Results tagged “community”

                     

This Saturday, crowds and culinarians flocked to the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center to take part in the 1st Annual KCRW "Good Food" Pie Contest. Deep inside the mall was the event's center stage, where the 123 entered pies sat on long tables as a panel of judges comprised of local food writers, bakers, chefs, and gourmands took on the daunting task of tasting and evaluating every single one (not an easy job if you're a little hungover, eh Chef Stefan Richter?). Host Evan Kleiman kept the judges and crowd in check, presiding over this well-received event that served as a sort of culmination of her own months-long personal pie endeavor, the Pie-a-Day Project, as logged on the Good Food Blog.

Guys, Tim Robbins seriously needs your help; he's in trouble. Well, more accurately, his passionate outlet, The Actors' Gang, is in trouble. You see, the Gang spends so much time and money helping out everyone from schoolchildren to their Culver City community at large and in rehabilitating convicted felons, things are getting tight...

Today's big scuttlebutt is that Oprah may relocate her show from Chicago to Los Angeles by 2011. While this might be more convenient for Oprah and TV executives, we think TV is more competitive and more interesting when it is produced in more locations. If the entertainment industry doesn't want to be labelled as a "bi-coastal elitist" then it should be aware of how this appears.

FOX has pulled "Dollhouse" completely from its November schedule. The series returns in December in a deathrow Friday slot. If this is truly the end of the show, it won't be the end of the line for Eliza Dushku, whose appearance in Hulu commercials has made her a very recognizable face - we hope to see her again soon.

Emmy Weekend This week/weekend it's all about the Emmys and Sunday night at 8pm is where it's at. This puts the broadcast in conflict with a new episode of the Emmy-nominated "Mad Men" as well as the premieres of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Bored to Death" - thank goodness for repeat broadcasts and HBO-On-Demand. LAist's TV Junkie will be at the show, on the red carpet and in the press room so stay tuned to LAist for up-to-the minute posts on Sunday.

The Fall Premieres onslaught truly begins tonight with about a dozen premieres. While we desperately want to see FOX's "Fringe" premiere we will have to defer to Thursday night comedy on NBC which is bringing back many old favorites as well as launching "Community" and as we are huge "Soup" fans, we can't miss Joel McHale's primetime lead debut. Then we'll head over to FX for some raunch with "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" and then it's on to late night where Megan Fox's Conan appearance is nicely bookended between Bill Clinton on "The Daily Show" and Megadeath on Fallon. Enjoy!

How much of a difference can you make in who the city hires as our new police chief? “Public input is critical in this process,” said John Mack, president of the LA Police Commission, which is hosting a series of five meetings that begin tonight in the Los Feliz area. “The next Chief of Police will serve all of the diverse communities of Los Angeles, and it is extremely important that we hear from those communities and know what is important to them.”

Tonight is the second of two community meetings Sunset Strip Music Festival organizers are outreaching the immediate surrounding community about the first ever street closure of the Sunset Strip for a day long music festival. On Saturday, September 12 for 24 hours starting at 7 a.m., the famous drag will be shut down from Doheny to San Vicente. The first meeting bought out less than a dozen people, who were "amazingly positive," according to Nic Adler, owner of The Roxy and one of the festival organizers. He said no access to homes will be completely cut off, but most questions were geared to those basic type of logistics.

A controversial new proposal by City Attorney Carmen Trutanich would give law enforcement the okay to arrest taggers without actually seeing them tag--just the act of "hanging out" together on the street would be enough to haul them in. But those objecting include the ACLU, who call the idea "unquestionably unconstitutional," according to the LA Times. Police, too, aren't sold on the idea, and many other critics wonder if putting more youth into the criminal system--particularly without an actual crime--will do more long-term damage than good, particularly because there aren't enough programs in place to help these kids better their lives.

LAPD Chief Bratton is stepping down at the end of October, paving way for another to take his role at the famous department. As noted last week by the Personnel Department to City Councilmembers, the Police Commission will be hosting public meetings for input on the qualities of the next chief. “Public input is critical in this process,” said Police Commission President John Mack in a statement. “The next Chief of Police will serve all of the diverse communities of Los Angeles, and it is extremely important that we hear from those communities and know what is important to them.” Four meetings will be held in the Valley, South LA and Westside and near the Eastside. Meeting dates and times are listed below.

There are around 50 neighborhood marches, BBQs, block parties taking place throughout the city and country tonight in an annual event meant to connect neighbors with neighbors and to the police officers that patrol their streets. It's National Night Out, "America's night out against crime," as the slogan goes.

The Protege Basketball Block Party stops at the Kmart in Torrance (19330 Hawthorne Blvd.) today from noon to 6 pm with free on- and off-court interactive activities (shooting contests, b-ball tips, etc.) for all ages. It’s an 18-wheel, 53-foot show truck that transforms into a 4,500-square-foot basketball playground. And best part of all? Former Laker-turned-commentator James Worthy stops by from 5-6 pm today.

In a vote that angered some and brought extreme joy to others, the Los Angeles City Council voted to annex a portion of Van Nuys into Sherman Oaks after residents of the affected area brought forth the idea last year. During the meeting, Don Schultz stood up announcing that he and others will seek for Van Nuys to secede from the city and that by 2011, they will celebrate their independence. There have been also rumors, albeit quite possibly jokes, that a portion of Sherman Oaks will try to annex into neighboring Bel Air.

The Mercado La Paloma (the Dove Marketplace) is a former sweatshop on South Grand Avenue, and is now serving as a community project aimed at supporting area small businesses, and providing the community with access to health, education, social, and arts resources.

      

The streets of Pasadena were brightened this weekend by artists wielding colorful chalk, creating temporary masterpieces to delight visitors to the Paseo Colorado. There was the Joker, the Beatles, renderings of museum masterpieces, dames, soldiers, giraffes, and tribute to Harvey Milk, all created at the hands of talented artists. Blogger Ben Wideman has a shot of the Best in Show awardee, Arlou Somo's "Mucha," and all the winners are up for viewing on the fest's official website. LAist Featured Photos pool contributor noobphotog along with Flickr shutterbug okarol bring us these shots of some of the artists at work on their colorful creations...which, as is the temporal nature of chalk on sidewalk, don't linger long in real life.

On May 30th of this year, a group of fifteen bright-eyed L.A. students were honored as URBAN TxT's inaugural graduating class. URBAN Teens Xploring Technology (URBAN TxT) is an innovative after school program helping inner-city youth develop leadership and other skills through the use of technology. The program is sponsored by ZeroDivide, a San Francisco based organization that assists low-income communities empower themselves through the use of technology and is the brainchild of Oscar Menjivar -- himself a graduate of Jordan High School and Cal Poly Pomona. The idea itself dates back to Menjivar's high school days who states "the program was created to develop confident and collaborative minded young men equipped with the skills to improve social and economic conditions in their community."

Today marks Day 8 of the Hunger Strike initiated by several LAUSD teachers and community members. In addition to the hunger strike, protesters have held, and will continue to hold, "camp-out" events, bringing supporters and community members together to "celebrate and protect the culture" of area schools; one such evening is planned for tomorrow from 6-8:30 p.m. at Miguel Contreras Learning Center.

Giving time and energy to your community is a fun and easy way to help others--especially when we're in a time when we might not have cash to spare but we've got our hands and hearts. Let's make it a really Big Sunday, Los Angeles!

Once upon a time it was the beachfront estate of silent movie starlet Marion Davies, built for her by her lover, the infamous newspaperman William Randolph Hearst. It was definitely a "party house" where a who's who of Hollywood's golden era would frolic in the pool and on the shore. On the 5-acre site was a mansion designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan, boasting 110 rooms.

Girls in Tech made a splash into the Los Angeles tech scene in December with a launch party and since has held hot events (co-ed so boys you're welcome too) around town for the Girls in Tech...and the people who love them.

Waiting lists for popular community gardens can be years long, but many have grown weary of waiting. As 21st Century "Victory Gardens" have come into vogue in our yards, in our neighborhoods, at our schools, at our state capitol, and on the White House lawn, many would-be green thumbs want to get their hands dirty and their veggies and flowers growing.

Last week, the blogosphere and Twitterverse watched with baited breath as 17-month-old Maddie Spohr was rushed to the hospital after falling ill. People all over the world knew Maddie because her mother, Heather, is a "Mommy Blogger," having chronicled the short life of her infant online via a blog and Twitter, since her premature birth in November 2007.

There's nothing more that will get a community off their asses and to public meetings than the fight over a neighborhood's name. A group of people want a part of Koreatown to be called Little Bangladesh, so they filed a petition with the city. Koreatown is not one bit thrilled, but they say their area was never recognized by the city as an official neighborhood either, so they filed a petition, too. Wait, what? Are we on crack, are there not plenty of official City of Los Angeles signs marking Koreatown (here are two)? In any case, based on research by LAist, yes, Koreatown is an official neighborhood, read all about it here.

It was just last summer and fall when the Melrose community experienced an unsettling crime wave. Melrose Action, a community-oriented website, alerted folks in late August to the 8th in a string of robberies that took place, then a few days later noted that two more took place and went unreported to police. A month later, more robberies were happening, and although three suspects were arrested in early October, vigilance seems to be the only safeguard of area residents.

Many businesses and institutions will be closed around the nation and in Los Angeles tomorrow in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Although most people are perfectly pleased to spend the third day of a three-day weekend lolling about in bed, hunkering down in front of the television set, or enjoying some fun in our winter sun, there's a large-scale movement focused on making tomorrow about doing good for others and not just yourself.

The Covina Police will hold a special community meeting at 7:00 tonight to discuss the Christmas Eve "Santa Massacre" that took place there on Knollcrest Drive. The unprecedented violence of the crime has left many neighbors and friends of the deceased in shock, and has also surprised those who knew the gunman, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo. Various reports reveal that Pardo was a kind man who did not hint at marital troubles or the desire to cause harm, and that he served as an usher at the Holy Redeemer Church in his home community of Montrose. Accodring to the Press-Telegram, "Coroner's investigators are working to positively identify the remains via dental records, since the bodies were burned." A total of 9 people were killed in the shooting, and Pardo committed suicide following his rampage. On Friday night, the police released the 911 call from the shooting.

Work is underway on the first phase of the Watts House Project, an ambitious and visionary project directed by Edgar Arceneaux and being tackled now by college students representing a wide range of backgrounds, as described by the LA Times: "[Y]oung men and women; white, black, Asian, Latin; some from USC, others UCLA, and still others from Cal Arts and Art Center [who] have set to work in front of a modest, cream-colored stucco bungalow on 107th Street."

On October 1st, the city's Office of Community Beautification quietly launched an improved website tool they should have been much louder and much more proud about. The Anti-Graffiti Request System is an easy and quick way to report graffiti in your neighborhood so abatement teams can come out and clean it up. It comes complete with an e-mail confirmation once your report is submitted and once the graffiti is abated, which is often the next day.

Former gang member, now community activist Najee Ali, 45, was sentenced to four years in prison yesterday after pleading guilty for attempting to bribe a witness in a case about his daughter. He normally would have recieved two years, but the doubling was due to a 1992 robbery conviction and a 2004 parole violation, according to the LA Times. Ali has been a consistent figure in local activism, once being appointed to a city commission by then Mayor Jim Hahn even after Chief Bratton called him "one of the biggest nitwits in Los Angeles" on CNN. Bratton later apologized.

Today, Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) officially unveiled signs marking the Valley Glen neighborhood along the 170 Freeway. Most signs posted on freeways in the East Valley generalize the area and say North Hollywood, whether you're actually in Studio City or some other community. “I hope these new signs will encourage people traveling along the Hollywood Freeway to explore Valley Glen and enjoy its businesses, restaurants and ambience,” Assemblymember Krekorian said in a press release. Our Valley Glen restaurant recommendation: Barone's Famous Italian Restaurant -- it's some of the best damn brick pizza we've ever had.