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PLATFORM : Remember ‘I Love N. Y.’? Well, Here’s the Concept That’ll Do It for L. A.

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Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has called for a five-year ad campaign to restore the city’s luster, badly tarnished by earthquake, fire, mud, flood, recession and civil unrest. Since the announcement, the nascent campaign has been treated as a joke in some quarters, though many people with an economic stake in the city are more earnest and hopeful about it. Interviewer JAMES BLAIR included both sides by asking comedians as well as tourism officials, business people and community activists to repond.

JENNY CHURCH

Comedian, Beverly Hills

It’s good for Los Angeles to work on polishing its image. Billboards would be useful and could provide a nice platform for anyone whose car is submerged on the Ventura Freeway. The ads could show a busy film crew with the slogan, “They’re always shooting in Los Angeles.”

Look on the bright side. A car is stolen every 20 seconds? Good, otherwise you’d never find a parking space. The air is so polluted it’s crunchy? Good. Inhale and give your lungs some fiber!

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Folks who live in Los Angeles may complain. Some may even pack up and leave; but they come back. Either they got stuck in traffic and missed their flight or they’re called as a witness in the Simpson case.

Go to New York, see the Statue of Liberty. Come to Los Angeles, see Bob’s Big Boy. He welcomes the world with his burger held high--a beacon that says to all, “This is Los Angeles. Bite Me!”

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BOB MILLS

Comedy writer, Studio City

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We live in a delightful city. It just needs the right spin.

We hear so many negative things about our earthquakes, but they make you health-conscious. It’s embarrassing to live in a state that gets more exercise than you do. And half the population of L.A. is living in split-level houses they didn’t have to pay extra for.

We have a lot of acts of God here, like mudslides. Now, on the surface, mudslides would look like something we would have to gloss over; but it’s a thrill to own a house that goes from zero to 60 faster than your car. And after a mudslide your house often ends up in a better neighborhood.

But Seriously, Folks . . .

ANTHONY SCOTT

Executive director, Dunbar Economic Development Corp., Los Angeles

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We are a nonprofit organization whose basic mission is to develop affordable housing. First and foremost, we’ve done the restoration work on the Dunbar Hotel, which includes studio apartments, commercial and community space.

By and large the campaign is absolutely welcomed, encouraged and supported. I am more than excited to hear that the mayor’s office is taking this on. However, I would like to caution that I hope it does not include the traditional L.A. image-building locations: Hollywood, Disneyland, Universal Studios, Venice Beach.

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Not to toot our own horn, but the Dunbar (Hotel) has been a tourist site. It was the first first-class hotel on the West Coast built by and for African Americans. The hotel was the center of the jazz music scene along Central Avenue.

I implore the mayor’s office to include a citywide image-building process that (includes) areas of Pico Union, East and South-Central Los Angeles--all the areas that make this city such a rich and wonderful place to be.

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DONALD E. STEINMAN

Vice president, Braemar World Travel, Woodland Hills

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I welcome the idea. It is sorely needed. New York City had great results (with its “I Love N.Y” campaign). People need a ray of hope and that’s certainly the beginning. I speak to a number of people throughout the country and, as far as tourism is concerned, our image is very bad. I’m a great believer in substance, but in this instance a new image will lead to substance.

Natural disasters are uncontrollable and people understand that. They’re scared for a short period of time and that sort of wears off. But we do need a new coat of paint. We have a lot to offer people from out of state. Outside the dwindling defense industry, tourism is one of the biggest sources of revenue in California.

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MADELINE JANIS-APARICIO

Executive director, the Tourism Industry Development Council (a coalition of labor unions, community activists and small-business people), Los Angeles

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We support tourism development and promotion of this city, so we don’t want to criticize the concept of a promotional campaign. We wish that campaign were more inclusive of people and parts of the city that haven’t been traditionally included or involved--that we could link that strategy with community development.

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There are two ways to look at it: “It’s so bad in a lot of parts of the city that let’s just pretend (problems don’t) exist and go to the Westside and the beaches.” Or we could say, “There’s a way to raise the standard for the whole city, to make sure a lot of people have higher incomes and better communities so the image of the city is enhanced overall.”

Denial doesn’t work, because people will just go to their local movie or turn on the TV set and they’ll see one image of L.A. and then they’ll see the more official promotional image. They’ll contrast the two and they won’t believe you. So why not talk about what’s really exciting about the city in all of its complexity, the real cultural richness? Why not harness the resources of tourism to really benefit people in the inner city and make sure the city as a whole is better off?

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DAVID LIZZARAGA

President and chief executive of TELACU, the East Los Angeles Community Union

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As a business person and a community activist, we are all in this together. We all benefit by publicizing the positive aspects of the city. We need an upscale campaign to market all the positive aspects of the city--its multiculturalism, unique markets, many industries, educational institutions. Los Angeles is a dynamic community that reaches out to all sectors and it has the greatest consuming public in the country.

There have been a number of catastrophes and tragedies that have hit our city. What’s been fantastic is how we responded and how we still managed to move forward as a city and make it work.

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