Mall immortalized in Clueless now a nightmare crushing local businesses

What was once one of West Los Angeles’ busiest malls, featured in hit movies and music videos, has sat largely empty since 2019, crushing nearby businesses and leaving neighbors frustrated.“The West Side Pavilion was like an anchor store for the small businesses here on Pico,” said Lisa Morocco, business chair of the Westside Neighborhood Council.“When you lose that, there’s a big vacuum.

it’s been a long and protracted process.”“We’re saying please, please, please because our businesses are dying,” added Terri Tippit, chair of the Westside Neighborhood Council and a nearby resident for 54 years.“We need to have a vibrant business district in order for the residential district to survive too.”The Westside Pavilion, which appeared in “Clueless” and Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” video, among others, began to decline along with similar malls in the 2000s.It was later slated for redevelopment into One Westside, a tech office complex anchored by Google.“Google came in and promised us the world,” Tippit said.

“They spent a couple of years [on construction] … and then the pandemic came and they decided no one’s coming back to work.”The Westside Tavern and Landmark Theater were expected to remain open, but both eventually closed, largely due to the economic strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.UCLA, whose main campus is about two miles north, purchased the property in 2024 to build the UCLA Research Park, which has been under construction ever since.Businesses along Pico Boulevard have closed in droves since the mall was vacated, including what was once a popular Islands restaurant.“If I owned a business here, I would be upset, I would be angry, I would be anxious,” Morocco said.“Because we have been telling them, “Oh, just wait until Google gets in.

It’s going to be great.Oh, it’s going to be UCLA.

Just wait another year and another two.’”According to UCLA, initial occupancy is expected by 2028, with full occupanc...