01-20-14

Rail Stations in the Arts District | 5 The Man Who Remade Downtown | 6

JANUARY 20, 2014 I VOL. 43 I #3

A Velvet Revolution A Peek Inside Downtown’s New Velvet Painting Museum

Photo by Gary Leonard

See Page 13

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Win a Romantic night DoWntoWn! Tell your... Best Wedding Day/Engagement Story • Most Romantic Story • Best Worst First Date Story

PRizes: One night stay at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel including dinner for two at Noe restaurant • $100 gift card to The Palm and more!

DeaDline • Monday, February 3 at 5 p.m. email it • contests@downtownnews.com (subject line: Love Story Contest) mail it • 1264 W. First St., Los Angeles CA 90026

THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

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AROUND TOWN

Police/Community Jaywalking Ticket Meeting This Week

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re you concerned, confused or angry about jaywalking tickets in Downtown? If so, you’re not alone, and this week the Los Angeles Police Department wants to hear from you. Capt. Ann Young, who oversees the LAPD Traffic Division, and the Historic Core’s senior lead officer will appear at the Palm Court at the Alexandria Hotel at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22, to talk about California’s vehicle code policy for jaywalking — a code which local police have been told to strictly enforce. The pricey tickets — up to $250 — have ignited a swirl of outrage. Many have complained about the department’s practice of ticketing people who step into the crosswalk even when the countdown clock still has 10 or more seconds on it. The uptick in enforcement follows four pedestrian deaths and 129 vehicle-pedestrian accidents recorded in Downtown in 2013. The Historic Downtown Los Angeles Business Improvement District is helping organize the meeting.

‘Day on Broadway’ Celebrates the Street

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he resurgence of Broadway will be celebrated his weekend, and you, yes you, are invited. On Saturday, Feb. 25, 14th District City Councilman Jose Huizar’s Bringing Back Broadway initiative is hosting the event

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS dubbed “A Day on Broadway.” Timed to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the initiative, the happening starts at 12:30 p.m. at the newly opened Ace Hotel at 929 S. Broadway.

A number of Broadway’s historic theaters will be open, so folks may get a glimpse of their interiors during a talk by historian Ed Kelsey.

Additionally, the scavenger hunt/competition CityRace: The Best of Broadway will take place, with teams of two to four people searching for clues in the street’s landmarks, stores and restaurants. While Broadway events are free and open to the public, CityRace teams should plan to spend about $12 during the race. Pre-registration for Day on Broadway events is required and can be made at dayonbroadway.com.

January 20, 2014

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Tell a Love Story, Win a Romantic Prize

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veryone likes a romantic story (you do too, tough guy). Everyone also likes a bad date story. Those and more come together in Los Angeles Downtown News’ annual Valentine’s Day Story Contest. We’re giving out some big prizes for those who submit tales in three categories: Best Wedding Day/Engagement Story, Most Romantic Story and Best Worst First Date Story. Entries, which must be under 200 words (seriously, don’t go over), may appear in our special Valentine’s Day section, which publishes Feb. 10. Downtown News judges will select the winners. The Grand Prize is a one-night stay at the Omni Hotel, dinner for two at Noe restaurant and a pair of Feb. 14-16 tickets to the Ahmanson Theatre’s upcoming James Brown: Get on the Good Foot. Other prizes include gift cards and movie tickets. All entries are due by

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Monday, Feb. 3, at 5 p.m. sharp. Email entries to contests@downtownnews.com with the subject line Love Story Contest. Or mail them to 1264 W. First St., Los Angeles, CA 90026. All decisions made by the judges are final and all entries become the property of Downtown News and may be edited.

Downtown Counterfeiter Hit With $3.9 Million Judgment

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he office of City Attorney Mike Feuer last week announced that it has secured a $3.9

January 12, 2014

million judgment against a Downtown merchant for selling counterfeit goods. The judgment is the largest ever secured by the City Attorney’s office in a counterfeiting case, according to Feuer’s office. Maria Luisa Sanchez was found to have committed 1,586 trademark violations since at least 2009. She was fined $2,500 for each violation. According to Feuer’s office, she had peddled counterfeit jewelry, clothes, handbags and others items at a series of Downtown stores, most recently at a business at 1034 Maple Ave. dubbed Blue Boo. Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson issued Continued on page 12

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EDITORIALS

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January 20, 2014

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

The Majesty of a Preserved Theater

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hen people walked into the theater on the southern portion of Broadway more than a decade ago, their eyes opened in wonder.

The nearly century-old space had been miraculously restored. The millions spent on the project and the attention paid to small details were instantly apparent: the rich fabric on the seats, the ornate, glittering decor, the general sense of comfort in an aged venue with soaring ceilings.

The above occurred in 2001, when Steve Needleman reopened the Orpheum Theatre. The 1926 venue at 842 S. Broadway, which seats 2,000, has since become the prime example of the potential that lies in the street’s historic movie palaces. Three years later Needleman turned the upper floors of the Orpheum into 37 apartments, but today the building remains best known for the gorgeously restored theater that regularly hosts concerts and serves as a venue for film and television production.

The Orpheum turnaround preceded the unveiling of the Ace Hotel’s theater by 13 years. However, the two should be seen as complementary rather than competitors, as they serve as reminders of the beauty and potential in Broadway’s early 20th century gems. They also are examples of what can occur when a building owner decides to invest in and modernize a historic structure. Successfully transforming the Ace proves that the Orpheum upgrade, while precedent-setting, was not a one-of-a-kind success.

As with the Orpheum, the work undertaken at the Ace is impressive and frequently majestic. In saving and modernizing the 1,600-seat venue, the Portland-based chain salvaged a structure that was opened by Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith in 1927 (more recently it had been the home of the church run by the late Dr. Gene Scott). Ace did seemingly everything right, working with members of the preservation community, including the Los Angeles Conservancy and the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation, to ensure that a structure that will be utilized by modern audiences retains the standout elements from the past.

The work was neither easy nor inexpensive. However, the benefits are apparent. Already the theater is set to host a pair of attention-generating programs: It will open Valentine’s Day weekend with two shows by the English band Spiritualized, and on Feb. 20-22 the L.A. Dance Project, founded by noted choreographer Benjamin Millepied, will have three performances.

The arrival of the Ace Theatre, and the continued success of the Orpheum, also raises the pressure on the Delijani family, which owns four Broadway movie houses. For many years Downtowners have been frustrated by the general inaction on the Palace, Los Angeles, State and Tower theaters. Last year the Delijanis announced plans to reactivate the venues on a staggered schedule, and to fill them with bars, restaurants, lounges and other amenities. However, few details have since been put forth.

The opening of the Ace turns the attention again to the Delijanis. Downtown now has two clear examples of how a historic theater can be revitalized. The family can and should do the same.

The Power and Potential of the Ace Hotel

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owntown Los Angeles is full of corridors and mini-districts whose resurgence seemed impossible a decade ago. The burgeoning Arts District and the stretch of Main from Fifth to Seventh streets are cases in point.

Now another area can be added to the list. Fortunately, the activation of the southern portion of Broadway may have an even greater impact on the rest of the street, and indeed, on blocks stretching in several directions from the boomlet.

On Jan. 6, the Ace Hotel opened in the former United Artists Theatre building. Although at 182 rooms it is smaller than many other hotels in Downtown — and is less than half the size of the 392-room Marriott tower that will open this summer at L.A. Live — it may prove to be the most important new project in Downtown in 2014. That’s because the building has done three things at once: It salvaged a piece of history, gave the Central City a prominent new destination, and positioned a portion of Downtown for growth and activity in the future.

Perhaps the clearest evidence of Ace’s impact on the greater community comes from a pair of projects that actually came online before guests began checking in to the hotel. On Dec. 19, an Urban Outfitters debuted in the former Rialto Theatre at 812 S. Broadway, and in addition to saving the building, the Philadelphia-based chain re-illuminated its marquee. A few days later, the upscale Swedish retailer Acne opened a 5,000-square-foot store in a long-empty spot on the ground floor of the Eastern Columbia Building at Ninth Street and Broadway.

Both projects were announced after Portland-based Ace revealed its plan to turn the 1927 United Artists Theatre building at 929 S. Broadway into a hotel, and to preserve the 1,600-seat theater. Fortunately, the two stores were able to move fairly quickly, and the fact that all three opened within a span of a few weeks gives the area buzz and a sort of critical mass. The stores are enhanced by the presence and patrons of the hotel, and vice versa.

This also sparks an exciting potential. If just the announcement of the Ace led to investments by two major retailers, then one has to be enthused by the possibilities of what will occur with the hotel and the shops actually open. Although rents in the area will now be higher than even a year ago, if the follow-the-leader retail

world operates as it usually does, then other prominent chains will soon sign leases and begin work on build-outs. It is all made possible by the fact that there remains plenty of underutilized space, including street-front spots, on and around Broadway. Expect one hot zone to be the Sparkle Factory, the building across the street from the Ace owned by jewelry designer Tarina Tarantino.

It is easy to be effusive about Ace’s gamble on Downtown, and its executives deserve all the praise they receive. The hotel will lure business and leisure travelers, including some for shows at the Convention Center, who in turn will patronize area restaurants, bars and other businesses. At the same time, the Ace will appeal to many Angelenos. Expect the activity here to echo that at the historically hip Downtown Standard — people from across the city will venture to the Ace to hang out, and its bars and restaurant will serve as gathering points (even if its rooftop doesn’t quite measure up to the Standard’s storied roof).

While the full extent of what will occur in surrounding blocks won’t be known for years, one already has hints of a more vibrant future. The veteran developers Barry Shy and Geoff Palmer have announced separate plans to build large housing complexes in the area, and current surface parking lots will become residential hubs with approximately 1,000 total units. The biggest issue here may be design — hopefully the developers will keep neighbors involved during the planning process. The new structures need to fit with the historic look and feel of Broadway.

The Ace and the two new stores did not happen in a vacuum, of course. Groundwork was laid over the past six years by 14th District City Councilman José Huizar’s Bringing Back Broadway initiative. Huizar and his Broadway team have done a fine job of creating a sense of possibility on the street. Although questions remain as to whether a streetcar will ever materialize, they have convinced investors that Broadway is a place with a bright future.

During opening remarks for the hotel, Huizar called the Ace a “game changer” for the area. It’s a descriptor that is overused and often inaccurate. In this instance, however, it fits. We expect that the opening of the Ace will ultimately be seen as the beginning of a new era for this portion of Downtown.

January 20, 2014

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

photo by Gary Leonard

Subway Stations Proposed for Arts District Metro CEO Sees Potential for Stops at First, Sixth Streets

By Jon Regardie he Arts District has been the site of furious investment over the past few years, with everything from housing complexes to a clutch of coffee roasters to a replacement for the Sixth Street Viaduct. Now, the community on the eastern edge of Downtown could get another project: one, or even two, subway stations.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Art Leahy last week said that he has instructed agency staff to evaluate building stations at First and Sixth streets alongside existing track.

“The east side of Downtown L.A. is changing,” Leahy said on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at a luncheon at the Downtown Palm hosted by the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum. “Having a subway connection over there would be really exciting….

We want to take advantage of it.”

In an interview after the address, Leahy said he thinks the stop or stops could be an extension of the Red or Purple lines. Rail tracks coming out of Union Station already pass through the area west of Santa Fe Avenue and alongside the Los Angeles River.

A rush of investment is quickly changing the Arts District. The $160 million One Santa Fe is rising just west of the SCI-Arc campus. The complex with 438 apartments is scheduled to open in the fall.

Also in the pipeline is Legendary Development’s 472-unit apartment complex at 950 E. Third St., also near SCI-Arc. That is slated to

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break ground this year.

The southern portion of the district has also seen ample investment, including a trio of coffee roasters. A residential hub has arisen near Seventh and Santa Fe streets, where developer Linear City created the Toy Factory and Biscuit Company lofts, as well as the 7+Bridge housing complex (it includes the restaurant Bestia).

Linear City principal Leonard Hill said he hopes a station will be at Sixth Street, where it would complement the housing complexes and restaurants, as well as the coming $400 million replacement of the Sixth Street Viaduct.

The deteriorating bridge over the Los Angeles River is slated to be shuttered next year as a new structure is built.

“With its connectivity to Boyle Heights and the Eastside, it would be a shame not to capture all that and find a way to create a web of transit linkages to make Downtown as vital as it should be,” Hill said.

Leahy said he asked Metro staff to look at the possibility of a new Arts District station about two months ago. The evaluation will examine costs, location and initial designs. Leahy said he hopes to bring a proposal to the Metro board of directors within a year.

Leahy is not the first person to broach the concept of an Arts District stop. Fourth District City Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose territory is west of Downtown and includes portions of Hollywood, has floated the idea of a rail “spur” coming from Union Station several times, and

The scene at a Downtown Red Line stop at rush hour.

Metro head Art Leahy has called for looking at creating one or two above ground Red or Purple line stations in the Arts District.

proposed it to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and, before that, to Mayor Jim Hahn. In 2010, while serving as an alternate on the Metro board, LaBonge directed agency staff to prepare a feasibility study for extending train service to either Third or Sixth streets, where a platform could be built alongside existing track.

“I beat the drum but it never got out of the infield,” LaBonge said last week.

LaBonge, who strongly supports Leahy’s proposal, said he now sees First Street as a natural location for a station because of the proximity to the Gold Line, though he also thinks there is potential at Fourth Street and down at Sixth or Seventh streets. Like Leahy, he noted the cost and construction advantages provided by the existing rail infrastructure.

“Basically you pour a form that is the height

Salads

of the railcar door,” he said, describing a potential station platform. “It’s not like you’re building in a box under the ground. It’s above grade and will make a lot of sense.”

Leahy noted that the staff analysis will include looking at track capacity and what land Metro might have to buy. He said a similar project happened in Chicago, with travelers riding trains that pass through rail yards to reach their destination.

“We ought to be innovative and be willing to experiment,” he said. “If we could get a station on the east side of Downtown at First and Sixth streets that would be dynamite for the east side of L.A.” No timeline for the project has been revealed. regardie@downtownnews.com

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January 20, 2014

CONVERSATIONS

The Man Who Remade Downtown Developer James A. Thomas Talks About the Office Market, Downtown’s Resurgence and Easing Gridlock in L.A.

By Jon Regardie ery few people will ever change a community even once.

In Downtown Los Angeles, real estate developer James A. “Jim” Thomas has done it twice.

In the late 1970s and ’80s, Thomas teamed with Robert F. Maguire to develop Library Tower (now U.S. Bank Tower), Gas Company Tower and other Bunker Hill high-rises that made the Central City a destination for business. They split in 1996, and in 2003 Thomas made his second major impression on Downtown, purchasing a pair of bedraggled office towers at Fifth and Flower streets that were approximately 20% leased.

His Thomas Properties Group set about a $125 million transformation, and today City National Plaza has an occupancy rate north of 90%.

Still, there have been challenges. Thomas recently merged Thomas Properties Group with Florida-based Parkways Properties in a deal valued at $1.2 billion. He has also given up his interest in City National Plaza; the complex has been acquired by the California Public Employees Retirement System.

Don’t take this as a swan song for Thomas. The longtime community leader (and former owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings) remains deeply involved in Downtown, serving on the boards of the speaker series Town Hall-Los Angeles and the Music Center, among others. He also continues to work to alle-

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viate gridlock in the region through his FAST program.

Last week, Thomas spoke with Los Angeles Downtown News about the changes he has effected and foreshadowed, as well as what comes next.

Los Angeles Downtown News: Many in Downtown were surprised to learn about the change of ownership with City National Plaza. What happened?

James A. Thomas: We were in a joint venture with CalSTRS, the California State Teachers [retirement system]. Among the properties that we owned was City National Plaza. Under the joint venture there were certain time guidelines, and it became time to liquidate the partnership. So what happened was we transferred properties in Houston and Northern Virginia to Thomas Properties. City National Plaza was transferred to CalSTRS, who turned around and immediately sold it to CalPERS. Q: You bought City National Plaza, then called Arco Plaza, at a time when it was rundown and the economy was in the doldrums.

Today the complex is thriving. What are your thoughts as you move away from owning this property?

A: I’m very proud of what we did, the team and I. I think it’s the number one office complex in Downtown Los Angeles — in terms of rents that we get, desirability, amenities, where peoContinued on page 8

photo by Gary Leonard

In the 1970s and ’80s James A. Thomas was a key part of building a half-dozen Downtown high-rises including U.S. Bank Tower. In 2003, he brought a two-building complex back from the dead. Now, he wants to alleviate L.A.’s notorious gridlock.

Got A Love Or Worst Date Story?

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Must be 21 years of age to enter. Room night subject to availability. Performance tickets subject to availability, artist and program subject to change. Performance tickets will be held at will call under the winners name. All other prizes will be mailed to winners.

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• Best Wedding Day/Engagement Story • Most Romantic Story • Best Worst First Date Story (for those less bullish on Feb. 14) Stories should be no more than 200 words!

Grand Prize: • One night stay at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza including dinner for two at Noe restaurant.

• A pair of tickets to James Brown: Get on The Good Foot, A Celebration in Dance at the Ahmanson Theater. (tickets good for one performance February 14 -16) Second Prize: • $100 gift card to The Palm • A gift card for a movie night for two in the Regal L.A. Live premiere house.

Third Prize: • $50 gift card to Trader Vic’s

ENTRIES: Deadline Monday, February 3 at 5 p.m.

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 20, 2014

Downtown News 7

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8 Downtown News

JAMES THOMAS, 6 ple want to be — so we’re very proud of that.

Of course you would like to own these things forever, but we were a public company, and it was time for us to do what was in the best interest of the shareholders. So the merger quickly followed the liquidation of City National Plaza.

Q: When you came to this property, few would have touched it. What potential did you see when it was flailing?

A: It was very easy for me. When Rob and I came Downtown this property, Arco Plaza, was in its heyday. Arco was the primary tenant in the north tower and Bank of America was the primary tenant in the south tower. We looked upon it with great envy — it was the best in L.A. I knew what its potential was because I had seen it in its heyday. We [Thomas Properties] started trying to buy it back in ’96. Shortly thereafter we made a bid to buy the property.

We kept pursuing and ultimately we were successful in 2003.

Q: What was the key to turning it around?

A: Leasing is key — without the tenants you can’t do anything. The City National Deal was really a very, very important deal for us. Getting [law firm] Jones Day to come, too. Those were two deals that re-established the project as being desirable. And I think we had a reputation that made institutions believe that we would do what we said we were going to do.

Q: It seems your plans with Drago Centro and Chaya and activating the project’s plaza were just as important in terms of how it interacted with

the greater community.

A: The plaza is interesting. When we acquired the property, one of the first major decisions that we had to make was with respect to the fountain and the sculpture. A lot of people wanted to get rid of the fountain. I was getting a lot of pressure to do that, but my feeling was very strongly that the fountain and the sculpture should remain.

With respect to the restaurants, the jewel box — and I’m referring to the building in between [the two high-rises] — was a real challenge. I had a strong belief that it was really important what went into the jewel box because of the impact it would have on the project. So we turned down a lot of mundane kinds of occupancies to get the right thing. We got the two white-tablecloth restaurants, City National Bank has a branch in the middle, which is fitting, and ultimately we got Gensler in the jewel box with an incredible space.

Q: What is it like to look around Downtown and see the work you have done, starting decades ago, impacting the community?

A: It’s very satisfying. [When we started] there was a strong movement to tear down the Central Library and relocate it in some other place.

They wanted to put up a couple twin towers on that site.

Rob and I said, “That’s a terrible idea. We have a better idea.” The idea was something that had never been done in Los Angeles, which was to transfer air rights off the library site over to the Library Tower and the Gas Company Tower, which allowed us to build larger buildings than we otherwise would have been able to build. In that process we generated $125 million for the

January 20, 2014

Central Library, which today doesn’t sound as much as it was at that time. But it was sufficient to save the Central Library and to refurbish it.

Q: The work you did then foreshadowed the other changes that have come to Downtown in terms of housing, retail and entertainment. Are you surprised how long it took the community to catch up to what you did?

A: It was painful. We were rooting for this renaissance for many, many years. We’re delighted that it has finally happened and wish it would have happened a lot sooner.

Q: Speaking of the renaissance, and the office market, it’s been two decades since we last saw a new office tower in Downtown. What do you think of the office market in Downtown today?

A: If I was looking to buy an office building today that I wanted to own 10 years, 20 years from now, it would be in Downtown Los Angeles. I think that Downtown will turn the Westside to second place. The Westside now gets higher rents, but I think the wind is at the back of Downtown, and Downtown is going to win out.

Q: For years you’ve been trying to ease gridlock in the city through Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic, or FAST. What is happening with that effort now?

A: This is one of the things that my position now will allow me to spend more time on.

We’ve made a lot of progress. It started with us commissioning the Rand Corp. to do a report on what L.A. should do about traffic. The city fathers are very supportive of what the report does.

We’re working on many things. The thing

that comes closest to being a silver bullet for Los Angeles is the paired-streets opportunity. There was an effort to do an Olympic-Pico situation. What we are proposing is you have four lanes going east and two going west, and then the reverse on the other street. One-lane streets would not be smart.

In addition to Olympic and Pico, there are 13 other paired-streets opportunities. We’re doing the pre-engineering, and because of the city’s budget issues we have hired our own private traffic engineering firm, and we’re doing the groundwork. Our idea is to complete everything so we can turn this over to the city to say look, here it is. All you have to do is implement it.

Q: How else do you expect to spend your time?

A: I’m involved with a number of other nonprofits that I have not been able to spend as much time with as I would have hoped. Like Town Hall-Los Angeles.

Q: What do you envision there?

A: We are in a transformation with how people get their information. It’s not like it was 75 years ago when Town Hall was formed and it was one of the few places you could come and get information. So one of the things that I want to work on is figuring out how we move Town Hall in this new information age.

Q: Do you still follow basketball?

A: I do not follow it as closely as my wife. I still follow the Kings in particular, but my wife is an avid fan and watches a lot of basketball. So often times she is watching basketball and I’m reading a book. regardie@downtownnews.com

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Downtown News 9

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The Central City Crime Report A Rundown on Downtown Incidents, Trends and Criminal Oddities

By Donna Evans n the Central City Crime Report, we survey the recent week in public safety. All information is provided by the LAPD’s Central Division.

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Don’t Mess With a Marine: A panhandler approached a U.S. Marine getting off a train at Union Station at noon on Jan. 10. When the serviceman took out his wallet, the panhandler snatched it. The Marine grabbed it back and the man hit the Marine, at which point the Marine stabbed the panhandler in the arm. The military man reported the incident the next day, but gave police an inoperable phone number.

Somebody’s Watching You: Police officers conducting surveillance of drug sales at Fifth and San Pedro streets on Jan. 8 watched one man punch another man in the face at 3:30 p.m. and steal his property. The victim fell to the ground and suffered a five-inch gash to his head.

Jewel of Denial: A jewelry broker told authorities that an unidentified man followed him into a parking garage in the 900 block of Hill Street on Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. After the man hurried into his car, the suspect banged on his hood and demanded his valuables. The man drove forward, struck the suspect and continued down Hill Street, where he encountered a police officer.

Bus Stop Blues: Three men approached a man waiting for a bus at Fifth and Hill streets at 11 p.m. on Jan. 11. They surrounded him, threatened him, stole his money and fled down Hill Street.

Always Lock Your Door: On Jan. 9, a man in the 200 block of West Sixth Street went to take his dog for a walk at 9 p.m. He left his door unlocked and, when he returned, his stereo was missing.

Always Lock Your Bike: During the week of Jan. 5, a man left his bike unlocked for 20 minutes at Sixth and Spring. When he returned, it was gone. All together now: Always lock your bike.

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January 20, 2014

Battle for the Arts District BID Continues Accusations of Favoritism and Threats of Litigation Abound

By Donna Evans t has been eight months since a judge ordered the dissolution of the Arts District Business Improvement District. In that time, property crime, trash piles and graffiti all spiked in the bustling neighborhood.

Perhaps more problematic has been the ongoing battle between two neighborhood groups competing to create a successor BID. In late December, one group, Arts District Los Angeles, received city approval to bring its plan to area property owners. Last week ADLA’s assessment ballots — the approval of those who own a majority of area property is required to launch the BID — began hitting mailboxes in the proposed BID boundary: the 101 Freeway to the north, Seventh Street to the south, Alameda Street to the west and the L.A. River to the east.

Several properties within that area, however, are not included in the ADLA’s BID plan. Their absence is one of several “defects” that the rival group, the Arts District Community Council Los Angeles, claims should have stopped the city from approving the plan.

Because the first plan forged on, the ADCCLA has accused the city of showing favoritism. So, if property owners approve it and the City Council ratifies the ADLA’s BID in February, opponents indicated litigation may ensue. Again.

“It looks like the city is adamant on forcing us to use the legal system again,” said Yuval BarZemer, a founding board member of ADCCLA. Bar-Zemer is a principal in the firm Linear City, which developed several large housing

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The old Arts District Business Improvement District was dissolved last May, ending some area cleaning and safety services. Two groups are now competing to form a new BID.

properties in the Arts District. He was one of the landowners who filed the lawsuit against the city that led to Superior Court Judge Robert H. O’Brien’s ruling to dissolve the BID. O’Brien found that the former entity’s practice of using assessment dollars to pay for economic development-related services that benefited the general public, and not just the property owners, violated state law.

Problematic Petitions In order to form a BID, organizations need to create a management plan, have it approved by the city, then send it out for a public vote.

Only those who own land or condominiums — and not renters — get to cast a ballot. People are taxed according to how much property they own.

The city has not approved the management

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among other new parcels, the condominium complexes developed by Linear City. Bar-Zemer and others launched their challenge, leading to O’Brien’s May 10 ruling. The BID ceased operating within days.

According to statistics from the Los Angeles Police Department, there was a dramatic increase in violent and property crime in the Arts District in the fourth quarter of 2013 over the third quarter. The number of reported incidents jumped from 45 to 59, a 31% spike. Grand theft auto increased from three to eight reported incidents, a 166% increase, and thefts doubled from eight to 16.

Still, Lt. Armando Munoz said the Arts District has been relatively quiet since a rash of thefts from cars in late spring and early summer. Most Continued on page 12

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district plan for Bar-Zemer’s group, said Interim City Clerk Holly Wolcott. She said the petitions the group mailed out for signatures last fall will have to be revised and re-sent. Even Wolcott’s involvement marks a point of contention: She took over for Miranda Paster, a City Clerk division chief who was bumped from the case after ADCCLA representatives accused her of having a conflict of interest. Wolcott said Paster has been removed from the case while the city attorney reviews the allegations.

The old Arts District BID had an annual budget of $1.3 million, with 72% of that money funding clean and safe efforts. Safety officers patrolled the neighborhood on bikes and service crews cleaned up graffiti and trash.

The trouble began in 2011, when the BID expanded to encompass the area that held,

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Downtown News 11

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With Obamacare and Skid Row, The Biggest Challenge May Be Trust

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Affordable Care Act Brings Greater Coverage for the Homeless, But There Are Hurdles to Participation

By Eddie Kim ike many people who live in Skid Row, Vikki Vickers has a history of struggling to get proper healthcare.

Vickers, 49, had bouts of homelessness for several years before moving into an apartment at the Downtown Women’s Center in November 2012. During her time on the streets, she would routinely bounce around to various clinics — “whatever was closest to me” — in an effort to treat an arthritic neck and the symptoms of schizophrenia.

That was often the best-case scenario: Frequently there were more basic hurdles to getting treatment.

“Even just getting the bus money to go to a clinic was hard,” she said.

While Vickers’ issues might seem foreign to most of the people who are seeing changes in their health treatment and insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — frequently referred to as Obamacare — it points to the challenges in getting coverage and adequate care for those living in Skid Row and other low-income communities.

Despite the political controversy and myriad complications of the Affordable Care Act, the legislation did create a way for indigent people to finally obtain comprehensive health care. However, even if they could navigate the glitch-prone healthcare exchange website, the solution is far more complicated than just getting homeless people to sign up for the program.

Even something as simple as trust is a factor, said Vickers. She noted that many indigent people might avoid enrolling because of a distrust of the government, especially if they have had a bad experience with law enforcement.

“Enrollment can be scary because when you’re homeless or poor, you feel expendable,” Vickers said. “So you wonder why people are asking for your identification, your information. What if they’re putting you on a list so you don’t get the best care? Or for the police to track you?”

Those kinds of concerns are common to Mark Casanova, executive director of Homeless Health Care L.A., which advocates for the health of homeless people and offers direct services and education.

Casanova, who has worked with missions and other organizations in Skid Row, said that despite its potential benefits, the mere existence of the ACA and the opportunity to get health insurance isn’t enough to get some people to sign up.

“Someone who is sick might be wary of seeking medical care because they’re dealing with an addiction or have had legal problems, for example, because they fear that they’ll get in trouble,” he said.

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Though the goal of the Affordable Care Act is to provide health care to every citizen, some of those who work in Skid Row say that a distrust of government could dissuade homeless individuals from signing up.

providing states the federal funding to expand Medicaid (the federal low-income health care program) coverage to anyone making less than 133% of the national poverty level ($15,282 in 2013, according to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness).

California got a head start on the expansion, creating the statewide Low Income Health Program in November 2010 to guide local governments in transitioning toward full Medicaid expansion; subsequently, Los Angeles formed the Healthy Way L.A. program to accomplish the task.

Californians once had to prove they were disabled, elderly or had dependent children to qualify for coverage under California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal. Now the criteria are far simpler, as is the application process.

The care that indigent individuals receive will also be streamlined under the ACA, as each person must choose a “medical home” that provides not only primary care, but coordinates preventative services and treatment of chronic illnesses.

The upside is that a patient can build a relationship with a core team of medical experts instead of bouncing between different hospitals for different services, says Amy Turk, chief program officer at the Downtown Women’s Center.

“In terms of getting consistent care, like so many homeless or poor people need, [the ACA] is a big deal,” she said. “Having a system of people who will recognize you and your needs is beneficial when you’re trying to figure out where to go and what to ask. In the old model, it was very easy for someone to slip through the cracks between services or physicians.”

The ACA also emphasizes mental health services and substance-abuse treatment, both of which play a big role in Skid Row. The new law defines behavioral treatment, psychotherapy and counseling, among other treatments, as “essential health services,” which must be covered by health insurance plans.

“Basically, mental health care has been given the same parity as other medical or

surgical services,” said Michael Cousineau, an associate professor of clinical public administration at the University of Southern California. “We’re going to see greater access to mental health care, and the ACA might indirectly aid the further expansion of mental health services at hospitals and clinics.”

Finding the Door While the ACA has the capacity to help many people, those in the healthcare field note that there are other problems similar to those experienced by Vickers.

One big issue is that homeless people in need of medical care can often be hard, if not impossible, to track down.

Paul Cha, clinic administrator at the nonprofit JWCH Institute’s Clinic for Community Health in Skid Row, struggles with the problem on a regular basis.

“Patients often don’t have an address, they don’t have a phone number, so it’s basically a matter of when they want to come in, and appointments are missed frequently,” Cha said. “We want to follow up on medical care, so we try our best to find people and motivate them to come back.”

Casanova, Turk, Cha and others agree that the best way to help homeless people in need of health care is through outreach and education that fosters trust in a government program and emphasizes how transformative proper, consistent health care can be.

Despites the challenges, the homeless and very poor in Skid Row and throughout California at least have access to free care. Currently, 25 states are refusing to expand Medicaid. That leaves about 4.8 million Americans ineligible under old Medicaid criteria and unable to afford private insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The ACA is hardly a solution for homeless and poor individuals in need of medical care, but it has finally opened a door for people to receive it.

How to get them through that door is another matter. eddie@downtownnews.com

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12 Downtown News

AROUND TOWN, 2 a permanent injunction ordering Sanchez to close Blue Boo, and to inform the city attorney’s office if she owns or works in a business related to frequently counterfeited items. “Counterfeit goods hurt legitimate businesses and deprive the public of needed tax revenues to fund vital city services,” Feuer said in a prepared statement on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Deputy City Attorney Kevin Gilligan secured the judgment and injunction.

MOCA Names New Director

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he board of trustees of Downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art announced last week that Philippe Vergne will helm the Bunker Hill-based institution. He will replace embattled former Director Jeffrey Deitch.

The appointment follows MOCA’s recent announcement that it has boosted its endowment to $100 million, thereby achieving what board members termed “financial stability.”

That came after a series of economic stumbles: In 2008, the endowment had fallen to just $5 million. Vergne will take over a museum that has seen its exhibition line-up and curatorial staff shrivel. Vergne spent the last five years as director of the Dia Art Foundation in New York. Prior to that, he was deputy director and chief curator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, where he worked for more than a decade organizing some 25 international exhibitions. He is the second straight New York hire for the top spot at the Los Angeles museum: Deitch, who stepped down Sept. 1 after three years, had previously run a New York City art gallery.

L.A. Dance Project to Perform At Ace Hotel Theater

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he Theatre at Ace Hotel hasn’t even opened, but it has already scored its second attentiongrabbing event. The Los Angeles Dance Project, the Downtown-based organization founded by choreographer Benjamin Millepied, last week announced that it will stage three performances in the former United Artists Theatre at 929 S. Broadway on Feb. 20-22. The works will include the U.S. premiere of “Reflections,” choreographed by Millepied with music by David Lang and “visual concepts” by artist Barbara Kruger, and “Murder Ballads” by Justin Peck, with music from Bryce Dessner of the band The National.

The LADP debuted in 2012 with performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall and spent much of last year touring. The shows will take place a week after the theater opens with two performances by the English band Spiritualized. The 182-room Ace Hotel opened Jan. 6. More than 2,000 tickets during the three-night run will cost $20. Ticket information is at ladanceproject.com.

Makeup, Beauty Products Coming to FIGat7th

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he FIGat7th shopping center is adding to its lineup of Target, sporting goods, hip outfits and eyeglasses: Soon it will also have makeup and beauty projects. Brookfield Office Properties, which owns the shopping center at Seventh and Figueroa streets, announced recently that it has inked two more deals. Cosmetics chain MAC will open a 1,500-square-foot store on the second floor of the mall, and L’Occitane, a beauty products retailer based in the south of France,

January 20, 2014

will open an adjacent 1,300-square-foot space.

Both are expected to come online in May. The deals were part of the 72,500 square feet of fashion and retail leases that Brookfield closed for the mall in 2013, according to the company. The most significant are Zara and H&M, which will open in the spring. “We’ve been fulfilling the increased demand to bring fashion and high-end retailers to Downtown Los Angeles,” said Edward Hogan, Brookfield’s national director of retail leasing, in a prepared statement.

ARTS DISTRICT, 10 importantly, he said, “It is almost completely void of any real serious violent crime.”

Excluded Businesses Both groups have essentially the same aim, hoping to form an organization that restores clean and safe services to the neighborhood.

The biggest difference in agenda may be the ADCCLA’s plan to include a program that also beautifies public spaces in a way that reflects the artistic culture of the community.

Despite the general similarities and calls for compromise, the groups have been unable to work together and have traded accusations. ADLA Steering Committee Member Dilip Bhavnani said his group has not been shown any favoritism by city officials.

“In fact we have been slowed down [in the] process repeatedly because of allegations put forth by the other side, all of which are baseless,” Bhavnani said.

In a Dec. 16 letter, ADCCLA’s Bar-Zemer called the boundary lines submitted by the

Correction

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he Jan. 13 story “New Boarding School Recruiting Fall Class” incorrectly reported that the coming American University Preparatory School would occupy space in the soon-to-be Hyatt Regency (currently operating as the L.A. Hotel Downtown). The boarding school will be located in the building next to the hotel at 345 S. Figueroa St.

rival group and approved by the city “blatant gerrymandering.” He said it errs by not including properties such as Urban Radish, Bread Lounge and the coffee roaster Stumptown.

Those businesses are a vital part of the Arts District that would benefit from BID services, he said.

Bhavnani said his group purposely left out Linear City properties such as Urban Radish and Bread Lounge because Bar-Zemer has repeatedly requested that his holdings not be included in the BID proposal.

“We’ve been through a lawsuit and we don’t want to go through another one,” he said. “If they have the ability to litigate and stall the process, we’re going to be left without any security and maintenance in the neighborhood.”

The City Council is scheduled to hold a hearing on the ADLA BID application on by L. . D Clerk will Feb. 25. The following day, theACity own certify the results of the assessmenttowvote. n N At ews that point, the council will consider ratifying Re ade rs the BID. donna@downtownnews.com

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Downtown News 13

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St., and paintings of everything from roaring panthers to rock stars to serene landscapes leap off that walls like Technicolor blasts of kitsch and fine art. Near them lie nonsensical figurines, toys and other oddities. There’s even a jackalope with wings, as if the mythical jackrabbit’s antlers weren’t enough.

Getting past the silky pink curtains, where the rest of the museum’s treasures await, costs $10. A small handwritten note declares that entering will be a “life changing experience! Without crawling over broken glass or hot coals!”

Carl Baldwin and Caren Anderson insist that it’s not an overstatement. nNewspaintings,” Baldwntow /L.A.Do “We tell people that have 2,500 or 3,000 com ok.we Facebo win said during a recent morning visit. “But honestly, I have no “I never made fun of them. I loved them,” Baldwin protested. clue.”

Like Downtown News on Facebook The duo believes that the best velvet painters are as capable Velvet paintings have long had the reputation of being inBe Entered to Win Movie and skilled as their more respected peers. The work of pioneercredibly& tacky, and the museum doesn’t shy Tickets! from garish depicing artists like Edgar Leeteg, Ralph Burke Tyree, Earl Frysinger and tions of Elvis, clowns, Liberace and more.

Cecelia Rodriguez indeed make a compelling case that velvet Yet the walls also hold reflective portraits of Martin Luther art extends far beyond the horizon of kitsch. Anderson points to King, Jr., lushly detailed snapshots of South Pacific shores and the artists’ expert use of rich colors and fastidious brush strokes, dramatic anti-war pieces all done with incredible precision on a and how the images pop off the velvet to almost alarming effect notoriously difficult fabric. thanks to the black-hole darkness of the fabric.

“I used to make fun of these, you know,” Anderson said.

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“The mainstream art world, it doesn’t want to recognize velvet painting as a valuable art form, and that’s their problem,” Anderson said with a shrug.

Treasure Hunting The couple picked up their first velvet painting in 2000 in Bisbee, Ariz. They chose a kneeling woman with a bright blue Afro over a portrait of President John F. Kennedy.

“The Afro woman was cheaper than JFK. That was like, $100,” Continued on page 20

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January 20, 2014

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• Relaxed Dining in an At 421 W. Eighth St. or (213) 614-8000.

Elegant Ambiance • Live Lobster Tank A New Chapter: The opening of the Ace Hotel on Broadway also brings Downtown a new 700 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 restaurant. L.A. Chapter, which opened Friday, Free Parking Next to Restaurant is the brainchild of chef Ken Addington and Tel: 213.617.2323 

Dude, Your Chocolate’s in My Chicken: Adam Fleischman is known for obsessing over savory flavors with his Umami Burger empire. Now, he’s planning something a bit sweeter: fried chicken flavored by… chocolate?! ChocoChicken is slated to debut in South Park in March in the old Corkbar space, but exactly how the dark stuff will be incorporated into the bird is a mystery.

“This isn’t mole, traditional fried chicken or even

Gotta Have Faith: Towne Food & Drink closed last March, just eight months after opening in a 7,000-square-foot space on Ninth Street between Figueroa and Flower streets. Now, David Bernahl and Rob Weakley, owners of hospitality group Coastal Luxury Management, are readying a replacement. The approximately 130seat Faith & Flower, at the base of the Watermarke tower, is scheduled to open by the end of February and will feature a menu of small plates and larger dishes to share (think whole roasts).

Highlights include duck liver mousse tartlets with pomegranate-candied onions, house-made egg noodles with black miso and tofu soffrito, and roasted quail from the wood-burning oven, served with a wild mushroom stuffing. Prices will be $5-$10 for snacks and up to $45 for larger plates. Helming the kitchen is Michael Hung (La Folie), with drinks from Michael Lay and desserts from Ben Spungin (Bernardus Lodge, The French Laundry).

Coming to 705 W. Ninth St.

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chicken just dipped in chocolate,” Fleischman said in a press release. “It’s got the ‘crack factor’ I look for in a great restaurant brand.” ChocoChicken will also serve biscuits, modern takes on classic side dishes and a full bar with specialty cocktails.

Coming to 403 W. 12th St.

Pellicola Pizza has opened on Eighth Street next to the Golden Gopher.

photo by Gary Leonard

partner Jud Mongell, who head Brooklyn’s Five Leaves restaurant. L.A. Chapter serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering a mix of classic and contemporary American dishes such as malted buckwheat waffles, grilled octopus with pistachio puree and roast lamb loin with rabbit ragu.

The restaurant also has a full bar — one of three at the Ace — with a cocktail menu divided into four levels of booziness.

At 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com/losangeles.

History Lesson: On Saturday, Jan. 25, food meets art through the lens of Mexican culture.

The Torta Company, which opened last month at the FIGat7th shopping center, is teaming with art and food historian Maite Gomez-Rejon for an art tour accompanied by a threecourse meal. The $45 event begins at the La Plaza de Cultura y Artes with an exploration of California ranch culture led by Gomez-Rejon. Attendees will then visit FIGat7th to dine on chef Jimmy Shaw’s selection of Mexican tortas and sides. Reservations must be made by Jan. 22 at artbites.net.

More info at artbites.net.

Swanky Deal: The always-popular DineLA is back from Jan. 20-31, and in addition to the low-cost prix-fixe menus, there’s an $85 option.

One of the six restaurants offering the deal is Patina inside Walt Disney Concert Hall. Its fivecourse menu includes offerings such as caviar with cauliflower panna cotta, braised Kobebeef shortrib with truffle sauce, and a Valrhona chocolate terrine with chicory ice cream. Considering the regular tasting menu costs $130, this might be a good time to splurge.

At 141 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-3331 or discoverlosangeles.com.

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

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By Eddie Kim ocalize It: The bad news: For whatever reason, the Italian restaurant Colori Kitchen didn’t click in its second location at Figueroa and Eighth streets. The good news: A casual new eatery dubbed Local Table is slated to open there by the end of the month, and is awaiting final permits from the city, according to co-owner Benjamin Zev. Local Table will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a grab-and-go section. The modern American menu will focus on local ingredients. Breakfast and lunch will offer house-baked pastries, house-made yogurt, hearty salads and openface sandwiches. Dinner will include salads and sandwiches, too, as well as more substantial entrees featuring seafood, chicken and beef. Also worth noting is the restaurant’s hybrid dine-in concept: You can either have a traditional sitdown meal, or you can order up front and eat casually.

At 800 S. Figueroa St. or (213) 488-2654.

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Golden Voices And a Golden Anniversary

Los Angeles Master Chorale Music Director Grant Gershon and the 115-member ensemble mark the group’s 50th anniversary on Jan. 25-26 with two performances of Bach’s B Minor Mass at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The 115-Member L.A. Master Chorale Celebrates 50 Years With Two Downtown Shows

By Donna Evans hen Los Angeles Master Chorale Music Director Grant Gershon was in junior high, he and a friend decided to attend an Ella Fitzgerald concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. However, he neglected one important detail: tickets. By the time they reached the front of the will call line, the show was sold out. The house manager, noticing the dejected teens, brought them inside, opened a window in the light booth and allowed them to watch the concert.

Gershon, 53, laughs at the memory, which sparked his long-term love for the Music Center. It turns out that was a good thing, as on Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 25-26, Gershon will celebrate the Chorale’s 50th anniversary with two performances in Walt Disney Concert Hall of Bach’s B Minor Mass. After Saturday’s show with the 115-member ensemble, a gala celebration and fundraiser will take place in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Gershon, who is in his 13th season as music director, spoke last week about the Master Chorale, the milestone anniversary and the power of Bach.

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Los Angeles Downtown News: Fifty years is a long time. How do you keep the artistry of the Master Chorale at such a high level?

Grant Gershon: We hold auditions every year

for the Master Chorale and the singers themselves have to re-audition every other year to be able to stay in the group. The competition to become a member is unbelievably intense.

I could create a wonderful chamber choir from the singers we have to turn away each year.

Q: What is the significance of turning 50?

A: The Master Chorale has not only survived for 50 years, but is a thriving group that has blossomed and grown beyond what the founders could have imagined. The founders envisioned a professional choir in residence in the Music Center, but what sets them apart from Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center is that in L.A., the Chorale takes place alongside the orchestra and the opera company and the theater companies. It is an equal partner. The Chorale generates well over a million dollars a year in ticket sales.

Q: How many other choral groups make it to 50?

A: It’s fairly unique, with the possible exception of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary next year. But since the beginning the Master Chorale has generated huge audience loyalty and excitement. There’s been great stewardship from the boards of directors, it’s increased its staff, singers and audience members. When

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Downtown News 15

photo by Lee Salem

you put all that together, there are a lot of people who feel really passionate about this group.

Q: Why did you choose to go with Bach’s B Minor Mass?

A: This is the piece the Chorale sang during the very first concert in January 1965 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. It seemed fantastically appropriate and significant to repeat it in these circumstances.

Q: How has the Chorale evolved under your leadership?

A: I like to think the group is now more flexible than ever before. They’re able to shift from genre to genre incredibly smoothly. The singers are more versatile and they enjoy a challenge more than ever before. A lot of new music is being commissioned — composers love to write for the Master Chorale because they know this group is capable of anything they can imagine.

Q: How are the golden anniversary rehearsals going?

A: We had our first rehearsal with singers Sunday [Jan. 12]. Because the group is so accomplished, we have a shorter rehearsal period than any other choir doing such a monumental piece. A lot of these singers have sung the B Minor Mass before.

It’s about just getting in there and shaping it.

Q: What’s it like to hold that baton as the group sings Bach’s piece?

A: It’s almost unspeakable. Exhilarating. The piece itself engenders so much emotion and humanity, and when you feel everyone around you, the singers, the instrumental, and they’re all giving so much of themselves, it’s truly the most inspiring and humbling experience.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale performs at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 and 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26 at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave. or lamc.org donna@downtownnews.com

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

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CALENDAR LISTINGS

The ‘Don’T Miss’ LisT

EVENTS

Tuesday, January 21 School Discipline Forum The California Endowment, 1000 N. Alameda St. or zocalopublicsquare.org.

7 p.m.: Zocalo Public Square brings together a team of experts to toss around ideas about punishment in our modern education system. Whether you believe firmly in a good scolding or you’re a proponent of taking troublemakers, locking them in a small, dark space and paddling them unapologetically, you’ll be privy to a number of perspectives on the cutting edge of school policy.

Relax, we’re not serious about the paddling.

Mindshare LA Open Mic Downtown Independent, 251 S. Main St. or mindshare.la.

7 p.m.: In the first of a three-part open mic series, 15 brains will spout rhetoric until your eyes water and your ears crust over with wax. Then you’ll get to vote for three brains to compete in next month’s elimination round.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks at Aloud Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St, (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: Political scientist Jeanne Theoharis, activist Ericka Huggins and history professor Robin D. G. Kelley gather to discuss the legacy of Rosa Parks and whether her momentous contribution to the Civil Rights Movement was intentional or serendipitous.

Sidley Austin Artspeaks Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or colburnschool.edu.

6 p.m.: In a new lecture series from the Colburn School, Sel Kardon and James Inverne discuss the marriage between art and business.

Wise Words, Storied Compositions And Some Boast-Heavy Hip-Hop

photo by Steve Woods

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

Jan. 21: Chris Wabich, Ric Fierabracci and Andy Langham.

Jan. 22: John Chin Trio.

Jan. 23: Pedro Sa Moraes.

Jan. 24: Joshua White, David Binney, Hamilton Price and Mark Ferber.

Jan. 25: Zach Danziger, Mark Guiliana and Louis Cole.

Jan. 26: Creative Underground Los Angeles.

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

Jan. 20, 8 p.m.: Vanaprasta is an electro rock band packaged with a yoga name to make your viewing experience more reverent and to give you the illusion of having done something redemptive with your time.

Jan. 22, 8 p.m.: With their low-key, silky smooth indie style and name, Pure Bathing Culture could become your go-to soundtrack for a day at the Korean spa.

Jan. 23, 9 p.m.: It could get noisy with neo-shoegaze practitioners Francisco the Man.

photo by Deborah Baker Jr

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

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ow through March 10, the Arts District’s Loft Ensemble theater company offers up a lighthearted play that will raise your spirits and have you dancing a jig. OK, the presentation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet may not do any of that, but it will bring alive some of the nation’s most beloved pastimes: murder, allusions to incest and conversations with a bare skull. The ultimate show about a family in crisis runs Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m.

At 929 E. Second St., #105, (213) 6800392 or loftensemble. org.

FoUR

photo courtesy Center Theatre Group

I

n honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, it’s worth noting that the nation is a mere 50 years from the turmoil of the Civil Rights Movement. On Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 25-26, REDCAT hosts a symphonic multimedia tribute to King and the watershed year 1963.

Composed by Yotam Haber, A More Convenient Season is an orchestral piece accompanied by a live sonic-scape and a silent documentary film. The poignant presentation derives its name from a quote found in King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” and alludes to the strife on the streets of that city and in the explosion at the 16th Street Baptist Church. Showtime is 8 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. At 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

he latest in the line of prestigious guests who will speak at the Town Hall-Los Angeles lecture series is the Honorable Ronald M. George, the retired chief justice of the Supreme Court of California. A lunch will be served at high noon on Thursday, Jan. 23, as George weighs in on the challenges that face California’s highest court.

No doubt he will discuss the 2008 same-sex marriage decision he leveled while on the bench. Judge Richard Mosk of the California Court of Appeal will serve as moderator during the event at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. At 506 S. Grand Ave., (213) 628-8141 or townhall-la.org.

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ThRee

adies and gentlemen, direct from Cleveland, Ohio, comes a rapper whose flow is so immensely uptempo that he earned (or gave himself) the moniker Machine Gun Kelly.

Born to missionary parents, Kelly had already seen much of the world when he decided the mercurial whims of boast heavy hip-hop verses were his true calling. On Friday, Jan. 24, MKG will be assaulting the stage at Club Nokia with fellow rapper French Montana. Yes, French Montana. At 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or lalive.com.

photo by Michael Scott Slosar

A

ctor Christopher Plummer has a rich cultural heritage defined by reading books. Good books. Classics, some might say. Doubt it? Then check out his one-man show, A Word or Two, which finds Plummer at the Ahmanson Theatre reflecting and reciting some of his favorite bits of the English language. Poetry and prose alike will be featured in this celebration of the written word that will transport you back to an era before reality television and vowel-less text messaging.

The show is on a brief run, opening Wednesday, Jan. 22 (with a Jan. 21 preview), and closing Feb. 9. At 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

one

By Dan Johnson | calendar@downtownnews.com

Wednesday, January 22 Alberto Kalach at SCI-Arc SCI-Arc, 960 E. Third St., (213) 613-2200 or sciarc.edu.

7 p.m.: The myriad architectural developments at work in Mexico City are encapsulated in the rich career of tonight’s lecturer, Alberto Kalach.

Thursday, January 23 Ronald M. George at Town Hall-LA Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., (213) 6288141 or townhall-la.org.

11:30 a.m.: Former California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George will discuss recent and upcoming judicial challenges in the Golden State.

Angelique Kidjo at Aloud Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St, (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: Grammy award winning musician and UNICEF ambassador Angelique Kidjo discusses her music, her memoir and the experiences that informed both.

January 20, 2014

TWo

16 Downtown News

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

January 20, 2014 Jan. 24, 9 p.m.: Jessy Lanza’s emotive R&B vocal sensibility works wonders over a system of minimalist sonic landscapes.

Jan. 25, 9 p.m.: L.A. based indie-folk quintet The Lonely Wild’s debut LP is less Woody Guthrie and more T-Bone Burnett.

Jan. 26, 8 p.m.: Speak, because if the word is good enough for a dog command, it’s good enough to be a band name.

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

Jan. 23, 7 p.m.: When Club Nokia promotes skinny jean songsters The Neighbourhood in “the gig of a lifetime,” they mean it’s a great opportunity for an up-and-coming band and not that the group will be sharing the stage with Keith Richards. Lower your expectations, Downtown.

Jan. 24, 9 p.m.: Rapper Machine Gun Kelly claims he “was always hanging where the thugs at.” Yet tonight he’ll be but a stones throw from Lawry’s.

Escondite 410 Boyd St., (213) 626-1800 or theescondite.com.

Jan. 21, 10 p.m.: Another Tasteful Tuesday as Bunny West and Boom Boom Boom tag team the Escondite corner stage.

Jan. 22, 10 p.m.: If your future mother in law or a corporate bigwig with sufficient power to ruin your career are in town, be sure to take them to see Lightning Woodcock.

You’ll be glad you did.

Jan. 23, 10 p.m.: Blackwater Jukebox will solidify the Escondite’s reputation as a happy burger joint adjacent to a squalid neighborhood where all the grit and wonder of the American dream stops to show off its splendor before oozing into the Pacific.

Jan. 24, 10 p.m.: If you could turn your bar stool to make eye contact with Trevor Menear, he’d appreciate that.

Jan. 25, 10 p.m.: Charlie Chan and the SOB’s are far more considerate and congenial than their name suggests.

Jan. 26, 10 p.m.: Yet another Honky Tonk Sundays christens a new week with the ever-unholy RT N the 44s.

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

Jan. 24, 10 p.m.: You can almost feel our hearts palpitating through this paper as we wait in giddy anticipation for Marco V. By the way, that’s an initial, and not “Marco the Fifth.”

Jan. 25, 10 p.m.: With great dismay we report that Exchange’s calendar links are broken. While we can tell you that Adam Beyer and Ida Engberg are playing tonight, we are not well enough informed to critique their ridiculously stylized photos or the tawdry dimensions of their electronic music.

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

Jan. 22, 7:30 p.m.: Classical pianist and all around swell dude Lang Lang will be stopping by to discuss the global language that is music, the power of redundant naming and the virtues of wearing an entirely leather outfit for your press photos.

Ham and Eggs 433 W. Eighth St. or hamandeggstavern.com.

Jan. 23, 9 p.m.: Mathew Jared.

Honeycut 819 S. Flower St., (213) 688-0888 or honeycutla.com.

Jan. 24, 10 p.m.: Jack of All Tracks will complement the light-up dance floor with copious spun tunes.

La Cita 336 S. Hill St., (213) 687-7111 or site.lacitabar.com.

Jan. 22: Viento Callejero.

Jan. 23: KittenCobra.

One-Eyed Gypsy 901 E. First St., (626) 340-3529 or one-eyedgypsy.com.

Jan. 22: Hot Club Vignati.

Jan. 23: Love and Happiness.

Jan. 24: Will Magid.

Jan. 25: The Eclectic Tuba.

Jan. 26: Peeping Tom’s Drawing Salon.

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

Jan. 20: The Hunky Newcomers.

Jan. 21: Fuzzy Vision Records Presents.

Jan. 22: Vigilant Playground, Trickster, Mystik and The Ivory.

Jan. 23: Atom Age, Grand Tarantula and The 87s.

Jan. 24: Red City Radio, Elway, Direct Hit! and the Bitter End. Jan. 25: Des & The Cendents and Izzy Cox. Jan. 26, 3 p.m.: Wolf Woodcock, Kira Morrison and Harry Jerkface.

Jan. 26: Shovel and Gloomsday.

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

Jan. 20: John Daversa returns with his small band.

Jan. 21: The Energizer bunny ain’t got squat on the Makers.

Jan. 22: Bruce Foreman’s Cow Bop is the name of a western music quintet and not a cruel game played by drunken farmhands.

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

Jan. 20: Michael Vidal, Daniel Francis Doyle and Ezra Buchla.

Jan. 21: Together Pangea, The Audacity, The Aquadolls and Wand.

Jan. 22: In Tents, Obscurer, The Softest Handshake and Coup Pigeons.

Jan. 24: Brannigan’s Law, Balms, Hex Horizontal and The Kids in Detention.

Continued on next page

Downtown News 17

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18 Downtown News

LAST WEEKS ANSWERS

Continued from previous page Jan. 25: Michael Vidal, Anenon, Cat 500 and After Hours.

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

Jan. 20-23: The highly regarded Shinji Ikari continues with Evangelion 3.0. Disaster lurks around every corner as two boys struggle to save Earth.

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

C Explore S I N E 19 the 7 2remnants and wisdom of an ancient empire in Los Angeles Downtown News Mysteries of Egypt.

1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 Ice and polar bear enthusiasts will likely dig To the Arctic 3D. phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 Experience the gripping story full of hope, crushing disapweb: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com facebook: L.A. Downtown News

CROSSWORD

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January 20, 2014

pointment and triumph in Hubble 3D. Regal Cinemas 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 763-6070 or lalive.com/ movies.

Through January 23: Devil’s Due (12:10, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10 and 9:40 p.m.); Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (1:20, 4:20, 7:20 and 10:10 p.m.); The Nut Job 3D (12 and 4:40 p.m.); The Nut Job (2:20, 7 and 9:30 p.m.); Ride Along (12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:50 and 10:30 p.m.); The Legend of Hercules 3D (2:30 and 7:30 p.m.); The Legend of Hercules (12, 5 and 10:20 p.m.); Lone Survivor Editor PublishEr: Suep.m.); Laris Paranormal Activity: The (12:40,&3:50, 7 and 10:10 GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Marked Ones (1, 4:10, 7:40Eastin and 10:30 p.m.); August: Osage County (12:30, 3:40,Jon 6:50Regardie and 10:30 p.m.); The Wolf of Wall ExEcutivE Editor: stAFF writErs: Donna Street (12:10, 3:30, 6:50Evans, and 10Eddie p.m.);Kim Anchorman 2: The coNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese Legend Continues (12:50, 3:40, 6:30 and 9:20 p.m.); Her (1:10, coNtributiNG writErs: Favre,Hustle Greg Fischer, 4:10, 7:20 and 10:20 p.m.); Jeff American (12:20, 3:20, 6:30 Kristin Friedrich, Kylie Jane Wakefield and 9:50 p.m.); Frozen (1:20, 4, 6:40 and 9:10 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.

Art dirEctor: Brian Allison AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard

Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin

AccouNtiNG: Tara LaPlante

ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie stAFF writErs: Donna Evans, Eddie Kim coNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese coNtributiNG writErs: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, Kristin Friedrich, Kylie Jane Wakefield

AdvErtisiNG dirEctor: Steve Nakutin clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Yoji Cole, Josie Damian, Catherine Holloway sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez

Art dirEctor: Brian Allison AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins

circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

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2 YOUR EVENT INFO

EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT

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AccouNtiNG: Tara LaPlante AdvErtisiNG dirEctor: Steve Nakutin clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Yoji Cole, Josie Damian, Catherine Holloway sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie stAFF writErs: Donna Evans, Eddie Kim coNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese coNtributiNG writErs: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, Kristin Friedrich, Kylie Jane Wakefield

©2014 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.

Art dirEctor: Brian Allison AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard AccouNtiNG: Tara LaPlante AdvErtisiNG dirEctor: Steve Nakutin clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Yoji Cole, Josie Damian, Catherine Holloway sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin

S I N C E 19 7 2 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 facebook: L.A. Downtown News

twitter: DowntownNews

ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie stAFF writErs: Donna Evans, Eddie Kim coNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese coNtributiNG writErs: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, Kristin Friedrich, Kylie Jane Wakefield Art dirEctor: Brian Allison AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard AccouNtiNG: Tara LaPlante

S I N C E 19 7 2 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 facebook: L.A. Downtown News twitter: DowntownNews ©2014 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.

AdvErtisiNG dirEctor: Steve Nakutin clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Yoji Cole, Josie Damian, Catherine Holloway sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla ©2014 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.

January 20, 2014

DT

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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.

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Downtown News 19

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Fictitious Business name statement File no. 20090170655 The following person is doing business as: 1) LA Downtowner, 1264 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026-5831, are hereby registered by the following registrant: CIVIC CENTER NEWS, INC, 1264 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026. This business is conducted by a corporation.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 09/12/1972.

This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on February 11, 2009.

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, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code).

Pub. 01/13, 01/20, 01/27, and 02/03/2014.

Fully furnished with TV, telephone, microwave, refrigerator.

Full bathroom.

Excellent location.

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Fictitious Business name statement File no. 20090170655 The following person is doing business as: 1) CIVIC CENTER INC, 1264 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026-5831 are hereby registered by the following registrant: CIVIC CENTER NEWS, INC, 1264 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026.

This business is conducted by a corporation. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 09/12/1972.

This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on February 06, 2009.

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, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code).

Pub. 01/13, 01/20, 01/27, and 02/03/2014.

Fictitious Business name statement File no. 20090187396 The following person is doing business as: 1) L.A. DOWN-

TOWN NEWS 2) LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN NEWS, 1264 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026-5831 are hereby registered by the following registrant: CIVIC CENTER NEWS, INC, 1264 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026. This business is conducted by a corporation. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 09/12/1972.

This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on February 11, 2009.

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

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Fictitious Business name statement File no. 20090189318 The following person is doing business as: 1) LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN SHOPPER 2) DOWNTOWN SHOPPER, 1264 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026-5831 are hereby registered by the following registrant: CIVIC CENTER NEWS, INC, 1264 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026. This business is conducted by a cor-

poration. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 09/12/1972.

This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on February 11, 2009.

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, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code).

Pub. 01/13, 01/20, 01/27, and 02/03/2014.

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Pub. 01/13, 01/20, 01/27, and 02/03/2014.

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20 Downtown News

January 20, 2014

velveteria, 13

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!

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Baldwin said. “So we went with the woman.”

Their winding up together is nearly as curious as their particular passion. Baldwin and Anderson, both 60, attended the same high school in Southern California but only connected 27 years later, when Baldwin was flipping through a high-school reunion pamphlet.

There, he spotted a photo of a slender Anderson wearing a bathing suit (“I submitted an especially good photo for that,” she joked). Emboldened by a little Jack Daniel’s, he tracked down her phone number and decided to call.

Though Anderson worked as a psychiatric nurse and Baldwin dabbled in a variety of video jobs and other media-related work, the Afro woman painting kick-started a different kind of love affair between them. Velvet paintings became an obsession, one that only picked up steam as Baldwin moved from Arizona to Oregon to be with Anderson.

Baldwin, struggling to find a steady career, resorted to working odd jobs, often selling beer at baseball, basketball and football games in Portland and Seattle. He spent nights in a shady Seattle motel — if he got enough tips — or at campsites, visiting Anderson in Portland whenever he could. It was a blessing in disguise: The itinerant lifestyle allowed him to spend his days scouring local thrift shops and yard sales for velvet paintings.

He and Anderson eventually began traveling across the country in search of artwork, a journey Baldwin lovingly refers to as the Velvet Trail. It took them along the West Coast, into the Southwest and even to Mexico, which was a hotbed of velvet painting during the medium’s “golden age” in the 1960s and ’70s.

When the couple began living together, they filled the house with velvet paintings — about 50 of them. Naturally, guests took notice, and the paintings became a focal point of the home.

That’s about the time Anderson and Baldwin started to wonder: What if they just displayed their wares in a gallery instead of the house?

Positive Responses Writing out a business plan wasn’t easy.

“Go to Bank of America and try to get a loan for a velvet painting museum, with a business card that has a crying clown on it,” Baldwin deadpanned.

Still, people began discovering the little gallery in Southeast Portland shortly after it opened in December 2005, and patrons’ reactions were memorable. Some treated their enjoyment of velvet paintings as a dirty little secret. Others laughed in nostalgic pleasure or seemed transported to another time and place.

“It’s always been positive responses. People who come are the ones who want to come,” Anderson said. “Honestly, I’m still baffled why people love these things so much, but I’m happy it’s not just us.”

Wanting a change, Baldwin and Anderson decided to move back to California in 2010. There was never any doubt that Velveteria was coming with them, though the location was up for debate. They settled on Chinatown, inspired by its exciting Downtown surroundings (and, for Baldwin, fond memories of his very first date at Hop Louie.)

While Anderson and Baldwin don’t know how many people will walk through Velveteria’s doors on any given day, they have high hopes that the museum’s snark-free oddness will draw new fans.

“When you go to a city, you see the same malls, the same stores, the same stuff everywhere,” Anderson said. “But there’s nothing like Velveteria in the world. That’s something people love.”

While the present and the new Downtown Los Angeles location are exciting, Baldwin and Anderson don’t give much thought to the future. They say they don’t have a clue as to whether someone could take over Velveteria and their massive collection one day. The couple has neither kids nor an obvious successor, but selling the pieces are out of the question. They’re not even sure when they might retire.

“This is the most foolish retirement plan in the world!” Baldwin said, laughing long and hard. “The only stupider thing would be to go out and burn money on the corner. But this is fun. The point of this is sharing this art with the world.”

They were brought together almost by chance and fell in love over paintings that few care about. No wonder Anderson and Baldwin are still pursuing a life as weird, spontaneous and lovely as the artwork that adorns Velveteria’s walls.

Velveteria is at 711 New High St., (503) 309-9299 or velveteria. com. It is open Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m-6 p.m. eddie@downtownnews.com