Chamber Task
Force Tours Universal City Project Site
Chamber members
met with Councilman Tom LaBonge this past Monday
at the Universal City subway station to see
first hand the area proposed by Thomas
Properties for the Metro Universal Project. The
first phase would include two office towers and
a parking garage to replace existing Metro
parking. NBC would relocate its offices from
Burbank to one of the office buildings. The
Chamber Board appointed a special task force
headed by Laurie Goldman of GO! Goldman
Organization and Frank DeFoe of Ramsey-Shilling
to review the expansive proposals by Universal
Studios and Thomas Properties Group. The task
force plans to make a separate visit to
Universal Studios to tour the sites envisioned
for development there. Draft Environmental
Impact Reports are expected in March and the
task force plans to bring its recommendations
back to the board shortly thereafter.
Top of Page
KBKG reduces
taxes with Enterprise Zone Tax Credits
Board Adopts Positions
on February Ballot Initiatives
The Hollywood
Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted
this week to endorse two ballot measures that
will come before voters on Tuesday, February 5th.
They declined to take a position on a third
measure.
The Chamber will
endorse Proposition 92, which
guarantees funding for California Community
Colleges. Under the current State funding
guarantee, all spending for K-14 is placed into
one pot. This measure would split the funds into
two pots to guarantee that 10.7 percent of the
funding goes to the colleges. The result is a
stable funding floor that allows for better long
term planning for community colleges. Because
of the importance of community colleges to the
California educational system and of Los Angeles
City College to Hollywood, the Chamber board
felt that the funding guarantee was warranted.
Proposition 93
was also endorsed by the Chamber. This measure
would revise California’s term limits law to
allow a lawmaker to serve a total of 12 years in
either the Assembly or the Senate or any
combination of both. The measure provides
legislators an option that will increase their
effectiveness by allowing longer terms in a
single house. Some organizations have opposed
the measure because the Legislature originally
also promised to include redistricting reform on
the same ballot. While the Chamber Board was
disappointed that was not included, it felt the
merits of revising the term limits law justified
support for the measure.
Also on the
ballot will be Los Angeles City Measure S,
which would establish a 9 percent tax on
communications users, thereby resolving a legal
challenge to a current 10 percent City
communications tax. The Chamber board declined
to take a position on the measure.
Top of Page
Members Take 15-20% Off with
I&A Dry Cleaners:
Call 323-953-9988
Chamber Reviews
Development Proposals
Several
development proposals were reviewed by the
Chamber Economic Development Committee and a
related task force this week. The Kress,
a restaurant and entertainment center located in
the former Frederick’s of Hollywood Building was
presented and endorsed by the Chamber. Visco
Entertainment has invested about $10-million in
creating a 200-seat restaurant,
entertainment/dancing venue, banquet facilities
and rooftop lounge area. Approximately 300
parking spaces are provided in the rear with
additional agreements for parking on an adjacent
lot. The committee was also briefed by Wood
Partners on their plans to build a four-story
residential project, McCadden Place, with
218 apartments at the corner of McCadden and
Yucca. A total of 668 parking spaces will be
provided for residents as well as to replace
existing surface parking lots. Plans were also
presented for an Urban Outfitters
development in a 30,000-sq.ft. building
extending from Cahuenga to Ivar. Plans are to
open by this fall. Existing buildings will be
renovated and a walk-through will be created
where there is an alley to allow for a
restaurant and other related boutiques.
Finally, the Chamber reviewed and endorsed plans
by AsiaSF to open a restaurant at Argyle
and Selma in the former Upside Down Club. The
148-seat venue features service and
entertainment by gender illusionists. Parking
arrangements have been made at the former CBS
studio lot.
Top of Page
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
Top of Page
Click
here for Chamber
Member News, Events and Discount Offers
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.
Top of Page
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.
Top of Page
Reserve Online
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.
For those who missed the Hollywood Chamber trip
to China, the San Fernando Valley Chamber is
planning a
China Trip this spring.
Hollywood & Highland Center
Shuttle Service for WICKED
|
