Local News Briefs

Shouting at Jack’s

A homeless man was convicted of shouting at customers at the Jack in the Box in the 1800 block of Lincoln Blvd. The incident took place on Friday, November 14, and resulted in a weekend in jail.

Jamie Miranda, 44, was convicted at the LAX Courthouse of “Drunk & Disorderly Conduct,” a violation of Cal. Penal Code Section 647(f). He was ordered to serve six days, and to pay a fine of $200. He was also ordered to stay 100 yards away from Jack in the Box at all times

Selling Marijuana at Reed

A woman convicted of selling marijuana in Christine Emerson Reed Park was sentenced today to 30 days in the county jail.

Ebony Crystal Carter, 22, of Los Angeles was sentenced to time served at the Los Angeles airport courthouse by Judge Jane Godfrey

She was ordered to stay away from the park and also performed 15 hours of community service and pay a small fine.

Selling marijuana in a public park is a violation of California health and safety code section 11377, the court said

Fire Department Responds to Structure Fire 2311 La Mesa Dr.

On November 18, 2014, at 11:29 am, the Santa Monica Fire Department responded to a reported fire in a house under major renovation at 2311 La Mesa Dr. The first fire unit to arrive on scene reported light smoke from the roof and no fire from the interior of the second floor, suspecting a possible attic fire.

Initial arriving companies assisted with an aggressive interior attack of the attic fire and initiated vertical ventilation from the roof. Due to the roof construction and size of the structure, a second alarm was quickly called. The additional companies were assigned the task of salvage and overhaul operations to minimize water damage and assure complete extinguishment. The fire was contained to the attic with “knock-down” declared at 11:59 a.m.

A total of 35 firefighters were on scene with an additional 5 Americare Ambulance personnel. The Los Angeles City Fire Department Engine 59 and Rescue Ambulance 59 assisted SMFD during the incident by providing city coverage.

Two construction workers were treated for smoke inhalation and released from the scene.

Initial investigation reveals that the fire started in the attic above a second floor closet where workers had been welding steel support members.

JiRaffe to Close

After 18 years, Raphael Lunetta has decided to close JiRaffe, the French bistro in Santa Monica he founded with then-partner Josiah Citrin.

In a letter sent to the restaurant’s faithful patrons, Lunetta wrote that “JiRaffe has grown and now it is time to let him go.”

“When Josiah [Citrin] and I opened that restaurant in 1996, we didn’t really know where it would go,” Lunetta said in a phone interview Wednesday. (Citrin went on to open his high-end French restaurant Mélisse in 1999.)

Eighteen years is a long run by any standard, even more so in Los Angeles, where few restaurants make it past the 10-year mark. So why is Lunetta letting JiRaffe go?

The Santa Monica native has two boys, 12 and 14 years old. With the oldest already a teenager, he said, “I’m realizing I have to allow him to grow and at the same time allow myself to grow. That’s a scary emotion for me, especially when JiRaffe is so comforting for me.”

JiRaffe will close the day after Valentine’s Day, but the location won’t be empty for long: Lunetta plans to open a new restaurant in the space in March.

He said he’s been working on some ideas for months but wasn’t yet prepared to say what the new project will be.

Abattoir Attracts Chinese Investors, Seeks Distributor at AFM in SM

For better or worse, a small group of Chinese movie investors over the last few weeks crossed one of the last cultural barriers to full membership in the Hollywood club: They backed a bloody horror flick.

The indie film, called “Abattoir,” is being shot in Louisiana by the director Darren Lynn Bousman, whose credits include “Saw II,” “Saw III” and “Saw IV.” Typically, China’s film censors are wary of such films. In fact, they have already suggested that “Abattoir,” which is based on a graphic novel created by Mr. Bousman that tells the story of a house constructed from rooms in which past murders have occurred, would not be greeted warmly in China.

“It would require a lot of changes,” said Robert Cain, an executive producer of the film. But, Mr. Cain said, the likelihood of a closed door in China has not dampened the enthusiasm of investors led by Kevin Niu, the scion of a well-connected Chinese family and a fellow executive producer of “Abattoir.”

Distribution rights to “Abattoir,” which stars Jessica Lowndes and Joe Anderson, among others, were on sale at the American Film Market in Santa Monica last week.

And Mr. Niu, who is working on his doctorate in physics at Harvard, Mr. Cain said, plans to be become just such a producer. “He’s finishing his degree in nanotechnology,” Mr. Cain said, “and he’s going to go and make films.”