Monday, November 30, 2009

AIA/LA Breakfast w/ GUY MEHULA - Friday, December 4 (8am)

Dear AIA/LA POC Member:

Please make plans to attend our upcoming breakfast reception with Guy Mehula, the former Chief Facilities Executive for LAUSD.  The event will be on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4 (8am) at GENSLER.
 
This will be an excellent opportunity for us to hear about Mr. Mehula's leadership  behind LAUSD's capital improvement programs and his ideas for how AIA/LA can continue to serve as a leadership resource to LAUSD.
 
To REGISTER for the event:   CLICK HERE
 
or cut and paste the following link - 


The 2009 AIA/LA "BUILDING LA'S FUTURE" Breakfast Series 
PRESENTED BY - Parsons Brinckerhoff
GUY MEHULA
Former Chief Facilities Executive
Los Angeles Unified School District
December 4, 2009 (8am) 
GENSLER
2500 Broadway, Suite 300
Santa Monica, CA  90404
1.310.449.5600

NO-HOST PARKING.  AIA/LA recommends riding METRO.  You can also park across the street at the Central Library, entrance on Flower.

Program:
8am - breakfast, introductions
8:15am - 8:45am - Larry Eisenberg will speak about matters of interest he'd like feedback on from the architecture & design community
8:45am - 9:15am - Questions & Answers from the audience
9:15am - wrap-up/ conclusion
9:30am - end

From Guy Mehula

For the past seven years I have had the honor to be a part of the leadership for the Facilities Division of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)- - first as the Deputy Chief Facilities Executive for New Construction and then as the Chief Facilities Executive.  I joined the District because I am passionate about the mission and drawn by the challenges I knew we would face.   At that time, I had no idea how generous the voters would continue to be, and how much we would be able to achieve. 

The work that we have done together and the investments we have made in our schools, community, and economy are significant.  This Program is truly historical.  Eighty new K-12 schools, more than 83,000 new K-12 classroom seats and approximately 19,000 modernization projects have been completed.  There are 10,000 people working on the Program on a daily basis and $13.6 Billion of local Bond funds have been leveraged into a $20.1 Billion Program.  Our schools are healthier, safer and less overcrowded.   The New Construction Program is more than 60 percent complete and our Modernization Program is approximately 90 percent complete.  We are on track to provide every LAUSD student with the opportunity to attend a neighborhood school operating on a two-semester calendar.

We have turned this Division into a world class, award winning Program and developed a team of highly qualified construction professionals that are able to deliver projects on schedule and within budget.  After careful consideration, I have decided to retire from the District and explore new career opportunities.  I informed the Superintendent and Board of Education of my decision this weekend and wanted to personally let you know about my decision as well.  My last day leading the organization will be Friday, October 23rd.  

This Program and this team are second to none.  Thank you for all that you have done for the students of LAUSD.  I am proud to have been part of this spectacular team and am confident the future will bring many more successes.  It is because of your teamwork and commitment to excellence that we have been able to provide our students with safe and healthy neighborhood schools on time and within budget. 



REGISTER at WWW.AIALOSANGELES.ORG

The 2009 AIA/LA "BUILDING LA'S FUTURE" Breakfast Series 
Presented by  Parsons Brinckerhoff

07.24.09 - Gerry Miller - Chief Legislative Analyst, City of Los Angeles - NBBJ
08.07.09 - Jim B. Clarke - Director of Federal Relations, Office of the Mayor, City of Los Angeles - Gruen Associates
09.18.09 - Gary Lee Moore, P.E. - City Engineer, City of Los Angeles - ARUP
10.01.09 - Larry Eisenberg - Executive Director, Facilities Planning & Development - LACCD - Altoon + Porter Architects LLP
10.30.09 - Brian League - Director of Entitlements, Capital Construction Development -  USC - CO Architects
11.06.09 - Steven A. Olsen - Vice Chancellor - Finance, Budget and Capital Programs  - UCLA - RCH Studios
11.13.09 - Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas - County of Los Angeles - Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP
12.04.09 - Guy Mehula - former Chief Facilities Executive - LAUSD - Gensler
12.10.09 - Bruce Armistead - Regional Manager, Los Angeles-to-Anaheim segment of the California High Speed Rail Project - Parsons Brinckherhoff
01.14.10 - Geraldine Knatz, PhD - Executive Director - The Port of Los Angeles - Harley Ellis Devereaux Architects

REGISTER for the series at WWW.AIALOSANGELES.ORG

Sponsored by:
Parsons Brincherhoff
NBBJ
Gruen Associates
ARUP
Altoon + Porter Architects LLP
Harley Ellis Devereaux
CO Architects
Rios Clementi Hale Studios
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP

Price per breakfast/Entire Series:
$15/$135 - AIA/LA member
$30/$270 - Non AIA/LA member 

The 2009 AIA/LA "BUILDING LA'S FUTURE" Breakfast Series will serve as an excellent opportunity for key leaders in the A/E/C industry to engage directly with decision-makers that presently have ongoing capital improvement programs that are helping to shape the City in which we live. 


For additional information, please contact:
Will Wright
Director, Government & Public Affairs
AIA Los Angeles
(213) 639-0777






Monday, November 23, 2009

Reminder: AIA/LA UDC Dec 2 LACMA Masterplan presentation+ events of interest

AIA/Los Angeles Urban Design Committee

Tuesday, December 02, 2009 7-9PM

LACMA Masterplan presented by LACMA President, Melody Kanschat

Location: AIA/LA offices 3780 Wilshire Boulevard suite 800 LA CA 90010

RSVP to Will Wright @ will@aialosangeles.org

 

In 2001 LACMA hosted a competition to create an architectural master plan that was commensurate with the increasing quality of LACMA's collection and in keeping with the innovations in art, architecture and design that characterize Los Angeles.  Architects were challenged to unify LACMA's 20-acre campus, add gallery space and reassert LACMA's presence along Wilshire Boulevard and within the surrounding Hancock Park.  

 

Eight years later, two phases of the master plan are near completion, the third phase is in the planning stage, the subway will be extended along Wilshire Boulevard and LACMA has assembled several properties on the south side of Wilshire for future development.   How do the first two phases measure up to the plan?  What was the process, internally, politically, and publically?  How do you measure LACMA's effectiveness?  

 

Join LACMA President, Melody Kanschat, for a discussion about the museum's development within the context of our city's cultural infrastructure and LACMA's role in moving that agenda forward.

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Events of Interest

 

Broadway Streetscape Masterplan

Tuesday Nov. 24 from 5:30-7:30pm
Attend when it's most convenient for you

Open house format with presentation at 6:30pm
The Exchange 114 W. 5th Street (5th btwn Spring & Main)

 

Please join us Tuesday Nov. 24 as we share the Final Designs for the Broadway Streetscape Master Plan. Attendees will be asked to review and provide input on the final concepts for the design of Broadways public right of way areas, including elements on the sidewalks and in the street itself which enhance the environment and historic character of the corridor, and better serve pedestrians and transit riders, including:

Street Configuration and Station Design
Planting, Materials and Furnishings
Wayfinding Signage
Identity Elements


The Broadway Streetscape Master Plan project is part of Bringing Back Broadway, a public-private partnership initiative by Councilmember Jose' Huizar, focused on the long-term success and viability of the Historic Broadway District between 2nd and Olympic.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=305294625087

For more information, contact:
Valerie Watson
Meléndrez - Landscape Architecture, Planning & Urban Design
213-673-4400
vwatson@melendrez.com

Our web site is
www.BringingBackBroadway.com

If you are on Facebook, be sure to join "Friends of Bringing Back Broadway at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=59404832278

 

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LA River

The Fifth Ecology: Los Angeles Beyond Desire

Exhibit on the Los Angeles River. Conversations on the LA River and The School of Architecture of Fine Arts in Stockholm

 

727 Gallery

727 So. Spring Street

Los Angeles, California

See attached press release

 

 

The School of Architecture at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Stockholm recently completed a post graduate project on the Los Angeles

River:  The Fifth Ecology - Los Angeles Beyond Desire.

 

This report is part of an ongoing series called Cities and Energy- a

three- year investigation of how necessary changes in energy consumption and production influence and inform our cities and our ways of life. The school examines the Los Angeles River as a post- material public space.

 

*The Fifth Ecology will be created in and around the river. This ecology will be distinctly urban, specific to Los Angeles, and will host humans, animals, lifestyles, infrastructure and waste. These will be formal and informal actors in Los Angeles* great leap towards becoming a sustainable megacity. The Fifth Ecology will be its spectacular shop

window.*

 

 

Read the entire report @

 

http://issuu.com/resources_08/docs/the_fifth_ecology

 

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LA River

Albion Park Design Workshop – Saturday, January 9, 2009

 

The City recently acquired the Albion Dairy Parcel located in Lincoln Heights (next to the Downey Recreation Center) through Proposition O funds.  This is the City's first property acquisition along the Los Angeles River.   As part of the City's preparation for Prop 84 funding, the City Albion Team ( CATS)  is organizing a series of workshops to gather community input for a neighborhood park concept.  The first of these workshops will take place

 

Wednesday, November 18, 2009  6:30  to  8:30 pm   Downey Recreation Center, 1772 N. Spring Street, 90031.  Refreshments and snacks will be provided.  For more information,  please see the attached flyer.

 

 

You have received a blind copy to reduce email address clutter.

 

Updated Website

Please visit our updated Los Angeles River Website: www.lariver.org 

 

Ad Hoc River Committee

www.lariver.org ( http://www.lariver.org/ )

email:  lariver@lacity.org

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Friday, November 20, 2009

Creating a Community Greening Strategy for Downtown

Creating a Community Greening Strategy for Downtown
 
Community members invited to participate in the American Institute of Architects Sustainable Design Assessment Team Program in Downtown

 

From Wednesday, December 2 to Friday, December 4, 2009 a team of sustainability experts from across the nation will converge upon Downtown Los Angeles to assist the local Neighborhood Council Sustainability Committee in creating a community greening strategy. Downtown was one of only ten communities selected nationwide to host a Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT), a program run by the American Institute of Architects. Your input and participation is needed to ensure that any recommendations developed by the team respond to the sustainability issues you think are most important in Downtown.

 

The SDAT program is a community assistance program that brings teams of volunteer professionals to work with community decision-makers and stakeholders to help them develop a vision and framework for a sustainable future. The goal of the project is to create a report that helps to guide the Sustainability Committee's work, identifies key projects to improve the sustainability of downtown, and serves as a model for other Neighborhood Councils to work on sustainability issues at the grassroots level. 

 

During their three day visit, the SDAT will take a comprehensive tour of Downtown and meet with key stakeholders from the public, nonprofit, private, and education sectors. Community members are invited to a community mixer to meet the SDAT members (Dec 2), to a public working session to engage the visiting experts while they develop their recommendations (Dec 3), and to a closing presentation and reception at the LAPD Headquarters Auditorium to hear the preliminary findings and provide feedback (Dec 4). With active community participation, this intensive three-day visit will yield a report that responds to community issues and serves as the foundation for working towards a more sustainable downtown in the upcoming years.

 

Our schedule is still evolving and a finalized agenda will be posted on our website www.downtownsustainability.com by Wednesday, November 25. You are encourage to participate in this exciting project and invited to attend the closing presentation on Friday, December 4 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the new LAPD Headquarters Auditorium (202 W. 1st Street). For more information, please see the attached press package for our schedule or email us at sustainability@dlanc.com with any questions. 

 

The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council is a grassroots-level advisory committee representing a diverse group of stakeholders that live, work, and own a business downtown on issues ranging from affordable housing, economic development and sustainability to arts, land use, education, and public safety. The Sustainability Committee is one of several committees of community volunteers who are taking an active role in the future of our neighborhood. Awarded a 2009 Los Angeles American Planning Association Award and California American Planning Association Award of Merit, the Sustainability Committee is building momentum and recognition for its greening efforts in Downtown Los Angeles. 

 

###

For more information, please contact:
Ashley Z. Hand, LEED AP, Assoc. AIA
Chair, Sustainability Committee
Director, Area-Wide Work-Force, Private Sector
Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, 2008-2010

Monday, November 9, 2009

Residential Graywater Systems - LADBS Information Bulletin

On July 30, 2009, the California Building Standards Commission adopted emergency residential graywater regulations, which added Chapter 16A (Part I) "Nonpotable Water Reuse Systems" into the 2007 California Plumbing Code. The regulations became effective on August 4, 2009.

The Information Bulletin has been issued by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) to inform the public about the regulations,  explain their applicability and permit requirements. 

To access the Information Bulletin, you may CLICK HERE

It can also be found at LADBS' website (www.ladbs.org).

Since the regulations were adopted using the emergency rulemaking process, the regulations may be revised in the coming weeks/months. This Information Bulletin will be updated if changes are made.


Tuesday, November 3, 2009

ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS PROPOSAL SET FOR L.A. CITY COUNCIL INTRODUCTION

CHAMBER'S ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS PROPOSAL SET FOR L.A. CITY COUNCIL INTRODUCTION
L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti is expected to introduce a motion this week that would create a new economic impact analysis requirement for proposed city legislation. This is a top Chamber priority and was a key focus at last month's Board of Directors retreat. For the past six months, the Chamber has been meeting with city officials to push the successful model used in San Francisco, in which a team of non-partisan economists evaluate new legislation for its potential impact on private sector jobs, business climate and the overall economy. Fellow business groups including BizFed, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corportation (LAEDC) and Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA) have also partnered in support of the proposal. Chamber staff will continue to work with the city to ensure that the final product is transparent, objective and independent. Contact Samuel Garrison, 213.580.7568 or sgarrison@lachamber.com.

Monday, November 2, 2009

LID ordinance draft seeking public comments

LID ordinance draft seeking public comments

 

The draft of the LID ordinance is now ready for your review and comments. The Stormwater Program is seeking public comments to be received no later than end of day on November 6.

 

Email your comments directly.