Sherman Oaks Ca

The Motion Picture Assn. of America will relocate its Encino office down the street to a larger space in Sherman Oaks Galleria, the association said Thursday. The MPAA, a trade group representing six major Hollywood studios, is sub-leasing the 100,000-square-foot space from Warner Bros. Entertainment for the next 8 1/2 years.

Expanding one of the nation's busiest freeway interchanges won't make life easier for some weary commuters. A new ramp proposed for the 101-405 interchange in Sherman Oaks would destroy part of a wildlife reserve in the Sepulveda Basin that provides a rare resting place for migrating Canada geese, environmentalists say. "We've trained the geese to come here for 20 years and forage in grasses we planted," said Steve Hartman, a volunteer with the California Native Plant Society.

A proposed expansion of Sherman Oaks' Westfield Fashion Square that would increase the mall's size by one-third is prompting criticism from area officials and homeowners who fear the project would worsen chronic weekend traffic jams. Mall tenants and area residents said traffic consistently clogs the intersection at Woodman Avenue and Riverside Drive, near the mall's entrance.

Charges were filed Tuesday against Adonis Irwin, 32, the suspect arrested Friday and alleged to have glued printouts of swastikas and two rambling messages on the door of Councilman Jack Weiss' Sherman Oaks office last week. One of the messages implied that Weiss was a Nazi. He is Jewish. City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo charged Irwin with one count of vandalism, one count of posting a swastika on private property and one hate crime charge.

Hidden Gem Coda, 5248 Van Nuys Blvd., 818 783-7518 Coda has been called a little bit of Hollywood in the Valley--if Hollywood is defined by tucked-away, sign-less hot spots. It's right next to a sushi restaurant and across from an auto dealership, and once you find the back entrance you emerge into a world of muted, orange light and stiff drinks. The low ceiling is lacquered, the long bar is scuffed, and there's a tiny side lounge where customers vie for bottle service. Coda opens at 9 p.m.

Zorina Kroop, a businesswoman who helped build up a thriving overnight janitorial service over the past 27 years, cleaned up somewhere new this week: the lottery. The 63-year-old Sherman Oaks resident will be announced today by California Lottery officials as the winner of a $60-million Mega Millions jackpot. Kroop found out that she was the big winner in the multi-state game late Wednesday when she dropped by the 7-Eleven store where for years she has bought lottery tickets twice a week.

A 70-year-man died Sunday and dozens of people were evacuated after a fire broke out in a Sherman Oaks apartment building, officials said. At least one other person, a 39-year-woman, was injured in the 2 a.m. blaze at the three-story building in the 15200 block of Dickens Street, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Cecil Manresa. The names of the victims were not released. The man died at a hospital after firefighters rescued him from the building, Manresa said.

An off-duty Los Angeles police officer wounded a backpack-toting gunman who police said was trying to rob a Pavilions supermarket Saturday night. The unidentified 55-year-old officer shot Jonathan F. Reyes, 22, about 9:20 p.m. when he pointed a handgun at clerks and customers, police said. Detectives are seeking to determine if Reyes, who was in critical but stable condition, is the so-called backpack bandit responsible for some 35 robberies in the San Fernando Valley.

Pride of ownership is in full bloom in the Sherman Oaks community of Magnolia Woods, where Bob Vila disciples are ambitiously expanding their homes to accommodate growing families and interests. With friendly neighbors, easy Westside access and parks, residents want to stay put. * A bit of history Bounded by Magnolia, Burbank and Sepulveda boulevards and Kester Avenue, Magnolia Woods is a tract that was considered a part of Van Nuys until 15 years ago.

When her daughter was a toddler, Leeanna Gantt started looking for arts-and-crafts studios where Riley could experiment without having to be enrolled in a class. But the Sherman Oaks resident couldn't find one. "There wasn't an unstructured place for little kids to do art," Gantt said. So for years, the Gantt dining room served as the staging area for Riley and her friends to paint, cut and glue away. It was a hot play date, partly because other parents didn't want a mess in their homes.