01-11-16

Rebooting the Office Park : 6 More Locked Room Mystery Games : 10

JANUARY 11, 2016 I VOL. 45 I #2

VIOLENT

CRIME

Crime Spikes In Downtown Across-the-Board Jumps Are Worrying, But What Do They Really Mean?

photo by Gary Leonard

See Page 7

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WIN A ROMANTIC NIGHT DOWNTOWN! TELL YOUR... Best Wedding Day/Engagement Story • Most Romantic Story • Best Worst First Date Story

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EMAIL IT • contests@downtownnews.com (subject line: Love Story Contest) MAIL IT • 1264 W. First St., Los Angeles CA 90026

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AROUND TOWN

Tell a Love or Bad Date Story, Win a Great Prize

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ove is wonderful and often mysterious. The same could be said for bad dates. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Los Angeles Downtown News is looking for stories about either experience. Yes, it’s our annual Love Story Contest, and those who share the best true tale of their positive or negative encounter can win a sweet prize. There are actually three categories: Best Wedding Day/ Engagement Story; Most Romantic Story; and Best Worst First Date Story. Stories must be less than 200 words (we’re serious about the limit) and the Downtown News editorial staff will select the winners, which will be printed in our Feb. 8 issue and online. All entries may be printed and edited. The grand prize is a one-night stay at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza, including dinner for two at Noé restaurant. Other prizes include gift cards to the Patina Restaurant Group, and the movie theaters at the Regal L.A. Live cinema. Email stories to contests@downtownnews.com or mail them to 1264 W. First St., L.A., CA 90026. All entries must be received by Monday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m. No exceptions.

Major Little Tokyo Construction Underway

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he Metropolitan Transportation Authority was hoping to begin Little Tokyo construc-

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS tion on the Regional Connector rail line in early December, but an outcry from the community about work interfering with the holiday shopping season and New Year’s Day convinced the agency to delay the start of construction. Now, the time has come: Major construction, which involves closing the Gold Line station near First and Alameda streets, commenced on Friday, Jan. 8. The construction will also shutter First Street between Central Avenue and Vignes Street. The closures will last through March 21 (or until the work is complete, per the transit agency). Metro is relocating the Gold Line tracks before underground tunneling begins near First and Alameda streets. In the meantime, Gold Line riders will be offered shuttles to travel between the Pico/Aliso stop in Boyle Heights, a temporary stop at First and Judge John Aiso streets, and Union Station (and vice versa). The $1.6 billion Regional Connector will connect area rail lines to streamline cross-county travel and eliminate the need for multiple transfers. More information and travel tips are at metro.net.

‘Genealogy Roadshow’ to Roll Into Union Station

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very family has its stories, the kind handed down from generation to generation. Some people think they are tales worth sharing with the world. Local residents and workers will get that opportunity this week when the PBS show “Genealogy Roadshow” stops in Downtown.

On Saturday, Jan. 16, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., producers of the show will be at Union Station and Angelenos can watch as mysteries and personal histories are revealed. According to a press release, season three of the program “will feature South-

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ern California residents who have (or believe they have) interesting significant family stories.” Historical and genealogical societies will be on hand at the station for people looking to explore their family history. Lineups begin at 8:30 a.m. Union Station is at 800 N. Alameda St. Additional information is at genealogyroadshow.org.

New Parklet Coming to South Park

S

outh Park is getting more public space, albeit on a vey small scale. The Hope

Press Event

January 7, 2016

Street Parklet will open on Thursday, Jan. 14, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony (weather permitting). Located on the southwest corner of Hope and 11th streets, it will feature trees and seating. The micro parks have become popular options for providing outdoor gathering spots in urban communities. It is the first parklet from the city Department of Transportation’s People Street Program, which is designed to create more public space. The South Park Business Improvement District was one of the first groups to apply for the program, according to BID Executive Continued on page 9

January 11, 2016

Downtown News 3

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January 11, 2016

EDITORIALS

11 Hopes for Downtown in 2016

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

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he new year started 11 days ago, and many people spent the first week back at work sort of straggling, or taking things slowly as some colleagues were still out of town.

This week, life kicks into high gear. That’s important for Downtown Los Angeles, which is poised to continue its role as one of the most attention-grabbing communities in all of California, if not the nation.

Thus, we are laying out our hopes for the community in the coming 12 months. Some are feasible and others may seem pie-in-the-sky, but it’s time to expect the best. Here’s what we want for Downtown in 2016.

Action and Accountability on the Local Homelessness Plans: Los Angeles elected officials have been slow to act on a homelessness situation that in 2015 hit crisis mode.

Though the subject is routinely discussed by those in power, over the years we have seen little action of consequence.

Last week the city and county each released their latest plans to address the situation, and the efforts won’t be cheap — over time, billions of dollars must be spent, even if the funds have not yet been identified. In the coming year we’ll need to see concrete and implementable shortand long-term steps to get people off the streets and into housing. The most pressing matter is eradicating the encampments that make portions of Downtown look like third-world nations. Sustained mental health treatment must be a priority.

L.A. also needs a homelessness czar, someone with the authority to effect change, but who does not have to beg city and county officials for approval of every incremental step. Homelessness is the greatest challenge Los Angeles faces — we need action, not talk.

A Workable Pershing Square Plan: The concreteencrusted facility in the heart of Downtown has long been a laughingstock, and the dedicated park staff has done miraculous work to lure people there for events including summer concerts and a winter ice rink. Yet the fortresslike design remains a turnoff. This year a design competition will move forward, but in addition to picking a winner, a clear funding and working plan must be created. We can’t afford a set of pretty drawings that remain un-built because no one can find the money. Fourteenth District City Councilman José Huizar recognizes the challenge, as does the Pershing Square Park Advisory Board. But as with homelessness above, if change is to occur, money and forceful leadership are required.

Real Competition for Mayor Eric Garcetti: Garcetti took office in 2013 and faces re-election in March 2017. At this point no reputable challenger has thrown his or her hat into the ring. We’re not saying we want Garcetti ousted, but the election will mean far more to the city if he faces someone who forces him to defend his policies and actions. Garcetti may scare off any serious competition due to his already-prodigious war chest. We understand why he would want to accumulate that, but killing all forms of challenge is bad for voters. Competitive elections keep officeholders accountable, and make candidates dig deep and try harder.

A Safer Community, and Help Getting There: The double-digit rise in crime in Los Angeles last year is worrisome, and Downtown saw big spikes in many categories.

Reversing this will require that local stakeholders work with the LAPD Central Division, which patrols Downtown.

We already see cooperation among the department, se-

nior lead officers and business improvement districts. Now Downtown needs more neighborhood watch groups and people willing to take responsibility and report the crimes or suspicious activity they see. No one should observe a shady situation and assume that someone else will place the call.

A Better, Broader DASH System: DASH buses are an easy, affordable way to traverse Downtown. The problem is, they don’t go to all the right places at the right times, and they have not kept up with a growing population. The Department of Transportation is looking at overhauling routes, and it can’t come soon enough. Buses that run from South Park to Bunker Hill to the Arts District to City West, etc., are vital to keeping people from climbing into their cars. The buses also need to run late into the night, and in the early morning hours on weekends to serve residents who visit area bars and nightspots.

Walkable Streets Amid Construction: The burst of construction in South Park and the southern part of the Financial District has led to myriad sidewalk closures, forcing pedestrians to zig-zag across the streets. Huizar has taken steps to force developers to keep sidewalks open, but too many people still have to go back and forth, and some developers are asking for exemptions from the rules.

That shouldn’t happen. As this page has said before, some people choose not to cross, but instead walk on the edge of the street, just inches from speeding cars. This invites disaster, as someone will get hit and killed. Sidewalks are for pedestrians, not construction crews. A good solution is to create covered walkways, allowing for both construction and pedestrians.

More Parks: Several Downtown parks are in the works, but when will they open? Good question. A revamped Los Angeles State Historic Park doesn’t look close to welcoming visitors. The Arts District Park was delayed after the discovery last year of contaminants. We touched on Pershing Square above, and who knows when that flat parcel on First Street adjacent to Grand Park will become usable?

Downtowners need places to gather, destinations where they can talk and build community while their kids or dogs play.

A Technology Plan for LAUSD Students: Former LAUSD Superin-

tendent John Deasy lost his job in part because of a bungled plan to provide iPads to all of the district’s 650,000 students. To be sure, Deasy made big mistakes, and his successor Ramon Cortines was right to quash the billion-dollar-plus expenditure. Still, Deasy was correct in his desire to get first-rate modern technology into the hands of the students. The next superintendent must follow up on this effort and act quickly, albeit in a smarter, financially feasible and transparent manner. This time the learning software for that hardware should be a proven commodity.

Local Ownership of the L.A. Times: Los Angeles’ most powerful news-gathering machine lost tremendous institutional knowledge last fall when more than 80 veteran reporters and editors took buyouts. As long as Chicago-based Tribune Publishing owns the paper, and treats it as a money-making cog in a corporate machine, the Times will suffer. The city desperately needs a wealthy civic leader to head the charge to pull the paper from Tribune’s grasp. The Times needs local ownership and a publisher who understands and cares about Los Angeles.

A Smart Plan for Dealing With Street Vendors: Last year, city officials held hearings on ways to legalize and regulate street vending, which is ubiquitous in Downtown. This is a touchy subject and compromise will be hard to attain, but that is exactly what is needed — vendors should not have to live in fear of having their carts (and their livelihoods) seized, and store owners should not have to fret over being undercut on price by someone who sets up shop in front of their business. The solution is likely a policy that dictates where vendors can work and how many can be on specific blocks. There also must be enforcement or the whole effort will be meaningless.

A June Parade: Confetti won’t be flying for the abysmal Lakers, and the Clippers are still looking up at teams such as the Warriors and Spurs. The Kings, however, are playing great hockey, and while a lot can happen between now and the playoffs, local fans are already eagerly recalling the championships in 2012 and ’14 and the consequent parades down Figueroa Street. Is a hat trick of wins too much to ask? Hopefully there will be another reason for Garcetti to drop a scripted F-bomb at a Downtown Stanley Cup championship celebration.

January 11, 2016

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

El Niño and L.A.’s Weather Wimps As the Rain Falls, Angelenos Freak Out

By Jon Regardie he rain came to Los Angeles last week, and oh, did it fall. The downpour was incessant, turning dirt patches into mud pits. Hysteria reigned as clothes were soaked in seconds.

Social media exploded as streets became ponds.

Life seemed downright apocalyptic when the normally placid drives of the first week in Janu-

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THE REGARDIE REPORT ary devolved into gridlock, and many a commuter felt as if horned demons were dancing on the roof of their car.

Is any of that overstatement? Of course. But welcome to Los Angeles, a place so weatheraverse that what counts as normal in other cities borders on Biblically catastrophic here.

Do you know what people in Seattle call what we experienced last week? They label it “rain.”

I love Los Angeles, and have since moving here more than 20 years ago. I grew up in Washington, D.C., where water pipes can freeze and burst in the winter. I’ll never forget my first New Year’s Day on the West Coast, when I walked around in shorts in 74-degree weather instead of shoveling snow off the family driveway.

There’s no place I’d rather be, though like so many transplants I’ve been spoiled to the point that I now complain when the temperature drops, egads, into the 40s.

We Angelenos are complete weather wimps, so conditioned to Pacific Coast perfection that we become utterly unable to deal with precipitation. People from Buffalo or Minnesota

would guffaw as we behave like deer staring into stormy headlights, paralyzed to the point that we don’t recognize that, in most cases, the simplest steps will suffice for 99% of the population. The deer should bound into the woods and be safe. The Angeleno should open an umbrella, be dry and stop acting like the levees just broke in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Los Angeles is so convinced of the importance of its stormy season that we can’t just call it rain, but rather have to create an ominous name that sounds like it should be the title of a Mexican horror film: El Niño. Sometimes even that’s not enough, and the phrase evolves to the El Niño Phenomenon. Something’s always worse when it’s a phenomenon.

I shouldn’t be surprised by this over-reaction.

This is the place, after all, that can’t even let something as catastrophic as a major earthquake just be an earthquake. No, forever we’ve been dreading the Big One. Swift Water Rescue Granted, a series of storms can produce serious consequences, and the forecasted months of precipitation threaten to make life occasionally unpleasant. Last week some streets in the Historic Core became lakes. Some freeways briefly flooded. Rumor has it that in Beverly Hills, a pair of Manolo Blahniks got wet and died.

In the coming months we will no doubt be treated to nightly newscasts full of mudslides and reporters in soggy windbreakers. (Anchor: “Chris, it looks wet out there.” Reporter: “Steve, it is wet out here!”) We’ll get more video of

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the LAFD Swift Water Rescue Team saving the dunderheads who try wading into the rollicking Los Angeles River, not understanding that even a few inches of roiling water can knock you down.

On a more serious note, the homeless population will suffer, and outreach workers have been trying to convince people living on the streets to take shelter indoors. It’s made trickier given that many of these individuals suffer from serious mental illness.

One local oddity is that the politicians are falling over each other to warn us about… rain!

Last Tuesday Downtown Councilman José Huizar sent out a newsletter with the headline “El Niño is here,” while First District Councilman Gil Cedillo had one that, in the first sentence, stated, “El Niño is finally here.” I used my super journalistic skills and recognized that El Niño is here.

Mayor Eric Garcetti also inserts himself in the mix. Garcetti held a storm-sparked late-night press conference on Sunday, Jan. 3, followed by a Tuesday presser about El Niño with the police

chief, the fire chief, the head of the city’s Emergency Management Department and ark builder Noah (I made one of those up).

Garcetti even took to the web portal Reddit Wednesday morning, fielding queries during an El Niño-centric “Ask Me Anything” session (he didn’t respond to the person who wrote, “I went to Downtown this weekend and I smelled more pee than usual. What are you doing to clean up the streets?”).

The result was a mix of bluster, self-congratulations, helpful advice and amusing tidbits. Garcetti touched on storm drains and flooding, and provided links informing people how to get sandbags and rain barrels. There were references to homeless outreach, a joke about LAPD Chief Charlie Beck looking like Tom Selleck, and even an amazing video of the mayor break dancing.

Then it ended, and we were back to storm watch, gridlock and breathless speculation of what El Niño will bring next. In a word, it’s “rain.”

Relax. regardie@downtownnews.com

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January 11, 2016

Rebooting the Office Park Rising Realty Partners Gives an Old-School Campus A Modern Makeover

By Eddie Kim he changes to the staid, 36-year-old Figueroa Courtyard office park have been gradual, but unmistakable.

Over the past few months, bright strips of color have been painted onto the roofline of the complex’s five concrete buildings. Street artists Bumblebee and Kelcey Fisher have added a pair of richly detailed murals near the main entrance on Figueroa Street. The hulking steel beams etched with “Figueroa Courtyard” and the grass-and-stone berms at the corner of Figueroa and Third streets have been demolished.

Inside the complex, bulky concrete planters and benches have been tossed to create airier walkways. A hammock and gear for games of cornhole flank one sidewalk. A lanky charging station for phones sits nearby, its blade-like solar panels stretching toward the sky.

Then there’s the work inside the two- to fivestory buildings: Outdated drop ceilings, office walls and faded carpet are being torn away, replaced by raw concrete and open spaces. Hundreds of yards of fiber optic cable carry lightning-fast Internet throughout the buildings.

Even the name of the 1979 complex has changed to reflect the time and location — it is now called the Park DTLA. It’s the newest effort from Rising Realty Partners, the development company led by Down-

Christopher Rising of Rising Realty Partners. They bought the former Figueroa Courtyard last January and have upgraded the indoor and outdoor space.

photo by Gary Leonard

management and development.

While RRP would not disclose specific rents, ongoing lease talks are in the range of $3.20$3.50 per square foot, according to Marc Gittleman, RRP’s senior vice president of third-party management. That’s slightly above the Downtown-wide average of $3.07 per square foot, but below the Los Angeles area average of

$3.60 per square foot for Class-A office space, according to a third-quarter 2015 market analysis from the firm Transwestern.

Just as crucial to the renovation is changing how tenants utilize Park DTLA’s outdoor space.

“Figueroa Courtyard was made of traditional offices, just in a park setting. It wasn’t impacting Continued on page 16

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town real estate pioneer Nelson Rising and his son Christopher. The duo hit a home run with the renovation of the PacMutual building in the Financial District, transforming the aged property into a bright, modern creative office hub.

Purchased in 2012 for $60 million, with $25 million invested in renovations, the PacMutual complex sold for $200 million in September.

Now, the company is wrapping up work on the 270,000-square-foot office park it acquired in January. As with PacMutual, RRP is aiming to lift the complex’s sagging occupancy — about 70% currently — and make Park DTLA a destination for tech and creative tenants.

The campus is unlike anything else in the Central City, said RRP President and COO Christopher Rising.

“What we saw and still see is that this is the only low-rise office campus in Downtown L.A. There will not be another one built in the future, in our opinion,” Rising said. “So we have a very unique campus feel, like something out of Playa Vista, right in the heart of Downtown L.A.” RRP would not reveal the cost of the purchase or how much they are spending on the upgrade.

Common Ground As with many creative office flips, RRP wants to create flexible rooms that can move from executive office to group space on the fly, said Rachel Lee, the company’s vice president for asset

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Violent, Property Crime Soar in Downtown L.A. Rate of Increase in Offenses in Central City Surpasses City Average

By Eddie Kim he 2015 figures are in, and there is cause for concern in Downtown Los Angeles: Violent crime last year shot up 52% over 2014 levels, while property crime jumped 28%, according to data from the

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Downtown News 7

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Los Angeles Police Department (figures provided to Los Angeles Downtown News were through Dec. 26).

The statistics are even starker when compared to citywide numbers. Los Angeles as a whole saw a 20% increase in violent crime and

Crime rates in Downtown shot up in 2015, with a 52% increase in violent crime and a 28% increase in property crime compared to the previous year.

photo by Gary Leonard

VIOLENT CRIME CATEGORY Homicide Rape Robbery Aggravated Assaults Total Violent Crimes

2015 TOTAL 11 122 669 890 1,692

2014 TOTAL 6 91 471 545 1,113

2013 TOTAL 8 58 414 411 891

PROPERTY CRIME CATEGORY Burglary Vehicle Theft Burglary/Theft From Vehicle Personal/Other Theft Total Property Crimes

2015 TOTAL 341 410 893 2,491 4,135

2014 TOTAL 238 249 747 2,006 3,240

2013 TOTAL 197 265 781 1,781 3,024

a 10% rise in property crime in 2015. It marks the first time since 2003 that both violent and property crime increased in the city.

The local statistics come from the LAPD’s Central Division, which covers nearly all of Downtown, including the Arts District and Chinatown. The violent crime category includes homicides, robberies, rapes and aggravated assaults. Property crimes include burglary, car theft and personal thefts.

There were eyebrow-raising jumps in several categories. The number of aggravated assaults in Downtown, for instance, rose from 545 in 2014 to 890 in 2015, a 63% spike. Robberies soared 42%, from 471 in 2014 to 669 last year.

Vehicle thefts leapt from 249 to 410 in 2015, a 65% increase. Burglaries saw a 43% surge, from 238 incidents to 341.

information provided by LAPD

January 11, 2016

Homicides continued to be rare in Downtown. There were 11 last year, up from six in 2014.

The increase comes on the heels of a similar rise reported last year. Violent crimes in Downtown in 2014 jumped 25% over 2013 levels.

Last year, many LAPD officials had a qualifier for the rising figures, as changes in how the department classifies and reports certain crimes, particularly aggravated assaults, led to jumps citywide.

Aside from a change in reporting protocol, Central Division Capt. Mike Oreb, who began leading the division in September 2013, suggested that the revitalization of Downtown as a residential and work hub, as well as a tourist destination, has been a factor in rising crime. In short, he said, the presence of thousands of adContinued on page 8

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CRIME, 7 ditional people means thousands of potential new victims.

“The business and residential community, and the homeless population, increased significantly over a short period of time,” Oreb said.

“So with those increases you’re going to see a bump in crime. We also continue to support a large amount of drug treatment programs, homeless services and missions, so Downtown is a destination for those released from prison or who need help.”

Safety and the Streets More homeless people in the area influences statistics not only because they commit crimes, but also because they are frequently victims of assaults or thefts, Oreb added. He suggested

that prison-reform policies such as AB 109 and Proposition 47, the latter of which went into effect in late 2014 and reduces jail time for a number of non-violent crimes, may be a contributing factor in the overall rise.

“Narcotics-related issues are really significant in our division,” Oreb said. “Drug addiction creates an infrastructure of crime. If you don’t have a job but feel the pressure of addiction and need money, that leads to other crimes.”

Many Downtown stakeholders say they have been seeing and hearing about increased criminal activity over the past few years. Patti Berman, president of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, said she has heard from former residents who left Downtown out of safety concerns.

“People say it’s getting scarier,” Berman said.

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“I think that part of it has to do with the prison and jail floodgates opening, as we’re seeing more people in and around Skid Row. People with kids are getting nervous.”

Blair Besten, head of the Historic Core Business Improvement District, said she has noticed an uptick in aggressive people on the street, along with reports of thefts and other crimes.

“They appear to be folks suffering from untreated mental illness, and there have been some increases in strong-arm robberies and assaults,” Besten said in an email. “We have a slight increase in police presence but really, additional foot beat resources on a regular basis would go a long way in deterring crime.”

Central Division holds daily meetings to identify trends, pinpoint problem areas and deploy officers in response. Additionally, the

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LAPD is transferring some officers from the elite Metropolitan Division to assist in Central, Oreb said. As prison-reform policies such as Prop. 47 continue to mature and bring new funding (from prison savings) for services, Oreb hopes to see Downtown’s crime rate stabilize.

“If we’re going to release non-violent drug offenders back into society earlier than in the past, I would’ve liked to see more programs to support those people established before the policy went into effect,” he said.

While the spikes are alarming, Jody David Armour, a law professor and crime expert at the University of Southern California, cautions that drawing long-term conclusions or causeand-effect (including with Prop. 47) from such spikes is premature. The police, he said, often get credit for crime drops when they shouldn’t, and receive blame for crime increases when other factors play a big role.

“You can’t be sure until you see a major trend line. You have outliers and anomalies.

Crime in L.A. has been on a downward trend in the big picture,” Armour said. “There is a big difference between individual years and groups of years, over five or 10 years, when it comes to understanding correlation and causation.”

In the meantime, Oreb said he anticipates more partnerships with the city and county to bring mental health and addiction treatment services to Downtown. He also called for greater participation from the community, including local residents and workers taking part in neighborhood patrols and communicating with block captains, as Downtown continues to grow. eddie@downtownnews.com

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January 11, 2016

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Carol Schatz to Step Down From Running CCA

AROUND TOWN, 2

Powerhouse Business and Lobbying Organization to Find Replacement for Longtime Fixture

By Jon Regardie arol Schatz, who for more than 20 years has headed Downtown’s Central City Association, has announced that she is ready to give up her leadership position at the powerhouse business and lobbying organization. She hopes to have a successor in place by July.

She said she plans to runs the CCA’s sister organization, the Downtown Center Business Improvement District, for about two more years.

“I want to begin to transition out of CCA,” Schatz said in an interview last week. “I am not resigning. I am not retiring. I have gotten to the point, I would say, where I am a victim of my own success here. We have grown both organizations to such a degree in stature and size that it is very demanding on the CEO to deal with both of these entities.”

Schatz joined the CCA on July 2, 1990, and became CEO five years later (she also has the title of president). She has shepherded the organization, which is a major voice in City Hall, through a period of tremendous growth, one that mirrors Downtown’s evolution. The CCA, which had fewer than 100 members and a roughly $750,000 budget when she joined, now counts approximately 500 businesses on its roster and a budget of nearly $3 million, said Schatz.

Schatz, who is 68, said she expects to serve in an advisory capacity after a successor is named to help effect a smooth transition.

Schatz arrived at a time when Downtown Los Angeles was an active business hub during the day, but largely empty after dark, and with a tiny

C

number of market-rate residential units. The community now has more than 50,000 full-time residents.

Her initiatives and efforts include helping write the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance that led to a wave of housing construction in the late 1990s and early 2000s, conducting a demographics report that chronicles the growth of Downtown, and creating a program to recruit restaurants and retail businesses to the community.

Schatz also sparked the creation of and helmed the DCBID. The organization, known for its purpleshirted staff, provides cleaning, safety and marketing services in Downtown. It has an annual budget of $6 million.

Schatz said that she has long faced questions as to when she would be ready to step down.

“It actually was in September that I finally said, you know, this is a lot to manage. I don’t know many people who could do it, even those half my age, though age doesn’t matter,” she said.

Members of CCA’s executive board will conduct a search for Schatz’s replacement. Schatz said a successor will need not only solid management skills, but also must have “strong relationships” in City Hall and with county leaders and other politicians.

Although change is coming, Schatz joked that she told the CCA’s executive committee that there is one title she won’t give up.

“I said, I would never relinquish ‘Queen of Downtown.’ No matter what happens, make no mistake about it.” regardie@downtownnews.com

Director Jessica Lall, who estimated the cost of the parklet at $60,000-$70,000; she said most of the money came from sponsorships and private donations. The ribbon cutting is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. on Thursday and will feature Downtown Councilman José Huizar and LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds.

Ozomatli, Aloe Blacc to Play at Night on Broadway

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photo by Gary Leonard

Carol Schatz, the president and CEO of the Central City Association, said she hopes to give way to a successor by July. She has run the CCA for 20 years.

he second Night on Broadway is just around the corner — on Jan. 30, tens of thousands of people will flood the street for an evening of free music, dance, art and more. The office of 14th District City Councilman José Huizar, which is planning the event, last month revealed the programming that will fill seven theaters. Now, the headliners for the main outdoor stage have been announced: R&B artist Aloe Blacc and L.A.-based Ozomatli. Blacc is best known for his track “I Need Money” and singing on Avicii’s EDM megahit “Wake Me Up,” while the sevenpiece Ozomatli has garnered acclaim for its fluid blend of rock, Latin music styles, hip-hop and funk. The acts will perform on the “festival stage” on Broadway. The event will also feature a number of food vendors and other performances in venues including the Theatre at Ace Hotel, the Orpheum Theatre and the Million Dollar Theatre. More information is at nightonbroadway.la.

10 Downtown News

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

DT

January 11, 2016

CALENDAR

Clocks and locks are some of the things players encounter during Escape From the Time Travel Lab, an escape room that the company SCRAP Entertainment recently opened in Little Toyko.

Shown is the room’s producer, Willa Lam.

Little Tokyo Locked-Room Mystery Game Adds to a Code-Cracking Trend

photo by Gary Leonard

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By Nicholas Slayton ime travel can be a brain twister, what with trying to understand the ins and outs of hopscotching across the centuries. But add in elements of a scavenger hunt, code breaking, deduction and a locked room, and it becomes a fun way to spend an hour in the afternoon or evening.

That’s the idea behind Escape From the Time Travel Lab, the latest “escape room” to come to Los Angeles. It opened Nov. 21 in Little Tokyo’s Weller Court.

The idea behind escape rooms is simple: A team of friends or strangers — generally about 10 people — is locked inside a compact, themed room. The space is littered with objects that may seem commonplace at first glance, but upon closer inspection hold myriad clues.

The group must work together to solve a series of puzzles. If they do everything right, they’ll find a key or code that lets them unlock the door. The time limit is usually an hour. Groups that take more than an hour are still let out, just without the satisfaction of cracking the code.

The 2,800-square-foot Little Tokyo room is from SCRAP Entertainment, a Kyoto, Japanbased game company. SCRAP brought its games to San Francisco in 2012 and this is its first escape room in Southern California, said Doc Preuss, a producer of the games in San Francisco.

Time Travel Lab throws players right into the mystery: Visitors enter a laboratory where scientists might have cracked time travel, but

T

the place is empty. The team must find experiments and notes to solve clues and locate the key that will allow them to escape. SCRAP has utilized the premise in other cities.

Teams are locked in the room for 60 minutes, though pre-game instructions, introductions and post-game analysis add another half hour. Up to 11 people can play each game and tickets are about $30. SCRAP is currently hosting games Friday-Sunday, but plans on adding days.

Willa Lim, the producer of SCRAP’s L.A. room, said that the escape room experience appeals to people’s adventure-seeking side. She also said it lets adults do something that more often is reserved for children.

“As adults, we don’t really play any more,” Lim said. “Puzzle solving is kind of grown-up play.”

SCRAP started eight years ago, and Preuss said the San Francisco escape rooms were consistently selling out, thanks to word of mouth and Internet and social media buzz.

When SCRAP saw how escape rooms were booming in Los Angeles, executives decided to branch out. Since SCRAP is a Japanese company, the producers said that opening up in Weller Court was a natural fit. Building out the room took about six months.

Lim said the Little Tokyo location also allows people to experience Downtown.

“Our games only last an hour, so being in an area where people can do things afterward is really important to us,” she said.

Presumably the players have a lot to talk

about, and will often discuss how they fell short. SCRAP said that less than 5% of the 2,000 teams that played Time Travel Lab in San Francisco got out in an hour.

L.A. Breakout Escape rooms are growing in popularity. According to the website Escape Room Director, there are more than 35 of them in Los Angeles, with about a dozen in Downtown.

One set of rooms comes from John Hennessy, who first gained notoriety for his urban scavenger hunt Race/LA. He opened Escape Room LA on the second floor of a nondescript Fashion District building on Eighth Street in December 2014, after hearing about similar games in Budapest, Hungary.

Hennessy found an eager audience for the room known as The Detective, which gave players an hour to solve a series of puzzles with a plotline of 1940s noir and stolen jewels. He has continued to add rooms, and recently opened his fourth — The Alchemist, where players must escape a medieval library before the titular character returns to catch them.

Hennessy said the four rooms offer 98 games each week, and that about 1,000 people play each week. Like other escape rooms, Hennessy’s games cost about $30 per player.

Most of his rooms are booked a week in advance. He also holds private corporate events for team building.

Hennessy thinks people are responding to the fact that escape rooms offer alternatives to daily life. He said people want to be enter-

tained, and many are looking for something more active than video games.

“I think there’s a big need to put down the electronics, use your brain, talk to people and work together,” Hennessy said. “More than anything else, it’s a social experience.”

Although SCRAP is offering Downtown competition, Hennessy isn’t worried about losing players. Instead, he said interest is higher than ever. That in turn is leading to more innovation and development from escape room operators.

“Participants are going to start expecting more,” Hennessy said. “As soon as someone ups the stakes and makes a room that’s different, it will make others work harder.”

SCRAP also sees untapped potential. Although Escape From the Time Travel Lab just opened, the company already plans to expand, possibly as soon as February. SCRAP currently operates multiple rooms in San Francisco and San Jose.

“We are definitely opening a second room,” Lim said. “Time Travel Lab is half of the space of what we have.”

More rooms means more opportunity for Angelenos to get together and unite to solve puzzles. It never hurts to let the adults be kids again.

Escape From the Time Travel Lab is at 123 Astronaut E.S. Onizuka St. #200, la@realescapegame.com or realescapegame.com. Escape Room LA is at 120 E. Eighth St. Suites #310 and #311, (213) 689-3229 or escaperoomla.com. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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Restaurant Buzz A Chinatown Food Lab, Craft Cocktails in Little Tokyo and More Food Happenings

By Eddie Kim iro Image: The Financial District stalwart Cucina Rustica began a renovation last summer, with promises of a modernized space and a revamped menu.

Turns out it’s much more drastic than a refresh. The restaurant has been renamed Miro, and new partners Tyler Dow (formerly general manager at Faith + Flower) and chef Gavin Mills (AOC, Wood & Vine) have come onboard to create a Mediterranean lineup with a focus on small plates and fine-dining finesse. Miro, at Figueroa Street and Wilshire Boulevard, will also feature barrel-aged cocktails and what Dow boasts is “the best whiskey program in the city.” He added, “We’ll have a dedicated whiskey room, with hand-cut ice, and we’ve been pillaging private whiskey collections from Europe to bring something new to L.A.” The team hopes to open by early February.

Coming to 888 Wilshire Blvd.

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Trying to Impresso: South Park is about to get a casual neighborhood joint in Impresso Cafe, which is coming to the foot of the colorful parking structure at Hope and 11th streets. The roughly 1,100-square-foot space will be serving coffee, tea, juice and a menu of sandwiches, salads, soups and more. The bread and pastries come from the Arts District’s Bread Lounge, while touted roaster Klatch Coffee will supply the featured beans. Impresso is run by Yuquin Shen, who said she was drawn to South Park

The combo cafe/bike shop The Wheelhouse is coming to 1375 E. Sixth St. in the Arts District. If all goes right, it will open Friday, Jan. 15.

by its rapid growth. “I really like the changes in Downtown over the past few years, and South Park is full of potential,” Shen said. “We want to be a neighborhood cafe for all the new residents and workers.” At press time Shen said she was working on final inspections and hopes to open this week.

At 1115 S. Hope St. Taste Tests: Could Chinatown be L.A.’s hottest neighborhood for dining in 2016? Andy Ricker’s Northern Thai restaurant Pok Pok is gaining traction, the anticipated Nashville hot chicken purveyor Howlin’ Ray’s is opening in Far East Plaza next month, and the massive Blossom Plaza complex will have several restaurants on the ground floor. Now comes word that chef Alvin Cailan (Eggslut) is starting a dining incubator of sorts. Unit 120 won’t be a restaurant in the traditional sense, but rather a place for visiting chefs and budding local talent to develop ideas and flavors and test them with small groups of diners during limited engagements. No opening date has been announced.

This is Cailan’s second foray at Far East Plaza, as he opened Ramen Champ (now under different management) early last year.

Coming to 727 N. Broadway.

Trend Watch: Love vintage bikes? Love single-origin coffee? You stereotyped hipsters in the Arts District can rejoice with the imminent opening of The Wheelhouse, a cafe and bike

photo by Skandia Shafer

shop at the Factory Place Arts Complex. Joking aside, The Wheelhouse is a beautiful space, flaunting lots of polished concrete, leather furnishings and a wall of bicycles. You can browse and buy a two-wheeler while sipping a macchiato, or bring in your own bike for repairs.

The coffee and pastry menu comes from Tyler Wells of Blacktop Coffee, also in the Arts District. The Wheelhouse is expected to open Friday, Jan. 15.

At 1375 E. Sixth St. Unit 6 or thewheelhouse.bike.

New Life: For most of 2015, it looked like nothing was happening in the former space of Aburiya Toranoko, the Japanese gastropub on the ground floor of the Sakura Crossing apartments in Little Tokyo. Finally, some details have emerged: It is being flipped by restaurateur David King and chef Duke Gervais (most recently of Pizza Antica in Santa Monica) into Baldoria, a concept with — you know what comes next — craft cocktails and small plates. The

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twist is that the cocktails will be served in draft or house-bottled form (there’s also craft beer and wine), and the small plates will feature Haitian and Southern American influences. Eater L.A. first reported the news.

Coming to 243 S. San Pedro St. Wine and Dine: Union Station gets a big wine festival on Jan. 23 with Uncorked, which will feature more than 50 wineries, food trucks and music. For $55, you get wine tastings from 6-9 p.m.; a VIP ticket ($65) nets you an additional hour of tastings from 5-6 p.m. Food will be sold separately, and vendors will include Border Grill, The Grilled Cheese Truck and Rollin’ Lobster. Part of the proceeds benefits MOSTE, a nonprofit that helps girls from underserved communities succeed in school. By the way, look sharp: Cocktail attire is requested.

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Got juicy food news? Email eddie@downtownnews.com.

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CALENDAR LISTINGS EVENTS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13 Cirque Du Soleil: Kurios Dodger Stadium Parking Lot, 1000 Elysian Park Ave., (877) 924-7783 or cirquedusoleil.com/kurios.

The Montreal-based circus that focuses on acrobats instead of animals has a show featuring a steampunk design. Expect all sorts of awe-inspiring feats, including performers who bend in ways a body never should. Performances this week are Wednesday-Sunday.

Mary Kay Annual Leadership Conference L.A. Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St. or lacclink.com.

Jan. 13-16: Think twice before making an Avon call. The pink Cadillac army rolls deep.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14 Brian Seibert at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: The dance critic for the New York Times dishes on the history of tap dancing as performer and choreographer Sarah Reich gets a little demonstrative.

Downtown Art Walk Historic Core or online at downtownartwalk.org.

6-10 p.m.: Immersive performance art or immense mental health crisis? You never really know.

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com.

Jan. 16, 8 p.m.: Gillian Welch plays John Henry to the Dave Rawlings Machine’s bluegrass onslaught.

Belasco 1050 S. Hill St., (213) 746-5670 or thebelascotheater.com.

Jan. 15, 8 p.m.: The one and only psychedelic mastermind Alex Grey will add a little visual stimuli before Sphongle. Remember to trip responsibly.

Blue Whale 123 Astronaut E. S. Onizuka St., (213) 620-0908 or bluewhalemusic.com.

Jan. 11: True North.

Jan. 12: River Song Quartet.

Jan. 13: Youngjoo Song Trio.

Jan. 14: Guilherme Vergueiro.

Jan. 15: Munyungo Jackson’s Jazz Jungle. You lose points every time you say, “Welcome to the jungle.”

Jan. 16: David Roitstein/Larry Koonse/Derek Oles/Joe Labarbera.

Jan. 17: Arohi Ensemble.

Bootleg Bar 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org.

Jan. 11, 8:30 p.m.: Omar Velasco seems like a super low-key dude.

Jan. 14, 8:30 p.m.: We’re going to chock Germany’s Audiodamn!’s band name up to a language barrier.

Jan. 15, 8 p.m.: Excitable boy Andy Frasco plays with a band known as the U.N. They are not the actual U.N. where a nation goes to air its grievances, but rather a group of dudes who have listened to too much ska.

Jan. 16, 8 p.m.: Bear with us, but Alyeska founder Alaska Reid is actually from Montana.

Jan. 17, 8 p.m.: Avi Buffalo is going to be super disappointed to discover that having the colloquialism for the North American Bison as his last name does not entitle him to automatic tribal membership.

Club Nokia 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or clubnokia.com.

Jan. 16, 8 p.m.: The 27th annual Drum Off Finals features that blonde guy from the Foo Fighters.

Exchange LA 618 S. Spring St., (213) 627-8070 or exchangela.com.

Jan. 15: Ephwurd.

Jan. 16: Victor Calderone.

Grammy Museum 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org.

Continued on next page

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

January 11, 2016

The Don't Miss List The New Year Brings a Lot of Art and a Lot of Music

By Dan Johnson | calendar@downtownnews.com

1.

We are not equipped with the appropriate amount of superlatives to describe violinist Itzhak Perlman, but the fact that the four-string master has both a 25- and a 77-disc box set in circulation will lend you a sense of his apotheosis in the classical community. The good sweet gospel of Perlman will be presented five times this week at Walt Disney Concert Hall. At 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, Perlman and confidant/colleague Emanuel Ax take on Mozart, Faure and Strauss. There are also performances with the L.A. Philharmonic on Tuesday and Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 11 a.m. (yes, in the morning) and Sunday at 2 p.m. Expect a lot of Mozart rounded out with a little Tchaikovsky. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7300 or laphil.com.

Since his first cassette release in 2008, Ty Segall has gone to great lengths to elaborate on a musical convergence of indie, post-punk and deliberate lo-fi tendencies. Prolific and innovative, Segall’s six solo albums and numerous collaborations have done solid work in erasing the spiritual stain of the rocker’s roots in Laguna Beach and San Francisco. The man with the plan adds further weight to his assault on sterile pop rock with two nights at the Teragram Ballroom this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15-16, where he’ll no doubt be pushing his forthcoming Emotional Mugger. At 1234 W. Seventh St. or teragramballroom.com. photo by Denee Petracek

2.

photo by Lisa Marie Mazzucco

photo by Fredrik Nilsen

3.

It’s difficult to pitch the work of a visionary filmmaker in a city where every Tom, Dick and Jane is pushing their groundbreaking feature-length script. Director and artist Matthew Barney is head and shoulders above the crowd, though don’t expect anything that would be shown in a place that also serves popcorn. Barney’s films are strewn with visual esoterica that might feel at home in an especially lucid Jodorowsky film. His output is currently in Downtown, though there are precious few days left to enjoy the River of Fundament film and exhibit at the MOCA Geffen Contemporary before the show closes on Jan. 18. Stacked with visual installations, the exhibit features daily screenings of all three acts of the namesake film. The Geffen Contemporary is open every day except Tuesday. At 152 N. Central Ave., (213) 625-4390 or moca.org.

4.

With 2015 gone and the scope of 2016 ahead of us, the monthly metric of Downtown’s creative output returns on Thursday, Jan. 14. The usual retinue of galleries will be in full effect as the Downtown Art Walk rolls around yet again. Down at the Art Walk Lounge (634 S. Spring St.), the privilege of the lens is ascendant with Lumen — The Art of Photography, a group show featuring exposures from Robert Landua, Hugh Kretschmer and Mark Vieira. Per usual, the festivities begin around 6 p.m. Your friendly local law enforcement team will be clearing vendors out at 10 p.m. sharp, at which point the party will segue into local barrooms and freeways. In the Historic Core or downtownartwalk.org.

Rich in harmonies, littered with cunning instrumentation and festooned in a wardrobe of vintage oddities, the idea of classic Los Angeles psychedelic rock traditionally goes hand in hand with the optimism of Laurel Canyon. Fifty years after the heyday of John Phillips and Brian Wilson, the Fuzzy Crystals roll into Villains Tavern every Tuesday evening this month with a joyous collection of breezy rock pieced together in the unlikely depths of the Flower District. Don’t let the glossy sheen of their feel-good ’70s nostalgia fool you: The Fuzzy Crystals weave hard-won existential musings and the fruits of a Campers Corneradjacent studio space into a deceptively warm glimpse of the Downtown underground. At 1356 Palmetto St., (213) 613-0766 or villainstavern.com.

5.

photo courtesy of Fuzzy Crystals

Send information and possible Don’t Miss List submissions to calendar@downtownnews.com.

January 11, 2016

Downtown News 13

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Jan. 13, 8 p.m.: Ask legendary guitar man Tommy Emmanuel what it was like to lay down tracks with Men At Work.

Jan. 15, 8 p.m.: You may know James Bay from his appearance on the Ellen Degeneres show.

Microsoft Theatre 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6030 or microsofttheeatre.com.

Jan. 16, 8 p.m.: R&B Rewind Fest features performers including Bobby Brown, Ginuwine and 112. Where Al B. Sure is in all of this, we do not pretend to know.

Mrs. Fish 448 S. Hill St., (213) 873-4444 or mrsfish.com.

Jan. 15: It’s St. Louis-style R&B with the 11-piece Larry “Fuzzy” Knight’s Blowin’ Smoke Rhythm & Blues Revue.

Redwood Bar and Grill 316 W. Second St., (213) 652-4444 or theredwoodbar.com.

Jan. 11: Rubber.

Jan. 12: Gonzophonic.

Jan. 13: Paisley Nightmare and James Wilkinson.

Jan. 14: Anti-Matter.

Jan. 15: The Flytraps, The Tip and Hammered Satin.

Jan. 16: Badr Vogu, Larvae, Temple of Dagon, Pessimist and Erode.

The Regent 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com.

Jan. 14, 8 p.m.: Fortunately for Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek, being the most hated man in music is a title that’s difficult to hang on to when Axl Rose is still around.

Resident 428 S. Hewitt St., (323) 316-5311 or residentdtla.com Jan. 11, 8 p.m.: Hang out in this new Arts District spot with NOBUNNY, a happy band for happy people.

Seven Grand 515 W. Seventh St., (213) 614-0737 or sevengrand.la.

Jan. 12, 10 p.m.: The Makers haven’t been this disappointed by a new year since the big Mayan apocalypse bust of ’12/’13.

The Smell 247 S. Main St. in the alley between Spring and Main or thesmell.org.

Jan. 13: Cre.scen.do., foliage and Sugarcube.

Jan. 15-17: 8bitLA returns with the fifth incarnation of Frequency Fest. Nintendocore or death!

Teragram Ballroom 1234 W. Seventh St. or teragramballroom.com.

Jan. 13, 8 p.m.: Langhorne Slim & The Law is an actual band name and not the title of an erotic film.

Jan. 15-16, 8 p.m.: Ty Segall & The Muggers have sold out.

Continued on page 14

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Includes $1,500 Conquest Bonus** *Lease for $69 + tax per month for 36 months. Based on MSRP of $18,770. Residual Value $10,511.20 $2,484 total of payments. Security Deposit Waived. $1,999 due at signing from customer + $1,500 Conquest Bonus excludes: $625 Acquisition Fee, $80 Documentation Fee, Sales Tax, Title, and License Fee. 30,000 total miles, with 20¢ per excess mile. Closed-end lease offered on approved above average credits with VCI, excludes TDI and Hybrid Models. **$1,500 Conquest Bonus requires current registration of non-Volkswagen ownership. Two (2) at this offer GM272850, GM274524. Offer Expires 2/1/2016

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris

$

twitter: DowntownNews

349

per month for 36 mos

Plus tax, 36 month closed end lease on approved credit through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. $2,499 CAP reduction, $795 acquisition fee. Excludes title, taxes, registration, license fees, insurance, dealer prep and additional options. No security deposit required. $0.25 per mile in excess of 30,000 miles. Offer good on all with MSRP $35,375.

Mercedes Benz C250 .................... $28,981 $8,499 2013 Certified, White/Beige, Prem Pkg 1, Sport Pkg. 8608c/007379 EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie 2013 Mercedes Benz E350 ....................

2015 VW Passat ..................................

SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim $36,881 $15,699 Certified, Blk/Blk, Prem Pkg 1, Prem Sound. 8626C/195008 Candy White, Turbo 1.8, 6 Spd Auto, 4 Dr. SL3702/110026 STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton CONTRIBUTING S I .................

N C E 19 7 2 2015 VW Beetle Coupe 1.8L ................EDITOR: Kathryn Maese 2014 Mercedes Benz GL450 $59,771 $16,499 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, GregCertified, FischerSilv/Blk, Nav Syst. 160585-1/274138 Blk, 2 Dr, Turbo, 6 Spd Auto w/OD. ZV3628/606336 Los Angeles Downtown News 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 CARSON NISSAN AUDI OF DOWNTOWN L.A. ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa web: DowntownNews.com 2009 Pontiac G6 w1SA ..........................

GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin *Ltd. Avail.*, Green/Taupe, Sedan, 80k mi. V151296-2/107151

888-845-2267 PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard 1505 E. 223RD ST., CARSON • CARSONNISSAN.COM

LEASE FOR ONLY

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway

facebook: L.A. Downtown News

199

per month

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie for 36 mos SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, STAFF Nicholas Slayton Michael Lamb $99 plusWRITER: tax per month for 36 months on approved above average credit. Excludes first month’s Plus tax and license. Security deposit waived. Model 1223A. $0.15 per mile for all mileage over payment, taxes, titleEDITOR: + license.Kathryn MSRP $18,395 $1,999 down plus tax, license and fees. $0 se12k miles/yr. Claudia $25,368 MSRP. $22,999 selling price - $3,000 rebate = $19,999 +fees after rebate CONTRIBUTING Maese SALES ASSISTANT: Hernandez curity deposit. 12kWRITERS: miles per year, per mile in Fischer excess. Offer valid only when financed $1,999 Drive Off. Or 0% for 60 mos + $1,000 rebate. Credit available through Toyota Financial SerCONTRIBUTING Jeff0.15 Favre, Greg Salmon thru Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. Two at this price: stock# N154344/N154345. Exp. 2/1/16CIRCULATION: vices toDanielle qualified Tier 1+ credit customers. 1 at this price: T153132D/966158. Offer ends 1/31/16.

ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles 2011 Toyota Camry ................................

2013 BMW 3 Series 328i .......................

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt

Los Angeles Downtown News 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com

LEASE FOR ONLY

per monthACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt $ for 36 mosCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway

NEW ’15 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S

S I N C E 19 7 2

facebook:

1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026OF DOWNTOWN L.A. Downtown News NISSAN OF DOWNTOWN L.A. TOYOTA L.A. phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617

149

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, per month Michael Lamb

$

for 36 mos

SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez

888-583-0981 1900 S. FIGUEROA ST. • AUDIDTLA.COM

email: realpeople@downtownnews.com

NEW ’16 AUDI A3 1.8T facebook: L.A. Downtown News

LEASE FOR ONLY twitter: DowntownNews per month

269

$

for 36 mos

©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News

is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

2 Aavailable, model #13115. C151162/395208, C152551/567705 Close end lease for 2015 Nissan Altima 2.5S for $149 per month plus tax for 36 months on above average approved The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read news36 month lease. $269 plus tax per $1,500 down and payment plus acquisition, CIRCULATION: Salmon paper for month.

Downtown Los Angeles is distributed every credit. Payment net of $2450 Nissan Lease Cash Rebate and $500 Nissan Customer Danielle Bonus Cash Rebate. $2999 cash registration and first month’s payment due atthe signing.

Noresidences security deposit required.

Monday throughout offices and of Downtown or trade equity, plus tax, license and registration fees due at lease signing.

No security deposit.

12,000 miles per year, DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles Must qualify for Audi loyalty.

LosLease Angeles.for 7,500 miles/year. At lease end, lessee re36k total miles with 15 cents per mile thereafter. Subject to availability and charges for excess wear and tear. Not all ASSISTANTS: Gustavo One22,500 copy per person. sponsible for Bonilla $0.25/mile over miles and excessive wear and tear. lessees may qualify, higher lease rates apply for lessees with DISTRIBUTION lower credit ratings. Offer expires 1/31/16. Lorenzo Castillo,

Audi A4 2.0T ................................. $13,888 2012 Certified, Gray/Blk, Prem Sound, Keyless Entry. ZA11112/016431 $20,895 EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris 2009 GMC Acadia SLE1 ......................

2013 Audi A4 2.0L 4 ............................... $14,888 GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin 5 Star Safe, RV Monitor, OBC Syst. CU1949R/174616 Wht/Blk, Prem Trim, Prem Wheels, Conv. Pkg. A160445-1/019741 $22,895 2010 Cadillac CTS Sedan ...................

2013 Audi A3 2.0T Quattro ...................

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie Carfax Avail, Performance Trim, Excellent Cond. CU1968R/123809 $19,888 Certified, Blk/Blk, Skyroof, Premium, Lo Miles! ZA11161/027094 $27,895 SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton FELIX CHEVROLET PORSCHE OF DOWNTOWN L.A. CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese 2012 Nissan Altima ...........................

CARFAX 1-Owner, Certified, Exc. Cond. CU1842R/518083

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla ©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.

One copy per person.

888-304-7039 888-685-5426 S I N C E 19 7 2 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer 1900 S. FIGUEROA ST. • PORSCHEDOWNTOWNLA.COM 3300 S. FIGUEROA ST. • FELIXCHEVROLET.COM Los Angeles Downtown News

NEW ’16 CHEVY CRUZE

ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa

LEASE FOR ONLY

99

PHOTOGRAPHER: Garyper Leonard month

$

for 27 mos

ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt

NEW ’’16 116 PORSCHE CAYENNE

1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 LEASE FOR ONLY web: DowntownNews.com email: realpeople@downtownnews.com per month

$

679

facebook: L.A. Downtown News

for 39 mos

1 at this lease/price (F17187) per month plus tax for 27 mos, Lease O.A.C through $4,999 CAP reduction. $679 per month. Stock#P16297. $4,999 Down Payment. 39 months, GM Financial, zero down plus $4,275 in qualifying rebates $0 security deposit,MANAGER: $0.25/ 10k miles per year, VIN#GLA11552, residual $40,043.45, CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Catherine Holloway twitter: 1 at this price. Down payment mile over 22,500 miles. Based on MSRP of $20,270. *Program subject to change. excludes tax, dmv fees, $995 Bank Acquisition fee, first payment and document fees. Rates ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, DowntownNews See dealer for details. based on approved Tier 1 credit through Porsche Financial Service.

Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb

$9,988 CPO, White/Blk, V6, 6k Mi - Like New! P16022L/A02561 $61,898 2010 Nissan Sentra ................................

2012 911 Cabriolet Carrera ..................

CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon $13,888 $67,898 4 Dr Sdn, Auto, Pwr windows and locks. F16792-1/L612799 997, Ltd. Avail., Blue/Beige, Auto, 25k Miles. ZP1990/740117 DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles 2014 Chevy Impala ................................

2013 911 S Coupe ...................................

DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, $76,897 Gray/Blk, Auto, Sdn, 3.6L, Beautiful Vehicle. UC2083R/1149790 CPO, Grey/Black, 19k Miles, Loaded. ZP1953M/122805 Gustavo Bonilla $15,888 2013 Dodge Dart .......................................

SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez 2016 Cayenne AWD ................................

4 Dr Sdn, Pwr Windows and Locks. F16904-1/D319960

©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.

One copy per person.

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

14 Downtown News

Auto + Auto + Renters = Savings Renters = And those savings could add up to $600* Savings So put your Auto and Renters together with State Farm® and let the savings begin.

GET TO A BETTER STATE.® CALL ME TODAY Karla Greene, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0I67776

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Downtown Independent 251 S. Main St., (213) 617-1033 or downtownindependent.com.

See website for schedule.

IMAX California Science Center, 700 State Drive, (213) 744-2019 or californiasciencecenter.org.

Journey to Space 3D brings audience members along on an



FILM

E-ticket ride of exploration to the red planet.

Ewan McGregor is the voice of Humpback Whales 3D. Not that the whales aren’t significant enough in their own right, but Obi-Wan narrating means we’re dealing with serious power brokers here. Power brokers who know a good whale story when they see it.

MOCA 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2766 or moca.org.

Jan. 14, 7 p.m.: Ephebophiliacs rejoice as Sharon Lockhart’s Goshogaoka chronicles a Japanese girls’ basketball team during practice.

REDCAT 

Dim Sum

Lunch and Dinner • An Extensive Seafood Menu including Dim Sum at Moderate Prices • Relaxed Dining in an Elegant Ambiance • Live Lobster Tank

700 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Free Parking Next to Restaurant Tel: 213.617.2323

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Continued from previous page

631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

Jan. 11, 8:30 p.m.: Poet Bob Kaufman is the subject of And When I Die I Won’t Stay Dead, a feature length documentary making its U.S. premiere.

Jan. 16, 6 p.m.: OG Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira is long gone, but his Amor de Perdicao lives on.

MORE LISTINGS Hundreds of listings of fun and interesting things to do in Downtown Los Angeles can also be found online at ladowntownnews.com/calendar.

http://issuu.com/ladtn Follow Us on ISSUU

Flip through the DT News print edition on your mobile device, with 6 plus years of past issues available!

January 11, 2016

2 YOUR EVENT INFO

EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT

✔ WEB: LADowntownNews.com/calendar ✔ EMAIL: Calendar@DowntownNews.com

Email: Send a brief description, street address and public phone number. Submissions must be received 10 days prior to publication date to be considered for print.

LAST WEEKS ANSWERS

January 11, 2016

DT

CLASSIFIEDS REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL

To place a classified ad in the Downtown News please call 213-481-1448, or go to DowntownNews.com Deadline classified display and line ads are Thursday at 12pm.

FORfor RENT All submissions are subject to federal and California fair housing laws, which make it illegal to indicate in any advertisement any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income or physical or mental disability. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

AUTOS & RECREATIONAL

DUPLEXES OLD WORLD CHARM. Olympic and Highland. 3 bdrm. 2 bath, 2 car garage. Private fenced yard.

All appliances included, Stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer, carpet & drapes $3400/mo. 323934-5666.

LOFTS FOR SALE

TheLoftExpertGroup.com Downtown since 2002

PRE-OWNED

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vehicles on Sale Now!

SERVICES

Nearly Every Make & Model

TAX SERVICES LOFT/UNFURNISHED

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OLD BANK District The original Live/Work Lofts from $1,500 Cafes, Bars, Shops, Galleries, Parking adjacent. Pets no charge Call 213.253.4777 LAloft.com

Downtown News 15

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Visit us online

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LEGAL

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT APPLICATION HAS BEEN MADE TO THE BOARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS FOR A PERMIT TO CONDUCT A MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENT. NAME OF APPLICANT: Park, Soo Yeun DOING BUSINESS AS: Paradise Spa LOCATED AT: 2841 W. James M. Wood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90005 Any person desiring to protest the issuance of this permit shall make a written protest before January 30, 2016 to the: LOS ANGELES POLICE COMMISSION 100 West First Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 Upon receipt of written protests, protesting persons will be notified of date, time and place for hearing.

BOARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS Pub. 01/04 and 01/11/2016

Join Our Professional Live/Work Community of Startups and Entrepreneurs in the High-Tech, Entertainment, Fashion, Legal, Finance, Consulting, Real Estate, Advertising Industries and More

Touring Daily 877-338-1010 1010wilshire.com stay@1010wilshire.com 1010 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017

For Filming & Events: filmingandevents @ 1010wilshire.com Also visit our Oceanside property at 1010oceanside.com

POLICE PERMIT

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Downtown since 2002

Bill Cooper 213.598.7555 TheLoftExpertGroup.com DRE # 01309009

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NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR POLICE PERMIT

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Reserve Your Review Today!

Deadline: Friday, February 5!

Call today 213-481-1448 1264 W. 1st St., LA, CA 90026 (213) 481-1448 • FAX (213) 250-4617

LADowntownNews.com

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TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

16 Downtown News

January 11, 2016

PARK DTLA, 6

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!

It’s our business to make you comfortable... at home, downtown. Corporate and long term residency Call Now Fo is accommodated in high style at the Towers Apartments. Contemporary singles, studio, one r bedroom and two bedroom apartment homes provide fortunate residents with a courteous full service lobby attendant, heated pool, spa, complete fitness center, sauna and recreation room Move-In Spec with kitchen. Beautiful views extend from the Towers’ lofty homes in the sky. Mountain vistas and ial slender skyscrapers provide an incredible back drop to complement your decor. Far below are a host of businesses s ready to support your pampered downtown lifestyle. With spectacular cultural events nearby, even the most demanding tastes are satisfied. Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore. Visit the Towers Apartments today.

GRAND TOWER

255 South Grand Avenue Leasing Information 213 229 9777 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

how people worked,” Gittleman said on a recent tour of the campus. “It wasn’t an effective use of the open space.”

Case in point: That clunky Figueroa and Third entrance is becoming a tenant common area, with a wrap of hedges and lights strung above. The idea is to use it as workspace in the day and for parties or events in the evening, Lee said.

“It’s another feature for tenants that are leasing 2,000 square feet, but want to host their party here without added costs,” she noted.

The ability to work anywhere on the Park DTLA site is made possible through the use of RRP’s campus-wide WiFi system — the company has a partnership in a telecommunications outfit dubbed 5x5 Telecom. RRP had a similar set-up at PacMutual, giving tenants higher speeds, faster installation and servicing and lower costs than competing Internet service providers.

Re New no ly va ted

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove, Microwave & Dishwasher (most units) ~ Central Air Conditioning & Heating ~ Balconies (most units)

On-site: ~ Dry Cleaners / Dental Office / Restaurants

PROMENADE TOWERS

123 South Figueroa Street Leasing Information 213 617 3777 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Pool / Spa / BBQ Grills ~ Fitness Center ~ Covered Parking

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove & Dishwasher ~ Central Air & Heating ~ Solariums and/or Balconies

On-Site: ~ Convenience Store / Beauty Salon

MUSEUM TOWER

225 South Olive Street Leasing Information 213 626 1500 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove, Microwave & Dish washer (most units) ~ Central Air & Heating ~ Balconies (most units)

8 7 7 - 2 65 - 714 6

TOWERS T H E

A PA RT M E N T S

www.TowersApartmentsLA.com MAID SERVICE • FURNITURE • HOUSEWARES • CABLE • UTILITIES • PARKING

RESIDENCES: SINGLES • STUDIO • ONE BEDROOM • TWO BEDROOM

photo by Gary Leonard

The complex is Downtown’s only traditional office park, with grass and common areas between five two- to five-story buildings. The Risings have rebranded it as Park DTLA.

Key tenants in Park DTLA include UCLA Extension and American Public Media’s “Marketplace” radio program. Other tenants include the Associated Press and StubHub. RRP’s work includes efforts to increase interaction among tenants and even the general public, Lee said. RRP is programming a slate of tenant events, like a recent ping-pong tournament, and also inviting Downtowners into the campus with film screenings and other happenings.

“We believe that creating an interactive community is part of the beauty of real estate. You can change the neighborhood for the better. That’s often only possible with residential, so this opportunity with commercial space is impactful,” Lee said.

That kind of communal environment and programming can be helpful in wooing a tenant looking to recruit young talent, said Gibran Begum, managing director at brokerage Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s L.A. office. The campus/park setting, on the western edge of the Central Business District, can also be a nice alternative for businesses looking for top-of-the-line offices in a more laid-back setting, he added.

“Downtown has a lot of buildings that provide great workspaces, including open creative-style spaces, whether it’s a historic structure or a skyscraper,” Begum said. “But there isn’t a lowslung campus setting like the Park project, and it allows [RRP] to have a lot of fun with open space and make something unique in a dense urban market.”

Park DTLA is still a work in progress, but RRP has already acquired its third Downtown project: One Bunker Hill, at Fifth Street and Grand Avenue near the foot of U.S. Bank Tower. The 1931, 14-story structure, originally the home of Southern California Edison, will have many of its original features restored and its “outdated” office spaces stripped and reworked, according to Christopher Rising.

While that building and Park DTLA have little in common at first glance, they both fit RRP’s philosophy: taking overlooked, aging structures and infusing them with energy. eddie@downtownnews.com