March 29, 2024 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Change is the Order of the Day

Herb Chase with dog and grandchild
I attended the recent Westside meeting at Windward School in Mar Vista at which then Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti, incoming City Councilman, Mike Bonin, and others invited citizens to come forward with specific proposals to make life in LA better.

We all gathered in small working groups, wrote our ideas on yellow Post-It notes and stuck them beneath the right organizational headings (“the economy,†“infrastructure,†“services,†etc.) on the wall.

The stickies would be transcribed and analyzed later. Now that these guys are in office, they’ll have plenty to tackle if the sheer number of yellow Post-Its is any indication.

The effort felt sincere, not just something to make us feel good. People were energized to be part of the process.
It feels as if it’s less about ego and photo ops these days – and more about actually getting things done.

Mike Bonin is off to a quick start, introducing one bill to stop issuing parking tickets where there’s a meter broken (hooray!) and another to prod the LA Fire Department to use modern technology (iPads, GPS, etc.) that would enable them to get to the scene of a fire (or medical emergency) much faster.

Many of us might have assumed LAFD was already doing all this, but it sounds as if the department is still somewhat stuck in the eighties. Here’s to progress!

Inspired by all this, I sent in an idea to the Mayor’s transitional website called “The LA Jobs Machine.â€

What if every community (in our case, Brentwood), hosted a quarterly Saturday afternoon gathering where local entrepreneurs, local bank branch managers, members of the community council, the city councilman, prospective investors and interested citizens could listen to pitches from entrepreneurs for new businesses they wanted to start?

The event could be run like an episode of “Shark Tank,†only much friendlier. There would be no obligation for anyone to finance anything – and no city money would be required – but this type of networking could lead to possibly getting some startups funded.

For every startup we hear about that gets funded, there are probably 100 that don’t. Maybe The LA Jobs Machine can get a few more off the ground. Small companies create jobs.

Not every idea would have to be for the next Facebook or Twitter; maybe a startup team would have an idea for a much-needed neighborhood service, and with $10,000, the group could be up and running within a month or two.

LA has around 100 distinct neighborhoods. If each one facilitated five new startups a year, that’s 500 new small businesses a year. Not all these companies will survive, but I estimate The LA Jobs Machine could create 30,000 jobs over ten years. There’s little to lose and maybe much to be gained.

What’s your idea? Send it to ideas@lacity.org.

A great friend of mine, Herb Chase, always had tons of ideas. Even at age 90, it was hard to keep up with him. He passed away in recent days. I’m going to miss him.

You might miss him, too. For many years, he has written the “Eye on Brentwood†column. His column often had some bite to it and we occasionally got complaints from readers. But at least we learned people were paying attention.

We started the Brentwood News in 1991. He was representing a printing company, Valley Printers, which has been printing the Brentwood News for decades now. Earlier in his career, Herb ran a newspaper called the Santa Monica Independent-Journal. I believe he got his start working for a big newspaper in Philadelphia.

Herb was an old-fashioned newspaper guy. Something will be missed when the old-timers go. It’s hard to imagine Facebook or Twitter really replacing a good-old-fashioned newspaper.

in News
Related Posts

(Video) Series A Coffee Now Open in Beverly Hills at 8328 Wilshire Blvd

March 29, 2024

March 29, 2024

Located in the space that formerly housed a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Try the Black Pearl Iced Coffee. @culvercitywlanews...

Los Angeles Fire Department Responds to Multi-Vehicle Collision Involving MTA Bus

March 28, 2024

March 28, 2024

Firefighters and Paramedics Assess 14 Individuals, Transport Several to Hospital Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters and paramedics responded to...

Los Angeles County Braces for Heavy Rain, Snow, and Possible Thunderstorms Over Weekend

March 28, 2024

March 28, 2024

National Weather Service Issues Alerts for Flooding and Possible Tornado  According to the latest reports from the National Weather Service...

Two Men Charged in Murder of Sidney Barrett Morris at L.A. Live Restaurant

March 28, 2024

March 28, 2024

DA Gascón Announces Charges; LAPD Chief Choi Expresses Condolences.  Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced murder charges Tuesday...

Cantonese Dim Sum Master Chef Tony Opens Hollywood Dim Sum at TCL Chinese Theatre

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Experience Exquisite Dim Sum Creations in the Heart of Hollywood 97 years after its founding, the TCL Chinese Theatre will...

Fleurs et Sel Bakery Opens Storefront in West Adams, Welcomes Customers Three Days a Week

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Indulge in Freshly Baked Cookies at the New West Adams Location Fleurs et Sel Bakery, known for its delectable cookies...

Easter Specials Guide: Brunch Spots, Desserts, and More in West Los Angeles

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Discover the Best Easter Eats and Treats in LA for Your Holiday Celebration Easter is almost here, so here are...

(Video) Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE at the Beyond Fest Screening...

Attorney for Sean “Diddy” Combs Denounces Investigation as “Witch Hunt”

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

Legal Representative Criticizes Probe Amid Federal Sex Trafficking Inquiry An attorney representing Sean “Diddy” Combs criticized the investigation into the...

Culver City Police Department to Conduct High Visibility Traffic Enforcement Operation

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

Operation Targets Hazardous Traffic Violations on the West End The Culver City Police Department announced plans to conduct a high...

Historic Union Contract Ratified by Thousands of Hotel Workers At 34 Hotels

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

UNITE HERE Local 11 Negotiates Agreement Ensuring Wage Increases  Hotel workers, who spearheaded the largest hotel strike in modern U.S....

Human Rights Campaign’s Los Angeles Dinner Celebrates LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Unity

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

Notable Figures Gathered to Champion LGBTQ+ Rights and Combat Discrimination By Aneesha Pappy  The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s...

California Bars and Nightclubs Must Offer Drug Testing Devices Starting July 1

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

New Law Mandates License Holders to Provide Drug Testing Kits to Patrons Beginning July 1, establishments with Type 48 licenses...

Opinion: West Los Angeles Needs to Care about Veteran Homelessness

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

By Kelly Kravchuk  Veteran homelessness is a public health concern that impacts my West Los Angeles community. As a USC...

Culver City City Council Recap: Bruce Lee Alley, Historical Discrimination Study, Women’s History Month

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

Council Deliberates on Racial Equity, Infrastructure Upgrades, and Fire Department Strategic Plan The Culver City Council convened its latest session...