08-22-16 by Los Angeles Downtown News

A Union Station Peep Show : 5 Checking Out the Retail Scene : 6

August 22, 2016 I VOL. 45 I #34

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2 Downtown News

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Soccer Stadium Breaks Ground This Week

he Sports Arena in Exposition Park is being demolished. Now, the future of the site is ready to begin: A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Los Angeles Football Club stadium takes place on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 10 a.m. at 3939 S. Figueroa St. Designed by the Downtown-based architecture firm Gensler, the stadium will seat 22,000 people. The $250 million project also includes a 140,000-square-foot complex of office space, restaurants and a soccer museum. The stadium is expected to be ready in time for the 2018 Major League Soccer season. The team is owned by a collection of investors including Apollo Global Management partner Larry Berg and Riot Games co-founder Brandon Beck. Minority owners include actor Will Ferrell and former Dodger Nomar Garciaparra.

Park Opening Pushed Back To January

he massive Los Angeles State Historic Park, near the northeastern edge of Chinatown, has been closed since April 2014. The reopening following a $20 million renovation has been pushed back repeatedly, including once for surprise soil contamination. Most recently it was scheduled to debut this summer, but now it has been delayed again, this time until Janu-

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS ary 2017, according to Sean Woods, Los Angeles sector superintendent for the California State Parks department. What’s the holdup this time? Turns out the department is waiting for the grass to grow — literally. The process would move quicker if park officials could just use local water, but because of the ongoing drought, there is a legal mandate to use imported reclaimed water, Woods said. The watering is happening in two phases through August and September, with time to let the grass grow and stabilize before visitors are allowed in. In addition to green space, the new park will offer a wetlands area, a paved parking lot, an events promenade and more.

August 22, 2016

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

owntowners who have not yet registered to vote in the November presidential election can now do so as they grab lunch. That’s because, for the next two months, the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles will be orchestrating signups at Grand Central Market. A booth will be set up in the market at Third Street and Broadway every Wednesday and Saturday, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., through the voter registration cutoff date of Oct. 19. The Grand Central Market ownership invited the organization to set up a booth, according to Marilu Guevara, the executive director of the LWVLA. “At this point we have registered dozens of people and more importantly, it’s the type we have been registering,” Guevara said. “We have been registering a lot of first-time voters.” Guevara said that the volunteers at the booth will also provide information on how to find polling

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Convention Center Reports Record Revenues

he Los Angeles Convention Center has reported a massive jump in business and revenue for the fiscal year that ended June 30. How big? The reported $8.1 million is nearly triple the $2.8 million from the previous year, and is a record-breaking figure, according to Convention Center operator Anschutz Entertainment

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Group, which also owns L.A. Live. Its AEG Facilities subsidiary was hired to run the complex in 2013, with the goal of boosting revenues and tackling needed improvements. “We are impressed with AEG’s LACC team and their ability to consistently deliver exceptional financial results, which in turn save millions of dollars for the City’s General Fund annually,” said Convention Center Executive Director Bud Ovrom in a prepared statement. The facility saw a 30% increase in large convention bookings in the last fiscal year, which officials partly credited to a tighter partnership between the Convention Center and the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board.

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4 Downtown News

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CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla August 22, 2016

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EDITORIALS

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

The Long-Awaited Return of Park Fifth

roundbreakings for mega-million dollar projects in Downtown Los Angeles are no longer rare. This is both strange and wonderful — for decades the community lagged behind other neighborhoods as a destination for housing and EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris nightlife. Now, it seems as if developers are tripping GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin over each other to buy a parcel and pour money into EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie a project that will contain hundreds of apartments SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim or condominiums. STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton Still, some groundbreakings merit special attention. CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese S I N C E 19 7 2 One of those occurred last month: On July 26, the deCONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer Los Angeles Downtown News veloper MacFarlane Partners embarked on construc1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 tion on the first phase of Park Fifth, on the plot north ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 of Pershing Square. The initial seven-story building will ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa web: DowntownNews.com create 313 housing units. The second phase would be email: realpeople@downtownnews.com PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard a 24-story tower with nearly 350 residences. facebook: What makes this groundbreaking stand out is that ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt L.A. Downtown News it comes nearly a decade after the original Park Fifth CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway twitter: was scheduled to start construction. Developer David ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, DowntownNews S I N C E 19 7 2 Houk was behind a project that would stand 76 stories Michael Lamb Downtown —Los theAngeles tallest building inNews the West, before the Wilshire ©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved. 1264 W. First Street, had Los Angeles, CA 90026— with a 218Grand replacement been proposed The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newsphone: 213-481-1448 • fax: room five-star hotel and 732213-250-4617 condominiums. CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon paper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Though audacious, it also seemed viable, with DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles Los Angeles. some high-profile 2007, DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla One copy per person. facebook: events and backing. In June twitter: time — we’re impressed by this digital opening of the archives. a Los Angeles Downtown of atne of Los Angeles’ strengths is its diversity. The city, inL.A. Downtown NewsNews reporter wrote DowntownNews tending a Park Fifth “salon” at the Museum of Condeed the entire county, is a melting pot of backgrounds The museum is a strong addition to El Pueblo, the city’s birthtemporary Art. Former Mayor Jim Hahn was in the and cultures (even if they don’t EDITOR always &melt together place, which already attracts millions of visitors each year, many PUBLISHER: Sue Laris EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris crowd at the happening hosted by L.A. power player as much as would be ideal). Many see Los Angeles as a singular drawn by the Mexican marketplace at Olvera Street. El Pueblo, GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin Andrea Van de Kamp. Park Fifth martinis and Wolf21st century city precisely because of its mix of people including which unbeknownst to most people is a city department, is also EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie gang Puck appetizers were served. Developers talk(but not limited to) Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans positioning itself for the future. In 2012, it unveiled the preserved EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie WRITER: Eddie Kim edSENIOR up a 2010 opening. and people of European descent. David Alfaro Siqueiros mural “Americá Tropical,” and the artwork SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim Nicholas Slaytondownturn, which devas STAFF ThenWRITER: came the economic Many of these backgrounds are celebrated at museums and STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slaytonhas accompanying text and displays that explain the significance. CONTRIBUTING Maese and across the tated so many EDITOR: projectsKathryn in Downtown cultural institutions across the region —CONTRIBUTING Downtown’s EDITOR: roster in Nearby is a testament to another part of Los Angeles’ past: the Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeffthe Favre, Greg Fischer country. Plans stalled and centrally located parcludes the Japanese American National Museum and the Califor- Chinese American Museum. It openedS in and7has I N2003, C E 19 2 done a fine CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer cel continued operate nia African American Museum in Exposition Park, as two examjob of educating visitors about the role this community played ART DIRECTOR:to Brian Allisonas a parking lot. Los Angeles Downtown News ples. Last week, Los Angeles DowntownART News reported on the across the centuries. Fortunately, CAM, the Siqueiros mural and the ASSISTANT As with many projectsYumi thatKanegawa never reached a ART DIRECTOR: DIRECTOR: Brian Allison 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 newest addition to the lineup: The Italian American Museum of YumiItalian American Museum are all free to visit. • fax: 213-250-4617 groundbreaking due to the recession, Park Fifth phone: 213-481-1448 ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Kanegawa PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard Los Angeles opened Sunday, Aug. 14, at El Pueblo de Los Angechanged hands. MacFarlane closed escrow on the The two hardest parts ofweb: anyDowntownNews.com cultural project are raising monACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt les Historical Monument. site in 2014 and began preparing a new vision. The Italianrealpeople@downtownnews.com American Museum backers PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard ey and preparing a space. email: developer also promised to contribute financialhave fixed up the 1908 building known as the Italian Hall, which The museum was a long time coming, with the first discussions CLASSIFIEDhas ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway facebook: lyACCOUNT to the proposed makeover of Pershing Square. and other events for of a facility celebrating the role of Italians in the city taking place ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt a century ago hosted weddings, meetings EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb L.A. Downtown News the Italian community. some two decades ago. Raising the money, assembling the exhibits SALES It is somewhat unfortunate that the first building ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway and upgrading a 108-year-old building areCLASSIFIED all momentous achieveon the site will be seven stories, and not a 76-floor Equally impressive is the fundraising.twitter: The project cost $4.5 milCIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherinelion Holloway, ments. We congratulate the team that worked so hard for so long. landmark — Downtown needs density. Still, activat— securing cash from individuals and foundations in the postDowntownNews DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb recession years was no easy task. ing the property and increasing the community’s The museum is not huge, just 6,000 square feet. That said, it DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla ASSISTANT: Claudia critical mass is a good thing. Hopefully the second thoughtfully tells the story of the role thatSALES Italian immigrants and Hernandez The result of all that work is a destination that Inc. willLos bring more ©2016 Civic Center News, Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News phase, will Inc. have their descendants have played over more than 200 years, with secpeople to Downtown Los Angeles. Ideally they’ll like what they ©2016 the Civic tower, Center News, Lossome Angelesarchitectural Downtown News heft. is a trademark of Civic Inc. All rights reserved. Inc. All reserved. tions on topics such as Italian culture, early arrivals to the city and regularly to the vast Center RealNews estate is rights a game of risks, and the bigger the The Los Angeles Downtown News and is the fascinatmust-read CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon see so much that they return The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is disthrough a collection ing community. project, the bigger the gamble. howev- of Downtowneven and is distributed every Monday throughoutUltimately, the offices and residences Los anti-Italian sentiment. It comes aliveDISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles tributed every Monday throughout the offices and of photographs, artifacts, documents, maps, clothing and more. er,Angeles. it’s what rises (and then sells) that counts. We’re Congratulations to the Italian American Museum team. The new residences of Downtown Los Angeles. DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, One copytoper person. There is also a hefty high-tech component, including tablets allowpleased see activity on this prime parcel. facility is a fitting tribute to the past, and it will serve the city well One copy per person. Gustavo Bonilla ing visitors to glimpse the thousands of items not on display at any into the future.

Downtown’s New Museum

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin

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

twitter: DowntownNews

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

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

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August 22, 2016

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

The Union Station Peep Show Transit Hub’s Art Installation Features Seven Cryptic Works By Eddie Kim housands of people in Downtown Los Angeles are getting a rise from peering through peepholes at Union Station — but it’s not quite what you think. Stroll into the transit hub’s historic west concourse and there it is, a giant blond-wood box that looks vaguely like an old-fashioned shipping container. Most passersby can’t help but step up to it, and soon realize that it’s pockmarked with little holes. One by one, they lean and squint, cocking their heads and looking like curious hens. And one by one, they stand back up and walk away with a grin, a cocked eyebrow or a confused frown. The box is an art exhibit titled “The Cabinet of Curiosities,” but “curiosities” undersells the intrigue and charm tucked away in each of the seven works seen through the peepholes. Arranged by longtime L.A. art curator Carl Berg, “Cabinet” is an exploration of contemporary art styles that employs themes of voyeurism, miniaturized lives and individual perspective. It just happens to be free and in the middle of one of Downtown’s busiest public spaces, rather than in a gallery or museum. It runs through Aug. 31. “It’s a throwback to an older way of creating spectacle,” Berg said. “In the late 19th century, you had stereoscopic photos. Or, later, cranking a film machine to watch something individually before theaters became possible. What’s important is that you can only look at them one person

at a time. It’s your private view and experience.” Berg’s artists range in age and experience, and their works are equally varied. Keith Lord’s “Windows and Mirrors” feels like sneaking a look into a stranger’s room, only to see endless reflections and glass shining back. “Recollection” by Ashley Hagen uses multiple peepholes for an unsettling “tour” of a broken home. Andre Yi’s “Habitat for an Angeleno” is a hypnotic take on a built environment. David DiMichele’s “Light Rods” imagines an impossible art exhibit, while Noel Korten’s “NEARLY” hints at an apocalyptic astronomic phenomenon. Tanya Brodsky’s “Corner Bars XX” is a study of flowing form and composition. Last, but certainly most abstract, is Cecilia Miniucchi’s “I Can’t See Anything,” a seeming homage to James Turrell’s light experiments plus “This Is Not a Pipe” by Belgian surrealist René Magritte and other ironic explorations of meta language. The project began after a chance meeting between Berg and Roberta Silverman, a publicist for Union Station. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns and operates the transit hub, approved the concept and Berg began reaching out to artists. Yi, who had collaborated with Berg in the past, signed on in April. He was given the same size space as the other artists (two feet wide and long, and six inches high, though a couple were modified) in which to build his diorama. He quickly got to work in his studio at the Bendix Building in the Fashion District, gluing sticks and experimenting with light and shadow as

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he searched for the perfect optical effect. “One of the unique aspects is that the whole art-viewing experience is turned inside-out,” Yi said. “You’re usually in a room, in the middle looking out toward a piece on the wall or something like that. This is the opposite, and it happens in the huge waiting room, which I love.” The hyper-public nature of the work is, in a sense, a critique of what can make art inaccessible for the general public. People who visit galleries or museums are making a conscious effort to experience art, Yi noted, whereas those at Union Station largely approach “The Cabinet of Curiosities” with no context and no prejudices. “Union Station is not just Angelenos but travelers, tourists, everyone coming through that space,” he said. “I almost feel better having an exhibition like this in a much more public space because I feel like an ambassador to L.A.”

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Berg has a slightly different take on the issue: Public art often tends to be “plop art,” like a sculpture outside a building, he observed. Pushing more varied and challenging works, especially contemporary art, is far more educational. “Union Station choosing temporary art installations, that just gives more artists the opportunity to show and makes the exhibition an event,” Berg added. “I hope to see more of it.” “Cabinet” is departing in a week and a half, and wraps up a summer slate of music, art and screenings at Union Station. Metro says more programming is on the way, and with any luck, it will feature works with both aesthetic skill and tricky points of view — though they probably won’t involve looking through peepholes. “The Cabinet of Curiosities” is up through Aug. 31 at Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St. or unionstationla.com/happenings. eddie@downtownnews.com

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6 Downtown News

As Downtown’s Retail Scene Booms, Some Worry About the Future

Derrick Moore of the firm Avison Young has been helping fill Downtown retail space for more than a decade. He’s concerned about the rates many landlords are trying to get. “The pricing for retail space is better suited for a more mature market, because it’s too expensive,” he said.

Rents Are Rising as Residents Arrive. But Have You Noticed All Those ‘For Lease’ Signs? By Eddie Kim he signs are everywhere. Literally. From a string of spaces in developer Hanover Company’s South Park apartment buildings, to the base of the office tower at 615 W. Sixth St., to the Spring Arcade Building in the Historic Core, the “Retail For Lease” signs have bloomed across Downtown Los Angeles. The surge of both new development and upgraded older buildings in Downtown has brought not only thousands of residents, but hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail space. This comes as a number of high-profile stores have already opened and found a clientele, with chains such as H&M and Zara settling in the FIGat7th shopping center, and Urban Outfitters and Ross Dress for Less landing on Broadway. The residential rise and the new retail arrivals have a number of market analysts and Downtown stakeholders feeling rosy about the future. In their eyes, the “For Lease” signs hint at further growth and additional activity. Others, however, are urging caution. While local real estate experts are not using the B word — bubble — more than one pointed to storefronts in seemingly attractive areas that have stood empty for six months or longer,

whether because of supply issues or price. This comes as a wave of huge retail projects are on the horizon. Avison Young Principal Derrick Moore has been helping fill retail space in Downtown for a decade, and he’s among the first to laud the real estate boom. That said, he is concerned that landlords both new and old are asking for rents that are unsustainable. “Simply put, residential density hasn’t caught up to pricing,” Moore said. “The pricing for retail space is better suited for a more mature market, because it’s too expensive. A lot of new tenants are coming here, but there’s a lot being left on the table.” Rents, much like housing costs, are largely determined by supply and demand. While some observers blame landlords or developers for jacking up prices and kicking out older tenants, there’s only so much a property owner can ask for before they hit the limits of the market, said longtime Downtown developer Yuval Bar-Zemer, principal of the firm Linear City. That said, Bar-Zemer sees increasingly aggressive deals that he believes are likely to backfire for landlords and tenants alike. “The inflation of rent has been so radical that whoever entered in the last two years is proba-

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bly the most vulnerable,” Bar-Zemer said. “Within the next year, we’re gonna see casualties.” Upward Mobility Asking retail rents in Downtown have increased from an average of $2.16 per square foot in the first quarter of 2013 to $2.85 in the same period this year, according to an analysis by real estate firm CBRE. Though prices are rising, they still lag submarkets such as West Los Angeles (averaging a staggering $7.31 per square foot) and Mid-Wilshire ($3.55). Although the “For Lease” signs are spread across the community, major shopping centers are filled. The CBRE report found that the va-

cancy rate in Downtown malls with more than 50,000 square feet of space is just 3.1%, tied for the lowest in the Greater L.A. region. What’s more, absorption of new retail space remains strong, said Petra Durnin, research and analysis director for CBRE. Although at least eight projects with a major retail component are in the pipeline (see sidebar), Durnin is bullish on the future. “Even between the large projects we track like the Arts District’s At Mateo and the groundfloor retail space in housing complexes coming online, there’s plenty of room to grow in DownContinued on page 8

August 22, 2016

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8 Downtown News

RETAIL, 6 town. The residential and employment base hasn’t hit its ceiling and that’s only a good thing for retail,” Durnin noted. “We’ve seen a lot of product come online, but overall, it still remains pretty low.” The Downtown Center Business Improvement District’s second-quarter market report shows similar optimism. It found a 4% vacancy rate overall, down from 6% in the BID’s report from the end of 2015. That’s a big reason why landlords, especially in new projects, are asking for prices far beyond the $3 mark, said Avison Young’s Moore. Demanding $5-$7 per square foot is becoming common, he said, with some mega-projects looking for per-square-foot rents upwards of $10, with an eye toward luxury shops and brands with international cachet. Some of the hottest action in the past two years has come in the Arts District’s retail market, which Bar-Zemer calls “hyperinflated.” He thinks it could be a barometer for other areas of Downtown. “There’s a sense of scarcity where people think they have to open a store Downtown, and that typically drives an escalation of rents and expectations. Existing landlords that had $1.50 per square foot, if they hear a rumor of $3 around them, that sets an internal standard,” he said. “Plus, new projects are coming to the market with the advice of brokers, but I think pricing is higher than the market can afford. It’s a formula for disaster.” Not all retail space is financed and marketed the same. National housing developer Forest City is looking for rents in the $3.50-$4 per square foot range in its coming Blossom Plaza complex in Chinatown. While that is high for the neighborhood, the company isn’t relying on its 18,000 square feet of retail as a major component of turning a profit, said Vice President of Development Frank Frallicciardi. “We choose a realistic approach when underwriting retail,” he said. “When you have hundreds of units of apartments, a little per-square-foot boost in income from those is far more impactful.”

August 22, 2016

10 Coming Retail Additions

he Downtown Los Angeles retail scene has expanded in the past five years, but that’s nothing compared to what is proposed for the next five. There are more than a dozen projects either under construction or in the works that will have a major retail component. All told, Downtown could see more than a million additional square feet of retail and restaurant space. Here are 10 of the biggest projects: Metropolis: The two-phase, $1 billion mega-project just north of L.A. Live will feature four towers sitting atop more than 70,000 square feet of retail space on two levels along Francisco Street. The first phase, a 350-room Indigo hotel and a 38-story condo tower, is slated to debut this year. At Mateo: A massive office and retail complex is rising at Mateo and Palmetto streets in the Arts District. When it opens next March, it will tout 130,000 square feet of retail space and parking for 540 cars. Row DTLA: Developer Atlas Capital is renovating the factory buildings and warehouses on 30 acres at Seventh and Alameda streets, with plans to ultimately have several hundred thousand square feet for retail, comprising about 100 shops and 15 restaurants.

The Bloc: The $180 million renovation of the old Macy’s Plaza from developer Ratkovich Company is nearly complete, with 400,000 square feet of retail in one of Downtown’s busiest corridors. Macy’s occupies 240,000 square feet square feet of space. The movie theater Alamo Drafthouse will open next year. rendering courtesy RTKL

Wilshire Grand Tower: The tallest tower in Downtown is headed toward a March 2017 opening, and will debut with 45,000 square feet of retail space on its ground floor. Plans call for high-end dining and luxury shops. Broadway Trade Center: The redevelopment of the huge building at 830 S. Hill St. is underway, with plans to create more than 70,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor and additional shopping, offices and hotel rooms above. Oceanwide Plaza: The three-tower project from Chinese developer Oceanwide is rising in South Park. A 100-foot-tall podium will house an open-air shopping galleria with more than 166,000 square feet of retail space on two floors. It is on track to open in 2018. Circa: Just south of Oceanwide Plaza is the two-tower Circa, which will create 48,000 square feet of retail space on its ground

A rendering of the retail space that would rise on two levels at the Oceanwide Plaza project in South Park.

floor. It is slated to debut in late 2017. Shenzhen Hazens South Park: Yet another Chinese-funded massive mixeduse development in South Park. The project from Shenzhen Hazens is scheduled to break ground in 2017 and create three towers (condos and hotel) with 80,000 square feet of retail just north of Oceanwide Plaza. The Luxe Hotel is there now. City Market: The first phase is nearly ready to debut with 75,000 square feet of retail space at one of Downtown’s most ambitious developments. City Market could take two decades to complete, but plans ultimately call for 225,000 square feet of retail space. —Eddie Kim

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Getting financing from hesitant partners in a post-recession climate may have inspired some developers to push their estimates of how much retail rent could boost the bottom line, said Rob Murphy, vice president of the structured finance group at real estate firm Transwestern. There are other factors in play, such as lagging foot traffic in certain neighborhoods and parking shortages, he added. Moore has noticed the same problems, and believes high rents are turning away prospective brands, especially mid-market ones like outlet shops or Pottery Barn. “Brands aren’t taking chances. It’s about $250$300 a foot for the build-out for the tenant. So then they have to subsidize costs to get customers,” he said. “An increase in the minimum wage is also going to kick in. After that, how are you going to justify $5-$7 a square foot?” Moore believes this is why Downtown is seeing an influx of high-end boutiques filling small spaces — think of the corner of Ninth Street and Broadway near the Ace Hotel — rather than more mid-market options. He calls it an “atypical trend.” Changing the Mindset As time goes on, property owners will need to adjust their expectations, said Hal Bastian, the former longtime head of economic development for the Downtown Center BID who now works as an independent business consultant. He added that property owners will need to work harder and invest more in research and marketing. “If you build it expecting them to come, you are mistaken,” Bastian said. “The community could be doing better than it’s doing. It’s common through every real estate cycle. When

markets get hot, people get overconfident and they stop doing the work.” Then there’s the question of how gentrification in the retail market will change the character of Downtown. The influential urban theorist Jane Jacobs supported the possibility of “good” gentrification. In her 1961 book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, she wrote that economic growth from within the community and from outsiders brings “new blood, new disposable income, and often helps the pride of the neighborhood because some things are visibly improved.” Jacobs stressed, however, that economic diversity is key for the health of an urban core. Indeed, a number of Downtown stakeholders hope to see the community retain its mix of new and old, even if they themselves are agents of change. “All the old stuff can’t stay the same, but it can’t all become new stock. Older uses is what makes Downtown unique compared to Santa Monica,” said Forest City Director of Development K.C. Yasmer. “Quite honestly, new concepts are trying to emulate pre-existing Downtown innovators.” The irony of that is obvious, considering that plucky owner-operated shops and restaurants are less attractive to larger developers who want tenants with high revenues and a track record of success, Bastian noted. Fewer landlords seem willing to take a chance on less known, but possibly fresher, concepts, Moore added. “A place like RiceBar or The Last Bookstore can’t get off the ground without rents even lower than what mid-range brands want,” he said. “We’re ultimately going to lose innovators. As a community, are we comfortable with that?”

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The “For Lease” retail signs are spread across Downtown, including this one on Broadway.

photo by Gary Leonard

That question weighs heavily on Sandy Bleifer, who founded the consulting firm DownTown Enterprises in 1995 and the real-estate business Downtown L.A. Realty in 2005. The demographic of new residents moving to Downtown has a higher median income than in Beverly Hills, she said. Now a Venice resident and artist, Bleifer remarked how Abbot Kinney Boulevard has become home to major luxury and international brands, with some longtime property owners shutting their own indepen-

dent businesses to collect big rents instead. Bleifer is concerned with how difficult it will be to support offbeat tenants or less flashy uses in Downtown — she pointed to the difficulty in finding a long-term home for the Metro Charter Elementary School. “One needs to wonder whether these new high-end retail trends will have a short shelf life and fizzle out in a downturn, or whether we are just being nostalgic for times past,” she said. “Maybe we just have to let it go.” eddie@downtownnews.com

photo by Tom Weatherill

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August 22, 2016

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THE 12 BANDS YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST SEE AT FYF FEST

The eclectic Saturday lineup at FYF Fest includes (top to bottom) synth poppers Junior Boys, post-hardcore act Shellac and British DJ Floating Points.

By Dan Johnson ulturally speaking, Los Angeles is spoiled rotten. We have a surplus of fantastic art museums, top-notch dance and theater and enough movie theaters showing first-run indie flicks to make your friends back in Boise cry. Then there’s the music line-up, and although the sounds never stop, there may be no higher moment than L.A.’s signature pulse-of-the-people festival. It’s the FYF Fest, and the all-ages event manages to outdo itself every year. That’s the case again this week, and on Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 27-28, the air around Exposition Park will reverberate with some of the finest artists in the world. Spread out across four stages are 55 acts ranging from upstart fuzz metal to finely tuned art pop to cityrepping hip-hop. You can’t see it all, nor should you try. How-

photo by Ester Segarra

photo © Camille Blake

The Genre-Smashing Festival Returns, Better and More Dynamic Than Ever

The bill on Sunday is also a lesson in sonic diversity. Performers include genre busting Chelsea Wolfe, macabre folk purveyor Father John Misty and fuzz metal act Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats.

ever, if you want to get your head blown, be sure to catch these dozen dynamic acts. Saturday Kendrick Lamar: Hip-hop is strewn with colossal egos. Lamar’s great victory is bucking the trend of image over substance. “I ain’t got no jewelry on me… I got my jewelry in me,” is a mantra for the Compton MC who built his name by weaving blistering flows through a musical fabric that unites issues of race, heritage, politics, family, love and death. As he experiments with the unions between the personal and the public, and jazz and hip-hop, Lamar has come to represent Los Angeles’ finest aspirations for acknowledgement and healing. He’ll deservedly close FYF on Saturday. Air: The Versailles duo have spent two decades channeling disco, pop psychedelia and vintage electronica through masterful command

of analog equipment. Air is a sight to be seen. Their near-immobile stage presence is heightened with pristine gear and custom tailored ’70s chic garb guaranteed to remind you of Herman Melville’s assertion that, “in most people’s estimation, to do anything coolly is to do it genteelly.” Literary comparisons aside, Air has a catalog of carefully crafted electro-acoustic work that soars, haunts, grooves and generally reminds the listener to enjoy warm, late-summer evenings. Shellac: Steve Albini is a wizard. The Shellac founding man (for old punks, he also fronted Big Black) has an unparalleled record producing and engineering career working with the Pixies, Nirvana, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, among many others. In post-hardcore veterans Shellac, you’ll hear a contentious joy. Albini and crew have taken pains to strip off the genre’s

tired molding and faded varnish. The result is raw angst delivered through pristine acoustics that yield great sawing lines of ’90s dissension. Junior Boys: The FYF demographic demands serious doses of synth pop. This year, festival organizers deliver with Ontario duo Junior Boys, who have steadily kicked out some sophisticated pop electronica. In their smoothly melancholic Begone Dull Care, they elevated an easylistening croon with a brand of creative key changes and cool depth. They return this year with Big Black Coat, an album that builds off a gift for piecing together razor sharp and evermolting electro lines. Floating Points: Those who work in beach clean-up will be delighted to know that Floating Points is a cerebral British DJ with strong electro chops, and not a dirty needle sight-

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August 22, 2016 ing. Beyond his thumping, turbulent flirtations with a modularmeets-dance-turned-ambient techno sound, Floating Points himself carries a PhD in neuroscience with an emphasis in epigenetics (the study of variety in genetic development). Experience the embryonic dawn of trans-generational taste makers by witnessing Floating Points’ Saturday DJ set and Sunday live performance. Kamaiyah: The future of West Coast hip-hop is on full display early Saturday. Oakland’s Kamaiyah claims Aaliyah and TLC as influences. Her A Good Night in the Ghetto mixtape features a bombastic presence equivalent to her role models, but we’re afraid Kamaiyah might have sold herself short. She’s a heavy hitter destined to destroy many a sub-woofer cone and embarrass legions of less-gifted male vocalists. Bompton blaster YG has already taken Kamaiyah under his wing; you can hear her on his recent Still Brazy album. His signature heavy bass/’90s retro synth sizzle practically oozes out of her tracks as well. Sunday Grace Jones: Behold the queen of pop chic. Jones is known for her androgynous aesthetic, complete with exaggerated glam wardrobe, angular makeup and a tight, shorn Eraserhead hairdo. The look gels with her potent blend of sonic styles, where Jamaican dancehall bleeds into disco, new wave and consummate leading lady aplomb. Jones’ latest release flirts with slick dub low end. In summary, you will experience a bombastic blend of styles executed with customary groove in a tableau steeped in cultural cachet. Tell your friends. Father John Misty: Josh Tillman (aka Father John Misty) uses a macabre folk persona to push a razor-sharp cultural critique festooned in satire. He has captivated audiences with dark acoustic music that speaks about the perversion of the suburbs and the lobotomy that is modern pop spectatorship. Perhaps you have indulged in his music videos, or maybe you glimpsed the nowviral clips of his recent on-stage meltdown in Camden, New Jersey. We can’t guarantee which show you’ll get at FYF, but we can vouch for the skills of this captivating anti-icon. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats: How refreshing it is to discover something true to its word. There’s nothing disingenuous about Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats — they smash gobs of doom, gloom, sludge and grudge into vintage fuzz metal. The lads from Cambridge are not here for the fashion show. They’ve come to plug in, punish and generally pursue the merriment associated with headbanging, and are primed to dish out their crusty grime. As role models, they may be dubious choices. As anchors of the festival’s heavy end, they get the job done. Chelsea Wolfe: Music journalists struggle to describe inventive new artists, regularly falling back on the vocabulary of well-worn genres. Which brings us to Wolfe, who might be tagged as acoustic goth, brooding, mistuned, orchestra-conjuring, macabre folk, or perhaps chilly-electronica-borrowing. Whatever. Wolfe is the rare artist who comes around to shatter the nomenclature of criticism. In her hypnotic command over disparate influences from the dark bandwidth of pop music, Wolfe forces us to hear music in a way that redefines categorization. Wild Nothing: In the same way brewers dicker over the microtaste notes dividing your typical East Coast and West Coast IPAs, so too could we split hairs about regional synth pop. Wild Nothing, for instance, lays subtle programming beneath stringy MidAtlantic guitars, punchy Strokes-esque beats and an overall atmospheric vocal quality harkening to the halcyon scenery of their native Blacksburg, Virginia. However you slice the cake, Wild Nothing has been shockingly prolific over the past six years. There’s a hefty bag of texture-telling songs to draw from. Andy Stott: The Manchester producer and DJ is notable for the crushing collage feel of his dystopic dub house. Distorted bits of hideous, overwrought sound stack in the background as bits of ambient source samples patch together a kaleidoscope cityscape in the foreground. His plumbing beats and mushrooming samples feel like a fever dream done up acid house style. Let the resourceful rhythms of our nightmarish future-beat rock and sway your positivist, Laurel Canyon-yearning self. You may just learn something. FYF Fest is Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 27-28, at Exposition Park. Tickets and information at fyffest.com.

Downtown News 11

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Restaurant Buzz

is operations director Barbara Jacobs, who previously worked with Andrew Meieran’s Edison bar. Coming to 541 S. Broadway.

Bar 107 Returns (Kinda), Another Arts District Coffee Shop, And More Downtown Food Happenings By Eddie Kim at, Drink and Be Merry: The culinary spectacle known as Los Angeles Food and Wine returns this week, and there’s still time to snag tickets to a slew of Downtown events. The festival runs Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 25-28, with a cadre of Downtown chefs, plus a bevy of their peers from around the country, offering $115-$175 lunches and dinners at Central City hotspots. The great Emeril Lagasse kicks things off on Thursday with a dinner dubbed “Eat the World” at First Street and Grand Avenue. Otium and chef Tim Hollingsworth host Jon Shook (Animal) and Jeremy Fox (Rustic Canyon) on Friday. Also Friday is a lunch from chef Shawn Pham alongside Jessica Largey (formerly of the acclaimed Manresa) at Pham’s Little Tokyo spot Simbal. Rounding out the Downtown offerings is the blowout “Live on Grand” on Saturday evening, with 30 chefs, 50 wineries and a soundtrack of live music. Tickets to all these events were still available at press time. More information and tickets at lafw.com.

Take It Easy: We have some bad news for fans of the excellent Filipino lunch spot Amboy, tucked into the corner of chef Alvin Cailan’s incubator restaurant Unit 120 at Far East Plaza in Chinatown: It’s gone. Then again, you should have expected that from a temporary incubator space. In its place at the counter window is Easy’s, a burger concept from Cailan and nightlifer Jeremy Fall (Nighthawk). Easy’s started serving last week, and it touts a simple menu: $9 for a single-patty burger, fries and a drink, with cheese as a $1 add-on and a handful of specialty burgers on tap. Frequent collaborator and pastry chef Isa Fabro is also jumping in with made-from-scratch milkshakes. Easy’s is open from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. And what of Amboy? Expect it to return in dinner form, or perhaps even in a standalone location, Fabro said. At 727 N. Broadway.

Bar 107’s Return?: When Brian Traynam and Vee Delgadillo’s divey gem Bar 107 closed last year, it was considered the end of an era of cheap, noisy Historic Core drinking. Now it appears that Traynam wants to re-create some of the old magic — on the floor above his Skid Row-adjacent burger bar The Escondite. Traynam is filing plans with the city to open a 4,000-square-foot space on the second floor of the building at 410 Boyd St., plus another 2,000 square feet of tikilounge space on the roof. Project consultant Lee Rabun of CLR Enterprises said the goal is to debut next spring. Delgadillo (Down N Out, Little Easy) is not involved with the project. Coming to 410 Boyd St.

August 22, 2016

photo courtesy of L.A. Food and Wine

The four-day Los Angeles Food and Wine festival returns on Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 25-28, with a plethora of chefs from Downtown, including Alvin Cailan.

Pass the Pint: Speaking of Downtown classics shuttering and reopening, the Spring Arcade Building is about to get a dose of English pub love, as Clayton’s Public House is nearing the finish line. The pub drew a following in its original Arts District digs, but closed in 2010. Now, Elizabeth Peterson (a land-use consultant on several Downtown projects) and co-owner/husband Tony Gower are eyeing a fall opening, as well as revealing some details. Expect 32 taps with beers primarily from the California craft scene, plus labels from international breweries, a focused wine list and seasonal cocktails. The food will come from chef Cody Diegel (The Larchmont), with an emphasis on communal small and medium plates (what’s new?). Rounding out the team

RIP FOH: You know what the boom in Downtown restaurant openings means? A lot of things, one of which is Downtown restaurant closings. The latest victim is FOH, or Front of House, the spacious restaurant and bar on the ground floor of a Financial District tower at 615 S. Flower St. It initially billed itself as a modern Mexican spot, but soon became a sort of AmericanAngeleno hybrid. The food offerings, especially the daily specials, were fairly strong, but its lack of a clear identity and lagging foot traffic hurt in a supercharged restaurant market with wild competition. Coming to the space is West Hollywood Irish bar Rock and Reilly’s, and its reps told food blog Eater L.A. that it could open in time for football season. The menu features modernized bar fare (wings, tater tots, wraps, burgers, etc.) and no doubt plenty of Guinness and Jameson will be a-flowin’ at the bar. Real talk: Does the Financial District really need a third Irish pub? Apparently, the free market will figure that one out. Coming to 615 S. Flower St. or rnrpub.com. Got any juicy food news? If so, contact Restaurant Buzz at eddie@ downtownnews.com.

August 22, 2016

Downtown News 13

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DT The Don't Miss List

CALENDAR LISTINGS EVENTS

Some ’90s Rock, a Country Night, Free DJ Music and More Downtown Fun By Dan Johnson | calendar@downtownnews.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25 Renee Petropoulos at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel 901 E. Third St., (213) 943-1620 or hauserwirthschimmel.com. 7 p.m.: Happily honed performance art unites disparate threads of modern discontent in a presentation dubbed “Cheek by Jowl.” It’s another installment in the After 5 series.

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com. Aug. 24-25, 8:30 p.m.: Blood Orange, tangy but sweet pop R&B. Aug. 26, 9 p.m.: Chill vibes and sonic assurances that your hipster youth was well spent as Beach House takes the Ace in support of FYF. Au Lac/Café Fedora 710 W. First St., (213) 617-2533 or aulac.com. Aug. 27, 7:30 p.m.: No less than 14 vocalists contribute to Fish to Birds Xpanded. Belasco 1050 S. Hill St., (213) 746-5670 or belascous.com. Aug. 26: The DJ end of FYF fills the Belasco with Rhondavous, featuring the likes of Floating Points and Junior Boys. Blue Whale 123 Astronaut E. S. Onizuka St., (213) 620-0908 or bluewhalemusic.com. Aug. 22: Dave Palmer and Jay Bellerose. Aug. 23: The BABA Orchestra and Ya-Ya. Aug. 24-25: Ethio Cali. Aug. 26: Terrace Martin & The Polly Seeds. Aug. 27: David Piltch Group. Aug. 28: Brad Dutz Quartet. Bootleg Bar 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org. Aug. 22: Bid Nico Yaryan adieu on the final night of his August residency. Aug. 23: Girl Band is the Dillinger Escape Plan of disarming indie pop bands. Aug. 24: A.Chal sounds a bit like Montell Jordan filtered through a nitrous oxide haze. We are not endorsing nitrous oxide. Nor are we endorsing Montell Jordan. Aug. 25: Sleeping Wolf cite influences ranging from the Nine Continued on next page

Cut Chemist is a bit like the Kevin Bacon of the L.A. DJ scene. Do you know him from Ozomatli? Jurassic Five? The summer of 2007 when your roommate wouldn’t stop blasting his copy of the Hard Sell LP? Discover Cut Chemist anew on Friday, Aug. 26, as the man with the turntables and the untold cachet curates a night of free beats at Music Center Plaza. The venue’s DJ Nights runs from 8-11 p.m., reminding Angelenos of the pleasures available in tiny topographical grooves slapped into wax discs. Listen. Dance. Enjoy. Repeat. At 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org.

Two

The boys club that is stand-up comedy has long been overdue for a female takeover. The Arts District club Resident agrees that the time is nigh for some changes, and that the funny future is female. Thus, Monday, Aug. 22, marks the dawn of We Deserve This, a $5 comedy show featuring a spate of lady laugh-givers including Eve Peyser, The Puterbaugh Sisters, Danielle Perez, the incomparable Kyle Mizono, Debra DiGiobanni and hosts Sophia Benoit and Caitlin Ackerman. Doors are at 7:30 p.m. At 428 S. Hewitt St. or residentdtla.com.

On Friday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m., the country western pop phenomenon will take over L.A. Live for a straw-strewn metropolitan version of the hootenanny. Expect plenty of cowboy fetishism at Round Up 2016, part of the series that venue owner Anschutz Entertainment Group schedules when no games or concerts are taking place. There will be a beer garden, mechanical bull riding, cornhole and live country music, including the bands Honey County and Redneck Rodeo. You can also expect roping demonstrations, rodeo clowns, cowboy stilt walkers and something called the “Milking Cow Game,” which we assume does not involve an actual cow, as Bessie would tire of said “game” pretty quickly. There are $5 eats and drinks for when you get hungry or thirsty. At 777 Chick Hearn Court, (866) 548-3452 or lalive.com. photo courtesy John Landis

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27 Jackie Winsor at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel 901 E. Third St., (213) 943-1620 or hauserwirthschimmel.com. 2 p.m.: The sculptor gets candid about her work and process in this free lecture. You will want to RSVP online in advance.

1 photo courtesy AEG

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 DJ Night Music Center Plaza, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0777 or musiccenter.org. 8-11 p.m.: Cut Chemist delivers crushing beat after crushing beat to an adoring audience jacked out of their mind on highcaliber music. Admission is free. Joshua Hale Fialkov at the Last Bookstore Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring, (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com. 7 p.m.: The award-winning graphic novelist discusses his macabre vision of Los Angeles’ shadowed avenues and sordid hearts to celebrate a new hardcover edition of his magnum opus, Tumor. Round Up L.A. L.A. Live, 777 Chick Hearn Court, (866) 548-3452 or lalive.com. 6-11 p.m.: Celebrate country and western music and culture in the heart of the urban metropolis. There will be bands, line dancing, rodeo clowns, mechanical bull rides and a plethora of vendors.

photo by Lilly Cornell Warriner

photo courtesy the Music Center

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24 John Landis, A Man of Many Genres Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org. 7:15 p.m.: As a part of the Aloud program’s Lost & Found at the Movies series, director John Landis dishes on his life and times.

Four Can we all give a big thank you to John Landis? Not only has he helmed projects ranging from The Blues Brothers to the “Thriller” video, so too has he seen some dark moments, including at least one nasty lawsuit. On Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 7:15 p.m., the Aloud program’s Lost & Found at the Movies series continues as Landis himself reflects on his career with Sundance programmer John Nein. The length and breadth of over three decades of cinematic experience are yours for the taking. Admission is free but reservations are recommended. At 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 of lfla.org.

Five

We don’t have the vocabulary to express our gratitude to the people of Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island, who have given us so much culture over the years. Not least of which is Belly, the foursome of punk refugees founded by Throwing Muses alum Tonya Donelly. Belly built a silky smooth early ’90s alt-rock sound out of crunchy beats, noodling guitar lines and carefully mic’d vocals. The bandits in Belly have reunited, and on Tuesday-Wednesday, Aug. 23-24, they’ll visit the Teragram Ballroom, where your passion for the groovy, carefree days of the late 20th century will be rekindled, at least for 90 minutes. Let the bliss of “Feed the Tree” and “Gepetto” roll over you. At 1234 W. Seventh St. or teragramballroom.com.

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Aug. 28: Ben Bostick briefly toyed with an infomercial-accessible workout tool known only as the Benbo Stick. Exchange LA 618 S. Spring St., (213) 627-8070 or exchangela.com. Aug. 26: Tiesto. Aug. 27: Umek. Grammy Museum 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org. Aug. 22, 8 p.m.: The event “A Tribute to Langston Hughes: Stories, Poems, Jazz & The Blues” delivers all that the title promises. Participants include Lynn Whitfield, Keith David and Sterling K. Brown.

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LAST WEEKS ANSWERS

Escondite 410 Boyd St., (213) 626-1800 or theescondite.com. Aug. 22: Probably the most shameful night of the Jazzaholics’ addiction was the time they crushed up an original Bunk Johnson LP and snorted the dust. Aug. 23: Jeremiah & The Red Eyes play a benefit concert for Delta passengers. Aug. 24: Pretty Polly does not appreciate your prying eyes. Aug. 25: In my fatter days, I too had a Vanish Valley. Aug. 26: Buggaboo, or a lofty crisis. Aug. 27: If you’re looking for hyphenate bands to check out on a Saturday night, why not enjoy the Mo-Odds?

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Continued from previous page Inch Nails to Jimmy Eat World or “in the middle of the downward spiral” as we call it down at the office. Aug. 26: When Ages and Ages states they’ve “declared independence from the cynicism and self-consciousness plaguing a generation,” we can’t figure out whether they stole that copy from a Prozac ad or a pamphlet for Montessori schools. Caña 714 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 745-7090 or 213dthospitality.com. Aug. 23: Sitara Son. Aug. 24: Frank Cano. Aug. 25: Joey De Leon.

August 22, 2016

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August 22, 2016

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SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. ES020600 Petitioner (name of each) Brian Allen, 5921 Rhodes Ave., Valley Village, CA, 91607, filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

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NEWS, 1264 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 of general circulation, printed in this county. Prepared by: Sherri R. Carter, Executive Office/Clerk. Superior Court North Central District 300 East Olive Avenue Burbank, CA 91502 Date: June 10, 2016 Hon. Mary Thornton House Judge of the Superior Court Pub. 08/15, 08/22, 08/29, and 09/05/2016.

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Present name: BRIAN ALLEN Proposed name: BRIAN ATKINSON THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show

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August 22, 2016

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Police recovered 90 counterfeit Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors and other items from Diop Trading, a store that operated at 915 S. Santee St. in the Fashion District. The selling of fake goods, including jeans (shown here) has long persisted in the area.

By Nicholas Slayton n August 2015, Mody Diop was convicted of selling counterfeit goods. Apparently he was un-swayed by the legal judgment: The following month, he sold fake Louis Vuitton handbags out of his Fashion District store for $70 each. One buyer turned out to be an undercover LAPD officer. Diop was arrested, and last week City Attorney Mike Feuer announced that the 53-year-old has entered a plea of no contest to one count of selling counterfeit goods. He was sentenced to 36 months of probation, 30 days of labor and ordered to pay restitution to the fashion companies. Additionally, he has been ordered to stay out of the Fashion District for three years. Diop had been working out of Diop Trading, at 915 S. Santee St. Upon his arrest on Sept. 28, 2015, LAPD officers seized 90 counterfeit bags, wallets and other accessories that purported to be brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors. Diop’s store was shut down after the arrest, according to Deputy City Attorney Sasha Lazarevich, who prosecuted the case and is part of Feuer’s Anti-Counterfeit Enforcement Program. She also prosecuted his August 2015 case; in that instance, Diop was put on probation and ordered to stay away from the area. “The fact that he was engaging in the behavior so quickly after being convicted was notable,” Lazarevich said. Diop’s attorney, Jaime Bourns of the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s office, declined to comment. Counterfeiting remains an issue in the Fashion District, said Rena Masten Leddy, interim executive director of the Fashion District Business Improvement District. The BID works with Feuer’s office to look for possible cases. She said that the BID instructs property owners, merchants and its safety teams to report incidents of suspected counterfeiting. “Every couple of months we learn about a new case of counterfeiting,” Masten Leddy said. “We do not condone it and we do report it when we learn about it.” According to the court order, Diop must stay at least 100 yards away from the borders of the Fashion District, defined by Feuer’s office as bounded by Hill, San Pedro, Seventh and 16th streets. In a prepared statement, Feuer said he will keep directing resources to the issue. “We will continue to intervene to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods,” Feuer said. “Counterfeiting hurts legitimate business, has a negative effect on our local economy, and, in the case of some products, can jeopardize public health and safety.” The amount of restitution that Diop must pay will be determined at a future court date, Lazarevich said. nicholas@downtownnews.com