Tom LaBonge Newslettter: Dedicating Cahuenga Peak, Mt. Lee Repairs and Other News

Dedicating Cahuenga Peak and opening a new hiking-trail in expanded Griffith Park

Councilman LaBonge, Aileen Getty and members of the Trust for Public Land unveil a boulder with a commemorative plaque honoring those who helped the City of Los Angeles acquire Cahuenga Peak, west of the Hollywood Sign.  The acquisition adds 138-acres to Griffith Park and a new hikng trail.  That trail -- the Aileen Getty Ridge Trail -- winds its way west from the Hollywood sign to Cahuenga Peak.

Councilman LaBonge officially opens the Aileen Getty Ridge Trail to Cahuenga Peak to its first group of hikers.

Read More about the Cahuenga Peak Dedication

See more photos of the event

Mt. Lee Drive Repairs Completed well under-budget

The emergency repairs on the Mulholland Highway access to Mount Lee have been completed at almost half the cost allocated for the project.  It had been budgeted for $900,000.00; and the contractors got it done for approximately $475,000.00.  Approximately 700 cubic yards of hard bedrock has been removed from the slope above the realigned street, 1,500 tons of angular rock deposited within the washout below the road and 3,400 square feet of base and paving have been placed.  Crews also placed 2,500 square feet of hydromulch on barren slopes. 300 feet of extruded curbs and 110 feet of vehicular metal-beam guardrail installed.  The road is now not only safe and passable, it is smooth.   Kudos and thanks to the entire City team, who sprang into action in response to Councilman LaBonge's emergency road repair motion in the wake of the road washout of January 27th -- with special thanks to Project Manager, Gene Edwards.


Another Road Opening to report
We're pleased to report that crews have reopened a closed stretch of Glendale Boulevard between Riverside Drive and Waverly Drive in Silver Lake.  That well-traveled stretch of road had been closed as crews worked on the River Supply Conduit Improvement Project Lower Reach -- Unit 4.  More road-impacts will occur as the project continues in the coming weeks.  But that link to the 5 freeway and Riverside Drive has been restored.



Los Angeles Police Make Arrests in two violent incidents in Studio City

Councilman LaBonge joined LAPD North Hollywood Division Captain Justin Eisenberg to announce arrests in two violent attacks in the Studio City area this week.  Police say the shooting of a woman in a domestic dispute at the Sportsman's Lodge and the stabbing murder of a woman, whose body was found in North Weddington Park, were unrelated and did not involve Studio City residents.  A suspect was arrested in each case; and Councilman LaBonge assured the community that Studio City is safe and commended LAPD Detectives on quickly identifying and arresting a suspect in both cases.


Toluca Lake Chamber Mixer

The Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce March Business Mixer was hosted by Metropolis Bikes on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood.  A tremendous thank you to Diane McCreary and all involved for a superbly successful community builder!  (left to right) Allen Budzichowski, Diane McCreary, Tammy Tarner, Steve Hampar, Terry Hendrickson, Metropolis Bicycles owner, Councilmember Tom LaBonge, City of Los Angeles Fourth District, Alice Roth, District Director, Office of Councilmember Tom LaBonge, Sol Ajalat, Reyn Blight. 


A Successful and Fun Los Angeles Marathon

(From Left:  Councilman LaBonge, Olympic marathoner Rod Dixon, LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LA Marathon owner Frank McCourt pose at the Dodger Stadium starting line of the Honda LA Mayor)
This year's 27th running of the Honda LA Marathon went very well last Sunday, with tens of thousands of runners hitting the streets of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Santa Monica to complete the 26.2 mile "Stadium to the Sea" course.  The weather cooperated, with a storm-front that dropped heavy rain the day before moving out and leaving clear, cool breezy conditions.

Thousands of runners begin their 26.2-mile odyssey from the Stadium to 
the Sea on March 18th.

New Card -n- Coin Parking Meters go in along Sunset Boulevard
This week the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) has been replacing older parking meters in your area.  No more digging for change: the new parking meters accept credit cards, debit cards, and even gift cards-actually, any card with a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express logo.  The solar-powered parking meters also use wireless communication to report their status and activity to staff, and send text alerts to instantly report jams to parking meter technicians in the field.
The new meters will be installed this week on Sunset Boulevard between La Brea Avenue and Laurel Canyon Boulevard.


Motion to Create Pilot-Program for Oversized Vehicles
This week, Councilmember LaBonge introduced a motion to implement a pilot program for Oversized Vehicles on the Miracle Mile area of Wilshire Boulevard.  This motion was referred to the City Council's Transportation Committee, which meets the 2nd and 4th Wedensdays at 2:00 PM in room 1010 of Los Angeles City Hall.
This motion will create a pilot program for regulating oversized vehicles on Wilshire Boulevard by creating an "over-hieght vehicle zone" and designating two or three metered parking spaces for such vehicles between the hours of 10am to 2pm, 7 days a week.   The instruction provides for Council District 4 to work with LADOT, LAPD, Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce, the Mid West City Neighbhorhood Council, Miracle Mile Residents Association and the Mobile Food Truck Associations.


70 years of "lookin' at you, kid" with Casablanca

Councilman Tom LaBonge holds a congratulatory certificate next to Humphrey Bogart's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week on the 70th Anniversary of the release of the legendary film "Casablanca".  Shot at Warner Brothers Studios and at locations around Los Angeles, including the airfield at the now-shuttered Whiteman Airport in the San Fernando Valley, Casablanca has been called one of the best American movies of all time.  The American Film Institute called Casablanca "the greatest love story of all time" and ranked it #3 on its list of top-100 best films.  Two Los Angeles multi-plexes held a special Casablanca screening event on March 21st, hosted by Turner Classic Movies' Robert Osborne to mark the 70th anniversary.


Keeping Seniors "On the Move"

Councilman LaBonge appeared on a docu-reality series called "On the Move", which pits two teams of older adults in a competition to become active, stay active and improve their health.  The show is an innovative approach to community-based health programming.  "On the Move" is a project of the Los Angeles Community Academic Partnership for Research in Aging, UCLA medical investigators have joined forces with the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging, the Partners in Care Foundation and LA Cityview 35 to produce this novel program, which -- in a series of six 30-minute episodes -- puts the contestants through engaging physical activities in unique locations and exposes viewers to a variety of outstanding resources available to older adults through the community aging services network.  As the producers like to say -- Only one team will win ... but all will leave as winners.



A message from the Los Angeles Police Department

-Five things that your friendly burglar wants to tell you-

1. I love computer laptops – easy to carry and easy to sell!  But I fear that you had enough gumption to install a locater program to locate your laptop like – LoJack for Laptops, or if you have an Apple computer, iPAD, iPHONE – Mobile Me!

2. I love homes that are not well lit or homes with overgrown bushes and shrubbery.  It allows me to hide if someone walks or drives by! Have adequate exterior lighting. A motion-sensitive light is recommended for backyards.

3. And when I get rid of what I have stolen – I know that hardly anyone keeps serial numbers or has engraved their ID on anything anymore. Keep a detailed inventory of your valuable possessions, including a description of the items, date of purchase and original value, and serial numbers, and keep a copy in a safe place away from home -- this is a good precaution in case of fires or other disasters. Make a photographic or video record of valuable objects, heirlooms and antiques. Your insurance company can provide assistance in making and keeping your inventory.

4. And I love neighborhoods where the neighbors do not talk to one another – they have no idea what’s going on!

5.Form a Neighborhood Watch Group. They can help you work with your neighbors to improve security and reduce risk of burglary.