It's located in Santa Monica but it's a big hospital Rancho Park adjacent, and it's just undergone a total architectural overhaul largely funded by Patrick Soon Shiong, an LA billionaire with an amazing background. (Briefly: Chinese parents, born in South Africa, educated in Canada, became a surgeon in LA, got UCLA professorship, resigned UCLA professorship to found startup which exploded, now may be richest man in town, background here,)

Behind the construction explosion the hospital has been in internal turmoil with changing leadership, and has recently been looking to turn itself over to new management. Dr. S. offered to be this new management, but on Friday Saint John's announced in an LA Times story that the new owners would be the Catholic chain, Providence Health and Services, instead of the Chan Soon Shiong Family Foundation.

This clearly caught some people by surprise. Today's LA Times has a full page ad (A15) from the the Saint John's Foundation, the St. John's Health Center and the John Wayne Cancer Institute calling for support for the "bid for local ownership led by The Chan Soong Shiong Institute for Advanced Health.

I hope whatever happens doesn't affect the hospital, which I and my family have used often. Fingers crossed.

Westwood Blvd has been designated a backbone of the LA 2010 Bike Plan Network and targeted for the extension of now fragmentary bike lanes.

The many cyclists who ride this corridor everyday, along with those would-be cyclists who have been afraid to get out there under current conditions, have welcomed this news.  The stretch between Santa Monica and Pico presents particularly dangerous conditions for cyclists as now configured.  This six block stretch was the scene of six reported bike collisions in 2011!

The safety argument in favor of bike lanes for Westwood Blvd is developed in a report prepared for the Bike Committee of the Westwood South of Santa Monica Home Owners’ Association.  The report argues in support of the floating bike lane design presented at the public hearing of Feb 19.  This design represents a creative compromise in meeting the needs of cyclists, motorists, and businesses.  The LA Department of Transportation has determined that the design would have no significant impact on congestion since directional peak-flow travel lanes are preserved and traffic volumes for opposing direction during peak are well below the thresholds to register significant impact.

Street parking under the floating bike lane design is maintained at the existing level, the only difference being that during the evening peak it shifts from the west side to the east side.  Given the substantial investment that property owners have made in off-street parking already, on-street parking accounts for less than ten percent of the total for this corridor.  The report to the bike committee presents details on parking availability and discusses the economics of changes in street parking. 

Bike lanes on Westwood Blvd offer much upside potential.  Besides the protection of life and limb for those already riding, inducing…

The utilities in the Cheviot / Rancho area are old and outdated resulting in outages like we had earlier this week.  A whole house serge protector provided by DWP will prevent electrical panel burn outs caused during incidents like the one this week.  DWP will install a protector when the power enters your home.   The added charge is around $3.99 a month extra.  Our oven panel burned out several times and the appliance repair company recommended a house surge protector. .  We haven't had such problems since.

Following the very exciting 4:30am power surge(s) yesterday, some folks in our neighborhood are still without power. DWP trucks were parked along Veteran at Brookhaven this morning, presumably working on the problem.  Neighbors report varying degrees of damage ranging from fried tankless water heaters and microwaves, to non-functioning outlets and fritzed-out X-boxes.  In our house a number of bulbs blew out, outlets fried, and appliances are malfunctioning (including our bedroom ceiling fan which is stuck on high).  All things considered, though, we are OK.  I spoke with the DWP and they said that a high voltage cable came down and hit a main cable and things went on from there.  You can call the DWP to get a reimbursement claim form for your damage and repair.  I'll post a copy here when I receive mine in the mail.  Here's hoping they make good! 

Check out this new video from the Build Expo folks:

Ciclavia to the Sea will turn Venice Blvd into a biking paradise this Sunday.  The full route will run from Venice Beach to City Hall and the historic El Pueblo district.  A feeder ride will pass through our neighborhood.  The group will start at the UCLA Bruin Bear at 9:30am, picking up riders along the way as it passes down Westwood Blvd.  A great way to share a Sunday with the community!

The legal battle over our east/west rail line is heading up north. On May 7, the California Supreme Court will hear arguments in San Francisco in the case of Neighbors for Smart Rail v. Exposition Metro Construction Authority. At issue is  whether the traffic studies used for the line's environmental documents are ok as is - they are based on future not current traffic conditions - or if they are inadequate, as NSFR contends. Streetsblog has an update, along with a  history of the case. A ruling is not expected right away and, as anyone who lives near Exposition can attest, construction continues on the line for now.

From Up On Poppy Hill, the new film by master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and directed by his son Goro Miyazaki is now playing (and is the only LA venue) at the Landmark at Westside Pavilion. Not just for kids, From Up On Poppy Hill will delight audiences of any age. Like stepping into a dream, the film transports us to Japan in 1964. Stunning and beautifully rendered, this movie is truly unique. It is a sweet story that helps us appreciate the beauty of nature and makes us treasure our relationships. If you are only going to see one film this year, walk up the block to From Up On Poppy Hill!