Community News

Building a better forest — outsized outcomes in tiny spaces

As we grapple with pollution, climate change, soil erosion and threats to biodiversity, we should remember a lesson every child learns in elementary school: trees are good for the planet. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, as quoted on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website, “In one year a mature tree will absorb […]

Wall Street “housing” bills

Local residents should continue being wary of the so-called “housing” bills being proposed in Sacramento. State Senate Bills 9 and 10 are moving through the legislature. These are just the latest versions of the previously-defeated SB 827, SB 50, and SB 1120. Background: tinyurl.com/2bhxvwhh The lobbyists for Wall Street investors and for developers, builders, and brokers […]

Encampment fire on Third Street chars wall

A fire of unknown origin broke out at a tent encampment on Third Street last Saturday night, May 29. The blaze was on the southeast corner of Detroit St. at 5724 W. Third St. The four-story office building involved is adjacent to the CVS Pharmacy on the southwest corner of La Brea Ave., and the […]

Yoga poses for a comeback

The Center for Yoga — one of the oldest yoga studios in Los Angeles, maybe the oldest — is poised for a comeback at 230 N. Larchmont Blvd. Since the 1960s, students have lifted their arms in sun salutes and have breathed and stretched into other ancient poses in the multi-storied building with views of the […]

What's Entertaining

‘Run, Forrest, run!’ — or is it Stan and Seb?

What is it with Forrest Gump and running? In May, our local neighborhoods welcomed not one, but two, self-described Gump-like men who were either embarking upon, or just completing, runs across America (on foot!). I met the first on a cool morning in the parking lot of our own Pan Pacific Park Recreation Center (exterior […]

Summer, warm days lift spirits on Larchmont

Sunny skies and a warm breeze mean summer is on its way. The city, county and state rules allowing all of us to function more fully, starting June 15, have also lifted spirits of shoppers and diners on Larchmont Boulevard. Larchmont 100 Looking ahead to the fall, talks continue among Larchmont Boulevard Association (LBA) members […]

Dinosaur Ball unveiled green sauropod, welcomed hundreds

This year’s Dinosaur Ball will go down in history — many millions of years of history. More than $900,000 was raised at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHM) biennial event to support its online resources and education programs. The virtual event on May 15, with the theme “Opening New Doors,” welcomed 330 […]

Larchmont stars in a tale of love, chaos and community

Larchmont Boulevard, Fremont Place and the surrounding neighborhoods feature prominently in a new memoir by Heather Haldeman, “Kids & Cocktails Don’t Mix.” The mother of three grew up in Fremont Place in the 1960s and ’70s, when women dressed for their men and connived to attain what they wanted. With her indomitable mother, Marilyn Knight […]

Who's Doing What

Miracle Mile Chamber meets Councilmember Raman; Field manager was also introduced to the group

The Greater Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce (GMMCC) featured two special guests at its meeting in May: Council District 4 (CD4) Councilmember Nithya Raman, and her Miracle Mile Field Manager, Tabatha Yelos. The meeting took place over Zoom and allowed members to get acquainted with their new City Council representative. The lunchtime meeting started with […]

Students stayed home in the spring, but there’s hope for the fall

Classrooms (mostly) opened, but the students stayed away. That’s the dismal reality facing many local schools, according to the “Los Angeles Times,” which found last month that only seven percent of high school students and about 30 percent of elementary school children had returned to a Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) campus. LAUSD Superintendent […]

Local graduates reveal their choices for universities

Leaving lockdown for an active campus life New Covenant Academy student Rebecca Han has lived her entire life in the area, first in Hancock Park and now Larchmont. When asked about her senior year, Han says that she would describe her feelings in one word: “ambivalent.” On the one hand, Han says she didn’t mind […]

Schools recommence in-person graduation ceremonies

During a year unlike most, seniors, their families and school officials worked together to create commencement ceremonies that were safe, hopeful and properly acknowledged the accomplishments of the class of 2021. • • • Immaculate Heart High School, class of 1991 graduate, Tyra Banks, addressed 108 seniors Wed., June 2 at the Hollywood Bowl. Banks […]

Real Estate News

Last call for Rite Aid on Crenshaw? Windsor Village hopes so

“The Windsor Village Association (WVA) has for some time tried to work with Rite Aid about several issues without success, and we have reached a tipping point…” WVA President Barbara Pflaumer said. “The sale of alcohol is extraordinarily problematic for the neighborhood,” added WVA board member Jeff Estow. Estow is the closest neighbor to the […]

Real Estate Sales

GWNC Land Use considers historic Rossmore apartment project

Representatives from Atlanta-based developer Domos Coliving returned to the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council’s (GWNC) Land Use Committee last month to present more detailed plans to renovate an apartment building at 410 N. Rossmore Ave. Domos had previously agreed to return at the committee’s request to allow for the project’s architect, Lorcan O’Herlihy, to present his […]

New parkway trees planted thanks to resident volunteers

The Larchmont Trees Project was busy last month getting 16 new parkway trees planted in the neighborhood. Larchmont resident Haines Wilkerson, the group’s coordinator, told the Chronicle that, during the pandemic, he had the necessary free time to reorganize the group of volunteers: “We got the band back together again!” Months of planning came to […]