04-20-15

A BIG VISION

FOR SOUTH PARK

Chinese Developer Shenzhen Hazens Shows Off Plans for Its Mega-Project See Page 5

APRIL 20, 2015 I VOL. 44 I #16

rendering courtesy of Shenzhen Hazens/Gensler

INSIDE THIS WEEK The High Cost of Downtown Living | 8 Administrative Professionals’ Week | 18 Go Green: Downtown’s Environmental Leaders | 12

THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

2 Downtown News

DT

AROUND TOWN

Geoff Palmer Rebuilding Burned Da Vinci Apartments

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our months after a massive fire razed the second phase of the Da Vinci apartment complex, developer Geoff Palmer is forging ahead with a total rebuild of the lost units. The Dec. 8 conflagration at 909 W. Temple St. left nothing but the concrete podium of the structure, and now debris has been cleared and Palmer is moving forward; he told Los Angeles Downtown News that he expects the rebuilding process to take about 10 months. No designs or plans have changed, and the cost of the rebuild is covered by insurance, he added.

The second phase had been in the wood framing stage, which left it particularly vulnerable to fire. Meanwhile, the investigation into the blaze, which has been ruled an act of arson, continues. The unburned first phase of the Da Vinci, on the north side of Temple Street, began leasing and move-ins this month. The entire project will create 526 apartments.

Huge Lease Extension Inked at BofA Plaza

Group has inked a 15-year extension for 323,000 square feet of space at Bank of America Plaza at 333 S. Hope St. Capital Group occupies 12 floors of the 55-story building. The company has been in the edifice designed by Downtown-based AC Martin since it opened in 1974. Financial terms of the lease were not disclosed. “As one of the leading financial services firms in the world, and one of Downtown’s largest private employers, Capital Group’s steady tenancy has served as a pillar in the Los Angeles business community for decades,” said Bert Dezzutti, a Brookfield executive vice president, in a prepared statement.

The 1.4 million-square-foot building has a 93% occupancy rate, according to Brookfield. Capital Group was represented in the transaction by John McRoskey, Frank Scott and Tony Morales of Jones Lang LaSalle. Brookfield was represented in house by John Barganski, James Malone, Mark Phillips and Christina Schmidt.

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Artisanal L.A. Returns to The Reef

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ans of all things handcrafted will be flocking to Downtown this week. That’s because the Artisanal L.A. spring show will take place Saturday-Sunday, April 25-26, on the second floor of The Reef, at 1933 S. Broadway. Attendees can expect more than 150 vendors selling an array of products, from homemade soaps to condiments to wood carvings. There will also be a number of art installations, workshops, panels, demonstrations and more. The handson highlights include a DIY bitters booth, coffee brewing instruction and a leather coastermaking station. Online pre-sale tickets for each day go for $12. A pre-sale weekend pass is $15,

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

April 20, 2015

Dodger Stadium

Rachel Robinson and Sandy Koufax

and single-day tickets are $15 at the door. The event runs 11 a.m.-6 p.m. both days. More info is at artisanalla.com.

Applications Open for County Holiday Celebration

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o you know what you’re doing on the afternoon of Christmas Eve? OK, you probably haven’t made plans, given that this is midApril. However, the Music Center is currently seeking acts to perform that day as part of the 56th annual Los Angeles County Holiday Cel-

April 15, 2015

ebration. The Music Center recently opened the application period for the Dec. 24 event and is looking for choirs, music ensembles, dance companies, folk and traditional artists and other acts that would take the stage for a short performance. The diverse cultural celebration takes place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and is free. Interested entities can apply at holidaycelebration.org. Although groups have until Aug. 5 to apply, there will be an informational webinar on Wednesday, April 22, at 12:30 p.m. RSVP for the webinar at (323) 8565793 or publicevents@arts.lacounty.gov.

Continued on page 28

Dodger Stadium Express now – Service from Union Station and Harbor Gateway Transit Center.

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Bike Week is May 10 – 16 Whether you’re a new or experienced cyclist, there’s something to get excited about for Bike Week LA 2015. Learn how to repair your bike at informative workshops, participate in Bike to Work Day, and check out the evening festivities taking place throughout the week. Learn more at metro.net/bikeweek.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month April is Sexual Assault Awareness month and Metro reminds you that the “LA Metro Transit Watch” security app is a quick, easy and anonymous way to communicate directly with law enforcement about suspicious activity at a Metro station or onboard a bus or train. Find the free app in the App Store or Google Play Store.

Metro Seeks Input on 2016 Fiscal Year Budget Metro’s annual budget sets transportation priorities across Los Angeles County for the coming year. Before the budget goes to the Board of Directors, Metro would like your input.

Metro will hold an informal public forum on April 25 and a public hearing on May 20 to gather comments on the proposed budget. The budget will go to the Board for approval in late May. Find out how to participate at metro.net/budgetcomments.

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4 Downtown News

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EDITORIALS

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April 20, 2015

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

The Dodgers’ TV Mess Continues

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he Dodgers’ season is two weeks old, and already some things are vastly different from the 2014 campaign. The big bats of Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez are gone. Rookie Joc Pederson is in center field. The bullpen has been reconfigured.

The front office is now run by Andrew Friedman and his team of analytics-schooled executives.

One thing, however, remains the same as last season: Only a small percentage of Angelenos can see Dodgers games on TV. That’s a problem, though it is generating relatively little attention. Maybe people don’t care all that much because the season is young. Maybe fans have accepted this as the new status quo. Perhaps Guggenheim Baseball Management, which paid $2.15 billion for the Dodgers back in 2012, is working hard behind the scenes to change things.

Maybe all of the above are true.

Ultimately, though, this is frustrating, and we remain severely disappointed in the Guggenheim group. Los Angeles is just three years removed from the toxic reign of Frank and Jamie McCourt. We would have hoped that the new owners do whatever is required to field a competitive team and make sure that all aspects of the ball club are handled in a positive, fan-friendly manner.

As a refresher, the situation stems from a deal the Dodgers owners inked with Time Warner in 2013.

This created a new network, SportsNet LA, that carries games and related programming. The 25-year deal was worth a reported $8 billion.

While Dodgers games are available to the estimated 30% of households that subscribe to Time Warner Cable, the company has been unable to reach agreement with DirecTV, Dish Network and other pay-TV providers to include SportsNet LA. Those companies complain that Time Warner is asking for per-subscriber fees that are too hefty.

Some blame has been placed on Time Warner and the carriers, but the primary culprit is Guggenheim for creating this situation in the first place.

No one expected the issue to drag on this long, and merger deals in the cable industry have only added to the uncertainty. It is even more disconcerting because this could be broadcaster Vin Scully’s last year calling games.

What will Guggenheim Baseball Management do? Hopefully, something of significance. Last year, they reached an agreement to show six late-season games for free on KDOC Channel 56. It didn’t change the situation, but it was better than nothing.

The move proves that some interim action is possible. So, we’d like to see Guggenheim execs demonstrate their commitment to the fans by putting more games on free TV, starting now. Showing every game is probably a stretch, but how about a couple a week?

This probably won’t happen. The organization recently announced that 3 million tickets have already been sold for the current season. Clearly, the owners are making money.

However, they need to think about the long haul and how they appear in the eyes of the city and the fans. Get the games on TV.

Skid Row Tower: Nice Design, Wrong Location

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ne frequently overlooked aspect of the Downtown development boom concerns the design of low-income housing projects, particularly for formerly homeless individuals.

The expectation is that these projects would be bland gray boxes, that those are the cheapest, easiest and fastest to build. However, a handful of Downtown Los Angeles developments have turned that concept upside-down. The nonprofit developer Skid Row Housing Trust has created a number of striking buildings, including the Star Apartments, which opened last year at 240 E. Sixth St., and the New Carver Apartments, which came online in 2009 at 17th and Hope streets (both buildings were designed by Michael Maltzan). SRHT’s refurbishment of the turn-of-the-20th-century New Pershing Apartments, at Fifth and Main streets (Killefer Flammang Architects handled the designs), also stands out.

The buildings have multiple benefits. An attractive structure adds to the urban landscape. It also sends the message to its inhabitants that they deserve a home just as nice as anyone else’s, that their past doesn’t disqualify them from a positive living environment.

We’d put initial designs for the Weingart Center’s proposed 14-story homeless housing project in the same category. Los Angeles Downtown News last week wrote about the development, now in the very early stage (it doesn’t yet have a budget or funding), which would create 200 apartments on the site of a current one-story cafeteria at Sixth and San Pedro streets. Renderings from Gonzalez Goodale Architects show a sleek tower that could easily be mistaken for a luxury housing complex. With the numerous balconies, rooftop garden and the glass-fronted entrance, this is the type of structure one would expect to see in South Park or on Bunker Hill, not in the heart of Skid Row. Given how much thought is going into the project, and how Weingart Center executives are clearly trying to change the face of Skid Row, it is somewhat painful to find fault with the development. However, for the greater good of the community, this project — along with other proposed new permanent supportive housing developments — should not go forward in Downtown.

The problem isn’t the design, but rather the location. Downtown, and in particular Skid Row, is already saturated with developments for the homeless and those in transitional housing. These projects are desperately needed, but equally desperate is the need to build them in communities across Los Angeles County.

This isn’t a call to move the homeless out of Downtown and to

replace low-income housing with fancy condominiums and apartments. In fact, most low-income residential projects here have covenants that prevent such an occurrence (this page has also called for the creation of more workforce housing, and not just apartments that rent for $3-$4 a square foot). Rather, it is a recognition that the continued centralization of homeless services in one neighborhood doesn’t do anyone much good.

The Weingart tower would follow the permanent supportive housing model. This means that in addition to residences, the building would contain social and support services such as addiction treatment and mental health counseling. The goal is to give people everything they need in one place to turn their life around.

That is also why the next generation of these projects are better located outside Downtown. Those who hope to re-enter the mainstream of society have a greater chance of doing so when they are removed from the filth, crime and temptation of Skid Row. Anyone trying to recover from addiction should not be stuck in a neighborhood where drug dealers prey on their victims from seemingly every corner.

This is no easy task, as politicians, even those who understand the need to halt centralization, often butt heads with residents of communities who protest any kind of homeless housing or services. Yet this is where leadership is required, and where those elected officials have to help find the appropriate location in their district for these projects. The pols must be willing to educate their constituents and disabuse them of the notion that there is something terrifying about people who are working on making a life for themselves against enormous odds. The people who live in such projects are no different from those in the suburbs, except for income level. Treatment for alcohol or drug addiction, psychological or psychiatric problems, chronic diseases — every family has some mix of that. There is simply no excuse for not accepting a welldone, low-income housing project in any neighborhood. It’s hypocritical and irresponsible to turn them away.

The Weingart Center tower could be a strong addition to Los Angeles County’s response to homelessness, and we hope that its leaders will work with government and foundations to find the money required to build it. They deserve immense credit for thinking out of the box.

That said, the box needs to be somewhere else. Build this project, but do it in a place where those who want a better life won’t be surrounded by the atrocities that plague Skid Row.

April 20, 2015

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Chinese Developer Reveals Plans for South Park Mega-Project Shenzhen Hazens Looks to Transform Luxe Hotel Site With Three Towers

By Eddie Kim n the past 14 months, Chinese developers Greenland and Oceanwide have embarked on multi-tower mega-developments that will change the face of South Park. The movement isn’t done: They are being joined by another Chinese company that aims to radically transform the block just east of L.A. Live.

Shenzhen Hazens Real Estate Group, which last August spent $105 million to acquire the Luxe City Center hotel at Figueroa Street and Olympic Boulevard and an adjacent parking lot, has revealed plans to build three high-rises on the site.

The first phase of the project would create a 30-story hotel, with 250 rooms, at the northwest corner of 11th and Flower streets, as well as a 30-story condominium tower at the northeast corner of 11th and Figueroa streets. A second phase would demolish the Luxe hotel and raise a 42-story condominium tower. There would be 650 condos in total.

The development would also have 80,000 square feet of retail on two floors, with much of it fronting Figueroa Street.

The $700 million project represents Hazens’ first ground-up development in the United States. The company broke into the local market with a purchase of the 802-room Sheraton hotel at Los Angeles International Airport in December 2013.

Founded in 1993, Hazens is known for numerous major projects in Shenzhen, China. The company sees Downtown Los Angeles as its

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The Shenzhen Hazens Real Estate Group plans to build three angular, glass-heavy towers anchored by an eight-story parking and retail podium in South Park. One tower would replace the Luxe hotel. renderings courtesy of Shenzhen Hazens/Gensler

entryway into the U.S. market, said Sonnet Hui, executive project director for Hazens, during a recent briefing on the development.

Hui said Hazens was drawn to Downtown in part because of the opportunity to create a “landmark” development in the city’s urban core, something not possible in many other major U.S. cities. It didn’t hurt that Hazens Chairman Fuer Yuan is personally intrigued by the city’s culture and diversity, and enjoys visit-

ing Downtown.

“Our chairman is a big fan of the NBA — the Lakers, the Clippers. So he comes to Staples [Center] often when he is in town, and he sees big crowds here,” Hazens General Manager Greg Sun said. “When we did our research, we saw an opportunity to do something big in a gateway city.”

Hazens is in the entitlement process, which should take 12-14 months, according to Jerry

Neuman, a land-use attorney with the firm Liner who is working on the project. The development, which is as yet unnamed, would break ground in 2017, with construction of the first phase taking about 24-28 months. That would lead to first-phase completion by early 2020, and the second phase would begin immediately after that, Neuman said.

Initial renderings from architecture firm Continued on page 28

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6 Downtown News

April 20, 2015

A Timeline to the State of the City Garbage, Cops, Airport Uber and the Emergence of the ‘Recovery Mayor’

By Jon Regardie n Tuesday, April 14, Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered his second State of the City speech. A who’s who of local power players showed up for the address at Cal State Northridge. Here’s what went down.

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THE REGARDIE REPORT 4:43 p.m.: The parking structure is jammed up to the third level, and men and women in business wear are trudging through the warm Valley sun to the auditorium where Garcetti will speak. Downtown is 27 miles and 75 minutes of icky drive time behind me. While the campus is very pleasant, with students and a duck pond, I ponder why someone would live out here. Is there a cultural advantage to having a Yoshinoya Beef Bowl on every corner? Is there an Illuminati conspiracy to lure people to the deep valley? Do local residents just not know better than to live in the suburbs? I’m guessing it’s door number 2.

4:48 p.m.: The auditorium is packed on the lower level. From the mezzanine I can see sights like people looking at their smart phone and Councilman Mitch O’Farrell’s beard.

4:49 p.m.: Garcetti sends an email to thousands stating that the State of the City will start at 5 p.m., and I’m impressed again at our techsavvy mayor. People in L.A. frequently avoid politics like it’s the hantavirus. The note that

Mayor Eric Garcetti at his inauguration in 2013. During his State of the City speech last week, he recalled some of what has transpired in Los Angeles since he was sworn in 21 months ago.

Angelenos can watch the speech, including with an online webstream link, is pretty adept.

4:53 p.m.: A collection of local leaders are on hand, among them Council President Herb Wesson, Controller Ron Galperin, and council members Curren Price, Gil Cedillo, Paul Krekorian, Tom LaBonge and Paul Koretz. They spend their pre-speech time shaking a lot of hands, often each other’s hand.

4:59 p.m.: University President Dianne Henderson takes the stage and welcomes the crowd.

She says that Garcetti “has roots in the Valley.

We appreciate him not only as our mayor, but as our Valley guy.” I don’t think it’s meant as an insult.

She keeps talking up the campus and the community. “We may not be in the heart of Downtown, but we are its backbone,” she states. I can’t decide whether to make a joke about an armpit or sciatica.

5:08 p.m.: Garcetti is announced and enters to big applause.

5:09 p.m.: He thanks Wesson, the council, Galperin, his mom, his family and his wife, Amy Elaine Wakeland. The latter inspires the first of what will be dozens of applause interruptions.

He recalls the Northridge Earthquake of 21 years ago, and bang, that’s probably the speech’s symbol. Mayors always go for symbol-

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ism with the State of the City, whether speechifying in police headquarters (the Tough on Crime Mayor) or at a South L.A. high school (the Education Mayor). Garcetti describes the college campus’ rebound from the 1994 quake, then addresses his inauguration 21 months ago and L.A.’s comeback from the recession. He cites our “unstoppable spirit.” I’ve narrowed it down: He’s either the Recovery Mayor or, given the 21 years/21 months allusion, the Blackjack Mayor.

5:10 p.m.: He runs down a quick list of accomplishments and mentions the Back to Basics approach that has been the hallmark of his administration. “The state of our city is strong,” he

proclaims. I guess he’s not the Blackjack Mayor.

5:13 p.m.: He talks about meeting city needs such as garbage-strewn public spaces. He announces “the Clean Streets Initiative, or CSI Los Angeles, as I call it,” and says that L.A. will add 5,000 garbage cans. Big applause! This may be the first time in history that a crowd of affluent Angelenos have clapped loudly for garbage removal.

5:14 p.m.: Turns to crime, which often becomes the measuring stick for mayors. Garcetti references some troubling crime spikes and says he and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck will double the ranks of both the elite Metro Division

April 20, 2015 and the domestic abuse response team. He adds that his budget will propose a $5.5 million increase for gang intervention efforts.

5:19 p.m.: Says the lengthy, cumbersome script that 911 dispatchers used has been reworked, and ambulance response times are 18 seconds quicker. I wonder if this means dispatchers no longer ask, “Who are you wearing tonight?”

5:20 p.m.: Jumps to transportation, mentioning how he has helped get $3 billion from the federal government for projects such as Downtown’s Regional Connector. He also touts coming improvements to the dumpy terminals at LAX. The speech is taking on a serious hopscotch feel, as he lands on one subject for a moment, then bounces to another.

5:23 p.m.: Bombshell! He announces that under his direction, ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft will be able to pick up people at LAX, which they can’t do now, by this summer. This is followed by nine imaginary loud booms, which is the sound of the final nails being hammered into the coffin of the taxi industry.

5:25 p.m.: It’s job creation time, and he reflects on Japanese rail maker Kinkisharyo, which last year threatened to move some operations outside of L.A. Garcetti says the ultimately successful negotiations to keep jobs here included “worse and worse pizza and smaller and smaller rooms.” He’s now made the audience laugh three times in this speech, which is three times more than former Mayor Jim Hahn made people laugh during his entire time in office.

5:28 p.m.: Hits another laugh line by saying that after a city tax cut, “eHarmony discovered they were most compatible with our city” and moved jobs into Los Angeles. He shifts into pay, urging the council to raise the minimum wage, though he doesn’t specify whether that means $13.25 an hour by 2017 or $15.25 by 2019. The collective business community resists the urge to fly double middle fingers at the mayor.

5:30 p.m.: Serious hopscotch, with references to budgeting an extra $10 million for the affordable housing trust fund, reducing veteran homelessness, immigration reform and new parking signs. “And we’ve reduced our 311 wait times 84%” he says, which should resolve that old Public Enemy complaint that “311 is a joke.” No, wait, that was 911.

5:35 p.m.: Water! He talks about the drought and the challenge to conserve, and says the city will pay residents $3.75 for each square foot of lawn they replace with drought-tolerant plants.

Cites a growing company, called Turf Terminators, which is an awesome name.

5:37 p.m.: Circles back to earthquakes, and references his “Resilience by Design” plan, crafted with Cal Tech’s Dr. Lucy Jones, that is a prescription for local earthquake preparedness. He says that whereas the Northridge quake lasted seven seconds, the next one could endure for more than two minutes.

“It will happen. It’s overdue,” he says.

5:39 p.m.: Ends by launching into an ode to the Valley, to the greater city, and to the past, present and future. It’s deft and farreaching as he touches on fruit trees, “The Brady Bunch,” aerospace industry engines and scenes from E.T. shot in Granada Hills. “I love being your mayor,” he states, and he sounds like he means it.

It’s a nice moment, as Garcetti has pulled the hopscotch elements together, and wrapped all the diverse remarks in a big, we’re-improving bow. This really is the “Recovery Mayor” speech.

It prompts reflection, that in his first 21 months Garcetti has been a good mayor, a thoughtful mayor and often a very smart and forward-looking mayor. Has he been great yet? No, in part because he too often plays it conservative and lags on the leadership front, and he still hasn’t learned to seize the bully pulpit the office affords. Maybe there has been a studious effort to avoid the oversell of the Antonio Villaraigosa administration, but Garcetti has frequently been unable to connect and really convince the city at large of all he is doing.

This State of the City is different. It recounts what he has done, and hints at what is coming. It connects, and makes one look forward to the future. regardie@downtownnews.com

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Downtown News 7

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

8 Downtown News

April 20, 2015

The Rising Price of Downtown Living As the Community Grows, Rents Continue to Climb.

Will the Next Wave of Housing Mean More Affordable Homes? Probably Not

By Eddie Kim n the first few years of the 21st century, people moving into Downtown Los Angeles were frequently described as “urban pioneers.” Although there had long been some residential buildings on Bunker Hill, before the early 2000s few of those who could afford to live elsewhere were choosing to settle in the Historic Core, the Financial District or South Park.

What a difference a decade makes. Downtown now has a population north of 50,000 and is enjoying a housing boom that has made it one of the hottest real estate markets in the country.

Billions of dollars are pouring into the community as a consortium of local, national and even international developers and investors seek to fill what they view as a housing void.

Everything from luxury towers to seven-story wood-and-stucco buildings to transformations of century-old edifices are in the works. According to the Downtown Center Business Improvement District, more than 9,000 apartments and condominiums are under construction and another 13,500 units are being proposed.

As the skyline and the streetscape change, so do the economics of living here. Bill Cooper, a longtime residential broker who runs the firm The Loft Expert, remembers when rents hovered around $2 a square foot, which meant that a 700-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment

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could be had for about $1,400 a month.

Those prices are a fantasy these days, Cooper said. He and other experts say that rents are closer to $3 or even $4 per square foot in 2015 (see sidebar p.10).

A common assumption is that the addition of so many units in such a short period will help depress rents. However, a number of real estate experts and Downtown market watchers don’t see that on the horizon. While thousands of new apartments in one community is significant, they point out that it’s barely a drop in the bucket considering the housing demand across Los Angeles.

Instead, a number of economic factors are pushing rents higher and higher in the Central City. Chief among those, noted Simon Ha, an architect and chairman of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee, is Downtown’s new identity as a destination. In a way, the community is a victim of its own success: The upsurge has attracted a new demographic and new money, which developers and building owners are tapping into.

“Now we’re seeing the mainstream crowd attracted here,” said Ha. “That will drive more employers, especially in tech and media, to move to Downtown. That brings higher-paying jobs and some people will be able to afford living here, but others are going to get priced out. It’ll

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become a neighborhood for a new crowd.”

Property Scarcity Explaining why rents are rising is both obvious and complex. Downtown’s emergence as a desirable place to live doesn’t just increase competition for new apartments. Instead, pointed out Chuck Cowley, whose Cowley Real Estate Partners co-developed the 438-apartment One Santa Fe in the Arts District, the impact is felt long before construction begins: It costs more to buy land here than it did in the past.

The competition for property is stronger than ever, with foreign and institutional investors throwing around huge amounts of cash to

get the choicest lots — just look at the trio of purchases of large parcels by Chinese firms in South Park.

Others note that Los Angeles’ still often unwieldy and lengthy permitting process affects the bottom line, as developers have to factor in interest payments on land during a delay and overall “entitlement risk” when calculating a project’s future profits.

“There’s a shortage of new housing opportunities. That’s why you’re seeing higher rents and low vacancies,” said Ryan Hamilton, a development partner at the Hanover Company, which opened the 284-unit Hanover South

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Park this year and is building nearly 600 more apartments in two nearby complexes. “Entitling these projects can take years. The barrier to entry is so high, the bureaucracy is high and the associated costs are high.”

Richard Green, director of the Lusk Center for Real Estate at the University of Southern California, doesn’t expect that Downtown developers will be able to consistently fetch $3-$4 a square foot for their apartments. Still, he said, the ongoing hike in rents in Downtown is no surprise considering the bigger picture: Los Angeles simply does not have enough housing to support its growing population.

The effects are clear: Across Los Angeles, the median rent jumped 10.4% between the third quarters of 2013 and 2014, according to an analysis from the rental website Lovely. That jump was three times that seen in San Francisco in the same period. “[Mayor Eric] Garcetti wants to build 100,000 housing units in the next eight years or something along those lines, but the fact of the matter is, we here at Lusk don’t think that’s enough,” Green said. “It may locally depress rents for a bit, but in terms of a market that has essentially no vacancy in the county, I don’t think it’ll make a big difference.”

Subsidy Possibility So what, exactly, needs to change? The major culprit, in Green’s mind, is zoning in Los Angeles. More than 80% of residential-zoned areas in the city are marked for single-family houses, not denser apartment complexes, he said. That sets L.A. apart from most major cities and keeps vacancy tight, around 3%, which pushes rents up everywhere.

The city is working on major revisions to the outdated and bulky zoning code, but its impact

Five Big Downtown Apartment Projects Under Construction Where Are All Those Housing Units Going to Be? All Over the Place!

E

ighth and Grand: Developer Carmel Partners is deep in construction on what will be the biggest new apartment complex in Downtown, with 700 units at Eighth Street and Grand Avenue being built in a single phase. The project is slated for completion by the fourth quarter. All units will have floor-to-ceiling windows. The project will also hold a 42,000-square-foot Whole Foods market on the ground floor. The market is scheduled to open Nov. 4.

Sixth and Bixel: Vancouver, Wash.-based Holland Partner Group is building a $200 million City West project that will have two seven-story structures with 606 rental units. The development also includes the renovation of an adjacent 1920s medical building, which will have 42 residences. The Sixth and Bixel complex will have 25,000 square feet of retail, mostly along Sixth Street. The development is slated for completion next year.

Broadway Palace: A case of arson may have delayed a portion of developer Geoff Palmer’s Da Vinci rental project, but work on his twobuilding Broadway Palace, at Olympic Boulevard and Broadway, is forging ahead. The complex will have 439 apartments in one 10-story

on the housing crisis won’t be felt until years after the work is completed, possibly in 2017.

The most realistic way to keep Downtown affordable in the short term may be to build more subsidized housing, rather than leave rents solely in the hands of the free market, some experts say.

At the moment, Downtown has essentially two extremes, observed 14th District City Councilman José Huizar: very-low-income housing, often for those formerly living on the

structure and 247 apartments in a six-story building alongside it. The project is headed toward a 2017 finish, according to Palmer.

Mack Urban South Park: Developer Mack Urban spent $80 million to buy six acres of land in South Park in 2013, and broke ground in March on the first portion of the project, which will be a pair of sevenstory structures at Pico Boulevard and Olive Street with 362 apartments. Two more apartment buildings planned at 12th and Olive streets could bring several hundred additional units; construction could begin on those in the third quarter of this year.

Hanover Grand and Hanover Olympic: This is technically two separate projects, but Houston-based Hanover Company’s housing complexes are slated for completion within two months of each other early next year. Hanover Grand, at Grand Avenue and Olympic Boulevard, will have 274 apartments when it debuts in January 2016. Hanover Olympic, at Olympic and Olive, will have 263 residences once it opens in March. They will join the recently opened Hanover South Park, just around the block at 939 S. Hill St. It has 284 apartments.

streets, and luxury apartments. Frequently left out, he and others note, are “workforce” units, generally described as homes for middle-income earners such as teachers, administrative assistants and others.

“What we’re trying to address is the workforce housing in the middle,” Huizar said. “It fits into a grander vision of what Downtown should be, where people work close to home and take advantage of the amenities and transit here. It should support families and young

T:10.25 in

professionals, not just the wealthy.”

Addressing that is no simple task. For one, affordable housing in Los Angeles took a big hit in 2012, when Community Redevelopment Agencies statewide were killed off by Gov. Jerry Brown as part of his attempt to balance the state budget. The L.A. CRA’s $250 million fund for affordable housing disappeared in a blink, said Alan Greenlee, executive director of the Southern California Association for Nonprofit Continued on page 10

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rents, 9

Five of Downtown’s Most Expensive New Apartment Buildings

Housing, which advocates for affordable housing development.

The old rules also dictated that projects that received public money had to set aside a certain number (often 20%) of units for lowerincome earners. Now, with no dedicated city funding mechanism, and a market where developers can raise money from the private sector, this portion of the populace is squeezed.

“We were already in a position where we didn’t have enough subsidized housing, and there’s been no meaningful contribution to that missing pot of the CRA,” Greenlee said.

Huizar’s office is analyzing ways to spur the construction of subsidized housing. The most obvious is to find a consistent revenue stream for the city’s housing trust fund, Huizar said. Another option would be to offer incentives to developers when a project is in the planning stage.

Some incentives already exist. The Greater Downtown Housing Incentive Ordinance, for instance, offers developers a chance to build larger projects via a “Floor Area Ratio” bonus, as well as build less parking — typically one of the most inefficient and expensive uses of space — in exchange for including subsidized units.

However, many developers forgo these incentives and instead buy FAR credits from other properties, DLANC’s Ha said. One of the few new projects to utilize the policy is Equity Residential’s proposed 33-story building at Fourth and Hill streets. Plans call for the Beacon Tower to have 22 very-low-income and 86 “workforce housing” units among its 428 apartments.

Market Will Another tactic would be to mandate that all

The Price of One- and Two-Bedroom Units in Recently Opened Projects The Emerson Predictably, one of the most luxurious apartment buildings in Downtown is also its most expensive when it comes to rents. A number of available one-bedroom apartments average 800 square feet and cost $3,295 a month. That’s $4.12 a square foot. Corner two-bedrooms averaging 1,175 square feet are $4,995 a month, or $4.25 a square foot.

Ava Little Tokyo The multicolored complex on Los Angeles Street currently offers one bedrooms, averaging about 625 square feet, for $2,510, or $4.02 per developers in certain areas include subsidized units in their projects — something that has been tried and failed. During his early years on the City Council, Garcetti partnered with Councilman Ed Reyes in an effort to create an ordinance for that policy, often called “inclusionary zoning.” It never took off, and a similar 2009 effort dubbed the Mixed Income Ordinance also failed to gain traction.

While other local politicians have pondered something similar to inclusionary zoning, such a move is legally dubious today: Developer Geoff Palmer ultimately won a lawsuit when he challenged a city directive

You’re to invited to A

South Park BID

April 20, 2015

square foot. A two-bedroom unit with 964 square feet was offered for $2,798, or $2.90 a square foot.

One Santa Fe One bedrooms at the Arts District’s largest apartment complex start at $2,010 for 526 square feet, or $3.82 per square foot. Two bedrooms start at $2,635 for 899 square feet, or $2.93 per square foot.

Hanover South Park Developer Hanover Company’s new structure at Hill Street and Olympic Boulevard has one-bedroom apartments with 709 square feet of space for $2,335, or $3.29 a square foot. Two-bedroom units with 1,050 square feet were listed at $3,330, or $3.17 a square foot.

Avant This South Park complex has a huge array of floor plans with varying prices, but a typical one-bedroom with 694 square feet of space is going for $2,162, or $3.11 a square foot. A $2,957 two-bedroom had 1,045 square feet, for an average of $2.83 a square foot.

Information compiled through the websites or from representatives of the projects on April 13-14.

—Eddie Kim

requiring affordable units in City West. The case was precedent-setting.

“The tough thing about pushing incentives and inclusionary zoning is that it’s all political will. Market-rate developers will argue we’re chilling the market,” SCANPH’s Greenlee said.

“It requires that an official say, ‘I’m really gonna get out in front of this issue and spend my political capital to support lower-income folks.’”

Even with such efforts, figuring out the root of the problem, the city’s overall housing crisis, is a staggering task. As Ha puts it, “Unless you can drop 80,000 units from the sky, rents aren’t

going to stabilize for a second.”

For now, a dilemma remains. Downtown’s growth has been “everything residents always wanted,” Cooper said, noting the new restaurants, shops and safety standards.

Without any clear solutions for the rising price of living in Downtown, however, the ultimate conclusion is obvious.

“As prices continue to rise, if we don’t have places that are being built to accommodate lower income residents — and by that I seriously mean, say, $70,000 a year — it’s going to become an exclusive community,” he said. eddie@downtownnews.com

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DT Green Giants

April 20, 2015

GO GREEN

With Earth Day Arriving April 22, Two Big Downtown Stakeholders Discuss How They Keep Environmentalism at the Forefront

Eco-Friendly, in Downtown and Beyond Anschutz Entertainment Group’s Environmental Approach Trickles Down to More Than 100 Projects Worldwide

By Eddie Kim nschutz Entertainment Group is a giant in Downtown, as the company developed Staples Center, L.A. Live and the 1,001-room Ritz-Carlton/J.W. Marriott hotel. It also operates the Los Angeles Convention Center.

AEG’s reach isn’t limited to South Park. Instead, it is one of the largest sports and entertainment companies worldwide. It owns and operates more than 100 venues across the globe.

That made implementing sweeping “green” programs a tall task. However, Becky Dale, manager of environmental sustainability programs at AEG, said it also provided an opportunity for the company to be an eco-friendly innovator in the entertainment and sports sector. AEG even prepared a sustainability report back in 2010.

Los Angeles Downtown News spoke with Dale about what AEG has done to promote green practices at L.A. Live, Staples Center and beyond. She also discussed long-term goals and why thinking green is valuable for such a large company.

ple are attracted to these initiatives.

One example is that the Kings have a big partnership with Metro… encouraging people to take the train, which makes for a more relaxed experience for the fan and also reduces their carbon footprint. Another would be our partnership with Energy Upgrade California to create videos pushing awareness about energy and water use.

A

Los Angeles Downtown News: When did AEG start digging into environmentally sustainable practices?

Becky Dale: It really started back in 2007, when the company first started looking into what it would take to go green. The AEG program was born and it has grown significantly in the past eight years. Our first sustainability report came out in 2010 and we’ve developed a system to track data on this issue around the world. The reports show our partners and the public exactly what we’re doing in our 1Earth program and what the impact is.

photo by Gary Leonard

Becky Dale, manager of environmental sustainability programs at AEG, oversees green initiatives for the sports and entertainment giant. She said the company recently retrofitted 15,000 LED lights in its parking garages.

Q: What are some of the main things that AEG has done to make its venues more sustainable?

A: First, we have our 2020 environmental goals in areas of climate, water conservation, responsible purchasing and education. That’s company-wide, not just in Downtown, and it’s our big long-term project.

Here, we put in a 500-kilowatt solar installation at Staples Center, and we were an early actor in doing that. More recently, in the last year or so, we’ve made Staples the first NBA and NHL arena to have LED sports lights. That saves energy and reduces costs and greenhouse gas.

At L.A. Live, we retrofitted 15,000 LED lights in the parking garage. It was a massive change but an effective one, especially for the light

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quality down there.

There’s also water conservation — we put in waterless urinals in Staples in 2007. Elsewhere, like at Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, we made it the first professional hockey arena with ice made using recycled water. That’s one of a few recycled water projects we’re doing.

Q: For a company as large as AEG, what’s the value of investing in green programs?

A: We do it because it’s good business. “Doing the right thing” is a straightforward reason for it. But on the business front, sustainable practices reduce operational costs — when you save energy, you save money. It also has value for sponsorships and in fan engagement. Peo-

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Q: What does AEG hope to achieve in the future, both in general and Downtown?

A: Since we put out our first report, our sustainability program has quadrupled. We’re also a much bigger and more diverse company than we were when we started the program.

So we’re going to take a hard look at our 2020 goals again. That means looking at how we deal with not just our main arenas, but convention centers and smaller venues, too.

At the L.A. Convention Center, we’re looking to reduce our water footprint. That might be through a bathroom retrofit or new landscaping, for example. The Convention Center is also pursuing a LEED recertification, up from its current Gold status. eddie@downtownnews.com

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Downtown News 13

Towers and Power Brookfield Office Properties Pushes Environmentalism At Its Seven Downtown Skyscrapers

By Eddie Kim rookfield office Properties is the biggest landlord in Downtown Los Angeles, with a whopping seven towers and 8.6 million square feet of space in its local portfolio.

The company has long owned Bank of America Plaza, the Figueroa at Wilshire tower, ernst & Young Plaza (the office tower at 725 S. Figueroa St.) and the FIgat7th shopping center. In 2013, Brookfield spent $450 million to acquire the Wells Fargo Tower, KPMg Tower, gas Company Tower and 777 Figueroa.

The challenges in running the buildings involve more than just filling office space and providing amenities that tenants desire. These days, said robert Cushman, vice president of operations at Brookfield, prioritizing ecofriendly practices and bringing green upgrades to Class A skyscrapers are also vital.

Cushman spoke with Los Angeles Downtown news about Brookfield’s environmental sustainability priorities and some of the most prominent efforts in its buildings.

B

Los Angeles Downtown News: What are some eco-friendly steps Brookfield has taken with its Downtown portfolio?

Robert Cushman: All of our Downtown buildings are LeeD [Leadership in energy and environmental Design] certified at a minimum of gold certification. one building, ernst & Young Plaza, is platinum. our Downtown buildings are also BoMA [Building owners and Managers As-

sociation] 360 certified, which has similar standards as the LeeD certification.

Brookfield has been focused on this since I’ve been with the company, which is close to 10 years. Having efficient and sustainable operating practices has been a high priority for our ownership.

Q: What are some of the main green features in Brookfield’s Downtown towers?

A: one of the things that’s unique to Brookfield’s efforts are to focus on the garages, not just the office building. We’ve upgraded the lighting, built electric charging stations and put in rideshare services. We’ve been very proactive in implementing bike-storage facilities with showers so people are encouraged to take alternative modes of transportation. With the eV stations, we’re not charging our customers for connecting up their cars.

Q: How is the company addressing water usage amid a historic drought?

A: We look at each building separately. As far as water conservation, some key steps are the implementation of low-flush plumbing fixtures and having smart controls for irrigation that track weather patterns and moisture levels in the soil so we’re not over-watering. We’ve looked at, in specific areas, more drought-tolerant landscaping and certain mulches that help prevent evaporation.

Waste removal is also a big component for our buildings, and we’ve contracted with com-

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Robert Cushman of Brookfield Office Properties oversees green projects at the company’s seven Downtown towers. He said tenants are much more interested in environmental measures today than they were a decade ago.

panies to make it more efficient. over 70% of our waste stream is recycled. The waste that isn’t recyclable can be turned into energy.

Q: Why make the effort to install more eco-friendly features and promote sustainable practices?

A: It’s a corporate mandate, because it’s the right thing to do and our customers are very interested in it. We’ve seen an evolution over the last five to 10 years in our customers’ interest.

Fortune 500 companies, for their image, being green is a big thing. As their landlord, we’re able to provide sustainability data to them that helps their corporate reporting.

It’s good business, too. The reduction of energy and water consumption lowers expenses for the building over time. We benefit from that and so

do our tenants. Thankfully we’ve benefitted from a top-down approach in the company to do all these things and have had the support.

Q: What are some of Brookfield’s goals moving forward?

A: over the past year we’ve been very focused on alternative forms of transportation. That means doing things like installing the bike and shower facilities rather than just dropping standard racks in an out-of-the-way place. We’re talking to the city about bike-sharing programs, and car sharing is a bigger part of our initiatives. Doing these things today is going to create value for us later on. eddie@downtownnews.com

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

14 Downtown News

April 20, 2015

The Central City Crime Report

another man’s car on April 6. The car’s owner had reported his vehicle stolen.

A Rundown on Downtown Incidents, Trends and Criminal Oddities

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

I

Busted Bike Theft Ring: Police arrested three people on suspicion of burglary in the 500 block of South Hewitt Street. Authorities followed the suspects to an underground parking facility on two consecutive days. The three men were in possession of bolt cutters when they were arrested.

Pilfered Pork: An unidentified person recently stole five pounds

of cooked bacon from the Weingart Center, a homeless services facility at 554 S. San Pedro St. Missing Money: While it may surprise you to know that someone left a wallet unattended in the 800 block of Yale Street last week, it probably doesn’t surprise you at all that someone else stole all the contents out of it. The amount of missing money was not revealed.

Sought Suspect Secured: A man with 484 arrests on his record, and whom police consider one of the area’s top suspects for burglaries from motor vehicles, was arrested inside

Residential Burglary: An unidentified person pried open the rear bathroom window of a home in the 700 block of North Hill Street just after noon on April 6. Taken during the burglary was an iPad and a jade ring.

Take the ATM, Too: Unidentified suspects cut a lock to the business at 424 S. Los Angeles St. at 5 p.m. on April 8 and stole cash, 1,400 USB flash drives and even an ATM machine — the value of the loss was estimated at $16,000. A video shows people breaking into the business and driving away in a van.

Don’t Leave Your Bike Unattended: Nine bikes parked around Downtown were stolen between April 5 and April 11.

In all but one instance, the bikes were locked. All the locks were cut.

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DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Live/Work Units Coming to Santa Fe Avenue Developer Creating 53 Units In 1909 Brick Buildings

By Donna Evans he southward expansion of the Arts District continues.

Following last month’s reports that the members-only club Soho House will open in a 1917 brick building at Bay Street and Santa Fe Avenue, there is another addition: a 53-unit project in a century-old complex.

Philip Rahimzadeh of Core Development Group is turning one three-story and one four-story brick building at 1200 S. South Santa Fe Ave. into residential units that could also be used for office space. Rahimzadeh, who in 2014 sold the property that will

T

photo by Donna Evans

A pair of brick buildings from 1909 are being turned into 53 live/work units at 1200 S. Santa Fe Ave.

become the open-air retail center At Mateo, said the project will be called Arthouse, with the idea of housing community of artists. He expects to begin leasing units in late summer.

“I love the architecture of this old bow-truss building,” he said of the adaptive reuse project, adding, “New construction is not what people in this area crave.”

Rahimzadeh, a London native, moved to Los Angeles in 1999 and said he has long been fond of the industrial neighborhood along Santa Fe Avenue. He owns other area properties, including a building at Santa Fe and 25th Street, and always wanted to take on a residential conversion, he said.

Rahimzadeh acquired the Arthouse property last October for $18.1 million. The 1909 buildings total 94,000 square feet, and there are three ground-floor spaces, two at 3,000 square feet and one at 7,000 square feet, that could be leased to retail tenants. Rahimzadeh said he is considering several prospective tenants, but believes the area is ripe for restaurants, galleries or other businesses.

The property is a block south of the 62,000-square-foot edifice that will become Soho House. A few blocks to the north is the Ford Factory building, which was purchased by San Francisco-based real estate giant Shorenstein Properties last year for $37 million and will become creative office space with groundfloor retail. The neighborhood is also home to Stumptown Coffee, at 806 S. Santa Fe Ave., as well as the restaurants Bestia and Bread Lounge. In November, an American Tea Room will open at 909 S. Santa Fe Ave. There is also a collection of housing complexes at nearby Mateo and Industrial streets.

Rahimzadeh said he thinks the area is perfect for a new live/ work building.

“Only a few areas of Los Angeles have this architectural romance with brick buildings. Santa Fe [Avenue] has it,” he said.

He added that he intends to keep the building in line designwise with the existing historic architecture of the area. donna@downtownnews.com

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16 Downtown News

April 20, 2015

One Lunch, Two Governors, Many Opinions Pete Wilson and Gray Davis Hold the Party Line at Downtown Event

By Donna Evans t can be difficult to adequately assess how a governor and an entire state are faring. Two of the people most qualified to do that came together in Downtown Los Angeles last week.

On Wednesday, April 15, former California governors Pete Wilson (the state’s 36th top executive) and Gray Davis (the 37th) appeared at the City Club for a luncheon hosted by the public affairs forum Town Hall-Los Angeles (another former governor, George Deukmejian, canceled due to illness).

Davis and Wilson expounded on topics such as the economy, government regulation and the environment.

I

They also stayed within their party lines when pointing out California’s successes and failures.

Wilson, a Republican, who served from 1991-’99, pointed to the state’s Democrat-dominated legislature as a problem.

“This state is infinitely blessed in many ways, but it is suffering from… wounds inflicted by voters who have elected to office people who have made decisions that have injured this state’s ability to compete for investment,” Wilson said.

He mentioned “excessive regulation” of the California Environmental Quality Act, and noted that Gov. Jerry Brown two years ago called for reform of the CEQA pro-

photo by Gary Leonard

Former governors Gray Davis (right) and Pete Wilson talked about the drought and other subjects when they appeared at the City Club last week.

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April 20, 2015

Downtown News 17

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cess in its regulation of public projects. Joking with the crowd of lawyers, developers and other professionals, Wilson said the Downtown audience understood the ramifications of CEQA better than the legislature.

“Frankly it has become an instrument for people to stop projects they didn’t like,” he said. “That could be good or bad, but it has been mostly bad.”

Davis, a Democrat who followed Wilson and held office until 2003, drew on the analogy of medicine, remarking that the difference between the amount that will cure you and the amount that will kill you is the dosage. He said CEQA was an effective tool in places such as the Port of Los Angeles, when unchecked emissions were sickening people. He also noted that CEQA was signed into law by a Republican, Gov. Ronald Reagan.

In the event moderated by journalist and educator Jim Newton, each governor was given 15 minutes to speak, after which there was some back-and-forth and several questions from the audience. Davis talked up the need to invest in California’s uni-

visive ballot measure” of Proposition 187. The 1994 initiative atversity system, and also called for comprehensive immigration tempted to establish a citizens screening system in California to reform. prohibit undocumented residents from using healthcare, public “We’re importing people from all over the world to study at education and other state services. It was passed by 59% of the our universities, but we don’t allow them to stay here and start voters, but was ultimately found unconstitutional by a federal businesses and create jobs for the rest of us,” he said. “We are court. hurting ourselves by letting the greatest people come here and Leaning forward in his chair and speaking loudly into the mithen go home and compete against us.” crophone, Wilson defended the measure and denied that it had The former governors also were at odds on the timely topic racist elements. of California’s drought, though both agreed with Brown’s recent “It was the loudest, clearest revolt by taxpayers seen since the mandatory water conservation directives.

Boston Tea Party from people who were unhappy with the fact Davis, holding a plastic water bottle, talked about the need that state and local taxpayers were forced to pay considerable to recycle water. However, given that 80% of Los Angeles’ water amounts for education… and healthcare of people who entered comes from hundreds of miles away, Wilson said that to recycle illegally,” he said. water you have to have water. He DTLA suggested a significant part of4-17-2015 NEWS AD DATE: The governors ended the discussion on legislative term limits, the problem is inadequate storage, and said the state should be using reservoirs above and below ground to store rain and snow which Wilson called a “mixed blessing.” Davis opined that more seat time equates to more thoughtful decision makers. water. donna@downtownnews.com During the Q&A, Wilson was asked if he regretted the “ugly di-

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18 Downtown News

April 20, 2015

DT THE POWER BEHIND THE POWER

ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS

A Glimpse at the Lives of Downtown Administrative Professionals

By Donna Evans he synonyms for their job are as myriad as the tasks they accomplish: They’re executive assistants, administrative professionals, secretaries and, perhaps above all, gatekeepers.

They’re the power behind, or more likely sitting at the desk in front of, the power. The administrative assistant ensures that meetings are made, travel is booked, calendars are kept and phone calls are filtered to voicemail (or, for the fortunate, patched through to the executives themselves).

Too often these office gatekeepers, and all they do to keep operations running smoothly, go unnoticed. That should never be the case, but it officially changes next week, as Sunday, April 19, through Saturday, April 25, is Administrative Professionals’ Week.

If it’s been a while since you said a proper thank you to that person who knows your kid’s birthday better than you, and who has put out more than one fire on your behalf, then now is the time to act. Take your gatekeeper out to lunch at a nice Downtown restaurant (see p. 20). Buy him or her some flowers. Reflect on all the conversations you have add and come up with something your righthand woman or man really wants.

In the effort to get an even clearer picture of all that these people responsible for the pulse of the office endure, Los Angeles Downtown News reached out to four administrative professionals in the Central City. We asked about their days, what they love about their job, and the components that they find most challenging. If you want to talk to the boss, these are the people whom you’ll address first.

T

YVETTE ROJAS

CLAUDIA WALTON

Title: Executive assistant and scheduler to 14th District City Councilman José Huizar

Title: Executive assistant to Tom Gilmore of Gilmore Associates

The Job: The task of serving the councilman who serves approximately 250,000 people, and whose district includes nearly all of Downtown Los Angeles, changes every day, Rojas said. She handles media requests and schedules and organizes event invitations, and makes sure that Huizar has reviewed them all. She also responds to each invite, she said. “I make sure that his day runs smoothly,” she said.

The Job: Walton runs Gilmore’s calendar.

That’s a task with many moving parts, as the man who kicked off the Downtown residential revolution by developing the Old Bank District has meetings everywhere from the Historic Core to Chinatown to Shanghai. “He’s always on the go and I make sure he’s always on time,” Walton said.

Path to the Central City: Rojas started as a receptionist and executive assistant to Wendy Greuel when she was a Valley councilwoman in 2002. Rojas’ two-year anniversary with Huizar will arrive in June.

Best Part of the Gig: “I get to connect with everybody. You come to me first. That’s the perk of this job: You get firsthand information on what is going on,” she said. When there is an issue, Rojas said, she’s among the first to learn about it. She also enjoys the social aspect of the position, which involves meeting a variety of constituents.

Big Challenges: Given all the meetings Huizar has and the demands on his schedule, it can be difficult to make sure everything runs smoothly and on time. “Things

photo by Gary Leonard

change on daily basis,” Rojas said. “It could be that the member is wanted for a conference with the council president or with the mayor. You can’t predict what you think the schedule will be the next day. It’s a great balancing act.”

Advice for a Newbie: “Details matter,” instructs Rojas. She’d advise anyone new to the profession to get a writing pad and keep it handy. “It’s always good to have a notebook when speaking to colleagues and to the member. Taking notes is key to this job,” she said. Executive assistants have to remember, she said, that every single thing they do contributes to getting the job done.

Path to the Central City: Although she has been working for Gilmore for 16 months, Walton has spent more than eight years as an administrative professional.

She started out in the development department at the City of Paramount, where she made sure permits were processed efficiently and payments went out on time.

Best Part of the Gig: Walton pointed to the community that Gilmore helped create in Downtown Los Angeles, with the conversion of defunct office buildings into market-rate apartments. She finds what he has accomplished inspiring and considers him an important stakeholder in the Central City.

Big Challenges: Last-minute changes and cancelations can make an executive assis-

photo by Gary Leonard

tant’s job nerve wracking. When the boss has meetings all day long, and a priority, lastminute trip pops up, that means rescheduling several other appointments. “I make sure everything is going according to schedule, so when you have to juggle a bunch of appointments, there’s a ripple effect that can get a little challenging,” she said.

Advice to a Newbie: “You have to be mentally prepared to be working under a lot of pressure,” Walton said. “He’s got to be on time and you’ve got to be organized.”

April 20, 2015

Downtown News 19

ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS’ WEEK

VIRGINIA DUFFY

SHELIA YOUNG

Title: Assistant to Christopher Martin, CEO of architecture firm AC Martin

Title: Executive assistant to Union Rescue Mission CFO Dan Roleder and CEO Andy Bales

The Job: The phrase Duffy uses to describe her role at AC Martin is “extremely busy.” The veteran executive assistant said her days can be very hectic, especially when she’s trying to arrange meetings with not only Martin, but five other executives as well. “It’s really hard to get five or six top-level executives in the same room at one time,” she said, adding that Martin’s calendar is “swamped 90% of the time.” She also pre-screens his email for him, so by the time Martin checks his inbox, only the essential communiqués are there. If someone calls and asks to leave him a voice message, Duffy has her pat response: “You’re speaking to his voicemail.”

The Job: Young calls herself “the gatekeeper” to the executives in charge of the Skid Row facility that helps thousands of homeless individuals every day. She said, “If the appointment doesn’t come through me, it has not been scheduled. I’m an extension of Andy. I try to make sure whatever he knows, I know, so that he can get to where he needs to be.”

Path to the Central City: Duffy has been Martin’s assistant for nine years, and has worked for AC Martin — its litany of projects include the $1 billion replacement for the Wilshire Grand hotel — for 16 years. During that time, she also worked as an administrative assistant to four project managers.

Best Part of the Gig: Duffy said she never has the same day twice. Fortunately, diversity is one of the aspects of the job that she likes the most. Yes, there are some particularly tough days, but Duffy said she prefers to view them not as packed with problems,

photo by Gary Leonard

but rather as filled with challenges. “I don’t get stressed out or overwhelmed,” she said. “I just accomplish [the task at hand] and I feel good about myself for getting it done.”

Advice for a Newbie: “When things go south, remember: It’s not a problem, it’s a challenge,” she said. Duffy also encourages anyone new to the profession of office gatekeeper to thoroughly screen phone calls before passing them on to the executive. “Have a lot of questions for the caller,” she advises.

Very often, the person calling actually needs to speak to someone in another department.

Being tenacious, she said, can help get the caller to the right person.

Path to the Central City: Young came to the Union Rescue Mission 11 years ago from Union Bank of California, where she also served as an administrative professional. The executive she worked for there was far less accessible than Bales. She described the difference between her old job and her current positions as “a paradigm shift.”

Best Part of the Gig: Young said the thing she likes most about the position is “learning from Andy.” She believes it is critical for a CEO’s assistant to be able to speak on behalf of that person at a meeting. She appreciates and enjoys how Bales has been a mentor to her. “Andy has book knowledge and street knowledge. It’s important that I learn from him,” she said.

Big Challenges: When it comes time for audit and finance meetings, which are quarter-

photo by Gary Leonard

ly, it increases the pressure of managing the calendar. “Sometimes I have to step away and take a breather, before getting back to prioritizing everything,” she said. The job can get so busy, she said, that she sometimes hangs a “Do Not Disturb” sign on her cubicle.

It’s a signal to others that if they need her immediately, they should email her with an urgent message indicator.

Advice for a Newbie: The wisdom Young passes on is something she wishes had been given to her when she started out. “You have to provide the best customer service you can, every time, regardless of how you feel.

It isn’t about you. I am an extension of the CEO and the CFO,” she said.

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20 Downtown News

April 20, 2015

ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS’ WEEK

Five Great Places to Take Your Administrative Assistant to Lunch No Matter Where You Work Downtown, There’s a Delicious Way to Say Thank You

A

dministrative Professionals’ Week takes place Sunday, April 19, through Saturday, April 25.

During that time, any boss worth his or her salt will take their dedicated gatekeeper out to at least one nice lunch. No, the opportunity to say “super-size it” doesn’t count.

Downtown Los Angeles has numerous restaurants where a boss can show appreciation. Here are some of the many options. Be smart and make the reservation yourself.

Water Grill: The venerable seafood establishment got modernized a couple years ago, and while the Financial District joint now seeks to lure area apartment and condo dwellers, it’s still a reliable destination for any office worker. There is always a wide variety of clams, oysters and chilled shellfish at the raw bar, and meals include everything from a jumbo Mexican shrimp Louis salad to Alaskan halibut.

At 544 S. Grand Ave., (213) 891-0900 or watergrill.com.

The Palm: The classic South Park power lunch destination is known for its hefty lobsters, thick steaks and caricatures of local business, political and arts leaders all over the walls. A great mid-day option is the business lunch special, with a starter, entree, side and dessert for $25.90. Only rookies and the foolish try to eat everything.

At 1100 S. Flower St., (213) 763-4600 or thepalm.com.

Ledlow: Yes, there were complaints from longtime Historic Core residents when Pete’s Café gave way to Ledlow. Months later, however, it’s hard to quibble with chef Josef Centeno’s creation. The spot at Fourth and Main streets has a smart menu sure to please any boss and administrative assistant. There’s clam chowder, a crab salad with Asian pear and pickled potato, a cornmeal-crusted fried oyster sandwich and much more.

At 400 S. Main St., (213) 687-7015 or ledlowla.com.

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Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse: You don’t have to order steak at Nick & Stef’s. Really: There is plenty to satisfy a boss and a gatekeeper coming down from an office in one of the nearby Bunker Hill towers. There are entree salads such as the skirt steak or Cobb versions, and a batch of half-pound burgers. That’s just the start.

At 330 S. Hope St., (213) 680-0330 or patinagroup.com.

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Factory Kitchen: Chef Angelo Auriana has been blowing people away since he teamed with Matteo Ferdinandi to open this modern Arts District trattoria in late 2013. Everyone raves about the handkerchief pasta, with good reason. Whether you opt for that, the gnocchi, the fusilli with pork jowl or something else, it’s hard to go wrong.

At 1300 Factory Place, (213) 996-6000 or thefactorykitchen.com.

With a three-course business lunch special and caricatures of Downtown players adorning the walls, South Park’s The Palm is a prime place for a boss to take his or her gatekeeper during Administrative Professionals’ Week.

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April 20, 2015

Downtown News 21

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DT

CALENDAR

LOVE, LANGUAGE AND LOSS The play Generation Sex, from the all-Latina company Teatro Luna, delves into the challenges of dating in the digital age. The show is part of the LATC’s spring season.

Spring Season at The LATC Runs the Theatrical Gamut

By Donna Evans hat might have become of that young, black woman if 12 police bullets hadn’t ended her life? How does technology inform sexual relationships? Can love successfully battle Alzheimer’s Disease? Is it wrong for a young man to be macho in 2015? Are the complexities of interfaith love insurmountable?

These are questions that the five works in the 2015 spring season at the Los Angeles Theatre Center will ask its audiences. Just as varied as the subjects in the season dubbed East of Broadway are the companies that are staging them. They include Teatro Luna, an all-Latina theater company from Chicago, the local Latino Theater Company and Spain’s critically acclaimed Kulunka Teatro.

“It’s a really exciting season,” said Chantal Rodriguez, programming director for the LATC. “We’re running the gamut of theatrical styles and believe people will leave very connected to the work.”

The first two shows are Generation Sex and Dreamscape. In Generation Sex, a world premiere from Teatro Luna, Abigail Vega is one of six actresses who each play 10-15 characters.

Vega is also one of 30 writers who contributed to the script that addresses women’s real-life stories of dating in the digital age.

Vega described the 80-minute performance as “a marathon” in which she and others run all over the stage: One moment she’s dancing, the next she’s doing a monologue. One character is a back-up singer in a rock opera about revenge porn and another is a Steve Irwin-like outback explorer journeying into the female anatomy. Previews begin last week and opening night is Thursday, April 23. The show runs through May 17.

“This is not the kind of show where the audience is expected to sit quietly in the seats and

W

not open their candy,” said Vega, 26, who splits her time between Chicago and Los Angeles.

“This is not a play. This is a performance event.

We interact with the audience through games and questions.”

The stories use heavy doses of humor, Vega said, and the creators hope that audience members can see themselves on stage in the various Facebook posts, Twitter rants and sometimes shocking reveals from the performers. The messages are neither “man-hating nor woman-promoting,” she said, but they do depict a healthy sense of womanhood.

The play runs in conjunction with Dreamscape, produced by the Latino Theater Company and Hindsight Productions. The show is returning to Spring Street’s LATC following a run there as part of the 2014 Encuentro Festival. Through poetry, dance and beat boxing, Dreamscape reimagines the night of Dec. 28, 1998, when Riverside Police Department officers shot 19-year-old Tyisha Miller 12 times.

In Dreamscape, the audience follows the trajectory of the dozen bullets that struck “Myeisha Mills.” Each bullet triggers its own memory of the young woman. Performances began April 18 and the play runs through May 17.

Quiet Approach Another season highlight, according to LATC Artistic Director Jose Luis Valenzuela, is Andre & Dorine. Created by Kulunka Teatro, from Spain’s Basque region, the play tells the story of an elderly couple who relive and reinvent their life together and love for each other as Alzheimer’s erodes Dorine’s mind. The performance uses masks, gestures and movement — but no dialogue — to show how Andre turns to his typewriter to remember the life the couple once had.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Valenzuela. “It doesn’t matter what language you speak. This story is about what happens when Alzheimer’s hits home. It is something that everybody understands.”

Andre & Dorine plays May 16-June 6. This

The play Dreamscape uses poetry, dance and beat boxing to reimagine a 1998 police killing of a 19-yearold woman.

photo courtesy Hindsight Productions

will be its first full run at the LATC, though there were three performances at the Historic Core space during Kulunka Teatro’s U.S. tour in 2012.

Rounding out the season are the world premiere of This Is a Man’s World and the Los Angeles debut of Paloma. Both open May 30 and run through June 21.

Sal Lopez wrote and stars in the semi-autobiographical This Is a Man’s World. The one-man show, his first, explores masculinity and how it can be stifled in today’s world. Boys, he said, can be seen as too aggressive, and sometimes an immediate reaction is to medicate them.

“I wanted to celebrate boyhood and manhood, so my play is a coming-of-age story about growing up, what I experienced and an examination of the role models who shaped me into becoming a man,” said Lopez, who lives in Silver Lake and grew up in South Los Angeles.

Through speaking, singing and dancing, the 60-year-old actor touches on lessons and moments that shaped his life, including young love and the Watts riots.

“I feel like this is an opportunity to hear my own voice and to get my voice out there. It’s scary, but this is another chapter for me,” he said.

Also closing the season is Paloma. Rodriguez, the LATC programming director, described the work as a play about interfaith romance in a post-9/11 world. Tragedy strikes two NYU graduate students, a Muslim and a Catholic, and the former seeks help from his Jewish friend, an attorney, to clear his name.

Rodriguez said the story examines realistic issues, such as celibacy, that couples dating outside their religions must face.

East of Broadway is at the Los Angeles Theater Center, 514 S. Spring St., (213) 489-0994 or thelatc.org donna@downtownnews.com

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Sex, Booze and Murder REDCAT Show Revisits Jelly Roll Morton’s Classic, Viciously Vulgar 1938 Ballad

By Eddie Kim erdinand LaMothe is the musical legend you’ve never heard of, and you probably haven’t heard his music, either.

Better known as Jelly Roll Morton, he grew up in a gritty New Orleans neighborhood at the turn of the 20th century and went on to become an early pioneer in jazz. Morton’s fleet fingers and complex arrangements on the piano earned him acclaim.

Yet by the 1930s, Morton’s two-decade career was sputtering. It was a bit of destiny that brought Alan Lomax to Morton in Washington, D.C., in 1938.

Lomax was a music archivist and historian out collecting interviews and recordings for the Library of Congress. Morton was supporting himself by pouring drinks and playing piano at a small-time bar.

An unlikely partnership bloomed, and Lomax ultimately teased more than eight hours of talk, singing and playing out of Morton. The session birthed a deeply violent, sexual and vulgar 30-minute masterpiece called “The Murder Ballad.”

The little-known song will now reach a new audience in Downtown Los Angeles, as it has inspired dancer Jessica Emmanuel and the experimental theater company Poor Dog Group. Their collaboration, The Murder Ballad (1938), hits the REDCAT stage for four performances on Thursday-Sunday, April 23-26.

In the 45-minute show, Emmanuel and performer Jesse Saler interact, telling a story through dance as Morton’s recording plays in the background (there is no dialogue). The stage is dressed only with a few bright lights and a blank floor. The movements communicate and accentuate Morton’s story, which follows a woman’s bloody revenge against another woman for sleeping with “her man.”

F

“For me it’s all about the lyrics, which Morton’s singing as a woman,” Emmanuel said. “It’s so raw and it feels like he lived as that woman in another life. It sounds like he’s possessed, not playing a character.”

If “The Murder Ballad” came out today, the record would feature a fat Parental Advisory sticker. “I’ll cut your [expletive] throat and drink your blood like wine/because I want you to know he’s a man of mine,” Morton croons in one verse.

Later, as the woman is facing the judge after the killing, Morton sings, “I’d rather be dead in my grave than hear that [expletive] havin’ my sweet man.”

The song goes on to detail the murderess’ time in prison, which involves frantic sex with a fellow female inmate and regrets over how she wasted her life over an unfaithful, “no good” man. The narrative hooked members of the Poor Dog Group as soon as they heard it, and the song speaks to powerful themes, including America’s history of violence and how traumas continue a cycle of viciousness, said director Jesse Bonnell.

“The song, for many different reasons, got stuck in the company’s creative filter. We kept coming back to the genre of the murder ballad and its historical context,” Bonnell said.

The run is actually the second time REDCAT is presenting The Murder Ballad. Poor Dog Group, which has about 10 core members and is based in Los Angeles, began developing the piece in 2010 and debuted it at REDCAT’s New Original Works festival in 2012. While some movements have changed, the stark solo accompaniment from Morton’s recording remains.

The 1938 tune captures Morton in a strange twilight. Ten years prior, the star-crossed player had moved from Chicago — where he had recorded hits and sold out shows with his band, the Red Hot Peppers — to New York City, considered the biggest stage for any jazz musician.

He never quite reached the fame he was looking for in the latter part of his career, said Thom Mason, a jazz history expert and a professor at the University of Southern California. The young man who had once swaggered around with business cards that read “The Inventor of Jazz” was now an afterthought in the wake of more bombastic, dance-happy musical styles.

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Jessica Emmanuel stars in The Murder Ballad, a movement-based performance from Poor Dog Group that features jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton’s 30-minute song of the same name. It plays at REDCAT April 23-26.

photo by Steve Gunther

“He deserves more recognition than we tend to give him today,” Mason said. “The music was evolving so fast, and the New Orleans style he grew up with was changing so rapidly into swing and big band. It was inevitable that he would eventually wind up at a bar, playing by himself.”

The Poor Dog Group has woven new emotional threads into Morton’s already bitter work, and Emmanuel hopes the choreography helps bring additional meaning to the musician’s blunt narration. The Murder Ballad serves as a peek inside the mind of one of modern music’s great innovators, added Bonnell.

“Jelly Roll was at the end of his career,” Bonnell said. “He was a full-blown alcoholic. And they still captured a masterpiece before he went out.”

The Murder Ballad runs April 23-26 at REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org. eddie@downtownnews.com

April 20, 2015

Downtown News 23

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DT The ‘Don’t Miss’ List

CALENDAR LISTINGS

SPONSORED LISTINGS

A Horror Opera, Short Plays and Thoughtful Talk Fill Downtown This Week

By Dan Johnson | calendar@downtownnews.com

Outdoor Film Screening at LA Plaza 501 N. Main St., (213) 542-6278 or lapca.org Celebrate the 100th birthday of Anthony Quinn (Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca) from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, April 24, with a free outdoor screening of the 1952 drama Viva Zapata! at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. There will be an introduction and post-film discussion led by Curtis Marez, associate professor and chair of the ethnic-studies department at the University of California at San Diego.

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

April 20: Jacob Szekely Trio.

April 21-22: Kneebody.

April 23: Because twice was not enough, it’s Kneebody and Knower.

April 24-25: Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble.

April 26: Ben Powell Quartet.

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

April 20, 7:30 p.m.: Odessa returns for the penultimate evening of her residency.

April 23, 9 p.m.: Hot tip: Phoenix, Arizona’s Mumford and Sons sound-alikes Jared & The Mill have been out on the road, so maybe you shouldn’t take their track “Breath Me In” as a literal invitation.

April 24, 9 p.m.: The Bluegrass Situation presents Caitlin Rose.

April 24, 9 p.m.: Delicate Steve actually seems fairly resilient.

April 25, 9 p.m.: Reptar is a rockin’ “Rugrats” reference.

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

April 20, 10 p.m.: Skip Spiros’ 10 Piece Jazz Project.

April 21, 10 p.m.: Jeremiah & The Red Eyes.

April 22, 10 p.m.: Next to the Tracks and The Dank.

April 23, 10 p.m.: Fare the Gap and Cuicani.

April 24, 9 p.m.: Urban Grass and Gabrielle Graves.

April 26, 10 p.m.: Yet another lost evening with RT N the 44s.

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

April 24: Andrew Rayel.

Continued on next page

One T

image courtesy L.A. Opera

I

t is rare to find a B-horror film and the L.A. Opera mentioned in the same sentence, but on Thursday-Sunday, April 23-26, the lofty world of beautiful voices merges with pulp pleasures in Hercules Vs. Vampires. Composer Patrick Morganelli adapted Mario Bava’s cult 1961 film Hercules In the Underworld into the operatic tradition and enlisted the help of conductor Christopher Allen. The strange blend of genres and ironic pastiche are on the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in performances on Thursday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 7 and 10 p.m. (yes, an opera double header) and Sunday at 2 p.m. At 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7219 or laopera.org.

T

he Company of Angels theater group is lurking in the basement of the Hayward Hotel. That’s a good thing, as unlike the phantoms and other colorful figures you’d ordinarily find in a Historic Core basement, the troupe specializes in a redemptive sort of theater that uses the stage as a venue for social examination. Now through May 17, the group hosts L.A. Views: At Your Service, a collection of short plays focusing on the service industry. Nine playwrights contributed their efforts to this hodgepodge survey of the people you frequently overlook. Shows this week are Friday-Saturday, April 24-25, at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. At 206 W. Sixth St. or companyofangels.org.

Three

TuESDay, aPRIL 21 Sandy Tolan at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: USC professor and journalist Sandy Tolan discusses his latest book, Children of Stone, an examination of music and the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

WEDNESDay, aPRIL 22 Earth Day at Grand Park Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8080 or grandparkla.org.

9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Celebrate our dear Mother Earth with an EWaste Drop Off, energy efficiency demonstrations, gardening and composting primers and general encouragement in the wastenot/want-not mindset.

ThuRSDay, aPRIL 23 Ana Tijoux at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: Grammy-nominated Chilean singer Ana Tijoux shows off her marvelous range of influences with poet and translator Jen Hofer.

FRIDay, aPRIL 24 Danielle Allen at Zocalo Public Square MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 626-6222 or zocalopublicsquare.org.

7:30 p.m.: The winner of the fifth annual Zocalo Book Prize confronts the question “Can Democracy Exist Without Equality?”

Our quick capsule response: duh, no.

Two

T

photo cover art of Children of the Stone: The Power of Music in a Hard Land

EVENTS

hough you may know him as a radio host, Sandy Tolan is an investigative journalist by trade, one who crafts his sharpest work from the process of gleaning and interpreting stories as they develop. He previously penned The Lemon Tree, an awardwinning examination of the human particulars of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Tolan returns to that arena for his latest work, Children of the Stone: The Power of Music in a Hard Land, which follows a young violist, Ramzi Hussein Aburedwan, who escapes a Palestinian refugee camp. On Tuesday, April 21, at 7:15 p.m., Tolan will join NPR correspondent Kelly McEvers to discuss his work at the Central Library as part of the Aloud series. As always, tickets are free. As always, reservations are commended. At 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

Fo u r

hanks to the Colburn School, “Baroque Conversations” is no longer just your inside joke name for the loud arguments your gaudy neighbors get into after they’ve downed a box of cheap wine. Instead, it’s a widely regarded program of lesser-known but poignant classical music performed by high-caliber musicians within the elegant confines of the school’s Zipper Hall. This Thursday, April 23, at 7 p.m. finds pianist Daria van den Bercken carefully adjusting her bench, pumping some pedals and efficiently burning her way through four rarely performed pieces from the one and only George Frideric Handel. At 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 6211050 or colburnschool.edu.

F i ve O

photo by Caro

l Rosegg

photo by Andreas Terlaak

n Sunday, April 26, the clock will strike midnight on the Ahmanson Theatre’s staging of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The joyful musical adaptation of the classic fairytale has riveted audiences since St. Patrick’s Day. Alas, the ball is over this week, and no amount of glass slippers will prolong the adventure.

The show stars Paige Faure in the title role and Kecia Lewis does a great job as the Fairy Godmother. Fran Drescher is wonderfully annoying as the evil stepmother. Shows this week are Tuesday-Saturday at 8 p.m., with additional Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2 p.m., and 1 p.m. on Sunday. At 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

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

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Continued from previous page April 25: TJR. Grammy Museum 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org.

April 20, 7:30 p.m.: R&B OG Kenny Lattimore drops his latest album, and is happy to talk about it.

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

April 26, 7 p.m.: Returned from the stagnant swamp of creativity that is Hollywood, Mos Def highlights his true bread and butter.

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

April 23, 3:30 p.m.: The 2015 Radio Disney Music Awards. We have no idea who Las Vegas favors.

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

April 21: TIN and Filibuster.

April 23: IT?, Electric Children and Golden Rulers.

April 24: Shut UP, Matt Jewett, Sic Waiting and Yotam.

photo courtesy FIDM

24 Downtown News

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A

Downtown experience comes to an end this week, as the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising closes its showcase of outfits from recent films. The 23rd annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design, which features more than 100 outfits from 23 2014 movies, shuts its doors on Saturday, April 25. Among the duds on displays are outfits from Inherent Vice, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Into the Woods and Maleficent (shown here). The show represents the culmination of nearly a year of work — FIDM staff members are already reaching out for pieces to include in the 2016 exhibit. The galleries are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

At 919 S. Grand Ave. or fidmmuseum.org.

April 20, 2015

Downtown News 25

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

April 25: Femme Fatality, L.A. Drones, PRGRM and God Freekid.

April 26, 3 p.m.: Wuv, Mariashka, Derde Verde and Wreck of the Zephyr.

April 26: Witch Hunt Disco 5. Yes, seriously, someone or a group of someones came up with that name.

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

April 23, 7:30 p.m.: Southern rock from Drive-By Truckers.

April 25, 8 and 11:30 p.m.: Curren$y is but the latest rapper from New Orleans to make waves in the hip-hop game.

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

April 20, 10 p.m.: No one told Louis van Taylor it was 4/20.

April 21, 10 p.m.: But The Makers definitely knew what day it was.

April 22, 10 p.m.: Ray Brooks, no relation to Mel. April 23, 10 p.m.: Fran Banish Band.

April 26, 10 p.m.: The California Feetwarmers now come standard with your Sunday night old fashioned.

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

April 24: Upsilon Acrux, Feather Wolf, Corima and Peter Kolovos.

April 25: Alpha MC & Pigeon John with Black Sun Heir, Asad III and Paper Slang.

Walt Disney Concert Hall 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7211 or musiccenter.org.

April 25, 8 p.m.: Gracias a La Vida pays tribute to Chilean folk legend Violeta Parra with some of her talented countrymen.

April 26, 7:30 p.m.: Jazz lady Esperanza Spalding takes her turn up on stage.

THEATER, OPERA & DANCE Bob Baker’s Something to Crow About Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., (213) 2509995 or bobbakermarionettes.com.

April 25-26, 2:30 p.m.: The puppets are getting downright agrarian as Bob Baker’s marionettes sojourn into the American heartland in Something to Crow About.

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

April 23-25, 8 p.m., April 26, 3 p.m.: Poetry, dance and beat boxing tell the story of the night in 1998 when Riverside Police Department officers shot a 19-year-old girl 12 times. Through May 17.

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

April 24, 7 p.m., April 25, 3 and 7 p.m., April 26, 3 p.m.: Teatro Luna, Chicago’s all-Latina theater troupe, offers up a frank assessment of the ways in which technology has affected dating and sex. Audience members are asked to kindly refrain from Tindering during the show. Through May 17.

Hercules Vs. Vampires Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 9727211 or laopera.org.

April 23, 8 p.m., April 25, 7 and 10 p.m. and April 26, 2 p.m.:

20% OFF

A 1961 cult-classic horror film finds itself reimagined as an opera.

Go figure.

Immediate Family Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7211 or musiccenter.org.

April 22-25, 8 p.m. and April 26, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: Phylicia Rashad directs this comedic tale of family dysfunction complete with all the trappings of 21st century farce.

L.A. Views: At Your Service Company of Angels at The Hayward, 206 W. Sixth St. or companyofangels.org.

April 24-25, 8 p.m. and April 26, 7 p.m.: The service industry is the core concept and unifying narrative behind this program of short plays from up-and-coming Los Angeles-based playwrights.

Through May 17.

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

April 23-25, 8:30 p.m. and April 26, 7 p.m.: New Orleans proto-jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton (who happens to be buried in

East L.A.) penned the original gory genre gem “The Murder Ballad,” which the Poor Dog Group will be interpreting on the stage.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-7211 or musiccenter.org.

April 21-24, 8 p.m., April 25, 2 and 8 p.m., April 26, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: Fran Drescher stars in this staging of the classic fairytale about romance, social status and evil stepsisters. Through April 26.

She Kills Monsters Loft Ensemble, 929 E. Second St., (213) 680-0392 or loftensemble.org.

April 25, 8 p.m. and April 26, 7 p.m.: Role playing games get the theatrical treatment in this satirical journey through the heart of the absurd and fictional heroic quest. Through May 3.

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

Continued on next page

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26 Downtown News Continued from previous page April 21, 9 p.m.: Every Tuesday this irreverent stand-up comedy cavalcade takes up residence at the Downtown Independent.

CLASSICAL MUSIC Monday, April 20 Los Angeles Youth Orchestra: Two Symphonies and the Stars Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or

LAST WEEKS ANSWERS

CROSSWORD

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS colburnschool.edu.

7:30 p.m.: Russell Steinberg leads the L.A. Youth Orchestra in pieces from Tchaikovsky, Haydn, Saint-Saens and Mussorgsky.

Tuesday, April 21 Piano Spheres Presents Gloria Cheng Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or colburnschool.edu.

8 p.m.: The ivory-centric music program continues with a variety of contemporary piano pieces entitled “Lyric/Modern.”

Thursday, April 23 Baroque Conversations 4 Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or colburnschool.edu.

7 p.m.: The L.A. Chamber Orchestra presents Dutch-Russian pianist Daria van den Bercken as she performs four lesser-known pieces from Handel.

Friday, April 24 Colburn Orchestra with Salonen Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 9727211 or musiccenter.org.

7 p.m.: The folks from across Grand Avenue walk over to Disney Hall to obey the magic wand of Esa-Pekka Salonen as it leads them through two works from Stravinsky including The Firebird.

Saturday, April 25 Peter and The Wolf Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 9727211 or musiccenter.org.

11 a.m.: The good folks at the Toyota Symphonies For Youth make sure a few more childhoods are blessed with this iconic gateway drug to classical music.

Sunday, April 26 Dilijan Chamber Music Concert Series Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or

April 20, 2015

colburnschool.edu.

3 p.m.: A tight-knit crew of musicians take on Mozart, Ashot Zohrabian and Martin Ulikhanian.

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

April 20-23: In The Living, a fella named Teddy awakes from an alcohol-induced blackout to find that he has beaten his wife, Molly. Those on first dates might want to consider another option.

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

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

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

Experience the gripping story full of hope, crushing disappointment and triumph in Hubble 3D. Los Angeles Theatre 615 S. Broadway, (213) 629-2939 or cinespia.org.

April 25, 7 p.m.: The travails of the Genco Pura Olive Oil Company receive a lucid cinematic treatment in little known cult classic The Godfather.

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

April 20, 8:30 p.m.: Intertwined narratives of Colonialism and the American dream weave the narrative of Perfumed Nightmare.

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

movies.

Check website for schedule.

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

April 24, 7:30 p.m.: Lo-fi, low-budget, low-class surf film Nix Nic Nooley.

MORE LISTINGS Hundreds of listings of fun and interesting things to do in Downtown Los Angeles can also be found online at ladowntownnews. com/calendar: Rock, Pop & Jazz; Bars & Clubs; Farmers Markets; Events; Film; Sports; Art Spaces; Theater, Dance and Opera; Classical Music; Museums; and Tours.

2

EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT YOUR

EVENT INFO

4 WEB: LADowntownNews.com/calendar 4 EMAIL: Calendar@DowntownNews.com

Email: Send a brief description, street address and public phone number. Submissions must be received 10 days prior to publication date to be considered for print.

April 20, 2015

DT

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Downtown News 27

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

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.

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circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon

distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles

Bill Cooper distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Gustavo Bonilla Fully furnished with TV, Bill Castillo, Cooper telephone, microwave, 213.598.7555 213.598.7555 TheLoftExpertGroup.com

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clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Yoji Cole, Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez

Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin

circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon is your teen experiencing: distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles • School problems? distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla • Conflict at home or with friends?

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adolescent support ©2015 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc.now All rights reserved. group forming The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles ages 13-17 every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los and is distributed Angeles. low fee

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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 twitter: DowntownNews

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• 5 minutes from shopping DowntownNews • 9 miles from downtown ©2015 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown Albuquerque News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

• 8817 4th Street, NW 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.

distributioN May 23-30 at Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club, 2 Bedroom unit MANAGEr: Salvador For Ingles appointment call Alex Sanchez distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, with full kitchen sleeps 8. copy per person.

Gustavo Bonilla 505.898.3934 orOne cell 505.362.6488 Almost sold out at $577 per night on Marriott.com, reserve now for $3000 with free parking registered as my guest.

One of the few remaining property of this size in the North Valley Call Chip 760-608-3054 text or email mhollo5177@aol.com

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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

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ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie sENior writEr: Eddie Kim stAFF writEr: Donna Evans 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: Yoji Cole, Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

©2015 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.

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

28 Downtown News

April 20, 2015

project, 5

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!

It’s our business to make you comfortable... at home, downtown. Corporate and long term residency Call Now Fo is accommodated in high style at the Towers Apartments. Contemporary singles, studio, one r bedroom and two bedroom apartment homes provide fortunate residents with a courteous full service lobby attendant, heated pool, spa, complete fitness center, sauna and recreation room Move-In Spec with kitchen. Beautiful views extend from the Towers’ lofty homes in the sky. Mountain vistas and ial slender skyscrapers provide an incredible back drop to complement your decor. Far below are a host of businesses s ready to support your pampered downtown lifestyle. With spectacular cultural events nearby, even the most demanding tastes are satisfied. Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore. Visit the Towers Apartments today.

E

at xci Gr ti A 255 South Grand Avenue an ng sk A dT ow Ne bou Leasing Information er w t O Co 213 229 9777 m Re ur ing n Su ova Apartment Amenities: Community Amenities: m m tio ~ Refrigerator, Stove, ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby er Microwave & Dishwasher ~ Concierge 20 n 15 (most units) ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas

Grand Tower

~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

~ Central Air Conditioning & Heating ~ Balconies (most units)

On-site: ~ Dry Cleaners / Dental Office / Restaurants

Gensler show sparkling, angular towers with sleek lines and broad swaths of glass. The towers are connected by an eightstory podium with parking and outdoor amenities, such as green space and pools. Additional amenities would be built on the towers’ rooftops.

A large public plaza along Figueroa Street would draw pedestrians into the main retail entrance. The company intends to attract upscale and boutique retailers, as well as restaurants, Hui said.

“Chinese people love shopping. So one of the first things you hear from visitors is, ‘Oh, I want to go to Downtown to shop.’ But we tell them, there’s not really shopping in Downtown right now,” Sun said with a laugh. “In Asia, most retail is in the city center.”

It is unclear who will operate the 30-story hotel. Hazens signed a five-year contract with Luxe in August, but officials declined to comment on whether Luxe would run the new property. In general, Hazens is aiming to secure a “five-star” luxury hotel brand, Hui said.

The development follows the February 2014 groundbreaking of Shanghai-based Greenland’s four-tower Metropolis megaproject, just north of L.A. Live at Eighth and Francisco streets, and Beijing-based Oceanwide starting work on its three-building Oceanwide Plaza, across from Staples Center, last December.

“You have to credit Greenland for blazing the trail and cultivating an area that felt ripe,” Neuman said.

The ongoing influx of major projects in and around South Park is a source of optimism for Jessica Lall, executive director of the South Park Business Improvement District. The organization has been working with Hazens since it acquired the site last year. She said one key goal is to make the development pedestrian-friendly.

“We want to make sure that there are paseos or through-areas that integrate with residential on the east side of the project,” she said. “We don’t want a mega-block, where you have to go around the entire block to get to the other side.”

Those details will continue to be refined amid a still-fluid planning and design phase. eddie@downtownnews.com

Promenade Towers

123 South Figueroa Street Leasing Information 213 617 3777 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Pool / Spa / BBQ Grills ~ Fitness Center ~ Covered Parking

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

On-Site: ~ Convenience Store / Beauty Salon

museum Tower

225 South Olive Street Leasing Information 213 626 1500 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove, Microwave & Dish washer (most units) ~ Central Air & Heating ~ Balconies (most units)

8 7 7 - 2 65 - 714 6

TOWERS T H E

A PA RT M E N T S

www.TowersApartmentsLA.com MAID SERVICE • FURNITURE • HOUSEWARES • CABLE • UTILITIES • PARKING

RESIDENCES: SINGLES • STUDIO • ONE BEDROOM • TWO BEDROOM

AroUND toWN, 2 Fashion District Offices Could Become Lofts

T

he residential renaissance in Downtown has motivated countless building owners to convert their properties to housing. Even the largely commercial Fashion District is seeing action, with a plan to turn a three-story structure into live/work lofts. Owner Abraham Yadegaran is pursuing plans to create 10 apartments in the edifice at 933 S. Wall St., which currently features street-level retail and offices above, according to documents filed with the Department of City Planning. The units would range from 4451,900 square feet. The plan takes advantage of the city’s Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, a policy introduced in 1999 that streamlined permitting and requirements for residential conversions of older buildings. No budget or timeline has been revealed.

CVS Coming to Eighth and Grand

A

parking lot at Eighth Street and Grand Avenue is poised to become a four-story parking structure with a CVS on the ground floor. The property at 800 S. Grand Ave. is owned by an entity using the name LR 812, which has submitted an application with the Department of City Planning to erect the 174-space parking structure and a 15,000-square-foot CVS, said project representative Margaret Taylor. The application is for a 24-hour store with sales of beer, wine and spirits from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. The owners believe the convenience store with a pharmacy is needed given the number of residential buildings rising in the neighborhood, Taylor said. Across the street from the planned CVS is the under-construction 700-apartment complex from Carmel Partners, which will contain a 42,000-square-foot Whole Foods. Also nearby is the 22-story luxury residential building 8th + Hope.