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 The American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” kicked off with a lap around Mulholland Fountain by cancer survivors. Participants, including many from the Los Feliz and Silver Lake areas, walked for 24 hours and raised over $35,000 to support cancer research. Photo credit: Michelle Kunz
Marshall’s Zimmer Takes Seat on LAUSD Board
By Kimberly Gomez, Ledger Contributing Writer
 LOS FELIZ—When Steve Zimmer takes a seat for the 4th district of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education this month he’ll be riding a wave of support from the Mayor, city council members, the teacher’s union as well as parents and students.
Comfortable representing all, Zimmer said he’s learned over his 17 years as a teacher and counselor at John Marshall High School that when it comes to putting kids first in education everyone needs to be at the table.
“I’ve seen the positive that can happen in public education when there are partnerships and how dangerous it is when people work in conflict with each other,” he said.
A resident of Hollywood, Zimmer will represent one of the most diverse LAUSD districts which runs from Hollywood in the east to the southwest San Fernando Valley and down into Westchester near the airport.
“It will serve us well to have somebody who knows these neighborhoods well and who understands the kind of beat and rhythm life has in this part of Los Angeles,” said Zimmer.
Zimmer, who conjures strong parallels to David Tokofsky—a former teacher at Marshall who became a LAUSD board member—said he’ll follow the footsteps of outgoing member Marlene Canter, in her school nutrition programs, her vision towards reform-minded schools within the school district and her engagement with parents.
“We do have to support, nurture and listen to parents who have a choice about whether they are going to send their kids to public school,” said Zimmer. “I seek the day when all schools are performing at the level that no matter where you are living you would make that choice positively.”
At Marshall, Zimmer founded the Comprehensive Student Support Center to provide health services to students and their families. As Elysian Valley United’s family services director, he brought counseling and intervention services to families in need. It is one of his goals to have similar facilities housed at every high school and middle and elementary schools in his district.
As a school board member, Zimmer said he will focus on teacher recruitment and training and will work to ensure students feel safe at school and have safe passages to and from school.
“The sooner we look at schools in a community-based way and [look at the ] community from an education lens…we [will] get towards… the reason why I am doing this which is to be a part of lasting change and transformation.”
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[ PROFILE ]
Going for Brouge
The O'Grady Family
By Jessica Ogilvie
Ledger Contributing Writer
Editor’s Note: It seems everywhere you go in Los Feliz these days, people are talking about Tomas O’Grady. From his recent attempts to challenge—and change—the way our local neighborhood council forms itself to helping spearhead a major volunteer overhaul at our local middle school, he just seems to be everywhere all at once. A little bit about the man behind the headlines.
LOS FELIZ—The 42-year-old man who opens the gate to a large Los Feliz home might, if not for the hint of gray in his beard, be easily mistaken for an enthusiastic college student. Dressed in an old t-shirt and worn-out jeans, Tomas O’Grady’s shaggy brown hair almost covers his eyes as he strides across the lawn and gestures to his left. “I’m still working on installing some of the solar panels,” he says, indicating his current home improvement venture, a series of panels that will heat the pool and spa.
Listening to O’Grady talk about his interests, his work and his hobbies, it’s difficult to imagine him in any other state than the one he’s currently in—completely occupied with projects that range from the design and upkeep of his home, to his position as Treasurer for the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council (GGPNC).
Originally from Galway, Ireland, O’Grady moved to the U.S. at the age of 23 with $80 in his pocket, no family in the states, and little by way of a plan.
“I didn’t do well in school,” he says, “but in the U.S., if you were hard-working and passionate enough, you could have a chance.”
O’Grady quickly found his chance by getting a job with a real estate developer on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. He learned the trade, and after a year, bought condominiums in what would eventually become real estate gold: Hoboken, New Jersey. Together with his girlfriend, Justine—who would later become his wife—they renovated the buildings “with our own two hands,” and began to sell them off.
“I have no illusions about that,” he says, referencing the unanticipated migration of hipsters and yuppies alike to Hoboken in the 1990s. “We were in the right place at the right time.”
After living there for six years, O’Grady moved his family across the country to Los Feliz. His real estate investments currently remain his primary source of income. In other words, he does not have a traditional day job. This allows him the flexibility to pursue his real passion: music.
“I’m a singer/songwriter,” he says. A performer since college, Tomas still plays around Los Angeles. In fact, he adds in true L.A. form, “I’ll have an album coming out soon.”
On this particular evening, the O’Grady clan is only partially present for dinner. Eireann, 10, is next door at a friend’s house. Lauren, 8, and Ryan, 5, sit at the dinner table flanked by pint-sized schoolmates, and sporting the perpetually wet hair that marks a childhood summer. Justine O’Grady, 39, nurses Dylan, 3 months.
If the house seems made to accommodate the family, it’s because it was. Knowing that they would stay in Los Feliz once settled, Tomas and Justine set out to build their dream home from the ground up. Painted white to reflect the heat, the home took five years to construct and is modeled after old Southern plantations, complete with columns that would have made Scarlett O’Hara swoon. “I’m a sucker for plantation architecture,” says Tomas. “My friends want to know when I’m getting columns in my car.”
The house, he goes on, is nearly completely green. Solar panels provide heat, rainwater is directed back into the lawn and garden, and a metal roof and industrial fan draw in cool air. His electric bill, he says, averages just $50 a month. “I’m very proud of this house,” says Tomas. “I put my heart and soul into it.”
Tomas hesitates to consider whether his commitment to sustainable living and to “getting his hands dirty” is the result of growing up on a farm in Ireland. “Maybe I got a little of that from my father. But,” he says, “you should be proud of the way you behave.”
And indeed, this commitment to personal responsibility has led O’Grady to create a name for himself, almost inadvertently, around the neighborhood. From his involvement at the Neighborhood Nursery School, Franklin Elementary and King Middle School, and as the treasurer of the GGPNC, O’Grady has developed a reputation for saying what’s on his mind and acting in accordance with what he believes.
He is well aware of the fact that his opinions aren’t always the most popular, but the dissent leaves him unfazed.
“My whole point in joining the GGPNC was to direct taxpayer money to more worthy causes,” he says. Launching into the details of a proposal he made recently to the board, he sums up the end result with a smirk. “It was summarily dismissed.”
In fact, if rolling eyes are any clue, Tomas has alienated himself from many members of the board mostly over his assertion that the GGPNC would be “more democratic” if more members were elected, not chosen by board members themselves.
Laura Howe, a board member, said she is frustrated over accusations that Tomas has made about board cronyism and the time that has been spent discussing his actions.
“There are procedures for doing things,” she said, “and to erroneously accuse people of misdoings is a waste of time.”
And yet, Tomas remains optimistic.
“It’s cheesy, isn’t it?” Tomas says. “I’m cheerful about the prospects of the U.S. I still believe that things can be better, things can change.”
The O’Gradys have a strong sense of putting down roots, and with everything they’re doing to better their own living situation, from the house to the neighborhood and beyond, they have no intention of leaving their adopted home. “I’m going to have my wake here,” O’Grady says, looking around at the house he built. “I hope you can come.”
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Meet You At “Hel-Mel”
By Chris H. Sieroty, Ledger Contributing Writer
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Hel-Mel’s “Scoop” provides refreshing summer
treats for kids of all ages. Photo credit: Marie Chao
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EAST HOLLYWOOD—First, there was a Hollywood Boulevard. Now, there’s Hel-Mel.
Jenette’s Bras, Eyetailor and Early California Antiques are three new stores that have opened recently in the once tired area off Melrose Avenue near Heliotrope Drive. Known as Hel-Mel, the area is a four-square block shopping district hidden near Los Angeles City College.
Jenette Goldstein—Virgil Village resident and co-owner of Jenette’s Bras, which sells high-end under things for the well-endowed woman—said a surprising amount of her customers travel from West Los Angeles and even far-flung Calabasas.
“They are so happy that there is store here that caters to their needs,” she said.
For Goldstein, to take advantage now of an up-and-coming area—with lower rents, say compared to nearby Vermont or Hillhurst avenues—just made sense.
“This is my neighborhood, my home,” she said. “The response has been really favorable.”
The area is also home to Scoops, at 712 N. Heliotrope Dr., which offers four vegan flavors of ice cream and gelato daily, along with its signature Guiness Chocolate gelato, made with Guiness Beer.
Additionally, Hel-Mel has become ground zero in the Los Angeles cycling universe, thanks to Orange 20—a store devoted to the urban cyclist—and The Bicycle Kitchen, a non profit at 706 N. Heliotrophe that provides volunteers to teach others how to fix their own wheels. The only cost is a donation of $7 an hour.
Erin Gilbride takes a wild ride at the Orange 20 Bike Shop in Hel-Mel.
Photo credit: Marie Chao
There are also high end antiques.
Eric Berg opened Early California Antiques in April after seven years of selling antiques and art in Pasadena. His shop, at 4307 Melrose Ave., is a gallery of 19th and early 20th Century California art, furniture, pottery and photographs.
“There is nothing in my store that is less than 100 years old,” said Berg, who is also a wardrobe stylist for movies and television shows. “I started collecting photographs and pottery years ago and began reselling them as a hobby.”
Both Berg and Goldstein are betting that they’ll benefit from the area’s new growth and development.
“This is a neat little area,” said Berg. “A woman found me online and told me that she had never driven this far east to purchase antiques.”
Berg said the customer is now a regular.
“It’s a little village,” he said. “There is a lot of history here from the historic Jensen’s Melrose Theatre (now the Ukrainian Culture Center) to The Bicycle Kitchen. But unlike other areas of Los Angeles that have changed in recent years, business owners here are [devoted] to keeping the neighborhood unique.” |
Discord of the Board
Tempers Flare at June GGPNC Meeting
By Jessica Ogilvie
Ledger Contributing Writer
LOS FELIZ—On the second floor of the Hillhurst Citibank on Wednesday, June 17th, a calm, civilized meeting began at 7:00 p.m. By midnight, it had escalated into a shouting match, as tempers flared and simmering disagreements bubbled to the surface. The Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council (GGPNC), there for their monthly board meeting, was erupting in turmoil.
The meetings have not always been so contentious, according to several sources on the board. Rather, tension has steadily escalated since the seating of new board members in September 2008.
“There is a large difference of opinion,” says Philip Gasteier, GGPNC president. “Everyone wants to serve the community, but misunderstandings are the root of this problem.”
These misunderstandings exploded last spring when two new members took issue with the process by which members are placed on the board. Currently, ten out of the 19 board members are elected, and the remaining nine are appointed by the board.
“Out of 89 Neighborhood Councils in the city, we have the highest percentage of appointed members,” said Mark Mauceri, board secretary, in a phone call following the meeting. “It’s an inordinately high appointment level, [and] I felt that the way it was set up had the potential to be abused.”
Mauceri, with the help of board treasurer Tomas O’Grady, collected over 500 signatures to bring before the board with the goal of reducing the number of appointed seats from nine to four or five.
The attempt failed, though, and marked the beginning of the tension and discord that now all but define the board’s operations.
As if it to reflect it’s own difficulty in self-regulation, the board’s June 17th meeting agenda included a disproportionate amount of housekeeping items, which have visually frustrated some of its members. One of these items has been and still remains a major point of contention: record-keeping.
In April, the board moved to limit the minutes, taken by Mauceri, to three pages. The motion meant that minutes would include only actions taken and decisions made, not abstracts or quotes from board members.
However, according to “Roberts Rules of Order,” if the minutes are published they must include abstracts. As such, the board spent a great deal of time discussing whether the minutes that are posted on the website constitute publication, all in an attempt to determine what, according to Roberts Rules, must be recorded and made public.
It did not take long, however, for the talk to deteriorate from rules and regulations to personal accusations over accuracy and bias.
“Let’s be honest,” said Mauceri. “There are some things in [the minutes] that people aren’t proud of.”
Gasteier agreed, also in a phone conversation following the meeting, that the concerns were deeper than a question of rules and regulations. “There are concerns,” he said, “as to whether the minutes properly reflect what was said.”
Mauceri later added, “People said some things that they wish they hadn’t, myself included.” However, he goes on, he taped the meetings and has been willing to play tapes back in order to confirm direct quotes. “I have yet to be taken up on that,” he says.
In the end, the board moved to redact the minutes to include only motions.
As the board moves forward, the question now becomes appropriate use of meeting time.
Gasteier, for example, worries that excessive talk about logistical items takes away from the boards’ ability to do its job.
“We have more important things to do for this community,” he said. “Teamwork is how you get things done.”
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BID Acts on
Proposed
Reforms
By Jessica Ogilvie, Ledger Contributing Writer
LOS FELIZ—The board of the Los Feliz BID, which recently came under scrutiny by some members of the local business community, has begun to consider a list of proposed reforms brought to its attention last month by the protest group, Get Rid of the BID.
The board’s administration committee, chaired by Mark Ciancuilli, began reviewing the proposed reforms on June 8th and has singled out two points as the most pressing.
The first is a restructuring of assessment fees for businesses in Los Feliz that don’t easily fit into a pre-existing category, such as those with a sole proprietor or Internet businesses. The second is ensuring that the board is in compliance with the Brown Act, regarding quorum at committee meetings and posting meeting minutes and agendas on the website in a timely manner.
As far as the process used to determine which points are the most pressing, Ciancuilli said, “we try to pay attention to whatever [Get Rid of the BID] wants, and go from there.”
Following the administrative committee’s June 8th meeting, the selected points were brought back in front of the board for consideration at their June 10th meeting. It was agreed that the BID would create a new assessment category for businesses that fit the previous description, the details of which will be worked out at the next administration committee meeting.
Barbara Ferris, who spearheaded Get Rid of the BID, however, remains concerned over whether the board is doing enough to address the reforms.
“I didn’t find [the BID board] meeting encouraging, because no decisions were made, no action was taken, no motions were made. It all seems very muddy,” she said.
Ferris claims that the BID board has yet to take the proposed reforms seriously.
“I felt that there was a slightly dismissive attitude,” she said.
According to Ciancuilli, however, the board plans to move forward with considering each proposed change. “We’ll go down the list,” he says, “and cross off everything.”
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Council Put
On Notice
For Absences
By Heather Downie
Ledger Contributing Writer
ATWATER VILLAGE—The Atwater Village Neighborhood Council (AVNC) sent a clear message recently to its frequently absent members: “miss five meetings and you’re out.”
On May 6th, the AVNC formally approved a bylaw change to curb what some called, “out-of-control absenteeism.” According to the new bylaw, any member that fails to attend five regularly scheduled meetings within a council year will be removed.
“This definitely needed to happen,” said Luis Lopez, a member of the board and owner of Luis Lopez Automotive in Atwater Village. “Absenteeism was too high.”
In fact, meeting skipping has been such a problem that votes at two monthly meetings this year couldn’t happen because there wasn’t a quorum.
In the past, removing chronically absent board members had been tough. It required gathering 100 signatures and a majority vote.
Since January, Fernando Dejo-Grundy has missed five meetings. Lane Sandman has skipped four. Amador Solis and Lenore Solis have failed to attend three. So far, the bylaw change appears to have worked. Members are showing up.
The change in position in absenteeism comes at a time when the board, last May, also filled three vacant positions. The board is now at capacity with 17 members.
The new board members are: Lara Pranger, a software business analyst who has lived in Atwater for over a year. Pranger joins the board as its second non-profit representative and a co-founder of the Friends of Atwater Elementary.
The AVNC’s newest Central Atwater Village representative is Robert Smith, a recent Atwater transplant who works as the head of post-production for Live Nation Studios.
And the organization’s latest North Atwater Village representative is Alex Ventura.
“I see this neighborhood as I see the home I bought,” Ventura told the Atwater Village News Blog. “It is classic Los Angeles — beautiful, charming and in need of TLC.”
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