Dunce Cap for DLANC: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says he’ll do public service spots on Spanish-language TV and radio in an effort to boost voter registration among Latino/Americans. So will New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and Houston Mayor Bill White. Villaraigosa says such efforts “increase participation at the polls and enhance civic participation, which is vital in a thriving democracy.” Seems everyone but the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC) has gotten that memo…Fit to be Tied: DLANC needed just one voter of any background to break the recent tie in voting for a board member to represent business owners in the commercially vibrant Alameda East territory. Only one candidate ran for the seat, and insult piled on top of injury when results showed a 0-0 tie…Exercised Over Pershing Plans: Talk of spending $190,000 on new stuff at the public park at 5th & Hill caused a few below-the-radar meetings recently. The plan is on hold now, and word on the street says the notion of adding exercise equipment in a section of the park caused the consternation. Haven’t heard why exercise equipment is such an alarming idea, though...Different Kind of Hot on Santee Alley: Bumped into a city pirate who’s made a living for years by selling counterfeit whatever’s moving on Santee Alley in the Fashion District. Says he looking to go legit because it’s “too hot” on the alley these days. He’s talking about law-enforcement sweeps against counterfeiters, which appear to haven taken a toll on the “no-law-south-of-Olympic” retail scene…Shady Deal Wanted: Some enterprising peddler ought to get a stock of sunglasses and work the 9th Street entrance to the Cal Mart. The beige brick road that came with a recent makeover to the entranceway can be blinding when it catches the sun around mid-day…Life After Los Angeles Street: Carlos Tapia didn’t know exactly where he would go when he left his post as design room supervisor at J.T. Design Studio in the Cooper Building at 9th & Los Angeles. Tapia found his way to Hollywood, though, and is now crafting costumes for some big-time productions, including the Toy Store 3 movie, a New York stage production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” and a Paris staging of “The Fly.” Tapia’s working on the costumes as part of the McAvene Designs in North Hollywood…Gem of a Statement: This assessment on the economy from a weary merchant in the Jewelry District: “We always complain that business stinks, but this time it really does”…Local Hero Goes International: A couple of weeks ago we told you how the June 6 Local Hero item about D-Day vet and Downtown import-export pro Seymour Gale prompted calls from all over the U.S. Now he tells us that he got one from a lady in Nottingham, England. She was about 10 years old when Gale was stationed over there with the 82nd Airborne. She wanted to thank him for all the gum and candy he and his fellow GIs gave to the local youngsters during the war years.
garmentandcitizen.com
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Commentary - 08/29/2008
Plan Calls for First-Class Service and Second-Class Citizens at City Hall
The Los Angeles Garment & Citizen is the community newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods, including the Arts District, Chinatown, Echo Park, Little Tokyo, Pico-Union, Silver Lake and Westlake.The Garment & Citizen reaches more than 20,000 readers weekly, an audience that spans the demographic makeup of the city and serves as the leading edge of statewide and national trends.
