Chamber Announces “Friends” of the Walk of Fame Program

Photos by Bob Freeman

The Hollywood Chamber held a press conference today to announce the creation of a Friends of the Walk of Fame initiative to raise private sector dollars to repair the Walk of Fame in advance of its 50^th anniversary in 2010.  More than $4-million is needed for the repair work.  The Chamber has worked with the City, Hollywood Historic Trust and Metro officials for the past two years to identify a plan.  The Chamber agreed to lead the private sector effort to provide matching dollars to public funds.  The Friends program will honor businesses that make sizable contributions to the fundraising effort.  Special terrazzo plaques will be placed on private property to recognize the contributors. The "Friends" plaques have been designed to be distinctive from the Walk of Fame stars so that there is no confusion.  Absolut Vodka was announced today as the first Friend of the Walk of Fame.  The Chamber is in discussions with several other potential participants.  “We are appreciative to Absolut Vodka for stepping up to the plate to help us launch this program,” said Chamber President & CEO Leron Gubler.

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DOT Announces Plans for Vine Street Parking Garage

A Department of Transportation (DOT) official, Long Hoang, announced last week that DOT is moving forward with the long-awaited Vine Street parking garage adjacent to the Ricardo Montalban Theatre.  The proposed 5-level, 475-car garage is expected to begin construction around February of 2009.  He said that DOT expects to issue a Request for Proposals to contractors in September.  Financing for the project is coming from DOT and from the Community Redevelopment Agency.

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Special Fund Set Up to Aid Family of Accident Victims

On Sunday, July 13th, a tragic accident on Hollywood Blvd. resulted in the death of a husband and wife who were crossing the boulevard late in the evening. The husband worked for Combo’s Pizza. This tragedy has unfortunately left the couple's three children as orphans.  If you would like more information about this tragedy, you can read more at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pedestrians17-2008jul17,0,7741409.story
In an effort to assist the family, Council President Garcetti's staff has worked with Shake Bakalyan at Wells Fargo Bank to set up a special bank account to receive donations.  If you would like to make a contribution to this account, there are two ways to do so:

1. Visit any Wells Fargo Branch and deposit funds or a check made out to: Monserrat Arely Davila (the oldest sibling). Tell the bank teller that the money is to go into account #7039283655.

2. If you cannot make it to a Wells Fargo Branch, you may mail your check made out to “Monserrat Arely Davila” to the Chamber, 7018 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 90028.  Please reference account #7039283655. The Chamber will then make the deposit.  Please note that the Chamber cannot accept credit card payments for this.  Contributions must be received as checks.

City Approves “Hail a Taxi” Program for Hollywood

Visitors to Hollywood will soon be able to do what is done in most major cities – hail a taxi.  For years, the City of L.A. has ticketed taxis stopping to pick up patrons if they impede traffic.  Now, in a special pilot program just approved last week by the City Council, taxis in Hollywood and Downtown L.A. will be able to hail taxis.  The new rules will allow taxis to stop for or drop off customers in red zones and curb lanes that the City will designate for taxis.  The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has long been a proponent of allowing people to hail taxis, and, along with the Hollywood Entertainment District, has testified at hearings in support of the plan.  The taxi program is expected to be operational before the end of July.  At the conclusion of six months, the city will evaluate the program to see if it was able to operate without adding to gridlock.  The Chamber believes the taxi program will be a boon in Hollywood and help to encourage visitors to park once rather than moving their vehicles from location to location.

The Wait is Finally Over...
The 10th Annual L.A.'s Largest Mixer is Thursday, July 24!

Please join us on Thursday, July 24 at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Center as we combine the networking power of 30 L.A. area chambers of commerce and business organizations with the best networkers from all over Southern California to give you the ultimate business networking experience.

1. Over 3000 Attendees and don't forget to bring lots of business cards!

2. Visit over 250 Exhibitor Booths on both levels of the Shrine Auditorium Expo Center.

3. TalkRadio 790 KABC Live Broadcast - Check out KABC Radio's Al Rantel broadcasting live from the L.A. Mixer.

4. Drop your business card at our admissions area for fantastic getaways

5. Learn About the Benefits of Being a Chamber Member

Register online today: http://www.largestmixer.com/lamixer/tickets.php
ADMISSION: $20 (No checks, please.)
L.A.’s Largest Mixer X
Thursday, July 24, 2008
5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Shrine Auditorium, 700 W. 32nd St., Los Angeles, CA 90007, Parking: $5
Visit http://www.lamixer.com or call 323.230.5656

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Train Your Staff with LACC's Free Program in Customer Service

At tomorrow’s meeting, the Tourism Committee will learn about a unique program that allows tourism employers an opportunity to train their employees at no charge.  With the slow economy looming overhead, it is important that Hollywood’s employees are polished, professional, and know how to take care of customers. LA City College is offering FREE classes to companies who would like to refresh their staff’s customer service skills and will be at tomorrow’s tourism committee meeting to tell us how to take advantage of this unique program. Such classes have been very successful with hotels, restaurants, and other travel related companies and offer insight on motivation, guest service, procedures, etc.  LACC instructors will come to your location and offer classes on-site, customizing them to fit your specific needs. For more information, please contact Kaylee Kiecker, VP of Marketing and Business Development, at kaylee@holywoodchamber.net

First Lady Laura Bush Designates Thai Town a Preserve America Community

Thai Town was recently honored when First Lady Laura Bush, Honorary Chair of the Preserve America initiative, designated it as one of the nation's newest Preserve America Communities. As a result of a nationwide competitive application process submitted by the Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC), Chancee Martorell, Thai CDC Executive Director, will receive a certificate of designation signed by Mrs. Bush announcing that Thai Town is now a Preserve America Community. Benefits include the right to use the Preserve America logo on signs and promotional materials; eligibility for Preserve America Grants; notification to state tourism offices; and listing in a Web-based directory that showcases Thai Town's preservation efforts and heritage tourism destinations. Preserve America Communities are also featured in National Register Travel Itineraries and in "Teaching With Historic Places" curricular materials created by the National Park Service. Thai Town is recognized for its historical and cultural layers as a traditional point-of-entry for Thai immigrants and the site of several historic Los Angeles buildings, such as the Don Carlos Apartments, Trianon Apartments, and the Mayer Building on Hollywood and Western. Thai Town's Preserve America application highlighted the public-private partnership involved in erecting the Apsonsi statues for the Thai Town Gateway Project, the annual Thai New Year's Day Songkran Festival, Thai Culture Day, and LA Commons' project featuring Thai Town as one of the most interesting cultural destinations in their "Trekking Los Angeles: Local Adventures in a Global City" guidebook . The Preserve America designation also recognizes Thai Town's efforts, along with Little Tokyo and Chinatown to promote Los Angeles' unique Asian Pacific Islander communities. Koreatown and Historic Filipinotown are in the process of applying for their designations.

Public Workshops Announced On Hollywood Sign Regulations

The City of Los Angeles invites the community to a public workshop concerning sign regulations in the Hollywood Sign District and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Hollywood Project Area.  Attend on one of the scheduled dates and give your input regarding future signage in the Hollywood area.  There is no need to register or RSVP. Come and share your ideas! The guidelines for signs in the area are designed to promote appropriate signage in Hollywood that would contribute to the area's image as an entertainment destination, while limiting the visual impacts of signage on residents and historic buildings. The Planning Department and the CRA review individual applications for signage in an effort to limit visual clutter and enhance the major transportation corridors in Hollywood.  The City is currently reviewing and revising guidelines; these workshops are being held in order to gather public input about what sort of changes residents and other stakeholders would like to see relating to signage in their area.
Wednesday, July 23*, 10 AM - 12 PM
Hollywood Presbyterian Church, Mears Center: 1760 N. Gower St., Los Angeles, CA 90028
*Representatives from Building & Safety will be available to answer enforcement questions at this meeting.

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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.