R.I.P., LA Icons Tom LaBonge and Tommy Lasorda

Sad to hear about the passing of former councilman Tom LaBonge. He showed up to the Great Los Angeles Walk 2010 unannounced, excited to see what we were doing. And I'll never forget seeing him, alone on a rainy Easter morning, clearing out a clogged street drain across from St. Casimir Church. I wrote about it for the blog, also in 2010:

Los Angeles City Council member Tom LaBonge is known for taking his love of L.A. to extreme measures. And we saw first hand on Easter Sunday how far he'll go.

As we were walking up the steps to Los Feliz's St. Casimir Catholic Church, one of the church's top volunteers yelled, "Hey! It's Tom LaBonge."

We turned and saw a man with a large trash bag, picking up garbage from the gutter in front of the church. He looked up and seemed genuinely embarrassed at being caught.

Yep, there was Councilman LaBonge, in sweats, randomly picking up trash in the neighborhood.

"I'm doing this for the church!" he told the St. Casimir volunteer before loading the trash bag in his trunk.

I asked LaBonge if he had any pumpkin bread in his trunk -- as he's well-know for passing out the treat, as baked and sold by the nuns inside Hollywood's Monastery of the Angeles.

He smiled, said yes, pointed to his car, and then drove off. Wait, where's my bread?

No one loved Los Angeles like Tom LaBonge.

Quite the sad coincidence that another iconic Los Angeles Tom — Dodgers icon Tommy Lasorda — also passed away today. Jon Weisman has a great tribute here.

FREE L.A.: Watch "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" at Griffith Park's Merry-Go-Round

Councilmember Tom LaBonge is sponsoring what he's calling the city's "1st Annual Family Holiday Movie Night," featuring "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" & "'Twas The Night Before Christmas." (Despite the movie night name, I've read elsewhere that they're actually screening the classic TV special, not the Jim Carrey movie. Whew.) The free event takes place Friday, December 20th, 2013 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round. (Carousel rides are $2 per person.) Concessions will be sold, but bring your own blankets and picnic snacks. All proceeds will go to the Midnight Mission. For more info, contact Anne-Marie Johnson, 213-485-3337 or anne-marie.johnson@lacity.org

Happy Birthday, Pio Pico! And More from Los Angeles Heritage Day

I was truly honored to be included by John Bwarie in this photo of true passionate Angelenos -- including histotainer Charles Phoenix, Councilman Tom LaBonge, KCET's Zach Behrens, Hidden LA's Lynn Garrett and LA Observed's Kevin Roderick. The pic above was taken by happenstance, as we were all standing outside Pico House the afternoon of April 14 to celebrate LA Heritage Day 2013.

I can never get enough of LA history, and this year's LA Heritage Day 2013 was a great opportunity to check out what was new with the various local organizations devoted to our region's past. There was even a Pio Pico impersonator -- making this blog post timely (rather than a month late!) since Pico -- the final governor of California under Mexico rule -- would have celebrated his 212th birthday on May 5.

In my previous post, I took you inside Pico House and the Merced Theatre, two of LA's oldest remaining buildings. Now a peek back inside the main floor of the Pico House -- and around the El Pueblo plaza:


"Pio Pico"


Inside the Pico House

GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK 2010 RECAP: We Conquer All 15.8 Miles of Wilshire

It was going to take more than a little rain to keep a Great Walk down.

And turns out the rain was mostly an afterthought by the time we kicked off the fifth annual Great Los Angeles Walk on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Pershing Square. Besides a few sprinkles at the start of the walk, the weather cooperated just fine -- if anything, the mid-60s temps were perfect for a day-long urban hike.

At least 100 die-hard Angelenos decided to brave the weather (before the dire forecasts, we were expecting around 350) -- and were treated to some amazing sights on Wilshire Boulevard.

And after an all-day, 15.8-mile journey (with several stops along the way), we celebrated over margaritas at Border Grill Santa Monica.

The morning started with a surprise guest: Councilman Tom LaBonge, who stopped by Pershing Square to send us off and say a few words. "Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles" authors Kevin Roderick and Eric Lynxwiler then took to the megaphone and gave us a bit of history about the street we were about to walk.

A KABC/Channel 7 Eyewitness News cameraman was also there to record the start (it later appeared on the station's 4 p.m. newscast; KNBC/Channel 4 had a camera out there as well). And thanks to the Los Angeles Conservancy, everyone grabbed a copy of "Curating the City: Wilshire Boulevard," a thorough guide to the historic buildings and sites up and down the Wilshire.

At 10 a.m., we headed West.

From there, the sights were many. Bullock's Wilshire. The Park Plaza Hotel. MacArthur Park. The "Shambassador" high school.

Los Angeles Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala met us at the mid-60s St. Basil's Catholic Church to give us a history of the structure; he then took us over to the Ahmanson Center/Wilshire Colonnade to share the background of that early-70s complex.

Surprises continued: We walked by the historic Wiltern Theatre -- the first-ever L.A. Conservancy success story -- and saw that the theater had put a welcome message for the Great L.A. Walk on its marquee. At the Los Altos Apartments, we were welcomed in by management (they happened to be holding an open house). Some lucky walkers got a chance to tour the Julia Morgan-designed Hearst apartment inside (while sipping Mimosas).

Many Walkers breaked for lunch at Black Dog Coffee in the Miracle Mile, where owner Brad Gold was offering $1 his sandwiches and hot dogs. Down the street, LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan gave us a history of the museum.

Later, we passed by a wedding (a Great LA Walk tradition!) in Westwood, and even spotted another message for us -- stuck on a lamppost by a crew member on HBO's upcoming series "Luck."

Most of us made it to Santa Monica (and the Santa Monica statue at the very edge of Wilshire) around 5:30 p.m. A sliver of light remained in the distant horizon as we took photos, nursed blisters and then hobbled over to Border Grill.

It was a great day -- and my prediction that the rain wouldn't be a factor paid off.

The hot topic toward the end of The Great Los Angeles Walk: Where are we going next year? Stay tuned. And remember to keep the Saturday before Thanksgiving free. We'll see you in 2011!

And now, some pics:


I'm interviewed by KABC Channel 7. (Pic by Davey Gonzalez.)


With Councilman Tom LaBonge, who yes, called me a "great Angeleno." Don't know about that, but what the hell, I'm flattered!


Kevin Roderick speaks, as Eric Lynxwiler and Tom LaBonge look on. (Pic by Raul.)


And they're off!


Making our way up Wilshire.


The Wilshire Special.

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Below, it's a swap meet. Above, the Westlake Theatre balcony remains.


Harrison Grey Otis points us in the right direction (at MacArthur Park).


American Cement building.


Color.


Inside the Wilshire Galleria department store -- formerly I. Magnin.


LA Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala gives us some background on St. Basil's Catholic Church.


Marcello describes the Wilshire Colonnade.


A bunch of us gather under the Wiltern Theatre marquee. OK, so they didn't quite get the name of our Walk right. It's the gesture that counts. Thanks, Wiltern!


Get your MAN SUITS! MAN SUITS, everybody!


Los Altos apartments.


Inside the Hearst apartment at the Los Altos. (Pic by Will Campbell.)


Members of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council sponsor a rest stop.


LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan gives a history of the museum.


View of the Variety Building from LACMA's Urban Lights installation.


Yes, we are in Beverly Hills.


Creepiest statue on Wilshire?


An HBO "Luck" crew member leaves a message on Wilshire for us Walkers.


Jesus drives by the walk, and flashes a peace sign to Will Campbell. (Pic by Will Campbell.)


A Great Los Angeles Walk tradition: Wedding (this time in Westwood)


Didn't quite work out for you, huh?


Truman Capote's grave, at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery (Pic by Atwater Village Newbie.)


This late in the walk, no one takes up this inflatable ref's hug offer.


"Walk On" -- we're trying our best!


Harsh!


We celebrate at the Santa Monica statue - at the very end of Wilshire.


Walkers on KABC Channel 7's Eyewitness News

Thanks again to Councilman Tom LaBonge; "Wilshire Boulevard" authors Kevin Roderick and Eric Lynxwiler; L.A. Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala; and LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan, all of whom gave great speeches and shared some history for us.

Mark your calendars: The sixth GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK takes place Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011!

Other GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK posts:

Great Los Angeles Walk photo group on Flickr

Talking the Walk: The Great LA Walk 2010 Does Wilshire Blvd. (LAist)

Wilshire walkers catch a weather break (LA Observed)

Great L.A. Walk 2010: Wilshire Blvd. (Raul is Running)

Great Los Angeles Walk: Car-free urban adventure (Siel Ju, via KPCC)

I Saw Jesus Christ on Yesterday's Great LA Walk (Will Campbell, via Blogging.la)

Send us more links!

The Miracle Mile Food Truck Wars Continue, While The Counter Plans to Move In

As a regular lunchtime customer of the food trucks parked between 5700 Wilshire (Variety's old offices) and 5900 Wilshire (Variety's current offices), I've been enjoying LAist's ongoing coverage of the Miracle Mile's Great Food Truck War.

Specifically, LAist has uncovered plenty of evidence that the landlord at Museum Square -- 5757 Wilshire -- has started employing some sneaky methods in an attempt to crowd the trucks off the street.

Apparently, as you can see in the video above, Museum Square appears to have hired drivers to take as many parking spots on Wilshire as possible, in order to prevent the trucks from stopping there. Museum Square has its tenants to look out for -- including Marie Callender's, Baja Fresh, Johnnie's NY Pizza and Mixt Greens. (Too bad those selections are all pretty uninspiring.) Meanwhile, Councilman Tom LaBonge has thrown his support behind the brick-and-mortar restaurants.

In its most recent post on the matter, LAist noted that those cars regularly get tickets -- a small price to pay, perhaps, as Museum Square looks to protect its own. Or perhaps not a small price: One car is up to $800 in tickets, so far unpaid.

Meanwhile, in other Miracle Mile eating news, the food options there in the 5700 Wilshire block is about to get some fresh blood: Burger joint The Counter has announced that it's moving into the location recently vacated by Koo Koo Roo. That's the best food news we've gotten in the area in quite a while.

Find A New Home for the DWP Festival of Lights

What's the deal, Tom LaBonge?

Just a few months ago, we were raving over the councilman, whom we spotted collecting trash outside our church on Easter Sunday.

And there's also his endearing habit of passing out pumpkin bread as made by the cloistered nuns in Hollywood.

But then came LaBonge's decision to pick a fight with the food trucks. Not cool, Tom, leave Kogi and its pals alone!

And now, he's canceled the DWP Festival of Lights.

Blogging.la broke word of the decision:

Unfortunately, this isn’t some sort of mandate against the DWP for rate hikes and an aversion to accountability and transparency, but simply a matter of practicality. From LaBonge’s weekly update: “Due to the cost and amount of time need to halt a major construction project – the installation of a major water line, the River Supply Conduit – as well as the installation of the new zoo parking lot, it is in the public’s best interest to cancel this year’s event.”

However, LaBonge still hopes for “an alternative location for this great, free, family-friendly event,” and to contact his office if you have any ideas.

I know, the Festival of Lights is kinda cheesy -- and definitely not worth waiting in your car for. (We traditionally walk it.) But it's a tradition, and it'll be sad to see it missing this year. Any ideas on where the festival of lights can relocate?

In the Gutter with Tom LaBonge

Los Angeles City Council member Tom LaBonge is known for taking his love of L.A. to extreme measures. And we saw first hand on Easter Sunday how far he'll go.

As we were walking up the steps to Los Feliz's St. Casimir Catholic Church, one of the church's top volunteers yelled, "Hey! It's Tom LaBonge."

We turned and saw a man with a large trash bag, picking up garbage from the gutter in front of the church. He looked up and seemed genuinely embarrassed at being caught.

Yep, there was Councilman LaBonge, in sweats, randomly picking up trash in the neighborhood.

"I'm doing this for the church!" he told the St. Casimir volunteer before loading the trash bag in his trunk.

I asked LaBonge if he had any pumpkin bread in his trunk -- as he's well-know for passing out the treat, as baked and sold by the nuns inside Hollywood's Monastery of the Angeles.

He smiled, said yes, pointed to his car, and then drove off. Wait, where's my bread?

Los Feliz Navidad

Above, the women who run Yuca's -- Dora Herrera and her mother Socorro -- groove to the music while serving free tamales and a tasty hot chocolate drink.

For the second year in a row, Los Feliz threw a fantastic holiday festival on Saturday night -- complete with music, lights, tons of free food, and yes, Santa. A holiday trolley bussed people up and down Hillhurst and Vermont. We didn't make it to Vermont, but Hillhurst teemed with families taking advantage of the late shopping and special holiday offerings.

The event started outside the Los Feliz library, where the neighborhood Christmas tree was lit and a children's choir crooned carols. City councilman Tom LaBonge was there, and he mysteriously disappeared before Santa arrived. (I'm not spreading rumor, I'm just sayin'.)

Then it was off to check out the stores on Hillhurst that were open late for the event. Many also had refreshments for shoppers, like the Rosetta Stone Gallery -- which offered up free wine (along with crackers, cheese, fruit and more ). Yes, that's my kind of store.

Children's boutique Dragonfly DuLou set up an arts and crafts table in the area behind the store, as kids could decorate Christmas ornaments while scarfing down popcorn.



Coldwell Banker sponsored the free Santa pix; above, Santa, an "elf" and another person. (Blogger Toddler was excited to see Santa... until he got up close. Then, not so much.) Below, a band plays Christmas music near Santa's station.