PLAYA VISTA TODAY
Lifestyle Magazine for LA's Westside
Lifestyle Magazine for LA's Westside
The Ultimate Experience of Living in Playa Vista
In The News
SaMo Desperately Trying to Get Workers Out of Their Cars
LA Curbed
Traffic-clogged Santa Monica is working hard to cut down on car trips in the city; the Santa Monica Daily Press looks at how big employers are working to comply with the city's mandate that roughly one-third of employees commute to work by bus, bike, carpool, or foot.
While the South Coast Air Quality Management District requires all SoCal companies with more than 250 employees adhere to that standard, SaMo goes further, asking businesses with 50 or more workers to do the same. If businesses can't meet the goal they are allowed to buy credits to offset the emissions from their employees' cars.
The company that owns the Santa Monica Place mall, as well as many grocery stores in the city, hasn't been able to meet the one-third threshold, but one success has been the city's largest Whole Foods, on Wilshire and Twenty-Third, which used a "commute buddy" system that linked workers up to take the bus, carpool, or walk home together.
SaMo's Land Use and Circulation Element, which guides planning in the city, hopes to link employers to bring more people together on transit and carpool programs. But the best solution, the city acknowledges, is building more affordable housing, so people are closer to their jobs.
'Arrested Development's' frozen banana stand hits Culver City
Pictured: Will Arnett, left, and Jason Bateman pass out frozen bananas in New York City. (Marion Curtis / Associated Press)
Los Angeles Times
Just days before the new season of "Arrested Development" finally debuts on Netflix, the re-creation of the Bluth's Original Frozen Banana stand that cropped up in New York City last week is making its way to the West Coast.
The frozen banana stand was set up in downtown Culver City at 9300 Culver Blvd. on Monday from noon until 7 p.m. and handed out free frozen bananas to anyone willing to stand in line for one.
To sweeten the deal, cast member Judy Greer will be on hand to help pass the bananas out.
The banana stands appeared in New York City last week during the network upfronts, at which NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and the CW unveiled their new shows for advertisers and the media. As a promotion for Netflix's revival of the series, the stand has served as a strong reminder of online's increasing competitiveness with the networks.
PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times
Cast members such as Will Arnett and Jason Bateman were on hand at the New York City locations to pass out frozen bananas to fans.
The banana stand, as dedicated viewers of the beloved comedy series know, is the basis for the Bluth family fortune. It was founded by George Bluth Sr. in 1953 in Newport Beach and was the place he made his children work during the summer. During the course of "Arrested Development's" three seasons on the air, the stand was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times.
While there's still no word if the banana stand will ever make an appearance at its "true" location at the Oceanside Wharf boardwalk on Newport Beach's Balboa Island, the shows debut is Sunday, May 26.
Article HERE
GO VEGGIE
Go Veggie is up and running despite that Marina Farms Market will not be re-opening and that space is for lease. Get some of the best vegetarian food in town. Great salad bar & hot-food bar [curries, noodles, soups, great veggie casseroles, yum!] Fresh-veggie juices - Healthy. Reasonable.
5462 S Centinela Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 437-0816
Hours:Mon-Sat 10 am - 6:30 pm
Gene Liu spearheads the movement towards Electric Vehicle (EV) support and eco-friendly transportation in Playa Vista.
Live, Work and Play using environmental friendly transportation in Playa Vista – the "Playa Vista Sustainable Transport Group" is a passionate community interested in sharing ideas and planning projects related to electric and hybrid vehicles, biking, hiking, walking and ride sharing.
"We live in a beautiful community - a rare gem when it comes to the westside that provides an amazing blend of natural habitat with mixed-use living. We're all environmentally conscious at heart but it's time to foster a community around these interests so that we can collectively make a difference in this world through eco-conscious movement.", says Gene.
Sustainable transportation, specifically the need for Electric Vehicle support in Playa Vista, has been a hot topic of discussion among Home Owner Associations and Master Builder Associations who have been struggling to understand Senate Bill (SB 880) that requires associations to permit installation of charging stations in owner parking spaces as well as in association common areas.
Gene, a startup entrepreneur in Silicon Beach, is a product of the "dot com" generation who's always strived on making change in this world through technology. Naturally Electric Vehicles really perked his interest as it became more and more commercially available.
"Electric Vehicles are here and it's just a matter of time before it's in every single household. Similar to how the Prius hybrid concept was so foreign to consumers just a few years ago, now everyone and their dog has one. Together we can raise awareness and educate people on how EV technology can be applied in Playa Vista.", says Gene.
Gene has created a brand new FB group HERE for those interested in joining. Sounds like a great one! Playa Vista Today will be there!
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Rent Out Your Car, Park for Free at LAX
NBC4News
The next time you fly out of LAX, instead of paying $20 or $30 a day to leave your car sitting in a parking lot, you could earn $10 to $20 a day by renting your car to someone else while you’re on vacation.
A car sharing program is about to launch in Los Angeles. A new company called Hubber is letting drivers rent their cars out while their away. Hubber's founder says their whole mission is to reduce the number of cars on the streets
Starting May 28, travelers can drop off their car at a parking lot near LAX and take a shuttle to catch their plane. Hubber will wash the car, fill up the tank and rent it to another traveler for about $45 per day. The owner gets a least $10 a day depending on the car.
Hubber accepts all liability, but some travelers we spoke with say the new venture isn’t for everyone. A few travelers said they wouldn't want the extra mileage on their car. And what if it breaks down?
“People don’t treat your car the way they treat their own car,” one traveler said.
Hubber joins a growing new industry of car sharing services like Zip Car, which lets drivers rent cars by the hour for as low as $8. They’re popular on college campuses and with families who don’t want the expense of a second car.
“You just hold it and wait for the beep and you will be able to access the car,” said Jeff Shield, general manager for Zip Car.
With his company, drivers pay $60 for an annual subscription card and go online to find a car in their area. There are 225 cars parked in lots all around Los Angeles and Orange counties.
“It’s the idea of the community embracing the sharing of one car. One Zip Car removes the need for 15 to 20 owned cars so a lot of environmental impact as well,” Shields said.
Zip Car is so popular, the company was just bought by Avis rental company for $500 million and you can get Zip Cars at LAX. Full article HERE
St. John's bidding war escalates
Los Angeles Times
Billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong is among suitors for the Santa Monica hospital.
St. John’s Health Center, a storied Santa Monica hospital, is owned by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, a nonprofit chain based in Denver.
A high-stakes bidding war has erupted for St. John's Health Center, a storied Santa Monica hospital, with a local billionaire teaming up with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles on an unsolicited offer.
The latest bid, expected to be formally announced Wednesday, comes from former drug-company executive and healthcare entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong, who said in a statement the bid has the support of the archdiocese. This offer is competing against at least two other bidders'.
One bidder is a group that comprises UCLA Health System and two large Catholic hospital chains. Another potential buyer is Providence Health & Services, another Catholic hospital company.
St. John's is owned by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, a nonprofit chain based in Denver. Officials there began soliciting offers for St. John's this year. No dollar figures have been disclosed publicly.
Whoever wins would inherit a hospital rich in history but one that is steadily losing ground in a market that increasingly favors bigger institutions. Roman Catholic nuns founded St. John's in 1942 and oversaw the rebuilding of the hospital after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Hollywood stars Jimmy Stewart and Julie Andrews raised money for the hospital. St. John's celebrity patients have included Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and President Reagan.
This latest development in the bidding adds another chapter in a months-long drama playing out at St. John's. In November, its Denver owner abruptly fired most of the local board members and ousted the top two executives.
In a statement Tuesday, Soon-Shiong discussed the proposal and described his offer as a "community bid that would further enhance [St. John's] capabilities, bringing world class physicians and potentially historic advancements" in medical care.
Steve Valentine, president of Camden Group, a healthcare consulting firm in El Segundo, said he expects controversy.
"This could get ugly for a period of time as the plot thickens," he said. "It's a prestigious hospital with lots of Hollywood firepower behind it." St. John's said no decision on a buyer has been made.
"We are still evaluating our options for a strong partnership to support our ministry at St. John's," said Cheston Turbyfill, spokesman for the parent company in Denver. "We're not disclosing any of the people we are talking to. We will consider any serious, strong bid that ultimately leads us to like-minded goals."
Just before the management shake-up last fall, Soon-Shiong, a major St. John's donor, and some hospital board members were working on a deal to buy St. John's. The change in management scuttled that proposed deal.
Under this latest proposal, the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health, a nonprofit company, would acquire the hospital with involvement of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. A spokeswoman for the archdiocese said the church "would be involved in ensuring that the hospital continues to follow ethical and religious directives according to Catholic teaching." The church said it would not be involved in day-to-day operations or funding of St. John's.
This partnership has the backing of major donors and some hospital physicians who have expressed frustration at their lack of involvement in the sale process thus far.
Donna Tuttle, chairwoman of the hospital's foundation and former official in the Reagan administration, confirmed that Soon-Shiong's offer had been submitted, and she endorsed it. She said she sent a letter backing the bid Tuesday to Michael Slubowski, chief executive of the parent company SCL Health System. The letter of support was also signed by Paul Natterson, president of the hospital's medical staff.
In an interview, Tuttle praised Soon-Shiong as a cutting-edge medical researcher who could take St. John's to new heights while maintaining its commitment to the community and local patients. Soon-Shiong, whose net worth tops $7 billion, is pursuing numerous ventures aimed at accelerating medical breakthroughs and putting more data at the fingertips of doctors in the field.
"I'm having a hard time intellectually understanding why you wouldn't go with his bid. How many hospitals have this offer in front of them? Is there something personal here?" Tuttle said.
Speaking publicly for the first time about the hospital's tumultuous last six months, Tuttle criticized the Denver health system for its handling of the entire situation.
"The way it has been carried out has hurt the hospital," she said. "What's been going on at St. John's has been crazy, and it didn't have to be this way."
The Times first reported in March that a bid involving UCLA and Ascension Health Alliance in St. Louis was under consideration. Dignity Health, a Catholic hospital chain based in San Francisco, has also joined the Ascension and UCLA bid, people familiar with the process said. Dignity officials couldn't be reached for comment.
Tuesday, a UCLA spokeswoman said that "it would be inappropriate for us to comment on or speculate about any proposed sale of the hospital or its future."
Ascension said previously that it doesn't comment on proposed deals. Providence, based in Renton, Wash., said that "at this time we have no comment with regard to the decision pending by the SCL Health System."
All three of these bidders have strengths and weaknesses, said Valentine, the healthcare consultant. But "Soon-Shiong has the doctor and community support and a boatload of money to support the hospital. This option cannot be ignored."
County Maps Bikeways and Closures
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works has created an interactive map of bicycle paths countywide. Culver City's main ones are alongside the Ballona Creek.
Whether you're an avid cyclist or a weekend beach cruiser, mixing it up and riding around in different spots can be a great way to explore the rest of Los Angeles County.
The Department of Public Works has created a Google Map of bike paths all over the county maintained by its offices, Metro and the Department of Transportation.
Click HERE for a map which shows which routes are closed, the reason for the closure and lists future closures.
In Culver City there aren't many bikeways tracked by the county except for the bike paths along Ballona Creek and Culver and National boulevards.
The map describes the four types of commuter bikeways listed: bike paths, those routes used for cyclists and pedestrians only; bike lanes, a marked section of street lanes dedicated to bicycles; bike routes, travel lanes shared by bikes and vehicles; bike boulevards, streets with traffic-calming enhancements to prioritize bike travel.
You can also search the map by address or intersection and separate the different bikeways by which agency maintains them.
Click here to view the interactive bike path map.
Coming Attractions at Marina Marketplace
Pier One Imports is OPEN!
Pier 1 Imports
13455 Maxella Ave, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 305-4070
Yard House is almost completed and gearing up to Grand Opening in June!
Yard House takes up over
11,000-square-feet of space, centered in the middle part of Marina Marketplace first floor. Yard House advertises the biggest selection of
draft beers anywhere, typically from 130-250 taps at any given location,
along with a giant menu of U.S. pub grub. Yard House is Now Hiring to become part of the Yard House opening team!
Coming! Settebello Pizzaria Napo
Pizza Napoletana is made with a soft dough and takes about one minute to cook in a wood-burning oven. Here is picture of their new oven being lifted into their location at the Marina Marketplace:
Pizza in Napoli is soft and foldable and people in Napoli generally eat their pizza with a knife and a fork. Blackened char spots on the pizza crust is a tell-tale sign of
Pizza Napoletana that has been cooked in a blistering hot, 900 degrees, wood burning oven. Each pizza is an individual work of art.
Settebello is now hiring for the Marina Marketplace location. Website is www.settebello.net
13455 Maxella Avenue
Marina del Rey, California 90292
Phone (626) 765-9550
Coming soon - Le Pain Quotidien
Another New Theatre in the Marina Coming Soon!
The 6-screen theater that will supplement the existing AMC Dine-in theater is set to open in the fall (although sign says Summer)
The movie theater will feature plush seating and expanded concession offerings such as pizzas, chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks. The new theater will be a traditional theater, unlike the dine-in theater that serves food and alcohol directly to someone’s seat.
Those customers who have requested a family-friendly option will be pleased with the new six-screen theatre opening this fall.
Paiche Restarant now open!
Paiche, the new restaurant from Chef Ricardo Zarate has opened.
Small plates include a wagyu black truffle tiradito with seared wagyu beef, Parmesan sauce, aji amarillo vinaigrette and black truffles and a crispy fish bun with halibut, cabbage salad, avocado and jalapeno aioli.
13488 Maxella Ave., Marina del Rey, (310) 893-6100.
Tender Greens should be opening in the next few weeks!
The new location of Tender Greens takes up the same general area once occupied by Antica Pizzeria.
T
ender Green’s owners come from working in Michelin-starred restaurants, and it is what Erik Oberholtzer, Matt Lyman and David Dressler really craved was “farmer’s market food at a price people could afford. The three met while working at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica and talked about how there were very few places around Los Angeles where they enjoyed going to eat on their days off from work.
In
2006, Tender Greens was born with the goal to support locally sourced food and small farmers. By offering healthy dishes made in-house using slow-food techniques, and charging less than $11 per dish, they are continuing their growth at a rapid pace with their Marina del Rey restaurant opening soon.
Tender Greens is also hiring for this store! Menu and more info HERE
DoubleTree by Hilton Opens Marina del Rey Hotel
DoubleTree by Hilton, Hilton Worldwide's fastest-growing full service brand, announced the opening of the Hotel MdR Marina del Rey - a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel. The rebrand marks the start of a dramatic $7 million transformation, which will be conducted between November 2013 and February 2014 to complete contemporary design upgrades across the property.
Formerly the Courtyard Los Angeles Marina del Rey, the hotel was purchased by Channel West Group and Arris Investments LLC. Evolution Hospitality of San Clemente, CA is the operator and senior principals of Evolution have also made an equity investment in the hotel.
Marina Marketplace
13450 Maxella Avenue
(310) 827-1740
Marina Marketplace info HERE