Chamber’s
Police/Fire Barbecue Honors L.A.’s Finest
 Hundreds
of public safety officers were served a last
week at annual the Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce’s barbecue for police and firefighters.
this community event attracted both volunteers
and local businesses to help honor police and
firefighter heroes at the LAPD’s Hollywood
Station. The Hollywood Chamber would like to
thank our many contributors, some of whom
included Belmont Village, The Original Farmers
Market, Avalon Nightclub, Church of Scientology,
Music Box @ The Fonda, Village Pizza, Andrews
International, The Knitting Factory and
Paramount Pictures. Captain Beatrice Girmala
(center) was one of many served that day.
Chamber Assists
Small Businesses in a Roundtable Discussion
 The
Chamber’s Small Business Committee recently
held the first in a series of "Growing Business"
seminars developed to both inform and
assist Chamber members during these challenging
economic times. SCORE counselor Richard
Krelstein, who facilitated the breakfast,
provided attendees with tips and insight into
starting a business, and growing your business
in today's market. The "roundtable" format
also provided attendees the opportunity share
information and learn from the experiences of
other guests.
The next seminar in the Growing Business series
will focus on how your business can benefit and
take advantage of State Enterprise Zone
tax incentives - potentially saving your
business thousands of dollars. Generously
hosted by The Tax Credit Company (enterprise
zone specialists), the event will be
held Wednesday January 14th from 8 a.m. to
10:00 a.m in the Chamber’s conference
room. Continental breakfast will be served.
Chamber Reviews
Real Estate Projects
The Economic
Development Committee reviewed two projects this
week seeking Chamber support. NCA is proposing
a 218-room hotel at the northeast corner of
Argyle and Yucca. Previously, they had planned
an 87-unit residential project, but changing
economics dictated the switch. Developer David
Nix explained that his firm is planning a
mid-priced hotel affiliated with a major chain.
Hearings begin in January and they hope to break
ground in about a year. The second project is a
$208-million investment by Archstone Properties
on a 4 ½ acre parcel on Santa Monica Blvd. at
Orange Ave. The proposal includes 40,000-sq.ft.
of creative office space, 348 apartments, and
about 15,000-sq.ft. of restaurant and retail
space. Dave Robbins of Archstone said hearings
begin in January. Chamber positions are pending
on both projects.
Update
Wednesday Evening on Hollywood Community Plan
The Hollywood
Studio District Neighborhood Council in
conjunction with the Department of City Planning
will be providing a briefing on the status of
the proposed update of the Hollywood Community
Plan on Wednesday, November 19th, at
6 p.m., at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000
Santa Monica Blvd. Planner Mary Richardson will
provide the latest information at the meeting,
to be held in the cemetery’s chapel. It is open
to the public.
LADOT Installs
New Pay Stations for Metered Parking
The latest in new parking meter technology is
coming to Hollywood. LADOT will place and
activate 25 new pay stations on Hollywood
Boulevard as follows:
Click to see map: Thursday, November 20,
2008 - Hollywood Blvd. between La Brea Ave and
Cherokee Ave (11 pay stations). Tuesday,
November 25, 2008 - Hollywood Blvd. between
Cherokee Ave and Vine St (14 pay stations). On
the day before the pay station activation, LADOT
will distribute brochures and inform the
businesses along Hollywood Blvd. On the day of
activation and the following day, LADOT will
have ambassadors assisting the public on using
the pay stations. LADOT will extend the meter
hours to encourage parking turnover during
business hours. In general the new meter hours
will be 8am-8pm Monday-Thursday, 8am-12 midnight
Friday-Saturday, and 11am-8pm Sunday. Metered
parking rates also were increased to $2 an hour
in Hollywood last month.
Celebrate the
Holiday with Chamber’s Mixer & Toy Drive at The
Music Box
The Chamber’s Holiday Mixer will be once again
be generously hosted by one of Hollywood’s most
historic entertainment venues, The Music Box @
Fonda - on the “speakeasy” rooftop where guests
will enjoy the venue’s sparkling holiday
ambience, as well as plenty of delicious food
and libations. Share the joy of the season by
bringing a new, unwrapped, toy (or appropriate
gift) valued at $10 or more in lieu of an
admission fee. “It’s important to remember that
through these donations we can help brighten the
holiday season for those less fortunate than
ourselves” said Leron Gubler, Chamber President
& CEO. Collected items will be distributed in
cooperation with the Los Angeles Fire
Department's (Hollywood station) annual toy
drive. The Holiday Mixer will be held on
Wednesday, December 10th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30
p.m. Cost to attend the mixer is $10 for members
and $20 for non-members; however, please help
make the holidays brighter for the children of
our community by bringing a toy or gift. The
Music Box @ the Fonda is located at 6126
Hollywood Blvd. No-host parking is available in
the adjacent Sunshine lot west of the venue.
Click to
RSVP or email
steven@hollywoodchamber.net or call (323)
469-8311.
Chamber
Presents Holiday Gift to Community
The Hollywood community and Chamber members will
be treated to a free screening of a classic
holiday movie this year, thanks to sponsorship
by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and
Foundation. Scrooge, the holiday 1970s classic
film starring Albert Finney, will be screened on
Saturday, December 20th, at 2 p.m. at
the historic Egyptian Theatre. Seats will be
available on a first-come, first-served basis.
This is the second year that the Chamber has
collaborated with American Cinematheque to
present a “gift” to the community. Last year,
the movie A Christmas Story, was screened. “The
Chamber is pleased to be able to do something
special for the community during the holidays,”
said Chamber President Leron Gubler. “We invite
our members to attend and enjoy the screening.”
Plans for
16th Annual Women of Distinction Kick Off
 The
Hollywood Chamber Community Foundation is
already planning the 16th Annual Women of
Distinction fundraiser which will be held on May
7, 2009. Elizabeth
McDonald (left) and Shiva Monify (right) are the
co-chairs of this event. Nominations are now
being accepted for Women of Distinction and
Golden Award through January 16, 2009.
Nominating forms are available on Hollywood
Chamber website at www.hollywoodchamber.net
or complete the
Nomination Form for Women of Distinction 2009.
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.
Chamber Members
Help Celebrate Opening of Metropolitan Hollywood
 DS
Ventures President David Schwartzman recently
hosted a reception and VIP tour of “the revival
of the modern Hollywood pad”, the Metropolitan
Hollywood. Located at 5825 W. Sunset, the
Metropolitan Hollywood is the town’s newest and
“coolest” high-rise lofts & apartments.
Pictured with Schwartzman and fiancé Cidney
Dutton is: Marc Annotti and Brad Woomer of DS
Ventures / Metropolitan Hollywood, Chamber
President & CEO Leron Gubler, Chamber Chairman
of the Board Mark Panatier, and Chamber board
member Steve Tronson.
Celebrate the
new Face of Vermont Triangle
The
Vermont Triangle at the intersection of
Hollywood Blvd. and Vermont has received a new
facelift as progress in the East Hollywood
Business Improvement District becomes more
visible with each passing day. Councilmember Tom
LaBonge and the CRA/LA invite the community to
the Vermont Triangle ribbon-cutting ceremony, on
Thursday, November 20th at 10 a.m. For more
information please contact Julian Harris-Calvin
at (213) 485-3337 or
julian.harris-calvin@lacity.org
Complete this
Survey and Voice Your Business Issues
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce encourages
your participation in the following survey being
conducted by The LA County Business Federation (BizFed)
to discover the key issues affecting your
business operations in Los Angeles County. This
is your opportunity to have a say in shaping the
collective advocacy and education work of more
than 64 business organizations representing over
100,000 businesses throughout Los Angeles
County. The survey will only take about 8-10
minutes to complete! Simply click on the link
and you will be prompted through the survey.
These important results will be unveiled at the
BizFed one year anniversary press conference in
late January. And most importantly BizFed will
use these results to guide BizFed advocacy work
and education priorities for 2009. The
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will keep you
apprised of the results of this survey once they
have been released. The online survey will
only be activated for a few weeks. Your voice
matters. The need for the collective voice of
business to shape policies affecting our economy
could not be more urgent!
Quick action is required!
CLICK HERE to take the survey.
MEMBER ALERT!
WARNING - If you receive, or have received, an
e-mail from SmartGuy.com, Smartguyerica.com,
or note the web address
www.graphicaldreams.com,
please do not open or respond. The message
is not from a Chamber member, and was sent
without authorization from the Hollywood Chamber
of Commerce.
 Support
Hollywood’s
Hail-A-Taxi
Pilot Program
A six-month test program is underway in central
Hollywood and Downtown to see if there is enough
demand by passengers to make a permanent policy
allowing people to hail taxis. The Chamber, a
strong proponent of the new policy, encourages
its members to help make the test a success by
taking advantage of the opportunity to hail
taxis.
KBKG
reduces taxes with Enterprise Zone Tax Credits
Members Take 15-20% Off with
I&A Dry
Cleaners: Call 323-953-9988
Click
here for Chamber
Member News, Events and Discount Offers
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.
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