06-25-18

INSIDE this week a theater company is leaving downtown

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June 25, 2018 I VOL. 47 I #26

Meet the

Drinks Experts

Behind the Bar With Four Top Downtown Mixologists See page 12

photo by Gary Leonard

Dustin Newsome pours a drink at Bar Clacson.

THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN L.A. SINCE 1972

revisiting the east l.a. student walkouts

15

2 DOWNTOWN NEWS

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AROUND TOWN

Leasing Starts at Circa

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Downtown Los Angeles mega-projects is one step closer to opening: The $500 million Circa has started pre-leasing. The development, from Jamison Services and Hankey Investments, comprises two 35-story steel-and-glass towers with a total of 648 apartments at 1200 S. Figueroa St. Rents start at $2,945 per month for a one-bedroom unit and $5,195 for two-bedroom residences. The smallest apartment in the South Park project is approximately 600 square feet, while the largest penthouse measures 4,000 square feet (and goes for up to $24,000 per month).

Located across the street from the Los Angeles Convention Center, Circa is designed by Downtown-based architect Harley Ellis Devereaux and has a landscaped podium with a pool, spas and dog parks. The project is expected to open by the end of the year. Leasing info is at circala.com.

Shelter Trailers Installed in El Pueblo

E

arlier this year, city leaders announced that a parking lot near the 101 Freeway entrance on Alameda and Arcadia streets

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would be converted to a facility to house homeless individuals currently residing in tents in the area. Now, some trailers have appeared on the property near El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, though a project opening is still some time away. Five trailers were recently brought to the lot at 711 N. Alameda St.; a security guard is on scene. Once up and running, three of the trailers will house a total of 60 people at a time. The fourth trailer will have toilets and showers while the fifth will hold social workers who help occupants transition to permanent housing. According to a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Garcetti, the project will open by early August. The $4.9 million plan calls for the trailers to operate for three years.

Council Committee Approves Parker Center Demolition

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he plan to replace Parker Center and build a new office tower in the Civic Center passed another hurdle last week. On Tuesday, June 19, the City Council’s Information, Technology and General Services Committee voted in favor of the proposal to raze the former police headquarters at 150 N. Los Angeles and build a $708-million, 27-story structure in its place. Part of the larger Civic Center Master Plan proposed by 14th District City Councilman José Huizar, the tower would

allow the city to consolidate offices and sell other holdings or end existing leases with private landlords. The goal is to complete the tower by 2023. In a prepared statement, Huizar said that the plan will “create efficiencies and save hundreds of millions of dollars by centralizing City employees and services in one location.” Parker Center served as the home of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1955 to 2009.

County Approves Final EIR for Jail Project

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plan to replace the 55-year-old Men’s Central Jail with a new $2.2 billion correctional facility reached a milestone last week. On Tuesday, June 19, the County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the budget and final environmental impact report for a 2.4 million-square-foot complex at 441 Bauchet St. that would provide rehabilitation and medical services for up to 3,885 inmates. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, 70% of inmates suffer from mental illness, and the new project would place a priority on treating these individuals. The project, formally called the Consolidated Correctional Treatment Facility, was first conceived in 2015; the goal is to finish the first phase in 2025, and complete the entire project by 2028. The proposal has drawn opposition from groups including Black Lives Matter, who have ar-

JUNE 25, 2018

gued that the money should be spent on services rather than a jail.

Bike Lanes Proposed for Skid Row

I

n the future, bike lanes could come to Skid Row. The City Council’s Transportation Committee recently voted in favor of looking at creating protected bike lanes along Fifth and Sixth streets. The lanes would run through the Historic Core and Skid Row, between Broadway and Central Avenue. Councilman José Huizar, whose 14th District includes Downtown Los Angeles, put forward the motion, along with Councilman Mitch O’Farrell. Fifth and Sixth are among the “high injury network” streets that have an elevated incidence of severe and fatal collision involving people walking and biking, according to Rick Coca, a spokesman for Huizar. The proposal calls for the Department of City Planning, Department of Transportation and the Bureau of Engineering to look into including those streets in the Mobility Plan 2035 Bicycle Enhanced Network, a series of streets designed to serve cyclists.

Correction

I

n the June 18 article “A Show With Serious Catitude,” the founder of the Cat Art Show was incorrectly identified. Her name is Susan Michals.

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4 DOWNTOWN NEWS

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EDITORIALS

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JUNE 25, 2018

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

A Crisis for Homeless Women in Skid Row

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arlier this month, this page published the editorial “Don’t Applaud the Dip in Homelessness Yet,” urging people to refrain from accolades simply because an abysmal situation got a tiny bit better. Sure, homelessness in the county decreased by 3% in a year, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, but there should be no cheering when 53,195 people are still living in tent encampments, in their cars or in shelters.

Here’s another reason to hold off on praise: The number of homeless women in Skid Row spiked by a stunning 35% in 12 months. In January 2017 there were 1,072 women in the impoverished community, according to the LAHSA Homeless Count that was released May 31.

This past January there were 1,442 homeless women. Whereas women previously comprised 23% of those residing in Skid Row, now they account for 34% of the homeless population.

This is distressing on many levels, including that it continues a years-long trend. The 2016 LAHSA Homeless Count found that the number of homeless women in the county had risen by 55% over a three-year period. In July of that year, Downtown News reported that, for the first time in the Union Rescue Mission’s 125-year history, the number of women it served surpassed the number of men.

Now the situation is even more grim.

You could argue that it is pointless to say that being homeless is “worse” for one demographic segment than another. However, the rates of abuse suffered by women on the streets reveals that they face extraordinary dangers. A 2016 report by the Downtown Women’s Action Coalition found that more than 90% of the women in Skid Row had experienced physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. It added that more than 34% had endured domestic violence or physical assault in the past year.

Living on the streets of Skid Row is not safe or sanitary for anyone, but it is particularly dangerous for women. This is an emergency that demands immediate, top-down attention.

City and county leaders in the past two years have finally gotten serious on addressing homelessness, and local residents have voted to tax themselves in the effort to provide more housing and services.

Each month seems to bring another report of a new shelter or treatment center (it also often brings neighbor opposition to those facilities, but that’s another story). Some of these services and options have been focused on women.

Still, the resources available for women are insufficient. All one needs to do is visit the Union Rescue Mission: the ballooning number of women it serves at night has forced the staff to set up inflatable mattresses in the hallways.

The situation is dire and dangerous, and we expect those leading the charge against homelessness to recognize this reality and allocate resources from Proposition HHH (for permanent supportive housing) and Measure H (for support services) specifically to help women be safe and get off the streets. The longer someone remains unhoused, the more likely she is to suffer some kind of abuse. We as a society cannot tolerate this.

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COMMENTS

Regarding the column “Eric Garcetti Goes to the Great State of New Hampshire!” by Jon Regardie I am taking you to task for your mean-spirited article regarding Eric Garcetti giving a commencement speech in New Hampshire. I have no problem with satire against politicians, because that is to be expected. And clearly you do not approve of Garcetti’s ambitions, and indeed maybe his decision to go to New Hampshire had something to do with the primaries.

But you have absolutely no cause to insult Southern New Hampshire University, which seems, according to its reviews, to be an excellent university of the kind that graduates mainly non-traditional students, i.e. older students, students who work full time (and usually have families to support) and who often come from blue collar backgrounds. It hardly seems the kind of school a newspaper like Downtown News should demean. Look it up online. One thing I noticed was that it is high on the list of campuses that treat the faculty well. As a former faculty person, I took note of that.

No, I am not an alumna of Southern New Hampshire, but I did graduate from one of the California State universities, and also worked there for nearly 30 years. These universities are in exactly the same category as Southern New Hampshire, and I have seen firsthand how important they are in the lives of the students who choose EDITOR: Jon Regardie STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton, Sean P. Thomas CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Tom Fassbender, Jeff Favre

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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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

June 2018

them. I can tell you that the quality of education offered to undergraduates is superior at the state universities.

So please apologize to Southern New Hampshire University.

—Virginia Elwood-Akers Regarding the article “Metro Charter Elementary to Move to Lincoln Heights,” by Sean P. Thomas, and the editorial “Metro Charter Departure is a Community Failure” The dream of Metro Charter in Downtown attracted some very talented and well-meaning parents, and it must be hard to deal with the outcome. But frankly, I just wish they had put all their action and creativity into the public schools that do exist in the Downtown-ish neighborhood. They need you, and so do the other kids those schools serve.

—Judith Markoff Hansen

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 25, 2018

DOWNTOWN NEWS 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

10 Suggestions for Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong Acquiring the L.A. Times Was the Easy Part. Now the Real Work Begins

By Jon Regardie n Monday, June 18, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong completed his purchase of the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego-Union Tribune, and a few hours later announced the appointment of veteran journalist Norman Pearlstine as executive editor.

O

THE REGARDIE REPORT With one $500 million check (plus assuming another $90 million in pension liabilities) and a single hire, Soon-Shiong stuck a dagger in 18 years of thickheaded Chicago ownership. It initiated a march away from profit-first leaders who cared little for journalism — Sam Zell! Michael Ferro! That Chicago run, combined with the exterminating power of the Internet (RIP classified advertising), had pummeled the paper for almost two decades.

While a beleaguered staff continued to do some excellent work, as evidenced by the recent reporting on the troubles at USC, and the Editorial page’s series on homelessness, the fall has been calamitous. A newsroom that once boasted 1,200 reporters now has about 400 journalists. The publisher’s office has been like one of those collapsing dunk tanks, with guy after guy falling into the drink.

Soon-Shiong, who is listed on the masthead as “executive chairman,” arrives to Dickensian-level great expectations. He’s seen as a savior for a private enterprise that is also the city’s most important public institution. Everyone who cares about L.A. wants him to get this right.

How he accomplishes that is the $590 million question, and there is no single answer. Soon-Shiong has been buffeted by suggestions, both solicited and not. Coming from the latter camp, here are 10 tips that will help him succeed.

Be Relentlessly Local: The Times is the most powerful newsgathering organization on the West Coast, and regularly sets the agenda and ignites the discussion on matters of local importance. But there’s also a belief that the staff decapitations and unfocused leadership have hampered its ability to fully realize its watchdog role.

Soon-Shiong may be tempted to compete on a national scale with the New York Times and the Washington Post, but he should start by bolstering coverage of local government, local business, local culture and local entertainment. Under his leadership the paper should seek to uncover the scandals that many assume are out there but are as-yet unexposed. The Times should be not just the voice, but also the civic conscience, of Los Angeles.

Soon-Shiong should make L.A. his meat and potatoes. Or, in L.A. terms, his grass-fed, lovingly swaddled meat and organic, humanely harvested potatoes.

Don’t Try to Be, or Beat, the New York Times: Building on the above, it’s worth aspiring to New York Times status, but the L.A. Times, like every other media outlet in the U.S., is a peg below that institution. It’s like the curContinued on page 6

photo by Jon Regardie

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong plans to move nearly 800 Los Angeles Times employees out of Times Mirror Square and shift them to a new headquarters in El Segundo. That’s a mistake.

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L.A. TIMES, 5 rent Golden State Warriors — you may grab a game or three in a series, but ultimately they win. Talent rules.

Soon-Shiong and his team should rip off the good ideas from the East Coast Times (all news organizations steal from each other) and mold them to the L.A. audience. But don’t waste resources right away trying to beat the national or international coverage that the New York Times and some other papers already do so well. Build up to that slowly.

Improve the Website: The L.A. Times website remains clunky and cumbersome compared to other top papers, and its search results are daffy: On the afternoon the sale closed I did a search for “Soon-Shiong” and the top result was a 2015 article titled “131 Californians Make Forbes Billionaires’ List.”

The top eight stories were all from 2015 and 2014. At number nine I finally found news of the sale. Seriously.

Given that this Internet thing is probably gonna stick around, Soon-Shiong should, immediately, take steps to improve the look and functionality of latimes.com. I’ll assume he’s already dedicating resources here.

Rethink El Segundo: Plans are well underway to move nearly 800 employees from the heart of Downtown to El Segundo, a hamlet where second-class status is baked into the name. We get it: Soon-Shiong owns the El Segundo building and doesn’t want to pay rent to Onni Group, which bought Times Mirror Square in 2016. He is outfitting the new headquarters with a 21st century newsroom with all the bells and whistles including a video studio, podcasting suites and stress-relieving kittens that roam the building (I may be wrong about the last one).

But good gravy, the Times exiling itself to the L.A. equivalent of Napoleon’s Elba means hundreds of people are about to face hellacious commutes. Additionally, employees who now enjoy Downtown’s cool restaurants, bars and cultural opportunities will soon be in a place where it smells like oil and the highlight is watching planes take off from LAX. The Downtown office market is hot, but space exists in other buildings. Is this move best for the staff, or best for Soon-Shiong?

If You Must Move, Offer Buses: I’ll assume the headquarters shift is final, that like the old saying, the cat’s in the bag and the bag’s in the river (there go the stress-relieving kittens). But if that’s the case, then don’t make everyone drive. How about having comfy buses depart from Downtown every 30 minutes in the morning for El Segundo, with reverse rides in the afternoon. Make them air-conditioned and include Wi-Fi so employees can watch videos or work. Have comedians on board who make jokes about moving to El Segundo.

Just don’t put extra cars on the road.

Get a Thick Skin: This is a given: SoonShiong will endure criticism, whether it relates to his running of the Times or his other

JUNE 25, 2018

business interests. People criticize public figures, and while Soon-Shiong isn’t Kanye-level famous, the moves he makes with the Times will be applauded by some and slammed by others. Some barbs will come from smart, respected news industry folks.

Billionaires are not known for embracing criticism, and maybe Soon-Shiong takes it better than others — I have no idea. But once the honeymoon of his purchase wears off, he’ll have to be ready for the slings and arrows. He can’t take it personally.

Don’t Block NantWorks Stories: If SoonShiong wants to demonstrate that he’s all in on journalism, then he’ll have to let his staff know that he won’t get in the way of stories about NantWorks, the umbrella company for his medical and technology businesses.

There have been hard-edged stories about him before, including one in the L.A. Times last July titled “L.A. Billionaire Cancer Doctor Patrick Soon-Shiong Battles Business Turbulence.” His wealth, and the state of business reporting, ensures there will be controversy again. So when other media go after SoonShiong, will his own reporters be allowed to swing?

They must be granted that freedom, and if there are directives to quash any stories, the stuff will leak like a sieve. Soon-Shiong’s response when Times reporters come a-questioning will be telling.

That Goes for His Friends, Too: Rich and powerful people have rich and powerful friends, and when Times reporters start digging into the lives or businesses of these individuals, there may be a call to Times headquarters. At some point someone will ask Soon-Shiong to call off the hounds.

The only answer he can give at that point is a variation of, “No. Nyet. Nada. Zip it.” I’m not saying he’d ever try to block a story to protect a friend, but if does he’ll lose the newsroom.

Don’t Be Publisher: Soon-Shiong may be tempted to name himself publisher. That would be a mistake. He should let someone who knows the gig do the gig, and focus on being an owner and providing vision, direction and money, not necessarily in that order.

Determine How Much He Wants to Lose, Then Double It: According to Forbes, SoonShiong is worth $7.5 billion. That’s good, because he’ll have to spend buckets of money to put the paper on par with the New York Times, the Washington Post and the few other publications that are gaining paid subscribers in the Internet age.

The staff must expand, but it’s not about sheer numbers: Sometimes you need institutional knowledge, and sometimes you need youth, and the former is more expensive.

Soon-Shiong must build for both the present and the future.

This is the ultimate risk: Soon-Shiong could drop hundreds of millions or dollars and make bank. He also might invest all that cash, earn copious respect, and still lose his shirt.

What happens next will be fascinating.

And anything will be better than what Chicago wrought. regardie@downtownnews.com

JUNE 25, 2018

DOWNTOWN NEWS 7

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Cornerstone Theater to Leave the Arts District Rising Rent Prompts Company to Depart After 20 Years

By Sean P. Thomas ising rental costs in one of Downtown Los Angeles’ hottest neighborhoods has forced out another occupant. This time, however, it’s not an individual.

Cornerstone Theater Company, which has called 708 Traction Ave. in the Arts District home for 20 years, announced on June 15 that it will close its doors in Downtown. A note on its website cited a proposed increase in the rent it pays for its 5,000-square-foot space.

“It is a decision that we as a company have been contemplating for the past few years, as the landscape of the neighborhood has been changing dramatically,” the website post read. “A recent significant increase in rent made this decision easier. We feel this is an exciting opportunity for the company to rethink how we do our work, but we also recognize that changes like this one don’t come without growing pains.”

Megan Wanlass, managing director for the company, said in an interview that the decision to depart came after the landlord proposed increasing rent by 25%, from $5,000 a month to $6,250.

According to the Los Angeles County As-

R

sessor’s Office, Hiroko Muramoto and the Muramoto Trust own the property. Multiple emails to a representative of the developer were not returned, and attempts to reach Muramoto by phone were unsuccessful.

Wanlass said that Cornerstone leaders decided that the company was better served investing more in production costs instead of dedicating so much of the budget to rent. The company keeps a full-time staff of eight people and does not expect any staff reductions due to the move, Wanlass said.

Wanlass added that Cornerstone is exploring shared working spaces for its staff while the strategy for the future is ironed out.

“We knew that this day was going to come,” Wanlass said. “It had been in the conversation for many years just in terms of the changing neighborhood.”

On top of the rising rent, a lack of parking in the Arts District and other factors began to outweigh the positives of staying in the neighborhood, Wanlass said.

That includes the next 18 months on the Cornerstone calendar. The troupe has always inserted itself deep into local communities, spending months working with residents

photo courtesy Cornerstone Theater

The Cornerstone Theater Board of Directors, ensemble and staff gather outside of its home of almost 20 years on Traction Avenue in the Arts District. The company will vacate the facilities on Saturday, June 30.

of various locales to develop plays. Cornerstone’s upcoming schedule includes extended stays in Tempe, Arizona and Queens in New York City. Ultimately, company brass decided it didn’t need to hold on to a stationary, and expensive, rehearsal space.

The decision has been an emotional one, Wanlass said. As Cornerstone prepares to leave the Arts District, relics and mementos of plays that were conceived and shaped in the building are being revisited. Wanlass said that they have “purged” a lot of older items.

Stage director Bill Rauch and playwright Alison Carey established Cornerstone Theater Company in 1986 as a traveling ensemble with a focus on adapting classical works with themes that could fit rural and urban com-

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munities. In 1992, the troupe settled in Los Angeles, and found a home in Santa Monica.

It moved to Traction Avenue in 1998.

Though its founders departed, the company continues, and Artistic Director Michael John Garcés now oversees the production side. Cornerstone has an annual budget of $1.25 to $1.4 million, supported mainly by grants and donations.

Over the decades Cornerstone has produced more than 150 new plays, and has frequently taken on overarching topics such as religion or hunger for years at a time, exploring the subject through a variety of works. It has also been a mainstay in Downtown, with past shows ranging from Magic Fruit, about a Continued on page 20

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8 DOWNTOWN NEWS

JUNE 25, 2018

The Exit Interview: Gary Toebben The Head of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce, Who Is Retiring This Week, Reflects on the Highs and Lows

By Jon Regardie n July 2016, Gary Toebben became president and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. He left Kentucky, where he headed a business organization that represented an area with 500,000 residents, for a county with 10 million people and a city with a reputation for being unfriendly to business. Two years later the Great Recession hit.

Toebben endured, and 12 years later is coming to the end of a run atop an organization that claims 1,600 member companies and more than 80 staffers (double the staff from when he arrived). As head of one of the region’s most important lobbying and businesses advocacy groups, he worked regularly with city and county officials, helped craft numerous pieces of legislation, and led “access” trips to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Toebben, 70, will retire on Thursday, June 28, and will be succeeded by Maria S. Salinas. Last week he sat down with L.A. Downtown News to discuss the highs, lows and challenges.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I

Los Angeles Downtown News: What was your initial impression of the Los Angeles business community?

Gary Toebben: First of all, business people I met here could have been business people in Cincinnati or Kansas City or Omaha, Neb. They cared about the community, they cared about their businesses, and they wanted to be engaged. They greeted my wife [Janice] and me wholeheartedly and never once did I have the feeling that I was an outsider. They didn’t care where I was from. They only cared

whether I could do this job.

Q: One of the first big efforts you got behind was in 2008 for Measure R, a county sales tax to provide $40 billion for mass transit projects. Voters approved it. Did you realize how important it was at that time?

A: I think we did, because by the time the ballot came around in November, we were in a recession. So in addition to relieving congestion, which of course was the tagline all along, we called this our own local stimulus measure to create jobs and keep our economy moving. That line, of the creation of jobs in addition to reducing congestion, carried the day.

Q: Describe how the Great Recession impacted business and the Chamber.

A: Our membership went down 15% during that period of time. Our members, many of them, had reductions in revenue of 10% to 20% to 30%.

Early in 2009, we knew we were going to have trouble. One of my prouder moments with my staff was when I went to them and said, “We have a decision to make, team. Revenue is going to be down. We either have to lay off 10% of our people, four people, or we all have to take a 10% pay cut.” They voted unanimously to take a 10% pay cut.

Q: Did that include you?

A: That included me. It included every one of us.

Q: The Chamber came out strongly against 2017’s Measure S.

photo by Gary Leonard

Gary Toebben at his office in City West last week. On June 28 will step down from his role as president and CEO of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce.

He has led the prominent business group for 12 years.

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Why was that so important?

A: Measure S would have put in place a two-year construction moratorium on most [large] projects in Los Angeles. Here we were, in the heart of our recovery, and construction was strong and jobs were being created and new residential buildings were being constructed. And then it would have stopped for two years. That would be devastating — such a self-inflicted wound.

So we immediately created a campaign committee, and organized labor joined us on that. We worked for 15 months. We met every week to design our campaign strategy and raise money and defeat Measure S. Q: What was your most significant failure, the one that still gnaws at you?

A: That’s an easy one. For almost two years I chaired a statewide task force on CEQA [California Environmental Quality Act] reform.

And we were unsuccessful. We were so unsuccessful that in the second year, the bill that was originally introduced for us had been amended so many times by our opponent that it made CEQA worse, and we had to lobby to defeat the bill.

It was the most frustrating experience, because we were battling three groups, all who have great influence. We were battling the environmentalists, who did not want to make any changes to CEQA, even what we considered to be procedural changes to save time and money. We never wanted to gut CEQA. We just wanted to make it more efficient and less costly for our members.

Q: Speaking of labor, business and labor are often seen as diametrically opposed in this city.

What’s the key to bridging the gap?

A: You can bridge the gap on major development projects, on infrastructure projects.

We’ve been together on California Water Fix. We’ve been together on the airport projects.

We’ve been together on everything related to infrastructure and construction.

Where we have disagreed is on CEQA reform, the pace of minimum wage increases. We had a strong disagreement on waste hauling [the RecycLA program].

Q: Homelessness is a major issue now, but back in 2008 the Chamber worked with the United Way to address the situation. In 2010 the entities formed Home for Good. You were ahead of the curve. What did you recognize?

A: There were two things the United Way and the Chamber agreed on: The first was that homelessness was bad for people, and it was bad for the residents and businesses of the city. Secondly, business had to take a leadership role, because prior to that the common approach was to call the police.

When the business community got involved, it got people to say, wow, this is significant. Not just the United Way and Midnight Mission and the social-service nonprofits, but the business community recognizes that this is a business issue. This is not just a police issue, a sanitary issue. It’s also a business issue.

Q: Los Angeles has a reputation of being business unfriendly. Does it deserve that rap?

A: There are so many people who live in L.A.: 4 million in the city, 10 million in the county, 40 million in the state. If you are a business that deals in the consumer marketplace, you need to be here.

The thing that keeps you here is the number of customers that you have, and the fact that all of your competitors have to play by the same set of rules. Whether they’re good rules or bad, you have to play by the same rules.

As long as there’s enough business, you find a way, but it is challenging, and it is painful. And as challenging as it is to deal with

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Q: The chamber was active in advocating for homelessness-response initiatives Proposition HHH and Measure H. Going forward, what is the business community’s role in this issue?

A: Our task first is to keep elected officials and their employees who are working on H and HHH focused on what we told the voters we were going to build: 10,000 units of supportive housing, and services to go with those units from the county.

We have to keep reminding our elected officials of the solemn pledge we all made to the voters who voted yes by extraordinary margins. That created responsibility like has never been there before. In the past electeds and others could say we don’t have the money to deal with this. You can say you don’t have enough money, but you can’t say you don’t have money today. Because you do.

the number of regulations, it is particularly challenging when those regulations change.

You develop an operating strategy based on the existing legislation, and when that changes, you have to change. That change can come locally, or it can come from the state.

Issues like waste hauling are challenging for businesses. They went from having complete control, because they selected their waste haul provider, to having the waste haul provider selected by the city, and their prices went up. So they say, “Wow, was this really necessary?” It makes it more challenging for us to do business.

We also had the lawyers who file CEQA lawsuits, and we had labor, who frequently use the threat of a CEQA lawsuit on labor negotiations. We could not overcome that triumvirate.

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Q: Any parting thoughts?

A: It has been challenging but fun to serve in this position for 12 years. I have met the greatest people and made so many friends.

Sometimes when you’re from the Midwest the perception of California is they’re a bunch of snobs. But people here are really friendly. Janice and I have enjoyed the diversity of the people we’ve met. We’re amazed every day at how talented people are.

Los Angeles is not for the faint of heart.

You need to be both talented and hard-working to make it. And there are a lot of those folks here. regardie@downtownnews.com

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10 DOWNTOWN NEWS

JUNE 25, 2018

From Downtown, an International Medical Mission

Dr. Gudata Hinika is the chief of trauma and general surgery at California Hospital Medical Center on Grand Avenue. This month he organized a trip to his native Ethiopia, where doctors performed surgeries and provided other specialized care.

Hinika leads missions there twice a year.

Gudata Hinika Built a Hospital in Rural Ethiopia.

Now He Takes Local Doctors There to Provide Treatment

By Nicholas Slayton he African nation of Ethiopia is struggling with a number of infectious diseases and malnutrition. The country experienced an intense drought in 2017, causing further health issues due to water shortages. An untold number of people lack access to needed medical care, including surgeries.

A few doctors from Downtown Los Angeles hope to help alleviate the situation.

This month, a team of doctors from Downtown’s Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center and other professionals traveled to a rural area in Ethiopia’s Oromia region to treat local residents and perform surgeries for cleft palates, burns and other conditions. The mission, which also included training of staff in Ethiopia, was led by Gudata Hinika, an Ethiopian-born doctor who heads the trauma center at CHMC, which is on Grand Avenue.

Hinika, 51, has been conducting the medical missions for seven years. Nearly two dozen people traveled for the latest effort. None were paid.

T

Hinika came to the United States at the age of 16. He studied at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and has been the chief of trauma and general surgery at CHMC since 2004.

He founded the organization Ethiopia Health Aid in 2007 after seeing hundreds of people in Oromia die from easily preventable diseases or conditions that could be treated with proper equipment and training. In 2006, 280 children in the area died from dehydration, Hinika said.

“It’s about 2.5 million people in this area, all who did not have access to a good hospital,” Hinika told Los Angeles Downtown News before departing for Oromia. “It’s the death rate, caused by simple and preventable diseases, that spurred this.”

Hinika said that as someone “blessed” with knowledge of medicine and an income, he and his wife Wubitu couldn’t sit back and watch people die. So, in 2007, the couple started the process of building a hospital in the town of Negele Arsi. It took three years to get through the red tape, and construction began in 2010. They used their own mon-

July 1, 2018

photo by Gary Leonard

ey and received additional support from donors. The hospital opened in July 2017.

Getting the facility built was only the first step — the hospital still needed specialists and training for its staff. Hinika started organizing missions to Negele Arsi in 2011. At first that involved taking people almost 200 kilometers outside of Negele Arsi by bus to other treatment facilities. The hospital now has a full-time staff, and more ambulances are in place, Hinika said, so visiting doctors don’t

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Every person on the mission pays their own way, according to Hinika. There is some fundraising, but the money mostly goes to the hospital.

Ethiopia Health Aid, a registered nonprofit, takes volunteers to Oromia about twice a year to perform medical services. The Negele Arsi Hospital is also setting up a health college to train 200 nurses and medical workers.

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 11

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Dr. Jennifer Keagle, a plastic surgeon at California Hospital Medical Center, joined the current Ethiopia Health Aid mission. She’s performing surgeries on people with cleft palates and facial injuries.

including an architect and a banker (who will help with hospital expansion efforts). The doctors will see patients as soon as they arrive, and will spend about four days performing surgeries. On other days they will help train the hospital’s staff.

The mission includes Dr. Jennifer Keagle, a plastic surgeon at California Hospital Medical Center. Keagle noted that even with the hospital open, there are shortages.

“Although the people have access to the hospital, they don’t have access to specialists,” she said.

Keagle, whose husband and two children are traveling with her and will also volunteer while in Ethiopia, will perform surgeries on adults and children with cleft lip, palate and other conditions (she also does such operations at White Memorial Hospital’s Cleft Palate Clinic in Los Angeles). She said her trip includes providing specialized training to the surgeons at Negele Arsi Hospital so they can learn techniques to handle some of the cases.

“I’m going to be seeing a lot of special cases,” Keagle said.

“There are general surgeons there. I do all types of plastic surgery, but I do a lot of cleft lips and palates and there are lot of those cases in this part of Ethiopia.”

The overall mission is focused on plastic surgery to help Ethiopians dealing with facial deformities and injuries, according to Hinika. Those types of cases are common, he said, due to a number of flash-frying accidents caused by low-quality cooking and industrial equipment in the region.

Keagle said that she had wanted to join a mission for many years, having heard about it from other doctors at CHMC. Ethiopia Health Aid and the hospital try to keep the costs for patients as low as possible, Hinika said, knowing that the need for care outweighs the financial capabilities of many in Oromia.

“We believe in making it as self-sustainable as possible so it can work without us,” Hinika said. “We’re continuing to upgrade the space so we can improve it for the doctors there and the patients.”

That means continuing to bring experts and specialists from Downtown Los Angeles and the rest of the United States to Negele Arsi to help the hospital grow.

More information about Ethiopia Health Aid, including how to make donations, is at ethiopiahealthaid.org. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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12 DOWNTOWN NEWS

JUNE 25, 2018

DOWNTOWN AFTER DARK Meet the drinks experts Behind the Bar with Some of Downtown’s Best MixologistS

by Nicholas Slayton and Sean P. Thomas | Photos by Gary Leonard

NICK O’CONNOR BAR: APOTHEKE ROLE: HEAD BARTENDER How He Got There: An L.A. native, O’Connor’s first foray into the booze business was in the early 2000s in his 20s, when he started working for a Brazilian rum company in New York City, running events for the brand. He learned how to make drinks and taught others. Eventually a colleague enlisted him to join a new bar: Apotheke.

O’Connor later returned to Los Angeles and began working for the Houston Brothers, the team behind a number of Hollywood nightspots. He was at Dirty Laundry when it opened and did the menu for Black Rabbit Rose. When the Apotheke team finally realized their vision of expanding to L.A., and opened a bar near Los Angeles State Historic Park in January, O’Connor came aboard.

“Now that’s my full-time thing,” he said.

Defining Drink: At Apotheke the focus is on housemade ingredients, from cordials to bitters to infused spirits. Nearly everything is infused with an herb or fruit. But O’Connor has been surprised by what people want.

“All of our agave drinks are our top sellers, even more than vodka. I only have three drinks with tequila or mezcal on the menu,” O’Connor said. “I never expected so much demand.”

The most popular cocktail is the Greenseer, which starts with mezcal and eucalyptus-infused tequila.

That is mixed with lime juice, habanero pepper bitters and a honeydew spirulina puree. The drink is shaken, then served on ice in a rocks glass. It is garnished with micro bulls blood, which despite the animal name is actually a vegetable that O’Connor compares to a citric arugula.

At 1747 N. Spring St., (323) 844-0717 or apothekela.com.

DUSTIN NEWSOME BAR: BAR CLACSON ROLE: BAR MANAGER How He Got There: Newsome started bartending while in college at Arizona State and found his first job at a cantina-style nightclub across the street from campus — “It was exactly how you think it sounds,” he said. He learned the basics, worked at bars when he went back home to Philadelphia, then moved to Los Angeles. He ended up at the West Hollywood Soho House, which he said was his first exposure to method and technique-focused drinks. But his goal was to work at the Seven Grand whiskey bar in Downtown Los Angeles.

“I showed up at least once or twice a week until they hired me, with a fresh resume every time,” he said.

Newsome eventually got hired and rose to general manager, learning more about bartending and represenenting the bar across the country. He joined the initial bar staff for the 2015 re-launch of Clifton’s Cafeteria, and in 2017 he helped open Bar Clacson on Broadway.

Defining Drink: Bar Clacson was envisioned as a European neighborhood bar, Newsome said. As such, it has an emphasis on European spirits, particularly amaros, which are herbal liqueurs. Newsome said that a popular drink at the bar, and his personal favorite, is the Mezcaletti, which blends new world spirits and old world amaros.

“It is as simple as it gets, and there’s beauty in the simplicity,” he said. “As I get older I prefer drinks that are simple, balanced and clean, rather than ones that have 8,000 infusions.”

The Mezcaletti involves three ingredients: mezcal, amaro meletti and orange bitters. The alcohols are stirred together in a glass with a single large ice cube.

The bitters are mixed in and the drink is garnished with a lemon peel.

Newsome said the Mezcaletti is smooth. He also likes it because it helps gets more people into drinking amaro.

At 351 S. Broadway, (213) 265-7477 or barclacson.com.

JUAN PABLO TORRE BAR: BAR GARCIA @ TUCK HOTEL ROLE: OWNER How He Got Here: Torre completed five years of medical studies at the University of Buenos Aires before realizing that his true passion was the culinary arts. He pivoted, and helped open hotels and restaurants across Europe before finding his way to Los Angeles in 2013. Four years later he opened the 14room Tuck Hotel in the Fashion District. It includes an eating and drinking establishment that in April was rebranded as Bar Garcia — the name draws from his grandfather. It arrives just in time for what Torre called a resurgence for the Fashion District.

“In 2013 this area was not what it is right now,” Torre said. “Now it’s really hot and it’s a really happening place.”

Defining Drink: The bar has a vintage classic theme.

Torre said the drinks menu, which features favorites such as the Bramble (a vodka, fresh mint and berries mix) and the Mexcal Sour (with lime, egg white and mezcal) is full of modern twists on the past.

“With the cocktail program, we try to re-create the classics in our own way,” he said.

A favorite for patrons is the Activated Charcoal Margarita. It blends tequila, orange liqueur, charcoal-infused lime and simple syrup.

Torre said his aim is to provide high-quality food and top-notch, inventive drinks. “I think that in Downtown there are not many places where you can have a great cocktail with great food,” he said. “There are great restaurants and there are great bars. There are not many bars that offer this high-level cuisine in a bar scenario.”

At 820 S. Spring St., (213) 947-3815 or tuckhotel.com.

Continued on page 14

JUNE 25, 2018

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 13

14 DOWNTOWN NEWS

JUNE 25, 2018

DOWNTOWN AFTER DARK

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BAR: RICK’S @ HOTEL FIGUEROA ROLE: BEVERAGE DIRECTOR How He Got There: Lay first went behind the bar about 12 years ago as a 21-year-old living in Seattle. His job as a bartender soon blossomed into a career, taking him along the West Coast, from San Diego to Monterey Bay, before landing in Los Angeles.

Now 33, Lay has played a hand in guiding some of Downtown Los Angeles’ top bars and restaurants including Faith & Flower — where he created the English Milk Punch, which Esquire magazine named 2014’s “cocktail of the year” — and Broken Spanish. After meeting Hotel Figueroa drinks visionary Dushan Zaric, he was brought on to oversee the beverage program at the revamped establishment’s five eateries, including the recently opened Ricks.

Defining Drink: A defining drink for Rick’s, and Lay’s personal favorite, is a mojito variation called Joe’s Mojo. It features a blend of Cana Brava rum, fresh lime, mint and tamarind, which gives it a sourer flavor than most drinks.

“It’s very special and took a couple of months to get completely hammered down,” he said.

The drink is representative of Rick’s, which Lay describes as “conceptualized as a sort of tropical bar.” Lay partnered with Zaric to design the cocktail menu, with the majority of drinks embodying a Caribbean flare. Agave and sugar cane spirits popular in Central American cocktails are a constant at Rick’s.

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 15

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

DT Remembering the

CALENDAR

Walkouts of ‘68

photo by George Rodriguez, courtesy of the artist

The recently opened ¡Ya Basta! exhibit at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes collects dozens of items from the 1968 East L.A. student walkouts. There are photos, flyers, the list of student demands and even FBI reports on the activists.

La Raza Photograph Collection, courtesy the photographer and the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center © La Raza staff photographer photo by Devra Weber, courtesy the photographer and the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center © Devra Weber

Exhibit at LA Plaza Explores the East L.A. Student Protests and Their Enduring Impact on it. In terms of the issues, a lot of it is the same. Students the school board and presented a list of demands. Protests

By Nicholas Slayton ifty years ago, high school students in East Los Angeles were facing police brutality in the way we’re seeing it today. continued throughout March, and a few rallies tied to the movement were held later in the year.

There are still problems in the schools that need addressing.” had had enough.

The exhibition fills two large rooms on the museum’s secThe protests began on that March day when the students The students had been demanding better facilities, respect from the Los Angeles Unified School District, and an walked out of school and rallied in the streets. The walkouts ond floor. Curtis and LA Plaza worked with an advisory board end to alleged racist treatment from some teachers and fac- were centered around three schools — Roosevelt, Garfield of people who participated in the walkouts to make sure all aspects of the protests were covered, and to track ulty. So on March 1, 1968, more than 15,000 students down items from the time. from seven schools walked out of class.

A major part of ¡Ya Basta! — Spanish for “enough is The protests galvanized the community and became The walkouts were enough, ” and a rallying cry of student activists — is part of a full year of unprecedented community activism. prompted by poor putting the walkouts, also referred to as the “East L.A. Now, five decades later, that moment in Angeleno and conditions in East L.A. blowouts,” into perspective with what was happenChicano history is being celebrated at LA Plaza de Cultuschools and alleged ing around the world at the time. A section in the first ra y Artes. racist treatment from The exhibit ¡Ya Basta! The East L.A. Walkouts and the faculty. Students called room offers background on protests in cities both in the United States and around the globe. It touches on Power of Protest opened at the El Pueblo-area museum for better schools and the assassinations that year of Martin Luther King, Jr. June 15 and runs through Jan. 14, 2019. It contains dozthe creation of ethnic and Robert F. Kennedy. ens of items related to the walkouts, including flyers, a studies programs.

For Carlos Montes, a member of the activist group school yearbook, petitions and reports on the conditions the Brown Berets, who joined high school students of the schools. There are videos as well as protest art inin the ’68 protests, and one of the “Eastside 13” as spired by the walkouts.

Oscar R. Castillo, courtesy of the artist they were dubbed by police, seeing the full picture of The show is intended to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the protests, but part of LA Plaza’s goal is to get cur- and Lincoln high schools — but quickly spread throughout what was happening around the world is key to understanding the walkouts. rent students to see parallels between activism in the 1960s the community.

“In 1968 there was the student rebellion in France, and stuThe walkouts were in response to a series of grievances, and the present, according to Senior Curator Erin M. Curtis.

“A lot of the work we did was about hopefully getting stu- but were instigated in part by the cancellation of a play at dent protests at the Olympics in Mexico City in which they dents to connect with the students from 1968,” Curtis said. Wilson High School. Students walked out, and in the follow- were massacred,” Montes told Los Angeles Downtown News “It’s why we have things such as the yearbooks, to put faces ing days more people joined them. Activists later met with Continued on page 17

F

16 DOWNTOWN NEWS

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JUNE 25, 2018

Thanksgiving and Angst-giving Stephen Karam’s Deftly Balanced and Funny Family Drama ‘The Humans’ Lands at the Ahmanson

By Jeff Favre he Blake family doesn’t get depressed.

They just have “stoic sadness,” according to eldest daughter Aimee, who is mired in physical and emotional pain.

That may not sound like a laugh line in print, but it’s one of many offbeat ones that hits the right amount of funny in Stephen Karam’s Tony-winning The Humans. It balances the “stoic sadness” in what is one of the more sneakily powerful family dramas to arrive at Downtown’s Ahmanson Theatre in the last few years. The show runs through July 29.

Karam’s 100-minute one-act succeeds because — with one unusual section — he knows what it is, and what it’s not.

What it’s not is the epic, angry family battle of Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County, or the sharp comedy filled with mythological tragedy of several August Wilson masterpieces.

Instead, Karam captures realism in a way few writers do. He is assisted by director Joe Mantello, whose deft technical skill and sharp pacing, combined with the reunited stellar Broadway cast, delivers a non-story that may frustrate some who have come for an escape.

Karam does it the hard way, too, by writing a story that runs in real time. There isn’t

T

an act break or any blackouts that require the audience to imagine off-stage action.

It’s all there, from the arrival of the family for Thanksgiving dinner to its conclusion.

The dinner takes place in a rundown two-level apartment (ground floor and basement) in New York’s Chinatown, where 20-something Brigid (Sarah Steele) and her decade-older boyfriend Richard (Nick Mills) have just moved. The truck with their stuff hasn’t arrived yet, so Thanksgiving for Brigid’s family will take place with folding chairs, paper plates and plastic cups.

The Blake family is Brigid’s dad, Erik (Reed Birney), and mom, Deirdre (Jayne Houdyshell), who work as a high school athletic equipment manager and office manager, respectively, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. They bring Erik’s mother Momo (Lauren Klein), who is in a wheelchair and suffering from Alzheimer’s to the point that she mostly repeatedly mutters nonsensical phrases.

There’s also Aimee (Cassie Beck), a lawyer, who lives in Philadelphia.

No one, except for Richard, is doing well.

Erik can’t sleep and his back hurts. Deirdre is battling with her weight and doesn’t like her job. Aimee suffers from ulcerative colitis, has broken up with her longtime girlfriend and is having serious work issues. Brigid is a strug-

photo by Lawrence H. Ko

The Tony-winning play The Humans is set at a Thanksgiving dinner in New York City’s Chinatown. It runs at the Ahmanson Theatre through July 29.

gling composer working two jobs while hoping for a break.

The other character is an unseen 70-yearold Chinese woman who lives upstairs, and who Brigid says is responsible for the several intensely loud and sometimes scary bangs and sounds.

A bit of explanation and backstory is provided, but much isn’t discussed in detail, such as Aimee being lesbian from a Catholic upbringing, or the politics of this blue collar Pennsylvania family.

Mostly, it’s a series of small conversations about simple things. The kids talk about

their mom’s texts, which they ignore. Richard keeps reciting his bizarre dreams. Deirdre nags Brigid and Richard to get married. Erik is following the football game on his phone.

It’s here that Mantello shines. The director, who handled both the comedy An Act of God and the musical 9 to 5 at the Ahmanson, uses almost every inch of David Zinn’s Tony-winning elaborate set to move the characters without the action ever appearing forced.

When Aimee has a delicate conversation on the phone upstairs, while another talk is going on in the basement, it never feels as if actors are simply waiting to speak. Mantello’s

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intricate blocking and timing is wonderfully invisible.

The only real problem, which the creative team can’t avoid, is The Humans should never be in the Ahmanson, where capacity is around 2,000. Even on Broadway, the show ran in a 500-seat venue, so upper balcony seats here may feel detached, despite such captivating acting.

It’s hard to pick a standout performance, as each is unique and worthy of praise, but there’s an understatement to Houdyshell and Birney (who each won a Tony) that would be worth seeing again once you know the entire script.

The entire script, of course, includes the climax, which has been read several ways, and has been met with praise and criticism. While an ending can make — or, more often, break — a show, this climax does neither. It feels as though Karam wanted to show there’s more there there, which isn’t necessary.

The Humans is memorable because all that’s needed to keep this emotionally relevant is in the first 90 minutes. Consider the ending a fun debate on the way home to cap an interesting night of theater.

The Humans runs through July 29 at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

WALKOUTS, 15 in an interview. “There were the assassinations that took place that year.”

The second room in the exhibit explores the legacy of the walkouts and student activism over the years, including the present day. Banners and signs from the fight to protect recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (or DACA) program hang on the walls, as do photos of student activists from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed in February.

The images show the students rallying for tighter gun laws.

Curtis said the plan was always to touch on present-day protests, but this part of the show was overhauled only a few months before opening in light of the walkouts organized after the Parkland killings.

“There’s so much resonance again. High school walkouts were used in good effect in 1968, and that protest strategy is being seized on today,” Curtis said.

One part of the exhibition is interactive, and looks like a classroom with desks and lockers. On a chalkboard, a timeline charts the gap between when students made their demands and the slow rate at which LAUSD implemented changes.

Curtis said that ethnic studies classes, an end to corporal punishment and other changes were only enacted in the 1980s and ’90s, decades after students rose up. Montes said that for the organizers of the protests, some things were relatively quick — a new school was built in 1972 — but other victories came much later, and some, such as Chicano studies programs, were watered down over time.

The classroom section was developed in part through conversations with current students at Roosevelt High School.

Curtis said that while students there are politically active, many don’t consider themselves activists and feel like they can’t make much change. Thus, each locker bears an excuse, such as “Not enough time.” The lockers are designed to be opened, and inside visitors find a concrete action someone can take.

Montes said that students today are fighting for what they believe in, and hopes ¡Ya Basta! helps them learn about how similar movements fared.

“I hope they get a glimpse of the real history,” he said.

LA Plaza also has a series of programs tied to the exhibition, such as training teachers about the walkouts and a screening of the 2006 HBO film Walkout that dramatized the event, both on July 28. On Oct. 6, Montes and other veterans of the walkouts will discuss the protests and the struggles facing students today. ¡Ya Basta! The East L.A. Walkouts and the Power of Protest runs through Jan. 14 at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N. Main St. or lapca.org. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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JUNE 25, 2018

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EVENTS

ONE

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FOUR

Do people write love songs anymore? We’re talking heartstring-grabbing, spill-your-guts love songs. If they don’t that’s all right, because the 1960s and ’70s gave us enough to last another century. Take a trip through those hits with The Love Uninhibited Orchestra, which visits the Grand Performances series on Saturday, June 30. Playing at the Cal Plaza Watercourt, audiences are invited to sing along with the 17-piece orchestra. What if you don’t know the words to “How Deep Is Your Love?” and other anthems? No problem.

The lyrics of each song will be projected above the stage. Also coming to Grand Performances this week are Dave Hillyard & The Rocksteady 7 and The Delirians, playing Friday at 8 p.m., and on Sunday at 3 and 4:30 p.m., an indigenous peoples event dubbed “First Nations: Rhymes and Storytelling for Families.” At 350 S. Grand Ave., (213) 687-2190 or grandperformances.org.

FIVE

What if I told you that there were plenty of Victorian era crime fighters other than Sherlock Holmes, many of whom were women? Is that something you’d be interested in? The Last Bookstore invites you to dress in your Sunday finest and dive into the world of Victorian-era female coppers and detectives at an event dubbed “Victorian Literary Parlour with Mr. Walter Nelson.” Enjoy a mix of biscuits, tea and detecting while discussing Holmes’ female rivals and contemporaries.

Tickets start at $27 and include a copy of Nelson’s The Penguin Book of Victorian Women in Crime: Forgotten Cops and Private Eyes from the Time of Sherlock Holmes. At 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com.

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

photo courtesy The Last Bookstore

Free Parking Next to Restaurant Tel: 213.617.2323

photo courtesy Teragram Ballroom

Calling a band “up-and-coming” is a cliché, but when it comes to The Regrettes, it’s also accurate. The group, led by 17-year-old frontwoman Lydia Night, has been grabbing the attention of fans and music critics alike with its accessible yet authentic punk rock sound. Catch them live on Friday, June 29, when the group hits the Teragram Ballroom. Expect to hear numbers from their debut album, Feel Your Feelings Fool!, and also expect a raucous and adoring crowd, most of whom will be older than the kids on stage. Openers are Oakland-based garage rockers Destroy Boys and fellow Los Angeles rock act Fringe. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. At 1234 W. Seventh St. or teragramballroom.com.

photo courtesy The Love Uninhibited Ochestra

700 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

TWO

Los Angeles-based artist Larry Bell digs cubes. Like, he really digs cubes. Since the 1960s, the sculptor has utilized the geometric shape as the basis for a plethora of works, creating a litany of thoughtful designs with a variety of materials that have won international acclaim. The Arts District-based Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles is showcasing some of those works in a new exhibit, Larry Bell: Complete Cubes. The show, which runs through Sept. 23, features 20 of the artist’s sculptures organized in order of scale. It includes some new pieces created specifically for this exhibit. As always, admission at the Third Street complex is free. At 901 E. Third St., (213) 943-1620 or hauserwirth.com.

THREE

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LUNCH AND DINNER • An Extensive Seafood Menu including Dim Sum at Moderate Prices • Relaxed Dining in an Elegant Ambiance • Live Lobster Tank

photo courtesy Gang Gang Dance

The Bunker Hill museum The Broad is known for its honeycomb design and its collection of engrossing, blue-chip works by the biggest names in contemporary art. Come the warm months, it adds to that with a roster of events highlighted by some serious musical talents. Catch a few at the museum’s monthly Summer Happenings performance series. On Saturday, June 30, crowds will come out for synth rockers Gang Gang Dance (shown here), turntablist DJ Stretch Armstrong and rapper-turned-ordained minister Jean Grae’s Church of the Infinite You. The highlight may be in the Oculus Hall, where minimalist composer Terry Riley performs his 2012 work Aleph. Of course, the museum’s galleries are open, including the new exhibit A Journey That Wasn’t. At 221 S. Grand Ave., (213) 232-6200 or thebroad.org. copyright Larry Bell, courtesy Hauser & Wirth; photo by Genevieve Hanson

TUESDAY, JUNE 26 Victorian Literary Parlour at the Last Bookstore 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstore.com.

7 p.m.: Walter Nelson dives into the world of Victorian-era female coppers and detectives, which he knows a lot about, considering that he wrote “The Penguin Book of Victorian Women in Crime: Forgotten Cops and Private Eyes from the Time of Sherlock Holmes.”

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27 Boxing Philosophical: Is Authorship a Creation Myth? at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles 1717 E. Seventh St. or theicala.org.

7:30 p.m.: Art historians and critics debate how authorship is attributed in a talk tied to the “This Brush for Hire” show at the museum.

THURSDAY, JUNE 28 Terese Marie Mailhot at Aloud at the Central Library Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St. or lfla.org.

7:30 p.m.: The author of the memoir “Heart Berries” joins writer Roxanne Gay to discuss her life story and the process of turning it to prose.

Ready or Not, Here I Come: A Conversation on Architecture and Hip-Hop at the Museum of Contemporary Art MOCA Grand Avenue, 250 S. Grand Ave. or moca.org.

Continued on next page

JUNE 25, 2018

LISTINGS, 18 7 p.m.: Artists and architects come together to discuss the intersection of the two art forms.

FRIDAY, JUNE 29 Dance DTLA, DJ Nights, at Grand Park 200 N. Grand Ave. or musiccenter.org/dancedtla.

9 p.m.: The second installment of the summer series features a night of music curated by DJs Pierre Davis and Arin Hayes.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30 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.

Summer Happenings at The Broad 221 S. Grand Ave., (213) 232-6200 or thebroad.org.

8 p.m.: The first installment of the summer series features performances from DJ Stretch Armstrong, Gang Gang Dance and composer Terry Riley, among others.

SUNDAY JULY 1 Paul Tremblay at the Last Bookstore 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstore.com.

6 p.m.: Tremblay joins Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara for a conversation about his new book “The Cabin at the End of

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LEGAL FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2018123829 The following individual(s) is (are) doing business as: (1) RICH BROWN COFFEE, 5317 ABBOTT PLACE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90042, LA COUNTY are hereby registered by the following registrants: (1) ROAST RIGHT NOW, LLC, 5317 ABBOTT PLACE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90042. This business is conducted by a Limited Liability Company. Registrant(s) began to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A This statement was filed with DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on May 21, 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. 6/18, 6/25, 7/2 and 7/9.

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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.

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 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 CIVIL SUMMONS SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (AVISO AL DEMANDANDO): MIRLAND FREEMAN, an individual, YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTA DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): SYD’S OUTPOST & SUPPLY, a California Corporation NOTICE! You have been sued.

The court may decide against

the World.”

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

June 25: Dan Weidlein.

June 26: Kevin Yokota Group.

June 27: Danny Green Trio Plus Strings.

June 28: Eric Revis Quartet.

June 29: David Binney’s residency continues.

June 30: Gilbert Castellanos plays a tribute to Lee Morgan and Jacky McLean.

July 1: Caili O’Doherty Group.

you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.

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 Self-Help 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.

AVISO! Lo han demandado.

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

Tiene 30 DIAS DE CALENDARI0 despues de que le entreguen esta citacion y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefonica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar

en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y mas informacion en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte. ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede mas cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentacion, pida al secretario de la corte que le de un formulario de exencion de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podra quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia.

Hay otros requisitos legales.

Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente.

Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remision a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un program a de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www. sucorte.ca.gov) o poniendose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales.

AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los coslos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperacion de $10,000 o mas de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesion de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso.

CASE NUMBER: (Número del Caso): BC685405 The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y direccion de la corte es): LASC, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 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 direccion y el numero de felefono def abogado def demandante, o def demandanfe que no fiene abogado, es): Eric J. Wu, Esq., Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl, 841 Apollo Street #325, El Segundo, CA 90245 (424)

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738-4400 DATE: December 7, 2017.

Sherri R. Carter, Clerk (Secretario), by Glorietta Robinson, Deputy (Adjunto).

Published June 18, 2018.

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.

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

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

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20 DOWNTOWN NEWS

The Central City Crime Report

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By Nicholas Slayton n the Central City Crime Report, we survey the recent week in public safety. All information is provided by the LAPD’s Central Division.

I

■ An unidentified individual approached a woman on Hope Street just after midnight on June 3 and tried to grab her purse. The woman resisted and a struggle ensued. Ultimately the assailant grabbed the bag and ran off.

■ At some point overnight between June 3-4, someone broke into a storage unit on Factory Place and stole two bicycles.

■ At mid-day on June 3, an unidentified individual pushed a woman at Fifth and San Pedro streets. He left, then returned with two sharp pieces of metal and threatened the woman.

■ Someone pried open the front door of an apartment on Olive Street in the early morning of June 4 while the occupant was asleep. A watch, a tablet computer and other items were taken.

■ An unidentified individual entered a market on Los Angeles Street around mid-day on June 4 and grabbed a number of snacks. The person then ran out of the store without paying.

■ Someone walked into a beauty salon on Spring Street on June 4. A woman working in the space was asleep, and the individual grabbed her belongings.

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■ A car was parked overnight in a gated garage on Olive Street on June 4. When the driver returned in the morning, the vehicle’s tires and rims had been taken.

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■ A man was at a gas station on Main Street shortly after midnight on June 5. An unidentified individual threw a cinder block at his head, knocking the man unconscious. While he was out, his money was taken. nicholas@downtownnews.com

CORNERSTONE, 7 former gang member traveling through post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, to a site-specific adaptation of Candide, set in the Central Library and dubbed Candude. All of its performances are pay-what-you-can.

Rauch, who currently lives in Oregon and serves as the artistic director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, said that he vividly remembers a sense of adventure for the staff when Cornerstone moved into the Arts District, and noted the neighborhood’s transformation.

“I’m sorry to see Cornerstone leave its home,” Rauch said in an email. “But the spirit of Cornerstone Theater Company has always been nomadic, with the heart of its work in whatever community it’s working with at the time.”

Where the company ends up is uncertain, Wanlass said.

She noted that, in the past, Cornerstone has discussed partnering with other creative companies to share a community rehearsal and research space.

“We haven’t given up that goal,” Wanlass said. “But at this moment we have to downsize to kind of refocus and achieve this bigger vision in terms of what we want to have in terms of community engagement.”

Cornerstone plans to vacate its Downtown space by Saturday, June 30.

Wanlass said that there are no departing festivities planned, as they don’t feel like they are “going away” or leaving the community.

As the staff prepares to embark on their next step, they are making a conscious effort not to lose track of those who have supported them along the way. Outside of switching to a P.O. box, the email addresses will remain the same and the staff hopes to keep the same phone numbers. sean@downtownnews.com