Governor
Declares February 1 as Johnny Grant Day
 Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared February 1st
to be Johnny Grant Day. The Governor selected
the date to honor Hollywood’s longtime honorary
mayor since it is also the anniversary of the
founding of Hollywood in 1887. “We are
delighted to have the Governor give this
recognition to Johnny,” said Chamber President
Leron Gubler. “Johnny was indeed our top
cheerleader for three decades and would be
pleased to know that the Governor has recognized
his contribution.” Gubler also noted that a
date has been set for the official memorial
service for Johnny, which will be held on
Thursday, March 6, at 10 a.m. at the Pantages
Theatre. In related news, some local community
members have organized a candlelight tribute to
Johnny at Café Audrey, 1703 Las Palmas Ave., on
Feb. 8th, beginning at 7 p.m. For
further information on that event, contact Greg
Durfee at
durfeegreg@yahoo.com.
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KBKG reduces
taxes with Enterprise Zone Tax Credits
L.A. Biz Fed Kicked
Off This Week
The Los Angeles
County Business Federation (BizFed) kicked off
this week with its grass roots alliance of L.A.
County business organizations. To date, more
than 40 organizations, including the Hollywood
Chamber of Commerce, have joined the coalition.
They represent more than 70,000 businesses. A
year in the works, BizFed will for the first
time ever allow business groups to work together
on issues of concern to business within Los
Angeles County. “We are thrilled that this
coalition has been created,” said Chamber
President & CEO Leron Gubler. “People have
discussed the need for an organization like this
for decades and now it has finally been
created.” He noted that with the advent of the
internet and email, it will be possible for
businesses to weigh in quickly on issues that
are important. Each organization will have the
opportunity to opt in or out on issues that have
been researched by BizFed, but with a coalition,
the business community will have the strength to
have a greater impact with public officials.
For further information about BizFed, please
visit
www.bizfed.org.
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Members Take 15-20% Off with
I&A Dry Cleaners:
Call 323-953-9988
Suzanne
Pleshette Honored with 2,355th Star on Walk of
Fame
 The
Hollywood Chamber honored the memory of Suzanne
Pleshette this week with a star on the Walk of
Fame. The beloved actress, who was best known
for playing the school teacher wife to Bob
Newhart’s psychologist character in The Bob
Newhart Show, passed away only two weeks
before the ceremony. Numerous actors from the
show, including Bob Newhart, Marcia Wallace, and
Jack Riley were in attendance as well as a cadre
of former Walk of Fame honorees, including:
columnist Army Archerd, Dick Van Dyke, comedian
Rip Taylor, singer Nancy Sinatra, producer
George Schlatter, and radio personality Gary
Owens.
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Hudson Capital Buys
Tribune Studios, Dedicates Theatre
The Hudson
Capital group made its second major purchase in
Hollywood this week, when it announced the
acquisition of Tribune Studios, that houses KTLA.
Hudson purchased Sunset-Gower Studios last
September. KTLA will remain a tenant at their
present location. Hudson plans to upgrade the
studio and to add office space. Meanwhile, they
are completing construction of a 96,000-sq.ft.
office building at the Sunset-Gower lot to house
Technicolor, and they dedicated a 71-seat
theatre this week there in honor of Stanley
Kramer.
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Reserve Online
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here for Chamber
Member News, Events and Discount Offers
Don’t Forget to Vote
Tuesday on Business Issues
Tuesday,
February 5th, is Election Day in
California. The Chamber has adopted several
positions on issues it feels are important to
the business community.
The Chamber has
endorsed 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 did not
take a position on this measure.
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A-LIST Meets and
Networks at Café LaBoheme
 Approximately
100 of Hollywood’s young professionals met at
the Chamber’s A-LIST mixer this week at Café
LaBoheme at 8400 Santa Monica Blvd. Café
LaBoheme recently reopened after a renovation
that retained the beauty and romance of the
original but that added a new “relaxed vibe.”
The A-LIST is a special program of the Chamber
to encourage involvement by the young
professionals in the community. The Chamber
also used the occasion to present two $2,500
grants from its Foundation to Hollygrove and to
the LACER after school program.
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KCET to air Feature on
Hollywood Sign
KCET will air
Huell Howser’s popular California Gold
program with a special on the Hollywood Sign on
Friday, Feb. 8th at 10 p.m., with a
repeat on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m., according
to Chris Baumgart, chair of the Hollywood Sign
Trust. Members of the Sign Trust helped provide
information and background for the special.
Tuesday,
February 5th, is Election Day in
California. The Chamber has adopted several
positions on issues it feels are important to
the business community.
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Showcase your Business
in the Hollywood Business & Tourism Expo
As an exhibitor, you will
receive two tickets into the event, a complete
listing of attendees, a full Exhibitor List, and
exposure that will last for years to come! We
hope that you will take advantage of this unique
opportunity to get your business noticed in
Hollywood. Please contact the Hollywood Chamber
of Commerce to reserve your space, or for
information on sponsorship opportunities.
Learn more
Kaylee Kiecker
VP, Marketing & Business Development
Phone: 323.469.8311 (x15)
E-mail:
Kaylee@hollywoodchamber.net
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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
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