Original post about the house before it sold.
A fascinating look at the early days of the Westwood Village neighborhood of Los Angeles in this one. From the Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly comedy movie Beauty and the Bus. 1933 vs Today. More then and now filming locations photos at https://chrisbungostudios.com/photo-gallery-sampler
For more info, visit https://esotouric.substack.com/savetheburro
If you love Jorge and don’t want him to be evicted, there are some decision makers that Richard Hernandez Chase hopes you will contact.
Call Mayor Karen Bass at (213) 978-0600. Call Councilmember Ysabel Jurado at (213) 473-7014. Call the El Pueblo Office at (213) 485-6855, Email the El Pueblo Commissioners at eptours@lacity.org. Email the L.A. City Attorney at cityatty.help@lacity.org.
Please call and/or email with a brief message along these lines: “Hi, I’m a concerned citizen and I’m urging you to intervene immediately and stop the eviction of the La Carreta stand and Jorge the Donkey on Olvera Street. Jorge is a historic and cultural landmark for generations of Angelenos, and the Hernandez family deserves to stay. The city needs to protect our living history, not evict it.”
Thanks to preservation pal Adrian E. Alvarez for crafting this message, which he posted with his AI song for Jorge and Olvera Street on YouTube.
And if you’re around tomorrow, Wednesday, May 20, stop by at the southernmost end of Olvera Street where Jorge is stationed to show your support and get a photo taken. We don’t know how long the burro and his person will be able to stay at their post, but it’s worth a try to see them if you can.
See previous Reddit post here.
Last fall, JPL's publicity team denied Shelby Eidson's independent report that firefighters were pulled away from Altadena to protect the lab. LA County's Eaton Fire evacuation report describes "a potential catastrophic consequence" and resources diverted.
Newsletter update 5/18/2026: Today, the County of Los Angeles Fire Department released its independent investigation findings of West Altadena evacuation decisions. You can read the report here. And you can read Altadena citizens complaining about it here.
On numbered page 32 (page 36 of the pdf), there is confirmation of independent Eaton Fire investigator Shelby Eidson’s reporting that fire-fighting resources were called away from Altadena to protect Jet Propulsion Laboratory from the blaze in the early hours of 1/8/2025:
“At approximately midnight, a JPL security supervisor arrived at the Rose Bowl ICP and advised Incident Command of a potentially catastrophic consequence if any of 4 JPL complex buildings catch fire. This was a significant focus for Incident Command over the next approximately 2 hours until it was determined there was no imminent threat to those buildings.”
We would like to know why JPL’s publicity team worked so diligently last fall to deny the validity of Eidson’s reporting on this aspect of the Eaton Fire response, only for it to be repeated in an official County Report seven months later.
We note that JPL explicitly denied that a phone call was made seeking assistance, while the County report describes an in person visit. In Eidson’s written public comments to the County Supervisors, she actually describes “a frantic call”—vague phrasing that could mean by telephone or in person.
Nineteen human beings died in the Eaton Fire. We don’t think it’s appropriate for public information officers to play semantic games and avoid the transparency the Altadena community deserves.
What’s inside those four JPL complex buildings?
Read on for our original 11/3/2025 newsletter about Eidson’s work and JPL’s response to our posting about it on social media.
(56 Seconds) A fascinating look at the early days of the Westwood Village neighborhood of Los Angeles in this one. Here's a quick preview then and now video of the filming locations used in the Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly comedy movie Beauty and the Bus. 1933 vs Today. Watch the complete filming locations documentary video at: https://ChrisBungoStudios.com
When the Aztec Hotel hit the market last summer at a shocking $15 Million, we stopped by with the Preservation Imp to scope out the site
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5caVZHArJI
As the Route 66 Centennial ticks on, the landmark remains shuttered, with no price drop.
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/301-317-W-Foothill-Blvd-Monrovia-CA/37054590/
Looking across Venice Blvd towards Main Street in Culver City. Filming location then and now from The Little Rascals movie Honky-Donkey, 1934 vs Today. More then and now filming locations photos at https://chrisbungostudios.com/photo-gallery-sampler
Little Country Church is an arson lost landmark on the grounds of the early Hollywood Bartlett Estate Vista del Mar. Its trees and paths are protected. Owned by Steven Taylor of Cheviot Hills/Weingart homeless fraud infamy. We think it should be a park! https://esotouric.substack.com/littlecountrychurch
With the Ben Weingart developed Yucca-Argyle Apts demolished and part of the Curren Price case, what an opportunity to use these two parcels to serve L.A.!
