05-30-16 by Los Angeles Downtown News

A New Future For the Cecil Hotel : 7 Classic Films in Historic Movie Palaces : 10

MAY 30, 2016 I VOL. 45 I #22

Bring the Heat

At the Arts Districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Officine Brera, Fire Is a Key Ingredient SEE PAGE 8

BEST16 OF DTLA OF DTLA

photo by Gary Leonard

Chef Angelo Auriana (left) and owner Matteo Ferdinandi at the Sixth Street restaurant.

ENDS

MAY 31 See Page 7 For More Info.

Last Chance To Vote!

VOTEBESTOF.COM

THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN L.A. SINCE 1972

2 Downtown News

AROUND TOWN

Last Chance to Pick Downtown’s Best

oes your favorite Downtown bar, restaurant, store or business get the attention it deserves? If not, you can do something about it, but you need to act fast. There are only a couple days left to vote in Los Angeles Downtown News’ annual Best Of Downtown readers’ poll — voting ends on Tuesday, May 31. There are more than 130 categories at votebestof.com, with options including Best Breakfast Spot, Best Performing Arts Venue and Best Bookstore. Voting is free, and anyone who fills in at least 30 categories can be entered into a drawing to win prizes including an iPad Mini, gift cards and a package built around a two-night stay at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel. The Best of Downtown issue will publish on July 25.

Bike Share Arrives July 7 inally, Los Angeles’ epic saga to create a public bike sharing system has come to an end — or maybe it’s a beginning. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced that it will launch the long-awaited program July 7, with Downtown Los Angeles serving as a pilot project; there will be 65 automated kiosks and nearly 1,000 bicycles. The $11 million program aims to give people a quick alternative in places where using a car or public transit is not possible or inconvenient,

and also encourage people to explore Downtown’s various neighborhoods. Kiosk locations include Union Station and multiple spots in the Financial District and the Historic Core, as well as down the Figueroa Corridor. Users can rent a bike with their Metro Tap card, then pedal to a kiosk near their destination and lock up the two-wheeler. Rides up to a half hour will cost $3.50, and frequent users can buy a monthly or annual pass to pay lower rates. Discussions to create a bike share program in Los Angeles started in 2012, with numerous efforts failing to gain proper financing and general momentum. Metro is planning an expansion into Pasadena next year, with future hubs being considered in East L.A. and Hollywood, among other communities.

May 30, 2016

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Eat Food, Play Muster Games, Help Firefighters

ne of Downtown’s most popular traditions returns this week. On Thursday, June 2, from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., the annual fundraiser Hope for Firefighters takes place on Hope Street between Third Street and Hope Place. The event features a bevy of demonstrations and photo ops, and a couple dozen firehouses will be selling chili, tri-tip, strawberry shortcake and other station specialties. A highlight is the muster games, in which more than 20 corporate teams try to don firefighter gear, pull hoses and tackle other tasks that are best left to the professionals. The event regularly draws thousands of Angelenos. Admission is free and meals are $8, and proceeds benefit the nonprofit Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firemen’s Fund. Additional information is at hopeforfirefighters.org.

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

Expo Line Phase II

Downtown LA - Santa Monica

Massive Mixed-Use Project Proposed in Arts District

t seems like developers just can’t keep their hands off and money out of the red-hot Arts District. Documents recently filed with the Department of City Planning reveal what could be the biggest project yet in the community, even larger than One Santa Fe, which opened in 2014 with 438 apartments and 78,000 square feet of retail space. An unidentified developer has filed initial plans to create 600 live-work units and approximately 60,000 square feet of commercial space on a

Grand Opening

May 20, 2016

two-acre site at 520 Mateo St. along Santa Fe Avenue and Fourth Place. The project would require a zoning change and a general plan amendment from City Planning. A 1988 industrial building on the site would have to be demolished to make way for a new complex, though details of the project’s layout remain unclear. The site is across the street from the massive At Mateo project, which is slated to have 180,000 square feet of retail and offices, and around the corner from 950 E. Third St., where 472 apartments and 22,000 square feet of retail are under construction. Continued on page 9

2 new lines. 13 new stations. gold line to azusa. expo line to santa monica.

Metro Briefs Find out at the landmark location near Downtown. Home of the original Chili-burger. Quality and value since 1946:

Chili Hamburger .............. $2.60 Chili Cheeseburger ........... $3.10

Metro Eases Tra;c Everyone knows that congestion is bad, but we really can improve the way we get around. Right now, Metro is easing tra;c by delivering 1.4 million rides each day. And we’re planning future relief all over LA County by adding more bus and rail service, >xing freeway bottlenecks, funding local road improvements and updating our strategic transportation vision. We’ve come a long way in a short amount of time, but we still have so much more to do. Let’s get it done, together. Learn more about The Plan at metro.net/theplan.

Patsaouras Plaza Closure Starting Sunday, July 10, Patsaouras Plaza will be closed for three months to undergo needed upgrades and repairs. All vehicles, including buses and shuttles that enter the plaza, will be rerouted to other areas for pick-up and drop-o=. To learn more, check metro.net/busplazaclosure. Metro Emergency Security Operations Center Metro is designing a new Emergency Security Operations Center (ESOC) in the Arts District. The new facility will serve as the central location for Metro security operations, radio dispatch, and emergency coordination. Please join us to learn more about this project and provide feedback at a community meeting, June 20, 2016. To >nd out more, visit metro.net/capitalprojects. Feedback Wanted on LAX Transit Connection Metro is planning a new transit hub that will connect the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to the regional rail system. Once complete, the Airport Metro Connector (AMC) 96th Street Transit Station will provide the connection to an Automated People Mover to be built and operated by Los Angeles World Airports. Metro is seeking public comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the AMC station at a public hearing on June 27, 2016. For more info, visit metro.net/laxconnector. metro.net @metrolosangeles

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May 30, 2016

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer

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EDITORIALS

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

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

May 30, 2016

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Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

Developers Should Pay More for Park Creation. But How Much?

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris

GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie

owntown Los Angeles suffers from a severe shortSENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim age of park space. The opening of Grand Park in STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton 2012 helped alleviate the inadequacy, and ongoCONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese S I N C E 19 7 2 ing efforts to create community-gathering spots in the CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer Los Angeles Downtown News Arts District and Chinatown will be positive additions, but 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 ultimately there’s not enough green space for the surging ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 community. Even the $20 million renovation of Los AnASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa web: DowntownNews.com geles State Historic Park won’t do the trick — it stands to email: realpeople@downtownnews.com PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard be a great destination when finished this summer, but its facebook: location on the edge of Chinatown means many people ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt L.A. Downtown News will never visit. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway twitter: Downtown isn’t alone. Many communities in our sprawlACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, DowntownNews S I N C E 19 7 2 ing city need more places for people to play. Michael Lamb Los Angeles Downtown News new parks is acquiring The biggest hurdle to getting ©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved. W. First Street, Los Angeles, 90026 land.1264 To facilitate that, City leaders CA have begun looking to The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newsphone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 increase what are called Quimby fees, which are charged to CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon paper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown housing developers to pay for park creation. The Quimby sysDISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles Los Angeles. tem, as Los facebook: Angeles Downtown News reported last week, DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla One copy per person. twitter: was initiated inDowntown 1971, andNews the rates have not risen since. L.A. DowntownNews that is too much. Frankly, it does seem like a lot, especially since There is a legitimate reason to increase Quimby fees approaching, and there are concerns that boosting any rates will new renters or homeowners would end up paying for it. People slow or perhaps curtail construction. and to begin charging apartment developers, who for EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris can barely afford rents now. decades paid very little for park creation. However, we The business groups have a point, though the city should not be GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin think that city leaders need a more comprehensive vimaking long-term decisions based on cyclical factors. Local lead If fees rise, Downtown will be negatively impacted more than Regardie sion, EXECUTIVE one that EDITOR: takes inJon the full picture. Boosting rates ers should consider Quimby fees alongside other policy andJon price any other community by virtue of the thousands of units in the EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Regardie SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim makes sense, but any increase must be considered in the changes, whether those come by government dictate or by ballot. pipeline here. While the developers building that housing have SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim STAFF Nicholas Slayton context ofWRITER: other potential price hikes. For instance, Mayor Eric Garcetti is pushing a so-called “linkage STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slaytona responsibility to focus on more than just their bottom line and EDITOR: KathrynPlanning Maese and Land Use Man OnCONTRIBUTING May 17, the City Council’s fee,” which would be charged to market-rate housing developers for what rises on their lot, the city must recognize that the new units CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer will have to be competitive with the ones agement Committee gave initial approval to the idea of raisthe creation of affordable housing to help alleviate homelessness. S I Nalready C E 19built. 7 2 In addition CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer to new hard costs, higher fees would make the new units less maring the fees that condominium The amount of linkage fees, or taxes, if you will, have not been deART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison and single-family home deLos Angeles Downtown News ketable by virtue of their increased price. It’s clear a compromise velopers pay, from a maximum ofKanegawa $8,000 to $10,000 per unit termined, but if they boost development costs by, say, 2% (anAllison arASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi ART DIRECTOR: Brian 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 must be achieved with respect to both the need for new housing (some pay less). While apartment building developers have bitrary figure we’re making up) and new Quimby fees add another phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard and the need for linked services such as parks. often paid between a token amount and up to $2,000 per 2% (also arbitrary, just as an example), then the price of a project web: DowntownNews.com Ashley Schmidt unit ifACCOUNTING: a major zoning change was required, now they could could rise by 4% — a significant amount. Any developer will pass particularly wary of: That’s the email: realpeople@downtownnews.com PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard There is one aspect we are be tagged up to $5,000 per unit. that on to renters or condo buyers. proposal to expand the radius of Quimby-funded projects. CurCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway miles of where they are TheACCOUNT Quimby structureCatherine gives developers the option ofMichael Lamb A proposed initiative from the Better Build L.A. Coalition, which ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt rently fees must be spent within two facebook: EXECUTIVES: Holloway, Brenda Stevens, L.A. Downtown News collected for what are called “neighborhood” parks. The PLUM creating their own green space. Few do that, and instead backers hope to place on the November ballot, could also increase SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway committee wants to boost that to fivetwitter: miles. That’s too big an pay money to the city, which ultimately goes to the Depart- the cost of development. While the council can’t operate as if it will CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon EXECUTIVES: Catherinearea, Holloway, and we fear it could be used by aDowntownNews politician to acquire a mentDISTRIBUTION of Recreation and Parks. Quimby fees must be spent pass, the Quimby fee discussion must takeACCOUNT into account the possiMANAGER: Salvador Ingles Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb lot of money for a specific and expensive pet project, and take near where they are collected, which is how the city bought bility that it is approved. DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla Claudia Hernandez ©2016 Civic CenterMaybe News, Inc. Angeles away from needs across the community. twoLos miles is too the property that became the Spring Street Park. What can developers afford? A reportSALES by theASSISTANT: City Planning News is a trademark of Civic Center News constricting, but five milesDowntown may not pass the smell test. The mat At ©2016 the PLUM meeting, business groups vigorously found that the real estate market could bear payCivic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a protrademark of Department Civic Inc. All rights reserved. Center Inc. All rights reserved. for the original of cretested theNews increase. That’s not surprising — there is a growing up to $12,500 per house or condominium and $7,500 perSalmon ter needs analysis — and respect The Los Angeles Downtown Newspurpose is the must-read CIRCULATION: Danielle The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is disating neighborhood parks. ing sense that theevery endMonday of thethroughout currentthedevelopment cycle is rental unit. Not surprisingly, the business community claims and is distributed offices and residences of Downtown Los DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles tributed every Monday throughout the offices and Angeles.

DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

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EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin

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

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

residences of Downtown Los Angeles.

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

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May 30, 2016

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

A Game of Tribune Thrones

If Tribune Publishing head honcho Michael Ferro has his way, then the Los Angeles Times will come to utterly dominate international entertainment news, with brand new bureaus in places like Lagos and Mumbai.

Media Giant Craziness Creates an Unlikely Battlefield By Jon Regardie ’m a big fan of “Game of Thrones,” but the real-life media power plays and twists of the last few weeks have taught me one thing: The battle to rule the Seven Kingdoms has got nothing on the war to control the Eight Media Groups of Tribune Publishing. This isn’t to take anything away from Tyrion Lannister, the Mother of Dragons and George R.R. Martin’s beard — the fan-

photo by Gary Leonard

which owns USA Today and about 100 smaller newspapers across the country, is urging stockholders to essentially say they have no confidence in Ferro’s vision. Expect plenty of talk about shareholder value, loads of posturing on content management and artificial intelligence, and maybe even some discussion of journalism. In anticipation of the meeting, here is a rundown of the odd moments, bitter fights and curiosities that have turned one of the nation’s biggest media companies into the ultimate reality show.

THE REGARDIE REPORT tasy of the fight for the Iron Throne makes for the most compelling television since “The Wire.” That said, “Game of Thrones” is made up, whereas the jarring turns, mercurial alliances and the beguiling cast of here-then-off-with-his-head executives in Game of Tribune is 100% real. The past few months must have convinced the fact-finding newsrooms of the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and the other publications TPUB owns that there’s no such thing as terra firma. The ground was already unsteady from a devastating round of buyouts that, locally, resulted in the loss of reporters and editors with thousands of years of combined experience and an irreplaceable sense of context. The last couple weeks alone brought a double whammy: First media giant Gannett offered $860 million for TPUB and its mountain of debt. Then L.A.-based biotech entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong plunked down $70 million to buy less of the company than Michael Ferro gained in February for $44 million. Why this is a good business decision for Soon-Shiong I have no idea, but I don’t speak billionaire. All the hubbub comes before a big meeting this week. On Thursday, June 2, there’s a TPUB corporate confab, and Gannett,

Line of Doom: If you want to know why things are so messy today, then consider what has happened since the year 2000, when the offspring of the Chandler family made the fateful decision to sell a controlling interest in the venerable Los Angeles Times to a business from Al Capone’s city. The line of “leaders” at Tribune Company and the spun-off Tribune Publishing is enough to make grown reporters cry. The most notorious was Sam Zell, whose nickname is the Grave Dancer (I swear that’s true), and whose Tribune strategy seemed to be built on layoffs and declaring corporate bankruptcy. In 2014 Jack Griffin arrived, holding court as the TPUB stock swandived from about $25 a share to below $7. Now there’s Ferro.

This is the equivalent of taking the James Bond franchise, and casting as 007 first Pauly Shore, then Yaakov Smirnov, and finally Adam Sandler. Each may have an audience, but it’s all a matter of putting them in the right place at the right time. Money Changes Everything: Ferro burst onto the scene when he shelled out $44 million for 16% of the company. At the time observers speculated that it was a play to help Griffin finance the purchase of the Orange County Register and some other publications. TPUB lost the bid and then Ferro turned pirate and tossed Griffin overboard. This is interesting because $44 million is a not-ridiculous amount of money in the big deal arena, yet considering how far Ferro has taken it, he probably deserves to win the Business Dude of the Year prize. However, Business Dude of the Year is a far cry from Business Leader of the Year, and the turnaround vision Ferro laid out May 4 was head-scratching and possibly built on pixie dust and dragon’s breath. Oaktree Capital, the second biggest shareholder before Soon-Shiong arrived, soon began pushing for a sale to Gannett. Jonk in the Tronc: What is the strategy? Ferro and his rightContinued on page 16

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Riding the Rails Into Downtown Sampling Opening Day on the Expo Line By Nicholas Slayton n Friday, May 20, and over the following weekend, city and county leaders celebrated the opening of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority $1.5 billion Expo Line extension. By all accounts proceedings went smoothly, though there was a natural question: How would things work when the vaunted “Subway to the Sea,” and its seven new stations, faced their first morning rush hour. It turns out, that went pretty well, too. The mood was upbeat early last Monday as people of all ages — including a Los Angeles Downtown News reporter — stood on the platform at the new Downtown Santa Monica stop. Some sipped coffee and others chatted. At around 8:25 a.m., when a train pulled in, the crowd moved toward the open doors in a polite and casual manner. A few people rolled their bicycles onto the train, resting helmets on handlebars. One person rollerskated through the doors then down the length of a car before grabbing a rail and spinning smoothly into a seat. The train ride into Downtown Los Angeles was filled with commuters eager to try the new route and find an alternative to freeway traffic and driving in general. Joe Broido, a television producer who works in Century City, biked to the station from Venice. Even before boarding he said he would be amazed it he doesn’t use the Expo Line regularly. For Kimberly Peak, a psychologist who commutes to Koreatown from Santa Monica, the new line takes some of the hassle out of the morning commute. She tried out the line over the weekend with family, and said that it’s going to be an expedient and affordable option. “It’s half the price of parking in Koreatown,” Peak said. “It takes a bit longer, but I can sit and think in the morning.” Robson Morgan, a Venice resident who works at the University of Southern California, said it feels better to take public transportation than to drive. He said that the biggest challenge to

ditching the car is that Los Angeles has been lacking in public transportation compared to other cities. Not everyone on the train is giving up driving. Bill Raley, a Santa Monica resident, doesn’t own a car. He often took the bus or rode with others, he said, but he plans to use the Expo Line frequently. He also said he enjoyed how the new rail service echoes the Los Angeles of the past — the last train to Santa Monica stopped service in 1953. “There’s something really historic being done here,” he said. “There used to be the old streetcars that would take you from Downtown to the beach. And now we have this.” The Expo Line can take travelers from Santa Monica to Downtown Los Angeles in 50 minutes — trains turn south at the Seventh Street/Metro Center stop, and those who want to ride into Union Station have to transfer to the Red or Purple lines — but on opening day only a few people went the whole way. Many riders got off at an interim stop. Others came aboard at one of the new stations and rode only a handful of stops Stevie Peavey, the director of packaging for Spin Master Toys, boarded at the 26th Street/Bergamot station at about 8:40. He found a seat but only planned to ride to his office in Culver City. It wasn’t the most efficient transportation choice, he admitted, but he still thought the ride was worth it. “It might take a little longer to get to work, but there’s something nice about being able to get up, walk a bit, and not be in such a hurry,” he said. The ride was smooth, and as the trip continued, the excitement began to wear off, commuters settling in to listen to music, read a newspaper or fiddle with their phone or other device. The mood grew calm, with the silence only punctuated by the announcements of upcoming stops or the occasional beat coming from someone’s headphones. The first morning wasn’t entirely without incident. Around 5:30 a.m. a drunk driver crashed a car through a fence, stopping

Commercial Office Space for Lease

photo by Nicholas Slayton

The $1.5 billion Expo Line extension opened last week, providing a rail connection from Downtown to Santa Monica for the first time since 1953.

on the tracks between the Expo/Crenshaw and Expo/Western stations, forcing travelers to take a brief shuttle bus. Service was restored by 7 a.m., according to a Metro spokesman, and the line quickly resumed its normal schedule. Many riders said they hope to work the Expo Line into their routine. The challenge may be getting drivers to think different. Peavey said that he had been hearing about the extension, but now that it is actually operating, it’s, well, odd. “There’s some of the novelty with the opening, but then it’s just how are people going to work it into their daily commute?” he asked. When the train pulled into the Seventh Street/Metro Center station, there was no applause or celebration. Riders simply got up and walked to a connecting train or marched up the stairs to the Financial District and to work from there. It was, after all, a Monday morning. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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New Plans to Upgrade Cecil Hotel Hotel Rooms and Apartments Coming to Main Street By Nicholas Slayton major overhaul is being planned for the Cecil Hotel. It could bring a bright future to a large property that has lagged as the Historic Core has transformed around it. New York-based Simon Baron Development has signed a 99-year lease for the 15-story building at 640 S. Main St., which currently operates as the Stay on Main hotel. The company plans to turn the property into a mix of hotel room and apartments, including a low-income housing component. It marks the first California project for Simon Baron, which has mainly worked in New York, building new residential towers and converting older properties in developing neighborhoods into upscale living spaces. The company is paying $15 per square foot per year for the roughly 199,000-square-foot Cecil, which works out to just under $3 million annually. Simon Baron’s lease for the 600-room, 82-year-old property is the second major transaction involving the Cecil in recent years. In 2014, developer Richard Born bought the building for $30 million. He announced plans to turn the structure, which is just south of Main Street’s Pacific Electric Lofts, into a hotel aimed at young professionals. In an interview, Matthew Baron, the president of Simon Baron Development, said the company had not been aiming to expand into California. Simon Baron has worked with Born, and during business discussions the idea was broached. Baron and his partner, company CEO Jonathan Simon, eventually toured the property and the neighborhood. Baron said he found the Cecil Hotel brimming with potential, and pointed to the elaborate lobby and design details throughout

the building. The rebounding Historic Core also appealed. “My partner and I walked around Downtown L.A. and we could see the change of what’s happening in the area. It was very tangible to us,” Baron said. “It checked the types of boxes of what we do out East.” Exact plans and designs are still being determined, and while the goal is to cater to Downtown’s young professional population, Baron said the building will not be turned into the type of luxury apartments that have opened across the community. He said extensive work will be done to update the building’s infrastructure, and that new amenities will be added. Baron said he expects the building will have slightly more apartments than hotel rooms. He said the renovation budget is still being determined, and the goal is to start work in 2017. The Cecil is one of the last large and relatively untouched buildings in the Historic Core, according to Bruce Baltin, senior vice president of the hotel industry consulting firm PKF Consulting. Baltin noted that hotel developers are particularly interested in real estate along Broadway, Spring and Main streets due to the neighborhood’s walkability and history. He said the turnaround of the Ace Hotel at 929 S. Broadway proved that a major hotel undertaking in the area could be profitable. Highs and Lows The 1924 building has had ups and downs. It was originally designed by architect Loy Lester Smith, and was noted for its Neoclassical exterior and an intricate and elegant lobby, according to Linda Dishman, president of preservationist organization the Los Angeles Conservancy. “When it was built, it was one of the elite Downtown hotels,” Dishman said. Like much of Downtown, the Cecil’s fortunes turned after World War II, when many people and businesses left the community. The Cecil shifted toward a lower-income clientele and started to decline. The hotel has counted its share of infamous guests and incidents. Richard Ramirez, who would come to be known as the serial killer the Night Stalker, lived in the building during the mid-1980s. Another serial killer, Jack Unterweger, stayed there in 1991 while committing murders.

The Cecil Hotel at 640 S. Main St., which currently operates as the Stay on Main, opened in 1924 and for a time was one of the fanciest hotels in the city.

photo by Gary Leonard

In January 2013, a 21-year-old Canadian tourist staying in the building went missing. The following month, her body was discovered in the building’s rooftop water tank. How she got there and how she died remains unclear. Her death is part of what inspired a recent season of the FX television show “American Horror Story.” Two years before Born bought the property, it almost went in a different route. In 2012, the County of Los Angeles worked with the then-owner to turn the Cecil into a permanent supportive housing complex holding about 400 formerly homeless individuals. Many neighborhood residents protested, citing the large number of low-income housing complexes already in the area. Eventually the plan was halted. Baron said his team is not deterred by the property’s past. Rather, he thinks the Cecil is well positioned as the community transforms. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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Playing With Fire at Officine Brera Factory Kitchen Creators Debut a Temple To Northern Italian Cuisine By Eddie Kim he cavernous, rust-colored dining room of the Arts District’s Officine Brera begs the eyes to linger — on the tangled net of black steel trusses overhead, the handsome trifecta of leather, brick and wood that lines every surface, the massive wall of warehouse windows that fill the room with light. The most beautiful part of the restaurant, however, is behind another big wall of glass. It’s the kitchen, and it is where chef Angelo

Auriana and his team tend to a bank of oldschool cooking instruments, all fueled by one thing: logs of hardwood burned down into crackling-hot coals. During lunch and dinner service, those coals bring searing heat to a large open-mouthed oven, a rotisserie, and two steel grills where the grate is cranked up and down by hand. There are traditional gas stoves and prep areas, but wood fire, said Auriana, is the “heart” of Officine Brera. It also literally never goes out.

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Matteo Ferdinandi and chef Angelo Auriana are behind the Arts District’s Officine Brera, a sequel to their popular restaurant Factory Kitchen just down the block. Brera focuses on dishes from Northern Italy, with an emphasis on cooking over wood fire.

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“The coals stay warm through the night, and we relight the fire with wood in the morning,” Auriana said. Officine Brera is the Arts District’s newest Italian restaurant, joining the highly regarded Bestia and Factory Kitchen. Auriana and owner Matteo Ferdinandi opened the latter in a converted loading dock in 2013, and quickly won raves for a sharp pasta-focused menu. Officine Brera, around the block from Factory Kitchen in the Factory Place Arts Complex, feels like the bigger, bolder sequel. Ironically, Ferdinandi and Auriana initially wanted to do the large warehouse first. The problem was that Nike already occupied it, using it for

photo and film shoots. After Nike’s lease was up, the work began. Ferdinandi estimates that the team has spent about $5 million renovating the warehouse, which initially was just a dusty shell of a structure. “We wanted to make this into one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the city,” Ferdinandi said. “The Arts District is a special neighborhood, with spaces like this that you can’t find elsewhere. So we designed something exceptional for it.” The 120-seat restaurant has a small outside patio and a long brick-lined bar on one side of the warehouse. A few private rooms sit oppo-

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CLASSIC FILMS in DOWNTOWN’S HISTORIC THEATRES June 2016 Saturday, June 4, 2pm & 8pm

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Top Gun

To Kill a Mockingbird

Saturday, June 11, 8pm

wedneSday, June 15, 8pm

Some Like It Hot

Dos tipos de cuidado

Saturday, June 18, 2pm & 8pm

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Singin’ in the Rain

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Saturday, June 25, 8pm

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Auriana shows off the wood-burning rotisserie, which along with a searinghot wood oven and grill compose the heart of Officine Brera’s kitchen.

site the bar, with an array of tables and booths between them. During the day, the space looks airy and modern; by night, the light settles into something more luxurious and moody. In contrast to Factory Kitchen’s delicate handmade pastas, Officine Brera leans on the rustic cuisine of Northern Italy, namely the region known as the Po River Valley. The menu reflects the fact that Auriana grew up in the city of Bergamo, chef de cuisine Mirko Paderno hails from nearby Milan, and Ferdinandi was raised in a town called Chioggia just south of Venice. “The menu at Brera is the food that we all know, in some way, because of our childhoods. I don’t like ‘fusion,’ you know,” Ferdinandi said with a shrug. “This food is a real connection to where we came from.” 2015 HOPE - AD - DOWNTOWN NEWS.pdf

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The flavor of the wood fire touches every corner of the menu, giving depth to hunks of meat and delicate seafood alike. A gentle smokiness shows through on the cuttlefish, which are tossed in breadcrumbs before a fast grill over high heat. A fat pork chop, meanwhile, benefits from a trip into the red-hot wood oven, arriving at the table with a crackling crust and a bed of polenta and herbs. There are a few pastas here, among them the pisarei e faso, a soothing stew of flour dumplings, beans and sausage thickened by a fistful of three-year-aged parmesan cheese. But rice reigns supreme in Northern Italy, and Officine Brera has some of the best risotto in Los Angeles. The risotto Milanese is perhaps the restaurant’s signature dish: A pool of golden rice, suspended in a stage between liquid and solid, arrives at the table with a chimney-like section of bone filled with buttery marrow. “It is a tricky dish to do, because there is a lot of stirring and watching. But we make it from scratch, to order,” Auriana says. “I don’t like shortcuts because you sacrifice something important.” Many Italian restaurants par-cook risotto and heat it up with added ingredients when an order comes in. Preparing it from scratch makes for a dish with plump, silky rice that has a nice chew, even if it takes longer. For Auriana, it’s part of the restaurant’s philosophy. That extends to the finicky nature of fire, he said; the modern precision of gas would be easier, but using flame creates an unmistakable character in the food. Starters, including pasta and risotto, average around $10$20, while entrees hover in the area of $25. There is also an extensive wine list, starting around $40 a bottle, with a concentration of Italian labels. Officine Brera may look complete, but an annex along the southern portion of the warehouse is now Ferdinandi and Auriana’s newest project. Dubbed Officine Alimentari, the space will be a casual cafe-type eatery. Ferdinandi expects it to debut next year. The main restaurant, however, is primed to be the Arts District’s next dining destination. As long as the crowds keep coming, the wood fire stays lit. Officine Brera is at 1331 E. Sixth St., or (213) 553-8006 officinebrera.com.

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AROUND TOWN, 2 Honda Dealership Planning Move to Expo Park

he Honda of Downtown Los Angeles dealership on the Figueroa Corridor is moving — or, more accurately, expanding. The company has long been located at 1540 S. Figueroa St., by the 10 Freeway overpass. Now it has plans to build a new dealership at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Hoover Street near Exposition Park, according to a recent filing with the Department of City Planning. According to the documents, Honda would demolish an existing two-story building and raise a pair of five-story structures, one on each side of Hoover Street, to house showrooms, service facilities and vehicle storage areas. The new dealership, slated for completion in 2021, would effectively be the new headquarters of Honda of Downtown, though the property on Figueroa Street would still operate as a dealership for used cars and performance vehicles, according to a report from the real-estate website Urbanize.la.

CBRE Sells Downtown Tower For $330 Million

eal estate firm CBRE has sold its Downtown headquarters for $330 million. The new owner of the 26-story Bunker Hill building is a joint venture between Pittsburgh’s PNC Financial Services Group and the Munich, Germany company GLL Real Estate Partners. The new owners paid about $471 per square foot for the approximately 701,000-square-foot property. CBRE Global Investments bought the building at 400 S. Hope St. in 2012 for $236 million. CBRE occupies the top two floors and has signage on the exterior. The company will remain in the space even after the sale. In 2013, CBRE redesigned its offices, ditching the cubicle model for an open, free-form design. Other tenants in the office building include the law firm O’Melveny and Myers, the Bank of New York Mellon and the Capital Group.

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May 30, 2016

CALENDAR

photos by Douglas Hill (theater) and Larry Underhill (usher)

Curtains Up at the Last Remaining Seats

Rory Cunningham has been volunteering for the Last Remaining Seats for 30 years, and dons period usher attire to help guests connect to the past. “You can tell when people are there for the first time,” he said. “You can see their jaws drop when they walk in.”

Series With Classic Films in Historic Broadway Movie Palaces Returns for Its 30th Year By Nicholas Slayton n the first few decades of the 20th century, Broadway was a major entertainment destination for the young city of Los Angeles. The street boasted a dozen ornate movie palaces. The area was filled with red carpet premieres, including Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, which was the opening film at the Los Angeles Theatre in 1931. Those days are long gone, of course, and Broadway has not had a first-run movie house in decades. Some old theaters are finding new uses — for example, in late 2013 the former Rialto Theatre returned as an Urban Outfitters. Every summer, preservationist organization the Los Angeles Conservancy goes back to the way things were. Its Last Remaining Seats series gives modern audiences a window to the past, with a slate of classic films in historic movie palaces. The series returns Saturday, June 4. Over the course of three weeks, the Conservancy will screen seven movies at five of Broadway’s theaters. This marks the 30th installment of the series that routinely sells out. “We’ve always had an emphasis on Broadway. That’s where we began,” said Linda Dishman, the president and CEO of the Conservancy. The Last Remaining Seats began in 1987 when a group of Conservancy volunteers were trying to brainstorm ways to promote Los Angeles’ historic theaters. The first films shown

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were Billy Blazes Esq. and Steamboat Bill, Jr. at the Orpheum Theatre. That year the series had four dates. One of those early volunteers was Rory Cunningham, who was drawn to the Conservancy out of an interest in historic buildings and architecture. “The crazy thing is, when we started it, we weren’t thinking of a second year, let alone 30,” Cunningham recalled last week. “We just thought it would be a really cool idea for how to get people into those theaters.” The first Last Remaining Seats sold out, bringing in people from across Los Angeles County, and setting a trend for the decades to come. Each event includes a pre-show activity, whether a musical performance or a Q&A with a person somehow related to the film being screened. This year’s line-up kicks off with a choice that might surprise people: the 1986 Tom Cruise hit Top Gun, with 2 and 8 p.m. screenings at the Los Angeles Theatre. Dishman said that the Conservancy doesn’t usually show films from the ’80s, but the Conservancy wanted to honor a movie celebrating a major anniversary. Other highlights include include Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot on June 11 at the Los Angeles Theatre and Singin’ in the Rain a week later at the Theatre at Ace Hotel. As usual, there’s one Spanish-language event, the 1953

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Mexican film Dos tipos de cuidado at the Palace Theater on June 15. On some nights during the run, the Conservancy will host movie trivia contests at the restored Clifton’s Cafeteria. Tickets for each film are $22 for the general public and $18 for Conservancy members. The series closes June 25 at the Orpheum Theatre with Safety Last! The 1923 Harold Lloyd silent film was, like many of the movies from the era, filmed in Downtown Los Angeles, including the iconic scene where Lloyd dangles from a clock face high above the street (which happened to be Broadway). Author John Bengtson will introduce the screening and discuss the landmarks that appear in the film. Bengtson will also lead three tours through Downtown Los Angeles that day to show the locations used in the movie and how they’ve changed in the 93 years since. Like those locations, the film series has also changed over the years. Dishman said that when the Conservancy started the Last Remaining Seats, there was a kind of ignorance and apathy about the theaters. The screenings helped grow the audience that even knew the movie palaces existed. Some things remain constant. That includes Cunningham, a costume maker by trade who still volunteers each year. He serves as an usher at shows and dresses in a traditional uniform,

red hat and all. It’s his job to ring the bell to get people to take their seats. He said it’s a way to help connect the city to its past. “Seeing an usher’s uniform brings people back to the Golden Age of theaters. I feel I’m an ambassador,” Cunningham said. “You can tell when people are there for the first time. You can see their jaws drop when they walk in.” The goal is more than just giving people a good time, Dishman said — she hopes they will become advocates for the theaters. She noted that much progress has occurred in the area in the last 15 years. That includes the refurbished Ace Hotel and its gorgeous theater. “People look at what’s happening around here with the Ace Hotel, and say, ‘It’s an overnight success!’” Dishman added. “But it’s been incremental. We showed that people would come Downtown for this kind of event.” In the 1920s and ’30s, moviegoers would come Downtown, grab dinner, see a movie on Broadway and then head out to the bars and clubs of the Central City. Now people are doing that again, Dishman said. The times are changing, but the theaters are the same. The Last Remaining Seats runs June 4-25. Tickets, a complete schedule and additional information are at (213) 623-2489 or laconservancy.org/ last-remaining-seats. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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Dancing in a Dream State Rosanna Gamson Explores Neuroscience and Dreaming in New REDCAT Work

The Rosanna Gamson/ World Wide company returns to REDCAT with the two-act dance/ theater hybrid Still/ Restless. There are three performances on Thursday-Saturday, June 2-4

photo by Kailai Chen

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reographed, the dream concept remains steady — Gamson said improv prompts give the dancers imaginative ideas that allow them to make choices. “It’s like seeing two sides of consciousness,” Murphy said. “You can see that they’re listening to themselves and each other in a very unique way.” Other ideas also propel the show. Gamson said that while she was developing Still/Restless, she was dealing with two personal tragedies: the death of a close friend’s son, and another friend who succumbed to ALS. She said the deaths created a link between dreaming and mortality. The metaphor is employed in the show. “This year has been very dark for me, and that crept into the piece,” Gamson said. “I want the audience to ask, how do you carry the people that you’ve lost on with you? How can we be more tender with each other?” She continued, “I guess the outcome I would like best is if everybody left the theater and realized we should hold each other closer because we’re not going to be here forever.” Still/Restless runs Thursday-Saturday, June 2-4, at REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

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atre in Little Tokyo in 2002. “I was very impressed with the intelligence and theatricality, and the great attention to stagecraft and detail,” Murphy recalled. Gamson’s first appearance at REDCAT came in 2005 with Aura, a show co-produced by a theater company in Mexico City. It examined the idea of borders, and touched on the themes of intimacy and isolation. Five years later she returned to the venue to premiere Tov, a project she developed with Polish and American artists. It centered on the re-creation of an extinct species of Eurasian horse. While Still/Restless springboards from the idea of dreams and neuroscience, there is no through-line narrative. In the first act, eight dancers perform amid shadows and light on a stage draped with black silks. They are lit from behind for transparency or in front for opacity. The goal, said Gamson, is to create a layered effect that guides the viewer’s eye throughout the performance. In the second act, bright colors are added to a white backdrop, as the performers run through a series of dynamic duets. The entire show runs 90 minutes. Although the movements are mostly cho-

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Gamson staged in 2014 at REDCAT’s New Original Works (or NOW) Festival. She recalls being inspired by seeing a Lithuanian dancer and actor named Petras Lisauskas improvise a dance at the Polish festival. Gamson marveled at the way that Lisauskas and other top improv performers can essentially turn off the part of the brain that serves as an “inhibitor.” “Then, they’re in a zone where everything they do is right, but they’re not exactly deciding it,” she said. “So I had the question: Is there a parallel between being able to hit that groove in improv, and in dreaming?” As she worked on finding the answer to that question and turning it into a performance, Gamson consulted with scientists who were doing sleep studies. She said it led to some interesting conversations, but not exactly any big answers. “I can’t say I know anything for sure now,” she admits. “But I did develop a series of improv games that are performed as part of the piece. So somehow, there was a payoff for it all.” Return to REDCAT This week’s show marks Gamson’s third main-stage production at REDCAT, in addition to two NOW Festival appearances. She has found a fan and partner in venue Executive Director Mark Murphy, who first saw one of her sold-out shows at the Japan America The-

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By Emily Manthei here do creative collaborations with Lithuanian improvisers, Mexican dancers and martial artists begin? At the neighborhood copy shop, of course. In the late 1980s, when Rosanna Gamson was a young dancer in New York City, she stood in the copy line behind a man with the word “Worldwide” written on his business card. She decided it would be a good name for her fledgling company. Fast forward nearly three decades and the moniker couldn’t be more fitting. The Rosanna Gamson/World Wide company, which has been based in Los Angeles since 2000, features dancers with a variety of backgrounds, from ballet to tap to tango to flamenco. Her ideas often spring from the cultural fabric of the city. “I ended up doing a project in Poland that was inspired by seeing amazing Polish theater work here in Los Angeles,” she said recently by phone. This week, Gamson unveils her latest dance/theater hybrid, with three performances of the two-act Still/Restless on ThursdaySaturday, June 2-4, at the REDCAT theater in the back of Walt Disney Concert Hall. Intriguingly, the show is propelled not just by movement, but by Gamson’s studies of dream states and neuroscience. The current show expands on a short piece

May 30, 2016

Old Cartoons, Free Movies And a Sunday Glimpse At L.A.’s Past

SPONSORED LISTINGS Golf Expo City Club, 555 S. Flower St., 51st floor, (213) 620-9662 or cityclubla.com. On June 9 at 6 p.m., City Club L.A. presents the second annual Golf Expo. Featuring TaylorMade, LuluLemon Golf Apparel, Hardy Cognac and more. Call to RSVP.

Exhausted moths and glare-weary airline pilots will be saddened to learn that Dark Nights does not mean the L.A. Live entertainment complex will turn off its jumbo LED light screen. No, Dark Nights is an old theater term referring to an open evening of venue scheduling. With no games or concerts at the major joints, Microsoft Square hosts a celebration on Friday, June 3, staring at 6 p.m. A plethora of vendors and art installations will crowd the plaza as DJ Francesca Harding spins her fingers off and live bands including BECA and Disco Shrine kick out the jams. Those attending the free event will reap the benefits of $5 food and drink specials at participating bars and restaurants. We have also been promised obsequious hula hooping. At 777 Chick Hearn Court (866) 548-3452 or lalive.com.

photo courtesy Los Angeles City Archives; Office of the City Clerk

photo by Timothy Norris

Thursday, June 2, marks the return of Lucha VaVoom. Those who store up endorphins and functioning liver cells for the semi-annual mélange of masked Mexican wrestling, burlesque and comedy will be alternately disturbed and titillated to discover the show is returning so soon after its Cinco de Mayo run. It’s a special occasion down at the Mayan Theatre — Lucha VaVoom Glam Slam is billed as a “Battle for the Belt” featuring a card full of sweaty bouts interspersed with a number of erotic and musical tributes, including to the recently fallen Prince and David Bowie. At 1038 S. Hill St., (213) 746-4287 or luchavavoom.com.

Just as your mom gleefully submits your latest significant other to a barrage of VHS tapes documenting your gangly, out-of-sorts childhood, so too does City Archivist Michael Holland promise to screen worn film of Los Angeles’ awkward adolescence. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, the Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium hosts “This Is Los Angeles,” Holland’s event devoted to digitized found footage of the city. Remember when Downtown had a grimy Bunker Hill and functioning department stores on Broadway? Yearn for the days when the worst pollution in Venice emanated from forests of oil derricks rather than pompous tech bros. Admission is free. At 630 W. Fifth St. or lacityhistory.org.

photo courtesy L.A. Live

By Dan Johnson @ calendar@downtownnews.com

Long before the mouse became the globally ubiquitous corporate calling card that it is today, a Missouri kid took a choo-choo train to Los Angeles where his artistic aspirations took root in a series of animated shorts known today as Silly Symphonies. Walt Disney eventually garnered five Academy Awards for the cartoons, a distinction not overlooked by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra as they prepare to take over the Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, June 4, at 7 p.m. for a live-scored screening featuring seven of the 75 shorts. Honorary Chair Dustin Hoffman will be on hand to hear the theater’s Wurlitzer organ accompany a full barrage of strings in this bit of whimsical nostalgia. At 842 S. Broadway (877) 677-4386 or laco.org.

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EVENTS

THURSDAY, JUNE 2 A Fugitive Thought MOCA Geffen Contemporary, 152 N. Central Ave., (213) 621-1741 or moca.org. 6 p.m.: In keeping with the tone of the present exhibit “Storefront: Public Fiction: The Poet and The Critic, and the Missing,” MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary hosts a complimentary artistcurated, scripted performance of revelatory texts. Brad Warner at the Last Bookstore Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com. 7:30 p.m.: Brad Warner is an author and a Zen monk, so trust him when he reads from his latest magnum opus, “Don’t Be a Jerk: And Other Practical Advice from Dogen Japan’s Greatest Zen Master.” Chinatown After Dark: 1st Thursdays Far East Plaza, 727 N. Broadway, (213) 680-0243 or chinatownla.com. 6-10 p.m.: From Chego to Scoops, a bevy of eateries at the Far East Plaza open their doors for this now-monthly excuse to engorge oneself on delightful cuisine before waddling down to Melody Lounge for one (or five) too many. Eddie Huang at Aloud Aratani Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org. 7:15 p.m.: You may know him as a stellar chef, cultural connoisseur or the author behind the hit book and TV series “Fresh Off the Boat,” but tonight he’s just plain old Eddie as he sits down with his television mother Constance Wu to discuss his new book “Double Cup Love.” Hope for Firefighters Hope Street between Third Street and Hope Place or hopeforfirefighters.com. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.: An annual fundraiser for the Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firemen’s Fund routinely draws huge crowds. The lunchtime event features demonstrations, copious photo ops and a variety of fire stations offering up firehouse food. The highlight is the corporate teams trying to stack up in a series of muster games. Lucha VaVoom Glam Slam 1038 S. Hill St., (213) 746-4287 or clubmayan.com. 7 p.m.: Masked Mexican wrestling (is there any other kind?) returns to Hill Street for a title contest paying tribute to fallen glam rock legends. FRIDAY, JUNE 3 Dark Nights L.A. Live, 777 Chick Hearn Court (866) 548-3452 or lalive.com. 6 p.m.: Art installations, performance art, vendors, hands-on activities, DJs and live music mark this special affair in the plaza of L.A. Live. L.A. Fight Club 1050 S. Hill St., (213) 746-5670 or belascous.com. 5 p.m.: Alliterative pugilism as Ronny Rios takes on Efrain Esquivias in the headline bout in tonight’s Golden Boy-sponsored boxing card. SATURDAY, JUNE 4 Rooted and Rising Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com. 7 p.m.: In the realm of good causes to help perpetuate healing, personal evolution and strong communal values in our neighborhood, the Downtown Women’s Center hopes you can attend tonight’s art and music show featuring a medley of local performers and creative types who will eventually net a ton of money to buy homeless hygiene kits.

the

This week the ultra-cool, status-rich L.A. Film Festival is bringing a lineup of quality cinema to Culver City’s ArcLight Cinemas. Meanwhile, back in Downtown, filmophiles will descend into FIGat7th on Friday and Saturday, June 3 and 4, for a double-header of free screenings. On Friday, the soon-to-be rebooted Ghostbusters gives Downtowners a glimpse of the original paranormal showcase — keep a lookout for the old firehouse on Fifth Street. Saturday brings a filmic atomization of the U.S. Bank Tower in the Jeff Goldblum vehicle Independence Day, which of course, is soon to be rebooted by our alien overlords. Both movies begin at 8 p.m. with pre-screening activities kicking off at 7 p.m. At 735 S. Figueroa St., (213) 955-7170 or figat7th.com.

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

photo courtesy FIGat7th

CALENDAR LISTINGS

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS © Disney

12 Downtown News

May 30, 2016

Downtown News 13

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

SUNDAY, JUNE 5 MOCA Sunday Studio MOCA Geffen Contemporary, 152 N. Central Ave., (213) 621-1741 or moca.org. 1 p.m.: Pop into the exhibit space for an interactive afternoon or arts exploration that goes beyond the pale of typical museum gazing. Get ready for probing discussions, educational exercises and all-around inclusion. Rock and Roll Flea Market 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com. 11 a.m.: Two dollars at the door will gain admission to a world of music memorabilia with which to further bulwark your materialistic existence. As if that first pressing of “Sticky Fingers” could possibly fill the void in your heart. This Is Los Angeles Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lacityhistory.org. 2 p.m.: City Archivist Michael Holland reels out home movies from Los Angeles’ bygone days in this free film program at the Central Library.

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

Au Lac/Café Fedora 710 W. First St., (213) 617-2533 or saturdaynightjazzdtla.com. June 4: Hopefully the two extraneous e’s in Stacye Branche’s name translate to an extra two octaves of vocal range. Blue Whale 123 Astronaut E. S. Onizuka St., (213) 620-0908 or bluewhalemusic.com. May 31: Aaron McLendon. June 1: Artyom Manukyan. June 2: Ralph Alessi Quartet. June 3: Felder, Rastegar and Chamberlain. June 4: Julian Lage Trio. Bootleg Bar 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org. May 31: Moaning is here to remind us that “angst” is the mopey, Morrisseyinfused little brother of bad boy “anger.” Yes, we know this sounds like the sequel to “Inside Out.” June 1: Ural Thomas & The Pain is a soulful outfit dedicated to honoring the mountain range that separates Europe and Asia. June 2: Cannons return to open up for East London’s Rationale. June 3: What more can we say about Kevin Morby that hasn’t been said by his nearly 800-word bio? June 4: Arches of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann’s live show is a perfect excuse for anyone who knows the Archers of Loaf to leave their homes and find other like-minded arch-loafers. June 5: Seattle’s La Laz politely requests that fans stop tossing bottles of SPF50 sunscreen on stage. The first few dozen tubes were helpful, but now it’s getting tiresome. Escondite 410 Boyd St., (213) 626-1800 or theescondite.com. May 30: Skip Spiros and His 10 Piece Jazz Band have quietly been arranging themselves into a hendecagram on stage. Go ahead, we’ll wait while you Google it. May 31: Sycamore. Exchange LA 618 S. Spring St., (213) 627-8070 or exchangela.com. June 3: Audien. June 4: Erick Morillo. Grammy Museum 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org. June 1, 7:30 p.m.: Remember when a young Christian Bale sang wistfully about his fictional parents in far-off Santa Fe in a musical interlude from Newsies? Yeah. Tonight’s guest Alan Mencken dishes on scoring Newsies, Aladdin, Little Mermaid and many more films. The Novo 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or thenovodtla.com. June 3: “Suga, suga how you get so fly?” a very large man was heard to ask a churro before devouring it at tonight’s Baby Bash & MC Magic show. June 5: Cam’ron of “Hey Ma” fame.

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

2YOUR EVENT INFO

EASY WAYS TO SUBMIT

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.

NISSAN OF DOWNTOWN L.A.

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2014 Ford Focus .................................... Dark Grey, Auto, 4 cyl, Moon Roof, Loaded! NI5439/242279

2015 Hyundai Sonata ........................... Blue/Beige, Auto, 4dr, 13625 miles only. NI5291/117390

800-574-4891 1600 S. FIGUEROA ST. • TOYOTADOWNTOWNLA.COM

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Model #1223 1.8L 4-Cyl Hybrid with FE, CF Equipment.

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2014 VW Beetle 1.8T .............................

TOYOTA OF DOWNTOWN L.A.

$12,999 $12,999 $15,999

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$14,288 2011 Avalon Limited .............................. $21,588 Black/Light Gray, Auto, 4 Dr. TU1642/388014 2014 Tundra LTD ..................................... $36,988 Certified, White/Gray, Auto, Double Cab. TU1659/157770 2012 Prius C Two ..................................... Certified, Blue/Gray, Hatchback. T154495-1/000579

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$17,888 2013 Nissan Frontier SV ..................... $19,888 4-Door, 2WD, Bluetooth, Low Miles. CU2146P/715963 2011 Nissan Armada SV ...................... $19,888 Full Size, 3rd Row Seat, Running Boards. CU2256P/624792 FELIX CHEVROLET 2014 Nissan Maxima 3.5 S .................. Carfax, 1 Owner, Certified, Moonroof. CU2230P/448315

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$22,980 2015 Mercedes GLK350 ......................... $29,990 7k miles only, 1.99% APR Available. 9044L/FG431007 2014 Mercedes E350 .............................. Certified, Prem Pkg1, Nav Syst, 2 Yr Free Maint. 8988C/EA875284 $34,981 AUDI OF DOWNTOWN L.A. 2013 Mercedes C250 ............................. Certified, Sport Pkg, 99% APR Available. 8929C/DA809334

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NEW ’16 AUDI A3 1.8T

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per month for 24 mos

2016 Jetta S 1.4T S with automatic transmission *Lease for $59 + tax per month for 24 months. Based on MSRP of $19,870 for Automatic Transmission. Residual Value $11,922.00. $1,416 total of payments. Security Deposit Waived. $1,999 due at signing from customer + $1,000 Memorial Day Bonus**. Excludes: First Payment, $625 Acquisition Fee, $80 Documentation Fee, Sales Tax, Title, and License Fee. 20,000 total miles, with 20¢ per excess mile. Closed-end lease offered on approved above average credit with VCI, excludes TDI and Hybrid Models. Two (2) at this offer GM322083, GM354913**$1,000 Memorial Day Bonus for purchase or lease of new, unused 2015 or 2016 Volkswagen Jetta, Passat and Tiguan gas and hybrid model vehicles.***1.90% Available on 0-60 month terms. 1.90% on approved credit. Not all buyers will qualify.1.90% APR in lieu of cash discounts. See dealer for details. Exp 5/31/2016

888-319-8762 1801 S. FIGUEROA ST. • MBZLA.COM

per month for 36 mos

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$23,495 2015 Audi Q5 ......................................... $37,895 Navi, Quattro, Certified. ZA11201SL/FA025390 2016 Audi A7 .......................................... $59,895 Only 2,500 Miles, Loaded. A170118-1/GN021916 PORSCHE OF DOWNTOWN L.A.

2013 Audi A4 .......................................... Moon, Conv. Pkg., LoMiles. ZA11235/DN009792

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$4,999 CAP reduction. $679 per month. Stock#P16297. $4,999 Down Payment. 39 months, 10k miles per year, VIN#GLA11552, residual $40,043.45, 1 at this price. Down payment excludes tax, dmv fees, $995 Bank Acquisition fee, first payment and document fees. Rates based on approved Tier 1 credit through Porsche Financial Service.

$8,495 2012 Nissan Versa .................................. $11,595 Auto, Pwr Doors, Pwr Locks. F17859-1/885278 2009 Honda Accord ................................ $12,995 Exl, Pw, Pdl, Leather. F17818-1/131213

2013 Panamera Platinum Ed. ..............

2014 Chevy Spark ..................................... Auto, Pwr Doors, Pwr Locks. F17597-1/443513

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2013 Cayenne Turbo ............................. Blk/Umb, CPO, 63K Mi, Prem. Plus, 21” Whls. ZP2030M/A90208

2013 911 Cab .......................................... Gray/Blk, CPO, Prem. +, 20” Whls,14K Mi. ZP1957M/S14033

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14 Downtown News

CLASSIFIEDS REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL LOFTS FOR SALE

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All submissions are subject to federal and California fair housing laws, which make it illegal to indicate in any advertisement any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income or physical or mental disability. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

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EMPLOYMENT CH2M Hill, Inc. in Los Angeles, CA seeks a Transportation/Traffic Engineer 4 to provide project management and technical support to a variety of assignments. Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering and 5 years of experience in the job offered or 5 years of related experience in railway engineering, including preparing, bidding and coordinating projects designing and building railcars, trains, multipurpose vehicles, tunnels, depot equipment, and emergency plans to meet certification and codes. Must have some experience with light rail vehicle procurement and project management. To apply, mail resume to: Patty Moore, CH2M HILL, 9191 S. Jamaica St., Englewood, CO 80112. Must reference job code: 418608.

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May 30, 2016

LEGAL NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned intends to sell the personal property described below to enforce a lien imposed on said property pursuant to Sections 21700-21716 of the Business & Professions Code, Section 2328 of the UCC, Section 535 of the Penal Code and provisions of the Civil Code. The undersigned will sell on the 14th day of Junel 2016 at 11: 00 A.M. on the premises where said property has been stored and which are located at Thriftee Storage Company LLC, 1717 N. Glendale Blvd. in the city of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, State of California, the following: Name of owner: Space number Description of goods Amount Sarah Prater Personal effects $224.00 Acne Production Personal effects $398.00 Francisco Torres Personal effects $130.00 Janet Hoffman A6,L16,L9,L23,L29, L3,L34,L41,L6,L7,S19 Personal effects $3100.00

Downtown News 15

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Purchases must be paid for at the time of purchase in cash only. All purchased storage units

with the items contained herein are sold on an “as-is” basis and must be removed at the time of sale. Sale subject to cancellation in the event of settlement between Thriftee Storage Co. and obligated party. Thriftee Storage Company LLC Dated at Los Angeles, CA by Felipe F. Islas / Manager May 26th 2016. PUBLIC NOTICE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES TREASURER AND TAX COLLECTOR NOTICE OF DIVIDED PUBLICATION Made pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code Section 3381 Pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code Sections 3381 through 3385, the Notice of Power to Sell Tax-Defaulted Property in and for the County of Los Angeles, State of California, has been divided and distributed to various newspapers of general circulation published in the County. A portion of the list appears in each of such newspapers. NOTICE OF IMPENDING POWER TO SELL TAXDEFAULTED PROPERTY Made pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code Section 3361 Notice is hereby given that real property taxes and assessments on the parcels described below will have been defaulted five or more years, or, in the case of nonresidential commercial property, property on which a nui-

sance abatement lien has been recorded, or that can serve the public benefit by providing housing or services directly related to low-income persons when three or more years have elapsed, and a request has been made by a city, county, city and county, or nonprofit organization that property, will become subject to the Tax Collector’s power to sell. The parcels listed will become subject to the Tax Collector’s power to sell on July 1, 2016, at 12:01 a.m., by operation of law. The Tax Collector will record a Notice of Power to Sell unless the property taxes are paid in full or an installment plan of redemption is initiated, as provided by law prior to 5:00 p.m., on June 30, 2016. The right to initiate an installment plan terminates on June 30, 2016. Thereafter, the only option to prevent the sale of the property at public auction is by paying the taxes in full. The right of redemption survives the property becoming subject to the Tax Collector’s power to sell, but it terminates at 5:00 p.m. on the last business day before the scheduled auction of the property by the Tax Collector. The Treasurer and Tax Collector’s Office will furnish, upon request, information concerning payment in full or initiating an installment plan of redemption. Requests must be made to Joseph Kelly, Treasurer and Tax Collector, County of Los Angeles, 225 North Hill Street, First Floor Lobby, Los Angeles, California 90012. For more information, please visit our website at ttc.lacounty.gov. The amount to redeem, in dollars and cents, is set forth opposite its parcel number. This amount

includes all defaulted taxes, penalties, and fees that have accrued from the date of tax-default to the date of June 30, 2016. I certify, under penalty of perjury, that the foregoing is true and correct. Dated this 5th day of May, 2016.

TREASURER AND TAX COLLECTOR COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES STATE OF CALIFORNIA PARCEL NUMBERING SYSTEM EXPLANATION The Assessor’s Identification Number, when used to describe property in this list, refers to the Assessor’s map book, the map page, the block on the map, if applicable, and the individual parcel on the map page or in the block. The Assessor’s maps and further explanation of the parcel numbering system are available in the Assessor’s Office, 500 West Temple Street, Room 225, Los Angeles, California 90012. The real property that is the subject of this notice is situated in the County of Los Angeles, State of California, and is described as follows: PROPERTY TAX DEFAULTED IN YEAR 2013 FOR TAXES, ASSESSMENT, AND OTHER CHARGES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012-2013 2360 $145.66 DEL GIZZI,DANA M AIN: 5535-025-002 2361 $65,406.54 RICHAR INC SITUS:1250 N WESTERN AVE LOS ANGELES CA 90029-1019

AIN: 5537-002-026 PROPERTY TAX DEFAULTED IN YEAR 2011 FOR TAXES, ASSESSMENT, AND OTHER CHARGES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010-2011 2362 $75.88 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:630 N BERENDO ST LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2104 AIN: 5538-029032 2363 $290.35 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:626 N BERENDO ST LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2144 AIN: 5538-029-033 2364 $83.38 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:616 N BERENDO ST LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2104 AIN: 5538-029034 2365 $81.84 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:610 S BERENDO ST LOS ANGELES CA 90005-1712 AIN: 5538-029035 2366 $122.59 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:639 N NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE LOS ANGELES CA 900042112 AIN: 5538-029-036 2367 $117.13 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:635 N NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE LOS ANGELES CA 900042167 AIN: 5538-029-037 2368 $122.84 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:617 N NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE LOS ANGELES CA 900042121 AIN: 5538-029-038 2369 $73.49 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:4203 CLINTON ST LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2106 AIN: 5538-030-028 2370 $83.88 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:627 N BERENDO ST LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2103 AIN: 5538-030029 2371 $117.71 4-STREETS

CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:639 N BERENDO ST LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2103 AIN: 5538-030-030 2372 $81.49 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:645 N BERENDO ST LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2103 AIN: 5538-030031 2373 $101.41 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:659 N BERENDO ST LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2103 AIN: 5538-030-032 2374 $89.04 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:647 N HELIOTROPE DR LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2107 AIN: 5538-031-020 2375 $4,476.66 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:659 N HELIOTROPE DR

LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2163 AIN: 5538-031-022 2376 $96.82 4-STREETS CO-OP OF RTE 2 INC SITUS:650 N KENMORE AVE LOS ANGELES CA 90004-2122 AIN: 5538-031023 2377 $53,972.86 ALTOUNIAN,JACQUELINE AND TERZIAN,LEVON SITUS:1212 N ALEXANDRIA AVE LOS ANGELES CA 90029-1404 AIN: 5540-007-011 PROPERTY TAX DEFAULTED IN YEAR 2010 FOR TAXES, ASSESSMENT, AND OTHER CHARGES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009-2010 2378 $1,835.73 SCHLAFF,JOHN SITUS:1216 N KENMORE AVE LOS ANGELES CA 90029-1589 AIN: 5540-011-003

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NOTICE OF PREPARATION AND INTENT FOR A JOINT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT/ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIS/EIR) AND PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED? The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) are initiating the environmental process for Link Union Station (Link US or Project), formerly known as the Southern California Regional Interconnector Project (SCRIP). FRA will serve as the lead agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Project and has released a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS. Metro will serve as the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has released a Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the EIR. FRA and Metro intend to prepare a joint EIS/EIR for Link US. FRA and Metro are proposing Link US to transform Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS) from a “stub-end tracks station” into a “run-through tracks station” while increasing operational capacity to meet the demands of the broader rail system. The Project would include the construction of new run-through tracks over US-101, a new passenger concourse, and an elevated rail yard that would include new boarding platforms and overhead canopies. Metro and FRA are also working with California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to facilitate the planned HSR system within the limits of Link US. Link US would also require: modifications to existing bridges at city streets to accommodate new elevated tracks; modifications to local streets; railroad signal, Positive Train Control, and communications-related improvements; modifications to existing mainline tracks; additional right-of-way; and utility relocations, replacements, and abandonments. The EIS/EIR will be prepared consistent with the NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations implementing NEPA set forth in 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508, the FRA’s Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts as set forth in 64 CFR Part 28545, dated May 26, 1999 (Environmental Procedures), 23 U.S.C. 139, CEQA (Section 21000-21178 and California Code of Regulations Title 14, Chapter 3 Section 15000-15387), and other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. The purpose of this Notice is to: • Advise the public that FRA is the lead federal agency and Metro is the lead state/local agency; • Provide information about the Project, purpose and need for the project, and alternatives to be considered; and, • Invite public and agency participation in the EIS/EIR process. The EIS/EIR will consider the No Action/No Build Alternative and a number of Build Alternatives that improve the functionality and operational capacity of LAUS in a cost-effective manner while maintaining existing transit/rail operations during construction.

WHEN IS THE PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT PERIOD? The public review and comment period for the NOP and NOI is May 27, 2016 to June 27, 2016. Federal, state, and local agencies, organizations, and public are invited to provide input into the scope of the EIS/EIR.

HOW CAN YOU COMMENT? Interested persons should send written comments to FRA’s Office of Program Delivery, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. (Mail Stop 20), Washington, DC 20590, or Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Headquarters, One Gateway Plaza (Mail Stop 99-13-1), Los Angeles, California, 90012, or via e-mail to Mark Dierking, Community Relations Manager, at dierkingm@metro.net. Comments should include “Link Union Station – NOI Scoping Comments’’ or “Link Union Station – NOP Scoping Comments” in the subject line. Persons interested in providing written comments on the scope of the Project must do so by Monday June 27, 2016. Scoping materials and information concerning the scoping meeting is available through Metro’s Web site: https://www.metro.net/projects/regionalrail/scrip/

WHEN AND WHERE IS THE SCOPING MEETING TAKING PLACE? Thursday, June 2, 2016 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM; Brief Presentation at 6:30 PM Metro Headquarters, One Gateway Plaza, First Floor Plaza, Los Angeles, California, 90012 All Metro meetings are held in ADA accessible facilities. Spanish and Chinese translation will be provided. Other ADA accommodations and translations are available by calling 213-922-2524 at least 72 hours in advance.

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

16 Downtown News

May 30, 2016

TRIBUNE, 5

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hatchet man Justin Dearborn unveiled the Tronc, which from what I’ve read is a phrase that in jolly old England means pooling tips, and which here supposedly involves using high technology to mine data and target advertising. There’s all sorts of talk of artificial intelligence, though it seems less cool robots and more like how after you click on that cashmere cardigan on one website it virtually follows you around for the next week like a homeless kitten, trying to make you pick it up. Soon-Shiong clearly sees something worth his millions, but I’ve learned to be wary when someone invents a word for a business strategy. A lot of other, really good words and descriptions already exist, and it seems that at least one should speak to the future — like “plastics!” Even Griffin had a clearly comprehensible “five-point plan.” Right now, I think the Tronc might actually be the material used to make the emperor’s new clothes. That’s Entertainment: Give Ferro credit for one thing: He recognizes the importance of the L.A. Times: That is presumably why Ferrovision involves breaking off the paper from TPUB holdings like the Chicago Tribune and the Allentown Morning Call. Then again, as media analyst Ken Doctor revealed in his “Lagos Gambit” column on May 5, Ferro’s plan for reviving the Times involves opening seven international bureaus, focusing on entertainment reporting in Lagos, Mumbai, Seoul, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Moscow. Does this make sense? Well, ask yourself this question: How many times have you been walking in Downtown Los Angeles, licking a cone of gelato and swiping on Tinder, when suddenly you wonder, “What’s going on in the bustling film industry in Lagos, Nigeria? I need to know now!” The answer is probably never, but if this plan happens, then the Times will utterly dominate sectors like the Russian sitcom industry and album reviews from Mumbai boy bands. That’s what Times readers really want, right? Right? Quiet Future: Gannett first offered $12.25 a share for TPUB stock that was trading below $8. It soon upped the bid to $15. Then, on May 23, TPUB announced that it had rejected Gannett’s offer and instead had accepted $70.5 million from Soon-Shiong’s Nant Capital, giving it a 12.9% stake in the company. A statement also said that TPUB’s board would negotiate with Gannett if the company will sign a non-disclosure agreement. I get that this is all about business and money, but there’s an amazing irony in two journalism giants possibly discussing a mega-deal but hiding everything until they’re ready. Will editors forbid their reporters from trying to sniff out what’s happening? Waiting for Independence Day: Many Angelenos have long yearned for a return to local ownership of the Times, with the belief that the paper, after years of staff cuts and Chicago-centric leadership, has moved from its core mission of serving the region. Government, civic and business leaders protested last August when Griffin fired Times Publisher and CEO Austin Beutner, and then everyone secretly thrilled when Griffin himself got his cookies taken away, only to find that Ferro is Ferro. Through it all, there has been a drumbeat for local deep-pockets leaders, possibly a team of Eli Broad and Beutner, to acquire the Times. Soon-Shiong is local, but his stake is smaller than Ferro’s. It sets up a fascinating idea: Is he a long-term partner and content to carry water for the majority shareholder, or is he pulling a Ferro and painting a target on the current boss’ back, one that will leave Ferro writhing on the ground and gasping, “Et tu, Soon-Shiong?” The X Factor: What happens next? I have no idea, and anyone who says they do is lying. This game is unpredictable and even less reliable than the Dodgers’ bullpen. The media landscape is changing rapidly as print advertising goes the way of the dodo bird. A year ago no one in L.A. knew who Michael Ferro was or had an inkling that the parent of USA Today might try to gobble up TPUB. Maybe grocery magnate Ron Burkle emerges from the shadows as a suitor. Maybe David Geffen comes back to town and steps up. Maybe Kobe Bryant does. Don’t scoff — he’s got the cash after fleecing the Lakers for that last contract, and it’s as feasible as anything that has happened to date. The one mistake would be assuming the saga has ended. As “Game of Thrones” has taught us, there’s always an X Factor, and no one at the top is ever safe. regardie@downtownnews.com