Start the month off with a festive meeting! In case you wondered what these Griffith Park meetings are like, here’s your chance to see. These meetings are always open to the public, and new people are warmly welcome. I don’t think food has ever been offered before, so take advantage and come on by! Fun walk afterwards looking at the DWP lights the way they can best be seen – on foot. PROS MEETING AGENDA DECEMBER 1, 2008 Griffith Park Ranger Station Meeting Room, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive Griffith Park Holiday Fare and Beverages available at 6:45 Meeting Agenda starts promptly at 7 p.m. followed by an 8 o’clock Winter…

I wish I knew baseball better, because I’d put it in baseball terms. And I do know the Phillies won! My father is happy. Photo ©Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times. This is so wrong I had to reprint it here. Composite city, whoever you are, you don’t do it for me. Since I didn’t go to the Cultural Historic Affairs Commission meeting, I will quote someone who did, Bernadette Soter, Chair of Parks, River and Opens Space Committee (PROS). Hooray! This morning, by a vote of 3 to 1 (Barren, Louie and Scott in favor; Dake opposed), the Cultural Heritage Commission resolved in favor of recommending to City Council…

For those who haven’t been following the Griffith Park adventure, a few years ago there was a Master Plan proposed by Councilman Tom LaBonge for the future of the park. That’s okay. I like a man who sets boundaries and likes to talk about our future! However, this Master Plan includes a hotel, restaurants, a pier in the LA River (!), flying trams, and all sorts of things to turn the Park into Disneyland North. No word on if there’s room on the trams for the Griffith Park animals that will be squeezed out. Getting Landmark status from the Historic Cultural Commission is essential to protect the park from arbitrary…

There’s been a lot of press lately about Griffith Park’s move to get historic-cultural status – that is, be a designated Cultural Landmark. I thought, why all the fuss and the flurries of emails? It seems obvious that a park with a rather lurid past (look up Colonel Griffith and prepare to learn), that is over 100 years old, (which means 800 years old in Los Angeles time) is LA’s most valuable piece of land anywhere. Duh. But it’s not so easy. Actually, Griffith Park is a hot box of contention, and there is a lot of drama going on! It’s like writing a script, with too many quirky characters…