Silver Lake hotel rooms for $225 per night??!!

The proposed reopening of Bates Motel is moving closer and closer to a reality!  http://www.ggpnc.org/batesmotel-2006.html

 

Fantastic Coupons to Silver Lake Merchants!

 Click here for coupons to Rambutan Thai, Pazzo Gelato, DoggieStyle, Further, more…   http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h160/kerrymaui11/DineShopSaveinSilverLake.jpg

 

2006 Sunset Junction, Silver Lake

The annual tradition!  August 26th and 27th.  The Eels will be performing, pretty cool!  Here’s the official site…  http://www.sunsetjunction.org/streetfair.htm

 

The Murals of Sunset Junction…

How cool is this!  Here’s a site dedicated to murals in Los Angeles.  Here’s the link to their “Sunset Junction” section!  http://www.publicartinla.com/LA_murals/Silverlake/

 

Library Court Lofts brings an eclectic blend of casual dining to downtown L.A.

70 of the 90 soft-loft condominiums at Library Court have already been sold…but even bigger news is that this development is the first in Downtown LA where all retail spaces have been leased prior to the projects completion!  Wolfgang Puck’s Gourmet Express, Juice it Up, Loose Leaf salads, Mitaki Sushi, the library-themed Library Bar….and the not-so-eclectic Subway have claimed their territory and opening soon!  full story

 

Teaching A New Dog Old Tricks

By overwhelming suggestion of dog-owner friends, I got Sora into dog training immediately.  It’s amazing how quickly she learned to sit, lay-down (bow), roll-over, stay and “paw”.  As a proud papa, I’d like to think it’s simply because she’s so incredibly smart…but, truth be told, her trainer had a lot to do with it!  Honestly, this guy is amazing!  In one in-home visit, and 2 group sessions, Sora has learned to do all those commands I’d mentioned.  Seriously, he’s great…if you have a dog needing obedience, or just want him/her to learn some tricks, get in touch with Zack Grey.  He’s got a reality series coming to Lifetime this fall too…so watch for that.  From what I understand, it’s sort of a mix of American Idol and The Dog Whisperer.  Here’s Zack’s Site

 

Rent Control Luncheon

Last week I attended a Rent Control Luncheon hosted by the Beverly Hills Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors. L.A.’s rent control laws are quite strict…any investor or person looking to purchase and occupy a multi-family dwelling really needs to know these laws BEFORE purchasing. Here are highlight notes I’d taken:

L.A. City:

 

• Law Applications:

Rent control applies to 2 or more units (per lot) build prior to 1978

Rent control DOES NOT apply to single family homes

Rent control DOES apply to condos in most situations

Maximum allowable annual rent increase is 4%

• Legal Eviction/Relocation

Qualified: 62 yrs+, disabled or family (parent(s) with children named on lease). $8550 relocation fee

Others: $3450 relocation fee

60 days from close of escrow (though there was much debate on this, even the spokesperson for LA City Rent Stabilization said he believes it MIGHT only be 30 days.

Legal relocation does not overrule a lease. Tenant has the right to stay through term of lease. i.e.….month-to-month, 60 days. Lease, expiration of lease or 60 days (whichever is longer).

• Unlike West Hollywood, LA City landlords are not required to paint units every 4 years and replace carpets every 7 years. There currently aren’t any laws requiring LA city landlords to paint or replace carpet, however, by law, units ARE to remain in acceptable condition.
• If a L.A. City landlord is out of compliance and caught by the rent stabilization board, the property may become part of a program called REAP, which is highly restricted and regulated by the board. (You DON’T want this to happen). For more information on this and everything else related to rent control laws in L.A. City, see www.lacity.org/lahd

 

Culver City, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Inglewood: NO rent control

 

Santa Monica:

 

• Pretty much all laws pertaining to LA City also pertain to Santa Monica with the following increased restrictions:
• 3 units or less (when owner/occupied) may become EXEMPT from rent control laws! However, when that owner sells the property to a non-owner/occupant, the building reverts back to rent control, and rents for current tenants are to be reduced to 1999-level rents + 4% annual (for 2006, for example, the rents would be converted this way: 1999 standard + 4% + 4% + 4%, etc…
• If a buyer intends to owner/occupy, he can’t simply evict any tenant/unit he wishes. Rather, it must be a month-to-month tenant who has most recently moved into the building and is residing in a unit which most similarly matches the buyer’s needs (a single person/buyer couldn’t evict a family from a 2 or 3 bedroom unit if there are singles or 1 bedrooms in the building).

 

I adopted a 4-legged TERROR!

She’s a Shepherd mix, and the vet suspects she’s got Jindo or COYOTE in her! That would explain her hunting for sure (she’s already been skunked 3 times!) I rescued Sora (her name) from the Burbank shelter…and am estatic that she’s house trained….well, she doesn’t do her business in the house, but she likes to tear it to pieces!

Here’s a photo of her chillin’ on her bed which Olivia had made for her (xoxo, Olivia!)…

 

Rambutan Thai, Silver Lake

If you’ve been to Tuk Tuk on the Westside, and aren’t already aware, owner’s Billy and Katy brought their knack for marrying a great eclectic menu with a sultry atmosphere and created Rambutan Thai right here in Silver Lake about 4 years ago.  The place is such a hit (busting at the seams), that in just a few weeks they’ll be opening the expansion of Rambutan called “Hush”.  Connected directly to Rambutan, Hush will feature additional seating in an intimate atmosphere reminiscent of patio dining on Koh Samui!  Complete with a DJ, expanded bar and the same great food and staff which has made Rambutan such a hit, Hush won’t be so hush for long (okay, really stupid pun, I know!)  For directions, etc, go here