poorer as a consequence.

For example, at the university level (UC & Cal State system), state support is only about 11%–a level that has been falling for 20 years.

Michael Hitzik’s in a column April 11th in the Los Angeles Times lamented that Cal State tuition has tripled to $13,200 this year. Since tuition is not the only cost of college, long-term debt for both parents and students has become a common feature for the college-bound.

And to add insult to injury, there is the tendency, especially for this admissions year, to increase nonresident admissions in order to get the full UC tuition of $36,078, decreasing California residents’ enrollment.

The decline of resources at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is also alarming. The nation’s second-largest school system may be forced to eliminate a $557-million deficit for next year. And according to Tamar Galatzan, LAUSD board member, we now rank 46th in the nation in funding per pupil, and 50th in the nation in student-to-teacher ratios, according to a recent article in the Daily News.

To avoid outright cutting kindergarten through 12th grade programs, the LAUSD may have to sacrifice adult education instead. Indeed, there was already a proposal presented to the school board with no money budgeted for the $120-million division of Adult and Career Education in 2012-2013.

Adult Education offers students a chance to earn high school diplomas or learn English and career skills. In addition to other supportive programs for adults, there is the Program for Older Adults which focuses on classes promoting a healthy life style, such as Life Story Writing, Gentle Yoga, Strength Training, Tai Chi and Zumba all offered at the Griffith Park Adult Community Center and the Silver Lake Recreation Center. These programs are at the highest risk for elimination because these classes no longer get state or federal funding unless they can produce outcomes such as jobs, English-learning and career training. The program has already been cut by 90% down from a teaching staff of 400.

Solutions for California’s woes will take time to solve, and it will be complicated. We all need to be informed and to voice our concerns. So much depends upon the legislature’s budget, each local district’s final budget, and finally, on the initiatives that are placed on the ballot November 6th at the general election. Stay tuned.

I live in a part of Silver Lake seriously affected by the construction of LADWP’s River Supply Conduit project.

Recently, I attended a community meeting to discuss DWP’s plans for the next phase of construction and was appalled when I learned that their proposed detour would route traffic from Glendale Boulevard through a small residential neighborhood.

The residents of Glendale Boulevard where this construction will take four to six months, were told they would not be able to leave or enter their driveways from 7 a.m. through the late afternoon. They were told to move their cars before 7 a.m. – to where?

The conditions DWP and its contractor plan to impose on our neighborhood are unsafe. I don’t understand how the City of Los Angeles—and in particular Councilmember LaBonge and the Los Angeles Dept. of Transportation—can allow this to happen.

Diane Gabe, Silver Lake

A pair of recent fatal accidents involving cars and pedestrians reminds us to be aware when out on the streets.

A young woman crossing Rowena Avenue in Silver Lake was struck and killed by a car on March 30th; and an elderly man was killed crossing Echo Park Avenue on April 11th.  In the latter case, police determined the driver was at fault.

These tragic incidents could have been avoided.  The Los Angeles Dept. of Transportation says the most common fatal accident involves pedestrians.

It’s so important to be aware when crossing our busy urban streets on foot or when riding a bicycle or when driving. Remember to share the road and concentrate on what we’re doing.

If you’re walking, make sure to cross at the light, where there’s a traffic control signal. It’s the safest way.

I’ve always believed—and police concur—that non-signalized crosswalks give pedestrians a false sense of security, leading them to insist on the right-of-way—sometimes with fatal consequences.

As we head into the warmer months of the year, we’ll see more and more young people out on the streets, on foot or on bikes. I urge you to remember that when you’re behind the wheel of an automobile or truck, you’re operating a potentially deadly weapon.  Texting or dialing your phone, eating or doing anything that takes your eyes off the road for even a moment is irresponsible at best and even illegal.

Safety is the top-priority.  Slow down, stay focused and get there in one piece.

Pictured are (L-R): Susan Burnett, Hynda L. Rudd, Todd Gaydowski and Marlene M. Reichenbach.

In 2007 and 2008, the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation awarded the Los Angeles City Historical Society grants of $46,450 to update a record of the elected and appointed officials who have served in city government of Los Angeles since its incorporation in 1850. The original project began in 1939 under then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration.

Hynda L. Rudd, retired City Records Management Office and the first appointed City Archivist said that the principal aim of the grants has been substantially accomplished.

The historical record has been updated to 2010 and is now contained in a database accessible http://cityclerk.lacity.org which is expected to be available mid-summer under the heading “City Clerk Services, in the Records Management Division section, click on: City Officials Historical Database.

The database will be updated periodically, and after every election.

The main body of the database consists of the chronological record of all city officials (elected and appointed), numbering more than 40,000. Seven indexes focus more precisely on the area of interest.

Personnel involved in updating the project through 2010 included: Ms. Rudd as principal investigator, Thomas L. Head as computer systems consultant and indexer, Michael E. Holland as research assistant, Marlene M. Reichenbach as typist and proof reader and Susan J. Burnett as tutorial author.

The City Clerk’s Systems Division, managed by Greg Allison with assistance of Richard Truong, Dennis Hoang and Yong Lee are responsible for adapting Head’s computerized database for the City Clerk’s web page. Records Management Officer and Los Angeles City Historical Society President Todd Gaydowski is in overall charge of the project.

“Boring,” you might say, the column sticking up on a residental lot at Hobart and Franklin? That forelorn stick of what architectural historians call ‘street furniture’ will be put into the context of its creation, and the evolution of the neighborhood around it, when Donald Seligman leads tours of the area on two Saturdays, June 2nd and 9th.

In case you can’t make it, the column was erected sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century when the area was planted with avocado trees. Photos, which Seligman unearthed from USC’s Digital Archives, show an avocado grove which extended from Franklin Avenue up to the still unpaved Los Feliz Road—today’s boulevard.

Today the neighborhood is known for its period revival houses, built in the 1920s, as well as for Immaculate Heart High School and the American Film Institute.

When the avocado grove was still flourishing, the neighborhood was so rural, there was hardly a dwelling in sight, not even Immaculate Heart—which was erected in 1908. But visitors came, by horse or red car public transportation, to see Sturdivant’s Egyptian Lotus Pond Gardens.

“Sturdivant’s Farm was,” Seligman said, “in addition to Griffith Park, a major sightseeing destination in our neighborhood. The gardens survived until about 1920.”

Among attractions on tours of the enclave of some 90 homes will be the home at 5470 Los Feliz Blvd., bombed in October, 1937 by a captain in the Los Angeles Police Dept. Earle Kynette was caught and sent to San Quentin, as a result, and then Mayor Frank Shaw was recalled.

Along with the unsavory comes the tranquil.

Serrano Avenue is resplendent with pink blooming trees and Seligman will point out there the work of architects like Carleton Winslow, Sr., who assisted in the design of Los Angeles’s downtown Central Library. At 1928 Western Ave. is the long ago home of Robert McGowan who produced and directed the “Our Gang” comedy series in partnership with Hal Roach.

“Two-thirds of the homes we will see were built between 1921 and 1923,” Seligman said “These were substantial properties for their times, and much more ambitious than homes built locally prior to 1920. Hobart was called Harvard then, and the street went through many name changes.”

Seligman built his research upon the historical survey conducted over several decades by the Los Feliz Improvement Association (LFIA).

At the Los Feliz branch library, three ring binders are available with the results of the survey, depicting historical information from thousands of properties beyond the Oxford-Serrano-Hobart enclave.

To attend the tours, limited to 10 participants, three times daily, email correspondence@LFIA.org. $5 for LFIA members; $15 for non-members.

As a parent, one gets a lot of opportunities to make mistakes both big and small. I’m just realizing that 12 years ago, I probably made a big one.

We enrolled both of our kids in kindergarten at 4-years-old. We didn’t need any kind of special dispensation to do this. The deadline for turning five was Dec. 1st, and their birthdays were before that, so off to kindergarten they went.  Simple enough, right?

It turned out to be more complicated than that. I had friends who kept their of-age children back a year, the usual reason given that the kids weren’t ready for the discipline of desks and worksheets. What I didn’t know was that a great number of parents were holding their kids back to give them a competitive advantage in the classroom by way of maturity, cognitive skill and size. My kids wound up a year to one and a half years younger than a large number of their classmates.

“Redshirting,” as holding kids back a year is informally known, has risen in the U.S. since the 1990s. Traditionally, it has been parents of autumn babies who have sat out kindergarten for a year, but now even kids with summer birthdays are taking a powder. It wasn’t until middle school, when half the boys in the 8th grade had facial hair, that I thought much about the older versus younger issue in my kids’ classrooms. It turns out that being the oldest child confers all kinds of advantages. A curriculum designed for 10-year-olds is easier for 11-year-olds. The older child will do better with less effort, winning confidence and teacher praise that the younger kids won’t get. I didn’t want to think of a classroom competitively, but it is.

Perhaps in recognition of those kids delaying kindergarten, plus the academic demands of this first formal year of school, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is rolling back its kindergarten cut off date to Nov. 1st this fall; the following year, it will be Oct. 1st; in 2014, Sept. 1st.

Luckily, not holding back our kids is the kind of mistake that they are happy I made, because starting kindergarten a year late sounds, to them, like another year of school, rather than a time-shift.  They will have another chance to hang back when it’s time for college: Kids, can you say, “gap year?”

Kristen Taylor lives in Silver Lake with her family.  She is the owner of Juvie, a store for older boys and girls.