The Bank of America at Concert Park shops was robbed again at approximately 10:00 this morning.  Although the robbers were armed, i/f the building.  A good samaritan was using his t-shirt as a bandage for the bank guard until the paramedics arrived.  The guard was conscious and alert
 
The robbers were 2-3 men and perhaps 1 woman.  They escaped in a gold car.  A witness wrote down a license plate number, but that may have been incomplete or with transposed numbers.
 
They do not know yet whether there is anything useful surveillance footage, as it only captures the hallway area between our mailboxes and not the sidewalk. 
 
The prior robbery in early June and no one was injured

        

Are individuals liable when homeowner association is sued?
 
Los Angeles Times

Question: I am a condominium owner. Our homeowners association is being sued by a former gardener who claims her firing was an act of sex discrimination. What are the ramifications of this lawsuit for me? Will an insurance policy cover me for any financial loss? I also suspect there may be a political battle going on involving the present board, a former board member and the property management company regarding this problem. Who is liable for damages?

Answer: Sex discrimination is a serious charge if it can be proved in court or by some sort of settlement agreement between the affected parties. Generally, liability does not attach to individual owners in a common interest development, but there is always a risk that it might.

Titleholders owning residential deed-restricted units or "single detached dwellings" located in a common interest development, more often than not, also own a fractional interest in the common property owned by the association. Part of this type of ownership means titleholders share in all the liability, including that which may be in excess of any insurance coverage.

The purchase of a home in an association includes the potential liability for damages whether or not they are covered by the association's insurance policy. Contrary to popular belief, insurance coverage does not pay for "everything." However, Civil Code section 1365.9 provides that individual homeowners are not liable for tort damages when they are sued solely because they are tenants-in-common, or have common ownership in, the association property, provided that the association carries the minimum insurance coverage specified in that code section.




Depending on your association's insurance coverage, both the costs of defending the lawsuit and any judgment for liability would be paid but even that can get sticky, with board directors seeking their own coverage and representation in addition to the association policies. Although there is no legal authority for titleholders having to pay such additional costs, in some associations members have been assessed costs related to coverage for individual directors outside the normal insurance protections.

Board members may be defended under the association's insurance coverage, but if their acts were beyond the scope of their authority, those board members may ultimately have to repay the insurer and pay any damages themselves.

Nothing prevents a plaintiff from naming individual owners in the lawsuit as defendants, although doing so could result in the plaintiff having to pay defendants' attorneys fees and costs. Any individual owners who are named as defendants will be responsible for their own attorney fees, probably not reimbursed by the association, unless the association votes to pay for the defense of these individuals.

If the association is found liable and is ordered to pay damages and must assess all owners to meet those payments, a titleholder with "excess assessment" or "loss assessment" insurance coverage may have those payments paid by his individual insurance policy. It is the insurer who decides what is and is not covered.

        

Free Salsa Sunday with Contra-Tiempo

When: August 29th, 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Where: Helms Ave. at the Helms Bakery District in Culver City, 8800 Venice

What: Join CONTRA-TIEMPO, Los Angeles based Urban Latin Dance Theater company, for a summer celebration of dance, live music and community! We will be teaching three "Free Salsa Sundays" workshops in Culver City this summer on the last Sundays of June, July and August. These events are FREE and open to all ages, all levels of experience, singles and partners.

All Free Salsa Sundays workshops will include a demonstration, Salsa class taught by members of a professional company, live drumming and time to jam at the end!

CONTRA-TIEMPO Mission & History: CONTRA-TIEMPO is dedicated to transforming the world through dance. Our unique Urban Latin Dance Theater brings to life voices not traditionally heard on the concert stage. We build community, facilitate dialogue and move youth to imagine what is possible in the world. We fuse Salsa, Afro-Cuban, West African, Hip-Hop, and abstract dancetheater to create an invigorating blend of physically intense and socially astute performance that pushes the boundaries of Salsa as an expressive cultural form. CONTRA-TIEMPO has performed throughout North America, Latin America and the Caribbean - from major venues like Lincoln Center (NYC), UCLA's Royce Hall (Los Angeles, CA) and Jacob's Pillow (Becket, MA), to smaller, more community based spaces like CounterPULSE (San Francisco, CA) and REDCAT (Los Angeles, CA).

        

Fiesta La Ballona

Culver City's annual Fiesta La Ballona is scheduled for the weekend of August 27, 28 and 29.  The kickoff is Friday evening, beginning at 4:30 p.m., with music, carnival rides, lots of food and FiestaPalooza.  A new feature this year is Senior (60 and over) Early Bird Specials at selected food booths, from 4:30-6:00 p.m.  On Saturday morning perennial favorites will be up first, with the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast and the CCPD K-9 Demonstration.  This will be followed by more music, carnival rides, vendor booths and food.  Saturday features a special surprise act on the Main Stage from Noon-2:00 p.m.  Sunday morning the Kiwanis will be back, as will the beer garden, carnival rides, vendor booths and food booths.  The opening act on the Main Stage will be an acrobatic show, followed by more music and winding up the weekend from 4:30-6:00 p.m. with the Culver City All Star Jazz Jam Band, a new Fiesta tradition.  

For more details on the weekend, check out www.fiestalaballona.org.

        

Wednesday, August 25

Toastmasters “Speakers by the Sea” Club meets 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Improve your public speaking skills. Visitors always welcome - no advance notice needed. Topic: You Won’t Believe This! Pregerson Technical Facility, 12000 Vista Del Mar, 2nd Floor Conf. Rm. 230A, Playa Del Rey 90293

        

Free Playa Vista-Marina summer beach shuttle extended through Labor Day  - Our free summer beach shuttle between Playa Vista and Marina del Rey will continue through Labor Day.
The bus will operate on Fridays and weekends. Friday and Saturday hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday and holiday hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The buses that run on compressed natural gas and have space for bikes will depart from Playa Vista every 30 minutes and stop at Fisherman's Village, the Waterside shopping center, Marina "Mother's" Beach and the Venice pier.

Marina del Rey: Final Free Pop concert of the summer series is Saturday, August 28 with Shirley Jones. Details here

Culver City: is gearing up for another summer block party, taking place next Wednesday, August 18th, between 5 and 9 p.m.
This is the third in a series of neighborhood celebrations featuring discounts and freebies from downtown shops, galleries, spas, and so forth, as well as the area's bevy of restaurants.

Fiesta La Ballona is scheduled for the weekend of August 27, 28 and 29.  The kickoff is Friday evening, beginning at 4:30 p.m., with music, carnival rides, lots of food and FiestaPalooza

        

LAX plan to shift northern runway causes turbulence
Persistent debate about the safety of Los Angeles International Airport's north airfield took a contentious turn Monday, when officials announced that they are studying whether to move the northernmost runway up to 400 feet toward the communities of Westchester and Playa del Rey.

Playa Vista:  Farmers’ Market - - things are starting to get FISHY at the market.....courtesy of Smart Fish, is the newest vendor. Come out on Saturday 9 am – 2pm pick up the freshest fish in town!


CULVER CITY
CITY APPROVES $6M TO FUND NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The city’s first affordable housing project in 10 years has many residents up in arms.


Council moves to ban smoking on Santa Monica Pier
After discarded cigarettes caused fire damage to the historic Santa Monica Pier, the City Council voted this week to snuff out smoking on the century-old landmark.

        

Gluten Free Taco Salad

1 1/2 lbs ground beef or turkey, browned and drained
1 16 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
1 lb cheddar cheese, grated
4 tomatoes, diced
4 to 6 oz GF Russian or Vinaigrette dressing
1 10 oz bag GF corn chips, crushed
2 c diced tomato salsa
1pkg Taco Seasoning


Directions

1. Mix together beef or ground turkey and beans; chill 3 to 4 hours

2. Place in large bowl and top with lettuce, cheese and tomato.

3. Before serving, add corn chips. Toss. Add taco seasoning. Toss and serve.

Side note you can also use gluten free blue corn chips

        

Playa Vista, Tishman Speyer and Walton Street Capital Complete Transaction For 64-Acre Office Development
Playa Phase 1 Commercial Land Company has completed the sale of approximately 64 acres zoned for commercial development at Playa Vista to a joint venture of Tishman Speyer and Walton Street Capital LLC.

The property is located in the eastern portion of the Playa Vista community known as "The Campus at Playa Vista." It is adjacent to the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Centinela Avenue, and includes an historic district that was home to the famed Hughes Aircraft Company during much of the 20th century.

The transaction sets the stage for the development of an amenity-rich campus that will consist of new low-rise office buildings complementing the historic buildings on the site. Plans call for the preservation and upgrading of existing buildings, some of them potentially redeveloped as state-of-the-art sound stage facilities. Tishman Speyer, which will serve as developer on the project, plans to include, among other features, restaurant and retail space and a daycare facility consistent with the rest of the Playa Vista community. The property surrounds a nine-acre recreation park planned to include playing fields. The site is fully entitled for nearly two million square feet of space overall.

"This transaction is a key part of the vision of Playa Vista," said Playa Vista President Steve Soboroff. "Already we've created some fantastic residential, community and park spaces, and we anticipate development of the Village phase to begin next year. Now, with the entrance of two internationally-renown companies, Tishman Speyer and Walton Street, the entire commercial component in the Campus is becoming a reality. This transaction puts an exclamation mark on the live/work vision that is a Playa Vista hallmark. I invite people to come take a look and see the great things that are happening here."

"We are pleased and proud to play an integral part in this historic development, combining both ground-up construction and preservation of historical structures in a one-of-a-kind location," said John Miller, Senior Managing Director for the West Coast for Tishman Speyer, which owns and manages landmark properties such as Rockefeller Center and Chrysler Center in New York. "This is a fantastic opportunity to create a much-needed, high-quality office environment in a unique work, live, and play community -- one that we hope will serve as a model for future development."

        

Looking for the best boarding for your Dog?  Doggie Central has doggie valet & doggie cams!  Endless fun for your dog while you work or run errands and 24-hour care while you vacation or go out of town, plus they are close and convenient to Playa Vista, LAX, Culver City and Marina Del Rey!

Doggie Central has $20 day care specials on Monday and Saturday where it is only $20 to leave your dog for the day so you can run errands, go to a museum etc.
They also are featuring a “Breeds of the Month” for August and they are:
 $20 Maltese on Tuesdays – One of the brightest and gentlest of the toys. The Maltese is exceedingly playful and enjoys clever games of dexterity.
 $20 Weimaraner Thursdays – The high energy Weimaraner, bred to hunt all day, needs an athletic owner who can meet his demanding exercise needs: running, biking, hiking, jogging, field work.
 Full services including 24-hour care, cage-free play & boarding, grooming & spa services,, private training & anesthesia-free teeth cleaning.
Call (310) 390-3645 or visit www.doggiecentral.com />