Category Archives: Local News

Eli Broad- A Lover of Art

 

The Broad, a contemporary art museum in downtown Los Angeles that will be Screen Shot 2015-02-10 at 1.51.38 PMfree to visitors, said Thursday it will open its doors on Sept. 20.The $140 million museum next to Walt Disney Concert Hall will showcase the collection of billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, who has been instrumental in transforming the once-rundown neighborhood just south of City Hall.Among the artists whose work will be displayed are Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, and Roy Lichtenstein.Broad said the museum, with its free admission, is his gift to the people of Los Angeles. It will open for a one-day sneak preview on Feb. 15. Screen Shot 2015-02-10 at 1.50.51 PMTickets for that event will cost $10.The block-long, three-story building designed by architect Elizabeth Diller features a porous, concrete veil sheathed in glass that will provide natural light and a view of some of the works from the street. Through portals, visitors also will get a glimpse of works housed in a vault.Broad, whose wealth is estimated by Forbes at $6.9 billion, made a fortune in real estate as co-founder of homebuilder Kaufman & Broad and later as founder of the investment firm SunAmerica.After selling SunAmerica for $18 billion in 1998, he turned his interests to philanthropy, focusing largely on art and education.

The Day the Music Died

On this day in 1959, rising American rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed when their chartered Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashes in Iowa a few minutes after takeoff from Mason City on a flight headed for Moorehead, Minnesota. Investigators blamed the crash on bad weather and pilot error. Holly and his band, the Crickets, had just scored a No. 1 hit with “That’ll Be the Day.”

After mechanical difficulties with the tour bus, Holly had chartered a plane for his band to fly between stops on the Winter Dance Party Tour. However, Richardson, who had the flu, convinced Holly’s band member Waylon Jennings to give up his seat, and Ritchie Valens won a coin toss for another seat on the plane.

Holly, born Charles Holley in Lubbock, Texas, and just 22 when he died, began singing country music with high school friends before switching to rock and roll after opening for various performers, including Elvis Presley. By the mid-1950s, Holly and his band had a regular radio show and toured internationally, playing hits like “Peggy Sue,” “Oh, Boy!,” “Maybe Baby” and “Early in the Morning.” Holly wrote all his own songs, many of which were released after his death and influenced such artists as Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney.

Another crash victim, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, 28, started out as a disk jockey in Texas and later began writing songs. Richardson’s most famous recording was the rockabilly “Chantilly Lace,” which made the Top 10. He developed a stage show based on his radio persona, “The Big Bopper.”

The third crash victim was Ritchie Valens, born Richard Valenzuela in a suburb of Los  Angeles, who was only 17 when the plane went down but had already scored hits with “Come On, Let’s Go,” “Donna” and “La Bamba,” an upbeat number based on a traditional Mexican wedding song (though Valens barely spoke Spanish). In 1987, Valens’ life was portrayed in the movie La Bamba, and the title song, performed by Los Lobos, became a No. 1 hit. Valens was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Singer Don McLean memorialized Holly, Valens and Richardson in the 1972 No. 1 hit “American Pie,” which refers to February 3, 1959 as “the day the music died.”

Classic Mansionization

The scene in one unassuming 1920s and ’30s Los Angeles neighborhood is increasingly familiar. Simultaneously springing up within two blocks, on modest 6,500-square-foot lots that once held single-story homes of less than 2,000 square feet, are four massive two-story constructions of 5,000 square feet each that aggressively push the limits of the lot lines — classic mansionization. It’s not just a wealthy neighborhood phenomenon. Throughout the city, homeowners are choosing to add on, build up and build out.

While much has been written about the issues these large structures pose to privacy, light, airflow and community, one casualty hasn’t received as much attention. These rebuilt lots frequently have only the slimmest of backyards. This new formula of giant house-tiny yard turns on its head the seminal Southern California middle-class dream: a decent, but not extravagant, house with a comfortable yard for the family to play in. Increasingly, the choice is larger interior private space at the expense of outdoor private space. In a city coveted for its near-perfect climate, the question is: Why?

Homeowners at a certain income level expect more from their houses than in the past — a fact readily apparent to the real estate business. “It’s a different breed of people here today,” says Realtor Ron Wynn, who has worked on the Westside for more than 30 years. “There are a lot of young people used to earning a lot of money and used to being very comfortable.”

“Comfortable” translates to a desire for bigger spaces, more amenities and higher-quality materials than in the past, notes John Closson, vice president and regional manager of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.

Lifestyle changes
In many cases, the yard is not the family center it used to be, says architect Hsinming Fung, director of academic affairs at the Southern California Institute of Architecture. “What a family would do together for entertainment value is no longer in the backyard or the frontyard,” Fung says. “Technology has completely changed the way we use space. They need the indoor space because they use it much more.”
Multiple entertainment centers and sophisticated home offices are now vital to home life, Closson points out. “When we grew up, we had a den where we watched TV. Why would you need a big home office in 1960? [Today] people will sacrifice some yard space to make sure they have these core interior spaces.”
There’s another factor at work: the trend toward larger interior space to accommodate aging parents and post-college children — think suite instead of guest room.
Blame economics
A simple — some say brutal — development equation is at work today: More square footage equals greater return on investment. “Obviously, the price of land continues to climb in Los Angeles,” architect Ron Radziner of Marmol Radziner says. “Even if the client doesn’t necessarily want a bigger house, they feel they need to have it as an investment to have it make sense.”
Architect Patrick Tighe, whose preference is to build “smart, smaller homes,” puts this common theme bluntly: “They want interior space because it gives them the greatest payback in the end.”

Builders say they are simply responding to market demand. Mario Hernandez, general foreman of Truebuild Construction and Development, developers of what he calls “McMansions,” asserts these houses “sell like hot cakes.”
Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, an L.A. native, doesn’t buy it. “This is all developer driven, in my view,” he says. “I don’t believe it is driven by preferences.”
oretz, whose 5th District covers the Westside, Miracle Mile, Hollywood and part of the San Fernando Valley, is spearheading an ordinance that will limit single-family home development to 50% of the lot’s square footage. “People still would like to have nice home with a backyard where their kids can play badminton and basketball the way I did as a kid. It’s not a bad thing to encourage kids to go outside and play in the yard.”

Yards are different
One point generally acknowledged is that many people today do not want the expense and hassle of a big yard. “It’s not practical to have a big lawn these days,” Tighe says. “People are rethinking that, rightfully so.” But they do still want something of a yard, just not the way we think of it.
For some, the talk is of “transitional space” and “blurred boundaries” — “where the yard is the house and the house is the yard,” Wynn explains. Think of open patios that flow from the interior space and include comfortable couches. A built-in kitchen and dining area with a cozy fireplace. Television and Internet access. And a gem-sized yard as part of the view.

“That backyard in a sense becomes an important room as part of the house,” says Radziner. “We can live outside if we do it right. Our clients are more interested in the quality of the space rather than the quantity of the space.”
If, indeed, Los Angeles houses, for whatever reason, are destined to overtake their yards as a matter of course, here’s one thing everyone agrees on: The key to making a successful transition to this new way of living is good design — often absent in lot-line-to-lot-line development.
They don’t care that they are sacrificing green space and light, which to me is what makes this city special,” says interior designer Helen Meisel, board president of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. “A sensitive architect often can find a balance between space and light. But he or she must also have a receptive client

Bob Hope Estate for Sale. 23,000,000

Screen Shot 2015-01-25 at 4.42.52 PM Screen Shot 2015-01-25 at 4.48.39 PMTOLUCA LAKE — The 5.2-acre Toluca Lake estate that was once home to Bob and Dolores Hope is being offered for sale, with an asking price of $23 million, the agent handling the sale announced today.

“This is an unparalleled opportunity to own one of the most iconic and devotedly cared-for estates in Los Angeles, home to one of our most beloved entertainers, and available for the first time in 75 years.

Screen Shot 2015-01-25 at 4.47.13 PMThe estate at 10346 Moorpark St. includes a nearly 15,000-square-foot main house that was built in 1939 and renovated in the 1950s. In addition to a large living room, the house includes a family room, bar and billiard room, formal dining room, family dining room, chef’s kitchen, library, office and staff quarters. On the second floor, there are four family bedroom suites and a master wing with a fireplace, his-and-her spa baths, closets and a study.

Screen Shot 2015-01-25 at 4.50.02 PMThe property also includes an outdoor pool, glass-enclosed indoor pool and spa, along with a rose garden, lawns and a motor court. There is a two-bedroom, two-bath pool house and a 4,000-square-foot production office/guest house.

The entire property is walled and gated.Screen Shot 2015-01-25 at 4.47.38 PM

The home was previously offered for sale at $27 million in 2013.

Happy Birthday National Geographic

On January 27, 1888, the National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., for “the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge.”

The 33 men who originally met and formed the National Geographic Society were a diverse group of geographers, explorers, teachers, lawyers, cartographers, military officers and financiers. All shared an interest in scientific and geographical knowledge, as well as an opinion that in a time of discovery, invention, change and mass communication, Americans were becoming more curious about the world around them. With this in mind, the men drafted a constitution and elected as the Society’s president a lawyer and philanthropist named Gardiner Greene Hubbard. Neither a scientist nor a geographer, Hubbard represented the Society’s desire to reach out to the layman.

Nine months after its inception, the Society published its first issue of National Geographic magazine. Readership did not grow, however, until Gilbert H. Grosvenor took over as editor in 1899. In only a few years, Grosvenor boosted circulation from 1,000 to 2 million by discarding the magazine’s format of short, overly technical articles for articles of general interest accompanied by photographs. National Geographic quickly became known for its stunning and pioneering photography, being the first to print natural-color photos of sky, sea and the North and South Poles.

The Society used its revenues from the magazine to sponsor expeditions and research projects that furthered humanity’s understanding of natural phenomena. In this role, the National Geographic Society has been instrumental in making possible some of the great achievements in exploration and science. To date, it has given out more than 1,400 grants, funding that helped Robert Peary journey to the North Pole, Richard Byrd fly over the South Pole, Jacques Cousteau delve into the sea and Jane Goodall observe wild chimpanzees, among many other projects.

Today, the National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions. National Geographic continues to sell as a glossy monthly, with a circulation of around 9 million. The Society also sees itself as a guardian of the planet’s natural resources, and in this capacity, focuses on ways to broaden its reach and educate its readers about the unique relationship that humans have with the earth.

Top Rated Surfers in 2014

The biggest news here is that, unlike last year which only saw two new faces, this year sees five: Matt Banting, Wiggoly Dantas, Italo Ferreira, Keanu Asing and Ricardo Christie. (Dusty Payne’s a rookie, but he’s been on tour before.)

2014 Top 22 Men’s CT:

Gabriel Medina (BRA)

Mick Fanning (AUS)

John John Florence (HAW)

Kelly Slater (USA)

Michel Bourez (PYF)

Joel Parkinson (AUS)

Jordy Smith (ZAF)

Adriano de Souza (BRA)

Taj Burrow (AUS)

Josh Kerr (AUS)

Kolohe Andino (USA)

Owen Wright (AUS)

Nat Young (USA)

Julian Wilson (AUS)

Adrian Buchan (AUS)

Bede Durbidge (AUS)

Filipe Toledo (BRA)

Kai Otton (AUS)

Miguel Pupo (BRA)

Sebastian Zietz (HAW)

Freddy Patacchia Jr. (HAW)

Jadson Andre (BRA)


2014 Top 10 Men’s QS (minus double qualifiers from CT):


Matt Banting (AUS)

Wiggolly Dantas (BRA)

Adam Melling (AUS)

Italo Ferreira (BRA)

Matt Wilkinson (AUS)

Keanu Asing (HAW)

Dusty Payne (HAW)

Jeremy Flores (FRA)

Brett Simpson (USA)

Ricardo Christie (NZL)

WSL Men’s Wildcards: C.J. Hobgood (USA) and Glenn Hall (IRL)

The 2015 elite women’s Championship Tour (CT) will be contested by the WSL Top 17, comprised of the top 10 finishers on the 2014 CT, the top six finishers on the 2014 QS and the WSL wildcard.



2014 Top 10 Women’s CT:

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)

Tyler Wright (AUS)

Carissa Moore (HAW)

Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)

Malia Manuel (HAW)

Lakey Peterson (AUS)

Bianca Buitendag (ZAF)

Johanne Defay (FRA)

Courtney Conlogue (USA)

Laura Enever (AUS)

2014 Top 6 Women’s QS (minus double qualifiers from CT):

Silvana Lima (BRA)

Coco Ho (HAW)

Sage Erickson (USA)

Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)

Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW)

Alessa Quizon (HAW)

WSL Women’s Wildcard: Dimity Stoyle

California Ranks Number 2 in Energy Efficiency

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California offers several incentives for energy efficiency investments to schools, industry, residential consumers, and the public sector. The state government also leads by example, benchmarking energy usage in state buildings, requiring energy-efficient fleets and buildings, and encouraging the use of energy savings performance contracts. California is one of the few states to adopt a commercial building energy disclosure requirement. 
Click above on the photo for more details.

California’s energy code is considered to be one of the most aggressive and best enforced energy code in the United States, and has been a powerful vehicle for advancing energy-efficiency standards for building equipment. Many specifications are performance-based, offering flexibility for designers. The code also stands out because it includes field verification requirements for certain measures and reports high compliance rates overall.
Click above on the photo for more details.

 

 

 

 

Who gave big this past year?

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• A manufacturing magnate, Wilson passed away at the age of 95 in March and left $1 billion to his family foundation, which works to help homeless and poor families in Buffalo and Detroit.

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• This year’s second largest gift year came from Ted Stanley, an 83-year old Connecticut billionaire, who pledged $650 million to support research in mental health. Stanley, who made his fortune selling sports memorabilia and other collectables, has a personal connection to the cause. He told The New York Times that his son, Jonathan, has a bipolar disorder and that medication saved his life.

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• Nicholas Woodman, founder of the body-mounted camera company GoPro, gave $500 million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which makes grants to a variety of causes such as education and immigration.



Screen Shot 2015-01-02 at 9.39.23 AM• Another tech billionaire, Google cofounder Larry Page, 41, made the fifth largest donation of the year. Page gave $177 million in stock to a charity he set up in the name of his father.



• The Morningside Foundation, run by the family of Hong Kong real estate tycoon T.H. Chan, pledged $350 million to the Ivy League university’s School of Public Health. It was the largest gift in Harvard’s history.

Screen Shot 2015-01-02 at 9.50.53 AM• Another notable bequest came from media mogul Barry Diller and his fashion designer wife, Diane von Furstenberg. They pledged $130 million to help build a floating park in New York City’s west side.