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LFIA News Archive 2007
Here are some impressions from a participant in the DWP Light Festival walking
nights, a pilot program that took place November 21st-25th in Griffith Park. People really loved it. Our community hit the nail on the head in terms
of the environment and traffic, but the obvious increase in family enjoyment
and social interaction was a huge and unexpected dividend. Subtracting
cars turned the Festival into a big, friendly public outdoor space where
people could experience each other, take pictures of each other, and move
at their own pace. Children were dance-walking to the more rhythmic holiday
music being played, some people were even singing along to the classics. ... [continued here]
On Wednesday, November 7, the LFIA held their 2007 Fall General Meeting.
The topic of the evening was "Colonel Griffith's Vision of Griffith Park
As An Urban Wilderness" and featured a distinguished panel of speakers
including John Gray, President and CEO of the Autry National Center; Tom
LaBonge, Councilmember of the Los Angeles City Council, District Four;
John Lewis, Director of the Los Angeles Zoo; Jon Kirk Mukri, General
Manager of the Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks; Mark
Pine, Deputy Director of the Griffith Observatory and Valerie Vanaman,
Board of Directors Member of the LFIA and member of the Griffith Park
Master Plan Working Group. Chris Laib was our MC for the evening's
panel discussion and following Q&A session. ... [continued here]
This was truly a collaborative community effort led by the Los Feliz Improvement Association. LFIA was supported by many groups including the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council, the Vermont Neighborhood Association, the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Hillside Federation, and the Griffith Family Trust. Many, many thanks to all of you who attended the hearing on September 25.
Thanks also go to attorney Doug Carstens, of Chatten-Brown & Carstens representing the Vermont Neighborhood Association, who wrote a letter to the Planning Commissioners to point out the fact that Puck's application did not meet CEQA and EIR requirements. [Read Puck’s letter to the Planning Commission here.]
For the past 18 years, LFIA board member and chair of the Beautification Committee, Margret Lohfeld has tirelessly led the cleanup charge in our community. She is a human dynamo with more energy than the Energizer Bunny. In addition to leading cleanup crews half a dozen times a year, she goes out with one or two people weekly on “trashy dates” to do spot cleanups throughout the neighborhood. She has zealously protected the deodar canopy on Los Feliz Blvd. and has been responsible for planting new trees. Her citizenship is unparalleled. ... [continued here]
Have you ever been curious about who used to live in your house or who your neighbors were in 1920 and 1930? The Los Feliz Improvement Association is very pleased to include the 1920 and the 1930 U.S. Census information about Los Feliz homes in its website. This data was compiled for the LFIA History Committee by Donald A. Seligman in 2004.
The detailed United States census data is kept confidential for 70 years, and it was only in 2002 that the 1930 data was finally released into the public domain. This material is rich in detail and organized by each individual property. It gives a remarkable picture of the times 70 years ago and earlier and includes a wealth of specific information about the individuals living in the United States at the time of each census. ... [continued here]
The Academic Decathlon team from John Marshall High School held a fundraiser and honored its Hall of Fame members on August 13 at Taix Restaurant. The Decathlon is a nation-wide competition in ten academic areas. Marshall has been one of the top five Los Angeles teams for the last eleven years, a City record! In fact the competition in LAUSD is so competitive that the State started inviting "wild cards" to the state finals. Marshall has gone to nine state finals and won the national championship twice, in 1987 and in 1995. The Hall of Fame honors team members who score more than 8,000 points, a nearly impossible achievement. In the last twenty years 34 students have qualified for the Hall of Fame.
LFIA has been supporting our local schools since the 1920s when we lobbied the school district to build a high school for our community and Marshall was constructed. This year LFIA is pleased to support the 2007-2008 Academic Decathlon team with a check for $1,000.
Margret Lohfeld of the Schools Committee and LFIA President Marian Dodge present a check for $1,000 to Marshall's Academic Decathlon Coach Larry Welch. Our panelists include : Councilmember and park enthusiast Tom LaBonge – City Counsel District Four; Deputy Director Mark Pine - Griffith Observatory (also representing the Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks); CEO and President John Gray - Autry National Center; John Lewis, Zoo Director - the Los Angeles Zoo; and Valerie Vanaman – Griffith Park Master Plan Working Group.
Come for an evening of stimulating conversation and bring your questions for our distinguished panel!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Autry National Center
4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park
Hors d’oeuvres served at 6:30 p.m. / Program begins at 7:00 p.m.
LFIA Membership dues must be paid for admittance to this program. New Member Offer (available at the door): Pay dues for 2008 and get admittance to this program and LFIA membership for the rest of 2007 free!
The Los Feliz Improvement Association (LFIA) is hosting its annual Photo Day Saturday Nov. 17, from 2-5 p.m. to collect old family and scenic photographs taken in the Los Feliz community prior to the 1970s. The event will take place at the Los Feliz Library, 1874 Hillhurst Ave.
Residents can donate their old photos or have copies made on site at no charge. Refreshments will be served. The event is being sponsored by LFIA’s History Committeee in cooperation with the Los Feliz Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.“LFIA’s Archival Photos Project is an on-going campaign to collect old photos taken in the community so we can preserve our rich history,” said LFIA’s History Committee co-chair Norman Mennes, adding that “We’re looking for snapshots that reflect activities and events in Los Feliz from the early 1900s to the 1970s.”
The Photo Day is free and open to the public. Parking at the library is limited, but there is also street parking. For questions or for more information, call the LFIA at (323) 660-1914 or email history@lfia.org.
It’s going to take a lot more than 25 people to impress the commission. We need everyone who wants to keep the Griffith Observatory, a wonderful scientific and educational institution, from being turned into a private rental facility to attend the hearing. Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 13, 4:30 pm, City Hall.
We need your support at the hearing. The presence of dedicated supporters of the appeal will make an impression on the commission.
Central Area Planning Commission
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
after 4:30 pm
City Hall, 10th floor
200 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
If you are unable to attend, please send a letter of support to City Hall, Room 532, ten days prior to the hearing. They want 20 copies of the letter so that all commissioners may have a copy.
The Los Feliz Improvement Association is a long-standing supporter of Marshall High's Academic Decathlon team. They always score highly at the city, state, and national level of competition. We have received the photo above in appreciation of our our donation for this past season. The team included:
(front row:) Christopher Arroyo, Jeanette Gaspar, Rachel Chua, Jose Gama,
(back row:) Coach Larry Welch, Gladys Guardado-Sanchez, Susanna Lin, Newton Abuyo, Alice Tse.
Donations to the Academic Decathlon team are just one of the ways the Los Feliz Improvement Association supports our local schools.
LFIA Schools Committee Co-chair Marilyn Bush congratulates outgoing John Marshall High School Principal Tom Abraham at the Alumni of the Year luncheon at the Tam O'Shanter on June 27. Abraham, a graduate of Marshall, retired after serving the last ten years of his long career in education as principal of his alma mater. Under his leadership Marshall added a Gifted Magnet School, an Advanced Studies Program, and student health services.
On Wednesday, June 20 the Los Feliz Improvement Association attended the Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners meeting. An amendment to the schedule of Rates and Fees for special events held at the Griffith Observatory was on the agenda. Included in the Rates and Fees was a set of proposed guidelines to govern special events including the service of alcohol. .... [continued
here] 
On May 14th we had a full house at our Annual
Membership Meeting at the Autry National Center auditorium. The
evening started with Asian hors d'oevres in the courtyard, and went
on to standing ovations to our local firefighters who saved Los Feliz
from the recent fire in Griffith Park, cheered on by Council Member
Tom LaBonge. Next on the agenda were the LFIA's Meliora Awards, given to honor Los Feliz beautification and renovation projects in four different categories. This year's winners were the Lyman Village Apartments, 1600 –1670 Lyman Place for the Best Multi-Unit Renovation for 2006, Best Front Garden for 2006 to 4031 Cromwell and Jay Smith and Marilyn Goodman, Best Restoration for a single family home in 2006 to Lloyd Wright's Taggart House at 2158 Live Oak Dr, presented to supervising architect Eric Lloyd Wright. The award for Best Public Space of 2006 went to the Griffith Observatory, accepted by Observatory Director Dr. Edvin Krupp. ... [continued here]
Wednesday, June 20, 2007, at 10:00 am (This reflects a time change: Now 30 minutes later!)
Garland Building, 1st floor auditorium
1200 W. 7th Street
LA 90017
The Observatory is in danger of becoming a party rental facility instead of a scientific and educational institution. As many people as possible should attend this very important meeting to express their opinions on this very important issue. Hope to see you there.
“Would
you like to go on a trashy date? How is next Tuesday”,
Chris asks me. “You’ve got a deal! I’ll bring
everything we need; 9 AM OK?”- my response. If that sounds
somewhat risqué, it’s not; because Chris Laib and I
do go out there during the week--any week--to rid our beautiful
neighborhood of unsightly debris; we take down all illegally
posted signs from public property and paint out graffiti. We
spend about 2 to 3 hours on clean-up and wish people would not throw
their cigarette butts and their trash on the street but find a proper
receptacle.And we can’t just blame those people from other parts of town, just driving through Los Feliz; if property owners and businesses would only keep the area in front of their places down to the curb clean every day our trashy date would not be so exhausting!
Margret Lohfeld is the Chair of the LFIA Beautification Committee. Read more about the Beautification Committee here. Info about other Committees is found here.
The
United States Census data is rich in detail and organized by each
individual property. It gives a remarkable picture of the former
times in Los Feliz and includes a wealth of specific information
about the individuals living in each residence at the time of each
census.
LFIA board member Don Seligman compiled this data into an article first published
in an abreviated form in the Winter 07 issue
of the Los Feliz Observer. Read
the full story here. 
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the
charming gardeners who make our souls bloom.” Marcel Proust
Los Feliz has lost a dear friend and an invaluable asset in Howard Cremin. Howard is best known for the stories that he wrote for the Oaks newsletter, many of which have been reprinted in The Observer. In a style uniquely and charmingly his own, he delighted us with his tales of the early Oaks residents. He researched his stories meticulously with attention to detail and accuracy, no doubt a habit he acquired during his many years as a pathologist. Once he agonized over a slight discrepancy between an article he had written and another article that had appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Howard’s is probably more accurate. In chronicling the development and growth of the Oaks and its original residents, he gave the community a foundation on which to continue to grow and unite. Pathology was his profession, but local history was his passion. ... [continued here]
Each year the Los Feliz Improvement Association honors residents who help keep our neighborhood beautiful. The name given to these awards, “Meliora”, comes from the Latin “to make better.” As a previous winner stated, “These awards are a great way to recognize and reinforce that sense of pride in and responsibility to Los Feliz.” Meliora Awards are given in the following categories:
Best Renovations for a Single Family Home
Best Restorations for a Single Family Home
Best Renovation for a Multi-Family Home
Best Front Garden
Best Public Space
The awards recognize exterior or landscape work done in the last three years. This year we have an exciting new category, Public Spaces. That is, new or old public spaces that have had a recent renovation or restoration that improve our wonderful small borough. This includes areas like our library, parks, public gardens, Metro space, even small, perhaps not easily noticed spots that bring joy to our neighborhood.
Some of the winners from previous years
Meliora Awards are presented to the owners at our May general meeting. We would like you to look around your neighborhood for great examples that make Los Feliz a better place to live and submit your nominations in any or all categories.
Please e-mail your nominations to patricia.ruben@lfia.org, or mail them to Meliora Awards, LFIA, PO Box 29395, Los Angeles, CA 90029-0395. Nominations must be received by Monday, April 2, 2007.
The
first annual “Night at the Movies” on February, 12 attracted
200 LFIA members and their families to the Wells Fargo Theater
at the Autry National Center for a celebration of famous – and not
so famous – films, all of which were shot in Los Feliz. The
audience was treated to clips of 11 movies ranging from the iconic
John Ford western “The Searchers” to the camp horror
classic “House on Haunted Hill.” As one guest observed,
there was “nothing but enjoyment and yes, education too, for
attendees.”
The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was LFIA board member Rulon Openshaw. He was assisted in the presentation of the films by Councilman Tom LaBonge, Griffith Observatory Director Dr. Edwin Krupp, and LFIA board member Christy Barrett. ... [continued here]
A dedicated and devoted LFIA board member who served as president
from 1997 - 2000 and Chairman of the Board from 2000 - 2006. Obituaries
are available here.
February 2007
The weekly publication L.A.
City Beat published an informative article ("This
Is Not Disneyland", January 18, 2007) on the Griffith
Park Master Plan and the controversy around it.
The Master Plan draft ("Melendrez Draft") was commissioned by the City of Los Angeles and released to the public in March 2005. It is available for download here. The volunteer community-based Master Plan Working Group convened in July 2005 to re-write the Master Plan.
The L.A. City Beat story takes a dispassionate look at the current state of affairs, and should therefore be read by anyone who cares about the future of Griffith Park.
An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is being prepared for improvements proposed for the Glendale-Hyperion Viaduct Complex. The complex includes six structures but only the Glendale Boulevard (northbound and southbound) and Hyperion structures are currently proposed for major improvement together with a cosmetic improvement to the Waverly Avenue Bridge. A public scoping meeting is required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to obtain the public's views of the proposed project and to gather suggestions for its improvement.
Two meetings will be
held. Each will have the same content and
format.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
7 - 9 pm
Glenfeliz Blvd. Elementary School
3955 Glenfeliz Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Thursday, February 15, 2007
7 - 9 pm
Silverlake Community Church
2930 Hyperion Avenue (near Rowena)
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Download the complete meeting invitation and the official EIR Notice.
At the association's board meeting on January 23rd Patty Malone, Councilmember Tom LaBonge's field deputy, presented some images of the Community Redevopment Agency's construction plans for Vermont Triangle. This is the intersection of Hollywood Blvd Vermont Ave and Prospect Ave. The plans look very promising and construction is supposed to begin in March.
Here is an image showing the plan (click on it to see it bigger):
There is also a pdf version of the the full presentation board available for download here. Please note that it's relatively big.
Landscape architect Patricia L. Smith will discuss urban design and streetscape improvements. Smith’s most recent projects include the Vermont Triangle Boulevard Garden, the Downtown South Pasadena Streetscape Improvements, and the Archive Landscape, Academy of Motion Pictures. She has prepared more than twenty landscape plans for elementary, middle and high schools with an emphasis on replacing asphalt with play fields and strategic tree plantings.
The library is located at 1874 Hillhurst Ave. on the corner of Franklin Ave. For more information, please call the library at 323-913-4710 during regular business hours.
The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Los Feliz Library, merchants of the Los Feliz Village BID and Skylight Books. Skylight Books will provide related architecture books for purchase.
1965 Hillhurst, Los Angeles CA 90027