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AROUND TOWN

Grass at Spring Street Park Fenced Off

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little more than a month after the Spring Street Park opened, its grassy area has been cut off from public use. A short, orange fence was erected on Monday, Aug. 5, so the grass could be fertilized and recover from an unexpectedly rapid decline, said Mike Shull, a superintendent with the city Department of Recreation and Parks. “It’s gotten a lot of use, from everyone: people and dogs,” Shull said.

“We want to make sure we give the grass a couple of weeks to recover.” When the park opened on June 17 the grass was a dark, rich green. Within a week, however, yellow patches were visible, and by early August much of the green had faded. Since it opened, the park has sparked conflict related to dog owners who walk or let their pets run loose on the grass.

Shull said it is unknown whether the department will have to periodically close the area to save the grass. He said for now the department will monitor the situation.

Work Begins on Federal Courthouse

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inally, change is coming to a blighted Civic Center site. On Thursday, Aug. 8, a groundbreaking was held for a $400 million federal courthouse on the southwest

August 12, 2013

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS corner of First Street and Broadway. The approximately 600,000-square-foot facility being designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architects will include 24 courtrooms and 32 judges’ chambers. It will house district judges, jury assembly facilities, offices for the U.S. Marshals and other services. Currently federal court operations are split between the 1938 Spring Street Courthouse and the 1992 Roybal Federal Building. Plans for the project go back to 2001, when $400 million was approved by Congress for a 41-courtroom facility. That was shelved five years later after estimates of the cost tripled due to delays and changes in design. The site became an eyesore in the heart of Downtown, especially when parts of it filled with water after winter rains. In early 2012 the project resurfaced when Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard announced that a new courthouse, downsized by 431,300 square feet from the previous proposal, was in the works.

Completion of the project on a 3.6-acre property that once held a state office building is expected by 2016.

Artwork Jamal, Neighborhood Bluesman, Dies

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owntown resident and musician Artwork Jamal, who played his trademark blues at Downtown bars for the past seven years, has died. He was 47. Jamal died on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from complications related to diabetes and congestive heart disease, said his widow, Lida Parent. The bluesman was a devotee of Muddy Waters, and played a similar brand of electric blues. He had kept up a monthly gig at whiskey

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bar Seven Grand, which will host a memorial event on Aug. 22. “Artwork was someone that everyone became his best friend very quickly,” Parent said. “He had that way of making you feel comfortable.” Jamal was always involved in music. As a teenager, he played trumpet in the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic. He later picked up guitar and was inspired by rock and funk bands. He worked as a recording engineer on albums by rap artists such as Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur and Coolio, and ran his own studio in Glendale, Graphic Sound Arts, from 1995 until 2000. He folded the shop to take care of his ailing mother and grandmother, both of

Don Garza, Town Crier

July 2013

whom later passed away. “My heart was always in the blues,” Jamal told Downtown News in 2010.

Pending Deal Could Jumpstart Metropolis

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EDITORIALS

August 12, 2013

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

Dogs, Kids and A Park

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hings are a bit of a mess at the Spring Street Park. While the facility that opened in June is a wonderful addition to the Historic Core, an issue concerning dogs threatens to divide the community, and potentially to do harm to some children.

The solution is simple: Dog owners need to keep their pets on the leash when they visit the park. The temptation might be to do otherwise, but for the safety of all involved, and to protect the city from litigation, the pets cannot run free.

We are big fans of canines, both for the companionship they provide and the community they help build — just think of how strangers start talking when dogs begin sniffing. However, we are seeing a slew of irresponsible ownership at the park. Too many people are unhooking leashes and letting the dogs run.

We understand the urge. The park has an inviting green lawn and is an easy option for hundreds of nearby dog owners who want their pet to get some exercise.

However, park rules dictate that dogs remain on leash. That is in part because the park has a children’s playground (pitched to the 8-and-under set) next to the grass. Concerns from parents worried about the pet-child interaction have sparked the push for a fence separating the areas. Additionally, some people have received citations for letting dogs go off leash.

We understand the need for more Downtown dog runs. Currently there are too few, just a postage-stamp-sized spot at Grand Park and one in the Arts District.

Some housing complexes have areas where canines can go off leash, but many owners lack easy access. Hence the walk to the Spring Street Park, where the leashes are undone.

However, if this continues, it is only a matter of time until an excitable child and an excitable dog spook each other, leading to a bite, if not something worse. We’re not sure who will be wrong when this occurs and we’re also not sure it matters.

A fence, as supported by 14th District City Councilman José Huizar, is a necessary first step. So are continued citations, if only because some owners won’t stop letting their dogs off leash until there is a financial ramification. We don’t like the concept of tickets, but in this case it is the cost of bite prevention.

Downtowners adore their dogs and it is worth finding a location for a park where they can run off leash. Perhaps there is Quimby money (from fees housing developers pay for park creation) for this effort.

The Spring Street Park, however, is not the place for this to happen. Like it or not, dog owners need to follow the rule: Keep the pets on the leash.

Whole Foods Hopes and Challenges

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very developer whose coming Central City project includes retail space probably should send a fruit basket, or some greater expression of thanks, to San Francisco-based Carmel Partners.

That’s because the announcement that the developer will bring a Whole Foods to Downtown Los Angeles made every future lease for a street-level spot easier to close and probably more lucrative.

Yet with the opportunity for profits comes a responsibility to the community. In the follow-the-leader retail world the Whole Foods deal is a game changer. Hopefully the people who own the buildings will pay attention to the mix and caliber of potential occupants across the area. We need stores that mesh with the growing Downtown, not a lineup of outlets that copy every mall in the country.

The Whole Foods announcement, which came on July 31, was celebrated across Downtown (it also garnered attention well beyond the neighborhood). Area boosters saw it as validation of the rapid and wide-ranging evolution of the community. There is certainly something to that, as the Texas-based chain, like many large retailers, only opens stores after extensive market research. A 42,000-square-foot supermarket (the size of the Downtown store) in an industry with notoriously razor-thin profit margins is not an easy undertaking. Obviously the company thinks it can make a lot of money with the Downtown residents and workers, and believes its location in a coming 700-unit apartment complex at Eighth Street and Grand Avenue is a solid investment.

The announcement is particularly interesting given the swell of grocery stores in Downtown. For years the only name-brand choice was the Ralphs Fresh Fare, which opened in 2007 (though there have long been other choices such as LAX-C near Chinatown and numerous smaller markets). However, in the past year, the options have exploded: Downtowners can shop at the 24,000-square-foot Smart & Final Extra that opened in July at 845 S. Figueroa St. and in the City Target that debuted at the FIGat7th mall last October. A Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market near the arts high school at Cesar Chavez and Grand avenues is expected to open within a month. The closest thing to the upscale Whole Foods is Urban Radish, an 8,200-square-foot space that also debuted last month, in the Arts District.

Whole Foods’ decision to power forward in the face of the grow-

ing competition shows confidence both in the purchasing power of Downtown and in the goods the chain stocks. Whole Foods is wellknown for its organic options with high price points, and company executives clearly believe that the approximately 50,000 people who live in Downtown, along with some of the 400,000 or so who work here, will pay for top-line products. They believe either that there is enough of an audience to keep all the players afloat, or that its options are so much better that shoppers will change their buying habits once Whole Foods arrives.

It is worth noting that the opening is at least 18 months away, and possibly much longer. Whole Foods and Carmel said it will debut in 2015, though Downtown has witnessed numerous delays in the opening of supermarkets. The Ralphs Fresh Fare was pushed back numerous times. Then as now that is not necessarily a bad thing: Delays provide time for new housing complexes, with new potential customers, to open.

In many regards the Whole Foods announcement is the most important Central City retail move since Ralphs arrived. In a Los Angeles Downtown News story last week, veteran retail broker Derrick Moore stated that, “We are going to see a huge rush of new retailers coming in to Downtown.” He mentioned that Whole Foods makes it easier to attract stores along the lines of Lululemon and Anthopologie.

That is exciting, though it also sparks concern, as part of what makes Downtown special is that the retail scene is not a collection of the same old shops. A number of independent stores operate in the Historic Core and some trends indicate the area will continue to have a mix of options: Consider Broadway, where the coming stores include the popular Urban Outfitters along with the largely unknown Swedish retailer Acne.

Hopefully the developers who are building housing complexes with ground-floor retail will communicate with each other and the business groups and political players working on luring stores to Downtown. The best thing possible would be to balance the arrivals, and to insure that name-brand businesses are complemented by mom-and-pop shops.

This is an exciting time in the Downtown retail scene. If all goes right, the Whole Foods announcement will be the latest in a long and enduring list of shopping additions.

August 12, 2013

Downtown News 5

OPINION

Welcome to Downtown News and Its New Format Reflecting on the Fifth Major Sea Change in Our Growing City in 40 Years

By Sue Laris s you may have noticed with this week’s paper, there are some changes afoot with Downtown News. Personally, I am annoyed when my favorite publications mess with their format. I think that’s true of most people, so we don’t rework the look of Downtown News very often. Most of the redesign rolled out this week, but you may notice minor tweaks as time goes on.

The current upgrades include a new logo and a cleaner look all around. Also, you will probably notice right away that we have finally moved to what is called a “standard tab” size from the “long tab” size. We were among the very last newspapers to keep the long tab, and we are happy to embrace the new, more manageable size. You might also notice a new typeface, new page headings and a “ragged right” presentation. If none of that matters to you, be reassured that your news and feature coverage will remain the same.

Here is a bit of history about some of the changes that have been made in the past and why they were done, as well as an explanation of why these changes and why now.

Each of the redesigns has reflected some sort of sea change in what was going on in Downtown Los Angeles at the time.

When we started the paper in 1972, the audience was almost entirely people commuting to government offices in the Civic Center. The paper was then called Civic Center News and its main focus was to give the people in the government office buildings a small break from the grind. We informed readers of local news, but our primary focus was to create a bit of levity and as much humanity as possible to contrast with the steel and granite world. We also wanted to encourage desk-bound workers to get out of their offices to experience the city. Nobody walked anywhere then, unlike now. There were no tourists.

There were few residents. There was very little Downtown outside the Civic Center.

The humorous tone was reflected in the logo at the time as well as the motto, which was “The small town paper for big city folks.” In some ways the motto still fits, but Downtown has grown up a great deal since then!

By the mid-’70s, big things were happening. The Community Redevelopment Agency was heavily into addressing a pretty much dead Downtown south of the Civic Center, meaning south of Third Street. A couple of skyscrapers had been built, and it was clear there would be more. In our first big format change later in the ’70s we added an edition called Downtown News. It was the beginning of taking the town more seriously.

We were excited to present our reconceived logo, a detailed replica of the new skyline with the name reversed out. That logo reflected the times; skyscrapers had been flying out of the ground at a staggering pace. Emphasizing L.A.’s new skyline was the exact right thing to do. It fought the national and international stereotype of L.A. as a “city with no center.”

A few years and a few more skyscrapers later we decided that Downtown News was the correct name for the paper because it needed to embrace all of Downtown, not just a

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couple of neighborhoods.

The third logo was a much more sober presentation than the first two. It reflected the tone of how Downtown saw itself.

It also included the words “Los Angeles” and was our way of becoming less parochial. As an aside, it is fun to note that we were the first to always capitalize “Downtown” when referring to Downtown Los Angeles. We like to think we helped create the community identity that continues to exist today by doing so.

The fourth logo is the one you have seen for quite some time.

It is more traditional than the formats of previous decades and has served us very well. It took us through a decade of focusing on transportation issues and another decade of focusing on the happy emergence of a residential community Downtown.

WHATEVER WE ARE CALLED, WE ARE YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER, YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS. OUR BEAT IS ALL DOWNTOWN ALL THE TIME, AND WE CAN’T BELIEVE OUR LUCK AT BEING HERE AT THIS FASCINATING TIME IN DOWNTOWN’S HISTORY.

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So much has changed in recent years — the way people communicate with each other, the way they access news, the DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM way they do everything. That long-time logo was launched before the Internet was a key part of everyone’s life. With ter what is happening elsewhere in the newspaper industry. the omnipresence of the Web, cell phones and tablets it was To sum up, our new logo is a combination of the zeitgeist finally time to approach our presentation of the newsprint of the digital age plus our well-loved name. We are called product differently. The link between the physical paper and Downtown News or DT News or Los Angeles Downtown News the online product needed to be underlined. In the end it or L.A. Downtown News. “Los Angeles Downtown News” will be came about pretty naturally. the name on our staff box. I will always personally refer to the You may have observed that the new logo (bottom) actually publication as “Downtown News.” has been used online for some time. It has been our go-to logo That said, we have become accustomed to many names over for Facebook, Twitter and all other social media. It is also what we four decades and are still introduced by the occasional reader as use for the “apps” for smart phones and tablets. And it has been “Downtown Business News” or “Downtown L.A. News,” among part of the vanity plate on my car for longer than I want to admit. others. It’s all fine with us, because we are thrilled and honored We had a great deal of internal discussion about matching that people read the paper. In any case, whatever we are called, the zeitgeist (what the digital world is doing by using abbreviations, in this case DT News) and keeping ourDOWNTOWNNEWS.COM long-held and very- we are your local newspaper, your neighborhood news. Our important-to-all-of-us brand, Downtown News. Thus you see the beat is all Downtown all the time, and we can’t believe our luck at being here at this fascinating time in Downtown’s history.

DT News above the words “Downtown News.” Both are imporSue Laris is the editor, publisher and owner of Downtown News. tant, and we expect them to be so for a very long time. It makes sense for local news to continue to have a print product, no mat- sue@downtownnews.com.

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CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

August 12, 2013

A New Era for Ninth Street School Elementary Facility Reopens After Three-Year, $54 Million Renovation

By Richard Guzmán or decades, Ninth Street Elementary School was outdated, and that may be a charitable description.

Made up entirely of worn portable bungalows, the 450-student school at 820 Towne Ave., on the edge of Skid Row, had neither a library nor an auditorium. When it rained, students were stuck in their small classrooms, with no large indoor place to play.

Now, things are changing in a big way. On Tuesday, Aug. 13, the school, which was shuttered for the past three years, will reopen following a $54 million renovation. The project removed the 100 bungalows and replaced them with approximately 78,000 square feet of state-of-the-art educational space. The school now offers 33 classrooms with 855 seats for kindergarten through eighth-grade students.

The facilities include a gymnasium with basketball hoops that drop down from the approximately 60-foot high ceiling. There is a stage, two dance studios, a 7,000-book library and an underground parking lot.

“The only thing that’s the same is the name,” said Dean Simpson, the new Ninth Street Elementary principal. “Other than that there is nothing that’s the same. It’s a clean slate.”

Ninth Street is actually comprised of two schools. The elementary school, with serves grades K-5, is being operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District. There is also a 405-seat charter middle school run by Downtown-based Para Los Niños.

The new campus was paid for with funds

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school and supportive school.”

The viewpoint is echoed by Hal Bastian, the senior vice president and director of economic development for the Downtown Center Business Improvement District. Bastian, who has helped a group of parents create the coming Metro Charter Elementary School, said that new and better schools are a necessity to keep families in the area.

“The school reopening is great news for the Downtown community,” he said.

According to a 2011 demographic study by the Downtown Center Business Improvement District, 6.3% of neighborhood households had children under 5 living at home, working out to about 1,850 kids. Another 4.8% of households had children between 5 and 18, meaning approximately 1,535 additional children in the community.

For Downtowners with elementary schoolage children, choices include a Para Los Niños charter school at Seventh and Alameda streets, Tenth Street Elementary School near Olympic Boulevard and Union Avenue, Chinatown’s Castelar Elementary School and Solano Elementary just north of Dodger Stadium.

Still, these choices have been unsatisfactory for many of the people who moved into Downtown in the past decade. As a result, parents have frequently been forced to find a charter, pay for private school or move out of the area.

The situation prompted a group of parents to come together and create Metro Charter, which is scheduled to open on Sept. 3 at 1401

Before the renovation, the school was comprised of 100 bungalows. They were removed and replaced by 78,000 square feet of state-of-the-art educational space.

very strong program so we can welcome the families of the neighborhood,” she said. “The families will evaluate for themselves.”

Starting Over According to LAUSD officials, the site that houses Ninth Street has been used for a school since 1890.

In recent decades, it primarily served the children of people who worked in the nearby garment shops or held other low wage jobs.

‘I FEEL LIKE SO MANY OF OUR CHILDREN LIVE IN TINY PLACES AND THEY DON’T HAVE OUTDOOR PLACES AT HOME. HERE THEY CAN LITERALLY GROW BEYOND THEIR WILDEST DREAMS.’ —MARTINE SINGER, PARA LOS NIÑOS Dean Simpson, the new principal of Ninth Street Elementary School, at the institution that will open this week after a threeyear renovation. The campus, which includes a charter middle school, can hold about 800 students.

from Proposition Q, a bond measure passed by voters in 2008, and about $12 million from Para Los Niños, which obtained money through grants and other sources.

More Options The school reopens at a time when Down­ town families are looking for more options for their kids.

“We’ve heard loud and clear from the families of Downtown that they are very concerned,” said Monica Garcia, an LAUSD board member whose district includes the school.

“They want a high-achieving school and a safe

S. Grand Ave. A primary factor in opening the school was that for many families, Ninth Street Elementary is the closest school.

When it closed for renovations in 2010, Ninth Street had an academic performance index (API) score of 695, well below the state’s target of 800. It ranked among the lowest performing elementary schools in California.

Despite its past, school board member Garcia said the new Ninth Street school could attract the Downtown families who previously didn’t see it as an option.

“I am sure we will have to put together a

“It was a challenged environment and we get to start again,” Garcia said. “The environment there is coming alive.”

Simpson said he expects to start the new school year with about 300 students (his portion of the school can hold 450 students). They will be children who live in the area or have parents who work nearby.

When they arrive for their first day in their dark blue and burgundy uniforms, students will see a stylish metal structure with sculptural elements and splashes of bright orange and purple.

The street-level play area inside is reserved for the elementary school students. There are

six basketball hoops for older kids as well as tetherball and foursquare courts. A fenced playground serves the kindergarten set. There is also a small grass area.

The gym/multi-purpose room is equipped with an electronic scoreboard and basketball hoops that can be raised to make room for other sports like volleyball or for community events. The gym also has a stage that can open to the playground thanks to a large folding door. This will allow the school to hold large outdoor community events.

The school is equipped with Wi-Fi. There are also five high-tech boards that project images that can be virtually manipulated by students.

Teachers will have laptops and the library will hold 7,000 books. There will be a small amphitheater for readings and other events and the two dance studios will have ballet barres and large windows facing Stanford Street.

The play area for the Para Los Niños middle school rises above the elementary school playground. It includes a small track, lighted basketball courts and more than a dozen cement spheres for students to sit on and hang out.

The middle school will open with about 200 students in sixth and seventh grades. It will expand to eighth grade the following year, said Martine Singer, president and CEO of Para Los Niños.

“It’s a dream come true,” she said. “I feel like so many of our children live in tiny places and they don’t have outdoor places at home. Here they can literally grow beyond their wildest dreams.”

By last week, many of the newly hired teachers had spent several days at the school getting their classrooms ready. They included Kye Kim, a fourth grade teacher.

Kim saw the construction going on one day while driving by the school. She decided to apply for a job.

“The classrooms are functional, warm, bright and welcoming, everything a teacher would want,” she said.

On Tuesday, they will get put to use when the students arrive. richard@downtownnews.com.

August 12, 2013

Downtown News 7

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A Rundown on Downtown Incidents, Trends and Criminal Oddities

By Ryan Vaillancourt 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

Hurt Before the Hangover: A man described by police as extremely intoxicated was attacked at Sixth Street and Broadway at about 11 p.m. on July 28. A man threw the victim to the ground and punched him, then took his wallet and fled.

Hard Summer Scammer: A 22-year-old woman who posted two tickets for sale on Craigslist for the Hard Summer music festival at Los Angeles State Historic Park was robbed by a man posing as a buyer. The suspect agreed to meet the victim in front of her residence at 967 White Knoll Dr., west of Chinatown.

When the man arrived, he said he had been scammed in the past and asked her to recite the barcode number on the tickets.

That’s when he pushed her to the ground, grabbed the tickets from her hand and fled.

Don’t Taze Me!: A 47-year-old woman was robbed near Seventh and Mateo streets at about 9 p.m. on July 30 by a man brandishing a Taser. The man pulled out the weapon and activated it so it emitted a spark. He allegedly said, “Give me the cell phone or I will taze you.” The woman gave up her phone and the suspect got in a white four-door car along with four or five other men and fled. Detectives hope to review surveillance camera footage at the Biscuit Co. Lofts that may have captured the incident.

However You Spell It, It’s Illegal: A known member of the Fifth and Hill gang, who was on probation, was arrested at 9 a.m. on Aug. 1 when he was seen by authorities near Fifth and San Pedro streets toting nunchakus. (Yes, it’s a felony in California to possess nunchakus, and yes, you can also spell them nunchucks if you want.)

Towel Taker: A 29-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing towels from the pool deck at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, twice. A hotel guest observed the suspect pilfering towels, snapped a photo and sent it to hotel security. Hotel staffers saw the same man snatch towels two days later. The suspect allegedly told police that “a guy pays him to take towels.”

Grand Opening This Week for Urban Radish T

he Arts District’s Urban Radish opened July 4 with an Independence Day celebration.

Now, the 8,200-square-foot market at 660 Mateo St. is ready for its official debut: A grand opening ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 17.

The event, which is open to the public, starts at 9 a.m. with a free breakfast followed by a ceremony with co-owner Carolyn Paxton and Father Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries. The market has teamed with the Downtownbased gang intervention program to employ some Homeboy clients.

Urban Radish occupies a metal structure a short walk from the Biscuit Company and Toy Factory lofts. The $1.7 million project created 25 jobs. There is a small parking lot and nearby street parking.

Urban Radish’s relatively small space (for a supermarket) is highlighted by a collection of upscale and organic items.

In addition to produce and grocery basics, it has made-toorder sandwiches, an artisan cheese section, a butcher and a wine section.

—Richard Guzmán

8 Downtown News

August 12, 2013

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

A Journey to Downtown, And a Farewell

After five-plus years covering Downtown, a reporter and his wife get ready to invest everything in the neighborhood.

For a Reporter and His Wife, Five Years in the Central City Changed Everything

By Ryan Vaillancourt n April 2008, I took a job as a reporter at the Downtown News because it was simply the next opportunity for a young journalist.

More than five years later, that opportunistic career jump is looking like my most life-shaping decision after marrying my best friend.

I

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK When I started at the paper I was living in Silver Lake. After 15 months exploring Downtown and interviewing people whose raison d’être seemed wrapped up in an unusual affection for their neighborhood, I caught the bug.

My wife Uli at first resisted the idea of moving Downtown. I couldn’t blame her. It was gritty, and sometimes smelly and scary. On one of our first Downtown dates we parked near Eighth Street and Broadway at about 7:30 p.m. as an angry-looking homeless man strutted toward us with a metal signpost slung weaponlike over his shoulder. It shook us.

Still, we kept coming back. Uli was charmed by the architecture. We were both drawn to the idea of walking more and driving less. Everyone we knew who lived Downtown seemed uniquely excited about life here.

When we finally agreed to start apartment hunting, the cost of living at first made Downtown out of reach. I wrote a column

lamenting the price of parking. I worried that pals wouldn’t visit us for dinner parties because they too would have to pay to park.

An online commenter suggested we ditch one of our two cars and that we resign to making new friends in Downtown. The suggestion from a stranger that we alter our lives so drastically in order to make Downtown work frankly annoyed the hell out of me. But he was spot on.

We moved to the Historic Core in 2009 and promptly ditched one of our cars. The savings on parking, auto insurance and gas more than made up for the jump in rent. Not once have we regretted it. Uli takes the bus most days to her job in Century City. I mostly ride my bike.

Before moving to Downtown, our friends were scattered across Los Angeles, living in Westwood, Venice, Los Feliz, Culver City, etc.

Getting them in one room was impossible. So we built friendships, but never community.

That changed here. When you walk to get coffee, dinner, a drink, a snack at the market, to take the dog out, or just to walk, you bump into people. The same people. Over and over.

Casual hellos turn into budding friendships, which lead to dinner parties that turn up more new pals.

Social conversations are often built on the narrative of Downtown growth and change.

Some people cheer every new business. Others

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get suspicious when chains like Starbucks and Urban Outfitters threaten the indie fabric. Some people can’t wait for the streetcar.

Others I know see it as a fast-track to replace Broadway’s old-L.A. soul with the Third Street Promenade.

The common thread is that people here are uniquely passionate about their neighborhood.

As the area continues to grow and change, I hope that sense of community persists and that residents take the initiative to shape Downtown’s future. For as much as people love Downtown, plenty of us have never been to a Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council meeting, or volunteered for a Skid Row nonprofit, or written a letter to our council representative.

I hope to be part of that future shaping, but it’s not going to be as a reporter, at least not anymore.

Uli and I came here as outsiders four years ago looking for an adventure. Now, we’ve gotten so invested in the neighborhood that we’re literally investing everything in the neighborhood.

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Uli is ditching her successful but unfulfilling career in private wealth management to realize her sweet dream of running a gelato shop.

Gelateria Uli is slated to start construction soon and open in the Spring Arcade Building this fall.

The business has been in the works for nearly two years. We never entertained a location outside of Downtown.

For me, moving into the business world means helping at Gelateria Uli, but also working at NationBuilder, an exciting Downtown start-up that helps businesses, nonprofits and political campaigns organize and engage with their customers and supporters. I think it’s emblematic of the type of creative businesses that are going to start locating more and more in Downtown.

Friday was my last day at Downtown News, and signing off at the paper, my second home, is bittersweet. But here it goes: It was my springboard into Downtown, and now it’s time to jump. It’s been a privilege to report for such a caring, thoughtful audience.

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August 12, 2013

Downtown News 9

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For Whom the Korean Bell Tolls Monument Honors Relationship Between Good Samaritan and Korean Hospital

By Donna Evans ike the relationship with Good Samaritan Hospital’s sister facility in South Korea, the Friendship and Peace Bell is a monument that hospital president and CEO Andy Leeka suspects will stand strong 100 years from now.

Dignitaries from both sides of the Pacific will unveil the four-foot tall, 770-pound bell at the City West facility on Wednesday, Aug. 14, during a 10 a.m. dedication. The ceremony will commemorate the 128-year relationship between Good Samaritan and Seoul’s Severance Hospital at Yonsei University Medical Center. Founded in 1885, it was the first western-style hospital in Korea.

The brass bell will ring throughout the year for events ranging from New Year’s Day to Flag Day, and possibly even the birth of a baby, Leeka said. He noted that the bell will also ring Wednesday, but not only because of the dedication: When the ceremony takes place it will be Thursday in South Korea. That is Korean Independence Day. “The stars aligned for this bell,” said Leeka, who 10 years ago while visiting South Korea came upon a showroom of temple bells and enjoyed hearing them ring. He thought then that he would love to have such a bell at the Los Angeles facility.

An agreement was reached, and in January Leeka returned to South Korea and saw the bell in molten form. Now, the mammoth symbol is finished and will hang on the grounds of the hospital serving the largest Korean population outside of Korea.

George Chey, founder of the Korean American Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles, estimated that nearly 600,000 Korean Americans live in Southern California.

Bells are significant in Korean culture, Leeka said, noting that there is a religious component to the tones: Sound waves divide in half and dissipate into infinity. In the process, according to belief, it sends prayers to heaven for healing.

The two hospitals are nearly 6,000 miles apart. Still, Leeka said there are similarities in medical care and origin. Donations from some of the Midwestern members of the Severance family brought both Good Samaritan and Severance hospitals into existence. Additionally, Good Samaritan’s staff includes 80 physicians who were trained at Yonsei University.

The monument was constructed by artisans at the first temple bell manufacturer in South Korea, Sungjongsa Company Limited, which translated, Leeka said, means “holy bell.”

Chey said the bell will serve as a strong symbol of the enduring relationship between the two hospitals.

“Many Korean people have benefitted by this hospital and the friendship for 128 years,” said Chey, who moved to Los Angeles 60 years ago, after fighting in the Korean War. “Korea is still divided, north and south. But we can hope for peace, and someday make one Korea.”

Chey said he is “overjoyed” about the dedication, and hopes many Korean Americans will turn out for the ceremony. donna@downtownnews.com.

L

photo by Gary Leonard

Good Samaritan Hospital President and CEO Andy Leeka will lead a dedication ceremony this week for the Friendship and Peace Bell, which honors the hospital’s ties to the Severance Hospital at Yonsei University Medical Center.

AUGUST 17

X

SPINDRIFT

10 Downtown News

August 12, 2013

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

AROUND TOWN, 2 veloper IDS Real Estate and its financial partner CalSTRS, said Patrick Spillane, IDS senior vice president. IDS has had several false starts and plan revisions for a complex with hotels, housing and office space along Francisco Street between Eighth and Ninth streets. The 6.3-acre site is entitled for up to five buildings.

CalSTRS, the state teachers retirement fund, was long expected to help finance construction of the project, Spillane said, though it is in the process of selling some of its long-term holdings to reinvest in new projects. With CalSTRS aiming to exit the Downtown project, IDS put Metropolis on the market in March.

While some media reports stated that Shanghai had already invested in the project, Spillane said the deal is not finished.

“There’s an agreement for Greenland to come in as an investor in the Metropolis project with the objective of going vertical immediately,” Spillane said. “We’re very excited that they have selected Los Angeles and the Metropolis project to be their initial investment in the United States.”

‘MyFigueroa’ Streetscape Plan Released

T

he final environmental impact report has been completed for a plan to remake a three-mile section of Figueroa Street into a more bike- and pedestrian-friendly corridor. The report, available at cityplanning.lacity.org, addresses a bevy of concerns from critics who fear that the street changes will clog traffic. The My Figueroa project runs from Seventh Street in Downtown to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, with a spur down 11th Street.

The plan calls for north- and southbound bike lanes. Two segments of the northbound corridor would get “cycle tracks,” or lanes separated from traffic by a new curb. Additionally, sidewalks would be widened, more trees would be planted and better street lighting would be installed. The $20 million project (visible at myfigueroa.com) is funded by Prop 1C bond funds, which must be spent by the end of 2014. Construction would have to start by January to meet the deadline. The project is subject to the approval of city Department of Transportation General Manager Jaime De La Vega. It is appealable to the City Council.

Police Say Alexandria Death Was Accident

A

23-year-old man fell to his death last week in the Historic Core in what police are calling a tragic accident. On Monday, Aug. 5, Randall Chesson was seen standing on the ledge outside his Alexandria Hotel apartment by witnesses, including police officers on scene, said LAPD Lt. Armando Munoz.

According to Munoz, Chesson’s boyfriend was inside the unit and at one point attempted to pull him back in. Witnesses said it appeared that Chesson, who was naked, was attempting to maneuver to another ledge when he fell from the building at 501 S. Spring St. at about 3:45 p.m. “It looks like a straight unfortunate accident,” said Munoz, who added that there was no note or other evidence to suggest Chesson committed suicide. As police investigated the incident, portions of Spring Street were closed for nearly two hours, snarling Historic Core traffic. The County Coroner’s office has not yet completed an autopsy, which will include a toxicology analysis, said spokesman Ed Winter.

City Pays $150,000 for LAPD Accident in Virginia Parade

T

he Los Angeles Police Department has frequently found itself in litigation for actions by its officers. Now there is another payout, though this one occurred on the East Coast.

The City Council recently agreed to pay $150,000 as part of a settlement with a Virginia police offer who was injured last year in a slow-speed motorcycle accident with a reserve LAPD officer. The reserve officer, whose name has not been released, was riding in a parade in Fairfax County, Virginia, representing the department. During the parade, the officer was involved in a collision with Virginia law enforcement official Franklin Darren Lawson, said Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the L.A. City Attorney’s office. Both men were on motorcycles. The LAPD reserve officer hit Lawson “just right that he’s unable to perform his usual duties as a cop,” prompting Lawson to sue the city of Los Angeles, Mateljan said. The City Council approved the settlement on June 19.

August 12, 2013

Downtown News 11

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

CRA Fences Off Plaza To Curb ‘Loitering’ Trash and rodents filled Fourth and Hill streets after the site was fenced off on July 30. The property has since been cleaned, though it remains off limits to the public.

Fourth and Hill Blocked, Complaints and Trash Follow

By Ryan Vaillancourt or the first week of August, a plaza and a hillside park at Fourth and Hill streets collected a blanket of trash and devolved into a rodent playground. It occurred after the site was fenced off from public use by the prop­ erty’s absentee government landlord.

The now defunct Community Redevelop­ ment Agency owns Angel’s Knoll park, which sits atop a small hill next to Angels Flight, as well as a plaza that abuts the sidewalk along Hill Street at the bottom of the funicular.

The site includes a slope between the plaza and Angel’s Knoll that has long been fenced off.

In the past it was known as the spot where the CRA sometimes dispatched goats to trim the tall grass.

Since Gov. Jerry Brown forced redevelopment agencies in California to dissolve last year, the CRA has been in the slow, grinding process of shutting itself down. That means tasks such as selling off its excess property. Decades ago the plot in question was set aside for the third phase of the Cal Plaza skyscrapers, though the state of the office market prevented it from ever rising.

Angel’s Knoll was always intended as a tempo­ rary park, but it gets regular use from exercise groups and people who want to visit a bench featured in the indie film 500 Days of Summer.

The CRA has since given way to what is known as a successor agency, which installed

photo by Ryan Vaillancourt

workers did not install a gate that could allow access for cleaning the site. Additionally, the trash cans inside the fence were apparently not emptied before it was erected. That’s why re­ fuse and rats skittered around the site for more than a week.

A reporter witnessed at least nine rodents near the Hill Street plaza on Aug. 4 at about 7:30 p.m. The sightings came as a steady stream of people headed from the Metro sta­ tion at Fourth and Hill streets to the Grand Performances concert series at Cal Plaza.

On Wednesday, Aug. 7, agency officials added a gate and a maintenance crew cleaned the plaza area on Hill Street. It took that long to add the gate because the CRA successor agency must wade through a complicated bureaucracy to get state approval for all work orders.

While the site is now clean, the chain link fence that surrounds the plaza remains. Some

Downtown stakeholders questioned the wis­ dom of blocking public access.

“A lot of homeless people were there every morning, but they weren’t hurting anyone,” said Valeria Villa, who works on Bunker Hill and of­ ten takes the steps next to Angels Flight down to Hill Street during the lunch hour. “With the fence, it’s ugly.”

Ryan Guiboa, another Bunker Hill worker, concurred.

“I think it looks awful,” remarked Guiboa, who said that if the park was previously a mainte­ nance drain, it was nevertheless comparable to other small parks in Downtown.

“Yes, now it’s clean, but you can’t go inside,” he said.

Padilla, the spokesman for the CRA successor agency, said the group will continue to main­ tain the site “periodically.” There is no official timeline for the proposed sale of the land.

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the fence on July 30 “due to an increase in complaints from stakeholders about trash, litter and concerns with loitering onsite,” said agency spokesman Ackley Padilla in a statement.

Adele Yellin, owner of Grand Central Market across the street, said the plaza was a place that most people avoided. She said it was not un­ common for homeless individuals to defecate in the plaza, and to harangue passersby.

“I just feel like it was a mess,” said Yellin, who added that she contacted homeless service providers to request that they try to help some of the people who were spending the day in the plaza.

Yellin said she was not among the stakehold­ ers who allegedly complained about the site to the CRA, but she nevertheless supports the installation of the fence.

“It did solve a problem,” she said.

Blocking off the site is also a first step in pre­ paring it for an eventual sale, Padilla said.

“The fencing will enable the asset’s value to be maintained pending the property’s even­ tual disposition under a State Department of Finance approved Long Range Property Management Plan,” the statement continued.

“The fencing was designed to allow for unim­ peded pedestrian access to the stairwell adja­ cent to Angel’s Flight, which connects Bunker Hill to the Grand Central Market.”

The fence was at first problematic because

H

12 Downtown News

CALENDAR

August 12, 2013

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

DT

Behind TheSmall Curtains

Steven Sabel adapted a 1779 satire about the theater world for the Archway Theatre’s latest production, Critics.

A Rock/Rap Addiction Musical and a ‘Roast’ of the Theater World Fill Downtown Stages

By Richard Guzmán ate summer is a slow time in the Downtown Los Angeles theater scene.

The Ahmanson Theatre is dark through late September and the Mark Taper Forum’s A Parallelogram, written by Bruce Norris, closes Aug. 18. Fans of experimental theater had their last chance to catch REDCAT’s New Original Works Festival on Aug. 10. Other Downtown venues or companies such as the Los Angeles Theatre Center and East West Players don’t begin their seasons until next month.

Still, there are options for those who want to see a play. They just have to be willing to go to a smaller space.

Friday, Aug. 16, is the opening night for two Arts District shows: Critics, a satire that pokes fun at the theater industry, plays at the 50-seat Archway Theatre, and Breakthrough is a new musical at Art Share L.A., a community arts center with a 200-seat theater space. News.com S ntown except for E-NEW owcommon at Din The plays have n uplittle SIGN UP Sig being alternatives to the big stages. Critics, adapted by director Steven Sabel from Richard Sign Up for Our E-News BlastsThe & Brinsley Sheridan’s 18th century comedy Be Entered to by Win Movie Critic, mines humor digging intoTickets! the personalities of actors, directors and playwrights. It runs through Sept. 8.

“Our art form, our craft, draws a certain type of personality to it in every level,” Sabel said.

“This play in a very humorous way makes fun of the different people.”

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It’s far different in Breakthrough. The new musical written and directed by former Downtown resident Dana Morris focuses on addiction and Downtown. It runs through Aug. 25.

“I think the whole message is if your life has become unmanageable because of these addictions, you need to have that breakthrough moment to get your life back on track,” Morris said.

Meet Puff Sabel and Annie Freeman opened the

Archway Theatre in 2011. The 2,500-squarefoot ground floor space in Hewitt Street’s American Hotel once housed the legendary punk dive Al’s Bar. Today the black box theater showcases new works, contemporary revivals and classics with a modern twist.

Actors have notoriously thin skins, with the bravado of the stage masking a wealth of personal uncertainty. Critics uses that as a starting

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Starts Aug 7 & Aug 9

Breakthrough, a rock/rap musical about

Check Our Website for Full Movie Listings LADowntownNews.com a group of Downtown friends trying to overcome addiction, plays at the theater in the Art Share L.A. space.

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point, though it goes beyond to explore anyone in the theater world “It’s theater people making fun of ourselves,” he said. “It’s kind of like a roast, an old-fashioned roast of the characters in the theatrical world.”

Sheridan’s three-act drama was first staged in London in 1779. It concerns two critics who are watching the rehearsal of a play written by a man named Mr. Puff, who worked in public relations before deciding to write a play.

Sabel’s version is set in the present day, though the same observations about the theater world and its characters remain true, he said.

“In reviewing the original text I thought this was really a timeless play,” Sabel said. “It really touches on issues with the theatrical world that have never gone away or changed.”

Although it takes place more than 230 years after Sheridan’s debut, the Downtown show follows the same characters, Mr. Dangle and Mr. Sneer, who discover that their friend Mr. Puff has written a new play. Reflecting the modern era, Puff happens to be a journalist who became a playwright.

Dangle and Sneer convince Puff to let them attend a rehearsal. Once there they watch Puff and an overeager stage manager deal with actors who butcher the script and argue with the director. The critics voice their opinions. Puff desperately tries to “salvage his grand creation.”

Sabel expects those in the theater world to see Continued on page 20

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August 12, 2013

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Downtown News 13

Pumping Music Into Rush Hour Jazz Concert at Union Station Helps Celebrate the Landmark’s 75th Anniversary

By Donna Evans ithout music, waiting for the bus or train can be quite the discordant experience.

Think of those cringing moments when you realize your ear buds are at home, just as the proselytizing fellow thunders his faith up and down the train car, or the fussy baby wails for her binky, dropped on the bus floor.

On Friday, Aug. 16, commuters at Union Station won’t have to bother to bring their own music. Instead, those heading home after a day of work will be treated to the unexpected sounds of live jazz.

The GG NineNet Jazz Band, founded in 2004

by Los Angeles musician Geoff “Double G” Gallegos, will play two 45-minute sets, beginning at 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., in the main concourse waiting room, across from Traxx restaurant. The group’s sound touches on everything from symphonic strains to classic rock to hip-hop. Friday’s performance will feature deep, soulful sounds just in time for rush hour.

“We wanted a sound that would enhance the experience of being at Union Station, but not detract from the station’s functionality or impede foot traffic,’’ said Heidi Zeller, creative services manager for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which hired Gallegos.

Friday’s free performance is the second in a lineup of events orchestrated by Metro to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the transit hub. As

W

with the first installment, a July 20 screening of Roman Polanski’s Chinatown in Union Station’s ticket hall, the jazz show is partly intended to entice people to visit the historic site.

A series of events is scheduled to take place every month through May 2014, Zeller said.

She has no firm dates yet, but said a combination of music and dance performances and film screenings will be on the docket.

Metro officials admit that there is an ulterior motive for the activities: They also hope to draw interest and get public participation in the creation of Metro’s master plan for Union Station, said Anna Chen, an agency spokeswoman.

Union Station opened in 1939 and Metro bought it in 2011 for $75 million. Last year, the firm hired Gruen Associates and Grimshaw Architects to create a plan for the future of the train station and 40 surrounding acres of land.

A series of public meetings have been held as Metro considers options such as adding restaurants, office space, housing and more.

“We want to creatively activate spaces at the station,” said Zeller. “We’re trying to plant a seed in people’s heads that this is a significant site in the region.”

The ambient sounds of jazz seemed a perfect juxtaposition for Union Station, said Zeller, noting that the transit landmark sees some 60,000 commuters hulk through its halls every weekday, en route to catching light rail trains and buses.

One of those familiar with the commute is

Geoff “Double G” Gallegos will lead the GG NineNet Jazz Band in two free Friday afternoon jazz performances in Union Station.

photo by Gary Leonard

Gallegos, who for 10-plus years used buses to traverse the L.A. basin from Boyle Heights to Santa Monica. So, when Metro invited him to play Union Station, with its terra cotta tile floors and travertine marble walls, he happily agreed.

“This carries a lot of personal significance for me,” Gallegos said of Friday’s performance.

The Pasadena resident finds the film-noirish destination so alluring that he has walked the interior to photograph the subtleties, many of which are overlooked by hurried travelers.

“When the light’s coming in that front room, it’s ridiculous, man’’ he said.

This marks the second Metro event for GG NineNet, which played the grand opening of the Expo Line in April 2012. However, Gallegos and his team are no strangers to Downtown.

The musician also heads the DaKAH Hip-Hop Orchestra, a 60-plus musician group that has played locales including the Cal Plaza

Watercourt. For one of those performances, in 2010, he orchestrated a night known as “Gangsta Wagner.” It was part of L.A.’s Ring Cycle, a celebration of the city’s first full presentation of the four Wagner operas.

Gallegos, a 43-year-old Denver native, has lived in Los Angeles for 17 years, and for much of that time he hauled his gear via buses and trains. Though he is more likely to drive to gigs these days, he well remembers sitting on a bench, waiting for his bus and wishing he were being entertained.

Now, with their six horns and three brass instruments, GG NineNet has the opportunity to do just that for thousands of unsuspecting commuters.

The GG NineNet Jazz Band plays Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., at 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16. Admission is free. donna@downtownnews.com

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

photo by Gary Leonard

DT

August 12, 2013

CALENDAR LISTINGS

LIVE IT UP IN CHINATOWN, ROCK WITH X, AND LEARN ALL ABOUT PRINCE

EVENTS

F

SPONSORED LISTINGS

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

Aug. 13: Rose & the Nightingale with Moira Smiley and Voco.

Aug. 14-15: Dayna Stephens Quintet.

Aug. 16: Etienne Charles Group.

Aug. 17: Gretchen Parlato + Taylor Eigsti.

Aug. 18: Creative Underground.

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

Aug. 12, 8 p.m.: Prepare to be enveloped by the prowling explosions of sound lurking in Kiev’s lush forest of sounds like patient tigers. For our literally minded readers, the previous statement was a metaphor.

Aug. 13, 7 p.m.: Madi Diaz has championed the brash optimism of youth and channeled it into an ecstatic, bubbly vocal presence. We’re looking forward to her blue period.

Aug. 15, 8 p.m.: If Cass McCombs’ brand of alienation involved a bit more whimsy and a touch less embittered melancholy, you’d get something like Alex Bleeker and the Freaks.

Aug. 15, 10 p.m.: Good old fashioned electro hip-hop beat makers Sango, Atlantic Connection and Nikko Gray will be on hand.

Aug. 16, 8 p.m.: Dedicated decadent dramaturgy unfold in

photo courtesy I Would Die 4 U by Touré

SaTuRDay, auGuST 17 Splash and Surprise Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8080 or grandparkla.org.

11 a.m.: Make your Saturday morning aquatic with this kidsoriented fountain play session in Grand Park. The surprise aspect will be announced on the website Monday morning.

This week in Pershing Square, John Doe will have the upper hand. On Saturday, Aug. 17, the celebrated punk guitarist will be kicking out the jams like it’s 1980 with his seminal quartet X. Illuminating lyrics, grinding guitars and a skewed lucidity focused on our own dear city mark X as one of the most important bands of their era. Whether you’ve spent three decades cherishing their record Under the Big Black Sun or are the child of one of the oldsters who won’t stop crowing about frontwoman Exene Cervenka, this Angeleno treasure is well worth showing up at 7:30 p.m. to secure a good seat. At 532 S. Olive St., (213) 485-1645 or laparks.org/ pershingsquare.

Singer/songwriter? Symbol?

Sensual purveyor of raspberry berets? Devout Jehovah’s Witness? When it comes to multi-Grammy Award winning musical icon Prince, the truth is a riddle wrapped in an enigma. The programming gurus over at the Grammy Museum are facilitating a deeper exploration into the famous Minnesotan with the program Who Is the Real Prince? An In-Depth Conversation on Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 8 p.m. Included in the panel discussion are recent Prince biographer Touré, Prince’s former band member Susannah Melvoin, ex-tour manager Alan Leeds and Epic Records CEO L.A. Reid. Walk in through the out door at 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 7656800 or grammymuseum.org.

For many artists, an exhibition at Downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art is a career-changer. One wonders how Swiss artist Urs Fischer feels as his tremendous polyphony of mixed media constructions at both the Grand Avenue MOCA and the Geffen Contemporary nears its end. Closing on Aug. 19, the self-titled exhibit highlights Fischer’s eccentric methodology, his fascination with haptic space and surfaces and willingness to twist and tease the viewer’s sense of scale. Just gander at his “Bread House” (shown here). Both MOCA facilities are open all week, except Tuesday and Wednesday, so if you haven’t taken in Fischer’s work, you still have a chance. At 250 S. Grand Ave. or 152 N. Central Ave., (213)

Downtown has no lack of voices. From the cacophony of street sounds to the enthusiasm with which residents discuss local politics, there is always human volume.

On Friday, Aug. 16, at 6:30 p.m., the Music Center invites Downtowners of all stripes to raise their voice. Held at the Keck Amphitheatre atop the Walt Disney Concert Hall, this installment of the Friday Night Sing-Along features selections from iconic movie musicals. All are encouraged to come out and stretch their vocal cords, but admission requires one of the free tickets distributed to those waiting in line before the event. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org.

©Urs Fischer. Courtesy of the artist and Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York

ThuRSDay, auGuST 15 Celebrity Autobiography Grammy Museum, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org.

7:30 p.m.: A traveling variety show helmed by writer-performer Eugene Pack features outlandish moments from actual music memoirs. They’ll be acted out on stage by the likes of Joey Fatone, Lainie Kazan, Steven Weber and Fred Willard.

Kobe Up Close at Nokia Theatre Nokia Theater, 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6020 or nokiatheatrelalive.com.

8 p.m.: Jimmy Kimmel sits down to pick the brain of lead Laker Kobe Bryant in a charity benefit event. Odds are someone mentions Phil Jackson and the Clippers.

photo by Gary Leonard

or three Saturdays this summer, Chinatown’s Central and West plazas are ground zero for a neighborhood gathering packed with stroller-pushing families, robust indie rock line-ups and a collective willingness to gorge on fine food truckery. Chinatown Summer Nights returns for its final installment on Saturday, Aug. 17. It all kicks off at 5 p.m. and highlights include the L.A. Weekly stage featuring a veritable sampler of local indie that caps off with headliners Incan Abraham. Meanwhile, KCRW audiophiles Mario Cotto and Raul Campos will be spinning for the masses. Other attractions include a craft beer garden, boutique vendors and a capuchin monkey that guests are encouraged to enjoy with their eyes and not their hands (seriously, there’s really a monkey, and seriously, you can’t touch it). At 943-951 N. Broadway or chinatownsummernights.com.

Friday Night Flicks Pershing Square, 532 S. Olive St., (213) 847-4970 or laparks.org/pershingsquare Aug. 16, 8:30 p.m.: The summer film series continues with Yellow Submarine, the Beatles’ colorful, psychedelic animated musical featuring John, Paul, George, Ringo, Lucy, Eleanor and Sgt. Pepper, among many others. The catchy, delirious, wonderfully absurd trip is practically mind-altering in and of itself.

FRIDay, auGuST 16 Chinatown Summer Nights Chinatown Central and West Plazas, 943-951 N. Broadway or chinatownsummernights.com.

5 p.m.: DJs, live bands, a craft beer garden and a bevy of food trucks coagulate into a delicious membrane of local culture. It’s the third and final installment of the Downtown summer tradition.

Friday Night Sing-Along W.M. Keck Amphitheatre, 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 9720777 or musiccenter.org.

6:30 p.m.: Free tickets await those who patiently position themselves outside Disney Hall’s Keck Amphitheatre before this “Movie Musicals” installment of the Friday Night Sing-Along series.

by Dan Johnson | calendar@downtownnews.com

photo courtesy of The Music Center, by John McCoy

14 Downtown News

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

August 12, 2013

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Another Look At eL PuebLo The El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument is a favorite stop for families and photographers.

This week, the latter get their due, as the exhibit El Pueblo: A Photographic Celebration goes on display at the Pico House, on the El Pueblo Plaza (at the top of Olvera Street). The show has a collection of images from the Los Angeles Photography Project, which showcases the work of a group of local shooters intrigued by the diversity of the city (this image is by Frank Damon, who also happens to be president of the El Pueblo Park Association). An opening for the show, to which is the public is invited, takes place on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 5-8 p.m. The show runs through Sept.

16 and is open on Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Additional information at laphotoproject.com.

photo by Frank Damon

the oddly electrifying litany of pseudo Americana vignettes that comprise Yellow Red Sparks’ music.

Aug. 17, 8 p.m.: Canadian synth pop quintet Nightbox’s overly energetic take on electronica is the sonic equivalent of a morning person. Just let us drink our coffee and scowl in peace.

Broadway Bar 830 S. Broadway, (213) 614-9909 or broadwaybar.la.

Aug. 15, 10 p.m.: Funk, disco and soul will be out in force as the Late Shift takes over the old one-twos.

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

Aug. 14, 8:30 p.m.: It’s been a learning year for hip-hop’s answer to Roscoe Arbuckle, Rick Ross.

Conga Room 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 745-0162 or congaroom.com.

Aug. 13, 9 p.m.: Mexico’s own Everlast-inspired outfit Molotov will be stopping by as part of their Jagermeister sponsored American tour. This will end in a headache one way or another.

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

Aug. 12, 10 p.m.: With Halloween just around the corner, Yonatan invites Downtown to come to his weekly, ghoulish jazz rehearsal Monster Mondays. Yes, we know Halloween is not really around the corner.

Aug. 13, 10 p.m.: B’s abound with Bunny West and Boom Boom Boom.

Aug. 14, 10 p.m.: We will be sure to let you know when Escondite programming changes and it is indeed your last chance to see JB and the Last Chance.

Aug. 15, 10 p.m.: Trip Rezac will be using his powerful axework to clear the skeezers from the Addams Family pinball machine so as to provide the audience with an unobscured view of The Sunset Drifters.

Aug. 16, 9 p.m.: Don’t miss your only chance this month to check out Speed Buggy.

Aug. 17, 10 p.m.: Johnny Moezzi and Charlie Chan & the SOBs, a blue Saturday.

Aug. 18, 11 p.m.: Set your watches and get someone to watch the dogs: RT and the 44s are again elevating Sunday nights.

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

Aug. 16, 10 p.m.: DJ John “00” Fleming must be a big fan of the Mission: Impossible film series.

Aug. 17, 10 p.m.: It’s hard to discern whether Sydney Blu blasts deep house for the audience’s pleasure or to enjoy the subtle bounce every sub woofer hit gives to her inordinately voluminous hair.

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

Aug. 12, 8 p.m.: Bad Empressions features members of The Go-Gos, Hole, KSM, Bow Wow Wow and The Muffs. Is this a su-

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pergroup or a gaggle of musical friends? Attend and find out!

Aug. 14, 8 p.m.: The experts have assembled to help piece together the grand mystery that is the artist currently known as Prince. It’ s a panel discussion for “Darling Nikki” fans.

Aug. 17, 10:30 a.m.: Bring the whole family out for Tabla expert Robin Sukhadia.

Grand Performances 350 S. Grand Ave., (213) 687-2159 or grandperformances.org.

Aug. 16, 8 p.m.: Hip-hop outfit Culture Shock Los Angeles is just one of many artists in the lineup for Halo-Halo, Sari-Sari: The

Filipino Show Remixed.

Aug. 17, 8 p.m.: The motley sounds of traditional Brazilian music come into full effect with A Tale of Two Nations: Nacao Estrela Brilhante & Nation Beat.

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

Aug. 14, 9 p.m.: Tripple A’s.

Nola’s 734 E. Third St., (213) 680-3003 or nolasla.com.

Aug. 12, 7:30 p.m.: Cornelius Herring on piano.

Continued on next page

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THEATER, OPERA & DANCE A Parallelogram Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

Aug. 14-17, 8 p.m. and August 18, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.: Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright Bruce Norris presents a tale of a couple in which the woman, Bee, believes she can see the future. Can she? There’s only one way to find out.

Through Aug. 18.

Bob Baker’s Something to Crow About The Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., (213) 250-9995 or bobbakermarionettes.com.

Aug. 13-14, 10:30 a.m. and Aug. 17-18, 2:30 p.m.: Come join Mama and Papa Goat and 100 more of the Bob Baker marionettes for a musical “Day on the Farm.” Think dancing scarecrows and tap dancing bullfrogs warbling “Shine On Harvest Moon.” Call for reservations.

Breakthrough Art Share L.A., 801 E. Fourth Pl., (213) 687-4278 or southerncaliforniayouththeater.com.

Aug. 16, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 17, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 18, 2:30 p.m.: A new musical written and directed by former Downtown resident Dana Morris focuses on addiction and Downtown.

There’s rock, rap and six Central City inhabitants in varying stages of getting clean. Through Aug. 25.

Critics Archway Theatre, 308 S. Hewitt St., (213) 237-9933 or archwayla.com.

Aug. 16-17, 8 p.m., Aug. 19, 2 p.m.: Director Steven Sabel updates a 1779 satire by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. In the new version, Mr. Puff is a former journalist who wrote a play and the critics Mr. Dangle and Mr. Sneer watch it and offer a lot of

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snarky asides. It makes fun of everyone involved in theater.

Through Sept. 8.

BARS & CLUBS The Association 610 S. Main St., (213) 627-7385.

Carved out of the area that used to belong to Cole’s, the bar in front, the Association is a dimly-lit, swank little alcove with some serious mixologists behind the bar. Look for a heavy door, a brass knocker and a long line.

Bar 107 107 W. Fourth St., (213) 625-7382 or myspace.com/bar107.

Inside the keyhole-shaped door, tough-as-nails Derby Dolls vie for elbowroom with crusty old bar guys and a steady stream

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of Old Bank District inhabitants. Velvet señoritas, deer heads with sunglasses, a wooden Indian and Schlitz paraphernalia plaster the red walls. There’s no shortage of entertainment, with the funky dance room, great DJs and the occasional rock band. In the photo booth, you can capture your mug in old-fashioned black and white. Open from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.

Big Wang’s 801 S. Grand Ave., (213) 629-2449 or bigwangs.com.

Wings, beer and sports: That’s the winning recipe at this sports bar. The Downtown outpost, the third for the Hollywood-based bar, has everything the other locations have, plus a comfortable patio with outdoor flat screens.

Bonaventure Brewing Company 404 S. Figueroa St., (213) 236-0802 or bonaventurebrewing.com.

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

Extreme indie director Jon Moritsugu will take you on a vaguely hallucinogenic journey into the world of Pig Death Machine, the story of an innocent and nubile youth whose encounter with toxic pork warps her into a genius. Each screening will be accompanied by another Moritsugu classic.

Aug. 12, 9 p.m.: Pig Death Machine and My Degeneration and Shorts.

Aug. 14, 9 p.m.: Pig Death Machine with Scumrock and Shorts.

Aug. 15, 10 p.m.: Pig Death Machine with Hippy Porn.

Aug. 12, 7 p.m., Aug. 13, 5:15 p.m., Aug. 14, 7 p.m. and Aug. 15, 4:30 p.m.: From human guinea pigs testing drugs for pay to behind-the-scenes marketers to consumers struggling with lifealtering illness, Off Label examines the medicated margins of American society.

Aug. 12-15, 7:15 p.m.: In cheer piece Ashley, a distraught teenager fights to cope with the memories of her predatory father by experimenting in self-mutilation.

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

Aug. 13, 7:30 p.m. Filmmaker Alan Kozlowski’s take on Ravi

Jimmy Kimmel is used to interviewing superstars, but his next celebrity chat is going to be a bit different. On Thursday, Aug. 15, at 8 p.m., Kimmel will sit down with Kobe Bryant on the stage of the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live. They’ll talk hoops, life and who knows what else? The event benefits the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation and CedarsSinai Medical Center’s Sports Spectacular, so you can listen to L.A.’s living hoops legend and support a good cause. Look for Kimmel to lob Kobe a question about Dwight Howard, and for Bryant to slam home an acerbic answer.

At 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6020 or nokiatheatrelalive.com.

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FILM

When Kobe Met JiMMy

Shankar, Sangeet Ratna.

Grand Park 200 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8080 or grandparkla.org.

Aug. 17, 8:30 p.m.: With a rousing 2.5 star rating on IMDB, you can count on the Shelley Duval and Craig T. Nelson vehicle Troop Beverly Hills to delight you in a most unorthodox way.

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

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

Ice and polar bear enthusiasts will likely dig To the Arctic 3D. Experience the gripping story full of hope, crushing disappointment and triumph in Hubble 3D. Pershing Square 532 S. Olive St., (213) 485-1645 or laparks.org/ pershingsquare.

Aug. 16, 8:30 p.m.: Yellow Submarine, a classic film about the pros and cons of hallucinogens.

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

Through August 15: Elysium (1:20, 4:20, 7:20 and 10:20 p.m.); Planes (1:50 and 7:10 p.m.); Planes 3D (11:20 a.m., 4:30 and 9:50 p.m.); Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (11:30 a.m. and 2:10 and 7:30 p.m.); Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters 3D (4:50 and 10:10 p.m.); We’re the Millers (1:10, 4:10, 7 and 10 p.m.).

photo by Gary Leonard

Continued from previous page Aug. 13, 8 p.m.: Down Home Blues Jam Session.

Aug. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Four Brothers Band. No, we don’t know if they’re related.

Aug. 17, 10 p.m.: KCRW presents The Decoders.

One-Eyed Gypsy 901 E. First St., (626) 340-3529 or one-eyedgypsy.com.

Aug. 15: Ubiquity presents Frolic.

Aug. 16: Will Magid, who is a trumpeter.

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

Aug. 12: Pizza Wolf, Upset, Les Becasses.

Aug. 13: Des & The Cendents return with Government Trap and Delores.

Aug. 14: Wounded Giant, Nagual Sun and Trapped Within Burning Machinery.

Aug. 15: Early Bird Circus.

Aug. 16: Johnny Madcap & The Distractions, The Revolts and Lysolgang.

Aug. 17: Atom Age, Grand Tarantula and Dime Runner.

Aug. 18, 3 p.m.: Benny the Jet Rodriguez.

Aug. 18: Ugly Kids.

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

Aug. 12: Eric Patterson Quartet is a four piece led by, you guessed it, Eric Patterson.

Aug. 13: How many improvised jazz shows must the Makers play before you will call them a band?

Aug. 14: The Vibrometers will be injecting large quantities of funk directly into your old fashioned.

The Smell 247 S. Main St., alley between Spring and Main streets, thesmell.org.

Aug. 12: No Babies, Stillsuit and 1999.

August 12, 2013

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

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16 Downtown News

August 12, 2013

photo by Craig Schwartz

The Taper’s Future Shock

Where can you get a drink, order some decent bar food, sit outdoors and still feel like you’re Downtown? It’s a tall order to fill, but this bar in the Bonaventure Hotel does it admirably. Come by for a taster set of award-winning ales crafted by Head Brewer David Blackwell. Sure, the hotel is vaguely ’80s, and you’ll probably encounter some convention goers tying a few on, but it only adds to the fun.

Bottlerock 1150 S. Flower St., (213) 747-1100 or bottlerock.net.

Situated on the ground floor of the Met Lofts in South Park, this wine bar features a vast range of bottles from around the world and a price range equally as wide. Wines by the glass start at around $8, but if you’re feeling overcome by oenophilia (or just deep-pocketed) there are some first growth Bordeauxs for more than $1,000 for the bottle. And if you don’t get your fill while at the bar, which also features a rotating crop of artisanal beers and a full dinner menu, the bar also sells bottles at retail.

Broadway Bar 830 S. Broadway, (213) 614-9909 or broadwaybar.la.

Located next to the Orpheum Theatre in the Platt Building, the Broadway Bar’s blue neon sign beckons patrons inside to its 50-foot circular bar. The casual-chic spot is based on Jack Dempsey’s New York bar, with low lighting and a dose of ’40s glam. There’s a patio upstairs with nice views, and a jukebox.

Caña 714 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 745-7090 or canarumbar.com.

In the Caribbean, “caña” is slang for sugarcane. Rum is made from sugarcane. Therefore, Caña serves premium handcrafted rum cocktails in an intimate, elegant environment featuring live Caribbean and tropical Latin music.

Casey’s Irish Pub 613 S. Grand Ave., (213) 629-2353 or bigcaseys.com.

With its worn brick staircase, tin ceilings and dark wood decor, it’s easy to see how this neighborhood bar and grill still works its Irish charm. Regulars cozy up to the 60-foot mahogany bar with a pint of Guinness and a plate of bangers and mash. Casey’s has a full menu with six beers on tap and a selection of Belgian ales and microbrews.

Cole’s 118 E. Sixth St., colesfrenchdip.com.

This beloved restaurant saloon has been renovated under new ownership. The great leather booths and dark wood bar of the old spot remain, but now the glasses are clean. Draft beer, historic cocktails, including what is probably the best Old Fashioned in town, and a short wine list.

Downtown News 17

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

If you could know everything that was going to happen to you in the future, would you? Even if you were warned you couldn’t change your lot in life? Those are the questions you’ll find yourself asking as you walk out of Tony Award-winning playwright Bruce Norris’ play A Parallelogram, which is in its last week at the Mark Taper Forum (the curtain falls Aug. 18). The show revolves around Bee, who is tormented by her failed efforts to alter her own course, which happens to be foretold by an old lady that nobody else can see.

That old lady is either the future Bee, or the illusion of a young Bee going mad.

You decide. The show plays this week at 8 p.m.

Aug. 14-17 and at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 18.

At 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

Corkbar 403 W. 12th St., corkbar.com.

If the name didn’t give it away, this South Park establishment is all about the wine, specifically, California wine. Situated on the ground floor of the Evo condominium building, Corkbar serves up a seasonal food menu of farmer’s market-driven driven creations to go with your Golden State pinots, cabernets and syrahs.

Down and Out 501 S. Spring St., (213) 489-7800 or twitter.com/thedownandout.

This latest offering from the same folks that brought you Bar 107. The 3,000-square-foot space on the ground floor of the Alexandria Hotel features mug shots of celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Hugh Grant, Steve McQueen and Andy Dick. The owners describe it as a sports bar for local residents who don’t want to mingle with tourists.

Edison 108 W. Second St., (213) 613-0000 or edisondowntown.com.

Downtown history has come full circle in this former power plant turned stunning cocktail bar. The Edison is perhaps Downtown’s hottest hotspot and draws an eclectic crowd, including jaded Hollywood types who can’t help but gawk at the preserved bits of machinery, the huge generator and the coal box that now houses the jukebox.

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

This beer and burger-centric joint is tucked in an odd strip mall near Skid Row. No wonder its name means “The Hideout” in Spanish. There are nine craft beers on tap, plus 15 bottle varieties and a 56-seat patio that welcomes your furry pals (dogs, that is).

The Escondite also pairs its food and drink with regular live music.

What a find.

Far Bar 347 E. First St., (behind the Chop Suey Café), (213) 6179990 or chopsueycafeandlounge.com.

Tucked behind the Chop Suey Café is the Far Bar, where intimacy and a sense of noir L.A. collide. If you can find the place, which you enter through the back of the café or via a skinny alley a few doors down, you can throw them back in the same spot author Raymond Chandler is rumored to have done the same.

Figueroa Hotel 939 S. Figueroa St., (213) 627-8971 or figueroahotel.com.

The Moroccan-inspired Figueroa Hotel just a block north of Staples Center manages the unique feat of making you feel like you’re in the heart

of the city and removed from it at the same time. The light-filled Veranda Bar is just steps from the clear, glittery pool, and it’s common to see suitclad Downtowners a few feet from swimsuit-wearing Euro-tourists.

Five Stars Bar 269 S. Main St., (213) 625-1037.

Burgers, brew, billiards, art and live music. Cash only, amigos.

Gallery Bar Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles, 506 S. Grand Ave., (213) 624-1011 or millenniumhotels.com.

This elegant lounge in the Millennium Biltmore Hotel is known for its martinis, wines and vintage ports.

Golden Gopher 417 W. Eighth St., (213) 614-8001 or goldengopherbar.com.

This stylish, dimly lit space with exposed brick walls, chandeliers and golden gopher lamps has a rockin’ jukebox, cheap Pabst Blue Ribbon and an outdoor lounge for smokers. Best of all, it also has Ms. Pac Man and Galaga. The bar also has a rare take-out liquor counter.

Grand Star Jazz Club 943 Sun Mun Way, (213) 626-2285 or grandstarjazzclub.com.

Firecracker club heats things up every other Friday atop the Quon Brothers’ Grand Star. Start the evening at the latter, where the lapu lapus are wicked strong. There’s usually alternating karaoke and a good jazz trio. Upstairs you’ll find the indie/Brit pop haven known as Firecracker, a longtime dance club with good music and an eclectic, lively crowd.

Hop Louie 950 Mei Ling Way (Central Plaza), (213) 628-4244.

This is old school Chinatown, on the ground floor of the Hop Louie Restaurant, with slightly indifferent bartenders and décor — it’s actually a relief.

La Cita 336 S. Hill St., (213) 687-7111 or lacitabar.com.

Everything in this former Mexican Ranchero bar oozes red, from the vinyl booths lining the wall to the glowing light fixtures.

Hipsters, Latino regulars and artists mingle as DJs get their groove on during the week. Saturday and Sunday bring Hacienda Nights with traditional Ranchero music.

Las Perlas 107 E. Sixth St., (213) 988-8355 or

213nightlife.com/lasperlas.

This is Downtown bar impresario Cedd Moses’ ode to mescal, tequila’s crotchety old uncle with the smoky voice and wise cracks. The bar mixes some mean margaritas too.

Library Bar 630 W. Sixth St., (213) 614-0053 or librarybarla.com.

This dimly lit bar is more upscale than your typical pub, which means you won’t find a boisterous USC crowd here. A very busy happy hour draws associates from the law firm across the street, as well as bankers, secretaries and other professionals for the grown-up beer and wine selections. There’s a full bar, but the main attractions are the seven craft beers on tap.

Los Angeles Brewing Company 750 S. Broadway, (213) 622-0500 or labrewingco.com.

This massive beer den on Broadway promises 100 brews on tap, to go with a full menu that includes a range of eats, from typical bar food fare to steaks and salads. The bevy of big screens has rendered the watering hole a sports bar since it opened in early 2012. Make use of the doggy valet on the outdoor patio, where a patch of grass is reserved for Fido.

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

2 YOUR EVENT INFO

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.

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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.

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Los Angeles Downtown News GREAT SPACE Available for loft/UnfUrnished 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 Sublease - Available immediphone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 ately. 350 S. Figueroa St. (World web: DowntownNews.com • email: Traderealpeople@downtownnews.com Center Bldg.) 2 or 3

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We’re the Best address in Downtown L.A. Class A Building, AdvErtisiNG dirEctor: Steve Nakutin Class A Landlord, and you can walk to court! Full floor Law clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway Firm with sublease space avail.Catherine in furnished AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Yoji Cole, Josie Damian, Holloway high end build-out. sAlEs AssistANt: Hernandezrooms, 2 kitchens, library, sec. bays, Access to 5 Claudia conference Shortel phones, service center, State of the Art technology room. circulAtioN: Jessica Tarr distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

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general AdvErtisiNG dirEctor: Steve Nakutin clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Yoji Cole, Josie Damian, CONCEPTO’S Cleaning CatherineCrew.

Holloway Professional, experienced, cleans sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez apartments, homes, offices and restaurants. Call for a quote. 323-JessicaCivil circulAtioN: TarrService / Postal Clerks 459-3067 or 818-409-9183. distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles

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950 W. Washington Boulevard The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newsLos and Angeles, California paper for Downtown Los Angeles is distributed every90015 Monday throughout the officesTelephone: and residences213-748-8868 of Downtown Los Angeles.

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2013-2014 Invitation for Bid Vendor Information Packet Includes: KUR SPA Happy Hour from 2 to Invitation for Bid: 7pm, Monday to Friday: Any full professional Vended Meals body massage or facial $40 (55 2009 CHEVY MALIBU HYBRID mnts) Manicure and Pedicure Appendices ASSNT PASTOR: Fax resume: 4DR. Gray/Gray, Great Mileage, $25. $2.00 off any waxing. 412 Attachment A: Traditional The River of Living Water Church AC, Loaded F13074-1/ F131890 W. 6th Street #1111 relaxatkur.

Food-Based Menu Planning (213) 380-4311 Los Angeles, CA ONLY....$13,995 Call 888-304com. adabatun@yahoo.com.

Attachment B: Menu 90005 (213) 700-1758 7039 www.felixchevrolet.com 818-574-9882.

Production Records Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris Attachment C: GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin Certifications regarding ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension; Disclosure of citY Editor: Richard Guzmán Lobbying Activities (if apstAFF writEr: Donna Evans plicable); and Certificate coNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese of Independent Price www.lacondosearch.com DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM coNtributiNG writErs: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, Determination Buy • Sell • Lease • (310) 430-1949 Los Angeles Downtown News Kristin Friedrich, Kylie Jane Wakefield All certifications must be 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 returned with the submitted Maple Navarro, J.D. Art dirEctor: Brian Allison phone: 213-481-1448 bid.

• fax: 213-250-4617 Copies of current health BRE#01924421 AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa web: DowntownNews.com permits and proof of insurance navarromaple@gmail.com ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins email: realpeople@downtownnews.com must also be included for the For Sale bid to be considered complete.

PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard Elleven unit 603 1Bd 1Ba 1100 sq.ft. .......................$560K Please see the “Invitation for Elleven unit 1103 1Bd 1Ba 1080 sq.ft. .......................$599K facebook: AccouNtiNG: Tara LaPlante Bid: Vended Meals” for further Higgins unit 705 1Bd 1Ba 650 sq.ft. .......................$365K L.A. Downtown News For leaSe information.

AdvErtisiNG dirEctor: Steve Nakutin Elleven unit 801 1Bd 1Ba 2100 sq.ft. .......................$4,850/mo.

Sealed bids are due to clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG Catherine Holloway twitter: Elleven MANAGEr: unit 507 1Bd 1Ba 1080 sq.ft. .......................$2,650/mo.

Downtown Value School Evo Yoji unit 1906 2BdDamian, 2Ba 1170 sq.ft. .......................$3,595/mo.

DowntownNews AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Cole, Josie via mail or in person at 950 Catherine Holloway W. Washington Blvd., Los sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez ©2013 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown Angeles, CA, 90015 by 12 p.m.

News is a trademark of Civic Center 5, News Inc. All on August 2013. rights reserved.

For further information, please The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read circulAtioN: Jessica Tarr Erika Coronel, Nutrition newspaper for Downtowncontact Los Angeles and is disdistributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles tributed every Monday throughout the offices and Program Coordinator, residences of Downtown LosatAngeles. distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, 213-748-8868.

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HEMOPHILIA TREATMENT CENTER, 2400 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90007-2697, are hereby registered by the following registrant: ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL, 2400 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90007-2697. This business is conducted by a corporation.

Registrants has not begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on July 2, 2013.

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. 7/22, 7/29, 8/5, 8/12/2013 Fictitious Business name statement File no. 2013142323 The following person is doing business as: (1)ORTHOPAEDIC FOUNDATION, 2400 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 900072697, are hereby registered by

the following registrant: LOS ANGELES ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL FOUNDATION, 2400 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90007-2697. This business is conducted by a corporation.

Registrants has not begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on July 2, 2013.

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. 7/22, 7/29, 8/5, 8/12/2013 Fictitious Business name statement File no. 2013150892 The following person is doing business as: DT News, 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90028, are hereby registered by the following registrant: CIVIC CENTER NEWS, INC, 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90028. This business is con-

ducted by a corporation. Registrants has not begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein.

This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on July 19, 2013.

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. 7/29, 8/5, 8/12, 8/19/2013

LAST WEEKS ANSWERS

20 Downtown News

August 12, 2013

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

THEATER, 12

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!

It’s our business to make you comfortable... at home, downtown. Corporate and long term residency Call Now Fo is accommodated in high style at the Towers Apartments. Contemporary singles, studio, one r bedroom and two bedroom apartment homes provide fortunate residents with a courteous full service lobby attendant, heated pool, spa, complete fitness center, sauna and recreation room Move-In Spec with kitchen. Beautiful views extend from the Towers’ lofty homes in the sky. Mountain vistas and ial slender skyscrapers provide an incredible back drop to complement your decor. Far below are a host of businesses s ready to support your pampered downtown lifestyle. With spectacular cultural events nearby, even the most demanding tastes are satisfied. Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore. Visit the Towers Apartments today.

Grand Tower

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

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

On-site: ~ Dry Cleaners / Dental Office / Restaurants

Promenade Towers

123 South Figueroa Street Leasing Information 213 617 3777 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Pool / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Covered Parking

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove & Dishwasher ~ Central Air & Heating ~ Solariums and/or Balconies

On-Site: ~ Convenience Store / Coffee House / Yogurt Shop / Beauty Salon

museum Tower

225 South Olive Street Leasing Information 213 626 1500 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

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

8 7 7 - 2 65 - 714 6

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Critics runs through Sept.8.

a bit of themselves in the play. Still, he thinks it will appeal to nontheater types simply because of the humor, as well as the glimpse it provides of life behind the curtain.

“They’ll see some of the fun background stories that happen in the theater,” Sabel said.

Sabel admits that he sees himself in the story too.

“I’m definitely Mr. Puff,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Drugs in Downtown Writer and director Morris goes a different route in Breakthrough. Morris runs the Southern California Youth Theater, which was founded in 2000 and provides musical theater training for kindergarten through 12th grade students. The organization has mounted about 250 productions focusing on children’s theater throughout the city.

Breakthrough is definitely for an older crowd. The musical employs original rap and rock songs and a live band to tell the story of a group of young Downtown adults struggling with sex, drug and alcohol addictions.

“They’re trying to overcome their addictions and there’s a message of hope,” Morris said.

Although the Fullerton resident lived in Downtown a few years ago, he said his story is not autobiographical. Instead, he got the idea from his Echo Park church when, during a Sunday testimonial, a woman talked about doing drugs. Morris recalls that her breakthrough and decision to get clean came while she was looking in a mirror.

Morris said he thought about writing the story for more than a year, but did not get to it until he went on vacation to Colorado. His breakthrough moment was quite different than the woman from his church.

“The people I was staying with, their cable TV and Internet wasn’t working because they couldn’t afford it,” he recalls. “So every night instead of watching TV I started writing the script and music.”

The story concerns six main characters who live in Downtown.

It includes 17-year-old Miranda Miller of the local band Cheri Bomb who portrays Rebecca, a young girl who cuts herself.

Four of the characters are in the midst of addiction while two are recovering. The story also touches on the rough childhoods of some of the characters.

In between the dark subject matter are songs inspired by topics such as the 12-step program touted at Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. The Breakthrough version is a rap song where the steps are literal dance moves. There is also a tropical Jamaican number, some salsa songs and a live band playing rock tunes.

Critics runs Aug.16-Sept. 8 at the Archway Theatre, 308 S. Hewitt St., (213) 237-9933 or archwayla.com. Breakthrough runs Aug. 1625 at Art Share L.A., 801 E. Fourth Pl., (213) 687-4278 or southerncaliforniayouththeater.com. richard@downtownnews.com.