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Moving? Oh No!

Writer's picture: Feef MooneyFeef Mooney

I guess that if you read this blog with any regularity, you will gather that I am a pretty committed Angeleno. I'm a home owner, and have survived three robberies, gang violence, and now gentrification!

This Noho neighborhood, in the 91606, began to shift dramatically in value when developers "reimagined" the Macy's building, west of here, and what I am told used to be "Robinson-May's, complete with an ice skating rink!"

Everyone East and West of Lankershim below Victory seemed to think the new mall, The Noho West, would benefit us all.

And you could say it has. We have, (finally) a Trader Joe's and more than one Starbucks!

And you know what goes with these up zones.

It's always the same. The Fast Food "restaurants." The 24 hour Fitness. The Regal Cinema. There will be no "mom and pop" in this joint. Nor will there be a bookstore. Or a real coffeeshop where people can hang out. We'll have to rely on food trucks for real food.

I didn't mention that we have 600 new apartments? And they seem to be rented out.

Now how could anyone complain about this?

My take on the role of developers in this city is that they are very cozy with LA government.

They come in, do deals, for their own profit, and suddenly they get to charge the market rate rent that will justify their investment.

What happens as a result? Suddenly home values shoot way up. And you might then say, well isn't that great for you? Your house is worth three times what you paid for it!

The answer to this is.. "Well, if I were thinking of leaving, of course. But. I'm NOT."

In the past three years, I've lost 12 neighbors.

Two were my dear friends, and had lived in the neighborhood since the early 1950s. They died.

Others? Some have entered that retirement age, and have realized they could sell, and make enough money to retire somewhere else. My best friend lived next door, and did that. Now he lives in South Dakota in a huge rented apartment. Financially, it was a smart move.

My neighbors across the street told me two days ago that they are selling and moving. They stand to make a killing, and they want to live in Vallejo, closer to their son and his wife.

Other neighbors have sold to move to Santa Clarita.

But who is buying these homes? In this crazy no-zone California, developers can buy and build whatever they want to , wherever they want to. They outbid the family looking for a home. They outbid married couples, singles, friends, people who make a neighborhood a community.

The developers have come in and taken away green space, put up towers, or built massive homes where there were once green gardens and trees. They put in fake grass. They put up vinyl fences.

And they rent their properties for profit. They don't live here. Those who rent are temporarily housed, and need to bunk up to afford to live!

I understand the meh feeling about Los Angeles. Charming weird establishments like Eddie Brandt's Movie Matinee are replaced by a U Haul dealership, ugly as hell.

Spumante's, a family restaurant in the Noho Arts District, is now some hot chicken franchise.

Rents are astronomical. Homelessness is definitely not being solved by this up zoning.

People are still driving and not committing to using public transportation.

If you can't afford to live here, make art , socialize, and find your own native dives, what is the point?

I also hear people talking about Nashville as though it is THE music town now. I was once offered a contract to be a songwriter and part of a writing team in Nashville.

I really couldn't leave Los Angeles. And besides, we have a tremendous music history here.

Just down the street from me, Miles Davis recorded. Even Quincy Jones has used recording studios in North Hollywood. Dago's Boots, bootmakers to Emmie Lou Harris and Gram Parsons, is here. And north, on Lankershim, used to sit Palomino's, one of the great music venues here in Los Angeles.

I moved here for this unbelievable music history and this amazing musical community. So it upsets me greatly to see that we are willing to tear down legacies to put up developments that cater to "luxurious living." Who is building these things? Don't they build the same things all over this country?

Let's look at The Sunset Strip, one of the most iconic areas in musical history.

And West Hollywood, where acres of land are dedicated to the construction of dwellings 80 percent of us could never afford.

And Hollywood! A filthy walk of fame, an abandoned Cinerama Dome, and more of these ugly massive thrown-ups, as we tear down bungalows and smaller apartment complexes that were affordable before we got rid of zoning and invited the developers in, with no restrictions whatsoever.

I guess I got in at the right time. But it gives me no pleasure to hear of artistic friends who can't live here. I feel like this city is quietly betraying all of us artists.

If only the City of Los Angeles would employ more artists. To repurpose. To give Art back to the people. To use what we have and make it unique. To work with institutions like The LA Conservancy and Esotouric Tours, to preserve and celebrate LA's amazing entertainment history.

To preserve and commemorate. It feels like there are many creative partnerships that could be formed, along side the union construction jobs.

I have my own studio, and a back yard full of feral cats.

I have no idea what will happen next door, or across the street. Will this street be able to hold on to its 1941 tract house vibe with neighbors you could borrow a cup of sugar from, or have a beer with?

I have been soapboxing enough for now.

And no, I'm still not moving. Not just yet.

Unfortunately now, though, a part of me is going to have to wait and see. What this year brings.

Who will stay? Who will go?

Stay tuned.


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wendysuewsr
Mar 21, 2024

I hear you.

I bought my house in 1993 ish and it’s all mine and I love it and there are so many things I love about Los Angeles.

However, all my best friends have either moved away or died at this point, and I feel a bit adrift. I have lots of friends, but not my ride or dies I used to have. I feel a bit adrift, but try to realize as often as possible how wonderful my life is in so many ways and how fortunate to have been born in the country and skin color and parents I was given. And sometimes I think of moving, but where. My choices have left me without immediate fami…

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Johnny Schaefer
Johnny Schaefer
Mar 20, 2024

I'm right there with you, Feef. I love LA so much and we sold our house on Mt. Whashington a few years back. We bought a lot to build a new one there, then COVID hit, I got laid off, my parents became terminally ill and we needed to care for them, and construction costs more than doubled. We were going to have a music and video studio and space for family or friends to move in. Now we are selling the lot and not sure where our future lies. It's sad, because LA has always felt like home to me. Corporations have WAY too much power. It's heartbreaking.

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