05-02-16 by Los Angeles Downtown News

Moth er Knows Best

Local Moms Offer Tips on How to Raise a Family in Downtown

OF DTLA

Downtown Mom Claudia Murillo and her son Gael.

A Giant Skid Row Drug Bust : 5 to Be Mayor

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Brought to you by

Your furry (or not so furry) friend could be Downtown’s PET OF THE YEAR

PRIZES: Your pet’s photo on the cover of the May 16 DTNEWS, a $100 gift card to Patina Group and a fantastic gift package from Pussy and Pooch and more!

For submission details, see page 7

THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN L.A. SINCE 1972

photo by Gary Leonard

BEST16 OF DTLA

SEE PAGE 9

MAY 2, 2016 I VOL. 45 I #18

2 Downtown News

AROUND TOWN

How Cute Is Your Dog? (Or Cat. Or Iguana)

owntowners not only love their pets, they love to talk about and show off their animal companions. Now Los Angeles Downtown News is offering area pet owners that opportunity, along with the chance to win some cool prizes. We’re launching the inaugural Cutest Critter Contest, and it is open not only to dogs, but also to cats, birds, fish, snakes, spiders, ferrets and any other animal. The owner must reside or work in Downtown Los Angeles. The best part? The winning pet will appear on the cover of the May 16 issue of Downtown News, and the human companion will get a $100 gift card to Patina Group and a gift package from Pussy & Pooch. There are also gift cards and packages for second and third place. To enter, email a high-resolution photo of your animal, along with your name, phone number and your pet’s name, to contests@downtownnews.com (put “Cutest Critter” on the subject line). The winner will be selected by

BEST16 OF DTLA OF DTLA

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS staff members of Downtown News and our contest partner, The Bloc, and we’re looking for pictures that are lively and show off your pet’s personality (in other words, let the sleeping dog lie and take a picture when he or she is having fun). Entries are due by Tuesday, May 10, at 5 p.m.

May 2, 2016

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Convention Center Bookings Up 30%

ity leaders are considering a major renovation of South Park’s Los Angeles Convention Center. While that could be a year or more away, the complex just completed a strong year. LACC officials recently announced that the Convention Center has booked 30 major conventions for 2016, a 30% jump from last year. New gatherings include the Mary Kay Annual Leadership Conference, the American Heart Association’s International Stroke Conference and WonderCon. The surge in business in the complex now managed by Anschutz Entertainment Group is estimated to fetch the city $7.5 million in rental fees, up from about $5.5 million last year. Annual attendance is also expected to jump 22% over last year, according to LACC representatives. Meanwhile, the city is reviewing two alternatives for the overhaul of the aging complex, which could cost upwards of $470 million. One

Wilshire Grand

69th Floor

Mayor Eric Garcetti

path would use a private-sector partnership with an added emphasis on building housing, retail and commercial space on the site; the other would utilize traditional municipal financing to renovate the center, without any of the additional mixed-use elements.

Check Out This Year’s Nominees

April 24, 2016

Broad Museum Adopts Monthly Ticketing System

he $140 million Grand Avenue museum The Broad has earned a reputation not just for its Continued on page 20

SEE PAGES 15 – 17

May 2, 2016

Downtown News 3

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Real People, Real Stories

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I went to Felix Chevrolet because a friend of mine told me to look at a Chevy. I was originally looking at a different make of SUV. I am so happy with my Trax purchase! Thank you, Felix Chevrolet!

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer

4 Downtown News

EDITORIALS

ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison ASSISTANT ARTTWITTER: DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

May 2, 2016

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

One copy per person.

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

Don’t Forget the Neighborhood Council Election

n several occasions in the past this page has urged Downtown residents to vote. That included the March 2015 City Council election, on the premise that high turnout would demonstrate the importance of the community, and that the officeholder would be forced to respond to the area’s needs and demands. This week there is another election, and it would be easy to ignore. That would be a mistake. All Downtown stakeholders, and not just the residents, should cast a ballot in the election for the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. Voting takes place from noon to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, at the Central Library at 630 W. Fifth St. For the uninitiated, DLANC, like all neighborhood councils, is a body made up of volunteers who want S I N C E 19 7 2 to play an active part in the future of their community. Los Angeles Downtown News Although the panel is only advisory and has no official 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026as an important governing role, DLANC has emerged phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 institution, particularly on matters of development. web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com People pushing projects and seeking liquor licenses regularly appear before DLANC, and often its Planning facebook: twitter: L.A.Use Downtown News hoping to garner DowntownNews and Land Committee, its support. Developers tend to recognize that it is easier to secure governmental backing if they already have the approvEDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris al of community members. It works the other way, too: GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin If a neighborhood council opposes a project, elected EXECUTIVE leaders andEDITOR: othersJon inRegardie government are going to ask why. SENIOR All 24WRITER: DLANCEddie seatsKim are open, and terms are for two STAFFCandidate WRITER: Nicholas years. bios Slayton and other information are availCONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese able through empowerla.org/elections. WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer CONTRIBUTING As with all elected positions, accountability for neighborhood council members increases when more ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison ASSISTANT ARTThe DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa people vote. asterisk here is that it is not only Downtown residents who get to cast a ballot. Anyone PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard who lives, works or owns property in the area and is at ACCOUNTING: AshleyaSchmidt least 16 can have say. CLASSIFIED Those who have already registered have a unique ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway opportunity to voteCatherine online at the above address ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez through May 3. Yet people who have not yet registered can do so at the library on election day. In other words, CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon it’s easy to be involved. DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles turnout in Los Angeles has been abys DISTRIBUTION Election day ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla mal in recent years, and those who already plan to ©2016 Center News, for Inc. Los Downtown primary News is a trademark go the Civic polls in June theAngeles presidential may of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved. not want to vote this week. We understand the sentiThe Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles ment, but thisevery is aMonday participatory democracy, evenofwhen and is distributed throughout the offices and residences Downtown Los Angeles. choosing neighborhood representatives. Show up at Onelibrary copy peron person. the Thursday and vote.

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris

GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim

STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard

Los Angeles Downtown News 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com facebook: L.A. Downtown News

twitter: DowntownNews

facebook: L.A. Downtown News

ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles

DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

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

Another Case of Homeless Patient ‘Dumping’

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris

n April 21, City Attorney Mike FeuerMANAGER: announced that GENERAL Dawn Eastin The Good Samaritan incident, which Feuer said took place in December 2014, involved a homeless patient who arrived at the Good Samaritan Hospital in City West had settled an alleged case of homeless patient “dumping.” Though EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie hospital with a foot infection. After being treated he was given a bus token and sent on his way, with no plan for follow-up treathospital officials denied wrongdoing, andWRITER: said they chose SENIOR Eddie Kimto settle rather than endure protracted litigation, agreed to ment, according to the city attorney’s office. He wound up in STAFF WRITER:they Nicholas Slayton Echo Park and the infection subsequently worsened. The man, pay $450,000 in fines and donations to providersEDITOR: of homeless CONTRIBUTING Kathryn Maese whose toCbeE taken support services. SIN 19 7 to 2 another CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg identity Fischer was not revealed, had hospital for additional care. He is believed to still be homeless. It was a surprise to many people who know Good SamariLos Angeles Downtown News has since adopted a discharge Feuer said Good Samaritan tan for its positive role and reputation in Downtown AnART DIRECTOR: BrianLos Allison 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 protocol that his office has been trying to get hospitals throughgeles, including its annual BlessingASSISTANT of the Bicycles event. Yumi Kanegawa phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 ART DIRECTOR: out the city to institute, one that seeks to ensure that homeless Feuer himself called Good Samaritan “a highly respected hosweb: DowntownNews.com “warm handoff” and that has an pital in our region.” email:a realpeople@downtownnews.com PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard patients get what he termed after-care program. It’s the right approach. That said, the allegation and settlement speak to the need for facebook:pursue and pros We hope Feuer continues to aggressively all hospitals to ensure that homelessACCOUNTING: patients are Ashley treatedSchmidt with L.A. Downtown News ecute patient dumping — suspected cases can be reported to the highest level of care. Dealing with individuals who suffer CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway a hotline at (213) 978-8340 — with the goal that the fines and from mental illness or substance abuse or even those who have twitter: EXECUTIVES: Catherine DowntownNews public shaming will eventually lead to a halt of the practice. So no permanent shelter poses unique ACCOUNT challenges for doctors and Holloway, Stevens, Michael Lamb far four hospitals have settled cases, paying a total of $1.9 miladministrators, but that’s no excuse. Brenda These are among the most ©2016 none Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles lion (as with Good Samaritan, admitted wrongdoing). vulnerable people in society. Even if SALES it takesASSISTANT: extra timeClaudia and at-Hernandez Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Feuer’s office has sued a Inc. fifth hospital for alleged patient dumptention, the onus is on the hospital to ensure that the patient All rights reserved. The for Los October. Angeles Downtown News is the must-read ing and a trial is scheduled has an after-care plan and the opportunity to implement it. CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon for Downtown Los Angeles and is disIt goes without sayingnewspaper that patient dumping should not hap We have seen more egregious cases of patient dumping DISTRIBUTION MANAGER:in Salvador Ingles tributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Losor Angeles. pen in our society, yet each new settlement lawsuit reminds the past, including shocking instances in which hospitals were DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, it continues. We hope Feuer keeps accused of driving patients, sometimes still inBonilla hospital gowns, to us of the grim reality thatOne copy per person. Gustavo swinging the hammer at the offenders. Skid Row and then leaving them on a corner.

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin

S I N C E 19 7 2

S I N C E 19 7 2 Los Angeles Downtown News 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 web: DowntownNews.com email: realpeople@downtownnews.com

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

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

One copy per person.

May 2, 2016

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Nineteen Arrested in Skid Row Drug Ring Crackdown Multi-Agency Investigation Leads to Seizure of Weapons, Narcotics and $1.8 Million in Cash By Nicholas Slayton os Angeles police and other law enforcement and city officials last week touted a major action that resulted in the arrest of 19 individuals, including a top player, in a Skid Row drug ring. Whether the bust, which was the result of a year-long investigation from a coalition of entities, has any long-term impact on narcotics sales in the community remains to be seen. Twenty warrants were secured and a series of raids was conducted in the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 27. The following afternoon, at a press conference in the Police Administration Building in Downtown Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck showed off photographs of some of the contraband that was seized, including stacks of cash and bags of heroin and cocaine. The bust netted Derrick Turner, 48, whom Beck described as a top member of the trafficking organization. Turner, who was arrested at his home in Cerritos, had been involved in the Downtown drug trade for more than 30 years, Garcetti and Beck said. Turner is associated with criminal street gangs and was commonly seen in Downtown in surveillance tapes. Garcetti and Beck did not identify any of the others who were arrested, but said that they were in the “upper echelon” of the drug

operation. Those arrested were charged with a variety of crimes, including felony possession of narcotics for sale, receiving the proceeds of drug sales, and conspiracy. “As of today we have taken down the majority of that organization and have identified the remainder and have indictments of an additional 10 people who have not yet been arrested,” Beck said, adding that he expects those individuals to be captured soon. The investigation began in March 2015, and the LAPD worked with agencies including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, DEA, IRS, U.S. Marshals Service and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. The operation involved wiretaps, surveillance and the use of undercover officers. During the course of the raids, which took place across Los Angeles County, authorities seized more than 28 pounds of cocaine, 22 pounds of methamphetamines, 20 pounds of heroin and nine guns. Authorities also retrieved $1.8 million they believe was used in drug sales, including $600,000 in $1 bills. Beck said some of the money was secured in raids leading up to Wednesday’s mass arrests. Deon Joseph, an LAPD senior lead officer who has patrolled Skid Row for 17 years, said

The LAPD last week showed off pictures of the money and drugs seized when 19 members of a Skid Row narcotics team were arrested.

photo by Gary Leonard

that the amount of single dollars seized revealed how dealers capitalize on the Skid Row drug market, where buyers often have only small amounts of cash. The bust of a major drug operation raises the question of whether other dealers will try to fill the void. Garcetti said police will increase their presence in Skid Row in the effort to prevent that from happening. He stressed that the goal with the operations was to target suppliers, not buyers. The move comes as city and county officials try to respond to an overwhelming homelessness crisis that is no longer confined to Skid Row. “The effort was part of our ongoing effort to prioritize Skid Row and areas of town where people have turned their heads from for too long,” Garcetti said. Fourteenth District City Councilman José

Huizar urged further action to help get homeless people off the streets and treatment for those suffering from addiction. “Drug dealers are preying on Skid Row residents one dollar at a time — each one of those dollar bills confiscated represent 600,000 instances of real heartbreak, real anguish and real pain,” Huizar said in a prepared statement. The mood in Skid Row has changed noticeably in the wake of the arrests, according to Joseph. He said people expressed relief and gratitude during his patrol, with individuals coming up to him to thank the LAPD for the arrests. Beck said that the arrests and the drug ring were not directly connected to a recent series of more than a dozen overdoses on Skid Row tied to the synthetic drug known as spice. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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6 Downtown News

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

May 2, 2016

Inside Michael Ferro’s Secret Content Monetization Engine A Totally Invented Sneak Peek at the Plan to Revolutionize Tribune Publishing By Jon Regardie he strategic plan also includes a “content monetization engine” that will use artificial intelligence to redistribute Tribune Publishing content to multiple destinations and market the content in a way “we think will revolutionize our content strategy,” [Tribune Publishing Chairman Michael] Ferro said. “We think it’ll be a rockstar business” that can “create more revenue… than you’ve ever seen.” That module will also be unveiled May 4, he said. —Los Angeles Times, April 27

Hello. My name is Michael “The Revolution” Ferro. That’s F-E-R-R-O, as in, “Did you see how I gained control of Tribune Publishing with $44 million and a FERROcious attitude.” I’d like to welcome you all to the May 4 unveiling of our Content Monetization Engine.

THE REGARDIE REPORT Some of you are saying, “Michael, you handsome devil with unparalleled business acumen, what is the Content Monetization Engine? And how are you going to stop the evil Gannett company from spending $815 million to steal Tribune Publishing before you have helped it realize its full potential?” Those are great questions. I’m glad you asked. Let me start with the CME. I have been revolutionizing content strategy for decades. Putting milk in boxes instead

of bottles? That was me, even if it first occurred before I was born. Drip irrigation? I came up with that. In 1972 I revolutionized TV content strategically by inventing Home Box Office. Gogurt was my idea. After all, what’s more revolutionary than putting yogurt in a tube? But I digress. You want to know the secret component of the CME or, as we call it in FERROvian, the module. The primary component of the CME is dragon’s breath. Preposterous, you say — there is no such thing as dragons. I understand your limited mindset, but I didn’t get to be the most powerful man in Tribune Publishing and get Oscar tickets by thinking small. There’s a good reason no one has ever seen a dragon: It’s because I own them all. Even the ones in “Game of Thrones.” I found two dragons in the Chicago Science Museum while on a field trip as a child. They have mated successfully and today I have 101 of them. I have a team of artificially intelligent robots that train the creatures. The dragons’ favorite food is CEOs, and I help by first chewing up the CEOs. Why, just the other month I fed them former Tribune Publishing CEO Jack Griffin. The dragons complained that he tasted bitter. At night, when no one is watching, I go to my aviary and get some breath from my most impressive dragon, whose name is Latimes, and who when he is dreaming looks like a sleeping giant worth $1 billion. I place his

Tribune Publishing Chairman Michael Ferro thinks the Los Angeles Times is a “sleeping giant.”

photo by Gary Leonard

breath in a gilded box and fly to either Eastasia or Eurasia, both of which I took over after investing $44 million. Dragon’s breath alone doth not a Content Monetization Engine make, which is why I also use angels’ wings, a unicorn’s horn, yeti fur and a double dose of P.T. Barnum’s immortal soul. I

mix it all together with a left-handed monkey wrench and the brush Tom Sawyer used when he let all the neighborhood children pay him to whitewash the picket fence. Wow, you all must be saying, so this is where you all go, “Wow!” Say it. SAY IT! I thought you would be impressed.

May 2, 2016 By the way, did you realize that Ferro sounds like “pharaoh,” as in the dudes who ruled Egypt? Pharaoh. FERRO. Impressive, huh? But how does the CME work, you ask? It’s simple. I take the dragon’s breath, the unicorn horn, etc., which is also known as the content, and I insert it into the engine. I give a speech, take over a corporate board or two and toss an unsuspecting CEO to the dragons. By the time I’m done, it’s all monetized! We wind up with more revenue than you have ever seen! What could be easier? I know some are skeptical about my plans for Tribune Publishing, which in addition to the Los Angeles Times includes Allentown’s Morning Call, the Hartford Courant and some newspaper in Chicago. How can these publications thrive, you ask, at a time of declining and aging readership and an advertising model more suited to the Titanic era? The answer, again, is simple when you think like I do: artificial intelligence. Did you ever watch the Terminator movies, where machines become self-aware and rebel and fight the humans? My system works like that, but instead of letting the machines battle people, we have them help Tribune Publishing. I mean, duh? All I have to do is secure the artificial intelligence machines with Wonder Woman’s Golden Lasso. I then use this artificial intelligence to distribute Tribune Publishing content to multiple destinations. This doesn’t just mean people’s doorsteps and smartphones, but with AI I can also get the content in between hamburger buns, on the flanks of a pony racing at Churchill Downs and on the gravestones of all the CEOs I have trampled. I am also working on a plan to have Tribune Publishing content infused into expectant mothers’ umbilical cords, which will lead to smarter babies and more revenue than you have ever seen. By the way, did you realize that Ferro sounds like the first part of pheromone? If you wonder why my ideas sound so attractive, this is part of the reason. But not all of it. My ideas really are attractive, just ask the Tribune Publishing board. Pher-

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Downtown’s Best Friend Photo Contest Partner:

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Your furry (or not so furry) friend could be Downtown’s PET OF THE YEAR Downtown News’ 2016 Inaugural Cutest Critter Contest is dedicated to all things animal, from four-legged friends to birds and other wildlife. Show us your best shot. Eligibility: You must live or work in Downtown Los Angeles.

GRAND PRIZE:

• Your pet’s photo on the cover of the May 16 DTNEWS, a $100 gift card to Patina Group restaurants and a fantastic gift package from Pussy and Pooch.

2ND & 3RD PLACE:

• Each will receive a $50 gift card to Patina Group restaurants and a gift package to Pussy and Pooch.

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omone. FERROmone. Impressive, huh? Are there challenges? Yes, and they come in the form of the icky blicky media company Gannett. If you want to think of them as the Evil Empire, feel free. When asked about Gannett’s bid for Tribune Publishing, I told the Los Angeles Times, “they’re trying to steal the company, bum-rush us.” After I made that comment, 1987 called and asked for its phrase back. What 1987 forgot is that I revolutionized musical content then by writing most of the material on pioneering rap group Public Enemy’s debut album Yo! Bum Rush the Show. I knew Chuck D and Flava-Flav back in the day. I gave Flava the idea for wearing the clock around his neck. Public Enemy. FERRO. Impressive, huh? What I’m saying is, Gannett’s offer of $12.25 a share for stock that was hovering around $7 or $8 for months is a bad deal because it’s a bad deal. What we need is a good deal and a Content Monetization System that, in a revolutionary manner, utilizes artificial intelligence to create more revenue than you have ever seen. There’s another reason my plan for Tribune Publishing is better than all others: Rock stars! When I say we can make this a rock star business, I’m thinking in revolutionary terms, with plans to bring to the board and the company figures such as Billy Joel, Billy Idol, Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day, Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins and Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. I think we can all agree that is a surefire path to create more revenue than anyone has ever seen. This is only phase one. Phase two is rock stars named Michael. Some people may say that this speech delivers only a sliver of my overall goal and strategy for Tribune Publishing, that it offers just a small and out-of-context portion of my vision. To that, I say that my name is Michael FERRO, and as Daniel Day-Lewis said in There Will Be Blood, I drink your milkshake. I drank Jack Grffin’s milkshake and I’ll drink Gannett’s milkshake too. Milkshake. Revolution. FERRO. Impressive, huh? regardie@downtownnews.com

CONTEST

n for a

DTLA’S

The Lon Big Pla

2016 MARCH 7,

Downtown News 7

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

HOW TO ENTER Entry Deadline: Tuesday, May 10 @ 5 p.m. Email your high resolution photo, your name, phone number and pet’s name to

contests@downtownnews.com (subject line: Cutest Critter) or mail to

1264 W. First St., Los Angeles CA 90026

One entry per person. All or part of the submissions may be published in our May 16 issue or online and become the property of the L.A. Downtown News.

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

8 Downtown News

May 2, 2016

cLaSSIc FILMS in HISTorIc venueS

Featuring the Movie Palaces of Downtown’s Broadway Historic Theatre District

Los Angeles Conservancy

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June 2016

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Saturday, June 4, 2pm & 8pm

wedneSday, June 8, 8pm

Saturday, June 11, 8pm

wedneSday, June 15, 8pm

Top Gun (1986)

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

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Conservancy members at the $500 and above level are invited to the opening night reception and receive a pair of reserved seats on opening night. Please call (213) 430-4204 to join or upgrade your membership. series supportinG sponsor

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May 2, 2016

Downtown News 9

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Feasting With Mom

CELEBRATE MOM

Eight Options for a Meal, Sweets, Tea and More on Mother’s Day

A Mom’s Eye View Of Downtown

hen Mother’s Day arrived in 2000, a lot of people drove Downtown to take their mom to a nice meal. The same thing happens in 2016, though there’s a notable difference: Instead of driving, a lot of these families walk to that nice brunch, lunch or dinner. Yes, a lot has changed in 16 years, including Downtown Los Angeles becoming a place that is welcoming to families. With each passing year more people with children are moving Downtown, and longtime residents are having kids and electing to stay in the Central City. Raising a family here poses unique challenges not found in suburbia. Fortunately, the Downtown mom brigade has plenty of ideas and options to make it work. In honor of Mother’s Day, which arrives on Sunday, May 8, Los Angeles Downtown News has asked a couple of local moms about their experience raising a family in Downtown. They wrote about their discoveries and hurdles, as well as the opportunities and joys they find with city living. Turn the page to see what have to say. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in Downtown.

Redbird remains a Downtown standout for its photogenic dining room and elegant menu. It is offering a $62, three-course brunch on Mother’s Day.

photo by Gary Leonard

By Eddie Kim other’s Day is a relatively young holiday, as the modern American celebration was only born in 1908. In the past 108 years the day has become a cultural touchstone, and for good reason, considering

everything moms do for their kids. A bouquet of flowers is a fine way to show gratitude for all those times Mom helped you with your schoolwork, cooked you a meal and gave sage but brutally honest life advice. But for many, nothing beats a beautiful dining ex-

perience. Luckily, Downtown Los Angeles has plenty of those. Below are eight options for Sunday, May 8. Think of it as a starting point, not an exclusive list. There’s one other piece of advice any mom would give: Make a reservation. Opulent Digs: The Millennium Biltmore Hotel is one of Downtown’s most beautiful and ornate structures, and that extends to the Crystal Ballroom, where the hotel is hosting its Mother’s Day brunch buffet. The $62 meal offers a huge selection with specialties such as roast prime rib, baked Scottish salmon, scallop ceviche, an egg station, salads, desserts and more. The Biltmore will also be pouring unlimited sparkling wine for those who want a Sunday afternoon buzz. Brunch runs from 11 a.m.3 p.m. Those who would rather relax over a pot of tea can enjoy the hotel’s traditional afternoon tea service from 2-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It’s $45 and guests choose from nine different teas. The service includes a glass of prosecco and bites like deviled-egg-and-caviar sandwiches and coconut panna cotta. At 506 S. Grand Ave., (213) 624-1011 or millenniumhotels.com. Flight of Fancy: Chef Neal Fraser’s Redbird is one of Downtown’s best restaurants, and is offering a three-course brunch menu on Mother’s Day for $62. Fraser has whipped up 15 choices for the meal, with highlights including smoked trout with caviar and rye bread crisps, a lobster omelet with Gruyere cheese and asparagus, and cavatelli pasta with rabbit sausage and wild mushrooms. There’s a sweet finContinued on page 10

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10 Downtown News

May 2, 2016

CELEBRATE MOM

Navigating a Wonderful Jungle International Cuisine, Nearby Friends and Never-Ending Options Make Downtown Right for One Family By Claudia Murillo y husband and I moved to Downtown Los Angeles in 2008. As native Angelenos we were familiar with Downtown and understood what we were signing up for when we closed the deal on a 700-square-foot loft in the Industrial District. Downtown was rough and somewhat sobering. Yet it also had an exciting energy, like something great was destined for this community that many deemed non-livable. It was the height of the recession, but we thought Downtown was a true diamond in the rough. When we bought our home we were newlyweds, and “family friendly” was the furthest thing from our mind. Six years later, however, I gave birth to our new roommate, Gael. We loved living in Downtown before Gael, and we love it just as much a year-and-a-half later. Sure, there are a few serious drawbacks. For example, our regular stroller outings sometimes include walking past some of the worst living conditions that a human can be subjected to. This kind of environment is not for everyone, but it works for us. I think there are so many more positives than most people give Downtown L.A. credit for. For one, the amount of nearby family-friendly community events is never-ending. We enjoy festivals in Little Tokyo, parades in Chinatown, weeknight farmers markets in the Arts District, free concerts at California Plaza and FIGat7th, trick-ortreating at FIDM, pop-up markets at Grand Central Market, Dia de Los Muertos at the Olvera Street Plaza, Science Day at the Central Library and outdoor dance parties at the Music Center. Then there is the time of year when my front yard, which happens to be a street, literally turns into a giant bicycle brigade

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thanks to CicLAvia. One of our most frequent family destinations is Grand Park. We take in daytime summer concerts, nighttime movies, book festivals, artisan markets, picnics, the playground and a splash fountain that on hot days lures scores of kids and parents. This may shock Westsiders, but it’s just not possible to have a family and be bored in Downtown! When we aren’t at a local event, you’ll find us exploring the flourishing food scene in our ’hood. Gael is quite the adventurous eater, and I can’t help but feel like part of it is due to his exposure to so many different types of food. From raw, vegan eateries such as The Springs or Café Gratitude to Southeast Asian kitchens like Simbal to street taco stands, he has tried and loved it all. Some of his favorite dishes are the muesli at Blacktop Coffee, the charcoal-roasted chicken with tamarind dipping sauce at Pok Pok, the whole-grilled branzino at Bottega Louie, and the pork belly chashu hash skillet at Jist Café. Though Gael is only 20 months, he is no stranger to the dinner party. As Downtown residents you quickly learn that when your friends live blocks away, or even in the same building, impromptu family-style dinners frequently happen. Oftentimes Gael is the only attendee under 30. He meets and interacts with so many different people, and I’m thrilled that he’s able to grow up with these experiences. There’s another huge benefit to being a parent in a community where friends are in such close proximity: mama time! Being a mom is hard and it takes a lot of effort to maintain that sense of self. With so many of my girlfriends living in Downtown, getting in some much needed “me” time is so much easier. I can have my husband watch Gael while I hang by the pool, go to the gym, or grab lunch or a casual drink

jewel in chef/owner Josef Centeno’s Old Bank District empire. The intimate restaurant is where he busts out his most ambitious tasting menus, ingredients and techniques. The kitchen will be dishing out a five-course tasting menu for $65 per person on Mother’s Day, with an optional wine pairing for an additional $45. The details of the menu weren’t available at press time, but expect some of Centeno’s precise and imaginative New American cooking; a recent dinner featured dry aged duck with a cherry blossom mostarda, citrus salad with sea urchin and roasted seaweed, and asparagus with a nettle vinaigrette. At 122 W. Fourth St., (213) 687-0300 or orsaandwinston.com.

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photo by Gary Leonard

Claudia Murillo and her son Gael, 20 months.

with my Downtown girls who are only a walk, bike or a quick Uber ride away. I have to hand it to Downtown for helping make me one happy mama. What does the future have in store for us? We aren’t quite sure. We are bound to outgrow our loft eventually. Right now though, we are happy. More importantly, Gael is thriving. He is growing up exposed to some harsh realities but also is getting a strong sense of community, one that I believe will instill in him compassion for his neighbors and the ability to adapt to the challenges that life inevitably throws at you. It’s not always easy raising a family in Downtown. That mommy-guilt kicks in when I least expect it, and I sometimes find myself questioning our decision to stay in the city. But then I remind myself this: Most kids have a backyard. Mine has a jungle. What a lucky kid Gael is!

Trip to Paris: Do you like French food? Mais oui! So head to Le Petit Paris, where mothers can indulge in a $49 three-course prixfixe brunch stuffed with plenty of Francophile classics. Start with one of nine appetizers such as the foie gras, served simply with a chutney of tropical fruits, or a plate of rich scrambled eggs perfumed by black truffle. Entrees include bistro staples like filet mignon tartare with fries, and shrimp linguine with lobster cream sauce. There’s a plot twist for dessert: It’s a full-on buffet with a French apple tart, a burbling chocolate fountain for dipping fruits and other sweets, and more. Don’t forget the $18 bottomless mimosa. At 418 S. Spring St., (213) 217-4445 or lepetitparisla.com. Under the Sea: Chaya got a revamped menu and focus under new executive chef Joji Inoue last year, and its goods are on display on Mother’s Day via a brunch buffet for $65 per person. The centerpiece is Chaya’s array of market-driven local seafood, whether prepared as sushi, cooked on the grill, served raw or featured in salads. For carnivores, there’s a prime rib station with an assortment of garnishes and sauces, and like any classic brunch buffet there’s a bougie omelet station. Waffles and a dessert station wrap up the offerings, but there are also $15 bottomless mimosas on tap. The brunch runs from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. At 525 S. Flower St., (213) 236-9755 or thechaya.com. Going Old-School: The elegant Mid-Century Modern steakhouse cool of Nick + Stef’s, which was renovated last year, makes it a

Bunker Hill gem, but it’s the satisfying, unfussy culinary chops of executive chef Andreas Roller that keeps people coming back. On Mother’s Day, Nick + Stef’s is offering a $65 three-course menu with some steakhouse classics. There’s a Caesar salad, 12-vegetable chopped salad or a seafood stew to start. Next comes surf and turf, with a medallion of roasted filet mignon and half a butterpoached lobster tail, or grilled branzino with an artichoke cream. A chilled white mousse with raspberry geleé or a rich brownie with Earl Grey-flavored chantilly cream wraps things up. At 330 S. Hope St., (213) 680-0330 or patinagroup.com. Sweet Finish: Maybe Mom’s not into spendy restaurants, or simply prefers a gift of sweet treats. That’s where chocolate and pastry maven Valerie Gordon comes in. Her Valerie Confections, located in Grand Central Market, is dishing out a number of gift sets packed with handmade chocolates, cookies and more. The $50 option includes a dark chocolate bar infused with sea salt and rose, sugar cookies, prized Blenheim apricot jam and a large tin of sencha tea. A $100 set has a similar lineup, but with the addition of a truffle assortment and cookies flavored with frosting and flower petals. A third set, also $100, replaces some of the sweets with luxe Wonder Valley olive oil, granola, a teak wood bowl and other items. All three sets are available at Grand Central Market or online. At 317 S. Broadway, (213) 621-2781 or valerieconfections.com. eddie@downtownnews.com

May 2, 2016

Downtown News 11

CELEBRATE MOM

The Downtown Circle of Life An Early Resident Knows the Secrets and Deals of the Community By Marmi Le have had a Downtown Los Angeles connection ever since I was a baby. This was back in the 1970s when Olympic Boulevard was still 10th Street and the name Bullock meant the department store on Wilshire Boulevard, and not Keanu’s costar in Speed. I grew up in Alhambra, but my dad’s first job in the United States was on San Pedro Street. My first job was in Downtown too. After the devastating arson fire at the Central Library in 1986, the collection was housed at a temporary location on Hill Street. When repairs and renovations were completed and the reopening arrived, I earned $5 an hour to load the books onto massive rolling carts and truck them back over to Fifth and Hope streets. Fast forward a quarter-century later, and I recently chaperoned my daughter Elle’s kindergarten class field trip to the Central Library. I was living in Glendale and commuting to my job at Seventh and Bixel streets in the early 2000s when I became interested in moving to Downtown. I remember reading a Los Angeles Magazine feature on cool neighborhoods that mentioned the Historic Core. I thought it looked awesome but the lofts were not for sale, and my dad always encouraged me to be a homeowner instead of renting. Luckily, I soon heard about Flower Street Lofts, the first you could buy in Downtown. At the time there was nothing in this portion of Downtown except for Staples Center and The Palm restaurant. But I was intrigued at the prospect of walking to work and having a gritty loft with exposed pipes and original concrete columns. So I sold my Glendale condo and snapped up a unit, even though people thought I was crazy. I mean, “South Park” was a TV

show, not an actual neighborhood. I am still here one husband, two kids and 13 years later. The present, with Elle, who is 5, and her 3-year-old brother, Sacha, often brings back memories of the past. When I first went ice skating at L.A. Live, back when they had an electric Christmas tree, I never imagined that one day I would be taking my daughter there to go skating together. In 2009, when my then-fiancé Alex and I celebrated Barack Obama’s inauguration broadcast on the video screens at Nokia Plaza, I had no idea that seven years later Elle would be completing an assignment for school about “If I were President…” As every parent knows, raising kids is expensive, but luckily Downtown offers many excellent options. We found a great karate class for Elle in a church in Little Tokyo that is only $35 per month. We love the playgrounds in front of FIDM and at Grand Park and Pershing Square, but there is also a secret, out-of-theway little green area Elle discovered. When at the FIGat7th mall, go to the top level and look in the back for the grassy hill. Elle and Sacha have had hours of fun rolling down it over and over. Things here are changing quickly. In the mornings, we used to take the kids to Alhambra for daycare because all the Downtown ones had long waiting lists. Now, the school bus comes right up to our door to take Sacha to pre-school in City West. Then I walk with Elle two blocks to Metro Charter Elementary School, get the train at the Pico Station and transfer to the Red Line to go to work. I used to have to drive to work and spent thousands on gas and hours in the car. Now we walk and save money and time. Downtown is also a great place to eat with kids, and one full of deals, if you know where to look. The restaurant 800 Degrees has a daily Instagram special that is half-off, so you get two piz-

Enjoy an unforgettable homegrown dining experience for breakfast, lunch & dinner.

photo by Gary Leonard

Marmi Le with her children, 5-year-old Elle and Sacha, 3.

zas for about $10. Panini Café has an amazing takeout-only, dinner-for-four special that’s $40, and you can easily get five or six meals out of it. The South Park Business Improvement District frequently hosts events that usually involve free food. Then there are the unexpected highlights of having a family in Downtown. One time Alex, baby Elle and I were having dinner at L.A. Market (now Ford’s Filling Station). At the end, a delightful plate of housemade sorbets suddenly appeared on our table even though we hadn’t ordered extra dessert. “Compliments of the chef,” our waiter told us. After we finished we strolled over to offer our thanks in person. The chef was Nona Sivley, a winner of the “Hell’s Kitchen” cooking show, and at the time a fellow DTLA mom.

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DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL 2016 ELECTION

12 Downtown News

You Can Make a Difference in DTLA! If You Live, Work or Own Property in Downtown...

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The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC) is holding elections for all seats.

May 2, 2016

Downtown Buildings Play It Straight Work Starts Early and There Is Constant Vigilance to Make Sure High-Rises Don’t Lean By Nicholas Slayton he scores of projects underway in Downtown Los Angeles include a couple dozen towers that range from about 20 stories to the 73-floor Wilshire Grand replacement. With every one comes a simple yet usually overlooked question: What ensures that a building stays completely straight as it rises skyward or, even more important, what prevents it from becoming the “Leaning Tower” of Los Angeles? It turns out, keeping these tall towers straight and upright is an essential and constant part of the process, from the design stage to the time a roof is affixed. A section or platform that is off by even a few inches or a fraction of degree at its base could be a financial and safety concern hundreds of feet in the air.

We are making history this year, for the first time you can vote online, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3! Online voting is open now until May 3. Or vote in person... Polls open May 5, 2016 from noon to 8pm You can trek to the polls if that’s your goal, but now you can vote from wherever you are, with any Wi-Fi device, the polls arent that far!

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Once your online registration has been processed you will receive a confirmation email (which can take up to 72 hours), after which you are able to vote online or in person.

For more information visit DLANC.com and click on Election 2016 Voters must be at least 16 years old to vote and provide proof of residence, employment or property ownership in the DLANC boundaries.

Surveyors from the Downtown office of the engineering and consulting firm Psomas inspect the Wilshire Grand tower almost every day to make sure that the 73-story building is standing straight. Misplaced joints or angles that are off by a fraction of a degree can pose big problems as skyscrapers rise.

Keeping tall buildings straight is the task of a small number of experts, including teams at the Downtown office of the engineering and consulting Psomas and the Glendale-based Mollenhauser Group. The companies’ clients include Turner Construction, the builder of the Wilshire Grand tower, and Holland Partner Group, which is building two 24-story buildings on Spring Street. The process starts long before any steel is shipped to the construction site, according to Matt Rowe, director of surveying for the Los Angeles region at Psomas. It kicks off, he said, with a surveyor visiting the site of the proposed project. The findings are used by architects and engineers in planning work. Tom Warren, the chief operating officer for Holland Partner, said that new technology helps make today’s design process more accurate than in the past. The surveyor, architect and engineers use computer models to plot out angles and welding points hundreds of feet in the air along a coming building’s X- and Y-axes. Once construction starts, surveyors visit the project almost daily to make sure that the physical construction is matching up with the plans. Those teams aren’t relying on old-school protracContinued on page 18

May 2, 2016

Downtown News 13

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

By Eddie Kim eople have talked about redesigning Pershing Square for decades, almost from the moment the last disastrous, concrete-heavy design was unveiled. Also often criticized is the imposing, elevated profile that makes it hard to see into the park from surrounding streets. Last year the organization Pershing Square Renew began working with the office of 14th District City Councilman José Huizar on a design competition to modernize the Financial District attraction. Four teams were selected as finalists in December, and they unveiled their final designs on Thursday, April 28, during a splashy event at the Palace Theatre. While they may be “final” for the firms, Pershing Square Renew is courting public feedback this week to help shape the designs further (weigh in at pershingsquarerenew. com or in person at Pershing Square). A winner is expected to be announced this summer. No budget or timeline for a new park has been revealed. Here are the designs and descriptions of what the finalists propose.

image courtesy of SWA and Morphosis

Finalists in Competition to Redesign the Park Show off Their Plans

image courtesy of Field Operations and Frederick Fisher & Partners

Visions of The Future at Pershing Square

Flat Expanse and a Farm The Los Angeles-based team of architecture firms SWA and Morphosis aims to completely redesign and build the parking structure under Pershing Square. It is the only one of the four finalists proposing this, with the others looking instead to bolster and upgrade the garage. “The retrofits to the existing system make no sense,” said Morphosis Principal Eui-Sung Yi. “We don’t want to saddle future generations with something we feel is completely broken.” In the process, it would place Pershing Square at the same grade as the sidewalk. The design would create a flat lawn that stretches out over most of the property, with a few hardscape plazas near the Sixth Street side of the park. The real action would come at the north end of the park, along Fifth Street, where a large structure would house a restaurant, meeting spaces, a second elevated park area and a gleaming glass-andsteel hydroponic farm. “This is a park that can generate its own electricity, water, food and have revenue to pay for itself and then some,” said SWA CEO Gerdo Aquino.

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X Marks the Park Architect James Corner of Field Operations said the biggest challenge at Pershing Square is figuring out how to balance California’s informal and easygoing leisure style with the formal design elements needed to make the park a national standout. Field Operations worked with Frederick Fisher & Partners on an approach that would create an X-shaped promenade, with two large triangles of grass anchoring the north and south ends. Both the southern terraced lawn and the flat northern lawn would be angled up, creating space for cafes, shops and more along Fifth and Sixth streets. Hardscape and greenery on the east and west ends would create smaller gathering areas. “It’s a 3-D park in a sense, with the corners serving as the identifiable gateways,” Corner said. The park would use gray water collected from surrounding buildings for irrigation. Meanwhile, a “vertical garden” built into the parking garage would help beautify the entrance and exit via the escalators. Continued on page 14

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May 2, 2016

Park in Motion The team of wHY and Civitas call their design “Pershing Green,” and say that it reflects a “park in motion.” Instead of providing flat expanses of grass, a number of undulating hill-like structures (dubbed “brows”) create gathering spaces and more intimate elements, said Civitas President Mark Johnson. “There are interesting sightlines and curiosities driving social interaction here,” Johnson remarked. “We want to create experiences and feelings that people want to share.” A large lawn would fill the middle of the property, flanked by walkways and gardens on the eastern and western edges. A terraced wetlands feature would sit along Sixth Street, while the northern edge on Fifth Street would hold a vine-like shade structure. Like the other designs, wHY/Civitas addresses sustainability and eco-friendly features. The parking ramp on Hill Street, for instance, would be closed and used as a cistern for collecting rain and gray water, said wHY Creative Director Kulapat Yantrasast.

image courtesy of Agence Ter

image courtesy of wHY and Civitas

PERSHING SQUARE, 13

Made With the Shade The Paris-based firm Agence Ter’s design features large expanses of grass in the center of the property, with hardscaped plazas and other gathering spaces dotting the perimeter. The most dramatic feature is the “smart canopy,” a lengthy shade structure that would run along Hill Street from Fifth to Sixth streets. “The most important thing here is rediscovering shade,” said Agence Ter’s Henri Bava. The slats of the canopy would light up at night to create what the firm calls a “digital fireplace.” Underneath would be several flexible spaces for cafes, pop-up restaurants, a visitor’s center and more. Another plaza would sit on the Sixth Street side of the park, while the western edge would hold smaller gardens with edible plants, water features and more. The central “Great Lawn” would host concerts, film screenings and other community events.

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Downtown News 15

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BEST FARM TO TABLEESQUE

LA Chapter Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar Cafe Pinot City Tavern Industriel

Bestia Local Table Eat.Drink.Americano Artisan House Tender Greens

BEST FRENCH

Le Petit Paris Cafe Pinot Industriel Pitchoun Kendall’s Brasserie Patina Taix Church & State Perch Le Pain Quotidien

BEST GASTROPUB

Eat.Drink.Americano Barcito Redwood Bar & Grill Little Bear Library Bar The Black Sheep Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar Peking Tavern Spring St. Bar Sixth St. Tavern The Briks The Stocking Frame Justice Urban Tavern Osso

BEST INDIAN

Saffron Indian Cuisine Gill’s Cuisine of India Indus by Saffron Badmaash

BEST ITALIAN

Drago Centro Colori Kitchen Terroni Portofino Cucina Knead & Co. Olive Bistro & Catering San Antonio Winery & Maddalena Restaurant Amante Italian Restaurant Casa Nostra Maccheroni Republic Bestia Factory Kitchen

Officine Brera Vespaio Café Ugo

BEST JAPANESE

Tenno Sushi Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant Izakaya Honda Ya 3rd Generation Curry House TOT / Teishokuya of Tokyo Shabu Shabu House Kouraku Octopus Japanese Restaurant Yojie Japanese Fondue Izakaya Fu-Ga Kinjiro Ramen Hood

BEST SUSHI

Zencu Sushi Kula Revolving Sushi Bar SugarFish Arashi Sushi Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant Octopus Japanese Restaurant Sushi Gen Sushi Go 55 Tenno Sushi Oomasa Zip Izakaya Mako Sushi Hama Sushi Q Sushi Zo Toshi Sushi

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST POKE

Okipoki Ohana Poke

BEST KOREAN

Oleego by Parks Barbecue Manna Korean BBQ Korean Kitchen Hibachi Barbecue Korean BBQ House Seoul Sasage Co.

BEST LATIN AMERICAN

Mas Malo

The Briks El Cholo Yxta Cocina Mexicana Border Grill La Luz Del Dia La Parrilla Coronado’s Las Morelianas Mexicali Taco & Co. Chichen Itza El Compadre Rosa Mexicano Homegirl Cafe Bar Ama Loteria Grill Pez Cantina B.S. Taqueria Broken Spanish Cerveteca Guisados Tabachines Cocina

BEST MEDITERRANEAN

Spitz Papa Cristos Tulip Cafe Sevan Garden Kebab House 10e George’s Greek Grill Souk Shawarma

BEST MIDDLE EASTERN

Farid Restaurant Kabab & More Shekarchi Shish Kabob and Much More Sultan Restaurant California Kabob Kitchen

BEST SEAFOOD

Water Grill Fisherman’s Outlet ABC Seafood Full House Seafood CBS Seafood Ocean Seafood Rock’N Fish Spear Steak & Seafood

BEST STEAKHOUSE

The Palm Morton’s The Steakhouse Pacific Dining Car Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse

L.A. Prime Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Riordan’s Tavern Spear Steak & Seafood Fogo de Chao

BEST THAI

Esaan Thai A Taste of Thai E-Sea Fresh Restaurant Sticky Rice Pok Pok Phat Thai

BEST VEGAN/VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY

The Springs Cafe Gratitude Zinc Cafe Au Lac Localita & The Badasserie Azla Vegan Shojin Organic & Natural Tierra Cafe Cabbage Patch Blossom Homegirl Cafe Ocho Mexican Grill Simply Salad EdiBol

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST FILIPINO

Ricebar Amboy

BEST VIETNAMESE

Blossom Hero Shop Via Cafe Pho 87 The Pho Shop Pho Saigon Pho Broadway Pho La Downtown

Best Dishes BEST BURGER

Morton’s The Steakhouse Tommy’s The Black Sheep Five Star Bar Umami The Escondite

VOTEBESTOF.COM

Burgerlords Plan Check 464 Barrel Down Poppy & Rose The Counter Original Pantry Cafe Redwood Bar & Grill Farmer Boys Library Bar Nick’s Cafe Fatburger Bunker Hill Bar and Grill Eggslut Redbird

BEST CREPES

Crepes Sans Frontieres Four Leaf Crepe Xpress

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST CUPCAKES

Big Man Bakes Sprinkles

BEST MAC N’ CHEESE

Nickel Diner The Must Church & State The Pie Hole Cole’s Horse Thief BBQ Engine Co. No. 28 Blue Star

BEST PIZZA

Pizzanista Prufrock Pizzeria Kiss Pizza Deli Papi’s Pizzeria Purgatory Pizza California Pizza Kitchen Pitfire Pizza Company LA NY Pizza Live Basil Pizza Bottega Louie Two Boots Pizza Pizza Studio Mr. Pizza Pellicola Pizzeria

BEST RAMEN SPOT

Daikokuya

Men Oh Tokushima Ramen Hakata Ramen Shin-SenGumi Orochon Ramen Ramen Champ Mr. Ramen Hana-Ichimonme Kouraku Men Oh Ramen Hood

BEST SANDWICH/WRAP

Philippe The Original Mendocino Farms Organic Corner Tossed Cole’s Springtime In New York Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar Eastside Market Italian Deli Langer’s Delicatessen Restaurant LA Café Orleans & York Deli Sandwich Shop Farmer Boys Kachi Deli Wexler’s Deli

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST SAUSAGE

Wurstkuche Seoul Sausage

Best Meals of the Day BEST BUSINESS LUNCH

Otium Officine Brera Vespaio Water Grill Traxx The Standard Drago Centro La Petit Paris FOH District Ledlow Patina Morton’s The Steakhouse Factory Kitchen Church & State Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse Engine Co. No. 28 Checkers Downtown

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

16 Downtown News

May 2, 2016

2016 BEST OF DOWNTOWN NOMINEES

The Palm Chaya Downtown Bunker Hill Bar and Grill Terroni Cafe Pinot Sugarfish Faith & Flower Redbird

BEST FINE DINING

Otium Patina Kinjiro Water Grill The Palm Morton’s the Steakhouse Noé Restaurant & Bar Drago Centro WP24 Pacific Dining Car Chaya Downtown Orsa & Winston KaGaYa Q Faith & Flower Sushi Zo Redbird

BEST BREAKFAST SPOT

Nickel Diner The Original Pantry Cafe Philippe The Original Uncle John’s Cafe Poppy & Rose Urth Caffe Daily Dose Cafe Nick’s Cafe L.A. Cafe Farmer Boys The Blue Cube Eggslut 24/7 Restaurant DTLA Le Pain Quotidien Jist Cafe Zinc Café Pitchoun Bakery & Cafe

BEST BRUNCH

24/7 Restaurant DTLA Faith & Flower Poppy & Rose Bunker Hill Bar & Grill Border Grill Engine Co. No. 28 Cole’s Baco Mercat Bottega Louie Kendall’s Brasserie The Must Perch Ledlow Ford’s Filling Station Nickel Diner L.A. Cafe Local Table Grand Cafe Justice Urban Tavern LA Chapter The Escondite The Briks Cerveteca Little Easy

BEST LUNCH SPOT

Wokcano Plan Check Tabachines Edibol Little Jewel of New Orleans Tender Greens Café Gratitude Nickel Diner Seoul Sausage Clifton’s Zinc Café Ohana Poke Wurstküche BS Taqueria Taix Urth Caffe Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar Cole’s Yxta Cocina Mexicana Pez Cantina Justice Urban Tavern Mendocino Farms Colori Kitchen Pitfire Pizza Company San Antonio Winery & Maddalena Restaurant Nick’s Cafe Gill’s Cuisine of India Bunker Hill Bar and Grill The Briks Bottega Louie Springtime in New York

BEST DINNER

Redbird Preux & Proper 10e The Must Barcito The Little Easy Broken Spanish Terroni Cafe Pinot Water Grill Peking Tavern The Palm

Local Table Bestia Maccheroni Republic Mas Malo Faith & Flower Church & State Artisan House Morton’s The Steakhouse Colori Kitchen Industriel Bäco Mercat Factory Kitchen Lazy Ox Canteen The Briks Orsa & Winston Osso

Best Restaurant Miscellany

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Pok Pok LA Otium Broken Spanish La Petit Paris Ricebar Okipoki Ohana Poke Burgerlords Simbal Little Sister Pitchoun Clifton’s Seoul Sausage Barcito District FOH Spring Knead & Co. 464 Officine Brera Amboy Tabachines Cocina

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE

Write-in only

BEST RESTAURANT DELIVERY

Write-in only

BEST DOG FRIENDLY RESTAURANT

Blue Cow Kitchen Zinc Cafe & Market Pitchoun The Must Jist Cafe Maccheroni Republic Würstkuche Blossom Restaurant Panini Cafe Urth Caffe The Escondite Border Grill

BEST QUICK SERVE

The Melt Wurstküche Ricebar Burgerlords Loteria Grill B.S. Taqueria The Pizza Studio Guisados Torta Company Aloha Cafe The Counter Ocho Grill Farmer Boys Mendocino Farms Spitz Eastside Market Italian Deli Cabbage Patch Mediterranean City Grill Simply Salad Gus’s Drive In Oleego by Parks Barbecue Georges Greek Grill Indus by Saffron Sandwich Shop Eggslut Wexler’s Deli Berlin Currywurst Olio Asian Box

BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Eastside Market Italian Deli Zencu Sushi & Grill Ricebar LA Cafe EggSlut Saffron Aloha Cafe Springtime In New York Mendocino Farms Philippe The Original Farmer Boys Guisados Gus’s Drive-In Gill’s Indian Restaurant

BEST DOWNTOWN CLASSIC

Philippe The Original The Original Pantry Cafe Nick’s Cafe Uncle John’s Cafe

Kouraku Hop Louie

BEST PLACE TO BREAK BREAD WITH FRIENDS

Artisan House Border Grill Bottega Louie The Must Baco Mercat Bestia Pour Haus Local Table Eat. Drink. Americano Stocking Frame Barrel Down Barcito

BEST RESTAURANT AMBIANCE

The Must Bestia Ledlow Perch Spear Steak & Seafood Bäco Mercat Church & State Bottega Louie Terroni Water Grill Otium Le Petit Paris

BEST DOWNTOWN VIEW

Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant Perch L.A. Prime WP24

BEST RESTAURANT DECOR

Cicada Takami Patina Broken Spanish Otium Drago Centro Redbird Faith & Flower

MOST ROMANTIC RESTAURANT

L.A. Prime Drago Centro Cicada Cafe Pinot Pacific Dining Car Otium WP24 Patina Redbird

BEST OUTDOOR DINING

Border Grill Traxx Restaurant Maccheroni Republic Takami Cafe Pinot Casa Nostra Baco Mercat Perch Zip Izakaya Blue Cow Kitchen Chaya Downtown Bonaventure Brewing Co. The Must Yxta Faith & Flower Spear Urth Caffe Mendocino Farms Bunker Hill Bar & Grill The Briks Pez Cantina Bestia Otium Pitchoun

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST DINING HUB

FIGat7th TASTE Grand Central Market

BEST FIGAT7TH TASTE EATERY

Indus by Saffron The Melt Twist & Grill Gentaro Soba Torta Company New Moon Cafe Pizza Studio City Tavern Oleego Mendocino Farms Loteria Grill George’s Greek Grill Salata

BEST GRAND CENTRAL MARKET EATERY

Ana Maria Belcampo Meat Co. Bento Ya Japanese Cuisine Berlin Currywurst Bombo China Cafe EggSlut

Horse Thief BBQ Jose Chiquito Knead & Co. Pasta Bar La Tostaderia Madcapra Olio Pizzeria The Oyster Gourmet Ramen Hood Roast To Go Sarita’s Pupuseria Sticky Rice Tacos Tumbras A Tomas Valerie Villa Moreliana Wexler’s Deli

BEST L.A. LIVE RESTAURANT

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse Live Basil Pizza Tom’s Urban SmashBurger Yard House Boca at the Conga Room Lawry’s Carvery Rock’N Fish WP24 Ford’s Filling Station Triple 8 China Bar & Grill Katsuya Rosa Mexicano Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill

BEST HOTEL RESTAURANT

Urban Justice Tavern DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles Downtown Moody’s - The L.A. Hotel Downtown L.A. Chapter - Ace Hotel District - Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Checkers Downtown - Hilton Checkers Ford’s Filling Station - J.W. Marriott LA Prime - Westin Bonaventure Lakeview Bistro - Westin Bonaventure Orchid Bar & Kitchen - O Hotel Smeraldi’s Restaurant Biltmore Hotel Bugis Street Brasserie Biltmore Hotel Restaurant Standard Standard Downtown WP24 - Ritz Carlton Grand Cafe - Omni Los Angeles Hotel At California Plaza Noé - Omni Los Angeles Hotel At California Plaza

DRINKING BEST COFFEE

Urth Caffe Groundwork Coffee Blue Bottle Coffee Café Dulce Demitasse Prime Grind Coffee Tierra Mia Coffee Elabrew Blends Coffee G&B Coffee Philz Coffee Coffee Colab Expressamente Illy Il Caffe Barrista Society Verve Coffee Roasters Stumptown Coffee Blacktop Coffee Impresso Café

BEST JUICE

Green Grotto Juice Bar Pressed Juicery Juice Crafters Sustain Juicery Press Brothers Juicery Juice Served Here

BEST WINE BAR

Tapas and Wine Bar C BottleRock D’Vine Mignon gLAnce (JW Marriott) Pour Haus Wine Bar Bacaro LA The Must Garcons de Café The Overflow DTLA

BEST SPORTS (VIEWING) BAR

Big Wangs The Down and Out Nirvana Sports Bar & Grill Casey’s Irish Pub Dublin’s Bunker Hill Bar & Grill X Lanes Bonaventure Brewing Co.

Gamez Sports Bar

BEST BOOZE & GAMES

Tony’s Saloon Everson Royce Bar Arts District Brewing Eighty Two

BEST LGBT BAR

Precinct Bar Mattachine Redline

BEST LOUNGE BAR

Edison Mrs. Fish Resident Elevate Lounge Clifton’s Gothic Bar Blue Whale Bar The Black Sheep Crocker Club Redline Seven Grand Library Bar Pattern Bar Salvage Golden Gopher Broadway Bar Suede Bar & Lounge Villians Tavern The Falls Spring Street Bar The Varnish Cana Rum Bar Onyx Lounge The Association The Continental Club Sixth Street Tavern Justice Urban Tavern

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD (DIVE) BAR

Redwood Bar & Grill Grand Star Cole’s La Cita Five Star Bar Las Perlas Tony’s Saloon King Eddy Saloon The Down & Out Wendell Bar Hank’s Bar The Lexington Bar

BEST RESTAURANT HAPPY HOUR

Preux & Proper Barrel Down City Tavern FOH Pez Cantina Public School 213 Morton’s The Steakhouse Bacaro Octopus Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse Border Grill Blue Cow The Palm Perch Spear La Petit Paris Bonaventure Brewing Co. Yxta Cocina Mexicana Wokcano Chaya Downtown Katsuya Escondite Justice Urban Tavern Mas Malo Peking Tavern

BEST BAR HAPPY HOUR

Seven Grand Cole’s La Cita Redline Pattern Bar Nirvana Sports Bar & Grill Casey’s Irish Pub Golden Gopher Justice Urban Tavern Wendell Bar Salvage Las Perlas Big Wangs Broadway Bar Suede Bar & Lounge Tony’s Saloon The Falls Spring Street Bar Wolf & Crane

BEST HOTEL BAR

The Mixing Room – J.W. Marriott BonaVista Lounge – Westin Bonaventure Gallery Bar – Biltmore Hotel Standard Rooftop Bar – Standard Downtown The Lobby Bar – Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Orchid Bar & Kitchen – O

Hotel Noe Restaurant & Bar – Omni Los Angeles Hotel Upstairs Bar – Ace Hotel

BEST LATE NIGHT SPOT

Redwood Bar & Grill Casey’s Irish Pub L.A. Café Barrel Down Restaurant Standard The Original Pantry Onyx Lounge Spear Yard House Big Wangs Wokcano The Black Sheep Sixth St. Tavern Spring St. Bar The Escondite

BEST BEER (DRAFT/TAP) SELECTION

Barrel Down Spring St. Smoke House Resident The Love Song Bar Precinct Yard House Big Wangs Casey’s Weiland Brewery Underground Wurstküche Bonaventure Brewing Co. Little Bear Los Angeles Brewing Co. The Black Sheep Far Bar Angel City Brewery Spring St. Bar Sixth St. Tavern

BEST BREWERY

Iron Triangle Brewing Co. Mumford Brewing Angel City Brewery Arts District Brewing Co.

BEST HANGOVER REMEDY SPOT

Daikokuya The Original Pantry L.A. Café Bierbeisl Imbiss Hakata Ramen Shin-SenGumi Nickel Diner Uncle John’s Café Full House Seafood Restaurant Kouraku Restaurant

ENTERTAINMENT BEST MUSIC VENUE (LARGE)

Orpheum Theatre Microsoft Theater The Novo California Plaza (Grand Performances) Pershing Square Downtown Stage Staples Center Walt Disney Concert Hall

BEST MUSIC VENUE (SMALL)

Conga Room The Bootleg Bar The Regent Blue Whale Teragram Ballroom Colburn School Theatre at Ace Hotel Grammy Museum The Smell Redwood Bar and Grill Resident Belasco

BEST NIGHTCLUB

Exchange LA Club Mayan The Lash Elevate Lounge The Continental Club Belasco La Cita The Crocker Club Edison Honeycut The Reserve

BEST ESCAPE GAME

Escape Room L.A. Escape IQ Real Escape Game

BEST FREE EVENT SERIES

ALOUD at the Central Library Grand Performances at California Plaza Pershing Square Downtown Stage Dance Downtown at the

VOTEBESTOF.COM

Music Center Plaza FIGat7th Downtown Festival

BEST FILM SERIES

Last Remaining Seats Downtown Film Festival Film Independent Pershing Square’s Friday Night Flicks REDCAT Film Series Films @ CAAM The Theatre at Ace Hotel Flix@Fig

BEST FILM VENUE

Downtown Independent Regal Cinemas L.A. Live California Science Center IMAX

BEST MUSEUM

California Science Center Museum of Contemporary Art The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA Natural History Museum Japanese American National Museum California African American Museum FIDM Museum & Galleries Chinese American Museum The Broad Grammy Museum La Plaza de Cultura y Artes African-American Firefighter Museum Wells Fargo Museum A+D Architecture and Design Museum Velveteria

BEST DOWNTOWN TOURS

Architecture Tours L.A. Las Angelitas del Pueblo Downtown LA Walking Tour Free LA Tour Los Angeles Conservancy Metro Rail Art Tours Undiscovered Chinatown Tour Walt Disney Concert Hall Tours Los Angeles Central Library Tour Saturday Housing Bus Tour (DCBID) The Mural Conservancy Los Angeles Esotouric

BEST TOURIST ATTRACTION Walt Disney Concert Hall L.A. Live Broadway Theaters The Broad Angels Flight Union Station Grand Central Market Olvera Street

BEST FAMILY ATTRACTION

Grand Park Downtown On Ice (Pershing Square) Bob Baker Marionette Theater Natural History Museum L.A. Live Ice Rink California Science Center Central Library Olvera Street Free Family Saturdays at JANM X Lanes Vista Hermosa Natural Park FIGat7th Kids Club Target Sundays at CAAM

BEST PERFORMING ARTS VENUE

Ahmanson Theatre Dorothy Chandler Pavilion David Henry Hwang Theater at East West Players Los Angeles Theatre Center Mark Taper Forum REDCAT Bootleg Theatre 24th Street Theatre

BEST DOWNTOWN EVENT

Downtown Art Walk Downtown On Ice (Pershing Square) Golden Dragon Parade Dark Nights at L.A. Live N.Y.E.L.A. at Grand Park LA Cinco Fiesta Broadway Blessing of the Animals Hope For Firefighters Nisei Week Broke LA Music & Arts Festival Last Remaining Seats Downtown Film Festival Chinatown Summer Nights New Year’s Eve LA (Grand Park)

Psomas Paper Yacht Challenge Dance Downtown (Music Center) 4th of July Block Party (Grand Park) Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival Grand Performances at California Plaza Pershing Square Downtown Stage Lucha VaVoom Night on Broadway Canstruction YMCA Stair Climb for Los Angeles

SHOPPING BEST FARMERS MARKET

Pershing Square Farmers Market Historic Core Farmers Market FIGat7th Farmers Market Bank of America Farmers Market Arts District Farmers Market City Hall Farmers Market

BEST WINE STORE

Silverlake Wine Arts District Gourmet Wine & Spirits Jason’s Wine & Spirits BUZZ Wine & Beer Shop

BEST BICYCLE SHOP

DTLA Bikes Just Ride L.A. El Maestro Bicycles Wabi Cycles Rotelli Cyclery The Wheelhouse

BEST PET SUPPLIES/ BOUTIQUE

Pet Project LA Pussy & Pooch South Park Doggie Daycare Spa and Supplies Muttropolitan

BEST ART, CRAFT & DESIGN STORE

Gather DTLA Raw Materials SCI-ARC Art Supply Store Michael Levine FIDM Scholarship Store B. Black and Sons Moskatels Luxury Fabrics

BEST STORE FOR THE HOME

Novecento Antiques Realm Nadia Geller Designs Market Dearden’s Cleveland Art District Millworks Angelo:HOME Hammer & Spear Austere Ashley Furniture

BEST BOOKSTORE

Caravan Bookstore The Library Store Christian Science Reading Room Kinokuniya Bookstore The Last Bookstore Hennessey + Ingalls Artbook

BEST CIGAR/SMOKE/VAPE SHOP

Living Room Smoke Shop Diplomat Cigars Broadway Smoke Shop 2nd Street Cigar Lounge and Gallery The Vape Supply Company

BEST VAPE SHOP

The Vape Supply Company Downtown Vape Good Vapor DTLA

BEST MUSIC SHOP

International House of Music Caveman Vintage U-Space

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST CANDY SHOP

Jack’s Wholesale Candy Company Raquel’s Candy and Confections

BEST JEWELRY MART

St. Vincent Jewelry Center California Jewelry Mart LA Jewelry Plaza Fox Jewelry Plaza

Continued On Next Page

May 2, 2016

Downtown News 17

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

2016 BEST OF DOWNTOWN NOMINEES Great Western Jewelry Plaza International Jewelry Center Jewelers Mall Los Angeles Jewelry Center

BEST FLEA MARKET

Arts District Co-Op Artists & Fleas The Rock N’ Roll Flea Market

BEST CONSIGNMENT & VINTAGE STORE

Kapsoul Round2 Hammer and Spear Kool’s Clothing Store Raggedy Threads Vintage Shoppe Popkiller/Popkiller Second Fold Gallery & Curio Shop reVamp

BEST GIFT & STATIONARY STORE

Bring Something to the Party FIDM Museum Shop LA Phil Store MOCA Made by DWC Anime Jungle Alchemy Works Poketo The Library Store Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle Sanrio Smiles Qpop Tanner Goods The Good Liver Daiso Lab3 Formerly Yes

BEST RETAIL STORE (LARGE)

Macy’s ROSS Target Burlington

BEST RETAIL STORE (MEDIUM)

Victoria’s Secret Gap Zara H&M Urban Outfitters

BEST STREET FASHION BOUTIQUE

RIF Blends Popkiller/Popkiller Second American Apparel

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST MENSWEAR – SUITS

Roger Stuart Clothes Art Lewin & Co.

BEST MENSWEAR BOUTIQUE

Skingraft RNT23 Voyager Seven PointsApolis Kool’s Clothing Store SixHundred Wittmore Kapsoul Raggedy Threads Vintage Shoppe The Well A.P.C. Store Shiekh Shoes Please Do Not Enter

BEST WOMENSWEAR BOUTIQUE

Skingraft ROUND2 Kool’s Clothing Store SixHundred Voyager FIDM Scholarship Store Brigade Raggedy Threads Vintage Shoppe The Well Pale Violet Althouse A.P.C. Store Shiekh Shoes Jessica Louise Cerre

BEST AUTO DEALER – NEW CARS

Porsche of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Volkswagen of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Audi of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Motor Village LA(Chrysler,

Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Ram) Downtown LA Motors Mercedes Benz – Downtown LA Auto Group Nissan of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Felix Chevrolet – Downtown LA Auto Group Toyota Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Honda of Downtown Los Angeles Kia of Downtown L.A.

BEST AUTO DEALER – USED CARS

Porsche of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Volkswagen of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Audi of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Motor Village LA Downtown LA Motors Mercedes Benz – Downtown LA Auto Group Nissan of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Felix Chevrolet – Downtown LA Auto Group Toyota Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Honda of Downtown Los Angeles Kia of Downtown L.A.

SERVICES BEST FLORIST

Downtown Flowers Paradise Florist Darling’s Holm & Olson Florist Bloomies Flowers and Gifts Athletic Club Flower Shop California Floral Company Kuragami Little Tokyo Florist Ixora Floral Studio Stems Florist

BEST DAY SPA

Bonaventure Club & Spa (Bonaventure Hotel) Frais Spa (O Hotel) Yolanda Aguilar Institute and Spa The Ritz-Carlton Spa The Spa (Omni Hotel)

BEST HAIR SALON

Candolyn’s Jacqueline’s Salon Salon Eleven Salon on 6 Industry DTLA Knives Out Salon Soliel Beauty Salon Salon on Seventh Neihule Salon Pure The Hub Factory Rendez Vous Salon & Spa C&J Beauty Center & Salon Elisa’s Garage Curt Darling Salon Visage Salon Salon on Main Wolf European Hair Salon Bunker Hill Salon The Loft 8W Gold on Grand Salon K.C. Salon on 1st The Well Gerrick’s Salon

BEST NAIL SALON

Neihule Nail Place LA Nail Envy Harmony Nail Nail Service Nails on 9th Soleil Beauty Salon Hope Spa & Nails Soho Nails & Spa Nails On Spring The Nail Parlor

BEST BARBER SHOP

Rudy’s Barber Shop Angelo’s Barber Shop Etiquette Barbers Floyd’s 99 Barbershop Capelli’s Gentleman’s Barbershop St. Vincent Barber Shop El Arte Barber Shop Goodbarbers Bolt Barbers LA Barber College Imperial Barber Shop Barbering by Shane

BEST DENTIST OR DENTAL OFFICE

Esthetic Dentistry Dental Group

MKD Dentistry James C. Feng, DDS Zen Dental Plaza Dental River Dentistry Downtown Dental Washington Dental Calm Dental Silvia Kasparian, DDS West Coast Dental Honda Plaza Dental LA Dental Clinic Half Dental EnvironDental Little Tokyo Dental Group Dental Arts Dentistry Smile LA Downtown Modern Dentistry Historic Core Dental Care

BEST CHIROPRACTOR

Courtyard Wellness Chiropractic Care Center Downtown Live Chiropractic Akimoto Chiropractic Office Downtown Chiropractic B.E.S.T. Chiropractic Clinic Chinatown Chiropractic Clinic Akimoto Chiropractic Office Olympic Chiropractic

BEST GYM/WORKOUT FACILITY

Future Health Ketchum-Downtown YMCA The Main Barre Los Angeles Athletic Club Pilates + DTLA CrossFit 213 Club Pilates Trojan CrossFit Gold’s Gym The Stronghold Climbing Gym Equinox LA Fitness 24 Hour Fitness CrossFit Mean Streets Yas Fitness The Rec Center Crossfit Pure Barre City Athletixcs Cross Fit Sunset The Bridge Mind Body Movement

BEST DANCE STUDIO

Downtown Dance & Movement IDance Academy The Lindy Loft

BEST YOGA STUDIO

Yoga Circle Bikram Yoga Downtown LA Peace Yoga Gallery Evoke Yoga Yas Fitness Center

BEST DRY CLEANERS

One Click Cleaners Cleancierge Cleaners L.A. Sloan’s Dry Cleaners Arts Cleaners Cleaners on 8th Tokyo Cleaners Elite Cleaner Cleaners Depot S & H Cleaners Executive Image Cleaners

BEST COMPUTER REPAIR SHOP

Downtown Los Angeles Computer Repair Digitech Solutions, Inc. Spring Street Mac

BEST OPTOMETRIST

Downtown LA Optometric Vision Center Kurata Eyecare Center Los Angeles EyeCare Optometry Group East West Eye Institute Robert Shapiro, OD, FAAO LA Vision Optometry Richard Hoffman Optometrist LA Optical Gallery Eyes on the Bloc Dr. Garry Regier Lens Crafters – FIGat7th

BEST HOSPITAL

Good Samaritan Hospital White Memorial Medical Center St. Vincent Medical Center California Hospital Medical Center Silver Lake Medical Center Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital Pacific Alliance Medical Center

BEST CHURCH/SYNAGOGUE/ PLACE OF WORSHIP

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Centenary United Methodist Church Founder’s Church First United Methodist Church New City Church of L.A. Live Church L.A. First Congregational Church St. Peter’s Italian Church Union Church of Los Angeles The Bridge at Union Church LA Jewish Community Center Chabad of Downtown Los Angeles Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple Third Church of Christ Scientist St. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church Hillsong L.A. Church of Scientology Fearless LA Sovereign Grace Church

BEST AUTO DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT

Porsche of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Volkswagen of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Audi of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Downtown LA Motors Mercedes Benz – Downtown LA Auto Group Nissan of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Felix Chevrolet – Downtown LA Auto Group Toyota of Downtown L.A. – Downtown LA Auto Group Honda of Downtown Los Angeles Kia of Downtown L.A. Motor Village Downtown LA Auto Group

BEST SHOE REPAIR

Sears Shoe Service Shoe Masters Shoe Wiz Pro-Shoe Repair King’s Shoe Repair MP Shoe Repair Mr. Shoe Man Tony’s Shoe Shine & Repair Jason Markk

BEST TRAVEL AGENCY

New Japan Travel AAA Travel Liberty Travel Dynasty World Travel Eros Tours & Travel Inc. Cuba Tours & Travel Wing Mate Travel

BEST HOTEL

JW Marriott Doubletree by Hilton Los Angeles Downtown Biltmore Hotel Westin Bonaventure Omni Los Angeles Hotel Ritz Carlton Hilton Checkers Historic Mayfair Hotel Kawada Hotel Los Angeles Athletic Club The LA Hotel Downtown Miyako Hotel O Hotel Courtyard by Marriott Residence Inn Standard Downtown LA Ritz Milner Hotel Sheraton Downtown Luxe City Center Ace Hotel

BEST AUTO BODY/ AUTO REPAIR

E&L Auto Body Downtown Auto Repair & Body Shop Globe Auto Body Motor Village Downtown LA Motors Honda of Downtown LA

BEST PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

DASH METRO Subway/Lightrail METRO Buses Metrolink Regional Rail Services

BEST PRESCHOOL

La Petite Academy Lumbini Child Dev. Center

Pilgrim School County Kids Place Kinder Care Immaculate Conception School Nishi Hongwanji Child Dev. Center Chinatown Service Center Child Dev. Center Joy Picus Child Dev. Center Harry Pregerson Child Dev. Center Salvation Army LA Daycare Center Hope Street Friends Gateway Child Development Angelina Head Start Cal-Tot Child Care Center Los Angeles Universal Preschool

BEST DAYCARE

Chinatown Service Center Child Dev. Center Joy Picus Child Dev. Center Harry Pregerson Child Dev. Center Cal-Tot Child Care Center Hope Street Friends Salvation Army LA Daycare Center La Petite Academy Nishi Hongwanji Child Development Center Grace Lino Child Care Lumbini Child Development Center Little Angel Day Care

BEST PET DAYCARE/ BOARDING/PET SITTING

Go Dog LA Uptown Pup South Park Doggie Daycare City Paws LA Roxxy’s Doggy Daycare Downtown Pet Lovers Fetch! Pet Care

BEST PET WALKING

Walka-Walka Walk Fido L.A. Paws Fitness Downtown Pet Lovers Fetch! Pet Care

BEST PET TRAINING

Bark & Clark Uptown Pup Southpark Doggie Daycare Roxxy’s Doggy Daycare

BEST PET GROOMING

Pussy & Pooch Muttropolitan South Park Doggie Daycare Spa and Supplies Downtown Doggie U Wash

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST VETERNARIAN

DTLAvets Little Tokyo Pet Clinic

BEST COWORKING SPACES

IndieDesk Blankspaces DTLA Rhubarb Studios Maker City LA Impact Hub Kleverdog Opodz WeWork Cross Campus

BEST RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE AGENT (TOP PERFORMERS)

Yvonne Arias Russell Chan Allyson Connolly Roxanna Godinez David Hernandez Ted Trentman Ahn Tran Greg Stangl Christiano Sampaio Russell Roney Jessica Robertson/Agnes Ferreyra Maple Navarro Kerry Marsico Alex LiMmandri Rasmus Ray Lee Evan Fujii Ian Cherney Thomas Ferda Michael Ferguson Liz Gottainer

MISCELLANY BEST NEW BUSINESS

Write-in

BEST-LOOKING BUILDING

City Hall

Bradbury Building Walt Disney Concert Hall Caltrans Headquarters Central Library U.S. Bank Tower Eastern Columbia Ritz Carlton The Broad Natural History Museum Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

BEST PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY

Brookfield Office Properties CALCO Property Management CBRE Charles Dunn Co. Cushman & Wakefield Newmark Grubb Knight Frank DAUM Commercial Real Estate Services JLL Downtown Properties Transwestern Colliers International Major Properties

BEST BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

Downtown Center BID Historic Core BID LA Fashion District BID Chinatown BID L.A. Downtown Industrial District Little Tokyo BID South Park BID Arts District Los Angeles

MOST BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC THEATER

Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles Theatre Million Dollar Theater Palace Theatre Tower Theater State Theatre Mayan Theater Belasco Theater Theatre at Ace Hotel

BEST DOWNTOWN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FIRMS

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BUILDING, 12 tors, and instead use GPS-type devices to track a building’s angle as it goes up. Materials play a crucial role. Steel I-beams come to the construction site pre-cut, and must be placed within three-quarters of an inch of where they were planned on paper or in the computer model to ensure that everything fits together, Rowe said. He noted that other materials require even more precise fitting. The human element also comes into play. Alan Chow, the chief engineer for Turner Construction, said that when doubleand triple-checking welding points, his crews match angles using fixed points on the street. They also compare the building with neighboring structures. Part of what helps buildings stay rigid and straight is a solid foundation, often in the form of an underground parking struc-

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ture. Warren said that underground parking acts as ballast, helping to resist forces such as wind or seismic activity (all modern high-rises have elements that help them roll with the seismic waves that come in a major earthquake). Sometimes those below-grade elements are further weighted by making the concrete slab as thick as 12 feet. Richard Sullivan, a project manager with the Los Angeles survey team at Psomas, said that one of the biggest challenges in high-rise construction is dealing with structural movement. Buildings are designed to settle and shrink as the concrete base contracts over time. So even the aging of the foundation needs to be considered to prevent a tilt, he said. Another challenge, Sullivan said, comes from an essential component of high-rise construction: the cranes used to move heavy material around the site. Some cranes these days are attached directly to the building, and even those that are freestanding involve the vertical and lateral movements of heavy weights. Crews have to time when they’re employed to avoid

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swinging something off balance. “You’re trying to keep things vertical while those are going on,” Sullivan said. “You have to find a static window of time where there’s no movement so you can use the cranes.” Things rarely go wrong, Rowe said, but they do happen. He pointed to a high-rise project he worked on in a few years ago where a welding point was misplaced by a couple inches. The construction crew had to undo the work and replace it with a properly welded joint. The price tag was in the thousands of dollars. In addition to undoing work, some development contracts include clauses saying that the contractor pays for any delay if they are at fault. All the layers of checking have prevented Los Angeles from having its own leaning tower. Everyone from architects to surveyors to contractors, Rowe said, understands that there are no small mistakes. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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From Sandwiches to New Korean Classics Former Mendocino Farms Chef Judy Han Opens Her Own Restaurant, Eko Eats By Eddie Kim udy Han spent a good chunk of 2015 eating her way through South Korea. Amid the stews, grilled meats and simmered seafood dishes, she spotted a decidedly modern trend sweeping the country: sticky fried chicken, painted with a sweetand-salty syrup humming with fermented Korean peppers. “I couldn’t figure out why this wasn’t bigger in L.A. People are crazy about Korean fried chicken overseas,” Han says. Han, who is Korean American, spent almost a decade leading the kitchen of upscale sandwich purveyor Mendocino Farms, helping grow the operation from a quiet California Plaza storefront to a regional franchise. She walked away in December 2014, uncertain of her next step. After a trip back to the motherland, Han realized last fall that she wanted to cook with Korean flavors in her own restaurant. The result is Eko Eats, a fast-casual eatery that opened in February at 630 W. Sixth St. “This is now my chance to do something that’s just me,” said Han, 42, during a visit to the airy space a short walk from Pershing Square. “It feels pretty great to be in the kitchen again.” Eko Eats has a five-item menu of Korean classics such as bibimbap (“mixed rice” with an array of vegetables) and kimchi fried rice, plus a few salad and bowl specials each week. And Han has nailed the fried chicken — the meat is rich and moist, with the craggy crust holding its crunch under a glossy layer of pepper sauce. Her most idiosyncratic dish is the chicken jook, or rice porridge. Jook is normally a bland mix of rice cooked slowly in water, but faced with a mountain of bones from butchering chickens in-house, Han cooked up a broth to simmer with rice until the mix resembles a hybrid of soup and silken risotto. Topped with chunks of chicken, wilted greens and a scoop of fiery chili sauce, it’s a reminder of Han’s understated creativity. You probably won’t find such intense porridge in Seoul, but its

Korean spirit thrums intact. Born and raised in Chicago, Han pursued law in her 20s before being involved in a rush-hour motorcycle accident in San Francisco on her way to an internship. She was unscathed, save for a lingering doubt about whether her heart was in the legal system. In 2001, with the financial support of her husband, Han left the law behind in favor of long hours, searing-hot stoves and low pay in Los Angeles kitchens. She snagged a job working under Suzanne Goin at her seminal Californian restaurant Lucques while taking culinary classes in Downtown’s Los Angeles Trade-Tech College. Nearly two years later, she departed to work under David Myers at Sona, then at the more casual Literati II. The time commitment, especially on holidays, took a toll. “I had my first kid when I was working at Literarti as the souschef. That was great, but I was missing all my kid’s milestones,” Han recalled. “Something needed to change.” The change came when husband-and-wife team Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen hired Han to steer the menu for Mendocino Farms, then a single shop on Bunker Hill. The job offered Han a more family-friendly schedule, though she still worked 14hour days. The experience taught Han “pretty much everything” about running not just a kitchen, but a business. Unlike many chefs, Han showed a fascination with all aspects of operating a restaurant, Del Pero said. “I actually think she’s one of the best chefs in the city in the sense that she’s creative but also balances that with the pragmatism of a businessperson,” Del Pero said. “As much as I would love to take credit for her growth, Judy was so sharp and intellectual from the beginning about marketing decisions, crunching numbers and developing relationships with suppliers.” Still, Han ultimately felt the urge to leave, and in need of a family vacation — and having not visited Korea in a decade — she took her husband and two children abroad for the summer.

Judy Han helped build Mendocino Farms from a single location at California Plaza into a major Southern California franchise. She’s now flying solo as chef/ owner of Eko Eats on Sixth Street.

photo by Gary Leonard

The trip convinced her to open a sit-down Korean restaurant. Though she initially intended to open in Echo Park, she landed on Sixth Street in Downtown instead. She kept the moniker Eko Eats, with a “K,” so that Korean speakers wouldn’t pronounce it “Eh-cho Eats.” The Sixth Street space dictated a fast-casual approach rather than her original full-service plan. It naturally inspires the question of whether Han wants to replicate the concept for an Eko Eats franchise, as with Mendocino Farms. She waves off the thought. “I finally have a little place of my own. It’s the dream, right?” Han said, beaming. Eko Eats is at 630 W. Sixth St., (213) 622-1616 or ekoeats.com. eddie@downtownnews.com

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AROUND TOWN, 2

More information and tickets are at thebroad.org.

impressive haul of contemporary art, but also for the long lines that wrap around the block, and the tickets that are booked months in advance. In search of a solution, The Broad last week announced the unveiling of a new ticketing schedule. Starting Sunday, May 1, advance tickets will be released online on the first day of each month for the following month. In other words, June tickets were released May 1, and on June 1, tickets for July will open up, etc. (advance tickets for May are already sold out). Still need a spontaneous trip to the museum? You can always wait in the standby line every day except Monday, when The Broad is closed. Standby line wait times can be 10-45 minutes on weekdays and 60-90 minutes on weekends, with longer wait times on holidays, according to the museum.

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Grand Performances Announces Lineup for 30th Season

he annual summer concert series Grand Performances turns 30 this year, and just announced a big lineup to celebrate. As usual, the amphitheater in the Cal Plaza Watercourt on Bunker Hill will host a diverse lineup of dozens of bands, dance performances, multimedia shows and more. The 11-week season will begin June 10 with a screening of Prejudice and Pride, a documentary about Latino activism in the 1960s. It closes Aug. 21 with the Sufi rock of Pakistan’s Fuzon, accompanied by musicians

Korean Company’s Financial Woes Won’t Affect Wilshire Grand

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ing moves to restructure its debt in order to stave off bankruptcy. After all, most people here know Hanjin as the developer of the 73-story Wilshire Grand replacement. Not to worry, says a project representative, and though the official price tag has hit $1.2 billion (up from an original $1 billion), the money is in place and the tower, designed by the Downtown-based architectural firm AC Martin, is 70% complete and remains on schedule to open March 8, 2017. The project representative said that it is a case of multiple arms of the same organization having similar names. The parent company is Hanjin Group, which oversees both Hanjin Shipping and Korean Air, and Korean Air in turn is the parent of Hanjin International Corp., which is doing the Wilshire Grand. Thus, the shipping company’s woes have no impact on the Downtown project.

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Abu Muhammad Qawwal and Ayaz Farid. Other highlights include a flute jam session on June 12, Lebanese alt-rockers Mashrou’ Leila on June 17 and former Prince-collaborators Wendy & Lisa on Aug. 19. A special part of the season is the mini-series “Re:Arranged — Muslim Cultures Illuminated,” showcasing Muslim artists from around the world. All shows are free. The full lineup is at grandperformances.org.

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WITH THE FIRST PICK... Photos by Gary Leonard

ans of the Los Angeles Rams thronged L.A. Live last week, as the sports and entertainment complex was the site of the team’s official viewing party for the NFL draft on Thursday, April 28. Hundreds of people clad in blue and gold showed up and cheered uproariously when the team used the first overall pick to select Cal quarterback Jared Goff. The day also marked the first time that the team’s cheerleaders appeared in public in L.A. Although the Rams will eventually play in a stadium in Inglewood, this fall they will have home games just down the street from L.A. Live, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

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Expo Line to Santa Monica Opens May 20 Metro Rail’s Expo Line to Santa Monica is only a few weeks away from the grand opening of seven new stations that stretch from Culver City to Santa Monica. As testing continues in the area, please remember to watch for trains. Learn more at metro.net/moreexpo.

Safety is Metro’s Top Priority If you see any suspicious activity while riding Metro, report it immediately through the LA Metro Transit Watch App. The app gives you a quick and easy way to report an incident or contact sheri=s directly. The app even works underground by storing information until the user reaches an area with cellular or Wi-> connectivity. Download the free app in the App Store or Google Play Store, or visit metro.net/security for more details.

Sunday, May 15 2016 from 1 to 6pm Take part in the third annual Rotary DTLA Incredible L.A. Lofts Tour and discover the amazing culture of the Arts District with exclusive visits to artist studios, neighborhood art institutions, fascinating residences, and the warm hospitality of Resident.

Metro Seeks Input on 2017 Fiscal Year Budget Metro’s annual budget sets transportation priorities across Los Angeles County for the coming year. Metro will continue gathering comments on the FY17 budget at the Regional Service Council Meetings in May and the public hearing on May 18, before formal adoption by the Board of Directors. For meeting information or to provide your comments, go to metro.net/budgetcomments.

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May is Bike Month Whether you ride your bike to get co=ee or all the way to work, there’s something for everyone to get excited about for Bike Month 2016. Learn how to repair your bike at informative workshops, participate in Bike to Work Day on 5/19, check out the Bike Night at Union Station on 5/27 and experience all the fun throughout the month. Learn more at metro.net/bikemonth.

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May 2, 2016

CALENDAR

The Latin soul band Boogaloo Assassins played the L.A. Cinco festival last week and comes back to Downtown on May 5 for a show at The Regent.

A Downtown Cinco de Mayo tradition returns when the masked Mexican wrestling/burlesque mash-up Lucha VaVoom visits the Mayan Theatre. There are performances on May 5 and 6.

photo cour te

sy of Lucha Va

the Fifth

voom

Downtown’s Cinco de Mayo Offerings Include Wrestling, Latin Soul and Plenty of Food- and Drink-Fueled Parties By Nicholas Slayton owntown Los Angeles bosses should be prepared for a lot of calls from employees who are too sick to work on Friday, May 6. That is because Cinco de Mayo falls on a Thursday this year, and if there is one thing time has taught us, it is that the holiday celebrating the Mexican army’s victory over much larger French forces in the Battle of Puebla in 1862 has become a rallying cry for bar-loving Americans. One of the reasons Downtown celebrations stand out is because, well, there are so many of them. Fortunately, not all of them involve imbibing to excess. There are also plenty of ways to enjoy and learn more about Mexican culture or eat a good meal. Los Angeles Downtown News has rounded up seven of the best Cinco de Mayo events, from an evening of burlesque and wrestling to some pounding Latin funk to, yes, some margarita specials. Whichever one you choose, remember two things: 1) Drink responsibly, and 2) Cinco de Mayo is most definitely not the Mexican day of independence. That falls on Sept. 16.

Theater Brawl: The drama, epic clashes and shenanigans of Lucha VaVoom have by this time become a traditional part of Downtown’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. This year there is double the opportunity to enjoy, as the event at the Mayan Theatre takes place on Cinco de Mayo night and again on Friday. For the few who are unfamiliar, Lucha VaVoom melds masked Mexican wrestling with sultry burlesque dancers and a slate of snappy comedians. Though the names are of minor consequence, as it is always a high-energy affair no matter who performs, this week’s luchador lineup includes Magno, the Extreme Tiger, Guerrero Maya, Jr. and the Crazy Chickens. The burlesque portion, meanwhile, promises Molly D’Amour, Leigh Acosta and Marawa the Amazing, whose striptease skills somehow involve hula-hoops. The night is balanced out with folklorico dancers and music from Mexican electro-pop act Titån. Tickets are $48.50. At 1038 S. Hill St., (213) 746-4287 or luchavavoom.com. Grand Time: Former Patina Executive Chef Bret Thompson opened the Bunker Hill Mexican eatery Pez Cantina in Decem-

ber 2014, and the joint with the indoor and patio space has been a destination ever since, as diners flock for favorites such as crispy steelhead salmon and ceviche tostadas. Expect things to be amped up on Cinco de Mayo, as the hordes of people exiting the nearby shiny office towers will find a big celebration without leaving the neighborhood. The restaurant will have two bars open, and there will be food and drink specials. A DJ will spin from 6-8 p.m., followed by bands playing salsa music and Latin rock until 11 p.m. There is also a costume photo booth, and wethinks one of the props could perhaps be a sombrero. At 401 S. Grand Ave., (213) 258-2280 or pezcantina.com. A Touch of Tequila: The gang at 213 Hospitality knows a lot about drinking. If in doubt, check out the recent New Yorker article that detailed how 213 honcho Cedd Moses and some of his senior staff went on a mezcal tasting trip. Now their Historic Core agave-inspired joint Las Perlas is ready for Cinco de Mayo, with a celebration starting at 5 p.m. There will be drink specials all night, including $6 margaritas until 8 p.m. and Jarritos cocktails, along with other tequila and mezcal drinks. The two spirits come from agave cactuses in Mexico, so this is authentic stuff — which means you should pace yourself. The mariachi band La Victoria will be on hand. At 107 E. Sixth St., (213) 988-8355 or 213dthospitality.com/project/las-perlas. Killer Grooves: Did you catch Latin-soul act Boogaloo Assassins at the inaugural outdoor L.A. Cinco festival last weekend? If the answer is no, then no worries, for the 10-piece Los Angeles act is back in Downtown on May 5, performing at The Regent as part of a holiday concert dubbed Cincléctico. Fittingly, the night’s lineup includes five bands, including the Afro-Latin tropical group Quitapenas and the reggae-influenced Delirians. If you get hungry from all that dancing just head over to the Regent’s attached eatery Prufrock Pizzeria. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets start at $5. At 448 S. Main St., (323) 284-5727 or theregenttheater.com. You Say You Want a Revolution: The Belasco Theatre on Hill

Street is hosting Revolution: Cinco de Mayo. The whopping seven-hour party will bring together live music, burlesque dancers and art exhibitions. Social lubrication will start with an open tequila bar from 7-9 p.m. There will be three stages, with performers including electronic producer and DJ Alvin Risk, synth pop singer Sam Sparro and, get this, poet Matt Sedillo. But like the Ginsu knife, wait, there’s more! Also entertaining crowds will be the Lucent Dossier Experience, a locally based circus troupe that does all sorts of aerial acts, and sometimes brings out fire displays. What could make the night better? How about the chance to whack some piñatas? Yep, that’s in store, too. Revolution starts at 7 p.m. and tickets start at around $50. At 1050 S. Hill St., (213) 746-5670 or thebelasco.com. Outdoor Fiesta: The FIGat7th shopping center is hosting a free outdoor Cinco de Mayo celebration from 3-9 p.m. on its groundfloor courtyard, outside the Taste food court. DJs Tonearm and Lee will spin throughout the day, while the complex’s Loteria and City Tavern restaurants will be serving, what else, margaritas and Mexican craft beer. There will also be arts and crafts from the art school Makers Mess, including classes on making piñatas to smash for the holiday. Those who have to work during party time can get a sneak peek while on lunch break, as the allfemale mariachi band La Victoria will play from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. As always, FIGat7th has loads of parking. At 735 S. Figueroa St., (213) 955-7170 or figat7th.com. The Aftermath: What’s better that enjoying Cinco de Mayo on Cinco de Mayo? Enjoying it again two days later. That is possible at the Globe Theater, which is hosting a celebration perfect for procrastinators on May 7. The Cinco de Mayo Latin Concert brings eight acts to the refurbished Broadway theater, including the group Lighter Shade of Brown, R&B singer Baby Bash and rapper Mello Man Ace. The concert starts at 7 p.m. and though the show is a bit belated, the music will be contemporary and eclectic. Tickets start at $75. At 740 S. Broadway, (213) 489-1667 or globetheatre-la.com. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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May 2, 2016

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Finding Freedom Taper’s ‘Father Comes Home From the Wars’ Is Set in the 1860s But Feels Vital Today By Jeff Favre heatrical soapbox preaching rarely connects to diverse audiences spread over generations. Too often the results, though well-intentioned, come off shortsighted and pandering. It takes a gifted playwright to uncover what is universal in humanity and deliver a message that resonates with almost anyone at any time. Suzan-Lori Parks is such a writer. This isn’t surprising and doesn’t count as “news.” Yet deep into a career that includes a 2002 Pulitzer Prize (for Topdog/Underdog), she has reached a new level of powerful yet accessible storytelling with Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3). The audacious title, a three-part epic that runs nearly three hours, opened on Broadway in 2014. It is now at the Mark Taper Forum in Downtown Los Angeles, again directed by Jo Bonney. The play runs through May 15. This is Parks firing on all cylinders, using her skills of poetry, political and social satire, along with some fantastical elements, and fusing them all into an often funny, often gripping drama that deals on its surface with the twisted reality of slavery in America. However, the deeper message is questioning what it means to be free. With a captivating ensemble led by Sterling K. Brown (who created buzz as Christopher Darden in the FX mini-series “The People v. O.J. Simpson”), and Bonney’s sure-handed direction, Father Comes Home From the Wars is fo-

cused and fascinating from start to finish. The three parts are one story with the same characters in the same time period, though either of the first two segments could be presented alone and still feel complete. Part 1 begins on a pre-dawn spring day in 1862 on a Texas plantation. It opens with a quartet of slaves (Russell G. Jones, Julian Rozzell Jr., Tonye Patano and Patrena Murray) who serve as a Greek chorus of sorts. Addressing the audience, they wonder if longtime loyal slave Hero (Brown) will go to war with his owner, the Colonel (Michael McKean), who promises to grant him freedom, or if he will stay on the plantation with his beloved Penny (Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris). Penny wants him to stay, but the Oldest Old Man (Roger Robinson), a slave who is like a father to Hero, thinks he should head off to war, even if the Colonel’s promise may not be true. Certain revealed revelations involving another slave, Homer (Larry Powell), lead him to go, even though Hero is torn about another significant matter — helping the Confederate cause. Part 2, also known as A Battle in the Wilderness, is the production’s high point. The Colonel, who has captured a Union soldier (Josh Wingate), displays pleasure in his cruelty toward Hero. His self-important perspective leads him to proclaim that no matter how bad things get, he always thanks God for making him white. The middle section also has a riveting discussion between Smith and Hero about whether

19th Annual City of Angels Fun Ride presented by Volkswagen

it’s worth being free if it means being at the whim of any authority who stops you on the street. It is a clear comparison to the racial profiling and occasional violence directed at modern-day African Americans by police officers across the country. Parks mixes modern speech with 19th century dialects, and the costumes represent various time periods. That is only part of the boundary-breaking, as she also enjoys blending reality with fantasy. A case in point occurs in the final section, when she matter-offactly makes Hero’s dog Odyssey (Murray) capable of human speech. Yes, if you noticed that that Homer, Odyssey and Hero are all mentioned here, it’s not a coincidence. Remember that Greek chorus, too. Though all of the performances are impressive, Brown serves as the anchor. It’s a low-key portrayal, but Hero’s barely contained rage is always visible, as is a self-hatred that reveals he’s more like the Colonel then he admits. Bonney has a strong handle on tone and is able to navigate rapidly from comedy to pathos, often displaying both simultaneously, which at times leaves half the audience laughing and the other half disturbed. She also effectively incorporates Steven Bargonetti, who throughout the production provides impressive musical accompaniment on the guitar and banjo. Parks avoids the tropes usually found in American slave-centered stories, and instead focuses on the bigger picture of what it means for any human to be free, both physically and

photo by Craig Schwartz

(l to r) Sterling K. Brown, Josh Wingate and Michael McKean address war and freedom in Suzan-Lori Parks’ Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3). The play is at the Mark Taper Forum through May 15.

psychologically. It’s a topic that goes far beyond slavery, and its deft handling is what makes Father Comes Home From the Wars a play that will likely go down as an epic for the ages. Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) runs through May 15 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.com.

¡Fiesta at FIG!

CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATION Up gn ay! i S od T

SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2016 UCLA Campus, Dickson Plaza - West L.A.

L.A.’s Most Unique Urban Bicycle Adventure Is Back!

TH U R SD AY, MAY 5 · 3 p m -9 p m

Advanced Ride: 62 Miles Metric Century Partial rolling closure for the first 10 miles, then a re-start and ride at your own pace.

Recreation Ride: 32 miles @ a 10-12 MPH pace Rolling closure for the entire ride.

Post ride lunch provided by Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill Huge raffle... win bikes, bike parts, clothing, accessories and more!

Join us outside IN THE COURTYARD

· MARGARITAS & MICHELADAS · MEXICAN CRAFT BEER · · FREE EVENT · MAKE YOUR OWN PIÑATA · LIVE DJS ·

For more info and to register visit COAFUNRIDE.com Profits will will help to buy a new bloodmobile for UCLA Blood & Platelet Donor Center.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE LAPD!

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MONDAY, MAY 2 Writing Our Future Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org. 7:15 p.m.: Graduate students and gangsters of the written word from neighboring institutes of higher education pile in to the Central Library to share the fruits of their literary labor. WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 Radiotopia Live Ace Hotel, 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com. 8 p.m.: The acclaimed podcast tapes a live broadcast on the 900 block of South Broadway. Star Wars Day Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com. 7 p.m.: Sci-fi writers Joshua Scher, P.J. Manney and Brett Battles put their heads together for a panel discussion on the tropes of the genre.

THE DON'T MISS LIST

Books in a Park, Electronica in the Convention Center, Dancing in the Museum and More Downtown Action

SATURDAY, MAY 7 Downtown Bookfest Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8080 or grandparkla.org. 12-5 p.m.: Independent publishers will sell their wares between panel discussions, author readings, DIY activities and all-around celebrations of the written word. Sesame Street Live: Make A New Friend 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6030 or microsofttheeatre.com. 12, 3:30 and 7 p.m.: Despite the title, today’s triple-scheduled live puppet show is not an invitation to bum rush the stage and give Elmo a hug.

TWO

by J hoto

o rn e eff F

Fans of house music are well aware of the Mormon mixmaster Kaskade. The EDM DJ born Ryan Raddon has been a fixture on the festival circuit since rising to the upper echelon of the game in the early 2000s. Those who have yet to bask in the latter-day wonder of his trance-adjacent style are encouraged to parade down to an unlikely Downtown venue, as on Saturday, May 7, he’ll be performing at the Los Angeles Convention Center (after RuPaul’s DragCon wraps for the day). Get ready for lines of impressionable youth who will file into the building’s South Hall for an evening of sweat-inducing histrionics the likes of which the Convention Center hasn’t seen since Dance Dance Revolution Con. At 1201 S. Figueroa St. or kaskademusic.com.

The Natural History Museum’s monthly First Fridays program, like your phone bill, comes once a month. Unlike said bill, the series will take a sevenmonth break after the installment on Friday, May 6. That means this is your last chance for a while to soak up a night linking scientific inquiry and archival practices with the whims and fancies of Hollywood. The event starts at 5 p.m. with a series of tours, and at 6:30 p.m. the throngs can enjoy the panel discussion “Velociraptor Is the Thing With Feathers,” which addresses, we kid you not, movies about dinosaurs. Once you’ve dabbled in the pseudo-academic, DJs Aaron Boyd and Jedi (along with a full bar) lubricate the evening’s live music program, which also features Simply Red doppelganger Paul Bergman and Nashville duo Escondido (shown here). At 900 Exposition Blvd., (213) 763-3466 or nhm.org.

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

Au Lac/Café Fedora 710 W. First St., (213) 617-2533 or aulac.com. May 7: Brazil’s own Zuza Goncalves. Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com. May 5-6, 8 p.m.: Explosions in the Sky are here to fill your prescription for post-rock and “Friday Night Lights” nostalgia. Belasco 1050 S. Hill St., (213) 746-5670 or belascous.com. May 2, 8 p.m.: Hungry like the wolf! The 1980s new wave heroes Duran Duran remind us that there is an ordinary world somewhere, likely outside of Downtown, that we all have to find. May 4, 8 p.m.: From reality TV to R&B, Keyshia Cole has something for the whole family. May 5, 7 p.m.: Lucent Dossier and others will be featured in Revolution Cinco de Mayo. May 6, 9 p.m.: Hint: Drag Con has more to do with rouge than screeching tires. Blue Whale 123 Astronaut E. S. Onizuka St., (213) 620-0908 or bluewhalemusic.com. May 2: Lewis Cole returns with Knower. May 3: Avishai Cohen Quartet. May 4: Ben Shepherd. May 5: Greg Reitan Trio. May 6: Munyungo Jackson’s Jungle Jazz performs in what

Legal firms are urged to lock up their law libraries as Grand Park’s annual Bookfest promises to lure notoriously volatile literates to Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, May 7. From noon-five p.m. the park will host a celebration of the written word, with plenty of hands-on bibliophile activities, panel discussions from literary critics, readings, a glowing tribute to the late sci-fi writer Octavia Butler and wares from 30 independent publishers. Admission to the event is free, which means guests will have that much more disposable income to either buy books or spend on sharpies with which they will no doubt scrawl grammatically correct graffiti. At 200 N. Grand Ave., (213) 9728080 or grandparkla.org.

THURSDAY, MAY 5 Lucha VaVoom Mayan, 1038 S. Hill St., (213) 746-4287 or clubmayan.com. May 5-6, 7 p.m.: What better way to dig into the America’s favorite Mexican holiday than masked wrestling, burlesque dancing and copious tequila? FRIDAY, MAY 6 First Fridays Natural History Museum, 800 Exposition Blvd., (213) 7633466 or nhm.org. 5 p.m.: The final First Fridays of the year offers up a look at dinosaurs in the movies and a special performance from Escondido.

By Dan Johnson calendar@downtownnews.com

photo by Javier Guillen

EVENTS

May 2, 2016

FIVE

Parents eager to instill upon their offspring the merits of keeping an ear to the streets will get a helping hand this week as Sesame Street Live files into the Microsoft Theatre for three shows on Saturday, May 7. The puppetry extravaganza titled “Make a New Friend” brings your favorite characters from the block into contact with Chamki, a female counterpart from the Indian version of “Sesame Street.”When Chamki hits the stage at 12, 3:30 and 7 p.m., gleeful children will glean a glorious message of cultural acceptance and the boundlessness of friendship as Grover and company play host. All will be good as long as no one pilfers Cookie Monster’s favorite treats. Tickets were still available at press time. At 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6030 or microsofttheater.com.

Bela Lugosi may be dead, but Peter Murphy is alive and well. The wan, vampiric looking progenitor of goth might tickle your fancy for his work as the former frontman of Bauhaus. Then again, you may know him for 30 years of signature solo releases. Either way, Murphy has survived health scares, a run-in with the law and a grueling commute from his home in Turkey to haunt The Regent on Wednesday, May 4. Crowd into Peter’s secret garden and give him the big love of a tiny fool. At 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com.

photo courtesy Peter Murphy

CALENDAR LISTINGS

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courtesy of Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

24 Downtown News

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might be called an urban jungle. May 7: Burning Ghosts. May 8: Marcel Camargo’s Brazil You Never Heard. Bootleg Bar 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org. May 2: Ubiquitous local popster Gavin Turek hosts DJ Val Fluery on the first night of this Turektastic residency. May 3: Mr. Hudson plays yet another Downtown date. May 4: Feel good, mid-tempo electronica from The Range. May 5: Plum proves that ’70s nostalgia is only as far away as a moustache and phaser pedal. May 7: Givers generously offer up synth pop. Convention Center 1201 S. Figueroa St., (213) 741-1151 or lacclink.com. May 7: Kaskade, as in the EDM DJ and not what you might find at a waterfall. Exchange LA 618 S. Spring St., (213) 627-8070 or exchangela.com. May 5: Apollo Aid. May 6: Party Favor, Lookas and Crnkn. May 7: Kaskade after party. Microsoft Theatre 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6030 or microsofttheeatre.com. May 6, 8 p.m.: In what is a first for us, we are proud to announce that Hatsune Miku, tonight’s performer, is an automated computer program and not an actual human being. Orpheum Theatre 842 Broadway, (877) 677-4386 or laorpheum.com. May 7, 9 p.m.: The Violent Femmes would like to dedicate their classic track “Blister in the Sun” to Pershing Square. The Novo 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or thenovodtla.com. May 7, 9 p.m.: Tres Bandas Companeros unites X, Los Lobos and The Blasters under one tremendous banner. The Regent 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com. May 4: Bauhaus survivor Peter Murphy returns. May 5: A few short blocks away from Margarita’s Mexican Kitchen, you too can enjoy Cinclectico with Boogaloo Assassins, Quitapenas, Rudy de Anda and others on this, St. Tecate’s Day. May 6: You will likely thank yourself for bringing earplugs to Sunn O))). May 7: New Orleans all-star Big Freedia will briefly turn The Regent into yet another NOLA bar in Downtown L.A. Resident 428 S. Hewitt St. or (323) 316-5311 or residentdtla.com. May 3: Swerve. May 4: Javiera Mena. May 5: Blockhead. May 6: Batwings Catwings. May 7: Soft Rock Saturday. Seven Grand 515 W. Seventh St., (213) 614-0737 or sevengrand.la. May 3: The Makers are quietly dreading the next celebrity musician death, not just out of the potential for grief, but sheer exhaustion from fielding cover requests. The Smell 247 S. Main St. in the alley between Spring and Main or thesmell.org. May 4: Prissy Whip. May 5: Surf Curse, Slow Hollows and Hana Vu. May 6: The Red Pears, DYGL, Alyeska and Keif Season. May 7: Hex Horizontal, Naia Izumi and Cinder Cove. May 8: JPEGMAFIA, Signor Benedick the Moor and Future Scum. Teragram Ballroom 1234 W. Seventh St. or teragramballroom.com. May 2: The ever-elusive Tortoise plods on towards the distant finish line known as creative fulfillment. May 3: It’s embarrassing to admit that we can’t distinguish Tegan from Sara. May 5: Tonight’s triple bill of Bleached, No Parents and Feels reads like an advertisement for a Silver Lake therapist with a sideline in hair styling. May 6: Good news Rooney fans: The band is releasing a new album. May 7: Dance Yourself Clean is a dance party that promises the metaphorical while delivering exactly the opposite in the literal.

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Fashion DistriCt at Corner 9th/santee 226 E. 9th St. , 213-623-5091 • 213-327-0645, Tel/Fx: 213-623-9405

CROSSWORD

Jungle Book (1:10, 1:50, 3:45, 6:50, 9:40 and 10:20 p.m.); The Boss (12:50, 3:40, 6:20 and 9:10 p.m.); Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (11:45 a.m., 3 and 9:50 p.m.); Zootopia (1 and 9:20 p.m.); Zootopia 3D (3:50 and 6:40 p.m.); Purple Rain (1:30, 4:20, 7:40 and 10:30 p.m.).

THEATER, OPERA & DANCE

Bob Baker’s Sketchbook Revue Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., (213) 2509995 or bobbakermarionettes.com. April 30-May 1, 2:30 p.m.: The Sketchbook Revue promises a 

LAST WEEKS ANSWERS

dren’s Film Festival caps off with three programs this Saturday focusing on “Explore Galore,” “Imagine That” and “Cuddly Critters.” Regal Cinemas LA Live 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 763-6070 or lalive.com/movies. Through May 5: Keanu (11:50 a.m., 2:20, 4:50, 7:20 and 10 p.m.); Mother’s Day (1:20, 4:10, 7:10 and 10:10 p.m.); Ratchet & Clank (11:30 a.m., 4:30 and 7 p.m.); Ratchet & Clank 3D (2 and 9:30 p.m.); Compadres (12:10, 2:50, 5:30, 8:20 and 10:55 p.m.); The Huntsman: Winter’s War (11:20 a.m., 2:10, 3:20, 5, 7:50, 9 and 10:50 p.m.); Barbershop: The Next Cut (11:35 a.m., 2:15, 5:10, 8 and 10:40 p.m.); The Jungle Book 3D (11:40 a.m., 12:30, 2:30, 4:40, 5:20, 6:10, 7:30, 8:10 and 11 p.m.); The

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Continued from previous page Ewan McGregor is the voice of Humpback Whales 3D. Not that the whales aren’t significant enough in their own right, but Obi-Wan narrating means we’re dealing with serious power brokers here. Power brokers who know a good whale story when they see it. REDCAT 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org. May 2, 8:30 p.m.: Tom Gunning and Jonathon Rosen conjure up early celluloid reprints to showcase some of the filmic beauty featured in their recent book, "The Fantasia of Color in Early Cinema." May 7, 12 p.m.: The 11th annual REDCAT International Chil-

May 2, 2016

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26 Downtown News

cast of marionettes that will alternately delight and terrify. Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org. May 3-7, 8 p.m. and May 8, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ latest work is set in the Civil War. The lead character (a slave played by Sterling K. Brown) fights for his master and the South in a bid to win his freedom, then begins a long, Homeric journey. There is even a talking dog. Through May 15. See review p. 21. Continued on page 28

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LEGAL PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF $20,000 REWARD OFFERED BY THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY

To place a classified ad in the Downtown News please call 213-481-1448, or go to DowntownNews.com Deadline classified display and line ads are Thursday at 12pm. FORfor RENT All submissions are subject to federal and California fair housing laws, which make it illegal to indicate in any advertisement any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income or physical or mental disability. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Notice is hereby given that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles has established a $20,000 reward offered in exchange for information leading to the apprehension and/or conviction of Steven Lawrence Wright, who is a suspect for a heinous gang related murder that occurred in the City of Pasadena on January 19, 2011 and was erroneously released from the Sheriff’s Inmate Reception Center on January 30, 2016. Any person having any information related to this crime is requested to call Detectives Salcedo or Forcier at the Sheriff’s Major Crime Bureau at (562) 946-7893 and refer to Report No. 916-00171-5120-690. The terms of the reward provide that: The information given that leads to the determination of the identity, the apprehension and conviction of any person or persons must be given no later than May 1, 2016. All reward claims must be in writing and shall be received no later than June 30, 2016. The total County payment of any and all rewards shall in no event exceed $20,000 and no claim shall be paid prior to conviction unless the Board of Supervisors makes a finding of impossibility of conviction due to the death or incapacity of the person or persons responsible for the crime or crimes. The County reward may be apportioned between various persons and/or paid for the conviction of various persons as the circumstances fairly dictate. Any claims for the reward funds should be filed no later than June 30, 2016, with the Executive Office of the Board of Supervisors, 500 West Temple Street, Room 383 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, Los Angeles, California 90012, Attention: Steven Lawrence Wright Reward Fund. For further information, please call (213) 974-1579. Si no entiende esta noticia o si necesita mas informacion, favor de llamar a este numero (213) 974-1579.

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UTEST RITTER

‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

. 45 2016 I VOL MARCH 7,

◆◆◆◆◆◆

or : 5 Be May ants to t Who W plex : 6 ict Com ts Distr Ar ge for a Hu ng-Sho

The Lo Big Plan

Downtown News 27

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

CONTEST

May 2, 2016

Your furry (or not so furry) friend could be Downtown’s PET OF THE YEAR

Downtown News’ 2016 Inaugural Cutest Critter Contest is dedicated to all things animal, from four-legged friends to birds and other wildlife. Show us your best shot.

Eligibility: You must live or work in Downtown Los Angeles.

GRAND PRIZE:

DTLAt Pee ar! of th ye OIC THE V

DOW E OF

NTOW

E SINC L.A.

1972

Downtown’s Best Friend Photo Contest Partner:

• Your pet’s photo on the cover of the May 16 DTNEWS, a $100 gift card to Patina Group restaurants and a fantastic gift package from Pussy and Pooch.

2ND & 3RD PLACE:

• Each will receive a $50 gift card to Patina Group restaurants and a gift package to Pussy and Pooch.

HOW TO ENTER Entry Deadline: Tuesday, May 10 @ 5 p.m. Email your high resolution photo, your name, phone number and pet’s name to

contests@downtownnews.com (subject line: Cutest Critter) or mail to

1264 W. First St., Los Angeles CA 90026

One entry per person. All or part of the submissions may be published in our May 16 issue or online and become the property of the L.A. Downtown News.

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

28 Downtown News

May 2, 2016

LISTINGS, 26

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.

GRAND TOWER

255 South Grand Avenue Leasing Information 213 229 9777 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

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

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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

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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

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The Next Dance Company REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org. May 6-7, 8:30 p.m.: CalArts’ own dance ensemble gives a show worthy of the question, “Did we miss the last dance company?” No Place to Be Somebody Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., (213) 489-0994 or thelatc.org. May 6-7, 8 p.m. and May 8, 3 p.m.: The LATC and Robey Theatre Company host this comedy, a philosophically meandering journey through Greenwich Village. Charles Gordone’s play won the Pulitzer Prize when it was first mounted in 1969. Through May 8. Sleepaway Camp Downtown Independent, 251 S. Main St., (213) 617-1033 or downtownindependent.com. May 3, 9 p.m.: Feast on this irreverent stand-up comedy cavalcade takes up residence at the Downtown Independent. Wanting Miss Julie Loft Ensemble, 929 E. Second St., (213) 680-0392 or loftensemble.org. May 7-8, 8 p.m.: Forbidden lust in the ultra-exclusive Hamptons sets the stage for a tempestuous power play in this world premiere musical. It’s the last week for the last production for Loft Ensemble before the company leaves Downtown for, egads, Sherman Oaks. Through May 8.

CLASSICAL MUSIC FRIDAY, MAY 6 Jumpstart Concert Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or colburnschool.edu. 7 p.m.: The gifted youth lucky enough to take part in the intensive tutelage of the Colburn’s Jumpstart Young Musicians Program show off their hard work. Theatre of the World Walt Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org. May 6, 8 p.m. and May 8, 2 p.m.: The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s commission Theatre of the World debuts tonight with all hands on deck including guest conductor Reinbert de Leeuw and video mavens the Quay Brothers. SATURDAY, MAY 7 Colburn Community Chorale Concert Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or colburnschool.edu. 7:30 p.m.: They walk amongst you. That’s right. The singers featured in tonight’s show stroll amongst you every day as ordinary members of the community before transforming into a force of vocal prowess. SUNDAY, MAY 8 Colburn Chamber Orchestra Concert Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or colburnschool.edu. 3 p.m.: Maxim Eshkenazy leads these string-plucking whippersnappers in their final concert of the 2015-2016 school year.

MUSEUMS

African American Firefighter Museum 1401 S. Central Ave., (213) 744-1730 or aaffmuseum.org. Ongoing: An array of firefighting relics dating to 1924, including a 1940 Pirsch ladder truck, an 1890 hose wagon, uniforms from New York, L.A. County and City of L.A. firefighters, badges, helmets, photographs and other artifacts. Broad Museum 221 S. Grand Ave., (213) 232-6200 or thebroad.org. Ongoing: The inaugural installation at the $140 million Grand Avenue institution features about 250 works from Eli and Edythe Broad’s 2,000-piece contemporary art collection. It’s big-time blue chip, with work from Rauschenberg, Warhol, Basquiat, Koons, Kruger and every other big name. Not to be missed is Yayoi Kusama’s eminently selfieready Infinity Mirrored Room.

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.

2YOUR EVENT INFO

EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT

✔ WEB: LADowntownNews.com/calendar ✔ 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.