There have been a number of articles written about the shortage of housing in Los Angeles, especially on the Westside, a shortage that has exacerbated housing prices and intensified commuter traffic to and from the Westside neighborhoods. With the influx of new high tech jobs around “Silicon Beach,” demand to live close to those jobs has driven up home prices in the coastal communities nearby - namely Venice, Mar Vista, Santa Monica, and … [Read more...]
What Do You Think About Mansionization?
Friends and neighbors: I recently wrote about the issue of “mansionization” in a November blog post. The concern has been simmering for some time, and members of the Los Angeles City Council have been hearing from a number of their constituents - mostly from those who are upset by the impact these large homes are having on their neighborhood. Anti-mansionization laws have been in place for years (see the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance), but … [Read more...]
Mayor Garcetti’s Asia Trip: Los Angeles and the Pacific Rim
Mayor Garcetti recently returned from Asia with a trade delegation from Los Angeles that was focused on furthering our city's commerce and relationships with our Pacific Rim neighbors. I was fortunate to be invited to attend an event recapping his trip that was held at the Getty House, the Mayor's residence in Windsor Square. United by an ocean, the neighboring countries share a strong commercial interest with the United States and the Mayor has … [Read more...]
THE GETTY HOUSE (Not the Museum) A Bit of LA History Brought Current
I was recently invited to attend several events at the Getty House. For those in LA who may not be aware, the Getty House is the official residence of the mayor of Los Angeles. It’s located in Windsor Square, an historic district bordering the east side of Hancock Park district dating back to 1911. The district was later expanded to be between Beverly and Wilshire Boulevards and Arden Boulevard to Van Ness Avenue. The home was designed and … [Read more...]
Money Saving Meter Programs from the DWP
Did you know that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has several metering programs available to homeowners? Having the right metering program can potentially save a lot of money over each billing cycle, and there are several money saving programs to choose from. When my electricity bill spiked last month I phoned the DWP and after waiting online for 55 minutes, that’s right 55 minutes (they did offer me the option of phoning me … [Read more...]
