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Life & Times Transcript
07/25/06 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- A wave of change is headed for Surf City. Will it wipe out local character? Dave Sullivan>> Well, I think it would really benefit for being a pedestrian mall much like Third Street in Santa Monica. Ron McLin>> I think the flavor. That's my biggest concern. Val Zavala>> And then, holy hotrods. Cris Franco goes to the blessing of the bumpers. These stories and more on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of 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 by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> If you've ever walked down Main Street in Huntington Beach, you'll know it's kind of a throwback with funky surfboard shops and diners. Well, now some people say it's time for it to change and they want to cut off the traffic and turn it into something like Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, but not everyone is sold on that idea. Orange County reporter, Roger Cooper, has our story. Roger Cooper>> Huntington Beach. It's known around the world as Surf City. Its broad beaches attract nine million visitors a year. People stroll down its long pier and they play in its great waves. They dine at its sidewalk tables and they cruise its streets to see and be seen. A lot of people love this place, so why would some people want to change Surf City? It's an idea that's been talked about in Huntington Beach for years. It's come before the City Council a couple of times and been voted down each time. Close off three blocks of Main Street to cars and turn it over to pedestrians. There are those in Huntington Beach who think, as nice as it is now, it could be better if part of downtown were blocked off to traffic. Mayor Dave Sullivan has been pushing the idea for ten years. Dave Sullivan>> Well, I think it would really benefit for being a pedestrian mall much like Third Street in Santa Monica. Roger Cooper>> Recently a delegation from Huntington Beach drove the fifty miles north to Santa Monica. They came here to inspect Third Street Promenade, the very successful shopping, entertainment and dining district where everyone walks. Could a smaller version work on Main Street, Huntington Beach? It's not as if Huntington Beach hasn't seen change before. There was a time when Main Street looked like this. Plenty of room for pedestrians here. When the pier was built in 1904, it was with steam and mule power. The gateway to Main Street once had a giant arch to tell you that you were in Huntington Beach. And they used to wear a lot more clothes down at the shore. Today there's less clothing, more traffic and the idea of prohibiting cars doesn't sit well with some business owners. Bob Bolen>> Well, of course, frankly, I think this idea is really disastrous. It's a disaster waiting to happen. Roger Cooper>> Former surf shop owner, Bob "The Greek" Bolen, is very skeptical about going pedestrian. He fears it will increase congestion and kill off business. Bob Bolen>> Number one, they don't have enough parking. They don't have enough parking in the right areas downtown. They don't have the traffic circulation. It's just going to jam up like crazy. Roger Cooper>> But Mayor Sullivan believes citizens want it. Dave Sullivan>> Well, I think it will attract even more people. It will be a nice atmosphere for outdoor dining, for example. Our problem now that probably can be seen in the background is with all the pedestrians and the cars going up and down the street. If you're trying to have nice outdoor dining, you're spending a lot of time sucking in gasoline fumes, which I maintain hurts the experience. Roger Cooper>> But the manager of the Longboard Restaurant, Ron McLin, says that very hustle and bustle creates business. Ron McLin>> And also it gives us the access. They're driving up the street and you see what we have to offer. It's like you get to drive up and you see it. If you take that away and you close it down, nobody knows what's here. The locals know, but anybody else isn't really sure. So why get out of your car and walk three blocks to find out what's here? Roger Cooper>> A special committee composed of Council members, merchants and other community leaders has been meeting weekly to discuss the pedestrian plan. Jill Hardy>> Well, I've always been in favor of the idea of closing Main Street, but I want to do it right. So I'm glad that this committee is looking at all the aspects because this may not be the right time with other projects coming in within the next year or two. We might want to wait. Roger Cooper>> Those other projects are already underway. This excavation site only a block off Main is on its way to becoming The Strand. It will include a hundred sixty-five room hotel, retail, offices and a pedestrian plaza. And not far down PCH, work is underway on Pacific City. It will include a resort hotel and spa, retail and five hundred sixteen upscale condominiums. The city's economic development director, Stanley Smalewitz, believes Main Street will need to improve to keep up with these new projects. Stanley Smalewitz>> I think between those two projects, Main Street itself could get lost in the process. Also, as part of a tourist and destination economy of which this city is heading towards, it makes sense to integrate all of these different aspects. Roger Cooper>> But restaurant manager, Ron McLin, says the street is running just fine the way it is. Ron McLin>> It's very casual, it's very comfortable. It always feels busy because of the cars driving up and down the streets. Very easy access. With the cars, you can go in for a quick Rocky Mountain Candy and get some candy or run in and get your eyeglasses adjusted, but at the same time, you can sit down and do dining. Jill Hardy>> I believe that, if people get out of their cars, then they'll make multiple trips downtown. So if they go to dinner, they might stop by and get an ice cream on their way out. Roger Cooper>> Downtown merchant, Joe Shaw, argues that the trend is against turning streets into pedestrian malls. Joe Shaw>> There are hundreds that closed their streets in the 1970s and there's probably about thirty left that are still closed. An urban consultant that I was working with told me that, in his thirty years of working, he's never closed down a street. He's only reopened them. As a matter of fact, on July 29, the city of Raleigh, North Carolina is having a huge celebration to reopen their street downtown. Roger Cooper>> Opponents also say that there's something larger at stake here, a certain atmosphere or character they'd like to preserve. Is there something quirky or magical about Huntington Beach that could be lost if you did the wrong thing? Joe Shaw>> Yeah. You know, Huntington Beach is like a small town. Even though it's a very large city that has world-class events on its beaches, it's very much like a small town atmosphere and we don't want to lose that at all. Ron McLin>> My number one concern is the flavor is good. It's working great. It's like we got a dynamite thing going here. We're the hottest downtown probably on the coast. Dave Sullivan>> I am like ninety-nine percent certain it will be a huge success. Stephen Daniel>> Huntington Beach is a town of people looking at people. The Main Street where the cars come up, everybody likes to look and everybody wants to be seen. If you take some of that away, it's a possibility that you will lose business. Roger Cooper>> And that's exactly why the mayor wants to test the waters first. Dave Sullivan>> That is why I think it would be a good idea to have a trial in case there's something that, you know, we have missed so you can always stop it if it doesn't work out. Roger Cooper>> You'd give up that truck going by for this? Dave Sullivan>> (Laughter) Yeah, right. I'd give up that truck going by in a minute. They can deliver on a back street. Roger Cooper>> Planners say the next step might be to close Main Street on an experimental basis sometime after Labor Day. But for the summer at least, drivers will still be able to cruise down Main Street in Surf City, USA. In Huntington Beach, I'm Roger Cooper for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> Why would the city of Los Angeles which is always strapped for funds want to spend four million dollars to preserve a mural? Well, maybe because the mural is by famous Mexican artist, Siqueiros, and preservationists call it a cultural treasure that would bring Los Angeles international prestige in the art world. Hena Cuevas went to Olvera Street to see it for herself. Luis Garza>> This is the Italian Hall that houses the exterior mural of Siqueiros. Hena Cuevas>> So the mural is behind that wall? Luis Garza>> The mural is behind that wall. It was here that Siqueiros worked with his team of people and they entered and exited through this doorway that we're going through here. This was the entranceway that Siqueiros and his workers came through to work on the mural in 1932. This is the upper floor of the Italian Hall building. This is a south-facing wall. It's eighty-two feet by eighteen feet high which at the time was the largest mural ever constructed in the United States. It's new technology, it's new technique, it's a new signature of materials. Concrete, photographic projection systems, air brush. He brought muralism outside to the masses which is what his political mandate was. He fused art and politics and here is where he made the statement. The original title that Siqueiros gave to it is La America Tropical, but what the long title means is Tropical America, Oppressed and Destroyed by Imperialisms. So it relates back in time to the Spaniards, to all the colonial powers that have ever come and exploited the Americas all the way on up into the present. Hena Cuevas>> Right now, the mural is covered by that plastic protective sheeting. What is the condition of the mural once you take that sheeting off? Luis Garza>> The mural is a ghost of its former self. There's only maybe thirty percent, if that, of its original color due to the fact that it is on a south-facing wall. Constant sun, pollutants, smog and just abandonment over the decades have bleached it out completely. So the idea is to conserve the mural in its state which is what the Getty conservationists did. They stabilized it, they cleaned it and the next step is what we are about to enter now, which is the mural shelter which will construct and provide a shading for it, a viewing platform, much of where we are standing right now, an extended bridge back to the Sepulveda House and an interpretive center, an educational center or museum gallery space which will tell the story of Siqueiros in Los Angeles and the impact of this mural to our communities. Hena Cuevas>> But if there's only about thirty percent left and it's just a faded example of what it originally was, do you think people are really going to want to come see it? Luis Garza>> Absolutely. That's a metaphor. The mural itself is a metaphor for larger subjects. The technology today provides for us to, let's say, a projection system or other means by which we can project the original colors and tell the story. We can break down the iconography of the mural and tell what each piece means to the public. By showing them what it is now and what it was then is to tell the story. It's to tell the story of art, to tell the story of censorship, of political relationships, political ideologies and philosophies, the history of Los Angeles, and it's a time capsule. It's a wonderful piece of history for Los Angeles to really be proud of and finally bring it back to the public. Hena Cuevas>> The project is estimated at about seven million dollars and that sounds like a lot of money. How do you justify it? Luis Garza>> It's the return on the investment. If you look at it as an investment, it's a return on it in terms of tourism, establishing Los Angeles as a cultural spot, a renowned international artist who has painted this mural. If Olvera Street has a million people, it will have two million people coming to see this mural. It's not just a mural. It's a metaphor for larger subjects. It's a time capsule of Los Angeles history. So it's important to not be under-estimated and it will encourage people internationally to come and visit Olvera Street and the city of Los Angeles. So what better way than to fuse the politics of Siqueiros and that of his socialist beliefs and that of capitalism? It's a perfect combination here that really serves everyone. Hena Cuevas>> How long will the project take and when do you think it will be finally open to the public? Luis Garza>> From the date of construction groundbreaking, it will take an estimated fifteen to eighteen months. So with the powers that be, it may open up by early spring of 2008 or sooner if people are so inspired. Hena Cuevas>> And it's definitely something that will inject new life to Olvera Street. It will get people to come back and take a look at what's going on. Luis Garza>> To Olvera Street and the entire city of Los Angeles as a cultural piece of art history in Los Angeles from an internationally renowned artist. It can only encourage tourism. I think this is a real fusion of communism and capitalism at its best. Communism because Siqueiros was a communist and capitalism because it was those people who hired him to do this project. Hena Cuevas>> Luis Garza of the Siqueiros Subcommittee, thank you very much for all of this information on this very exciting project here on Olvera Street. Luis Garza>> I thank you very much for taking the time to document this important piece of history and welcome you back when it opens to the public in 2008. Hena Cuevas>> We'll be back. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, plus transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org, scroll down the page and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> Imagine inspiration delivered to your mailbox on DVD every week. It's called the Spiritual Cinema Circle. But can it succeed in our cynical time? Sam Louie talked to its founder, Stephen Simon, to find out. Sam Louie>> Stephen Simon, thank you very much for joining us. You're a long-time Hollywood producer and now you have a new title as founder of Spiritual Cinema Circle. What exactly is Spiritual Cinema Circle? Stephen Simon>> Spiritual Cinema Circle is a DVD distribution service. We send four movies a month into peoples' homes all around the world and now we're in eighty countries. They get usually two shorts, a documentary and a full-length feature. It's different from like NetFlix and Blockbuster and things like that because you actually get to own the films. Sam Louie>> Now these films are not particularly mainstream type films? Stephen Simon>> No. We are not a mainstream film company and we never make any claims to be that. We are very much a niche company. We're a company that appeals to people who are looking for movies that make you feel better about being human, looking for movies that really ask the big questions, and looking for movies that surprise you every month. Sam Louie>> Simon says the movies all contain an element of spirituality, but is quick to note that they're not necessarily religious films. Stephen Simon>> Spiritual, as far as we define it, is about films that ask questions about who we are and why we're here and, most importantly, leave you feeling better about being a human being, which is something that most mainstream media just does not do anymore. Sam Louie>> When you talk about movies from the heart, what exactly are you referring to? Do they deal with issues of mortality, struggle, death? Stephen Simon>> Oh, the movies in the Circle just cross the entire spectrum. I mean, we have comedies that are broad and funny. We have some dark comedies. We have movies about very challenging subject matter, things that people face in their lives. We have movies that deal with all kinds of cultures and all kinds of people, but they have one thing in common when I say from the heart. There's a pathway through to look at who we can be as a humanity when we operate at our very best. There is no dark, cynical endings to our films. Our films are not violent. People will not be offended by the violence in our films because we don't do that. Sam Louie>> How popular has Spiritual Cinema Circle become? Stephen Simon>> Well, the Spiritual Cinema Circle has become something that's incredibly gratifying to us. We did not know that it would grow as big and as quickly as it has. We are in eighty countries now. We have literally tens of thousands of subscribers. Sam Louie>> It's gotten so popular that there are now numerous community groups that watch the films together. Stephen Simon>> We have about two hundred Spiritual Cinema communities around the world that get together once a month, watch these films to be a support group for each other, to discuss the issues in the films. The appeal of it to people getting it every month I think has a lot to do with community. We are all, I think, looking for community. People who have like minds and like hearts and like spirits. Sam Louie>> Spiritual Cinema Circle also gives more filmmakers a chance to have their work seen by others. Stephen Simon>> We do short films which are things that people don't get anywhere else. You know, you make a seventeen, eighteen, twenty minute film. Where do you get it shown? Well, if you make a film like this and you can't get it distributed, it's like you never made it in the first place. So we have a whole legion of filmmakers now who are making films for the Circle because they know there's an audience for them. And what this is going to do is encourage -- we hope and believe -- a whole new generation of filmmakers to make movies from the heart and from the soul and about the human spirit. Sam Louie>> What led you to this point where you felt like there was a hunger and thirst for something a little different? Stephen Simon>> This has always been a part of my heart. You see that with most Hollywood films today is that they wind up being incredibly bland, so it was really let's get these kinds of movies into peoples' homes every month, give filmmakers a way to get their films distributed because that's enormously important. I'm not trying to say anything negative about that. I'm really not. This is not better than or worse than. Gandhi had this wonderful phrase, "Ours is not a better way. It's merely a different way." Sam Louie>> What's next for Spiritual Cinema Circle? Stephen Simon>> Well, we're going to continue to expand. We're going to continue to bring better and better movies to our subscribers. We've just financed and produced our first major motion picture based on "Conversations with God", the huge best-selling series of books by Neale Donald Walsch and it stars a wonderful actor named Henry Cherney. That film will be out in October of 2006. We may do more of those in the future to give filmmakers an understanding that they can make these movies from their heart and their soul and there's a way to get them out into the world and to constantly encourage more and more filmmakers to make this kind of entertainment. Sam Louie>> Great. Well, Stephen Simon, thank you very much for joining us at the Spiritual Cinema Circle. Stephen Simon>> Thank you very much. Sam Louie>> Best of luck. Stephen Simon>> Thank you. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: 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. Val Zavala>> If you've ever had a really close call behind the wheel in traffic, you might have said a prayer or two afterwards, but some car owners aren't waiting for the close call. Life and Times commentator, Cris Franco, explains. Cris Franco>> You know how people are always saying that we southern Californians worship our cars? Well, that saying is no exaggeration. At least once a year when classic cars, pompadours, parasols and prayer all converge at the Blessing of the Cars. And why not bless these classic cars which appear to have descended from heaven itself? Announcer>> "The Buick for 1961 designed and engineered for the spell of the open road." Cris Franco>> This totally west coast event began way back in 1995. Remember 1995? Your Beanie Babies do. Back then, Stephanie and Gabriel envisioned a day at the park where fellow vintage vehicle enthusiasts could marvel at each other's cruisers while a cleric cruised the grounds and blessed them. And let's be honest. We Americans have been worshiping our vehicles for decades. The Blessing of the Cars is a big, family-friendly celebration with one big rule. Only cars manufactured before 1967 are allowed, which is the only time when being over forty is an advantage here in Los Angeles. Today this event where ministers meet motors draws some twelve hundred cars and nine thousand attendees who not only deck out their retro rides, but their retro selves as well. It's a throwback to a simpler time when the American dream included the dream car. Announcer>> "And don't you feel luxurious in that roomy interior?" Cris Franco>> I decided to check out the sights and it was like stepping onto the set of "American Graffiti" or "Grease". Here the cars are low and the hair is high. When this Model-T was built, you didn't pray for a safe road. You prayed for a road, period. Fat cars were once proud of their size, but today this gas guzzler would be told to get a gastric bypass. This car needs more than holy water. And here's a pretty purple hearse. Say that three times real fast. I've heard of a dead engine, but a dead shifter? This event draws visitors worldwide. This family came all the way from West Covina. And the valet still leaves the seat too far forward. Hey, it's the Mexican American mobile. It comes with four cylinders and dual citizenship. Here are two rebels without a car. Hey, didn't I see these three in "La Bamba"? Classic car lovers not only dress in a special way. Gear heads -- that's what they call themselves -- also communicate in car speak. These cars are described as cherry, chopped and dropped, lead sled. Some cars are weenie. Here's a Woody and, behold, a worm burner. Around mid-day, a man of the cloth who looks like Elvis Priestly began the blessings. The colorful cars, the sunny day, the great feeling of camaraderie between all those gear heads celebrating all their cherried, chopped and dropped, worm burners suddenly inspired me to write this little poem. The Blessing of the Cars, by Cris Franco: Listen, my children, to my rhyming yarn of the priest and the classic car blessathon. He blessed the white cars, the black ones too, the trucks of orange and sedans of blue. He blessed this bike looking up to heaven to keep it safe, though built after 1967. His pace was brisk, his sandals left tracks. He prayed for the car of Manny, Moe and Jack. He blessed this man which I thought was nice, then turned and blessed these fuzzy dice. He blessed so much, hood, brakes and throttles, he had to stop and refill his bottles. He blessed scores of Harleys and two guys in wigs, and the thingamabobs that connect to those thingamajigs. With water most holy, he splashed this Studebaker and even poured some into the radiator. Nothing was skipped. He blessed all that had come, even this guitar plus a big bass drum. With the exception of this, yes, he heeded its wish, for this four-wheeler was an atheist. With his mission complete, he addressed the current crisis and asked the Almighty for lower gas prices. Despite all the holy water, the Blessing of the Cars is a secular event and everybody's invited. I had such a Chevy-tastic, Oldsmo-beautiful, retro-rrific, pompadourable time at the Blessing of the Cars that next time I'm going to the big one at the Vatican. My Ferrari is faster than your Ferrari, amen. Val Zavala>> And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of 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 by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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