Cityview announced this week that it has acquired Candela, a 112-unit apartment building located at 1950 Tamarind Avenue in the Hollywood Hills.

Photograph of CandelaCityview

The building, completed in 1974, includes a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, and is set to undergo a renovation that will add new amenities.

“Candela was a prime opportunity to acquire a well-located, highly amenitized asset significantly below replacement cost, making it an ideal fit for our value-add strategy,” said Cityview chief executive officer Sean Burton. “With its supply constrained location and 96% current occupancy, we believe Candela will continue to experience high demand as one of the premier boutique luxury communities in the submarket.”

A series of initiative announced this week by 1st District Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez aim to improve safety at MacArthur Park.

Aerial view of MacArthur Park looking southeastHunter Kerhart Architectural Photography

“MacArthur Park is the only open green space available to thousands of Westlake residents,” said Hernandez in a statement. “Angelenos deserve safe, healthy, active parks and I am grateful for all of our state, county, and community partners who are joining us in bringing resources to this area that will raise the quality of life for everyone.”

These include the establishment of a field medicine program with social services, offering wraparound services to unhoused persons in and around the park starting by mid-2025. Hernandez has also announced plans for a Peace Ambassador program, with two unarmed teams stationed in Pico Union and Westlake five days per week starting in January 2025, and continuing over the course of a two-and-a-half year contract. Another initiative is a cleanliness program at MacArthur Park, with multiple teams responsible for an area covering a radius of 1,000 feet around the perimeter of the park. Finally, Hernandez announced a partnership with Homeless Health Care Los Angeles to bring medical professionals to the park area to identify and reverse overdoses.

Here's what we're reading this week:

Cemeteries Push to Bury Forest Lawn Drive Safety Improvements "Forest Lawn and Mount Sinai reps call scaled-back city street improvements a 'bad plan' and 'permanent traffic disaster'" (Streetsblog LA)

How fighting affordable housing nearly bankrupted one of America’s richest towns "The Silicon Valley community of Portola Valley is in the midst of a financial emergency after years of spending on stalled state-mandated affordable housing plans." (LA Times)

The Downtown Los Angeles skylineHunter Kerhart Architectural Photography

How to revive California’s downtowns? This Assembly member is looking for answers "Not so long ago, downtowns were on the upswing. The recession was in the past, office space at a premium and residential development on the rise. But as COVID-19 lockdowns emptied buildings and left streets deserted, progress came to a halt, setting in motion a cascade of unfortunate events." (LA Times)

As the Olympics approach, LA considers crackdown on illegal vacation rentals "The City Council’s housing and homelessness committee is considering adding inspectors, imposing stiffer penalties and requiring websites like Airbnb and Booking.com to use an electronic system already in place in New York City that would automatically reject bookings at properties that aren’t approved for short-term rental." (LAist)

California new laws for 2025: Cannabis cafes and entertainment zones "Starting Jan. 1, alcohol and cannabis sales could expand in some parts of California thanks to two new laws that aim to increase central city foot traffic, which has yet to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic." (LAist)

Aerial view looking eastBjarke Ingels Group / Gruen Associates

Huge Arts District project clears hurdle on path to construction "Developer Vella Group is prepared to start work in about a year and a half and plans to complete the project by 2031..." (LA Times)

Starting next year you could be fined for parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk in L.A. "Enforcing the law could prove tricky in unincorporated Los Angeles County and even in Los Angeles, where officials acknowledge they have an unknown number of crosswalks without markings or signage to keep parking drivers 20 feet away." (LA Times)

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