Benjamin Pezzillo on February 22, 2008, at 09:56PM – #1

I know I said I'd stop posting as a New Years' resolution but a chance to comment on filming Downtown?

Yes, it's pretty sad how formulaic car commercials are. Even the one David Mamet directed Downtown for the Ford Edge resorted to the wet-down of Broadway. Of course, plenty of people were kept awake overnight for an entire sequence that could just have easily been accomplished on a sound stage instead of a parking lot between two residential buildings.

I swear, I will never buy a Ford Edge just because of that and I drive a Ford now. I know, the lords of commerce are crippled. But the only way to get commercial productions that won't behave to pay attention is through their corporate clients who hate bad p.r.

Just get the name of the production company and the product, then fire off a letter to the CEO telling them exactly how the commercial crew contracted for their corporation's advertising disrespected the community.

Be accurate and honest, photographs and or video are always good too as a way of backing up your perspective of events because you can never expect the production company to concede fault.

I really hope FilmLA remembers the marathon is coming up and street closures Downtown for filming will probably NOT be a good idea that weekend...

Urban Trojan on February 22, 2008, at 10:53PM – #2

Question for Building & Safety: would the Third Street Tunnel collapse if The Big One were to occur? It is well over a century old now.

Benjamin Pezzillo on February 24, 2008, at 11:17AM – #3

If it were me, I'd head for either tunnel in an earthquake rather than dodge the glass and building facade that we know will fall in a big one event.

I recall from my emergency preparedness neighborhood ambassador training we can expect the Fig/Flower/Hope/Grand corridor to be showered in 10 or more feet debris.

Forget your car and hope you have good shoes, gloves and a hard hat that day to scramble out of your office tower over tons of broken glass and bent metal higher than you may be able to see over from the ground floor -- as in, it might be wise to identify the best exit route for as far as you can see from above before venturing downstairs to go outside, sketch yourself a map if you geographic memory is not so good. Bicycles will be gold. Motorcycles platinum.

Not sure if building and safety is right judge the strength of the tunnel but I'm fairly certain the engineering folks at Public Works look at all tunnels and bridges routinely, and specifically after lesser seismic events, to judge their structural integrity.

With respect to Downtown, the way it has been explained to me is that building and safety's emergency team will first review the capabilities of vital government buildings and then work in order of importance (hospitals, etc.) depending on the needs after the event with respect to 'red tagging'. Anything with collapsed floors and known or unknown survivors should be identified and communicated to emergency management or Community Emergency Response Team volunteers so it can be prioritized.

The Public Works crews will dig out their own equipment first and then as directed to fulfill the greatest needs -- likely towards the Convention Center as it will become emergency aid central and will require vehicular access.

Okay, back to my posting hiatus.