Sunset Bridge demo, the sequel

The 405 project hits a new stage next week as workers demolish the north side of the Sunset Bridge. That bridge was the first of three to be demolished and rebuilt as part of the project, which will add a 10-mile northbound carpool lane and other improvements to one of the nation’s busiest freeways. (Demolition of another of the bridges, at Mulholland Drive, caused the closure heard ‘round the world with last summer’s “Carmaggedon.”)

Metro officials said there will be 12 nights of demolition, which will require freeway closures (in only one direction at a time) as well as ramp closures and impact on nearby streets. Reconstruction of the Sunset Bridge is expected to take about a year.

The work starts Monday, October 31. For more details, read Metro’s announcement.

Posted 10/27/11

Hitting the high notes

Like a lot of people, I caught the opera bug relatively late.

And I have my son’s Academic Decathlon team at Monroe High School to thank for that.

One year, their Super Quiz subject was opera, and I was treated to strains of great works like “Carmen,” “Aida” and  “La Traviata”  coming from David’s room each night as he listened to audiotapes in preparation.

And, to my surprise, I liked what I heard—a lot.

Fast forward a few years. I was in Salzburg on a mission to try to secure a major donation for our county’s Music Center. Though jet-lagged, Barbara and I went to hear Plácido Domingo perform in “Parsifal,” a Wagner opera that goes on at Wagnerian length—easily 5½ to 6 hours.

Afterwards, we had a chance to go backstage and meet Domingo. Wagnerian operas are not among my favorites but I was thrilled at the prospect of meeting the most renowned tenor on the planet, and we had a memorable exchange.

“Oh, you don’t know what it’s like to stand up there and sing for 5½ hours,” he told us.

“You don’t know what it’s like to sit there and listen for 5½ hours!” Barbara retorted.

And that, to paraphrase the old line from “Casablanca,” marked the beginning of a beautiful collaboration. I’ve been fortunate to work with Domingo and James Conlon and other leaders as they’ve put opera on the map in Los Angeles. I even had a chance to interview Domingo at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of years back.

As L.A. Opera celebrates its 25^th birthday this month, its artistic successes coincide with what I like to think of as the golden age of arts in Los Angeles.

With remarkable new facilities ranging from Disney Hall to the Valley Performing Arts Center at Cal State Northridge to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica—to name just a few—we’re truly in the midst of a cultural explosion.

Local audiences and arts lovers are big winners in this boom, of course. But the benefits don’t stop there. The arts now employ more people than the defense industry in Southern California. Aside from those directly involved, arts institutions create new customers for surrounding businesses.

And cultural tourists from around the world flock here for performances at the county’s Music Center and other venues—enhancing our global arts reputation and serving as an important engine of our economy.

I’m grateful that our Board of Supervisors has long realized that investment in the arts, far from being a frivolous expenditure, is smart public policy—both from an economic and quality of life point of view.

That’s why, in an effort to make sure our top musicians reach the broadest possible audience, regardless of means or mobility, my office has underwritten L.A. Opera and L.A. Philharmonic broadcasts on KUSC 91.5 FM.

If you can make it to the opera’s 25^th birthday open house at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Saturday, November 5, I hope you will. You certainly can’t beat the price—free. And if you can’t make it, I hope you will tune in to KUSC’s live broadcast of “The Opera Show” from the lobby from 9 a.m. to noon.

Because, as my own experience shows, you never know where listening in on a little opera will take you.

Posted 10/27/11

Some things wicked this way come

Did you hear something?! Halloween creeps closer—soon it will be upon us. Take a break from coating your shrubbery with cobwebs, and dare to peek at what’s happening near you this Halloween/Day of the Dead.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!!! At LACMA, it’s not just Halloween—it’s also the last chance to check out the Tim Burton exhibit. It will be open for 38 straight hours, from 10 a.m. Sunday, October 30, until midnight on Halloween. All weekend long, the museum will host Burton-esque creative festivities. Kids can create props and use them in a free interactive storytelling session at noon on Saturday. Later that night, adults can attend a costume ball with live music and visual effects (tickets are $100). On Sunday, artist-led workshops and a horror film fest round out the entertainment.

Theatricum BOO-Tanicum

For a classic Halloween in a gorgeous setting, join Topanga’s Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum this Friday for an event all ages can enjoy. A not-too-scary haunted house will provide thrills without tears, and actors will read classic ghost stories while Shakespearean zombies, headless horsemen and witches haunt the grounds. You can bob for apples, carve a pumpkin and dine on organic chicken and waffles. Popular children’s musician Peter Alsop and others will provide live music, and a costume contest will be held in the lush canyon venue.

East Los Angeles Civic Center

Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation and Los Angeles County Public Library have teamed to present a free Día de los Muertos cultural festival. The celebration features a community altars contest from local families, Day of the Dead-themed art, and a performance and lecture by Gregorio Luke, former director of the Museum of Latin American Art. It all takes place Wednesday, November 2, from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the East L.A. Civic Center, 4837 East 3rd Street.

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

At Griffith Park, the brave among us can find their thrills on the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, a 25-minute terror trip with ghosts, monsters and—gasp—clowns. There also will be a ghoul-filled maze and a sideshow with food, magic shows, rides and games. The event runs every day through October 31; $25 gets you the hayride and side show, and $10 more will get you into the maze . . . if you dare.

The Autry

If you’re looking for Day of the Dead entertainment, The Autry presents “¡Vivan Los Muertos!” Artists will display their altars and calaca (skeleton) art, traditional food will be served, and visitors will be able to try their hand at mask-making and other crafts. Music, ceremonial dancing and Aztec blessings will add to the atmosphere as ancestors are honored in line with cultural tradition.

“Trick-or-Treat” safely

Wherever you trick-or-treat this year, do it safely with these basic safety tips from Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Among other things, their experts remind that some candies, especially those made outside the United States, are known to contain lead. So as we wind up National Lead Poisoning Awareness Week, check out Public Health’s anti-lead campaign, and use this handy flyer to know which candies to avoid. Together, we can make sure the only “damage” Halloween candy does this year is to your diet. Happy haunting!

Posted 10/27/11

Audit reveals flaws in children’s agency

More than a dozen years ago, California voters, by the slimmest of margins, passed a measure championed by actor/director Rob Reiner imposing a 50-cents-per-pack tax on cigarettes to infuse huge sums into programs aimed at lifting the lives of children 5 and under.

“This is a sweet victory,” Reiner elatedly proclaimed after a final tally of absentee ballots had given his Proposition 10 the edge. “It means so much for the young children of this state…”

But this week in Los Angeles, the mood was far more somber as the Board of Supervisors received a highly critical audit of how hundreds of millions of dollars of that money has been administered locally by an independent public agency called First 5 LA.

Although no malfeasance was uncovered, the board was so concerned about the findings that, by a 4-1 vote, it set in motion a plan to strip First 5 LA of its independence and turn it into a county agency, like the majority of its companion organizations across the state.

The audit, requested by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who’s currently serving as chairman of the First 5 LA commission, was performed by Harvey M. Rose Associates and bluntly details a series of risks that the firm says may be undermining the performance and integrity of First 5 LA.  Among the findings:

• First 5 LA has been significantly under-spending its revenues, placing the organization “at risk of not fulfilling its mission and goals to the extent possible and consistent with the Board of Commissioners policy and program objectives.” With a fund balance of more than $800 million, the organization has spent comparatively less on its programs than California’s other First 5 groups.

• The First 5 commission receives such insufficient information from the organization’s staff that its ability to oversee spending, program activity and outcomes is compromised. “Most grant and contract awards, representing hundreds of millions of dollars of annual agency expenditures, are not submitted for approval or review.”

• In the last fiscal year, the agency awarded more than $200 million in contracts, but failed to report them all to the First 5 commissioners, which “raises the risk of agreements being in place for inappropriate purposes or with unqualified vendors or grantees.” In fact, the commission approved only 28% of First 5 LA contract awards. In many cases, contracts were awarded without competitive bidding—and without notifying the commission. Auditors could not determine how some contracts were awarded because documentation was not properly retained.

• The staffing of First 5 LA is high compared to other First 5 agencies and is “not configured to best enable development and administration of new programs and initiatives,” thus contributing to the under-spending problem and delays in launching health, safety and educational programs for the county’s children.

• During the past four fiscal years, First 5 LA has had an annual staff turnover rate ranging from 8 to 19 percent a year, generally higher than other First 5 organizations surveyed by the auditors. This, along with the absence of a commission-approved compensation policy, “raises the risk of First 5 LA not being able to attract and retrain qualified, high-performing employees.”

After the audit findings were presented during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky offered a particularly blunt assessment.

“The lack of transparency, the lack of accountability, the lack of competition in proposals, the lack of information sharing between the staff and the commission itself, any one of these things would be a bell and whistle. And all of them together is a siren,” said Yaroslavsky, who praised Antonovich for initiating the audit process.

No representatives from First 5 LA testified during Tuesday’s session. But the organization’s chief executive officer, Evelyn V. Martinez, later released a statement noting that, since 1998, First 5 LA has undergone annual independent audits of its financial statements and controls “and at no time have these audits resulted in any material findings.”

First 5 LA, she said, “takes its fiduciary responsibilities seriously and has been a responsible caretaker of the public funds entrusted to it.” While acknowledging the Board of Supervisors’ authority to exert greater control over the organization, Martinez said that “I hope we can continue to maintain our focus on improving the lives of our youngest children in Los Angeles County.”

Among chief executives of First 5 commissions in California’s 58 counties, Martinez’ annual compensation of nearly $250,000 in 2009-2010 topped the list. That included a $10,000 performance bonus.

Supervisor Gloria Molina cast the sole vote against the motion authored by Antonovich and Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, which directs the county counsel and chief executive officer to prepare a proposed ordinance establishing First 5 LA as a county agency and report back within 30 days.

“I don’t see where one dollar was stolen, one dollar was misappropriated, one dollar was mishandled,” said Molina, who was chair of the First 5 LA commission during some of the audited period. (That position is held by the sitting chairman of the Board of Supervisors, a position that rotates annually. Each supervisor also appoints a member to the commission.)

Molina added: “I think it’s a shame that we are moving so drastically to take over this agency.”

The audit process began earlier this year when the governor proposed diverting half of the current and future Proposition 10 tobacco-tax money from the county commissions established to administer it. For First 5 LA, according to the Antonovich/Ridley-Thomas motion, this would divert about $450 million from its current reserves and $50 million annually in the future.

The audit, conducted in two phases, initially was intended to identify First 5 LA’s reserves and ensure the most efficient use of future allocations. But, in the end, serious issues were uncovered that led to Tuesday’s vote.

The First 5 commissions have sued the state to block diversion of funds. The case is pending.

Posted 10/26/11

Dressed to thrill as LA Opera turns 25

A big birthday calls for some standout clothes. And let’s face it—when the honoree is an international superstar, the more over-the-top, the better.

As L.A. Opera celebrates its 25^th year this month, its costume workshop in Little Tokyo is stitching away at full tilt. Creating exquisite outfits for the latest production, Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette,” is just part of what’s going on.

Beyond the fittings and the finery, the workshop is shining brightly in its own supporting role, serving in effect as a gigantic walk-in closet for all the star-crossed lovers, murderous villains and phantasmagorical creatures who’ve thrilled L.A. opera audiences for the past quarter century.

Looking for enough boots to outfit a regiment? You’ve come to the right place.

A dragon gown with 25-foot train? They’ve got one.

Or perhaps a dressmaker’s mannequin shaped exactly like Plácido Domingo’s torso? Of course, along with the doublet and robe he wore when he starred in Verdi’s “Otello” in 1986.

That performance marked the beginning of opera as we know it in L.A.—a 25-year run that’s being celebrated at the company’s first ever open house at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, November 5.

It’s all free—including performances and “Meet the Maestros” sessions featuring Domingo, the company’s general director, and its music director, James Conlon. (Advance reservations are recommended for those and some of the other parts of the day-long program, and a $1 handling fee applies; more information is here.)

In addition to performances of the children’s opera “The Prospector,” the open house also will feature a small but impressive sampling of the company’s vast costume collection, along with wigs, props and scenery.

Items selected to show off the costume workshop’s versatility and artistry include the Infanta’s costume from Zemlinsky’s “The Dwarf,” part of the company’s “Recovered Voices” series dedicated to rediscovering operas lost or neglected because of the Holocaust, and the costume worn by the title character in the Julie Taymor-directed “Grendel,” along with a spectacular dragon gown from the same work.

Special demonstrations at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. will reveal some of the inside secrets of the craft.

For those who work there, the Alameda Street costume workshop has offered a front-row seat at L.A. Opera’s evolution.

“It has changed dramatically,” said Greg White, the costume department manager who’s worked there 22 years.  “It’s been fascinating watching the company grow over the years.”

(This history on the company’s website charts some of the memorable moments, including the role of founding general director Peter Hemmings, the triumphs of the Domingo era and Conlon’s arrival in 2006.)

On a recent afternoon, White and senior draper John Bishop were able to point out some of the wearable souvenirs of L.A.’s operatic history as they walked through the two-story workshop/warehouse.

A stroll to what’s known in-house as the “diva rack” turns up Domingo’s duds from “Otello,” “Carmen” and “Samson & Delilah,” as well as costumes worn by Kiri Te Kanawa in “Vanessa.”

Not too far away is Frederica von Stade’s gown from “Grand Duchess.”

Costumes from last year’s ambitious staging of the operas in Wagner’s Ring Cycle are zipped into rows of oversized and carefully labeled fabric cases on the second floor. (But three costumes for Loge—the trickster fire god from “Das Rheingold” and “Siegfried”—remain in full view at the end of the hall.)

Sometimes the job requires finding a delicate balance between the costume designer’s vision and the performers’ preferences and physiques.

“On projects like The Ring, everybody has their opinion. Thankfully, with The Ring, most of the singers realized that vanity had no place in it,” Bishop said. “Most of the singers learned to roll with it.”

Some of the costumes have become workshop favorites, like the centaur-like creature nicknamed “Ralphie,” who appeared in “Hansel and Gretel.”

Others are remembered more as technical challenges that had to be wrestled into submission—like those colorful but architecturally demanding velvet coats from “Der Rosenkavalier.”

No matter how demanding the workday—including a recent marathon fitting session involving hundreds of costumes that had to be “planned like a military exercise”—there’s a pride in playing a pivotal role in every production.

“We’re certainly part of the storytelling,” Bishop said. “You will find everybody here is in love with what they do.”

Earlier this month, one of the workshop’s periodic public costume sales helped clear out some of the excess inventory.  “All of it helps because it fills up so quickly back here,” White said. “We tend to be rather packrat-ish.”

While customers at the sale may have picked up some spectacular trick-or-treating ensembles—including someone who paid $2,500 for a get-up from “The Fly”—Halloween remains a little ho-hum for those who have turned costuming into high art.

“It’s a busman’s holiday in my book,” Bishop said.

Posted 10/26/11

Photos by Scott Harms/Los Angeles County

Posted 10/26/11

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