by George Abrahams, posted at SaveHollywood.org

People for Livable Communities and the three other organized groups fighting the Hollywood Community Plan have understood from the beginning that the fight to get the City to respect State Law and even their own laws is a long-term effort. All of us have been working toward the goal of being able to establish the basis of a winning legal challenge to the proposed Plan. The principal focus is the Administrative Record. The Administrative Record is the legal foundation upon which all discussion before a court of law must be based. The period where facts and expert analysis can be introduced is the time from when the Plan is first presented to the public by the City Planning Department to when the City Council votes on the Plan. It is the only time when interested parties can introduce relevant material. All four groups opposing the Plan have been diligently building our case. In alerting the residents of Los Angeles to our effort and raising public awareness about the many faults in the proposed Hollywood Community Plan, we were making it clear to the City Council that their votes on that Plan will have consequences. In this regard we were successful. The PLUM Committee went into closed session to confer with the City Attorney on a matter where "there is significant exposure to litigation, based on 'existing facts and circumstances' and the advice of counsel" and ultimately sent the Plan to the City Council "without recommendation". This was a major admission by the Committee that there were faults in the Plan and that they would face a significant risk of losing in court. When the Plan went to the full Council, it looked for a time that we would be able to make them see reason and send the Plan back to the City Planning Department for correction of the faulty data, a full recirculation of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and a study of the Downzoning Alternative. In the City Council meeting (June 19th), Councilman Alarcon had his doubts about the Plan and  questioned the Planning representative2 about it. The Council chose to ignore the warning from the City Attorney and voted to approve the flawed Plan. This was Phase One. However, this does not mean that the fight for a fair and just Hollywood Community Plan is over.  

 The City has long had a "so sue us" strategy when facing challenges to their abuse of authority, hoping that the people opposed will acquiesce, give up and go away. But fat chance of that. The facts in the administrative record and the law are on our side. So, we go onto Phase Two - we sue them. The case will likely go through both trial court and appeals court before it is settled. The City has to pay all the attorney fees and court costs when it loses a suit. But, until the final decision of the Court is made, the plaintiffs in a case must be able to fund the suit.

We need your help again. Please help us win the case for a Hollywood Community Plan that will fairly serve the interests of both the residents and the businesses in Hollywood. This will also benefit all the residents in Los Angeles who will be affected by the outcome of the suit and harmed if the current Plan is not stopped.

You can make your check out to Save Hollywood and mail to:  

Save Hollywood, P.O. Box 3943, L.A., CA 90078.  

Your tax-deductible donation goes to save Hollywood from excessive density, over-development, skyscrapers and traffic grid-lock.

Sincerely, Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association and Your Neighbors at People for Livable Communities

SaveHollywood.org and PLC are a project of BCNA, a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization. All donations are tax deductible.

By Bill Reichenbach

What? An evening out in the Beachwood Village . . . late-night grocery shopping or some entertaining dry-cleaning pick-ups? Well, no, I'm referring to the Beachwood Café under the new ownership of Patty Peck that has been gaining new life over the past few months.

We have had the opportunity to sample Chef Min's cooking for breakfast and lunch. On those occasions, we experienced delicious, interesting, creative versions of some familiar dishes along with some less familiar. . . and good coffee and espresso. Great so far!

Last evening, we finally had a chance to join some friends for dinner at the Café. The hours have recently been expanded to include evening dining with the addition of wine and beer on the menu. There are about 9 wines and 10 craft beers featured.

Starting off with glasses of sparkling white wine and several "square plates" (could be called appetizers, I guess) which included bacon cookies, grilled dates stuffed with fontina cheese and rosemary, Spanish spiced pork rillettes with spicy escabeche and cilantro toast, and corn on the cob with Moroccan spices, lime and mint. Wow!

We then ordered a wonderful bottle of Stephen Ross Pinot Noir. I've been to this winery in San Luis Obispo and at this price this bottle is a real bargain.

The main courses, or "round plates", consisted of a beef tender with potatoes and chimichurri, scallops with black rice, taro stems, tamarind and pineapple, and summer somen with herbs, greens, topped with an escolar fillet.   As with the other tasty bits we've eaten at the Café, all of these items lived up to our already high expectations. As a matter of fact, they surpassed our expectations! A lot of thought has gone into these wonderfully balanced food combinations. My personal sampling method was to taste the individual items on the plate first and then to taste things in combination. These food parings worked so well that each bite became more exciting as the food became more complex. It was fun to be there in a small group so we could reach across the table and snag a little taste of the other items.

We followed up with a round of the desserts . . . honey lavender crème brulee with chocolate dipped honeycomb, cardamom cake with chai cream and roasted peaches, and coconut chai and mint chocolate truffles. Every taste detail was very special.

So, the food experience is top notch.

Those of us who have lived in the Canyon for a while remember the Café as a daytime only venue. It's almost hard to describe the different feel of this room in the evening when the lighting is lowered and the outdoor flaming towers are lit. It actually feels cozy. Aw, come on, you might say . . . the Beachwood Café . . . cozy? Yes! I couldn't help but feel like we have been given a gift of this newly polished and painted and re-imagined spot in our very own Village. It's walking distance for many and there's plenty of parking either on the street or in the Beachwood Market lot for those that will drive.

Beachwood Canyon has always been a beloved place to those lucky enough to live here. What with our own great Market and the other small businesses in the Village and now the new Beachwood Café, this is a good time to experience the wonderful new ambiance that is in our own neighborhood.

BREAKING NEWS!!

The Café will be opening at 8 AM starting on July 10 in response to neighborhood feedback. And the menu will be growing! It will include nightly neighborhood comfy home-cooked specials and some kid friendly options.

Webtraker - See flights over the canyon 

Parking Enforcement 

ANIMAL LOVER LINKS: 

Number 1 Reason to Adopt a Dog (video) 

911 Vets - Home Pet Medical Care & Transport

Catster 

Bags on Board (BOB) over poopulation 

Veterinarian and Acupuncture Dr. Patrick Mahaney 

Local Veterinarian, Dr. Steve Smith 

Sari Yoga