Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Despite arguments from experts hired by Beverly Hills city and school officials, a report released by the MTA for an upcoming meeting on Thursday sticks with a proposal to tunnel under Beverly Hills High.
Metro staff are standing by their recomendation for a Westside Subway station at Constellation Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars after geologists hired by Beverly Hills officials said other alternatives would be safer. In a report released Tuesday, the staff for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority affirmed the agency's position that it would be safe to tunnel under Beverly Hills High School to reach that intersection. Metro's consultants contend that there are no active faults under Beverly Hills High or Santa Monica Boulevard. Their assessment is at odds with testimony presented last week by geologists hired by the city of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills Unified School District. "Metro staff have considered the views presented …
The school district is calling on Metro to delay the decision on the subway and hold a meeting of geologists to discuss the safety of a subway in the area.
The attorney representing the Beverly Hills Unified School District in the fight against a subway under its high school is asking Metro to hold off on any final decisions on the Westside Subway Extension until geologists reach a consensus on seismic activity in the area. Kevin Brogan of Hill Farrer & Burrell LLP sent the letter reproduced at the end of this story to Metro on Tuesday. In it, he calls for a conference of geologists to address "serious flaws in Metro's data and conclusions," according to a statement from the school district. During Thursday's public hearing, several geologists representing the city of Beverly Hills and BHUSD presented findings that showed a lack of active faults in the Century City area. That information …
Santa Monica Patch covers the latest on the mountain lion spotted earlier Tuesday.
A mountain lion that was spotted by a janitor in downtown Santa Monica has been shot and killed by authorities, Santa Monica Patch reports. Authorities cornered the 75-pound mountain lion in a courtyard near Second Street and tranquilized it. However, efforts to keep it contained in the courtyard, including fire department hoses and pepper balls were unsuccessful. "Regrettably, the officers had to euthanize the animal," Santa Monica Police Sgt. Robert Almada told Santa Monica Patch. The mountain lion's body is being taken to the California Wildlife Center in Calabasas, where it will be examined, according to Executive Director Cindy Reyes. To read complete coverage of the incident from Santa Monica Patch, click here.
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1227 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA
/articles/mountain-lion-in-downtown-santa-monica-shot
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The bus to LAX got another extension in a meeting Monday.
Westwood travelers en route to LAX will still be able to catch the FlyAway bus from the village for another year. The Daily Breeze reports the airport officials gave the bus line a third extension, though it had a $167,547 deficit this fiscal year. That's a lot less than the deficit the previous year—$787,824. A fare increase and new timetable with fewer trips helped the deficit, though ridership dropped from 107,052 to 90,901 passengers this year. This coming year, the bus is still expected to lose somewhere between $125,000 and $200,000. Airport officials are designing a marketing plan for the bus and looking for other ways to cut operating costs, reports The Daily Breeze. Do you take the FlyAway bus to LAX? Would you miss it if it were …
The council unanimously approves the budget that closes a $238 million deficit, but leaves next year's budget in the red.
The Los Angeles City Council Monday approved a $7.2 billion budget that delays layoffs but makes close to $70 million in cuts to services and shrinks the city's workforce by more than 400 positions. The budget, first proposed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and amended by the council's Budget and Finance Committee, closes a $238 million deficit but leaves next year's budget $199 million in the red. The budget relies on $83 million in one-time revenues and cuts, and includes more than $76 million that still needs to be approved by federal and state governments and might not be available until January or later. The budget increases the city's emergency reserve fund by $7.5 million, bringing it to 4.8 percent of the city's general fund budget, …
Beginning Tuesday, the west side of the bridge and Skirball Center Drive will be closed for three nights.
Due to construction, the west side of the Mulholland Bridge and a portion of Skirball Center Drive will be closed for two nights this week and one day next week. According to Metro, the southern half of the bridge is undergoing reconstruction and crews will be pouring concrete. Mulholland Bridge will be closed to Casiano Road and Skirball Center Drive will be closed from the northbound Skirball 405 Freeway ramps to Mulholland Drive, states a Metro press release. The dates and hours for the closures are as follows: May 22: 8 p.m.-6 a.m. May 24: 8 p.m.-6 a.m. May 30: 8 p.m.-6 a.m. Metro officials say the bridge is also subject overnight closures due to utility relocation. However, the closures will remain on the west side of the bridge to …
Monday, May 21, 2012
The study states that while staying active has positive effects, high-level endurance exercises may affect male reproductive health.
Men who ride bicycles may experience hormonal imbalances that could affect their reproductive health, researchers say in a UCLA School of Nursing study released Monday. To date, an extensive amount of research has been performed documenting the positive effects of long-term exercise on health, according to a nursing school statement. "These studies have shown that while moderate exercise can lead to enhanced cardiovascular and metabolic function and reduced body fat, ultra-endurance levels of exercise can also adversely affect the neuroendocrine system and reproductive health," the statement said. The UCLA study explored the associations between exercise intensity and circulating levels of reproductive hormones in serious leisure male …
UCLA also extended the bidding period on the Bel Air property.
UCLA is now a little closer to selling the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden after a superior court judge rejected a request to block the sale, but the university has decided to extend the bidding period on the Bel Air property. The family of Hannah Carter filed a lawsuit to stop the sale of the home and the garden earlier this month. UCLA has listed the property for sale at $4.2 million. The sale has prompted a coalition of preservationist organizations and members of the Carter family to rally against the loss of the historic garden. "UCLA is selling the garden because it serves no teaching or research purpose and lacks the parking necessary to operate it as a public asset," a statement from UCLA reads. "The campus spends more than $100,000 …
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10619 Bellagio Rd, Los Angeles, CA
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Did you catch the eclipse yesterday? Share your photos with Westwood-Century City Patch readers.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Sara Fay
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Yesterday
Please tell me I wasn't the only one with this song stuck in my head on Sunday in anticipation of the solar eclipse. Was I? Did you see any of the eclipse yesterday? I've seen some great homemade pinhole cameras and photos of the eclipse posted online from all over Los Angeles, so if you also captured the eclipse in Westwood or Century City, share your image with your fellow readers. Click the button to the right that says 'upload photos and videos' and your photos will show up on the site soon. Stay on top of local news by subscribing to our free daily email newsletter and follow Westwood-Century City Patch on Facebook and Twitter.
An audit out of the City Controller's Office, as well as reports from the Los Angeles Times show emergency response times are getting longer.
An audit by City Controller Wendy Greuel released Friday found that Los Angeles firefighters responded to emergency medical calls an average of 12 seconds slower since Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council cut the fire department's staff size in 2009. The audit also found major underlying problems with the quality of the data. Almost one-third of the 1.9 million responses analyzed by Greuel's staff were missing critical information, such as if the responses were to fires or medical emergencies. "It's unacceptable that the LAFD has not been able to accurately track its emergency response times," Greuel said, adding that her audit sets the stage for "a real discussion about what needs to be done to improve public safety for all …
Joel Epstein
3:51 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The time has come for the Metro board to put to bed the children on the Beverly Hills School Board and City Council. The City should stop buying its lawyers' hogwash that there is merit to a case against the agency. No self-respecting judge would do other than the right thing by sanctioning Beverly Hills for bringing such a meritless lawsuit. In the interests of the region's millions of commuters… more ›