UCLA

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405 North Offramp to Sunset Blvd. to be Closed for 120 Days

Byuclafaculty

Not to worry.  It’s just that there is a bit of bad news for commuters to UCLA: Beginning August 3, the northbound I-405 off-ramp to Sunset Blvd. will close, beginning a 120-day closure that will add a longer off-ramp. The new off-ramp, which will be 60 percent longer, will feature 60 percent more capacity to store vehicles and segregate traffic from Sunset Blvd. and the I-405…   Existing Conditions During 120-Day Closure *Sepulveda Way acceleration lane will remain open as is.*Sepulveda Blvd. and Church Lane intersection will see lane reduction and height restriction.*Temporary false work bent at median will be…

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The Appeal of the Japanese Garden

Byuclafaculty

The Facebook page of the group trying to save the UCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden from sale and possible destruction is carrying this notice:EXCELLENT NEWS! The Court of Appeals has scheduled Oral Arguments for the Appeal on August 28th. This means that they recognize the urgency and importance of the Garden and do not wish to keep us in limbo any longer! We may get their decision (and opinion) later in the fall. Source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-the-Hannah-Carter-Japanese-Garden/189816991118293

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The Medium is the Message at the Site of the UCLA Grand Hotel

Byuclafaculty

We noted in an earlier post that after blocking off the Ackerman bus turnaround and parking structure 6 – the site of the planned UCLA Grand Hotel – not much had been done other than messing up some landscaping in the area.  It appeared that the intent was really to mark the territory in the face of pending litigation.In any case, yours truly went by the site late last Thursday to see if anything visible had been accomplished on the site.  As the photos below indicate, it’s still much as it was earlier.  Messed up landscaping at some locations but…

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Marking Territory for the UCLA Grand Hotel

Byuclafaculty

Yours truly went past the Ackerman bus turnaround that UCLA closed on July 8 to make way for the grand hotel.  He expected to find lots of demolition work going on.  Instead he found a few construction cones blocking the area and some dug up landscaping.  No one was working in mid-afternoon.  So what we appear to have here so far is a marking of the territory rather than actual work.  Seems like it’s the “facts-on-the-ground” approach. Of course, marking the territory is a natural tendency and there are many ways to do it:

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UC Egypt Programs Suspended

Byuclafaculty

UCLA student at the Sphinx From the LA Times: Worried about student safety amid the political violence in Egypt, the University of California has suspended its fall semester program in Cairo, officials said Monday. The move affects 22 students who had signed up to study advanced Arabic and other classes at the American University in Cairo… Those students can enroll instead in UC programs in Jordan, Turkey, Morocco and Israel that also offer Arabic classes… The move comes a few days after the safe evacuation of 10 UC students from a UC Davis-sponsored summer program in Egypt and the worsening…

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UCLA Monkey Trial Soon

Byuclafaculty

We have blogged about this case before – without really knowing what the full background is.  But apparently, it is coming to trial this Thursday: The dispute over a Wake Forest University Health Sciences primate colony in southern Forsyth County goes to its first hearing at 10 a.m. Thursday.  The hearing involves Wake Forest as plaintiffs and the board of regents for the University of California system as defendants. It will be held in the federal building in downtown Winston-Salem… The Wake Forest division filed a lawsuit in February to end a joint venture with the University of California at…

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Where’s the bus while the UCLA Grand Hotel is being built?

Byuclafaculty

From the Big Blue Bus The answer seems to be what bus and when?  The image below is from the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus whose website says: On Monday, July 8 Ackerman Terminal will close for renovations as part of the Luskin Conference and Guest Center construction through the summer of 2016. Due to this closure, all Big Blue Bus routes serving Ackerman Terminal, Routes 1, 2, 3, 8, 12 and Rapid 12, will begin using the new temporary transit center located on Charles E. Young Dr. between Westholme Ave. and Manning Ave. (in front of the P2 Parking…

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We’re Waiting for the Complete Post for the July Regents Meeting

Byuclafaculty

The preliminary Regents agenda for the July 16-18 meeting has been posted.  As yet, the detailed attachments to the agenda are not available.  However, there will be approval of contribution increases to the pension for next year (2014-15) and an interim replacement for the university’s Chief Investment Officer who suddenly resigned without explanation.  In a closed session, the Regents will discuss the criminal case the LA district attorney is pursuing against UCLA Prof. Patrick Harran.  See http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2013/04/justice.htmlfor our most recent post on that case.  The Christian Head case charging discrimination (and involving a viral YouTube video) at UCLA will also…

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Listen to the Regents: March 13, 2013 – morning session

Byuclafaculty

Our efforts to archive Regents meetings (since the Regents’ policy is currently to preserve them only for one year) continues.  Below is the agenda for the morning meeting of March 13, 2013.  Included was approval of a UCLA medical building about which cost concerns had been raised at an earlier meeting.  Eventually, the Regents seem to approve any construction project – even if concerns are raised – particularly when they are assured that it won’t cost them anything. Agenda for Wednesday, March 13, 2013 – morning8:30 am Committee of the Whole (open session – includes public comment session)9:30 am Committee…