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News & Notes
The two robbery suspects who crashed into a bus shelter at Echo Park and Sunset after a police chase last November have pleaded no contest to several charges, according to KTLA. Christian Manuel Cuevas, 36, of Las Vegas was sentenced to seven years in prison. Enrique Edward Rogelio, 31, of Highland Park, received two years. The two men were being pursued by police after stealing a battery from a Highland Park auto repair shop, where one of the men pointed a gun at a worker. LAPD officers later tried to pull over the suspects' SUV, but the men sped away, leading a pursuit on the 210, 5 and 101 freeways.
L.A. Taco reports on a paraplegic Echo renter whose new landlord is threatening to demolish her only accessible bathroom. Tenant rights activists have come to the defense of Cassandra Tang and her elderly mother after her landlord – who purchased the $1.35 million property on Portia last summer – said he had to take down the bathroom because it had been added illegally by a previous owner. Construction crews have been fended off for now, and the woman has a lawyer.
Writer Lexis-Oliver Ray says the fight shows how two city agencies can be at odds. On one hand, the city’s housing department has told Tang’s landlord to hold off on demolition while on the other hand the Building and Safety department said the bathroom addition needs to be taken down.
Plans for an affordable senior housing development just north of Sunset have gone before the Echo Park Neighborhood Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee, Urbanize reported. Under the plan, 64 units of permanent supportive housing for seniors would replace a surface parking lot at 1615 Montana next to the minimall with Combo A restaurant and Echo Park Donut. The project is still in the very early stages. Domus Development still needs to request the entitlements required to build the apartments, Urbanize said.
Konbi Japanese sandwich shop on Sunset is one of the L.A. brick-and-mortar businesses that have gone completely cashless, notes Eater L.A. Like other businesses around town, Konbi's owners, Akira Akuto and Nick Montgomery, cited security concerns. Their tiny, narrow space makes it difficult to keep a safe along with a lot of money nearby. Besides, they said, most people don't use cash anyway.
Materials & Applications -- which stages exhibits related to design and architecture -- has opened a storefront window space in the new, cheese-grater like apartment building on Sunset, notes the L.A. Times. Formerly located in Silver Lake, Materials & Applications' new exhibit is intended to be viewed primarily from the sidewalk but will be open to the public on weekends. The first show -- Lossy/Lossless -- explores the past and future of Sunset Boulevard. Materials & Applications is at 1313 Sunset.
Watch for road closures on Sunday, March 24 for the L.A. Marathon. Several major streets -- including portions of Sunset Boulevard, Glendale Boulevard and Temple Street -- will be closed, while access to others will be limited as nearly 24,000 runners pour out of Dodger Stadium. Vehicles will be towed to clear the streets and Metro and Dash bus service will be disrupted for much of the day. Also, there will be several street closures around Elysian Park and Dodger Stadium on Saturday for a 5K run.
Last week we told you about Revelator Coffee opening on Sunset in the Mohawk Collective shopping center. While the Atlanta-based firm is best known for its coffee, the Echo Park outpost will primarily be a wine bar and shop that happens to sell coffee in the morning, owner Joshua Owen told The Eastsider. Bar Avalon will also have a 700-square-foot wine shop called Eve Wines. Expect the new place to open this July. Bar Avalon will be at 2112 Sunset.
How much does it cost to rent a slice of real estate on Sunset? How about $6,600 a month? That's the asking rent for the 1,100-square-feet storefront formerly occupied by Two Boots Pizza next to The Echo. (Yikes.)
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