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At CCA's Tahitian Holiday Party (Point Moorea, Wilshire Grand Hotel): CCA's President & CEO Carol Schatz honors Hamid Behdad, Office of the Mayor, for 17 years of service to the City.
CCA Tahitian Holiday Party a Success!
CCA celebrated the holiday season in full swing this week, hosting our famed Tahitian Holiday Party at Point Moorea in the
Wilshire Grand Hotel
. Over 400 people attended, including
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard
;
Councilmembers Tom Labonge
,
Jan Perry
, and
Bill Rosendahl
;
State Senator Gil Cedillo
;
LAPD Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell,
and
LAPD Captain Andrew Smith.
During the event, CCA's President & CEO
Carol Schatz
honored
Hamid Behdad
of the Mayor's Office of Housing & Economic Development for 17 years of service to the City and the Downtown community. Mr. Behdad, known to many as the Adaptive Reuse "czar", played a major role in implementing the City's Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, which helped transform Downtown into a vital residential and mixed-use community. Mr. Behdad recently announced his resignation from the Mayor's office to work in the private sector.
CCA thanks
John Stoddard
of the
Wilshire Grand Hotel
for generously hosting this event (for the fourth time)! CCA also thanks sponsors
Howard S. Wright Construction
,
AT&T
,
BP
,
Boeing
, and
Pacific Energy Partners
.
In addition, CCA thanks those who generously donated to the silent auction, including the
Westin Bonaventure Hotel
,
AEG
,
Omni Los Angeles
,
Ketchum-YMCA
,
MOCA
,
Wilshire Grand Hotel
,
Daily Grill,
Roy's Restaurant
,
Ciudad
,
BBC Bar*Grill*Brewery
, and
Pete's Cafe & Bar
. The silent auction raised more than $1,000 dollars. CCA donated the proceeds to the L.A.P.D. Central Division.
CCA Testifies at City Planning Commission Regarding Condo Conversion Issues
CCA staff testified at the City Planning Commission on Thursday regarding a Planning Department report recommending the Commission approve five proposed ordinances related to condominium conversions and tenant relocation assistance. The City Planning Commission did not move forward with any of the proposed ordinances, as the Commission believes some of the ordinances must be further vetted by the City and the public before moving forward. The Commission requested, however, that the Planning Department report back next
Thursday, December 21st
, on the feasibility of a moratorium on condo conversions and demolitions.
The Planning Department report proposes implementing such measures as an annual citywide cap on condominium conversions; increasing relocation payments by over $4,000 for qualified tenants; and increasing the rental housing production fee on conversions from $500 per unit to $1492 per unit. At the December 21st meeting, the City Planning Commission will consider which of these ordinances to move forward immediately, and which it will continue for further consideration.
CCA's Entertainment, Retail and Hospitality Meeting
CCA hosted an Entertainment, Retail and Hospitality Committee meeting this week with special guests
Allyn Rifkin
and
Lillian Burkenheim
from the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). The purpose of the meeting was to address many of the current issues facing the entertainment industry Downtown, including parking and transportation concerns, and building productive relationships between the Downtown residential, retail and entertainment communities.
Downtown Los Angeles is one of the most filmed locations in the world and the entertainment industry generates significant revenue for the City. As such, CCA works hard to ensure that production remains Downtown while also promoting a dialogue between the film industry and Downtown stakeholders.
One of the major issues discussed at the meeting was the loss of available surface parking lots needed to accommodate film production trucks and vans. CCA has been working closely with the CRA on their Downtown Parking Study, which proposes a comprehensive set of new policies related to Downtown parking, to ensure that all of the stakeholders' concerns are addressed. The study proposes the creation of a Film Industry Task Force to deal with production issues. CCA will be working with the CRA to ensure that the Task Force is comprised of key entertainment representatives and possesses a clear set of policy objectives that will benefit Downtown.
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• CCA's President & CEO Carol Schatz met with the leadership of the L.A. Chamber, LAEDC, and VICA on Tuesday to build a unified strategy on industrial land policy. The group agreed on several key points. LAEDC and CCA will meet at the beginning of January to discuss the Downtown recommendations. CCA staff and member Kate Bartolo, KOR Group, also met with VICA's Land Use Committee this week to hear their thoughts on industrial land preservation in the Valley. CCA IN THE NEWS "DCBID and CCA President Carol Schatz considers adaptive re-use essential to the future of downtown. She speaks in terms of 'pillars of revitalization' and cites Staples Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall as the catalysts for a boom that eventually will include L.A. Live near Staples and the Grand Avenue Project near the performing arts centers. "'Suddenly people had a reason to come downtown that had no reason before,' she says." 14 December, L.A. Times , "Destination Downtown" by Jessica Gelt. 
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