Tag: los angeles

Get Ready, LA: Lucas Museum Gears Up for a Stellar 2025 Debut

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After years of anticipation, Los Angeles is finally gearing up for the grand opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in 2025. Founded by Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas, the museum is a testament to the power of visual storytelling. It will become a major attraction in the city’s thriving art scene.

Initially considering locations in Chicago and San Francisco, Lucas ultimately chose Los Angeles as the home for his billion-dollar project. The city’s officials were more assertive in pursuing the project, recognizing the prestige and job opportunities it would bring. The futuristic building, designed by prominent Chinese architect Ma Yansong, is situated in Exposition Park, across from the University of Southern California, Lucas’s alma mater. The museum’s construction contributes to a recent surge in LA’s development, including the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Hammer Museum, and the ongoing overhaul of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The Lucas Museum is poised to make its mark on LA’s vibrant and cutting-edge art world, not only due to its unique architecture but also because of its expansive and diverse collection. Far from being a shrine to Lucas himself, the museum houses over 10,000 paintings, book and magazine illustrations, and other works by artists like Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, and Judy Baca. The museum aims to explore the art of storytelling, highlighting how narratives can help build connections and inspire change in society.

While “narrative art” may not offer a precise definition, the Lucas Museum’s focus on storytelling through images sets it apart. The museum will feature a wide range of visual art, including paintings, sculptures, murals, photography, comic art, and the arts of filmmaking. By showcasing narrative art from various cultures, periods, and mediums, the Lucas Museum will promote a deeper understanding of the impact of images on our world and foster conversations about the power of visual storytelling.

Co-founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the Lucas Museum is led by director and CEO Sandra Jackson-Dumont. The museum’s 11-acre campus, situated within a vast, landscaped park designed by Studio-MLA, houses the 300,000-square-foot building that will surely become an iconic part of LA’s architectural landscape. In addition to extensive gallery spaces, the museum will feature two state-of-the-art theaters and dedicated spaces for learning, engagement, dining, retail, and events.

One of the key challenges the Lucas Museum faces is attracting tourists more familiar with Hollywood, Venice, and Santa Monica. However, the museum’s potential as a significant addition to LA’s thriving art scene is expected to draw in local and international visitors. Its success ultimately depends on its ability to offer a truly unique and engaging experience, setting itself apart from other institutions in the city.

As the opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art draws near, art enthusiasts and the general public alike eagerly await the chance to explore its innovative approach to visual storytelling. With its groundbreaking architecture, eclectic collection, and focus on the power of narrative art, the museum is sure to make a lasting impact on Los Angeles and the global art community. Prepare yourself, Los Angeles, for a stellar debut that promises to captivate and inspire through the power of visual storytelling.

September 12, 2023
Mansion Bonus: Bag a Bentley When You Buy a Hollywood Estate in LA’s New Mansion Tax Era

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Luxury homes in Los Angeles are up for grabs, with mansion owners getting extremely creative with their sales tactics. Picture this: a majestic manor plus a gratis luxury vehicle to cruise the glitzy boulevards.

As the clock ticks toward the enactment of Measure ULA on April Fools’ Day, purveyors of LA’s swankiest dwellings scramble to entice buyers with irresistible markdowns and closing boons. Dubbed the “mansion tax,” the measure aims to bankroll affordable housing by imposing heftier levies on home sales exceeding $5 million. Property sales exceeding $5 million and homes over $10 million will attract a 4% transfer tax and a 5.5% tax, respectively.

Los Angeles City’s homeless situation has recently worsened, with people building tents in parks, sidewalks, and under freeways. Following a rigorous campaign by housing advocates and labor unions to get Measure ULA on the ballot, it was approved with 57% of the vote in November 2022. The tax’s backers previously projected that it could raise $1.1 billion for affordable housing projects, but last week, the city reduced that forecast to $672 million.

Desperate to beat the taxman’s deadline, real estate impresarios are devising all manner of inventive inducements. In one instance, an exquisite Bentley dangles like a shimmering carrot to beguile potential buyers. Since the seller must pay the tax, individuals with houses on the market use all possible measures to encourage quick closing.

Josh Altman, celebrity realtor and CEO of Altman Brothers Real Estate, explains that these extravagant enticements are, in fact, prudent cost-saving maneuvers once the ULA tax kicks in, offloading these lavish residences will prove even costlier than dispensing decadent perks. “We gave out a one million dollar perk to every realtor who brought a buyer to our properties if we closed the deal by April 1,” he said.

The ULA supporters perceive that the money collected from the levy would fund affordable housing initiatives and lower the city’s homeless population. The money will also help low-income seniors and increase housing affordability.

However, many top brokers and realtors oppose the new regulation and believe there may be more effective ways to fund low-income housing efforts. They claimed the tax is ill-advised and has caused a sudden sell-off among the city’s wealthiest homeowners. According to them, there are many available funding programs and more options to get the money than taxing individuals. “Are the programs operating properly? Are they being managed most effectively?” one of the agents asked.

Another argument against the tax from the opponents is that since it will be applied to all real estate transfers, including those of commercial and multifamily properties, it might have the unpremeditated consequence of encouraging developers to build homes outside the city limits. “The housing market is in trouble. And we’re discouraging housing developers from building. Therefore, it makes no sense to me at all,” added Mr. McKillen, a luxury agency broker.

LA’s quest for supplementary tax revenue to combat homelessness is not new. In 2016, the city greenlit a $1.2 billion bond proposal, “Proposition HHH,” earmarked for constructing thousands of affordable housing units. Regrettably, progress has been sluggish. Merely a third of the projected 12,000 units have materialized, while construction costs have skyrocketed. A 2022 audit revealed some units’ expenses surpassing a staggering $800,000.

Since Proposition HHH’s approval, LA’s homeless population has swelled by a disheartening 45%. As the mansion tax looms, it remains to be seen whether this novel strategy will succeed in its mission to alleviate homelessness or become another well-intentioned but ultimately faltering effort in the City of Angels.

September 12, 2023
LA Educators’ Triumph: 60K Workers Strike and Score Big-Time Victory

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Last week, sixty thousand education workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) went on strike to protest unfair labor practices, bringing classes to a halt. The SEIU Local 99 union, representing service workers and support staff, including bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and teaching assistants, was joined in solidarity by the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) union, resulting in a massive show of support.

The strike lasted three days and ended after the school district reached a tentative agreement with SEIU 99. The agreement includes a 30 percent raise, retroactive pay ranging from $4,000 to $8,000, a $1,000 one-time bonus, and total healthcare benefits for more classes of workers. The agreement also covers teacher assistants, community representatives, and after-school workers. If the agreement passes, the average salary of SEIU 99 members will increase from $25,000 to $33,000 per year.

During the strike, SEIU 99 members voiced their frustration, revealing that many work two or three jobs to make ends meet. In this regard, many shared that they struggle to afford housing in a city where the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment exceeds $2,800 a month. Furthermore, nearly a quarter of SEIU members report facing hunger at some point.

Before now, both SEIU 99 and UTLA unions had already been negotiating for higher pay and better working conditions; however, the strike was triggered by unfair labor practices, with allegations of harassment and surveillance of SEIU 99 union members. The strike became legally possible when SEIU 99 filed unfair labor practice charges with The Public Employment Relations Board.

Despite having $5 billion in reserves, the unions have faced challenges in contract negotiations, which prompted support by several local and state politicians, including former LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner. Beutner points out that the district could afford a wage increase, highlighting SEIU 99 workers’ vital roles during the pandemic in feeding children who relied on school meals even when instruction had moved online.

The support, however, was met with opposition. Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association and a private LA28 Olympics Organizing Committee member, tweeted his opposition to UTLA’s involvement in the strike, claiming that the union does not care about kids and that “the entire strike was theater.”

This is not the first strike to occur in LAUSD. In 2019, UTLA led a six-day walkout to protest large class sizes, the district’s funding of charter schools, and a lack of resources and support provided to teachers and students. The strike was successful in obtaining more concessions from the district.

This recent strike by SEIU 99 and UTLA focused on the ongoing efforts of workers to achieve better working conditions and wages in a city with such a high cost of living. The tentative agreement between SEIU 99 and the district is a step in the right direction, as the bargaining between UTLA and the district remains open, and their fight for fair labor practices continues.

September 12, 2023