High Gas Prices Fuel L.A. Transit Ridership

I'd like to share an interesting article from today's Los Angeles Times:

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A Jump in Transit Ridership? Look to Cost of Gas, Gas, Gas

High prices have more commuters turning to buses and trains, but most still aren't willing to part with their cars.

By Amanda Covarrubias and David Pierson, Times Staff Writers

Local transit agencies Tuesday reported hikes in bus and rail use since gas prices began their precipitous rise. But a day after President Bush urged Americans to conserve energy, there were signs of a definite ceiling for the number of Southern California motorists willing — or able — to switch from cars to mass transportation.

Both the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates buses and subways, and commuter-rail operator Metrolink recorded more than 5% increases in passengers in August over the same month last year.

Although officials said they were impressed by the increase, the rises are similar to those in April and March 2004, when gas prices jumped.

This suggests a relatively small percentage of motorists are willing and able to give up driving solo during times of rising gas prices, transportation experts said. And those who do switch tend to have the longest commutes. According to the 2000 census, about 15% of commuters in the Southland carpooled to work everyday and about 5% rode public transit.

Gerald Couch, a La Quinta real estate agent filling up at an Alhambra gas station Tuesday, said he would like to use mass transit more — but a job selling property across Southern California makes it impossible.

"It's pretty hard to use public transportation when you work in real estate," said Couch, 60. "You're at the beck and call of your customers."

He is far from alone.

"Left to their own devices, people will choose the mode that's cheapest to them — not just in out-of-pocket costs but in time costs," said Jim Moore, an engineering professor at the Center for Transportation Research at USC. "If they have a medium income, and the time cost of transit is high, the cost of gasoline has to go up quite a bit for it to wash out."

Genevieve Giuliano, another transportation professor at USC, said drivers are more likely to make other, less obtrusive changes in their lifestyle before trying mass transit. And Southern California is so spread out that many drivers would have to commute to bus stops or train stations to use mass transit.

"Time is very valuable to people," she said, "And they're asking themselves, 'Am I going to give up 30 minutes twice each day in order to save some gas money?' The answer's probably no."

Indeed, ridership on MTA's Rapid Bus routes has remained flat and ridership on its express buses, which drive longer distances with fewer stops, has risen only slightly.

For example, the express line that travels from Santa Monica to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles went from 3,039 boardings in July to 3,111 in August, said Rick Jager, an MTA spokesman.

MTA's overall ridership increased nearly 8% from 36.5 million boardings in August 2004 to 39.4 million last month.

Jager said MTA probably would not see a significant bump in ridership until gasoline prices stayed high for a while.

"Probably for shorter trips, people will not take the bus or rail until gas exceeds the $3 mark and stays there for a long period of time," he said. " … We realize that because of people's working hours and the type of work they do, it just won't fit for some of them."

Jager and others suspect that long-distance commuters are the most likely to try mass transit. And figures from Metrolink, which runs commuter trains between downtown Los Angeles and outlying counties, appears to bear that out.

Last month, Metrolink posted big ridership gains, with 39,057 boardings in August compared with 37,086 in the same month last year.

"We've actually seen in the last two months some unusual gains, and we can't really explain them, but we suspect they may be due to the jump at the pump," said Denise Tyrell, a spokeswoman for Metrolink.

Robert Peters was using an MTA Gold Line train for the first time Tuesday because his pickup truck was in the shop for repairs. But it may be a blessing in disguise, the 28-year-old contractor said.

"If it turns out the trains run on time, I might take the train all the time because of gas prices," said Peters, who was waiting at the Gold Line Lake station to head home to Corona.

Peters went online Monday night to study the train schedule and brought a pocket novel to pass the time. He said he was ready to try anything now that he pays $80 a week for gas.

"I remember when it was under a buck per gallon," Peters said.

On the same platform was Richard DeLeon, a truck driver who started taking the train every workday two months ago when he said gas prices got "ridiculous."

So instead of spending $50 to fill up his Ford Bronco, the Pasadena resident was leaning on a Metro bench waiting for the train to come and take him to downtown Los Angeles on his $3 day pass.

"I'd be driving right now if gas wasn't so expensive," said DeLeon, 46.

Ridership across the region posted mixed results as gas prices have increased.

The Orange County Transportation Authority reported notable increases in ridership on Metrolink, express buses, and bus routes linked to rail stations — forms of transit heavily used by commuters.

From January to August, as the average price of gas climbed from $1.98 a gallon to $2.77 in Southern California, boardings on express buses posted a 13.7% gain, while rail station-linked bus trips jumped 16.6% and transfers by Metrolink passengers to OCTA buses rose 23.1%. Overall bus ridership, however, only increased about 1%.

OCTA reported 4.9 million transit boardings in January and 5.8 million in August. Authority officials cautioned that it is difficult to determine how much new ridership is directly attributable to the high gas prices. Transit use is seasonal, dropping off with inclement winter weather and climbing during the warmer spring and summer months.

Ridership on the San Bernardino commuter rail line inched up 1% from July to August, with about 11,700 passenger trips a day. Weekend ridership soared from the previous month — 13% more on Saturdays and 19% more on Sundays — though weekends typically attract far fewer people, according to San Bernardino Associated Governments.

Officials at the Riverside Transit Agency, which provides bus service to most of urban Riverside County, are hoping for a continued upswing in passengers, as its ridership grew 6.5% from July to August. August numbers, however, were 8.2% lower than in 2004. The agency said ridership dipped because of higher bus fares that took effect in April.

Back in Pasadena, Gold Line rider Greg Huntoon proudly said he's no longer stressed by rising gas prices.

"I don't complain about gas prices," he said. "I have the [Gold Line]. I have a bike. I have my legs."

Times staff writers Ashley Powers and Dan Weikel contributed to this report.

Fight On!

My prestigious alma mater, the University of Southern California, is celebrating its 125th birthday this year. Under the aegis of President Steven Sample, the school has begun to shed its reputation as the "University of Spoiled Children" and ascend to the upper echelon of major research universities in this country. USC continues to be an athletic powerhouse as well -- the Trojan football team is the current national champion. I am certainly a proud alumnus.

After the 1965 Watts Riots, USC was tempted to move its campus from South Los Angeles to Malibu. The university's decision to stay put has benefited students, faculty, and staff by giving them immediate access to one of the world's greatest cities and all its resources. Of course, USC brings many benefits to the entire city as well.

Last Friday was declared "USC Day" in the City of Los Angeles. The following is a news release from the USC Web Site:

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City Hall Proclaims USC Day

Mayor Villaraigosa lauds the university as a world-class institution that sees its destiny as an integral part of the city.

City Hall was filled with Trojan spirit – as well as the triumphant sounds of the Trojan Marching Band – as the Los Angeles City Council proclaimed Sept. 23 to be USC Day.

As the university’s 125th birthday draws near, the city honored USC for its dramatic growth – from a 53-student enrollment in 1880 to its current 32,000 students – and as one of the oldest continuing academic and cultural institutions in the region.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council District 8 representative Bernard Parks, whose district includes the area south of USC, described the university in glowing terms.

“What distinguishes USC is not just that it is a world-class institution, but that it is a world-class institution in Los Angeles, and one that sees its destiny as an integral part of the city,” Villaraigosa said.

Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs C. L. Max Nikias, standing in for USC President Steven B. Sample, said, “USC and Los Angeles have experienced a remarkable 125 years together.”

“We grew up together and as USC prospered, many people urged the Board of Trustees to relocate to the countryside. But USC reaffirmed its commitment to be an institution in the heart of the city,” he added.

The City Council’s proclamation, read by Councilwoman Jan Perry, who represents the 9th district north of USC, cited the university’s “exemplary public service through academic, service learning and community outreach contributions fostering a tradition of sharing with the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the two campuses.”

Parks and Perry are alumni of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.

The proclamation also noted USC’s economic impact on the region with its 3,000 faculty, 14,400 staff members and 32,000 students, making it the largest private-sector employer in the city and a powerful economic engine with a budget of $1.5 billion.

Sample was lauded in the proclamation as the president who “has steered this great institution into an era of unprecedented national and international recognition in academics and athletics, has solidified its status as one of the nation’s leading research universities and has led its innovative community outreach and service-learning programs.”

Other Trojans also attracted their share of limelight. Athletes past and present were honored for their skill, commitment and teamwork, bringing fame to the university and the City of Los Angeles, including their gridiron success as two-time national champions and triumphs in producing 357 Olympians.

L to R: Councilwoman Jan Perry, Provost C. L. Max Nikias, Councilman Bernard Parks, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (photo by Lee Salem)

USC Festival 125 -- October 6-9, 2005

Sunday @ SCP

Last Sunday was wonderful, as I spent it with Chizi. After celebrating one of her friend's birthdays with a fine lunch at the Storytellers Lounge in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, we headed over to South Coast Plaza, the largest mall in the country. As our love for malls is what brought us together, our trip to SCP was a big event.

After lunch, I demanded that Chizi and I browse the Lego Store at Downtown Disney. I was pleasantly suprised to find a life-size model of a Volvo made completely out of Legos once we arrived at SCP. It was displayed near the Robinsons-May store that will soon be a Bloomingdale's. Chizi was kind enough to allow me to take a couple of pictures of the Lego Volvo with her digital camera; click on them for larger images:

Nike Run Hit Wonder 2005

On Saturday I participated in the Nike Run Hit Wonder with about 16,000 other Angelenos. This was the third 5K race I've completed and it was a lot of fun.

It was great to run through my old 'hood, the University of Southern California campus and its environs. Those of us embarking on the 5K went down 28th Street, a.k.a. "The Row," and numerous fraternity and sorority types cheered us on -- I appreciated their support even though they were the type of people I eschewed in my college years. I loved the fact that we ended the race by running onto the field at the historic Los Angeles Coliseum in Exposition Park, home of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics. Here's a map of the course; click on it for a larger image:

The main difference between Run Hit Wonder and other races is the bands that perform during the event. The sounds of The Donnas, Fountains of Wayne, and DJ Z-Trip greeted me along the way and encouraged me to complete the race. I would've heard Chingy, Nina Sky, and The Aquabats too if I'd ran the 10K. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts performed at the L.A. Coliseum after the race was over.

I'm proud to say that I completed the 5K in 27 minutes and 25 seconds...while hardly impressive for a 26-year-old male, my finish was better than that at the Samurai 5K last month and constitued a big improvement over my first race ever, Keep L.A. Running, in July. My main objective has always been to complete such races without stoppiong -- it feels great to push myself to the limit and accomplish things I didn't think I was capable of. I can only imagine how much better I could do if I merely "trained" by running in-between these races (which I haven't) or by cutting out my pack-a-day smoking habit (which I haven't...yet). I want to keep running a 5K each month; running has become a new hobby that I enjoy and can be proud of.

After the race, I took a self-portrait of myself sporting my race shirt and the "funky fresh medallion" I earned by participating in the Nike Run Hit Wonder:

Welcome to Los Angeles

Blue skies, palm trees, and bad traffic

P.U. Blog of the Week: September 27-October 3, 2005

This week I'd like to feature blogging.la. This is a group blog with 22 contributors -- I enjoy the wide variety of topics and perspectives; always fresh, always interesting. A good read even for those who don't live in Los Angeles.

Shout Out: Keith Schofield

In my "Adventures in Hollywoodland" post from last week, I wrote about Keith, a friend of mine who happens to be a very talented director specializing in music videos. Keith recently completed his latest masterpiece, a video for the song "Pi" by Hard 'n Phirm. He's posted the video to his Web Site -- click on the "action" shot below to check it out:

I'd also like to share that Keith knows how to use Photoshop to hilarious effect. To wit:

Last week Keith embarked on some Photoshop fun using some of the pictures I have posted on my MySpace profile. His inspiration was the following "fake" Newsweek cover featuring me as a child that was made at Sea World in 1989:

Keith used a photo of me dressed up for a "hip-hop" theme party back in 2002 to create a new Newsweek cover that I could use:

I admire the man's creativity and sense of humor.

WATCH KEITH'S VIDEOS

Donald Does Phoenix

Since I hope to be a real estate developer someday, I have mad love for Donald Trump. As I shared earlier this week, I nearly soiled myself when I saw him at the NBC Pre-Emmy Party last Saturday night.

It turns out that this has been a very good week for "The Donald," not only because the fourth season of his hit show, "The Apprentice," premiered last night. On Wednesday the Phoenix City Council approved a controversial plan by Mr. Trump and partner Bayrock Group to erect a massive condominium-hotel on East Camelback Road in the city's posh Biltmore district. Props to Momz for keeping me informed of the doings in my hometown.

Link to article here (text follows below)

I'm not surprised that fast-growing Phoenix has attracted Mr. Trump's attention, and there's no better location for his "International Hotel and Residences" than East Camelback Road, the city's answer to L.A.'s Wilshire Boulevard. I'm also not surprised that his towering ambitions were unevenly recieved in a young metropolis known for its low-density character, wide open spaces, and expansive desert views. However, the reality is that Phoenix will continue to "grow up" (figuratively and literally) regardless of whether Mr. Trump gets a piece of the action.

I understand the arguments made by some on the City Council that their "yes" vote on the project was a "no" vote on urban sprawl. Phoenix is Sprawl City, U.S.A. -- considering that the metro area's population is expected to double to 6 million people in only 20 years, it makes sense to increase density in the existing urban core in order to slow the city's rapid consumption of the surrounding desert. I can also appreciate the arguments made by the residents of nearby single-family neighborhoods that the ongoing densification along the "Camelback Corridor" is a threat to their quality of life. Furthermore, it's distressing for professional planners like myself to see land use plans and regulations favored by the community easily subverted by politicians.

While the Trump proposal has garnered most of the attention, it's important to note that Wednesday's vote also allowed Westcor to add condominium towers to the company's Biltmore Fashion Park mall. The addition of residential uses to existing shopping centers is an innovative and logical idea and has become a hot trend in recent years as mall owners seek ways to derive more value from their "mature" properties. Even if the raging housing market in Phoenix and other cities subsidies, I expect this trend to continue. The Federated-May merger will lead to some store closings at several of Westcor's Phoenix malls and the company has publicly floated the idea of replacing the shuttered anchors with housing. (More to come in a future post)

Momz also forwarded another article concerning questionable tactics that Trump and Bayrock may have employed in their two-year-long battle to get the project approved. (begin sarcasm) What? No developer is capable of using underhanded techniques in such a manner...certainly not "The Donald"! (end sarcasm)

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Phoenix OKs high-rises for Trump, Biltmore

Monica Alonzo-Dunsmoor and Glen Creno
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 22, 2005 12:00 AM

Saying they had the city's overall economic interests in mind, Phoenix leaders sided with high-profile developers who want to build high-rises in the posh Camelback Corridor despite intense protest from nearby neighborhoods.

After a three-hour meeting Wednesday that included testimony for and against the towers, the city council did little more than chop a few a feet off a proposal by Donald Trump and development partner Bayrock Group to build a 140-foot $200 million condominium-hotel near the 24th Street and Camelback Road intersection. The developer was asking for 150 feet.

The 5-4 vote also granted zoning changes to allow mall developer Westcor to put 140-foot towers at Biltmore Fashion Park.

"If we don't start looking at the big picture and taking advantage of the developers . . . we'll find ourselves in a situation where retail is moving out, our residents are following that retail out and we're facing more sprawl," Councilman Claude Mattox said.

Added Councilwoman Peggy Bilsten: "We continue to cut police, fire and library services . . . we have to do something to encourage our city to grow, to have good development."

The decision angered many in the crowd who packed council chambers. City officials had to set up TV screens and chairs outside City Hall and in the basement to accommodate the hundreds of people who showed up.

Despite the divisive vote, it likely won't be the end of the protracted two-year battle, which has pit developers against residents and neighbor against neighbor. Resident groups say they will consider other options, such as forcing a public vote on the issue. It would take nearly 10,000 signatures to get the matter on a ballot, which could be as soon as March 14 when the city plans to ask voters to approve $850 million in bonds for citywide capital improvements. They would have 30 days to collect enough signatures.

Councilman Greg Stanton, who represents the area and voted against the zoning change, said the vote set a bad precedent. Mayor Phil Gordon, Vice Mayor Mike Johnson and Councilman Tom Simplot also voted against the change.

"The corridor is a special place to the city of Phoenix," he said. "It's unique because there's a delicate balance between retail, restaurants, office and residential."

Wednesday's vote will upset that balance, he said, adding that he fears the "high-rise creep" will spread to other areas.

Many area residents oppose the projects, saying they will bring more traffic, mar mountain views in their upscale neighborhoods and tax the area's already overburdened water system.

Other residents and developers from across the city spoke in favor of the projects because of the economic benefits they would bring.

Jason Morris, a Phoenix zoning attorney for Trump/Bayrock, called the vote, which came after 10 p.m., a victory.

"Five years from now, we'll be reaping the economic benefits and we'll see the vitality of the urban core and the truth that Phoenix can build up and not just out," Morris said.

Dana Johnson, a member of the Central City Village Planning Committee, said the council essentially disregarded all the work done by the Camelback East Village Planning Committee.

"Show us the respect that we deserve," he said angrily as he held up planning documents related to his village. "Show us that these documents are worth the paper they are printed on."

Throughout the day Wednesday, both sides worked to hammer out a last-minute compromise, reportedly at the urging of city officials.

Residents said negotiations failed after Trump and Bayrock refused to accept the neighborhoods' proposal for an 86-foot limit on their project. The attempted compromise also reportedly included a complex set of rules for planning in the area.

Morris said that they couldn't live with those restrictions.

"At the end of the day, we couldn't agree to their design," he said.

Alex Tauber, another Camelback resident, presented the council with more than 1,500 signatures opposing the projects Wednesday. His voice cracking at times, he told officials that their vote would not be about city procedures or planning.

"This is about good versus bad," he said, adding that the neighborhoods waged an honest, grass-roots campaign, alluding to allegations that Trump-paid petition circulators misrepresented their cause when gathering 10,000 signatures also presented to council. The Trump camp denied that charge.

After the vote, Tauber's wife, Suzette Tauber, said: "They didn't listen to the community and that's a shame. They listened to money, and the developers won out over the voices of the community."

Morris said his group did its best to work with neighborhoods, noting that some residents support their plans.

He said the site they want to build on is under-utilized and practically vacant. "It represents a black hole in the center of the city's urban core."

The Trump project would be the area's "flagship," he said.

With their decision Wednesday, city leaders reconciled conflicting recommendations from the city's Planning Commission and the Camelback East Village Planning Committee. The commission voted in favor of developers last week. The village committee, tasked with updating the area's growth plan, essentially sided with residents and decided to maintain the 56-foot limit in that area while granting more height farther west along Camelback, closer to Arizona 51.

Westcor was essentially caught in the middle of the fight.

Dave Scholl, Westcor's development chief, said they could have asked to pack the mall site with buildings right up against Camelback Road. Instead, they proposed tearing down buildings on the east and west ends of Biltmore Fashion Park and replacing them with 165-foot condominium towers that would have retail on the ground floor.

The City Council gave them 140 feet Wednesday but said they could ask for up to 165 feet later.

"I'm sad about what happened tonight. I'm scared I'm going to get pushed out of my home," said Camelback resident Fran Baumgartner. "But everyone was treated so much better than at the Planning Commission last week."

Pink Slips Galore

Those who read this blog on a regular basis know that I'm somewhat obsessed with the recent acquisition of May Department Stores by Federated Department Stores. While my interest in this story is largely due to my fascination with retailing and shopping malls, I'm also curious about the merger's ramifications for Southern California, the largest market in the country in which both conglomerates had a significant presence.

Federated has announced that May's Robinsons-May division, which operates stores in Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona, will be absorbed by Macy's West. In Southern California, 24 department stores will close over the next year, as will May's "regional headquarters" in North Hollywood. May's Los Angeles offices are responsible for Robinsons-May stores as well as Meier & Frank stores in the Pacific Northwest.

The closure of May's offices in North Hollywood will eliminate over 1,000 jobs in Southern California. The loss of the high-paying "headquarters" jobs is a bigger blow to the region than the potential layoffs that may result from the closure of two dozen department stores, as retailers are notorious for their rate of employee turnover at the "staff" level. I doubt Federated's claims that a "good number" of these May employees will be offered new positions at the combined company; after all, the dismissal of "redundant" staff was one of the selling points of the merger in the first place.

Overall, it appears that the Federated-May merger will prove to be "bad" for Southern California. It means fewer shopping choices and fewer jobs; it also serves as yet another reminder that the economic destiny of the nation's second largest metropolis is increasingly in the hands of corporations headquartered outside the region. Those of us in Los Angeles should be especially incensed that May's regional offices are being sacrificed in favor of Federated's existing regional offices in San Francisco; our rivalry with the Bay Area is no secret.

The Los Angeles Times featured an informative article on this topic yesterday -- allow me to point out that the Times itself was recently acquired by an out-of-state conglomerate, Chicago-based Tribune Company. Like most Angelenos, I'm hard-pressed to think of a single major corporation that's based here today.

Link to article here (text follows)

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Federated to Cut 1,110 Workers in L.A. Area

Nationally, 6,200 jobs will be trimmed as the company phases out its Robinsons-May stores

By Leslie Earnest
Times Staff Writer

Federated Department Stores Inc. said Tuesday that it would cut more than 1,100 positions in North Hollywood as it phases out the Robinsons-May division, ending an era when Los Angeles County was a retail headquarters hub.

The job cuts were among 6,200 announced by Federated, the first since it completed its $11-billion purchase of May Department Stores Co. on Aug. 30.

A "good number" of the affected employees, who work in regional division offices and May's former St. Louis headquarters, are expected to take other jobs within the company, spokeswoman Carol Sanger said.

Cincinnati-based Federated also operates the Macy's and Bloomingdale's chains.

No employees will lose their jobs before March 1, and stores will continue operating as usual through the holiday shopping season, the company said.

Federated also said Tuesday that it would sell the bridal group division it acquired from May, which in California operates 25 David's Bridal stores and 62 After Hours Formalwear sites.

The bridal group is profitable and has "significant growth opportunities," Federated Chief Executive Terry J. Lundgren said in a statement. But it does not "fit with Federated's strategy of focusing on department stores and building the Macy's and Bloomingdale's brands."

The company further announced that it would convert all 62 of its Marshall Field's stores to the Macy's nameplate in fall 2006. Ultimately, Federated will operate 850 Macy's stores and 40 Bloomingdale's locations.

Locally, Federated said, it will replace Robinsons-May sites with Bloomingdale's stores at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and Fashion Valley Center in San Diego.

Although Southern California's economy is growing, the job losses are a blow, said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

"It's always a disappointment when you have any number of jobs leaving, and 1,136 is a sizable chunk," he said.

Further, the loss of the Robinsons-May/Meier & Frank division marks the end of an era when the Los Angeles area was home to some of the biggest names in retail, Kyser said.

Large companies that once had area headquarters included J.W. Robinsons, May Co., Broadway and Bullocks, he said. Smaller players included Buffums in Long Beach, Henshey's in Santa Monica, Ivars in Highland Park and Hinshaws in Whittier.

"You had the big department stores and the smaller chains, but they were all headquartered here," Kyser said. "It's the further homogenization, the loss of local character and, of course, the loss of local jobs."

The shift runs counter to the region's ascendance as a fashion trendsetter, Kyser said.

"Everybody is looking at Southern California as sort of a style leader in apparel and home furnishings," he said. "And yet you have no local department store chain."

Northern California, however, will get a boost. Federated's Macy's West division in San Francisco will expand to operate about 187 stores in seven states, compared with the 146 it currently runs.

Federated said that after the realignments in February, it will gradually phase out other operations, such as the one in North Hollywood. That process could take one to four months or longer, spokesman Jim Sluzewski said.

The shifts announced Tuesday will allow Federated to enhance future sales, increase profit and "concentrate on our best national brands," CEO Lundgren said in the statement.

"By announcing these decisions now," he said, "we can begin more specific planning for the future," including getting new merchandise into stores acquired from May as quickly as possible.

The changes are part of a broader plan to cut $175 million from next year's costs and $450 million annually thereafter. One-time expenses associated with the corporate and divisional consolidation and the nameplate changes will total $1 billion, spread over three years, Federated said.

The company said earlier that it would close 26 stores in California as it erased the Robinsons-May brand. Federated plans to shift workers in those stores to other jobs within the company, spokesman Sluzewski said.

Federated shares fell 94 cents Tuesday to $64.76.

Oprah Winfrey vs. Bob Barker

Yesterday Chizi wrote this post about Bon Jovi's appearance on the "Oprah Winfrey Show." I am confronted by a common dilemma: my girlfriend likes Oprah. While I'm sure that Oprah's show is informative and uplifting and all that jazz, my heart belongs to another daytime idol: Bob Barker, the distinguished host of the greatest game show mankind will ever know, "The Price is Right."

This morning I began to ruminate over the question of which of these two daytime TV powerhouses has done more for the people of this great nation. I have come to the conclusion that Bob runs the superior show and I offer the following as proof:

1) When Oprah gave away cars to everyone in her entire audience during a show last year, everyone thought it was a big deal. Bob has given away far more cars to far more people -- hell, he gives away a car to someone in his audience almost every single day. Why doesn't he get any props for that?

2) Oprah's been on the air for only 19 years; Bob's been on the air for 40! (Note: Bob began hosting "TPIR" in 1972, but he hosted a few other game shows before that)

3) While I've never watched a single episode of Oprah's show, to my knowledge it does not include Plinko, The Big Wheel, or two fabulous Showcases! Bob's show has all those things and so much more.

4) Oprah feels compelled to continually update her show's set to look "contemporary" whereas Bob has insisted that the set remain virtually unchanged since his show began in 1972. Bob knows how to keep it real!

5) Oprah features a lot of celebrities on her show but Bob is content to let "regular" men and women take the spotlight.

6) Oprah has a Book Club -- Bob is smart enough to recognize that TV and literacy are antithetical concepts! Come to think of it, I don't know if I've ever seen a book given away on "TPIR" but I sure have seen a lot of high-definition plasma TVs given away lately!

7) Bob has stayed thin consistently over the years, unlike Oprah. It's a real shame that he won't share his "diet secrets" with his loyal viewers.

8) If Bob were denied access into Hermes 15 minutes after closing, he wouldn't bitch about it on-air like Oprah did. He has nothing but positive things to share.

9) Bob has $100 bills in his pocket! I doubt Oprah does.

10) Barkers' Beauties -- 'nuff said.

I think I've made a compelling case. I could go on about why I love "TPIR" and how it can be viewed as a metaphor for consumerism and America itself, but I'll save all that for another post. I will concede that Oprah's show garners more viewers...we all know a game show that comes on at 10:00 a.m. on weekdays must be enjoyed exclusively by retirees, college students, and the unemployed. However, CBS has been running "TPIR Million Dollar Spectaculars" in primetime for a reason. America just can't get enough of Bob and the 60 minutes of pure ecstacy that is "TPIR."

Speaking of the "Million Dollar Spectaculars," those shows feature Bob giving away three cars to a single person. If Oprah does something like that, I might reconsider my position.

COME ON DOWN!!!

The South Coast Plaza Story

Yesterday Federated Department Stores announced the impending demise of Marshall Field's. With all the controversy surrounding that decision, it was easy to overlook the other aspects of the news release that the company issued yesterday concerning its ongoing effort to digest May Department Stores. One of the other decisions Federated announced yesterday was that four stores formerly controlled by May would be converted into Bloomingdale's units, two of which are located in Southern California.

The Robinsons-May stores at Fashion Valley in San Diego and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa (Orange County) will be closed and extensively remodeled and remerchandised before reopening as Bloomingdale's. The upscale retailer already has four locations in the region: Beverly Center and Westfield Century City (both in L.A.'s Westside), Westfield Fashion Square (in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley), and Fashion Island (in Orange County's Newport Beach).

This evening I'd like to highlight South Coast Plaza, currently the largest mall in the country with an astounding 2,800,000 square feet of gross leasable area. When Orange County native Chizi first contacted me after reading P.U. she wrote that South Coast Plaza "is the mall of malls in Southern California." I have to agree with her statement, although in retrospect I realize she was simply trying to hit on me.

Like King of Prussia outside Philadelphia, South Coast Plaza began as a humble, "middle-market" mall serving a local clientle and slowly but surely grew to become one of the country's largest, most fashionable, and most productive malls (over $1 billion in sales each year). Indeed, South Coast Plaza rivals nearby Disneyland as an international attraction. The addition of Bloomingdale's is only the latest chapter in the story of this mall's evolution.

The Segerstrom family owned an impressive spread of Orange County farmland for generations. After World War II, the region began to urbanize and the San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405) was to be constructed through Costa Mesa alongside the Segerstroms' property. In the mid-1960's, the family wisely decided to begin developing their land and South Coast Plaza was born.

It's interesting that the future Bloomingdale's store was the first building constructed at the mall. Here's a photo of South Coast Plaza under construction in 1966; the recently completed May Company store is at left, adjacent to the (then) proposed San Diego Freeway:

(Click photo for a larger image)

The mall was intended to serve the growing middle-class suburbs nearby; the original anchors, May Company and Sears, were decidedly "middle market," reflecting the mall's target audience. Here's a photo of the mall soon after it was completed in March 1967, when it was still surrounded by farmland:

(Click photo for a larger image)

The Segerstrom family was wise to keep some of its adjacent landholdings vacant so that the mall could expand in the future. The first major addition came in 1973 and was anchored by Bullock's, a department store more upscale than May Company and Sears.

As the 1970's wore on, Orange County became one of the most affluent areas in Southern California. The growing population in South Coast Plaza's trade area could support more retailers, especially those specializing in "luxury" goods that the existing mall didn't provide. The Segerstrom family decided to further expand the mall and tilt it towards wealthier customers, beginning with the 1978 opening of the first Nordstrom department store in Southern California. The following year, prestigious department store chains I. Magnin and Saks Fifth Avenue also opened branches at South Coast Plaza.

Having grown to more than triple its original size, South Coast Plaza became one of the country's most successful malls. Like King of Prussia, it was able to serve both middle-class and wealthy shoppers with a wide range of quality retailers all under one roof. Indeed, the mall was so successful that even more retailers wanted to get in on the action...unfortunately, there wasn't any more room to expand. Luckily, the Segerstroms found a solution: Crystal Court.

Costa Mesa's dominance in the Orange County retail scene was secured when Crystal Court, a "mini" mall comprising of only 588,000 square feet, opened just across Bear Street from South Coast Plaza in 1986. The new mall was anchored by department stores The Broadway and Robinson's and provided space for other stores that couldn't fit into the existing South Coast Plaza.

Obviously, the bifurcated shopping environment provided by two malls across the street from each other was less than ideal. The Segerstrom family had always intended to connect the malls in some way but the six department stores at South Coast Plaza were loathe to give their customers easy access to the two competing department stores across the street at Crystal Court. The rivalry between May Company and The Broadway, in particular, is something of a Southern California legend...the malls would remain seperate as long as May Company felt it necessary to protect its "turf" in Costa Mesa.

The department store industry entered an unprecedented era of mergers and consolidations soon after Crystal Court opened, leading to numerous changes in the anchor line-up at both malls. I have appended the following image of the mall today from Google Earth to show the names and locations of the department stores at South Coast Plaza and Crystal Court prior to 1993:

(Click photo for a larger image)

The first big change in the anchor line-up at the malls occurred in 1993, when May Department Stores merged its Los Angeles-based May Company chain with Robinson's, another venerable Southern California retailer acquired in 1986 when the company merged with Associated Dry Goods. Both the May Company at South Coast Plaza and the Robinson's at Crystal Court were rebranded Robinsons-May. A full line of merchandise continued to be offered at both stores, as the existence of Bear Street between them made it unlikely shoppers would visit both malls during the same trip.

Federated Department Stores acquired both Bullock's and I. Magnin, two other legendary Southern California chains, when it merged with R.H. Macy in 1994. The following year, Bullock's stores were rebranded as Macy's and the entire I. Magnin chain was shut down. Rather than see the I. Magnin space at South Coast Plaza taken by a competitor, Federated converted it into a Macy's Men's Store.

In 1996, Federated acquired The Broadway and consolidated it with Macy's. The Broadway's store at Crystal Court became a Macy's; like the Robinsons-May in the "mini" mall, it offered the same full range of merchandise as the store across the street at South Coast Plaza. With the anchors at the two malls no longer in competition and somewhat redundant, the Segerstrom family was finally able to proceed with plans to link them through a pedestrian bridge.

With the imminent marriage of South Coast Plaza and Crystal Court into one massive shoppers' paradise, the Segerstroms worked with both May Department Stores and Federated Department Stores to make their ample real estate in Costa Mesa more productive. Robinsons-May elected to close its store at Crystal Court, allowing the Segerstroms to divide it into space for more smaller stores; the Robinsons-May at South Coast Plaza, in turn, would be completely renovated and expanded by 50,000 square feet. The Macy's store at Crystal Court would be converted into a Macy's Home and Furniture Store, the first in Southern California.

The Crystal Court name was dropped; the Segerstroms simply labeled it as a portion of South Coast Plaza and began to market the two malls as a single entity. The former Crystal Court, though, was repositioned to focus on home furnishings and other "lifestyle" merchandise in order to complement the new Macy's Home and Furniture Store. Much of the space in the former Robinsons-May was occupied by a large Crate & Barrel and a Borders Books and Music.

In September 2000, the 600-foot-long covered pedestrian bridge linking South Coast Plaza to the former Crystal Court was completed. The design of the bridge complemented the upscale feel of the shopping complex; among its novel features are a half-acre garden and outdoor cafe at its base near the Macy's store in the original mall. Here's a photo of it:

(Click photo for a larger image)

When the Federated-May merger was announced earlier this year, observers of the Southern California retail scene wondered what would happen to South Coast Plaza. Federated already had three department stores at the mall: a Macy's, a Macy's Men's Store, and a Macy's Home and Furniture Store. The Robinsons-May store was also an attractive property occupying a key spot in the mall. It was in Federated's best interest to have as much real estate as it could inside the nation's largest mall and to not create an opening for a competing retailer, so yesterday's decision to convert the Robinsons-May into a Bloomingdale's seems like a logical move.

As I mentioned, Orange County already has a Bloomingdale's at Fashion Island, another posh mall that is less than ten miles away from South Coast Plaza. Federated must feel that there are enough customers for both stores; after all, the existing Bloomingdale's at Beverly Center and Westfield Century City are even closer to each other. Bloomingdale's is a great fit for South Coast Plaza, as Henry Segerstrom has noted its "only real competitors are the Beverly Hills retail district and Union Square in San Francisco" when it comes to luxury shopping on the West Coast. I predict that the new Bloomingdale's will be very successful and make South Coast Plaza even more of a destination.

Here's the same Google Earth image of the mall today that I shared earlier, appended to show the names and location of its current (and future) anchors:

(Click photo for a larger image)

It's important to note that Orange County has grown along with South Coast Plaza to become a vibrant part of the greater Los Angeles metropolis. In fact, the region now contains more jobs than residents and has its own "bedroom communities" in Riverside County (but few, if any, orange groves). The area surrounding South Coast Plaza no longer consists of farmland but several other shopping centers along with hotels, office towers, and the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The mall anchors an impressive "Edge City" that continues south along the San Diego Freeway into Irvine, surrounding nearby John Wayne Airport.

South Coast Plaza will continue to evolve in order to remain relevant to today's consumers and retain its title as one of the largest and most successful shopping complexes in the world. I'd like to be one of the first to welcome Bloomingdale's into the mall and I wish the Segerstrom family continued success in their stewardship of this retailing mecca.

Links of Interest

South Coast Plaza (official Web Site)

A Work In Progress (an excellent article written by Debra Hazel for the International Council of Shopping Centers that provided many of the facts in this post)

A time of change (an excellent article written by Kathy Mulady for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about Henry Segerstrom's push to have Nordstrom make its Southern California debut at South Coast Plaza)

All the Malls of Southern California (my Web Site documenting my quest to visit and photograph every mall in the region during spring 1999)

Big Changes in Store for Southern California's Malls (previous P.U. post about the effect of the Federated-May merger on our retail scene)

Remembering Robinsons-May (previous P.U. post about the history of this chain, soon to be extinct)

My Pilgrimage to King of Prussia (previous P.U. post about my trip to another mega-mall and its history)

My Pilgrimage to Woodfield (previous P.U. post about my trip to another mega-mall and its history)

Hit Parade

Time for some more "Internet crap" -- today I stumbled upon thisdayinmusic.com, a Web Site that can tell you what song was at the top of the pop charts in the U.S. and in the U.K. on the day you were born (or any other day, for that matter).

Here's the song that was #1 on the day I was born (March 12, 1979):

At first I was afraid, I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong
And I grew strong, and I learned how to get along

And so you're back, from outer space
I just walked in to find you here, with that sad look upon your face
I should've changed that stupid lock, I should've made you leave your key
If I'd have known for just one second you'd be back to bother me

Go on now go, walk out the door
Just turn around now, cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with good-bye
You think I'd crumble, you think I'd lay down and die

Oh, no not I, I will survive
Oh as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give
And I, I will survive, I will survive....Hey, hey

It took all the strength I had not to fall apart
Just trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart
And I spent oh so many nights just feeling sorry for myself
I used to cry, but now I hold my head up high

And you see me, somebody new
I'm not that chained up little person still in love with you
And so you felt like dropping in and just expect me to be free
But now I'm saving all my loving for someone who's loving me

Go on now go, walk out the door
Just turn around now, 'cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to break me with good-bye
You think I'd crumble, you think I'd lay down and die

Oh no not I, I will survive
Oh as long as I now how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give
I will survive, I will survive

For the record, "I Will Survive" was also at the top of the U.K. charts. Ah yes, the spring of 1979 contained the waning days of disco.

The Web Site claims that my "life's theme song" is the song that was #1 on my 18th birthday. I suppose that this is my life's theme song, then:

Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want
So tell me what you want, what you really really want
I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want
So tell me what you want, what you really really want
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna,
I wanna really really really wanna zigazig ha

If you want my future forget my past
If you wanna get with me better make it fast
Now don't go wasting my precious time
Get your act together we could be just fine

I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want
So tell me what you want, what you really really want
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna,
I wanna really really really wanna zigazig ha

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends
Make it last forever, friendship never ends
If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give
Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is

What do you think about that, now you know how I feel
Say you can handle my love are you for real
I won't be hasty, I'll give you a try

I f you really bug me then I'll say goodbye

Yo I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want
So tell me what you want, what you really really want
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna
I wanna really really really wanna zigazig ha

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends
Make it last forever, friendship never ends
If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give
Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is

So here's a story from A to Z
You wanna get with me you gotta listen carefully
We got Em in the place who likes it in your face
We got G like MC who likes it on an
Easy V doesn't come for free, she's a real lady
And as for me you'll see

Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and wind it all around

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends
Make it last forever, friendship never ends
If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give
Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is
If you wanna be my lover, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta
You gotta, you gotta, slam, slam, slam, slam

Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down and wind it all around
Slam your body down zigazig ah

If you wanna be my lover.

"Wannabe" was not #1 in the U.K. -- however another Spice Girls jam, "Who Do You Think You Are / Mama," was. I'm sure we all remember that in the spring of 1997, Planet Earth was better known as "Spiceworld."

What Song was #1 on YOUR Birthday?

You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Blog!

Props (again) to Thurman for alterting me to the existence of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It's good to know that there are people out there working to protect the rights of bloggers.

The Foundation's "Legal Guide For Bloggers" is a must-read for everyone in the blogosphere. Not surprisingly, it recommends maintaining a high level of anonymity...a position yours truly did not take! No matter how you decide to blog, it's important to remember that you're exercising your First Amendment rights. None of us can take the Bill of Rights for granted and we must fight every attempt to dilute it or take it away. Click on the following image to read the "Legal Guide":

Space Age Parking Meters

Props to Thurman for referring me to a Los Angeles Times article about a new generation of "high tech" parking meters that may soon be a common sight in Southern California.

Link to article here (text follows below)

Parking can be just as big a hassle as driving in this town. It's not unusual to incur the wrath of Parking Enforcement Officers by being ticketed or even having your car towed. Of course, I view the pratfalls of parking as a compelling reason to use public transit.

Since I don't spend a lot of time in West Hollywood or Pasadena, I haven't encountered any of these new meters. I really like them, though, especially the fact that they take plastic -- nothing's worse than finding a great parking space and not having any change to feed the meter!

The article indicates that the City of Los Angeles is considering installing these "space age" parking meters but I doubt they will be deployed on a large scale. They seem more appropriate in smaller, more tourist-oriented cities like West Hollywood and Pasadena.

While the provision of City services is lacking in many regards, no one can doubt the effectiveness of our Parking Enforcement Bureau. It's more common to see Parking Enforcement patrolling the streets than the LAPD! It's obvious that parking violations are a major revenue stream for the City. I don't see what incentive the City has to have parking meters call people to warn them that time is running out -- the nominal charge it could levy for such a service pales in comparison to the money a parking ticket brings in (around $50). Where's the "return on investment?"

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High-Tech Systems Feed Change in Parking Meters

You can pay by credit or ATM card. If time is about to expire, you can call in for extra minutes.

By Bob Pool

Times Staff Writer

Time is running out on traditional parking meters lining curbs around Southern California. And many motorists couldn't be happier.

Those pesky coin-gobblers that have tormented motorists since the first one popped up on an Oklahoma street 70 years ago are getting a makeover.

Soon, drivers with no change in their pocket may be able to pay to park by credit or ATM card. Those whose meter is about to expire may be able to get a text message on their cellphone warning that they face a ticket if they don't move their car or feed the meter. That same cellphone can be used to electronically deposit more money in the meter without the motorist having to return to the street.

In a trial run in West Hollywood, the fanciest of the new meters have been installed in front of hip restaurants and boutiques along a stretch of the Sunset Strip.

The test is scheduled to last six months. But halfway through, city transportation planners were already so encouraged by the solar-powered computerized devices that they were considering asking the City Council this fall to begin permanently installing them around town.

In Pasadena, transportation managers have completed their own pilot program, in which motorists evaluated four types of high-tech parking meters. Officials are now determining which system to begin using citywide.

Los Angeles officials are planning their own evaluation of the meters in January. It will be a large-scale test, with about 200 multi-space "pay stations" from various vendors.

Many motorists are embracing the new machines with credit cards in outstretched hands. Others, however, aren't — saying that they're too confusing.

"I like them. They're very easy to use, and it's nice to be able to use a credit card," said Axana Leonova of Valencia as she parked in the 8600 block of Sunset Boulevard to shop in West Hollywood's Sunset Plaza area.

Leonova pressed the pay station's keypad and expertly followed the card-swipe instructions on the small liquid crystal display screen. A printed receipt emerged a few seconds later.

The receipt told Leonova which spot her car was parked in, how much she had paid and the exact time when the meter would expire. It also had information about adding time and a phone number to call to pay for parking.

"I've seen these in Europe. I'm surprised it's taken so long for them to get here," said the Russian-born Leonova.

Leading the Way

Even though the parking meter was invented by American Carl Magee and introduced in Oklahoma City in 1935, other countries have led the way with high-tech meters.

Most of the estimated 5 million meters in use today in the United States are still single-space models mounted on posts next to individual parking spots.

Until battery-operated electronic models became common in the 1990s, most meters had spring-operated arrows that pointed to the time remaining. Motorists wound the timing device when they turned a knob to deposit coins and make the meter's "violation" flag drop.

Congested streets and a shortage of curbside parking prompted European cities such as London and Helsinki to adopt more sophisticated meters, beginning about a decade ago.

Most parking kiosks offer instructions in multiple languages and accept prepaid passes as well as credit cards and cash. Some promote vehicle turnover by sensing when cars have been parked longer than allowed. In 2001, cellphone payment was introduced in Finnish meters.

"It's a technology that's been over there many, many years. We've been kind of slow to pick it up," said Amir Sedadi, Pasadena's parking manager.

As part of his own evaluation of high-tech meters, Sedadi surveyed meter use across the United States. He found that some cities have taken baby steps toward "smart" meters — and others big strides.

Boston experimented with 13 pay stations two years ago but held back on replacing its 7,000 single-space meters. Portland, Ore., converted 6,800 of its 8,000 parking spaces to pay stations in 2002. There have been problems with smart meters closer to home. In 2000, Newport Beach experimented with meters that used sensors to prevent motorists from continually feeding meters to hog beach-area parking spaces. The system was eventually disconnected because of repeated technical glitches, said city transportation engineer Tony Brine. Beverly Hills temporarily installed parking stations on Beverly Drive but decided to bring back traditional meters because motorists complained that the new machines were hard to use and looked unattractive.

In Pasadena, Sedadi tested four multi-space parking payment systems between October and January.

The trial run in Old Pasadena involved two metering systems: "pay and display" and "pay by space." The first requires motorists to pay at a kiosk and then return to their cars to place a parking receipt on the dashboard. The other electronically records payments on kiosk readouts that are accessible to parking enforcement officers, obviating the need for a receipt.

Sedadi said the "pay by space" system was popular with motorists and officers alike.

About three out of every 10 motorists used credit cards to pay for their parking, he said. Cellphone capability was not included in the Pasadena test, although Sedadi thinks it is a worthwhile feature.

"You have to be signed up and you have to pay a service fee," he said. "But once you're established, you can pay for a certain amount of time — say, for one hour in a two-hour zone. The meter will send out a text message to your cellphone notifying you your one-hour time is about to expire in five minutes. You have an option to call back and add more time, up to the two-hour total."

The new meters cost between $4,000 and $9,000 each, depending on the options they offer, Sedadi said. Conventional single-space meters cost about $600.

"But you have to remember that these new multi-space pay stations can handle up to 99 spaces, or even more," he said. "That leads to another advantage: aesthetics. You have more pedestrian walkway area. You don't have a sea of meter heads."

In Los Angeles, transportation planners predict that about half of the city's 41,000 metered spaces will eventually be controlled by pay stations. Each kiosk will handle from seven to 10 spaces.

Alan Willis, principal engineer with the city's Department of Transportation, said there would always be a place in Los Angeles for the individual meter. Some streets have relatively low meter usage; others have parking spaces that are far apart.

The city recently tested programming upgrades in parts of Westwood Village that used sensors to detect when cars pulled in and out of spaces.

In the six-week test, the meters were programmed to reset to "zero time left" when cars pulled out. In a test of enforcement effectiveness in the area, they also recorded the amount of time cars were parked in relation to the amount of time purchased. Additionally, meters in commercial loading zones were set up for deliverymen who would pre-purchase "cash keys" that could be inserted into the meters, Willis said.

Los Angeles is closely watching West Hollywood's test, he said. Oscar Delgado, West Hollywood's parking manager, said his 30-space test covers an area where two-hour parking is allowed. Meters charge $1 per hour.

Early on, more than half of those parking in the test area are paying by credit card, he said. But few people were signing up for the pay-by-phone cellular option, which carries a 40-cent service charge.

The West Hollywood machines are multilingual and have display screens that can be programmed to advise motorists of those times when parking is prohibited because of special events.

Adjustment Period

They take some getting used to, as Larry Guli of Thousand Oaks discovered.

"I think it's great, but it's confusing. Do you take your receipt ticket with you, or put it in your car? How do they know you've really paid?" he asked as he stopped for lunch with his wife, Margo.

Inside a nearby boutique, sales associate Valerie Lewis had a clear view of the pay station outside the front window.

"People go crazy trying to figure it out," she said. "They don't know how to do it, and they come in and ask me how it works. I don't know because I walk to work."

Across Sunset Boulevard, UCLA student Shunit Yaacobi popped in her credit card, quickly punched in the information and scooted off for lunch at Le Petit Four with classmate Katherine Neifeld.

"We're savvy," said Neifeld with a laugh.

But at the next kiosk over, Pablo Lazaro of San Clemente was struggling. "How do you do it? What's the secret? I give up. It's very confusing," he said.

Waiting his turn behind Lazaro was Guy Botham of Hollywood. He finally coached Lazaro on how to buy an extra half hour.

Another One Bites the Dust

This morning Federated Department Stores announced that Marshall Field's, one of the most venerable and respected names in American department store retailing, will soon be history. All 62 Marshall Field's stores will be converted into Macy's units in the fall of 2006.

Link to article on the Chicago Tribune Web Site (text follows below)

Field's is one of 12 department store chains formerly owned by May Department Stores, a national retailing conglomerate that was recently acquired by Federated. All but one of these chains (Lord & Taylor) will be rebranded as Macy's in the coming year.

I happen to be somewhat obsessed with retailing, especially the shopping malls that are home to most department stores, so I've posted extensively about the Federated-May merger and its ramifications for shopping malls and cities across the country. I've also posted about the controversy over dumping the Field's name. Please click these links if you'd like to find out more abut this story:

Saving Marshall Field's
(posted 7/27/2005) -- A report on the Keep it Field's Web Site, a "grass-roots" effort to pressure Federated to keep the Marshall Field's name.

Macy's: Coming Soon to a Mall Near You
(posted 7/31/2005) -- A report on Federated's announcement to drop 10 of May's regional department store nameplates in favor of its Macy's brand. At that time, Federated had not made a decision about the Field's name.

Remembering Robinsons-May
(posted 7/31/2005) -- A detailed history of the Robinsons-May chain, the regional nameplate that May Department Stores operated in Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona.

Whither Marshall Field's? The Debate Rages On
(posted 8/8/2005) -- I share a post and e-mail from blogger Michael Meckler concerning his ideas for the future of Marshall Field's as well as my response to it.

Meckler on Federated
(posted 8/9/2005) -- I share Michael Meckler's response to my response.

Steven's Two Cents
(posted 8/9/2005) -- I share blogger (and fellow retail and mall enthusiast) Steven Swain's response to the thoughts of both Michael Meckler and myself.

Big Changes in Store for Southern California's Malls
(posted 9/3/2005) -- I speculate on the changes that will occur at the 24 malls in the greater Los Angeles and San Diego areas in which Federated will be closing stores as a result of Macy's absorbtion of Robinsons-May.

These posts may also be of interest:

My Pilgrimage to Woodfield
(posted 8/6/2005) -- I share my trip to Woodfield, the largest mall in greater Chicago, including photos of its Field's store.

My Pilgrimage to King of Prussia
(posted 8/7/2005) -- I share my trip to King of Prussia, a large mall in greater Philadelphia that will experience some changes as a result of the Federated-May merger.

Salute to Chicago
(posted 8/20/2005) -- I share my trip to the Windy City, including photos of Field's flagship State Street store as well as its Water Tower Place store.

I had anticipated that Federated would decide to drop the Marshall Field's moniker, but even I'm surprised at how quickly the decision was made. While I'm something of a retail nostalgist, I realize that consolidating Field's with Macy's makes a lot of sense from a business standpoint. I happen to think operating a "national" department store brand is a wise strategy, as it will allow Federated to better compete with Sears, JCPenney, Wal-Mart, Target, and Kohl's by using national advertising. It wouldn't have been cost-effective for Federated to continue spending money to advertise Field's in its local markets while promoting Macy's on a national scale.

The impending demise of Marshall Field's is a big blow to Chicago's civic pride. Marshall Field's is Chicago to many people. Alas, no city is immune from losing the storied merchants its citizens patronized for generations -- the retail business has changed. Whether you live in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, or Columbus, your "hometown" department store is no more.

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No miracle on State Street: Marshall Field's to Change to Macy's

Daley says return of Frango production to Chicago possible

Tribune staff reports

Published September 20, 2005, 3:15 PM CDT

Marshall Field & Co., a name long venerated in the history of Chicago retailing, will disappear in the fall of 2006, to be replaced by Macy's.

All 62 Field's in Illinois and seven other states will be converted to Macy's, according to today's announcement by Federated Department Stores Inc., Field's new owner.

"The business has to grow, and that just hasn't been happening," Terry J. Lundgren, Federated's chairman, president and chief executive, said as he explained the decision to turn Field's into Macy's.

"Clearly this is an emotional day, and it's an emotional decision, and for people who live in Chicago, we have total and complete respect for this brand name of Marshall Field. But you have to grow the business today," Lundgren told CLTV after meeting today with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board.

The decision to drop the Field's name was made after Federated "carefully researched customer preferences and studied alternatives," Lundgren said in a news release released by Federated this morning.

Lundgren promised Field's traditions and its "outstanding record of community and charitable giving" would continue.

"From a shopping standpoint, customers will have the best of both worlds in major markets like Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit," Lundgren said. "They will continue to benefit from regional buying that remains attuned to local preferences and lifestyles plus enjoy the distinctive merchandise and shopping experience that's part of the Macy's brand."

The stores will be operated under a Minneapolis-based division, Macy's North, the Cincinnati-based Federated said.

Among the first people in Chicago to learn of the name change was Mayor Richard Daley. The mayor has had several conversations with Lundgren recently before being personally informed by the Federated chairman of the decision this morning, said Daley spokeswoman Jacquelyn Heard.

Daley "was not very thrilled" to hear the news, Heard said. But the promise of no layoffs and the possibility of bringing Frango mint production back to Chicago from Pennsylvania, where it was outsourced in 1999, were "a huge part of (becoming) amenable" to the change in nameplates, she said.

Speaking to reporters later in the morning, Daley took a philosophical view of the loss of the Field's name.

"Things change in life," he said. "If you are not willing to accept change, you stay in the past."

The mayor called Federated a "very good corporate citizen." Regarding the State Street store, Federated plans to "reinforce that store," making it even more a "destination" than Field's has been.

Federated, parent of Macy's and Bloomingdale's, doubled its size Aug. 30 by completing its $11 billion acquisition of Field's owner, May Department Stores Co.

The acquisition gave rise to immediate misgivings among Chicagoans familiar with Federated's history of changing the names of regional department store chains it acquired to Macy's.

Most other May chains, including Famous-Barr, with seven Illinois stores, are to be renamed Macy's by fall 2006. One exception is Lord & Taylor, which Federated has ruled out changing.

The deal between Federated and May marked the second time in less than two years that Field's has changed hands. In July 2004, May bought Field's from Minneapolis-based Target Corp., which dumped its department store holdings to focus on its more vigorous discount chain.

The Federated-May deal created a $28 billion retailer with about 950 department stores.

Despite changing the name to Macy's, Field's may remain a fixture on State Street for some time to come. Two days after Federated closed its acquisition of May, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks formally recommended that the City Council bestow landmark status to the retailer's flagship store at State and Washington Streets.

If approved by the City Council, the landmark designation would give the city legal power to restrict building changes, including tinkering with the large nameplates on its exterior.

Preservationists and politicians have said changing the State Street store from Field's to Macy's would strip away a piece of the city's identity. Many also hoped a landmark designation would preserve the name of the State Street shopping icon.

"It's like changing the name of the Eiffel Tower, honestly," Preservation Chicago president Jonathan Fine said earlier this month. "I don't think Chicagoans will ever accept it as a Macy's. To us, that's somebody who sponsors a parade in New York."

Tribune staff reporter Gary Washburn contributed to this story.

P.U. Blog of the Week: September 20-26, 2005

This week's blog is Viet Kieu Literary Journal. Its owner, Terry, happens to be one of my few homies in the blogosphere that I've actually had the pleasure of spending time with in "real life." Allow me to mention what good taste he has when it comes to what he reads online:

In case anyone wonders if I'll ever tire of posting screen captures of references to P.U. on other blogs, the answer is an emphatic NO! If such procilivities make me an "attention whore," so be it. Just like anyone else, I appreciate good props from good people.

Getting back to VKLJ, this blog is off to a great start...satisfaction guranteed, indeed...check it out.

The Next Big Thing

Last Thursday I shared some of the hype surrounding L.A. Live, a "mega-project" coming soon to the parking lots surrounding the Staples Center in Downtown. It just so happens that the official "ground breaking" occurred on that day, and the Los Angeles Downtown News was there to capture the moment, a politician's "photo op" dream (just look at the smile on Mayor Villaraigosa's face):


Link to article here (text follows below)

It's interesting to compare this article to the Daily News article from last week; as you might image, the Los Angeles Downtown News is unabashedly "boosterish" when it comes to L.A. Live and is largely uncritical of the City subsidies being provided to support the project, especially the Convention Center hotel. However, the following political cartoon (from the same issue) speaks to to the idea that perhaps a City subsidy to a development intended to raise the fortunes of the flagging Convention Center may be a case of "tossing good money after bad":

I am extremely excited to see this mammoth development come to fruition -- it truly will be our city's answer to Times Square. I certainly hope it will be more urbane than Universal City Walk or Hollywood & Highland, two previous mega-projects that didn't connect with their urban contexts and could easily be considered "tourist traps" with little relevance to most Angelenos. I was especially depressed to see that developer Anschutz Entertainment Group bragged about bringing in P.F. Chang's; there's nothing "special" about a chain restaurant, as it will not bring a unique experience to Downtown. If L.A. Live won't offer anything that can't be experienced in other parts of the city, there's no reason to think it will draw the kind of crowds necessary to support the ongoing "renaissance" in South Park.

I noted that the below rendering of the project explicitly and prominently features a Starbucks. Don't we have enough of those in this town?

I have high hopes for both L.A Live and the Grand Avenue project, both slated to change the face of Downtown. There has been some talk that the two massive efforts are in competition, but I don't think they are...each project will offer different experiences oriented towards different segments of the population. Downtown can accomodate them both, and the entire metropolis will benefit from the addition of compelling, urbane environments to our somewhat moribound core. The city's future is bright indeed.

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It's A-Live!

AEG Breaks Ground on $1.5 Billion Entertainment District

By Kathryn Mase
City Editor

Amidst a throng of civic and business dignitaries, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) last Thursday broke ground on a long-anticipated, $1.5 billion entertainment district next to Staples Center.

At the event marking the beginning of construction for L.A. Live, AEG revealed details about some of the cultural attractions and restaurants that will fill the sprawling 4 million-square-foot venture. The project has been likened to a Times Square for the West Coast.

A performance by musician Poncho Sanchez, a regular at the Conga Room, hinted at the announcement of one new tenant. AEG officials said they negotiated a deal with the upscale salsa club to relocate from its Miracle Mile digs.

The plan also calls for eight new restaurants to activate the streets along Figueroa, Olympic and 11th. The arrivals will include Gladstone's, P.F. Chang's and Chaya Brasserie.

"It's like taking downtown Long Beach and putting it next to Staples Center and building it all in one shot," said Tim Leiweke, AEG president and chief executive. He predicted that the project will become "a long-term economic juggernaut" for Downtown.

The development will fill existing surface parking lots with flashy lighting, sidewalk dining, red carpet events and advertisements projected onto the side of the 55-story Convention Center Hotel. According to L.A. Live backers, the project will serve not only the growing numbers of tourists and convention goers, but will fill the void of amenities in the burgeoning Downtown Los Angeles residential community.

Surrounding the project will be at least half a dozen high-rise condominium and apartment towers with more than 4,000 units. In total, more than 19,500 units are under construction or in the planning stage, with 29,000 people expected to move in over the next four years. Downtown leaders said the commitment of marquee tenants will promote retail growth in other parts of the Central City, which has struggled to draw business to the thousands of square feet of vacant ground floor retail.

"Business follows people and people are flocking to Downtown," said Carol Schatz, president of business advocacy group the Central City Association.

The first element to open in the flashy district will be the 7,100-seat Nokia Theater Los Angeles and the 2,400-seat Club Nokia, which will feature live music, bands and cultural shows. A museum of Grammy history will also rise; Leiweke predicted that it will draw more than 1 million people annually.

Construction of the 1,200-room Convention Center hotel would start no later than October 2006, with completion in four years. Last month the Community Redevelopment Agency approved the $412 million Hilton-run high-rise, which the City Council is expected to green light in the coming weeks.

Tourism officials said the hotel will boost the city's paltry convention business, and bring business meetings to other hotels.

"We're only one of two major cities in the United States without a convention center hotel," said Lew Wolff, who is co-developing the hotel. "That's been the missing link with our Convention Center."

Officials announced that, after two years of negotiations, ESPN has signed a deal to create a 70,000-square-foot, five-story television and radio studio, along with an ESPN Zone with retail, a two-level restaurant and an arcade. The structure is expected to be complete in 2009 at the corner of Figueroa and 11th streets. The deal will allow the cable network to produce live sports programming and broadcasts with Downtown as the backdrop. It will be the West Coast headquarters for the company that has 4,000 employees.

Also planned is a Lucky Strikes bowling alley, as well as a venue to be developed by the owners of the Sunset Strip clubs Prey and Shelter, and a 15-screen movie theater complex to be run by the Regal Entertainment Group on Olympic Boulevard next to the 110 Freeway. AEG officials hope it will draw star-laden red carpet premieres to Downtown.

L.A. Live, which will anchor the southern portion of Downtown, will join another mega project - the $1.8 billion Grand Avenue development to the north that will include shopping, hotels and residential. Leiweke said the two projects would not compete but complement each other.

"This is going to be one key part of Downtown, and Grand Avenue will be the other," he said. "If we were to invest in the area along Broadway we could create a link to L.A. Live."

The Politics Test

One of my blogging buddies, Steven, has been on an Internet quiz kick lately. When he shared that OK Cupid's "Politics Test" revealed that he was a "Totalitarian," I decided to give it a whirl. My results, I must say, did not surprise me one bit:

You are a Social Liberal (65% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (13% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

Adventures in Hollywoodland

In writing my Seven Things post last month, I launched into what could best be described as an "anti-starfucker" tirade when faced with the challenge of listing seven "celebrity crushes." Today I come to you, hat in hand, to admit I was being somewhat hypocritical. The truth is that I enjoy tracking the entertainment industry and celebrity gossip just as much as anyone else...I often indulge in the celebrity-focused programming on E! and VH1.

Living in Los Angeles ("the entertainment capital of the world"), it's difficult for me to avoid "the industry" and its trappings. As I've shared, I live in greater Hollywood, but we all know that "Hollywood" is more of an idea than an actual neighborhood. Alas, only one of our city's many studios (Paramount) remains in Hollywood, and I'm much more likely to spot celebrities in the posher enclaves of the Westside and the Valley than in my own neighborhood, which is decidedly working-class and a little rough around the edges.

Many of my fellow Angelenos were drawn to this metropolis by dreams of making it in "the industry," and I'm not afraid to admit that I don't like most of them. Many who work in the entertainment biz seem infused with a sense of self-importance and afflicted with "name-dropping disease." My main issue with our country's celebrity obsession is that it distracts all of us from everything else going on in our cities, our nation, and our world...I think most things are more important than entertainment. I don't think highly of someone who can't carry on a conversation about life outside "Hollywood."

All my disclaimers aside, I do find myself interacting with "Hollywood types" in their environments and enjoying it. I'd like to "name-drop" a talented young director I happen to know, Keith Schofield. Keith specializes in music videos and I really enjoy his work. I'm not the only one, as evidenced by the fact that his video for The Notwist's "One with the Freaks" was screened at the 2004 L.A. Film Festival and that his videos for DJ Format's "3 Feet Deep" and One Block Radius's "Loud and Clear" were both screened at the 2005 L.A. Film Festival. You can see all his work at his website and I encourage you to do so.

Last December I had the pleasure of assisting Keith with his "Loud and Clear" shoot. I really enjoyed seeing him work and I was impressed by his professionalism. I can appreciate the amount of work that each of his videos requires; his dedication is impressive when you consider that he also has a "day job" as a video editor.

Earlier today Keith e-mailed me to alert me to some recently uncovered photos from the shoot. I'd like to share a couple of them today:

Here's Keith (at left) directing Marty James of One Block Radius in preparation for the opening scene of the "Loud and Clear" video. We were shooting on 32nd Street between Main and Maple -- allow me to add that I was quite impressed by Keith's ability to find locations that reflected the "urban" feel of the group, the song, and the city itself. Bear in mind that this photo was taken late in the day; I know this isn't the most flattering photo of Keith, but at least he didn't look as run-down as I did:

As you can see, my main job was "cue card guy." One Block Radius had to perform the song completely out of sequence, so my assistance was necessary. While my role in the production may not have been very glamorous, it was a fun way to spend a Sunday...and I got two free meals out of the deal! Oh, how I love free food.

Over the weekend, I enjoyed a true "Hollywood" experience that was even better than being on one of Keith's shoots: the NBC Pre-Emmy Party! The party was held at Spago, the famous Beverly Hills restaurant owned by Wolfgang Puck. As you might imagine, I don't spend a lot of time in Beverly Hills, so merely going to Spago was a big thrill for me.

I believe I already mentioned how much I love free food...and there was lots of it at the party and it was all delicious! There was also an open bar. Trust me, bureaucrats don't often go to a party like that!

The best part, of course, was being in the presence of celebrities. I've lived in Los Angeles for eight years but I haven't seen a single "famous person" the entire time (of course, I wasn't really looking for any). If I may name-drop: Danica McKellar (a.k.a. Winnie Cooper of "The Wonder Years"), Carson Daly, Glenn Close, Eric McCormack (a.k.a. Will of "Will & Grace"), Marlon Wayans, and last (but not least) Donald mother-fucking Trump! (pardon my French, but "The Donald" is one of the few celebs I could be accused of idolizing)

I could say more but I'll just refer you to Paul Davidson's account. It seems that I wasn't the only "un-famous" blogger at the party!

My ticket into the party happened to be my beautiful date, Chizi. My loyal readers know that the two of us have been gushing over each other all over the Internet...I will now admit that my girlfriend works in "the industry." While I never had a firm policy against dating women in the biz, I didn't think it would ever happen; rest assured that Chizi is not one of those self-important name-dropping types. As if being associated with such an all-around wonderful woman wasn't great enough, I have to concede that I enjoy the "perks" of dating a Hollywood maven, such as access to star-studded parties and kick-ass seats at the Hollywood Bowl. I wonder if she can help me get on "The Price is Right" and meet Bob Barker. Hooray for Hollywood and Hooray for Chizi!

Be advised that I do not consider this post as evidence that I am a "starfucker" at heart. With all due respect to my many friends in the blogosphere who post about the doings of our nation's "taste-makers," you're not going to see any celebrity gossip on Paradox Unbound anytime soon. Well, maybe a post about the new season of "The Apprentice" (premiering Thursday!) and what a "pimp" I think Mr. Trump is...but that's it! Regardless, I'm not ashamed to admit that I've had some very enjoyable adventures in "Hollywoodland."

More Fun With Cars

Times Square West?

I was glad to see the L.A. Live development on the front page of the Daily News yesterday:

The South Park district of Downtown has long been regarded as an area of great potential and has figured prominently in every vision of the city's urban future. The great shame is that South Park, like most parts of Downtown, was nearly obliterated for the "greater good" of "redevelopment." The blocks pictured above were not always parking lots.

The Convention Center was placed in South Park, adjacent to two freeways but entirely isolated from the rest of Downtown. The opening of the posh and popular Staples Center in 1999 gave civic leaders hope that the area could finally be revitalized by supporting Philip Anschutz's drream of a "sports and entertainment district" comparable to New York City's Times Square.

Since Staples Center opened its doors, the neighborhood has experienced a residential boom (related post). Attention has sifted from the renovation of historic buildings into lofts in the Historic Core to the construction of brand-new condo towers in South Park. Soon Ralphs will open a store in the community; this will be the first full-service supermarket to serve Downtown in decades. It is not surprising that half of the L.A. Live project will consist of housing units, and the addition of so many new residents is crucial to creating a sense of vitality that will make the entire L.A. Live project successful.

The Daily News is based in the San Fernando Valley and this article is interesting because it looks at L.A. Live from a "Valley perspective." While it may seem that what's good for Downtown is good for all of Los Angeles, many in the Valley will consider the City's support of this project as only the most recent example of how the suburbs are ignored at the expense of our civic leaders' obsession with making our Downtown befitting of a "world-class city." Such feelings were part of the recent (unsuccessful) campaign to have the Valley secede from the City of Los Angeles.

I believe L.A. Live will prove to be an asset for everyone in the metropolis; however, we must always question government subsidies for private development projects like these.

Link to article here (text follows)

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Coming to life

Billion-dollar plans set for 'Times Square West'
Entertainment complex pictured as downtown hub

By Beth Barrett
Staff Writer

In a bold bid to brand Los Angeles as a world-class live entertainment center, the owner of Staples Center detailed plans Tuesday for a $1 billion, 5.5 million-square-foot sports-entertainment-residential complex that would be one of the largest developments in downtown history.

The LA Live development by the Anschutz Entertainment Group - scheduled to make the formal announcement Thursday at the project's groundbreaking with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other city leaders in attendance - would include retail, live theater, premiere movies, restaurants and housing.

It is envisioned as becoming "Times Square West" and the permanent home for a variety of award shows with a Grammy museum that could include an annual "induction" ceremony, in addition to facilities for a major sports/entertainment broadcasting company yet to be disclosed.

"We think L.A. should be the event capital of the world," Timothy Leiweke, president of the company owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, said in an interview with Daily News editors and reporters.

"Award shows, tourism and content are going to be the most important industries we have. We're not going to be the steel city, we're not going to be the chip city, we're unfortunately not going to be the new technology city, because we missed that boat."

Leiweke said LA Live - a complex with the square footage of downtown Long Beach - is envisioned to dovetail with a proposed 1,100-room, 56-story Hilton hotel adjacent to the ailing Convention Center.

The hotel has become controversial since developers Apollo Real Estate and Wolff Urban Development entered into a proposed deal with the city that includes a $16 million loan from the Community Redevelopment Agency, $4 million in fee waivers and the forfeiting of nearly a quarter-billion dollars in room taxes the hotel is projected to generate over 25 years.

Leiweke said while LA Live doesn't hinge on the hotel's development - most of the complex would be completed within the next two to three years - it would be a "crime" if the city passes on the private capital committed to the hotel.

The Convention Center costs the city more than $30 million a year in debt service and net operating losses, and trails even Des Moines, Iowa, in convention business.

"(The center) will never come back. This is our last, great shot at getting a private entity to put up what is going to be $400 million-plus in cash to build a hotel," he said, adding that the center ultimately should be privatized to reduce the burden on taxpayers.

Plans for the hotel and the massive complex - which AEG hopes to use as a model for its international ventures, including London's Millennium Dome - have renewed debate over downtown development, as well as Villaraigosa's promise to bring similar economic energy to the San Fernando Valley and other underserved areas of the city.

Robert "Bud" Ovrom, deputy mayor of housing and economic development, said while LA Live is being focused on, 50 to 75 projects throughout the city, including the Valley, are getting just as much attention.

"We're pushing major projects throughout all the areas of Los Angeles," Ovrom said. "Yes, LA Live is one of them, and they're very big, but we're equally pushing all projects in South L.A., East L.A., the Valley, Hollywood and the Westside."

He said projects such as Valley Plaza, NoHo Commons and the Panorama Mall in the Valley, a biomedical campus at USC, and several major retail outlets in East and South Los Angeles are among the projects being pursued aggressively.

"We're putting equal if not greater effort in other areas ... it takes more to get it done. LA Live is basically doing their own thing."

Leiweke said city leaders historically have "failed us miserably" in luring developments to various areas of the city and that regions such as the Valley need "to fight back and help find these private-public partnerships."

"Why can't we find these big projects and spread them out a little bit?" said Leiweke, who suggested that Villaraigosa set up a panel of the city's top leaders to develop "a master vision" for how private-public partnerships can be used "to get things done all over the city."

Bruce Ackerman, president and CEO of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, said he agrees the Valley hasn't pursued projects on a "grand scale," but cited incremental gains such as the Children's Museum at Hansen Dam, a project AEG contributed $250,000 toward and that is set to break ground next month.

Ackerman blamed NIMBYism and the absence of a central business hub for some of the Valley's difficulties.

"Where is the downtown in the Valley?" he said. "There isn't a single area ... you can focus attention to generate the attention downtown gets."

Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., said the Valley and other regions need a "godfather" to push projects aggressively.

Kyser said that after LA Live, the envisioned but yet unfunded $1 billion Grand Avenue development, and a project along First Street into East L.A., "you start to run pretty thin on ideas."

"You need leaders in the San Fernando Valley to say, 'OK, this has a lot of currency for the Valley,' and then you have to get community buy-in," Kyser said.

But critics including Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, continue to question the need for government help in financing the hotel.

"People make these kinds of predictions about revitalization, and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't," Coupal said. "Why can't (AEG) make the pitch to the hotel developers, 'I'm dropping $1 billion - why not find venture capitalists to build the hotel?"'

Acknowledging the risk in the sports/entertainment complex, Leiweke said the city stands to make $25 million to $50 million more annually in property and sales tax.

At the heart of LA Live, Leiweke said, is a "dream" to create an immediate impact on the image of L.A. and Southern California by interlocking a number of venues, events and attractions in the complex around Staples, including:

The 7,100-seat Nokia Theatre Los Angeles, aimed at capturing award shows ranging from the Emmys, Latin Grammys and ESPYs to the MTV Music and BET awards, as well as concerts, comedy shows and other events. AEG plans to spend more than $100 million on the theater.

The Grammys Museum, which has been agreed to "in principle" with the Grammy organization, to honor not only winners, but also to try to secure L.A. as the permanent home of the Grammys, possibly by adding a second "induction" ceremony. AEG hopes the museum will attract 1 million tourists a year.

A 3,700-seat cinema complex with 15 screens, including a 750-seat theater for movie premieres and screenings.

Nine high-end restaurants and bars, and a smaller Club Nokia, as well as 400,000 square feet of retail space to serve tourists, USC students and downtown residents.

Offices for AEG's headquarters, as well as some companies it does business with, including attorneys and architectural and design firms.

Housing, including lofts and condos accounting for about half the project.

Leiweke said LA Live only works downtown because of the synergy with Staples Center and the Convention Center, but that private-public partnerships that don't put taxpayers at risk are needed throughout the region.

"Our project should be the rally cry to answer the need everywhere."

Best Week Ever!

Just when I thought things couldn't get any better, this afternoon they did. Check it out:

I've been waiting several months for a transfer out of Zoning Enforcement. These previous posts tell the story:

Let Go, Move On

Confessions of a "Short Timer"

The Last Hurrah for "Mr. Florence-Firestone"

a.k.a. Demolition Man

As great as it feels to know that I will soon move from Zoning Enforcement to Countywide Studies and tackle new challenges, it feels even better to be promoted to Principal Regional Planning Assistant. I was promoted to Senior Planning Assistant just under a year ago! It's great to have my commitment and effort recognized and rewarded.

P.U. Hits its Stride

Thanks to StatCounter, I've observed a major upswing in traffic here at Paradox Unbound. Yesterday I had 54 unique visitors (a record) and today I've had 32 unique visitors and it's only 11:15 a.m.

I was pleased to learn that more people are reading P.U. because others in the blogosphere enjoy what I have to say and are referring people to my blog. Though I tooted my own horn as recently as last Saturday, I'm compelled to do so again:

Yesterday my post on the Caltrans Building in Downtown L.A. was mentioned in this post on blogdowntown. I'm flattered!

When it rains, it pours...Franklin Avenue (a previous recipient of P.U.'s prestigious "Blog of the Week" award) gave me props yesterday too! Franklin Avenue may very well be the best blog in (and about) Los Angeles and being mentioned there means a lot to me.

But none of the references from other bloggers mean as much to me as this one, posted earlier today:

Now that Chizi has revealed my identity on her blog, I suppose I am entitled to do the same. After all, I suppose I "started it" by posting her photo last week. Please excuse the both of us for gushing; when you have something this good, you can't help but want to share it with the whole world. I never would have thought that my blog, and my posts about malls in particular, would bring someone so wonderful into my life. The Internet is powerful indeed.

I want to thank each and every one of my readers for their support and encouragement. I have a feeling that I will be blogging for a very long time.

Urban Sprawl and Obesity

Props to Thurman for referring me to this interesting study. Researchers have only begun to realize the correlation between the growing problem of obesity in this country and our sedentary suburban lifestyle. Read on:

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OSU STUDY EXAMINES RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OBESITY AND URBAN SPRAWL

09-08-05

By Peg Herring, 541-737-9180

SOURCES: Andrew Plantinga 541-737-1423 / Stephanie Bernell 541-737-9162

CORVALLIS - Is suburban life making people overweight? Or could it be that overweight people tend to choose the suburban life?

In a study recently published in the Journal of Regional Science, researchers from Oregon State University found that the relationship between obesity and urban sprawl may be a two-way street.

Economists Andrew Plantinga from OSU's Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Stephanie Bernell from OSU's Department of Public Health expanded previous studies that showed that people living in areas of urban sprawl tend to have higher body mass indices. Their analysis suggests that the relationship between obesity and urban sprawl may be due to personal preferences when choosing a home location rather than to direct impacts of the suburban environment on physical activity and weight.

Location, location, location. Research by Plantinga and Bernell suggests that an individual's body weight is a factor determining the desirability of a residential location. They found the relationship between obesity and urban sprawl can be explained by the way people sort themselves by personal preference.

In a follow-up study, Plantinga and Bernell used a national data set to test whether body mass index influences the decisions of adults to locate in counties with a high or low degree of sprawl. To measure body weight, the researchers used data from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which has tracked statistics on thousands of individuals since their youth in 1979. The researchers examined many factors, among them ethnicity, gender, age, income, education, marital status and body weight.

"Among people who moved recently, we find that in addition to a high body mass index, being female, younger, and married increases the probability of choosing to reside in a sprawling county," Bernell said.

"In many sprawling areas, distances are too great for people to walk to work or to the store," Plantinga explained. "Transportation infrastructure is often designed for automobiles, with the result that walking and bicycling are impractical and unsafe. The incentives are for people to drive instead of walk. In contrast, in urban neighborhoods like the Pearl District in Portland, Ore., people can walk to work, school, or shopping. In many cases, it's easier to walk to the store than to drive."

Previous studies had suggested that the relationship between obesity and urban sprawl is related to suburban environments that discourage routine physical activity such as walking and biking. However, previous studies did not consider the choices people make in selecting where to live.

"When you select a residential location, you are really choosing a bundle of attributes," Plantinga said. "The house you choose may be near a shopping center or a park, or it may have a three-car garage and a bonus room. The market prices each of these attributes. It follows that individuals, given their income, will choose locations that provide the attributes of greatest value to them. People who value walking will tend to choose walkable neighborhoods. People who do not care for walking will tend not to."

These findings have implications for urban planners and public health officials, according to Plantinga. Many recent planning initiatives include funding for bicycle and pedestrian facilities in order to increase physical activity. However, making communities more exercise-friendly may simply attract people who are predisposed to physical activity.

Plantinga and Bernell's follow-up study, "The Association Between Urban Sprawl and Obesity: Is it a Two-way Street?" is available online on Bernell's homepage: http://www.hhs.oregonstate.edu/faculty-staff/userinfo.php?id=22

Google Does Blogs

Thurman tipped me off to Google's latest innovation:

http://www.google.com/blogsearch

Allow me to mention that Paradox Unbound exists due to the generosity of Thurman (for hosting me on azfoo.net) and the generosity of Google (for allowing me to use Blogger to maintain this site free of charge).

P.U. Blog of the Week: September 13-19, 2005

Recently a group of Los Angeles civic leaders formed the Grand Avenue Committee to create a plan for the redevelopment of several key Downtown blocks between the Civic Center and Bunker Hill. One element of this plan is refurbishing the large park officially known as the "Paseo de los Pobladores" but most commonly referred to as the "Civic Center Mall."

With the help of Google Earth, I'd like to share an image of the existing Civic Center Mall (click on it for a larger view):

For the record, I work in one of the buildings abutting the Civic Center Mall (the County Hall of Records). While I can certainly appreciate the existing park, it doesn't live up to its potential as an exciting, useful, and unifying public space for the entire city; it seems no one beyond us bureaucrats is even aware of its existence. There is much room for improvement.

Therefore I would like to spotlight Bunker Hill Park this week. It is important for the Grand Avenue Committee to seek public input as it plans to remake the Civic Center Mall; fortunately, seven bloggers are supplying it by posting their thoughts and ideas. I hope our civic leaders are paying attention.

I really like how this blog highlights the power the Internet has to be a compelling and participatory forum for ideas about public policy and urban development. Power to the people!

You Are What You Drive

The prevalence of vanity license plates in greater Los Angeles is indicative of my city's love of "car culture." I'd like to share a cameraphone shot of a humorous vanity plate that I recently spotted in the parking lot of Vitello's in Studio City:

City or Cinema?

Photo Credit: G.D. Thurman

Today the Los Angeles Downtown News featured an interesting article about the appeal of the new Caltrans Building to film-makers. Indeed, all of Southern California could be considered one big "set" and images of the city have long been transmitted through movies, magazines, and television shows and commercials. It is entirely normal to see people filming in the city, even in your own neighborhood. Downtown Los Angeles has a special allure, as it contains so many different environments; I myself played a role in a "shoot" in Downtown with this "up-and-coming" director.

I'm not a big fan of the Caltrans Building although its architect, Thom Mayne, won the prestigious Pritzker Prize last year largely due to his work on its design. Frankly, I just don't think it "fits in" with the other buildings in the Civic Center, the location of my workplace and an environment I'm very familiar with. However, I must admit that architect Frank Gehry's Disney Hall (another recent addition to the Civic Center) also didn't impress me initially but that I've grown to like it. The Caltrans Building may stand the test of time; at least it's very "film-able."

I think it's problematic to judge a building on its artistic merits over its relevance to its urban context. Buildings are meant to be experienced, not portrayed. While urban planners recongnize the value of how cities are portrayed through cinema (as evidenced here), the hunans who occupy them have proven to be the best critics.

Link to article here (text follows)

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From 'Deathstar' to Screen Star

Caltrans Headquarters Is Hollywood's New 'It' Building

By Chris Coates
Staff Writer

This time last year, some were likening the Caltrans District 7 headquarters at First and Main streets to a "deathstar." Critics were having a field day tossing barbs at the imposing 13-story metallic edifice that occupied an entire block in Downtown.

Now fully occupied, and even occasionally praised (architect Thom Mayne won the prestigious Pritzker Prize), the building is still attracting attention, only this time from a different crowd: movie location scouts.

Since it opened last fall, the striking $190 million glass and steel building has scored cameos ranging from a fast-paced car commercial to upcoming projects including a music video by R&B singer Usher and the Jim Carrey vehicle Fun With Dick and Jane, said Deborah Harris, a spokeswoman for Caltrans. The building also scored credits in Mr. & Mrs. Smith and episodes of "Alias."

Most recently, the Caltrans headquarters popped up in Michael Bay's explosion-riddled The Island, released July 22. In one brief scene, human clones Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta (Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, respectively) take respite in Caltrans' neon-lit plaza (between jumping off buildings, steering flying motorcycles and dodging flipping LAPD squad cars).

Since the movie takes place partially in the Downtown Los Angeles of 2050, the new Caltrans building was ideal, in terms of both the film's look and its geography, said Andrew Ullman, The Island's location manager.

"It fit into the immediate futuristic world," said Ullman, who also worked on The Sixth Sense, Jerry Maguire and The Cat in the Hat. Filming took place last November, shortly after the headquarters opened. "It has an obvious inherent architectural beauty," Ullman added.

Director Bay used other Downtown sites in the film, including the Eastern Columbia Building and Union Station. (Although downtown Detroit stood in for Downtown Los Angeles in a few scenes.)

Even though the cameo takes up only a few moments of the film, for state officials, the big-budget screen time helps bring recognition to California. "The Island was a great project because we were able to get on the state property," said Michael Kelly, deputy director of the California Film Commission, a state-run agency that manages movie productions on state properties. "It was kind of promoting this great property."

Kelly said that the state does not charge a location or permit fee, although producers must pay for security. The state also requires that a representative from Caltrans be on set, which costs producers $70 per hour, Kelly said.

Of course, Downtown is a favorite filming spot for Hollywood productions, as anyone who has ever spent time in the community can attest. Indeed, areas such as the Second Street tunnel seem to have a film crew in place every weekend. A study released in May by the Entertainment Industry Development Corporation, which handles production permits, found that Downtown was used in at least half of the 131 recent television pilots filmed in the area.

Taking it to the Streets

Downtown Los Angeles is in the midst of a residential boom, bringing much-needed vitality to a neighborhood that seems nearly abandoned most weeknights, weekends, and holidays. Originally, the focus of this activity was the rehabilitation and conversion of historic buildings into lofts; recently, it has shifted towards the construction of brand new residential buildings "from the ground up." As a professional urban planner, I am intimately familiar with the intricacies and issues involved in getting any sort of structure "permitted" in this city.

Today the Los Angeles Downtown News featured an excellent article that described some of the conflicts inherent in the current "renassiance," namely whether the government should be focused on designing streets for cars or designing streets for people. Indeed, Downtown is one of the few places in the metropolis where an engaging and urbane community might yet flourish; I refuse to believe that urban planners like myself are the only ones who have an interest in the outcome.

Link to article here (text follows)

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Street Widening Policy Challenged

Perry Pushes Pedestrian Walkways Over DOT Practice

By Katherine Maese
City Editor

The city policy on street widening requirements for new housing projects is meeting resistance from some developers and city planners who say the practice is at odds with efforts to create more vibrant sidewalk activity throughout Downtown.

Until now, the need for street widening has been relatively rare. But with a slate of new ground-up projects buzzing along on numerous once-vacant lots, particularly in South Park, the clash with pedestrian improvements is coming to the forefront.

The current policy doesn't sit well with Ninth District City Councilwoman Jan Perry, who has introduced a motion asking the Bureau of Engineering to halt all street-widening projects until the Department of Transportation (DOT) and other city agencies can find a solution. The motion is headed for the City Council's Public Works Committee, and later the Transportation, and Planning and Land Use Management committees.

"We looked at the whole situation, and realized we needed to streamline the process and try to create a much nicer environment for residents in Downtown," said Karen Yamamoto, a city planner with the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which is studying the issue. "We would prefer to see wider sidewalks and more amenities to create urban street life."

Currently, the DOT requires developers to widen thoroughfares around ground-up projects to account for the resulting boost in traffic from residents and customers frequenting street-level shops. The result is that in some cases, a 15-foot sidewalk could shrink five feet.

A DOT proposal to accommodate more cars and traffic around the planned police headquarters, the new Caltrans building and the ongoing St. Vibiana's project would widen the north side of Second Street by six feet between Spring and Main, and by 5.6 feet between Main and Los Angeles.

Tom Cody, a principal with the South Group, which plans to build more than 1,200 apartments and condominiums in South Park in coming years, called Perry's policy examination long overdue. The street widening requirements, he said, will have a lasting impact on the area's long-term development.

"Whatever the economic hardships on the developer, it pales in importance to the legacy this policy will have on the urban environment," Cody said. "What we're dealing with is largely a car culture that is not necessarily conducive to building a great neighborhood. Of course we have to move people around the city, but we need to recognize that there is a cost to that."

For its 176-unit project on 11th Street between Grand and Hope, called Elleven, South Group was required to give up 16,000 square feet of land to right-of-way dedications and setbacks. Cody said while there are cases where major arterial streets do need to be widened to accommodate density, the city has an opportunity to promote "smart growth" by encouraging the use of mass transit and building restaurants, gyms and other amenities on the ground floor.

Major Study

Despite the support from some quarters, Perry's request may be a tall order, particularly with a short examination deadline, said James Okazaki, DOT's assistant general manager. A study on this scale would require at least a year to complete as well as a serious infusion of staffing and funding, he said.

"What Jan is asking in this motion is noteworthy," Okazaki said. "We have been looking at trying to do this but for us it has been a matter of resources. But there is also a real need for goods movement like FedEx and UPS deliveries, buses and traffic. It's a balancing act of trying to make sure we have adequate access, and circulation for passenger cars as well."

Okazaki said with more parking lots being snatched up by developers for housing, coupled with a growing workforce and residential population, traffic is projected to increase up to 40% citywide in the next two decades. It's a reality planners will have to come to grips with, especially Downtown.Okazaki noted that Downtown's sidewalks are actually larger than the city norm of 10 feet. In the Central City, sidewalks range from 12 to 15 feet, while larger promenades such as Broadway can reach 25 feet. In the case of the Elleven project, Okazaki said the department asked for about three feet of widening.

"I don't think we have been widening the streets in Downtown more than a foot here or a foot there," he said. "The thing is, city government has to be fair. That's what we worried about. Policy has to be good for everyone and not just one developer."

Perry's proposed moratorium on street widening follows two other endeavors addressing quality of life for pedestrians. The Planning Department is working to update the city's antiquated zoning code by allowing developers in dense urban areas like Downtown to front the sidewalk and set up restaurants and other retail amenities that generate activity on the ground. The move also makes it more attractive for developers to invest Downtown, because it allows them to build more units.

The CRA is devising guidelines that would unify streetscape design in new housing developments with elements such as public art, lamps, trees, paving and even turning foreboding alleyways into a web of pedestrian walkways and mid-block paseos. It is expected to be approved later this year.

My Trip to Ground Zero

Ground Zero (a Flickr photoset with 39 photos)

On May 25, 2005 I visited the site of the World Trade Center in New York City. To commemorate the fourth anniversay of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, this evening I would like to share some of the photos I took.

As this was my first time in New York City, I'd never seen the Twin Towers and had a hard time comprehending what was destroyed. It still seems improbable that two of the tallest buildings in the world collapsed on one of the most gruesome days in U.S. history. These images reminded me of what happened:

I consider myself fortunate to have visited the site before it was redeveloped:

I documented future plans for the site:

Visiting Ground Zero gave me a new perspective on the events of September 11, 2001. I was better able to appreciate the sense of loss for New York City and the entire nation: a loss of life, a loss of buildings, a loss of a distinctive urban space, a loss of a sense of innocence. The Twin Towers were a tempting target because they represented the ambitions of a great nation.

Seeing the plans to rebuild gave me a guarded sense of optimism. Life has gone on, our nation's will remains unshaken, and it behooves us to bring renewal to our nation's largest and most impressive city.

Walking around Ground Zero, I was able to recall many of the thoughts and emotions I had on that fateful day four years ago. Unfortunately, many of those thoughts and emotions returned to me recently as a result of Hurricane Katrina, another tragic disaster that affected my family directly. I am fortunate to not have lost anyone to either event.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the thousands of victims of the unspeakable terrorist acts of September 11, 2001. We will never forget what happened four years ago today.

Ground Zero (a Flickr photoset with 39 photos)

Tribute to Times Square

Times Square (a Flickr photoset with 51 photos)

In May I took a week-long vacation to the East Coast, visiting New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. I've mentioned it often on this blog because it was a life-changing experience that I will always hold dear.

I took over 1,000 photographs during my trip. I intend to eventually have them all uploaded to my space on Flickr. Today I'd like to share my photos of Times Square. The following dozen are my favorites; you can see these and 39 more by clicking the links at the top and bottom of this post.

These pictures provide only a sense of how exciting it is to be in Times Square, perhaps the boldest and most engaging urban environment in the country. It's an important place for city lovers and sign lovers like myself. Times Square is also significant because of its importance to musical theatre lovers.

I'll continue to share my adventures on the East Coast in future posts. I will share my trip to Ground Zero tomorrow, the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Times Square (a Flickr photoset with 51 photos)

I'm Authoritative!

Props to StatCounter for allowing me to see how people find Paradox Unbound. Earlier today I was intrigued that someone was referred to this post about La Barca Restaurant from none other than Google Local. I had to check it out myself:

Props to the good people at Google Local for making my La Barca post the #1 reference for one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. Considering all the treasured memories La Barca has given me, this is the least I can do to honor it.

I'd also like to toot my own horn a little bit more by sharing a reference to this post about the Red Line subway that was posted on August 29 over at Dropping the Gloves. Thanks for the shout out!

Part of the reason I started blogging was that I believed my thoughts and ideas could help others if I made the effort to share them. My travels in the blogosphere have taught me a lot and enriched my life in a way I didn't think was possible.

I'd like to give a special thanks to my handful of loyal readers. I greatly enjoy the conversation we're having with each other.

a.k.a. Demolition Man

Recently I requested a transfer out of Zoning Enforcement, having served several communities in South Los Angeles and the South Bay for nearly four years. Read about my decision here and here. The latest gossip at the office indicates that a transfer list will be distributed next week.

Last month I made a presentation to the Regional Planning Commission about some of the work I've done and wrote a post reflecting on what it was like to be "Mr. Florence-Firestone." Today I'd like to share what it was like to also be "Demolition Man."

My partner in the Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET), who works for the Property Rehabilitation Section of Building and Safety, gave me the nickname of "Demolition Man" several months ago. He did so in recognition of the fact that I am solely responsible for the destruction of hundreds of illegal carports and patios throughout Florence-Firestone.

The following series of "before and after" photos documents three illegal carports that were removed pursuant to enforcement actions I initiated. All three houses are located on the same block, East 90th Street and Hooper Avenue, in Florence-Firestone. The "before" photos were taken on Tuesday, July 14, 2005 and the "after" photos were taken three weeks later, on Tuesday, August 9, 2005.

The reason that these carports were maintained in violation of the Zoning Code is that they were built within the required side yard setback area. Setbacks are those portions of a residential property where structures are not permitted -- typically 20 feet in from the front property line, 15 feet in from the rear property line, and 5 feet in along either side property line. I knew that the carports were built without the appropriate permits because such structures could not have recieved Zoning approval.

Generally, these carports could be considered "eyesores" as well since they are of substandard construction. To an extent, they are safety hazards, but Zoning laws are primarily concerned with aesthetics and "curb appeal." In some instances these structures have stood for 10, 20, even 30 years and people bought these houses not knowing the attached carport wasn't OK. It's very important for me not to regard property owners as criminals and to stress how their voluntary compliance can help the whole neighborhood.

The NET, though, is primarily an educational effort. While it may seem punitive to order property owners to demolish structures, it is an experience they can benefit from. Hundreds of people are now more concious of Zoning requirements and the need for building permits and will know what to look for and what questions to ask when they buy their next home. If they remain in their current homes, they'll know to get Zoning approval and building permits for any construction they do. Few will be so bold as to re-build their carports now that they know the setback requirements are being actively enforced in their community.

It's always surprising to return to a property with an illegal carport I cited and see that it was quickly demolished. It's amazing to see a neighborhood change because of what you do. The impact is most impressive in its cumulative sense: hundreds of structures have been removed throughout Florence-Firestone over the last few years because I ordered them down. The entire community looks better.

However, I must admit that being an authority figure, telling people what to do with their own properties under the authority of the government, has not been something I'm fully comfortable with. Sometimes I have to question whether I am doing individuals more harm than good by demanding they remove a carport or patio they've used for years. I truly do believe that the NET is making Florence-Firestone better, but the day-to-day realities of the job wear on me. I have mixed feelings about being "Demolition Man."

A Night at "The Bowl"

Last night I had the pleasure of enjoying a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, a landmark amphitheatre nestled in Cahuenga Pass. I've been to a handful of performances there (the most recent being Radiohead in spring 2004) and it's always a memorable experience. The Bowl may be the best place in Los Angeles to enjoy music in a natural setting.

Last night's program was the "Beethoven Triple," the last performance of this summer's "Classical Tuesdays" series at The Bowl. The Los Angeles Philharmonic is amazing; this was my first time seeing them in action.

The program began with "Overture, The Bartered Bride" by composer Bedrich Smetana. The next piece was the rarely-performed "Triple Concerto" by the legendary Ludwig van Beethoven. The final performance was "Symphony No. 8" by Antonin Dvorak. While I can't claim to know a whole lot about classical music, I can say that each piece was beautiful and moving. I am very impressed by the talent these composers had; it must take a lot of skill and hard work to create such beautiful music. I also admire the talent and effort each member of the Philharmonic exhibited in bringing the music to life.

Our seats were amazing, so close to the front that we could see the conductor's facial expressions. You might notice the tickets were $92 a piece, but we were fortunate enough to be able to attend for free, thanks to one of my "connections" in the entertainment industry.

Part of the fun of going to The Bowl is bringing your own dinner and drinks. We enjoyed sipping champagne in alumium cans with straws, as it allowed us to demonstrate that we belonged down with the "bluebloods" and not up in the cheap seats with the "rabble."

I am looking forward to returning to The Bowl for this performance next Thursday.

While it's always great to go to The Bowl and to enjoy beautiful music, it's best to share the experience with someone special. I offer the following blurry photo as proof:

She's awfully pretty, isn't she? She also has a wonderful personality and obviously has great taste in men!

On Sale This Week at Albertsons

Today the International Council of Shopping Centers reported that Albertsons, the nation's third largest grocer, is considering selling itself as a whole or piece-by-piece. The company, which began in 1939 as a single store in Boise, Idaho, is now comprised of 2,500 supermarket and drug stores across the nation. While the majority of its stores operate as Albertsons, the company also operates the ACME, Bristol Farms, Jewel, Shaw's, Star, and Super Saver supermarket chains as well as the Osco and Sav-On drug store chains.

Many of Albertsons's current woes are undoubtedly related to mismanagement and a poorly executed merger with American Stores in 1999. However, the company's main problem is that it decided to build a supermarket empire at a time when such stores were beginning to face an unprecedented challenge. Wal-Mart continues to increase its share of the grocery business, largely through its Supercenter stores; Albertsons is only the latest once-mighty supermarket chain to suffer at the hands of the nation's largest grocer and the world's largest retailer.

Southern California has been a particularly tough region for Albertsons. It had been a player in the market prior to its merger with American Stores, albiet a minor one. The company's decision to shelve American's beloved Lucky banner throughout California and rebrand those stores under its own name was misguided and resulted in lost sales. Shoppers were also aliented by being asked to forfeit their Lucky "Rewards Card" (Albertsons policy in 1999 was to eschew "loyalty cards") only to be asked to obtain an Albertsons "Preferred Card" only a few years later. Albertsons closed many Southern California units before the prolonged supermarket strike and lock-out, which ran from late 2003 well into 2004, alienated even more customers and sullied the chain's reputation; sales still haven't recovered. Last year Albertsons acquired chic Southern California supermaket chain Bristol Farms in an effort to tilt its stores "upscale" so that they could better compete with Wal-Mart; alas, that move may have been "too little, too late" to salvage the company's fortunes in Southern California or elsewhere.

News item follows:

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Albertsons puts itself up for sale

SCT Newswire

Albertsons said it is considering “strategic alternatives,” including an outright sale. The Boise, Idaho–based supermarket conglomerate has retained Goldman Sachs & Co. and The Blackstone Group as financial advisers to assist in the process.

The company reported a 16 percent gain in gross profit for its first quarter, to $2.81 billion. Total sales also grew 16 percent to $10 billion, while same-store sales rose 1.8 percent.

Albertsons' divisions and subsidiaries operate approximately 2,500 stores in 37 states. Its banners include Albertsons, Acme, Jewel-Osco, Osco Drug, Sav-on Drugs, Shaw's and Star Markets, as well as Bristol Farms and Super Saver, which are operated independently.

P.U. Blog of the Week: September 6-12, 2005

This week's blog is Arkansas TV NEWS. I take its existence as ample proof that if there is a need for any kind of information on the Internet, a blogger will be found to supply it. I am impressed by the amount of time and effort its anonymous owner has given to keep his or her readers informed about "the TV News biz of Little Rock and the Ark-La-Tex (Shreveport, LA)."

Coming Soon: Metro Orange Line

Today the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that the Metro Orange Line would begin operating on Saturday, October 29. The Orange Line is a dedicated busway that will travel across the San Fernando Valley along an abandoned railroad right-of-way. The 14-mile-long corridor will run east from Warner Center to North Hollywood, where it will feed into the Metro Red Line, a subway leading to Hollywood, Wilshire Center, and Downtown Los Angeles (click here for route map). The corridor will feature 13 rail-like passenger stations and extra-long articulated "Metro Liner" buses like the one pictured above.

The Orange Line is being touted as a low-cost alternative to light rail and subway lines in the ongoing battle against traffic in greater Los Angeles. Recently elected Mayor Antonio Villariagosa has made the expansion of the Metro system a priority and everyone is anxious to see whether the Orange Line will be a success. See also: Dreaming of a Subway to the Sea

The following is today's MTA press release:

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Official Opening Date for Metro Orange Line set for Oct. 29

Free public rides, community festivities planned for opening day weekend

Heralding a new era in transit service for the San Fernando Valley, Metro plans to officially open the Metro Orange Line Saturday, Oct. 29 to free public rides and festive community celebrations.

The new 14-mile transitway will start across the street from the terminus of the Metro Red Line subway in North Hollywood and pass through the communities of Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Encino, and Tarzana to Warner Center in Woodland Hills, offering Valley commuters a time and money-saving commuting alternative to the 101 Freeway.

“The opening of the Metro Orange Line represents a milestone for the citizens of the San Fernando Valley, who have waited decades for an innovative transportation solution to help relieve some of the most congested freeway corridors in the country,” said Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of the City of Los Angeles and Chairman of the Metro Board of Directors. “With gasoline prices spiking to $3 and more per gallon, the Orange Line will arrive just in time to help Valley commuters save money and commute time. I urge all Angelenos to join me in riding the Metro Orange Line and the entire Metro Bus and Rail System whenever possible.”

The public will get their first opportunity to ride the new line for free Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29-30, where opening weekend service will be frequent.

“I and many San Fernando Valley citizens have dedicated the better part of the last seven years to bringing this transit project to a successful conclusion,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor. “This is an L.A. solution to an L.A. traffic problem. When the Orange Line succeeds — as I know it will — it will serve as a region-wide model that offers commuters a quick, reliable, flexible and inexpensive alternative to gridlock.”

On Saturday, community celebrations are planned between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at several stations along the route including the North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Balboa, Pierce College, and Warner Center stations. No community events are scheduled on Sunday.

The opening of the transitway will mark the debut of the 60-foot Metro Liner, a custom-built, articulated bus that can seat up to 57 passengers. These advanced, aerodynamically designed vehicles provide quick and easy boarding, a roomy interior, full accessibility and automated station announcement system.

“The Metro Orange Line will bring quicker, more efficient bus service to Valley commuters and easier access to the expansive, countywide Metro Bus and Rail system," said Roger Snoble, CEO of Metro. “We encourage everyone to jump on-board and experience the Valley’s new shortcut for themselves.”

The Orange Line, the first of its kind transitway project in Southern California, began construction in January 2003 and incorporates a host of innovative construction and design features, from advanced traffic light signal priority system to artistically designed transit stations, park & ride lots with more than 3,000 parking spaces, bicycle and pedestrian paths and California native landscaping.

Ridership on the line is expected to reach an average of 22,000 boardings per day by 2020, providing access to business and education centers, arts and theater venues, neighborhoods, entertainment, attractions and the natural environment.

Following free rides opening weekend, Metro Orange Line fares will be $1.25 for one-way trips, or $3 for a Metro Day Pass that allows unlimited local access on both the Metro Bus and Rail System from the time of purchase until 3 a.m the next day. Weekly and monthly transit passes are $14 and $52, respectively. One-way and day pass fares can be purchased at station ticket vending machines. Monthly passes can be purchased on Metro’s web site at http://www.metro.net/ and at various retail outlets.

For more information on the Metro Orange Line, visit www.metro.net/orangeline.

M.G. in Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree (a Flickr photoset with 42 photos)

With all the crazy things going on in the world and in my life these days (some of which I've discussed here), I decided it would be a good idea to accept Keith's invitation to spend some time camping in Joshua Tree National Park over the Labor Day weekend with him and Mike and Terry, two other cool dudes.

On Saturday we drove out to Joshua Tree, about 3 hours east of Los Angeles. As I was born and raised in the desert, I was quite happy to commune with nature in such a setting. We arrived after nightfall and set up an impromptu and unofficial campsite. When we woke early on Sunday morning, I chose to document our campsite and its surroundings:

We moved on to Keys View, where we enjoyed some impressive sights:

On our drive out of the park, we saw a "rock pile" that seemed worth climbing:

Keith was gracious enough to take a photo of me at the top, where I pretended not to be afraid of heights and that I didn't look like crap:

I returned the favor by taking a shot of Keith lurking in the shadows:

The view from on high was quite impressive:

A few more photos depicting the beauty of desert life:

I was back in East Hollywood late Sunday afternoon. I have to say that this camping trip was a lot of fun and that I really enjoyed being in the desert. The rest of my Labor Day weekend was fantastic too!

Joshua Tree (a Flickr photoset with 42 photos)

Mom's Been Digging in the Crates

Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 14:55:07 -0700
From: Momz
To: Mitch Glaser
Subject: Pictures

I was looking for some papers, family medical history, and I found a bunch of old pictures. I scanned the ones of you that were my favorites. Someday, we'll go through all the pictures and sort them so you can have those that you would like.

(My commentary on these photos is displayed in italics)

Momz has told me she bought some books on how to prevent me from freaking out once Lil Sis came along only to discover that I was incredibly cool with sharing the attention. This photo appears to substantiate that claim; however I am doing little to prevent Lil Sis from devouring that stuffed bear.

Lil Sis and I in the kitchen. It appears that I was building a city with our canned goods (or at least what I thought was a city) -- I may also have been sorting the canned goods by color, contents, and/or expiration date -- no one can be sure.

Lil Sis and I played crucial roles in our Aunt Marleen's wedding. I was recently informed that nothing beats a man in a suit, a statement that this photo appears to validate.

No child can resist the charms of a petting zoo. Was I self-concious about my weight?

Lil Sis and I enjoy the nature up at Aunt Colleen's house in Show Low. Apparently I didn't know what to do with my hands; fortunately I hadn't discovered smoking yet.

Lil Sis and I hanging out with Pat McMahon, Gerald of "Wallace & Ladmo" fame. If you grew up in Phoenix at any time from the 1950's into the 1980's, you know what this encounter meant to us. By the way, if I had a similar "map outfit" today, I'd be wearing it right now.

If you were growing up in Phoenix and chose to celebrate your birthday at Pancho's Mexican Buffet, you were entitled to a pinata. I can't believe I had the audacity to wear an El Pollo Asado t-shirt to Pancho's!

This is a composite of photos of my mom (top) and me (bottom) to show our resemblance at a young age. I hope Momz is not implying that I look like a girl!

Momz included my dad's bar mitzvah photo to graciously demonstrate that my "family resemblance" works both ways.

Spared

My sister has informed me that she has spoken with our father and that he has indicated Bubbie is alive and well and made it to Texas.

Thank you for your sympathy and support.

Deluge

The last couple days, I've explored the ramifications of Hurricane Katrina on politics and race relations in this country. While it may be more appropriate to focus on the victims of this tragedy (including my grandmother) and how to help them, I think our government's preparations for Katrina and its response to it raises a lot of questions about our priorities as a nation.

This morning I stumbled upon an excellent post on AlterNet by Molly Ivins that discusses the policy choices our current administration made that placed the citizens of New Orleans at such tremendous risk. Please read it:

A Flood of Bad Policies

Rapper Kanye West was far more blunt in expressing his feelings about our government's reaction to Katrina during a benefit concert simulcast live on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, and Pax last night. You can read about it here:

Stars Offer Heartfelt Performances in Benefit

Kanye West said "George Bush doesn't care about black people" and that the government is set up "to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible." I won't say that I agree with him, nor do I believe that this benefit concert was an appropriate place to make such comments, but I think his frustrations are being shared by many Blacks in this nation right now. We're going to have to face the negative ramifications this event will have on race relations in the United States.

My mother posted a comment to my blog yesterday advising everyone to be very careful not to make Katrina all about race, and she's right. She reminded me that my grandmother ("Bubbie," my father's mother) is neither black nor poor. She is a member of another group that has disproportionately suffered at the hands of Katrina and its aftermath: the elderly and sick.

Perhaps it's simply easier for me to write about the larger ramifications of Katrina for our nation as a whole than to write about the ramifications of Katrina for my father and his family. Frankly, I don't want to think too much about it. I don't want to come off as being unconcerned or insensitive though.

My father called me last Sunday morning, which is fairly typical. However, as soon as I heard his voice I sensed apprehension and concern. Once I learned why, I was embarrassed to tell him that I wasn't even aware that Katrina was headed straight for New Orleans and that the residents of the city had been urged to evacuate. Like a lot of young people in L.A., I hadn't heard about the storm since it threatened to derail MTV's Video Music Awards in Miami.

In a previous post I indicated that Bubbie lives in a "rest home," but it would be more accurate to describe it as an "assisted-living facility." Bubbie had remained in relatively good health and had been living alone in New Orleans for many years when she took a tumble down the stairs in her own house, making it nearly impossible for her to walk and take care of herself. My father took lead in finding an appropriate facility that would care for her and in handling the family's affairs. He has visited Bubbie somewhat regularly in New Orleans since her fall.

My father, who has lived in Arizona for over 30 years, was still living in New Orleans when Hurricane Camille hit in 1969. He described that storm and its aftermath to me on Sunday and it sounded horrific -- his family's house was nearly destroyed and the city was an utter mess for several months afterward. In a sense, he knew what was going to happen to the city once Katrina hit, but he also knew Katrina was a far stronger hurricane than even Camille. He knew that his hometown, a place in which his mother still lived and an unlikely metropolis surrounded by water and sitting in a geographical bowl below sea level, would fare far worse than it had in 1969. However, even he couldn't have imagined the tragic reality facing us today.

I was surprised when my father told me on Sunday that the assisted-care facility that Bubbie lived in was not evacuating its residents. Of course, we now know that many such facilities, along with hospitals, weren't evacauated due to logistical concerns. The management of the facility had assured my father that adquate preparations had been made and that there would be enough food and water for everyone, but I could tell he was skeptical. He knew that the amount of food and water wasn't as important as the very real possibility that the building could be flooded.

I have been extremely concerned about my father since I spoke with him on Sunday. He knew that Katrina was coming, he knew what was going to happen, he knew that his mother was nearly defenseless, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Frankly, I'm more concerned about my father than Bubbie at this point. I called him on his cell phone Wednesday night and left a message for him, but I haven't heard back from him yet. It's hard for me to imagine what he must be going through right now. I'm fairly certain that if he had gotten word that Bubbie was OK, he would share that with me. He probably doesn't know where she is or how she is doing right now and he may not know anything for a long time.

In this situation, it's hard not to assume the worst. As recently as Thursday, I felt it was likely that Bubbie's assisted-living facility had to have been evacuated eventually, but I don't think I was facing the reality of the situation. After reading my blog post on Thursday, my mother called me...my parents have been divorced for nearly 20 years and she doesn't speak with my father that often...she didn't know that Bubbie's facility wasn't evacuated prior to Monday, and her feeling was that, considering the circumstances, she is probably dead. I have to admit she may be right. At the very least, if she is still alive, she can't be doing too well and may be in danger. The more I thought about it, I realized that people had little time to do anything to save themselves once the levees broke. Was the management of the assisted-living facility able to do anything to move its several dozen residents out of harm's way, especially those like Bubbie who can't even walk? Bubbie and the others were literally "sitting ducks" when the floodwaters began to swiftly rise and consume the city.

I've never enjoyed a close relationship with Bubbie. It pains me to admit that she is not a woman people speak highly of and I know that my father's and two aunts's relationships with her are complicated. Despite the fact that my father may have mixed feelings about Bubbie, the bottom line is that she is his mother. No man wants harm to come to his mother, no man wants his mother to die, and certainly no man wants his mother to die in the painful and tragic way many people in New Orleans met their end. Most importantly, any man would do anything to help his mother. The sad truth is that there was nothing my father could have done to protect her, but that's bound to be little consolation to him. As I've stated, I am very worried about his emotional state right now, much more so than whether Bubbie is alive or dead. Even if Bubbie is dead, which I truly hope is not the case, my father will be alive to deal with the consequences and the ramifications. This is bound to be a very difficult situation for his family and I can't wrap my mind around the thoughts and emotions he must have right now. I have mixed feelings about my father not unlike those he has about his own mother, but he is my father and I care about him. I have to accept that there's little I can do for him right now other than be there for him when he eventually does call me. Right now I must give him time to cope.

This tragedy has affected all of us, and will continue to do so. Right now it's hitting a little too close to home for me though. There's a lot of difficult emotions I'm feeling right now. No matter what, life will go on, and we'll all be stronger to have lived through this experience.

Donate to the Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina

Blogging Humor

Big Changes in Store for Southern California's Malls

On Monday Federated Department Stores completed its acquisition of May Department Stores, becoming a $30 billion company that will be a dominant force in the department store sector of the retail business in the United States. As previously reported, Federated has decided to consolidate ten of May's regional department store nameplates into its Macy's brand and close 68 "duplicate" stores in 66 malls, mostly in California, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Monday's announcement was accompanied by news that an additional 7 "duplicate" stores would be closed in California, New York, and Massachusetts, largely to satisfy anti-trust concerns voiced by those states.

Southern California is the largest market in the nation to be affected by the merger. May's Robinsons-May chain will be merged into Federated's Macy's West division, which already operates numerous stores in the region. Within a year 24 stores will close at 24 malls in the greater Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas. The owners of these malls, which include such national corporate titans as General Growth, Macerich, Simon, and Westfield, face the daunting challenge of filling the empty spaces in a way that will make their customers and their shareholders happy.

The evolution of the retailing business has forced malls to evolve as well, and the shopping center industry is at a crossroads. There has been a remarkable shift in dominance from the "middle market" department stores, which have long favored malls, to "lifestyle" retailers and "big box" stores that have found much of their success in non-mall locations. In addition, today's shoppers are preferring outdoor, "Main Street" style centers over the enclosed, climate controlled, and insular environment of conventional malls (even in Phoenix!). These factors have led to the phenomenon of "dead malls" that can be observed in cities across the nation, pointing towards a future in which only the largest and most successful malls will survive.

While none of the 24 Federated store closings in Southern California will push their host malls into "death," leaving any of these stores vacant for an extended period of time is simply not an option for mall owners. New stores must be found to ensure that these malls continue to draw customers and thrive.

A Sneak Preview?

You might be able to take a glimpse into the future of Southern California's malls by driving about 66 miles north from the Los Angeles Civic Center. Although you will have passed through several mountain ranges and arrived in a rural desert environment, you will still be in Los Angeles County and witihin the greater metropolis. You will find yourself at Antelope Valley Mall.

At Antelope Valley Mall, you'll encounter department stores belonging to the Harris Gottschalks and Dillard's chains. Neither of these regional retailers is well-represented in Southern California malls but that may change once Macy's West completes its absorbtion of Robinsons-May.

Harris Gottschalks, Antelope Valley Mall, view of exterior

Dillard's, Antelope Valley Mall, view of mall entrance

15 years ago, there were four major middle-market department store chains in Southern California: Bullock's, May Company, Robinson's, and The Broadway, all of which have been consolidated into Macy's. Southern California was also home to two smaller chains, Buffums and Ohrbach's, that have long since closed shop for good. The massive Southern California market, soon to be thoroughly dominated by Macy's, can support more competition.

Many have speculated on the future of regional department store chains in the wake of the Federated-May merger, questioning whether there is a future for them in the nation's crowded retail landscape (related article). Any expansion into Southern California by either Harris Gottschalks or Dillard's would be a risk, but the immense size of the market, along with the bounty of soon-to-be available real estate at many of the region's top malls, will likely prove too tempting for both companies to resist.

Who's Gottschalks?

Gottschalks Inc.

HQ: Fresno, CA

67 stores in 6 states

Gottschalks operates stores in the San Bernardino-Riverside area (the Inland Empire) as well as in the Antelope Valley. However, shoppers in the rest of the Los Angeles area and in San Diego probably aren't familiar with the chain.

Long a major player in the California hinterlands, Gottschalks recently stumbled a bit after its acquisition of the Seattle-based Lamonts regional chain in 2000, bringing it into several new and unfamiliar markets. Its 1998 acquisition of Harris, a San Bernardino-based Southern California chain, has proven to be a wiser move, creating a base for further expansion in the market. (Many Southern California stores are branded Harris Gottschalks)

Federated's decision to close stores at the Galleria in Tyler in Riverside and the Montclair Plaza in Montclair may allow Gottschalks to obtain an entrance into two successful Inland Empire malls in which it is not currently operating. A larger expansion, which could include a push into Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties, is unlikely considering the company's relatively small size, limited financial resources, and unfamiliarity with those markets, but it is certainly possible.

Who's Dillard's?

Dillard's, Inc.

HQ: Little Rock, AK

329 stores in 29 states

In greater Los Angeles, Dillard's only operates one store in the Antelope Valley. A store was recently opened in El Centro, a community located in Imperial County that might be considered within San Diego's orbit.

Like fellow Arkansas-based company Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Dillard's enjoyed steady growth within its retail category from the late 1960's into the late 1990's. Unlike Wal-Mart, Dillard's grew primarily through acquisitions, absorbing several other regional department store chains as it extended its reach into several major markets throughout the country. It began to stumble after its poorly-executed acquisition of regional conglomerate Mercantile Stores in 1998 but remains strong in its core markets in the West and South. The death of founder William Dillard in 2002 led to speculation that the troubled company would be sold. While Federated has often been mentioned as a possible suitor for Dillard's, such a merger is not likely now that the company is primarily concerned with digesting May.

It's no secret that Dillard's has long eyed California as a place to grow. In 1997 the company opened its first store in the state in the Central Valley community of Stockton, not far from Gottschalks' Fresno base. While this article from January 1998 indicated that Dillard's would open stores in the Northern California communities of Antioch and Santa Rosa, they never materialized. According to this article from August 1998, Dillard's went so far as to sign a "letter of intent" to open a store at the Tanforan Shopping Center in San Bruno, which would have expanded the company into the greater San Francisco market. Dillard's never opened a store in San Bruno, though I've not been able to find an article that explains why. The fact that Dillard's abandoned its reported plans to move into Antioch, San Bruno, and Santa Rosa signals that the company may have decided it wouldn't be very successful in Northern California.

Dillard's has expanded slowly in California and now has only 3 stores in the state. The Antelope Valley store opened late in 1999, and the El Centro store opened about a year ago. The company appears to be more comfortable operating stores in Southern California, and its success in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas seems to indicate that it knows how to market itself to Latino customers, a significant demographic group in both greater Los Angeles and San Diego.

Dillard's is in a far better financial position than Gottschalks to embark on a significant expansion into Southern California and become a major player in the market, as it has more than three times as many stores nationwide. The costs involved with establishing itself in such a huge market area where few people are familiar with its name may prove prohibitive -- a repeat of the Mercantile Stores fiasco is unlikely, though, as the company is not in a position to replace well-respected regional names with its own banner. The challenge for Dillard's is clear: it would have to offer a decidely different shopping experience from Macy's West. But if any department store company can hope to compete with Macy's throughout Southern California, it's Dillard's.

Other Possibilities

If Gottschalks and Dillard's don't use the Federated-May merger as an opportunity to expand in Southern California, other chains could pick up the slack. While both Sears and JCPenney are already well-represented in the market, each chain could possibly add a few new stores as a result of the merger; however, both companies have shifted their expansion focus to "freestanding" stores away from malls. Kohl's is another possibility since it has begun to open stores in the market, but it too has favored "off-mall" locations.

More "big box" stores could also find their way into more malls as a result of the merger. Both Target and Wal-Mart have recently opened stores at Southern California malls. Target generally enjoys more "cachet" than Wal-Mart as a discounter, a reputation that is especially important in this style-concious market. Many mall owners would consider a Target store far more complimentary to their current roster of retail tenants and customer base than a Wal-Mart store. Recently Westfield was proud to announce that both Neiman-Marcus and Target would be coming to its Topanga Plaza mall, a national first; Federated will be closing stores at many fashionable "A-grade" malls where Target might be welcome but Wal-Mart would not. Former Federated stores could also be carved up into several smaller "big box" stores, a very real possibility in today's retail landscape.

Many Southern California mall owners may end up seeing the Federated-May merger as an opportunity to "reclaim" space from the department stores that once sustained them and represented the most powerful force in American retailing. These days, smaller but more appealing "large format" retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues are considered to be the most compelling customer draws. Many former Robinsons-May and Macy's stores may be demolished and replaced with outdoor "lifestyle"-oriented environments that reflect the recent changes in the retailing business, consumer preferences, and shopping center design. The region has become home to many "dead malls," but most of them have been redeveloped into more relevant land uses. The malls that are losing stores as a result of this merger are by and large still quite successful; their owners have a compelling incentive to replace them in a manner that will maintain their attractiveness to consumers as a place to spend their leisure time and money, ensuring their continued success.

No matter what happens, we in Southern California should expect to see many changes in our local malls.

The List

On July 28, Federated announced that Robinsons-May stores at the following Southern California malls would be closed:

Los Angeles County

Del Amo Fashion Center -- Torrance -- store is 180,000 square feet, opened in 1981 -- other mall anchors: Burlington Coat Factory, JCPenney, Jo-Ann Etc., Macy's, Macy's Furniture, Marshalls, Sears, T.J. Maxx

Glendale Galleria -- Glendale -- store is 179,000 square feet, opened in 1993 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Macy's, Mervyn's, Nordstrom

Los Cerritos Center -- Cerritos -- store is 153,000 square feet, opened in 1971 -- other mall anchors: Macy's, Mervyn's, Nordstrom, Sears, United Artists movie theatres

Northridge Fashion Center -- Northridge (Los Angeles) -- store is 191,000 square feet, opened in 1995 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Macy's, Pacific movie theatres, Sears

Santa Monica Place -- Santa Monica -- store is 137,000 square feet, opened in 1981 -- other mall anchors: Macy's

Westfield Fox Hills -- Culver City -- store is 150,000 square feet, opened in 1975 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Macy's

Westfield Santa Anita -- Arcadia -- store is 181,000 square feet, opened in 1976 -- other mall anchors: AMC movie theatres, JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom

Orange County

Westfield MainPlace -- Santa Ana -- "north" store is 149,00 square feet, opened in 1991 -- other mall anchors: Macy's, Nordstrom, Robinsons-May ("south" store)

San Bernardino County

Victoria Gardens -- Rancho Cucamonga -- store is 180,000 square feet, opened in 2004 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Macy's

San Diego County

Westfield Plaza Camino Real -- Carlsbad -- store is 150,000 square feet, opened in 1969 -- other anchors include JCPenney, Macy's, Macy's Mens & Home, Sears

Westfield North County -- Escondido -- "north" store is 112,000 square feet, opened in 1986 -- other anchors include JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom, Robinsons-May ("south" store), Sears

Westfield University Town Center -- La Jolla (San Diego) -- store is 147,000 square feet, opened in 1978 -- other anchors include Macy's, Nordstrom, Sears

Ventura County

Pacific View Mall -- Ventura -- store is 205,000 square feet, opened in 1999 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Macy's, Sears

The Oaks -- Thousand Oaks -- store is 150,000 square feet, opened 1978 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Macy's, Macy's Mens & Home

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Also on July 28, Federated announced that Macy's stores at the following Southern California malls would be closed and that the existing Robinsons-May stores at these same malls would be converted into Macy's stores:

Los Angeles County

Lakewood Center -- Lakewood -- store is 208,000 square feet, opened 2000 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Mervyn's, Robinsons-May, Target

Westfield West Covina -- West Covina -- store is 150,000 square feet, opened 1975 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Robinsons-May, Sears

Orange County

The Shops at Mission Viejo -- Mission Viejo -- store is 197,000 square feet, opened 1980 -- other mall anchors: Nordstrom, Robinsons-May, Saks Fifth Avenue

San Bernardino County

Inland Center -- San Bernardino -- store is 145,000 square feet, opened in 1966 -- other mall anchors: Harris Gottschalks, Robinsons-May, Sears

Montclair Plaza -- Montclair -- store is 147,000 square feet, opened in 1968 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Nordstrom, Robinsons-May, Sears

Riverside County

Galleria at Tyler -- Riverside -- store is 156,000 square feet, opened in 1970 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Nordstrom, Robinsons-May

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On August 30, Federated announced that Macy's stores at the following Southern California malls would also be closed and that the existing Robinsons-May stores at these malls would be converted into Macy's stores:

Los Angeles County

Westfield Promendae at Woodland Hills -- Warner Center (Los Angeles) -- store is 81,000 square feet, opened in 1995 -- other mall anchors: AMC movie theatres, Macy's (at this mall, two existing Macy's stores will be consolidated, but Federated will be acquiring a Robinsons-May at the nearby Westfield Topanga Plaza)

Orange County

Fashion Island -- Newport Beach -- store is 83,000 square feet, opened in 1995 -- other mall anchors: Bloomingdale's (another division of Federated), Neiman Marcus, Robinsons-May

Westminster Mall -- Westminster -- store is 175,000 square feet, opened in 2002 -- other mall anchors: JCPenney, Robinsons-May, Sears

Ventura County

Simi Valley Town Center -- Simi Valley -- store will be 107,000 square feet, projected to open later in 2005 -- other mall anchors: Robinsons-May (this is the only Macy's store currently under construction in Southern California, and it will be divested soon after it opens)

Who is Suffering?

Yesterday afternoon a co-worker who sits next to me was watching some of the video shot at the New Orleans Convention Center on his computer. I was tempted to watch it with him, but just listening to the audio was difficult enough. I can't bring myself to watch any of the TV coverage of Katrina's aftermath; reading about it online and seeing the photos is difficult enough for me.

The miserable situation at the Convention Center over the last several days raises many questions that government officials at the local, state, and federal level will be obliged to eventually answer. Victims of Katrina were either brought or told to go to the Convention Center and were promised that aid would be forthcoming. Ironically, those in the Convention Center have esentially been left for dead; life inside its walls has become a horrific, miserable struggle to merely survive that most of us would not believe could exist in the United States today.

We should all question why the poorest, more destitute residents of New Orleans were the ones made to disproportionately suffer in Katrina's wake. While all residents were asked to evacuate, so many in New Orleans are too poor to afford a car, much less a plane ticket...even those who own cars may not have had enough money to fill them with gas. The fact that Katrina hit at the end of the month made preparing for it nearly impossible for those living "paycheck to paycheck." It seems that little effort was made to help the poor get out of the city before the hurricane hit...why? Why were these people left to fend for themselves, left to suffer and to die?

It may seem inappropriate to raise issues of politics and race when looking at such a horrific natural disaster, but the situation in New Orleans demands we look at them. The response to Katrina is bringing many upleasant realities about our nation to light and we must face them.

Though it may be somewhat inflammatory, I want to share a post from Sploid that expresses some of the thoughts I've been ruminating over the last couple days:

Admit It: Katrina's Victims Are Black

Let's all continue to pray for the victims of Katrina and keep them in our thoughts. This disaster may very well prove to be a transfiguring event for our nation.

Donate to the Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina

"Looting" vs. "Finding"

I've been wanting to write a nice long post about what is going on in New Orleans...it's of particular interest to me since my dad grew up there and my grandma still lives there. When I talked to my dad on Sunday, he said the management of the rest home my grandmother lives in had decided not to evacuate their residents because of logistical concerns. I can assume that the rest home has since been forced to evacuate my grandma and the other residents...I hope she is OK. I called my dad last night to see how she was doing, but I haven't heard back from him...perhaps he doesn't know himself.

I'll get around to doing a more extensive post, but in the meantime I wanted to share a couple things.

We all know that there has been a lot of looting going on in New Orleans these last few days. My dad was still living in New Orleans when Hurricane Camille hit in 1969, and he told me there was a lot of looting in the aftermath of that storm as well. I'm amazed, but not entirely surprised, at how easy it is for "law and order" and civility to break down in the face of a crisis.

Last night I was talking to my friend Bill and he told me about the controversy surrounding two photos released by the media on Tuesday. Both depict people wading through chest-deep water carrying food. What's interesting is that one photo shows a young black man "after looting a grocery store" while the other shows a young white man and a young white woman "after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store." I told him I found that hard to believe, so this morning he sent me a Boing Boing post about the story. Check it out.

My blogging buddy Steven also posted an interesting article about the looting to his site yesterday. Check it out.

Donate to the Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina

More to come...