02-03-14

The Bighorn Sheep of L.A. Politics | 6 Liquor, Pot and the Arts District | 10

FEBRUARY 3, 2014 I VOL. 43 I #5

The Coolest Room in Downtown

A Look Inside the New Arts District Event Space Apartment A

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THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

photo by Gary Leonard

See Page 9

2 Downtown News

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AROUND TOWN

Send Your Downtown Love Line

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ove is all you need. Love lifts us up where we belong. And now, love is in the pages of Los Angeles Downtown News. It all comes courtesy of a Downtown Love Line, the annual message of affection that readers get to share with their husband, wife, partner, kids, special friend, pet, etc. Downtown News is inviting readers to submit a message professing those special feelings. Entries must be 20 words or less, and are due by Wednesday, Feb. 5. Messages are free, but only one per reader, please.

Include your contact info (name, phone and email) and don’t forget the name of the person you’re love lining. Email messages to lovelines@downtownnews.com.

‘Restaurant Stadium’ Coming to Downtown

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ext month, Downtown Los Angeles will become the culinary capital of the universe. More than 25 chefs from around the world will descend on L.A. Live to show off their skills in the All-Star Chef Classic, which runs March 21-23. The festival will feature local A-listers such as Michael Cimarusti, Roy Choi and Ludovic Lefebvre, as well as global talent, including Alain Passard, Wylie Dufresne and Iñaki Aizpitarte. Just as cool is that the “Restau-

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS rant Stadium” and the “Chef’s Tasting Arena” will be built at the L.A. Live Event Deck, allowing people to watch the fiery action from all angles.

There will also be chances to taste what is being prepared. Events will include an exclusive “French Masters” five-course dinner, as well as a more casual “Grill and Chill” session. Tickets run $65-$300, with kids’ admission starting at $25.

Tickets are at allstarchefclassic.com.

February 3, 2014

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Help Plan the Future of Downtown

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he Department of City Planning is trying to envision the future of Downtown Los Angeles, and it’s asking the public for help. Two meetings this week will give area residents and workers a chance to weigh in on myriad issues, among them urban design, mobility, sustainability, zoning and more. The meetings will also include updates on the Central City and Central City North community plans, as well as the new Transit Neighborhood Plan (which addresses the Metro stops around Downtown). The first meeting is 4-6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, in the Cooper Design Space at 860 S. Los Angeles St.; the second starts at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, in Union Church at 401 E. Third St. in Little Tokyo. For more information, contact Bryan Eck at (213) 978-1304 or bryan.eck@lacity.org, or Nicholas Maricich at (213) 978-1240 or nicholas.maricich@lacity.org.

City Tavern Opens This Week at FIGat7th

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astropub fans, rejoice! The Downtown branch of Culver City’s popular City Tavern

New LA County Interim Sheriff

John Scott

County Hall of Administration

is set to open at the FIGat7th shopping center on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Patrons of the original location will find many carryovers, including lots of good beer (more than 20 on tap) and gussiedup comfort foods (including homemade chicken nuggets). One difference is that the Downtown Los Angeles outpost, which is on the bottom level of the shopping center at Figueroa and Seventh streets, places an emphasis on raw seafood, and the joint will serve freshly shucked oysters.

There is also a revamped cocktail program, with a selection of mini three-ounce martinis for $5-$6, as well as other specialty drinks and happy hour specials from the bartending minds of Brent Fal-

January 30, 2014

co (Cole’s) and Cari Hah (Peking Tavern).

Traffic Impacts From Regional Connector

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eware, Downtowners: The already bad traffic in the Central City is going to get worse starting this week as Metro delves into further preparation work for the Regional Connector. Excavation to explore underground utilities in advance of the $1.37 billion light rail connector will take place at Sixth and Lebanon streets (a half-block Continued on page 11

Why does this little burger stand attract over a million people a year?

Metro Briefs 80-Hour Closure on Northbound I-405 February 14–18

Find out at the landmark location near Downtown. Home of the original Chili-burger.

Quality and value since 1946:

Chili Hamburger .............. $2.15 Chili Cheeseburger ........... $2.65

Closures of the northbound I-405 freeway in the Sepulveda Pass are planned over Presidents' Day weekend, February 14-18. Partial lane closures will be in e=ect between Getty Center Dr and Ventura Bl during the day, and all northbound lanes will be closed at night. To avoid delays, drive less or avoid the area. For a complete closure schedule, visit metro.net/405.

Public Hearings on Bus Service February 5–13

Proposed Metro bus service changes for June will be discussed at public meetings held February 5–13 in Downtown LA, San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Westside and the Gateway Cities areas. For details, visit metro.net.

Crenshaw/LAX Light Rail Line Breaks Ground

O;cials marked the start of construction on the $2 billion Crenshaw/LAX line with an event on January 21.

The 8.5-mile light rail line will run between the Metro Expo and Green Lines, with eight new stations expected to open in 2019. More information at metro.net/crenshaw.

New Buses Begin Service Soon

The first of Metro’s $297 million order of 550 new 40-foot clean air buses are set to go into service. The new buses replace those in the ?eet reaching retirement age, which is 12 years of service and 500,000 miles.

Impress your Valentine this year and Go Metro! Whether you’re planning a date in Boyle Heights, Pasadena, Downtown LA or Miracle Mile, Metro riders receive discounts at a variety of restaurants and shows. For these specials and more, visit metro.net/discounts.

metro.net @metrolosangeles

Many Imitate, But None Compare!

facebook.com/losangelesmetro

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Go Metro for Valentine’s Day

February 3, 2014

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EDITORIALS

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

February 3, 2014

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

Yes to an Arts District Subway Stop

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hen it comes to making mass transit infrastructure decisions, two criteria tend to matter the most: cost, and how the project will impact current and future congestion.

With those factors in mind, it makes all the sense in the world to consider building one or two Red or Purple Line stations in the Arts District. Los Angeles Downtown News recently reported on the proposal, which was initiated by Metro CEO Art Leahy.

Speaking at a meeting of the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum, Leahy said he has directed Metro staff to study building stops at First and Sixth streets near existing Metro tracks. His reasoning is logical: The Arts District is changing, with hundreds of millions of dollars in investment pouring into the community, and this is a chance to respond to the transformation. “We ought to be innovative and be willing to experiment,” he told Downtown News after the event.

The proposal would appear to be feasible from a cost standpoint. As mentioned above, Metro tracks already come out of Union Station and run through the Arts District. That is why City Councilman Tom LaBonge proffered a variation on the idea four years ago. LaBonge noted that an aboveground platform that reaches the height of a railcar door could be poured. Sure, there would be some expense, but compared to securing rights of way, conducting extensive traffic studies and laying track, as occurs with new rail projects, the Arts District expenditure is relatively low.

More important, as Leahy and others mentioned, is the present and future activity in the Arts District.

The neighborhood has become one of the hottest communities in Los Angeles and is seeing a blitz of development. The 438-apartment One Santa Fe is rising east of the Southern California Institute of Architecture, and Legendary Development is preparing to break ground this year on a nearby 472-unit rental complex. Other housing projects already exist throughout the area, including three buildings developed by the firm Linear City in the southern portion of the district. Being able to get these people from their homes to the center of Downtown, or other neighborhoods throughout the region, without climbing into a car has obvious benefits.

Then there is the biggest project coming to the area: In 2015, work will start on a $401 million replacement of the Sixth Street Viaduct. The project will improve connections between the Arts District and Boyle Heights, and include recreation areas on the banks of the Los Angeles River.

All of this activity means that the district could wind up in a traffic crush. That is a serious concern, considering that stakeholders have already experienced the first pangs of congestion and parking shortages. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to be in front of a problem rather than play catch-up later?

This is why the Arts District rail station idea should be seriously considered. We’re pleased Leahy has broached the idea and we look forward to hearing the Metro staff’s report. We hope Leahy will remain a champion of the proposal.

LAPD: It’s Beginning to Smell Like ‘Jaywalking Traps’

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ost Downtown residents and workers were surprised in December when they learned that the LAPD’s Central Division was hitting jaywalkers with tickets of up to $250.

Not only were people being cited for egregious violations such as darting across the street mid-block or walking against a red light, they were being zapped even for something few know is illegal: stepping into the crosswalk after the countdown clock has begun.

Jaywalking is a more serious infraction than many people know (deaths do result, including some close to our hearts here at Downtown News), but the LAPD seems to have uncharacteristically misplaced its efforts. We acknowledge that police are enforcing the letter of the law (failure to obey a traffic signal), but the situation is beginning to smell like a “jaywalking trap,” a parallel to a “speed trap” that nabs unsuspecting motorists.

The steep fees and unexpected enforcement struck a chord, and after Downtown News reported on the crackdown, the story was picked up by the Los Angeles Times, local TV stations and the New York Times. Just think of how all those in New York City, where people behave as if jaywalking is a birthright, were snickering at L.A. While we don’t want to imitate New York, where pedestrians do not have the right-of-way, there might well be a more reasonable and fair way to ensure public safety on the streets of Downtown.

What should happen next is easy: Central Division brass should reverse their enforcement policies for the crosswalk infractions. That is, stop ticketing people who step into the crosswalk when there is still a reasonable amount of time to make it to the opposite sidewalk. That would be enforcing the substance of the law and not the letter of the law, which is how the LAPD handles many other traffic matters. The complicated dance for both left and right turns at intersections comes to mind; it is often impossible to make either turn without bending the law. Just think of how many times you have followed the unofficial “three cars” guideline and made the turn after the light had gone red.

If the LAPD insists on challenging those who step off the curb when there are, say, 12 or 15 seconds left, make it a verbal or written warning. The good thing is, this change can happen immediately, with one top-level directive, and it may prove effective. For most people, simply being stopped and confronted by the police is a nerve-racking encounter that will alter behavior.

Unfortunately, the department seems unwilling to do this, and

instead is prepared to hand out tickets for each infraction. At a Jan. 22 public forum to discuss the situation, LAPD representatives said that for the time being the current policy will continue, and that instead they will study the matter, examining issues such as what behavior should merit a warning and how many warnings someone should get before receiving a ticket. “We’re looking at other agencies and departments to see how they handle prosecution,” Capt.

Ann Young, who oversees the department’s Traffic Division, told the crowd assembled in Downtown’s Alexandria Hotel.

That problem is, we have seen too many municipal studies to expect any analysis to alter behavior. Waiting for a study is usually code for an entity or agency electing to conduct business as usual and hope that the opposition dies down. When the study does finally come, it is often put on a shelf and forgotten. The LAPD regularly rises above that paradigm. They have shown they are capable of doing so.

The situation is frustrating because the Central Division command staff and beat cops have a long history of being great partners with Downtown businesses and residents. The community has worked with the police force to improve safety and fight crime, and thanks to this cooperation the Central City is a far safer and more livable place than it was even a decade ago.

However, the current LAPD stance could undermine the department’s reputation. When you get a ticket, particularly for jaywalking, you often curse the cops and complain to your friends and co-workers (in 2014 you might vent on social media, too). Let it happen enough and people will question why the cops are cracking down on countdown clock scofflaws when more serious offenses are taking place in Downtown.

We understand the department’s principal aim, and we can’t disagree with the effort to increase safety. Far too many people are getting hit by cars in Downtown, with sometimes deadly results. According to LAPD statistics, Central Division saw 153 car-pedestrian accidents in 2013, and four people died. The situation gained additional notoriety on Jan. 14, when an apparent jaywalker was struck by a car carrying Mayor Eric Garcetti on Second Street behind the Police Administration Building. The woman was hospitalized.

The department is right to try to alter risky behavior, but is wrong in employing the draconian crackdown. There are more sensible and community-friendly approaches.

February 3, 2014

The Readers Have Their Say A Sampling of Website Comments on Jaywalking Tickets, Arts District Rail Stations, County Seal Changes and More

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very week Los Angeles Downtown News gets online comments to the stories we publish. These are some of the most interesting responses. Additional comments are welcome at ladowntownnews.com.

Regarding the article “Community, Police, Still Divided Over Jaywalking Tickets,” by Joey Kaufman, published Jan. 27

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aywalking has to be one of the most dangerous and foolhardy things to do. I’m always mystified by those people who gripe and express anger when they’ve been issued a ticket for jaywalking. Do they really think they have magical powers that keep them protected from oncoming cars? I just love the pedestrians who send text messages while crossing the street, not looking at the traffic — some even stand in the middle of the intersection.

—Marie Brown, Jan. 28, 6:49 p.m.

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his is one of the most counterintuitive policies that I can imagine. Everyone says they want to encourage a walking culture like other cities, with all the associated environmental, health and quality-of-life benefits. If people don’t realize that stepping into the street is dangerous, they need to learn somehow, but fining tons of people who have the common sense to look both ways first is so wrong. This is incredibly discouraging to fans of individual

Downtown News 5

OPINION

freedom and the growth of Downtown L.A. —Jacob Liskin, Jan. 28, 8:23 p.m.

Regarding the article “The Man Who Remade Downtown,” about developer Jim Thomas, by Jon Regardie, published Jan. 20

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ery insightful article and interview. I would love to have dinner and conversation with this man!

—Nick LaFond, Jan. 23, 3:57 p.m.

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e is not only a developer, but one heck of an urbanist as well.

—Juanito Crandell, Jan. 27, 7:37 p.m.

his gentleman’s instincts are brilliant.

Thanks for giving us a glimpse.

—Rafa Chavez, Jan. 27, 3:25 p.m.

Regarding the article “Subway Stations Proposed for Arts District,” by Jon Regardie, published online Jan. 17

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very extra station makes Metro Rail a little bit easier and more valuable to use, especially in a growing area such as the Arts District.

On a side note, if they do build an Arts District station, maybe they can take the “Arts District” part off of the Little Tokyo/Arts District station and have that be just “Little Tokyo.”

—James Fujita, Jan. 17, 11:50 p.m.

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he first time I ever heard of this was when Councilman Tom LaBonge brought it up four years ago. It was pretty gutsy too, as he was just serving as an alternate on the Metro Board. It’s a great idea and shows creative thinking that makes use of what we have. Metro CEO Art Leahy is the kind of guy who pays attention, listens and gets things done. He has made so many positive changes at Metro because he gets involved. I’ve seen him personally walking around Union Station making notes.

Don’t be surprised if he makes this plan happen.

—Alexis Kasperavicius, Jan. 22, 12:17 a.m.

Regarding the item “GQ Calls Downtown ‘Next Great City in America,’” published online Jan. 15

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definitely will be purchasing a loft Downtown. I love this city. It is being transformed and I have only been here five years but the potential is just out of this world. Right now I would consider Downtown very underdeveloped, in my humble opinion.

—Charles Ellis, Jan. 17, 9:52 a.m.

Regarding the column “A Sheriff’s Department Debaca-cle,” by Jon Regardie, published Jan. 13 he story says, “Expect everyone in the race to cast himself as a sheriff’s equivalent of former LAPD Chief (and current New York Police Commissioner) William Bratton.” Good point. Another “Bratton” is exactly what the voters will want for the next sheriff, and who better to fit that description than Bratton’s former second in command, Jim McDonnell. Bratton

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has not been shy about making endorsements, so McDonnell can expect an endorsement from his former boss.

—Joe Friday, Jan. 14, 8:08 a.m.

Regarding the editorial “No Cross on the County Seal,” published Jan. 13

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t is unfortunate that belief in political correctness finds that it is OK to rewrite history. I spoke with Supervisor Kenny Hahn, many years ago, about his design of the County Seal. He was very proud that the seal was based on the history of L.A. County. Clearly the significance of the cross was to recall the history of the Catholic Missions which served as one of the first organized forms of government in California outside of the historical Indian tribes themselves. To leave the cross off is in effect to deny our history. To depict a mission structure without the cross is historically inaccurate; it is not a Taco Bell on our seal. A child in our school system should be able to describe a mission, and yes, it was a religious structure, with a cross, and it is our history.

—Chris Martin, Jan. 13, 12:14 p.m.

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f the County of Los Angeles wanted a cross in the seal, which the original seal had, then they should have left the county seal alone and not changed it to begin with. Now that times have changed, in my opinion, it is not very nice to include a religious cross in the seal, which it presently does not have. It seems that the county is about to put the Catholic religion over other religions that many people practice in L.A. County.

—Richard Beaver, Jan. 14, 12:05 a.m.

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6 Downtown News

February 3, 2014

The Sound and the Feuer-y Why City Attorney Mike Feuer Is the Bighorn Sheep Of L.A. Politics (It’s a Good Thing!)

By Jon Regardie ity Attorney Mike Feuer has a line, or a variation on a line, that he likes to use.

Not a line like “What’s your sign?” or “Want to come inside and see my law library?” but rather one with a folksy approach.

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THE REGARDIE REPORT Feuer’s line is an invitation to cut him off him when he is talking. I’ve seen him use it a couple times and, considering that he estimates he has spoken to seven dozen neighborhood groups since taking office last July, I guess he has uttered it at least seven dozen times in the last seven months. Probably more.

“I want you to interrupt me,” he told the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum last October when he spoke to about 50 attorneys, business and labor leaders, media types and others. Earlier this month, when a group of approximately 10 reporters showed up in his eighth floor digs in City Hall East for a briefing and assessment of his time in office, he started by saying, “Feel free to interrupt me.”

It’s a good line but a problematic one, in part because Feuer is a speedy speaker who adeptly jumps from subject to subject. Whether he actually wants someone to interrupt him with a question or comment I have no idea, but doing so is about as easy as striding onto the 110 Freeway and trying to slow traffic by waving your hand.

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Then there’s the discomfort factor. There’s a human inclination against interrupting people — it’s bad manners, and it’s not something you regularly do unless you’re a radio host or a politician. Plus, Feuer’s the city attorney, the guy in charge of throwing bad dudes in jail, and interrupting him, you think, holds a 1.4% chance of landing you in the pokey.

For all the problems, interrupting Feuer is probably easier than interrupting his predecessor, Carmen Trutanich. If Feuer’s public addresses are the equivalent of traffic on the 110, then Trutanich’s speechmaking was like a line of cars speeding toward the finish line at the Indianapolis 500.

This isn’t meant as a potshot at Trutanich, whom Feuer defeated in the former’s re-election bid last May. Rather, it’s a reflection on the past and the present. That’s because so much of what Feuer is doing, both practically and stylistically, has to be considered in comparison to Trutanich.

Repairing Relationships Feuer doesn’t often mention his predecessor by name, but as he discusses his time in office, it’s clear that he’s trying to change just about everything from the previous era. Nowhere is this more apparent than his relationships with other elected officials. By the end of his tenure, Trutanich was warring with both the City Council and then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, to the point that the other branches of government

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City Attorney Mike Feuer adeptly jumps from subject to subject, and always manages to sound both friendly and scholarly. When he speaks at a public event, he may invite you to interrupt him. Good luck making that happen.

filleted his budget and took steps to farm out legal work and break up the duties of the city attorney. They even stopped inviting Nuch to the Friday afternoon City Hall Cupcake Parties (OK, those don’t really exist, but they should).

Feuer has found common ground with Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Controller Ron Galperin in combatting LADWP union chief Brian D’Arcy, and while everyone’s doing that these days, the city attorney has also bolstered his office’s relationship with the council. This has prompted another Feuer line, and again, it has nothing to

do with seeing his law library: “It is a new day among civic leaders in Los Angeles,” he pronounced at the Current Affairs Forum event. A few months later he told the reporters, “I think you will find that it’s a whole new day.” At the same event, when discussing an appearance with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, he referenced, bingo, the “need for a new day.”

Although it’s a cliché, the new-day thing appears to be more than spin. The improved political relationships have alleviated the threat of having his office’s budget further chainsawed, and Feuer recently announced that he is doubling the number of attorneys, from eight to 16, in the Neighborhood Prosecutor program.

That could have real-world results, as the popular effort dedicates lawyers to communities where they focus on quality-of-life crimes such as prostitution, vandalism and the type of basketball being played by the Lakers.

Tell Me a Joke There’s another way in which Feuer is different than Trutanich: He jokes. A lot.

I don’t mean knock-knock jokes or ones that end with lines like, “and that’s when she saw what was really under the judge’s robe,” but simpler fare. I’ve heard him use marijuana muffins and his mustache to elicit laughs. Both worked. Not hearty guffaws, but they worked.

This is important because, while politics and power are important in Feuer’s world, so are people and their perceptions. Feuer has been an elected official for much of the past two decades, having clocked time on the City Council, in the State Assembly and now as City Attorney. He knows how to campaign, how to work a crowd and when to deploy humor to connect with an audience.

Continued on page 20

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February 3, 2014

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With Competition Increasing, Financial District Hotel Plans a $40 Million Makeover

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Hotel industry observers say the 485-room establishment has not kept up with the changing times. It faces competition from a variety of new establishments.

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On a tour of the hotel, Fugit talked enthusiastically about the top-to-bottom makeover.

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out the makeover, with workers remodeling guest rooms one floor at a time. The transformation will boost the number of rooms from 485 to 495, and rates will jump between $20$30, said Tim McGill, managing director of project consultant Hospitality Sales and Marketing.

Rooms currently run $150-$320 a night, depending on the season and how busy the hotel is, McGill said (large conventions and other events can impact prices). The renovation will give each room padded headboards with sleek, moveable overhead lights and a variety of framed photographs of Los Angeles. Occupants will also have more control over temperature: If they want to freeze or boil, they’ve got 20 degrees difference to play with, McGill said.

Time Is Right Other upgrades in the rooms include a safe and refrigerator, both of which Fugit said are commonplace in upscale hotels these days.

Changes are also being made to the hotel’s larger systems. Fugit said there will be faster Wi-Fi speeds and more energy-efficient cooling and heating systems.

Bruce Baltin, senior vice president of hospitality industry consulting firm PKF Consulting, said there is no better time for the Sheraton to take on the upgrade. Baltin pointed to the vibrant Downtown market, embodied by a slew of new stores and the Jan. 6 opening of the upscale boutique Ace Hotel on Broadway. He also pointed to the shops and restaurants opening a short walk from The Bloc at the FIGat7th shopping center.

Work on the Sheraton begins as the Downtown hospitality scene is in the midst of major change. In addition to the Ace, a $172 million project will bring 392 Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn rooms to South Park this summer. Portland-based Williams/Dame & Associates, which is developing that project, is also planning a 450-room Renaissance Hotel

just across from L.A. Live. Up on Bunker Hill, developer Related Cos. recently announced that it is moving forward on a $650 million project being designed by Frank Gehry. One of the two towers is slated to house a 300-room SLS hotel.

Then there is the project closest to the Sheraton: Korean Air is building a $1 billion replacement for the Wilshire Grand Hotel on the northwest corner of Seventh and Figueroa streets. It will create 900 hotel rooms and open in March 2017.

In other words, it’s a new era in Downtown Los Angeles, Baltin noted, one that justifies a change for longtime players who have held steady.

“Part of the problem is that for years Downtown didn’t have a strong enough market to justify these kinds of renovations. But the market is healthy now,” he said.

Baltin noted that the Sheraton has not kept pace with the changing times; he said the hotel has been “maintained” over the years, as opposed to upgraded. Downtown observers have expressed a similar sentiment about the entire Macy’s Plaza, which before being purchased last year

by Ratkovich was owned by Jamison Properties.

The lack of improvements, Baltin said, mean the Sheraton is not at the level of newer properties such as the JW Marriott at L.A. Live.

The $40 million reboot will address that, he said.

Changes are also coming to where hotel visitors eat and drink. The lower level will be home to a new restaurant and bar, though Fugit said no concept has been selected. The new bar will connect to the open-air mall, and a corridor will be constructed that leads pedestrians from the mall to Hope Street.

The guest rooms should be finished by the end of 2014, with the meeting rooms and ballroom completed by May 2015. donna@downtownnews.com

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By Donna Evans n a recent weekday, Jeff Fugit noted that Downtown’s Sheraton Hotel is the kind of place you could drive right by and not even notice.

The comment makes sense given that pedestrians and motorists hurrying along Seventh Street are more apt to notice the shopping mall than the front doors leading into 711 S. Hope St. In fact, the hotel’s ground-floor entrance might only catch the eye of passersby if they see the uniformed valets eagerly motioning toward cars.

What really makes Fugit’s observation stand out is that he is the hotel’s newly named director of operations.

While it may sound as if Fugit is taking a harsh look at the Downtown property, that’s his job. Fugit was brought aboard to steer the hotel through a $40 million overhaul designed to make it competitive with other upscale establishments in the Central City. The work will start June 1.

The timing is crucial, as the “rejuvenation,” as Fugit terms it, aligns with developer Wayne Ratkovich’s $160 million renovation of Macy’s Plaza, now referred to as The Bloc. The transformation of the tired shopping center/office/ hotel complex bounded by Seventh, Eighth, Hope and Flower streets is slated for completion in late 2015. The project will transform the 41-year-old center into a modern, mixed-use destination with an open-air plaza and 400,000

The Sheraton Hotel at Seventh and Hope streets will undergo a $40 million renovation beginning June 1.

The upgrades are part of the $160 million revamp of Macy’s Plaza, now renamed The Bloc.

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February 3, 2014

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Cocktails in the Overgrowth The Arts District’s Apartment A is the Coolest New Room in Downtown

By Eddie Kim he greenery winds around the walls and beams of the small apartment, overgrowth seemingly with a mind of its own. It’s just one of the many elements that command attention the moment a visitor walks through the door.

There are also the restored chairs from the side of the road, the twinkling chandeliers and enough fantastic booze to sate even the most particular drinker.

But there’s a problem: The messy overgrowth isn’t quite overgrowing in the right way.

“I need to call a guy about this,” says Matt Landes, frowning as he gently pokes at the ivy on the brick wall.

This is the offbeat world of Apartment A, which hides on a lonely stretch of Jesse Street in the Arts District (the actual address is on Mateo Street). It’s the kind of spot that could easily be mistaken for the eccentric den of a contemporary artist. Instead, it’s an event space catering to those looking for something off the beaten path, literally and figuratively.

The project comes from Landes and his business partners Max Kestenbaum, Brandyn Tepper and Analisa Moskus. The quartet met while working at 41 Ocean, a swanky (then-private) club in Santa Monica.

Downtown Los Angeles has no shortage of spectacular private event spaces, including the Oviatt Penthouse, the former cathedral Vibiana and Loft Seven, a penthouse space in the Haas Building. In comparison, Apartment A is, at least on paper, decidedly modest: The 1,400-square-foot space features a sitting area in the front, a small bar in the middle and a tidy kitchen and bathroom in the back.

The Apartment A team, however, hopes to woo clients with a charming ambiance unlike that of older spaces, said Moskus, who oversees operations.

“It seems that a lot of people in their 20s and 30s have no interest in renting out a private room in a restaurant or a conference room in a hotel or a big, expensive place,” she said. “They want a weird, artsy place for a pop-up dinner, a birthday party, whatever.”

The look of Apartment A stems from an inspired suggestion by designer Matt Winter. “He stood in the doorway, arms akimbo, and announced, ‘Let’s do Jumanji,’” Landes said, referring to the 1995 Robin Williams movie. “He was totally serious.”

Landes did much of the work himself, salvaging old furniture and nitpicking over foliage. The space now embodies a rustic-meets-urban aesthetic, with lots of worn wood, comfortable seating, high ceilings and chic exposed ducts and wooden beams. The space also offers tech features including a projector, cable TV, HDMI connectivity and more.

Beyond appearances, Apartment A is unique in that it is driven by a love of cocktails. The space is part of the group’s newly formed hospitality company dubbed, fittingly, Cocktail Academy.

“We want to demystify cocktails and what the process is and we want people to have a feeling about what and why we

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Apartment A is an intimate and offbeat Arts District venue that focuses on craft cocktails. Brandyn Tepper and Analisa Moskus (shown here) opened it with Max Kestenbaum and Matt Landes.

bartenders do everything — ingredients, technique, the tools,” said Tepper, who oversees the bar program at the Westside restaurant Hinoki and the Bird.

Coming Next Renting out Apartment A costs $2,500 for up to 25 people, and an additional $50 per person up to 50 guests. Bookings include a custom bar program from Tepper and Kestenbaum, who works the bar at Broadway’s Ace Hotel.

They also offer classes for the public.

One recent Saturday afternoon whiskey tasting and cocktail class was led by Kestenbaum and Tepper, while Landes acted as a sort of moderator, tossing out questions and adding context. The $75 event ran almost four hours (including lunch) and offered information on the various types of whiskeys, how to drink them (“Close your eyes and imagine where the whiskey comes from,” Tepper instructed), and how to construct cocktails with them.

By the end of the day, the eight or so attendees were happily buzzed on several varietals of expensive whiskey.

The foursome describe Apartment A as a “$50,000 passion project” built upon the friendships they formed while at 41 Ocean. The space opened in mid-Decem-

ber, and the group has hosted more than a dozen events for clients such as Bacardi and Nike.

The space, however, is just the beginning. The quartet is working to lease a 3,500-square-foot spot at 421 Colyton St., near Urth Caffé. They plan to open a bar with two levels: One will feature speedy service of beer, wine and shots, while the other will be a lounge-like area with a focus on craft cocktails.

The group has quickly developed a passion and excitement for the Arts District, which is in an explosive growth phase, attracting residential complexes, coffee roasters and restaurants. Landes compares the scene to Manhattan’s Meatpacking District of the 1990s or Brooklyn five or six years ago.

“There’s a flavor down here,” he said.

“There’s a level of risk-taking down here that’s not happening elsewhere.”

By the sounds of it, the foursome are in the neighborhood to stay, and they have big plans to grow in the future.

Kind of like the ivy on Apartment A’s walls, as Landes points out.

Apartment A is at 652 Mateo St. #107, (213) 800-3026 or apartmentala.com. eddie@downtownnews.com

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February 3, 2014

Arts District Residents Abuzz Over Pot Clinic Dispensary Opens a Block From Where Inhabitants Stymied an Upscale Liquor Store

By Donna Evans n late 2012, Boyle Heights-based Ramirez Liquors announced plans to open a store in the Arts District. The second outpost of the family-run business was slated for a 7,081-square-foot space at Fifth and Seaton streets (near Alameda Street). Ramirez, which had operated for 17 years, hoped to cater to the evolving Downtown, and intended to stock a large selection of craft beers and more than 750 types of tequila and mescal. There would be a wine tasting room and a cigar humidor.

Although a rendering revealed a modern exterior, more akin to a furniture shop than a standard corner liquor store, the community rebelled, with area inhabitants saying the neighborhood was vulnerable to crime and frequented by transients. The complaints struck a chord, and in March 2013 a city associate zoning administrator wrote that a liquor store would “adversely affect or degrade adjacent properties.” The Ramirez family ultimately lost their battle. There would be no Arts District store.

Fast forward to December when, to area residents’ surprise, a medical marijuana clinic, Grateful Meds, suddenly opened one block south of where Ramirez sought to locate.

“The dispensary seemed to sneak in under the radar,” said Russell Roney, a resident of the nearby Barker Block and one of those strongly opposed to Ramirez Liquor’s permit application.

“No one that I know of was aware of its opening until after it was operational.”

While Roney, the president of the board of the Barker Block’s homeowners association, is quick to point out he is less concerned about a dispensary than he was about a liquor store — one needs a medical marijuana prescription card to gain access, whereas anyone over 21 can walk into a liquor store, he noted — he believes the new business is attracting an “unwanted element” to the neighborhood.

He is not alone. A chorus of area residents have said the same

I

rendering courtesy of Ramirez Liquor

photo by Scot Ezzell

Medical marijuana dispensary Grateful Meds opened in December on Seaton Street in the Arts District. Area residents say they did not have any advance warning that it was coming.

The owners of the family-run Ramirez Liquor tried last year to open a store specializing in craft beer and tequila a block from where the pot clinic arrived. Arts District inhabitants helped shoot down the proposal.

thing to the Arts District’s LAPD Senior Lead Officer, Chris Jarvis, who began representing the area during the Ramirez kerfuffle.

Walking the neighborhood last week, Jarvis spotted several white bags, used to carry the marijuana out of the clinic, tossed in the street and littering the sidewalk.

“When it’s not your community, you don’t care as much about keeping it clean,” Jarvis said, noting the dispensary hasn’t reached out to the community the way most businesses do when they’re new in the neighborhood.

A bigger concern, Jarvis said, is dispensary patients smoking marijuana on the street or in their cars — something residents have reported to him repeatedly.

Grateful Meds CEO Justin Pearson said the piles of trash sprinkled throughout the neighborhood predate his business’ arrival.

He attributes the refuse to area transients, and said he believes the clinic is a positive addition to the community. He said his associates are organizing a neighborhood cleanup.

Although Pearson did not meet with members of the Los Angeles River Artists and Business Association or other neighbor-

hood groups before opening, he said he wants to connect with local stakeholders. He said those with concerns should email him at info@gratefulmeds.la.

“This is a great area, it’s industrial, we’re next to a DWP yard and a recycling plant. We’re not a nuisance,” Pearson said. “The only comments I’ve heard from the community is they’re happy we’re here.”

No Plan to Leave Pearson relocated to a 10,000-square-foot building at Palmetto and Seaton streets from a space on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, which the clinic was forced to leave because of Proposition D. Passed by city voters last May, Prop D dictates that medical marijuana dispensaries must be 1,000 feet away from a school and 600 feet from a public park, library or religious institution.

Grateful Meds is one of the 134 dispensaries in Los Angeles that, according to Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for City Attorney Mike Feuer, has “limited immunity from prosecution” under Prop Continued on page 20

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Downtown News 11

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Old Towers, New Powers Historic Core’s 82-Year-Old Rooftop Radio Beacons to Be Preserved

By Donna Evans eople don’t generally look up when walking in the Historic Core, but those who have done so recently in the environs of Fifth Street and Broadway might have noticed something unexpected: workers giving a pair of 220-foot high, defunct radio towers a makeover.

The KRKD radio towers, which for 82 years have sat atop the Spring Arcade Building, were set to be destroyed, and a permit for their demolition was secured, said Greg Martin, vice president of Downtown Management, a firm helmed by Spring Arcade Building owner Joseph Hellen. The razing of the towers was slated to coincide with a renovation of parts of the building — an outpost of Guisado’s tacos and gelato shop Gelateria Uli are among the businesses coming to the ground floor arcade portion of the complex.

The towers reflect a bygone era in Downtown Los Angeles.

Radio station KMIC started in Inglewood in 1927. It moved to the Spring Arcade Building in 1932 and changed the call letters to KRKD. The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, founded by Los Angeles televangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, purchased the station in 1960, after which KRKD broadcast weekly sermons, according to the website socalradiohistory. com. Over the years, KRKD had AM and FM stations that played show tunes and popular music, the website states.

The structures have not been used to transmit radio waves in decades, and they did not comply with modern requirements mandated by the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration. Hence the decision to dismantle them.

Word of the impending destruction made its way to the Department of City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources and historic preservation architect Lambert Giessinger. Although not designated a historical monument, the towers’ importance, in part, stems from the fact that they are among the last remaining examples of a “hammock” style antenna in the country, he said.

The term refers to the way a series of horizontal wires are suspended between two towers in a manner that resembles a hammock, explained Morgan Sykes Jaybush, an architect with the firm Omgivning.

The outcry over the towers and their historic significance garnered the attention of Hellen. Hellen, who spends much of the year attending to business matters in Melbourne, Australia, met with Giessinger last October during one of his visits to Los Angeles. He was persuaded to save the towers.

Bringing the towers up to modern standards required several steps, among them satisfying FCC and FAA regulations by painting them orange and white and adding illuminated beacons.

The lighting circuits for the beacon have to run to the emergen-

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NOTICE: PLANNED DOWNTOWN LA STREET CLOSURES photo by Gary Leonard

Workers paint the KRKD radio towers atop the Spring Arcade Building in the Historic Core. The towers were set to be demolished, but instead are being preserved.

cy generator in the building’s basement, because if the building loses power the beacons still must work, Martin said. The full restoration price is estimated at $60,000 to $80,000, he said.

“It’s quite a process to get everything in line,” Martin said. “Personally, I’m happy the towers are staying. They’re not necessarily artwork, but we can see the significant historical contribution they make.”

Equally pleased is Adrian Scott Fine, the director of advocacy for the Los Angeles Conservancy. Fine believes the radio towers contribute to the historic fabric of Downtown and Broadway.

“Radio towers like the KRKD tower are significant because they were once common, but are becoming increasingly rare,” he said.

The work on the towers is expected to be complete by the end of February. donna@downtownnews.com

The Wilshire Grand Center, currently under construction at 900 Wilshire Blvd., will be closing streets in downtown Los Angeles in the area around Figueroa Street, Wilshire Boulevard, Francisco Street and 7th Street from 12 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014 until 10 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014. In order to limit the impacts on our neighbors, we will be conducting this work over one weekend.

We look forward to being a part of

AROUND TOWN, 2 east of Figueroa Street). The activity began Saturday, Feb. 1, and will continue on approximately four more Saturdays between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Metro is also resuming the relocation of a gas line, with work starting early this week on Second Street between Hill Street and Broadway, as well as on Broadway between First and Third streets. Construction will last approximately five weeks and will take place weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additional information is at metro. net/regionalconnector.

Charter School Students Take on ‘Kindness’ Initiative

E

very year the nonprofit organization Kids for Peace hosts “The

Great Kindness Challenge” in an effort to inspire children to better their community. Last week, a group of Downtown Los Angeles students got in on the action. On Jan. 27-31, the kindergarten through second grade students at the new Metro Charter Elementary School participated in a slate of “kindness activities,” including creating kindness banners and posters, and cleaning up and recycling goods on the campus. Other activities included a door decorating contest and creating a bookmark for a family member. “It is absolutely rewarding to see how students have dedicated themselves to performing as many acts of kindness as possible,” said principal Maricela Barragan. The students were joined in the kindness initiative by staff and patients at the California Hospital Medical Center on Grand Avenue. The school is housed in the hospital.

Velvet Paintings and Dodger Fanfest Hit DTTV

I

f you haven’t yet made it to Downtown’s velvet painting museum, or if you missed this past weekend’s Dodger Fanfest, no worries — you can glimpse highlights of both on Downtown News’ weekly webcast. The DTTV City Living episode that goes online Monday, Feb. 3, features a visit to Velveteria, the shrine to velvet art that opened in Chinatown in December. Also covered is the Dodgers Fanfest, which took place on Feb. 1. The happening at Dodger Stadium featured appearances by current and former players (Yasiel Puig and Steve Garvey were among those scheduled to attend), and attractions including a wiffleball park. The stories will be up all week. Check out DTTV at downtownnews.com.

this community and appreciate your patience as we continue construction.

Please visit www.wilshiregrandcenter.com/traffic for the latest information F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N Visit our website: www.wilshiregrandcenter.com/traffic For real-time updates, visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wilshiregrandcenter or follow us on Twitter @Wilshire_Grand

12 Downtown News

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DT

February 3, 2014

CALENDAR

Images From the Danger

Zone

By Donna Evans ike most photographers, when George Steinmetz is working, he tries to block out everything else. That came into play when he was strapped to what he likens to a “flying lawn chair” over a volcano in Arakao, Niger in 1997. With camera in hand, he tried not to notice the altimeter affixed to his left thigh.

Then he looked, and saw that he was 5,537 feet, or more than a mile, above the ground.

“There are a lot of nervous moments flying,” Steinmetz said. “Nervous keeps you safe. If you don’t have fear you could get killed.”

The results of Steinmetz’s fear have gone on display in Downtown Los Angeles. Last month an exhibit dubbed Desert Air opened on the concourse of Bank of America Plaza at 333 S. Hope St. It features 42 of the photographs that appear in Steinmetz’s recent book of the same name. The large-scale works will remain on display through Feb 28.

While it took the 56-year-old Beverly Hills native 15 years to create the body of work stretching to the remotest and, in some cases, the most inhospitable places on the planet, Downtowners can experience the austere environs for free during a lunchtime stroll or break from work.

Debra Simon, vice president of Arts Brookfield, said that the offshoot of property giant Brookfield Office Properties has a long history of displaying photojournalists’ work. When she saw Steinmetz’s “breathtaking” shots, she knew they would halt passersby in their tracks.

It turns out, she was literally right. Last week, people could be seen suddenly stopping to

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glance closer at the works.

“George, through his flying apparatus, has achieved extraordinary photos that go beyond beautiful images,” Simon said. “This is photography that changes the way you see the planet.

In that, it is a very important show.”

Inspire an Audience The work in Desert Air spans 27 countries and Antarctica. Steinmetz traveled to remote landscapes and extreme deserts, places dampened by less than four inches of rain a year. Along the way he faced plenty of dangers: In addition to soaring high above the Earth, he was arrested on suspicion of spying in Iran, held under house arrest in Yemen and careened into a tree in China, waking to find his teeth on the wrong side of his face.

The travails are worth the results and the lessons on the planet they impart to viewers, Steinmetz said by phone last week from his New Jersey home.

“I hope to reach different audiences and inspire people to go out and explore the world and respect the world,” he said.

What some people may view as a “wasteland,” Steinmetz sees as a nearly incomprehensible perseverance of life in places both fragile and delicate, and ecosystems in great need of conservation. In fact, he resists the word “wasteland,” preferring instead the description “the last great class of wilderness left on the planet.”

That wilderness stretches from the highest to the lowest points on Earth. Extremes are the norm, as he shot photos in the hottest and coldest places on the planet, everywhere from the

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photos courtesy George Steinmetz

Photo Exhibit at Bank of America Plaza Showcases the Extremes of the Earth

summits of the Andes Mountains to the shores of the Dead Sea. At Bank of America Plaza, David Estey, on a break from work, walked with a friend amid the images, stopping cold at a shot from Masada, Israel. The two agreed it was their favorite piece from the collection.

Adrian Martin had the same feeling about a photo of Ladakh, India. The legal courier walked his bike through the concourse, but halted at the photograph of a home precariously balanced on a rocky cliffside.

“Look at those angles,” he said.

To capture the landscapes in a Photographer George Steinmetz spent 15 years traveling to 27 way that would make viewers feel countries and Antarctica to capture the remotest parts of the planet, like they are there (and given that all from a motorized paraglider travelling high above the ground. His some countries did not offer any air images are on display at Bank of America Plaza. transportation for hire), Steinmetz purchased a motorized paraglider, view of whatever lies below. Gliding along at billed as the world’s lightest and slowest aircraft.

30 mph, Steinmetz prefers snapping photos Actually, over 15 years, he purchased four paraat about 300 feet above the ground, but has gliders and exhausted five motors and nine pairs soared as high as 16,000 feet along the flanks of hiking shoes. He also destroyed three cars (to fire, cliff and a flood) and lost an emergency para- of the Andes.

He steers by pulling on the Kevlar lines atchute to a battery acid incident.

“I fly with kneepads in case of a bad landing,” tached to the paraglider. He and the motor hang beneath the wing, and the aircraft stabihe said nonchalantly, noting he’s had a few, in lizes itself in calm conditions. addition to myriad aborted takeoffs and one That’s when Steinmetz gets to clicking. splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Desert Air is at Bank of America Plaza, 333 S. The paragliders have neither cockpit nor fuHope St., Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through selage. Steinmetz and his camera are totally Feb. 28, artsbrookfield.com. exposed, though he thinks that’s a good thing, donna@downtownnews.com as it affords him an unobstructed 180-degree

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February 3, 2014

By Eddie Kim ince opening more than a decade ago, REDCAT has been a place for audiences comfortable with the avant-garde, whether in theater, dance, film or music. That will continue this week, with a concert featuring droning, atonal compositions that could fairly be described as sounding like chaos from another galaxy.

Brian Chase, John Colpitts and Ulrich Krieger hope that the audience on Tuesday, Feb. 4, will be able to get beyond that first sonic splash and not walk out (more on that later). Stick around, they say, and coaxed from the chaos will be a hidden acoustic beauty.

The performance, dubbed “Chase/Colpitts/Krieger: Percussion, Justly Tuned,” features the three accomplished and respected musician treating the drums not as rhythm instruments, but as melodic ones, tuned in ways that reveal an otherwise veiled landscape of sounds.

Each of the three will present an original composition. Chase, the drummer of rock band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, will open the show with an iteration of the music on his solo LP Drums and Drones, with video accompaniment from artist Ursula Scherrer. Krieger will debut a piece titled Modsognir Hämmer. Colpitts will close out the show with the group performance Ur Eternity.

The origins of the event start with Krieger, who in 2010 performed his chamber-music version of the late Lou Reed’s legendary (or perhaps infamous) noise record Metal Machine Music at Columbia University.

Colpitts, who was then delving into experimental drum music while also performing with his band Oneida, found the show entrancing and inspiring. He introduced himself to Krieger, and eventually roped longtime friend Chase into the discussion.

“Those guys were doing things I had been trying to do and

photo courtesy Andrea Thamm

Three Musicians Push Sonic Boundaries With Percussion at REDCAT

photo courtesy Lisa Corson

photo courtesy Brian Chase

Meditating on Drums

Downtown News 13

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

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It’s got a good beat, but you can’t dance to it: In the Tuesday, Feb. 4, performance dubbed “Percussion, Justly Tuned,” (l to r) Brian Chase, John Colpitts and Ulrich Krieger will explore complex overtones and harmonics rarely heard in mainstream music. That’s a good thing.

At the same time, the musicians know they’re creating something that stretches the notion of what music is. Krieger, for one, has had plenty of people walk out of his performances.

He expects the same thing to happen at REDCAT — audiences, he says, often arrive with misguided assumptions or confusion about what they’ll be hearing.

“When you work between the worlds of rock and classical and experimental music like I do, people don’t know what really to expect,” Krieger said. “So you get both rock fans and classical music academics walking out. It’s kind of funny.”

None of the three are hoping for walkouts, of course, and they maintain that they’re not trying to be overtly confrontational with their compositions. Rather, Chase said, the goal is to help listeners explore a meditative atmosphere of sound that is often ignored.

“It’s like going to the planetarium. It’s enjoying the feeling of being in a new space,” Chase said. “I don’t think we’re really doing anything too inaccessible.”

In other words, the hidden acoustic beauty is there — it just takes a little effort to discover it amid the growling noise. If audience members can do that, then Chase, Colpitts and Krieger believe the effort will be more than worth it.

Chase/Colpitts/Krieger: Percussion, Justly Tuned is Tuesday, Feb. 4, at REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

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had been working on for a long time,” said Krieger, who currently teaches at CalArts. “We were working on percussion as a sound instrument and tuning them in intriguing ways rather than just using them for rhythm or accompaniment.”

Each musician takes a slightly different approach to composition. Chase tackles experimentation from a techy angle, running his drums through a computer to enhance overtones with great detail. Krieger works on amplifying drums very close together to focus and play with resonant frequencies. Colpitts, meanwhile, focuses more on the organic sounds that occur when a lot of people drum at once, with multiple players on each drum.

“It was an experiment in the most basic sense: What would happen if two people played on the same drum?” Colpitts said.

“You get like a phased mass of sound with overtones that create another layer of harmonic resonance.”

While that may sound like gobbledygook to casual listeners, the compositions craft a mesmerizing tonal experience.

“It’s like those nature shows that show the ground, and then zoom in on a microscopic level,” Chase said. “All of a sudden you see a whole new world.”

What makes the music all the more intriguing is the musicians employ conventional instruments: basically, just drum sets and digital tools commonly used in studio post-production.

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CALENDAR LISTINGS

The S S I M DON'T LIST

EVENTS

Monday, February 3 Call Me Burroughs at Aloud Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: The life and times of the celebrated deviant and subversive writer William S. Burroughs gets the full Aloud treatment with biographer Barry Miles and book critic David L. Ulin.

They’ll ruminate on the writer’s legacy on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

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photo courtesy of the Allen Ginsberg Estate

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Is Chris Christie the best thing ever to come out of New Jersey?

Wethinks no. Instead, we’re partial to Mary Chapin Carpenter, who this week has a special appearance at Walt Disney Concert Hall. On Saturday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m., Carpenter will find herself and her trusty six-string flanked by the ranks of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Vince Mendoza will conduct the orchestra in classically arranged versions of the country icon’s catalog. It’ll be a rousing once-in-a-lifetime event for those geared to the Nashville sound.

At 111 S. Grand Ave., (323) 850-2000 or laphil.com.

3

The recent boom in comic book film adaptations has helped rebrand the genre as one of social agency and ethnic sensitivity, but over at the Japanese American National Museum, the Marvels & Monsters exhibit tells a very different story.

Closing on Sunday, Feb. 9, the show chronicles portrayals of Asian characters in comic books from 1942 to 1986. The results ain’t pretty, though the exhibit is thought provoking, especially the parts that focus on Asian arche archetypes. The show ends with contem contemporary graphic novels featuring a much more enlightened stance on Asian representation. This is your last chance to check it out. JANM is open each day this week except Monday. At 100 N. Central Ave., (213) 625-0414 or janm.org.

er 1956), Marjean Ma

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

Feb. 4: Ralph Alessi Baida Quartet.

Feb. 5: Matthew Stevens Residency.

Feb. 6: Thelonius Monk Institute Ensemble Jam Session. Note, Thelonius Monk will not be there. He died 32 years ago.

Feb. 7: John Ellis Group.

Feb. 8-9: Erimaj.

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

Feb. 3, 8 p.m.: When you factor in the fact that brash neopunk duo The Bots aren’t old enough to get into the Bootleg for a beer, yet they’ve already released three albums’ worth of noholds-barred punk, you might begin to feel like comparing them to the Black Keys is selling them a bit short.

, meditative, ous, exiled, visionary iam S. ici sp su d, le dd -a ug dr late Beat writer Will aranoid, delusional, ives to describe the ct je ad As a testa of t lis e Th : prescient thor was polarizing. au e th as rse ve di y n literature arkabl fluence on America Burroughs is as rem in ng sti la s ie’ nk ju pair of experts poused oud are bringing a ment to the self-es Al at lks fo od go e e on the re, th ’ legacy (it takes plac biograand alternative cultu hs ug rro Bu s us sc di ary to Feb. 3, at 7:15 p.m., to the Central Libr s birth). On Monday, hi of ry rsa dress the metave ni an centennial c David Ulin will ad iti cr ok bo es Tim . rroughs’ d L.A ite in the fabric of Bu pher Barry Miles an un at th f oo w d an p al war physical and practic or lfla.org.

St., (213) 228-7500 th Fif .

W life. At 630

photo courtesy of Jay Weingarten

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

TWO

photo by Russ Harrington

he Natural History Museum concludes the workweek with the delightful hodgepodge study of California’s natural and musical environments we’ve come to expect from the institution’s vaunted First Fridays program. Kicking off at 5 p.m. on Feb. 7, this month’s installment features the lecture “Tracking and Trapping L.A.’s Wildlife” and a talk on the fragile fluidity of the Golden State’s coastal ecology. Lest you lose yourself in the wonder of the great outdoors, breakbeat electronic veteran Baths and bouncy trip-hop duo Peaking Lights (shown here) will be laying down their sonic bounty. Enjoy the sounds amid the taxidermied endangered animals strewn about the museum. At 900 Exposition Blvd., (213) 763-3466 or nhm.org.

Friday, February 7 First Fridays Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., (213) 7633466 or nhm.org.

5 p.m.: The monthly museum open house features discussions on L.A. wildlife management and coastal ecology as well as performances from Baths and Peaking Lights.

sunday, February 9 Downtown Flea Third and Spring streets or dtflea.com.

10 a.m.: Now a weekly affair, this multi-lot flea market brings the best in odd purchases, rummaging and antiques into one body of coalesced variety shopping.

Travelling the Silk Road Lecture Series Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., (213) 7633466 or nhm.org.

2 p.m.: Dr. Jennifer Campbell discusses “Mughal Caravanserais: Anchoring Landscapes of Identity, Exchange, and Power in North South Asia.” Don’t know what this means? No better time to find out!

The University of MMA: Fight Night 5 Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or clubnokia.com.

4 p.m.: If you’re still a few credits shy from completing your degree in pain management or that anthropology minor with the emphasis in communicating with pre-linguistic societies, be sure to check out this mixed martial arts event.

One

Getting Wild in the History Museum, Remembering William S. Burroughs, And More Downtown Fun

photo courtesy Natural History Museum

Thursday, February 6 RuPaul’s Drag Race Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or clubnokia.com.

9 p.m.: We are in for a treat this week, as some of the most notorious contestants from RuPaul’s “Drag Race” television show return to battle it out on stage in front of a live audience.

William Pope ArtTalk MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 626-6222 or moca.org.

7 p.m.: Tonight’s lecturing artist is all hot and bothered about “materiality, power and the body,” so expect some strong opinions, perhaps even delving into the outlandish.

saTurday, February 8 The Odes of Pablo Neruda at Aloud Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

3 p.m.: Nobel Laureate poet Pablo Neruda’s work will be read in both Spanish and English. Hola!

February 3, 2014

Yellow Claw #1 (Octob

14 Downtown News

n the heart of Downtown, a movement is building. The status quo is no longer sufficient and those committed to the goal of toppling the powers-that-be is bubbling toward the surface. Relax folks, we’re not talking about the return of Occupy L.A. Instead, we mean Sleepaway Camp, a weekly gathering of sharp, irreverent stand-up comedians from the Los Angeles underground. Like clockwork they appear each Tuesday at the Downtown Independent. They’re doing their thing on Feb. 4 at 9 p.m., and it’s not an overstatement to call it a no-holds-barred comedy assault. All are encouraged to attend; some will not understand. At 251 S. Main St., (213) 617-1033 or downtownindependent.com.

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

February 3, 2014

Downtown News 15

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

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450 E. 2nd St., L.A. (Honda Plaza) beelinecompany.com 213.680.1006

AnimAted ShAdow dAncerS How’s this for a topic?: The entire history of Earth, from its birth to 2014. That may cause some to shake in fear, but not Miwa Matreyek, who takes on the subject in This World Made Itself, one of two pieces she is presenting at REDCAT on Friday-Sunday, Feb. 7-9.

Matreyek is a Los Angeles-based animator and media performance artist who mixes live action and intricate animation, and This World melds cinematic vistas with intricate shadow play. Also on the bill is Myth and Infrastructure, a shorter piece that builds dreamlike scenes out of images of seascapes, cityscapes and more. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

At 631 W. Second St., (213) 2372800 or redcat.org.

photo by Gayle Laird

Feb. 4, 8:30 p.m.: Slickly produced indie quartet The Hounds Below will remind the entire crowd at the Bootleg that, yes, Michigan still makes things from time to time.

Feb. 5, 8:30 p.m.: Anywhere else but Silver Lake, a performance of taciturn men singing songs that sound 50 years too old into outdated-sounding microphones would constitute a nice Saturday morning in a storefront church. We’re clearly talking about another folk concert with Charlie Wadhams and Cory Becker.

Feb. 6, 9 p.m.: Roll out the piano! We got Le J Keys Collective headed to town.

Feb. 7, 9 p.m.: However, if you were to compare pop-indie growlers Crystal Antlers to the Black Keys we would probably congratulate you on your apt description, pat you on the head and send you on your way with a lollipop.

Feb. 8, 9 p.m.: With the promise of cheap beer available by the can and a smoking patio on which to enjoy one’s American Spirits, the Bootleg inadvertently summoned a flock of local indie bands including the Warlocks, Tashaki Miyaki, Von Haze and Raw Geronimo.

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

Feb. 7, 8 p.m.: Special thanks to Japanese band One OK Rock for choosing a name that also expresses how we’ve felt about limestone all these years.

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

Feb. 3, 9 p.m.: Enter the Yonatan.

Feb. 4, 10 p.m.: Until Bunny West gets her pilot’s license, she’ll have to content herself with letting her voice do the soaring.

Feb. 5, 10 p.m.: Zach & Bridget get things cracking for River Rouge.

Feb. 6, 10 p.m.: The Punch-Drunks don’t condone violence, but whatever happens in the parking lot happens.

Feb. 7, 9 p.m.: If you left Trevor Menear mid-set, you take away the biggest part of him.

Feb. 8, 10 p.m.: Johnny Moezzi and the Drones ain’t shabby.

They’ve just yet to master the grungy cult of personality that is Charlie Chan & the SOBs. Feb. 9, 1 p.m.: For those who like to enjoy their hangovercuring Christopher Walken breakfast skillet with a little music, the

Escondite introduces “Bluegrass Brunch” with the Get Down Boys.

Feb. 10, 10 p.m.: Stick around (or perhaps just lose consciousness in an adjacent doorway for a few hours) for Honky Tonk Sunday with RT N the 44s.

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

Feb. 7, 10 p.m.: Ferry Corsten.

Feb. 8, 10 p.m.: Blondish, Climbers and Droog.

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

Feb. 7, 9 p.m.: Miss Massive Snowflake and Rainstick Cowbell.

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

Feb. 6, 10 p.m.: Florence & The Machine’s Rob Ackroyd hits the old one-twos.

Feb. 7, 10 p.m.: Better call out DJ Jack of All Tracks on his

presumptuous nom de spin and request some Bascom Lamar Lundsford.

Feb. 8, 10 p.m.: Aaron Castle enjoys playing in a basement, but true to his name, he’d prefer the protective solace of a moat separating him from the crowd.

Nokia Theatre 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6030 or Continued on next page

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Put a Ringo on It Like almost every place in the world, Downtown Los Angeles is full of Beatles fans. Unlike most places, Downtown is currently home to a museum exhibit about a Beatle. But only for a couple more months. The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live opened Ringo: Peace and Love last June, and the show closes at the end of March.

The exhibit traces Starr’s life and career, and includes an assortment of rare footage, session and live drum kits, personal items and his famous Sgt. Pepper suit. As a special interactive corollary, visitors can even take a drum lesson with a virtual Ringo.

At 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 7656800 or grammymuseum.org.

photo by John Wright, johnwright.com

Continued from previous page nokiatheatrelalive.com.

Feb. 8-9, 1 and 5 p.m.: The Freshbeat Band is a Nickelodeon manufactured group created to teach your preschooler about the simple pleasures of life.

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

Feb. 5, 10 p.m.: Hot Club Vignati.

Feb. 9, 10 pm.: Peeping Tom’s Drawing Salon.

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

Feb. 3: Blackwater Jukebox.

Feb. 4: Can of Beans, White Nights, No Parents and Sadwich.

Feb. 5: Open Mic Blues Jam. Feb. 6: The Lower 48 Feb. 7: Triple Dog Dare, Them Howling Bones and The Blackerbys.

Feb. 8: Neighborhood Bullys, Smash Fashion, The Blessings and Patrolled by Radar.

Feb. 9: Ever So Android, Wildlife Indoors and Ender.

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

Feb. 4, 10 p.m.: The Makers don’t need to take a vacation because improvised jazz is the only rejuvenating voyage they could ever need.

Staples Center 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7326 or staplescenter.com.

Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m.: This may be your last chance to see country icon George Strait. Or it may not.

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

Feb. 7: Protectme, David Scott Stone, Dunes and Gangrene Gang.

Feb. 8: Trapsps, French Vanilla, Freddy Ruppert and Hex Horizontal.

Feb. 9: LA Font, Washing Machines, Aftergloam and Gang Nails.

Walt Disney Concert Hall 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org.

Feb. 8, 8 p.m.: Country singer Mary Chapin Carpenter joins the L.A. Phil in this incredibly unique blend of high culture and, well, country music.

Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m.: To celebrate the venue’s 10th anniversary, Herbie Hancock has recruited Christian McBride and Dianne Reeves to kick out the jams.

A Practically Perfect Plummer Wait, is it really the final week for Christopher Plummer’s solo show at the Ahmanson Theatre? Didn’t A Word or Two just open? Can they really do that when reviewers are falling all over themselves to praise the 84-yearold actor? Sadly, the answer to all three questions is yes, and only a few performances of the tour de force remain. A Word or Two is the octogenarian actor’s love letter to literature, and during the 80-minute show Plummer references, reflects on and recites snippets or full pieces from authors including Shakespeare, A.A. Milne, Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. The short-run show closes Feb. 9, so don’t dally.

At 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-4000. or centertheatregroup.org

photo by Craig Schwartz

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

Feb. 3 (2:30 and 4 p.m.), Feb. 4 (1:30, 3, 5:30 and 9:30 p.m.), Feb. 5 (2, 4:30, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.), and Feb. 6 (2:30, 4 and 6:05 p.m.): Chloe Sevigny and Jena Malone star in a meta family drama about a prophesy and a recent death in The Wait.

Feb. 3 (2, 6 and 8 p.m.), Feb. 4 (1, 5 and 7 p.m.), Feb. 5 (4, 6 and 8 p.m.) and Feb. 6 (2 and 6 p.m.): Shot in 3D, Charlie Victor Romeo takes actual black box recordings from six air tragedies and imposes them onto film drama.

Feb. 6: Aging composer and pianist Misha Mengelberg is the subject of the heartrending documentary Misha Enzovoort.

Feb. 7-13: 7 Boxes, a film about the perils of delivering boxes without knowing exactly what’s in them.

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

Explore the remnants and wisdom of an ancient empire in Mysteries of Egypt.

Ice and polar bear enthusiasts will likely dig To the Arctic 3D. Experience the gripping story full of hope, crushing disappointment and triumph in Hubble 3D. Regal Cinemas 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 763-6070 or lalive.com/ movies.

Through February 6: The Monuments Men (7 and 10 p.m.); Labor Day (1:10, 1:50, 4:10, 4:50, 7, 7:40, 9:50 and 10:20 p.m.); That Awkward Moment (12:10, 2:40, 5:20, 7:50 and 10:30 p.m.); I, Frankenstein (12, 4:40 and 9:40 p.m.); I, Frankenstein 3D (2:20 and 7:10 p.m.); Devil’s Due (12:20, 2:50, 5:10, 7:50 and 10:20 p.m.); Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (1:30, 4:30, 7:20 and 10 p.m.); The Nut Job 3D (12 and 4:20 p.m.); The Nut Job (2:10, 6:30 and 9 p.m.); Ride Along (12, 1, 2:30, 3:50, 5, 6:40, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.); Lone Survivor (1:20, 4:20, 7:20 and 10:10 p.m.); The Wolf of

February 3, 2014

Wall Street (12:10, 3:10, 6:50 and 9:50 p.m.), Her (12:20, 4, 7 and 10:30 p.m.); American Hustle (12:30, 3:30, 6:30 and 9:40 p.m.); Frozen (1:10, 4, 6:50 and 9:20 p.m.).

THEATER, OPERA & DANCE A Word or Two Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

Feb. 4-6, 8 p.m., Feb. 8-9, 3 p.m.: Christopher Plummer reads some of his favorite bits of writing from the English language.

The audience responds with silent reverie and later, significant applause. The show closes Feb. 9.

Bob Baker’s Fun With Strings Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., (213) 2509995 or bobbakermarionettes.com.

Feb. 4-7, 10:30 a.m. and Feb. 8-9, 2:30 p.m.: Whimsy knows no bounds as Bob Baker’s 54th season kicks off with a journey through a monkey circus, a vast winter landscape and Paris.

Hamlet Loft Ensemble, 929 E. Second St., #105, (213) 680-0392 or loftensemble.org.

Feb. 8, 8 p.m. and Feb. 9, 7 p.m.: Willy Shakespeare’s medita-

tion on the rigors of existence and the pain that is family returns to the Downtown stage.

This World Made Itself and Myth and Infrastructure REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

Feb. 7-8, 8:30 p.m. and Feb. 9, 3 p.m.: Our city’s own Miwa Matreyek brings her unusually elaborate, multi-dimensional, animation-fueled stagecraft to REDCAT for three nights, featuring two of her lush works.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

Feb. 5-8, 8 p.m. and Feb. 9, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: Written by Christopher Durang and directed by David Hyde Pierce, the play presents a dysfunctional family (what play doesn’t) locked in a bit of hysterical tumult.

8 p.m.: Word to your moms, they came to drop Brahms! Sorry.

This event features a select crew of chamber musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic playing selections from Brahms.

Namely Horn Trio in E-flat, Op. 40, String Quartet in A minor, Op. 51, No. 2, and String Quintet in G, Op. 111.

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Thursday, February 6 LACO: Baroque Conversations 2 Zipper Hall 7 p.m.: Jeannette Sorrell will be taking the baton and leading the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra through a program of Bach and Vivaldi.

Tuesday, February 4 Chamber Music Society: All Brahms Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org.

Wednesday, February 5 Venice Baroque Orchestra with Philippe Jaroussky Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org.

8 p.m.: When we say Venice we mean the classic Italian city, not the neighborhood where tech-snobbery and almost-tappedout hipster culture has burrowed into the sand. The Baroque Orchestra from the real Venice will be playing tunes from Porpora and Handel.

February 3, 2014

Downtown News 17

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

BARS & CLUBS Angel City Beer Garden 216 S. Alameda, (213) 622-1261 or angelcitybrewing.com.

Massive vats of beer frame the massive industrial space of this former cable factory and attest to the completeness of the fermentation process that occurs within; hops and yeast and wheat become beer which, for mere dollars per draft, you can pour into your mouth. There’s copious seating, laid-back crowds and some of the plushest bathrooms you’ll find in any industrial space across Downtown.

The Association 610 S. Main St., (213) 627-7385.

Carved out of the area that used to belong to Cole’s, the bar in front, the Association is a dimly-lit, swank little alcove with some serious mixologists behind the bar. Look for a heavy door, a brass knocker, and a long line.

Bar 107 107 W. Fourth St., (213) 625-7382 or myspace.com/bar107.

Inside the keyhole-shaped door, tough-as-nails Derby Dolls vie for elbowroom with crusty old bar guys and a steady stream of Old Bank District inhabitants. Velvet señoritas, deer heads with sunglasses, a wooden Indian and Schlitz paraphernalia plaster the red walls. There’s no shortage of entertainment, with the funky dance room, great DJs and the occasional rock band. In the photo booth, you can capture your mug in old-fashioned black and white. Located just two blocks east of the Pershing Square Metro stop, Bar 107 is open from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.

Big Wang’s 801 S. Grand Ave., (213) 629-2449 or bigwangs.com.

Wings, beer and sports: That’s the winning recipe at this sports bar. The Downtown outpost, the third for the Hollywood-based bar, has everything the other locations have, plus a comfortable patio with outdoor flat screens.

Bonaventure Brewing Company 404 S. Figueroa St., (213) 236-0802 or bonaventurebrewing.com.

Where can you get a drink, order some decent bar food, sit outdoors and still feel like you’re Downtown? It’s a tall order to fill, but this bar in the Bonaventure Hotel does it admirably. Come by for a taster set of award-winning ales crafted by Head Brewer David Blackwell. Sure, the hotel is vaguely ’80s, and you’ll probably encounter some convention goers tying on a few, but it only adds to the fun.

Bona Vista Lounge 404 S. Figueroa St., (213) 624-1000 or thebonaventure.com.

Located in the heart of the Financial District in the landmark Westin Bonaventure Hotel, this revolving cocktail lounge offers a 360-degree view of the city.

Bottlerock 1150 S. Flower St., (213) 747-1100 or bottlerock.net.

Situated on the ground floor of the Met Lofts in South Park, this wine bar features a vast range of bottles from around the world and a price range equally as wide. Wines by the glass start at around $8, but if you’re feeling overcome by oenophilia (or just deeppocketed) there are some first growth Bordeauxs for more than $1,000 per bottle. And if you don’t get your fill while at the bar, which also features a rotating crop of artisanal beers and a full dinner menu, the bar also sells bottles at retail.

Broadway Bar 830 S. Broadway, (213) 614-9909 or broadwaybar.la.

Located next to the Orpheum Theatre in the Platt Building, the Broadway Bar’s blue neon sign beckons patrons inside to its 50-foot circular bar. The casual-chic spot is based on Jack Dempsey’s New York bar, with low lighting and a dose of ’40s glam. There’s a patio upstairs with nice views, and a jukebox.

Camper’s Corner 724 E. Seventh St. or (213) 627-9909.

We all have that truly obnoxious friend from the West side who’s convinced that Venice is still the nexus of all things hip and Downtown is “scary.” Be sure to take that friend to local Latino lair Camper’s Corner and it’s a safe bet that you’ll put the fear of God into them.

Caña Rum Bar at the Doheny 714 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 745-7090 or canarumbar.com.

In the Caribbean, “caña” is slang for sugarcane. Rum is made from sugarcane.

Therefore, Caña Rum Bar at the Doheny serves premium handcrafted rum cocktails in an intimate, elegant environment featuring live Caribbean and tropical Latin music.

Casey’s Irish Pub 613 S. Grand Ave., (213) 629-2353 or bigcaseys.com.

With its worn brick staircase, tin ceilings and dark wood decor, it’s easy to see how this neighborhood bar and grill still works its Irish charm. Regulars cozy up to the 60-foot mahogany bar with a pint of Guinness and a plate of bangers and mash. Casey’s has a full menu with six beers on tap and a selection of Belgian ales and microbrews.

Cicada Club 617 S. Olive St., (213) 488-9488 or cicadarestaurant.com.

Every Sunday, the restaurant is transformed into a vintage, old Hollywood-style dance club, with a big band, swank costumes, dinner and cocktails (visit cicadaclub.com).

Cole’s 118 E. Sixth St., colesfrenchdip.com.

This beloved restaurant saloon has been renovated under new ownership. The great leather booths and dark wood bar of the old spot remain, but now the glasses are clean.

Draft beer, historic cocktails, and a short wine list.

Crane’s Bar 810 S. Spring St. or (323) 787-7966.

Located in a subterranean bank vault, Crane’s Bar is a recent addition to Downtown’s roster of unassuming neighborhood bars that focus more on copping a good communal Continued on next page

NISSAN OF DOWNTOWN L.A.

888-838-5089 635 W. WASHINGTON BLVD. • DOWNTOWNNISSAN.COM

NEW ’’13 113 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S

LEASE FOR ONLY

129

$

per month for 39 mos

TOYOTA OF DOWNTOWN L.A.

800-574-4891 1600 S. FIGUEROA ST. • TOYOTADOWNTOWNLA.COM

NEW ’1 ’144 TOYOTA PRIUS PLUG-IN

LEASE FOR ONLY

339

$

per month for 36 mos

Plus tax, 39 month closed end lease on approved credit. $0 Sec. Dep. $5359 due at Signing. (Excludes taxes, title, other options & dealer fees).

Residual $14,280. Model # 13113. $0.15/mile over 12,000 miles/year. 5 At this Price.

Plus tax, 36 Month closed end lease on approved Tier 1 credit through Toyota Financial Services. $0 drive off with $2000 Lease Cash. Excludes title, taxes, registration, license fees, insurance, dealer prep, acquisition fee and additional options No security deposit required. 15¢ per mile in excess of 12,000 miles/year. 1 at this offer T140689/E3051411

$6,999 2007 Nissan Altima Sedan ..................... $13,999 Only 42,000 Miles, Must See, N130227-1/7N418393 2005 Nissan Armada SE .......................... $15,999 5.6L V8, Silver/Black, Leather, 38K miles, NI4111/5N706134

2010 Toyota Prius IV ..............................

2002 Nissan Altima Sedan ........................

Only 87K miles, Looks and Runs great, N130239-1/2C197821

$19,988 2011 Toyota Prius IV ..............................

Certified, Leather, One Owner, Bluetooth, Gray. TU0283/0253567 $19,988 2012 Lexus RX 350 .................................

Auto, White, Only 18K Miles, Premium Sound. T130665-1/C070250 $35,988 Certified, One Owner, Bluetooth, Blue. T130092D-1/0175432

VOLKSWAGEN OF DOWNTOWN L.A.

DOWNTOWN L.A. MOTORS MERCEDES BENZ

NEW ’14 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA S

NEW ’14 MERCEDES CLA 250

888-781-8102 1900 S. FIGUEROA ST. • VWDOWNTOWNLA.COM

LEASE FOR ONLY

99

$

per month for 36 mos

Plus tax 36 month closed-end lease, by Volkswagen Credit.. Based on MSRP of $17,515 (including destination charges) for a 2014 Jetta S 2.0L with manual trans, excl. title, tax, options and dealer fees. $2999 due at signing includes $625 acquisition fee. Purchase option at lease end $9920.40. $0.20/ mile over 30,000 miles and excessive wear and tear. 1 at this price #372069 Offer ends 2/3/2014

888-319-8762 1801 S. FIGUEROA ST. • MBZLA.COM

LEASE FOR ONLY

329

$

per month for 36 mos

Plus tax, 36 Month closed end lease on approved credit through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. $2,499 CAP reduction, $795 acquisition fee. Excludes title, taxes, registration, license fees, insurance, dealer prep and additional options No security deposit required. 25¢ per mile in excess of 30,000 miles. Offer good on all with MSRP $33,925.

$10,936 2008 Volvo C30 Hatchback ................... $13,198 5L Turbo, Red/Gray, Low Miles. ZV2583/068676 2007 Jeep Patriot Limited .................... $13,617 Auto, Red/Gray, Low Miles, Very Clean. V132201-1/D285953 CARSON NISSAN

$27,981 2012 Mercedes C250 Sedan ..................

Certified Preowned, Navigation, 1.99% apr avail. 7216C/ CA644489 $29,989 2009 Mercedes CLS550 ..........................

Certified Preowned, Premium Pkg. 1, 37K Miles. 7069-1/9A142852 $36,981 AUDI OF DOWNTOWN L.A.

NEW ’’13 NISSAN ROGUE S

NEW ’14 AUDI A4 2.0T

2007 VW Passat 4Dr Wolfsburg ............

Turbo, Auto, 69K Miles, Black. V140462-1/P040830

888-845-2267 1505 E. 223RD ST., CARSON • CARSONNISSAN.COM

LEASE FOR ONLY

179

$

per month for 39 mos

Plus tax 39-month closed end lease on above average tier approved credit., $2999 due at signing. (Excludes title, tax, 1st mo. pymt, options and dealer fees). $0 security deposit. $0.20/mile over 12,000 miles/yr. 1 at this offer # C130048/008216.

$6,888 2010 Toyota Tacoma .............................. $9,888 Auto, Super White, CD, ABS. CU1181P/ AZ712405 2004 Toyota Sienna LE AWD .................. $9,888 3.3L V6, Cap’s Chairs, 1 Owner, Rear AC. CU1241P/ S012435 FELIX CHEVROLET 2003 Buick Regal LE Sdn .......................

3.8L V6, Blue/Silver, Leather. C140613-1/275029

888-304-7039 3300 S. FIGUEROA ST. • FELIXCHEVROLET.COM

NEW ’14 CHEVY VOLT

LEASE FOR ONLY

139

$

per month for 36 mos

Plus tax 36-month closed end lease on Tier 1Credit through US Bank.. Total Customer Cash Down is $4,595, which includes the first payment plus the first payment tax Includes $2575 CCR Rebate plus $500 Competitive lease rebate $0 security deposit. $0.25/ mile over 10,000 miles/yr. Based on MSRP of $34,995. 5 at this payment.

$14,995 2012 Ford Focus Hatchback ................. $12,995 SE, Auto, 2.0L, Great MPG, Red, UC1414R/CL343774 2012 Toyota Yaris Hatchback ............... $14,995 Auto, Silver, 41K miles, Great MPG UC14191R/CD527043 2004 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab ..........

5.3LV8, White, Chrome Wheels. UC1493/41327807

2009 Mercedes CLK350 Cabriolet ........

Certified Preowned, Premium Pkg. 1, Navigation. 7131-1/9F265581

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

LEASE FOR ONLY

379

$

per month for 42 mos

+ tax 42 mo. Closed end lease on approved credit. $0 Sec. Dep. $0 Down plus first month payment, license and registration, and bank acquisition fee. Must qualify for the New Owner Appreciation or Audi Loyalty Rebate of $1000. $0.25 per miles over 10,000 miles/year. 1 at this offer EN003135.

$11,994 2005 BMW 745i ......................................

V8-32V, Kalahari Beige, Low Miles, Leather. A14005D-1/DP76405 $16,999 2011 Audi Q5 Quattro ...........................

Certified, 8 SP, Blue Pearl, Direct Injection. A140559D-1/BA017115 $32,998 PORSCHE OF DOWNTOWN L.A. 2005 Audi TT Turbo ...............................

Brilliant Black, 6 SP, Tiptronic, Low Miles. A140579D-1/1004023

888-685-5426 1900 S. FIGUEROA ST. • PORSCHEDOWNTOWNLA.COM

NEW ’14 PORSCHE CAYMAN PDK

LEASE FOR ONLY

549

$

per month for 27 mos

Plus tax 27 month closed end lease. Rates based on approved Tier 1 credit through Porsche Financial Services. $4995 down payment excludes tax, dmv fees, $895 Bank Acquisition fee, first payment and document fees. .30 cents per mile over 5,000 miles per year. No security deposit. 1 at this price EK172755.

$78,898 2013 Porsche Panamera Platinum ......

CPO, Black, 20” Spyder Whls, 3K Miles, Nav, Bose. ZP1666/ DL017576 $78,898 2012 Porsche Carrera S ......................... $87,894 CPO, Yellow, Bose, Nav, Only 19K Miles. ZP1678/ CS120162 2012 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid ..........

CPO, White, 5825 Miles, Pan Roof, Nav, Bose. P14313-1/ CLA93728

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

18 Downtown News

LAST WEEKS ANSWERS

Continued from previous page buzz than blowing up the mixology hype machine. Strong drinks, beer on tap and no bad vibes allowed.

The Down and Out 501 S. Spring St., (213) 489-7800 or twitter.com/thedownandout.

This latest offering from the same folks that brought you Bar 107. The 3,000-square-foot space on the ground floor of the Alexandria Hotel features mug shots of celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Hugh Grant, Steve McQueen and Andy Dick. The owners describe it as a sports bar for local residents who don’t want to mingle with tourists.

Dublin’s 815 Seventh S I N C EW.19 7 2 St. or (213) 489-6628.

Los Angeles Downtown News The opening of this Irish pub was fraught with delays and 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 initial closings, but the absurdly large collection of draft beers all phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 for three dollars has kept this place alive and well. A plethora of web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com facebook: L.A. Downtown News

CROSSWORD

twitter: DowntownNews

February 3, 2014

TVs, quick service, cheap beer and good bar food make this place a favorite for after work drinks and sports spectatorship alike. e3rd 734 E. Third St., (213) 680-3003 or eastthird.com.

This Asian-style steakhouse with an artsy flavor features a sleek lounge with low, circular tables and a long psychedelic bar that changes colors like a mood ring. There’s a full bar, inventive cocktails (including soju) and a reasonable wine list. DJs spin.

Edison 108 W. Second St., (213) 613-0000 or Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris edisondowntown.com.

GENErAl MANAGEr: Eastin Downtown historyDawn has come full circle in this former power plant turned stunningJon cocktail bar. The Edison is perhaps DownExEcutivE Editor: Regardie stAFF Donnaand Evans, Kim crowd, including town’swritErs: hottest hotspot drawsEddie an eclectic coNtributiNG Kathryn Maese jaded HollywoodEditor: types who can’t help but gawk at the preserved coNtributiNG writErs: Favre,and Greg bits of machinery, the hugeJeff generator the Fischer, coal box that now Kristin Friedrich, Kylie Jane Wakefield houses the jukebox.

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

PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard

2 YOUR 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 Nconsidered C E 19 for 7 2print. to publication dateStoIbe 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.

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.

February 3, 2014

DT

CLASSIFIEDS REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL lofts for sale

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loft/UnfUrnished

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apartments/UnfUrnished $1,200/mo 2bd/1ba in Chinatown. minutes from Downtown.

Newly paint, range, refrigerator, carpet. Laundry on-site. one parking space. 433 Cottage Home Street 818-716-7297.

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SERVICES Cleaning CoNCEPTo’S CLEANING Crew. Professional, experienced, cleans apartments, homes, offices and restaurants.

Call for a quote. 323-459-3067 or 818-409-9183. health & fitness GET FIT with Lauren. I am a Los Angeles based Personal Trainer who is also obtaining advanced specialized certifications in both Corrective Exercise and Performance Enhancement.I provide meal plans, specialized workouts, training and everything you need to reach your fitness goals along with 24hour support. www. laurennicolept.com for more information 818-453-2328 legal WE KNoW how stressful it is to have a friend or family member in custody Allow us to help during this challenging time by getting your loved one released quickly. We are here to provide state and Federal bail bonds.

License #1B41341. (213) 4832245

misC. serviCes SCrEEN PrINTING Garment Decoration Service. T-Shirts Custom Printing/Heat appliqués for the fashion industry. All custom work. Text or e-mail: chihuahuatees@gmail.com (213) 344-7939

EMPLOYMENT general

U.S. GOVT JOBS NOW HIRING Civil Service / Postal Clerks No Experience. Job Security. $20-75 an hour and Benefits CALL NOw! (855) 631-0850 health Care GooD HEALTH CArE is needed urgently $630 per week email gibblou@hotmail.com for more details. (213) 757-2198

LEGAL Civil sUmmons LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT NO. BC492507 PLAINTIff: fRANk MAYOR vS DEfENDANT: JON kRAShNA, AND DOES 1 ThROUGh 10, INCLUSIvE NoTICE! you have been sued.

The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. read the information below. you have 30 CALENDAr DAyS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. your written response must be in proper legal form, if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. you may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups

Fully furnished with TV, telephone, microwave, refrigerator.

Full bathroom.

Excellent location.

Downtown LA. Weekly maid service.

Downtown News 19

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

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. at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia. org), the California Courts online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association.

NoTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case.

The name and address of the court is: Los Angeles County Superior Court Central District 111 North Hill Street Los Angeles, CA 90012-3014 Case Number: BC492507 Dated: January 15, 2014 mary Flores, Deputy The name, address, telephone number, and fax number of Plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: Frank mayor 424 Bamboo Lane Los Angeles, CA 90012 213-617-7200 NoTICE To THE PErSoN SErVED: you are served as an individual defendant.

Pub. 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24/14 SUPERIOR COURT Of CALIfORNIA, COUNTY Of LOS ANGELES, NO. EC061495 PLAINTIff: CROSSChECk, INC., A CALIfORNIA CORPORATION vS DEfENDANTS: vAGhINAk MARTIROSYAN, AN INDIvIDUAL; EAGLE EYE COLLISION CENTER, INC., A CALIfORNIA CORPORATION, AND DOES 1 ThROUGh 10, INCLUSIvE NoTICE! you have been sued.

The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. read the information below. you have 30 CALENDAr DAyS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. your written response must be in proper legal form, if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court

Casaloma L.A. Apartments Clean unfurnished bachelor rooms with shared bath at $600/mo. with private bath at $695/mo.

Includes utilities, basic cable channels, laundry room on site.

Gated building in a good area.

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For English Call Pierre or Terri 213.744.9911 For Spanish Call Susana 213.749.0306

Monthly from $695 utilities paid.

(213) 627-1151

form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. you may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia. org), the California Courts online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association.

NoTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case.

The name and address of the court is: North Central Glendale 600 E. Broadway Glendale, CA 91206 Case Number: EC061495 Dated: october 09, 2013 The name, address, telephone number, and fax number of Plaintiff’s attorney is: D. Lilah mcLean (SBN 203594) CrossCheck, Inc. 1440 N. mcDowell Blvd.

Petaluma, CA 94954 Telephone: (707) 665-2110 NoTICE To THE PErSoN SErVED: you are served as an individual defendant on behalf of CCP 416.10 (corporation).

Pub. 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24/14

NEWS, 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. 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, and 2/3/14. fICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT fILE NO. 20090170655 The following person is doing business as: 1) L.A. 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. 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, and 2/3/14. fICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT fILE NO. 20090187396 The following person is doing business as: 1) L.A. DoWNToWN 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 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. 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, and 2/3/14. 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 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. 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, and 2/3/14.

POSITION VACANCY Diamond appraiser/cutter

Examine diamonds to determine value and how to cut and shape fancy diamonds based on qualities of individual stone. Examine surfaces and internal structure, identify and document stone’s characteristics; determine best cut and shape for stone and cut diamond.

Requirements: Two years experience Terms: 40 hours/week Salary: $42000/year

fiCtitioUs BUsiness name fICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT fILE NO. 20090170655 The following person is doing business as: 1) CIVIC CENTEr

All interested to contact Shai Mesica Ben Jewelry Incorporated 249 South Beverly Drive, Beverly hills, CA 90212

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20 Downtown News

February 3, 2014

mike feuer, 6

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!

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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 / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Covered Parking

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

On-Site: ~ Convenience Store / Coffee House / Yogurt Shop / 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)

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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

It helps that Feuer is hyper-intelligent and can expound on a startling variety of subjects. He’s sort of like a wonky Ken Jennings, the guy who went on “Jeopardy!” and won 74 games and $2.5 million. Just as Jennings could instantly recall every factoid about, say, U.S. presidents or beavers, if you raise a subject related to a legal matter in the city or state, Feuer takes off like a rocket.

He goes with ease from medical marijuana to billboards to Skid Row to risk management to gun control and beyond. As he does so, he can take a big-picture approach or drill down into granular, neighborhood-specific concerns, and it all comes across in a manner that is both friendly and scholarly. Watching Feuer hop from topic to topic is the political equivalent of seeing a bighorn sheep jump from rock to rock, which makes me laugh because I picture a bighorn sheep with Feuer’s face and a nice tie.

While Feuer is in a good place, things are also relatively easy now. He’s still enjoying the honeymoon period, and his relations with the council are solid in part because of the personality fit, and in part because he worked with several members when they all served in the state legislature in Sacramento. He dovetails with Garcetti and Galperin not only because they are all charter members of the Anti-D’Arcy League (meeting every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in Room 1313 of City Hall), but also because each understands that a certain power flows when the three newly elected citywide officials stand united.

Ultimately, Feuer will be measured by how he handles the rigors of the job, but also by how he responds when things get messy, and if there’s a constant in City Hall, it’s that things will indeed get messy. There’s plenty of potential for that too — it could stem from a personality clash or the next twist in the city’s long-bungled medical marijuana crackdown. More likely, it’ll be something we can’t yet predict.

One thing is for sure: After the change in city attorney office occupants, it is indeed a new day. But as with a new baby and a new car, the smell of the new wears off sooner than you think.

Which means that, probably in the near future, Mike Feuer will be busier and more challenged than ever. Interrupt him if you dare. regardie@downtownnews.com

marijuana, 10 D. In practice, the clinics, scattered across the city, are being allowed to operate. Also on that list is the Arts District Healing Collective, a dispensary on First Street.

Pearson said he doesn’t have any plans to leave the Arts District.

Although Pearson said his dispensary’s mission is to provide safe access to medical marijuana for approved patients, Roney said he has noticed a “gangster-type” element hanging around the neighborhood. If he had known Grateful Meds wanted to open down the street from his home, he would have opposed it as he did Ramirez Liquor, he said.

Barker Block resident Myles McCarthy doesn’t have an issue with the dispensary, but he does find it ironic that a pot clinic was able to open “overnight” a block from where Ramirez Liquor encountered such vehement opposition.

“I actually take some delight in knowing the NIMBYs that were so against an upscale, family-run liquor store with longstanding ties in the neighborhood could do nothing to stop a pot dispensary from opening just down the street,” he said.

Scot Ezzell, who has lived in the Arts District for 16 years, said he isn’t upset that a pot clinic popped up. However, he too finds the governmental process for approving businesses “ridiculous and arbitrary.”

“We can’t have liquor, but we can have pot?” he said.

Ezzell, who runs a weekly Arts District Neighborhood Walk, recently strolled by Grateful Meds. He was surprised to see a man selling about 30 glass pipes and other smoking paraphernalia on the street.

“That’s not going to fly in this neighborhood,” he said. “It makes me think things are not going in the right direction.”

Given the parade of people who enter and leave Grateful Meds each day, Ezzell believes Pearson should enclose the parking. That, he said, would stop the streams of buyers traipsing up and down the street all day. donna@downtownnews.com