JULIE WALMSLEY

The Pershing Square-adjuacent mill co-working space Blankspaces , stylized as b:LA for the hipsters whose office budgets it is trying to magnetize, was once the department store Schulte United. Councilmember Huizar, among others, did a relaunch of sorts for 529 S. Broadway last year, highlighting its changes over the years, and rebranding it as a center for creativity. On my way out of Blankspaces after nearly a year at multiple locations (and other unpleasant coworking experiences before that), I thought I had the scoop on this trivia, fascinated as I am by a time when going out to a department store was a big deal. But Bianca Barragan covered the conversion of the space last year for Curbed.

Last month Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Danielle Brazell , an arts non-profits manager, and then recommended a specific salary for her role as the General Manager of the Department of Cultural Affairs. But the documents that cleared the city council's Arts, Parks, Health, Aging, and River Committee and the Executive Compensation Committee said only that. Garcetti's dollar amount should be accepted, but it was not specified. There was only a note to contact Errol Griffin in Executive Employee Relations with questions. An email request for the specific salary bounced with an auto-reply. Griffin is away until July 29, when the city council will vote to establish this new salary . If I do get a reply, it could be a refusal. The agenda notes that the city council may discuss the item in a closed door meeting, citing a section of the Brown Act. But Section 54957.6 is not to shield an appointee's salary and benefits from public view; it is to allow negotiation betw...

Macabre tweets, then Facebook groups, and now a burgeoning product line in support of the late Christopher Dorner's rage against the LAPD. Joining the bumper stickers and t-shirts declaring "Not Dorner. Please do not shoot." is a poster in the style of Shepard Fairey's iconic Obama campaign poster, including the 2008 campaign's "HOPE" tagline. These posters are on an exterior wall outside the Metro PCS store on Sunset Blvd. at Laveta  Terrace in Echo Park.

Last month I watched a condensed version of "Revenge of the Electric Car" at KPCC. The sequel to the 2006 documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?" follows three automakers and one converting specialist through the challenges of producing a market shift during a recession. Bob Lutz, the now-retired, global warming-denying GM head, releases the Volt. It's a mea culpa for killing the EV-1, on which leases were inexplicably denied for purchase, featured in the first film. Nissan's Carlos Ghosn, called the Napoleon of the electric car revolution by narrator Tim Robbins, more or less bets the farm on the mass production of the LEAF, a family-oriented, completely electric hatchback. PayPal millionaire turned Tesla CEO Elon Musk encounters the challenges of precision car making, fighting mechanical problems against shrinking capital and a ticking clock. Completion dates get iffy while prices for the completed Roadsters suddenly spike just ahead of dealer del...

The City Council's Public Safety Committee today continued a motion for a report on the costs of Occupy LA.  The motion was originally filed by Englander (CD-12) in November of last year.  Zine (CD-3) , Parks (CD-8) , and Krekorian (CD-2) signed off as well.  The report was to be presented last week.  It was continued, meaning postponed, to this morning's meeting , before being continued for 3 more weeks . 

This article caught my eye because it's not only about a gated community in Metro Manila, where I used to live.  It's about the very community where I used to live, Ayala Alabang Village, and a bust on a street that I know well.  I would occasionally carpool to school with a family, also American, who lived on Acacia.  The story is on WSJ 's Southeast Asia Real Time.

This NYT article about the proven benefits of being thankful very much mirrors my own experience.  I Tweet the little bits of goodness in my daily life (@JuliesGratitude).  I'm only recently back on the habit, but the impact is huge.  I also follow @TheDailyLove.  Fantastic.  It's faith without thumping.