Mayor’s NoHo Speech Site Offers Mix of Symbols

In casting about for a location for his eighth and final State of the City address, Mayor Richard Riordan couldn’t resist the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood for next week’s speech.

A former second-run movie theater that was badly damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the El Portal has been renovated with city help and now is an active venue for live theater, serving as a cornerstone to the NoHo Arts District.

“The significance of the location is that we want to hearken back to eight years of achievement,” said Peter Hidalgo, a spokesman for Riordan. “What we want to remind ourselves is we were able to recover from the Northridge earthquake. The El Portal Theater was damaged by the earthquake and now it is reopened. There is symbolism in that.”

But some North Hollywood civic leaders say there may be some unintentional negative symbolism in Riordan’s choice as well.

A block away, easily viewed from the front door of El Portal, vacant lots remind residents of a long-promised commercial and entertainment complex that has yet to break ground.

“We’ve got a depressed area here after 23 years of redevelopment,” said Gary Hendrickson of the group North Hollywood Concerned Citizens. “They say it needs more time. How much time do they need?”

With Riordan leaving office in less than 60 days, that is one project that will have to be left undone.

Hendrickson and others expect Riordan will use part of his May 10 speech to make one more appeal to San Fernando Valley residents not to break away from Los Angeles.

Given that Valley secessionists say dysfunction at City Hall is a key reason they want to split, the name of the current production at the theater is oddly appropriate.

The play, the marquee reads, is “Out of Order.”

SLOW GROWTH: It took them nearly two years, but a cadre of bankers, developers and city officials have finally plowed through the mountain of paperwork standing between them and a new $34-million government hub planned for Van Nuys. Well, almost.

Ground still hasn’t been broken for the newest branch of the Van Nuys Civic Center, a 142,000-square-foot building dubbed the Marvin Braude Constituent Services Center. Architectural drawings must be finished and a groundbreaking date hasn’t even been set. But in a burst of we’re-getting-there enthusiasm, Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski put out a press release Wednesday heralding completion of “the next-to-last and most complex phase” of development.

Using phrases such as “historic document signing,” the councilwoman gave a blow-by-blow description of the loan agreements reached between the developer, the Voit Cos. of Woodland Hills, and its lender, City National Bank.

Residents eagerly following the laborious birth of the building--which one day will house offices of the transportation department and other city agencies--might be interested to know just where the documents were signed (Beverly Hills), which city official executed the leases (Jon Mukri of the General Services Department) and how long it took to ink the deals (more than three hours).

“The signing of these 30 documents,” Miscikowski proudly announced, “means that this new building is virtually ready to be built.”

But when will it be virtually ready to open? That could be nearly two years away, according to Tim Regan, the project manager at Voit. Builders must first reroute a sewer line and other utilities, dig the underground parking and erect the Mediterranean-style building itself. Once completed, the city has the option to buy the building. The City Council approved the project in 1999, but Miscikowski said construction was delayed because lenders took their time scrutinizing the deal, which she called the first major city building constructed through such a public-private arrangement.

Still, Regan agreed, signing the loan agreements is indeed a major step. “That provides financing,” he said. “It really is the green light.”

ALSO-RANS: Locked in a tough runoff contest for the 5th Council District seat, former state Sen. Tom Hayden and former federal prosecutor Jack Weiss announced Wednesday each had snagged the endorsements of other candidates in last month’s crowded primary election.

Hayden said he has received the endorsement of Friends of Westwood founder Laura Lake, who placed fourth in the April 10 election, and gun-control advocate Constantina Milonopoulos, who placed 10th.

Between them, the two candidates received just less than 10% of the vote.

Lake said Hayden has experience fighting for “quality-of-life issues in neighborhoods,” and said she does not believe Weiss was as impressive at candidate forums.

“Weiss’ answers to questions lacked an understanding of neighborhood issues and how City Hall works,” Lake said.

Larry Levine, a political consultant for Weiss, suggested what Lake and Hayden have most in common is that both moved into the district to run for office.

“They probably shared a moving van to move into the district,” Levine quipped. “I’m sure there is a great kinship between them.”

Lake said she lived three blocks outside the district before she moved in to run. She called Levine’s comments “sour grapes.”

Levine countered Hayden’s endorsements by announcing that Weiss is being endorsed by Victor Viereck, who finished last in the primary with 317 votes, less than 1% of the vote.

Viereck, however, said the announcement is premature.

He more likely will back Weiss, Viereck said, but he first wants Weiss to address some issues.