🌱 J. Avant Killer Pleads Guilty + WeHo Viper Room To Close

Hey, neighbors; today is National Tartar Sauce Day! It's me again, Sylvia, your host of the Los Angeles Daily.

An ex-con is facing 170 years in prison. Also, the Viper Room’s days may be numbered. Finally, the City’s First Time Homebuyer program may get creative.

First, today's weather:

A couple of showers; cooler. High: 62 Low: 49.

Here are the top five stories in Los Angeles today:

1. A 30-year-old resident pleaded guilty Thursday to the murder of 81-year-old L.A. philanthropist Jacqueline Avant on December 1. The man “had been paroled in September 2021, just months before Avant's killing.” “In this case, the defendant is facing 170 years to life in prison and is ineligible for early parole,” said District Attorney George Gascón. Sentencing is scheduled for March 30. (NBC)
2. A Thursday report alerted us that the Viper Room will cease to be. What started as an iconic West Hollywood place to be seen will become a 12-story-highrise. According to the report, construction starts next year. (L.A. Eater)
3. Councilmen Kevin de León and Mitch O’Farrell want to “build out the city’s First Time Homebuyer program to increase its number of loans and financing options.” Citing that “only 44% of Black households and 48% of Hispanic households owned their homes,” we learned Thursday that Council President Nury Martinez wants the city to create innovative financing tools aimed at low-income property owners. (L.A. Sentinel)
4. Gas prices are going up. As of Thursday, the average cost of a gallon of regular is $5.01. Fuel is now “about 19 cents higher than last week and nearly 30 cents more than a month ago.” (KTLA)
5. Metro Micro wants to give Uber and Lyft some competition. It is an on-demand ride-share program that uses blue vans. However, unlike the competition, Metro Micro (as of Tuesday) ran in eight zones during specific windows of time. Also, “pickup and drop-off locations are not always directly in front of your start and end points, but usually only a block or so away. (Knock L.A.)

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Today in Los Angeles:

• Abilities Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center (10 AM)
• The Natural History Museum presents First Fridays (5 PM)
• Largo at the Coronet presents The Improvised Shakespeare Company (8 PM)
• Cautious Clay at The Fonda Theatre (9 PM)
• Los Angeles Club Crawl Guided Nightlife Party Tour at the Broadway Bar (9 PM)

From my notebook:

• It was a special treat to be greeted by students as members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department entered St. Alphonsus Catholic Church to attend Ash Wednesday Mass. With everything happening in the world, it was refreshing to see these students in East Los Angeles. (Facebook)
• The Los Angeles Fire Department provides a quick and easy-to-understand look at how you can best protect your home + family from wildfires with brush clearance. (Instagram)
• The Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division received 5 new Rescue Watercrafts that are officially in service on our beaches. Earlier this week, an RWC instructor course was held utilizing the new crafts for a 10-hour training session. (Facebook)
• A Miracle Mile Hauser neighbor wants to know when the Metro Purple Line will be done. Online, it just says that they have paused work since the pandemic. (Nextdoor)
• Our Faircrest Heights neighbor is looking for recommendations for a reliable professional handy man for general carpentry. Must have own tools. (Nextdoor)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Best Fiends (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.