Notes from LA

A Downtown News op-ed connects a few dots to paint a strong LA fashion market: a) retail expansion is forcing wholesale development beyond the District’s eastern boundary of San Pedro St., and b) the efforts underway to bring LA Fashion Week back downtown.

I would round it out with c) the news that American Apparel added 2,500 garment manufacturing jobs this year, and d) the gentrification of New York’s Fashion Center, which bodes well for growth in LA.

* See also: Commercial Real Estate Thrives in Downtown L.A.

New York’s city council is getting in on the term limits act, and voters might not even get a say in the matter.

* Update: Mayor Bloomberg wants another term too, but his mismanagement abilities rival Mayor Villaraigosa’s. NYC faces a monster FY’2010 deficit and Bloomberg is not ruling out new taxes.

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Walk 21: Upper Beachwood Canyon:

Beachwood Canyon works hard to maintain its rural, small-town vibe, even though its population is about as Hollywood as you can get. The neighborhood’s origins reflect this conceit; in 1923, developer S.H. Woodruff created the development in the rustic hills north of Hollywood and erected a garish, four-story sign proclaiming the development to be “Hollywoodland.” The last four letters have since been removed, and the remainder of the sign has been treated to the occasional facelift over the past 80 years. Today the gleaming white letters remain one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.

At the time of development, Woodruff hired European stonemasons to construct roadside walls and six long stairways out of wrought iron and stone to interconnect the residential streets of Hollywoodland. This walk will seek out and conquer every one of these steep flights, so be sure to bring plenty of water and wear comfy shoes.

All six stairways are captured above. We took a slight detour after the first flight to view the reservoir from Durand Drive.

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The largest garment factory in the US – Photo by kodachrome kid

American Apparel is celebrating the milestone of 10,000 worldwide employees, half of whom work in the facility at 7th and Alameda — the largest garment factory in the US.

Since the beginning of the year, the company has hired approximately 3,500 employees worldwide, including over 2,500 manufacturing employees at its “sweatshop free” production facilities in Southern California. American Apparel now manufactures approximately 275,000 garments per day.

Mayor Villaraigosa praises:

Over the past number of years, American Apparel has played an important role in the revitalization of downtown Los Angeles and has created thousands of jobs in the process. With the jobs that American Apparel has created so far this year, we are well on our way towards meeting my goal of creating 100,000 living wage jobs in Los Angeles by 2010.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, as of 2007, the average American Apparel manufacturing employee earned $12 per hour — “$80-120 dollars per day, or roughly $500 per week compared to the $30-40 made daily at most other Los Angeles-based garment factories.”

Note to self: Buy more AA, less Gap.

The 100 goats hired to graze at Angels Knoll park in downtown completed their job today–they’ve eaten all of the lower field of the park– and will leave tomorrow at 10 am, according to a press representative for the Community Redevelopment Agency.

I can get used to these goats. They don’t sue for discrimination or wrongful termination. They don’t hog parking meters. They don’t shake City Council down for pay raises.

Curbed wonders if they’d be willing to dig a subway to the sea.

Get on the bus. Important government workers need the parking meters around Van Nuys civic center.

For months, merchants around the Van Nuys Government Center have complained about city worker-owned cars with “official mileage vehicle” dash placards filling the streets in front of their businesses.

Parking was once a breeze near the cluster of city, state and federal buildings in once-beleaguered downtown Van Nuys.

And during a $31.5 million Van Nuys City Hall makeover five years ago, officials promised shopkeepers ample parking for constituents, city employees and commercial customers.

But despite at least five city parking lots in the vicinity, workers find it more convenient or cheaper to park their rides in front of scores of mom-and-pop stores - all day long without putting any change in the meter.

Kanye West arrested at LAX after incident with paparazzi

West and his road manager were arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism after they confronted two paparazzi and smashed the men’s cameras, authorities said. The incident took place about 7:50 a.m. outside the passenger security screening area in Terminal 4.

When Mayor Villaraigosa took office in 2005, he was quoted as saying, “I’m like a kid in a candy store right now.” He wasn’t kidding.

How Mayor Villaraigosa spent his time from May 21st – August 1st

LA Weekly: How Mayor Villaraigosa Spends His 16-Hour Days

You would like me to stop attending with such regularity; and I would like to stop attending with such regularity. But that doesn’t seem to be happening. So remember, you’re dealing with a guy who has been sleeping in the seat of a car for the past five months (sleep deprived) without the right amount of nutrition, and people are contacting me round the clock with every problem in the city (which keeps me cranky) — SO PLEASE…JUST LET ME SAY MY F*CKING TWO MINUTES AND DON’T PISS ME OFF!!!

Do our councilmembers ever regret fixing things that weren’t broken?

Previously: Zuma Dogg ejected from Council chambers