06-11-18

INSIDE this week

Homelessness among women spikes

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reviewing ‘as we babble on’

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w o r e g n i k a m re

June 11, 2018 I VOL. 47 I #24

How a Huge Faded Manufacturing Complex Is Becoming a Bustling Shopping and Office Hub

photo by Nicholas Slayton

See Page 9

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AROUND TOWN

Last Chance to Pick Downtown’s Best

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ast week, voters throughout California picked the person they think will make the best governor. This week, voters in Downtown Los Angeles have a few more days to choose what they believe are the best restaurants, bars, shops and more. Los Angeles Downtown News is gearing up for its 30th annual Best of Downtown issue, a process that begins with the readers’ poll. It went live on May 21, and people have until Thursday, June 14, to make selections in more than 120 categories, including Best Steakhouse, Best Wine Bar, Best Downtown Event and Best Hair Salon. Participation is free and all voting takes place online at votebestof.com. Those who fill out 20 or more categories can be entered in a drawing to win some cool prizes. The Best of Downtown issue will publish on July 23.

Finally, Clayton’s Public House Is Ready

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ne of the most anticipated, and most delayed, Downtown restaurant projects

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has been Clayton’s Public House. Now, the Historic Core offering from Tony Gower and Elizabeth Peterson-Gower is finally ready to debut. The Victorian-themed pub will begin serving food and cocktails on Tuesday, June 12, according to posts on the restaurant’s Facebook page. Rumblings that the location would open in January, or March, or April, were dashed, but the Facebook page is full of images from mixologist Krisi Jensen, and photos of spare ribs, mac and cheese, and cod fritters in “beernaise” sauce with house mustard. Clayton’s is the spiritual successor to Royal Clayton’s, an Arts District favorite that closed in 2010 after a four-year run. It will join Guisados, Blu Jam Café, Gelateria Uli and other outlets in the Spring Arcade Building at 541 S. Spring St. Clayton’s Public House will offer 32 craft beers on tap, sourced from Los Angeles and California breweries. It will be open from 11 a.m.-midnight daily, and until 2 a.m. on Thursday-Saturday.

Dinosaur Film Closes Grand Avenue This Week

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owntowners should be prepared for some heavy traffic and huge claws this week. Grand Avenue, a common route into the heart of Downtown, will be closed between First and Second streets for most of the week. That’s because the upcoming blockbuster Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will be staging a fan event at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Wednesday, June 13, which

JUNE 11, 2018

will culminate in an early screening of the movie. Even though the event is only for one day, that block of Grand Avenue will be closed from 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, through 5 a.m. on Friday, June 15. Drivers should seek alternate routes. The upside to the traffic closure, if there is one, is that some tickets to the screening will be given away, and the Fan Fest includes attractions such as faux dinosaurs and giant velociraptor Legos.

More information on the Jurassic World event is at jurassicworld.com/fanfest.

Gaming Convention Comes Downtown This Week

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ideo game professionals and enthusiasts will jam Downtown Los Angeles this week. That’s because the annual E3 (or Electronic Entertainment Expo) convention will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Tuesday-Thursday, June 12-14. The event is expected to draw more than 60,000 people who work in the video game industry, along with hardcore gamers. Hardware suppliers such as Microsoft and Nintendo will show off their latest gear, while game developers including Bethesda and Ubisoft will be announcing new games and demoing upcoming releases. There will also be an e-sports arena set up in the Convention Center’s South Hall, a first for the convention staged by the Electronic Software Association. Attendees can expect competitions, merchandise and people in costume from games such as Assas-

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sin’s Creed, Fallout and Uncharted. More information is at e3expo.com.

High Rise Planned for Chinatown Yet another big project is being planned for Chinatown. Last week, documents were filed for a 27-story residential tower at 942 N. Broadway. The high-rise would have 178 units (5% set aside as very low income housing), plus 36,805 square feet of commercial space. The site in the heart of the community currently holds a one-story commercial building, which would have to be razed. The project applicant is listed as Rick Ilich, president of the Vancouver-based development company Townline. No timeline or budget have been announced. It’s the second highrise to be proposed for the core of Chinatown in recent months, following a 26-story project at 643 N. Spring St. from the French investment firm Compagnie de Phalsbourg.

Downtown Projects Win Architecture Awards

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he Los Angeles Business Council named its annual Architectural Awards winners this month, and 11 projects in Downtown Los Angeles were among the 54 honored. Although the top prize went to Culver City’s Vespertine restaurant, a variety of Downtown efContinued on page 14

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4 DOWNTOWN NEWS

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EDITORIALS

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JUNE 11, 2018

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Don’t Applaud the Dip in Homelessness Yet

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he temptation to celebrate the decrease in homelessness in Los Angeles is understandable. After all, the number of people sleeping on the streets in the region had grown for three consecutive years, with a tremendous spike last year. After a flood of bad news, people are desperate for something positive.

While some progress is being made, the 3% decline in homelessness reported in the county in 2018, and the 5% drop in the city, is nowhere near enough.

We comprehend the desire to applaud, but no one should celebrate right now. The county still claims 53,195 homeless people, just a smidgen below the 55,048 recorded in 2017, according to statistics released May 31 by the Los Angeles County Homeless Services Authority. The city went from 34,189 homeless people in 2017 to 31,516 this year.

Applause? Celebration? This is like applauding a straight-F student who, for one semester, ekes his way up to a D-minus average. There are no accolades yet.

We’re not saying progress is unimportant, and we urge a continuation of the full-bore response to homelessness that city and county elected officials, and people throughout the business and nonprofit worlds, have undertaken in recent years. That work is impressive, as is the willingness of area residents to tax themselves to address the humanitarian crisis.

But baby steps are insufficient, especially when you recognize that in 2015 the count found 44,359 homeless people in the county, and 25,686 in the city. We’d like to see figures that approach the numbers of three years ago before there is any patting on the back.

On the bright side, the ground work for potential future success is being laid: City and county officials are coordinating on the issue better than at any time in the past, with Mayor Eric Garcetti and Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, respectively, leading the public charge. Additionally, no one pretends any longer that this is just a matter for Downtown Los Angeles, Venice and a few other communities. The proliferation of tent encampments has spurred the entire region to action.

The work done to date is only the beginning of what must occur if thousands of chronically homeless people are to be moved into permanent housing, and if steps can be taken to prevent those at risk of becoming homeless from ending up on the streets in the first place.

Dig into the LAHSA numbers and the challenges remain daunting: There are rising numbers of homeless women and families. The number of people experiencing homelessness for the first time is climbing.

What is particularly needed right now is political courage. Elected officials must push for the creation of affordable housing and homeless services in all communities, and must convince neighborhood opponents that NIMBY sentiments don’t help and won’t work. Taking the kind of flack this will engender won’t be easy, but it is necessary.

Get real services and support into communities across the county, and then we might start to see a meaningful decrease in the number of people on the streets. Only then can Los Angeles truly applaud.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore & Mayor Eric Garcetti

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June 4, 2018

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COMMENTS

Regarding the column “Austin Beutner, Mad Max and the Future of the LAUSD,” by Jon Regardie Austin Beutner is a reboot attempt by the LAUSD school board to bring back Superintendent John Deasy, and we all know how that ended. The five members of the school board who voted in favor of Beutner for LAUSD superintendent are lead by Ref Rodriguez (currently under investigation for campaign money laundering) followed by Mónica García, Nick Melvoin, Kelly Gonez and Dr. Richard Vladovic. Four out of the five board members have a combined have six years of teaching experience. These are the people making decisions for the future of Los Angeles.

—Marco Calzadilla This article contains a lot of self-serving clichés: “skyrocketing pension costs,” for example. The truth is, yes, LAUSD has to nearly double its contribution to CalSTRS on behalf of teachers and educators from around 9% to 20% as a statewide requirement to shore up the pension fund’s unfunded liability. This is good news to teachers in their old age. What this new guy will probably try to do is continue to convert to more charter schools that don’t pay in to the CalSTRS fund, while leaving ballooning health insurance costs unaddressed.

—Andre Noble EDITOR: Jon Regardie STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton, Sean P. Thomas CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Tom Fassbender, Jeff Favre

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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ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Rick Schwartz CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb, Katherine Aguirre OFFICE MANAGER: Claudia Hernandez

Regarding the article “Big Expansion Planned for Bike Share,” about a rollout to communities including Silver Lake and Koreatown, by Nicholas Slayton Sweet. I was selfishly hoping Highland Park and Eagle Rock made the list as I feel like they are neighborhoods with some Metro service in and out, but not great access within the neighborhood. But oh well. This is nice too.

I’m also interested in the fare revamp. Hopefully it’s more than just a special user discount. The price of $3.50 for 30 minutes is way too high for a transportation option and pretty much leaves this for people who are just looking for something to do for fun.

—Vince Downing

Hey You! Speak Up! Downtown News wants to hear from people in the community. If you like, or dislike, a story or editorial, let us know. Or weigh in on something you feel is important to the community.

Participation is easy. Post a comment online at the bottom of any story, or go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the “Letter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, email regardie@downtownnews.com.

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JUNE 11, 2018

DOWNTOWN NEWS 5

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Antonio Villaraigosa’s Last Waltz Election Shellacking Closes the Political Career of the Figure Who Once Had So Much Potential

By Jon Regardie he end of Antonio Villaraigosa’s political career came not with a bang, but a whimper.

We’re talking a serious, plaintive, bury-menow kind of whimper.

The end was defining, the message from voters deafening. It was also, in its way, de-

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THE REGARDIE REPORT pressing, as it marked the final splat of a once high-flying politician whose potential had seemed limitless.

There was shockingly little drama as the music stopped playing. Although Villaraigosa had bounced in and out of second place in polls for months, aiming for a runner-up finish that would propel him to the November general election, reports in recent days indicated that second was slipping away.

Observers I spoke with early on election day were already writing tombstone epitaphs.

Indeed, it was clear within an hour of the end of voting on Tuesday, June 5, that AnVil was shuffling off the political mortal coil. Lt. Gov. and former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom jumped to a big early lead, and Republican businessman John Cox rocketed into second place; Newsom would wind up with 33% and Cox, who as a GOP dude

in California might as well start drafting his November concession speech now, scored 26%, nearly twice the 13.5% Villaraigosa grabbed (some provisional and other ballots remain to be counted, though not enough to change the outcome).

The big question quickly became whether AnVil would hold on to third place. He did, but not by much, as loopy Republican Assemblyman Travis Allen finished fourth with 10%.

There will be spin and rhetoric, because there is always spin and rhetoric. Some will slam the mysterious snafu that left 118,000 names off L.A. County voter rolls, and while that deserves slamming and the kind of investigation that causes heads to roll, those ballots wouldn’t have made a difference.

Others will question whether the presence in the race of two additional Democrats, state Treasurer John Chiang and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin, siphoned some of the votes that would have gone to Villaraigosa. That question made much more sense before the election — the two got a combined 12%, so even if every voter instead went for AnVil and literally none chose Newsom, the erstwhile L.A. mayor still would have finished third.

If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: Voters, particularly those in Los Angeles, showed

that they remember the past. Villaraigosa was a remarkably underwhelming mayor who made a series of missteps that alienated a lot of the people who once believed in him. All the shiny new ads and attempts to gloss over past failings couldn’t convince Californians that he should be part of their future.

Up, Then Down I’m not trying to kick AnVil when he’s down, and believe me, he’s down like that no-name boxer who last month got clobbered by Gennady Golovkin. But I also took plenty of shots at Villaraigosa when he was up.

And the thing is, he was once, really, really up.

Villaraigosa had a fantastic story and deserved a lot of credit: He overcame a tough childhood and was a self-made man who turned jobs in organized labor into political success. He was elected to the state Assembly in 1994 and three years later became Speaker, a post you only get if you’re darn good at politics and deal-making.

He lost a tough 2001 mayoral run against Jim Hahn, and then proved himself an adept opportunist by swiping the 14th District City Council from incumbent Nick Pacheco in 2003 — this in a city where incumbents virtually never lose. During the campaign Vil-

Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa finished a distant third in last week’s election, garnering just 13.5% of the vote. He will not advance to the November general election.

photo by Gary Leonard

laraigosa told everyone who asked that he’d serve a full term on the Council, and then promptly went back on his word and ran for mayor in 2005. He got his revenge against Hahn, who would leave politics and later become a judge.

Villaraigosa’s 2005 inauguration “Dream With Me” speech was inspiring, and Angelenos were enamored with the city’s first Latino mayor in more than a century. He was exciting and charismatic — he wound up on the cover of Newsweek and on TV with George Lopez.

Whether all this went to his head and he believed his own PR, or whether his deep ambitions undermined him is impossible to say, but Villaraigosa quickly grew more enContinued on page 13

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JUNE 11, 2018

Number of Homeless Women Spikes in Skid Row Neighborhood Sees 35% Increase in Females Living on the Streets

photo by Sean P. Thomas

The Union Rescue Mission in Skid Row is serving so many homeless women that it has taken to setting up inflatable mattresses in the hallways on some evenings.

By Sean P. Thomas n May 31, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority made waves by reporting that homelessness in L.A. County had decreased by 3% in a one-year period, while the number of homeless individuals in the city had fallen by 5%.

The headlines overshadowed an alarming statistic contained deep in the 2018 LAHSA Homeless Count: The number of women living on the streets of Skid Row has jumped by 35%.

The community replete with tent encampments and people living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions saw the number of women without permanent shelter skyrocket from 1,072 people when the three-day count was conducted in January 2017, to 1,442 during the count this past January.

The 2017 homeless count reported that women made up 23% of the people living on Skid Row. This year, that figure has jumped to 34%. LAHSA says 4,294 homeless people reside in the community.

The numbers are a stark difference from what is being seen across L.A. County. According to the 2018 homeless count, the number of women living on the streets decreased by 4%, from 17,148 in 2017 to 16,410 this year.

Tom Waldman, communications director for LAHSA, said that it is unclear why the number of homeless women in Skid Row has jumped so dramatically.

The increase is not a surprise to Andy Bales, CEO of the Union Rescue Mission, which operates a shelter and a string of support services at 545 S. San Pedro St. In fact,

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Bales said that the overall decrease reported

by LAHSA is a little hard to believe based on his daily experience at the shelter.

“Maybe my vision is skewed from where I work, but the dip of 3%-5% could just be explained by a margin of error,” he said.

“I’m really grateful it didn’t grow 25%, but I wouldn’t want anyone to pat themselves on the back and say we solved this.”

The Union Rescue Mission was founded 126 years ago and provides services such as emergency housing, skills training and meals for the homeless population. It has been headquartered at its current site since 1994.

Bales has been on the front lines as homelessness has worsened; despite the reported decline this year, last year homelessness in the county soared 23% over 2016 levels.

In response to the rising number of people on the streets, the mission 2 1/2 years ago began utilizing its first floor day room as an emergency shelter. Later, the facility’s chapel was drafted as an overnight emergency shelter specifically for women.

Now, on some evenings, blow-up mattresses trail out of the chapel and are placed throughout the hallways for women seeking a safe place.

“We never turn away a single woman away from our door,” Bales said. “We never turn away a family from our door. We’ve just had to make space and continue to accommodate.”

The shelter houses 1,100 people in their Downtown location. Bales estimates that 630 are women and children, and 350 are likely single women.

Continued on page 8

JUNE 11, 2018

DOWNTOWN NEWS 7

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JUNE 11, 2018

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Bales said that that not only is the number of women increasing, but so is the presence of families in Skid Row: He said the Downtown facility currently houses 207 children.

During the Great Recession, the all-time high for children was 136.

Georgia Berkovich, director of public affairs at the Midnight Mission, said that staff at the facility at 601 S. San Pedro St. is also seeing more homeless women. The mission offers an overnight shelter, along with counseling and healthcare services.

“I wouldn’t say we’re surprised,” said Berkovich. “We tend to think they are even higher than that.”

Berkovich said the mission began receiving additional funding in May from LAHSA to add 15 beds to an overnight center for women that opened in February. Now, its Women’s Crisis and Bridge Housing has a total of 57 beds.

The URM also is looking into ways to increase its emergency shelter space for women soon. Bales said the mission recently submitted plans to the city to erect a structure in the facility’s parking lot to house another 100 women.

Bales said that as the situation gets worse, he’ll likely keep accepting shelter seekers.

“We’ve just been trying to do our part and step up to the need,” Bales said.

Business as Usual Despite the LAHSA findings, not everyone in Skid Row reports seeing a worsening situation for women.

Ana Velouise, director of communication and policy at the Downtown Women’s Center, said she hasn’t noticed much of a change. She suggested that is because the number of women receiving services at the facility’s day clinic has remained constant in the past few years.

“It’s a steady flow,” she said. “There is no ebbing.”

In 2017, the LAHSA homeless count reported a sharp, 55% increase over a three-year period in the amount of homeless women in the county. That far outpaced the increase for men on a percentage basis.

“Every single day there are huge amounts of women coming through our day clinic,” Velouise said. “For us it’s business as usual.”

What makes the rise in homelessness among women even more troubling is that physical and sexual abuse is a constant and may deter women from accessing support services, according to Velouise.

According to a needs assessment study conducted in 2016 by the Downtown Women’s Action Coalition, close to 90% of homeless women have experienced some sort of physical, mental or sexual abuse in their lifetime. That report also noted that 40% of women who reported sleeping most frequently in a shelter or on the street had experienced sexual or physical violence in the past 12 months.

Given those statistics, Velouise said it is important that service providers recognize how trauma can impact a woman’s reaction toward services.

“The population of women just have a very different set of needs than men do,” she said.

In addition, the recent LAHSA homeless count revealed that 29% of the homeless population in Skid Row has experienced domestic or partner violence, and 9% of the population reported that they are living on the streets in an effort to flee an abusive relationship.

At Chrysalis, which offers job training and housing assistance for homeless people, the number of women seeking services has leveled out after a steep increase from 20142016, according to Molly Moen, vice president of development and communication for the nonprofit.

The rise in homeless women in Skid Row coincides with an increase in overall first-time homelessness. The LAHSA report found that 9,322 individuals are experiencing homelessness for the first time, up from about 8,000 last year.

“We need to make sure that part of our community’s efforts to address homelessness include a focus on financial stability and employment,” Moen said in an email. sean@downtownnews.com

JUNE 11, 2018

DOWNTOWN NEWS 9

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Reinventing the Row A Once-Faded Manufacturing Complex Finds a Second Life as a Retail and Office Hub

By Nicholas Slayton n an overcast Tuesday afternoon, the Row DTLA complex in the Industrial District is bustling. Dozens of construction workers are doing renovations on one of the six massive buildings. On the central and western portions of the site, shoppers parade down the long thoroughfares between the concrete structures. Some stop to duck into a clothing or other boutique.

Others head to a new oyster bar or one of the handful of dining options.

Since being purchased by Atlas Capital and Square One Capital in 2014, the site previously known as Alameda Square has seen a slow yet progressive upswing, with the new owners seeking to make it a destination for workers — it holds 1.3 million square feet of creative office space — and visitors. It’s a turnaround (the budget has not been disclosed) for a campus that was long known mostly for housing clothing manufacturer American Apparel.

“Over the last 12 months, we’ve done over 100,000 square feet in office leasing,” said Chris Penrose, first vice president with the brokerage firm CBRE, which is marketing the office space. “Now that the retail is starting to open up, with the soft goods and the restaurants, we’re seeing more and more interest

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from office users. The foot traffic is getting higher and higher each week. It’s exciting.”

High-profile tenants include the digital media company Mitú, which fills 13,000 square feet of space, and footwear company Adidas, which will occupy 31,000 square feet for its sales, entertainment outreach and social media efforts. Major additions on the retail and food side include home goods and wine store Flask & Field, and Tartine Manufactory, the spinoff of a San Francisco-based juggernaut that will fill 38,500 square feet of space with a bakery, a grain mill, a market and a cafe.

Then there’s the weekly Smogasburg popup market, which every Sunday morning draws big crowds to sample wares from dozens of food stalls and craft vendors.

“Row DTLA can accommodate larger tenants, on top of a large retail tenant base that is just starting to now develop,” said Gibran Begum, managing director at brokerage firm Newmark Knight Frank, which is not involved in Row DTLA. “Many other office spaces in Downtown don’t sit on that type of retail element.”

Produce Origins The complex at Seventh and Alameda streets was built between 1917 and 1923 and opened as the Los Angeles Terminal Mart, a

The complex at Seventh and Alameda streets was once known mostly as the home of clothing maker American Apparel. Now it is being repositioned as Row DTLA, a hub that offers both creative office space and a growing lineup of shops and restaurants.

photo by Nicholas Slayton

hub for produce growers alongside the train tracks going into Downtown Los Angeles. It continued that role for decades before turning mostly into a manufacturing center.

In the modern era it became known as the home of Dov Charney’s American Apparel, with its thousands of employees and salmon-colored buildings. In the early part of the century the campus was owned by prominent businessman Richard Meruelo’s Meruelo Maddux Properties, though Meruelo encountered financial difficulties. In 2011 the site was acquired by the newly formed Evoq

Properties. Three years later Evoq sold its assets to Atlas Capital and Square One Capital for $357 million. The new owners announced their plans to create the Row DTLA office and retail hub in 2016.

As plans solidified, American Apparel faltered. The company went bankrupt, and after being acquired by the Canadian firm Gildan Activewear, the Downtown operations closed in April 2017. The company no longer has a role on the campus and its former building is being upgraded.

Continued on page 10

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ROW DTLA, 9 Today Atlas manages the complex (the owners declined to speak with Los Angeles Downtown News, and instead referred questions to CBRE and the Runyon Group). According to Penrose of CBRE, four of the site’s six buildings are online; the fifth will open for office and retail tenants later this year.

Penrose said one office building is completely leased, and three others have varying levels of occupancy. Other recent signings include office space for footwear company Athletic Propulsion Labs and MidFirst Bank. There are currently 15 office tennants signed.

The complex is filling up in part because there is little high-quality creative office space on the same scale in the area, Begum said. The market is tight as some planned projects have yet to debut, while others, such as the Ford Factory Building on Seventh Street, have been leased out to a sin-

Downtown LA

JUNE 11, 2018

gle tenant (in that case the Warner Music Group). He said that rents for the area are on par with creative office buildings in the Historic Core.

Dana Vargas, vice president with the brokerage firm Jones Lang LaSalle, said the Arts District is one of the most expensive submarkets in Downtown, but the amount of space and historic buildings can accommodate the ongoing growth.

That makes it appealing to companies on the Westside that are looking to expand in the long-term, she said.

The project also benefits from one of the first changes the owners made: the construction of a 10-story parking lot that can hold 4,000 cars.

“Here you can keep the employees close and in a secure environment,” Begum said. “And parking, it has plenty of that.

It’s one of the few spaces in the area that has very easy and generous parking.”

Marketplace An effort to attract shopping and food tenants coincided

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with the office push. The owners hired the Runyon Group to handle retail leasing. The arrivals have been diverse, everything from the Rappahannock Oyster Bar to the cult footwear and apparel company Bodega, which opened a high-ceilinged, 8,000-square-foot outlet. To reach the wares, shoppers must first wander to the end of a building and pass through what looks like storage space for a produce wholesaler.

The goal is to make Row DTLA a hub for the Industrial and Arts districts, according to David Fishbein, a principal with the Runyon Group.

“On a larger scale the goal is to be a destination for the whole city, and an iconic personification for where L.A. is really going,” he said. “It’s a leader in design and fashion.”

Retail tenants include stationery and design store Poketo, perfume shop Scent Bar and the home furnishings store A+R. Another home goods store, Hawkins New York, is expected to open in the coming months, as is a retail arm of Athletic Propulsion Labs.

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photo by Nicholas Slayton

Dechel McKillian, the owner of recent Row DTLA arrival Galerie.LA, said customers are drawn to the variety of independent shops. The lineup, she noted, is far different than what one finds at a traditional mall.

Overall, Row DTLA has 37 retail and restaurant tennants. Rents go for an average of $3.50 per square foot, according to Fishbein.

Derrick Moore, a principal with the firm Avison Young and an expert on the Downtown retail market, said stores are migrating to the site as a clientele base continues to grow in the Arts District. Still, he noted that the complex is less accessible than other retail rich Downtown areas such as the Broadway corridor, which presents challenges for Row DTLA businesses hoping to see greater foot traffic.

One early approach to bring in customers was a sort of test run for retailers. Atlas and the Runyon Group organized several on-site pop-up markets. The roughly two-monthlong events allowed shops such as Tokyobike to try out the space and help activate the campus. Tokyobike, which started as a popup in November 2016, now has a permanent location where it sells sleek, high-end bicycles and cycling gear.

RoseMary Sindt, the store’s manager, said that weekends remain the busiest time, but foot traffic has been increasing on weekdays this year. She expects crowds to grow as additional restaurants open.

She added that Row is emerging as an alternative to the traditional shopping mall, with a focus on independent shops, with many stores complementing each other.

“There is a lot of crossover here,” Sindt said.

“All of the retailers are very design oriented.”

Dechel McKillian agreed. The owner of Galerie.LA, a Row store that sells sustainable fashion and apparel, said that the collection of small boutiques is drawing customers who are interested in independent stores and are willing to make the trek to the complex, rather than visit a more established shopping destination.

“I can’t imagine having a retail space on Melrose or somewhere else,” McKillian said.

“It’s the curation of other stores here — they are independent, local or small. We’re in good company.”

Fishbein of the Runyon Group credits a recent jump in commercial leasing to the Tartine Manufactory deal. The culinary complex, originally scheduled to open in the fall of 2017, is now slated to debut in the summer.

A retail beachhead for the project was established by Smorgasburg, which began in June 2016. The open-air food hall and crafts market, which runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. every Sunday, draws 7,000-12,000 people, according to manager Zach Brooks.

Smorgasburg is a spinoff of a Brooklyn market, and early on Downtown crowds would generally stay in a confined space.

Now, they tend to venture out to the Row Continued on page 12

DOWNTOWN NEWS 11

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12 DOWNTOWN NEWS

JUNE 11, 2018

ROW DTLA, 11 DTLA stores, Brooks said.

“With the shops now open and the restaurants opening, you can feel the energy,” Brooks said.

Row DTLA has even begun to attract outside events. The “29Rooms” happening, a pop-up “experience” focused on branded art installations, and popular with Instagram users, took place in December. In August, the All My Friends music festival will fill the complex, with artists including Jamie XX and MIA. The Adult Swim Festival will take place in October.

Fishbein pointed out that Row DTLA has arrived even as some other touted retail projects such as At Mateo and the Broadway Trade Center have lagged. He said the campus now has more than 40 retail leases signed.

Meanwhile, the upgrades continue on other parts of the property.

The Runyon Group and CBRE representatives said additional signings will be announced in the coming weeks. nicholas@downtownnews.com

A Proposition 65 Public Notice The California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act requires California businesses to advise employees and neighbors of any potential exposure to chemicals considered by the state to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.

Enwave Los Angeles, Inc. wants you to know that detectable amounts of some of these substances may be found in and around its facility located at 715 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA. Potential sources of these substances can include common products such as gasoline, oil, natural gas, paint.

A number of pedestrianoriented spaces have been created between the massive buildings.

Four of the six structures at Row DTLA are now open, and a fifth is expected to come online this year.

photo by Nicholas Slayton

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VILLARAIGOSA, 5 amored with the national spotlight than the local one, and he seemed uninterested in the grind that it takes to run Los Angeles. An affair with a TV reporter in 2007 ended both his marriage and his political honeymoon with the media.

Then the Great Recession hit, and large raises that Villaraigosa had granted to public employees unions came back to haunt him, as there were layoffs of city workers. He was also slow to respond to an economy that was shattering. Public sentiment turned, and when it came time for his re-election bid in 2009, Villaraigosa earned only 55% of the vote against some cupcake contenders. By contrast, Eric Garcetti, who also has sky-high ambitions, notched 81% in his 2017 re-election.

Villaraigosa recorded one huge win as mayor, leading the charge for Measure R, a 2008 voter initiative that launched the mass-transit building boom that is re-shaping the way some people get around Los Angeles. But a companion effort, Measure J, was narrowly defeated in 2012. The only time that Villaraigosa’s office seemed to function truly effectively was when now-LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner spent 15 months as First Deputy Mayor.

It was telling that Garcetti’s 2013 mayoral campaign was built on the theme of “Back to Basics,” and nearly every move seemed to be based on this idea: Think what Villaraigosa would do, and do the opposite.

Villaraigosa then went to the political hinterlands, following in the steps of many pols and making oodles of cash by consulting for companies, which in his case included Herbalife and Banc of California. When it came time to run for office again, he thought he could shine up his mostly unimpressive past.

Right Fight, Poor Result Villaraigosa isn’t the only one with a scarlet L on his forehead. Chiang got one of the worst returns on investment ever, finishing fifth despite a sizable war chest. In the U.S. Senate primary, outgoing state Senator Kevin de León was decimated by incumbent Dianne Feinstein, 44%-11%, and almost finished third.

Sure, de León advances to the general election, but his cookies have pretty much already been taken.

Give Villaraigosa this: He chose the right fight. Newsom was always the frontrunner, but he was flawed, with baggage including his own extramarital affair while mayor. Additionally, his appeal to the state’s most left-leaning voters created space for someone who could tread a more moderate track and connect with Californians not affiliated with either major party.

AnVil had a path to victory.

Yet the former charisma had faded, and the firein-the-belly presence that once took him so far had been dulled. Villaraigosa never excited the populace.

He never made California in 2018 believe in him the way that Los Angeles believed in him in 2005. Maybe he couldn’t overcome Newsom’s financial advantage.

Maybe his ceiling was simply far lower than he realized.

He had a shot. In addition to some solid fundraising, a cluster of well-heeled charter school supporters, including Eli Broad and Netflix boss Reed Hastings, poured millions into a Villaraigosa independent expenditure committee. But this isn’t like Trader Joe’s, and they can’t get their money back because of the disappointing taste.

We’ve seen many unlikely comebacks, but with Villaraigosa at age 65, and a wave of younger California politicians refusing to wait in the wings any longer, it’s likely that his time in a high-profile elected position is done.

I’m sure AnVil will do okay: Companies like Herbalife can always use a former mayor with a megawatt grin and connections up and down the state. regardie@downtownnews.com

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

DOWNTOWN NEWS 13

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14 DOWNTOWN NEWS

JUNE 11, 2018

Businesswoman to Helm L.A. Area Chamber

AROUND TOWN, 2

City West Organization Taps Financial Services Veteran Maria Salinas

forts received accolades, including the Industrial District’s Row DTLA complex, the Wren apartment building in South Park and the in-development First and Broadway Park. A total of 275 projects were submitted to judges for the 48th edition of the awards.

The Wilshire Grand Center high-rise won a pair of prizes, including one for sustainable real estate. Other Downtown winners include the Ten50 condominium building, the revamped Hotel Figueroa and the new Freehand Los Angeles hotel. A full list of winners is at labusinesscouncil.org.

By Jon Regardie ary Toebben, the longtime head of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, announced in November that he intends to step down. Now, the prominent Downtown-based business and advocacy organization has a found a successor.

The Chamber recently announced that it has selected businesswoman Maria S. Salinas to serve as president and CEO of the organization with offices on Bixel Street in City West. Salinas is the first female leader in the Chamber’s 130-year-history.

“Maria has the unique combination of financial acumen and sound leadership skills paired with an entrepreneurial spirit that makes her the perfect choice to lead the Chamber,” said Michelle Kerrick, Board Chair for the Chamber, in a prepared statement. “On top of this, she has deep community involvement and an insurmountable passion for seeing this city prosper well into the future.”

The Chamber board conducted a national search for Toebben’s replacement. According to the prepared statement, the board was drawn to Salinas’ private-sector experience with both corporations and start-ups, along with her financial expertise and business management experience.

Salinas has spent the last 12 years running Salinas Consulting, which works with financial and accounting firms. Previously, she worked for 11 years at the Walt Disney Company in a variety of positions, including time heading global financial reporting for the consumer products division.

G

Eight-Hour Outdoor Concert Coming to Grand Park

N

ormally, falling asleep during a live performance is considered rude, but at an upcoming performance at Grand Park, it’s probably expected. The L.A. County Music Center, which operates Grand Park, announced last week that composer and pianist Max Richter’s “SLEEP,” one of the longest single pieces of classical music ever recorded, will be performed overnight twice next month. There will be a pair of eight-hour concerts, and instead of traditional seats, 550 cots will be set up on the Grand Park lawn. The first show starts at 10:30 p.m. on Friday, July 27, and ends at 6:30 a.m. the following morning, and the process repeats Saturday night at 10:30. The performance will have Richter playing the piano and keyboard, alongside the American Contemporary Music Ensemble and soprano Grace Davidson. Tickets are $60 and $80, and include a cot under the stars. There is also an area where attendees can listen for free, but without a view of the stage. Tickets and additional information are at musiccenter.org/sleep.

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Salinas graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 1987 and became a certified public accountant two years later.

“I am excited and honored for the opportunity to build upon the great progress the Chamber has made in Los Angeles and lead it into its next chapter,” Salinas said in the statement. “Throughout my career, I have used my financial expertise and business acumen to lead and create change and make a lasting impact both in business and in the community.”

Toebben, 70, became Chamber president and CEO in 2006, after three decades serving in leadership posts in business organizations in Nebraska, Kansas and Kentucky.

At the Chamber he has emerged as a consistent champion of business in City Hall, and has helmed numerous trips to meet with legislators in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Toebben was front and center recently as the Chamber advocated for passage of the city’s Proposition HHH and the county’s Measure H, both efforts to address homelessness. He also campaigned against 2017’s Proposition S, which would have limited development in the city. The homelessness measures both passed, while voters shot down Measure S. The Chamber, according to its website, claims 1,650 members that represent 650,000 workers in 35 industry sectors across Los Angeles County. It was founded in 1888.

Salinas lives in Pasadena. She will begin her new position on Aug. 1. regardie@downtownnews.com

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 15

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A Diverse Display of Italian Unity

photo by Taso Papadakis

One of the most powerful pieces in the Italianitá show is “Sea of Promises.” The work by Luigia Martelloni (shown on the left)explores the harrowing journey Italian émigrés took abroad, as well as the dangers facing modern refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean.

New Museum Exhibit Features Works From a Variety of Far-Flung Artists

By Nicholas Slayton hat does it mean to be part of a diaspora, to straddle the line between two cultures?

Artists are among the many who have tried to answer the question, taking a creative approach to the struggles of assimilating in a new country while hanging on to one’s heritage. The idea again comes to the forefront at the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles, where an eclectic new exhibition digs into and reflects on the immigrant experience.

Works from almost two dozen artists of Italian descent are collected in the show that opened last month at the museum at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument. Italianitá: Italian Diaspora Artists Examine Identity, which runs through Jan. 13, focuses on artists tied to the Italian diaspora, which spread out of the country in the 1800s and 1900s.

The 21 pieces vary in style and medium, but are united by a shared background. Many works directly address the immigrant experience, among them photos of Boston’s Little Italy neighborhood and a painting of an early 20th century mill and factory

where Italian immigrants worked. Arranged without a focus on chronology or form, the IAMLA uses the tight space of the two rooms to make an almost immersive experience.

The majority of visitors to the 2-year-old museum, which is housed in the refurbished 1908 Italian Hall, are not of Italian descent, according to museum Executive Director Marianna Gatto.

So Italianitá came out of a desire to show audiences what “Italianness” (the English translation of “Italianitá”) can mean.

“Like any immigrant experience, it’s dependent on generation, on time and place, and socioeconomic background. We were interested in exploring that idea, to perhaps aide in the discovery of what the Italian hyphenated experience is,” Gatto said.

“All these artists were born in Italy and left, or are the children, grandchildren or great grandchildren of Italians who left and went elsewhere.”

Inherent to the show is a diversity in experience and medium. That is seen in the contribution from Luci Callipari-Marcuzzo, an Australian artist whose needlepoint work is mounted on a wall across from a giant swooping hawk fashioned from recycled plastics. The latter piece, part of Cynthia Minet’s “Unsustainable Creatures” series, examines the environmental impact of waste Continued on page 17

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16 DOWNTOWN NEWS

JUNE 11, 2018

I Screen, You Screen Social Media Use Isn’t Enough to Drive East West Players’ New ‘As We Babble On’

By Jeff Favre n irony of TV is that characters rarely do one thing that most real people do for hours each day — watch TV. That’s because it’s incredibly boring to see portrayed.

In the 21st century, that no-TV rule has expanded to include social media. Who wants to watch actors stare down at their phones when it’s annoying enough in real life?

Playwright Nathan Ramos disregards that unwritten edict, and it turns out to be a positive choice — one of the few — in As We Babble On. The mostly unsurprising dramedy, which closes the 52nd season of East West Players, contains few jokes that land solidly and is filled with forced dialogue that is much more tell than show.

Staged with some creative touches by director Alison M. De La Cruz, but never quite clicking as a cohesive story, As We Babble On runs through June 24 at Little Tokyo’s David Henry Hwang Theatre.

The play, which changed its program-listed running time from two hours and 15 minutes with intermission to 100 minutes without a break (rarely a good sign), won EWP’s “2042: See Change” playwriting competition. Perhaps it caught the judges’ attention because its primary focus is on urban, hip 20-somethings trying to eke out creative careers while dealing with relationship and so-

A

photo by Michael Lamont

East West Players’ As We Babble On looks at five young people trying to eke out creative careers while dealing with relationship and societal issues.

cietal issues.

It’s a given that there should be more plays to draw younger people to the theater, and a reliable method to achieve this is by creating works that reflect their generation. Ramos appears to be doing that by following the rule of “write what you know.” The problem is, he crams too much of what he knows into one story, while using a numbing amount of set-ups and punch lines that follow the staccato rhythm of traditional sitcoms.

The first scene shows promise. Sheila (Jiavani Linayao) is doing her popular

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live-streaming show, which involves erotic baking (one follower pays her to eat her homemade cookies slowly). She wants to be a famous dessert maker and is a finalist to have her latest cookie served at an upscale New York bakery.

Her show, and the fun for the audience, is interrupted by her roommate of five years, Benji (Will Choi), a depressive, moody cartoonist who just quit his job at a comic book publishing house because he believes their racist attitudes are why he didn’t get a promotion to a major superhero title. The

roomies are close and call themselves the gay twins.

Benji opts to launch a Kickstarter-style page to fund a self-published comic book and he uses Babble (think Snapchat) to promote it.

Enter Benji’s sister Laura (Jaime Schwarz), who works for a BuzzFeed-esque site but wants to be a serious writer. She reveals plans for a date with Orson (Bobby Foley), a famous young billionaire who also writes but is known more as the heir of a high-tech empire. The last character is Vish (Sachin Bhatt), an up-and-coming tech entrepreneur who Benji broke up with a year earlier.

The characters are connected by the feeling that they don’t belong, in part because most of them are of more than one ethnic or racial heritage. Also, they are joined by their nearly incessant use of Babble, as well as frequent texting and posting of selfies.

De La Cruz, along with production designer Sheiva Khalily and scene designer Tesshi Nakagawa, keep the phone use from being dull by using projections on several screens that outline the stage; these deliver the messages and photos being sent. It’s a clever choice that provides a few decent sight gags.

Ramos’ jokes, however, generally try too hard, and his characters spend more time making declarations about being unhappy or misunderstood than actually developing them through interaction. It doesn’t help that the show’s anchor is Benji, whose story isn’t revealed enough to be compelling, and Choi’s performance is flat.

The play’s lifeline is Linayao, as Sheila,

JUNE 11, 2018

whose solid timing and strong physical comedy elevates the material.

Focusing on Sheila, or more on one of the relationships, would allow Ramos to delve deeper into the issues he wants to address, instead of simply scratching the surface.

Only in the final scene does he let his characters discover a natural flow, which allows the comedy and emotion to feel real and organic.

Despite this misstep, EWP choosing to go with an untested and young playwright to follow the massive undertakings of Soft Power (a co-production at the Ahmanson Theatre) and Allegiance (starring George Takei) proves the company remains forward thinking and steadfast in its search for new talent. Perhaps with a few more titles under his belt, Ramos may someday join the ranks of the many celebrated writers who have found their voice at the landmark company.

As We Babble On runs through June 24 at 120 Judge John Aiso St., (213) 625-7000 or eastwestplayers.org.

MUSEUM, 15 and how birds of prey are domesticated by humans, but still a bit wild. Minet chose to include it in Italianitá after seeing a different type of migration into the United States.

“I was visiting McCallan, Texas, and there was a migration of 100,000 hawks passing overhead,” the Downtown-based artist said. “This piece is about how people move. It ties beautifully into the Italianitá show.”

One of the most striking works in the exhibition is Luigia Martelloni’s “Sea of Promises,” a large rowboat set up in the middle of the main room. Draped in red, with roses inside, it’s an ode to the dreams that fuel migration and the tragedy that can come from the journey. Created this year, it represents both Italians who left the country in the late 1800s and the modern migrants seeking to reach Italy from the Middle East and North Africa. The journey to Europe is treacherous, with numerous reports documenting accidents and deaths as people cross the Mediterranean.

Another highlight is Joseph Stella’s “Smoke Stacks.” The 1935 futurist-style painting is mounted above a fireplace. The stark, seemingly simple image of smokestacks comes to vivid, hypnotic life thanks to rust-like reds and a hazy blue sky.

Gatto said the museum secured contributions to the show from a variety of sources. She said she had some artists, such as Stella, in mind, and put out an open call seeking additional work. Callipari-Marcuzzo was one of the artists who responded, and contributed her needlepoint work that was inspired by her family’s background in Calabria, in the southern part of Italy.

“I have a strong connection to my Italian heritage. My grandparents immigrated to Australia in the 1950s from Reggio Calabria to make a new life for their families,” Callipari-Marcuzzo said by email from her home in Mildura, Australia.

The show has a loose arrangement that allowed the artists or their estates to choose works that go beyond what audiences might think of as “Italian” or focused on a diaspora. The diversity of style helps make each work stand out inside the tight space.

Minet said that part of the experience is seeing what other artists contributed and why. She pointed to “Sea of Promises” as a highlight, and said she is fascinated by David Trulli’s “Escape Artist,” a scratchboard image of a being in an untethered spacesuit.

Gatto said the diversity of the show reflects what it means to be part of an immigrant community, and to deal with different and new environments.

“This is the immigrant experience. Whether they’re Italian, Jewish, or Latino, people leave where they’re from and go somewhere else in search of a better life,” Gatto said. “We want people to walk away thinking, ‘I’m not Italian, but that’s the experience my grandmother had.’”

Italianitá: Italian Diaspora Artists Examine Identity runs through Jan. 13, 2019 at the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles, 644 N. Main St., (213) 485-8432 or iamla.org. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13 Danny Jensen and Carrie Kim at The Last Bookstore 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com.

7:30 p.m.: The authors are here to discuss the new edition of their book “100 Things to Do In Los Angeles Before You Die.” For the record, one of them is probably not “Attend a reading of the book ‘100 Things to Do In Los Angeles Before You Die.’” Andrew Selee at Zocalo Public Square National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, 111 N. Central Ave. or zocalopublicsquare.org.

7:30 p.m.: The Migration Policy Institute president is in Downtown to ask, “Are the U.S. and Mexico becoming one country?”

Well we know what ICE thinks.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14 Meedo Taha at The Last Bookstore 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com.

7:30 p.m.: Taha has his debut novel out, a thriller called “A Road to Damascus.”

FRIDAY, JUNE 15

By Land or By Sea Theatre at Ace Hotel, 929 S. Broadway or acehotel.com/calendar/losangeles.

7 p.m.: This documentary shorts screening and panel discussion is all about women who surf and skate and break barriers.

Still, you can go dressed as Paul Revere.

SATURDAY, JUNE 16 Silent PLAY Experiment Undisclosed location, silentplayexperiment.splashthat.com.

9:30 p.m.: A group of up to 30 strangers will come together for a riff on an immersive theater experience. Participants will throw a ball, build a fort and otherwise play with those they have never met. No talking is allowed, and shoes must be left at the door.

DLTA Donut Fest 800 N. Alameda St. or unionstationla.com.

9 a.m.: Enjoy a wide range of fried doughy goodness from a variety of vendors.

Straight Outta Little Tokyo 3 Nishi Hongwanji Temple, 815 E. First St. or terasakibudokan.org/lot3.

6 p.m.: Enjoy a mix of old school hip-hop and rap from DJs and live performers in this fundraiser for the Little Tokyo recreation center.

The music of the late composer Henry Partch has been described as beautiful, unique, and above all else, theoretical. This week, it will be performed at REDCAT, when Partch, an ensemble dedicated to the music of the man who died in 1974, returns for two shows. The Grammy-winning group will deliver their namesake’s dance-drama Daphne of the Dunes and Barstow on Friday-Saturday, June 15-16. The 8:30 p.m. concerts will also feature music

by Ben Johnson, a colleague of Partch’s, alongside the capital-letter-hating performance team casebolt & smith and the Lyris Quartet. At 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

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Two

Preservationist organization the Los Angeles Conservancy’s ode to Downtown’s historic theaters is well into its 32nd year, but Last Remaining Seats still offers some excellent films to catch before it wraps. This week, there are three events.

The series continues with the culturally significant detective film In the Heat of the Night, starring Sidney Poitier, at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel (929 S. Broadway) on Wednesday, June 13, at 8 p.m. On Saturday, there are two screenings at the Los Angeles Theatre (615 S. Broadway). The live action/animation mash-up Who Framed Roger Rabbit plays at 2 p.m., while Alfred Hitchcock’s horror masterpiece The Birds begins at 8 p.m. At (213) 623-2489 or laconservancy.org.

You probably have never heard of Norm Laich. That makes sense, as he has often worked in the background. Primarily aiding prominent artists such as Paul McCarthy and Ed Ruscha, the Los Angeles-based Laich made his name painting signs, often drawing from the images and fabrics of 1950s Americana. But now Laich and his paintings and graphic installations are moving from the background to the focus on the gallery walls. The Arts District’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles recently opened This Brush for Hire: Norm Laich and Many Other Artists, an exhibit that celebrates more than three decades of the artist’s work. The show runs until Sept. 2. At 1717 E. Seventh St. or thecala.org. photo courtesy Union Station

5 OFF $

The Don't Miss List

Three

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway or acehotel.com/calendar/losangeles.

June 12: The uplifting and groovy stylings of Michael Franti Continued on next page

photo courtesy the Music Center

One

photo courtesy Alexis Smith

EVENTS

JUNE 11, 2018

Four

National Donut Day took place on June 1, but there is still an opportunity to revel in the round treat. Celebrate donuts in all of their mouthwatering glory on Saturday, June 16, at the inaugural DTLA Donut Festival at Union Station. The event will feature more than a dozen donut haunts, including Primo’s Donuts and Donut Princess L.A., hawking their wares in the transit hub. If you’re looking for something a little less sweet, wood-fired pizza and craft beer will also be for sale. The festival is free, but you’ll still have to spend a few bucks on the glazed, chocolate and further tricked-out delicacies. At 800 N. Alameda St. or unionstationla.com.

Five

For the second year, Downtown’s Grand Park is serving as an open-air photography showcase. The Big L.A. Portrait Gallery recently opened, offering up an evening display of photographs by 12 Los Angeles-based artists, with the works projected on a 100-square-foot portion of the L.A. County Hall of Records’ southern wall. The photos document the everyday life of Los Angeles residents, from activism to nightlife and everything in between. The images, shown without a soundtrack, take roughly 21 minutes to loop and can be seen (for free) from 8 p.m.-midnight seven days a week. At 200 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8080 or grandparkla.org.

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

portrait by Javier Guillen/courtesy Grand Park

CALENDAR LISTINGS

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

photo courtesy ©Walt Disney Studios

DT

18 DOWNTOWN NEWS

JUNE 11, 2018

LISTINGS, 18 and Spearhead.

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

June 11: Adam Hersh Group.

June 12: Get your fix of Broken Shadows.

June 13: Ron Stout Quintet.

June 14: Michael Mayo.

June 15: Vincent Herring Quartet.

June 16: Aaron Parks & Little Big. June 17: MND FLO. Bootleg Bar 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org.

June 15: Post Animal is postmodern and a bit apocalyptic.

June 17: Very Be Careful have a new album out. Be very careful at the release show.

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

June 16: Left Coast Uke Trio will demonstrate the raw power of the ukulele. Word.

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

June 15: The Frogtown Serenaders, Lala Brass.

June 17: The Sidemen swear they were only unwilling accomplices.

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

June 15: Dash Berlin.

June 16: Drezo, No Mana.

Grand Performances Two California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Ave. or grandperformances.org.

June 15-16: d. Sabela grimes, Peter J. Harris and Kristina Wong present two nights of music, choreography and politically bent performance art.

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

June 11: The Temptations are still going strong, so ask them how to resist urges and desires.

Moroccan Lounge 901 E. First St., (213) 395-0610 or themoroccan.com.

June 12: Having both Tim Carr and Midnight Sister on the bill means danceable rock and throwback 1960s sounds.

June 13: The Deep Dark Woods sound inviting.

June 14: Dennis Lloyd wants you to know he’s not an EDM musician.

June 15: Harley Cortez is a Renaissance Man. June 16: NPR Tiny Desk Concert veteran Caroline Rose performs.

June 17: Bridesmen is apparently one person and not a group in matching outfits.

Resident 428 S. Hewitt St. or (323) 316-5311 or residentdtla.com.

June 11: Folk rock and postmodern irony from Onward, Etc. June 12: Get your electronic dance moves ready for SamplenHold.

June 13: The Skull, Earthride, Hyborian, Ether Feather. Wait, Hyborian? We’re glad that as hardcore as metal is, its bands are huge nerds for Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories.

June 14: Olden Yolk and Mega Bog are on the bill tonight for fans of urban folk rock and brightly colored indie rock aesthetics.

June 15: A Hawk and a Hacksaw, which sounds dangerous.

June 16: Because we are cursed and cannot escape that decade, Resident’s throwing an ’80s night.

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

June 11: Whiskey River is flammable.

June 12: The Makers are not that impressed with Kanye’s new album.

June 14: Curtis Parry’s Jazz Cartel is hoping to cameo in the “Sicario” sequel. Or “Narcos” season 4. Either one’s good.

June 16: Sabine.

June 17: Los 440s.

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

June 15: The Flatbush Zombies are infectious.

June 16: Evidence has a $10 show.

The Redwood 316 W. Second St., (213) 680-2600 or theredwoodbar.com.

DOWNTOWN NEWS 19

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

June 14: Acid Carousel, The Herms, The Bralettes.

June 15: Porvenir Oscuro, Generacion Suicida, Kompromat.

June 16: Heathen Apostles, Speedbuggy.

June 17: Amanda Green, d’ANIMAL, The Walker Brigade, Zeitgeist and the Mage.

The Regent 448 S. Main St., (323) 284-5727 or theregenttheater.com.

June 15: The one and only Har Mar Superstar is here to sing the songs of Sam Cooke.

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

June 16: Satchy, Marcos Vaca, Shuggie Shooter, Thickums.

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

June 14: Let J.D. McPherson remind you that rockabilly is a thing.

June 15: In the grand tradition of Brooklyn-originated Millennial psychedelic garage rock revivalism with a post-ironic sheen, Sunflower Bean performs.

THEATER

Bob Baker Marionette Theater: Enchanted Toy Shop Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., (213) 250-9995 or bobbakermarionettes.com.

June 16-17, 2:30 p.m.: Let the puppet masters at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater bring all of your favorite toys to life in this ode to imagination.

Partch: Daphne of the Dunes REDCAT, 621 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

June 15-16, 8:30 p.m.: The Grammy Award-winning percussion group stages a dance-theater hybrid with new choreography.

ICE The 24th Street Theatre, 1117 W. 24th St., (213) 745-6516 or 24thstreet.org.

June 16, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and June 17, 3 p.m.: This timely, family-friendly comedy follows two Mexican baseball players who come to the U.S. They lack documents but dream of being successful restaurateurs. But before they can do that, they must contend with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The show is recommended for ages 8 and up. Through June 24.

As We Babble On David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St., (213) 625-7000 or eastwestplayers.org.

June 14-16, 8p.m. and June 17, 2 p.m.: Ambitious dreams and economic downturns collide in this story about a group of friends trying to make it in New York City. There is loads of social media use.

See review p. 15. Through June 24.

CLASSICAL MUSIC

L.A. Lawyers Philharmonic and Legal Voices Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., (323) 850-2000 or laphil.com.

June 16, 8 p.m.: Lawyers and judges put aside the courts and take the stage to perform Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and a sample of songs from Leonard Bernstein.

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.

CLASSIFIEDS

DT

To place a classified ad in the Downtown News please call 213-481-1448 Deadline classified display and line ads are Thursday at 12pm.

FORfor RENT

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

FOR RENT

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Furnished. Daily from $45, weekly from $250. 1214 W. 8th Street.

Call Sal at 323-875-6767

hearing on the petition in LA DOWNTOWN NEWS, 1264 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 of general circulation, printed in this county.

Prepared by: Sherri R. Carter Executive Office/Clerk.

Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles 300 East Olive Burbank, CA 91502 Burbank Courthouse Date: May 25, 2018 Hon. Darrell Mavis Judge of the Superior Court Pub. 06/4, 06/11, 06/18 and 06/25 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

CONDOMINIUMS FOR LEASE CONDO 1BD and 3BD. Parking amenities, view, central air/heat, water/gas paid. $1800-$2700 Mo. Mid Wilshire/Korea Town. Call 213385-3474

LEGAL NAME CHANGE Superior court of California, County of Los Angeles ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME No. ES022421 Petitioner (name of each) Lauren Isabella Berger, 2675 Nottingham Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: LAUREN ISABELLA BERGER Proposed name: LAUREN HWANGFINKELMAN THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter 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. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

Notice of hearing Date: 07/20/2018 Time: 8:30 AM Dept.: B The address of the court is: Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, 300 East Olive, Burbank, CA 91502, Burbank Courthouse. 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

Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2018135611 The following individual(s) is (are) doing business as: (1) SQUARE BUSINESS CUTS, 1357 E 83RD ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90001, LA COUNTY, are hereby registered by the following registrants: (1) VANCE R. KNOX, JR. 1357 E 83RD ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90001. This business is conducted by an Individual. Registrant(s) began to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 06/2013 This statement was filed with DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on JUNE 4, 2018.

NOTICE—This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk.

A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code).

Pub. 6/11, 6/18, 6/25 and 7/2.

CIVIL SUMMONS SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) CASE NUMBER (Número del Caso): BC672715 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): TAMPA LIMO & CAR LLC d/b/a TAMPA LIMO & CAR, a Florida limited liability company; ROBERTO GONZALEZ, an individual; and DOES 1 through 10, inclusive.

YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTA DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): NATIONAL FUNDING, INC., a California corporation.

Notice! You have been sued.

The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30

days. Read the information below.

Aviso! Lo han demandado.

Si no responde dentro de 30 dias, la corte puede decider en su contra sin escuchar su version. Lea la information a continuacion.

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you.

Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case.

There may be a court form that you can use for your response.

You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online SelfHelp Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court.

There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self- Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case.

The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y dirección de la corte es): Los Angeles Superior Court, 111 N Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: (El nombre, la dirección y el número de teléfono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): Neal S. Salisian / Yujin Chun, 550 South Hope Street, Suite 750, Los Angeles, CA 90071; Telephone: (213) 622-9100.

Date: (Fecha) August 17, 2017, Clerk of the Superior Court (Secretario), by Sherri R. Carter, Deputy (Adjunto), by C.L. Coleman

20 DOWNTOWN NEWS

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

JUNE 11, 2018