Los Feliz Ledger Read by 100,000+ Residents and Business Owners in Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Vol 16. No. 6 December 2020 Atwater Village, Echo Park & Hollywood Hills Letter From Raman Staffing the Publisher Taking Shape By Allison B. Cohen By Allison B. Cohen We regret this will be our Two Ground Game L.A. last print edition, at least for a leaders, who served as cam- while. The ongoing pandemic demands this change, but the paign co-chairs of Nithya Ra- good news is we will still be man’s victorious election to publishing online daily. Los Angeles City Council Dis- As with many indepen- trict 4, will serve top positions dently owned businesses, we in Raman’s office, accord- have been taking things one day at a time—one month at ing to co-campaign manager a time. Our PPP loan has long Meghan Choi. been spent. Same for a small Choi and Jessica Salans Google grant we received over will share the role, presum- the summer. The good news is, since ably resembling chief-of-staff, the pandemic began, our on- although, Choi said, the two line edition has been doing ex- may chose a different title for tremely well, often showing a the role. 100%—even a 200%—increase in traffic and pageviews. Ground Game L.A. was Please follow us on Twitter born out of Salans’ failed for breaking news stories at @ 2017 candidacy against Los LosFelizLedger and subscribe Angeles City Councilmember to to our weekly e-blast, by emailing me at allisoncohen@ Mitch O’Farrell in District mac.com. 13. Salans, 31, is the founder Here’s to a better 2021! Nithya Raman’s election to Los Angeles City Council District 4 is seen by many as the tip of the iceberg of future Los An- of the Bernie Sanders inspired And thank you for your read- geles politics. A political newcomer, she amassed more than 2,000 campaign volunteers, many of whom are young, just organization, and Choi, 34, a ership and support during this waking up to local politics and deeply concerned about Los Angeles. Some have called her “LAOC,” likening her to U.S. founding member. ongoing, unprecedented time. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who equally upset the political establishment in 2018. Photo: Raman campaign. Other details about staff- ing were still being ironed out, according to Choi. COVID-19 CASES LOCALLY Candidacy However, two sources Deadlines for say a Raman proxy indicated in mid-November during a Neighborhood Greater Wilshire Neighbor- Councils hood Council Zoom meeting that Raman would not be re- The city is now accept- taining any of outgoing Coun- ing applications for those in- cilmember David Ryu’s staff, terested in running for a seat wanting a “fresh start” and on one of its 99 neighborhood that the administration would councils. be working with a “skeleton The deadline to file an ap- crew” for at least a few months. plication to run for a seat on Raman’s campaign declined to the Hollywood United, Hol- confirm that account. lywood Hills West and East “We have communicated Hollywood neighborhood with Ryu’s staff that we are ac- councils is December 29th. cepting applications and look COVID-19: Neighborhood Numbers Those councils will have elec- forward to reviewing them with tions on March 16, 2021. care,” said Choi in an email. Since the coronavirus pan- Atwater Village, 6,969. with 189. Locally, East Holly- For the Atwater, Echo Raman, 39, sent an wide- demic began, over 80,000 CO- Additionally, Silver Lake wood has been the hardest hit Park, Los Feliz and Silver Lake spread email Nov. 18, her first VID-19 tests have been taken has had the most positive cases by deaths with 45, followed councils, the deadline for can- since winning election Nov. locally, according to data from locally followed by East Hol- by Silver Lake, 18; Atwater didacy is January 19, 2021. 3rd, indicating more staffing the Los Angeles County Dept. lywood, the Hollywood Hills, Village, 8; Hollywood Hills, Elections for those councils announcements were coming of Public Health, specifically: Echo Park, Atwater Village 7; Echo Park, 6 and Los Fe- will be held on April 6, 2021. soon. Silver Lake, 24,617; Hol- and Los Feliz. liz, 3. For additional info visit The email also indicated lywood Hills, 13,279; Los Fe- Glendale, has had the Get COVID-19 updates the Los Angeles City Clerk’s Raman, of Silver Lake, was liz, 11,360; East Hollywood, most deaths of any commu- at losfelizledger.com. Informa- website and click on Neigh- grateful to Ryu and his staff, 10,394; Echo Park, 7,992 and nity in Los Angeles County tion through Nov. 22. 2020. borhood Council Elections. see RAMAN page 11 COMMUNITY NEWS: REAL ESTATE: POLITICS: COMMUNITY NEWS: LOCAL THEATER: Community Comments on Ryu Time to Retreat to the Mountains? Outgoing Ryu Says Thank You, Gelson’s Gracious Grocer, Zoom Behind the Scenes at & Raman, page 3 page 4 page 9 page 10 9’O’Clock Players, page 11 Los Feliz Ledger [ICYMI] Here are some stories that we’ve published online only since our last print edition. STUDY ON CONVERTING cidents during the same time CONVENTION CENTER INTO last year, according to Los TEMPORARY HOMELESS Angeles Police Dept. (LAPD) SHELTER EXPECTED SOON data analyzed by Crosstown, a nonprofit news organization, Recommendations are out of the University of South- expected back December 10, ern California. 2020 from city officials re- garding possibly converting JUDGE EXCORIATES L.A. the currently out-of-operation FOR HOMELESS LACK OF Downtown Convention Cen- EMERGENCY ter into a temporary homeless shelter. The federal judge oversee- Los Angeles City Council- ing a lawsuit dealing with the members Curren Price, Kevin homeless crisis Nov. 6 criti- de Leon and Gil Cedillo re- cized the slow pace of moving quested the feasibility of the homeless persons into housing conversion on Nov. 10. despite an agreement in which the city and county of Los COLLISIONS IN L.A. DOWN Angeles promised to provide 42% SINCE COVID-19 6,000 beds by next spring. U.S. District Judge David Since March when Ange- Carter told parties involved lenos began sheltering at home in the suit that production of due to COVID19, the number homeless housing is too slow in of traffic collisions in the city light of the threat of the corona- instantly fell and a report re- virus and the rise in deaths on leased Nov. 6th said accidents city streets.”You’re already so far are down nearly 42% in the behind it’s disgraceful,” Carter first nine months of this year. told officials at a hearing that The city recorded 24,541 took place at City Hall because collisions between January the federal courthouse in down- and the end of September, a town Los Angeles is closed due steep drop from the 42,279 ac- to the pandemic. Los Feliz Ledger Silver Lake author and READ US ONLINE AT multi-hyphenate entertainer, LosFelizLedger.com SAM HARRIS, has released a new novel and the critics are raving: THE SUBSTANCE OF ALL THINGS is a DRAMATIC and FOUNDED 2005 Available at these locations: Delivered the last Thursday of Atwater Library cumulatively POWERFUL tale of one man’s healing…evokes each month to 34,500 homes and 3379 Glendale Blvd. businesses in the Los Feliz, Casita del Campo John Irving’s work and also calls to mind Conroy’s ‘Prince of Silver Lake, Atwater Village, 1920 Hyperion Ave Echo Park and Hollywood Hills Alcove & Big Bar Tides.’ IT’S A KNOCKOUT!” Editor’s Choice (Kirkus) communities. 1929 Hillhurst Avenue Courtney + Kurt Real Estate 1933 Hillhurst Ave. 3167 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027 Dresden Restaurant “ A STUNNING debut novel. A POWERFUL, ACHING, DEEPLY (323) 741-0019 1760 N. Vermont Avenue House of Pies FELT, finely tuned story which will move readers.” Starred PUBLISHER/EDITOR 1869 N. Vermont Allison B. Cohen Los Feliz Public Library Review (Publishers Weekly) 1874 Hillhurst Avenue SENIOR EDITOR Los Feliz 3 Theaters Erin Hickey Pinheiro 1822 N. Vermont GRAPHIC DESIGN George & Eileen Moreno, Realtors A MESMERIZING novel. POIGNANT and DEVASTATINGLY & LAYOUT 2150 N. Hillhurst Ave. Tiffany Sims Muddy Paws Coffee “ EVOCATIVE, this story about faith, frauds, fear, and finding 3320 Sunset Blvd. For more stories Palermo peace will win over any fan of heartbreaking and heartwarm- and updates: 1858 N. Vermont Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce ing 20th-century Americana literature.” Editor’s Pick (Booklife) LosFelizLedger.com 1724 W. Silver Lake Drive Skylight Books 1818 N. Vermont The Village Bakery and Café “ 3119 Los Feliz Blvd. Available at Amazon.com in print, ebook, and audible book. Page 2 losfelizledger.com December 2020 Los Feliz Ledger Welcome Raman & Goodbye Councilmember Ryu Compiled By Allison B. Cohen We reached out to commu- Natalie Freidberg, HomelessnessHollywood Council system. He will be instead of community impact. nity leaders to get their thoughts President, Silver Lake United Neighborhood greatly missed. Best wishes to While her campaign was on incoming Council District 4 Chamber of Commerce Council Nithya, and that she will con- fueled mostly by energized citi- Councilmember-Elect Nithya Congratulations to Coun- I wish Nithya Ramen great tinue to expand on Ryu’s great zens, it is also extremely impor- Raman and out-going Council- cilmember-elect Nithya Ra- success and have offered to as- tradition of working for our city. tant that she address the toxic member David Ryu. man, we’re really looking for- sist her in any way I can to en- rhetoric and bully tactics em- ward to getting to know her sure she accomplishes her vision Nicholas Fox Robbins, ployed by some of the people Heather Duffy Boylston, & to having her join us for for CD4, particularly for the Silver Lake Neighborhood who act as mouthpieces for a Co-Executive Director, our events -virtually for now unhoused and the environment.