BY PAULO MURILLO
LOS ANGELES
OWNERSHIP TRANSFER OF TRIANGLE SQUARE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR LGTBQ SENIORS
Fifteen years after the opening of Hollywood’s Triangle Square Apartments, the nation’s largest LGBTQ-affirming affordable housing complex for seniors, the Los Angeles LGBT Center has spearheaded a historic partnership with April Housing to transfer the building’s ownership to the Center.
“Senior Services is one of the brightest jewels in the Center’s crown, and April Housing has made that jewel shine even brighter by agreeing to sell us this historic building that houses our elders,” said Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Joe Hollendoner.
“This sale is going to greatly improve the Center’s ability to help our clients and to further prove to Los Angeles, the LGBTQ+ community, and the nation that we must stop leaving our elders behind.”
PALM SPRINGS
RAINBOW CROSSWALK REMOVED DUE TO WEAR AND TEAR
Say goodbye to the colorful rainbow crosswalk on Arenas Road in Palm Springs. They have been removed indefinitely due to fading. According to a social media post from the city, the colors are being removed at the request of the Arenas Road merchants. The worn-out crosswalk will be replaced with a new design rather than repainting the old one. The Rainbow Crosswalk was originally painted in October 2021, in the popular LGBT business neighborhood. The new design in the works is said to be a “unique” representation of the LGBTQ+ community.
SAN DIEGO
PLANNING COMMISSION VOTES TO DEMOLISH LGBT LANDMARK
San Diego planning commission voted to approve a development permit for a mixed-use project that will involve the demolition of the Albert Bell Building, also known as the Gayzette, located at 3780-3786 5th Avenue in the LGBT Hillcrest area. The building, which currently houses several businesses, was founded by local activist Albert Bell as a community support center for AIDS patients during the 1980s. Despite being designated as historic on April 28, 2022, a Los Angeles-based developer is proceeding with plans for a mid-rise apartment tower with commercial and office space to be built on the site. The new building will be named in honor of Albert Bell.
LAGUNA BEACH
RAINBOW LIFEGUARD TOWER IS COMING TO WEST STREET BEACH
Laguna Beach City Council accepted a $10,000 donation from residents Steve Chadima and Mark Porterfield to go toward the installation of a rainbow-decorated lifeguard tower stationed at West Street Beach. Laguna Beach Pride expressed their interest in having a rainbow-decorated lifeguard towers Laguna Beach reached an agreement to take control of the beaches in South Laguna from Orange County. Chadima and Porterfield, a couple who have been together for 37 years, have also contributed to other community efforts in the area, including the installation of a bench designed by an artist at the end of Mountain Road. The bench, called the “Boom Boom Bench,” commemorates the Boom Boom Room, a gay bar with a dance scene where they first met. The bar closed in 2007 and the bench, created by sculptor Michael Stutz, was dedicated in 2018.
LOS ANGELES
CAUSE OF LESLIE JORDAN’S DEATH REVEALED AS CARDIAC ARREST
On Oct. 24, 2022, beloved actor Leslie Jordan passed away at the age of 67 from sudden cardiac dysfunction. A coroner’s report confirmed last month that his death was from natural causes and identified arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a secondary factor. He was found in his car after a crash into the side of a building on Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street.
Despite rumors suggesting his cause of death may have been drug-related, it should be noted that Leslie was widely known to have been sober for over two decades at the time of his death. The coroner’s report found no evidence of drugs or alcohol in Leslie’s system.
