4/30/03

LC030430

VAL ZAVALA>> TONIGHT ON LIFE AND TIMES --

JESS MARLOW>> IT’S THE HOT NEW AREA FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDING, BUT IS DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES LOSING ITS PAST TO MAKE WAY FOR A FUTURE?

ROBERT HARRIS>> DID A NEIGHBORHOOD EVER EXIST THERE? HOW CAN YOU TELL? (LAUGHTER) OH, WELL, I SAW A PICTURE ONCE, BUT THERE’S NO TANGIBLE EVIDENCE OF IT, SO IT’S A SIGNIFICANT LOSS.

VAL>> AND THEN, THE THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT FARM-RAISED SALMON. WE’LL FIND OUT WHY THREE BIG SUPERMARKET CHAINS ARE BEING SUED FOR SELLING IT WITHOUT A WARNING.

JESS>> PLUS, THE PIN-UPS OF THE LOS ANGELES POETRY SCENE. NOW THEY’VE GOT THEIR OWN CALENDAR.

VAL>> IT’S ALL STRAIGHT AHEAD ON TONIGHT’S LIFE AND TIMES.

LIFE AND TIMES IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> PROGRESS AT A PRICE. THAT’S THE STORY IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.

JESS>> RESIDENTIAL BUILDERS ARE BUSIER THAN EVER, BUT AS NEW BUILDINGS GO UP, ONE HISTORIC HOUSE HAS COME CRASHING DOWN. AND AS TONI GUINYARD REPORTS, CRITICS SAY THAT’S A CLEAR SIGN THE NEW BUILDING BOOM NEEDS MORE SUPERVISION.

TONI GUINYARD>> THE LANDSCAPE OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES IS CHANGING RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES. TAKE A LOOK AROUND. MANY BUILDINGS THAT STAND AS REMINDERS OF A TIME GONE BY ARE STILL IN PLACE, THE OLD INCORPORATED WITH THE NEW, AND MORE CHANGES APPEAR TO BE ON THE HORIZON. THE 32-STORY TRANSAMERICA CENTER TOWER IS GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION FROM DEVELOPERS. THE PROSPECTIVE BUYERS INCLUDE NEW PACIFIC REALTY AND CANYON JOHNSON URBAN FUND OF WHICH FORMER L.A. LAKERS STAR, MAGIC JOHNSON, IS A PARTNER. THE TOWER MIGHT ONE DAY BE TRANSFORMED INTO A RESIDENTIAL HOUSING COMPLEX.

KEN BERNSTEIN>> THAT’S A GREAT EXAMPLE, THOUGH, OF THE POTENTIAL FOR HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND OLDER COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS TO SERVE NEW USES IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AND TO BUILD ON THE BEST OF OUR PAST AS WE CREATE A NEW FUTURE FOR THE CITY.

TONI GUINYARD>> BERNSTEIN CALLS THE TRANSAMERICA CENTER TOWER A RELATIVELY NEW STRUCTURE. IT STANDS IN THE SOUTHPARK AREA OF DOWNTOWN AND COULD CONCEIVABLY ATTRACT CROWDS FORM THE NEARBY STAPLES CENTER. THE TOWER WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE 1960’S AT A TIME WHEN BUILDINGS AND HOMES WERE BEING DEMOLISHED TO MAKE WAY FOR THE NEW.

KEN BERNSTEIN>> THE NAME OF URBAN RENEWAL, AS THEY CALLED IT THEN, WHICH HAD TO DO WITH WHOLESALE CLEARANCE OF URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS WAS ALL SWEPT AWAY TO MAKE WAY FOR A WHOLE NEW DOWNTOWN WHICH IS WHAT WE SEE TODAY.

JOHNNY LU>> IT’S VERY LIVELY DURING THE BUSINESS HOUR FROM EIGHT TO FIVE MAYBE AND AFTERNOONS IT’S A GHOST TOWN PRETTY MUCH.

TONI GUINYARD>> THE DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES THAT WE NOW KNOW IS A FAR CRY FROM WHAT IT USED TO BE.

KEN BERNSTEIN>> MANY PEOPLE DON’T RECALL NOW THAT BUNKER HILL, WHICH NOW HAS ALL THE GLASSY SKYSCRAPERS AND WAS A NEW DOWNTOWN FOR LOS ANGELES DEVELOPED IN THE 70’S AND 80’S, ONCE WAS OUR GREATEST COLLECTION OF VICTORIAN HOMES. IT WAS A VICTORIAN NEIGHBORHOOD WITH GRAND MANSIONS AND WAS THE HOME OF THE RESIDENTIAL ELITE OF LOS ANGELES.

TONI GUINYARD>> MOST WERE DEMOLISHED DURING THE URBAN RENEWAL, BUT A FEW REMAIN. THIS IS ALL THE CONSERVANCY HAS OF WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE THE LAST HOME STILL STANDING IN RESIDENTIAL BUNKER HILL, A PHOTOCOPY OF A PHOTOGRAPH. A DEVELOPER RECENTLY DEMOLISHED THE HOUSE.

KEN BERNSTEIN>> THE DEMOLITION OF THIS HOUSE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A DEVELOPER THUMBING THEIR NOSE AT OUR CITY LAWS. IF A DEVELOPER, HAVING BEEN TOLD THAT A HOME IS HISTORIC AND BEEN TOLD THAT THEY CANNOT DEMOLISH IT CAN NEVERTHELESS DO SO AND DO SO WITHOUT A DEMOLITION PERMIT, THEN ALL OF OUR HISTORIC RESOURCES IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES ARE ULTIMATELY AT RISK.

TONI GUINYARD>> THE HOUSE, NOT AS GRAND AS THESE MANSIONS, BUT FROM THE SAME ERA AND THE SAME BUNKER HILL NEIGHBORHOOD. THESE HOMES MAKE UP WHAT’S CALLED HERITAGE SQUARE KEPT BEHIND FENCES, BARBED WIRE, LOCK AND KEY, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS A MUSEUM EXHIBIT REPRESENTING WHAT WAS ONCE PART OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. THIS AT A TIME WHEN THE EFFORT IS BEING MADE TO SAVE, SALVAGE AND FIND NEW USES FOR HISTORIC STRUCTURES. ACCORDING TO THE LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY, THIRTY-FIVE BUILDINGS HERE IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ARE CURRENTLY BEING CONVERTED FROM COMMERCIAL TO RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES AND SOME ARCHITECTS SAY THIS MARKS A NEW PHASE IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES HISTORY.

ROBERT HARRIS>> CONVERTING THE SORT OF LEFTOVER QUASI-INDUSTRIAL AREA TO NEW CONTEMPORARY PURPOSES, RATHER MIXED, I THINK, NOT ONLY IN USE BUT ALSO IN ECONOMIC LEVELS, IT’S REALLY GREAT FOR DOWNTOWN.

TONI GUINYARD>> ROBERT HARRIS IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. WHEN HE SCANS THE DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES LANDSCAPE, HE CAN ENVISION WHAT THE FUTURE MAY BE.

ROBERT HARRIS>> A KIND OF NODE OF RALPH’S AND ALL OF ITS HOUSING AND OTHER ACTIVITIES, BUT ANOTHER NODE OF TRANSAMERICA AND WHAT THEY’RE DOING. AND THEN THERE’S A THIRD ONE WHICH IS THE SECOND PHASE OF THE STAPLES DEVELOPMENT WHICH ALSO INCLUDES HOUSING AND MIXED USE. I MEAN, THIS IS A CITY.

TONI GUINYARD>> A CITY IN TRANSITION.

ROBERT HARRIS>> AS THIS SHIFTS, THEN THE POLITICAL CLIMATE AND CIRCUMSTANCES SHIFT AS WELL. SO THERE’S MORE OF A VOICE FOR DOWNTOWN. THERE’S MORE OF AN INTEREST IN ACTUAL LIFE THERE RATHER THAN JUST INVESTMENT THERE.

JESS>> THE LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY IS PUSHING HARD FOR NEW RULES THAT WOULD PUNISH BUILDERS WHO WRECK OR DAMAGE HISTORIC PROPERTY. THE CITY ALREADY HAS THE AUTHORITY TO BLOCK CONSTRUCTION ON THESE SITES FOR FIVE YEARS. IT’S CALLED THE SCORCHED EARTH ORDINANCE, BUT PRESERVATIONISTS COMPLAIN THE LAW IS RARELY ENFORCED.

VAL>> TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, THE VIDEOS YOU RENT, THE BOOKS YOU BORROW AND THE WEBSITES YOU VISIT. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MAY BE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL OF THEM. IT’S ALL PART OF THE PATRIOT ACT, BUT ARE AUTHORITIES GETTING TOO INTRUSIVE IN THE NAME OF FIGHTING TERRORISM? THAT’S THURSDAY ON LIFE AND TIMES.

PHILIP BRUCE>> HERE'S TONIGHT'S LIFE AND TIMES "WHAT DO YOU THINK?" POLL. LOG ONTO OUR WEBSITE AT KCET.ORG AND WEIGH IN ON THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT LIBRARY BOOKS I BORROW? WE'LL COUNT YOUR RESPONSES AND REPORT THE RESULTS ON TOMORROW NIGHT'S LIFE AND TIMES.

JESS>> OUR NEXT STORY MAY CAUSE YOU TO HAVE SOME SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT A SUPPOSEDLY HEALTHY FOOD. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FARM-RAISED SALMON, THE KIND YOU FIND AT MOST SUPERMARKETS. RIGHT NOW, A SEATTLE LAW FIRM IS SUING THREE MAJOR GROCERY CHAINS FOR SELLING THE FISH WITHOUT A SPECIAL WARNING LABEL.

VAL>> THE SUIT ALLEGES THAT CUSTOMERS SHOULD BE TOLD THAT FARM-RAISED SALMON ARE FED A SPECIAL DYE TO MAKE THEM PINK. THE LOS ANGELES TIMES REVEALED THAT A FEW MONTHS AGO AS PART OF AN IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION INTO THE SALMON INDUSTRY AND, AS TIMES REPORTER KEN WEISS DUG DEEPER, HE DISCOVERED LOTS OF OTHER THINGS MOST OF US NEVER KNEW.

KEN WEISS>> THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, HAS MORE THAN NINETY-ONE SALMON FARMS DOTTING ITS COASTLINE. EACH FARM IS A CLUSTER OF PENS OFTEN INTERCONNECTED BY A METAL WALKWAY AND TETHERED OFFSHORE BY A LATTICE OF STEEL CABLES, FLOATS AND WEIGHTS.

TYPICAL IS THIS ONE OPERATED BY NORWAY-BASED STOLT-NIELSEN, ONE OF A HALF DOZEN INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES THAT CONTROL A MAJORITY OF GLOBAL SALMON PRODUCTION. HATCHED IN PLASTIC TRAYS, THE SALMON FRY SPEND THEIR FIRST YEAR IN FRESHWATER TANKS. WATER QUALITY, TEMPERATURE AND THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT ARE ALL CAREFULLY CONTROLLED TO HELP THE FISH GROW TO THE SMOLTING STAGE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. AFTER A YEAR, THEY WILL BE MOVED TO SALTWATER PENS WHERE THE INTERACTIONS WITH THE SURROUNDING WATERS CAN BE PROFOUND.

DESPITE THE IDYLLIC SETTING, THE SIGNS OF STRAIN ON THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT ARE BUBBLING TO THE SURFACE JUST AS THEY HAVE IN THE FJORDS OF NORWAY AND THE LOCHS OF SCOTLAND. ALEXANDRA MORTON CAME TO THE BROUGHTON ARCHIPELAGO EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO TO STUDY KILLER WHALES. THAT WAS WHEN SALMON FARMING WAS IN ITS INFANCY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. NOW HER RESEARCH IS ON THE IMPACT OF AQUACULTURE.

ALEXANDRA MORTON>> WHEN YOU HAVE SPENT EIGHTEEN YEARS LOOKING DOWN INTO THE WATER, THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF THIS INDUSTRY IS UNMISTAKABLE. THIS ARCHIPELAGO IS FLASHING NEON WARNING SIGNS TO ANYONE THAT’S LOOKING.

KEN WEISS>> COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN IN CANADA WERE STUNNED THIS PAST AUGUST WHEN, ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE PINK SALMON SEASON, THEIR NETS CAME UP EMPTY. MORTON SAYS THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN. BLOOD-SUCKING SEA LICE WHICH LOOK LIKE WHITE SESAME SEEDS LOVE THE DENSELY-PACKED PENS OF SALMON FARMS AND, WHEN THEY ARE LOCATED IN MIGRATION ROUTES, WILD SMOLTS ARE LIKELY TO PICK UP BEARDS OF LICE ON THEIR WAY TO THE OCEAN AND THEY ARE NOT LIKELY TO COME BACK.

ALEXANDRA MORTON>> WHEN YOU PACK AN ANIMAL THAT DENSELY, NATURE STEPS IN TO TAKE THEM OUT AND SHE'S ALWAYS GOT SOMETHING, A PARASITE, A BACTERIA OR A VIRUS, TO KEEP POPULATIONS DOWN, TO KEEP ANIMALS FROM DESTROYING THE ECOSYSTEM.

KEN WEISS>> INDUSTRY OFFICIALS SAY SEA LICE IS A PROBLEM, BUT NOT AN EPIDEMIC. FURTHERMORE, FARMERS SAY WHEN LICE INFECT SALMON IN PENS, THEY PROMPTLY TREAT THEM BY PUTTING THE PESTICIDE EMAMECTIN BENZOATE IN THEIR FEED. WHILE LINGERING PESTICIDE RESIDUES HAVE NOT BEEN FLAGGED AS A HEALTH CONCERN, PCB'S AND DIOXIN IN FATTY TISSUE OF SALMON HAVE. THE CULPRIT APPEARS TO BE THE SALMON FEED WHICH CONTAINS HIGHER CONCENTRATIONS OF FISH OIL THAN WILD SALMON WOULD NORMALLY CONSUME. EXTRACTED FROM SARDINES, ANCHOVIES AND OTHER GROUND UP FISH, THE OIL MAGNIFIES THE AMOUNT OF PCB'S AND DIOXIN THAT ACCUMULATE IN FAT.

THERE'S A HUGE MARKET FOR THIS FISH CREATED IN PART BY PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY'RE DOING WHAT'S ENVIRONMENTALLY CORRECT. MOST PEOPLE THINK AQUACULTURE TAKES THE PRESSURE OFF WILD ECOSYSTEMS. THEY ALSO THINK AQUACULTURE WILL HELP RESTORE OCEAN FISHERIES CLOSE TO COLLAPSE, BUT ON THE FARMS OFF THE COAST OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, FEW THINGS ARE AS CLEAR AS THE BLUE-GREEN WATERS SURROUNDING THE CLUSTERS OF NET PENS.

ON SEPTEMBER 11, A SEVEN-YEAR MORATORIUM ON NEW FARMS WAS LIFTED. IT'S EXPECTED TO UNLEASH A FIVE-FOLD INCREASE IN SALMON PRODUCTION IN THE NEXT DECADE. THE DECISION CAME OVER THE OBJECTIONS OF ALASKAN OFFICIALS, THE NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH. THEY WORRY THE FARMS WILL CREEP UP THE COAST AND THREATEN ALASKA'S HEALTHY STOCKS OF WILD SALMON WITH PARASITES, DISEASE AND OUTRIGHT COMPETITION FROM ESCAPEES. BILL VERNON, CO-OWNER OF CREATIVE SALMON, HAS BEEN FARMING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA SINCE 1984. NOW HIS COMPANY IS ONE OF THE LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS AND ONE OF A FEW THAT PURSUE A MORE NATURAL OR ORGANIC APPROACH.

BILL VERNON>> CREATIVE SALMON HAS ALWAYS GROWN ONLY CHINOOK SALMON. THIS IS PREDOMINANTLY BECAUSE THE MARKET THAT WE HAVE WANTS CHINOOK SALMON. IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY TO DEVELOP THE FISH. THEY ARE A MORE DIFFICULT FISH TO WORK WITH, MORE EXPENSIVE TO GROW THAN ATLANTIC SALMON.

KEN WEISS>> BUT HE'S NOT IMMUNE FROM SOME OF THE PRACTICES THAT DRAW THE ATTENTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS. IN THE WILD, SALMON GET THEIR REDDISH HUE BY ABSORBING CAROTENOIDS FROM EATING KRILL. ON THE FARM, THEY ARE FED A SYNTHETIC VERSION. THE "SALMOFAN" LOOKS LIKE THE PAINT STORE SWATCHES PEOPLE USE WHEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT COLOR TO PAINT THEIR LIVING ROOM.

BILL VERNON>> WELL, WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM AS RED AS WE CAN, SO PART OF THAT WE'RE DOING THROUGH SELECTIVE BREEDING AND PART OF IT WE DO THROUGH DIET, SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE OUR FISH LOOK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE LIKE A WILD FISH. WE'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO EMULATE A WILD FISH. WE'RE GOING TO END UP WITH, YOU KNOW, HIGHER FAT FISH BECAUSE THE FISH JUST DON'T GET THE SAME AMOUNT OF EXERCISE AS A WILD SALMON.

KEN WEISS>> THE INDUSTRY HAS LONG INSISTED THAT THE ADDITIVE IS SAFE. EUROPEANS BANNED ITS USE AS A TANNING AGENT FOR PEOPLE AFTER DOCTORS LINKED IT TO RETINAL DAMAGE. CAGED SALMON CIRCLING IN SALTWATER PENS ARE AN IRRESISTIBLE LURE TO SEALS AND SEA LIONS. BY CANADIAN LAW, FARMERS CAN SHOOT THE PREDATORS AS LONG AS THEY BURY THE DEAD IN LANDFILLS. THERE IS A LOOPHOLE. THE CARCASSES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE RETRIEVED FROM THE WATER AND MANY OF THE LARGER OPERATORS SIMPLY CLAIM THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE. SO WHEN VERNON SHOT AND BURIED A NUMBER OF SEA LIONS, IT CREATED A STORM OF PROTEST AND LED TO DEATH THREATS AGAINST HIM AND HIS FAMILY.

STORMS OF ANOTHER KIND, VIOLENT WINTER STORMS, HAVE RIPPED APART NETS AND ALLOWED MILLIONS OF FISH TO ESCAPE OVER THE YEARS. WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE FISH IS A SUBJECT OF DEBATE.

JOHN VOLPE>> WITH ATLANTIC SALMON IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN, WE'RE DEALING WITH A HUGE BLACK BOX AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF INTERACTIONS OR EMERGENT PROPERTIES MIGHT COME FROM A WIDE-SCALE COLONIZATION.

KEN WEISS>> JOHN VOLPE, A FISHERIES ECOLOGIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, HAS BEEN SWIMMING RIVERS TO SEE FOR HIMSELF.

JOHN VOLPE>> ATLANTIC SALMON, WHEN THEY ARE IN A POSITION WHERE THEY HAVE TO FIGHT OR HAVE TO COMPETE IMMEDIATELY UPON INTRODUCTION, HAVE TERRIBLE SUCCESS RATES IN TERMS OF COLONIZATION. WHEN THEY'RE IN A SITUATION WHEN THEY CAN HAVE AS LITTLE AS THREE DAYS ACCESS TO THE HABITAT WITHOUT BEING ATTACKED, THAT SAME FISH BECOMES SUPERIOR IN TERMS OF COMPETITION AND THEN THAT HABITAT THAT THE ATLANTIC SALMON TAKES UP THEN BECOMES UNAVAILABLE TO OTHER NATIVE SALMON DOWN THE ROAD.

ALEXANDRA MORTON>> THERE'S A LOT OF ATLANTIC SALMON OUT HERE IN THESE WATERS.

KEN WEISS>> ALEXANDRA MORTON, THE BIOLOGIST WHO'S BEEN DOCUMENTING THE SPREAD OF SEA LICE AROUND SALMON FARMS, SAYS GOVERNMENT REGULATORS HAVE BEEN FORCED TO BACK OFF CLAIMS THAT THE ESCAPEES COULDN'T SURVIVE.

ALEXANDRA MORTON>> FIRST, THEY SAID THEY WOULDN'T GET OUT OF THEIR PENS. THEN THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO FEED. THEN THEY SAID THEY WOULDN'T GET IN THE STREAMS. THEN THEY SAID THEY WOULDN'T COLONIZE. WELL, THEY DO FEED. I FOUND SALMON, HERRING, STICKLEBACK, AND THEY ARE GETTING IN THE STREAMS. THEY ARE SPAWNING. JOHN VOLPE HAS FOUND THEIR OFFSPRING. AND COLONIZATION? WELL, I'D SAY IT'S ALREADY UNDERWAY.

KEN WEISS>> DEMAND FOR SEAFOOD IS RISING AND WILL DOUBLE IN THE NEXT FORTY YEARS, ACCORDING TO UN EXPERTS. MANY WILD FISHERIES ARE DEPLETED, SO MUCH OF THE SUPPLY WILL LIKELY COME FROM AQUACULTURE. THERE ARE SUCCESS STORIES. CATFISH IN FRESHWATER, OYSTERS IN THE OCEAN. THE QUESTION IS, WILL THE INDUSTRY FIGURE OUT HOW TO RAISE SALMON IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY THAT DOES NOT CAUSE SERIOUS ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE?

VAL>> MANY HEALTH EXPERTS SAY THAT THE DYE THAT IS FED TO SOME FARM-RAISED SALMON POSES NO SERIOUS HEALTH RISK TO HUMANS, BUT THE KROGER SUPERMARKET CHAIN SAYS, AS OF THIS WEEK, IT WILL START ALERTING ITS CUSTOMERS. FROM NOW ON, EVERY PACKAGE OF FARM-RAISED SALMON KROGER SELLS WILL CARRY A LABEL SAYING THAT COLOR HAS BEEN ADDED.

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LIFE AND TIMES
4401 SUNSET BLVD.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90027

YOU CAN ALSO CALL OUR VIEWER COMMENT LINE (323) 953-5555) OR CONTACT US THE FAST WAY BY E-MAIL AT KCET.ORG.

JESS>> EARLIER THIS EVENING, WE REPORTED ABOUT THE NEW BUILDING BOOM IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. PATT HAS SOME MORE THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT AND ABOUT THE HISTORIC HOUSE THAT FELL TO THE WRECKING BALL. IT'S TONIGHT'S INFINITELY MORRISON.

PATT MORRISON>> WHILE MOST OF US WERE IN OUR BEDS NOT PAYING ATTENTION, A CRIME WAS COMMITTED. IT'S NOT THE SORT OF OFFENSE YOU'D NECESSARILY FIND IN THE PENAL CODE. IT'S MORE ON THE ORDER OF A CRIME AGAINST A CITY'S CULTURE, ITS HISTORY AND ITS CIVIC LIVE.

A COUPLE OF WEEKENDS AGO, A DEVELOPER OF EXPENSIVE APARTMENTS ILLEGALLY RAZED THE LAST HISTORIC HOUSE ON BUNKER HILL. IT WASN'T MUCH TO LOOK AT, THIS QUEEN ANNE COTTAGE, BUT IT WAS 115 YEARS OLD AND, IN LOS ANGELES, THAT'S ANTIQUITY. IT ALSO SYMBOLIZED WHAT BUNKER HILL USED TO BE, THE GRAND NINETEENTH CENTURY DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD WITH VIEWS OF MOUNTAINS AND THE SEA FROM THE WINDOWS OF LAVISH MANSIONS OWNED BY LOS ANGELES'S RICHEST CITIZENS. THE PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN THAT LOS ANGELES HAS NO HISTORY ARE SOMETIMES THE VERY ONES WHO GO ALONG WITH DESTROYING IT. CITY OFFICIALDOM ITSELF HAS BEEN KNOWN TO PRAISE L.A.'S PAST, BUT CAVE IN WHEN IT COMES TO PROTECTING IT AGAINST MONEYED INTERESTS.

WHEN THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE WANTED TO TEAR DOWN THE 127-YEAR-OLD ST. VIBIANA'S CATHEDRAL, THE CITY COUNCIL OBLIGINGLY YANKED THE BUILDING'S LANDMARK PROTECTIONS. ONLY BECAUSE A LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY MEMBER SAW THE WRECKING CREW READY TO SMASH AWAY ON A SATURDAY MORNING DID A COURT ORDER HALT THE DEMOLITION. THE ARCHDIOCESE, BENEFICIARY OF THE BEST LEGAL TALENT IN LOS ANGELES, SAID IT HAD NO IDEA THAT IT NEEDED A PERMIT. RESULT? LOS ANGELES HAS BOTH A NEW CATHEDRAL AND ST. VIBIANA'S, WHICH IS ON ITS WAY TO BECOMING A CULTURAL CENTER. A FEW YEARS EARLIER, ANOTHER HISTORIC CHURCH WAS TORN DOWN BY A DEVELOPER WHO SAID HE'D LEAVE DOWNTOWN IF HE WASN'T ALLOWED TO LEVEL IT. SO THEY LET HIM GO AHEAD AND HE STILL MOVED OUT OF DOWNTOWN. INSTEAD OF A GLORIOUS BUILDING WITH TIFFANY MOSAICS, LOS ANGELES GOT ANOTHER PARKING LOT.

NOW THIS BRAZEN DEMOLITION OF THE BUNKER HILL HOUSE SHOULD BE PUNISHED NOT ONLY FOR THE TRANSGRESSION ITSELF, BUT AS A LESSON TO OTHER DEVELOPERS CONTEMPLATING A MIDNIGHT WRECKING RAID. LOS ANGELES'S SCORCHED EARTH ORDINANCE LETS THE CITY TELL THE DEVELOPER THAT HE CAN'T SO MUCH AS MOVE A TWIG ON THE SITE FOR FIVE YEARS AFTER THE ILLEGAL DEMOLITION. NOW THAT'S GOOD, BUT IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I THINK THE DEVELOPER SHOULD HAVE TO RESTORE THE COTTAGE HIMSELF, BOARD BY BOARD, STONE BY STONE, AND THEN LIVE IN IT FOR THE FIVE YEARS UNTIL SCORCHED EARTH IS UP. AND IF WE'RE REALLY LUCKY, THE COTTAGE WILL BE HAUNTED.

JESS>> THEY'RE NOT THE FIRST FOLKS WHO COME TO MIND WHEN WE THINK OF PIN-UP MODELS, BUT THEIR LATEST WORK IS PROOF A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, EVEN WORDS CHOSEN BY THE CITY'S BEST POETS.

VAL>> BUT BEFORE YOU START SEARCHING FOR WORDS THAT RHYME WITH CENTERFOLD, TAKE A QUICK LOOK. THESE ARE A FEW PAGES FROM THE NEW POETS CALENDAR. THEY MAY BE POSING IN BATHING SUITS, BUT WHAT THEY'RE REALLY REVEALING IS THEIR SOMEWHAT STRANGE SENSE OF HUMOR. WITH US NOW ARE TWO OF THE MODELS, POETS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. THEY ARE SUZANNE LUMMIS AND SHOLEH WOLPE, WHO IS ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS OF THE CALENDAR. WELCOME TO LIFE AND TIMES.

SHOLEH WOLPE>> THANK YOU. THANKS FOR HAVING US HERE.

JESS>> WHAT PROMPTED THE CALENDAR?

SHOLEH WOLPE>> WELL, IT'S A VERY INTERESTING STORY. I WAS AT A PARTY WITH SUZANNE LUMMIS AND CECILIA WOLOCH AND A FEW OTHER POETS AND WE WERE HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME AND THEY WERE SAYING HOW FUNNY IT WOULD BE IF WE GET OUR POETS IN SWIMSUITS. OF COURSE, IT'S AN IDEA THAT GOES BACK TO JACK GRAVES IN LOS ANGELES, BUT I TOOK IT SERIOUSLY. I THOUGHT, WELL, WHY NOT? (LAUGHTER) I TOOK IT TO TEBOT BACH, OUR CEO AND FOUNDER --

VAL>> -- WE SHOULD EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE WHAT TEBOT BACH IS.

SHOLEH WOLPE>> OH, TEBOT BACH IS AN ORGANIZATION --

VAL>> -- AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROMOTES POETRY?

SHOLEH WOLPE>> PROMOTES POETRY IN ORANGE COUNTY AND TAKES POETRY TO THE HOSPITALS -- IT'S GOAL IS TO TAKE IT TO THE HOSPITALS, TO SCHOOLS, PROMOTE LITERACY, SO IT'S A WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION. I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING FOR THEM AND I THOUGHT, WELL, WHY NOT? LET'S HAVE A CALENDAR AND LET IT BE A FUNDRAISER AND BRING POETRY TO PEOPLES' HOME, PLUS OUR POETS.

VAL>> AND YOU KNOW THAT OUR AUDIENCE IS DYING TO SEE --

JESS>> -- AND TO HAVE FUN (LAUGHTER).

VAL>> -- SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT ONE OF THE PAGES OUT OF YOUR CALENDAR, A HOT TUB SHOT.

SHOLEH WOLPE>> OKAY. THIS IS A HOT TUB SHOT. ACTUALLY, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A MOROCCAN SCENE. RALPH ANGEL WANTED TO BE IN A MOROCCAN SCENE AND THEN HE CHANGED HIS MIND. HE DECIDED HE WANTED TO BE IN A BATHTUB.

VAL>> IS HE THE FELLOW RIGHT THERE WHO'S DOWN BELOW?

SHOLEH WOLPE>> HE'S THE FELLOW IN THE TUB AND HE WOULD NOT DO IT UNLESS I WAS IN IT. I HAVE TO ALWAYS EXPLAIN THAT BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO BE IN THE CALENDAR (LAUGHTER).

JESS>> WAS HE PROMPTED TO SAY "I THINK THAT I'LL SHALL NEVER SEE A POEM LOVELY AS THESE THREE?" (LAUGHTER)

SHOLEH WOLPE>> (LAUGHTER) I DON'T THINK HE'D SAY THAT.

JESS>> I DON'T THINK I'LL GET MEMBERSHIP (LAUGHTER).

SHOLEH WOLPE>> HE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME, LET ME TELL YOU, AND WE HAD REAL CHAMPAGNE.

VAL>> JESS IS AUDITIONING FOR THE NEXT CALENDAR (LAUGHTER). WELL, SUZANNE, TELL US ABOUT THIS NEXT PICTURE WE SEE. I THINK YOU'RE IN THIS ONE. LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

SUZANNE LUMMIS>> HERE I AM, MS. NOIR OCTOBER, SOMETHING I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE. MOST OF THE OTHER POETS WENT TO THE BEACH AND I WAS EMPHATIC THAT I WANTED TO GO INLAND, WAY INLAND. I RIGHT AWAY THOUGHT, WELL, MINE HAS TO BE IN EAST DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. MOST OF THE POETS WERE HAVING THEIR PHOTOS SHOT IN THE DAYTIME, NATURALLY, AND I WAS EMPHATIC THAT MINE HAD TO BE AT NIGHT. NOW I'M INTERESTED IN NOIR, YOU KNOW, FILM NOIR AND LITERATURE, AND I'M INTERESTED IN THE NOIR MOOD.

I WRITE A KIND OF VARIATION OF THE POEM NOIR, SO I WANTED SOMETHING THAT HAD THAT "NOIRISH" MOOD TO IT AND SHOW LEG. LOOK AT THE PEOPLE SHE PICKED FOR ME. THIS IS SUCH GOOD CASTING BECAUSE WE HAVE ELIZABETH ANACHI AND BRENDAN CONSTANTINE. IS HE PERFECT OR WHAT? NOW I SHOULD MENTION THAT THIS IS FELIPE'S, FELIPE'S DOWNTOWN. IT'S JUST A LITTLE NORTH OF UNION STATION. SHOLEH AND I WERE SAYING IT SHOULD BE IN A PHONE BOOTH AND I SAID, OH, IF WE WANT THE ORIGINAL 1940'S PHONE BOOTH, WE HAVE TO GO TO FELIPE'S, SO HERE WE ARE.

JESS>> ALL RIGHT. THIS IS FRENCH DIP (LAUGHTER).

SUZANNE LUMMIS>> THE INVENTORS OF THE FRENCH DIP.

VAL>> LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE WE HAVE HERE BECAUSE YOU DID TRY TO CAPTURE A LITTLE BIT OF THE POET IN EACH PICTURE. THIS ONE, FOR EXAMPLE.

SHOLEH WOLPE>> THIS ONE IS RICHARD GARCIA AND HE'S ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT FLY FISHING. I TOLD HIM, WELL, RICHARD, I'D LIKE TO MAKE YOU THE FISH IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH.

JESS>> AND THE ONLY THING HE WAS WEARING WAS A HAT, HUH?

SHOLEH WOLPE>> THAT'S RIGHT. HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT? THE WOMAN THERE FISHING HIM OUT ACTUALLY IS HIS FIANCÉ. IT'S WONDERFUL. MAYBE THEY'RE MARRIED BY NOW. I DON'T KNOW.

JESS>> OH, THIS IS GOOD.

SHOLEH WOLPE>> THIS ONE IS JACK GRAVES AND HE LOVES ME BECAUSE I GAVE HIM A WAIST (LAUGHTER).

JESS>> NOW, WAIT A MINUTE. HOW DID YOU GIVE HIM A WAIST?

SHOLEH WOLPE>> OH, ARE YOU INTERESTED? (LAUGHTER). WELL, DIGITALLY. WE DID A LOT OF DIGITAL WORK. ACTUALLY, THE WATER IS NOT AS BLUE, SO WE TRIED TO MAKE THE PHOTOGRAPH AS INTERESTING AS POSSIBLE.

SUZANNE LUMMIS>> I KNOW THAT YOU DID SOME DIGITAL WORK AND GAVE ME BREASTS (LAUGHTER). NOW I UNDERSTAND.

SHOLEH WOLPE>> (LAUGHTER) YEAH. DIDN'T YOU NOTICE? THIS IS D.H. FAIRCHILD AND HE IS GREAT. HE IS A WONDERFUL POET. HE HAS WON MANY AWARDS.

VAL>> IS HE THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE WITH HIS ARMS UP?

SHOLEH WOLPE>> NO, NO. HE'S THE ONE IN FRONT WITH SUNGLASSES ON. ACTUALLY, THAT PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN IN MY BACK YARD. HE SAID HE'S ALWAYS WANTED TO BE ON A SURFBOARD ON A REALLY HIGH WAVE AND SO I SAID I'LL DO THAT FOR YOU. SO WHEN HE CAME IN, HE'S THIS GUY FROM THE MIDWEST. HE'S VERY WHITE AND HE TOOK OFF HIS SHIRT AND HE WAS ALL TAN, AND I THOUGHT, ALL RIGHT, GOOD FOR YOU.

VAL>> NOW THIS IS VERY WHIMSICAL, BUT, SUZANNE, IT REALLY DOES HAVE A LARGER PURPOSE IN MIND, RIGHT? YOU REALLY WANT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO POETS, TO POETRY, TO LITERACY. IS THIS A MECHANISM FOR THAT?

SUZANNE LUMMIS>> RIGHT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME WHEN I AGREED TO BE IN THIS WAS THAT THERE ARE LITTLE POEMS ON EACH MONTH SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE IT ON YOUR WALL AND YOU CAN SEE A DIFFERENT POEM EACH MONTH, HAVE IT COMMITTED TO MEMORY, I SUPPOSE, BY THE END OF THE MONTH, AND THE CALIBER OF THE POETS INVOLVED. WHEN SHOLEH ASKED ME TO BE INVOLVED, I SAID, WELL, WHO ELSE ARE YOU THINKING OF HAVING ON THE CALENDAR? THE POETS INSIDE ARE MAJOR TALENTS, SEVERAL OF THEM WITH WELL-DESERVED NATIONAL REPUTATIONS --

JESS>> -- MOST OF WHICH WILL BE DAMAGED BY THIS CALENDAR, I'M SURE (LAUGHTER). WE'RE OUT OF TIME, BUT OUR THANKS TO SUZANNE LUMMIS AND SHOLEH WOLPE.

SHOLEH WOLPE>> THANK YOU.

JESS>> AND FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TEBOT BACH AND THE PIN-UP CALENDAR, YOU CAN CHECK THEIR WEBSITE AT TEBOTBACH.ORG.

VAL>> AND A REMINDER THAT YOU CAN GO TO OUR TRANSCRIPTS AND SEE A PICTURE OF JESS AND I IN BATHING SUITS (LAUGHTER). ONLY KIDDING, NO, NO --

JESS>> -- NOT SHOWING OUR PENTAMETER (LAUGHTER).

VAL>> NOT QUITE. THAT'S OUR WEBSITE AT KCET.ORG.

JESS>> THAT'S OUR PROGRAM FOR THIS EVENING. NOW FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT.

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