Larchmont Chronicle
VOL. 64, NO. 5
• DELIVERED TO 76,439 READERS IN HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT •
DESIGN FOR LIVING SECTION 2-2
MOMS for moms.
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By A.R. Johnstone Recently, in our effort to inform voters, we spoke with Nithya Raman for an expansive conversation regarding her run for mayor and what she strives for in the city of Los Angeles. Her name is definitely recognizable to our readers as she was our councilperson prior to the redistricting in December 2021. Surprisingly, Raman did not ask for our range of questions beforehand, and nothing was off-limits. Her answers were thoughtful and certainly not scripted. Obviously, many voters have a notion of who they believe Raman is and what she See Nithya Raman, P 16
NEW book celebrates Metro’s Wilshire opening. 5
GARDEN TOUR in the neighborhood.
Mailing permit:
Future of Paramount: progress, pressure, Hollywood’s soul
Nithya Raman for mayor; different or same?
IN THIS ISSUE
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Candidates respond to issues on housing
We asked the leading candidates for mayor, Council District 5, and Council District 13 to respond to three questions: 1) Why should voters choose you? 2) Where do you stand on Senate Bill 79, which was recently passed into law. And how are you going to work within its restraints? 3) What’s your plan for getting people off the streets and keeping them housed? Here are their responses: Candidates for mayor Mayor Karen Bass: See Candidates, P 15
GRAD SALUTE
Our annual section honoring local high school graduates will be featured in the June issue of the Larchmont Chronicle. Advertising deadline is Mon., May 11. To reserve space, call 323-462-2241, ext. 11, or email jesse@ larchmontchronicle.com or sandy@larchmont chronicle.com.
WILSHIRE COUNTRY CLUB has finished the Kyle Phillips-led restoration of its 18-hole golf course, first designed by Normal Macbeth in 1919. See story, Page 8 Photo by Bill Johnson
New design in play for North Larchmont Blvd.
n Enter by May 5. Contest is open to everyone By Suzan Filipek Neighbors, architects, designers, and everyone and anyone interested in the future of Larchmont Boulevard—north of Beverly Boulevard and south of Melrose Avenue—is invited to enter a design competition aimed to bring new life, housing and architectural wonder to the three-block strip. “We’re hoping to engage neighbors to share what they think Upper Larchmont should look like,” said Lindsay Sturman, co-founder of the Livable Communities Ini-
tiative, which is heading the project. Ground-floor commercial space with affordable, and family-size housing above are major components of the project, known as Larchmont 2030, created by Sam Uretsky. City Council is considering amending the city’s building code. There are around 80 underutilized parcels on Upper Larchmont that could be redeveloped, as members of the planning initiative estimate. In addition, more than 1,000 See Design contest, P 23
By Jon Vein For more than a century, the gates of Paramount Studios on Melrose Avenue have stood as both a literal and symbolic entrance to Hollywood. Behind them, generations of filmmakers built the mythology of the American film industry—long before “content” became a commodity and streaming platforms began reshaping the business. Now, those gates may soon open to a very different future. With the recent acquisition of Paramount by Skydance— and broader consolidation pressures across the entertainment industry—serious questions are emerging about the long-term fate of the 65acre studio lot. While no final decisions have been announced, enough signals have surfaced to make one thing clear: the land itself is now as much a financial asset as it is a creative one. And in Los Angeles today, that raises an unavoidable question: if not a studio, then See Paramount, P 21
Meet a trifecta powerhouse
n She’s a contractor, architect, & designer
By H. Hutcheson Lauren Howley started her construction firm, Howley Design Build, because she always loved her experiences watching her family remodel their 1920s house on Lucerne Boulevard. She studied interior design and architecture, but upon graduation in 2008 took a job with a contractor. She found her place in the world of construction and never looked back. I visited Howley at her current project in Los Feliz and spoke with her about the journey of becoming a design contractor and her experience as a female in a
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LAUREN HOWLEY grew up in Windsor Square in and around historic homes of the neighborhood. Photo by Betsy Newman
world dominated by men. Larchmont Chronicle: I feel wrong even
asking you this, but… Lauren Howley: How did a Marlborough girl get into construction? LC: Yes! A woman. Howley: Yeah, it’s a great question, and there’s more and more of us. I’m on a group chat with two other female contractors. We talk almost daily and share knowledge, which I think is unique to our gender in contracting—there’s enough room for everyone, we feel. One’s more commercial, the other works more on the westside, and I’m more in Hancock Park, Los Feliz, Hollywood Hills. It’s definitely a growing community. I grew up on Lucerne and See Trifecta, Sec. 2, P 6
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