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Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
North Hollywood's blighted Valley Plaza approved for demolition
Valley Plaza in North Hollywood — once a centerpiece of 1950s commerce that drew John F. Kennedy — has descended into a swath of blight over the years, a collection of neglected buildings and empty parking lots that draw squatters and TV producers in need of an apocalyptic-looking settings. On Tuesday, a panel of Los Angeles city commissioners appointed by Mayor Karen Bass voted to declare a swath of Valley Plaza a public nuisance after a hearing that drew neighbors who complain about decrepit conditions and crime at the site at Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Victory Boulevard. The commissioners' vote paves the way for demolition of six buildings in the plaza and ends a long-suffering chapter of commercial neglect in the San Fernando Valley. While the demolition won't solve the greater problem of retail closings in Los Angeles — where neighborhoods grapple with empty storefronts and shuttered restaurants— local leaders are hopeful that another developer or retailer will take over the site. The empty structures of Valley Plaza created a burden on the city's police and fire departments, who continually respond to calls, said City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian at a Building and Safety Department Commission hearing on the site Tuesday. Just before he spoke, an unresponsive individual was found in one of the buildings, said Nazarian, whose eastern San Fernando Valley district includes North Hollywood. 'The people of North Hollywood have waited too long, enough is enough,' said Nazarian. Fred Gaines, an attorney for the owner Charles Company blamed the city, telling the commissioners that his client sought demolition permits. The developer has been unable to demolish the mall because replacement plans need to be approved first by the city. An inspector for the department countered the developer hadn't fully completed the application. 'We are ready, willing and able to go forward and demolish these buildings,' Gaines told the commissioners. One of the San Fernando Valley's oldest outdoor shopping malls, Valley Plaza opened in the early 1950s and quickly become an successful retail site. Then-Massachusetts Senator Kennedy included the area on his itinerary during his 1960 presidential campaign. In 1961, the Valley Plaza Tower was among the first skyscrapers built in L.A. following the 1957 repeal of a 150-foot building height limit, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy. The tower is occupied today by Wells Fargo and not among the sites declared a nuisance under Tuesday's vote. Economic fallout from the 1990s recession and 1994 Northridge earthquake, as well as competition from more modern shopping centers, helped end Valley Plaza's run. During his 2012 run for president, Republican nominee Mitt Romney held a news conference on a dusty parking lot in front of derelict buildings and tried to link Valley Plaza's decline to President Obama's economic policies. The mall's Sears, a staple in the neighborhood, closed in early 2020. Jennifer Clark, who lives in the area, said the site has been an eyesore since she moved to North Hollywood 24 years ago. Today, that the site is used as a filming locations for scenes needing a backdrop of dilapidated buildings, or a dystopian future, she said. 'Unfortunately, these fictional stories are our reality,' said Clark. Suzanne Stinson, a homeowner who lives three blocks away, said she feared that a fire would be set on the property during the Santa Ana wind season. 'I do not wish my neighborhood to become the next Altadena or Pacific Palisades by burning to the ground,' said Stinson, who urged the structures to be demolished. Charles Company, a real estate and development firm, is owned by Mark and Arman Gabaee. Arman Gabaee was sentenced in 2022 to four years in federal prison in what prosecutors described as one of the biggest corruption cases in L.A. history. From 2010 to 2017, Arman Gabaee made monthly $1,000 payoffs to a L.A. county official in return for county leases, attractive rental terms, and nonpublic information. He also offered to buy the official, Thomas J. Shepos, a $1-million home in return for the county spending $45 million to lease office space at a Gabaee property in Hawthorne. Gaines, the attorney for Charles Company, told the commission on Tuesday blamed problems at the site on a nearby homeless encampment behind the parking lot. He said a national tenant, who he didn't name, visited the site but refused to sign a lease because of the encampment. The tenant said, 'Until this is cleaned up, we're not interested,' said Gaines. Nazarian said that he hopes to see residential housing and retail built on the site, calling it a 'phenomenal location' for investment that is close to two freeways. 'We need retail business,' said Nazarian at a news conference before Tuesday's commission vote. 'This area lost a lot of retail taxes over the course of the last 30 years because all the residents would go to Burbank or elsewhere to shop.' Nazarian blamed owner Charles Company for neglecting the site, describing Valley Plaza as a 'once-blossoming' corner of the San Fernando Valley. 'They don't care about the property,' said Nazarian.
Newsweek
11-07-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
When City of Hope Launched Its Own AI Tool, Execs Got Hugs and Pharma Came Calling
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. There is no shortage of health care AI applications on the market, including solutions from major brands like Epic and Microsoft. But despite the ever-expanding array of options, there wasn't a commercial AI solution that fit City of Hope's needs. That's why the Los Angeles-based system—which is one of the nation's largest cancer research and treatment organizations—decided to launch its own generative AI model in late June. HopeLLM is powered by City of Hope's proprietary data and technology, and works to improve both provider efficiency and patient experience. The tool can assist with patient onboarding, summarizing vast medical records in seconds. It also works to match patients with clinical trials and pull relevant data for research. The tool has been rolled out across City of Hope's enterprise, including locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix and Atlanta. It's been a success so far, Simon Nazarian, the system's chief digital and technology officer, told Newsweek in an exclusive interview on July 1. City of Hope Helford Clinical Research Hospital in Duarte, California, is part of the system's nationwide cancer care network. City of Hope Helford Clinical Research Hospital in Duarte, California, is part of the system's nationwide cancer care network. City of Hope "I got hugged the other day," Nazarian said, speaking about health care professionals' response to HopeLLM. "We get a lot of accolades [from providers] about the fact that they're not spending as much 'pajama time,' and they have this available at the point of care. It's to the point that they want to get it out there in the hands of everyone." HopeLLM had already saved clinicians "thousands" of hours during its first week of deployment, and that number continues to rise, according to Nazarian. While more health systems are leaning on AI-powered tools like ambient scribes and scheduling agents, few have the resources and infrastructure to launch their own platforms. There was no better option for City of Hope, per Nazarian. The health system was an early adopter of AI, and has been creating and deploying its own AI-driven predictive models since 2017. Those solutions focused on risk identification—rating patients' odds of becoming septic or having surgical complications—while the new app helps make sense of expansive medical records and strengthens the link between different arms of the business. "Whether in care delivery or research, we want to use AI in order to accelerate discovery to continuously improve our quality of care, and deliver more precise therapies," Nazarian said. City of Hope onboarded more than 150,000 new patients in 2024. These patients typically have complex medical histories and see a number of providers before reaching the specialty cancer network. It can be daunting for both patients and physicians to parse through their records, which often include 10 to 20 years of test results and visit notes. A study from the University of Wisconsin found that one in five patients has an electronic health record (EHR) the size of Herman Melville's Moby Dick, more than 206,000 words. Cancer patients tend to have longer, more layered stories than the average patient, hence the need for a tailored oncology AI solution. The health system's dedicated applied AI and advanced analytics team worked alongside doctors and researchers to leverage all that data and build HopeLLM. It uses multiple commercial and open-source models, and has been integrated into City of Hope's EHR, Epic. A researcher conducts basic research at a City of Hope laboratory. In addition to delivering patient care, City of Hope engages in oncology research. HopeLLM aims to bridge the gap between these aspects of the... A researcher conducts basic research at a City of Hope laboratory. In addition to delivering patient care, City of Hope engages in oncology research. HopeLLM aims to bridge the gap between these aspects of the business. More City of Hope While individual providers can use the app to receive a personalized summary of their patient's records, the health system can tap into its analytical features for a longitudinal view of their care journey. According to Nazarian, City of Hope can marry these insights with other data points on social determinants of health and genomics—helping them create precision therapies that account for an individual's entire background. AI governance protocols were essential throughout the model's construction and are an ongoing focus for the health system rather than a "one and done," he added. Stakeholders from across the enterprise, including physicians, legal and compliance experts, weighed in on the platform's development and continue to monitor it for quality and safety. "It really is important for us to make sure that [our AI models] have perfect accuracy, with more information coverage compared to the human-generated summaries that have been done in the past," Nazarian said. HopeLLM has garnered interest from the broader oncology market, particularly from pharmaceutical companies that would like to take advantage of its trial-matching capabilities. City of Hope is exploring avenues to make the tool available to others, and partner with external stakeholders that could help improve it. "There is no way for us to predict where a revolutionary technology like this is going to go," Nazarian said, "but we are staying close to it and will be at the forefront." Nazarian will be speaking at Newsweek's Digital Health Care Forum in New York City on September 16. For more information or to register for the event, visit
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How did a rumor about an ICE raid on a homeless shelter escalate to Mayor Bass?
At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass made a startling claim. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had appeared at a homeless shelter that day, among other sensitive locations in Los Angeles, she said. But what actually happened at the Whitsett West Tiny Home Village in North Hollywood remains murky. The shifting narratives reflect the anxiety of Angelenos amid ICE raids targeting immigrants at Home Depots, churches and retail centers. In L.A., a "sanctuary city" where local officials do not participate in federal immigration enforcement, tensions with the federal government are at an all-time high. After some protests against the raids turned violent, the Trump administration called in the National Guard and the U.S. Marines. With federal officials keeping the city in the dark on immigration enforcement actions, City Council members and the mayor sometimes rely on the rumor mill. ICE's parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, quickly responded to Bass' comments, saying they were "false." "[ICE] is not in homeless shelters," the agency wrote on X. "This rhetoric from [the mayor] and California politicians demonizes the brave men and women of law enforcement." The Whitsett West Tiny Home Village, which is on city property and is run by the nonprofit Hope the Mission, has beds for about 150 people in shed-like structures off the 170 Freeway near Whitsett Avenue and Saticoy Street. According to Laura Harwood, Hope the Mission's deputy chief program officer, people in a car tried to get access to the tiny home village on Thursday afternoon, telling security guards that they were American citizens who wanted to see how their taxpayer dollars were being used. The guards did not admit the visitors, who were wearing civilian clothes. "This is a really unusual situation. This really doesn't happen," Harwood said. Other employees saw some men looking into the complex from different sides and taking pictures. A worker at the tiny home village, who requested anonymity because he has family members who are undocumented, told The Times that he was returning from lunch when he spotted two DHS SUVs with tinted windows down the block. Tiny home staffers were concerned enough that they reached out to City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, who came to the complex. "We got reports that some ICE agents were around in the area viewing the location from both the front and the backside entryways," Nazarian said on Instagram. Nazarian said that immigration agents appearing at the tiny home village would be a "fear mongering" tactic. The targeting of interim homeless housing could dissuade people from moving off the street, or push those in shelters to leave out of fear, said Rowan Vansleve, Hope the Mission's president. "Last Thursday, ICE entered our city, and provoked the city, by chasing people through Home Depots and car washes and showing up at schools. And today, showing up at emergency rooms and homeless shelters," Bass said at the Thursday press conference. Bass' team confirmed to The Times that she was referring to the incident at the Whitsett West Tiny Home Village. City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said that community organizations and local elected officials have been sorting through reports of DHS sightings to see if they are credible. "We have seen situations where people say federal agents are here, and then when someone goes, it turns out they were never there or were gone an hour ago," Hernandez said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
How did a rumor about an ICE raid on a homeless shelter escalate to Mayor Bass?
At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass made a startling claim. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had appeared at a homeless shelter that day, among other sensitive locations in Los Angeles, she said. But what actually happened at the Whitsett West Tiny Home Village in North Hollywood remains murky. The shifting narratives reflect the anxiety of Angelenos amid ICE raids targeting immigrants at Home Depots, churches and retail centers. In L.A., a 'sanctuary city' where local officials do not participate in federal immigration enforcement, tensions with the federal government are at an all-time high. After some protests against the raids turned violent, the Trump administration called in the National Guard and the U.S. Marines. With federal officials keeping the city in the dark on immigration enforcement actions, City Council members and the mayor sometimes rely on the rumor mill. ICE's parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, quickly responded to Bass' comments, saying they were 'false.' '[ICE] is not in homeless shelters,' the agency wrote on X. 'This rhetoric from [the mayor] and California politicians demonizes the brave men and women of law enforcement.' The Whitsett West Tiny Home Village, which is on city property and is run by the nonprofit Hope the Mission, has beds for about 150 people in shed-like structures off the 170 Freeway near Whitsett Avenue and Saticoy Street. According to Laura Harwood, Hope the Mission's deputy chief program officer, people in a car tried to get access to the tiny home village on Thursday afternoon, telling security guards that they were American citizens who wanted to see how their taxpayer dollars were being used. The guards did not admit the visitors, who were wearing civilian clothes. 'This is a really unusual situation. This really doesn't happen,' Harwood said. Other employees saw some men looking into the complex from different sides and taking pictures. A worker at the tiny home village, who requested anonymity because he has family members who are undocumented, told The Times that he was returning from lunch when he spotted two DHS SUVs with tinted windows down the block. Tiny home staffers were concerned enough that they reached out to City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, who came to the complex. 'We got reports that some ICE agents were around in the area viewing the location from both the front and the backside entryways,' Nazarian said on Instagram. Nazarian said that immigration agents appearing at the tiny home village would be a 'fear mongering' tactic. The targeting of interim homeless housing could dissuade people from moving off the street, or push those in shelters to leave out of fear, said Rowan Vansleve, Hope the Mission's president. 'Last Thursday, ICE entered our city, and provoked the city, by chasing people through Home Depots and car washes and showing up at schools. And today, showing up at emergency rooms and homeless shelters,' Bass said at the Thursday press conference. Bass' team confirmed to The Times that she was referring to the incident at the Whitsett West Tiny Home Village. City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said that community organizations and local elected officials have been sorting through reports of DHS sightings to see if they are credible. 'We have seen situations where people say federal agents are here, and then when someone goes, it turns out they were never there or were gone an hour ago,' Hernandez said.
Boston Globe
26-05-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Organ designer makes art on a major scale
C.B. Fisk Pipe organ designer Charles Nazarian points out a rose window in his scale model of an organ he designed for Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables, Florida. (John Tlumacki/Boston Globe Staff.) John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Advertisement Where to find him : Age : 73 Originally from : Watertown Lives in : Gloucester, in a nineteenth-century oxen barn he converted into a house. Making a living : In addition to his work at Fisk, Nazarian is an architectural designer of period homes and president of the A selection of organ pipes lie in a drawer in the storage room at C.B. Fisk, Inc. (John Tlumacki/Boston Globe Staff.) John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Studio : Opus 166's scale model fills a corner of his small, shared office at Fisk. Drawings, dowels, and sketches on foamcore cover a nearby worktable. How he started : Nazarian studied organ as an undergraduate at Trinity College. Summers, he played Harvard's organ. 'There was a day when I was practicing, and Advertisement Nazarian had observed differences between Harvard's organ and Trinity's. 'I cornered him,' Nazarian said. 'I asked him point blank, why is it that your instrument doesn't do X, Y, or Z? He gave me a very tired look and said, 'Chuck, if you think you can do better, you should come work with us.'' After a detour to law school, Nazarian apprenticed at Fisk. Organ designer Charles Nazarian presses down on the keys of the pipe organ for the Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables, Florida. Each keyboard relates to roughly 1,000 pipes. (John Tlumacki/Boston Globe Staff.) John Tlumacki/Globe Staff What he makes : He designs and builds scale models of organs in situ. Nazarian emphasizes the teamwork involved. It was Fisk's approach, too. 'If you could get at the time, eight or nine people, but now 20-plus people, to agree that the scale model looked good, most likely most people would think that it was a success,' he said. 'And this is the most persnickety group of artisans you can ever imagine.' Charles Nazarian examines designs atop the large roller board for the C.B. Fisk organ that will be installed in Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables, Florida. (John Tlumacki/Boston Globe Staff.) John Tlumacki/Globe Staff How he works : He starts with freehand sketches and moves to foamcore, which he can prop up inside his model of the church's interior. 'Once the direction seems to be working, I start turning the pipes and making the woodwork of the case,' Nazarian said. 'The core of what I do is trying to figure out what the instrument itself wants to be in the space,' he said. 'The goal is for the instrument to look as if it could have always been there.' Gloucester 05/21/2025 Cylindrical forms are used to form the shape of organ pipes in one of the work rooms at C.B. Fisk Inc. John Tlumacki/Boston Globe Staff John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Advice for artists : 'Find the best mentors you possibly can, follow your passion in what it is you most want to do,' Nazarian said, 'and combine those two pieces together.' Advertisement
