1. Scientists Are Warning of a Super El Niño This Winter. The Last Time They Said That, the Blob Got in the Way.
You’re going to hear a lot about El Niño this year. Federal forecasters now put the odds of one developing by fall at better than 90%, with a 50% chance it’s at least a strong event. Some meteorologists are already using the word “super” — meaning sea surface temperatures exceeding two degrees Celsius above average. If it develops as projected, it could be the strongest event to hit Southern California this century.
What that means here: more storms, more atmospheric rivers, more rain. Flooding, debris flows, coastal erosion. It could also reduce wildfire risk heading into fall by bringing early rainfall that dampens the conditions Santa Ana winds need.
Worth remembering before you start boarding up your windows. In 2015-16, forecasters predicted a “Godzilla El Niño” — one of the strongest on record. California’s rainfall totals that year ended up about average. The reason was a massive pool of warm water parked in the North Pacific called the Blob, which blocked storm tracks from reaching Southern California. Nobody knows yet whether a similar wildcard exists this time. Strong El Niño. Not a guarantee.
2. West Hollywood’s Parks Are Up for a Rewrite. You Have a Say — But You Have to Show Up Saturday.
Do. Not. Forget. This Saturday, April 11, from 1 to 3 p.m., the City is holding a community workshop at the Aquatic and Recreation Center, 8750 El Tovar Place, in the San Vicente and La Cienega Room. The subject is the Open Space Element — a state-required section of the General Plan that sets the rules for how the City spends money on parks, what it can demand from developers, and which neighborhoods get prioritized when new green space becomes possible. Once adopted, it’s binding policy for the next decade.
West Hollywood has approximately 0.45 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. The state standard is three acres. The regional average is 3.3. The draft plan includes a possible eastside pool or splash pad — language that commits the City to nothing yet, but it’s in the document now. Saturday is the moment to push for it.
The workshop is free. No registration required. Can’t make it in person? Online comments count just as much at engage.weho.org/openspace.
3. The Corner of Santa Monica and Crescent Heights Is Finally Rising Again.
With all the talk this week of empty pits and broken promises, it’s nice to report on promises kept. The old Bank of America building at Santa Monica Boulevard and Crescent Heights is gone, has been for a minute. But now excavation crews and equipment are now on site. The branch closed unexpectedly in summer 2021. As a former customer who rarely went in or even used the ATM for cash, it wasn’t too surprising that it closed. It was just how it happened — signs taped to the doors, no advance notice to customers. Sat empty for years. The building finally came down in August 2025. What’s going up in its place is a seven-story mixed-use building with 110 residential units — 15 of them permanently affordable. (Did you hear that? 15 units!) And about 3,900 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Developer is Alex Massachi of Massachi Industries. Architect is OfficeUntitled. Planning Commission approved the project in September 2023. It took until now to get shovels in the ground. But hey, we’ll take it. Sure beats staring at another empty lot of broken promises.
4. David Geffen’s Super Messy Divorce Just Settled. West Hollywood Was Part of His Story.
One of Hollywood’s messiest divorces just ended — quietly. David Geffen, 83, settled his split from estranged husband David Armstrong this week. No terms were disclosed. West Hollywood knows Geffen well. He owned a unit at Sierra Towers — the building’s only two-story condo, spanning the 26th and 27th floors — with Cher eventually buying it. His record label, Geffen Records, was headquartered at 9130 Sunset Blvd. The label that signed Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, and Aerosmith operated out of this city.
The two married in 2023 with no prenuptial agreement. Geffen filed just before their second anniversary. Armstrong — who also goes by Donovan Michaels — filed a civil lawsuit claiming Geffen had groomed him, paid him for sex, and plied him with cocaine, cannabis, and ecstasy to increase his dependency. He alleged Geffen demanded “sexual access at will, including acts Armstrong found degrading.” He said Geffen treated him as “a living social experiment” and a “trophy to show off to his wealthy friends.” The lawsuit called it “a sick game.” Geffen’s attorneys called it all “petty gossip and salacious lies.” Armstrong dropped the suit.
On the money: Geffen said he paid Armstrong $200,000 in cash after their separation and covered nearly $200,000 for a rehab stay, on top of a $15,000-a-month New York City penthouse. His offer was $50,000 a month in spousal support — but only for 12 months. Armstrong said that wasn’t nearly enough for a man worth $9.3 billion. Armstrong also claimed Geffen held $5 million in art, jewelry, and watches. He said he’d given up his modeling career on Geffen’s promise he’d be taken care of for life. The divorce settled this week as uncontested.
5. Meet Buttons. A West Hollywood Cat Who Wouldn’t Stop Asking for Help. Now He Needs Yours.
He appeared on a West Hollywood street with nowhere to go. Came out of the bushes, rolled over for strangers, reached out, followed people down the sidewalk. When they kept walking, he ran after them. A young woman spotted him and stayed on the sidewalk until West Hollywood Community Cats arrived.
His body showed years of hard living. His disposition didn’t match any of it. He went into foster care. Now he sits on his foster’s lap while she works.
Buttons is gentle, trusting, and deeply devoted to people. He’s vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. He does best as an only cat.
Contact West Hollywood Community Cats at WestHollywoodCommunityCats@gmail.com or visit WestHollywoodCommunityCats.com.
