Good morning, it’s Thursday, April 23. You can expect weather that will confirm your excellent decision to live in Los Angeles: temps in the mid-70s and a smattering of clouds.
In today’s newsletter, we have an exclusive about trouble brewing at USC’s business school, a Mexican immigrant keeping Dutch culture alive in Bellflower, mold-infested Park La Brea apartments, and Monterey Park’s revolt against data centers. But first, the position of Honorary Mayor of Hollywood and why it’s remained unoccupied for 18 years.
The Honorary Mayor of Hollywood died nearly two decades ago. Why did the position die with him?
On January 10, 2008, the Honorary Mayor of Hollywood ate an omelet for lunch, went back to his penthouse suite at the Hollywood Roosevelt, and died of a heart attack. His name was Johnny Grant, he was 84 and he had been in charge, sort of, of the neighborhood for 28 years. His remains were scattered among the chaparral at the base of the Hollywood sign.
Two months later, Leron Gubler, then the President & CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, announced that the Chamber’s Board of Directors would “deliberate extensively before making a decision” on the future of the position.
Eighteen years later, there has still been no succession plan announced. Was the position unfillable because it was unpaid, time consuming, and completely ceremonial? Or because of the man who once held it?
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