Saving the Ambassador

Urgent message from the Los Angeles Conservancy:

As the Los Angeles Conservancy's Director of Preservation Issues, I wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to you for your past work and letter-writing on behalf of preserving the Ambassador Hotel from demolition, and to ask you to do everything you can to be present at tomorrow's crucial hearing on the fate of the Ambassador. Despite LAUSD staff's proposal to demolish all of the hotel structures except for the Cocoanut Grove, this plan is not a "done deal": as Los Angeles-area residents, we need to make clear that we simply won't stand for demolition of this important historic site.

This Tuesday (September 28th) at 4:30 p.m., Board of Education members will begin discussing the Ambassador issue: it's therefore critical that a large turnout from the public convincingly show them that Los Angeles does care about its history. In two weeks, on October 12, the L.A. Board of Education will take its final vote on whether to endorse LAUSD's plan or to reconsider reusing the hotel as part of a new educational campus. Since this Tuesday's meeting is the last scheduled discussion before the vote, NOW IS THE TIME to show your support for preserving the Ambassador!

The Los Angeles Conservancy and the citywide A+ Coalition therefore need you to attend these two key public hearings to support the meaningful preservation of the Ambassador Hotel as the centerpiece of a much-needed new school:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
4:30 pm
Board of Education Headquarters
333 S. Beaudry Avenue, 1st Floor
Downtown Los Angeles

AND

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12
3:30 pm
Board of Education Headquarters
333 S. Beaudry Avenue, 1st Floor
Downtown Los Angeles

Located just west of the Harbor (110) Freeway downtown at 3rd Street. Limited street parking available; paid parking available in lots at 3rd Street and Boylston.

To speak at either hearing, you must sign up by calling the Board office at (213) 241-7002. Because the major public hearing on the Ambassador was held last week, it's very possible that the limited speaker slots for this week's hearing will already be taken. Also, if you spoke at the hearing on September 23, you cannot speak again. But YOU DON'T NEED TO SPEAK TO MAKE AN IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE. The Board needs to see as many people as possible standing in support of preserving the hotel in order to understand that the public cares about this issue: if supporters of the Ambassador don't show up, the hotel truly will be "history". If you work during the day, come after work. If you have child care issues, know that kids are welcome at Board of Education meetings. And, please bring your friends and colleagues who care about preserving Los Angeles' history, and pass this message along to others.

If you have questions about either hearing, please call the L.A. Conservancy at (213) 623-2489. For more details about the Ambassador Hotel issue, including a fuller action alert with more information about LAUSD's plans, please visit www.laconservancy.org.

Thanks for your support!