February 27, 2017 I VOL. 46 I #9
SECOND CHANCES Homeboy Industries Takes Over an Electronics Recycling Center
SEE PAGE 9
Homeboy Recycling General Manager Brian Fox at the facility near Chinatown.
Check Out Downtown’s Projects of the Year : 6 A Huge New Show at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel : 10
photo by Gary Leonard
THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN L.A. SINCE 1972
2 Downtown News
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AROUND TOWN
Another Broadway Building To Become Office Space
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et another Broadway project is underway. Plans were filed with the Department of City Planning on Wednesday, Feb. 22, to turn the upper three levels of the building at 437 S. Broadway into office space. The four-story structure stretches the entire block between Broadway and Hill Street, and has entrances on both sides. Plans also call for improving the property’s interior and updating the façade on both streets. The property is owned by the Broadway Investments Group, according to the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor. The low-cost, 24-hour gym Planet Fitness opened in the building last June and occupies 30,000 square feet on the ground floor and basement levels. The timeline and budget for the project have not been announced.
Fundraising 5K for Downtown Hospital
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ext month, Downtowners have an opportunity to get healthy, and help a local health institution. On March 25, the Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center will host its fifth annual Heart of the City 5K Run/Walk. Registration is open for the event, and proceeds will go to purchase mobile imaging equipment for the 318-bed hospital at
TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS 1401 S. Grand Ave. Registration is $35 in advance ($25 for kids) and includes a T-shirt that looks like hospital scrubs. The South Park institution expects more than 3,000 participants at the 8 a.m. run, and there will be festivities including a pancake breakfast, a dog costume contest and children’s activities. According to a press release, “social dogs” are allowed. The flat course starts and ends at the hospital. According to the event’s website, the goal is to raise $220,000. Registration and additional information are at heartofthecity5k.org.
February 27, 2017
TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD
Hotel Planned for Apartment Site Near Convention Center
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outh Park is already a red-hot hotel zone, with Greenland USA’s soon-to-open Hotel Indigo, Lightstone’s plans for a 1,100-room hotel on the northeast corner of Figueroa and Pico, and a Park Hyatt rising as part of the Oceanwide Plaza complex. Now another housing developer wants to build a hotel tower next to the L.A. Convention Center. Developer TriCal, which completed the 100-apartment City Lights on Fig building at 1300 S. Figueroa St. 12 years ago, announced plans last week to raze the complex and build a 53-story tower with 1,024 rooms in its place. Early renderings from architecture firm Gensler show a sleek building with undulating glass and a pointed top, plus a pool deck about 10 stories off the ground. The hotel would be operated by two entities, according to TriCal. City officials aim to have 8,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the Convention Center by 2020. There are currently 3,172 rooms within walking dis-
Downtown LA Motors / Mercedes-Benz
Darryl Holter, CEO
tance and almost 2,000 rooms under construction, according to the city.
Hear a Recorder Virtuoso On Bunker Hill
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larinet-like recorders are staples of elementary school classrooms, but there’s a world of serious recorder players with virtuosic skill. Consider 17-year-old Lucie Horsch, who is renowned for her dexterity and beautiful phrasing on the instrument. The winner of the 2016 Concertgebouw Young Talent Award,
February 20, 2017
Horsch is playing her U.S. debut on Thursday, March 2, at the Colburn School’s Zipper Hall. The 7:30 p.m. performance is hosted by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra as part of its “Baroque Conversations” series, and Horsch will be conducted by Grammy winner Stephen Stubbs through pieces from Vivaldi, Handel, Purcell and Sammartini. Former LACO Principal Oboe Allan Vogel will offer commentary before the program and moderate a post-show Q&A. Hear why the musical world is buzzing about the Dutch wunderkind with the pricey recorder. Zipper Hall is at 200 S. Grand Ave. More information is at laco.org.
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Downtown News 3
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4 Downtown News
EDITORIALS
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Tom Fassbender, Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, Emily Manthei ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt
TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS
CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla February 27, 2017
©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved. The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.
One copy per person.
Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis
Vote Yes On Measure H
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n November, city residents voted overwhelmingly to help pay for a solution to the devastating homelessness crisis. Proposition HHH established a property tax bond that over a decade will generate $1.2 billion and fund the creation of up to 10,000 low-income housing units. Now Angelenos are being asked to dip into their pockets again. Measure H, which appears on the March 7 ballot, would institute a quarter-cent county sales tax to pay not for housing, but for services to help homeless individuals. It would generate an estimated $355 million a year for 10 years. It’s a big ask in the wake of the city vote. However, it is a vital step in addressing homelessness, the biggest physical and moral crisis facing Angelenos today. Los Angeles Downtown News recommends a “Yes” vote in the March 7 election. People across the region are shocked, saddened and in some cases angered by the encampments that have I N C E 19 7 2 spread well beyond Skid Row in Downtown LosSAngeles. The is that, while News housing is the biggest piece of Losreality Angeles Downtown the puzzle in getting someone off90026 the streets, it is not the 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 only piece. web: DowntownNews.com email: realpeople@downtownnews.com A significant percentage• of homeless individuals are addicts who need help getting clean. Others suffer from facebook: twitter: mental illness and require struggle with L.A. Downtown News counseling. Some DowntownNews both concerns. Still other people on the streets may be out of work and needSue short-term assistance or job trainEDITOR & PUBLISHER: Laris ing. There MANAGER: are homeless GENERAL Dawnfamilies Eastin with unique requirements, as well as homeless women escaping an abusive EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie relationship — too often they face more abuse on the SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim streets. STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton The point is, there are many reasons people become CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese homeless, and an array of services are needed. Measure H CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Tom Fassbender, Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, would provide Emily Manthei funding that helps ensure that assistance is tailored to the individual situation. While $355 million a ARTisDIRECTOR: Brian Allison year a lot of money, many who work in homeless servicART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa esASSISTANT say it is less than what would be spent if people remain Leonard onPHOTOGRAPHER: the streets andGary require expensive and frequent hospitalACCOUNTING: visits and other aid. Ashley Schmidt A new pot of money requires oversight. Measure H CLASSIFIED MANAGER: would createADVERTISING a five-person board Catherine to reviewHolloway expenditures. EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Stevens, Michael WeACCOUNT urge county officials to select true Brenda watchdogs and em- Lamb SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez power the panel, and for the board to produce regular CIRCULATION: Salmon public reports Danielle on where the cash goes and to determine DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles whether it is being effectively spent. DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo The sad reality is that homelessness will neverBonilla be eradicated. Some people do not want shelter or services forof Civic Center ©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark News Inc. All rights any reason. But reserved. that doesn’t mean we as a society don’t The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles take steps to help those who want it and need it. Measure and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los H Angeles. will be an important part of the response to aiding the nearly 47,000 homeless people in L.A. County. One copy per person.
EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris
GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim
STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Tom Fassbender, Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, Emily Manthei
ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard
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
facebook: L.A. Downtown News
ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez
A Big No to Measure S
CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon
M
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles
twitter: DowntownNews ©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved. The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles. big One money crushes copy per person. the individual.
landscape where the any people in Los Angeles may be tempted to skip votDISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla Every situation is different, of course, but this is the perceping on March 7. Some feel a sense of political fatigue following November’s election. Others believe that, with the tion that exists, and perception matters. It’s why Measure S is striking a chord with so many people. mayor’s race a snoozer, there is nothing compelling to consider. EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris Some elements of Measure S would benefit Los Angeles, and Not voting would be a mistake. That’s because of the presGENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin indeed, members of the City Council have been spurred to acence on the ballot of Measure S, a well-intentioned but potentially very harmful attempt to rein in EXECUTIVE a real estate development EDITOR: Jon Regardie tion by the threat of the vote. For instance, the measure would require community plans to be updated every five years — the scene that can seem out-of-control. SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim council this month moved to update the plans every six years. Los Angeles Downtown News urges a “No” vote on Measure S. STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton While plenty needs adjusting in the relationship between develop- Last month, five council members proposed prohibiting donaCONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese tions to political campaigns by developers ers and city officials, the measure’s two-year moratorium on projS I N C Ewho 19have 7 2 pending CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Tom Fassbender, Jeff Favre, ects that require a city General Plan amendment or certain zone or projects (it is unclear whether the proposal will move forward). Greg Fischer, Emily Manthei Los Angeles Downtown Newsany posiStill, the two-year moratorium would overwhelm height changes would hamper the growth of Downtown Los An1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 tives. We particularly worry about Downtown, which tends to geles, and could worsen a housing crisis across the entire city. ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 welcome large projects, as these bring more residents and serThe moratorium is an unfortunate, drag-em-all-down move, web: DowntownNews.com ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa vices that will help createemail: a dense, vibrant, 24/7 neighborhood. because other parts of Measure S could help the city, could prerealpeople@downtownnews.com PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard Large developments almost always require some sort of zoning pare it for the future and could increase transparency. Without facebook: change. Downtown needs more projects and more housing. the figurative Sword of Damocles hanging over the developACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt L.A. Downtown News The city also needs additional housing for people at all inment scene, we’d be inclined to support Measure S. come levels. While Measure S supporters say 100% affordable The logic behind it makes sense. Many people in Los Angeles CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway twitter: housing complexes could still be builtDowntownNews during the moratorium, are frustrated by new projects that often seemEXECUTIVES: out of scaleCatherine with Holloway, ACCOUNT their surroundings. The city’s absolute failureStevens, over decades Brenda Michaelto Lamb the reality is few developers will undertake these efforts, as they are not as profitable as market-rate projects. It’s have update the 35 community plans thatSALES govern growth inClaudia individuASSISTANT: Hernandez ©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Losbetter Angeles to Downtown News islevels. a trademark of Civic Inc. All Simply put,Center Los News Angeles al neighborhoods has led to a situation in which developers rou- projects with a mix of income rights reserved. needs more supply to tamp down theDowntown demand that hasmust-read led to tinely seek amendments to outdated plans. These changes are The Los Angeles News is the Danielle Salmon skyrocketing rents and the newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is disdisplacement of some renters. frequently granted, sometimes to theCIRCULATION: consternation of neightributed every Monday throughout the offices and DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles There are plenty of reasons to be frustrated by government bors who fear more traffic or other consequences. Add in a situresidences of Downtown Los Angeles. DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, and development, but Measure S uses a sledgehammer apation is which developers and their proxies are major contribuOne copy per person. Gustavo Bonilla proach when a more nuanced response is needed. tors to political campaigns, and it can seem like a pay-to-play
EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin
S I N C E 19 7 2
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
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Tom Fassbender, Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, Emily Manthei ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt
ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla
©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved. The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.
One copy per person.
February 27, 2017
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Downtown News 5
A New Approach to Treating the Inebriated Skid Row Sobering Center Starts Slow, With Aim of Helping People Often Sent to Hospitals By Nicholas Slayton n Dec. 16, a group of city and county leaders gathered in Skid Row to announce a new project aimed at helping the chronically inebriated and intoxicated in the area. The 9,500-square-foot Dr. David L. Murphy Sobering Center opened Jan. 2. The facility at 640 S. Maple Ave. is open 24 hours a day. It is staffed with medical practitioners, social workers and sober coaches, people who have cleaned up and can offer life advice. Patients, most of them from Skid Row, are given beds, medical treatment when required, food and snacks, and a chance to connect with social services. The average patient will stay in the facility somewhere between a few hours and overnight. The sobering center was created in part to ease the burden on area hospitals. For decades, dozens of severely inebriated people every day have been taken by ambulance to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. Not only does this mean longer waits for hospital patients with other emergencies, but, Mayor Eric Garcetti said at the December announcement of the sobering center, the visits are “damn expensive” and drain the resources of the Los Angeles Fire Department. At the opening event, staff and elected officials said they expect about 8,000 visits a year
O
by 2,000 people. The building has the capacity to provide beds for up to 50 people at a time, with separate spaces for men and women. The start, however, has been much slower. By Feb. 23, only 81 patients had been admitted and discharged, according to Lezlie Murch, senior vice president of programs at Exodus Recovery Inc., which operates the center in partnership with the county. County and health officials said that the slow start was expected. One issue is word of mouth. Getting homeless service groups, city and county workers, and residents aware of the center takes time, according to Marc Trotz, director of the County Department of Health Services’ Housing for Health program. “Programs like this that we haven’t had before, it takes about a month or two to really be well known in the community,” Trotz said. The center works with a number of Skid Row outreach teams that have been helping to bring inebriated individuals to the facility. Murch said that staffers have been spreading the word to officers at the LAPD’s Central Division, which is in Skid Row, on the idea of offering an alternative for people who might be arrested. “It’s going to take them time to get people here,” Murch said. “They don’t need to take someone to jail. They can bring them here.”
The Dr. David L. Murphy Sobering Center opened last month in Skid Row. It is expected to serve up to 8,000 patients a year.
photo by Gary Leonard
A bigger contributor to the slow start may be emergency services mandates. Currently, fire department personnel and emergency medical services staffers are not allowed to take patients to the sobering center, as state law dictates that EMTs and paramedics instead bring them to a hospital for treatment. The County Board of Supervisors is seeking a change in regulations so that first responders will be able to bring people directly to the facility, according to Al Naipo, senior deputy for communications for County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose district includes Skid Row. On Jan. 24, the board voted to sponsor state legislation that would update the law to allow paramedics
to take inebriated patients to the center. State Assemblyman Mike Gipson is working on the legislation, but a timeline for it is unclear. “Such a change is vital to provide immediate help and free up crews to respond to other calls, instead of waiting with patients at hospitals as they await treatment,” Naipo said in a statement to Los Angeles Downtown News. Some change could occur in the spring, when the Los Angeles Fire Department’s SOBER (short for SOBering center Emergency Resource) Unit comes online. It will pair a Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority worker with a physician’s assistant or a nurse practitioner. The teams will focus Continued on page 16
TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS
6 Downtown News
February 27, 2017
Art Complex, Courthouse Win Project of the Year Prizes Hundreds Turn Out for 16th Annual Downtowners of Distinction Awards PHOTOS BY GARY LEONARD Nicholas Slayton hat is more important to Downtown Los Angeles: a major arts complex, or a huge, architecturally significant building? The answer, it appears, is both. Last week, the $350 million United States Courthouse in the Civic Center and the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel complex in the Arts District both received Project of the Year prizes at the Downtowners of Distinction Awards. It marked the first Project of the Year tie in the 16 years that Los Angeles Downtown News has hosted the event. Those awards, and nine other Downtowners of Distinction prizes, were handed out on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at an event at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. More than 300 Downtown leaders attended. Downtown News editorial staff chose the individual Distinction winners, honoring projects that had a positive impact on their respective neighborhood. The Project of the Year recipients were voted upon by leaders from those communities. Hauser Wirth & Schimmel is a 116,000square-foot reinvention of a former grain mill at 901 E. Third St. Paul Schimmel, who spent more than two decades as chief curator at
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Downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art, is a partner and vice president of the complex that offers free admission to museum-caliber shows. “Hauser Wirth & Schimmel has been a kind of a dream for me… to become able to develop a project here in L.A. that’s really about this community,” Schimmel said. The U.S. Courthouse at First Street and Broadway is at the complete opposite end of the project spectrum. The strikingly modern 10-story edifice designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill replaced a dirt pit in the heart of the Civic Center. The 633,000-square-foot structure houses 24 courtrooms and a host of sustainable features. Maria Ciprazo, regional chief architect with the United States General Services Administration, said that she first started working on the project 18 years ago. “The courts here have been diligent to make sure it actually does happen,” she said. The Distinction Awards went to a variety of projects (though a prize was not awarded in each district). They included the Smorgasburg L.A. food bazaar held every Sunday at the Row DTLA complex in the Industrial District; Metro’s Bike Share program in the new Cross-
ing Boundaries category; the La Kretz Innovation Campus in the Arts District (it tied for the neighborhood with Hauser Wirth & Schimmel); developer Forest City’s Blossom Plaza housing complex in Chinatown; Fashion District record store Pop Obscure Records; the Italian American Museum and Metro’s Division 13 Bus Operations and Maintenance facility in the Union Station/El Pueblo district; OUE Skyspace at the top of U.S. Bank Tower in the Financial District; and DTLAvets in the Historic Core. The event drew a mix of business, community and political leaders. Attendees included City Attorney Mike Feuer, 14th District City Councilman José Huizar, County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas, and former City Councilwoman and current General Manager of the Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department Jan Perry. In addressing the crowd, Huizar said that, thanks to a lot of hard work, Downtown has become a place where the lights no longer are turned off at 5 p.m. and everyone goes home. “It seems like we’re building a city within a city, and a lot of that is due to people like you who believe in Downtown,” he said. nicholas@downtownnews.com
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52-Story Tower Slated for South Park Building With Unique Design Would Replace Toyota Dealership
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low-income individuals. Additionally, the tower would hold a 250-room hotel. The auto dealership and repair shop on the 1.14-acre site would be demolished ahead of construction. L&R, which owns both Joe’s Auto Parks and Wally Parks, acquired the site last April for $30 million. The dealership is relocating to a space at Figueroa Street and Washington Boulevard. L&R representatives did not return calls for comment. The project would include about 6,500
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square feet of office space and 9,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. The hotel would have a 3,000-square-foot restaurant. There would be 499 parking stalls, with five levels underground and four above grade. Designs from the Downtown-based architecture firm Gensler show a unique design: The base of the building is a podium lined with balconies, while the portion between the 19th and 39th floors is divided into two parts, separated by a large open chasm. Above that is a tier with a block of penthouses arranged in a kind of stacked, pagoda-like extension. The ground floor would hold retail space and lobbies for the different sections, while the office component would take up the next three levels. The hotel would occupy the 5th-18th floors. The 19th floor would hold residential amenities including a fitness center and a pool. Residences would be on floors 20-44, with penthouses on floors 45-52. Entitlements are currently being sought, according to a representative from the engineering and consulting firm Psomas. No groundbreaking or budget has been revealed. South Park is seeing a significant amount of high-rise construction, though mostly in the area close to Staples Center and L.A. Live. The Metropolis project has 40- and 56-story towers under construction, and additional towers are rising at Oceanwide Plaza and Circa. Developer City Century plans to construct a 22-story residential project at 1233 S. Grand Ave. The L&R high-rise could have a ripple effect in the southern part of the district, said Ellen Riotto, the interim executive director of the South Park Business Improvement District. She said the building could help activate and improve
A 52-story tower planned for 1600 S. Figueroa St. would hold a 250-room hotel and 336 residential units.
images courtesy of Gensler
the sidewalks in the area. “We’re happy to see a project of this magnitude on the outskirts of the border of the BID,” she said. “I think it’s going to incentivize further development between where we’re seeing most of the development and the edges of the BID.” Riotto added that larger projects could lead to new commercial openings on the lots between them, helping fill out the area with a range of services and businesses. Darryl Holter, CEO of the Shammas Group, which sold the lot to L&R, and which operates numerous car dealerships along the Figueroa Corridor, said the project makes sense, as South Park still has a number of large, undeveloped lots. Holter expects these type of projects to materialize on the Figueroa Corridor in the coming years. nicholas@downtownnews.com
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Re-Elect Nancy Pearlman, an Experienced Educator Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees, Seat 6 Vote March 7 to re-elect the most qualified trustee: www.NancyPearlman.net • An anthropologist & community college instructor who advocates for student success • Environmentalist and leader in establishing the largest green building program in the nation • Endorsed by teachers, unions (e.g. SEIU99, AFT1521A, various Bldg. Trades), NWPC & Sierra Club • Committed to fiscal accountability and transparency in the spending of taxpayer dollars Paid for by Nancy Pearlman for College Board Reelection Committee #1265596
FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017 6–10 PM Enjoy a free evening of art, music and entertainment as Pasadena’s most prominent arts and cultural institutions swing open their doors. PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS Armory Center for the Arts / ArtCenter College of Design / artWORKS Teen Center / City of Pasadena–City Hall / Jackie Robinson Community Center / Kidspace Children’s Museum / Light Bringer Project @ Day One / Lineage Performing Arts Center / MUSE/IQUE / Norton Simon Museum / Pasadena Central Library / Pasadena City College / Pasadena Conservatory of Music / Pasadena Museum of California Art / Pasadena Museum of History / PUSD–No Boundaries / Shumei Art Council FREE SHUTTLES Free shuttles, running 6–10 p.m., will loop throughout the evening with stops at each venue. ARTS BUS Pasadena ARTS Route 10 runs along Colorado Blvd. and Green St. till 8 p.m. cityofpasadena.net/artsbus. METRO GOLD LINE Take the Gold Line to Memorial Park Station in Pasadena. More info at metro.net. artnightpasadena.org facebook.com/artnightpasadena twitter.com/ArtnightPas For information on ArtNight, please call the ArtNight Pasadena Hotline at 626 744-7887 or visit artnightpasadena.org. For information on accessibility and/or to request written materials in alternative formats, please call the City of Pasadena at 626 744-7062. Para más información en español, visite nuestra página del internet: artnightpasadena.org.
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By Nicholas Slayton 52-story high-rise has been proposed for the southern tip of South Park. It would create more than 300 residential units, along with a hotel. This month, the L&R Group of Companies, which operates a string of parking facilities, filed plans with the city for a mixed-use project at 1600 S. Figueroa St., on the site of the Toyota of Downtown L.A. dealership. Plans call for 202 condominiums and 134 rental units, with 23 condos and nine apartments reserved for
February 27, 2017
February 27, 2017
DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM
Downtown News 9
Second Chances for Electronics, and People, at Homeboy Recycling Chinatown Gang Diversion Nonprofit Takes a New Path By Eddie Kim n a chilly weekday morning, a forklift lurches out of a brick warehouse in the industrial area around Chinatown, heaving under the weight of discarded electronics. Inside are dozens of pallets loaded with computer desktops, screens, motherboards and more. One man disassembles hard drives in a cagelike room, an overhead camera ensuring nobody tampers with sensitive data. Other men sort electronic parts by hand, chucking cables into one bin, processors into another. Strains of Drake and Lil Uzi Vert mingle with the elongated horn cries of passing trains. This is Homeboy Recycling, a for-profit spinoff of the legendary nonprofit gang prevention and intervention program Homeboy Industries, headquartered a few blocks south on Bruno Street in Chinatown. The entity founded by Father Gregory Boyle has now moved from tattoo removal and baking into electronics recycling. The facility at 1769 Naud St. has actually been running since 2011, when Kabira Stokes launched Isidore Electronics Recycling. In 2015 Homeboy representatives approached Stokes about acquiring Isidore. The rebranded Homeboy Recycling celebrated its launch on Feb. 15. Stokes, a former staffer to Eric Garcetti when he served on the City Council in the early 2000s, wanted to build a business that could help both
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the environment and people coming out of the criminal justice system. A few chance opportunities led her to the electronic waste industry, and Stokes soon realized that L.A. was lacking in companies offering high-quality services. “When I started the company, I didn’t have a business background,” Stokes says. “I just wanted to do right by the environment and for people who need a second chance.” That vision dovetailed with Homeboy, which was founded by Boyle in Boyle Heights in 1988 and moved to the Chinatown location in 2007. Just as the business serves two purposes, the acquisition helps two entities. For Stokes, it’s an opportunity to grow with a quick infusion of capital and the extended network of Homebody Industries. The recycling business will in turn help the nonprofit offer more services to people who want to change their lives, said Homeboy Industries CEO Tom Vozzo. “I knew of Kabira and Isidore, and I admired her vision and what she had put together,” Vozzo says. “I always thought it would be a good move to diversify Homeboy beyond the food business. What stops us from helping more people is money. So we could try to fundraise more, but a new revenue source gives us more control.” Looking for Gold Homeboy Recycling is the only full-service certified electronics recycler in the city of Los Angeles, according to General Manager Brian 1
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Homeboy Recycling processes huge piles of old computers, phones, appliances and more. Part of the company’s mission is to hire people who have been previously incarcerated or active in gangs.
photo by Gary Leonard
Fox, though he has a caveat. “Well, there are places that aren’t certified, but we’re doing things differently,” he shrugs. The 6,000-square-foot warehouse looks like a halfway home for dead computers, but its operations are precise. Clients, which include major brands such as Paramount Pictures, either drop off their wares, or have Homeboy pick them up. The real work starts with the weighing and categorizing of every device that comes through the loading bay. Some can be refurbished and resold; others are carefully disassembled so that valuable
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chips and metals can be harvested from their plastic-and-aluminum shells. Fox shows off a chunky Intel Pentium Pro processor, which glimmers under the light. “These old chips, there’s so much gold on them, and they’re big,” he says. “Forty dollars a pop when you recycle them. The new microchips, not so much.” Homeboy Recycling also offers data destruction (hence the surveillance-camera cage, and the small hill of shredded hard drives nearby), and visits to clients’ worksites Continued on page 16
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February 27, 2017 © The Estate of Jason Rhoades, Courtesy Friedrich Christian Flick Collection im Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin
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Exploring
the Rhoades Less Traveled Hauser Wirth & Schimmel Highlights an Often-Overlooked Los Angeles Artist By Tom Fassbender any artists are instantly associated with Los Angeles. There’s 20th century masters such as Ed Ruscha and John Baldessari, as well as younger figures including Mark Bradford. Jason Rhoades doesn’t normally make that list. In fact, many casual local art followers have never heard of the late, oftencontroversial artist. That’s part of what makes a large new Downtown Los Angeles exhibition of his work so exciting. Jason Rhoades Installations, 1994-2006 opened this month at the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel complex in the Arts District. It arrives a decade after Rhoades died at the age of 41 from heart disease (some reports speculated it was related to drug use). An installation artist renowned throughout Europe, Rhoades is all but unknown in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles. That could change thanks to Installations, which runs through May 21. “Jason would create his work in Los Angeles, but his career and all his big exhibitions happened in Europe,” said gallery cofounder Iwan Wirth during a press event for the exhibit. “But he never had this kind of a retrospective in his hometown, and that makes this show historically important.” Rhoades was born in the rural community of Newcastle, Calif., north of Sacramento. He first made waves in the Los Angeles art scene in 1994 with his breakthrough installation “Swedish Erotica and Fiero Parts,” mounted at the Rosamund Felsen Gallery, then on Santa Monica Boulevard. The installation was a chaotic collection of styrofoam, cardboard, tinfoil and yellow legal pads designed to evoke a visit to an Ikea showroom. Rhoades was lauded for his bold use of yellow: Everything from the carefully placed elements inside the gallery to the Pontiac Fiero parked outside augmented the bright yellow of the gallery’s facade. Rhoades, who studied at the San Francisco Art Institute before earning his MFA from UCLA in 1993, created art that explored religion, race, gender and capitalist culture. His pieces can be confrontational and often prompt people to question if what they’re looking at can even be considered art. Paul McCarthy, one of Rhoades’ instructors at UCLA who is also a prominent Los Angeles artist, said his former student had a way of thinking that put him on a higher artistic plane. “People often saw Jason’s work as clutter. They couldn’t see past the tropes of what art has become like Jason could,” McCarthy said at the press event. “His art isn’t piles of clutter. It’s a very significant and important view of what art can be.” Installations fills three galleries and spreads across more than 28,000 square feet of Hauser Wirth & Schimmel. It features six
Jason Rhoades’ “The Creation Myth” is one of six installations on display in a new exhibit at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel in the Arts District.
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works Rhoades created over 12 years, including “Swedish Erotica.” Also on display is “My Brother/Brancuzi,” which Rhoades conceived for the Whitney Museum of American Art’s 1995 biennial exhibition. In this, Rhoades’ second major work, the artist juxtaposed images of his brother’s suburban bedroom with the studio of Romanian-French sculptor Constantin Brancusi. Along with a contrasting series of pictures from each of the rooms, Rhoades added a number of everyday items, among them a mini-bike, a remote-controlled monster truck and a donut fryer. Amid the assembled minutiae, a rod of stacked donuts stands out, a reference to Brancusi’s “Endless Column.” Then there’s “The Creation Myth,” Rhoades’ 1998 exploration into why, how and what humans create. This complex piece represents the human body as a machine, seeking knowledge. A toy train with the head and tail of a snake follows an endlessly circuitous route through a series of stacked tables representing the brain. Information, represented by pornography-wrapped wooden logs, enters the brain and is subsequently reproduced by camera and computer, all while a section of the sculpture excretes byproducts in the form of smoke rings. The highlight of the exhibit may be “Tijuanatanjierchandelier,” Rhoades’ last work, from 2006. The cross-cultural look at myth, stereotype and globalization is embellished with 176 glowing neon signs suspended from the ceiling; the signs display Spanish and English slang terms for female genitalia. It occupies an entire gallery in the seven-building complex and offers a heady mélange of Morocco and Mexico as Rhoades compares the border town markets of Tijuana and Tangiers. He populates the work with a staggering number of tourist-style trinkets from each city, displayed carefully on blankets amid the forest-like neon hanging from above. The Art of Reinstallation When it comes to installation art, one can’t help but question how accurate the re-creation is to the artist’s original vision, especially if, as in this case, a decade has passed since Rhoades’ death. Show curator and gallery partner Paul Schimmel explained that great effort went into making sure each work would be identical to its original. “These installations are precise beyond reason,” Schimmel said.
© The Estate of Jason Rhoades, Courtesy the estate, Hauser & Wirth and David Zwirner
Also at the Arts District gallery is “Tijuanatanjierchandelier.” It was created in 2006, the year Rhoades died at the age of 41.
“It all might seem pell-mell, but every inch has been very rigorously captured, and each piece is displayed exactly how Jason intended.” Schimmel said Rick Baker, Rhoades’ former studio manager, and other people close to the artist worked from videos and photos of the original installations. They also consulted Rhoades’ detailed notes, floor plans and drawings as they assembled the installations. “This is the largest comprehensive survey of Jason’s work, and it’s a long time coming to Los Angeles,” said Schimmel. “The intention of this show is for these works to be seen in a precise and special way.” Even a decade after his death, Rhoades’ radical approach to art and his tendency to push the limits of public acceptability still feels relevant. It’s an effort that is resonating — Schimmel said last week that, during its opening weekend, 9,000 people came to see Installations. Jason Rhoades Installations 1994-2006 runs through May 21 at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, 901 E Third St., (213) 943-1620 or hauserwirthschimmel.com
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Sex, India and Video East West Players’ ‘Free Outgoing’ Offers A New Look at Online Scandal
photo by Michael Lamont
touches. Stephanie Kerley Schwartz’s set is open enough for the needed action, but small enough to act as a prison the characters can’t escape. Behind and above the walls of the apartment, telephone lines hang between poles, a constant reminder that the power of communication is the catalyst for the family’s unraveling. Also impressive is that Chandrasekhar’s script doesn’t dwell too much on how the boy and girl in this event are treated differently. The societal response is pretty much taken for granted, and no solution is offered. The intriguing climax likely will prompt discussion about where the characters might go from here, and what the ongoing effects of social media and sexism have in different societies, whether it’s a conservative Indian community or progressive Los Angeles. Free Outgoing runs through March 12 at 120 Judge John Aiso St., (213) 625-7000 or eastwestplayers.org.
help her children succeed. The crumbling of those sacrifices, at key moments, is heartbreaking to watch. Talwalkar ably handles the challenge of making Sharan sympathetic, even though his actions tend toward self-preservation. The other key role is the nerdy, awkward Ramesh (Anil Kumar), an accountant who is Malini’s colleague. He is attracted to Malini, and she uses that fact to manipulate him, which becomes increasingly uncomfortable as the family’s plight grows dire. Desai’s restrained direction shows a keen awareness that the story doesn’t need overplaying. The most effective moments, and there are several, occur when little is happening. For example, the family is almost always in need of water, which must be delivered daily. Their thirst is shown in an ever-present agitation and desperation that is clear even when they don’t talk about it. Visually, Free Outgoing offers a few nice
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it easy to become immersed in what feels like a family’s spiral into oblivion without an option for redemption or salvation. Chandrasekhar’s most interesting and effective choice is never to show the person in the eye of the storm — Deepa. An absent character, she’s a 15-year-old who, it’s quickly revealed, had consensual sex at her school. The act alone would have damaged her future, but it turns out to be much worse because she allowed her partner to film it with his phone. He, in turn, shared the video with others until someone posted it on the web. Free Outgoing doesn’t deal with Deepa’s pain, and instead focuses on what her actions do to her widowed, working mother Malini (Anna Khaja), as well as to her older brother Sharan (Kapil Talwalkar), who along with his sister is expelled. The two are shunned by members of their apartment complex and are hounded by public mobs and the media outside their home. The boy who had sex with Deepa is left relatively unscathed, able to restart his life at another school in another place. He is immune to the idea that his “immoral behavior” is unforgiveable in the same way it is for Deepa. Khaja is moving as the widowed mother, who runs a gamut of emotions, from shock and disbelief to anger toward new technology to despair and helplessness. She displays a weariness that doesn’t need verbal articulation. It’s clear that she has sacrificed her happiness to
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By Jeff Favre mericans, even technically savvy teens, can easily fall prey to the overwhelming, reputation-destroying power of social media. Whether it’s unprovoked cyber-bullying or offensive tweets, an anonymous person can become the target of scorn by millions within a few hours of a single ill-conceived online post. This type of public shaming is commonplace in America, but in a small, conservative community such as Chennai, India, the result of a private video displaying risqué behavior could easily lead to ruin — particularly for a woman. Powerful and prescient, Anupama Chandrasekhar’s 2007 one-act drama Free Outgoing offers a stark look at what has happened since smart phones and social media merged into integrated instant communication. A version of the show opened this month and continues through March 12 at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theatre in Little Tokyo. Chandrasekhar’s taut, 95-minute family drama, directed with a strong sense of emotional honesty by EWP Artistic Director Snehal Desai, provides thought-provoking dilemmas about dealing with public shaming. It also comments on the inherent unbalanced treatment of boys and girls when it comes to sexual behavior. Inspired by a real event in India, Free Outgoing debuted in London. It didn’t appear in India until 2015, and last year Desai presented the U.S. premiere in Portland, before bringing it to California. The strong five-member cast makes
Anna Khaja is the mother Malini and Kapil Talwalkar is her son Sharan in East West Players’ Free Outgoing. Their lives are thrown into turmoil when a sex video with Sharan’s 15-year-old sister appears online.
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ROCK, POP & JAZZ
Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com. March 4, 8 p.m.: Stand-up comedienne Lisa Lampanelli will be pulling no punches. Au Lac/Café Fedora 710 W. First St., (213) 617-2533 or aulac.com. March 4, 7:30 p.m.: Kenny Washington. Belasco 1050 S. Hill St., (213) 746-5670 or belascous.com. March 3: Nothing says “classy Friday out on the town” quite like scoring tickets to see the Chippendales. This is no joke and no knockoff. We are dealing with the authentic bow-tied gentlemen performers that made the pre-Internet days so lusty. March 4: Maximo Grado will be feeling mighty body-conscious as they sort through all the odds and ends the Chippendales leave behind in the green room. Blue Whale 123 Astronaut E. S. Onizuka St., (213) 620-0908 or bluewhalemusic.com. Feb. 27: Tigran Hamasyan. Feb. 28: Gurrola-Fuller-Hamilton. March 1: Celebrating Laercio de Freitas. March 2: Ben Van Gelder Quintet. March 3: Ralph Towner Solo. March 4: Nick Mancini Collective. March 5: The Necks. Bootleg Bar 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org. Feb. 27: Singer/songwriter Gold Star has a little twang and a bite to him. Feb. 28: It’s the 10th anniversary edition of the Mardi Gras Grand Bal Masque. March 1: Everyone in attendance at tonight’s Brinks’ show will receive a participation trophy. March 2: AOE, an attempt at electronic, blue-eyed R&B with a
BY DAN JOHNSON CALENDAR@DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM
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As is customary at the Natural History Museum’s First Fridays bonanza, live music will crowd the taxidermy-rich halls on Friday, March 3. DJ Masha and KCRW’s Anne Litt will hit the decks with Emily Wells and Japanese Breakfast (shown here) slated to perform live. Yet music plays second fiddle this month, as the topic “food” will dominate. First, museum Nature Gardens Director Carol Bronstein pontificates on the so-called “green revolution” and the changes in food production we’ll face in the 21st century. Next, a panel of health and diet experts join Patt Morrison for a discussion of the reality of food supplies. It all kicks off at 5 p.m. At 900 Exposition Blvd., (213) 7633466 or nhm.org.
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The twisty heroes in Helios Dance Theater have a host of new works to share with the world, and darnit if the City of Angels isn’t a willing partner for a premiere. Helios descends on the Theatre at Ace Hotel on Sunday, March 5, for the program dubbed Minor Obsessions. On deck at the 7 p.m. performance are 10 duets and an ensemble finale. Expect a constellation of works that explore adult identity and contemporary relationships via choreography. Be one of the first to catch the company’s new work and support actual dance so you can put your La La Land-touting friends in their place. At 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com/helios.
Composer John Adams turned 70 on Feb. 15. While some would doff their caps and slip into retirement, the wily visionary has redoubled his efforts. On Friday, March 3, at 8 p.m. and again on Sunday at 2 p.m., Adams conducts his own opera Nixon in China at Walt Disney Concert Hall. With help from librettist Alice Goodman, Adams initially created a composition to reflect President Richard Nixon’s 1972 trip to the Communist nation. Now a crew of gifted singers and the ever-dutiful Los Angeles Philharmonic pay tribute to Adams’ work with a repeat performance arranged as part of the Adams @70 series. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (323) 850-2000 or laphil.com.
photo courtesy Helios Dance Theater
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photo by PhobyMo
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1 Political Gabfest at the Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com/ losangeles/theatre. 7:30 p.m.: Slate presents representatives from the New York Times, Face the Nation and Atlas Obscura in a discussion of what exactly plagues our president’s worldview. Slavoj Zizek and Graham Harman at SCI-Arc SCI-Arc, 960 E. Third St., (213) 356-5381 or sciarc.edu. 7 p.m.: For those unable to attend the head-to-head between the Slovenian speaker and the SCI-Arc philosophy boss, the talk will be simulcast via the SCI-Arc Facebook page. Huzzah! THURSDAY, MARCH 2 Chinatown After Dark Far East Plaza, 727 N. Broadway, (213) 680-0243 or chinatownla.com. 6-10 p.m.: On the first Thursday of every month, the food scene in Chinatown’s Far East Plaza comes into lucid focus with a night out on the town. Erwin Cherminsky at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org. 7:30 p.m.: The legal scholar dishes on “the Constitution and the Presidency.” Yes, the word “Trump” will be mentioned. Seshu Foster and Arturo Romo at MOCA MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 626-6222 or moca.org. 7 p.m.: Two poets, one reading, countless syllables. FRIDAY, MARCH 3 First Fridays Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., (213) 7633466 or nhm.org. 5 p.m.: Live music, food lectures and guided tours mark yet another delightful Friday evening at the museum in Exposition Park. SUNDAY, MARCH 5 The Rock ‘N’ Roll Flea Market 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com. 11 a.m.: Get a T-shirt. Get a poster. Get a T-shirt and a poster and so much more.
photo by Vern Adams
EVENTS
The ‘Don’t Miss’ List
February 27, 2017
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Do you remember when the world had a vague sense of right and wrong, and speculation as to the grim dystopia awaiting the species was left to Hollywood crackpots and not the front page of major newspapers? If so, you’ll appreciate ruminating on the 30th anniversary of The Running Man. The Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle hits the screen at The Regent on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m., thanks to a partnership with Alamo Drafthouse. As an added treat, screenwriter Steven De Souza will be on hand to answer questions and generally bask in the mixed glory of having predicted the awful future before it came to be. At 448 S. Main St., (323) 284-5727 or theregenttheater.com.
Tilton Gallery and the California African American Museum
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photo courtesy The Regent
12 Downtown News
Our collective hat goes off to Derrick Adams, whose bold critiques of media as an instrument of representation and consumer inoculation has earned the mixed-media practitioner a solo show at the California African-American Museum. Launching Thursday, March 2, and running through June 11, Derrick Adams: Network reimagines the television as a dubious venue for social discourse and consciousness of African-American identity. It’s Adams’ first go with a major museum show in Southern California. Check out how he whips together collage, sculpture, video and more. At 600 State Drive, (213) 7447432 or caamuseum.org.
Send information and possible Don’t Miss List submissions to calendar@downtownnews.com.
February 27, 2017
Downtown News 13
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name that sounds like a Scrabble gamble played out by someone short an “L.” March 3: Dent May’s upbeat pop sounds eerily out of sync with his Mississippi roots. March 4: Just because Sinkane have all the makings of a band that employs multiple personal stylists doesn’t mean you should judge them prematurely. March 5: It’s ’90s throwback Laura Stevenson. Caña 714 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 745-7090 or 213dthospitality.com. Feb. 28: Sitara Son. Escondite 410 Boyd St., (213) 626-1800 or theescondite.com. Feb. 27: The Jazzaholics would do just about anything to reconcile a chord right now. Feb. 28: The next person to chortle “Bud-Weis-Er” at the Frogtown Serenaders is going to get a six-string to the face. March 1: Pretty Polly is actually two women. March 2: If you’re into high-flying corner stage music, check out The Ponderosa Aces. March 3: The Internet age has invaded band names as evidenced by tonight’s act, GR3. March 5: Ben Bostick Honky Tonk Sundays inaugurates March. Exchange LA 618 S. Spring St., (213) 627-8070 or exchangela.com. March 3: ATB. March 4: Loudpvck, Krane, Vindata. Grammy Museum 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org. Feb. 27: Country strummer Marty Stuart does his thing at the Grammy Museum. March 2: Singer Dia Frampton begs the question, “Do you feel like we do?” Ham & Eggs Tavern 433 W. Eighth St., (213) 891-6939 or hamandeggstavern.com. Feb. 28: Zaub, Izela and Wax People. March 3: Champagne Machine Gun. Las Perlas 107 E. Sixth St., (213) 988-8355 or 213dthospitality.com. Feb. 27: Son Tres. Feb. 28: Francisco Torres. Last Bookstore 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com. March 2, 7:30 p.m.: Stray Dog Song is an eclectic night of music surrounded by books. Redwood Bar and Grill 316 W. Second St., (213) 652-4444 or theredwoodbar.com. Feb. 27: Jan Quixote, Western Settings, Gentlemen Prefer Blood, Get Married and The Newports. Feb. 28: Dark Water Rebellion, Harriers of Discord and Anson Krekeler. Resident 428 S. Hewitt St. or (323) 316-5311 or residentdtla.com. Feb. 27: The Memories, TOMA, Bed Bits and Bed Bugs. March 3: Bleeding: A Dance Party to Kick Off Women’s Month. March 4: Matt Pond PA, Annuals and Completions. Seven Grand 515 W. Seventh St., (213) 614-0737 or sevengrand.la. Feb. 27: The Gandolfini Brothers are in no way affiliated with G&B Coffee despite everything your acronym hunch mechanism may intuit. Feb. 28: The Makers have quietly been saving their drink tickets for one really nasty blowout in April. The Novo 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or thenovodtla.com. March 3-4: William Singe and Alex Aiono perform mash-ups of classic anthems such as “Broccoli” by D.R.A.M. Your nearest legitimate bar is the Backdoor Pub. The Regent 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com. March 3: Shiny Toy Guns promises a night of cheeky indie that is in no way, shape or form affiliated with 2A advocacy. March 4: Psych-rock galore with Temples, Night Beats, Deap Vally, Froth and JJUUJJUU. The Smell 247 S. Main St. in the alley between Spring and Main or thesmell.org. March 3: SCUM First Year Anniversary features Alice Bag, Seth Bogart, San Cha, Xina Xurner, Frisco Dykes and Butcher Boys. March 4-5: WFSU Fest 2017. Teragram Ballroom 1234 W. Seventh St. or teragramballroom.com. Feb. 27: Jens Lekman, wherever did you find that dashing watch cap? March 2: Roots newgrass from Railroad Earth. March 3: Hippo Campus is the Vevo Lobotomy generation’s answer to The Wallflowers. March 4: Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe is actually a mighty hefty thing. March 5: “Shrek the Third” soundtrack veteran Trevor Hall.
FILM
Downtown Independent 251 S. Main St., (213) 617-1033 or downtownindependent.com. Feb. 27-March 1: Breakin’ is a film about break dancing featuring Shabba-Doo Quinones and Boogaloo Shrimp. Do you have any idea how long we have been waiting to Continued on next page
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14 Downtown News write “Boogaloo Shrimp” in Los Angeles Downtown News? IMAX California Science Center, 700 State Drive, (213) 744-2019 or californiasciencecenter.org. Journey to Space 3D brings audience members along on an E-ticket ride of exploration to the red planet. Ewan McGregor is the voice of Humpback Whales 3D. Not that the whales aren’t significant enough in their own right, but Obi-Wan narrating means we’re dealing with serious power brokers here. Power brokers who know a good whale story when they see it. Regal Cinemas LA Live 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 763-6070 or lalive.com/movies. Expect copious screenings of A Cure for Wellness, Fist Fight, The Great Wall, Rock Dog, The Lego Batman Movie and other films that Oscar may or may not love. See website for schedule. The Regent 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com. Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.: The Running Man gets the 30th anniversary treatment with a special hello from screenwriter Steven De Souza.
THEATER, OPERA & DANCE
Bob Baker’s Fiesta Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., (213) 2509995 or bobbakermarionettes.com. March 4-5, 2:30 p.m.: It would not be a full-fledged Los Angeles fiesta without the storied marionettes from the Bob Baker shop. Party with the puppets, baby. Free Outgoing David Henry Hwang Theatre, 120 Judge John Aiso St., (213) 625-7000 or eastwestplayers.org. March 1-3, 8 p.m., March 4, 2 and 8 p.m. and March 5, 2 p.m.: When a traditional Indian family is rocked by a viral sex tape,
TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS the past and future collide in a gripping misadventure bridging culture and sexuality. Anupama Chandrasekhar wrote the play. Through March 12. See review p. 11. Fun Home Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7231 or centertheatregroup.org. Feb. 28-March 3, 8 p.m., March 4, 2 and 8 p.m. and March 5 1 and 6:30 p.m.: Grown-up Alison Bechdel looks back on her childhood with wise eyes and a longing glance toward understanding her parents. Broadway approved with five Tony Awards for the show. Through April 1. Minor Obsession 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com. March 5, 7 p.m.: The Ace Hotel hosts the world premiere of 11 new works from the Helios Dance Company. Mr. Akita 901 E. Third St., (213) 943-1620 or hauserwirthschimmel.com. March 3-4, 8 p.m. and March 5, 3 p.m.: Cliff Hengst delivers a comedic monologue written in poetic verse by the one and only Asher Hartman. Salome LA Opera, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8001 or laopera.org. March 2, 7:30 p.m. and March 5, 2 p.m.: Patricia Racette returns as Salome to perform the Dance of the Seven Veils. Tomas Tomasson plays a weary and sometimes headless John the Baptist. Zoot Suit Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7231 or centertheatregroup.org. Feb. 28-March 3, 8 p.m., March 4, 2:30 and 8 p.m. and March 5, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: Center Theatre Group revives Luis Valdez’s heralded play — it includes some singing and dancing — built around the city’s 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder and the ensuing
February 27, 2017
Zoot Suit Riots. It was staged at the Mark Taper Forum four decades ago. Through April 2.
THURSDAY, MARCH 2 Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or colburnschool.edu. 7:30 p.m.: Stephen Stubbs takes the helm as the chamber music specialists dig through pieces from Vivaldi, Handel, Sammartini and Purcell.
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! T I T GE
SIGHTS AND March 7, 2016
oto
by
Jam
atmosphere setting a movie’s ising a crucial role in Costumes play of Design & Merchand Fashion Institute and tone. The s museum showcases for and its on-campu recognizes that, 2015. It’s a chance film outfits from Best some of the top recently crowned duds from the are Fury Road. There Angelenos to see winner Mad Max: the lateCostumes Oscar on display, from a total of 23 films fairytale costumes from Compton to the of Straight Outta outfits from The also 1980s fashions are There and suits of Trumbo gown seen in Cinderella. Peak, the 1950s Hateful Eight, Crimson VII: The Force Awakens. Star Wars Episode m.org. even gear from Ave. or fidmmuseu At 919 S. Grand
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NEW LIVE: MAKE A
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But do tickled by Elmo. Grover. You’re You’re down with bring your You will after you know Chamki? a New Friend, Street Live: Make kids to Sesame for Staples Center which lands at ces on May 7. three performan with Sesame The show is filled singing and Street characters concerns plot the dancing, and when Chamki, what happens from India, comes Grover’s friend plans kayaking to visit. While Grover , Chamki wants and hot yoga (seriously) cookies with Slide” and have to do “The Elmo doesn’t Then again, who Cookie Monster. with Cookie Monster? want to have cookies Court, or axs.com and At 777 Chick Hearn . etlive.com sesamestre
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FRIEND
is, like many great works, about what happens when two disparate worlds collide. In this case, it’s the story of a U.S. Naval officer, Pinkerton, and a geisha who fall in love — but what the young and beautiful Butterfly (AKA Cio-Cio-San) doesn’t realize is that Pinkerton aims to leave her once he finds an American wife. The opera follows Butterfly as she waits with their son for the officer to return, but when he finally does, it’s not the happy reunion she expects. Soprano Ana María Martinez, widely lauded for her previous turns as Butterfly, stars in a production that is new to L.A. Opera. There are six performances from March 12-April 3 in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. At 135 N. Grand Ave. or laopera.org.
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Downtown News
THE MAKING
M A R C H 3 1 - A P R I L 3 AT R E D C AT
REDCAT specializes in avant-garde work from international companies that most Angelenos don’t know. The Chilean ensemble TeatroCinema fits that bill perfectly. On March 31-April 3, the troupe unleashes Historia del Amor, which is far more grim than the title implies. The four performances incorporate digital imagery — think 2D and 3D animation and
M 10AM - 3P
MON.-SAT.
Complexio ns Contempor ary Ballet
TeatroCinema: Historia del Amor
SU ND AY BR UN CH
213.627.8166
8
LINE:
Theatre at Ace
the cricket ? OK, so that got of Declan MacManus known as Elvis Costello, who What do you think , however, is better now. The Grammy winning 40 years response. Mr. MacManus on out music for nearly at the Theatre at Ace Hotel stand has been churning icon’s has a two-night of the London multi-instrumentalist a delicious reminder Expect some new promises to be April 2-3, and it ns to popular culture. many contributio “Alison” to “Accidents as all the hits, from ahead, material as well Detectives.” Go the “Watching Will Happen” to ed glasses. wear the black-fram or Broadway S. 929 At photo by Robert Millard les/theatre. acehotel.com/losangeGiacomo Puccini’s legendary Madame Butterfly
STREET ER TION SESAME MICROSOFT THEAT ART OF MOE MAY 7 AT THE PICTUR DESIGN COSTUME 30 at the Through April um FIDM Muse
.144 3.481
21
April 2-3 at the
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Elvis Costello
SOUNDS OF SPRING
9 Downtown News
7 Down town News
It’s been four decades since SIGHTS AND of unlikely a gaggle punks put SOUND S together their OF SPRING first show at the Bolton Institute of Technology in Manche ster, England Buzzcocks have . The fame as substan since gained endurin g APRI L 15-1 tial anchors first-wave of 7 punk. Withou CHA NDLEAT THE DOR OTHY t the destructive showmanship selfR PAVI LION Joining the Sex Pistols Alvin Ailey or the lingerin of the American Dance highlight for of narcissu g curse most Theatre is a s found in people. That for Desmon career the Clash camp, the was just d Richard SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF SPRING Downtown News 11son Buzzcocks the pair formed and Dwight the start, however, came to clap and pick their Rhoden. In Complexions way 1994, for 22 years laments strappe through lovers’ they have traveled Contemporary Ballet, d with a catchy, audiences and One of Downtown’s most the world, bare-bones with thrilling appeal thatl Gallery unpredictable a multicultural and sometim anticipated openings of any has aged quiteWirth & Schimme well. On take on contem es May Complexions kind occurs March 13, when 13 at Hauser porary dance. singer/songwrit 26, energetic lands at the Opening March er Pete Shelley Dorothy Chandle Pavilion for former MOCA Chief Curator and the rest three r of of mixed reperto performances Paul Schimmel joins Iwan and still-sound-greathe crew will deliver ry on April 15-17. One Manuela Wirth to open the gallery complex Hauser Wirth “Orgasm Addict”t anthems such as of the compan and “Ever & Schimmel. The ambitious debut show, Revolution in the y’s current works Love?” The is “And So It paunchy, baldingFallen in Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women: 1947-2016 1947-2016, features Is,” a large-sc crowd will guys in the ale piece danced pogo with about 100 works from 34 artists, among them Louise throwback en point to At 1038 S. Hill glee. the music of St. or clubma Bourgeois, Lee Bontecou (shown here in her studio), Bach. But expect the yan.com. unexpe Eva Hesse and Kaari Upson. It’s a massive show in the also has “Strum,”cted: Complexions repurposed Globe Mills Complex, a collection of late in perform to… which 14 dancers 19th and early 20th century warehouses. Think of it as (wait for it)… At 135 N. Grand Metallica! a chance to see art you’ve probably never glimpsed in musiccenter.orgAve. or a gallery that will be a key part of the Arts District for . decades to come. The show runs through Sept. 4. At 901 E. Third St. or hauserwirthschimmel.com.
computer-generated backgrounds — to help tell the story of a woman’s abduction and her relationship with her kidnapper, who happens to be an English teacher. The show is based on a 1999 novel by French author Régis Jauffret. Historia del Amor is performed in Spanish with English subtitles. At 631 W. Second St. or redcat.org.
photo by Rachel
Neville Photography
@DO WNTO
WNN EWS
13 March 7, 2016
PIA TIG OR CEL LO FESSKTIVY
MAY 13-1 7 AT VARI
AL
OUS LOCA Gregor Piatigor TIONS time, playing sky was one of the finest with cellists of all inspired compos wicked technique and emotio n that to collaborate ers such as Stravins ky and Prokofie with him time Russian-born v and time again. musician escaped The occupation France during and made the his way to taught cello America, where Nazi at various schools before The school he now honors settling in at USC. him with Festival, which this year features the annual Piatigor in various sky 26 internat performances ional cellists more than at USC and 100 playing an at Walt Disney ensemble of addition to the perform Concert Hall. ances, the classes and In festival features lectures that to experience are open to master the public. some of the Prepare best At piatigor skyfestival.usc.ed cello work in the world. u.
THE
SIGHTS & S SOUND
Spring OF
Events, iss Concerts, Shows, n A Rundown of 40 Can’t-M Place in Downtow Exhibits and More Taking SLAYTON
JON DAN JOHNSON, BY EDDIE KIM,
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Don’t miss the Los Angeles Downtown News’ comprehensive round-up of Spring Concerts, Theater, Museums, Restaurants and more!
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February 27, 2017
SOBERING CENTER, 5
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RESIDENCES: SINGLES • STUDIO • ONE BEDROOM • TWO BEDROOM
on identifying and transporting serial inebriates to the sobering facility (a wrinkle in how the units are designated frees them from the requirement to take ambulance patients to hospitals). Skid Row has an estimated population of at least 5,000 homeless people, of which up to 50% are believed to be dealing with addiction, according to the Los Angeles Mission. Fire Station 9, which is on Skid Row, transports an average of 25 intoxicated people a day to County-USC Medical Center, according to an LAFD official at the December event. Murch said most of those who have been brought to the sobering center in the first month were treated for alcohol intoxication, though others have come in high on heroin, crack or crystal meth. The majority of patients have arrived during the day, in part because that is when most Skid Row outreach teams are active. At night, police are more likely to bring people in, according to Murch. After being brought to the center, patients are taken to an intake area where the staff assesses their condition. If there’s a medical issue, a nurse will inspect the patient. In many cases, an individual will be directed to a bed where she or she can lie down; ultimately they will be paired with a sober coach. Patients are offered towels and can take a shower. They are also given water and light snacks. The center has laundry facilities. Once a patient sobers up, the staff seeks to connect him or her with long-term sobriety programs and other social services. Murch said that approximately 20% of the people admitted have taken advantage of those opportunities, exceeding initial expectations. The center is set up to be flexible with its treatment. “We have an idea in terms of detox and medical needs,” Trotz said. “The next six months is Exodus, DHS and collaborators fine tuning it so that it’s the most productive it can be.” The facility was designed on the concept that alcohol intoxication would be the primary concern, but Trotz said that the people coming through the doors will dictate much of the center’s actions and what kind of treatment they need. nicholas@downtownnews.com
RECYCLING, 9 to help them appraise, repair and sell old equipment. Currently, about 15 people work at Homeboy Recycling, and most have come from job-placement programs for the formerly incarcerated. Xuong Cam, 36, joined Isidore in 2013 and now serves as assistant warehouse manager. It was his first job after a 17-year stint in prison. “I did a vocational program in computer refurbishment in prison, and it was just something to do. This job has been so rewarding. To get paid for it, and do good for the environment…” Cam says, trailing off. “I feel lucky.” Isidore went through its own struggles. Stokes and co-founder Aaron Molloy (who has since departed) started the company in an Arts District warehouse of American Apparel, which was also their first client. It moved to Lincoln Heights in 2012, but a few months later a fire burned the entire facility down. “If we stopped then, nobody would’ve cared. But there was a sense of wanting to really rebuild. That’s when we joined the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator as a portfolio company,” Stokes said. Arts District-based LACI supports budding green companies, and with its help Stokes found another warehouse. Isidore has seen a 63% bump in revenue since 2014, she said, and Homeboy’s Vozzo anticipates 40% more growth in the next year. “To make that happen, we need a marketing and sales effort. Later in the year we’re moving to a new facility, although still around Downtown,” Vozzo said. “Adding more square footage means more volume and more people hired — the real goal.” Fox, for one, is happily anticipating new faces in the warehouse. Teaching people how to build a spreadsheet or sort parts is one thing, but he would also like to pass on more challenging tasks, namely getting broken items to work again. “I like to say troubleshooting electronics helps you troubleshoot your life, because it’s a process of carefully examining what to fix and how to fix it,” Fox says. “Reuse is the highest form of recycling, after all.” The metaphor makes him smile. eddie@downtownnews.com