Copy
Miracle Mile Residential Association Newsletter • October 2016

Miracle Mile
Residential Association

Newsletter • October 2016 • Los Angeles, California                                                                                                    

 share on Twitter    Like MMRA Annual Meeting & Town Hall • Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016  on Facebook

IN THE OCTOBER NEWSLETTER:


If this newsletter is not displaying properly or the links aren't working,
click on:
 View in your browser



MMRA Annual Meeting & Town Hall
Saturday • November 5, 2016 • 10 AM~12:30 PM

Korean Cultural Center
5505 Wilshire Blvd. @ Dunsmuir Ave.

~parking available behind building~

 
                                                                                                                            Photo by Justin Fields     
 

Councilmember David Ryu to Speak
at Miracle Mile Annual Meeting


Councilmember David Ryu will be the keynote speaker at the Miracle Mile Residential Association’s 33rd Annual Meeting and Town Hall on Saturday, November 5th.
 
Representatives from the Los Angeles Department of Traffic (LADOT) and the Los Angeles Police Department’s Traffic Division are also scheduled to address traffic and enforcement problems in the area.
 
MMRA President James O’Sullivan will moderate the meeting and offer an overview on current and future issues effecting our neighborhood.
 
The speakers will be followed by a town hall style session where community members can raise issues or ask questions. All residents of the Miracle Mile are welcome. Light refreshments will be served.

Join…Renew…Support the MMRA!
 
The Miracle Mile Residential Association is a consensus-driven organization comprised of renters and homeowners dedicated to preserving the quality of life in the Miracle Mile. Help us make your voices heard by joining the MMRA or renewing your membership. Your $25 annual dues payment allows us to be vigorous advocates for our neighborhood.
 
Our monthly email newsletter, website, YouTube channel, Facebook, and Twitter pages have enhanced the MMRA’s reputation as an active, well informed, and effective community organizationBut without your financial support our voices will be muted.
  
Please join the MMRA or renew your $25 annual membership today. The best way to give the MMRA a “thumbs up” is by clicking the PayPal button below (to pay by check, click on the link below and fill out the membership form). Thank you...

 
 
PLEASE NOTE: Financial contributions to the Miracle Mile Residential Association will not qualify you for a tax deduction. The MMRA is not a charitable organization, it is a non-profit civic entity organized exclusively for the promotion of social welfare of its membership under 501 (c) (4) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). 
 

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE

SCROLL DOWN FOR:

Planning Commission Delays Review of Miracle Mile HPOZ
until December


 

Planning Commission Delays Review
of Miracle Mile HPOZ until December

 

 
At its October 13th meeting, the Central Planning Commission (CPC) requested clarification of certain design guidelines in the Preservation Plan developed for the pending Miracle Mile Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ).

Some community members have criticized ambiguous language in parts of the plan and the commission agreed with Councilmember David Ryu that those sections of the guidelines should be reviewed and clarified. The Office of Historic Resources, which administers HPOZs, will coordinate with Ryu’s office on consulting with residents on this process.
 
Council District 4 Planning and Land Use Deputy Julia Duncan reasserted Ryu’s support for the Miracle Mile HPOZ by requesting that the CPC adopt the proposed boundaries of the HPOZ and the Historic Resources Survey while the guidelines are being reexamined. The CPC preferred to consider the matter after the design guidelines had been clarified and postponed their review of the HPOZ until their December 10, 2016 meeting.
 
“It is important that the design guidelines, the HPOZ rules, have the full input and support of our residents,” said MMRA President James O’Sullivan. “Despite this delay, our HPOZ is well on track for adoption before March 2017, when the Interim Control Ordinance that has stopped McMansions expires.”

“This is another opportunity to involve the public,” said HPOZ Chairperson Mark Zecca. “And it’s a chance to clear up any misunderstandings or misapprehension about how HPOZs impact property owners. We are going to continue our outreach to the community. These are the same issues that the residents in Hancock Park, Carthay Circle, and other HPOZs went through in the process of protecting and preserving their neighborhoods.”

For additional information:
 
The Miracle Mile HPOZ website
 
Department of City Planning Recommendation Report, Oct. 13, 2016
 

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE

SCROLL DOWN FOR:

Update on the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative with Jill Stewart



Now Playing on the MMRA Channel on YouTube:
Update on the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative
with Jill Stewart

 

Click on image to view video.
 
There seems to be no middle ground on the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative. The controversial ballot measure is seen by some as a much needed time-out on backroom development deals and by others as a near fatal blow to the city’s housing shortage.
 
After supporters of the initiative delivered 104,000 signatures to City Hall, the City Council voted unanimously to place the measure – that would  block certain kinds of new development in the city for two years and force the city to update its General Plan — on the March 2017 ballot.
 
Last February we produced an MMRA Channel interview with Jill Stewart, Campaign Director with the Coalition to Preserve L.A. The video has had over 900 views, making it our most watched video.
 
Much has happened since last spring, and in this update Stewart and MMRA Vice President Ken Hixon discuss in detail how the initiative has been revised and why it was shifted from the November 2016 ballot to the March 2017 election – and how it acquired the celebrity endorsements of Joaquin Phoenix and Leonardo DiCaprio (among others).
 
Stewart and Hixon also delve into how the City Hall politics impact development and many other topics, including Ellis Act evictions, affordable housing, and the challenges of updating community plans.
 

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE

SCROLL DOWN FOR:
Miracle Mile Spotlight: MUSE on 8th


 

Miracle Mile Spotlight:

MUSE on 8th

 

                                                                                                                   Painting by Linda Bladen
 
In Greek and Roman mythology, the Muses were nine goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who presided over the arts and sciences. A “muse” is someone who is a source of inspiration for a creative artist. 
 
Jen Ritchkoff [photo below] chose MUSE as the name of her coffee house and vegetarian café because she has always been inspired by the arts – theatre, in particular – and because she wanted her establishment to serve as proscenium to showcase music, art, and community.  
 
Jen’s experiences as an actor and her education in social work led her to see business in terms of creative expression and people. She wanted to showcase her love of vegetarian food in a casual setting where people could enjoy the talents of others, whether it be the artwork on the walls, poetry readings, or musical performances. 
 
“I kind of fell into it,” she explains how she became a restaurateur. “I was looking to shift gears. In 2006, I got out of grad school, and I was running my own non-profit for about a year. When a restaurant space opened up in the neighborhood, a friend and I decided to open a coffee house and café in the theatre district on Santa Monica Boulevard.” 
 
Over the almost five years she was at that location, Jen learned the nuts and bolts of running a restaurant. When the opportunity came to relocate to the northwest corner of 8th and La Brea in the Miracle Mile four years ago, she jumped at it. “I fell in love with the space when I saw it. I felt really great about the community and everyone has been very welcoming.”  
 
She discovered that running a coffee shop and café is more that just a job, it is a lifestyle, too. “We open at 8 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. every day, and I work seven days a week.  In the restaurant business you really have to love what you do.  And a lot of it has to do with the people.” 
 
The café has become her living room. “My friends, colleagues, and longtime customers come in here for coffee and food or they drop by at night when we have music or entertainment. This is like my home.” 
 
Jennifer utilized her skills in theatre administration and producing plays to create a comfortable place to dine, hang out, or have a cup of coffee while reading your email. It also allows her to display her passion for vegetarian food.  
 
“I love introducing people who are not vegetarian to fun vegan and vegetarian dishes. We have something for everyone on our menu. A lot of our customers are not vegetarians, but they love our food and many people don’t even realize that it’s vegetarian. I like to surprise people.” 
 
“Food, art, coffee, and community – those are the things I love the most. And I created this place to bring those four things together,” she said as she stepped behind the counter to serve another customer. 
 
MUSE on 8th
759 S. La Brea Avenue, L.A. 90036

323-933-6873

For upcoming events and performances visit:
Website 
Facebook 
Twitter 
 
Hours:
Monday~Thursday 8 a.m to 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Sunday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
 
Order to go: seamless.com, grubhub.com
 

SCROLL DOWN FOR:
Craft and Folk Art Museum's Fall Schedule is Jam Packed



Craft and Folk Art Museum’s
Fall Schedule is Jam Packed!

 

Halloween workshops, craft beer making, and yarn bombing are just a few of the workshops and programs scheduled for October through December 2016 at the Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM).

 
The museum is noted for promoting crafts via hands-on experience. There is something for everyone of all ages. To learn more click here.

 
Or visit the CAFAM website:
cafam.org

 

SCROLL DOWN FOR:
(...below the fold...)

 UPCOMING EVENTS 


MMRA Board Meeting
Tuesday
November 1, 2016
@ 7 PM


Board meetings are held at


In the news:


We're on Facebook, too:


Newsletter
Archive



Click on image to enlarge.

 

Miracle Mile

History Quiz


The man on the right is Bing Crosby. Who is his pal on the left? (Hint: He founded the oldest tavern and eatery still in existence in the Miracle Mile.)




Miracle Mile Farmers' Market
Every Wednesday 11 AM ~ 3 PM

Wilshire Courtyard


Miracle Mile
Residential Association

James O’Sullivan, President
james.osullivan@MiracleMileLA.com

Alice S. Cassidy, Vice President
alice.cassidy@MiracleMileLA.com

Joseph Steins, Treasurer
joseph.steins@MiracleMileLA.com

Ken Hixon, Vice President
Director of Communications
kenhixon@MiracleMileLA.com

Mark Zecca, Chairperson
Miracle Mile HPOZ Committe
mark.zecca@MiracleMileLA.com
 

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE
 
Follow on Twitter | Friend on Facebook | Forward to Friend 

Copyright © 2016 Miracle Mile Residential Association.  All rights reserved.


Miracle Mile Residential Association
P.O. Box 361295
Los Angles, CA 90036-9495


Email: info@MiracleMileLA.com
Website: www.MiracleMileLA.com
Newsletter: newsletter@MiracleMileLA.com

 
The MMRA will never share, sell, or rent member or subscriber information. Only the officers of the Board of Directors and the newsletter editor are permitted access to these lists. We take your security and privacy very seriously. In the past you either directly provided your email and contact information to the MMRA or provided it to the MMRA via a petition you endorsed. You will be receiving this monthly newsletter and, on occasion, special announcements on timely issues. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter or special announcements please click on the unsubscribe link below.
unsubscribe from this list | subscribe to this newsletter