Larchmont Chronicle
VOL. 62, NO. 6
• DELIVERED TO 76,439 READERS IN HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT •
IN THIS ISSUE
GRADUATION 2024 Section 3
ATHLETES honor fathers.
8
Auto Show to kick off Farmers Market’s 90th
By Helene Seifer Driving the launch of a “90 Days of Summer” celebration of its 90th year of operation, the Original Farmers Market (OFM) will present the 28th annual Gilmore Heritage Car Show on Sat., June 8. Named for Arthur Fremont Gilmore, the original investor in a dairy farm that later evolved into the landmark at Third Street and Fairfax Avenue, this anniversary kickoff event will feature “cars that fueled the birth of the market,” primarily classic American vehicles from the 1930s and earlier in deference to the OFM’s establishment in 1934, plus some exceptional later model cars. Attendees can expect to see 70 beautifully restored automobiles, including a 1914 Ford Model T, a 1929 Ford See Auto Show, P 13
MORE HONORS for native homeboy. 9
FIRETRUCK is expected to make a return visit to the “Days of Summer” auto show. NEW OFFICERS visit the local paper. 2-14 For information on advertising in the paper, please call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11 Mailing permit:
JUNE 2024
Pets of Larchmont
Celebrate our best friends in the annual Pets of Larchmont section in the July issue. To be included, send a high-resolution (actual size) photo of your four-legged and feathered pals, along with the pet’s (and your) name and address (not for publication) and your contact info to suzan@ larchmontchronicle.com.
Summer Fun!
Summer is on the way. To honor the season, send us your favorite vacation photos, past and present, to be featured in the Summer Fun section in the July issue. Include your name and contact info. Deadline for both sections is Fri., June 14. For advertising information, contact Pam Rudy, 323-462-2241, ext. 11.
THREE STREETLIGHTS are out at the intersection of Ridgewood Place and Wilton Drive.
Photo by Kate Corsmeier
Streetlight wire theft hits neighborhoods n Lights out after crooks steal copper wire By Nona Sue Friedman Streetlights in the neighborhood are going dark. Sometimes, lights are old and just malfunction, or the new LED bulbs don’t last as long as they should. But these days, the primary reason they don’t work is because thieves are stealing the copper wire from inside them. “They sell the wire to make a quick buck,” according to a spokesperson in Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez’s office. Dark streets leave some residents feeling vulnerable, unsafe and frustrated. When a light fixture is vandalized, the most challenging part is getting the city to repair it. Outages in the area Although many more lights are probably not working throughout the larger Great-
er Wilshire neighborhood, a substantial number are out on both Plymouth and Irving boulevards and Beachwood Avenue between Beverly Boulevard and Second Street. The area that has been hit the hardest are the streets of the Ridgewood Wilton Neighborhood Association (RWNA). According to RWNA President Bob Reeves, who walked the area the night of May 16, “Fifteen of the lights are out; that’s more than half [of the lights in the area].” Late-night streetlight vandalism has been a hot topic on a Ridgewood neighborhood text thread. Residents share eyewitness reports of streetlights being rummaged for copper wire. Surveillance video and photos show a thief coiling the copper wire, as
VANDALIZED STREETLIGHT at the corner of Arden Boulevard and Third Street.
well as pictures of the vandalized light poles and their junction boxes, from which the wires emanate to power the bulbs above. On Ridgewood Place, the same thief has returned numerous evenings and damaged many lights, making See Streetlights, P 14
Improved meters are not so improved
n ‘Smart’ meters cause frustration, confusion; city says problems are fixed
By Casey Russell Two multi-space pay stations recently were installed in the public parking lot on the west side of Larchmont Boulevard. They look pristine and high tech and offer touch screens and a plethora of payment methods for parkers. There is a slot for coins, another for credit cards, a chip tap area and a pay-by-app option. The two pay stations replaced the previous ones, which faced west and were a bit difficult to use when the sunlight hit the station’s screen. When the new stations were installed, sun glare must have been kept in mind,
PEOPLE attempting to use the new pay stations last month.
because both new meters face north, making it much easier to view the screens.
But, these IPS Group-designed “smart” meters may See Parking meters, P 13
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