The Cornfield Under Construction

Posted on February 4, 2014 by cmaddren

The Cornfield on a day in January.

You may not be familiar with Los Angeles State Historic Park, AKA the Cornfield. Downtown residents probably know it best, though it’s also hosted a number of popular music festivals. It is kind of off the beaten path, lying on the outskirts of the downtown area, and it’s only been around since two thousand five.

The entrance to the Cornfield.

Unfortunately, if you haven’t made it down there yet, you’re going to have to wait until next year. Plans to expand and improve the site have been on the drawing board for a while, and the state has finally approved the funds. So the park will be closing this month as work begins. Among the changes will be the creation of a wetlands area, the construction of an amphitheatre and the addition of a space for a farmers market.

I actually like the park as it is, a plain, open space with grass and trees. So I decided to take some photos of it before the closure. The park was pretty empty on the day I made it down there, probably in part because the sky was overcast.

Downtown is visible off in the distance…

...and industrial area lies on one side...

…an industrial area lies on one side…

…and train tracks on the other.

The site that the park is on has a pretty interesting history. Community groups fought with a developer who wanted to build warehouses on the land. This article on the KCET web site offers a good deal of information. The designers who created the park’s current state incorporated markers to commemorate some of the groups that have been a part of LA’s history.

The path leading up to a low hill…

…where you’ll find a concrete marker…

…that commemorates some of the people who make up the city’s history.

Creating the park was a long and difficult process, and there were disagreements among some of the groups involved. This article from the LA Times covers the conceptual art event that re-opened the park, and also details some of the differing points of view.

Not a Cornfield

And for the official story (much less interesting), you can take a look at the state’s web page.

Los Angeles State Historic Park

It’s Up to Us

Posted on January 30, 2014 by cmaddren

Recently the Los Angeles 2020 Commission released a report on the current state of the City of Los Angeles. A lot of people have dissed the report, and I have some gripes with it myself, but for the most part there’s no disputing the conclusions they came up with. This city’s a mess. Sure, we can say some of the commission members are pushing their own agenda, and sure, I have some problems with their process. But still, the problems they point out are real. This city’s in deep trouble.

The report details the crises we’re facing on several fronts, but it points out two areas that I think are particularly important, and closely related. First, our elected officials are sadly lacking when it comes to demonstrating leadership. Second, voter turnout for elections is appallingly low.

In the last mayoral election, only twenty three percent of registered voters went to the polls. Mayor Eric Garcetti was elected by less than thirteen percent of registered voters. I will confess up front that I did not cast a ballot. Ordinarily I make it a point to vote in every election, but I was so demoralized by the prospect of choosing between Wendy Gruel and Eric Garcetti that I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Obviously part of the reason for the low turnout was that most Angelenos, like me, were completely underwhelmed by the candidates. We had to choose between two long-time insiders who had no new ideas, no imagination, no vision. The only real difference was that Garcetti was backed by developers and Gruel was backed by the unions. The campaigns they ran let us know that their highest priority was preserving the status quo.

And that won’t work any more. LA is facing several serious challenges. The budget is locked into chronic deficits, our water supply is seriously compromised, response times for emergency services are sub-standard, the city’s infrastructure is crumbling. We can’t afford to stick with business as usual.

While Garcetti and Gruel were the front-runners, there were several other candidates on the primary ballot, and some of them had interesting ideas about how to address these issues. I know many of you will say, ‘But the other candidates didn’t have a chance. It was either Gruel ort Garcetti.’ And this is the kind of thinking that has gotten us into the situation we’re in now.

As long as we keep voting for the same hacks, we keep perpetuating the status quo. City Hall is controlled by a group of powerful insiders who are beholden to another group of powerful special interests, mainly developers and unions. It’s the political insiders who get the money to mount high-profile campaigns, and when they get into office they keep perpetuating the same cycle of patronage and corruption. As long as we keep accepting the same old hacks, over and over again, refusing to look in new directions, refusing to think outside the box, the city will continue to be run by the same pack of losers that got us into this mess to begin with.

Maintaining the status quo is not an option. If we don’t change course, we will slide into the abyss. We need to find new leadership. We need elected officials who will actually face up to the problems, instead of looking for a way to slide around them. And the only way that’s going to happen is if we get engaged. We need to be informed. We need to be involved. We need to vote. Just because the city’s budget situation isn’t as dire this year as it was last year, don’t fool yourself. LA is sliding off a cliff, and our elected officials aren’t going to do anything unless we make them do it.

We need to act.

You can read the full report by clicking on the link below.

A Time for Truth

The photo at the top is from the Los Angeles Public Library photo archive. It shows an anti-apartheid protest, and was taken by Chris Gulker in 1989.

A Day in the Park

Posted on January 22, 2014 by cmaddren

Late afternoon in Barnsdall Park.

Years ago I used to live on Edgemont between Hollywood and Sunset. One of the great things about the neighborhood was that Barnsdall Park was right across the street. I used to go there fairly often, but then I moved away, and Barnsdall kind of fell off my radar. I’ve been meaning to go back for years, and this last weekend I finally made the trip.

A cyclist resting at the base of the hill.

There are lots of parks in urban areas, but somehow Barnsdall seems different. I think this is mostly because it sits on top of a hill. As you climb the stairs, the sounds of the city, the traffic, the sirens, the helicopters, all seem to fade into the background. Then you get to the top and there are these amazing panoramic views of Los Angeles.

The Griffith Observatory is perched on the hills opposite Barnsdall Park.

Another reason the park is special is that it’s home to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House. Completed in nineteen twenty three, this was Wright’s first project in Los Angeles. I’ve only been inside once, but the memory has stayed with me. The house is beautiful and unique. Unfortunately, it’s closed right now for restoration.

The entrance to Hollyhock House.

The west end of Hollyhock House.

Hollyhock House’s central courtyard.

We have the park thanks to the generosity of Aline Barnsdall, who donated it to the city back in the twenties. Originally from Pennsylvania, Barnsdall wanted to create a theatrical community on what was then known as Olive Hill. She commissioned Wright to design Hollyhock House, as well as several other structures, but the two parted ways and the complete plan was never realized.

The Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Park.

Barnsdall Park is also home to the Municipal Art Gallery and the Junior Arts Center. For more information on the programs offered, follow the link below.

Barnsdall Art Park

And if you’d like more information on Hollyhock House, click here

Hollyhock House

People on the grass at the western edge of the park.

Building Blitz

Posted on January 9, 2014 by cmaddren

LA will be changing dramatically in this new year. We’re going to see a wave of construction that will transform the city, for better or worse. The mayor and the city council are decidedly pro-development. They will tell you it’s because they’re looking to the future and trying to create jobs. It might also have something to do with the massive amount of campaign cash that local politicians have received from developers.

But I don’t want to be totally negative. Development is necessary. And change can be good. It’s the beginning of the new year. Let’s try to accentuate the positive.

DOWNTOWN

Downtown will definitely be getting more dense.

A wave of construction is hitting Downtown LA. There are a staggering number of projects in the works, and the landscape is going to change considerably. For an overview, check out this summary in the Downtown News.

Downtown Development

The project I’m most excited about is The Broad. The building looks cool, the collection is impressive and admission will be free. What more could you ask for? A link to the site is below, but like the building, it’s still under construction.

The Broad Museum

HOLLYWOOD

More cranes on the horizon for Hollywood?

These huge cranes have become a familiar sight in Hollywood. There are a number of buildings going up right now, and many more in the works. Under construction at the moment are Blvd 6200, Columbia Square, Emerson College, and a ton of new residential and retail space on La Brea.

But the projects that may have the most significant impact are the expansions planned by Paramount and Universal Studios. I know Universal isn’t located in Hollywood, but their “Evolution Plan” will certainly impact the Hollywood area, both in terms of jobs and traffic. Click on the link for more info.

NBC Universal Evolution Plan

Next is a link to an article in the New York Times which talks about both the Paramount and Universal projects.

Bold Growth Plans at Hollywood Studios

SANTA MONICA

An image of Santa Monica back when it was less crowded and less expensive.

The picture you see above doesn’t represent Santa Monica as it is today. It shows the Santa Monica I knew when I was growing up, a sleepy, laid back community where rent was cheap and traffic was light. But those days are gone. While the residents staunchly supported a slow growth policy thirty years ago, today the city council is enthusiastically pro-development. There have been some complaints from locals, but that hasn’t stopped the council from approving a slew of projects. The first article, from the LA Times, is an overview. The second, from The Architect’s Newspaper, is about a group that wants the council to slow down.

Santa Monica Bracing for Growth Spurt

Wealthy Coalition Demands Halt

The photo of skyscrapers on Bunker Hill is by Gary Leonard, and comes from the Los Angeles Public Library’s on-line archive. The image of Hollywood was taken by me. The photo of Santa Monica was taken by Anne Laskey, and also comes from the LAPL archive.

How to Find the LA River

Posted on December 27, 2013 by cmaddren

A view of the LA River in the late afternoon

When I was a kid growing up in Burbank the LA River was a joke. It wasn’t a river at all. It was a huge concrete aqueduct with a tiny trickle of water running down the middle of it. Occasionally after heavy rains the water level would rise for a day or two. But it was nothing like the majestic waterways that flowed through other cities. It seemed like some kind of weird, synthetic excuse for a river, and it seemed perfectly in keeping with the image many people had of a LA as a weird, synthetic excuse for a city.

The LA River near Warner Bros. studios in Burbank

But over the years I’ve been hearing more and more about efforts to rethink the river. I understand now how important the LA River once was to the city, and I’m slowly beginning to realize how important it could be to LA’s future.

Back in the eighteenth century it was the source of water for the small settlement originally called El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles. The river continued to provide most of LA’s water until the twentieth century, when the Owens Valley Aqueduct and the Colorado River Aqueduct were built. In the thirties, after a series of devastating floods, it was decided that the best thing to do with the LA River was encase it in cement. The US Army Corps of Engineers took charge, supervising one of the largest public works projects in US history. When it was done, the river had been transformed into a massive concrete channel.

But over the past twenty years or so, a growing number of people have been looking for ways to reclaim the river, to once again make it a vital part of the life of Los Angeles. It flows from Canoga Park across the Valley to the Glendale Narrows, and then winds through Downtown and continues all the way to Long Beach. In making that trip it is one of the few unifying factors in a city where residents often feel they have no connection to each other. It has the potential to become a vast linear park, winding its way through many of LA’s neighborhoods, providing a space where people could relax, enjoy themselves and connect with nature.

Lush greenery along the river as it runs through Griffith Park

There are many groups involved in the effort to remake the river, but the one that’s been around the longest is Friends of the LA River.

FoLAR

If you’re interested in getting involved, there’s probably a group in your neighborhood that could put you to work.

A while ago I started taking photos of the river. It was an interesting exercise. I found that while the river has been there all my life, and I’ve crossed it at one point or another every day for decades, I’ve never taken the time to look at it. How many times did I drive past Balboa Park without ever realizing that the LA River runs right through it. I lived in Silverlake for a few years, and used the Hyperion Bridge regularly, but I never looked down to see what was below. And I’ve crossed the bridges east of downtown LA a million times, rarely pausing to take more than a glance at the river running underneath.

So if, like me, you haven’t paid much attention to the LA River, maybe you should take a walk down to the banks some time. You might be surprised at what you find.

Trees crowded around the river in Balboa Park

Another shot of the park facing toward Balboa Blvd.

Ducks on the river in Sherman Oaks

More birds on the river as it flows through Sherman Oaks

Another shot of the river on the edge of Griffith Park

Facing west on the outskirts of Griffith Park

A mural marking a tiny, but cool, park in the Glendale Narrows

The Glendale Narrows, just below Atwater

The river flowing past the railyards at the edge of Downtown LA

The river heading out of Downtown LA, on its way to Long Beach

High-Rise Cynicism

Posted on December 19, 2013 by cmaddren

Eric Garcetti’s vision for the future of Los Angeles

It should come as no surprise to anyone that last week a judge ruled that the Hollywood Community Plan Update (HCPU) was fatally flawed. From the beginning, the plan was basically a tool to overrule those who want responsible, sustainable growth and give carte blanche to developers. It would have allowed the construction of skyscrapers fifty stories high, without any serious consideration given to how such high-density development would affect traffic, infrastructure and emergency services. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce seems to believe that Hollywood should become a west coast version of Las Vegas, with massive high-rises filled with luxury condos and trendy clubs on every corner. Sadly, rather than choosing to protect the interests of local residents, the Mayor and the City Council jumped on board to promote this destructive plan.

Fortunately, they ran into a judge that actually expected the city to comply with state law. LA County Superior Court Judge Allan J. Goodman said that,

….forging ahead in the processing of the HCPU, EIR and related documents in this case based on fundamentally flawed factual premises has resulted in a failure to proceed in the manner required by law.

The biggest problem was that the plan was based on a population estimate that was obviously wrong. In preparing the Environmental Impact Report for the HCPU, the City claimed that approximately 224,426 people lived in the Hollywood area. They got this number, an estimate, from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). Using this figure, the City argued that Hollywood was growing and would continue to grow, meaning that high-density development was the only solution.

But the judge points out that the city didn’t produce any documentation from SCAG to support this figure. On the other hand, the groups fighting the HCPU took a look at the US Census, which says that in 2010 Hollywood’s population was actually about 198,228. Hollywood has actually lost over 12,000 residents since 2000. While the Census info wasn’t available when the Draft EIR was originally prepared, it was available before the City Council voted to approve the plan. But they weren’t going to let the facts stand in their way. The City also insisted that Hollywood was going to experience substantial growth over the next twenty years, but in fact growth has slowed considerably in Los Angeles, and right now there’s no reason to expect that will change in the near future.

Community groups were alarmed at the problems with the plan, and asked the City to revise it. The City refused, and voted to adopt the HCPU in spite of strong opposition by many Hollywood residents, leading the judge to conclude,

The evidence in this record strongly supports petitioners’ contention that there has been an insufficiently-reasoned rush to completion of the EIR process, and that the process was administered in a way that is clearly contrary to well-established laws as interpreted by the appellate courts.

It’s not surprising to see developers running high-pressure campaigns to push their projects through. That’s what they do. But our elected officials are supposed to be protecting our interests. They’re supposed to be serving us. Instead, Garcetti and the City Council approved a plan that they knew was seriously flawed from the beginning. They knew the population figures were wrong. They knew the plan didn’t adequately consider alternatives. They knew there were serious questions about infrastructure and emergency services. They knew the plan didn’t follow state law. Then, as if to prove how completely cynical they are, to show us how little they care about serving the citizens, they spend our tax dollars fighting to ram the HCPU down our throats, when they knew it should never have been approved in the first place.

No wonder voter turnout is so low in LA. It’s easy to see that our elected officials have complete contempt for us.

The image above is from Bladerunner, directed by Ridley Scott, photographed by Jordan Cronenweth, production design by Lawrence Paull, art direction by David Snyder.

A New “Urban Village” at Jordan Downs?

Posted on December 10, 2013 by cmaddren

Los Angeles really needs affordable housing. The problem is, developers would rather build high-end housing for the rich because they can make a lot more money. Scads of luxury apartments and luxury condos are being constructed these days, but this really isn’t helping the average angeleno who needs a place to live.

The people who live in the Jordan Downs complex in Watts have been struggling for years. The area needs development badly, but it’s hard to lure investment to a community that’s been plagued by poverty and crime. And you don’t want a developer to go in and demolish the existing housing without giving the current residents an alternative.

So what do you do? Well, in August the LA City Council approved an interesting project. The idea is to build an “urban village” that would combine affordable housing with market rate housing, in other words to create an economically diverse community. The existing seven hundred units would be demolished and eighteen hundred new units would be constructed. The other component of the project is a large retail complex, which would provide jobs and access to stores.

If it works, this project could mark a turnaround for the neighborhood. But some residents and community activists fear that rather than create a diverse community, the result will be gentrification and the families who currently live in the area will be forced out. In the Times article I read, it says,

Officials have promised that the 2,300 Jordan Downs residents “in good standing” can stay in their old units until they move into new ones.

My assumption is that the new units will be rented to the residents at the same price as their old ones. This is an important factor, since any significant increase in their rent could force low-income families out of the new complex.

The idea of creating a mixed income neighborhood is worth pursuing. One of the problems in LA (and other cities) is that there’s an increasing schism between the rich and the poor. It used to be that whites who could afford to live in the suburbs left the city taking their money with them. Now we see more people choosing to live in the city, but this has resulted in the creation of wealthy enclaves in urban areas. Mayor Garcetti and the City Council have been encouraging this trend by catering mostly to developers who want to construct high-end housing for the wealthy. We need to build communities where everyone is welcome, not just the upper class.

Here’s the article that the Times ran back in August when the City Council granted its approval.

City Gives OK to “Urban Village” from LA Times, 8/14/13

Funding for this project isn’t in place yet, so it may not even happen. And even if it does happen, there’s no guarantee it will work. But it is encouraging to see the City of LA promoting a plan that could bring people together, instead of creating islands for the wealthy amid oceans of the poor.

Hollywood Journal – Some Photos

Posted on November 27, 2013 by cmaddren

While I was keeping my Hollywood Journal, I tried to take photos to document some of the changes that were occurring. These were taken while the Hollywood & Highland Center was being constructed, and they sort of go along with the first entry I wrote (Hollywood Journal – Intro). Sorry the quality isn’t better. I’m not a great photographer, and these were taken with a disposable camera.

It’s important to remember that Hollywood & Highland was being built as the same time as the Red Line was under construction below Hollywood Boulevard. Because one of the subway stops is built into the complex, the two projects had to be done concurrently. It was a crazy time, because the construction of that stretch of the Red Line was a mess. Hollywood Boulevard sank six inches, in part because the contractor was was not following proper procedures during tunneling. It was reported that they were using telephone books instead of metal wedges to prop up the supports.

Construction site on Hollywood Boulevard.

A different angle on the site.

Above are two views of the construction site from Hollywood Boulevard. In both you can see part of the office building that used to stand on the northwest corner of Hollywood and Highland. Also, in the background you can see the former Holiday Inn, which is now Loews Hollywood Hotel. Those familiar with the area will notice that in those days it didn’t have the facade which was added back when it was known as the Renaissance.

Looking down Orchid to the El Capitan.

This is a shot of the El Capitan from Orchid. This part of the street no longer exists, since it was closed off in order to construct Hollywood & Highland. You can still enter Orchid from the north on Franklin, but it no longer continues through to Hollywood Boulevard.

The Walk of Fame during construction.

The stars on the sidewalk in front of the project were removed during construction, and then replaced when the project was finished.

Looking west on Hollywood Boulevard.

Above is a shot looking west. It’s too bad the image isn’t very sharp, but you can see the remnants of a cool mural depicting whales in the ocean. It was painted on the side of the Chinese Theatres. Also, in the distance, you can see the Roosevelt Hotel.

The construction site, again facing west.

Another shot of the construction site facing west.

The First National Building stands alone against the sky.

In the first two photos above you can see the office building that used to stand on the northwest corner of Hollywood and Highland. It had to be demolished to make way for the new mall, and I remember how its disappearance created this amazing sense of space. Before the new structure rose up, you had a mostly unobstructed view of the hills. And for a while the First National Building, which still stands today, seemed to tower over everything.

Looking across the construction site towards the El Capitan.

Another view of the construction site, looking towards the El Capitan.

Next to the Chinese Theatre, you can see the Chinese Two and Three, not long before demolition.

During the eighties movie exhibitors began building multiplexes instead of stand-alone theatres. In order to compete, the company that owned the Chinese built two more auditoriums right next door, the Chinese Two and Three. They didn’t look like much from the outside, but they both offered large screens and excellent sound. When Hollywood & Highland was built these two theatres were demolished, and were replaced with six more inside the mall.

Brake Lights at Midnight

Posted on November 8, 2013 by cmaddren

I wanted to follow up on my earlier post about two proposed projects, one at Highland and Selma and the other at Highland and Franklin. Together these developments will bring over four hundred new residential units to an already crowded corridor. But the problem isn’t just on Highland. As anybody who lives in the area knows, traffic on Franklin is also pretty damn bad. Highland is a major thoroughfare that is primarily commercial north of Melrose. From Highland to Cahuenga, Franklin is completely residential, and has only one lane running in each direction.

Twenty years ago, this was not a problem. These days, though, Franklin is carrying much more traffic than it was designed for. In an earlier post (Hell on Highland, October 25), I talked about the night Katy Perry played the Hollywood Bowl, and traffic was backed up all the way to the freeway. That’s by far the worst I’ve even seen on Franklin. But check out these photos of a couple other traffic jams I witnessed lately. These were both taken at the intersection of Franklin and Whitley….

The photo above shows traffic heading toward Cahuenga. And this next one…

…shows traffic coming from the direction of Highland. Locals looking at these pictures are probably saying, Big deal. It’s always like that at rush hour. But these weren’t taken at rush hour. These were taken around twelve thirty am. A car had stalled near Grace, and a steady flow of westbound traffic kept drivers from getting around it.

Now check these out.

This was taken just before eight o’ clock on a Saturday morning as I was coming up on Whitley. And this next one…

…was taken as I was approaching Las Palmas. Pretty nasty for a Saturday morning. Now in this case, one of the left turn lanes at Highland was closed. Not sure why, but it may have had something to do with the fact that Hollywood was closed at Highland that morning.

Now in all three cases I’ve mentioned, there are unusual circumstances that caused the back-up. A concert at the Bowl, a stalled car, a closed lane. But it shows that it doesn’t take much to turn this residential street into a sea of brake lights. Franklin is already carrying way beyond the capacity it was designed for. It amazes me not only that the city wants to add to the congestion, but that they have determined that the two new complexes mentioned above will have no significant negative impacts.

Again, if you disagree with the city’s finding, if you think Franklin is maxed out as it is, please let the City Council know how you feel.

LA City Council

Trading Trees for Astroturf

Posted on November 4, 2013 by cmaddren

The hillside opposite Harvard Westlake school that will be removed if their planned project goes forward.

Isn’t traffic on Coldwater Canyon bad enough already? Because of LA’s unusual geography, there are only a few corridors that drivers can use to go from the city to the valley and vice-versa. Coldwater is one of those roads. Originally a quiet ride through a scenic canyon, in the last few decades Coldwater has become a major route for commuters going to and from work. Under ordinary circumstances, congestion is a problem during the work week. But for several months now the back-ups have been worse than usual because the DWP has been replacing an aging pipeline. Residents of Sherman Oaks and Studio City are understandably frustrated.

Now the Harvard Westlake School, which is located on Coldwater just a few hundred yards from Ventura Blvd., has decided it wants to expand. They have let the community know that they plan to build a three level parking structure on the hillside directly opposite the school. On top of the parking structure will be a playing field, illuminated by powerful lights during night games, and a pedestrian bridge to connect that structure to the school’s main campus.

As you might imagine, local residents are freaking out. Traffic is one concern, but just as important is the damage this project will do to the environment. In order to build the parking structure, the school will have to remove a large chunk of the hillside, including scores of trees. If you want more detailed information, follow the link below.

Save Coldwater Canyon

At this point the Draft Environmental Impact Report is being circulated. The City of LA will be accepting comments on the DEIR until Nomember twenty fifth. Also, the Studio City Neighborhood Council will be meeting on November seventh, and they will hear comments from the public at that time. But I would imagine that there are a number of people who live outside of the immediate area that might be concerned about the traffic and environmental impacts. If you think this plan is unacceptable, please contact your city council rep and tell them so. Click on the link to access the city council directory.