Posted on:
Feb 26, 2009
05:10PM

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Community Meeting March 19th

Please join us for a community meeting on the new water pipeline that is being installed along Crystal Springs Drive in Griffith Park. The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Griffith Park Visitor Center Auditorium, 4800 Griffith Park Dr. Officials from the Department of Water and Power and the Department of Recreation and Parks will join Councilmember LaBonge in answering questions about this important public project. For more information, contact Jullian Harris-Calvin at: jullian.harris-calvin@lacity.org.


 

 
Posted on:
Feb 26, 2009
02:50PM

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Western Avenue Face-Lift

02.26.09 Western Tree-Planting Councilmember LaBonge with community members and staff from the Community Redevelopment Agency, Million Trees Los Angeles and the Department of Building and Safety during a tree-planting today.

Councilmember Tom LaBonge planted a tree on Western Avenue today to kick-off an 18-block restoration and rejuvenation project in Koreatown. The refurbishment project is a multi-agency effort that includes tree-planting and a program to remove visual blight on Western Avenue, the busy commercial corridor that was once the City’s western boundary.
“I’m happy that so many agencies have come together to clean up Western Avenue,” Councilmember LaBonge said. “This is a busy street that can become a great urban avenue with a little attention from all of us. This project will make a big difference.”
The Pro-Active Code Enforcement project and tree-planting effort is a cooperative project of Council Districts 4, 10 and 13; the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles (CRA/LA); the Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC); Million Trees Los Angeles (MTLA) and the City’s Department of Building and Safety. Commercial building owners and tenants will receive free street trees and counseling on the removal of illegal and excessive signs, banners, flags and buntings. Over 100 free Gingko Biloba trees will be planted during this effort.
“We are excited and proud to be partnering with Councilmember LaBonge and the CRA to green this commercial corridor. Working together with the community and investing in LA’s urban forest will provide numerous benefits for generations of Angelenos,” said Lisa Sarno, Executive Director for MTLA.
“The CRA/LA work of revitalizing communities often involves projects like this,” said Leslie Lambert, Hollywood & Central Regional Administrator. “By reaching out to community organizations and partnering with various agencies, we are pulling together resources that will help transform Western Avenue and make it a more appealing place to live and do business.”
The effort targets Western Ave. between Marathon Ave. and 12th St. MTLA will provide the trees and KYCC will water the trees for two years to ensure their survival.


 

 
Posted on:
Feb 25, 2009
05:47PM

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Toluca Lake Project Preserves Area History

02.25.09 riverside 2 Rendering of the 68-unit mixed-use development approved for the current site of the Toluca Lake Florist.

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a new mixed-use development in Toluca Lake, which includes restoration of a historic home that the community wanted to be preserved.
The developer, long-time owner of the Toluca Lake Florist on this site, is restoring the historic Bakman House for commercial use and building a 68-unit residential/commercial project around it.
"This project brings new housing to Toluca Lake while preserving a piece of its history," Councilmember LaBonge said. "My office worked hard with the developer and the community to come up with a plan that works."
The project, which will be built on Riverside Drive at Cahuenga Boulevard, will have 68 apartments with ground-floor commercial and retail space. The Bakman House, a 1929 Spanish colonial home, will be moved off-site during construction and re-installed for commercial use afterwards.


 

 
Posted on:
Feb 20, 2009
04:41PM

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New Security Technology Debuts at Oscars

02.20 Councilmember LaBonge with Police Chief William Bratton and Council President Eric Garcetti announce a new system for enhanced security, which will be used for the first time at the Oscar Awards Ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday.

Councilmember LaBonge joined Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton and Council President Eric Garcetti in announcing a new imaging and communication system that will provide enhanced security at the 81st Annual Oscars Awards Ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday night.
The system, called L.A. Shield, was developed collaboratively between the LAPD and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It employs electro-optical imaging to help asses the security of buildings and infrastructure and allows for real-time information exchange with police officers on the ground. It will be used for the first time on Sunday.
"I'm proud of the LAPD for working with the Department of Homeland Security to develop this system to keep us all safe," Councilmember LaBonge said. "We want Sunday to be an uneventful night for everyone except the Oscar winners."
For information about street closures in the Hollywood area for Sunday's event, click here.


 

 
Posted on:
Feb 20, 2009
12:03PM

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Join Us for NoHo Clean-Up

Meet Tom, staff and NoHo community leaders on Saturday, February 21, 2009, 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. at the NoHo Business Improvement District office at 5026 Lankershim Blvd. We will beautify the area between Magnolia Blvd. and Camarillo St.; Tujunga Ave. and Vineland Ave. Please wear sunscreen and appropriate clothing for outdoor work. This clean-up will not take place if there is heavy rain on Saturday morning. For more information, please contact Alice Roth at (818) 755-7630.


 

 
Posted on:
Feb 20, 2009
11:50AM

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Schools Collaborative III

02.19.09 Schools Collaborative Micheltorena Elementary School student Jesus Menjivar joined LAUSD Superientendent Ramon Cortines and about 100 CD4 school principals, staff and parents at the Councilmember's third Schools Collaborative.

To promote strong working relationships and effective communication between school and city staffs, Councilmember LaBonge convened his third Schools Collaborative yesterday.
“I don’t want to run the schools; I want to help the schools,” the Councilmember said. “I’ve always believed that bringing people together is the best way to solve community issues and come up with great new ideas.”
About 100 principals, teachers, parent volunteers and city officials turned out for the three-and-a-half hour forum, which was held at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens Auditorium. The featured speaker was Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Ramon Cortines. Other speakers discussed ways to improve traffic safety around school campuses.


 

 
Posted on:
Feb 17, 2009
06:14PM

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Arrest in Windsor Square Home Invasion Robbery

Los Angeles Police officials announced today that they arrested 28-year-old Hector Rene Maldonado in connection with the home invasion robbery in Windsor Square on Friday. Two men identifying themselves as gas company workers had forced their way into a home, beaten and tied up the homeowner and fled with a large amount of cash.
Police credited tips from the community and quick thinking by patrol officers with linking Maldonado to the incident. Detectives and surveillance personnel worked into the weekend and arrested Maldonado at his home on Saturday.
"This was a terrible crime and my heart goes out to the victim and her family," Councilmember LaBonge said. "I congratulate Captain Matt Blake and his fine, hard-working staff at the Olympic Division, and the Windsor Square neighbors who helped them find this suspect."
The other suspect has not been identified and is still being sought.
Anyone with information regarding this home invasion robbery is encouraged to contact Olympic Robbery Detectives at (213) 382-9460. After hours or on weekends, please call the 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247) or text: CRIMES (274637) and begin the message with the letters LAPD.
All tips may remain anonymous.


 

 
Posted on:
Feb 13, 2009
05:07PM

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Home Invasion Robbery

02.13 Councilmember LaBonge and Olympic Police Division Capt. Matthew Blake met with members of the Korean American community and reporters to urge caution in the wake of a home invasion robbery in Windsor Square.

Councilmember LaBonge urged residents to be cautious about opening their doors to strangers after men identifying themselves as gas company employees committed a home invasion robbery in Windsor Square.
At 8:30 this morning, two Hispanic males wearing orange construction vests and white hard hats forced their way into a single family home, after at first being refused entry by the homeowner, a woman in her 20s. After forcing their way in, they tied her up, beat her and stole an undetermined sum of cash.
Both men were armed with handguns, but no shots were fired. Police are following many leads in the case. The victim was not seriously injured.
Councilmember LaBonge joined Los Angeles Police Capt. Matthew Blake in urging residents to demand photo identification from anyone who comes to the door saying he or she is a public employee.
"With the storms over the weekend, city employees will be out in the community, especially Department of Water and Power workers," said Councilmember LaBonge. "If someone comes to your door, just make sure they have an ID."


 

 


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