04-18-16

A Heroic Journey at the Taper : 24 Plenty of Bands and DJs at Broke L.A. : 25

APRIL 18, 2016 I VOL. 45 I #16

TheBIGDance SPECIAL

SECTION

Hundreds Hit the Alexandria Hotel for The Annual Senior Snowball Dance See Page 20 photo by Gary Leonard

INSPIRING WORKSPACES PAGES 9-15

THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN L.A. SINCE 1972

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AROUND TOWN

Senior Citizen Dies After Downtown Attack

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n 85-year-old man who was brutally assaulted in an unprovoked attack in the Historic Core this month died on Monday, April 11, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Dong Yul Lee was attacked at 3:40 p.m. on April 3 near the Whole Foods at Eighth and Olive streets. He was taken to a local hospital but did not recover from his injuries. LaFawn Parker, a man believed to be homeless and mentally ill, allegedly repeatedly punched and kicked Lee, who had been walking on the sidewalk. The assault was seen by multiple witnesses, including a Whole Foods security guard who pepper-sprayed and restrained Parker until police arrived, according to the LAPD. In the past, Parker had been charged with attempted murder involving elder abuse.

Mini-Golf Course Coming To Skid Row as Part of ‘Mike Kelley’ Grants

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he Skid Row-based Los Angeles Poverty Department has been performing thoughtful, often political works of theater since its founding in 1985, with area residents and stakeholders appearing in the plays. The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts has taken note, making the LAPD one of nine winners in its inaugu-

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS ral Artist Project Grants program. The grants aim to further the late Los Angeles artist’s philanthropic work and honor his legacy by supporting innovative projects, particularly those that are less-known or difficult to fund. The LAPD has received $50,000 to produce The Back 9, a mini-golf themed work that delves into Los Angeles’ zoning problems and its impacts on Skid Row. LAPD will build an actual mini-golf course at its Skid Row History Museum and Archive at 440 S. Broadway, and develop a play that uses the course as a stage. The foundation also gave $35,000 to Downtown’s Mistake Room for a September 2017 show of artist Eduardo Sarabia’s work. Other grant recipients include the Echo Park Film Center, Clockshop, and the Santa Monica Museum of Art, which is relocating to Downtown Los Angeles in spring 2017, according to the press release.

Metro Gives Money to Little Tokyo Businesses

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he construction of the $1.55 billion Regional Connector has prompted some big street closures and disruptive work in Little Tokyo. Anticipating that a number of businesses would be impacted, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority last year created a fund to compensate “mom-and-pop” outfits — and the payments are now going out. Grants of varying sizes from Metro’s $2.5 million Business Interruption Fund have been awarded to KC Stylist, Chado Tea Room, Kato’s Sewing Machine Company, NT Auto Repair, an independently owned and operated Quiznos, Little Tokyo Car Wash, and Akimoto Chiropractic, all in Little Tokyo.

“We want to make sure these small businesses

April 18, 2016

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Dodger Stadium

Chavez Ravine

Elysian Park Avenue - Name Change

can persevere through the construction period, in order to ultimately benefit from this transit revolution in the long term,” said County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Mark RidleyThomas in a prepared statement. Businesses can receive up to $50,000 or 60% of lost revenue annually, according to Metro. Funds from the BIF have also been distributed to businesses impacted by the Purple Line extension and Crenshaw/LAX rail project. Metro anticipates giving out more grants in Downtown as construction continues in Little Tokyo and toward the planned Second Street/Broadway Regional Connector station.

April 11, 2016

Downtown News Earns Statewide Awards

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n the patting-ourselves-on-the-back department, Los Angeles Downtown News has had a big year in a statewide journalism competition. The finalists were recently announced for the California Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual Better Newspapers Contest, and Downtown News has claimed six first- or second-place prizes (the exact order will be revealed at the CNPA’s annual conference on April 30). The work was for a 14-month period from Continued on page 23

April 18, 2016

Downtown News 3

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EDITORIALS

Urban Scrawl S I N C E 1 9 7by 2 Doug Davis EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa

April 18, 2016 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

PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved. The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.

One copy per person.

A Novel AntiGraffiti Approach In South Park

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raffiti is a scourge on Downtown Los Angeles and other communities. We’re not talking about artfully done (and still often illegal) murals, but rather tagging, sometimes from gang members marking turf, and other times from teens who want some form of validation and a way to imEDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris press their friends. The scarring of walls and other GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin blank space is straight-up vandalism.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie Graffiti demands an immediate response, as alSENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim lowing it to fester invites others to tag. The city last STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese S I N C E 19 7 2 year spent $7.5 million to remove 30.6 million square CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer Los Angeles Downtown News feet of graffiti citywide. That doesn’t include the cost 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 of private cleanups.

ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa Better than quickly eradicating graffiti is preventweb: DowntownNews.com email: realpeople@downtownnews.com ing it from appearing in the first place. That’s where PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard a new effort in South Park shows promise. City and facebook: ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt L.A. Downtown News business leaders should look at initial results and CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway twitter: seek to determine if this is an idea worth expanding.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, DowntownNews S I N C E 19 7 2 Los Angeles Downtown News this month reportMichael Lamb Los Angeles Downtown News ©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los News Charter Communications’ pending acquisition ofAngeles TimeDowntown Warner Caed on how the South Park Business Improvement n Monday, April 11, city leaders showed up outside DodgSALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newsble will change the status quo, but the extended stalemate proves District took a novel approach to an oft-tagged coner Stadium to celebrate the dedication of Vin Scully Avphone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon paper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com Monday should never expect logic tothroughout prevail.the offices and residences of Downtown struction fence surrounding the under-construction enue. The former Elysian Park Avenue has been renamed DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador you Ingles Los Angeles.

The Dodgers to believe Onyx apartments site was in honor of the Hall of Fame broadcaster, DISTRIBUTION who is entering his 67thLorenzo Castillo, ASSISTANTS: Gustavowould Bonilla like you One copy per person.that fault to date lies with facebook: at 440 W. Pico Blvd. The twitter: L.A. Downtown News the mammoth communications companies. This page, however, being tagged about 25 times a month. DowntownNews and final season calling Dodger games. lays the blame on the shoulders of the Dodgers owners.

The SPBID pulled together $10,000 and worked The team’s home opener took place the following day, but as EDITOR PUBLISHER: with the&Do Art Foundation has been the case for the past two seasons, more&than half of Sue the Laris The problem is, simply, greed. The Guggenheim Baseball ManEDITOR PUBLISHER: Sue Larisand Metro Charter EleMANAGER: Dawn Eastin GENERALSchool MANAGER: Dawn Eastin agement gang was probably ebullient when they inked the 25mentary to spread artwork across hundreds households in Los Angeles were unable toGENERAL see it. That’s because year TV rights deal, as it would allow them to recoup some of the ofEXECUTIVE feet of fencing. collection of black-and-tan we are in the unprecedented third year ofEXECUTIVE a dispute EDITOR: between Time EDITOR: The Jon Regardie Jon Regardie SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kimand blue faces with a string $2.15 billion they spent buying the team and cover a payroll north patterns and red, white Warner Cable and other TV and communications companies over SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim Nicholas Slayton ofSTAFF cansWRITER: for a smile were installed in January. The SPthe rights and fees charged to show games.

STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slaytonof $200 million. However, they should have foreseen that the cost CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese of the exorbitant TV contract would be passed on to fans. The ownBID reported just two instances tagging The situation arose after Guggenheim Baseball Management acCONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre,of Greg Fischerin the I N Cfrom E 1 the 9 7 2best seats in CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer ers can watch a game whenever they Swant two months after the works went up, a decrease of quired the Dodgers from Frank McCourt in 2012 and orchestrated ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison Los Angeles Downtown News the house.

As attending games becomes ever more expensive, 96%. an $8.25 billion TV rights deal with Time Warner Cable.

The compaASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 some fans can only afford the televised experience.

PHOTOGRAPHER: While the ideaGary of deterring graffiti with art is not ny promptly created its own Dodgers network, SportsNet LA, which phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa Leonard web: DowntownNews.com The owners likely never expected the fight to last this long — a new, the results here are worth exploring. Develis similar to team-powered networks across the country. Other TV ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt email: realpeople@downtownnews.com PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary similar dispute with a Lakers TV network was resolved fairly quickopers in South Park and other communities should providers such as DirecTV, however, have been unwilling to payLeonard the CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway ly.

That said, the brass has demonstrated little public appetite to consider similar efforts. fees that Time Warner has been asking forACCOUNTING: to carry the channel, befacebook: Ashley Schmidt ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb L.A. Downtown News became rectify the situation.

When the seriousness of the problem SALES SomeASSISTANT: questionsClaudia remain.

Will the taggers stay off cause they are loathe to then charge customers approximately $5 a Hernandez CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway apparent, they should have done everything possible to resolve the fence for the long haul?

Is there less graffiti in month to cover the cost of the contract (cable and satellite TV subtwitter: CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon EXECUTIVES: Holloway, DowntownNews even if it meant blowing up the TV rights contract and taking a the area, or just less on Salvador this site,Ingles with vandals finding scribers would have to pay whether or notACCOUNT they want SportsNetCatherine LA). it, DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla hefty financial penalty. Given the current situation, it is clear that other nearby canvases?

Recent efforts to lower the price, reportedly to the $3-$4 per-cusSALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez © 2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles the owners — Mark Walter,Downtown Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Stan Kasten, The SPBID deserves credit for trying a different sotomer range, have gone nowhere.

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

Peter Guber, Bobby Patton Inc. and Todd Boehly — have failed the fans. lution to a Inc. persistent problem. Graffiti defaces and The net result is that most fans don’t get SportsNet LA in their Center News All rights reserved.

The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles newspaperthat for Downtown Los Angeles and to is dispage previously suggested the owners arrange get

This degrades the neighborhood.

It’sthe worth if thisof Downtownpay-TV package and thus can’t watch theDISTRIBUTION team. The Doomsday and is distributed every Monday throughout officesseeing and residences Los MANAGER: Salvador Ingles tributed every Monday throughout the offices and Angeles. residences of Downtown Losto Angeles. games on free TV to make up for the mistakes date. Yet every plan can be expanded. scenario is that the fight continues through the rest of ASSISTANTS: the season Lorenzo DISTRIBUTION Castillo, One copy per person.

One copy per person.

Gustavo Scully.

Bonilla Perhaps day without a deal only compounds the problem. and that fans miss the final run for the legendary

Dodgers Owners Have Failed the Fans

O

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 SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa

PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved. The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.

One copy per person.

April 18, 2016

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

The State of the City Is Strong, Or Is It?

tion that allows folks like Wesson to grab more power. This speech, in front of a giant American flag, served as reminder of how likable Garcetti is and how he can command a room or a city when he opts to do so. So why doesn’t he do it more?

Running Down Nine Key Moments and Elements From the Mayor’s Annual Speech

By Jon Regardie here’s something special about the mayor’s annual State of the City address. I know this sounds hokey, and for those who shrug off politics I might as well be writing, “There’s something special about rocks,” or “There’s something special about beige pants.” But if you geek out over or make a living from the local governmental scene, then it is a unique event.

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tache. I spied Mike Bonin who, for the 837th day in a row, was wearing a blue shirt but no tie. I remember how his website says that Bonin loathes ties. So much for winning over the mighty neckwear lobby.

Put It on a T-Shirt: You know how the Golden State Warriors just won 73 games? Garcetti seemed to be trying to pop in one slogan for each of those victories. The address was jammed with cliché-type lines that seemed fit for a T-shirt. Among his utterances were: “a success story that could only be told in Los Angeles” (about Noribachi); “My friends, Hollywood is coming home”; “In Los Angeles we’re not riding waves, we’re creating them”; “Here in L.A. we don’t run from challenges, we embrace them”; “Here in L.A., we don’t build walls, we build bridges”; and “We’re going to connect the skyline to the shoreline” (about a rail line extension). At the close he proclaimed that the state of the city is strong, and added, “It’s not only strong, it’s getting stronger every day.”

It ended not with a bang, but a slogan.

A Presence: Garcetti was introduced to a standing ovation and took the stage at 5:10 p.m. He finished 50 minutes later, which was way too long. State of the City addresses should run 32-37 minutes, or 19 minutes if your name is Mayor Jim Hahn.

Garcetti has an impressive presence. He’s been called slick, but when he gets in speech mode he connects and seems mayoral. I’m among the crowd who have criticized him for not utilizing the bully pulpit the mayor’s office affords, for playing it too safe and not being enough of a capital letter “L” leader, a situa-

Bring Your Hands Together: I counted about three dozen applause moments. The loudest clapping came when Garcetti announced that every student who graduates from an LAUSD high school will get a free year of community college and a $25 Cinnabon gift card (one of those is made up). It resonated, and it should, though if it sounds familiar that’s because last year President Obama was aggressively pushing a proposal to give students two free years of community college. For the uninitiated, Garcetti really likes Obama.

Continued on page 8

The headquarters of Noribachi, an LED manufacturing business, in the moments before Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered his State of the City address.

THE REGARDIE REPORT It’s more relatable than a president’s State of the Union, as a mayor’s pledge to fight crime or, if you’re Antonio Villaraigosa, plant 1 million trees, has a local impact. That was clearly on Eric Garcetti’s mind on Thursday, April 14, when he delivered his State of the City in a part of Los Angeles that I didn’t even know existed. Here are nine key points and moments.

Location, Location, Location: Mayors usually use location to lend a sense of symbolism to a State of the City speech. When AnVil spoke at the Downtown LAPD building, you knew he was going to come out as the Crime-Fighting Mayor. Garcetti chose to bring the city’s business-suited elite to the headquarters of the LED manufacturing firm Noribachi, on 240th Street. It connoted the idea that he wants to be the Jobs Mayor, but prompted a big question: Who knew L.A. has a 240th Street?

The high-ceilinged building was a more inter-

photo by Jon Regardie

esting venue than the common auditorium. It was mega-bright, which makes sense considering they make lights there. There was ample signage for Noribachi, which sounds like the name of a fictional front business run by one of Batman’s arch enemies. I kept looking for the Riddler or the Joker, but instead saw Council President Herb Wesson and Councilman Paul Koretz.

Handshake Brigade: About 10 minutes before the address started, an announcer asked everyone to take a seat. Most people in the middle or back did, but a batch of Council members at the front just kept glad-handing. Paul Krekorian, José Huizar and Mitch O’Farrell were talking to people who like politicians. Fourth District rep David Ryu was doing the bro half-hug to half the room. I saw Police Chief Charlie Beck and, once again, he brought along his mus-

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6 Downtown News

April 18, 2016

New Apartment Building Goes Small Piano Lofts on Hill Street Has Just 18 Upscale Units

By Nicholas Slayton owntown Los Angeles is filled with mammoth projects.

Eighth & Grand in the Financial District boasts 700 apartments. The under-construction Sixth and Bixel in City West will create 606 rental units. South Park’s Circa will deliver 648 luxury condominiums.

A new arrival at the southern end of the Financial District goes in a different direction.

The Piano Lofts at 932 S. Hill St. opened last month. It features just 18 apartments.

The a $4.5 million project is a transformation of a four-story building that opened in 1932 and was the home of the Story and Clark Piano and Organ Company. The owners are the Neman and Rahimi families.

The project was spurred by all the changes happening in the blocks around the building. Kiwi Neman, a co-owner and partner in the project, pointed to the success of the Ace Hotel, which opened at 929 S. Broadway in early 2014, on the back end of the Piano Lofts. He also mentioned the boutique hotels coming to the area.

The families acquired the building in the late 1980s. Ramin Rahimi, Neman’s partner in the project, said that before the redevelopment the edifice had been used as a warehouse and office space. Due to the limited size, they decided to go for an upscale product.

“We were confined with what we could build, so we wanted to offer boutique apartments,” Neman said. “This is more of a quiet, custom building with high-end finishes.”

The 18 units range from 968-1,586 square feet (a penthouse includes a private 850-square-foot patio). The apartments feature stone countertops, kitchen islands and in-unit washer and dryers. Three units on each floor feature balconies, while the street-facing apartments have large windows. All tenants have access to the rooftop deck.

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photo courtesy of Smart LA Realty

photo courtesy of Smart LA Realty

The Piano Lofts goes against the grain of Downtown mega-projects, offering just 18 upscale apartments in a transformed 84-year-old building.

The apartments start at $3,295 per month and go up to $7,995 for the penthouse. The average rent is about $3,600.

Smart LA Realty is managing the building and handling the leasing process.

While more expensive than some buildings in the area, Piano Lofts adds to a growing number of projects that charge a premium. Rents at the aforementioned and recently opened Eighth & Grand are in the $4 a square foot range. Prices are generally between $3 and $4 a square foot at the nearby highrise Eighth + Hope.

Neman said attention was paid to preserving the 1930s warehouse style, with architecture firm Omgivning focusing on ex-

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The four-story edifice at 932 S. Hill St. was once the home of the Story and Clark Piano and Organ Company.

posed brick interiors and open floor plans. He added that a goal was to avoid making the Piano Lofts seem too modern.

“We think there’s a need for that older feel in the area,” Neman said. “Most of these towers are brand new, all glass and steel.”

The Piano Lofts have 4,800 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Neman and Rahimi plan on leasing it to multiple tenants, including a bar/restaurant. No contracts have yet been signed.

There is no on-site parking, although a lot adjacent to the building offers monthly parking rates.

The north face of the building features a four-story high mural called “Trinity,” by Italian artist Jacopo Ceccarelli. He is also known as “2501,” and worked on art at Eighth & Grand.

Smart LA Realty hopes to have the building fully leased by the end of the year. nicholas@downtownnews.com

12:30

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April 18, 2016

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Downtown News 7

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Soft drinks, teas, water, and juices?

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8 Downtown News

April 18, 2016

GARCETTI, 5 He got more applause when he said the city will spend $31 million to fix broken sidewalks. For some reason he didn’t mention that the city is doing this because it got sued over the lousy state of said sidewalks.

The Gains Game: The mayor recited a lot of achievements, which makes sense considering he is up for re-election next year, though the huge American flag behind him hinted that he probably has jobs beyond L.A. in his sights. He played compare and contrast, saying that when he ran for mayor in 2013, “I described City Hall as a place where jobs came to die.” He then

Metro Local

You have a voice in our transportation future.

HE PLAYED COMPARE AND CONTRAST, SAYING THAT WHEN HE RAN FOR MAYOR IN 2013, “I DESCRIBED CITY HALL AS A PLACE WHERE JOBS CAME TO DIE.” HE THEN RAN DOWN ENSUING INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE, TAX CUTS AND THE MINIMUM WAGE HIKE. HE RIFFED ON JOB CENTERS ALONG WITH EFFORTS TO BRING AEROSPACE, FILM PRODUCTION AND OTHER INDUSTRIES BACK TO L.A.

You’re invited to share your thoughts on LA County’s future transportation plan to ease tra;c. Please join us at a public meeting. > Tuesday, April 19th, 2016, 6–8pm, Palmdale > Thursday, April 21st, 2016, 6–8pm, West Hollywood > Saturday, April 23rd, 2016, 10am–12pm, Downtown LA > Tuesday, April 26th, 2016, 6–8pm, Paramount > Thursday, April 28th, 2016, 6–8pm, South Los Angeles

ran down ensuing investments in infrastructure, tax cuts and the minimum wage hike. He riffed on job centers along with efforts to bring aerospace, film production and other industries back to L.A. He proclaimed that a onetime city unemployment rate of 12.4% has been slashed, and that Los Angeles has added 109,000 jobs. He stated that the city has outpaced state and federal employment gains.

It sounded really good, and Garcetti deserves credit for being focused as he takes on employment and other big tasks. But as one attendee I spoke with afterwards said, how much did Garcetti actually do, and how much was happening anyway? He took credit for a lot of stuff.

> Saturday, April 30th, 2016, 10am– 12pm Virtual/Online Community Meeting For complete information, and to stay up to date with Metro’s plan to ease tra;c, please visit metro.net/theplan.

All Metro meetings are held in ADA accessible facilities.

ADA accommodations and translations available by calling at least 72 hours in advance.

Oh Give Me a Home: At 5:53 p.m., Garcetti touched on homelessness, and he stated that his upcoming city budget would set aside $138 million for housing and other help for homeless individuals. If this happens, great, but City Hall’s record on the issue is suspect. Remember, Garcetti last year got a boatload of press for indicating he would declare a homelessness state of emergency, but that never happened. Encampments today are denser and in more places than they were six months ago.

“Homelessness is and has to be our top priority,” he said, and amen. But why did the line come 43 minutes into the speech?

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Easy Bucket: Toward the end of the address he mentioned Kobe Bryant’s 60-point game the night before. Talk about a slam dunk line.

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Feat of Strength: So how strong is this city? A lot of stuff is going right: Downtown Los Angeles is booming and the economy is in decent shape. L.A. has been a national leader in increasing the minimum wage and Garcetti was at the forefront of the effort. There are big pushes to bring the Olympics to town, upgrade the L.A. River and improve transportation with a $120 billion Metro plan that will require voter approval.

Yet traffic is brutal and, as mentioned above, homelessness is out of control. Additionally, violent crime spiked 20% last year.

Then there’s the housing crunch, and rents are expected to rise for a couple more years.

Things are better than during the Great Recession and the Villaraigosa era, and Garcetti still seems to truly care about Los Angeles. But it’d be nice to see him lead more than once a year on State of the City day. Also, can a city really be strong if people worry about safety? regardie@downtownnews.com

April 18, 2016

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Downtown News 9

Inspiring Workspaces A Look at Some of Downtown’s Coolest Offices

And Q&A’s With Office Experts

photos by Gary Leonard

10 Downtown News

April 18, 2016

INSPIRING WORKSPACES

DOWNTOWN’S COOLEST OFFICES photos by Gary Leonard

The Architects Design an Office Johnson Fain Turns an Old Auto Dealership Into a Modern Design Hub

By Nicholas Slayton Company: Johnson Fain It’s At: 1201 N. Broadway Number of Employees: 60 What Do They Do?: Johnson Fain is a prominent architecture, urban design and planning firm founded

by Scott Johnson and William H. Fain, Jr. in 1989. It has worked on projects around the globe, with local efforts including the Metropolitan Lofts in South Park and Blossom Plaza in Chinatown.

When They Arrived: 2004, from an office at Wilshire Boulevard and Flower Street.

We’re Talking To: Design Partner Scott Johnson

Fixing Up the Garage: Johnson Fain’s office building is actually four buildings. Originally a Chrysler dealership in the 1920s, the structures on the edge of Chinatown were combined, giving the firm a sizable, open area with brick walls, high, arched ceilings and large skylights. Johnson Fain sandblasted and restored the interior, but kept much of the old dealership’s trappings, including garage doors, concrete floors and ramps.

“It would be hard to get a building with this much volume, that’s column-free, that lets us be flexible,” Johnson says. There are very few windows in the space, with most

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April 18, 2016

Downtown News 11

INSPIRING WORKSPACES

photos by Gary Leonard

DOWNTOWN’S COOLEST OFFICES natural light coming from the skylights. There also very few private offices, and those that exist are glass-fronted, giving some level of permeability. Johnson said the idea is to create an open, lateral feel.

Model Shop: In the back of the office, behind an open staging area, is the car repair shop-turned-workshop where staffers build the models for their projects. Along with the renderings, maps and drawings affixed to the walls — Johnson jokes that architects cannot get enough wall space — the models are ever-present. Some are traditional plywood designs, while others are plastic mock-ups made using the on-site 3-D printer. “We’re an interesting blend between digital and traditional,” Johnson says. “We’ll always have 3-D models, but we’ll also have wood models.”

Group Think: Johnson Fain groups employees in teams, giving them desks that form a circle around drawing tables, creating social elements throughout the office. “We actually don’t move a lot of furniture, but we do move people,” Johnson says. “Some might consider this old-fashioned. We wanted teams to work in areas around common tables. They can roll out big drawings, work on designs and have meetings.”

Hitting the Books: Even as digital technology is playing a bigger role in the architecture world, Johnson Fain’s space dedicates a large area for analog methods. Nestled in one corner of the office is a semi-enclosed library full of architecture and design books. A long conference table, covered with books and a hand-drawn landscape map, sits at the center of the room. “Because we’re a working studio, performance and flexibility are key,” Johnson says. “A lot of data is online, but we still use books. They’re very useful guides and resources.”

see DOWNTOWN’S COOLEST OFFICES, page 14

12 Downtown News

April 18, 2016

INSPIRING WORKSPACES

An Old-School Firm in a New Era Office

understand it. Once employees were in the new environment and saw that they have more options to choose from, it was a pretty easy sell.

CBRE Ditched the Cubicle Farm for Open Space and a Paperless Environment.

How’s It Working Out?

Q: What’s one element of the new workplace design that really caught on?

A: The thing that continues to be talked about is the features of our WELL certification. It’s like LEED certification, but focused on health and wellness. To get that, we included thing like circadian rhythm lighting; that lighting changes based on what’s happening outside and people’s body rhythms. It’s supposed to give people energy when they might start to slump off in the afternoon or winter.

The certification also covers things like nutrition, bringing in types of food with a high nutritional value. There are also new water stations throughout the office.

By Nicholas Slayton n 2013 the Downtown Los Angeles office of CBRE did something that sounds radical for an old-guard real estate services firm: It ditched the cubicle set-up and moved into the most modern of offices.

The space at 400 S. Hope St. trades most private offices for an open design. There are no assigned desks or cubicles, and what is known as “follow me” technology allows employees to take calls on any phone or get a document off any printer with the swipe of a card.

Emily Neff, an associate at CBRE’s Global Workplace Strategy Practice, helped implement the redesign. She spoke with Los Angeles Downtown News about how the staff has adapted to the brave new office world.

I

Los Angeles Downtown News: Getting rid of cubicles and traditional offices was a radical approach. How have the employees adapted?

Emily Neff: It has been pretty wonderful, actually. It was our first installment of the new workplace model. It came with a lot of fears and anxieties about how it would affect the daily work of these professionals. But it’s been a big success in terms of surveys and questionnaires we’ve done.

Some of the best feedback we’ve gotten from employees is that this new environment feels like an investment in them. That was a goal, if we were able to save some square footage and invest in the people here that would be the best outcome. People feel healthier and more productive in the new space. They’ve said they wouldn’t go back to the old space.

Q: Most documents in the new office have been digitized and file cabinets have been removed. How are employees reacting to going paperless?

Q: What other changes are in the works?

A: We’re not planning any big tweaks or redesigns on the space.

But we’re changing some program elements. We’re focused still on that wellness piece. We’re bringing in nutritionists and fitness experts for quarterly lessons. photo by Robert Downs Photography

Q: What do you do for those people who still want that more traditional office?

A: We still have private offices that are fully closed, so that people can use them for phone calls or one-on-one meetings. People can and do reserve the offices if they need them for a day, but they’re not assigned overall to anyone.

The new Downtown offices for real estate services firm CBRE eschew traditional desks and cubicles for an open, free-flowing design that allows employees to move around throughout the day.

A: There have been a few people who said they could do with a bit more paper. It can be a bit difficult to get used to. There’s a desire to have a lot of paper. It’s something people are just familiar with in the office space.

Q: Is this something that CBRE is trying to promote in other traditional white-collar offices?

A: It is. My team does workplace strategy internally for CBRE and externally for clients. Our initiative here allows us to open a dialogue with clients about these office transitions. We’re seeing a lot of financial services and professional services asking for this type of change. They can be behind the curve, so we feel we can add value by pointing to what we’ve done as a company to help them. nicholas@downtownnews.com

Q: What has been the hardest part of the change, and how did you respond?

A: The biggest challenge was the conversion to non-dedicated space. People can get on board with getting new things, like laptops or better amenities and healthier snacks. What we did was a lot of one-on-one conversations about what a day in the life would be. As simple as this may sound, it takes living in it to

Downtown Development

A Special report featuring more than 90 project updates.

February

The Complete Source For Commercial and Residential Development Downtown

February 23, 2015 with Ahbe Landscape Architect, the company tapped to create the new facility, have begun the effort to get public input on the design of the project that will rise on an L-shaped lot.

Last May, the office of then-County Supervisor Gloria Molina contributed $950,000 to the project, bringing the amount secured for the facility to $8.25 million. Another $5 million comes from Proposition 84 state funds. Demolition is expected to begin soon, with a grand opening slated for this summer.

FEDERAL COURTHOUSE The massive steel frame of the $323 million Federal Courthouse, at the southwest corner of Broadway and First Street, is nearly complete.

Construction began in summer 2013 and is on track to wrap in fall 2016, according to Traci Madison, a representative for the U.S. General Services Administration. The 600,000-squarefoot building will have 24 district courtrooms and 32 judges’ chambers, as well as offices for the U.S. Marshals Service. The design from architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merill depicts a large cube with windows set at angles to create a serrated outer skin; the design will bring in natural light while also cutting solar heat gain. The Civic Center building is being engineered to achieve LEED Platinum status, according to the GSA. FIGUEROA CORRIDOR BIKEWAY Construction of the street improvements has begun along the Figueroa Corridor, said Tim Fremaux, a transportation engineering associate for the city. The $20 million My Figueroa project, an effort to make the street friendlier to pedestrians and bicyclists, is expected to last through December. Plans call for trimming vehicular lanes and establishing protected areas for two-wheeled travelers. The project will accomplish this while preserving the entrance and exit points for auto dealerships and other businesses along the three-mile section of Figueroa Street between the Financial District and Exposition Park. At myfiegueroa.com.

Development clinics and physician offices including the hospital’s Surgical Specialties Clinic, which includes hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery, said Bada. The builder is Millie and Severson.

LOS ANGELES RIVER Last May, the Army Corps of Engineers announced its support of an estimated $1 billion Los Angeles River revitalization plan, dubbed Alternative 20. The effort, backed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, would restore 719 acres and tear out three miles of concrete channeling, and include connections from the waterway to Los Angeles State Historic Park. Now the city is looking for money to cover half of the project; the funds could potentially come in the form of property taxes, thanks to a new law that allows certain tax dollars to be used on revitalization and public works projects. In January, the City Council asked city staff to create a detailed report on how Los Angeles could create an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District to restore and improve 31 miles of the river; the report is due in the beginning of March. At lariver.org.

LOS ANGELES STATE HISTORIC PARK

than the initial projected cost of $125 million.

Officials with the office of 14th District City Councilman José Huizar have said the actual cost could be lower than $270 million, but the project’s funding picture remains unclear. In January, streetcar officials reported that 24 firms from 19 cities responded to a “request for information” on a financial partnership for the project; actual deals will not happen until the city prepares a “request for proposals.” Up to $85 million in tax funds can be collected from Downtown property owners along the streetcar route and $10 million has come from the former Community Redevelopment Agency.

The city is applying for $75 million in federal grants, but even if that is secured, some sort of public-private partnership would be needed.

The 3.8-mile project would run from South Park to the Civic Center with a main spur on Broadway. The streetcar’s environmental impact report is expected to be done in the coming months, and Huizar hopes to have the streetcar open by 2019. At streetcar.la.

MERCED THEATER AND MASONIC HALL The city Bureau of Engineering remains in the design phase for a renovation of the cityowned Merced Theater and the attached Masonic Hall, near the Olvera Street plaza.

The process began last summer and will run through this summer. Public hearings to review the preliminary designs are slated to take place by early winter, according to the city department El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument (which manages the buildings). The city is planning to move the studio for Channel 35, which airs City Council meetings and other government-related programs, into the

Downtown LA

Creative Commercial Real Estate

FIRST AND BROADWAY PARK The city Department of Recreation and Parks, the Bureau of Engineering and Councilman José Huizar’s office have begun hosting community outreach meetings for the park proposed for the corner of First Street and Broadway, said Huizar spokesman Rick Coca.

Site demolition work, including excavation, photo by Gary Leonard backfill, re-compaction and grading, has been February The expansive renovation of the 34-acre park completed. The park would rise on the site of a 23, 2015 former state office building that was razed after on the edge of Chinatown, which began last April, has been delayed due to the discovery the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. The new facility including of underground archaeological features and is expected to complement Grand Park, which The groun a fifth-floor pool deck, caban some soil contamination. The park, which had directly to the north. According to Huizar’s storefrontsd floor willlies hold as andto $20 million Civic along been scheduled Deve to belopm complete in the spring, is office,5,672 the $18 a fitnes squarmillion was initial Grand s e ent Avenproject r. so far, of retail$14 cente ue hasfeet secured million hit a wall ly proffered Center Flamm now slated to reopen in November, according space by devel and 11th Stree ang Archi when the with oper t. Theofproje to statetects Department of Parks and Recreation more than $10 million that, with in Quimby Trumark astan Amir reces is hand ienterprise Kalantari, sion bega Urban acqui ct lingWoods. based archit Superintendent Sean Completed work fees (charged forplans the creation of n to developers but s.com. the desig red the proje and lending ns. At ecture marketsof Recreation building, ct inThe thus far includes excavation and grading of firm green space).

JuneDepartment HansonLA froze. which featu 2014.

Downtown ting out is create 237 handling thatDown the two-acre restored wetlands area, construcanticipates the remaining funds resand severParks along an MIXED designs townal Rubik CarmNews edge ofwill come BLOSSOM tion of a pedestrian 13 USE and framing of a reserved studio to three ’s Cube for thefuture Quimel Partn bridge, a combination the struct from -like accen of for -bedroom PLAZA TITLE INSU ure.

Broadway low-income Eighth Street ers’ seven-story, 700-u ts jutphoto by Gary welcome center, ranger station and public restby fees and department allocations. residents. apartments, Leonard Hard demo RANCE BUIL and Grand nit with 53 for restau will also have The devel DING rooms. Other planned features include a treeunits lition 19,00 Avenue, formaapartment comp rants and opment is immi spaces. lex at retail; the 0 square feet nent, said for the Histo at 900 N. lly known flanked promenade and a paved parking area.

GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL Addit ric Core’s the 1928 Bill as G8, is enter public plaza ionally, Fores project will of street level Title Insura structure Lindborg The renovation is budgeted at approximately of Capit PAVILION Continued with a walkw t City is creati hold four restau space pleted nce Build at 433 S.MEDICAL station al Fores the ing Hospital Meding on page rant to Sprin$80 ay ight, Samaritan $20 million.

At lashp.wordpress.com.

Good to move abatement and The g St.million which 12 heart of Broadway, allow connecting a 17,000-square-fo The owns forward soft the China any to cal demo Pavilion is comp on pace for turnin in hasopen down sever town by footing rail riders to Metro Gold Line ot com-late this year, g the buildthe permitting lition work, and easily acces (currently, al flight square LOS ANGELES STREETCAR hospital spokeswoman Katrina proceto proje conti ing into according s feet of ss, of s nues they ct the stairs and he said. is slated ground-floo 216 reside Plans call development, The most recent assessment of the Los Angeles Bada.

Thential 190,000-square-foot for comp walk up would have to r retail units with go multi letion in TOPAZ space CITY MAR late spring ple blocks).

Streetcar’s cost, from project manager URS being designed

by Ware40,00 Malcolmb, will hold .

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$1 billion For the at 550 S. and spokesman s and a ground ct mega initial hub of college Main last Septe . The proje streets. housing, LENA Group phase, dubb campus, mber Topaz will St. will stretc ct, office began ed City intends and will offer studio h between . The six-story last summ and San Market include South, Julian betw to turn two and one- Main and Los edi23,000 project developer er. aged build fice space Angeles to three square een 11th is the feet of No budg expected to be from landoand dining estab and 12th streetings on San Pedro retail. The -bedroom units comp et has been housing wner Peter Flemilishments. The s into creative revealed. lete by the third Historic Core units, 210 overa ofquarter ng, VALENCIA 295,000 hotel room ultimately wouldll City Mark of 2016. square et, Developer s, 225,0 feet of before 00 squar include 945 creative the entire $60 millio Sonny Astan e feet of office proje i broke space retail ct is comp groun Blvd. The n, six-story apart lete. At . It could be 20 and FIGUEROA 218-apartm ment projed in late 2014 citymarket years plete in Chain-link CENTRAL ct at 1501- on a rough ent City la2.com.

February ly 1521 W. have amen 2016, accor West complex mega-projefences went up Wilshire is slated ding to on the ct late last Most units ities such as to Astani. menced year, and 4.6-acre site of The Valen be comwould have open court on the square yards and Developer the Fig constructio parcel, parking cia would balco feet of Centr which for lot a fitnes Forest n work ground-floo nies and million s cente years undergrou and also held has com- al Blossom City is finished r. r retail and there would two squat operated as photo by with the Gary Leonard Plaza comp the parki plans to nd bank vault. a commercial be 4,400 foundation ng build two Beijing-basmechanical buildsurface space. Killefe Developm podium in Janualex and bega top of a 40-story at the ings ed devel n pouri r tower oper Ocea and an ng concr $100 retail large parking developmeent Frank Frallic ry, according podium s and a 49-sto nwide space ete to Vice ciardi nt is abou ry highwith President for air galler . Initial rende t 30% comp. Construction rise, all rings show about 200,000 of ia on the on lete, he combined with two levels square five-story said. The feet of . The towerthe retail space 504 cond project ties as omin s, an open such meanwhile will iums as a pool , will hold and green and 183 hotel a room space on top of the s, with amen ipodiu Continued m. The on page 14

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FOREST CITY/SOUT H PARK Developer Forest City seven-story is preparing South Park to break groun Vice Presid ent of Deve buildings in late spring d on a pair of lion proje ct will bring lopment Frank Frallic , according to Hill street one build ciardi. The s) with 177 ing to 156 $135 milW. 11th St. studio 7,500 squar (11th and e feet of groun to two-bedroo m units and include a d floor pool deck, courtyard retail space. Amen about pedestrian ities and gym. paseo in It would also would the alley Herald Exam betwe create a Main St. with iner Building. Anoth en the apartment s and the er square feet 214 studio to two-b structure will rise at 1201 of retail space edroom apart than 500 . The two ments and S. combined build 7,500 ings would parking stalls spaces. Fores have more and nearly taneouslyy t City is aimin ming 450 bicyc g to const and open le parking ruct both them by said. buildings the summ simuler of 2017, Frallicciardi Downtown FOURTH News 15 AND BROA Planning DWAY AY for a highrise at Fourt veterawill building. The $23 million project n also oper create devel Izek Shom h Street and Broad andwhich office space and a 50-seatson theater, way from of contin businwould ess partn er. The entitl ues, said Eric Shom be used for public eventshe and cultural activities. added . The ement of, his ry tower andtoparkin The renovation is expected be finished34-sto by would featur process is underway, g s, and the end of 2017. retail space spacees, e 450 . The 450,0 there would be 7,000 residential units signed by 00-squaresquare feet Down foot METRO BUS FACILITYto condominiu town-based archit development, being of ect Hanso m specificatio de dements, Eric nLA, would ns but likely Shomof said. would open be built of the build Rendering as aparting with a corner of curved segm s show a mid-rise Fourth and portio ent fronti Broad on top of ng the south n that. No timeli way. A rectan east gular tower ne or budg would rise et has been GAREY BUIL revealed.

Constructio DING n is progr essing at soon top the Garey off the frami Building said Tom ng of the and crews Wulf, 320-unit will apart is partnering senior vice presid ent of Lowe ment complex, with Mega on the two-buildin Enter prises. Lowe toys and g institutiona project at 905 E. Asset Mana Second St. l investors gement.

The five-s advised by Second street tory build ings betwe J.P. Morgan December, s flanking Garey en Street are Wulf said. on pace to First and headquarte The Arts Distri open this rs ily. The $60 for Megatoys, a toy ct property was long the million devel business Martin Archi run by the opment, Woo famwith tects, will restaurant include 15,00 designs by Togaw fam space with a 0 square street conne outdoor feet of retail Smith photo by Gary Leonard dining along bedroom cting First a pedestrian- and and Secon apartment only The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s s will avera d streets. The studio will have ge 728 to two$120 million Division 13open floor plans kitchens, Bus Maintenance with featur square feet. Resid quart and Operations Facility will bezcompleted in ences es includ countertop ect willthe ing gourm conta May and will open following month. All s, and wash in four et ers and dryer court been court construction and yard infrastructure , one dedic s. The proj will offerwork has yards proja pool, firenow finished, and fueling, washing, vacupitsthe spa and sunde ated to pets. Anoth and an er ck with grillin orinstalled. uming andstruct othered equipmentoutdo being lounge. The to LEEDiscertifi g areas devel , Continued on page 16 opment is parking space cation standards being cons for both con and also retail and will includ residential e 530 G8 tenants.

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on the Upswin Downtowntion on 96 Projects

sold W. First St. was Theatre at 1345 apartment complex Marionette an plans to build demolition of the The Bob Baker Melech, who e the in 2013 to Eli would involv the City West Whether that but the city deemed on the site. initial dein 2009. The ins to be seen, theater rema ric-Cultural Monument for a five-story, calls t Alber building a Histo h and architect Steve ng theater over the existi preserved sign from Melec that bridges be ed structure space would ys comwood-fram the theater house displa majority of lex and would would hold 102 building; the the new comp r floors n as a lobby in r. The uppe constructio g Baker’s caree ments. Melech said at the memoratin end of 2015 oom apart the -bedr until three not start one- to gh this April, opment would any’s lease runs throu nt. No on the devel geme comp arran onth Bob Baker a month-to-m soonest; the it turns into led. point revea at which has been the project budget for er Group S Holland Partn VIBIANA LOFT ington-based developer just south of the forWash cre parcel nd Partner’s Vancouver, the nearly one-aWarren, head of Holla ts to has purchased Tom the firm expec ing that a Cathedral. mer St. Vibian rnia developments, said uare-foot build Southern Califo month on a 179,000-sq stories of wood five this d for Plans call break groun ximately 247 apartments. with appro will create 237 ct is being ete podium, n over a concr parking spaces. The proje n, and constructio nd a Smith Marti below-grou Togaw and e firm above restaurant the architectur square feet of retail or designed by residential just under 4,000 including a 41-story St. Warren will include cts, previous proje for the site at 222 S. Main ing space. Two sed g to an open been propo years, leadin tower, had n taking two ructio const anticipates in early 2017.

AL RESIDENTI

rma TRACTION FOURTH & Regardie is hitKim and Jon Los Angeles Evans, Eddie Downtown but

By Donna nt boom in being built, he developme Not only are projects al City is level: s, the Centr new word a ting vertical. In other they are going density in to increasing an upswing. mes it. literally on se it speaks rtant becau les that welco This is impo s in Los Ange ide and the Valley frecommunitie wood, the Wests sed, in Downtown one of the few nts of Holly is propo l mass.

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Architects

April 18, 2016

Downtown News 13

INSPIRING WORKSPACES

Building a Better Workplace Office Design Expert Doug Sitzes Digs Into What Works and What Doesn’t

By Nicholas Slayton aking an office both stylish and efficient takes a lot of work. Those preparing a space need to consider not just the physical layout and where to put the desks, but also the tenant’s needs and style. After all, an investment banking firm and a tech company have very different requirements.

Doug Sitzes, a senior workplace strategist at Haworth — a furniture and interior design company based in Holland, Mich.

M

photo by Gary Leonard

Doug Sitzes of office design firm Haworth in the company’s Downtown space.

He suggests that businesses not squeeze people in to tight confines. “If you allow a little more breathing room, employees feel like there’s a connection,” he said. “Err on the side of just a bit more space.”

— specializes in helping companies find the office design that works best for them. The 20-person regional office moved to Citigroup Center at 444 S. Flower St. in 2015 from Santa Monica.

It focuses on creating office spaces that employees not only enjoy, but where they can be more productive.

Sitzes spoke with Los Angeles Downtown News about good workplace design, balancing open and private space and ways to make the office more enjoyable.

Los Angeles Downtown News: The Silicon Valley, open-office approach gets a lot of attention. Is that still the trend, or are companies swinging back toward a traditional cubicle set-up?

Sitzes: I think a lot of people are still striving to meet the buzzword of “collaboration.” But the pendulum has swung, because how do you support focus at work? You can be adaptable. It can be easier to move around than make the space where you sit do everything for you. You’re trying to meet with people, eat lunch; one space can’t satisfy all of that.

If you focus on moving around and having different spaces for different purposes, you’ll create pockets where buzz and activity will be desirable. How you connect or separate those spaces becomes critical. Sometimes you’ll want open lounge-based collaboration, with people able to ebb and flow out of a social connection into a work connection. Other times you’ll want more solid rooms, so people can get heads-down space. It’s that attempt at balancing agility and space.

Q: How do you find that balance? In some Downtown offices, the work space is also a showroom.

A: A lot of that falls into the process of taking care of your space.

I work in a showroom in Downtown Los Angeles, I know the challenge. The hardest part, beyond just the showroom desire, gets into the frenetic nature of work. You’re typically working to the last second, and that can lead to messes and disorder. If

you know you’re going to be out or in a meeting, automatically start tidying up your workspace, get it inviting for anyone who might be coming into the office. It’s kind of micromanaging how you’re taking care of your space and your workflow. It’s easier to let something dirty sit, but then it becomes a pile and then it becomes a chaotic mess.

Q: So many companies are putting an emphasis on kitchen space and making it the center of the office. Is that an attempt to get more activity?

A: It’s very intentional. Some of it falls back on trying to keep people on-site and not going in and out of the office. Even more, we’re seeing it as part of a wellness packages that companies are doing. There’s a certain responsibility that goes with keeping workers supported. How you support them in their environment, or how they eat, is becoming a new piece around wellness.

Q: How can good office design improve worker productivity? How can employee input increase productivity?

A: If you can create something that people want, you’ll have more engaged, collaborative employees who feel they’re part of something bigger. We’ve found that workers are becoming more transient, moving from company to company, moving for more allegiance to companies because they want that feeling of connection.

Q: What advice would you give to Downtown companies that are looking to redesign their office space?

A: Be true to your organization, as authentic as possible. We find that companies that are focusing on hardcore efficiency of space, on density, those are the companies that end up saving money, but struggle to keep people engaged. They feel like they’re in a machine. If you allow a little more breathing room, they feel like there’s a connection that’s very different. Err on the side of just a bit more space. Worst case, you grow and have room to expand. The best-case scenario is that you create a healthy environment to work in. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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April 18, 2016

DOWNTOWN’S COOLEST OFFICES

The Furniture Show-space Associates Purchasing Has Plenty of Flexibility in Its Financial District Home

By Nicholas Slayton Company: Associates Purchasing It’s At: 523 W. Sixth St., Suite 430 Number of Employees: 30 What Do They Do?: Associates Purchasing is a dealer of Knoll furniture products, which means chairs, tables, couches and other items. It handles delivery and installation, along with space planning and office design.

When They Came Downtown: October 2014, from Century City We’re Talking To: President and CEO Jonathan Felton Getting Philosophical: When it moved into the Financial District, Associates Purchasing’s design philosophy was to create a place where the staff could “work, live and show,” says Felton. The 7,400-square-foot space in the PacMutual Building embodies the modern loft, with exposed ducts and a rustic look. A wall in the kitchen features a quote and image of Winston Churchill. In addition to administrative functions, the office serves as a showroom for clients who can lease or buy furniture. “We’re not a particularly hierarchical business where everyone has to sit in an office,” Felton says, pointing to a lounge just off the kitchen. “Having that open feel is very important to us. We spend a lot more time here than we sometimes want to. So we want to have a place where our staff enjoys the space and feels comfortable.”

Key Elements: Felton calls the main entrance a kind of showroom for some of the Knoll products Associates Purchasing stocks. Currently it includes a collection of chairs, from sleek modern options to seats that swivel. Just off the centrally located kitchen is a wall covered in color swatches that range from bright purple to subdued grays. These let customers pick the color palette and fabric for their couches and chairs.

Special Feature: The open space can close off quickly. A series of fabric and textile drapes hang throughout the office, allowing Associates Purchasing to create meeting rooms with a bit of privacy, or offer a more secluded workspace for employees who need it. The main conference room can be separated by pulling a drape around it, with the array of color swatches acting as one “wall,” albeit it a very soft one. “We create our own rooms within rooms,” Felton says.

What’s Next?: Even though the Downtown office is relatively new, Felton says that a redesign will happen in the near future. “We’ve been here 20 months and there are things that we’re looking to change, to keep up with trends in our business,” he says. No plan is set, but Felton says that the showroom might see a design and layout change. The commonarea lounges could also get a different look.

photos by Gary Leonard

Continued from page 11

INSPIRING WORKSPACES

April 18, 2016

Downtown News 15

INSPIRING WORKSPACES

DOWNTOWN’S COOLEST OFFICES photos by Gary Leonard

Interior Focus Tangram Interiors Offers A Come-and-Go Look and Approach

By Nicholas Slayton Company: Tangram Interiors It’s At: 527 W. Seventh St., Suite 601 What Do They Do?: Tangram Interiors specializes in interior design, providing plans and furniture and arranging offices for companies.

When They Arrived: Spring 2015, from the PacMutual Building We’re Talking To: Studio Director Charlotte Wiederholt Come and Go: Wiederholt calls the Financial District space a cross between an apartment and an office. With its large kitchen, brick and metal walls and lounge, it has a casual feel.

The Downtown office isn’t the company’s corporate headquarters (that is in Santa Fe Springs), and it is designed so that employees can come and go, using it if they need a brick-and-mortar location.

The 1,700-square-foot space holds a conference room, some private offices, a kitchen and a long table where people drop in and work for a bit. “No one permanently sits in this space,” Wiederholt says. She also notes that the number of people in Tangram varies, generally from two to 15, depending on who is out in the field. “People can come and go as they please,” she says. “Just come, unlock, do some work, have clients over.”

Maker Space: A unique aspect of Tangram’s office is that some of the decorations were made by the staff. The central light fixture, a copper wire-wrapped bar, hangs over the main table. In the conference room is a metal shelf that Wiederholt welded herself. It is designed to hide the cables running to the television monitor on the wall. The office also has two large surfboards that pay tribute to past work, as the company’s wood vendor took the scraps from leftover pieces and fashioned the boards. One is from Tangram’s office redesign for Tom’s Shoes, while the other was made from a bowling alley floor.

Special Feature: Much of the action revolves around the kitchen, which has a large island counter, a fully stocked bar cart, snacks and a refrigerator filled with soda and beer. “We do a lot of entertaining for architects and designers,” Wiederholt says. “Think about parties. No one’s sitting around the dining table by the end. Everyone tends to end up in the kitchen.”

What’s Next?: It shouldn’t be surprising that an interior design company plans to frequently switch up the look in the office. Wiederholt says the carpet has already been swapped out, and a corner workstation near the entrance is being replaced with a wall of decorative felt, done up in Tangram’s triangular logo. “We’re in a constant rotation,” Wiederholt says. “This is kind of our first chance to showcase our products.”

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April 18, 2016

Four Questions About Downtown’s Biggest Passover Seder

Roybal Building to Get $19 Million Renovation New Offices Needed as Federal Workers Shuffle Around Civic Center

By Eddie Kim he coming debut of the glittering Neomodern Los Angeles Federal Courthouse at First Street and Broadway is sparking a game of musical chairs, or at least musical office space. Amid a consolidation of workers and functions, one edifice is receiving $19 million to fund upgrades.

The new building will hold 24 U.S. District courthouses, judges’ chambers and the U.S Marshals’ service, with many workers and offices moving from the similarly named United States Courthouse and Post Office at 312 N. Spring St. Other tenants for the new Civic Center edifice are leaving the Edward R. Roybal Building and U.S. Courthouse, at Temple and Judge John Aiso Streets north of Little Tokyo.

That ruddy granite 22-story tower was designed by Welton Becket Associates and completed in 1993. While it has had a variety of tenants, it most recently housed the U.S. District courts, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal departments.

The idea is now to move more offices, including magistrate courts, the district court clerk and pretrial services, out of the U.S. Courthouse on Spring Street and into the Roybal Building. Doing so requires a total reconfiguration of its interior. The $19 million project was approved last month, with Riverside-based Stronghold Engineering winning a bid on March 25.

“The federal courts in Los Angeles are among the busiest in the country,” Congressman Xavi-

T

er Becerra, whose 34th District includes Downtown Los Angeles, said in a prepared statement.

“Renovating the Roybal Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse eases angst over potential bottlenecks in the adjudication of trials.”

Almost $8.7 million of the $19 million would go to reconfiguring and modernizing the workspaces. Most of the remaining money would cover replacing the HVAC and electrical systems.

Moving tenants out of the Spring Street courthouse and into the Roybal Building will create room to bring the county courts into the former structure. That will fill slightly more than one-quarter of the bright terra cotta property.

The county courts are currently in stateowned or leased buildings. Moving them to the Spring Street courthouse will save regional taxpayer dollars, according to the U.S. General Services Administration. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California will also remain there as an anchor tenant.

Finding money for the Roybal Building renovation took years, and just when it seemed the $19 million was allocated, a hurdle appeared.

Some Congress members last year raised questions about the merits of the project, Becerra said during a recent meeting with Los Angeles Downtown News editors and reporters. Losing the funds, and the renovation, would have triggered a domino effect of tweaked or canceled leases in other local federal buildings, he said.

“We were able to get and fight for that money in time for the transition into the new courthouse,” Becerra said. “The reason for it being

Local Synagogue to Host Up to 275 People at Dinner Marking Jewish Holiday

By Jon Regardie he Jewish holiday Passover is built around the seder, a meal during which people read the Haggadah, which tells the story of the Jews’ escape from slavery in Egypt. It’s a time of coming together, of eating and of contemplating the changing world.

The Central City’s biggest Passover celebration is hosted by the Jewish Community Center-Chabad of Downtown Los Angeles. Last year Rabbi Moshe Greenwald, who founded the synagogue in 2007, welcomed 230 people to a seder in the ballroom of the Alexandria Hotel. The event is taking place in the same location on Friday, April 22, and Greenwald is expecting up to 275 people.

Participants need not be a member of the Downtown-JCC, but reservations are a must, and no tickets will be sold at the door (the Continued on page 18

T

photo by Eddie Kim

The Edward R. Roybal Building and United States Courthouse, a ruddy 22-story building at Temple and Judge John Aiso streets, is getting a $19 million renovation, with funds coming from the federal government.

shaky was that some people didn’t think a renovation was necessary, or thought $19 million was too much.”

The funds are now secured, which means the GSA’s regional shuffling of federal offices can continue. Construction on the Roybal renovation is slated to start this fall and last 24-30 months, which would mean a finish date by spring 2019. eddie@downtownnews.com

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PASSOVER, 16 price is $75 before April 19 and $100 afterwards). Greenwald answered four questions about the event.

Los Angeles Downtown News: A key part of Passover is the question “Why is this night different than all other nights?” So why is this year’s seder different than all other seders?

Moshe Greenwald: We are always looking for new avenues, and every year we try to find new relevance. The seder takes place in

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photo courtesy Rabbi Moshe Greenwald

The set-up for last year’s Passover seder in the ballroom of the Alexandria Hotel. Rabbi Moshe Greenwald of the Jewish Community Center-Chabad of Downtown Los Angeles is expecting up to 275 people at this week’s dinner that recounts the Jews’ escape from slavery in Egypt.

15 steps. For example, the exodus from Egypt is the most important element of the Jewish existence, and in modern times we equate this to the ability to shake ourselves from our own problems and restrictions.

Each one of us has a part of ourself that has been negatively affected by the coarseness of the world. We’re seeing unfortunately a part of Downtown that has not been seen for a long time, if ever.

The question is, what do we do with that? Some people pack up and run away. Others lock themselves up. I believe Passover has the power to transform, so this year the 15 steps of the seder will help connect to the beauty of every person, not the darkness and grit and the challenges of Downtown. We must realize we can not only get through this and survive it, but can transcend it.

Q: You have a special matzah that has become a big part of your seder, right?

A: We have handmade Shmura Matzah from Israel. People today are very into what they eat, and Downtown has a huge food culture. We take special care that it is not regular machine matzah.

It is handmade, state-of-the-art matzah.

Q: You have said that you do a traditional seder in an untraditional way. What does that mean?

A: We don’t skip anything from the seder. It’s not seder-lite.

You’re getting 100% of the program, but with a lot of modernday analogies and stories and relevance.

Q: What would you say to someone who attended a seder decades ago, or never attended one, and might feel uncertain about showing up this year?

A: There is no need to be nervous. Everything is explained and everyone can participate in the way she or he would like. We explain, we encourage, we lead and a lot of it is in English. We stop and highlight the important things. Over the years we’ve had people who never attended a seder, and this is not only a great event for them, but they came to other events and got to know a lot more people in Downtown that they never knew before.

The Passover seder is Friday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Alexandria Ballroom, 501 S. Spring St. Reservations are required and can be made at downtownjcc.com regardie@downtownnews.com

April 18, 2016

Downtown News 19

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THE

BIG DANCE

April 18, 2016

The Alexandria Ballroom came alive in a throwback manner last week: as the site of the ninth annual Senior Snowball Dance. The event on the evening of Wednesday, April 13, was hosted by 14th District City Councilman José Huizar, and several hundred senior citizens showed up, including residents of Little Tokyo and Bunker Hill’s Angelus Plaza. Other seniors came from Boyle Heights and communities in Northeast L.A. Many people were decked out in vintage attire, and in between sipping coffee and nibbling cupcakes, they danced to the band Chico, which played classic jazz, swing, cumbia and salsa numbers.

PHOTOS BY GARY LEONARD

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or and Outdoor Spaces for a Summer rooms and other indoor spots, and food choices that specialize in Asian fusion cuisine.

Rebecca Rebe Young, the hotel’s director of caterg, talked about what it takes to bring off a summer event at tthe Doubletree.

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erts the Exp

Los Ange Angeles Downtown News: How soon should you start planning a summer event?

Rebecca Young: Y Anywhere from 30 to 60 days n advance. If I you need to send out an RSVP, it’s better to plan further ahead. But if it’s just

s have and hotelsure rants restau help make .

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for employees or a private event it could be 30 days or less. We ask for at least 24 hours notice.

Q: What trends do you expect to be hot this summer?

A: Anything outdoors is popular, especially in Downtown. Quick and light is a trend on the food side. Our guests tend to prefer light and healthy options. So for lunch we do unique salad stations or an international sandwich buffet.

We focus on creative items that are not necessarily heavy or elaborate.

Q: How much should you expect to spend per person for an event?

A: I would give a range of $55-$100 per person.

Q: How do you determine the menu?

A: We work closely with our guests.

We have some preset menus you can select from or you can customize a menu with our executive chef if you have a particular theme in mind.

Downtown News 15 sushi bar, teppan-style grill, and our

Asian taco

Q: Where do you hold events?

Au LA c, 13

bar featuring Korean short rib tacos,May pork11, belly 2015 steamed bun tacos and mini chicken banh mi sandwiches.

Q: How A: In the summer the number one spot is our you deter A:: It’s do Kyoto Gardens, a fourth floor rooftop based garden mine on the men that overlooks Downtown. We ible menu ith menu alsowith have two guest fferen large ballrooms, the Golden State Ballroom optio prefe rence ? and ns and ce aand budg Thousand Cranes Ballroom. We host are ha et. more intihapp y to do We are very mate events in our private meeting rooms. small er porti flexon sizQ: How many people can you accommodate?

A: In the garden we can have up to 400 people, but we also take smaller groups. The ballrooms can accommodate anywhere from 180-280 max.

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Q: How do you deal with vegetarians, vegans or people with specific dietary needs?

A: It’s not a problem. We accommodate all requests including dairy-free and gluten-free.

We have great vegetarian items due to our Asian fusion menu. We use tofu and don’t rely on pasta like other places might.

Q: What do you always wish people would ask that they forget to ask?

A: Parking! We try to remind guests, A: Not ordering enough food. Sometimes but sometimes they forgetAuabout parking availability Lac genera guests are trying to be so budget-minded they and rates. Plan ahead l manag summerso your guests don’t order enough food, especially can have er Linh party season for cocktail a seamless arrival theme Nguye to.the event and receptions. know n is . Events what ingg up to expect. If your guests aren’t familiar take place gearin for the photo with in a private Downtown, ites ivate room vegan restau by Gary Leonard can be a bit daunting.

Q: Do you have a drink, dish or dessert to fit rant’s first with a that is a DoubleTreecusto a budg

by Hilton 1920s 192 is at et. specialty?

Prohib mize We have 120 S. Los Angeles St., ition (213) their 253-9227 A: We specialize in Japanese American own. or a fixed and doubletreeladowntown.com. menu Q: What Asian fusion cuisine. Popular options availa include a heidi@downtownnews.com ble or event ’s the bigge g guests ? st mista can A:: Not ke peop le make lectin knowing how when g RSVP many plann your peop ing an even s as soon le will ta as serve actua d casua success. Also,possible lly be helps down dinner. l buffet-styl communica the resta there. Col Cole or if urant you’d te if you’d make Q: If some prefe like the r a one more food you recom is plann formal ing an A: Envis mend? sitevent , what goals ioning how is the and take you want numb clude er one the s the even thing fixed. being able necessary t to steps to troub to makepan out. lesho ot if some it happ Know your Q: Do en. That thing you have inneed A:: We a drink s to be have a numb , dish or uniqu desse e rt that sugar because it er of signa is a ture or tastes are madebutter. It’s just like desserts. specialty? an gelat from cocosweetened baklava The bakla by coco but is vega va is orang o with flavo nut meat nut necta n, . e duria Our with rs like no r and n. blueb gelato is the layer erry rum, a nut-b Q: What coconut ased raw s else Deco vegvanilla rations? do you offer and A:: The for a resta priva day night urant te affair hosts ? Enter burle a priva s and a tainm ainm sque te show variety ent? danc show durin on Sund ers on Frida g your Q: How y and ay night event.

Satur s. You A:: The many peop could le party have fortably room can you accom capa and 20 moda stand city is 80 peop te? ing at Q: As the bar. le with a 60 able A:: For vegan resta to sit meat urant com, how dles with eater do you soy sausas I recommend temp satisfy eh, a ferme ge. Another our tosta meat lovers bene nted fits. soy meat option is da or garlic ? who can’tThe pho the swee basil believe is meatless substitute noot and and with excel it does spicy Q: What n’t have often we lent have meat to ask? do you alwa guests health . try it ys wish A:: Some peop le woul the meal times they d ask don’t . So if that they make comm akess thing they forge s run can coord unicate how t Au Lac long is at 710 a lot smoo inate with to space heidi@dow us on ther.

W. First the out ntownnew St., (213) timin g it 617-2 s.com 533 or aulac .com.

Q: What’s the biggest mistake people make when planning an event?

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April 18, 2016

Sober Aims on Skid Row Fire Department and County Health Services Look to Treat Serial Inebriates With New Program

By Nicholas Slayton mbulances racing through Skid Row, with lights flashing and sirens blaring, are a common sight. While paramedics are frequently taking the sick and injured to a hospital for treatment, in some cases they are transporting individuals who are severely intoxicated, but not in life-threatening danger.

While the latter condition may not sound serious, some serial inebriates are taken more than a hundred times a year to the emergency room to sober up, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Medical Director Dr. Marc Eckstein. That not only takes emergency treatment away from people who need it, but it has a cost — holding up ambulances and EMTs greatly reduces the efficiency of those services.

New proposals from the Los Angeles Fire Department and the County Department of Health Services aim to ease the burden on the ER by identifying serial inebriates and taking them to a treatment center in Skid Row, where they can get immediate attention and potentially begin the road to recovery from alcoholism.

The effort comes in response to a backlog at emergency rooms. The goal is to get treatment to those who need it and free up ambulances so that they can help more people, according to Eckstein.

“Our paramedics transport people to County-USC Medical Center. Having them come to the emergency room is time consuming, it’s costly and patients get discharged and noth-

A

ing has been done to address their alcoholism,” Eckstein said.

The project has two separate components.

The city is looking at setting aside about $255,000 to cover the creation of an LAFD SOBER Unit (short for the SOBering center Emergency Resource). The City Council’s Innovation, Grants, Technology, Commerce and Trade Committee was scheduled to discuss the matter on April 6, but it was pulled from the agenda. Eckstein said the allocation is on hold as the city and county prepare an overall plan to address medical care for the homeless.

The county, meanwhile, is moving forward.

The 2016-’17 proposed county budget released last week sets aside $9 million for a new Sobering Center on Maple Street between Sixth and Seventh streets.

The LAFD element would be a pilot program, and its efficacy would be addressed a year after it launches. It would create a two-person team of an LAFD paramedic and a social worker. The team would identify and compile a list of serial inebriates on Skid Row. If the plan works as intended, when paramedics are called to certain emergencies, the new team would accompany the ambulance. If they determine that the patient requires medical attention, the person would be transported to a hospital. If no life-threatening or serious injuries are seen, the person would be taken to the sobering center.

Eckstein said there are dozens of chronically intoxicated people on Skid Row. The goal is to

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The County Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles Fire Department are working on plans to bring severely intoxicated people to a new sober treatment center on Skid Row rather than a hospital.

LAFD officials say some serial inebriates are taken more than a hundred times a year to the emergency room. photo by Gary Leonard

get them treatment and help other patients.

“That frees up ambulances more quickly,” Eckstein said. “Patients would be able to sober up, then ideally go into detox programs.”

The center would have approximately 50 beds and would operate in three shifts on a 24-hour-a-day basis, according to Marc Trotz, the director of the DHS Housing for Health program, which is focused on homeless individuals. An estimated 40-50 people would work at the center. No formal opening date has been set, though Trotz said the goal is to begin operations by early fall.

Trotz said patients taken to the center would be given a bed and would be overseen by a staffer. Once they are sober, social workers would seek to help persuade them to enter into a long-term sobriety program.

The Sobering Center and the LAFD SOBER Unit are separate projects. The former will operate even if the latter is not funded.

On the Ground The plan for Skid Row treatment of alcoholics and serial inebriates is generating a positive response from activists and stakeholders in the community.

“It’s timely and something that should have been implemented long ago,” said Charles Porter, the preventive coordinator with the United Coalition East Prevention Project, which addresses alcohol and drug addiction in Skid Row. He added that the center and the LAFD unit would help fill gaps in access to resources.

Zelenne Cardenas, the director of prevention services for Social Model Recovery Systems, the parent organization of the UCEPP, said that the backlog at the emergency room at County-USC Medical Center has been building in part from the demands of treating the chronically intoxicated.

Porter said the SOBER unit and the center would complement a sort of grass-roots network that already exists. He pointed to assessments of Skid Row that UCEPP did which found that homeless individuals have their own information networks, and that people in the community are sharing information on what services work and where the safe spaces in the neighborhood are.

“The unit and the center are a good start,” Porter said, “but there also needs to be a peer component to help navigate these systems.”

There will also be benefits for the city. LAFD Fire Administrator June Gibson said the department is looking for the best option to use the limited amount of tax dollars available to address public health in Skid Row. The effort comes as the city and county both strive to respond to a homelessness crisis that has worsened across the region. While much of the work focuses on the creation of affordable housing, Eckstein said an immediate concern is giving another option to people who spend their days on the street, and whose issues with alcoholism are often left untreated. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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April 18, 2016

Park in the Middle of Hope Street to Open May 2

Austrian Restaurant Closing in Spring Arcade Building

W

hen chef Bernhard Mairinger opened his casual restaurant and bakery Bierbeisl Imbiss in the Historic Core’s Spring Arcade Building last summer, it was considered a coup for Downtown Los Angeles’ dining scene. Mairinger had won accolades for his (nowclosed) Austrian bistro Bierbeisl in Beverly Hills, and the business seemed to be a strong complement to arcade tenants Guisados, Crepes Sans Frontieres and Gelateria Uli. Yet after just 10 months of slinging sausages, schnitzel and excellent Austrian baked goods, Bierbeisl Imbiss is closing. The business was scheduled to shutter after service on Saturday, April 16 (after press time).

Mairinger in the past noted a lack of consistent foot traffic in the Spring Arcade, which also features Green Grotto Juice Bar and wine bar/French goods shop Garçons de Café, which opened last week. There are still a number of empty storefronts in the arcade that connects Broadway and Spring Street, with various plans for new bars and restaurants.

Pilot Project to Take Up Two Street Lanes and Stay for Two Months

By Nicholas Slayton n two weeks, a temporary park will pop up in the middle of a South Park street.

In February, the South Park Business Improvement District revealed its plan to create a 33-foot wide public space in the center two lanes of Hope Street just south of 11th Street, with the goal of debuting

by April 4. While that timeline could not be met, SPBID Executive Director Jessica Lall told Los Angeles Downtown News that permits have been secured and the park will open May 2.

The facility, which will run about half a block, will be a pilot project, and if it proves successful it could lay the groundwork for a more permanent public space. The project, called The Spot @ Hope Street, will stay up through June 30.

Concrete traffic barriers will be installed at the north and south ends of the park. Inside the space there will be walls displaying art, shade structures, benches, tables and open spaces. A security guard will be onsite at night.

The project, inspired by parks in the middle of the street in cities such as Barcelona and Tel Aviv, will have public programming, too. Previously mentioned possibilities include yoga and art classes, as well as movie screenings.

The SPBID’s goal is to draw people to Hope Street and the surrounding businesses. The Spot @ Hope Street will go up next

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November 2014 through December 2015, and Downtown News competed against other weekly newspaper with a circulation greater than 25,000. Downtown News is a finalist in Enterprise News or Series, for a collection of stories and editorials on the homelessness crisis; Best Writing, for Executive Editor Jon Regardie’s column about the late Daily News reporter Rick Orlov; Profile Feature Writing, for Senior Writer Eddie Kim’s piece about the lowwattage Chinatown radio station KCHUNG; Arts & Entertainment Coverage; Editorial Cartoon, for Doug Davis’ work that tied together Donald Trump and the Star Wars Death Star; and Photo Essay, for pictures Gary Leonard took of the Special Olympics World Games last summer.

photo by Gary Leonard

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to the existing Hope Street Parklet.

The SPBID is working on the project with the nonprofit Do Art Foundation, the offices of Mayor Eric Garcetti and 14th District City Councilman José Huizar, the Department of

The portion of Hope Street below 11th Street (bottom) will house a temporary park starting May 2.

It will be modeled on, though not necessarily look like, parks such as the one shown above.

Transportation and landscape and architectural firm Melendrez.

Lall previously estimated the budget of the project at $80,000-$100,000. nicholas@downtownnews.com

DT

CALENDAR

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April 18, 2016 photos courtesy of Craig Schwartz

24 Downtown News

The Mark Taper Forum play centers on the nature of freedom, and looks at how slaves Homer (Larry Powell, left) and Hero view the subject.

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By Nicholas Slayton he new Mark Taper Forum play Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) brings in a lot of disparate elements. It takes place during the Civil War but draws from Homer’s Odyssey. Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ script incorporates talking dogs and modern slang as it explores the nature of freedom and responsibility.

“It is a sampling,” the play’s director, Jo Bonney, said in a recent interview. “[Parks] has really taken all of the elements of a period drama and a Greek tragedy and woven them together and placed it in a vessel of a contemporary story. There is a lot of 20th century language. There are colloquialisms. Someone says ‘Snap!’ when they’ve landed jokes on someone.”

Father Comes Home won the 2015 Kennedy Prize for Drama, which is only the latest honor for the New York City-based Parks, whose other accolades include a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for Best Play for her 2001 work Topdog/Underdog. The show continues in Downtown Los Angeles through May 15.

The play follows Hero (Sterling K. Brown), a slave in West Texas during the Civil War who is offered his freedom in exchange for joining his master (Michael McKean) in fighting for the Confederacy. The show opens on a group of slaves debating whether Hero should go to war or not. Bonney and Parks play the decision-making process for maximum drama. Hero has to balance his desire for freedom with concerns for his loved ones.

Contrasting Hero is Homer (Larry Powell), a brother in all but blood. Whereas Hero is indecisive, Homer is dead-set on trying to escape to freedom. He has tried and failed in the past, an effort that cost him a foot.

“Homer has runaway blood. That’s how Suzan-Lori Parks says it in the script,” Powell said. “He’s a character that repre-

T

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Suzan-Lori Parks’ Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) follows Hero (Sterling K. Brown, left), a slave who joins his master to fight for the Confederacy in exchange for his freedom.

sents the new way.”

The three-act show that runs just under three hours (including an intermission) opened in October 2014 at New York City’s Public Theater. The Downtown Los Angeles run is a new staging, featuring about half of the original 11-person cast, including Brown. Powell is a new addition.

Much of the play is told through conversations and debates between two characters. The entire second act is built around this construct, with McKean’s Colonel (no further name is given) debating the morality of slavery with a captured Union officer (Josh Wingate), and then Hero questioning the man on what it means to be free in the North.

The play is an examination of what freedom means on an individual level, Bonney said. The two-handed conversations, she added, challenge each character’s views on personal independence.

Bring in the Chorus Despite the seriousness of the topic and the setting, the play never becomes brooding. That’s because Parks infuses a lighthearted banter and clever interplay throughout the script, as evidenced by the “Snap!” line and other modern dialogue. Bonney said it helps make the show relatable.

“On the page, here’s a play about slavery and the Civil War period. You think that will be heavy,” said Bonney, who also directed the New York run. “Although it has seriously dramatic moments, a lot of it is very amusing…. At moments the play almost has a little Vaudevillian quality to it. When you have a chorus, it can go any direction.”

Yes, there’s a chorus. It is a four-person group that, similar to Greek dramas, provides exposition on the play’s set-up. The members also interact with the cast, first as older slaves on the

farm, and later as runaway slaves trying to enlist Homer’s help on the journey to freedom.

The chorus is complemented by live music from Steven Bargonetti, who opens and closes each of the three parts with a song on stage; during the rest of the performance he sits just offstage next to the audience, often strumming his guitar. His blues and folk tunes fit the period setting, but his energetic performance and tempo add a modern element.

The Parts 1, 2 & 3 in the title indicate there is more to come, and Bonney said that is precisely the situation. Parks is ultimately planning a nine-part epic. Bonney said that the full scope of Father Comes Home is about looking at individuals, and not an exercise in addressing slavery.

“It’s grounded in the context of slavery and the Civil War, but they’re the jumping-off point,” she said. “The play touches on what’s going on America, where young black men are being killed.”

That timelessness is reflected in the era-mashing of the production design. In addition to the colloquialism-filled script, the costumes blend period outfits with modern styles. Some members of the chorus don baseball jerseys and athletic gear, with old-fashioned suspenders and coats mixed in. One character even wears Crocs.

All of those touches, Powell said, set the mood. More importantly, he points out, they help ask the question that is at the heart of Father Comes Home: What does it mean to be an individual dealing with circumstances of responsibility and captivity?

Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) runs through May 15 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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April 18, 2016

Downtown News 25

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Going for ‘Broke’ in the Arts District Former Brokechella Festival Is Back, But With a New Name and Location

By Eddie Kim t was after the third year of the Brokechella festival that concert promotion juggernaut Goldenvoice began pressing the question: When, exactly, would the organizers of the Arts District event change its name?

Goldenvoice’s legal team had noticed the clever riff on its massive Southern California festival Coachella. Organized by the arts production company Cartel, Brokechella, which takes place the same weekend as Coachella, had grown from an initial audience of 400 to several thousand people, all gathering on a lot with old warehouses at Sixth Street and Santa Fe Avenue to see largely underground artists.

“We didn’t mean any harm. It’s not like we were saying ‘[expletive] Coachella,’” Negin Singh, executive and artistic director of Cartel, recalled with a laugh. “We started it and initially thought it was kind of a joke. But every year the event doubled in size.”

After more nudging from Goldenvoice, the team has pulled the trigger on a new moniker — as well as a new location. Now it’s Broke L.A., and the event takes place Saturday, April 23, at the Imperial Art Studios Lot 613, located off Imperial and Seventh streets in the Arts District. Admission is $20 for the 3 p.m.-midnight affair. Attendees must be at least 21.

Two stages, one indoor and one outdoor, are curated by Cartel and focus on live musicians, particularly indie rock bands. Another stage overseen by party promoter Brownies & Lemonade offers a dense slate of hip-hop, R&B and DJs playing hard-swinging trap beats. A fourth is programmed by dance music and hiphop collective Shifty Rhythms.

“Seventy percent of our lineup is chosen from artist submissions, and that makes us very different from most festivals,” Singh said. “We cleared 1,000 submissions this year. And we listened to every one of them.”

In all, more than 50 artists are performing at Broke L.A. Joining them are dozens of apparel and food vendors. Other highlights

I

photo by Eddie Kim

The eight-piece band Neighbors brought a heavy dose of funk and blues to an indoor warehouse stage at last year’s festival. This week’s event is in a new location with four stages. photo by Eddie Kim

The former Brokechella festival is now Broke L.A., following pressure from Coachella organizer Goldenvoice. Up to 5,000 people are expected for the event that takes place Saturday, April 23, in the Arts District.

include art installations, beer bars, stand-up comedy and even workshops from nonprofits such as Greenpeace.

Six Things to See (and Know) St. Michael: Yonas Michael is a musical chameleon with some serious hip-hop chops — he was one half of Inglewood’s U-N-I rap duo in the mid-2000s. Michael will perform on the Brownies & Lemonade stage after the release of his Black Swan Theory album earlier this year. Expect a set crammed with slick, stream of consciousness rhymes (“Money to the ceiling, Bush-9/11, sinnin’ every second, hope I go to heaven”) and instrumentation that blends jazz, chopped-up soul samples, trap beats and some party-funk synths.

Kid Bloom: The discography of this Atwater Village five-piece is

rather short, with all of two songs available online, but it hardly matters when the tracks are this catchy. With a warmly minimal sound that recalls the psychedelic vibe of Tame Impala — or maybe The Strokes on a collective hit of Xanax — Kid Bloom is a personal highlight for Singh. Catch them on the outdoor stage.

2ToneDisco: James Campbell and Omni Rutledge say they make “Internet music,” which is maybe a uselessly broad description but also way easier than saying “glitchy electro house with lots of bouncing beats, 8-bit synths and a dose of Japanese culture fetishism.” The duo started 2ToneDisco in Phoenix and quickly won fans for their high-energy DJ sets and infectious original music. They’ve played bigger festivals around the country, and will bring a little bit of that touring cred to the Shifty Rhythms stage.

Shopping Spree: In addition to music and art, Broke L.A. offers a slate of vendors hawking all sorts of goods to take home. Downtown shops such as Infinite Expression and Makerwear are setting Continued on page 32

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

the Don't Miss list

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

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

April 19, 8:30 p.m.: When you get past James Bay’s strong cheekbones, you begin to wonder about his strong hat game.

Au Lac/Café Fedora 710 W. First St., (213) 617-2533 or aulac.com.

April 23, 7:30 p.m.: Straight Ahead with vocalist Carol Bachy-rita.

April 23, 9 p.m.: In keeping with the orderly mindset of people who celebrate National Get High Day, Festival 4/20 takes place on 4/23.

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

April 20, 6:30 p.m.: Argentine ska with Los Autenticos Decadentes. That reminds us of the greatest ska joke ever: Why did the ska musician drop the roll of toilet paper? A: So he could pick it up! Pick it up! Pick it up!

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

April 18: Richard Stekol and Greg Leisz.

April 19: Connie Han Trio and Walter Smith III. April 20: Evan Stone Group.

April 21: Daniel Szabo Group.

April 22: Jamire Williams Group.

April 23: Jonathan Kreisberg Quartet.

April 24: Julian Le. Bootleg Bar 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org.

April 18, 8:30 p.m.: April residents Iska Dhaaf. Go ahead and insert your own reference to fusion of influences, adjective + rhythm and overly generous descriptor + melody.

April 20, 8:30 p.m.: You may know Mr. Hudson for his collaborations with Jay-Z, Kanye West and many more. We know him for a press picture that looks like a screen grab from the

Adventurous Film, Compelling Poetry, Beautiful Music and a Bowie Tribute Are All Coming Downtown

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Released in 1964, the film Nothing But a Man became a touchstone of Civil Rights era culture, with Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln appearing in director Michael Roemer’s work about a proud AfricanAmerican man trying to maintain respect in the American South. The Library of Congress has seen fit to preserve the work on its National Film Registry, and on Saturday, April 23, it will be screened at The Broad. The 7:30 p.m. event is part of Array @ the Broad, a partnership between the museum and filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s Array organization. Expect a Q&A on the groundbreaking work of contemporary African-American cinema after the credits roll. At 221 S. Grand Ave., (213) 232-6200 or thebroad.org.

photo courtesy Blue Flower Arts

TUESDAY, APRIL 19 Brian Michael Jenkins at Town Hall City Club, 555 S. Flower St., (213) 628-8141 or townhall-la.org.

11:30 a.m.: Heard enough about ISIS? What about domestic terrorism? Brian Michael Jenkins, a senior adviser to the RAND president discusses homegrown terrorism and what can be done to thwart the threats.

Felicia Day at Live Talks 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or livetalksla.org.

8 p.m.: SyFy network veteran and venerated video actress Felicia Day wrote the memoir You’re Never Weird On The Internet (almost). Now she’s come to the Bootleg to talk about it. The Live Talks LA event will include actor Will Wheaton.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 Juan Felipe Herrera at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: He is the U.S. Poet Laureate. You are a casual bystander and sometimes “There Once Was a Man From Nantucket” orator. By the light of his grace and experience, you too shall be redeemed. Come hear the beautiful words.

THURSDAY, APRIL 21 Chon A. Noriega at the Geffen Contemporary MOCA Geffen Contemporary, 152 N. Central Ave., (213) 633-5393 or moca.org.

7 p.m.: The art critic and academic leads yet another unique guided tour of the Geffen Contemporary’s latest vintage art exploration.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24 Dean Strang & Jerry Buting: A Conversation On Justice Ace Hotel, 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com.

8 p.m.: The legal minds who were seen in the controversial 10-part Netflix documentary “Making of a Murderer” discuss the audacious Steven Avery case.

Film still, Nothing But a Man, (1964), courtesy of ARRAY @ The Broad

EVENTS

By Dan Johnson m calendar@downtownnews.co

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In the work of U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, cilantro, that most innocuous of herbs, is emblematic of the unseen and unappreciated intricacies of California’s Central Valley. Those who have enjoyed his probing poetic and literary explorations of his native Aztlan, and the family, ethnic and personal dynamics therein, know that the Cilantro Man himself is a bit of an alchemical and literary wizard, connecting the smallest plant with the largest hopes and dreams. His skills will be on display Wednesday, April 20, at 7:15 p.m. at the Central Library as Herrera joins Los Angeles Review of Books editor Tom Lutz in a discussion hosted by the Library Foundation’s always-awesome Aloud program. At 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

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photo by Kristen Cofer

DT

CALENDAR LISTINGS

April 18, 2016

For those not on Facebook or without a reliable source of music news, we are sad to report that David Bowie is dead. The Great White Duke (or maybe you prefer the Ziggy Stardust era) has merged with the infinite. As a celebration of the man’s music, the Teragram Ballroom hosts Golden Yearz: A Bowie Celebration on auspicious Wednesday, April 20. The evening of Bowie covers span his early work and nearly posthumous final release. The on-stage action comes from the likes of Azaila Snail (shown here), Bobby Blunders, Cellars, LoveyDove and Panthar.

Tickets are a mere 15 bones. At 1234 W. Seventh St., (213) 6899100 of teragramballroom.com.

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From New Zealand by unlikely way of Milwaukee, conductor Edo de Waart’s (shown here) rise through the ranks of contemporary classical music has been a delight for all those who love a qualified baton man.

He delivers the goods this week as Uzbekistan’s piano phenom Behzod Abduraimov joins the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall for three performances of John Adams’ The Chairman Dances, Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 2 and Mendelssohn’s Scottish. The powerful trio of works resonates through the hall on Thursday and Saturday, April 21 and 23, at 8 p.m., and once more at 2 p.m. on Sunday. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7300 or laphil.com.

photo by Cristian Fatu

26 Downtown News

We recognize that you, the citizens of a post-Prop 215 California, have a number of entertainment options available on Wednesday, April 20, not least of which is sitting at home staring at your television, gleefully watching re-reruns of “Married With Children.” If you’re in the mood to spice up your evening with some unexpected entertainment, the Microsoft Theatre at L.A. Live will open its doors to Mexican music fans for a night of corridos charmingly titled Tokezon. Strap on a cowboy hat, dressy snap button shirt, pleated pantalones and matching pointy boots for a lineup that includes Inquietos Del Norte, El Tigrillo Palma, Omar Ruiz, Legado 7 and El Darey. At 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6030 or microsofttheater.com.

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

April 18, 2016 Rammstein “Du Hast” video.

April 21, 8:30 p.m.: There is a certain Cars feel to Bent Shapes.

April 22, 8:30 p.m.: It’s a safe bet that Chuck Prophet self-identifies as a free spirit.

April 23, 9 p.m.: Saved by the ’90s is a tongue-in-cheek dance party where attendees hazard the risk of coming back in contact with Vanilla Ice. It’s all possible, because he now works as a barback at the Bootleg. No, we’re joking. Or are we?

Broke L.A. 695 S. Santa Fe Ave. or brokelafest.com.

April 23, 3 p.m.-midnight: The former Brokechella is a scintillating one-day music festival now in its sixth year. Get ready for indie, hip-hop, DJ and comedy acts with thousands of your closest friends. See story p. 25.

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

April 22: Orjan Nilsen.

April 23: Sidney Samson vs. Kennedy Jones. This is a music thing, not to be confused with L.A. Fight Club at the Belasco.

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

April 20, 7 p.m.: Rock photographer Daniel Kramer (no relation to Wayne) sits down with Bob Santelli to discuss his methods, his madness and the link between the two.

April 24, 11:30 a.m.: “Celebrating the Jefferson Airplane” features a panel discussion with Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady and, delightfully enough, Grace Slick. It will be followed by another panel discussion, “Celebrating the Virgin Airways-Alaska Airlines Merger.” One of the above is made up.

Mayan 1038 S. Hill St., (213) 746-4287 or clubmayan.com.

April 18, 8 p.m.: The Kills are like Blondie for an undiscerning age.

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

April 20, 8 p.m.: Tokezon is a special concert for corrido lovers. Tokezone is a great idea for an adults-only venue in Colorado.

Orpheum Theatre 842 Broadway, (877) 677-4386 or laorpheum.com.

April 22, 9 p.m.: Odin Dupeyron makes us wary, if only because the word “dupe” is prominent in his very name.

April 23, 6 p.m.: Adrian Uribe Nuevo Show roughly translates to Adrian Uribe New Show.

April 24, 6 p.m.: If you have to ask what Eddie Bravo Invitational 6 is, you can’t afford it (the brain cells that is).

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

April 18: Trio Kait and Trumpetology.

April 19: Gentlemen Prefer Blood, Lysolgang, Baleen and The Krylons.

April 22: Gonzophonic and The Head Change.

April 23: Johnny Madcap & The Distractions.

April 24: Reign.

The Novo 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or thenovodtla.com.

April 20, 9 p.m.: Cheech and Chong’s 420 Celebration almost guarantees a busy smoking section.

April 21, 7 p.m.: Snakehips, a slick UK production duo drafting off of Disclosure’s success.

April 22, 7 p.m.: We were impressed when King Lil G’s bio touted the fact that “he fathered a child before adulthood,” as that is a proven biological impossibility.

April 23, 8 p.m.: Things will get decidedly downtempo with Parov Stellar.

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

April 20, 7 p.m.: The Front Bottoms are a feel-good, acoustic driven rock band!

April 21, 8 p.m.: L.A. resident DJ extraordinaire Nosaj Thing.

April 23, 8 p.m.: More vintage sounds from Jonathan Toubin’s vinyl collection with Soul Clap & Dance-Off. April 24, 6 p.m.: The Gilmore Guys podcast returns to gush over recent news that Melissa McCarthy is joining the series reboot.

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

April 18: Will Artope Quartet is a loving word play on the color taupe.

April 19: The Makers have seized the means of production (their instruments)!

April 20: Rick Taub’s Midnight Blues Review returns bedecked in bluesy glory.

April 21: The Sidewinders are just looking to fill the void.

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

April 20: Post-Life and Mo Dotti.

April 22: Sea Monkey See, The Unending Thread, Terra Alive and Hannah.

April 23: Beach Bums, Jurassic Shark, Super Lunch and Whaja Dew. April 24: Prissy Whip, L.A. Drones, Entertainment Law and VHS Hits.

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

April 18, 8 p.m.: Our worst fears were realized as Enter Shikari achieved a singularity at the conjunction of pseudo-trance, post-punk, Ed Sheeran and Thom Yorke’s awkward English guy dance.

April 19, 8 p.m.: An Evening with Cloud Cult smacks of taking the first step toward living in a commune eating mush with an erotic narcissist for years until the Feds kick down the doors looking for illicit photos and stockpiled automatic weaponry. This night might be something different.

Continued on next page

Downtown News 27

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28 Downtown News Continued from previous page April 20, 8 p.m.: Golden Yearz: A Bowie Celebration is but the latest event to tout the career of the dearly departed singer.

April 21, 8 p.m.: Bombino is likely the only Niger-born Tuareg guitarist you’ll see this year.

April 22, 8 p.m.: Asif Avidan, a singer/songwriter who has won accolades among people who enjoy singer/songwriters.

April 23, 8 p.m.: As most Coachella-approved bands are these days, the Crystal Fighters are an accessible brand of perky rock mixed with vintage fashion and a name that conjures images of two very stoned men duking it out at the corner of Fifth and San Julian.

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

See website for schedule.

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

Journey to Space 3D brings audience members along on an 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 who know a good whale story when they see it.

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

April 18, 8:30 p.m.: Heavy textured and seductively conceived, Radical Intimacies features the 8 mm cinema of Saul Levine.

April 23-24, 12-4 p.m.: The 11th Annual REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival kicks off with three daily programs, with screenings at noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m. Each program has an assortment of short films from around the globe, and are pitched at a different age group. This weekend’s titles include “Explore Galore,” “Adventurama” and “Cuddly Critters.” Have to

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by Rabbi Moshe & Rivky Greenwald. Whether you are a Seder veteran or a curious explorer, the Community Passover Seder offers a stimulating and satisfying experience.

Audience Participation! ~ Savor a Gourmet Dinner ~ Hand baked “Shmurah” matzah from Israel ~ An array of fine wines ~ Hebrew/English Haggadahs provided Alexandria Friday, April 22 Hotel 7:30 PM welcome & introduction 8:00 Seder begins Ballroom 501 S Spring St. | Los Angeles, CA 90013

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miss this weekend? No worries, the affair goes on through May 7.

Regal Cinemas LA Live 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 763-6070 or lalive.com/movies.

Through April 21: Barbershop: The Next Cut (12:05, 1, 2:45, 4:05, 5:25, 7:10, 8:10, 10 and 10:45 p.m.); Criminal (11:40 a.m., 2:20, 5:05, 7:45 and 10:35 p.m.); The Jungle Book (11:50 a.m., 12:15, 1:20, 2:25, 2:50, 4:05, 5, 5:25, 7, 7:35, 8, 10, 10:10 and 10:40 p.m.); The Boss (12:35, 1:30, 3:05, 4:15, 5:35, 7:10, 8:05, 10:20 and 10:35 p.m.); Demolition (1 and 6:30 p.m.); Hardcore Henry (12:20, 2:50, 5:25, 8:10 and 10:50 p.m.): Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (11:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m.); Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice 3D (3:15 and 10:15 p.m.); My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (11:55 a.m., 2:20, 4:45, 7:10 and 9:35 p.m.); Midnight Special (3:40 and 9:10 p.m.); 10 Cloverfield Lane (12 and 2:30 p.m.); Zootopia (1 and 6:50 p.m.); Zootopia 3D (3:50 and 9:30 p.m.).

THEATER, OPERA & DANCE

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org.

April 19-22, 8 p.m., April 23, 2 and 8 p.m. and April 24, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: This Tony-Award winning musical chronicles Monty Navarro’s attempt to surpass eight older, more-beloved relatives in a line of succession due to inherit a massive fortune. A little bit of killing helps get him there. Through May 1.

Bob Baker’s Sketchbook Revue Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., (213) 250-9995 or bobbakermarionettes.com.

April 23-24, 2:30 p.m.: The Sketchbook Revue promises a cast of marionettes that will alternately delight and terrify.

The Dig Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., (213) 489-0994 or thelatc.org.

April 21-23, 8 p.m. and April 24, 3 p.m.: Writer and performer Stacie Chaiken stars in a one-human, one-reptile show built around a woman’s travels to Israel, the loss of her mother and her conversations with a gecko. Through May 1.

Father Comes Home From The Wars

April 18, 2016 (Parts 1, 2 & 3) Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org.

April 19-23, 8 p.m. and April 24, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ latest work is set in the Civil War. The lead character (a slave played by Sterling K. Brown) fights for his master and the South in a bid to win his freedom, then begins a long, Homeric journey. There is even a talking dog. See story p. 24. Through May 15.

La Olla Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., (213) 489-0994 or thelatc.org.

April 22-24, 8 p.m.: Leo, a nightclub cabaret player, comes about a sudden and grandiose windfall of cash. He schemes to keep the shiny stuff, and problems ensue. So does a lot of song and dance. Through April 24.

No Place to Be Somebody Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., (213) 489-0994 or thelatc.org.

April 22-23, 8 p.m. and April 24, 3 p.m.: The LATC and Robey Theatre Company host this comedy, a philosophically meandering journey through Greenwich Village. Charles Gordone’s play won the Pulitzer Prize when it was first mounted in 1969.

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.

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April 18, 2016

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NOTICE OF $20,000 REWARD OFFERED BY THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Notice is hereby given that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles has established a $20,000 reward offered in exchange for information leading to the apprehension and/or conviction of Steven Lawrence Wright, who is a suspect for a heinous gang related murder that occurred in the City of Pasadena on January 19, 2011 and was erroneously released from the Sheriff’s Inmate Reception Center on January 30, 2016. Any person having any information related to this crime is requested to call Detectives Salcedo or Forcier at the Sheriff’s Major Crime Bureau at (562) 946-7893 and refer to Report No. 916-00171-5120-690.

The terms of the reward provide that: The information given that leads to the determination of the identity, the apprehension and

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The City of Los Angeles offers a reward payable at the discretion of the City Council to one or more persons in the sum or sums up to an aggregate maximum total sum of $50,000 for information leading to the identification and apprehension of the person or persons responsible for the act of murder against, ROY JOSEPH, in the City of Los Angeles. On Thursday, March 10, 2016, at approximately 4:05 p.m., the Police Department (LAPD) responded to a report of battery near the intersection of 7th and Spring Streets in Downtown Los Angeles. Upon arrival, LAPD found the victim, Roy Joseph, laying unconscious in the street and suffering from head trauma. A witness stated that the victim and an unidentified male were engaged in an argument, and that the unidentified male punched Mr. Joseph in the head, causing him to fall and strike his head on the curb. Mr. Joseph was transported to the hospital in grave condition and succumbed to his injuries on March 22, 2016. Detectives are continuing to investigate this crime, and believe that a reward may compel members of the public to provide information on the identity of the person responsible for this crime. The person or persons responsible for this crime represent an ongoing threat to the safety of the people of Los Angeles. Unless withdrawn or paid by City Council action, this offer of reward shall terminate on, and have no effect after, OCTOBER 16, 2016.

The provisions of payment and all other considerations shall be governed by Chapter 12 of Division 19 of the LAAC Code, as amended by Ordinance Nos. 158157 and 166666. This offer shall be given upon the condition that all claimants provide continued cooperation within the criminal justice system relative to this case and is not available to public officers or employees of the City, their families, persons in law enforcement or persons whose misconduct prompted this reward. If you have any information regarding this case, please call the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-LAWFULL, 24 hours.

C. F. No. 16-0010-s15

The City of Los Angeles offers a reward payable at the discretion of the City Council to one or more persons in the sum or sums up to an aggregate maximum total sum of $20,000 for information leading to the identification and apprehension of the person or persons responsible for the STABBING OF JESSE RAMIREZ, in the City of Los Angeles. On Thursday, March 17, 2016, at approximately 3:05 p.m., Jesse Ramirez, an employee of a Business Improvement District (BID) in Downtown Los Angeles was waiting for a bus on the corner of 7th and San Pedro Streets near his work, when he was approached by an individual who began asking him questions about gang affiliation. Mr. Ramirez told the individual he was not a member of a gang, and continued to wait for the bus as the individual departed. About five minutes later, the individual retuned and stabbed Mr. Ramirez in his side, seriously injuring him. The suspect then fled. Detectives are continuing to investigate this crime, and believe that a reward may compel member of the public to provide information on the identity of the person responsible for this crime. The person or persons responsible for this crime represent an ongoing threat to the safety of the people of Los Angeles. Unless withdrawn or paid by City Council action, this offer of reward shall terminate on, and have no effect after, OCTOBER 16, 2016.

The provisions of payment and all other considerations shall be governed by Chapter 12 of Division 19 of the LAAC Code, as amended by Ordinance Nos. 158157 and 166666. This offer shall be given upon the condition that all claimants provide continued cooperation within the criminal justice system relative to this case and is not available to public officers or employees of the City, their families, persons in law enforcement or persons whose misconduct prompted this reward. If you have any information regarding this case, please call the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-LAWFULL, 24 hours.

C. F. No. 16-0010-s14

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conviction of any person or persons must be given no later than May 1, 2016. All reward claims must be in writing and shall be received no later than June 30, 2016. The total County payment of any and all rewards shall in no event exceed $20,000 and no claim shall be paid prior to conviction unless the Board of Supervisors makes a finding of impossibility of conviction due to the death or incapacity of the person or persons responsible for the crime or crimes. The County reward may be apportioned between various persons and/or paid for the conviction of various persons as the circumstances fairly dictate. Any claims for the reward funds should be filed no later than June 30, 2016, with the Executive Office of the Board of Supervisors, 500 West Temple Street, Room 383 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, Los Angeles, California 90012, Attention: Steven Lawrence Wright Reward Fund. For further information, please call (213) 974-1579. Si no entiende esta noticia o si necesita mas informacion, favor de llamar a este numero (213) 974-1579.

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BROKE L.A., 25

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!

up booths to sling shirts, jackets and shoes. There’s jewelry from Paola Loves to Shop, profane balloons from Crassholes and succulent plants from Ecoyardscapes.

The music and shopping will probably cause many people to work up an appetite, and Broke L.A. has pulled a spectrum of

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As in past years, hip-hop figures heavily into Broke L.A.’s lineup. Highlights from 2015 included local rapper Gavlyn (right).

food trucks. L.A. classics Guelaguetza and Border Grill will be on hand with regional takes on Mexican cuisine, and other options include Okamoto Kitchen (Japanese), The Middle Feast (Mediterranean-meets-SoCal) and The Pudding Truck, which literally serves just pudding.

Bark L.A.: What would the Arts District (or Downtown in general) be without dogs? Unsurprisingly, Bark L.A. — a part of the festival formerly known as Puppychella — returns this year. Dog owners can bring their beloved pets to hang out at the festival from 3-7 p.m., but must register their dogs online

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Art installations, such as this dome frame strung up with glowing fluorescent lights at last year’s event, will be sprinkled around the Arts District site.

(for free) at brokelafest.com. Bark L.A. is a partnership with the animal rights organization and shelter No Kill Los Angeles, so festival attendees will also have a chance to meet some dogs in need of a home. Who needs a T-shirt when you can leave a concert with a dog?

The Future of Broke L.A.: While the festival’s rapid growth has been a boon for Cartel, the changes in Downtown and the complications of the city’s permitting system are growing concerns for Singh. A boom of residents, businesses and community groups in the Arts District means Broke L.A. organizers must contend with more permissions and agendas than ever before.

“The more Downtown grows, the more people we have to convince that we’re important to the city,” Singh said. “It is a grueling process to throw a festival in Downtown, and it’s more complicated than even just a few years ago.”

Cartel hopes to keep Broke L.A. in the Arts District, but Singh isn’t ruling out a future move.

Broke L.A. is Saturday, April 23, 3 p.m.-midnight at 695 S. Santa Fe Ave. or brokelafest.com. eddie@downtownnews.com