It rankles some people that he continues to do well, but that is all right.

Jay Handal of West Los Angeles, formerly of Culver City, was a brash, fast-talking former New Yorker, a hard-charging, outgoing entrepreneur and man-about-town for years before he closed down the popular San Gennaro restaurant here two Mothers Days ago.

Not much has changed. Forget his cell phone. His whole life is on speed dial.

He has lived high, and he has lived less high. He has soared, and he has slipped.

Always fascinating. Never runs dry. Never even on the same planet with boring.

As chief executive of the perpetually busy West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, he has the ear of hundreds of weighty types, some of the most influential persons in Southern California.

On a Comeback

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After flirting awhile with troubling health, he appears in peak condition as he sprints into middle age.

Mr. Handal knows the pulse of the news in West L.A.:

He leads off his report with the chronically limping Brotman Medical Center, and from there he bounces happily from subject to subject:

“I have heard that Brotman is going through a process of selling off its assets and downsizing its campus,” Mr. Handal says.

“This could be very scary for Culver City and for the surrounding area.

Waves of Bad News

buildings as well as equipment, and that they will be laying off large numbers of people.”

For the present, though, Brotman is holding steady, says the businessman.

“Their service right now is pretty good,” Mr. Handal said.

How Does He Know?

“I was in Brotman recently with someone who typically does not have many kind things to say about the hospital.

“He told me quite frankly he had a very, very good experience there. I mention that because in the old days, this was not something you heard on a regular basis.”

Mr. Handal’s face lit up. Laudatory reports about Brotman have been scarce as the sprouting of teeth by certain barnyard animals.

“It was good to hear that things are going well, under difficult conditions,” he said, “since it wasn’t long after that I heard Brotman was selling off assets.”

The Direction Is Downhill

Mr. Handal believes that Brotman’s objective is to shrink the aging facility to clinic size.

“If they are selling off property and generally scaling down, I only can conjecture that this is going to mean longer waits for patients and fewer services available,” he said.

“From a regional perspective,” said Mr. Handal, typically thinking about the broader Westside picture, “this could be a very scary thing. Emergency rooms already are in short supply.”