CITY HALL JOURNAL : Selected City Council actions affecting Central Los Angeles in the past week.

CITY COUNCIL

* RENOVATION: Approved spending $100,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to renovate a city-owned facility at 3839 Selig Place in Boyle Heights. The building is leased from the city by the East Los Angeles Retarded Citizens Assn.

* ALLEY CLOSURES: Approved the closure of two alleys to deter crime and eliminate illegal dumping. One alley is near 6th Street and Stanford Avenue near Downtown, and the other is near McKinley Avenue between 75th and 76th streets in South-Central. Gates will be installed at both alleys.

* HISTORIC COTTAGE: Approved a proposal by Councilman Mike Hernandez requesting that the city consider purchasing a single-family home at 2377 Scarff St. in the Adams-Normandie redevelopment project area. The owner of the 19th-Century Victorian cottage near USC had proposed demolishing it and building townhomes. The house is within a designated historic district of the National Register of Historic Places, according to officials.

* GOOD BEGINNINGS: Approved spending $34,000 to repair three mobile trailers that house the Good Beginnings Child Care Center at 1829 S. Hoover St. in Westlake. The center is operated by the nonprofit Los Angeles Conservation Corps Inc., which provides preschool and extended day-care services for low- and moderate-income families.

HOW THEY VOTED

How Southside and Eastside representatives voted on selected issues.

* SHUTTLE BUS: Approved the start of shuttle bus service in five council district areas, including Lincoln Heights, Boyle Heights, Watts, and Central and South Los Angeles. The city-funded DASH shuttle bus service now operates in other parts of Los Angeles, including Downtown. Passed: 11-0. Voting yes: Hernandez, Richard Alatorre and Rita Walters. Joan Milke Flores and Mark Ridley-Thomas were absent.

* HOUSING: Approved purchase of property at 1324-1328 S. Hope St. to stop the demolition of the building. The vacant office building, which is owned by California Medical Center of Los Angeles, will be converted to affordable rental housing. Passed: 11-0. Voting yes: Alatorre, Hernandez and Walters. Flores and Ridley-Thomas were absent.

* LIBRARY WAREHOUSE: Approved a proposal to continue leasing space at a warehouse in Boyle Heights to store books and furniture from branch libraries that are closed because the buildings do not meet seismic codes. A yearly lease will cost the city an estimated $75,000. Passed: 10-0. Voting yes: Alatorre, Hernandez and Walters. Flores and Ridley-Thomas were absent.