Empire Center

A 35-year-old woman was injured Monday after a car ran over her left foot while she was crossing the Empire Center parking lot, police said. At around 10:45 a.m., the woman was crossing in the 1900 block of Empire Avenue at the parking lot near Tilly's when a driver rolled over her left foot at 10 mph, said Burbank Police Lt. Eddie Ruiz. The woman, who was using a marked crosswalk, was transported to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center for treatment. Additional details on her injuries were not immediately available.

As millions of Americans watched elections returns in angst Tuesday night, hundreds of people in Burbank had better things to do - a car enthusiast flash mob anyone? Shortly after 7 p.m., car enthusiasts overtook the expansive Empire Center parking lot, prompting Burbank police to request assistance from Los Angeles, Glendale and the California Highway Patrol as they attempted to disperse a crowd estimated at one point to be more than 1,000 people. It took police until nearly midnight to clear the parking lot - process that clogged surrounding streets as the massive crowd moved out. No injuries were immediately reported, but several drivers were cited and at least one motorcycle was impounded.

One lane of the northbound Victory Place and San Fernando Road will be closed through this fall as crews relocate utilities as part of a major project to construct carpool lanes on the Golden State (5) Freeway, build a new interchange at Empire Avenue and elevate a dangerous train crossing. The section of the streets that will be impacted stretches from the Burbank Animal Shelter to North California Street, according to the California Department of Transportation. The lane adjacent to the railroad tracks will be closed from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Caltrans officials said.

The popular complex is sold for a reported $160 million to investment arm of an Iowa insurance company.MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- New owners have taken over the popular Empire Center shopping and restaurant complex. Iowa-based Principal Life Insurance Co. purchased the shopping area this month for $160 million. City Council members and other city officials received a letter from Principal last week to inform them of the purchase. "That's a good sign that they want to maintain a relationship," Councilwoman Marsha Ramos said.

Laura Sturza HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- Coming soon to the Empire Center: three new sculptures commissioned from Echo Park artist Peter Shire. The sculptures are constructed from mixed media elements, including metal and glass and are being fabricated now, said Eric Hansen, an administrator for art in public places for the city of Burbank. The three sculptures, Tiki Tower, Empire Man and Leaning Tower to be installed by Zelman Development, are large-scale, whimsical pieces that will be colorful and integrated into the landscape and street scape, Hansen said.

Laura Sturza MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- While the Empire Center can be reached by bus, the best way to get around the 100-acre retail mecca is by car, officials said. "Where people go to do large-scale shopping ... they don't want to carry packages from one store to the next," Empire Center developer Ben Reiling said. A Leader letter to the editor Feb. 27 from Ronald D. Summons said there "are no convenient MTA bus stops within this shopping center" and it appears "that the citizens who use MTA buses were purposely ignored in the planning" of the center.

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- Plans to include an auto dealership in the Burbank Empire Center development have collapsed, leaving city officials frustrated by the latest failure to bring car-and-truck sales to Burbank. Empire Center developer Zelman Development Companies continues to negotiate with CAG Investments to bring a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership to the $200-million retail center, city officials said. But the prospects of securing the deal look bleak.

Opponents of a planned Walmart in Burbank drew upon the strength of unions Tuesday night to give the noisiest local protest yet to the mega-retailer. More than 100 people, bolstered by the organized support of labor unions, swarmed outside Burbank City Hall before the City Council meeting, using a loudspeaker to sound off on the idea of a Walmart next to the Empire Center. In a show of how the labor movement has latched on to the cause, about 30 members of Warehouse Workers United - which advocates for better working conditions in Inland Empire distribution centers - marched down Olive Avenue to the beat of a snare drum to join the protest.

Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, has set its sights on Burbank. Walmart Real Estate Business Trust last month acquired a 12-acre property that houses the Great Indoors store at the Empire Center, which is already home to a Target store and other “big box” retailers. Sears, which owns Great Indoors, plans to shutter the store in August, according to a company spokeswoman. The property is adjacent to the Empire Center, but is owned and managed separately. Steven Restivo, a Walmart spokesman, declined to say whether the company plans a supercenter, which typically operates 24 hours a day and employs roughly 350 people, or a smaller store.

A future Walmart in Burbank dominated the public discourse in 2011, sparking protests at City Hall, new Facebook pages opposing the retailer's move into the city and divided opinions among residents - and it's only just begun. Walmart is scheduled to open near the Empire Center in early 2013, according to spokesman Steve Restivo.  The mega-retailer's sometimes rocky road to Burbank started in early July when news broke that the Walmart Real Estate Business Trust had purchased 12 acres where a 120,000-square-foot Great Indoors store was located.

One lane of the northbound Victory Place and San Fernando Road will be closed through this fall as crews relocate utilities as part of a major project to construct carpool lanes on the Golden State (5) Freeway, build a new interchange at Empire Avenue and elevate a dangerous train crossing. The section of the streets that will be impacted stretches from the Burbank Animal Shelter to North California Street, according to the California Department of Transportation. The lane adjacent to the railroad tracks will be closed from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Caltrans officials said.

Dave Golonski - who first took office a few months after Bill Clinton became president - lost his bid Tuesday for an unprecedented sixth term. Golonski, who established himself on the City Council dais 20 years ago, lost out to fellow incumbents David Gordon and Jess Talamantes on Tuesday, capping a defeat foreshadowed by his worst primary finish ever in February. Out of 11,123 votes cast, Gordon and Talamantes received 5,411 and 5,268, respectively, according to the unofficial results.

A 35-year-old woman was injured Monday after a car ran over her left foot while she was crossing the Empire Center parking lot, police said. At around 10:45 a.m., the woman was crossing in the 1900 block of Empire Avenue at the parking lot near Tilly's when a driver rolled over her left foot at 10 mph, said Burbank Police Lt. Eddie Ruiz. The woman, who was using a marked crosswalk, was transported to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center for treatment. Additional details on her injuries were not immediately available.

A 42-year-old man allegedly driving a stolen truck led Burbank police on a roughly four-minute car chase on the Golden State (5) Freeway Monday, police said. At around 6:20 p.m., police noticed the man - James Cooper of a Burbank - allegedly filling the 2004 Nissan pick-up truck with gas at the 76 gas station on San Fernando Boulevard and Buena Vista Street, said Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn. When police ran the license plate, they discovered the truck was stolen and attempted to stop the driver.

Walmart was dealt a setback this week in its efforts to open a store in Burbank when the judge hearing a lawsuit filed by three local residents to block the store's construction was reassigned just days before a hearing to schedule a trial. Just how much of a delay the reassignment of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ann I. Jones - who will now act as supervising judge of budget planning and administration for the court system - will cause is not certain. But Jones is one of six judges who hear cases involving the California Environmental Quality Act, which is one of the issues at the center of the Walmart case.

Burbank police are looking for five masked suspects who fled the area after an alleged street robbery near the Empire Center. A 32-year-old man was exiting his vehicle around 2:47 p.m. on the 1600 block of Maria Street when two masked men approached him and demanded a bag of jewelry, cell phone and car keys, said Burbank police Sgt. Darin Ryburn. The man appears to be a a carrier who was delivering the jewelry, said Ryburn. He handed over the items to the men, who allegedly fled in a vehicle with three other masked suspects.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Wednesday said he may not have jurisdiction over an appeal of an injunction that has blocked construction of a Walmart adjacent to the Empire Center in Burbank. “Once the notice of appeal has been filed, things like moving to modify or dissolve can no longer be heard [in this court]. Otherwise, that would interrupt the appeal,” Judge Robert O'Brien said in the downtown L.A. courtroom. An appeal is generally heard in a court of appeals.

As millions of Americans watched elections returns in angst Tuesday night, hundreds of people in Burbank had better things to do - a car enthusiast flash mob anyone? Shortly after 7 p.m., car enthusiasts overtook the expansive Empire Center parking lot, prompting Burbank police to request assistance from Los Angeles, Glendale and the California Highway Patrol as they attempted to disperse a crowd estimated at one point to be more than 1,000 people. It took police until nearly midnight to clear the parking lot - process that clogged surrounding streets as the massive crowd moved out. No injuries were immediately reported, but several drivers were cited and at least one motorcycle was impounded.

It appears that the Walmart oppositionists can't find a legitimate reason to oppose a Walmart store coming to Burbank. A letter writer stated that it's probably true that the Walmart traffic problem is a non-issue. She earlier said to forget the Walmart store and try for a Whole Foods Market. She is now saying that the market is not the answer. She is saying that the opposition to a Walmart store is based on the type of people Walmart attracts and the crime would be bad for other businesses in the community . One need only think back to the Kmart shooting, Porto's robbery, and prostitution activities at the Extended Stay Hotel, robbery at the Jack-in-the-Box and several robberies of stores in Magnolia Park, and the time when a police officer was lost during an on-duty shooting.

Re: “ Crime motivates Walmart opposition ,” Mailbag, Sept. 26. The letter writer says, “The type of people the store (Walmart) attracts and the crime would be bad for the rest of the businesses in that area,” meaning the Empire Center. She goes on to say we have a Costco, Target and a Kmart nearby. Well, I was in line in the Kmart store on Wednesday with three women together in line ahead of me. They bought $96 worth of merchandise, argued with the cashier over the total, and they tried to pay for it with a bogus credit card.