A Fresh Re-Start
Mr. Saez pushed back from his desk at The Jungle and grinned. He appeared relieved the recent acerbity over whether City Hall would participate in the relocation process had been peacefully resolved. This time, he said, the political system worked. When we voiced our concerns, people listened. Mr. Silbiger was very happy about that. He said he did not feel frustrated at all by our meeting. He felt refreshed. So did we.
Postscript
In The Jungles promotional material, the brothers emphasize their desire to be an asset to the community, not just a passive business. In our vision, they write, a local nursery can be more than just a place to beautify a home or a business. It can be a community resource. The brothers said their facility not only generates significant tax revenue but represents a vital example of mixed-use urban planning and design. A family of diverse, innovative and aggressive commercial interests, the brothers were successful in other fields before opening The Jungle a decade ago. If The Jungle lands at West L.A. College, they propose including a coffee shop. Creatively, they will market their own brand. We would call it Jungle Coffee, Mr. Saez said. It would just be another component of our business.
