COALITION: SAVE HOTEL LAUSD PROJECT MAY DOOM AMBASSADOR.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

A coalition of more than 40 community organizations is urging the Los Angeles Unified School District to preserve the historic Ambassador Hotel, where Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968.

Rafael Pizarro, coordinator of the A+ Coalition, said Friday the group hopes to open a dialogue with LAUSD board members to find a way to preserve the historic hotel, including helping to raise money for the additional costs.

``We can do it,'' said Pizarro. ``When you have a coalition as broad as the city itself ... (LAUSD) can count on us to help you get this done.''

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Pizarro and other community leaders belonging to the A+ Coalition said they want the school district to maintain the structural integrity of the famous Wilshire Boulevard hotel when they convert it to a 4,400 student, K-12 campus. One of the district's cheapest options is to demolish the building and rebuild from scratch.

``If the LAUSD school board votes to destroy the Ambassador Hotel, it would establish a precedent that L.A. does not value its shared history, revere its local landmarks or grasp its future,'' said Annette Ramirez, executive director of the Latino Urban Forum, a professional organization of Latino architects and urban planners.

The hotel was built in 1921, and was the home of the famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub. President Richard Nixon wrote his famous ``Checkers'' speech at the hotel, and author F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed there.

LAUSD bought the hotel in 2002. The district is considering five options, which range from a partial incorporation of the existing site to demolishing the structure and building a completely new facility.

The coalition estimates that restoring the building would cost $326 million, compared with $293 million if it is demolished and a replacement school is built. LAUSD has estimated new construction would cost $286 million compared with $381 million for restoration.

``We have to be sure we use our dollars wisely,'' district Superintendent Roy Romer said. ``This proposal today will cost $50 million to $100 million more than what we had proposed. I've got to be sure every dollar we spend is the best for kids.''

``I think we have to be very thoughtful on going forward,'' added LAUSD board President Jose Huizar, who acknowledged the hotel's historical significance. ``But we have to keep in mind our instructional program is paramount to everything else.''

The district also has to consider how quickly it can get a school built in the area. Huizar and Romer said if groups were interested in raising additional funds to restore the hotel, the board could consider that option.

The A+ Coalition's members range from entertainment industry groups such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Society of Composers and Lyricists to the Miracle Mile, Silver Lake and Crenshaw Chambers of Commerce, to labor unions such as SEIU Local 347, AFL-CIO, Professional Musicians Local 47, AFL-CIO and the Jewish Labor Committee, as well as neighborhood and business associations and the Korean Culture Center.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com