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Mother’s Day: Learn Downtown Moms’ Secrets | 14 Parker Center Could Be Torn Down | 5

MAY 5, 2014 I VOL. 43 I #18

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Allis Markham Brings Taxidermy Classes to Downtown SEE PAGE 8

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AROUND TOWN

H&M Opens at FIGat7th Shopping Center

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igh-end clothing retailers have been popping up around Downtown, but now there’s a more affordable option for visitors, workers and residents: Swedish retailer H&M opened last week at the FIGat7th shopping center at 735 S. Figueroa St. The company is filling a 30,000-square-foot space with what it terms a “flagship store.” When the 10-year deal was announced last October, mall owner Brookfield Properties called it the largest fashion retail lease in Downtown in 20 years.

H&M, which opened at noon on Thursday, May 1, specializes in value-oriented apparel in a variety of styles, ranging from items with brash hipster prints to sleeker, more subdued dresses, suits and more. H&M, which was founded in Sweden in 1947, is one of two clothing stores filling large spaces in the mall this spring — coming next is Spanish retailer Zara. Also in the works for the shopping center is lingerie shop Victoria’s Secret.

Councilman Asks Times to Stop Accepting Sterling Ads

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lippers owner Donald Sterling was banned last week from the NBA, UCLA said it won’t accept his donations and the NAACP rescinded a lifetime achievement

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS award it was going to give him. Now, Eighth District City Councilman Bernard Parks wants to know what a Downtown institution, the Los Angeles Times, will say to the disgraced Sterling’s money. Parks authored a motion on April 29 that, among other things, demands a public apology from Sterling to the city, and requests that local newspapers — the only one specifically named was the Times — stop running advertisements for Sterling’s real estate empire and “his alleged civic activities.” Sterling for decades has taken out expensive full-page ads in the paper, many of them touting his receipt of “Humanitarian of the Year” and other prizes. In the past, he also ran ads for a new Skid Row facility that never was built. Whether the Times will also reject Sterling’s cash remains unclear.

Last week, newspaper spokeswoman Nancy Sullivan said in a statement, “The Los Angeles Times understands and shares the outrage surrounding the unconscionable racist comments the NBA has confirmed were made by Donald Sterling.… The Times also reserves the right to refuse any advertising submitted for publication in our sole discretion.”

Trains and Gelato on DTTV

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he two features on this week’s episode of DTTV, Los Angeles Downtown News’ weekly webcast, couldn’t be any more different. First up is a visit to Union Station, which celebrated its 75th anniversary on Saturday, May 3. The all-day event coincided with National Train Day, a festival of everything related to locomotives and the people who love them.

Also on tap is a visit to Gelateria Uli, a new shop in the Spring Arcade Building that serves

May 5, 2014

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Exonerated

Science Teacher

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an ever-changing array of 16 flavors of the cold Italian treat. Check out the latest DTTV at downtownnews.com.

Broadway Signage Meeting On May 7

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he revitalization of Broadway doesn’t stop with the arrival of new businesses and physical changes to the street — it also includes rebranding the thoroughfare with new signage. To receive the public’s input on what that should look like, 14th District City

Grand Arts High School

April 30, 2014

Councilman José Huizar is hosting a Historic Broadway Sign District workshop on Wednesday, May 7. The workshop, to be held at Les Noces Du Figaro at 618 S. Broadway, will consist of a discussion at 6 p.m., followed by a presentation of the sign district’s goals at 7 p.m. The sign district policy will, among other things, allow the city to install special signage that depicts the historic nature of Broadway and restore or re-create historic signs. The effort is part of Huizar’s ongoing Bringing Back Broadway initiative. Additional information is at (213) 473-7014 or bringingbackbroadway.com.

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EDITORIALS

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May 5, 2014

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

A Barcade and Rock Climbing?

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ne of the best things about the evolution of Downtown Los Angeles is its unpredictability. This goes back 15 years: Ground zero for the residential revolution was Fourth and Main streets, which was on the cusp of Skid Row in 1999 when Tom Gilmore announced he was turning three empty buildings into the Old Bank District. Though it seems eons ago, South Park at the turn of the millennium was filled with vacant lots and rundown motels. Even with Staples Center under construction, few foresaw the neighborhood housing a slew of steel-and-glass residential high-rises where rents approach $3 a square foot.

Those are not the only unlikely arrivals. A decade ago it would have been hard to predict all the nightlife that has materialized on Spring Street in the Historic Core or the crush of restaurants on Seventh Street. Go back just five years and Downtown’s only name-brand supermarket was the South Park Ralphs — now local workers and residents can grab groceries from Target, Smart & Final and a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. Plus, there’s a mammoth Whole Foods under construction at Eighth Street and Grand Avenue.

The next wave of unpredictable arrivals is in full swing in another neighborhood: the Arts District.

It started a couple years ago, when a trio of coffee roasting businesses lured by the large spaces and affordable rents set up shop. Although the start of construction on several large housing complexes isn’t a surprise, it’s still shocking to think that the district has two of the most highly praised new restaurants in the city in Bestia and Factory Kitchen.

Still, a couple of recent debuts make all that has come before seem almost commonplace. That’s because the neighborhood long known for artists living in big spaces for cheap rents (with no nearby amenities) now has a bar filled with dozens of video games, along with a rock climbing business.

Yes, in the Arts District today you can climb an indoor boulder in the afternoon, then sip a happy hour cocktail while playing Pac-Man. We’re not sure how the proprietors of L.A. Boulders decided there was a hunger for an indoor climbing facility on Sixth Street, or what convinced the owners of Eighty-Two to open their “barcade,” with about 40 vintage video games and pinball machines, on Fourth Place. Still, we’re delighted that they did, and we have been pleased to see strong customer response at both businesses.

All of these arrivals are working in Downtown’s favor and are contributing to the swell of national press about the area. A few months back GQ and the New York Times gushed over Downtown’s resurgence. In the past few weeks the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal also featured the area.

While we don’t know what unpredictable business will come next, we’re confident there will be many more additions. Despite all that has arrived, Downtown continues to draw new residents, and there remains a number of empty spaces and rundown structures ripe for conversion and reimagining.

A barcade and a rock-climbing place in the Arts District? We’ll take it. We look forward to what is next.

Planning for the Convention Center Without Football

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ommunity leaders have long complained about Downtown Los Angeles’ core convention facilities. The thinking goes that the two biggest hurdles to attracting large, lucrative trade shows, the kind that frequently wind up in Anaheim and San Diego, are 1) the insufficient Convention Center buildings, including one that is more than 40 years old and is not aging well, and 2) a shortage of hotel rooms within easy walking distance of the Convention Center.

This tangle has endured for decades, though in recent years there has been an appealing if hard-to-attain solution: Anschutz Entertainment Group is pushing the $1.4 billion Farmers Field proposal, which includes an approximately $350 million plan to modernize the Convention Center. Making the convention space contiguous and having a stadium that could also serve as overflow for the largest events, say project backers, would draw the shows L.A. now misses out on and spur the creation of more area hotels and businesses. Visitors would come, cash registers would ring and everyone would win.

It’s a first-rate plan if it ever works out. However, “if” is the operative word. Though AEG continues to pursue the NFL (albeit with a lower profile than in the past), it makes sense to start planning for the future without football. After all, AEG’s contract with the city for Farmers Field expires in October. It could be extended, but local officials recently told Los Angeles Downtown News that no one should expect extensions to go on indefinitely, perhaps not even a significant amount of time.

Thus, the city has quietly returned to exploring how to modernize the Convention Center without Farmers Field. The proposal, which Downtown News reported on last month, has the interesting title Plan B. Planning for life without Farmers Field is the responsible way to go. The city has an obligation to ensure that the Convention Center, one of its largest assets, can cover its hefty costs (nearly $322 million in debt remains on the facility) and that it can be an economic driver. A failure to explore ways to make that happen would be dropping the ball, irresponsible to the max.

While the work on Plan B is early, local officials are reaching out to prospective architects, and are considering spending $700,000 to conduct a design competition.

Some might argue that if AEG pulls off football, this would be wasted cash. However, as we say, the slow public pace of the NFL effort makes now the right time to look to the future without AEG’s

stadium. If the city waits until the developer’s contracts expires, it will mean even more lost months. It’s a fine line to walk, but it has to be done.

AEG still deserves the city’s support and the chance to make Farmers Field happen. The company has poured tens of millions of dollars into the pursuit of the NFL, and though former football frontman and AEG President and CEO Tim Leiweke left more than a year ago, there remain a number of very sharp people within the company, among them Phil Anschutz himself. You also can’t look past AEG’s reasons for making this happen — with Farmers Field, all of their surrounding property becomes much more valuable.

AEG leaders no doubt want this more than anyone else.

It is important to note that this is not a question of the city versus AEG. The developer last year won a five-year contract to operate the Convention Center and has already begun efforts to bring in additional revenue while also making the building’s operations more efficient. This public-private partnership has the potential to pay off well for the city, the developer and surrounding interests.

Even without football, AEG, and in particular its adjacent L.A. Live, will fare better with more convention business.

What will the future bring? It’s hard to tell, but even without Farmers Field it’s likely that the Convention Center would end up similar to the plan propelled by AEG. That vision involves knocking down the current West Hall of the complex (where a stadium would go) and erecting a new convention building that extends over Pico Boulevard. The project would add several hundred thousand square feet of exhibition space and create new ballrooms. It would make Los Angeles competitive, at least on a size basis, with Anaheim and San Diego.

Whether it’s a city or an AEG plan, more convention space and an effective marketing and convention booking team would bring in new trade shows. That in turn would propel the construction of hotels.

Local tourism officials have theorized that Downtown could hold several thousand additional rooms, including at least one more “headquarters hotel” similar to the 1,001-room J.W. Marriott/Ritz-Carlton.

We hope AEG can pull off Farmers Field — it’d be ideal to have football and the ancillary benefits in Downtown. However, no one can rely on that anymore. The city and local leaders should continue looking at how to make Plan B happen without acting precipitously. If football doesn’t come, then this is a necessary step for the future of Downtown.

May 5, 2014

Downtown News 5

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City Recommends Replacing Parker Center With 27-Story Tower A $475 Million Proposal Would Raze Old Police Headquarters and Centralize City Offices

By Donna Evans acant Parker Center should be demolished and a 27-story tower housing a variety of city offices should rise in its place, according to a recommendation from the city Department of Public Works and the Bureau of Engineering.

The city for years has pondered what to do with the dilapidated 1954 former police headquarters, which became obsolete when most Los Angeles Police Department functions left the building in 2009 for the new $440 million Police Administration Building on First Street. An environmental impact report called for studying several options, including reusing all or part of the aged building at 150 N. Los Angeles St. However, after examining the possibilities, city officials have called for razing the structure and building a 27-story tower in its place. The proposal, which has an initial budget of $475 million, will be presented to the City Council this summer, said Deborah Weintraub, interim city engineer.

The new building would house multiple municipal departments, such as General Services, Personnel and possibly Public Works, allowing the city to bring together employees from some far-flung locations, said Weintraub.

“A building this size would allow us to consolidate a lot of staff and terminate leases at

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other remote city-owned facilities. It would centralize a lot of people, which would help staff and residents,” she said.

The Bureau of Engineering is recommending including retail space on the first floor of the new structure. The proposed facility would offer WiFi, a high-tech conference room, a cafeteria or cafe and amenities such as a health club, possibly with a pool. Initial plans also call for a public courtyard with landscaping that would provide a pedestrian connection between Los Angeles and Judge John Aiso streets.

Additionally, the project calls for an enclosed pedestrian bridge connecting the structure to City Hall East. An emergency helipad would be on the roof and a garage with more than 1,100 spaces would rise on the site of Parker Center’s existing parking lot.

According to the initial plans, demolition would proceed on a floor-by-floor process — similar to what occurred at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, and meaning no wrecking ball or dynamiting — and last eight to 10 months. Construction of the new building would start in 2016 and last 18-24 months, with completion anticipated in 2018.

The project is in the early stage and no renderings have yet been created, Weintraub said.

Although the firm Gensler did some initial planning for the EIR analysis, no architect for

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The city is recommending tearing down vacant Parker Center and building a 27-story tower in its place. Initial plans call for a new building to open in 2018.

photo by Gary Leonard

the new building has been chosen.

Activate the ‘Dead Zone’ The plan to eliminate an aged eyesore is drawing praise from longtime Downtown Los Angeles observers. Dan Rosenfeld, president of the George Crenshaw Development Company and a former public-sector real estate official, said the project has the opportunity to breathe life back into an area that can seem like a “dead zone.”

“This will also be an opportunity to start to correct one of the biggest deficiencies in the Civic Center: the lack of street-facing retail,” Rosenfeld said in an email. “Every new building in the Civic Center, including city buildings, should be required to fill all its street frontage with attrac-

tive public uses such as shops and restaurants.”

Rosenfeld noted that bringing together multiple city departments in a new building would save money and improve public access to government. He pointed out that the project echoes recommendations he made in the 1997 Civic Center Shared Facilities and Enhancement Plan. The document, sometimes called the Ten Minute Diamond Plan, suggested housing government workers within a 10-minute walk in all directions of City Hall.

Mahmood Karimzadeh, principal architect for the Bureau of Engineering, agreed that the project has the potential to activate the Civic Continued on page 12

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May 5, 2014

Gunning for the Gold Star Reform, Leadership and Gang Tattoos Are in the Mix at Downtown Sheriff’s Race Debate

By Jon Regardie s I walked over to a debate featuring the candidates for Los Angeles County sheriff last week, a few questions kept popping into my mind. Would Bob Olmsted, a retired department veteran, actually bring a whistle and blow it each time he mentioned going to the FBI about the bad deeds he wit-

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THE REGARDIE REPORT nessed inside jails run by the Sheriff’s Department? Would Jim McDonnell, who has been described as the frontrunner from the moment he entered the race, have to pull darts chucked by the other candidates out of his back? Would Paul Tanaka, former Sheriff Lee Baca’s longtime number two, have to weave like Neo in The Matrix to avoid all the criticism being flung at him?

What would the candidates have to say about Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling?

The first surprise during the debate held on Monday, April 28, at an auditorium in the Police Administration Building in Downtown, was that people went two whole hours without mentioning Sterling. The second surprise was that, even though the event was sponsored by the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association, a union that represents about 8,700 people, most of them LASD deputies, Tanaka didn’t show up.

Maybe Tanaka, who has been repeatedly accused of turning a blind eye to department

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misdeeds, was tired of being pilloried — after all, this marked the 14th debate of the campaign. Maybe he had something better to do, like yachting or a dinner party.

Whatever the reason, with five of the seven candidates present (the only other one missing was Patrick Gomez), the absence of Tanaka sparked the first barbs of the evening. Yet this involved a twist I’ve never before seen in a political debate, and I’ve seen a lot of debates: the criticism came not from another candidate, but rather the host.

“We are disappointed in Patrick and Mr. Tanaka. If Mr. Tanaka was here, I think he would face some hard-hitting questions from our employees,” Brian Moriguchi, the president of the PPOA and a department lieutenant, told the crowd at the start of the event. “If he was here, I think he would face questions such as what was his role in the shipping of bulletproof vests and radio cars to Cambodia through the city of Gardena? I think he would face questions such as what was his role in the jails and the obstruction of justice charges that have led to 20 of our employees being indicted?”

Bulletproof vests to Cambodia via Gardena and jail violence all before the debate even starts?

Suddenly, this had the potential to be more entertaining than an episode of “Duck Dynasty.”

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Five of the seven candidates running for L.A. County Sheriff showed up at a Downtown debate last week. Shown are (l to r) Lou Vince, James Hellmold, Jim McDonnell, Bob Olmsted and Todd Rogers. The primary is June 3.

the actual race for sheriff has generated precious little public attention. Pretty much the only thing most people know is that the longserving incumbent Baca was about to be part of a bloodbath of an election pitting him against Tanaka and whistleblower Olmsted.

Then, in January, Baca abruptly announced his resignation. Within a few days, a bunch of people who wouldn’t dare run against Baca suddenly decided this was a fantastic job to seek.

The 90-minute debate was frequently exciting and thought-provoking, thanks in part to the occasionally combative candidates, and in part to stellar moderator Brad Pomerance. Trying to control five candidates at a debate can

be like herding cats with political agendas. Pomerance, the host of Charter Cable’s “California Edition,” managed to direct pointed questions and chime in with well-informed follow-ups. In the process, no one got to climb too high up on their soapbox. The debate will be broadcast on Charter, Cox and Time Warner Cable, which means that more people will see this debate than will watch most Dodgers games.

There was an ample amount of uniformity among the candidates, as all five banged the reform drum. The biggest difference was how they spun the opportunity for leadership: James Hellmold and Todd Rogers, who both hold the rank Continued on page 28

May 5, 2014

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May 5, 2014

Strike a Pose Allis Markham Brings Taxidermy Classes to Downtown

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photo by Gary Leonard

pares specimens and conducts research into an animal: What is a characteristic pose? Are their eyes almond or round? Do they have low eyelids, and is that an aggressive characteristic?

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taxidermy department at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. Markham said she basically bugged department head Tim Bovard until he hired her.

That was three years ago. She still works there 30 hours a week, while also hosting sessions at her Prey Taxidermy in Downtown.

She has two different “Birds 101” classes this week. Coming at the end of the month is “Birds 201-Ducklings!”

“L.A. is hardly a hotbed of taxidermy,” Bovard said with a laugh. “But she’s now exposing people to this lost art.”

Past Meets Present Markham’s studio is a mash-up of past and present, the decor a mix of game heads and mounts, including a whitetail buck, her firstever taxidermy, and 1960s furniture. There’s a 1910 wood Zenith radio, Bluetooth-enabled, purchased from Etsy. During a recent class she lit three scented candles, just in case the freezers filled with future specimens got a little “skunky.”

Markham sees a parallel between the revival of taxidermy and the renaissance underway in Downtown Los Angeles, which is why she opted to teach her classes in the Central City. Plus, the Spring Arts Tower is 100 years old, and the Natural History Museum turned 100 last year.

“What I do is old-fashioned and raw, and so is Downtown,” she said.

Her world is one of precision, nature and tools, all of which come into play as she pre-

S ALAMEDA

By Donna Evans llis Markham, with her painted lips, porcelain skin and polished red fingernails, is standing in her 530-square-foot studio in the Spring Arts Tower. Suddenly the door flings open and an excited Muriel Leventis bursts in.

“There’s a dead pigeon downstairs! It’s right in front of the gutter!” gushes Leventis.

Markham’s eyes widen with fascination and she asks, “Is there? What kind of condition is it in?”

Markham looks at her assistant, Madison Rubin, and asks if she wants to check it out.

Rubin nods and she and Leventis hurry down the hall.

This is not an uncommon experience for Markham, a 31-year-old taxidermist for the Natural History Museum who recently began holding classes on the trade in the Historic Core. With her 1940s Victory Curl and tattoos peeking out of sheer sleeves, she hosts sessions such as Birds 101, where students like Leventis learn how to skin, flesh (remove the fat), wire, mount and groom their own feathered creatures, all in a weekend or a few nights.

Markham, who grew up in Indiana watching her Native American grandfather taxidermy animals — there were always animal parts around, she said — earned a game heads certificate from the Advanced Taxidermy Training Center in Montana. While working in social media at Disney, she began volunteering in the

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of course, the dead animal). Currently students are learning to taxidermy birds, but Markham hopes to expand to mammals in the future. She personally has taxidermied rodents and deer, and as soon as she has a bit more time, plans to work on her pet project: dogs.

In fact, the only thing she loves more than working with dead animals is playing with live ones. Markham has fostered 17 dogs in three years. Her “permanent” dog, Bacon, was a malnourished rescue. She was working on farmraised squab at the time, so she took all the meat off the birds, boiled it, mixed it with rice and brought the Australian Shepherd mix back to health.

Never one to waste, Markham then mounted the pigeons.

No Hawks Ethics and the environment are key factors to Markham. She collects or purchases specimens after natural or unavoidable death, and always discloses their origins to the students.

To stuff the birds (a verb she never uses, as it’s considered déclassé in her world), she procures wood-wool spools from lumberyards. They’re a byproduct of the industry, castoff shavings of two-by-fours.

Markham also has a cheeky sense of humor.

One frequently asked question on her website is, “I found a hawk. Will you taxidermy it for me?”

The answer is no, and it turns out there are federal laws about this kind of thing, and only museums may mount protected or endangered animals. In a follow-up question pondering whether she could taxidermy an endangered animal on the “down-low,” she uses a Pulp Fiction reference: “Nope. I can’t even be aware you have it. Who is this? Prank caller! Prank caller!”

The laws, she notes, date to the Victorian era,

when trappers nearly decimated the songbird population by killing them en masse for the plumage that they sold to haberdasheries for women’s bonnets. Some animals are protected because they’re native and you wouldn’t want to upset the ecosystem, she added. Conversely, European Starlings, which she uses in “Birds 101,” are considered “nuisance animals” in that they attack crops and destroy nests of native birds.

Markham acquired her current round of Starlings, the most populous bird in North America, from a pest abatement business in Wisconsin.

About That Pigeon As the budding taxidermists filed in to class, Markham’s assistant and the student who eyed the dead pigeon returned from Fifth and Spring streets victorious. The bird, sans a few feathers, was in surprisingly good shape for dive bombing the gutter. Markham dropped it in the freezer alongside a peacock and an 85-pound Irish Wolfhound (her friend’s beloved pet who died) that Markham wants to taxidermy as part of the dog project.

Student Linette McCown, a set decorator who met Markham when she mounted pigeons for an Annie Leibovitz photo shoot, has collected taxidermy for more than 10 years.

She had always wanted to learn the skill, but couldn’t find any classes. Seated across from her, fingers deep into a Starling’s chest cavity, Nina Masuda said she, too, had searched unsuccessfully for classes. Then they found Markham.

When the students started, they wore gloves to pick through the bird’s carcass. They soon realized that they really needed to feel the animal to connect with the work.

“We’ve all gotten over the gross,” said Mc-

Markham holds classes for about seven students at a time in the Historic Core. Classes are on the weekends and evenings.

photo by Gary Leonard

animals in a wholly different way.

“I’ll never look at road kill the same way,” said Masuda.

Prey Taxidermy is at 453 S. Spring St., Suite 417, (323) 896-0573 or preytaxidermy.com. A full schedule of classes is online. donna@downtownnews.com

Cown, of Highland Park. “Plus, they’ve been in the freezer, so as long as you don’t put it in your mouth, you’re fine.”

The room erupted in laughter, and the students, who were predominantly female on this day, agreed that the class had opened their eyes to wildlife. They, like Markham, now see

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TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

10 Downtown News

May 5, 2014

2014

Voting Begins May 12!

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Voting will be open from May 12 through May 30, 2014. Vote online now at www.votebestof.com Those weeks will go fast so don’t miss your chance to help define what is best about Downtown.

IS YOUR BUSINESS A NOMINEE? Visit www.Vo teBestOf.com to dow your nominee information pac nload ket.

Downtown New Best of Downto s has put together special wn nominee p ackage pricing .

Call today for information 2 13-481-1448 .

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VOTING WILL BE OPEN FROM MAY 12 THROUGH MAY 30, 2014.

2014 BEST OF DOWNTOWN NOMINEES EATING BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Peking Tavern Terroni Loteria Grill and Torta Co. The Factory Kitchen - italian Crepes Sans Frontiers Badmaash TLT Food Dr. J’s Vibrant Cafe Bunker Hill Bar and Grill Fifty Seven Chego Ebanos Crossing 643 North Stocking Frame Stafford + Mathis Kitchen Faith & Flower The Must Local Table Horse Thief Justice Urban Tavern L.A. Chapter

BEST L.A. LIVE RESTAURANT

The Farm of Beverly Hills Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse Live Basil Pizza Tom’s Urban Smash Burger Yard House Boca at the Conga Room Lawry’s Carvery Rock’N Fish WP24 L.A. Market Katsuya Rosa Mexicano Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE

Write-In Candidate

BEST RESTAURANT DELIVERY

Write-In Candidate

BEST FAST SERVICE

The Melt Wurstküche Juicy Lucy Loteria Grill

The Pizza Studio Torta Company Aloha Café The Counter Ocho Grill Farmer Boys Maria’s Italian Kitchen Express Mendocino Farms Blossom Daikokuya Spitz Eastside Market Italian Deli Cabbage Patch Shin Sen Gumi The Sandwich Smith Mediterranean City Grill Simply Salad Asada Mexican Restaurant Skew’s Gus’s Drive In Oleego by Parks Barbecue Georges Greek Grill Indus by Saffron Sandwich Shop Eggslut Wexler’s Deli Berlin Currywurst Olio

BEST BUSINESS LUNCH

Water Grill Traxx The Standard Drago Centro Daily Grill Patina Morton’s The Steakhouse Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse Engine Co. No. 28 Checkers Downtown The Palm Chaya Downtown Bunker Hill Bar and Grill Terroni Cafe Pinot Sugarfish

BEST FINE DINING

Patina Water Grill The Palm Morton’s the Steakhouse Noé Restaurant & Bar Drago Centro Rivera WP24

Pacific Dining Car Church & State Chaya Downtown Le Ka Orsa & Winston KaGaYa Alma Q Faith & Flower Sushi Zo B.O.S.

BEST FARM TO TABLE

Fickle Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar City Tavern Juicy Lucy Industriel Alma Bestia Pete’s Café & Bar Local Table Artisan House TLT Food Fifty Seven

BEST GASTROPUB

Public School 612 Eat.Drink.Americano Lazy Ox Canteen Redwood Bar & Grill Little Bear Library Bar The Black Sheep Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar Fickle Peking Tavern Spring St. Bar Sixth St. Tavern

BEST BREAKFAST SPOT

Nickel Diner The Original Pantry Café Philippe The Original Uncle John’s Café Urth Caffe Daily Dose Cafe Nick’s Cafe L.A. Café Farmer Boys Café Noa The Blue Cube Eggslut Local Table Restaurant Standard Jist Cafe

BEST BRUNCH

Restaurant Standard Checkers Downtown Baco Mercat Pete’s Café & Bar Bottega Louie Nola’s Perch Les Noces Du Figaro Coco Laurent Nick’s Cafe Nickel Diner L.A. Cafe Local Table Grand Cafe 643 North Justice Urban Tavern LA Chapter

BEST LUNCH SPOT

Nickel Diner Wurstküche 643 North Urth Caffe Tigeorge’s Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar Cole’s Yxta Cocina Mexicana El Cholo Yorkshire Grill Oomasa Justice Urban Tavern Zip Sushi & Izakaya California Kabob Kitchen Mendocino Farms Blossom Colori Kitchen Pitfire Pizza Company Eastside Market Italian Deli Wokcano San Antonio Winery & Maddalena Restaurant CBS Seafood Mo-Chica Nick’s Cafe Gill’s Cuisine of India Bunker Hill Bar and Grill

BEST BARGAIN LUNCH DEAL

Eastside Market Italian Deli LA Café Café Nine Mendocino Farms Fashion Cafe

Philippe The Original Farmer Boys Ensenada Restaurant & Bar Sultan Chicken Spitz Regent China Inn Gus’s Drive-In Gill’s Indian Restaurant Skew’s

BEST DINNER

The Must Terroni Cafe Pinot Water Grill Peking Tavern The Palm Mo-Chica Local Table Bestia Maccheroni Republic Mas Malo Faith & Flower Church & State Artisan House Alma Morton’s The Steakhouse Rivera Colori Kitchen Industriel Bäco Mercat Factory Kitchen Lazy Ox Canteen The Gorbals Fifty Seven

BEST AMERICAN

Daily Grill The Melt First & Hope Engine Co. No. 28 Justice Urban Tavern City Tavern The Escondite Stafford + Mathis Kitchen Nick’s Cafe Nickel Diner Pete’s Café & Bar Weiland Brewery Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar Local Table Guild The Blue Cube Cafe Hill

BEST SANDWICH/WRAP

Philippe The Original Mendocino Farms Two Bits Market It’s A Wrap Groundfloor Café Tossed Cole’s Hero Shop Blue Cow Kitchen & Bar Yorkshire Grill Eastside Market Italian Deli Langer’s Delicatessen Restaurant LA Café The Sandwich Smith Sandwich Shop Kitchen Faire Farmer Boys Lawry’s Carvery Kachi Deli Wexler’s Deli

BEST MAC N’ CHEESE

Pete’s Café and Bar Nickel Diner The Farm of Beverly Hills The Must Cole’s Bar & Kitchen Engine Co. No. 28

BEST BURGER

Morton’s The Steakhouse Tommy’s Five Star Bar Umami The Escondite The Counter Original Pantry Café Pete’s Café & Bar Redwood Bar & Grill Farmer Boys Weiland Brewery Underground D-Town Burger Bar Library Bar Nick’s Café Fatburger Juicy Lucy Bunker Hill Bar and Grill Eggslut

BEST ITALIAN

Maria’s Italian Kitchen Drago Centro

VOTEBESTOF.COM

Il Mare Ristorante & Bar L’Angolo Cafe Colori Kitchen Terroni Portofino Cucina Cucina Rustica Olive Bistro & Catering San Antonio Winery & Maddalena Restaurant Amante Pizza & Pasta Casa Nostra Soleto Maccheroni Republic Bestia Factory Kitchen

BEST PIZZA

Pizzanista Garage Pizza Papi’s Pizzeria Purgatory Pizza Xlixe Pizzeria Pies & Pints California Pizza Kitchen Pitfire Pizza Company LA NY Pizza Live Basil Pizza Bottega Louie Two Boots Pizza The Pizza Studio Mr. Pizza Amante Pizza & Pasta Olio Pellicola Pizzeria

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

BEST SEAFOOD

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

BEST INDIAN

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

BEST LATIN AMERICAN

Mas Malo Rivera El Cholo Yxta Cocina Mexicana Border Grill La Luz Del Dia La Parrilla Coronado’s Las Morelianas Mexicali La Adelita Ensenada Restaurant & Bar Chichen Itza El Compadre Rosa Mexicano Mo-Chica Homegirl Café Bar Ama Loteria Grill

BEST FRENCH

Café Pinot Les Noces Du Figaro Kendall’s Brasserie Patina Taix Church & State Coco Laurent Perch Le Pain Quotidien

BEST MIDDLE EASTERN

Farid Restaurant Kabab & More Sevan Garden Kebab House Shekarchi Shish Kabob and Much More Sultan Chicken California Kabob Kitchen

BEST MEDITERRANEAN

Mediterranean City Grill Spitz Papa Cristos Tulip Café Sevan Garden Kebab House

May 5, 2014

Downtown News 11

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

2014 BEST OF DOWNTOWN NOMINEES

BEST ASIAN FUSION

Wokcano The Black Sheep Far Bar Chaya Downtown Soi 7 Starry Kitchen Nights District BBQ & Lounge The Flying Pig Cafe Bugis Street Chego

BEST VIETNAMESE

Blossom Via Café Pho 87 The Pho Shop Pho Saigon Pho Broadway

BEST KOREAN

Oleego by Parks Barbecue Manna Korean BBQ Korean Kitchen Hibachi Barbecue Korean BBQ House

BEST CHINESE

Yang Chow Full House Seafood Hop Li Plum Tree Inn Empress Pavilion Green Bamboo The New Moon Peking Tavern

BEST DIM SUM

CBS Seafood Restaurant Ocean Seafood Chynna Dim Sum Golden Dragon

BEST SUSHI

SugarFish Arashi Sushi Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant Sushi Gen Sushi Go 55 Tenno Sushi Oomasa Frying Fish Zip Sushi Izakaya Aburiya Toranoko Mako Sushi Hama Sushi Q Sushi Zo Toshi Sushi

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST REVOLVING SUSHI BAR

Kula Revolving Sushi Bar Frying Fish

BEST JAPANESE

Tenno Sushi Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant Honda Ya Suehiro Cafe Curry House Restaurant Aoi TOT / Teishokuya of Tokyo Kokekokko Shabu Shabu House Kouraku Octopus Japanese Restaurant Yojie Japanese Fondue Izakaya Fu-Ga Oiwake Aburiya Toranoko

BEST RAMEN SPOT

Daikokuya Men Oh Tokushima Ramen Hakata Ramen Shin-Sen-Gumi Orochon Ramen Mr. Ramen Hana-Ichimonme Kouraku

BEST THAI

Authentic Thai Esaan Thai A Taste of Thai Soi 7 E-Sea Fresh Restaurant Sticky Rice

BEST VEGAN/ VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY

Localita & The Badasserie Sage Vegan Bistro Dr. J’s Vibrant Cafe Azla Vegan Shojin Organic & Natural Tierra Cafe Cabbage Patch Blossom Threads Café and Lounge Homegirl Cafe Ocho Mexican Grill Loose Leaf Simply Salad

BEST BAKERY/DESSERTS

Big Man Bakes Gelateria Uli Sprinkles

Le Pain Quotidien The Pie Hole Gourmet LA Bakery Semi Sweet Bakery Café Dulce Phoenix Bakery Queens Bakery Mikawaya Frances Bakery & Coffee Hygge Bakery Nazo’s Bakery Syrup Desserts Etchea Bread Lounge

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST CREPES

Crepes Sans Frontiers Four Leaf

BEST FROZEN DESSERT

Gelateria Uli Cherry on Top Pinkberry Tutti Frutti Jose’s Ice Cream Corner Yogurtland Mikawaya Red Mango Ben & Jerry’s Union Station Peddler’s Creamery Pazzo Gelato

HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST CUPCAKES

Big Man Bakes Sprinkles

BEST CAFE

LA Café Spring for Coffee Daily Dose Café Groundfloor Cafe Café Dulce Café Demitasse Handsome Coffee Roasters--(Soon to be Blue Bottle) Urth Caffe Café de Camacho First Cup Caffe Chimney Coffee House

BEST RESTAURANT AMBIANCE

BEST DOWNTOWN VIEW

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

BEST PLACE TO BREAK BREAD WITH FRIENDS

Artisan House Pete’s Café & Bar Border Grill Bottega Louie The Must Baco Mercat Bestia Pour Haus The Gorbals Local Table Eat. Drink. Americano Stocking Frame

BEST HOTEL RESTAURANT

Urban Justice Tavern — DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles Downtown Moody’s — The L.A. Hotel Downtown L.A. Chapter — Ace Hotel The Brasserie — Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown Checkers Downtown — Hilton Checkers LA Market — J.W. Marriott LA Prime — Westin Bonaventure Lakeview Bistro — Westin Bonaventure Bar & Kitchen — O Hotel Smeraldi’s Restaurant — Biltmore Hotel Bugis Street Brasserie — Biltmore Hotel Restaurant Standard — Standard Downtown WP24 — Ritz Carlton Grand Café — Omni Los Angeles Hotel At California Plaza Noé — Omni Los Angeles Hotel At California Plaza Stafford + Mathis Kitchen — Luxe City Center Hotel

ENTERTAINMENT

The Must Bestia Pete’s Cafe and Bar Perch Le Ka Restaurant Bäco Mercat Church & State Bottega Louie Terroni Ebanos Crossing Water Grill

Orpheum Theatre Nokia Theatre Club Nokia California Plaza (Grand Performances) Pershing Square Staples Center Walt Disney Concert Hall

BEST RESTAURANT DECOR

BEST MUSIC VENUE SMALL

Cicada Takami Patina Rivera Drago Centro

MOST ROMANTIC RESTAURANT

L.A. Prime Drago Centro Cicada Café Pinot Pacific Dining Car Rivera WP24 Patina

BEST OLD-SCHOOL RESTAURANT

Philippe The Original The Original Pantry Café Nick’s Café Uncle John’s Café Yorkshire Grill Ensenada Restaurant Kouraku Hop Louie

BEST OUTDOOR DINING

Border Grill Traxx Restaurant Maccheroni Republic Takami Cafe Pinot Perch Zip Sushi Izakaya Chaya Downtown Bonaventure Brewing Co. The Must Le Ka Urth Caffe Mendocino Farms Bunker Hill Bar & Grill

BEST FAST SERVE FOOD CENTER

505 Flower/City National Plaza FIGat7th TASTE California Plaza 444 S. Flower/Citigroup Center Bonaventure Galleria & Food Court AT&T Center Grand Central Market

BEST MUSIC VENUE LARGE

Conga Room The Bootleg Bar Bar Fedora Nola’s Blue Whale Colburn School Grammy Museum The Smell Redwood Bar and Grill

BEST FREE EVENT SERIES

ALOUD at the Central Library Grand Performances at California Plaza Pershing Square Summer Concert Series World City at Disney Hall Dance Downtown at the Music Center Plaza Summer On The Plaza at FIGat7th JAM! In L.A. Jazz Series ñ artsBrookfield

BEST FILM SERIES

Last Remaining Seats Downtown Film Festival L.A. Film Fest Electric Dusk Drive-in Pershing Square’s Friday Night Flicks REDCAT Film Series Films @ CAAM

BEST FILM VENUE

Downtown Independent Regal Cinemas L.A. Live Flagship Theaters University Village 3 California Science Center IMAX Electric Dusk Drive-In

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 Grammy Museum

La Plaza de Cultura y Artes African-American Firefighter Museum Wells Fargo Museum

BEST DOWNTOWN TOURS

Architecture Tours L.A. Downtown L.A. Walks Las Angelitas del Pueblo Esotouric Los Angeles Conservancy Metro Rail Art Tours Segwow Undiscovered Chinatown Tour Walt Disney Concert Hall Tours Los Angeles Central Library Tour Urban Shopping Adventures Starline Tours Saturday Housing Bus Tour (DCBID)

BEST TOURIST ATTRACTION Walt Disney Concert Hall L.A. Live Broadway Theaters 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 Target Free Family Saturdays at JANM 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 The Hayworth Mark Taper Forum REDCAT Bootleg Theatre 24th Street Theatre

BEST DOWNTOWN EVENT

Downtown Art Walk Downtown On Ice (Pershing Square) Golden Dragon Parade Blessing of the Animals Hope For Firefighters Nisei Week National Train Day at Union Station Last Remaining Seats Downtown Film Festival Psomas Paper Yacht Challenge Dance Downtown (Music Center) Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival Grand Performances at California Plaza Pershing Square Summer Concerts Lucha VaVoom L.A. Film Fest YMCA Stair Climb for Los Angeles

SERVICES BEST FLORIST

Downtown Flowers.Net Paradise Florist Glasswing Floral Darling’s Holm & Olson Florist Bloomies Flowers and Gifts Athletic Club Flower Shop California Floral Company G Fiori

BEST DAY SPA

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

BEST HAIR SALON

Candolyn’s Jacqueline’s Salon Salon Eleven Salon on 6 Salon on Seventh Neihule Salon Pure The Hub Factory Rendez Vous Salon & Spa Ultima Beauty Center C&J Beauty Center & Salon Elisa’s Garage The Artform Studio Hair + Records

Vertigo Salon Curt Darling Salon Visage Salon Salon on Main Bunker Hill Salon The Loft 8W Gold on Grand Salon K.C. Salon on 1st

BEST NAIL SALON

Neihule Nail Service Nails on 9th Soleil Beauty Salon Hope Spa & Nails Soho Nails & Spa Ki Nail Bar The Nail Parlor

BEST BARBER SHOP

Rudy’s Barber Shop Bolt Barbers Pacific Center Barber LA Barber College Imperial Barber Shop

BEST DENTIST OR DENTAL OFFICE

Esthetic Dentistry Dental Group 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

BEST CHIROPRACTOR

Courtyard Wellness Dr. Boris Mayzels Chiropractic & Wellness Center Chiropractic Injury Care Chiropractic Care Center Downtown Live Chiropractic Akimoto Chiropractic Office Downtown Chiropractic

BEST GYM/WORKOUT FACILITY

Future Health Gold’s Gym Ketchum-Downtown YMCA Los Angeles Athletic Club Pilates Plus Downtown LA CrossFit 213 Tapout Training Center Trojan CrossFit The Stronghold Climbing Gym L.A. Sands Boxing Gym Equinox LA Fitness Bikram Yoga Downtown LA 24 Hour Fitness CrossFit Mean Streets Yas Fitness The Rec Center Crossfit

BEST DRY CLEANERS

Bunker Hill Cleaners Sloan’s Dry Cleaners Arts Cleaners Cleaners on 8th Tokyo Cleaners Urban Life Cleaners Cleaners Depot S & H Cleaners Executive Image Cleaners

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 Dr. Garry Regier ñ Optometrist Lens Crafters ñ 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 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

BEST AUTO DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT

Porsche of Downtown L.A. Volkswagen of Downtown L.A. Audi of Downtown L.A. Downtown LA Motors Mercedes Benz Nissan of Downtown L.A. Felix Chevrolet Toyota of Downtown L.A. Honda of Downtown Los Angeles Nick Alexander Imports 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

BEST TRAVEL AGENCY

New Japan Travel AAA Travel Liberty Travel Udaan Travel Jumbo Travel World Travel Eros Tours

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 Standard Downtown LA Ritz Milner Hotel Sheraton Downtown Figueroa Hotel Luxe City Center Ace Hotel

BEST AUTO BODY/ AUTO REPAIR

E&L Auto Body Downtown Auto Repair & Body Shop Globe Auto Body 1st Choice Collision Center Motor Village Downtown LA Motors Honda of Downtown LA

BEST PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

DASH METRO Subway/Lightrail METRO Buses Regional Rail Services (Metrolink)

BEST PRESCHOOL

La Petite Academy Lumbini Child Dev. Center Pilgrim 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 Angelina Head Start

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

BEST PET DAYCARE/ BOARDING/ TRAINING/WALKING

Go Dog LA Walka-Walka Walk Fido Bark & Clark South Park Doggie Daycare Spa

VOTEBESTOF.COM

and Supplies City Paws LA Roxxy’s Doggy Daycare

BEST PET GROOMING

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

BEST RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE AGENT

Write-in Candidate

SHOPPING BEST FARMERS MARKET

Pershing Square Farmers Market Grand Park’s Downtown Farmers Market Historic Core Farmers Market FIGat7th Farmers Market Bank of America Farmers Market Arts District Farmers Market City Hall Farmers Market

BEST BICYCLE SHOP

DTLA Bikes Just Ride L.A. El Maestro Bicycles Wabi Cycles

BEST PET SUPPLIES/ BOUTIQUE

Bark Avenue’s Pet Project 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

BEST STORE FOR THE HOME

Novecento Antiques Realm Dearden’s Tiffany Auction House Cleveland Art District Millworks Angelo:HOME Hammer & Spear

BEST BOOKSTORE

Caravan Bookstore The Library Store Christian Science Reading Room Kinokuniya Bookstore The Last Bookstore

BEST CIGAR/SMOKE SHOP

Living Room Vape & Smoke Shop Diplomat Cigars Broadway Smoke Shop 2nd Street Cigar Lounge and Gallery

BEST JEWELRY MART

St. Vincent Jewelry Center Broadway Mall California Jewelry Mart LA Jewelry Plaza Fox Jewelry Plaza Great Western Jewelry Plaza International Jewelry Center Jewelers Mall Los Angeles Jewelry Center

BEST CONSIGNMENT & VINTAGE STORE

Kapsoul Tiffany Auction House Round2 Hammer and Spear 1 Man’s Trash Kool’s Clothing Store Flamingo Vintage Buttons and Bows Raggedy Threads Vintage Shoppe Popkiller/Popkiller Second Curio

BEST GIFT & STATIONARY STORE

Bring Something to the Party FIDM Museum Shop LA Phil Store MOCA Made by DWC Poketo The Library Store Tokyo Japanese (Outlet) Lifestyle Sanrio Smiles Qpop Tanner Goods BEST RETAIL STORE (large) Macy’s

ROSS Target 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 Nicholas Bowes 1 Man’s Trash Apolis Kool’s Clothing Store SixHundred Kapsoul Curio No. A American Love Affair Raggedy Threads Vintage Shoppe The Well

BEST WOMENSWEAR BOUTIQUE

Skingraft ROUND2 Curio bliss Nicholas Bowes 1 Man’s Trash Kapsoul Kool’s Clothing Store SixHundred No. A FIDM Scholarship Store Buttons and Bows Brigade American Love Affair Raggedy Threads Vintage Shoppe The Well

BEST AUTO DEALER – NEW CARS

Porsche of Downtown L.A. Volkswagen of Downtown L.A. Audi of Downtown L.A. Motor Village LA (Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Ram) Downtown LA Motors Mercedes Benz Nissan of Downtown L.A. Felix Chevrolet Toyota Downtown L.A. Honda of Downtown Los Angeles Nick Alexander Imports Kia of Downtown L.A. Downtown LA Auto Group

BEST AUTO DEALER – USED CARS

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

DRINKING BEST COFFEE

Urth Caffe Spring for Coffee Groundwork Coffee Handsome Coffee Roasters Café Dulce Demitasse Prime Grind Coffee Tierra Mia Coffee City Bean Expressamente Illy Il Caffe Barrista Society Verve Coffee Roasters Stumptown Coffee

BEST JUICE

Juicelove Robek’s Pressed Juicery Juice Crafters Fruit Farm Press Brothers Juicery Better Booch

BEST WINE BAR

Tapas and Wine Bar C BottleRock Mignon gLAnce (JW Marriott) Pour Haus Wine Bar Bacaro LA The Must

Continued On Next Page

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

12 Downtown News

The Real Clippers Rebound

PARKER CENTER, 5

A Fan Reflects on the Strangest Four Days in Team History

By Jon Regardie “ know the team is good, but the track record is so darn spotty, and [Donald] Sterling is sort of like a Bizarro World King Midas, turning anything he touches into doggy doo.”

I wrote the above in a column on April 21 at the start of the NBA playoffs, six days before the world ever heard of V. Stiviano. At the time I didn’t realize how prescient I was. I also didn’t realize I’d be understating things with the “doggy doo” line.

Now, with the Los Angeles Clippers’ four-day rollercoaster ride ended, everything is strange and different. As a long-suffering fan, I’m still stunned at what started with an instantly infamous racist rant by Sterling and ended with his being banned for life from the NBA. On one hand it was shocking to hear someone in 2014 espouse the feelings about African Americans that Sterling did. However, if you were given a list of all 7 billion people on the planet and had to guess which ones were most likely to make such comments, Sterling would surely be part of the upper 1%. His history of racially

I

tinged lawsuits and legal settlements may not have made this predictable, but neither did it come as a surprise.

Clipper fans have grumbled about Sterling for decades. That’s not altogether uncommon in the NBA, where every team has down years, as the Lakers faithful are learning. Still, constant abysmal play and only the rare sniff at the playoffs convinced Clipper Nation that this was a special kind of suck, with ickiness seeping down from the top. The Lakers under late owner Jerry Buss spent whatever it took to win. Sterling, by contrast, had a Costco-type approach to players, buying cheap and in bulk.

Even when the Clippers lucked into drafting Blake Griffin and got Chris Paul in a trade, and Sterling spent what was needed to keep them and brought in Doc Rivers as coach, there was still fear of what the faithful called the “Clippers Curse.”

Then came April 27, when TMZ posted the Sterling-Stiviano recordings online. Just when the Clippers had their best team ever, just when fans could say the word “championship” without getting laughed out of

May 5, 2014

Staples Center, things went south.

I always figured the downfall would be a catastrophic injury to Griffin or Paul. I never expected that the one to kneecap the Clippers would be Sterling himself.

Yet, at the darkest hour, the strangest thing of all happened. As venom spewed toward Sterling, support streamed to Griffin, Paul, Rivers and the rest of the players and coaches. It wasn’t quite what the faithful felt all those long years, but suddenly there was an understanding that you could be a Clippers fan without being a Sterling fan.

We know what happened next.

Sterling got exiled and the Clippers won an emotional game 5 of their playoff series against Golden State.

Their fate against the Warriors was undefined at press time.

The team hasn’t been sold yet, and the notoriously litigious Sterling could raise a legal ruckus, but suddenly, there’s a feeling that things in Clipper Nation will be different, better. It’s a strange feeling, but I think I can get used to it. regardie@downtownnews.com

Center. He also said that a new facility could be designed to meet modern technological needs unavailable in a more antiquated structure, such as the Personnel Department building in the Arts District.

Weintraub noted that although the recommendation is to raze and replace Parker Center, no formal decision has been made, and city officials could choose one of the other options laid out in a 2013 Environmental Impact Report. She also said that funds for the new development have not yet been identified.

The proposal also drew the praise of Bob Harris, the director of Landscape Architecture at the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California and a chair of Mayor Tom Bradley’s 60-member Downtown Strategic Plan Advisory Committee in 1989.

He called the project a “fantastic opportunity” for the city to turn the area into a significant public magnet.

Being largely vacant for five years has left the area around Parker Center inert, Harris said. The development could reawaken the Civic Center and create a place that is “extraordinarily useful to the public,” he added, noting that a connection to Little Tokyo is a good start.

The proposal comes as three other major Civic Center developments on longtime dilapidated or eyesore sites are underway. The former Hall of Justice is undergoing a $234 million renovation, and the 1925 building at 211 W. Temple St. is slated to reopen next year and house the Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s office. Additionally, construction has begun on a $400 million Federal Courthouse at the southwest corner of First Street and Broadway. The approximately 600,000-square-foot building will replace a huge dirt hole; it is scheduled to open in 2016.

The city has also begun looking at ways to turn a graffiti-scarred plot at First and Broadway, across from City Hall, into a park. donna@downtownnews.com

2014 BEST OF DOWNTOWN NOMINEES Continued from previous page

BEST SPORTS (VIEWING) BAR

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The Mixing Room – J.W. Marriott BonaVista Lounge – Westin Bonaventure Gallery Bar – Biltmore Hotel Standard Rooftop Bar – Standard Downtown The Veranda Bar – Figueroa Hotel Bar & Kitchen – O Hotel Noe Restaurant & Bar – Omni Los Angeles Hotel Upstairs Bar – Ace Hotel

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May 5, 2014

Downtown News 13

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Featuring the Movie Palaces of Downtown’s Broadway Historic Theatre District and The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

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TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

DT Notes From

CELEBRATE MOM

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By Adriann Cocker even years ago, when we bought a home in the Arts District, we were dogless and childless. We were drawn to the creativity and inspiration of both our loft space and the area itself. It was reminiscent of London’s Docklands, my husband’s last UK address, burgeoning with transformative energy.

We had grand plans of relocating after two years to start our family in a more traditional space. Yet through a mix of strange coincidences and market factors (thanks, 2008 economic collapse), we’ve found ourselves raising our family in Downtown. Perhaps even more surprising, we’re grateful for the opportunity.

Everything here is just so close. DTLA Vets is over on Spring Street because, let’s face it, our dog Kialoha (we call her Ki for short) was really our first “child.” Our amazing pediatrician Dr. Nakashima is five blocks from our loft, and with an asthmatic 4-year-old son, we are there often.

As a native Angeleno who grew up on the Eastside, I wanted more for our son Mason. The ability to feel safe and not worry about bullets smashing more than windows. A yard to play in. His own room.

But is a yard that much more fun? And isn’t it cooler to scooter around in your own loft than on the street?

At night, from the right height, the Downtown lights look like jewels. When we peer out our window overlooking the Fourth Street Bridge, we pretend. We are explorers. We are

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Growing Up Arts District

fighting pirates in our ship. We are racing fast cars, like in the films they shoot here.

Adventures abound for Mason. After school, a balloon man spoils us at the newly opened Arts District Farmers Market, where we shop for veggies and popcorn. People ogle his new Madsen cargo bike — yes, he even gets a seatbelt — a real hit for making trips to Urban Radish and Bread Lounge or riding the streets during CicLAvia. During Easter he hunts for eggs on the rooftop of a Downtown landmark building, and what it lacks in shrubbery, it makes up for in the view. We traipse through the recently opened gardens at the Natural History Museum, finding butterflies and hummingbirds thriving in a peaceful oasis. Fire stations are open to him, appointments unnecessary, as he is a welcome novelty.

He and I spend a lot of time together all across Downtown, running through Exxopolis’ giant inflatable sculpture and tearing around the fountains at Grand Park. Peering over the top of City Hall’s observation deck — a first for both of us — and seeing our city from this vantage point is a priceless experience.

Over spring break, with my best friend and her two young kids visiting from Northern California, we dined on sushi in Little Tokyo and stumbled upon the X Lanes bowling alley.

Who knew little kids could be such great bowlers?

At times, it has been a struggle raising our son in Downtown — not that being a mom is ever easy. But it just felt like living here, particularly pre-City Target and Sprinkles, was more of a hassle than necessary — especially when you threw in a dog, a long walk to the car and no walls or doors in our home except for the bathroom. I recall cooking and eating dinner for the first two years of Mason’s life in the dark, never speaking above a whisper after 7 p.m. and watching TV with headphones on so as not to disturb our sleeping cherub. I saw many local new moms leave after a few months for what they dreamed were brighter days of

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ne of the biggest changes in Downtown Los Angeles in the past five years has been the appearance of so many children. That coincides with another necessary and natural change: the appearance of so many mothers.

Downtown moms have a number of tricks and tools they employ in raising their children here. It’s not like the suburbs, where so many easy options are at hand. Downtown moms need to be creative, and they work hard to find fun for their families.

In honor of Mother’s Day, which arrives on Sunday, May 11, Los Angeles Downtown News turned a few pages over to a handful of area moms. They wrote about their discoveries and challenges, their joys and hopes for their children and their neighborhood.

Happy Mother’s Day to these and all the other moms in Downtown.

Celebrate

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driveways and rooms with doors.

Sometimes I wished I could go too. But we finally embraced it, and met loft family-life head on with some custom walls and an extremely loud air purifier that Mason fondly refers to as the “boat.” The lights are back on at night and we can even have friends stay after his bedtime.

Yes, I still cringe when we walk Ki and have to step around the broken glass of a crack pipe. But at a tender age Mason knows of the homeless, that they are people who deserve to be met with dignity, not to be ignored.

Much and more are the gifts of discovery I offer our 4-year-old son; some beautiful and some rough-spun. I’m not a failure as a mom since this is not traditional. Living Downtown offers him constant adventure. This is his city of lights and of angels. He’s growing up Arts District and he loves it. So do I.

May 5, 2014

Downtown News 15

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By Courtney Chavez bout five years ago, I sold my car and became fully immersed in the live, work and play mentality Downtown Los Angeles offers. My entire world took place within a virtually two-mile radius.

I rarely saw children around during those first couple of years. Granted, I was never looking for them. Still, it seemed reasonable to expect that, when the time came to start a family, I would move to a quieter part of the city to raise my children.

Two years ago, that time arrived. However, when it did, I realized that I could not imagine leaving my home.

So, I buckled down to ride out the uncertainties of pregnancy, childbirth and raising a baby in the heart of the Historic Core. I didn’t know many mothers of young children in the area. I was faced with a million questions from family and friends who did not understand the draw of Downtown.

“How are you going to get to the hospital without a car?” was one common question. Another regular refrain was, “It’s dirty Downtown. You can’t raise a child around there.

It’s unhealthy.” Then there was, “When are you going to move to a better area?”

My answers were always the same: bus or taxi. I promise not to let her lick the sidewalks. And I love where I live.

I made friends on my walks to and from work each day as my belly grew. The guys lounging on Main Street near our

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Raising a True City Girl

beloved Bark Avenue chatted with me daily. The comments about my growing size were equally funny and offensive. One person even asked me if I was having twins because I looked “gigantic.” Thanks, no, just the one.

I promised each of them that, when my daughter arrived, I would bring her over to meet them. It’s a promise I kept. I introduced Elena when she was about five months old to the group. Just the other week I saw one of them while waiting outside the Nickel Diner. “Hey, aren’t you the girl who had the little black dog? And then you got pregnant?” Yep, that’s me. I showed a few recent pictures of my nearly 2-year-old girl.

Now that Elena is older, we have many opportunities to explore Downtown. Her favorite thing to do is ride the elevators. It provides an excellent opportunity to practice counting when we go up or down. The only downside is a minor fear that she will grow up believing there is a weird number “M” in between one and two. Before school starts, I need to explain what “Mezzanine” means and not to count 1-M-2-3-4.

In her nearly two years of life, Elena has been to loft parties and happy hours all over Downtown; she has run through the fountains at Grand Park where children and parents congregate on hot days. She has enjoyed outdoor concerts and movies in the park. As she gets older, the possibilities are endless for cultural activities right outside our door.

When people ask why we live Downtown, I explain how important it is to me to raise my child in a diverse area where she will grow to understand adversity and real-world problems.

I believe that raising her here will bring about questions related to poverty, crime, development and the growth of a city.

Having those discussions is extremely beneficial.

I read comments and hear people talk about how unsafe Downtown is and that it is not a place for a child, but again, I wonder why that is. As a parent, it is my job to protect my child and keep her safe no matter where we live.

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Living in Downtown has its concerns. When Elena was three months old, a woman suffering from mental illness who had not bathed in a while approached me while I was carrying my daughter and wanted to touch her and pray over her. It was a scary moment, and I had all of three seconds to decide how to handle it. I turned my body to create a cocoon around Elena, and the woman put her hands on my shoulder instead and offered a prayer of protection. I thanked her for her kindness and moved on quickly.

That was the only incident in the last two years that caused me any real concern.

Ultimately, my daughter is a true city girl. She is so accustomed to the sounds of Downtown that she sleeps through sirens and dogs barking. She doesn’t wake during the 2 a.m. mass exodus from nearby bars and clubs. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

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16 Downtown News

May 5, 2014

CELEBRATE MOM

A Very Active Family Life

and a Child All There’s Fun for Mom ch of It Is Free Mu d Across Downtown, an

By Jenny Wu s a New York City transplant 11 years ago, I fell in love with Downtown Los Angeles at first sight. I enjoyed the bustle of Bunker Hill, where I initially lived, and the juxtaposition of struggling students with successful business people with everyone else you could imagine. It reminded me of home.

For five years now I have called South Park home.

Though 3,000 miles from my extended family, I have found a welcoming and gracious community of people who I enjoy bumping into in hallways and on sidewalks.

My husband Richard and I briefly considered moving elsewhere when our daughter Genevieve was born two years ago because that’s what people seem to do. However, we put that thought aside quickly and assuredly because we want Genevieve to have all of the advantages we enjoyed as kids raised in a city.

Everything we could possibly need is nearby. Genevieve goes to Grand Hope Park nearly every day. She is on a firstname basis with the baristas at the corner Starbucks, who know she takes her water with no ice. We walk to Ralphs and L.A. Live. We people watch, point out manholes and count buses as they pass. We’re not alone in our love of and belief in the future of Downtown, which is exemplified by the growing number of construction sites, or as Genevieve calls them, “building shows.” They keep us entertained as we make our way to the bank or clothing store.

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The first animals Genevieve fell in love with were elephants, no doubt due to a traveling art exhibit that had beautifully colorful elephant sculptures on display at Nokia Plaza. Being only three blocks away, we try to take advantage of all L.A. Live has to offer. We recently visited the Easter Bunny outside of Staples Center and at another event we played in the snow, which made her grandparents in the wintry Northeast happy. There are kid’s shows and exhibits that pass through regularly, and now that she is old enough to sit still for a bit, we look forward to doing even more.

As her mom and frequent partner in these excursions, I see Downtown through her eyes. Twice a month, FIGat7th hosts crafts for kids. Genevieve went on her first dinosaur

hunt at a science event at the Central Library. We’ve flown kites and waded in the fountain at Grand Park. Each Sunday we attend church at the Villa Flores Multipurpose Room where we enjoy the gardens kept by the community’s seniors. That’s just the start: We have visited Santa and looked at the dragon gates in Chinatown. Coming soon is a show featuring Mongolian dancers at the Music Center.

As exciting as these opportunities for her enrichment are, it is important to mention that everything we have done so far has been free. Downtown is a great place for families on a budget just as much as it is for more affluent families.

Another pleasant surprise as a mom is that we are not alone. During the workweek, at almost any place Genevieve goes, other children are present. The parents and caregivers have a great sense of camaraderie, and there is generally an instant understanding that all toys are meant to be shared.

Conversations that ended weeks ago are picked up again as if no time had passed.

One concern we have is making sure there is a strong school for Genevieve. My husband and I are both teachers and education is very important to us. We are excited about the still-new Metro Charter Elementary School, which was started by a group of Downtown parents. We are also glad that the Girl Scouts just formed a Downtown troop in the neighborhood.

Downtown is not immune to the problems and struggles of big cities. It’s often hard to find parking, there is a transient population, we don’t walk outside after dark and event-goers and tourists do not always understand the traffic patterns in our web of one-way streets. As parents we forgive these issues that all metropolises share because we know that they are far outweighed by the benefits of Downtown living. We know that our daughter will have the best educational, culinary, cultural and social opportunities as she continues to grow and thrive in the neighborhood she calls home.

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May 5, 2014

Downtown News 17

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By Kimberley Sandoval he idea of a community beginning to redefine itself is part of what lured me from Orange County to Downtown Los Angeles. I spent a good portion of my early 20s living in and traveling to metropolises such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Madrid, London and Paris. I love the concept of a fast-paced life with diversity and culture on every corner.

In February 2013 our son Nicolas (we call him Nico) was born. Nico’s first visitors all had the same question, and it always came after they spent about 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot.

“Are you planning on moving out of Downtown?” they’d ask with eyebrows raised. They would go on to express their concerns about safety given the homeless population around Fifth Street and Broadway.

I simply smiled and answered no. We are sometimes overly cautious about what streets we walk on at night, but we don’t think it should deter families from moving into Downtown.

I want my son to grow up in an ethnically diverse culture where various socioeconomic backgrounds surround him.

Although Nico is just a toddler, Downtown has already had its effects on him. As we run our errands Nico waves from his stroller to his neighbors on Spring Street. Regardless of who they are or where they come from, he has a smile for everyone.

Our family has grown accustomed to the sounds of Down-

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Small Town Living In the Big City

town. While some children cry when they hear a siren, Nico smiles and imitates the sound. During a camping trip, we realized he is so used to hearing the racket of the city that quiet spaces can make him feel uneasy.

With only about 52,000 residents, raising a family in Downtown Los Angeles begins to feel like a small town. You know most of the parents and children from reading hour at the Central Library or play dates at Spring Street Park. We have our local traditions such as Easter and Christmas at Pershing Square, Halloween at Grand Hope Park and, more recently, New Year’s Eve at Grand Park.

We enjoy the same pastimes as most Angelenos.

We live within walking distance of Nico’s favorite team, the Lakers, and are a Metro ride from Dodger Stadium and his father’s alma mater, USC. Nico learned the “fight on” symbol early. We are part of the Mosaic community that meets for church services every Sunday at L.A. Live.

Our trips for groceries consist of walking our stroller to the local farmers markets and buying meat and dairy at Grand Central Market, where Nicolas often receives a banana or orange from the vendors. We have a variety of culinary options and, even though I’m his mom, I sometimes call Nico our little goat, as he will try anything. His favorite restaurant includes Terroni, where everyone knows his favorite dish is the tagliatelle ragu; he has his own table and loves the entire staff. Other favorite spots include Gil’s Indian and the Brazilian restaurant Wood Spoon.

There are also plenty of cultural experiences within walking distance of our home, among them Walt Disney Concert Hall and MOCA. LACMA is only a bus ride away.

While we are happy with what Downtown provides, there are some concerns regarding Nico’s future here. The limited number of schools in Downtown is something we frequently discuss. While the new Metro Charter Elementary School is a great start, we would love to see more public

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schools in our community.

I work within a 10-minute walk of our loft, so seeing Nico on lunch break is an added advantage. It also makes finding a babysitter easier, as there are a plethora of restaurants and bars within Downtown for mom and dad’s date nights.

Downtown Los Angeles doesn’t provide the white picket fence and the huge backyard some families want, but that’s not what we need. We have our public parks, rooftop pools and a new adventure around every corner. On our walks I love to see the look of awe on Nico’s face as he takes in all the sights and sounds of the community.

Living in Downtown has influenced characteristics of confidence in our household’s little mayor. He is friendly, outgoing and inquisitive. Elevator buttons and access cards have become part of his daily routine. I believe we made the right choice to raise him here. As a mom, I can’t wait to watch him develop within this growing community.

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May 5, 2014

CELEBRATE MOM

More Mileage on the the Car Stroller Thain n Walking Distance, With So Much to Do e Mom Downtown Gives On e ly A Lot More Fami Tim

By Karen Yee efore we had our son, my husband and I were suburban dwellers. We know this isn’t how most people do it: It’s much more common to live in an urban environment while young and single, then opt for suburban life once a child is born.

We went the opposite direction, moving from the Southern California suburbs to Philadelphia when our son, Colin, was just two months old. There we enjoyed concerts in our neighborhood, museums, urban gardens, libraries, night markets, street festivals, farmers markets, restaurants, beer gardens, summertime block parties and more. We found living in an urban environment was a way for us to merge our before and afterbaby interests rather than trading one for the other.

Two years later it was time for us to move back to California, and my husband’s job was just southwest of Downtown. Returning to our townhouse in the San Fernando Valley just didn’t fit our lives anymore. I didn’t want to let go of the lifestyle we had in Philadelphia.

Life in Downtown Los Angeles has embodied many of the same experiences I had in the Northeast, along with some uniquely West Coast aspects. Once a week I walk my son along the elevated pedestrian walkways to the Central Library. The children’s department (and the librarians) is one of the greatest public assets we have in Downtown, and it’s just a 10-minute stroll away. Occasionally we have a lazy

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Saturday morning breakfast before walking to the outdoor amphitheater at Walt Disney Concert Hall for the free World City series. REDCAT is another annual destination thanks to the International Children’s Film Festival (it continues on weekends through May 11). On warm days Colin splashes around in the fountain in Grand Park and he takes a weekly music class at the Colburn School. Art Walk is our excuse to explore Downtown in the evening and check out new restaurants as well as peek in on a few galleries.

Mass transit has been a normal part Colin’s life on both coasts. We often take a DASH bus into other parts of Downtown (Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Olvera Street and China-

town) or ride the train to the Natural History Museum and the California Science Center. I put more mileage on the stroller than I do the car.

Living in the Northeast we discovered another valuable commodity: time. When we lived in the Valley, I just accepted the hour-plus commutes as a normal part of life, and that going out meant I was at the mercy of traffic. Living in Downtown means my husband has an extra 10 hours a week at home that he would have otherwise spent in his car.

As we look down at the traffic from our dining room window, we are grateful for our dinnertime conversations with our 4-year-old son and the father-son after-dinner playtime in our apartment plaza area. There’s a benefit for me as well: I use their time together in the evening to relax before the bedtime routine commences.

Between two apartment and three condo buildings connected by a large plaza, our portion of Bunker Hill is something like a little village. Some people cycle in and out, while others are longtime residents. Neighbors sit and chat under jacaranda and coral trees, dogs lounge with owners and children play or ride bikes. Our neighborhood conversations are about what others in our community are doing, where they are from, what their experiences have been and what has led them to live in Downtown. Diversity of people or events is Colin’s “everyday.” Even the unpleasant parts of Downtown are important for him to experience in some way; they are opportunities for a conversation about the reality of less-than-idyllic life.

Living in Downtown has freed us from the confines of our cars and taken us away from mindlessly staring out over a sea of taillights on a daily basis. I can share the sights and sounds with Colin along the way to any destination with direct eye contact rather than through a rearview mirror. We have spent almost two years immersed in Downtown and I can’t imagine a better way to spend time with him before his school days begin.

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Downtown News 19

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CALENDAR

photos courtesy MOCA

Cinema Vezzoli

Now Playing at MOCA

The exhibit Cinema Vezzoli features work by Francesco Vezzoli that analyzes how celebrity-driven culture influences art and the public imagination.

Actors including Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman and Eva Mendes appear in his pieces. The show is at MOCA’s Grand Avenue location.

Mixed-Media Exhibit Examines Celebrity-Driven Culture

By Donna Evans ichelle Williams slides open the bedroom doors and slinks up to Natalie Portman, who nervously brushes her hair and glances at an oversized bottle of perfume called Greed. On the label is a photograph of artist Francesco Vezzoli decked out in drag.

After Williams detects the scent on Portman’s neck, both charE-NEWS s.com moves, they try to wnNew at Dow acters the floor.

In anto flurry of wrestling UP toSig n up SIGN fall wrench away the bottle from each other. The 60-second faux commercial, directed

by Roman Polanski, closes with Sign Up for Our E-News Blasts &Vezzoli picking up the bottle and leaving the women in an entwined Be Entered to Win Movie Tickets! heap on the floor.

The clip, which aired on the MOCA website to coincide with the Oscars, is also part of a mixed-media exhibit of works by Vezzoli that opened April 27 at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Grand Avenue location.

Cinema Vezzoli, which runs through Aug. 11, analyzes how celebrity-driven culture influences art and the public imagination, said MOCA Director Philippe Vergne. The 35-piece exhibition in-

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cludes a series of works in star-shaped frames, vis-a-vis the Hollywood Walk of Fame, along with movie posters for fictitious films based on elements from actual movies and well-known actors. In addition to the perfume commercial, there are a series of clips, including one shot in black and white with Eva Mendes dancing on cobblestones. There is also a mockumentary about Vezzoli’s untimely demise, with the camera panning to a man face down in a pool. Of course, given his appearance at an April media preview for the show, Vezzoli is very much alive.

MOCA has displayed Vezzoli’s work before, including “The Love Trilogy: Self-Portrait,” with Marisa Berenson as Edith Piaf, that was part of the museum’s retrospective of its first 30 years.

However, this marks its first Vezzoli solo show, and most of the pieces are on display at MOCA for the first time. Vergne called the art by Vezzoli, who lives and works in Milan, “provocatively synchronic,” and said that he captures a culture in crisis as well as in transition.

“You measure an artist in many ways, but when you hear your crew going up and down the stairs and they keep telling you

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he is the most generous artist they have ever worked with, you know you’re dealing with someone special,” Vergne said during the preview.

At the heart of the MOCA exhibition is a theater-like space, complete with rows of seats, a heavy red curtain and a video screen.

Seven videos Now Playing/Starts Mayrun 2 for 42 minutes and feature well-known actors Portman, Williams and Mendes, as well as Milla Jovovich and Helen Mirren. Once visitors exit, they see a large tapestry, which Vezzoli made in 2007, depicting the opening credits from the 1932 Greta Garbo film Sono Come Tu Mi Vuoi (As You Desire Me). Vezzoli’s fascination with larger-than-life personalities, such as Garbo and Sofia Loren, comes full circle with the inclusion of “Portrait of Sophia Loren as the Muse of Antiquity (After Giorgio de Chirico),” a 2011 bronze sculpture installed in the museum’s courtyard.

For MOCA Senior Curator Alma Ruiz, who has known Vezzoli for many years, bringing Cinema Vezzoli to the museum seemed like kismet. In her travels across the globe, Ruiz said she kept Continued on page 21

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20 Downtown News

May 5, 2014

Take the Fifth Some Downtown Highlights for Cinco de Mayo

By Eddie Kim inco de Mayo takes place, obviously, on Monday, May 5. Many in Downtown Los Angeles, however, got a jump on the festivities in recent days. This past weekend was filled with happenings, and the always-popular Lucha VaVoom had its burlesque and masked Mexican wrestling shows on May 1-2.

Still, there is plenty to do in Downtown on May 5, with special restaurant offerings, art exhibits, cultural events and more.

Before delving into the festivities, here’s the necessary public service announcement: No, Cinco de Mayo does not exist to celebrate Mexico’s independence from Spain. That would be Sept. 16.

Instead, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s surprising victory over French forces in the Battle of Puebla, and is celebrated much more widely in the U.S. (where the holiday originated, according to many historians) than in Mexico.

Now, on to the fun.

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Diving for Perlas: The festivities at Historic Core bar Las Perlas start at 4 p.m. and run until 2 a.m. Drink specials include $5 margaritas, Palomas (a refreshing mix of grapefruit juice and tequila) and tequila shots, as well as $3 Tecate beers and a yet-unannounced selection of Herradura tequila specials. Since you need some food to soak up all that booze, the Danny’s Ta-

cos food truck will be parked on the patio from 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Las Perlas has also arranged for a mariachi band to swing by sometime between 9-11 p.m., which means now is a good time to learn the words to “Malagueña Salerosa.”

At 107 E. Sixth St., (213) 988-8355 or 213nightlife.com/lasperlas.

Where the City Was Born: The El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument represents the birthplace of the city, and the Cinco de Mayo festivities at the site are family-friendly. The monument, best known for the touristheavy Olvera Street marketplace, will be buzzing with activity on Monday, and a variety of musical and artistic activities are scheduled for 10 a.m.-10 p.m. If you’re in the mood for a little holiday indulgence, make sure to grab a dulce de leche-stuffed churro to munch on. No one would blame you for getting a second.

At 125 Paseo de la Plaza, (213) 485-6855 or elpueblo.lacity.org.

Dinner With Rosa: For Cinco de Mayo, Mexican restaurant Rosa Mexicano at L.A. Live is offering a $35 prix-fixe menu featuring favorites such as chicken flautas, salmon with roasted corn and a poblano cream sauce, grilled skirt steak marinated with guajillo chiles and, for dessert, crisp churros with three sauces.

To wash those dishes down, there’s a slate of specialty tequila drinks, including pitchers of

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El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument will be buzzing on Monday, with music and artistic activities. The Cinco de Mayo festivities run from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

house-recipe margaritas and frozen pomegranate cocktails. Entertainment will include a DJ and a mariachi band, though it’s unclear whether spontaneous tableside dancing is encouraged. Just assume it is.

At 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 746-0001 or rosamexicano.com.

Cultura y Artes, ¡Viva la Causa!, examines Huerta’s work through posters, drawings, photos, text and more. While the free exhibit is open through July 7, Cinco de Mayo is certainly a fitting day to learn about a living legend. The museum is open from noon-5 p.m.

At 501 N. Main St., (888) 488-8083 or lapca.org.

History Lesson: Cinco de Mayo is tied to Mexico’s struggle for progress, freedom and human rights — all things that United Farm Workers union co-founder Dolores Huerta, now 84 years old, has fought for in her career as an activist for immigrant workers, women, LGBT communities and more. An ongoing exhibit at La Plaza de

On the Border: Chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken hosted a Cinco de Mayo blowout over the weekend at Border Grill, but luckily for anyone who missed it, the party continues on Monday. The evening will feature a taco station and a DJ, and there will be a variety of margarita and beer specials, including a selection of draft

May 5, 2014

Downtown News 21

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Gary Leonard Wings It

By Eddie Kim os Angeles artist Colette Miller caused quite a flurry in 2012 when she began installing multi-colored angel’s wings on barren walls around Downtown. The first pair sprouted in the Arts District near Joel Bloom Square. Another pair appeared on the metal shutter doors of the Regent Theatre on Main Street soon after.

The wings quickly became a popular spot for pictures, though no one used them more than Los Angeles Downtown News photographer Gary Leonard. His collection of portraits, dubbed Angels on Main Street, will go on display on Thursday, May 8, in the lobby of the Fine Arts Building at 811 W. Seventh St. They will be up through July 8.

The exhibit features 17 portraits of some of Downtown’s most noteworthy personalities, including Mayor Eric Garcetti and former City Councilwoman Jan Perry. In addition, a video monitor will scroll through dozens of other people — and some pets — Leonard shot posing with the wings.

“I’ve been photographing around the city for a long time, and I was mulling how to shoot all the people I knew at a single place,” said Leonard, who began shooting the series in early 2013. “The wings were just perfect, and I think how accessible they are as art translates well for a lot people.”

The exhibit will be available around the clock, as the Fine Arts Building’s lobby is open to the public at all times. The open-

L

photo by Gary Leonard

Border Grill will celebrate the holiday with a taco station, a DJ, and a variety of margarita and beer specials.

beer flights. Happy hour runs 4-7 p.m. and if you need a way to remember the evening, the restaurant will have a photobooth on hand.

At 445 S. Figueroa St., (213) 486-5171 or bordergrill.com.

Work It: La Cita’s Mustache Mondays, perhaps Downtown’s most popular gay dance party, is taking on a Cinco de Mayo flair this week.

That’s appropriate considering that La Cita still resembles a divey Mexican bar, even if the dance floor is bumping to the rhythm of progressive house music. Spinning the decks will

MOCA, 19 bumping into Vezzoli. She believed his work would be well suited for the Downtown museum.

“The interconnected installations comprise recurrent themes in [his] work: the ephemerality of fame, the tragedy of stardom, the exhilaration of success, the play on characters of ambiguous sexual orientation… and his interest in embroidery” she said.

Yes, embroidery. Vezzoli admires the interconnectedness of embroidery and cinema, and through his research he discovered that many stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood were embroiderers; needlework was an activity that helped them relax between takes, as well as provide an element of privacy. In a series of portraits, Vezzoli created long streams of embroidered tears that emanate from the eyes of

be Mustache Mondays stalwart Josh Peace and DJ Tittsworth, and the events often have special musical guests (past appearances have included Diplo and Azealia Banks). Don’t forget to take advantage of the bar’s spacious outdoor patio amidst all that tequila and dancing.

The party starts at 9 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m.

The cover charge is $5 until 11 p.m. and $8 after that.

At 336 S. Hill St., (213) 687-7111 or lacitabar. com. eddie@downtownnews.com

movie icons including Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. According to text that accompanies the exhibit, sorrow represents the intrinsic drama of life, regardless of a person’s wealth or fame.

Speaking to a crowd at the preview, the softspoken Vezzoli said he worries about the “shaky financial state” of contemporary art in his home country. He was especially thankful that MOCA chose to host his work.

“It gives me a lot of happiness to have been adopted by MOCA for so many years. They have given me all this space to lay out my surreal dreams,” he said.

Cinema Vezzoli is at MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 626-6222 or moca.org, through Aug. 11.

Hours are Monday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday 11 a.m-8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday- Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. donna@downtownnews.com

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Mayor Eric Garcetti is one of the hundreds of people photographer Gary Leonard shot standing against artist Colette Miller’s angel wings on the façade of the Regent Theatre.

ing of Angels on Main Street coincides with the Downtown Art Walk. Leonard will chat about the photos at a reception that day.

Leonard, who has won numerous awards for his photography, began shooting professionally in 1972. Other examples of his work can be found at his gallery at 109 W. Ninth St. The Fine Arts Building is at 811 W. Seventh St. eddie@downtownnews.com

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22 Downtown News

May 5, 2014

In With the New Forget the Purists. An Updated ‘Porgy and Bess’ Has Plenty to Like

By Jeff Favre here’s no formula for transforming a nearly four-hour iconic American folk opera from 1935 into a mainstream, streamlined 21st century Broadway musical. Plenty of performing arts purists believe there shouldn’t be one.

No less than musical theater giant Stephen Sondheim condemned — even before its completion — the estate-sanctioned revision of the soaring, groundbreaking and often breathtaking Porgy and Bess, by George and Ira Gershwin, and Dubose and Dorothy Heyward.

Naysayers lost the battle. The new version landed on Broadway and grabbed a 2013 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical before heading out on tour.

Even with a nod of understanding to the purists, the renamed The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, recently opened and running at the Ahmanson Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles through June 1, gains more than it loses.

Much of the complexities and rhythms of George Gershwin’s score are gone, but the best of the production’s songs remain, bolstered by a clearer story, more honest character portrayals and a wealth of powerhouse performances.

Sondheim and others moaned that the meddling with a classic by director Diane Paulus, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and Diedre L. Murray, as well as orches-

The 1935 folk opera Porgy and Bess has been turned into a Broadway musical. A touring version is at the Ahmanson Theatre through June 1.

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trators William David Brohn and Christopher Jahnke, was akin to replacing the Mona Lisa with a charcoal sketch of a smiling figure.

This isn’t the first time artists (including George Gershwin after its premiere) have altered the original text. The estate-holders for the Gershwins and Heywards realized that a shorter, more accessible version could attract a new audience. The original, which lived as little more than an historical document before a 1976 Houston Grand Opera production, enjoys just a few brief runs in major opera houses (L.A. Opera last staged it in 2007).

One can understand the traditionalist’s thinking, but that doesn’t matter much when it’s so easy to find the joy in the new Porgy and Bess. It happens from the piano work in the overture, to the first and best-known song, “Summertime” (a masterful rendition led by Sumayya Ali as Clara),

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and continues throughout the show.

Using dialogue instead of recitations is a better vehicle for character development, and Parks and Murray build the story by sticking to the general structure of the source material — DuBose Heyward’s 1925 novel and the subsequent play he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy.

A primer isn’t needed to follow the citizens of Catfish Row in Charleston, S.C., whose lives are disrupted when the violent Crown (Alvin Crawford) kills Robbins (James Earl Jones II) in a drunken rage. He escapes, leaving his social outcast lover Bess (Alicia Hall Moran) alone, before crippled Porgy (Nathaniel Stampley) takes her home.

The town’s collective personality is shown through its acceptance of Bess, as she tries to change her life, and to stop using the “happy dust” supplied to her by drug-dealing Sporting

Life (Kingsley Leggs). That unity, which drives the emotion, is accented nicely by Ronald K. Brown’s choreography, which mixes 1930s swing with steps that echo African dance.

Yes, the fluidity of George Gershwin’s music is halted and its textures are thinned, but it doesn’t take long for the show to find its rhythm and voice, which is best exemplified by the new context surrounding “I’ve Got Plenty of Nothing.” Here it is joyously performed by Stampley, and it provides Porgy a chance to be more of a man.

It’s Porgy’s portrayal that most upsets some fans of the original. Instead of being transported by a goat cart, Porgy hobbles on his twisted leg with a cane. He’s on the fringe of society, but he’s attractive and capable, becoming less an object of pity for Bess and more of a possible suitor.

Paulus never pushes the action like she’s in a hurry, but her succinct pacing keeps the mostly bare stage (Riccardo Hernandez’s scenic design is more a suggestion than a realistic Catfish Row) filled with action. Christopher Akerlind’s lighting helps the show build to an intense climax.

There’s no shortage of impressive performances. Moran imbues Bess with a brokenness that gives a sense of realism to the destructive choices she makes. As Serena, Denisha Ballew’s rendition of “My Man’s Gone Now” is haunting.

Welcomed comic elements come from Danielle Lee Greaves’ relaxed portrayal of Mariah, and from Leggs’ cynical take on Sporting Life.

The griping and sniping from those who know the Porgy and Bess opera won’t cease, but The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess should be a cause for celebration rather than consternation.

The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess runs through June 1 at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-4400 or centertheatregroup.com.

May 5, 2014

DT

CALENDAR LISTINGS

SPONSORED LISTINGS

hen the waltz debuted in Europe in the late 1700s, it was as scandalous as twerking is today (do we overstate? Maybe a little).

This week, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music Director Gustavo Dudamel team up with prodigiously talented pianist Lang Lang to prove that though public opinion may change, the pleasure of a well-written waltz remains. At 8 p.m. on ThursdaySaturday, May 8-10, and again on Sunday at 2 p.m., Dudamel will grab the baton and the ensemble will play photo by Detlef Schneider a collection of “valses” by Ravel as well as work by Prokofiev and Desenne. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (323) 850-2000 or laphil.com.

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Kids’ Movies, Saucy Puppets, Pretty Music and More Downtown Fun

By Dan Johnson calendar@downtownnews.com photo by Jim Mimna

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

May 6: Jam Session hosted by the Thelonius Monk Institute Ensemble.

May 7: Daniel Rosenboom.

May 8: Lado B. May 9-10: Anthony Wilson Band.

May 11: True North.

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

May 5, 8 p.m.: Don’t run from this month’s Monday resident Jarrell Perry.

May 6, 8 p.m.: Due to a drastic shortage of local synth pop, the Bootleg felt the need to import Lovelife from the UK. May 7, 8 p.m.: A tip of the hat to Black Prairie for making lively roots music that doesn’t sound like the sort of thing being played in an Omaha methadone clinic.

May 9, 8 p.m.: Dreamy synth packages, Latin influences and an Oakland fashion sense collide in Trails and Ways.

May 10, 3 p.m.: It’s going to be a long day of groovy tunes as the third annual L.A. Psych Fest takes over the Bootleg.

May 11, 7:30 p.m.: Monogem picks up where Dungeonesse left off.

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

May 10, 9:30 p.m.: Club Nokia will again be filled with the supple and willing minds of a multitude of electronica fans as Glitch Mob does its dirty work.

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

May 5, 5 p.m.: Tonight’s Cinco de Drinko Fiesta celebrates the one day each year that we’re all a little Mexican inside.

May 6, 10 p.m.: Zach & Bridget and Boom Boom Boom collude in this unusual Tuesday two-fer.

May 7, 10 p.m.: The Vibrometers return with their exhaustive sonic message about the importance of funk in a functioning society.

May 8, 10 p.m.: We’re beginning to think tonight’s openers Zach & Bridget have nowhere else to go. Ocha La Rocha assesses the situation.

May 9, 9 p.m.: The Sumner Bros will be put under the careful tutelage of Boom Boom Boom.

May 10, 10 p.m.: A band so laughably good they put the “ha” in Charlie Chan & the SOBs. May 11, 10 p.m.: RT N the 44s: the band your mother and general practitioner warned you about.

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

May 9: Eddie Halliwell.

May 10: Thomas Gold.

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

May 6, 8 p.m.: Ubiquitous British rocker Ian McLagan drops his latest record on a fawning audience.

May 7, 8 p.m.: DJ outfit Dirty Vegas will be featured tonight.

No word yet as to whether they’ll be bringing their trademark Continued on next page

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The D o n’TT Miss LisT

EVENTS

Friday Night Flicks by Pershing Square 532 S. Olive St., (213) 847-4970 or laparks.org/ pershingsquare Catch a free screening of Captain America: The First Avenger at Pershing Square on Friday, May 9. The film screening will begin at 8 p.m., and well-behaved dogs are allowed.

Parking can be found in the Pershing Square garage.

Hola Mexico Festival Various venues, (877) 987-6487 or holamexicofest.com Don’t miss the big slate of acclaimed Mexican films being screened at Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live as part of the Hola Mexico Festival, held May 9-18. Also check out La Gran Parrillada food cookout and the closing night film and concert at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Tickets required. Visit holamexicofest.com.

Downtown News 23

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photo courtesy of REDCAT

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uesday, May 6, finds the duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela barnstorming Downtown’s Orpheum Theatre. What does that mean for you? Well, sonic enjoyment, as the tandem will be armed only with acoustic guitars. Concertgoers can expect a heavy supply of nuanced polyrhythms and churning melodies derived from Latin music, but spanning genres so as to achieve a thick slab of aural wonder. Afterwards you may find yourself so drained that you stagger out of the theater onto Broadway and demand many slices of pizza from Two Boots. At 842 S. Broadway, (877) 677-4386 or laorpheum.com.

ll good things must come to pass. Such is the sad truth of the 2014 REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival, which is entering the final chapter of its three-weekend run. Fortunately, there are plenty of options on Saturday-Sunday, May 10-11. The broadly programmed selection of kids-oriented media from across the globe has noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m. screenings on Saturday exploring youth-made works, animation and cinema from Latin America. Sunday’s similarly timed programs explore animals — including the 2D/3D showcase “Rabbit and Deer” (shown here) — Mother Earth and transformation through film. At 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

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photo by Gary Leonard

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hursday night’s forecast calls for a 100% chance of massive crowds and creative stimulation as the monthly Downtown Art Walk graces us with its presence yet again. Down at the Hive Gallery south of Seventh on Spring Street, the haphazard world of the doodle is explored in a multi-artist exhibit. Meanwhile, sleek urban lines and coursing chromatics get their eve in the spotlight up at Fourth and Spring at the Miguel Osuna Gallery.

Still others will be enthralled to discover the roguish work of outspoken street artists Winston Death Squad over at their home turf on Winston between Main and Los Angeles streets. In the Historic Core, (213) 617-4949 or downtownartwalk.org.

photo by Susan Simpson

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hose who love puppets but have outgrown the bright-spirited warmth of Downtown puppet master Bob Baker should take a trip down to Automata in Chinatown on Thursday-Sunday, May 8-11. That’s where Baker’s shadowy, dissonant antithesis Concrete Folk Variations will set up strings. Multimedia presentations, vibey music with morose undertones and a plot revolving around the Los Angeles underbelly in the years of the “Red Scare” combine to forge a wholly original piece of puppetry. This is not be the best show for your kids — that’s what the REDCAT Children’s Film Fest is for. Then again, it could be good first-date material for the avant-garde. Showtimes are each night at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. At 504 Chung King Road, (213) 819-6855 or automata-la.org.

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

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

24 Downtown News

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

THE RETURN OF PERSHING SQUARE MOVIES One of Downtown Los Angeles’ favorite summer traditions is back, and it’s still the spring! Pershing Square launched its Friday Night Flicks series last week, and it continues on May 9, with a screening of Captain America: The First Avenger, starring Chris Evans.

The film will be shown on a 20-foot inflatable screen, and admission is free.

Bring your own seating, blankets and food, and if your dog is well-behaved, you’re allowed to bring Fido too. The series continues through Sept. 26.

Showtime is 8 p.m.

At 532 S. Olive St., (213) 847-4970 or laparks.org/pershingsquare.com.

photo by Gary Leonard

Continued from previous page break dancer.

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

May 7, 9 p.m.: Total Navajo.

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

May 10, 8 p.m.: If press photos are any indication (and they usually are), ranchera pseudo-cowboy Juan Sebastian will spend a lot of time staring wistfully into the distance longing for what we can only assume is world peace.

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

May 6, 8 p.m.: Mexico City’s own Rodrigo Y Gabriela.

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

May 5: Ten Poledrunk.

May 7: Jinda Lee. May 8: Thursday Night Booty.

May 9: Prizehog, Hepa/Titus, Mythological Horses and many more.

May 10: Lisa Doll & The Rock ‘N Roll Romance, The Crazy Squeeze, Bad Cop/Bad Cop and The Panduhs.

May 11, 4 p.m.: Fools on Stools.

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

May 7, 10 p.m.: The Makers harken to a future in which the currency of the world’s economy is based on improvised jazz. Solo away!

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

May 7: Palm Reader, Debt and French Negative.

May 9: Summer Twins, Debt and The Big Nothing.

May 10: Death Hymn Number 9, Catholic Spit, PB & J and The Flytraps.

May 11: Virt, Cats on Mars, Tina Belmont and Wet Mango.

May 5, 2014

May 8-May 15: Picking up where David LaChapelle’s Rize left off, Flex King chronicles a dance craze with its epicenter in far off Brooklyn.

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

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

Ice and polar bear enthusiasts will likely dig To the Arctic 3D. Experience the gripping story full of hope, crushing disappointment and triumph in Hubble 3D. REDCAT 631 W. 2nd St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

April 28, 8:30 p.m.: Coping With Violence, Defying Oblivion chronicles the work of novelist and filmmaker Juan Manuel Echavarria (who will be on hand) as he deals with the culture of death in his native Colombia.

May 10-11, 12 p.m.: The final week of the REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival features, you guessed it, kidsoriented content from around the globe.

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

Through May 8: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 3D (12:30, 3:50, 7:30 and 11:10 p.m.); The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (9:50 a.m., 1:10, 4:30, 8:10 and 11:50 p.m.); Neighbors (8 and 11 p.m.). See website for rest of schedule.

THEATER, OPERA & DANCE

City Living THIS WEEK CHECK OUT

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Union Station Celebrates its 75th Anniversary and National Train Day.

Cold Italian Treats and More at Gelataria Uli, Now Open in the Spring Arcade Building.

WATCH IT ON DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM,

NEW EPISODE EVERY MONDAY AT 9AM

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

May 6-9, 10:30 a.m. and May 10-11, 2:30 p.m.: Whimsy knows no bounds as Bob Baker’s 54th season continues with a journey through a monkey circus, a vast winter landscape and Paris.

LA Views: Traffic Jam Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., (213) 4890994 or thelatc.org.

May 10, 8 p.m. and May 11, 3 p.m.: In conjunction with Company of Angels, the LATC presents a dramatized collection of thoughts on the state of transportation and culture in Angeleno society. Through May 25.

Porgy and Bess Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

May 6-9, 8 p.m., May 10, 2 and 8 p.m. and May 11, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: George Gershwin’s jazz age portrait of Charleston, South Carolina returns to the stage with the accompaniment of a rousing 23-piece orchestra. Through June 1.

Premeditation Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., (213) 4890994 or thelatc.org.

May 8-11: A world premiere written by Evelina Fernandez and directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela. It’s a dark romantic comedy about a marriage than ends in murder. Somehow, dirty underwear on the bathroom floor figures into the plot. Through May 11.

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

May 6, 9 p.m.: Every Tuesday this irreverent stand-up comedy cavalcade takes up residence at the Downtown Independent.

The Tallest Tree in the Forest Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

May 6-9, 8 p.m., May 10, 2:30 and 8 p.m. and May 11, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: The life story of football-playing, JD-earning, stage and screen star Paul Robeson is told by writer and performer Daniel Beaty. Through May 25.

CLASSICAL MUSIC Tuesday, May 6 Green Umbrella: Vision in Music Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., (323) 8502000 or laphil.com.

8 p.m.: Specializing in new composition, the Green Umbrella series welcomes soprano Yeree Suh, pianist Ralph van Raat and conductor Jeffrey Milarsky. They’ll perform pieces from Birtwistle, Messiaen and Lindberg.

Thursday, May 8 Camerata Pacifica at Zipper Hall Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or colburnschool.edu.

8 p.m.: L.A. based chamber music ninjas Camerata Pacifica play pieces from Messiaen, Heggie, Schumann and Rheinberger.

Dudamel and Lang Lang Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., (323) 8502000 or laphil.com.

May 8-10, 8 p.m. and May 11, 2 p.m.: Lang Lang joins forces with the Phil’s own Gustavo Dudamel for four nights of Ravel waltzes.

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.

California African American Museum 600 State Drive, (213) 744-7432 or caamuseum.org.

Through May 5: The acting, dancing, choreography, didactic pleasures and general mentorship of Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder come to full focus in A Memoir in Movement.

Through June 15: The gamut of the African-American experience comes into fuller focus with the Q&A collage of Question Bridge.

Through August 3: The USC Roski School of Art and CAAM team up for design exhibit Hands on Design.

Ongoing: The multi-functional Gallery of Discovery offers visitors the opportunity to connect with the lineage of their own family, engage in artistic workshops, educational tours and other programs of historical discoveries. Hear recordings of actual living slaves from the Library of Congress archives and discover stories from the past.

California Science Center 700 State Drive, (323) 724-3623 or californiasciencecenter.org.

Ongoing: Mission 26: The Big Endeavour presents Los Angeles’ very own space shuttle/tree destroyer in all its splendor.

Ongoing: Science in Toyland presents physics through favorite kids toys. This hands-on exhibit engages museum visitors with Dominos, Sails and Roller Coasters in a fun, but informational, primer on friction, momentum and chain reactions.

Ongoing: The Science Center’s permanent exhibits are usually interactive and focus on human innovations and inventions

May 5, 2014

Downtown News 25

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

as well as the life processes of living things. The lobby Science Court stays busy with the High Wire Bicycle, a Motion-Based Simulator, the Ecology Cliff Climb and Forty Years of Space Photography. The human body is another big focus: The Life Tunnel aims to show the connections between all life forms, from the single-celled amoeba to the 100-trillioncelled human being. The new Ecosystems exhibit explores how life on our planet is shaped by geophysical and biological processes.

Chinese American Museum 425 N. Los Angeles St., (213) 485-8567 or camla.org.

Permanent: Origins presents the story of the Chinese-American community in Los Angeles.

Permanent: Re-creation of the Sun Wing Wo, a Chinese general store and herbal shop, and Journeys: Stories of Chinese Immigration, an exhibit exploring Chinese immigration to the United States with an emphasis on community settlement in Los Angeles. Outlined into four distinct time periods, each is defined by an important immigration law and/or event, accompanied by a description and a personal story about a local Chinese American and their experiences in that particular historical period.

El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument 124 Paseo de la Plaza, (213) 485-8372 or elpueblo.lacity.org.

Ongoing: The whole of El Pueblo is called a “monument,” and of this monument’s 27 historic buildings, four function as museums: the Avila Adobe, the city’s oldest house; the Sepulveda House, home to exhibits and the monument’s Visitors Center; the Fire House Museum, which houses late 19th-century fire-fighting equipment; and the Masonic Hall, which boasts Masonic memorabilia. Check its website for a full slate of fiestas, including Cinco de Mayo, Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in November and December’s beautiful candlelight procession, Las Posadas. Open daily, though hours at shops and halls vary.

Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising FIDM, second floor, 919 S. Grand Ave., (213) 624-1200 or fidmmuseum.org.

Through April 26: The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibit features a smattering of high quality wardrobe pieces from last year’s nominated films and the 2013 Oscar winning costumes for Anna Karenina.

Through July 5: Bliss features 19th century wedding gowns from the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection.

Ongoing: Accessories from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection surveys footwear, fans, gloves, purses and hats.

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

Through May 2014: Barry White, Unlimited Love follows the career of the man with the lusty voice.

Through May 2014: The Diva of Banda, Jenni Rivera, is immortalized in this comprehensive display featuring the story of her life and music.

Through Winter 2015: The 75th anniversary of the illustrious jazz label gets the museum treatment with Blue Note: The Finest in Jazz.

Ongoing: 360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story provides an in-depth look at all Continued on next page

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Continued from previous page aspects of Columbia Records’ history and offers a virtual history of the music industry from its infancy, tracing Columbia’s pivotal technological as well as business innovations, including its invention of the LP. Ongoing: Featuring copious memorabilia including drum kits and a cape, Ringo: Peace & Love is the first major exhibit to be dedicated to a drummer at the museum.

Ongoing: White sequined gloves and other wardrobe pieces are the focal point of the new exhibit case paying tribute to the life and legacy of Michael Jackson. This special display serves as a follow-up to the Museum’s past exhibitions, Michael Jackson: HIStyle and Michael Jackson: A Musical Legacy. Housed on the Museum’s third floor, the launch of the new exhibit coincided

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with the second anniversary of Jackson’s death.

Ongoing: Roland Live is a permanent installation courtesy of the electronic musical instrument maker, Roland Corporation.

The exhibit gives visitors a chance to participate in the musicmaking process by playing a wide variety of Roland products, from V-Drums and BOSS pedals to VIMA keyboards and the MV8800 Production Studio.

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes 501 N. Main St., (888) 488-8083 or lapca.org.

Current: Los Angeles’ first Mexican American cultural center’s inaugural exhibition, LA Starts Here!, reveals the essential role of Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the founding and shaping of Los Angeles’ history and culture—a multicultural project from the very beginning.

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

2 YOUR EVENT INFO

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

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

CROSSWORD

May 5, 2014

photo by Gary Leonard

26 Downtown News

Have you seen the Space Shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center yet? If not, why not do so this week? If you have, why not check it out again? The shuttle, which flew 25 missions, arrived at Exposition Park in 2012, and the display includes not only the vehicle, but loads of information about its flights into space and travels through the streets of Los Angeles. The 122-foot long orbiter is currently in an 18,000-square-foot temporary pavilion. A permanent home is in the works.

At 700 Exposition Park Drive, (323) 724-3263 or californiasciencecenter.com.

May 5, 2014

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Downtown News 27

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. ES017495 Petitioner (name of each): Ricardo Junior Martinez, 343 W. Central Avenue, Unit D, Monrovia, CA 91016, filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: RICARDO JUNIOR MARTINEZ Proposed name: RICARDO ALEJANDRO MARTINEZ THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 06/02/2014 Time: 8:30 a.m.

Dept.: E The address of the court is 600 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in CIVIC CENTER NEWS, 1264 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 of general circulation, printed in this county.

Prepared by: Sherri R. Carter LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT 600 East Broadway Glendale, CA 91206 Date: April. 7, 2014 Hon. Mary Thornton House Judge of the Superior Court Pub. 04/14, 04/21, 04/28, 05/05/2014

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28 Downtown News

May 5, 2014

SHERIFF’S RACE, 6

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of assistant sheriff, each said their decades in the department provide the knowledge and understanding required to address problems such as jail violence and deputies who spend too long working in custody rather than patrol cars.

Lou Vince, an LAPD veteran, and McDonnell, whose 33 years in law enforcement include 29 with the LAPD (he rose to become Police Chief William Bratton’s second-in-command) and four years as chief of the Long Beach Police Department, both said they have the requisite law enforcement background, along with the outsider perspective needed to implement real change.

Olmsted, meanwhile, walked the tightrope, saying his decades in the LASD give him insider knowledge, but that his whistleblowing and time away from the department provide him an outsider view.

Still, what really became clear is how much of a hot mess the department is today. The picture presented by the candidates resembled a law enforcement hullaballoo, which I mention because it’s fun to use the word hullaballoo. There were repeated references to the deputies and higher-ups who have been indicted. There were repeated digs at Baca. There were repeated slaps at Tanaka, who held the role of undersheriff before retiring last year, and who has frequently been described as the guy running the downward-spiraling show while Baca cavorted about the world. Olmsted classified Baca and Tanaka’s time together as a “catastrophic failure of leadership,” and no one has rushed to state otherwise.

There were many, many, many discussions of jail violence. Fortunately, all five candidates were against it.

The Gang’s All Here In a debate with ample highlights, the most jaw-dropping came about halfway through. That’s when the candidates had an amazing 10-minute discussion about department cliques, when a clique morphs into a gang, and tattoos.

For close department observers this is old hat. For casual watchers, however, and for many who will go to the polls on June 3, the topic is explosive, primarily because people expect law enforcement officers to bust the bad guys, and not to look or operate like them. Host Pomerance ran down a number of cliques at LASD stations and jails, mentioning the Vikings, the 2000 Boys, the 3000 Boys, the Jump Out Boys, the Banditos, the Cuddly Muffins and the Regulators.

OK, I made up the Cuddly Muffins, but still, the rundown was a shade shy of scary, and the debate was both fierce and full of gems that you’d never expect to hear about the county’s law enforcement arm. Olmsted held up a picture of deputies throwing signs and their alleged tattoos — one looked like the reaper from “Sons of Anarchy” — and at one point remarked, “I will tell you, as sheriff, I will not promote anybody who’s got a racist tattoo,” and, well, where does that leave Donald Sterling?

Rogers recounted declining an invitation to get a clique tattoo, and “my sponsor, a senior deputy, didn’t speak to me for the rest of his career unless he had to.” He told the room that “Mr. Tanaka has a Lynwood Vikings tattoo on his ankle,” an assertion made numerous times in the past, though I admit I have never seen Tanaka’s ankles and thus can’t say for sure.

They went on, with references to a fight involving members of a clique at an office Christmas party. Hellmold asked, “Do we expect our law enforcement officers to show up at your house sleeved head-to-toe with tattoos and demonic-looking creatures on their tattoos? Absolutely not.” He later told the crowd that he has fired and disciplined people who are both members of the Regulators and not members of the Regulators, which I think meant he’s an equal opportunity terminator.

It didn’t end there. McDonnell cited accounts of deputies having to “earn your ink by being brutal to an inmate in a custody environment.” There was even talk of monuments to the cliques at various stations.

As a reminder and a public service announcement, these are the good guys. Although all five candidates pledged to rectify the situation, simply needing to have the discussion reveals how sideways things have gone.

The debate went on, the candidates discussing issues including civilian oversight of the LASD and non-English speakers wary of talking to law enforcement. They touched on training and how much influence the board of supervisors should have over the department.

All five candidates agreed that change as needed. Exactly who effects that change, well, that’s the big issue. regardie@downtownnews.com