You'll have to excuse us if you've already gotten wind of these items - we're still not quite recovered from our vacations. There were a few interesting tidbits that fell into our inboxes, hopefully still fresh and new(ish). If we're not serving them piping hot, at least they're lukewarm.
1) Hollywood: More revitalization news. One of our faithful readers points us to news that property owners from Sunset & Vine have launched a new BID, as of yesterday. Total budget right now of around $1.2 million, with fully half of those funds to be spent on security. The rest is for "landscape improvements, beautification, street cleaning, marketing, promotion and efforts to aid the homeless coordination." What that homeless coordination entails, we're not sure. We hope involves some sort of rousing dance number to a breakaway pop hit.
2) Inglewood: More chain restaurant madness! Writes one excited (and apparently insane) reader: "Yum...have you seen the Red Lobster that's about to open (our only one in L.A. limits since it closed on Wilshire) next to the only stand-alone Chili's in my favorite new area to shop -- Century Blvd. in Inglewood! I LOVE THIS AREA! It's a ten minute drive from my home in West L.A., yet it feels like I'm on vacation! Target, Costco, Home Depot, 99 Cents Store, Ross, Marshalls, all without the Holllywood pretense or lines!" We're scratching our heads a little as to why national restaurant chains and big box stores will make a person feel like they're on vacation, unless their dream vacation is, like, any suburb in America.
3) Malibu: Once again, Malibu is home to one of the most expensive real estate transactions in the country. Forbes reports that the son of Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang has dropped a cool $35 million on an oceanfront estate, with a four-hole golf course, tennis court and pools, natch. His reported income from his government job? $5,000 per month. Also in Forbes end of year real estate roundup: The Most Expensive Gated Communities of 2006 and southern California is, as always, disproportionately represented. Yeah! Beverly Park reprazent!