Santa and the Stink Bombs

December 24, 1947
Beverly Hills

While staff and customers awaited the start of the annual holiday party at Vallera’s Rotisserie Restaurant and Delicatessen, 8680 Wilshire Blvd., the festivities were disturbed by the sudden explosion of two stench bombs, one of which had been left a phone booth. The restaurant is the sixth business being picketed by the A.F.L. Culinary Workers union to be attacked in this manner.

Owner Joe Vallera says that the union is disputing one employee’s wages, but that most of his 60 workers have been crossing the line. Those workers rushed into action following the bombing, manning mops and fans to flush the foul smell away. After an hour they had either succeeded or become acclimated, and the party went on as planned.

Ho Ho Ho, Stenchy Christmas!

Kim Cooper

Kim Cooper is the creator of 1947project, the crime-a-day time travel blog that spawned Esotouric’s popular crime bus tours, including The Real Black Dahlia. She is the author of The Kept Girl, the acclaimed historical mystery starring the young Raymond Chandler and the real-life Philip Marlowe, and of The Raymond Chandler Map of Los Angeles. With husband Richard Schave, Kim curates the Salons and forensic science seminars of LAVA- The Los Angeles Visionaries Association. When the third generation Angeleno isn’t combing old newspapers for forgotten scandals, she is a passionate advocate for historic preservation of signage, vernacular architecture and writer’s homes. Kim was for many years the editrix of Scram, a journal of unpopular culture. Her books include Fall in Love For Life, Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth, Lost in the Grooves and an oral history of Neutral Milk Hotel.

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Kim Cooper

Kim Cooper is the creator of 1947project, the crime-a-day time travel blog that spawned Esotouric’s popular crime bus tours, including The Real Black Dahlia. She is the author of The Kept Girl, the acclaimed historical mystery starring the young Raymond Chandler and the real-life Philip Marlowe, and of The Raymond Chandler Map of Los Angeles. With husband Richard Schave, Kim curates the Salons and forensic science seminars of LAVA- The Los Angeles Visionaries Association. When the third generation Angeleno isn’t combing old newspapers for forgotten scandals, she is a passionate advocate for historic preservation of signage, vernacular architecture and writer’s homes. Kim was for many years the editrix of Scram, a journal of unpopular culture. Her books include Fall in Love For Life, Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth, Lost in the Grooves and an oral history of Neutral Milk Hotel.

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  1. City Looking for
    700 Policemen
    Los Angeles needs 700 more policemen—both men and women.

    Chief C.B. Horrall yesterday announced that applications for examinations must be filed before 5 p.m. next Tuesday in the Civil Service Commission’s offices, Room 11, City Hall.

    A high school education and good health are almost the only requirements. The jobs pay well and carry liberal pensions—retirement after 20 years at 40 percent or after 25 years at 50 percent.

    Starting salaries are $260 ($2,460.69 USD 2005). They move upward automatically to $315 at the end of three years.

    Candidates must not reach their 31st birthday before the written test, which will take place at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 10 at Hollywood High School. Men must be at least 21 and women at least 23. Men must be 5 feet 9 inches or taller and women at least 5 feet 3.

    Grading is based on a written test, a physical agility test and on personal qualifications. War veterans are given 10 extra points.

    Those who pass will attend the Police Academy for several weeks’ training. Their assignments afterward may be in anything from traffic or crime investigation to other fields like juvenile delinquency, traffic safety, teaching, courtroom and other legal work or handling of records and reports.

    + + +

    One of the applicants appears to have been future Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Records show that he was fingerprinted Dec. 31, 1947, as an applicant with the LAPD.

    Hubbard’s LAPD identification card as a Special Officer, signed by C.B. Horrall in January 1948, is here:

    https://humanitarian.lronhubbard.org/respect4.htm

    Front of card:
    https://humanitarian.lronhubbard.org/img/p15_1.jpg

    Back of card:
    https://humanitarian.lronhubbard.org/img/p15_2.jpg

    Quote of the day: “We have taught the youngsters to believe in the truly religious form of Christmas rather than the commercialized Santa Claus version.â€Â
    John Walden, Christian Home for Orphaned Children, Colorado Springs, Colo., explaining why he turned down a Christmas party—with Santa Claus—that GIs of the 15th Air Force planned for the orphanage.

    https://www.lmharnisch.com

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