01-12-15

L.A.’s Football Fantasy : 5 Crime Spikes in Downtown : 7

JANUARY 12, 2015 I VOL. 44 I #2

SHE KNOWS HOW TO START A RIOT photo by Gary Leonard

Abbey Londer Is the One-Woman Force Behind the Three-Day Downtown Comedy Festival Riot L.A. SEE PAGE 10

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AROUND TOWN

Councilman Suggests City Buy Destroyed Da Vinci Site

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he future of the portion of the Da Vinci apartment complex that burned down last month is unclear, but one city official has a concept as to what should happen: On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Fourth District City Councilman Tom LaBonge suggested during a council meeting that the city could purchase the property in the northwest corner of Downtown from developer Geoff Palmer, and turn it into a public parking structure to serve nearby government buildings and the Music Center. He suggested city staff examine whether a purchase would be possible.

“If we have a parking deficiency in the area, let’s see what we can do to buy it. Right now, what remains is a concrete parking structure,” LaBonge said in a Thursday phone interview.

“Instead of rebuilding the apartments, maybe we can have a different win-win scenario.”

LaBonge in the past expressed concern with how close the Da Vinci, at 909 W. Temple St., was to the 110 Freeway, and does not think it should be rebuilt. The Dec. 8 blaze destroyed the southern building of the 526-apartment project. Palmer has not discussed in detail the future of the project, saying only in a statement last month that despite the “temporary” loss of one of the buildings, he plans to open the first phase, on the north side of Temple Street, in January.

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Two Dozen Companies Express Interest in Downtown Streetcar

January 12, 2015

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

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ackers of the L.A. Streetcar only have a small fraction of the approximately $270 million that it will take to bring the urban circulator online. However, last week they announced that they have something that could prove valuable: interest from 24 companies that might be willing to invest. On Wednesday, Jan. 7, the office of 14th District City Councilman José Huizar said firms from 19 cities responded to a “request for information,” or RFI, regarding a public-private partnership for the proposed 3.8mile endeavor. The interested parties include companies from Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and even Sweden and Germany. The RFI, released in September, was intended to gather information and generate feedback on the project. Any deals would have to wait until another outreach effort, a request for proposals, is completed. The streetcar has secured up to $85 million through a tax on area property owners and backers are seeking a $75 million federal grant.

Even if that is secured there would still be a funding gap, hence the effort to find a private partner for the project that would connect the Civic Center and South Park, with a main spine on Broadway.

Metro Head Leahy To Step Down

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fter six years at the top of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Art Leahy is leaving. The CEO of the agency with more than 9,000 employees and a $5 billion annual

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budget announced last week that he will step down April 5, when his contract expires. Although no reason was given, the Los Angeles Times reported that the MTA board was ready to let the contract end. Leahy, 65, began his career as a Metro bus operator, and spent 44 years in the transportation industry. Before coming to Los Angeles he held senior positions at transit agencies in Orange County and Minneapolis-St. Paul. He was heavily involved in numerous completed and ongoing Downtown Los Angeles projects, including the construction of the Regional Connector, and Metro’s 2011 purchase and upgrade of Union Station and 40

Jim Gilliam

January 7, 2015

surrounding acres of land. Last year he said he had directed agency staff to look at creating a rail station in the Arts District. “My time at Metro has been filled with enormous successes, intense challenges and opportunities that have and continue to shape mobility for Los Angeles County’s 10 million residents,” Leahy said in a prepared statement.

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EDITORIALS

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January 12, 2015

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

Another Attempt At Development Reform

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t is baffling that something that frustrated the real estate community three and four decades ago continues to vex developers, architects and fixers today. Yet that is precisely the case when it comes to permitting, particularly on large projects.

In the modern era, just as in the distant past, those attempting to build housing and other projects complain about cumbersome and seemingly unnecessary bureaucracy, the difficulty of scheduling inspections and receiving clashing directives from different city departments.

Perhaps the only thing more frustrating than the problem is that the city has been unable to make much headway despite repeated promises to change the status quo. It’s not that local leaders have been unaware of the issue — they know precisely where the hurdles are, but historically have been unable to overcome them.

That is why Mayor Eric Garcetti’s recent move to streamline permitting for certain mid-sized and large projects makes us optimistic, but only cautiously so.

We’d like to applaud a game-changing move, and hopefully in time we’ll be able to do exactly that. For now though we’ll have to stick with being happy to see the idea proposed and hope it works out as intended.

Los Angeles Downtown News recently wrote about Garcetti’s Case Management Initiative, which was quietly unveiled late last year. The initial press release says all the right things and makes all the appropriate promises: The effort would apply to developments worth $10 million or more and would help 600 projects a year save money and shave three to six months off the time it takes to open.

This is vital in Downtown Los Angeles, where dozens of large projects are in the pipeline, and where permitting delays can cost developers millions. Having housing projects pushed back due to bureaucratic snarls is not only harmful to business people, but also impacts the populace — stymied projects means people lack homes and contributes to rents remaining high. When a project includes a restaurant or a store, a delay in opening means a delay in creating jobs and a delay in collecting sales tax revenue.

The problem in the past hasn’t been desire, and numerous mayors and City Council leaders — including Garcetti when he sat on the council — have broached plans for development reform. For this effort to succeed Garcetti will have to ensure that developers are not sent through a revolving door of requests, such as the kind that occur when employees of the departments of Planning and Building and Safety give orders that can seem contradictory.

Another challenge will be staffing. The city workforce rolls were slashed during the recession, and the Planning Department was hit particularly hard.

A new system can’t work unless the staffing level is sufficient.

Can Garcetti meet these challenges? We’d like to think he can. In the past 18 months he has exhibited a low-key, focused style, one that seeks to respond to problems with solutions rather than flash. Hopefully the same thing happens here.

Issues, Opportunities and Lessons After a Fire

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he fire that leveled part of the Da Vinci apartment complex last month captured the attention of people not just in Downtown, but across the country. The spectacular blaze was extinguished in about 90 minutes thanks to the efforts of approximately 250 firefighters and a well-prepared Los Angeles Fire Department, but the effects, as well as the discussion, live on.

The fire, which was later ruled by investigators to be arson, caused more than $20 million in damage, and has left a mound of twisted wreckage in the northwestern corner of Downtown adjacent to the 110 Freeway. Yet, amid the destruction, there is opportunity, and in the past month there has been intense talk on several issues important to those who live and work in Downtown Los Angeles. In some cases the discussions may shape the future look of the community. They also might provide an invaluable lesson to Downtown businesses.

Much of the immediate talk concerned the work of Da Vinci developer Geoff Palmer, who in the past 15 years has created thousands of apartments on the perimeter of Downtown. He has been prolific, with a strategy of acquiring large, relatively cheap plots of land beyond the urban core.

These instant mini-neighborhoods are not adored by architectural enthusiasts, but they have filled quickly, with USC students in particular drawn to the large complexes that offer pools, sand volleyball courts and other amenities. The success and size of these projects — they include the multiple phases of the Medici, Orsini and Piero — have contributed to Downtown reaching a critical residential mass. They have also helped inspire others to invest in the area.

Palmer has a reputation as one who doesn’t always play well with others, and in the immediate aftermath of the blaze there was ample talk about his repeated past clashes. Many recounted his legal efforts to avoid having to include affordable housing in his projects. Others recalled the time in 2003 when a construction crew working on the Orsini bulldozed a Victorian home — without having permits.

Palmer has been a frequent target of urban-living advocates who say that his projects don’t engage with the street or promote pedestrian activity. A related critique is that the Italian-inspired architecture he routinely employs does not fit with an evolving Downtown.

We hope that, before rebuilding the torched portion of the Da Vinci, Palmer can engage with a variety of area leaders and consider different options. We’d like him to succeed with this and other housing efforts, in part because it is good for everyone when he does. In most cases he is activating vacant lots or bland surface parking expanses.

This change may not be easy, but Palmer has shown a willingness to operate differently when necessary. Renderings for his proposed housing complex at Broadway and Olympic Boulevard eschew his favored Italian style for a tall brick structure more in line with the historic area.

Now, Palmer should reach out to Downtown business, political and architectural leaders and ask for their help on his upcoming projects. Of course cost will be a concern, but these experts can help find solutions that are affordable and that will fit style-wise with greater Downtown. Maybe, in the wake of the blaze and the widespread criticism, he would even include some low-income housing. It’s a big if, but sometimes people take stock and make changes after a setback. Palmer will be part of the Downtown housing scene for years to come. It’s best to look for an opportunity amid the loss.

Speaking of loss, the Da Vinci conflagration should be a reminder to all Downtown business owners to prepare in advance for a fire or another tragedy. Heat from the blaze cracked or destroyed windows at a couple nearby office buildings, and sprinklers in those structures went off and soaked the space where thousands of people work.

City workers have been displaced, as have employees of the law firm Lewis Brisbois, which occupied several floors in the building at 221 N. Figueroa St. Paperwork needed to be freeze-dried and salvaged; an instant search was on to find temporary office space.

This should spur business owners first to establish a worst-casescenario plan, and to have documents backed up, whether on a company’s off-site servers, with a cloud storage business or someplace else. Further, it speaks to the need to implement a system for daily document back-up by individual employees.

Though fires, earthquakes and other disasters are rare, the Da Vinci blaze shows that they can happen at any time. Advance preparation may be insurance and nothing more, or it could be what saves a business and its staff when the unexpected strikes.

January 12, 2015

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Stadium Games When New Plans for Bringing the NFL to L.A. Burst Onto the Scene, It Pays to Remember the Past

THE REGARDIE REPORT the front page of the Los Angeles Times: “New plan for NFL stadium” it read, and I was hooked.

For a good 12 or 13 seconds I truly believed that the National Football League was on the verge of returning to L.A. OK, I’m exaggerating. No one gets their news through a web-connected fox, though Apple is probably working on one (the iFox!). And, my belief that football is coming actually petered out after about six seconds.

It’s not that I don’t trust the league, it’s that — no wait, it’s completely that I don’t trust the league. The NFL has a long history of playing sleight-of-hand with the world. For decades league brass downplayed the damage that repeated concussions do to the human body, to the point that most fans believed the lines, reasoning that the owners wouldn’t put their players in harm’s way. Then there was the Jan. 4 Detroit Lions-Dallas Cowboys playoff game, when the officials suddenly, inexplicably, made a pass interference penalty disappear, potentially costing the Lions the win and setting up a drool-worthy Cowboys-Packers showdown at

photo by Gary Leonard

In 2006 city leaders made a big push to bring pro football team the Coliseum. A batch of politicians even donned jerseys bearing the number 2010, for the year they hoped a team would being playing at the Exposition Park venue.

an 80,000-seat stadium would rise as part of a massive mixed-use development. Even that would only occur after a lengthy and expensive entitlement process.

The proposal has to be taken in context, and ever since the Rams and Raiders both fled town following the 1994 season, the NFL, which really means a cabal of billionaire team owners and a sometimes empowered commissioner, has used Los Angeles as a combination bogey-

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man and piñata. Time and again the threat of moving a team to L.A. has scared the leaders of smaller-market cities into paying for stadiums they probably can’t afford. In the process, business and political officials from Southern California, eager to gain entry to that billionaire’s club and misguided enough to believe they are different from past failed aspirants, get smacked about.

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Lambeau Field (OK, that one I ascribe to ineptitude, not sneakiness).

I mention Lambeau Field because, if I want to see NFL football in the next five years, I suspect I’ll have to go there, or to any of the sites where the other 30 professional football teams play. I know, there are actually 32 teams, but I don’t count the Raiders as a professional squad.

In other words, despite the “news,” only a fool would wager at this time on being able to trek to Inglewood to catch a game in a stadium bankrolled by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke. It might happen, but it also might be as realistic as that iFox. If you’ve watched the NFL operate over the past two decades, then you understand that it’s just as likely, and perhaps more so, that Inglewood is a bargaining chip as Kroenke engages in a game of high-stakes chicken with the leaders of the city of St. Louis and the Show-Me State.

Although, considering what’s at play here, that should probably be tweaked to the Show-Methe-Money State.

Bogeyman Piñata If there’s one reason that I’m skeptical about the Rams coming to Inglewood, it’s that no one in power has said they’re coming to Inglewood.

While it’s implied in the comments by Kroenke, who purchased 60 acres of land near the Forum last year, and Stockbridge Capital Group, which owns the adjacent 238-acre Hollywood Park site, right now the only thing promised is that

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By Jon Regardie ast Monday I was stunned when, like the 67 other people who still get their morning news via a printed newspaper, and not a TV, smart phone, computer or web-connected fox, I saw the headline splashed across

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6 Downtown News

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

January 12, 2015

football, 5 While distressing to local football fans, from a sheer business point of view it’s a fantastic and ruthlessly Machiavellian play. You have to admire the NFL for its repeated ability to be like Lucy and put the football down for L.A./Charlie Brown, only to have it swiped away at the last moment and him end up on his backside. You also have to give me two journalism points for putting Machiavelli and Lucy from Peanuts in the same sentence.

Just consider the local sites that have been mentioned as possible stadium locations over the years: There was the Dodger Stadium parking lot (with several different team owners), the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park (a couple times), the City of Industry, the city of Carson, Hollywood Park, the Rose Bowl and Anaheim. Then there’s South Park, still currently in play in the form of Anschutz Entertainment Group’s proposed Farmers Field.

During the past two decades a shocking number of NFL teams have been bandied about as candidates to relocate to L.A. The Rams, Raiders and San Diego Chargers are the most frequently discussed, but in recent years the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars have been mentioned. Go deeper and you’ll recall stadium situations in other cities that put in play the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts and the Irish Potato Phantoms. OK, that last one was my fantasy football team. I also used that joke in 2011, which just shows how little has changed.

Unique Opportunity So the question is, what’s different this time?

The answer is Kroenke, and that’s not to be dis-

photo by Gary Leonard

Anschutz Entertainment Group threw a huge pep rally for the proposed South Park stadium Farmers Field in early 2011. Four years later the company is still trying to bring football to Downtown.

missed or downplayed. Never in the footballseeking past has a team owner controlled the L.A. land needed to build a stadium. Kroenke, who made billions in real estate, has the cash to do whatever he likes. The 60 acres he owns and his ties with Stockbridge Capital make this opportunity unique.

Then again, only a fool (the same one mentioned above) would think this is the endgame.

It’s a safe bet that Kroenke is working in lockstep with the NFL brass, and just last month

Goodell announced that no team will come to Los Angeles next season. We don’t know the next plot point in the script.

What all this really does is give Kroenke leverage as he negotiates with his home-state legislators to get a new stadium. The Rams’ current venue, the Edward Jones Dome, is outdated, and now there’s a full year to hammer out a deal (a team that wants to move must announce its intentions between Jan.1 and Feb. 15). The Rams’ fans won’t turn their back

on the team next season if there’s a real chance they remain in St. Louis. The pressure is on the Missouri officials, as they know that Kroenke has a viable Plan B if they don’t pony up the dollars.

There’s another twist, but given that this is the NFL, that’s to be expected: AEG continues to push on Farmers Field in Downtown Los Angeles, and when the company last October extended by six months its agreement with the city on 15 acres next to the Convention Center and L.A. Live, it was almost certainly done in concert with the league. That’s likely part of why Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke so effusively of returning football to the city in the near future.

AEG has played it close to the vest ever since Tim Leiweke abruptly left the company in March 2013. With tens of millions of dollars already sunk into the project, don’t expect for a moment that company head Phil Anschutz will capitulate to Inglewood. Seriously, Inglewood?

What happens next? Probably the same thing as before. Expect Missouri leaders to realize their legacy could involve the phrase “lost the Rams while in office,” and for some hugely expensive bond to be floated that pays for a new stadium (and possibly saddles St. Louis with debt). Then, the next time another football city needs a new stadium, Los Angeles will be dangled again.

Is this a cynical outlook? Yes, and maybe, just maybe, the outcome will be different. But after two decades we know how the NFL plays, and we have to assume they’ll do the same until they prove otherwise. Inglewood, you may now enter the piñata. regardie@downtownnews.com

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Email it contests@downtownnews.com (subject line: Love Story Contest) Mail it 1264 W. First St., Los Angeles CA 90026 (postmarked by Feb. 1st) All or part of the submissions may be published in our special Romance in the City issue (or online), which hits stands Feb. 10 and become the property of Los Angeles Downtown News.

January 12, 2015

Downtown News 7

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Violent, Property Crime Spikes in Downtown

By Donna Evans rime spiked in Downtown Los Angeles last year, with the number of violent crimes increasing 25% over 2013 levels, and the overall tally of serious offenses rising nearly 10%, according to statistics released by the LAPD’s Central Division, which covers Downtown.

Despite the surge, which included 485 aggravated assaults in 2014, up from 361 the previous year, LAPD brass maintain that the area is just as safe as it has been in the past.

Instead, they attribute the rise to a change in how crimes are being classified. They said that the increase in Downtown statistics mirrors a rise in other parts of the city, and that the same change in classification is in play in all divisions.

Last year, Part One crimes, a category that includes all violent and serious property-related offenses, jumped to 4,239 incidents, up from 3,864 in 2013. That reverses a steep decrease from the previous year. The 2014 level is now similar to the 4,223 reported Part One crimes in Central Division in 2012.

The statistics also showed that rapes rose from 29 in 2013 to 68 in 2014. Additionally, robberies grew from 414 in 2013 to 472 last year, a rise of nearly 14%.

Property crimes climbed 5% in 2014 from the previous year, with the largest hike stemming from thefts: There were 1,975 in 2014, compared to 1,779 in 2013.

Still, authorities say that the 25% bump in overall violent crime does not equate to a more

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dangerous Downtown.

“I don’t think Downtown was less safe in 2014,” said Capt. Mike Oreb, who oversees the 425-officer Central Division. “There’s a variety of reasons that can cause the increase and the department is addressing it.”

One such reason, Oreb said, is a change in the way officers are required to classify crimes.

Last year, department brass mandated that LAPD adopt a federal method, called Uniform Crime Reporting, rather than classify crimes in a manner adhering to the California penal code.

That meant some cases that would have been considered misdemeanors are now categorized as felonies. The change followed an August Los Angeles Times report on crime statistics that revealed the LAPD incorrectly classified more than 1,000 violent crimes in 2012 to 2013.

An example of the new classification system, Oreb said, would be if a person hit someone else. That crime now is automatically written up as an aggravated assault, whereas in the past the classification depended on the severity of the injury the victim suffered.

Another example, he said, concerns Mace. In the past it was not considered a deadly weapon.

Now, if a person is sprayed with the chemical, the crime is recorded as an aggravated assault.

Adhering to a stricter definition of rape also raised the numbers in that category, said Lt. Armando Munoz. The change came last year when officers were told to report as a rape any instance in which a person claimed to have had sex without consent or knowledge. In the past,

VIOLENT CRIME CATEGORY Homicide Rape Robbery Aggravated Assault Total Violent Crime

2014 TOTAL 6 68 472 485 1051

2013 TOTAL 8 29 414 361 840

2012 TOTAL 3 34 520 412 969

PROPERTY CRIME CATEGORY Burglary Grand Theft Auto Burglary/Theft from Vehicle Theft/Grand Theft Person Total Property Crime Total Part 1 Crime

2014 TOTAL 230 250 733 1975 3188 4239

2013 TOTAL 196 265 784 1779 3024 3864

2012 TOTAL 224 326 883 1,821 3,254 4,223

he said, if a person was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crime, it could have been logged as an “undetermined sexual assault.”

The number of homicides in Central Division remained low, with six incidents in 2014, down from eight the previous year. Theft from a vehicle fell 7% from 2013 levels while grand theft auto declined by 6%.

Central City Association and Downtown Center Business Improvement District President and CEO Carol Schatz said she was not alarmed by the crime increase, noting that it corresponds to a citywide trend.

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“It is our understanding from talking to LAPD that aggravated assaults are up across the city.

So we are not alone,” she said.

LAPD statistics for the city, as of Dec. 27, showed a 12% increase in violent crime, with aggravated assaults surging by 24%. Rapes across Los Angeles rose by 12%.

Property crimes dropped throughout the city by 4%. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor Eric Garcetti are expected to announce the final 2014 crime statistics on Monday, Jan. 12.

Beefing Up Foot Beats Commander Andrew Smith acknowledged Continued on page 16

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8 Downtown News

January 12, 2015

Starry Kitchen’s Last Stand Restaurant Owners Say That if They Don’t Raise $500,000 on Kickstarter, They’ll Close for Good

By Eddie Kim ven if you’ve never eaten there, if you’ve spent time in Downtown, then odds are you know Starry Kitchen.

Perhaps you’ve tried its addictive crispy tofu balls or slick, rich garlic noodles. Maybe you read about the proprietors’ infamous marijuana-infused dinners. Or maybe you’ve just seen a Vietnamese guy in a banana suit on the sidewalk, dancing, cursing and demanding that passersby “try my balls.”

The Asian-fusion restaurant is the stuff of near-legend. Starry Kitchen came to life in 2009 as an illegal eatery in the San Fernando Valley apartment of the husband-and-wife-duo Nguyen and Thi Tran. It was shut down a year later, but the Trans pulled off the improbable: They went legit with a Bunker Hill brick-and-mortar location, continuing to rack up reams of national press and devoted fans drawn by a combination of Thi’s punchy cooking and Nguyen’s wacky antics.

It’s been an itinerant lifestyle, however, with three different Downtown locations, including the current home as a nightly pop-up restaurant inside Grand Star bar in Chinatown. Now, after five years of bouncing around, the Trans have laid down an ultimatum: They’ll either raise $500,000 in donations from the crowdfunding site Kickstarter by 3:05 p.m. on Feb. 1, or shut down for good.

They swear it’s not a bluff.

“I keep saying this, but it’s not a ‘Go big or go Plan B.’ It’s all or nothing,” Nguyen Tran said. “If I fail, it’s okay if I tried everything. We’re just being optimistic right now.”

The $500,000 is a tough challenge. For one, Kickstarter does not deliver any funds if 100% of the requested contribution is not met. The cheeky #SaveOurBalls campaign was launched Jan. 2 and, as of Thursday, Jan. 8, the Trans had raised a little more than $38,000.

Second, $500,000 for a restaurant would be a record-breaking amount on Kickstarter. That title is currently held by Superior Motors in Pittsburgh, which raised $310,225 in January 2014.

That raises an obvious question: Why not ask for a lesser amount and raise the chances of actually walking away with money? The Trans considered that, yet decided they don’t want to spend more time with traditional financing routes. The $500,000 would cover the build-out of a 2,000-square-foot restaurant, equipment, furnishings, permits and other starter essentials.

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“It’s not that we’re out of other ways to finance. But we’ve given ourselves a finite timeline,” Nguyen Tran said. “To hire lawyers and pursue other routes, it could take six months or nine months or two years. Even if we get a new restaurant started with less money, if I have to make bad decisions to save funds, we’ll end up losing money in the long run.”

After closing at Cal Plaza on Bunker Hill, the Trans moved to chef Fred Eric’s Fashion District restaurant Tiara Cafe in summer 2012, serving dinner after the restaurant closed. About a year later, they relocated to Grand Star bar. Nguyen Tran said the Grand Star owners would let them stay, but having to deal with someone else’s space has taken a toll.

“Honestly, ever since Tiara Cafe to Grand Star, I’ve been at a point where I’m OK to shut everything down,” Thi Tran said. “I’m not unhappy, I’m not sad. I need closure. I can’t keep going to pop-ups. I’m sick of it.”

Learning by Experience Before starting Starry Kitchen, the Trans had no experience in the dining world. Nguyen was working in Hollywood as a film sales rep, while Thi was in advertising. Running a restaurant, Nguyen Tran says, has been an experience full of mistakes and lessons learned. From wasting money on temporary fixes for a permanent problem (a clogged plumbing line, for instance), to sending cooks home on a slow night only to get slammed by a big group of walk-ins, the Trans have rolled with the punches.

As is often the case in the restaurant world, outward praise doesn’t always indicate inward stability, and Nguyen Tran says Starry Kitchen’s undercapitalization issues have been a consistent hurdle. He’s still upset about how his mistakes “burned bridges” with some partners.

The Trans have worked with investors in the past, and while they’ve met with more potential financing partners for another brick-andmortar move, conversations haven’t led to a deal.

“Maybe I’m too staunch. Maybe it’s my ego.

Maybe it’s my personality,” Nguyen Tran said.

“With that said, with the few people we’ve talked to about investing, it’s either they cool off or they reduce their investment.”

Scott Kamalski, who has helped finance and grow numerous businesses through his Maverick Restaurant Consulting, and is a co-owner of the Historic Core’s Buzz Wine Beer Shop, has seen similar problems at numerous other ven-

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Nguyen and Thi Tran, who have run the popular Asian-fusion restaurant Starry Kitchen since 2009, are looking to raise $500,000. It is currently operating as a pop-up inside Grand Star bar in Chinatown, but if they don’t get the money, they said, they’ll close down.

tures. It’s always a challenge to line up investors for a restaurant, he said, especially a one-off venture like Starry Kitchen. He added that most investors prefer concepts that can be duplicated and grow rapidly.

“Ultimately, what they’re investing in is you.

So you need to have your stuff together,” Kamalski said. “A Starry Kitchen needs to have all five elements — design, service style, product, management and operations, and atmosphere — 100% fleshed out. In L.A., a lot of places only deliver on one.”

No matter what happens on the fundraising front, Starry Kitchen has a legacy as one of the most curious and delicious stories in L.A.’s new dining culture. No Downtown establishment

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has offered such a close connection between stellar food and idiosyncratic personalities. The Singaporean chili crab and the crispy tofu balls will remain in foodie lore just as much as Nguyen Tran’s penchant for dining-room outbursts and hilarious costumed cameos at food festivals.

Right now, it’s uncertainty above all else.

“I am scared,” Nguyen Tran admitted. “I’m not kidding. I don’t know what’s going to happen.

I’m scared. But I’m excited, too.”

Starry Kitchen is at 943 N. Broadway, (213) 8141123 or starrykitchen.com. The #SaveOurBalls campaign continues on Kickstarter until 3:05 p.m. on Feb. 1. eddie@downtownnews.com.

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January 12, 2015

Downtown News 9

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Restaurant Buzz Phat Thai in Chinatown, a Financial District Pop-Up and More Food Happenings

By Eddie Kim aste of Thai Streets: The Chinatown food scene is bubbling, and chef Andy Ricker just turned up the heat. Late last month he opened the Pok Pok Phat Thai noodle shop in Far East Plaza, a few doors down from Roy Choi’s popular Chego. As the name suggests, the restaurant serves variations on phat Thai, rice noodles stir-fried with a rich, tangy sauce and a variety of meats and vegetables. The menu holds a few other stir-fries and snacks, including the street food hoi thawt, a crisp crepe filled with mussels, eggs and bean sprouts. Everything is around $10. Pok Pok Phat Thai is currently open from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, with expanded hours coming in the near future. It’s the first of two Pok Pok restaurants coming to Chinatown: Expect a larger establishment in Mandarin Plaza

(970 N. Broadway) to open in the spring.

At 727 N. Broadway or pokpokphatthaila.com.

AROUND TOWN, 2

bune Media plans to create a mixed-use project with multiple new buildings, according to its press release. The plan will take into account a new rail station being built at Second Street and Broadway, part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Regional Connector. The Los Angeles Times, which is owned by Tribune Media, occupies a portion of Times Mirror Square, along with other tenants. No budget or timeline have been revealed.

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homes in Downtown? If so, it’s time to share it with your neighbors. Los Angeles Downtown News is looking for Central City residents to show off their home in our upcoming “What’s in My Loft?” section (it doesn’t have to be a traditional loft; we just want a nice, unique place). The residences, which will be featured in the March 23 issue, will be photographed, and a reporter will stop by to discuss design and a few of the occupants’ most treasured possessions. The stories include pictures of the inhabitants. So if you’ve got a place that should be seen by everyone, then email a short description and photo to Dawn Eastin at dawn@downtownnews.com.

Tribune Media to Redevelop Times Mirror Square

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he Los Angeles Times building and an adjacent parking lot could see some big changes in the future, as Tribune Media, which owns the parcels, announced last week that it is looking for a partner to restore and redevelop the Civic Center site known as Times Mirror Square. While details on the complex that fronts First Street are sparse, Tri-

Low rate auto loans, no monkeying around.

Beefy Debut: The space at Eighth and Figueroa streets that formerly housed Hawaiian-fusion restaurant Roy’s has now been filled: Welcome swanky Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao.

Meals start with a trip to an appetizer/salad bar, which has cured meats, cheeses, pickled vegetables and more. Then, a procession of cooks comes to your table with more than a dozen different types of grilled meat — you point, they carve. Don’t miss the picanha, a juicy sirloin cut that’s wildly popular in Brazil but hard to find in the United States. Lunch (weekdays only) is $34.50 and dinner (seven days a week) is $54.50.

At 800 S. Figueroa St, (213) 228-4300 or fogodechao.com.

WiFi Coming to Downtown Metro Stations

photo courtesy Fogo de Chao

Keep It Poppin’: The beautiful bistro Coco Laurent, at Seventh Street and Grand Avenue, shuttered last year and may never return. The space across from Bottega Louie has reopened, however, as the home of a pop-up restaurant called Living Breathing Kitchen. Chef Robert Castaneda is serving an oft-changing menu with dishes such as pork loin with a pomegranate sauce and smoked green beans or rabbit hash with potatoes and a rich lamb sauce. The kitchen serves dinner Wednesday-Saturday and brunch on Saturday and Sunday (with bottomless mimosas for a wallet-friendly $12).

At 707 S. Grand Ave. or facebook.com/lbkexperience.

Fish Out of Water: Bunker Hill’s got a sleek new space for Latin food. Pez Cantina opened at 401 S. Grand Ave. on Dec. 22 and offers an array of seafood tacos, simply prepared chilled fish and shrimp, and heavier dishes such as the cochinita pibil (braised pork shank) or the molcajete, a bubbling stew of pork, shrimp, sausage, cheese and cactus served in a huge stone mor-

tar. Pez Cantina is the brainchild of former Patina executive chef Bret Thompson.

At 401 S. Grand Ave., (213) 258-2280 or pezcantina.com.

Fiesta Time: The 25,000-square-foot former home of Icon Ultra Lounge, across from Staples Center, is becoming a massive home of Mexican food and mariachi music. Don Chente Bar-Grill and Lounge is aiming to soft-open in the first week of February, offering roughly the same menu found at its original Walnut Park location. The traditional Mexican dishes come from executive chef Rocio Camacho, who is a local legend for her mole sauces in particular. The restaurant will also have live music on Thursday-Sunday from the Grammy-winning Mariachi los Camperos. The rooftop space, meanwhile, will serve as a lounge for drinks and smaller bites. Bonus: It’s next to Hooters!

Coming to 1248 S. Figueroa St. and donchentedtla.com.

Got juicy food news? Email Eddie Kim at eddie@downtownnews.com

P

retty soon you’ll be able to see funny squirrel videos, or do anything else a web connection offers, on Downtown trains.

Come May, riders will have WiFi access on their mobile devices aboard the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Red and Purple line trains between Union Station and Seventh Street, according to a December Metro memo. In August, those same Downtown stations — Union Station, Civic Center, Pershing Square and Seventh Street/Metro Center — are slated to provide cell service.

Metro cautioned that the dates are dependent on “tunnel availability” and the time it takes for contractor InSite Wireless to reach agreements with wireless Internet and cell service providers.

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The Financial District now has a new temple of meat. An outpost of Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao has opened in the former Roy’s space at Eighth and Figueroa streets.

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January 12, 2015

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10 Downtown News

Five Highlights At Riot L.A. I Love New York

A CritiCAl MAss of CoMedy

DT

Abbey Londer is the founder and one-woman crew behind the Riot L.A. comedy festival, which brings more than 150 performers to seven Historic Core venues this week.

CALENDAR

Riot L.A. Festival Dials Up the Laughter With 150 Comedians and Seven Downtown Venues

By Eddie Kim hen Abbey Londer moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 2009, she was surprised. Though the Windy City has a long comedy history, she saw a wealth of opportunity in her new home.

“L.A. is a mecca in that every comic comes here at one point or another,” Londer remarked last week. “There’s so much free comedy here.

We’re quite spoiled.”

Two years after relocating, the comedy

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riches in L.A. inspired her to put together a festival. Riot L.A., which debuted in September 2012, was hatched as an irreverent, diverse comedy happening, one that stood out from events in other cities by virtue of its block-party vibe.

Londer seems to have filled a niche, and this week Riot L.A. returns to Downtown Los Angeles. The third iteration runs Friday-Sunday, Jan. 16-18, in seven different venues in the Historic Core. Altogether more than 150 per-

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Much of the festival consists of 90-minute shows with multiple comics. Performers include Bil Dwyer and Erica Rhodes, who will host the “Stardumb” show on Jan. 17 at the Downtown Independent.

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When: Jan. 16 at 9 p.m.

Where: Downtown Independent Details: Eddie Pepitone leads a group of New York comics, including Dan Soder, Dave Hill and Michelle Wolf, through 90 minutes of stand-up gold.

Al Madrigal and Friends

When: Jan. 17 at 7 p.m.

Where: Downtown Independent Details: Madrigal, a familiar face on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” headlines a slate with comedians including Billy Wayne Davis and Dave Anthony.

Comedy Living Room

When: Jan. 17 at 9 p.m.

Where: The Lot (outdoors on Main Street) Details: James Davis, Kyle Kinane, Ali Wong and others come together for an acclaimed comedy show that once was a living-room open mic session.

Roast Battle

When: Jan. 17 at 11 p.m. formers will appear, with most of the action Where: Five Star Bar taking place on Main Street between Second Details: Comics face off in a battle of inand Third streets, with shows at the Downtown sulting wits in front of judges including Independent, Five Star Bar, The Smell, New Moshe Kasher and Jeff Ross, Comedy CenJalisco Bar and a converted parking lot with an tral’s notorious roast-master. outdoor stage.

Other shows will be at the Regent theater and the nearby Lexington theater.

When: Jan. 18 at 8 p.m.

The lineup includes well-known comics Where: Five Star Bar such as Norm MacDonald, Maria Bamford, Bill Details: In this 4/20-friendly event, comics Burr, Al Madrigal and Fred Willard. The L.A. take a special smoke break before hitting vibe will come via food trucks, games, a phothe stage. (Yes, audience participation is to booth and a beer garden, among other ofencouraged.) ferings.

Much of the program consists of 90-minute Londer said. “What makes Riot L.A. special is shows with multiple comics, and many are $10that feeling of a party where everyone’s on the $15. The opening night’s “I Love New York” set street.” features, predictably, comedians from New York, Ping Pong Inspiration among them Eddie Pepitone, Hari Kondabolu Riot L.A. began with a Kickstarter campaign. and Dan Soder. Other shows have special themes Londer asked for $20,000 and secured $22,380 or conceits: Bill Burr’s “Goddamn Comedy Jam”

by February 2012. makes comics sing their favorite song with a live “The money just exploded,” she said. band after their stand-up performance, while the She settled on Downtown as the location, as “Brew Ha Ha” is a drinking game in which comeit reminded her of the urban feel of Chicago. In dians must follow certain rules or be forced to fact, she had already staged a successful comtake a glug of their preferred poison (the audishow in a Downtown warehouse with free ence, too, will “play” along).

Starts 9 / 16edy beer and a ping pong table.

On top of celebrating comedy, LonderJan. hopes “We got 150 people down on a Tuesday eveto create a sense of community, focusing the ning in the middle of nowhere. That’s where shows on a single location where comics and my fascination with Downtown came from,” she fans can hang out. She also wants to give atsaid. “And the architecture and the city vibe in tendees a chance to park once and hop from Downtown is like no other place in L.A.” venue to venue on foot.

The inaugural Riot L.A. received a warm re“The festivals I enjoy less are the ones spread sponse not just from audiences, but also from out through the city. That’s not to say they’re not great festivals, but we have enough sprawl,” Continued on page 14

The Midnight Run

Starts Jan. 16

January 12, 2015

Downtown News 11

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Return of the Mammoth Art Attack Annual Exhibition at Convention Center Brings Creative Work From 22 Countries

By Donna Evans rt collectors and admirers seeking paintings, photographs, sculptures and more from around the world won’t need a passport this week. Instead, all they’ll need to do is head to the Los Angeles Convention Center.

That’s where the 20th annual L.A. Art Show will take place. The event, which runs Wednesday-Sunday, Jan. 14-18, will feature more than 120 galleries offering contemporary, modern, historic and other pieces displayed over 200,000 square feet in the South Park complex.

The show will feature work from 22 countries, including the largest grouping of Chinese, Korean and Japanese galleries outside of Asia, according to organizers.

“It would take a lot to be able to see all this work if it weren’t in one place,” said L.A. Art Show producer Kim Martindale.

The five-day event is operated by the Palm Beach Show Group, which acquired the L.A. Art Show in 2012. It kicks off Wednesday with a benefit for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Each gallery has a booth, and while some display a few small pieces, others showcase dozens of works. The pieces for sale range from several hundred dollars to $500,000, Martindale said.

One-day entrance to the show is $20, or $15 if tickets are purchased online.

Accompanying the event again this year will

A

be a secondary exhibit, the Los Angeles Jewelry, Antique and Design Show (regular admission covers entrance to this show). It will feature thousands of pieces from 40 galleries. The items on display run the gamut from tribal and American Indian art to Buddhist scroll painting to Ming-style mahogany furniture to Tiffany lamps and gobs of gold, silver and diamond jewelry.

Humble Beginnings The first L.A. Art Show took place 20 years ago at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Fourteen galleries showcased works. About 250 people attended.

In ensuing years it hopscotched to venues such as the John Wooden Center at UCLA and the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. It settled at the Convention Center in 2009. Last year, approximately 50,000 people passed through the doors.

Martindale said changing global conditions, and Los Angeles’ role in these shifts, have prompted this year’s focus on Asian art.

He noted that nine Japanese galleries are participating this year, and that four of the artists will be part of a panel discussion on Friday.

“L.A. is in the center of [the Pacific Rim], and as L.A. becomes more and more the center of the art world, Downtown will become more and more the center of the Pacific Rim art world,” he said.

One highlight, Martindale said, will be Chinese photographer Guo Ji Jiang’s documenContinued on page 16

A work by Qiu Sheng Xian is among the thousands of pieces that will be on display at the L.A. Art Show.

This marks the 20th year for the event. It takes place Jan. 14-18.

photo courtesy LA Art Show

The show at the Convention Center will feature works from more than 120 international galleries. There is a heavy concentration of Chinese, Korean and Japanese artwork this year. photo courtesy LA Art Show

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DT The Don't Miss List

CALENDAR LISTINGS EVENTS

By Dan Johnson calendar@downtownnews.com

One

Now in its final week at the Ahmanson Theatre is Blithe Spirit. The staging of a 1940s Noel Coward work built on a farcical blend of domestic comedy and the supernatural stars Angela Lansbury as Madame Arcati, a medium hired to provide a novelist with material for his next work of fiction.

Little does he know, Madame Arcati is about to bring his troublesome ex-wife into the picture. See why Lansbury has earned raves for the role on Tuesday-Friday, Jan. 13-16, at 8 p.m., 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturday and at 1 and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. At 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

Friday, January 16

Riot L.A. Seven venues in the Historic Core, riotla.com.

A giant comedy festival is centered on Main Street between Second and Third streets, but also spills over to the Regent and Lexington theaters. Take in the yuks inspired by more than 150 comics. The festival runs through Sunday, and most shows are 90 minutes and feature a lineup of several comedians. See story p.

10. saTurday, January 17 Samite and H’Sao at World City W.M. Keck Amphitheatre, 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 9720777 or musiccenter.org.

11 and 12:30 a.m.: Ugandan flute expert Samite and Chadfounded Afro-fusion outfit H’sao inaugurate 2015 for the World City performance program. Admission is free. sunday, January 18 Codeathon DTLA Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway or acehotel.com/codeathon-dtla.

4 p.m.: All are invited to peruse the fruits of this day-long competition to improve women’s health through exercise via technology.

3

Since November, the Holiday Ice Rink at Pershing Square has carried the standard for holiday cheer. Now, the Christmas tinsel has been packed away, and this week we bid adieu to the Historic Core’s most celebrated piece of frozen water with seven final days of ice skating. The rink will be open every day through Monday, Jan. 19. For those with a lust for amateur sports, Pershing Square will host the finals of the sixth annual Community Broomball Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 15. At 532 S. Olive St., (213) 847-4970 or laparks.org/pershingsquare.

photo by Gary Leonard

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

photo by Annika Lee

Thursday, January 15 Chang-Rae Lee at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: Native Speaker author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Chang-rae Lee discusses his latest work, On Such A Full Sea.

Since the 1995 release of Chang-Rae Lee’s debut novel Native Speaker, the author has been heralded as a potent voice not only in Asian-American oriented fiction, but in the constant negotiation of issues of ethnicity, identity and power. As his latest work, On Such a Full Sea, hits shelves, the Pulitzer Prize finalist and Hemingway Award winner stops by the Library Foundation’s Aloud program on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 7:15 p.m. for a reading and discussion. Tickets for the event in the Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium were still available at press time. At 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

2

Five

The sounds of sub-Saharan Africa are coming through loud and clear on Saturday, Jan. 17, as the Music Center’s World City program presents a free double bill. Ugandan flautist Samite joins H’sao (shown here), an Afro-fusion outfit from Chad by way of Montreal, in two performances at the W.M. Keck Amphitheatre at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Tickets for the 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. shows can be reserved online or will be available on a first-come, firstserved basis the day of the event. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org.

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

photo courtesy the Music Center

Wednesday, January 14 Charley Steiner at Town Hall-L.A. City Club Los Angeles, 555 S. Flower St., (213) 628-8141 or townhall-la.org.

11:30 a.m.: Guests are encouraged to leave their Matt Kemp effigies at home when attending this talk on the merits and inner workings of the Blue Crew with longtime Dodgers broadcaster Charlie Steiner.

In case you missed them atop many critics’ best of 2014 lists or haven’t bothered to download their free albums, Run the Jewels have been making an end run on the hip-hop scene. Featuring New York MC El-P and Atlanta activist/rhymesmith/barbershop owner Killer Mike, the duo has earned a barrelful of accolades with their sharply produced and adeptly delivered alt flow. On Wednesday, Jan. 14, Run the Jewels makes a pit stop at the Regent Theatre. The event is sold out, but you never know when more tickets will be added. On Friday, the Regent hosts the Budos Band and Death Valley Girls. At 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com.

photo by Joan Marcus

photo by Michael Schmelling

Tuesday, January 13 The Killing of the Creative Class at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: Scott Timberg’s new book Culture Crash details the economic strangulation experienced by creative types working in largely freelance scenarios. Architect Barbara Bestor and Cake vocalist John McCrea (who will be going the distance, going for speed) will join the author in a panel discussion.

What Is the California Dream Now? Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway or zocalopublicsquare.org.

7 p.m.: From Richard Henry Dana to Joan Didion, many a fine mind have struggled to articulate an adequate response to this question. Despite the daunting prospect of failure, writer Joe Matthews will speculate on the answer at this Zocalo Public Square event.

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

Jan 12: Natalie John CD Release Party.

Jan. 13: Thelonious Monk Institute Ensemble Jam Session.

Jan. 14-15: Taylor Eigsti Trio.

Jan. 16: Benjamin Shepherd Birthday Concert.

Jan. 17: David Binney Group.

Jan. 18: David Roitstein and Larry Koonse.

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

Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m.: Your penultimate chance to see January residents Sego.

Jan. 15, 8 p.m.: We’re thinking Rocky Chance and Mowgli Moon of Bad Lands fame might have changed their names at some point.

January 12, 2015

World Music d an p Ho pHi llo He g, in at Sk Goodbye Spirits and

Four

12 Downtown News

January 12, 2015

Downtown News 13

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Jan. 16, 9 p.m.: James Williamson: Re-Licked sounds like a memoir about an auspicious trip to Tijuana, but is in fact the Stooges’ guitarist playing with the likes of Alison Mosshart, Jello Biafra and many more.

Jan. 17, 9 p.m.: Tonight’s soul trio headliners King are praying their fans make it out to the gig, lest the booking agent at the Bootleg drop the fantastically apropos UB40 lyric, “King, where are your people now?”

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

Jan. 17, 8 p.m.: Guitar Center’s 26th annual Drum-Off pits the finest sticks men against one another.

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

Jan. 16: Robin Schulz.

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

Jan. 13, 8 p.m.: T-Bone Burnett acolyte Ryan Bingham drops his latest album.

Jan. 14, 8 p.m.: Easy listening OG Walter Egan will appear for the evening.

Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m.: A&R legends Lenny Waronker and Tommy Lipuma share the stage.

Nokia Theatre 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6030 or nokiatheatrelalive.com.

Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m.: Those in attendance tonight will have something in common with Biggie Smalls as they check out the O’Jays and think about the old days.

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

Jan. 13: Dead Words, Thought Crime, Moonraker and Pizza Wolf.

Jan. 16: AC X DC, Nausea, Rapewhistle, Redacted, Hiding Inside Victims and LDT. Jan. 17: Lucky Eejits, Batlords, Dudes Night, Bad Bruno, Scorpion Vs. Tarantula.

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

Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m.: Run The Jewels brings superlative hip-hop to DTLA. Jan. 16, 8 p.m.: Instrumental fusion from the Budos Band.

Jan. 17, 10 p.m.: Tickle your funny bone with Norm MacDonald.

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

Jan. 12, 10 p.m.: The Louis Van Taylor Quartet are the real McCoy. Jan. 13, 10 p.m.: The Makers have missed you. Stop by and give them a hug.

Jan. 14, 10 p.m.: Ray Brooks on the blues guitar.

Jan. 15, 10 p.m.: Grammy nominees The Sidewinders return.

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

The venue is filled this weekend with comedians performing as part of the Riot L.A. comedy festival. A full lineup is at riotla.com.

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

Galapagos 3D. If it was good enough to blow Charles Darwin’s mind, it’s probably good enough for you!

Forces of Nature promises a panoply of nature’s worst destruction..

Experience the gripping story full of hope, crushing disappointment and triumph in Hubble 3D. Regal Cinemas LA Live 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 763-6070 or lalive.com/movies.

Through January 15: Taken 3 (1:30, 2, 4:10, 4:40, 6:50, 7:20, 9:30 and 10 p.m.); The Woman in Black 2 Angel of Death (12:15, 2:45, 5:20, 7:55 and 10:25 p.m.); Into the Woods (12:20, 3:30, 6:40 and 9:40 p.m.); Selma (12:25, 12:55, 3:25, 3:55, 6:25, 7:05, 9:35 and 10:05 p.m.); Unbroken (12:40, 3:50, 7 and 10:10 p.m.); The Gambler (1:50, 4:45, 7:35 and 10:20 p.m.); Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (1:10, 3:45, 6:20 and 9 p.m.); The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (11:55 a.m., 12:45, 3:10, 4, 6:30, 7:40 and 9:50 p.m.); Top Five (1:45, 4:15, 6:45 and 9:20 p.m.); The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (10 p.m.); The Wizard of Oz (2 and 7 p.m.).

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: Rock, Pop & Jazz; Bars & Clubs; Farmers Markets; Events; Film; Sports; Art Spaces; Theater, Dance and Opera; Classical Music; Museums; and Tours.

2YOUR EVENT INFO

EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT

4 WEB: LADowntownNews.com/calendar 4 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.

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14 Downtown News

Riot L.A., 10 the participating comics.

“I didn’t realize how big the spectacle would be. Hell, [comic] Kurt Braunohler had a parade going down the street,” said comedian Kyle Kinane, who returns this year with a performance at “The Lot” (the outdoor stage on Main Street) on Jan. 17. “L.A. is an easy place for people to knock sometimes, but it’s often people who visit the Sunset Strip for three days. Abbey really gets the idea of a festival and a party.”

Riot L.A. is also a stellar opportunity for the venues, said Downtown Independent manager Laura Stokes. The theater’s goal is to create an arts community, and the festival is a big S I N C E 19 7 2 Losin Angeles Downtown Newsshe said. The theater step the right direction, hosts the ma1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 jority of events, starting Friday night and running through phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 Saturday and Sunday. web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com “Our venue wants to be anything it can be beyond movfacebook:is something out of the ordinary, twitter: ” Stokes said. ies, and comedy L.A. Downtown News DowntownNews “Downtown was doing nebulous little events in its own way, but to concentrate an event in Downtown like this is great.”

Editor & PublishEr: Laris a one-woman production team.

Amazingly, LonderSue remains GENErAl The festivalMANAGEr: takes allDawn year Eastin to plan, but the hard work begins

about six months before the event. Riot L.A. “can’t grow any more” until Londer recruits a proper team, which she said could happen in time for the 2016 program.

Despite the hard work, Londer is enthused by the comedy culture she sees in Los Angeles.

Comic and game-show host Bil Dwyer, who has appeared on “The Tonight Show” and “Last Comic Standing,” and who is hosting Riot L.A.’s “Stardumb!” show with Erica Rhodes on Jan. 17 at the Downtown Independent, echoed that sentiment.

He noted that live comedy, especially when audiences and Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris comics can hang out and party GENErAl togetherMANAGEr: like at Riot L.A., is a Dawn Eastin special experience.

ExEcutivE Jonon Regardie He also said it’s far different than seeing Editor: stand-up TV. stAFF writErs: Donna Evans, Eddie Kim “That live element makes it dangerous and fun and somecoNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese thing a little crazy. And honestly, it’s just getting out of the coNtributiNG writErs: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, S I N C E 19 7 2 house for a weekend. Just get out!” Dwyer said with a cackle.

Kristin Friedrich, Kylie Jane Wakefield Los Angeles Downtown News “How much [expletive] TV do you need to binge-watch, any1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 Art dirEctor: Brian Allison way?” phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 AssistANt dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa Riot L.A. is Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 16-18 Art at multiple venues in web: DowntownNews.com ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins the Historic Core. Information, tickets and a full schedule are at email: realpeople@downtownnews.com photo courtesy Maria Bamford riotla.com.

PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard Maria Bamford performs at the Downtownfacebook: Independent on Jan. 18. eddie@downtownnews.com

PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard

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LEGAL Civil sUmmons LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT CASE NO. VD084541 PETITIONER’S NAmE IS: JEANETTA RANDALL notice to reSponDent: barry Darnell Fantroy notice! you have been sued. read the following information. you have 30 calendar days after this Summons and petition are served on you to file a Response (form Fl-120 or Fl-123) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. a letter, phone call, or court appearance will not protect you. if you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affect-

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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. ing your marriage or domestic partnership, you property, and custody of your children. you may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs. For legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the california courts online Self-Help center (www. courts.ca.gov/selfhelp). at the california legal Services website (www.lawhelpca.org), or by contacting your local county bar association. notice: the restraining orders on page 2 are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment is entered, or the court makes further order. the orders are enforceable anywhere in california by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them. Fee Waiver: if you cannot pay the filing fee ask the clerk for a fee waiver form to pay back all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for you or the other party. the name and address of the court is: los angeles county Superior court norwalk courthouse 12720 norwalk blvd.,

norwalk, ca 90650 case number: VD084541 Dated: July 08, 2014 clerk: Sherri r. carter Deputy: a. robledo the name, address, telephone number, and fax number of the petitioner’s attorney or petitioner without an attorney are: Jeanetta randall 10853 Firestone bl., apt. 64 norwalk, ca 90650 562-219-0983 pub. 01/12, 01/19, 01/26, and 02/02/2015. fiCtitioUs BUsiness name FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAmE STATEmENT FILE NO. 2014353157 the following persons doing

business as: laMUSicbooKing, 639 S. Spring, St., 8a, los angeles, ca 90014, is hereby registered by the following registrants: (1) Justin louis Wesley, 215 W. 7th St., 705, los angeles, ca 90014 (2) richard Daniel taub, 639 S. Spring, St., 8a, los angeles, ca 90014. this business is conducted by a general partnership. registrants have not begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein.

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NOTICE—This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that

time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal,

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16 Downtown News

January 12, 2015

Crime, 7

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

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

Central Area Captain Mike Oreb oversees a division where violent crime rose 25% last year. He attributed the increase to a change in how some crimes are classified.

“I don’t think Downtown was less safe in 2014,” he said.

that any increase in crime concerns the department. Authorities will be keeping a close eye on aggravated assaults, which he said reflects a rise in domestic violence cases.

With a majority of the aggravated assaults occurring in Skid Row, Oreb said he will put more foot beats on the streets of the 50-block area. The goal, he said, is to keep the officers highly visible. He believes that will help deter crime, as will the ongoing Operation Healthy Streets. The city’s $3.7 million initiative is a new effort, and part of a partnership with Los Angeles County, to get homeless people off the streets and into permanent and supportive housing, and address the needs of the mentally ill.

The Historic Core is another area which Oreb said will see more foot patrols in 2015, as well as closed circuit television cameras. The neighborhood, particularly on Fifth Street, continues to see a heavy narcotics trade, he said. donna@downtownnews.com

Art Show, 11 tary-style God of War series. It concerns the 2008 magnitude-8 earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province. Yet, said Martindale, instead of focusing on the loss of life, Jiang’s work depicts a decline of Chinese culture. The images are meant to reflect, in part, on the destruction of Buddhist and Taoist temples, some dating to the Ming dynasty.

This isn’t to imply that local artists get short shrift. There’s a hefty concentration of Southern California art, including Hollywood resident J.T. Burke’s installation “The Paradise Circus,” which he created specifically for the show. Burke, a former altar boy who calls himself a “recovering Catholic,” described his first threedimensional piece as part cathedral, part circus tent. Visitors are encouraged to walk inside the 16-foot tall, 25-foot wide metal and wood structure and kneel down, the way one would in a confessional booth. Once kneeling, patrons pull a cord and paradise will be revealed, he said.

“My piece is not about chiding any particular religion or calling anyone out or being disrespectful,” he said. “The deeper question the art asks is what is the real place for religion, orthodoxies and doctrine in today’s world.”

Visitors, take heed: If you want to see paradise, you have to kneel. Simply bending over or squatting down will not reveal the full image as it is meant to be seen, Burke said.

The L.A. Art Show is Jan. 14-18 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., (213) 741-1151 or laartshow.com.