Neal Broverman
West Hollywood: Sunset Strip’s Facelift Just Around the Corner
A happy new year’s gift to West Hollywood: the long-awaited Sunset Strip Beautification Project will officially begin on January 4 . Sunset Boulevard—which hasn’t been repaved since LA County replaced the original dirt road with concrete in the ’30s—will be resurfaced and get upgraded traffic signal equipment. Pedestrians will benefit from new crosswalk markings, the replacement of damaged sidewalks, and new street trees. To mitigate traffic impact, the beauty treatment is being done in three phases, with the first phase wrapped up in February. There’s hope this can lure the party animals west from Hollywood. -Phase I of construction encompasses the eastern most portion of Sunset Boulevard between Alta Loma Road and City limit east of Harper Avenue.
LA Turning Into Mayberry…: and it’s a good thing….
and it’s a good thing. Crime continues to drop like your inhibitions at an office holiday party—the Los Angeles Times reports that, even in the midst of a crappy economy, violent crimes in the city have dropped by over 10% since last year, with killings plummeting another 17%. Property crimes, like burglaries and robbery, dropped by 8%. Though the one anomaly is Santa Monica, where property crimes rose in the beginning of the year even while violent crime took a nosedive.
The Sultan of Brunei is Pissed: The Los Angeles Business Journal…
The Los Angeles Business Journal reports that the Hotel Bel-Air (the one owned by the bigwig of Brunei [pictured]) is embroiled in an ugly lawsuit over the construction of a new $2.7 million luxury spa. The hotel has been closed since September for not only the spa construction, but a total remodel . Problem is, subcontractors hired by the Citadel Construction Company (hired by the hotel) say they weren’t paid and walked off the job. Now the hotel is suing Citadel to the tune of $600,000—they also claim one of Citadel’s shareholders used their money for his personal benefit. Don’t make the sultan come over here! [LABJ]
Our Invite Must Have Been Lost in the Mail: Last night the Hancock Park…
Last night the Hancock Park tradition known as “White Christmas” took place, according to the gossip blog DListed.com. “White Christmas” is the annual holiday party hosted by Norwood Young, the fabulous male doyenne of the “House of David”—the white palace on 3rd Street that serves as home to an army of David statues (17 in all). Apparently, Natalie Cole hung out with the Davids, and possibly shirtless gay elves . Photo from Unique View via Flickr [DListed]
Gold Line, Foothill Extension: Revealed: Crazy Basket Bridge for 210 Freeway
With hopes to begin construction in June, the group planning the Gold Line Foothill extension into the San Gabriel Valley unveiled the design for that 739-foot bridge that would span the 210 freeway in Arcadia, reports the Pasadena Star-News and The Source . “It will be adorned by four basket-shaped columns that pay tribute to the basket-weaving of local indigenous peoples, specifically the Chumash who lived along the coast,” according the Star-News . We learned all about Andrew Leicester , the artist behind the design back in August . Leicester tells the Star-News the bridge “will have individual grooves, like the scales of a snake, to honor local wildlife.” Estimated to cost between $20 million and $25 million , the bridge will come equipped with bright lights under the columns so drivers aren’t in the dark. As the design unveiling, which was part of a state-of-the-project update, local politicians took the opportunity to be grandiose
