Larchmont Chronicle
VOL. 62, NO. 7
• DELIVERED TO 76,439 READERS IN HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT •
IN THIS ISSUE
Farmers Market turns 90!
Like a rock star — mayor visits LCS n Following up on her Inside Safe program
PETS OF LARCHMONT.
10
ELECTION news.
8
By Nona Sue Friedman Mayor Karen Bass received a rock star reception from more than 900 students ages 9 to 14 and staff at Larchmont Charter School’s Selma campus, 6611 Selma Ave., on June 4. “I’ve never been greeted like this before,” she said with a beaming smile. She visited the campus to talk about her Inside Safe program and homelessness in Los Angeles. The Inside Safe program cleared an expansive encampment adjoining the school in August 2023. The encampment plagued the school for many years, mak- LCS STUDENTS SURROUND Mayor Karen Bass after she spoke to them about homelessness. Photo by Dave DuMonde ing the sidewalks impassable and the area unsafe. Mayor Bass thanked the community for letting her know about the unfortunate situation. “Los Angeles is a See Charter, P 8 n Action follows Pilgrim’s ‘no cell phone’ policy
LAUSD votes to ban smartphone usage
MORE THAN books at Chevalier’s. 19
CLEANING UP Windsor Village Park. 2-9 For information on advertising in the paper, please call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11 Mailing permit:
New chapter for local vet Dr. Ciganek
By Suzan Filipek It’s the end of an era for Dr. Jan Ciganek, but not necessarily for his practice, the Larchmont Animal Clinic, 316 N. Larchmont Blvd. It’s for sale. After almost half a century on Larchmont, Ciganek will retire on June 30. “It’s the end of a chapter,” said Ciganek, 77. “I have mixed feelings about it. I’m not getting any younger. I’ve done this for so long,” he said last month in the lobby of the clinic. “I’ve enjoyed being in the Larchmont community.” See Dr. Ciganek, P 15
By Casey Russell In our June issue, the Larchmont Chronicle ran an article about the positive change that local TK-to-12th grade Pilgrim School saw this year after using Yondr pouches to implement a “no cell phones” policy during the school day. On June 18, the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) voted to im-
plement a ban on student use of smartphones during the school day district-wide. The decision makes LAUSD the largest school district in the country to move to such a ban. Resolution No. 035-23/24, which was put forth by board members Nick Melvoin, Tanya Ortiz Franklin and Jackie Goldberg, is titled “Supporting Student Mental Health See Cell phones, P 7
Women of Larchmont
Our annual section, which has honored local women since 1965, will appear in the August issue of the Larchmont Chronicle. Advertising deadline is Mon., July 8. For more information, contact Pam Rudy, 323462-2241, ext. 11.
JULY 2024
By Helene Seifer “Meet me at Third and Fairfax,” has been the official greeting of The Original Farmers Market (OFM), and in this, its 90th anniversary year, many people are expected to do just that. The celebration kicked off its 90 Days of Summer with a well-attended heritage car show June 8, but the summer will be filled with ways to mark the milestone. OFM spokesperson Ilysha Buss describes a Night Market scheduled for Thurs., July 18. There will be sevento-ten pop-up fashion-related vendors, and DJ Ricky will spin platters from the 90s to accompany the shopping. Other anniversary events include special promotions at Market merchants, such as Bennett’s Ice Cream offering one dollar off any ice cream product on July 21, National Ice Cream Day. Thursday Night Music at the Market, an annual summer event, will end the summer celebration with a soon-to-be-announced lineup in August. Looking ahead to fall and winter, apart from the popular returning entertainments of Metropolitan Fashion Week, Fall Festival and Christmas and Hanukkah events, there will be the debut of VinylFest on Dec. 7, featuring local and national record dealers, a vinyl swap meet, music memorabilia and stereo equipment, DJs and a performance stage. History The Original Farmers Market was born when public relations maven Fred Beck, along with partner Roger Dahlhjelm, pitched property owner Earl Bell Gilmore on the idea of a farmers market See Farmers Market, P 6
Homeless count to be released June 28
July 4 fireworks over Hancock Park Neighborhoods surrounding the Wilshire Country Club should once again be able to witness the bright bursts of color from the annual Independence Day celebration held at the 105-year-old golf club. The display is scheduled to commence at 9 p.m.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has announced that the results of the Jan. 23-24, 2023 “Unsheltered Count” for Los Angeles County will be released on Fri., June 28. The Larchmont Chronicle will report the local numbers in our August issue that distributes July 25.
www.larchmontchronicle.com ~ Entire Issue Online!