Chamber Mourns
Passing of Johnny Grant
 Johnny
Grant.
He was the Chamber’s greatest volunteer – with
nearly 30 years of service as Honorary Mayor,
Walk of Fame Chairman, and executive producer of
the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Accolades are
still pouring in to the Chamber from around the
nation and world from people whose lives were
touched for good by Johnny, who passed away
Wednesday evening, just four months shy of his
85th birthday. On Thursday at noon,
flowers were placed at Johnny’s star in front of
the Kodak Theatre. A large crowd was on hand to
hear community leaders praise Hollywood’s
goodwill ambassador. Congresswoman Diane
Watson, City Council President Eric Garcetti,
and Councilman Tom LaBonge spoke, in addition to
Chamber Chair Jeff Briggs and President/CEO
Leron Gubler. In addition, statements were read
from Nancy Reagan and Jackie Autry. “When I
think of Hollywood, I think of Johnny,” wrote
Autry. “Whatever future Hollywood has, Johnny
laid the foundation for it. He was and always
will be Hollywood’s champion and brightest
star.”
In keeping with
Johnny’s wishes, persons who wish to make a
contribution in his honor are encouraged to
contribute to one of the following charities:
the Hollywood Historic Trust, Bob Hope Hollywood
USO, Salvation Army, or the Hollywood History
Museum.
Plans are also
being made for a community memorial service.
Because it will be scheduled around the
availability of his family to come to Hollywood
from North Carolina, it is expected to be
several weeks until the service is held. The
Chamber will announce and post on our website,
www.hollywoodchamber.net, the details as
soon as they are available.
“Hollywood and
the Chamber were blessed to have a volunteer and
booster like Johnny Grant,” said Chamber
President & CEO Leron Gubler. “There will never
be another like him, He had an immeasurable
impact for good on this community. The
outpouring of love that we have seen shows the
tremendous gratitude and affection that
Hollywood had for its honorary mayor.”
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KBKG reduces
taxes with Enterprise Zone Tax Credits
Community-wide Central
Park Meeting Scheduled
 Hollywood
businesses and residents are invited to “Save
the Date” for a community-wide meeting focusing
on the proposed Hollywood Central Park, planned
above the Hollywood Freeway. The meeting will
be held on Saturday, January 26th,
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Selma Elementary
School, 6611 Selma Ave. This will be a chance
for Hollywood stakeholders to express their
opinions on what they would like such a park to
be. The Hollywood Central Park Coalition that
the Chamber has organized will help facilitate
and sponsor the meeting, along with
Councilmembers Garcetti and LaBonge, Mayor
Villaraigosa, and the CRA/LA. Also, kicking off
in January will be the feasibility study for the
park. The proposed park remains a top priority
of the Hollywood Chamber, which will be working
hard in 2008 to keep the project moving forward.
Read the flyer in
English or
Spanish or rsvp to
rsvp@hfcp.org
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Members Take 15-20% Off with
I&A Dry Cleaners:
Call 323-953-9988
City Reduces Business
Taxes by Another 4 Percent
Effective
January 1st, the City of Los Angeles
approved another four percent reduction in the
gross receipts tax for 260,000 businesses in the
City in 2008. This is the third rate reduction,
following a 3.1 percent decrease and a four
percent decrease in prior years. In addition to
this, any small business with total annual gross
receipts under $100,000 will pay no tax provided
the annual tax return is filed by February 29,
2008. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce was
part of a business coalition that worked for
several years to secure the reductions in the
business tax, which was championed by
Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel.
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Workshops Set on
Revisions to Hollywood Sign Ordinance
The City of Los
Angeles has announced two workshops to discuss
possible changes to the Hollywood Signage
Supplemental Use District Ordinance. These are
the first changes being considered to the
ordinance that was adopted to govern the special
signage needs in Hollywood. The two workshops
will be held at the Hollywood Presbyterian
Church, 11760 N. Gower Street on Monday, January
28 and Tuesday, January 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Please RSVP to Blake Kendrick at (213)978-1178
or email at
Blake.Kendrick@lacity.org.
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State of Hollywood
Luncheon Sells Out Again
 The
popular State of Hollywood Luncheon, planned for
Thursday, January 24 at the Roosevelt Hotel, has
again become a sell out. The luncheon will
feature L.A. City Council President Eric
Garcetti offering his review of Hollywood
accomplishments and challenges. At this point,
a waiting list is being taken in the event there
are any cancellations. If you would like your
name placed on the waiting list, please email
with your phone number to
Mick@hollywoodchamber.net.
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Café La Boheme Hosts
A-LIST Mixer
The Chamber’s
next “young professionals” networking event, the
A-LIST, will be held on Thursday, January 31st,
at Café La Boheme, 8400 Santa Monica Blvd. A
networking event designed for the “younger”
demographic of Chamber members, the A-LIST
provides an opportunity to network with peers
while enjoying the ambience of a hip area
restaurant and lounge. The A-LIST Mixer will be
held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Cost to attend
is $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers.
Valet parking is $5. RSVP to (323)469-8311 or
email to:
steven@hollywoodchamber.net.
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Reserve Online
Plans for 15th Annual
Women of Distinction Kick Off
 The
Hollywood Chamber Community Foundation is already planning
the 15th Annual Women of Distinction fundraiser which will
be held at The Globe at Universal on May 8, 2008. Laurie
Goldman of GO! Goldman Organization and Maureen Schultz of
Capitol Records are back for their second year as co-chairs
of this event. Nominations are now being accepted for Women
of Distinction and Golden Award through January 15, 2008.
Nominating forms are available on Hollywood Chamber website
at www.hollywoodchamber.net
or complete the
Nomination Form for Women of Distinction 2008.
This is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Hollywood
Chamber Community Foundation, which raised more than
$100,000 last year. Funds from WOD are distributed through
the Community Foundation to Hollywood based nonprofit
organizations. The WOD planning committee is seeking
sponsors and silent auction items. Volunteers who are
interested in serving on the event committee, or soliciting
sponsorships and auction items can contact Kaylee Kiecker,
kaylee@hollywoodchamber.net.
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Music
Industry Leaders Share Secrets of Success
with Small Business Community on January 26th
The Los Angeles Chapter of SCORE will
hold a workshop, “New
Music Industry Opportunities”, as part of its ongoing
Business Success Forum Series for the Los Angeles
small-business community. Music Recording Industry leaders —
Chris Stone, David Goggin and Kamran V - will talk about how
to build a successful music business in today’s volatile
music industry environment.
Saturday January 26, 2008, 10:00 AM — Noon
Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard Street, Glendale,
CA 91205
To make reservations, please register online at
www.scorela.org
or call SCORE by telephone at 818-552-3206 or e-mail
09@scorela.org.
Register Now! Seating Limited to 200!
$15 pre-registration, $20 at the door
Free with validation. Enter parking structure from Harvard
St.
Free
business counseling at the Hollywood Chamber
Offered by the Service Corps of Retired
Executives (SCORE)
Richard Krelstein, a retired business
turn-around specialist
Consulting services will be available most
Fridays 9:30 - 11:30am
To schedule an
appointment, call Vivian at (323)469-8311.
Hollywood & Highland Center
Shuttle Service for WICKED
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