09-21-15

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 I VOL. 44 I #38

The ArT of theCITY

photo by Gary Leonard

Inside Downtown’s New $140 Million Museum The Broad

SEE PAGE 8

The Good News From the Chinese Market Crash : 6

The Mystery of the Downtown Safe : 10

THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

2 Downtown News

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AROUND TOWN

Downtown ‘Insider’s Guide’ Arrives Next Week

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owntown is bursting with new restaurants, bars, cultural opportunities, shops and more.

How do you keep up? You could walk down every single block in the community, or you could pick up Downtown Los Angeles: An Insider’s Guide to Exploring the City. The 84-page glossy magazine, created by Los Angeles Downtown News, publishes Monday, Sept. 28, and is full of helpful information for residents, workers and visitors. There are rundowns of area cocktail bars and top restaurants, as well as sections on where to buy clothing, home goods and more.

That’s just the start, as the Insider’s Guide also details kid-friendly activities, outdoor opportunities and even some Downtown history. Altogether 110,000 copies of the Insider’s Guide will be printed. In addition to the 40,000 distributed with Downtown News, they will be available at multiple Downtown News distribution locations, stores and visitor centers. It can also be seen online at downtownnews.com or losangelesdowntown.com. Additional copies can be requested by calling Downtown News at (213) 481-1448.

Japanese Arts and Culture Fair Hits Little Tokyo his weekend, visitors to Little Tokyo can dig even deeper than usual into Japanese cul-

ture. On Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center hosts the 2015 Japan Fair. One highlight of the wide-ranging, family-friendly event is artist Yasuhiko Fujisawa, who will create three murals consisting entirely of multicolored flower petals.

Children and adults are invited to help Fujisawa assemble the murals, which resemble a huge rug of flowers known as “Infiorata.” Children will have the opportunity to meet the costumed anime character Jibanyan from the Japanese anime TV series “Yokai Watch” on Sunday at noon. The fair’s main stage will feature martial arts performances, kendo demonstrations, a children’s choir and more. Tickets are $3 in advance or $5 the day of the event and are available at japanfair.org.

Fill Out a Survey and Help Downtown Get That Elusive Trader Joe’s

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very other year, a group of local leaders seeks to get a handle on the quickly changing Downtown populace, and use the results to recruit more stores and businesses to the area.

It is happening again, though with a twist. The Downtown Demographic Study has been renamed the Downtown L.A. ‘Live, Work, Play’ Consumer Survey, and those who spend time in the community are being asked to go online and fill out a 15-minute survey. The study, from the Downtown Center Business Improvement District and Los Angeles Downtown News, provides a snapshot of Downtown residents and workers. Information on their income, education, work status, how often they eat out and what kinds of stores, restaurants and business-

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

September 21, 2015

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Clifton’s Cafeteria reopens

Mayor Garcetti Instagrams June Lockhart

es they patronize — and what they want to see more of — is dangled in front of businesses. In past reports Downtowners have cited a strong desire to get a Trader Joe’s, though to no avail.

“As we learn more about our residents and workers we can better target our business development programs to attract the kinds of businesses people most want to see in Downtown,” said Carol Schatz, president and CEO of the DCBID. The survey is at downtownla.com/survey2015 and will be up through Oct. 15. Preliminary results are expected to be revealed in early November. Those who fill out a survey will be eligible to win gift cards to Downtown retailers such

September 17, 2015

as Whole Foods, Macy’s and Target.

Tea Room Debuts In the Arts District

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he Arts District is packed with coffee roasters and shops, but a new business is bucking the beverage trend. Wholesaler and retail shop American Tea Room opened last week in a 5,600-square-foot space at 909 S. Santa Fe Ave. It is the second location after the original Beverly Hills shop (now closed for renovation), and the Continued on page 20

26

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Your TAP card will know exactly how much to deduct for each ride. Learn more at taptogo.net.

October is Girls Empowerment Month in LA County Metro supports Girls Build LA – a program designed to educate and empower young women with the skills they need to develop solutions to the challenges they face every day. To get involved, visit lafund.org/girlsbuildla.

Metro Business Interruption Fund Program Metro has partnered with Paci>c Coast Regional to administer the Business Interruption Fund, a program designed to help small businesses directly impacted by construction of three Metro Rail projects now underway: the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project, the Little Tokyo area of the Regional Connector and Phase I of the Purple Line Extension. More than $1 million in grants have been awarded since the program began in April. For more info, visit pcrcorp.org.

Regional Connector Project Street Closures If you work or live in Downtown LA, please note that for three months, Broadway will be reduced to one lane in each direction between 1st St and 3rd St, and westbound 2nd St will be closed between Spring St and Broadway starting as early as September 12 for construction of the Regional Connector Transit Project. For more details, visit metro.net/regionalconnector.

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EDITORIALS

September 21, 2015

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

The Readers Have Their Say Website Comments on DASH Buses and the L.A. Times Regarding the editorial “Downtown Needs a Bigger, Broader and Busier DASH Bus System,” published Sept. 7 I could not agree more with this! Just trying to understand the DASH options is nearly impossible from their website. I’d like to get from the AT&T building to Sixth and Grand and there is no viable option. Also, having the buses run late at night would be huge, and they need to have stops where people feel safe waiting for the bus. Think of the main hubs for restaurants and offices and let’s help people get there from where there are concentrations of residents.

—Mary Fagnano, Sept. 7, 12:41 p.m.

Yes! More DASH buses, especially at night. To support such an expansion, we also need more and better streetlights and benches to sit on while we wait.

—Virginia Wexman, Sept. 9, 8:56 a.m.

Regarding the editorial “The L.A. Times Desperately Needs Local Ownership,” published online Sept.

10 Since almost nobody can watch the Dodger games on TV, maybe Magic Johnson and Guggenheim Baseball Management would get some more exposure for their $2 billion team by buying the Times and adding a new section featuring just the Dodgers.

—Ted Slaught, Sept. 11, 1:32 p.m.

The Broad: A Brilliant Addition To Downtown and to the City

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ive years ago, it would have been easy for Eli Broad to choose Santa Monica as the site for the museum holding the 2,000 contemporary artworks he and his wife Edythe have collected. While Broad was predisposed to build it on Grand Avenue — in May 2010 he told Los Angeles Downtown News, “We’d rather be Downtown” — the challenges of getting the approvals for a project on publicly owned land were daunting.

Obviously Broad ended up selecting Downtown, and the results are something to be celebrated not just by those who live and work in the Central City, but by everyone in Los Angeles. The Broad, which was scheduled to open on Sunday, Sept. 20 (after Downtown News went to press) is a brilliant addition to the street, to the community and to the city’s cultural scene. With an unparalleled art collection, an attention-grabbing edifice and free admission, the museum will resonate and draw people to Downtown for decades to come.

The biggest accolades, naturally, go to Broad, who has been Grand Avenue’s most consistent and influential champion. His role on the street stretches back 36 years, to helping open MOCA in 1979, and time and again he has been involved in attempts to better the area.

Broad has led sometimes by example, sometimes by action and, when necessary, by persuasive force. In the late ’90s, when the cost of the Walt Disney Concert Hall soared and the project stalled, Broad partnered with Mayor Richard Riordan to twist some arms and convince various affluent Angelenos, corporations and foundations to contribute to the Frank Gehrydesigned project. Broad helped form the Grand Avenue Committee and pushed the LAUSD to tap prominent architect Wolf Prix to design its $200 million-plus arts high school. When chronic mismanagement and the effects of the recession decimated MOCA’s finances, Broad stepped forward with a $30 million challenge grant that helped save the institution.

All that would have cemented his legacy, but it also serves as just a precursor to The Broad. For not only did Broad choose Downtown, but he spent $140 million to build the museum. He also is funding the endowment with more than $200 million, which will allow free entrance.

Visitors can spend hours gazing at works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cindy Sherman, Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg and hundreds of other artists. The display encourages repeat visits.

The Broad stands to do wonders for Downtown. The building, designed with a striking honeycomb-like exterior by the New York firm Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, is an instant landmark. People from around the world will flock to the museum, and many of them can be expected to also patronize other Downtown attractions, whether MOCA, the Music Center venues or Grand Park. One can envision cultural tourists making a day of it in Downtown, spending a few hours in The Broad and then eating at a restaurant, whether across the street at the Cal Plaza Watercourt or elsewhere in Bunker Hill, the Historic Core or South Park.

The building has drawn a mixed reaction from critics so far, but we think that Broad and the architects were wise to understand their setting and not to compete visually with the swoop and shine of Disney Hall, or to create a structure that soars above it.

We are pleased that the project includes a wide sidewalk on Grand Avenue, and that there is a tidy public courtyard with shade trees just south of the museum. This will serve as a public gathering place, and nearby office workers or residents may use it as a destination for lunch or an afternoon break. This will be further activated in coming years when a Regional Connector station opens at Second and Hope streets and connects mass transit with the museum.

Also deserving of praise are the government officials who facilitated The Broad. The Grand Avenue property is overseen by a joint city-county panel, and this set-up has resulted in projects moving at a snail-like pace. That was what worried Broad when he first eyed the site back in 2010. It turns out, former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa helped convince Broad to pick Downtown, and then greased the wheels to get government approval. Villaraigosa didn’t get much credit for this five years ago, but he deserves it now.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about The Broad concerns not the present, but the future. The museum should increase momentum for Related Cos.’ $850 million mixed-use plan for Grand Avenue, also being designed

by Gehry. Then there is the fact that, in coming decades, people who might otherwise never visit Downtown will be drawn here because of The Broad. Just as people today remember their childhood visits to Grand Central Market, so 50 years from now Angelenos will recall that first visit to the museum and Downtown.

September 21, 2015

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

A Month After Explosion, 811 Wilshire Reopens

A basement explosion on Aug. 20 resulted in the shuttering of the 811 Wilshire building, forcing 45 tenants into temporary offices. The property finally reopened last week.

As Tenants Return, Cause of Financial District Blast Is Still Unknown

By Heidi Kulicke hortly after 10 p.m. on Aug. 20, an explosion at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Flower Street rocked the Financial District. A blast in the basement of the 811 Wilshire building knocked out power to a dozen nearby structures, and briefly disrupted a Shania Twain concert at Staples Center.

Department of Water and Power crews restored electricity to the nearby buildings the following afternoon. It took nearly a month, however, for things to get back to normal at 811 Wilshire. On the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 17, city officials finally cleared building owner Jamison Services, Inc. to reopen the structure, according to representatives of Jamison and the Los Angeles Fire Department.

While the building is back, tenants have struggled with the shutdown, and some questions remain.

The cause of the blast is still under investigation. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Johnny Green said that it involved a faulty electrical transformer in the basement, but that what exactly sparked the explosion remains unknown. He said the department is working with the DWP to isolate the cause.

While the building was forced to close following the explosion due to faulty electrical and fire-safety systems, the property’s structural integrity was never compromised, said David Lara, a spokesman for the Department of Building and Safety, which authorized the reopening of 811 Wilshire.

The DWP rebuilt the damaged power station and electrical vault in the days after the explosion, and was ready to provide electricity by Aug. 24, according to Joe Ramallo, communications director with DWP. Bruce Beck, a spokesman for Jamison Services, said management worked closely with the city Department of Building and Safety to complete the final inspections that led to the reopening.

Lara said damage was contained to the basement and the ele-

S

vators. The basement walls and ceilings were displaced, though he maintained that the structural integrity was never in doubt.

The power interruption caused damage to the elevators, which required repairs and evaluations by the Department of Building and Safety, Lara said. The blast also led to concerns about asbestos, but they quickly dissipated, Lara said.

The building was closed, with occupants not allowed to return until repairs could be completed. Some tenants were given brief access with escorts from LAFD and the Department of Building and Safety.

During the closure, Jamison arranged for tenants to move into its other Downtown properties. The 811 Wilshire building houses approximately 550 workers.

“Jamison [worked] 24/7 since the explosion to get the building back up and running,” Beck said. “We also provided free office space in other Jamison buildings to any tenant who wanted it beginning the day after the incident.”

Beck would not provide a cost estimate of the damage.

Penthouse Troubles One of its building’s largest tenants, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, relocated to a Jamison space in the California Market Center in the Fashion District on Aug. 31. The nonprofit’s 120 employees worked remotely as much as possible until then, said Keshia Douglas, director of administration at LAHSA. The organization’s computer servers were also relocated to avoid work disruption and the main phone line was rerouted to cell phones, Douglas said.

“It’s been a challenge,” Douglas said while still working out of the California Market Center. “We’ve had limited access to our old building, and to be fully functional we needed to move files and other materials to the new location. So it was difficult to get up and running again.”

More serious financial damage has been dealt to Takami Su-

photo by Gary Leonard

shi & Robata Restaurant, which occupies the top floor. Owner Emil Eyvazoff estimated that the closure has cost him more than $500,000. He said that during a brief visit in the days following the blast — employees had to walk up all the stairs — restaurant staff were forced to throw out anything frozen or refrigerated, including fish and chilled wine.

“Everything is spoiled,” Eyvazoff said. “The food has basically been baking in a 100-degree oven for the past month.”

On top of the food losses, Eyvazoff’s 130 employees have been without a job since the explosion. Management continued to pass out bi-weekly paychecks to workers, but about 70 are front-of-house employees who rely on tips, he said. The restaurant has coordinated with catering companies to help employees find temporary work, but it may not be enough to keep people from moving on.

“We’ve asked them to hold on until we know what’s going on,” Eyvazoff said. “It’s not like flipping a light switch. Even 10 or 20 people going and getting new jobs will make a huge impact on our reopening.”

Eyvazoff said the plan is to reopen Takami on Thursday, Sept.

25, and his team is working to get the word out. heidi@downtownnews.com

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September 21, 2015

Why the Chinese Market Crash Might Be Good for Downtown Experts Say the Economic Downturn Could Lead to More Investment in Local Real Estate

By Eddie Kim he Chinese stock market saw massive growth from June 2014 through June 2015, with a flood of new investors spending borrowed money on stocks. As has been well chronicled, the bubble popped this summer, and stock values have plummeted. The Shanghai Composite is down nearly 40% from its June peak, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The fall of China’s stock market and the declining value of the yuan has sparked concern among investors and financial observers around the world. Locally, many have wondered about the effects on Downtown Los Angeles, where three massive mega-projects from Chinese companies are in the works: Greenland Group, Oceanwide and Shenzhen Hazens are investing roughly $2.7 billion combined to construct 10 South Park high-rises, with a mix of condominiums and hotel towers. Greenland’s Metropolis and Oceanwide’s Oceanwide Plaza, both near L.A. Live, are already deep in construction.

Could the economic crash in China delay the completion of these towers, or could they wind up half-built, like the high-rises that famously stalled in Las Vegas during the recession? Experts say no. In fact, many believe that the downturn in China could have a positive impact on this side of the Pacific.

That may seem counterintuitive to casual

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observers, but William Yu, an economist with the UCLA Anderson School of Management, noted that while the projects seem ambitious for Downtown L.A., to each Chinese developer, they’re relatively small investments.

State-owned Greenland Group is China’s largest developer, with real estate assets around the world and a reported operating income of 402 billion yuan (about $63 billion). Oceanwide Holdings and Shenzhen Hazens both also have major projects in China and are making moves to put money into international developments.

In general, Chinese investors have already begun looking to United States real estate, especially in Southern California, as a “safe haven” that offers greater value and security, said Jerold Neuman, a partner and land-use lawyer at Liner LLP. Neuman is working with Shenzhen Hazens on its Downtown project, a reworking of the Luxe hotel site just across from L.A. Live that has yet to break ground.

“None of the investors we talk to have slowed down,” Neuman said. “The L.A market, in particular, is still considered undervalued from a world perspective.”

That mindset extends to individual investors who may have hoped to put their money into the stock market, but now want other options, Yu said. While billion-dollar mixed-use complexes are beyond their means, six- and seven-figure

The Chinese stock market crash has prompted concerns about what it could mean for a trio of Downtown mega-projects from Chinese developers, including the $1 billion Metropolis.

photo by Gary Leonard

condominiums in Downtown are on the table.

“The Chinese economy, in general, is slowing and going south. So if you are a wealthy Chinese person, what would you do?” Yu asked.

“The dollar is looking stronger and the L.A. housing market is still very good as a prospect.

So that’s where you go.”

Chinese buyers have snapped up homes in neighborhoods such as Arcadia and San Gabriel, and brokers such as Kerry Marsico expect high interest in Downtown’s inventory of condos, especially as hundreds of units hit a starved market in the next few years.

“Demand is already very high, and a lot of people, including L.A. residents, want to live here,” Marisco noted.

Chinese buyers made up 12% of all foreign citizens who bought U.S. homes in 2014, and more than two-thirds of them paid cash, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Even more tellingly, more than half of their purchases were in California.

“On top of everything, the government has devalued the exchange rate for the yuan, so that’s a risk as a Chinese investor if the rate moves against you more in the future,” said Rodney Ramcharan, director of research for the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. “Instead of sitting on that, maybe you quickly put your money into U.S. bonds, equities and properties.”

In the short run, L.A. could see more monContinued on page 9

September 21, 2015

Downtown News 7

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8 Downtown News

September 21, 2015

He Has Built It, Now They’ll Come Eli’s Broad’s $140 Million Contemporary Art Museum Arrives The inaugural exhibit features about 250 works, including Robert Therrian’s super-sized table and chairs.

Eli and Edythe Broad spent $140 million to build The Broad on Grand Avenue. They are also funding a $200 millionplus endowment that will allow for free admission.

photo by Gary Leonard

By Jon Regardie he $140 million contemporary art museum The Broad opened to the public on Sunday, Sept, 20, but in the days before, the crowds were already arriving for preview parties and special events. That included Mayor Eric Garcetti and several hundred members of the media who showed up on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Admission is free at the museum at 221 S. Grand Ave., and at the press event, museum Founding Director Joanne Heyler said that 85,000 tickets have already been booked for timed en-

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I6th

tries through an online reservation system.

Billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad settled on a Downtown Los Angeles site five years ago, after considering a location in Santa Monica.

“Los Angeles is the right home for The Broad,” Garcetti told the crowd gathered on a closedoff portion of Grand Avenue. “Downtown is the right home for The Broad.”

The inaugural exhibition features about 250 works drawn from the 2,000 pieces collected over several decades by Broad and his wife Edythe. Heyler curated the inaugural show, which she said is a chronological display of

PUBLIC SAFETY

ANNUAL

photo by Gary Leonard

the collection. Four smartphone apps can be downloaded for tours, including one with commentary from artists, and another “family tour” with content for children.

Much of the artwork is displayed on the third floor, which features about 35,000 square feet of column-free space with temporary walls.

There is also a ground-floor exhibit hall. Galleries are dedicated to artists including Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and Roy Lichtenstein.

On the stairway down from the third floor, visitors get a couple glimpses into “the vault,” the vast storage portion of the facility. It was a key element of the design from Elizabeth Diller and her New York architecture firm Diller, Scofidio + Renfro.

Attendees at the media event repeatedly stopped and gasped at the first window on the stairway, marveling at the view of the artworks,

most of which are on rolling racks.

“Wow!” exclaimed one visitor.

“This is the best moment,” said his companion.

The museum is something of a capstone for Broad, who was the founding chairman of the Museum of Contemporary Art, across the street on Grand Avenue, 36 years ago. He noted that the city is now an artistic hub, and artists working here include Ed Ruscha, Catherine Opie, John Baldessari and Mark Bradford, among many others.

“Los Angeles has become without a doubt the contemporary art capital of the world,” Broad said.

Now, there’s a new home base for those artists.

The Broad is at 221 S. Grand Ave., (213) 2326200 or thebroad.org. regardie@downtownnews.com

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Downtown News 9

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Chinese Market, 6

Chinese nationals made up 90% of the pool in 2014, according to CNN. In addition, Chinese investors aren’t dwelling on the opportunity to turn a fast profit, said John Chang, vice president of research services at real estate investment firm Marcus and Millichap.

“They’re willing to pay a little more than anyone else,” he added. “In this case, with Chinese and a lot of foreign investors in general facing volatility, it’s more about, ‘Will I be able to get my money later?’”

While the Chinese market volatility continues to catch headlines, the Los Angeles real estate scene appears not to have skipped a beat.

“Right now, we’re not seeing any indication of softening in the marketplace,” Liner’s Neuman said.

If further proof is needed, just look at the construction sites of Oceanwide Plaza and Greenland’s Metropolis — the skyscrapers continue to rise. eddie@downtownnews.com

ey from investors spooked by China’s stock volatility, Ramcharan said. Looking beyond the next six months, however, is trickier.

If the Chinese economy continues to decline, it might discourage some investors from buying a new home, he and Yu say. The same is true for those who lost significant sums of money in the crash. They also warn that the Chinese government could slap regulations on investments out of the country to help buoy its own market.

Despite those concerns, local experts expect many Chinese investors to remain interested in Downtown as the community sees a cultural renaissance.

“We have revitalization in urban cores all over the country because young people, young investors, want to live and work in the urban core,” Yu said.

“Fundamentally, especially compared to New York City and San Francisco, Downtown L.A. is still affordable.”

International investors aren’t just buying condos, noted Yu. They are also bankrolling projects through channels like the federal EB-5 visa program, which offers green cards to foreign nationals who put at least $500,000 into U.S. developments that create a minimum of 10 jobs per investor.

Domestic developers that have leveraged the program to finance construction include Downtown players such as Related Cos., Lennar and Forest image courtesy Greenland Real Estate Group City. The program is capped The Metropolis comes from Greenland Group. The company is China’s largest developer, at 10,000 visas, a limit that has with reported operating income of 402 billion yuan, which works out to about $63 billion. been hit two years in a row.

Charity Classic

The Central City Crime Report A Rundown on Downtown Incidents, Trends and Criminal Oddities

By Heidi Kulicke 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

Pub Thief: A man walked into Casey’s Irish Pub at 613 S. Grand Ave. on Sept.

8 around 9 a.m. He waited outside the office area until the manager stepped out, then entered the office and took a money bag with $5,000 in cash, along with the manager’s cell phone and laptop charger. Video surveillance captured the incident. The man has also been caught on video at other businesses stealing property.

Sword Scenario: LAPD officers responded to a call about an armed man at Fifth and Crocker streets on Sept.

7. When they approached the scene, they encountered a man holding a sword. They ordered the man to drop the weapon, but he waved it at the officers. The man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

Drugs Dispute: A drug dealer and a buyer argued over money in the cross-

walk of Fourth and Hill streets on Sept.

10. The dealer then hit the buyer in the arm with a machete. The victim had to undergo surgery.

Pepper Spray Perp: A man was standing by a freeway off-ramp at Los Angeles and Aliso streets in the Civic Center on Sept. 9 when a driver allegedly pulled up and pepper sprayed him from inside the vehicle.

Rocks and Litter: A Chinatown BID officer asked a man to pick up litter he had dropped at New High Street and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue on Sept. 10.

The man became angry and threw a rock at the officer’s head, but missed.

More Bike Thefts: The rash of Downtown bicycle thefts continued, as eight two-wheelers were reported stolen from Sept. 5-12. In five instances the locks were cut, including on bikes in front of Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live and the Last Bookstore at Fifth and Spring streets. Police arrested a man on suspicion of theft when they caught him riding a bike stolen from a bike rack at Eighth and Olive streets.

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10 Downtown News

September 21, 2015

The Mystery of the Downtown Safe What Was Inside the Fortress in a 90-Year-Old Fashion District Building? Cracking It Just Yielded More Questions

By Eddie Kim hen Scott Claster opened the doors of the Maxfield Building in late 2012, he had a simple task in mind: Get the interior demolition going. His employer, developer Naty Saidoff, had recently purchased the 12-story Fashion District building and wanted to turn it into apartments.

Instead, he found a surprise on the mezzanine level: a safe. This was no personal security safe, either. It looked more like a fortified room, with concrete walls more than a foot thick and a large steel door.

Out came the drills, pry bars, hammers and blowtorches. For three hours the crew poked and prodded, looking for weak points. Eventually, they decided to drill straight through the door to access the inner chamber. However, when Claster peered through the drill hole, all he saw was another reinforced steel door.

He tried to shatter the hinges off the first door. It proved futile. The safe stood stubbornly.

Defeated, Claster brought in his friend and locksmith David Liederman. It turned out to be a wise move, as Liederman proceeded to patiently pick and scrape the first lock with his sharp-tipped tools until — click! — the bolt turned freely. He then took on the inner door. It too yielded to the locksmith’s touch.

“Well, we can finally open it,” Liederman told Claster.

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The latter’s eyes lit up, his mind galloping.

“We gotta play the game, David,” he said. “What do you think’s inside? I say gold bars.”

“Nah. It’ll be tax returns or something,” replied Liederman, who spoke from experience, having cracked safes in old buildings before.

They opened the second door and peered inside.

Paperwork, Then a Lunchbox Disappointment sank in as their eyes adjusted to the dark of the safe. Inside were shelves of small plastic tubs, many of them empty, a few stuffed with faded paperwork. In a few tubs they found family pictures, autographed baseballs and other memorabilia.

Sitting at the bottom of one tub, however, was an old metal lunchbox. Claster popped the lid open. A bundle of cloth stared back at him.

He carefully pulled the fabric back, only to uncover a collection of about a half-dozen oldfashioned necklaces, earrings and rings.

Were they real? Claster couldn’t tell. So the next day he brought them to a shop on Broadway to be appraised. The jewelers examined the wares with surprise, then told Claster that the gold, diamonds and pearls were authentic.

They offered him $125,000 for the entire haul.

Claster wouldn’t sell the jewelry. Instead, he placed the items back in the little lunchbox, tucked it under his arm and quickly walked out the door.

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Scott Claster, who oversees construction for developer Capital Foresight, discovered a safe in the old Maxfield Building in the Fashion District.

When it was cracked open, he discovered piles of documents and a surprise: a small collection of vintage jewelry. He set about trying to find the original owner.

photo by Gary Leonard

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September 21, 2015 Claster resolved to find the rightful owner.

He decided to start with a name he had seen on a number of the documents in the safe. But who, he wondered, was Steve Needleman?

The Empire The Needleman name carries a long legacy in Downtown. Jack Needleman, a high school dropout, built a garment empire in the 1950s, then began buying up land and buildings in the ’60s. He and his wife, Annette, would go on to own dozens of Central City structures, including the Orpheum Theatre and the Grand Olympic Auditorium. Their company, Anjac, was a combination of their names.

Steve, the youngest of their three sons, took on the portfolio of buildings after his father passed away in 1999.

“The Maxfield was our office for 30 years,” he said of the 1925 structure at 819 S. Santee St. “The first building of my father’s. Years ago, it was a storage space for us.”

Steve has come to be a Downtown community and real estate leader in his own right. In 2001, he renovated the Orpheum Theatre, turning it into a venue for concerts and live events as other old Broadway buildings remained stagnant. Several years later Needleman again proved to be an early adopter by transforming the space above the theater into apartments.

More recently he has been a champion of the proposed Downtown streetcar.

In real estate empires, buildings change hands frequently. Steve Needleman sold the Maxfield structure in 2008 to developer Jade Enterprises. The deal closed quickly, and Needleman cleared out everything he could before handing over the keys.

“We had taken out all of what I thought were

the important boxes,” Needleman said recently. “There were maybe five or six boxes left in there. Most of it was just old insurance forms and deeds that would’ve hit the shredder.”

While Jade Enterprises may have had plans to redevelop the property, the Maxfield Building sat untouched for years, Saidoff said. The safe appeared to have escaped close scrutiny.

Old Neighbors Reunite Claster and Saidoff reached out to Needleman, who soon brought a few workers to move the rest of the materials out of the safe. When he arrived, Claster handed him the lunchbox.

“Steve told me, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen this in forever,’” Claster said. “He was thankful, and a little taken aback. He gave me $2,000 as a personal finder’s fee, if you will.”

Needleman later offered to pay Saidoff for the safecracking and a sum for everything they had found, but Saidoff firmly declined. Twenty years ago, the two had been neighbors, and now a chance happening had brought them together again, Saidoff thought. Instead, Saidoff cut a $2,000 check back to Needleman.

“I said, ‘Steve, these are your belongings. It’s no big deal, we don’t need a reward,’” Saidoff said.

He did, however, have a favor to ask.

How Karma Works Saidoff wanted the Maxfield Building, which seemed to mark a transition in the Fashion District from more ornate architectural styles to a sleek, modern Art Deco look, declared a city Historic-Cultural Monument. The designation was critical to securing a federal tax credit to help fund its rehabilitation.

The city Office of Historic Resources, however, had rejected an application in 2013, saying

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Naty Saidoff, shown here at the opening of the Garment Lofts in June, knew the name listed on some of the documents in the safe. It turned out, returning the jewels would also help him as he worked to restore the building.

photo by Gary Leonard

there was not enough evidence in support of the claim.

Now, Saidoff wondered, did Needleman have any old documents or photos to help his case?

Needleman’s team assembled a few old blueprints and photos, which detailed architect John M. Cooper’s design and historical context, like the opening of a Bank of America branch in the building in 1940 that would be crucial to financing projects in the Fashion District. In May, the city Cultural Heritage Commission recommended the Maxfield Building receive HistoricCultural Monument status. The City Council approved it in August.

“We gave Steve some beautiful jewels back,

and in return he gave us more than a million in value for our building,” Saidoff said. “All of a sudden, we discovered how karma works.”

Claster jokes that part of him wishes they had never found the rightful owner of the jewelry. “If I got to keep it, I probably would’ve split it with the co-workers in the Downtown office,” he said with a chortle. But considering the incident came on his first Los Angeles project, he’ll remember it forever.

The Maxfield safe is one of six Claster has found in Downtown since moving to Los Angeles in 2012 to work on Saidoff’s projects. All the others have been empty. eddie@downtownnews.com

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12 Downtown News

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September 21, 2015

CALENDAR

o t e m o Welc

d n a l y e n Bar ’s w Barney e h t t a M h Tokyo es Big Wit MOCA Go ndament’ in Little u ‘River of F

By Kirk Silsbee he New York artist Matthew Barney works big. He is known to many for his five-part Cremaster movie cycle. To get a sense of who you’re dealing with, consider that those visually wild cinematic efforts were spread over eight years, from 1994-2002. Additionally, they began with Cremaster 4. Cremaster 1 came second.

The cavernous Geffen Contemporary at MOCA now accommodates Barney’s installation River of Fundament, which starts with and springs ambitiously from a six-hour film of the same name. This is Barney’s first major museum exhibition in Los Angeles, and probably no other West Coast museum could adequately house the sprawling assemblage.

The show opened a week before the debut of The Broad on Bunker Hill, and seems to be MOCA’s attempt to ride the coattails of L.A.’s big new artistic attraction. River of Fundament runs through Jan. 18, 2017.

Barney’s combined pieces aren’t the largest the Little Tokyo space has seen. Urs Fischer’s 2013 MOCA show featured a two-story wall that had literally been sawed through and unmoored from its base, and a “house” girded with freshly baked bread. Last year’s Mike Kelley retrospective positively jammed the Geffen with tableaux, artifacts and separate environments. But Barney’s trappings are allowed a respectful perimeter of space around them. They can thus be savored on their own terms.

Barney, who was born in San Francisco in 1967 and raised in Boise, Idaho, also thinks big.

River of Fundament is a multi-leveled meditation utilizing his personal obsessions — novelists Norman Mailer and Ernest Hemingway, ancient Egypt, Detroit, automobiles, sex and violence. These serve as motifs that feed into larger, more universal issues: the development and taming of technology, empire, death and rebirth.

What we get at the Geffen is a kind of grand, fascinating, sometimes horrible and sometimes ironically funny theme park that encompasses

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the film, 25 tons of materials, 85 sculptures and many drawings. Call it Barneyland.

Many people have private passions. Those who are able to explore them in public and figure out how to get them underwritten usually get to be called professional artists.

Barney seems to be cut from the same rugged frontiersman cloth as Ed Kienholz, whose homemade tableaux were a poke in the eye to Los Angeles and the United States in the 1960s and ’70s. Kienholz lasered his attention to one issue at a time. Barney bites off large, simultaneous themes.

A cast sarcophagus-like structure opens just far enough to reveal its contents: a beautifully finished car hood with an Egyptian scarab painted onto it. Choose your own casket — a barge on the Nile or a ’67 Chrysler Crown Imperial.

Water is everywhere. “Shaduf” (an ancient Egyptian irrigation system) is a Rube Goldberglike, life-size tableaux that uses a section of a torn-out bathroom as its base. The lath-andplaster back, exposed pipes and electrical conduit, tiled walls and floor all look familiar. But the tiled throne and jerry-rigged bamboo gutter with fecal matter takes it somewhere else.

The whole thing is covered in what looks like gold paint, but is actually bronze. Barney apparently likes to do things the hard way: a flammable model was made, dipped into molten ceramic and then burned out. Brass was then poured into the finished ceramic mold and cast into the finished sculpture. As real as the structure looks, it’s a labored fake. Among contemporary artists, probably only Jeff Koons competes with Barney in terms of scale and a staggering attention to craft and detail.

Barney has a special affection for Mailer, and the River of Fundament film and exhibit were inspired by the author’s 1983 novel Ancient Evenings, which was set in ancient Egypt. Barney identifies with the literary tough guy and cultural pugilist who waged many public and private battles. A room at the Geffen holds large showcases that tell viewers all they need to know about Barney: pictures and images

courtesy of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA is hosting River of Fundament, the first major museum exhibition in Los Angeles dedicated to artist Matthew Barney. It includes a six-hour film, 85 sculptures and many drawings.

of copies of Mailer’s books sit next to those of Hemingway and old magazines are turned to their photographic likenesses.

Like most exhibition spaces, the Geffen’s walls are painted flat white. But they’re also randomly scuffed by some defilement leaving what looks like a post-flood watermark. A video in the reading room tells the story. In it, women football players in helmets and skimpy black jerseys strain to pull a monolithic stone around the perimeter of the building’s interior. They’re latterday Hebrew slaves constructing the pyramids.

The actual stone sits in a far room. It’s next to the wooden skeleton of a room. In the Barney hagiography, we learn that Mailer had a fear of heights. A shrink prescribed that he work in an upstairs room. Barney replicated that room and cast it, after it was laid waste by Hurricane Irene. Barney lost one of his own studios in that catastrophe.

River of Fundament, which will screen regularly during the run, is a six-hour opera on film.

In one sequence, a wake for Mailer that doubles as a Manhattan cocktail party features actors Paul Giamatti, Ellen Burstyn, Elaine Stritch, columnist Fran Lebowitz, jazz organist Dr. Lonnie Smith and other real-life swells in an interior slavishly accurate to the author’s home. Six hours calls for real commitment and the River movie, like the show, warrants more than one visit.

One opportune day to visit is Oct. 12. That’s when Barney will be joined by scholar Homi K. Bhabha for a 3 p.m. Art Talk.

Matthew Barney: River of Fundament runs through Jan. 18, 2016, at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., (213) 626-6222 or moca.org. Open Mon. and Fri. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thurs. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Closed Tues. and Wed.

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Lost and Found in Translation Language Gaps and Cultural Differences Set the Stage In East West Players’ ‘Chinglish’

By Jeff Favre n China it can be difficult to say “I love you,” and not only for emotional reasons. Given the challenging pronunciations, a novice Mandarin speaker with romantic intentions may accidentally exclaim, “My fifth aunt,” or “Dirty sea mud.”

The accomplished playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Golden Child) tackles both the emotional and literal translations of love in Chinglish, and he does it with an insightful, delightful and original manner that provides Little Tokyo’s East West Players the type of smiles and laughs that it hasn’t enjoyed in years. The play, which opened last week, runs through Oct. 11 in EWP’s fittingly named David Henry Hwang Theater.

The two-act comedy with several touching moments has arrived four years after its Broadway run. Directed with a crisp tempo by Jeff Liu, Chinglish is the strongest offering so far in the company’s two-year-long 50th anniversary celebration.

What makes Chinglish remarkable is that a simple storyline and lack of soapbox preaching gives weight to the universal idea that, regardless of background, it’s difficult for all humans to understand each other. The Downtown production is abetted by several standout performances.

Hwang’s first two scenes set up the proceedings, starting with Daniel (Matthew Jaeger) lecturing an audience in Ohio about doing business in China. Daniel is part of a family-owned

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sign-making company, which is a needed commodity in China because poor translations between English and Mandarin often lead to awkward results. For example, the Chinese sign that is supposed to read “Slippery Slopes Ahead” is translated into English as “To Take Notice of Safe: The Slippery Are Very Crafty.”

To avoid such problems, Daniel says the first rule of doing business in China is “always bring your own translator.”

The story then jumps back three years to Daniel’s first trip to China, when he meets translator/consultant Peter (Jeff Locker), who was born in England but has lived in China for many years and speaks fluent Mandarin. Peter says the key to success is “guanxi,” which means relationships. Peter helps facilitate a meeting in Guiyang, China, with Minister Cai Guoliang (Ben Wang) and the vice minister of culture, Xi Yan (Kara Wang).

With the plot particulars out of the way, the laughs kick into high gear, thanks to a series of missteps by Cai’s translator, Miss Qian (Leann Lei). For example, when Cai mentions his love of Chicago and having steak there, Miss Qian explains, “He enjoys to consume your American beef-cows.”

Much of this and other scenes are spoken in Mandarin with supertitles projected above the two levels of Hana Sooyeon Kim’s simple and mostly bare set, which allows for smooth scene transitions.

Layered onto the misunderstandings and

Chinese official Xi Yan (Kara Wang) meets with American businessman Daniel (Matthew Jaeger) in Chinglish. The show from Little Tokyo’s East West Players runs through Oct. 11.

photo by Michael Lamont

cultural differences is the fact that everyone is either lying or hiding parts of the truth, which makes Daniel’s situation look bleak.

His potential savior is Xi, who speaks little English, yet decides to help Daniel. Though both are married, there’s an immediate romantic chemistry that makes matters confusing.

As Daniel, Jaeger faces the challenge of being more of a straight man and allowing his laughs to come through reactions. He does so with charm and everyman characteristics.

The supporting characters provide the broad humor. Locker, who has appeared in TV and radio in China, delivers a performance that few actors probably can, seamlessly flowing from a highbrow English accent to what sounds like flawless Mandarin. A high point is when Peter and Cai break into a rendition of a Chinese opera.

Ben Wang’s portrayal of hamstrung Cai is loaded with frustrated and sarcastic tones.

Much of his meaning is easy to understand, even without translation.

As Xi, Kara Wang uses her Mandarin to eloquently explain to the audience much of what she can’t say to Daniel in her broken English. A foreign woman who can’t speak the language and is the object of desire of an American man is an often-used trope, but Hwang makes it work by revealing it as a cliché and a somewhat ridiculous notion.

Liu is acutely aware of Hwang’s comic style, and he displays a mastery of tone and pace with the material. The laugh lines are delivered with precision at a rapid-fire pace, while the poetic moments are allowed time to gradually unfold.

Chinglish makes clear the idea that true love and respect don’t need words, and they aren’t lost in translation. East West Players would have been remiss by not honoring Hwang, and the company chose well by including a play that is as thoughtful as it is escapist entertainment.

Chinglish runs through Oct. 11 at 120 Judge John Aiso St., (213) 625-7000 or eastwestplayers. org.

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14 Downtown News

September 21, 2015

Restaurant Buzz

As for the food, expect trippy flavors and modernist techniques, as with the Alligators on Bikes (alligator, grits and red corn gel, edible roses and an orange beet foam) or the Trick Monkey (scallops, smoked popcorn, wasabi “caviar”). The experience costs $125 per person. Tickets are at lbkcircusmaximus2015.eventbrite.com.

At 707 S. Grand Ave. or (213) 884-7201.

New South Park Bars, More Modern Mexican and Other Food Happenings

By Eddie Kim resh French: The long-awaited Le Petit Paris has now opened in a not-so-petite spot on the ground floor of the El Dorado Lofts. The 10,300-square-foot space debuted on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and serves three meals a day from 8 a.m.-1 a.m.

The menu is stacked with French favorites, from casual options such as a croque madame (a hot ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top) or eggs Benedict to more elaborate dinner fare like lobster pappardelle or rack of lamb. Le Petit Paris comes from David and Fanny Rolland, who discovered the Historic Core space in 2013 after moving from Cannes, France. The interior has been completely reworked. Clean cream-and-gray tiles line the floor of the main dining room, and huge photos of the Eiffel Tower fill the walls between ornate columns with gold trim.

A mezzanine also has tables and offers a more intimate, cozy feel. There are two bars, and Le Petit Paris will host live music and DJs. Near the entrance is La Boutique, a store that sells pastries, snacks and some small take-away goods.

At 418 S. Spring St., (213) 217-4445 or lepetitparis-restaurant-losangeles.com.

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A Taste of Buenos Aires: We officially bid farewell to the next big thing that never was: odd if inoffensive chocolate-infused fried chicken. That‘s because the old ChocoChicken spot in South Park is now Barcito. The just-opened bar from owner Andrea Borgen takes its influence from the neighborhood watering holes of Argentina, filtered through the lens of West Coast foodie trends: small plates, craft beer and cocktails on draft. The drink selection is admirable in its restraint, as Barcito serves only a couple beers and wines from single producers (most recently, Field Recordings Wine and Barrelhouse Brewery) and five simple cocktails, like the yerba brava, with yerba mate-infused vodka,

photo by Roman Roze

The old ChocoChicken space has been flipped into Barcito, an Argentineinspired bar with small plates from executive chef Chuck Abair.

honey, lemon and mint. Chef Chuck Abair’s streamlined menu includes hot and cold appetizers to share, with highlights such as chilled squid-ink pasta with grilled calamari, smoked chili-garlic shrimp with potatoes and empanadas baked in-house. Barcito is open from 5 p.m.-midnight, Tuesday-Thursday, and 5 p.m.-2 a.m., Friday-Saturday.

At 403 W. 12th St., (213) 415-1821 or barcitola.com.

Freak Out: It’s not often that you hear of a “culinary variety freak show,” but that’s exactly what’s happening in Downtown on Sept. 26. Chef Robert Castañeda, who heads the Living Breathing Kitchen pop-up at the old Coco Laurent spot, is hosting a bunch of contortionists, sword-swallowers, dancers, magicians and music to accompany a seven-course meal in the same space at Seventh and Grand. Castañeda is a familiar face in the Downtown food scene, having worked in The Gorbals, Fifty Seven and Cucina Rustica. The upcoming experience melds his penchant for elaborate tasting dinners and his wild Circus Maximus event.

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Cold Front: Portland’s Salt & Straw ice cream shop has won raves, so it’s no surprise the brand is invading Los Angeles. A Larchmont outpost opened last September, and another spot is being built in the Arts District at 829 E. Third St., just around the corner from Wurstkuche. Salt & Straw specializes in sweet and savory creations made from top ingredients, and signature flavors include freckled Woodblock chocolate with salted ganache and sea salt caramel ribbon. There are also a few L.A.-specific flavors like black brittle olive and goat cheese and avocado and strawberry sherbet. The 2,300-square-foot space won’t open until early 2016, but those with a craving can visit a Salt & Straw ice cream truck that sits at the same address every day from noon10 p.m.

At 829 E. Third St. or saltandstraw.com.

No Joke: The Luma building in South Park is getting a new place to eat and drink. Prank is being built in a nearly 2,800-squarefoot ground-floor space at Hope and 11th streets, with room for live bands and additional patio seating. The ownership group is staying mum on interior, food and drink details, but owner Dave Whitton (who formerly led the bar at Villain’s Tavern and the Sunset Marquis) said Prank is gunning for a January debut. A city planning application notes that Prank will emphasize “classic American cuisine with a twist.” It also calls for operating hours from 7-2 a.m. every day, although Whitton said that could be tweaked.

Coming to 1100 S. Hope St. Suite C-3.

Seoul Food: The Seoul Sausage Co. has been on fire ever since it won the Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race in 2012, and Continued on page 20

DT

CALENDAR LISTINGS

The Don't Miss List

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By Dan Johnson Pitching calendar@downtownnews.com Reggie Watts as a beatExciting Theater, Music, Readings and Costumes Are in Downtown This Week box artist is like trying to convince you that The Broad is a collection of finger painting — it does a gross injustice to the man, the myth, the legend.

When Watts steps onto the Teragram Ballroom stage on Friday, Sept. 25, you will know him for his big hair and massive wits. His joke-telling prowess will be matched by the spoken-word tapestries that flow into a microphone and accompanying loop pedal. You will be aghast at the precision with which he dismantles, reassembles and re-canonizes the limits of Down the English language. Just don’t be surprised if on Spring this gig sells out. At 1234 W. Seventh St., Street, the Los (213) 689-9100 or Angeles Theatre Center teragramballroom.com.

The this week hosts two plays with United plots on exact opposite sides of the social States and spectrum. From Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 24-26, Vladimir Putin’s lingering memories of the Watts Riots reemerge 50 Russia continue to eye each years after the fact in a restaging of the Watts Village other warily? Can’t we all get along?

Theater Company’s Riot/Rebellion (shown here). For those Maybe the icebreaker should involve the Los craving lighter fare, Love & Warcraft explores the dimensions of Angeles Master Chorale, which kicks off its season contemporary romance as seen through the filter of online this week with a creative détente that even hardened diplogaming. Now in its West Coast premiere, the recently matic functionaries would be tickled pink over. On Saturday, Sept. opened, tongue-in-cheek, button-mashing affair 26, at 2 p.m. and again on Sunday at 7 p.m., the Walt Disney Concert Hall runs through Oct. 11. Catch either play at 8 p.m. plays host to a program of exclusively Russian-composed choral works. We’re on Thursday through Saturday; Warcraft talking Tchaikovsky, Grechaninov and Rachmaninoff. Better still, in the also has a 3 p.m. Sunday matinee.

18 years since Sofia Gubaidulina composed The Canticle of the At 514 S. Spring St., (866) Sun, no West Coast choral group has given the piece 811-4111 or thelatc. the premiere it deserved. The Master Chorale org. will be doing the work justice with help from cellist Robert deMaine. At 111 S. Grand Ave. (213) 972-3110 or lamc. org.

photo by Noah Kalina

EVENTS

SPONSORED LISTINGS Street Food Cinema Presents: ’80s Double Feature at Exposition Park 700 Exposition Park Dr. or streetfoodcinema.com Exposition Park will host an outdoor double feature screening of two ’80s films: Some Kind of Wonderful and Fast Times at Ridgemont High on Saturday, Sept. 26, with live music and food trucks prior to the films. The event is part of Street Food Cinema’s music, movie and food truck line-up at various parks throughout the summer and fall.

Food trucks are available starting at 5 p.m. and include What the Funnel, Street Kitchen LA, Cousin’s Maine Lobster and more. Live music from the band City City will begin at 5:45, and the first film starts at 7. Advance tickets for reserved seats are $17 or $20 at the door. Non-reserved seats are $5 cheaper.

MONDay, SEPTEMbER 21 Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: San Francisco native and Samuel Alito arch-nemesis Stephen Breyer brings his Constitutional mind to bear on the legal conundrums that plague our time.

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photo by Lee Salem

ThuRSDay, SEPTEMbER 24 Ian McDonald and Melinda Snodgrass at the Last Bookstore Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com.

7 p.m.: Science fiction practically oozes from Ian McDonald’s pores and Melinda M. Snodgrass is herself no newbie when it comes to fictionalized scenarios involving unlikely, but still plausible scenarios from the dystopic, technologically empowered future.

Mary Karr at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: The memoirist wonders aloud when she’ll have carte blanche to write about something other than herself for a change.

Michael Montecito at Town Hall City Club, 555 S. Flower St., (213) 628-8141 or townhall-la.org.

11:30 a.m.: The security services director of security intelligence for IBM North America discusses and fields questions about terror attacks and cyber breaches. No, you and your coworkers would not be safer with concealed carry permits. Yes, some Chinese hacker is watching your every move through your in-computer camera.

photo by Jenn Spain

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WEDNESDay, SEPTEMbER 23 Girls Night In Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or clubnokia.com.

7:30 p.m.: Despite an event name to the contrary, tonight’s “immersive, interactive experience for fans” will be held in public. Look forward to “an ensemble variety show, focusing on female empowerment, with each of the girls bringing their own creative personality and flair, taken up a level!”

photo courtesy the Last Bookstore

FRIDay, SEPTEMbER 25 Greg Graffin at the Bootleg Bootleg, 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org.

8:30 p.m.: Greg Graffin of Bad Religion has won himself a wheelbarrow full of accolades for his work as an evolutionary theorist. Graffin will be on hand to discuss his latest book, Population Wars.

SaTuRDay, SEPTEMbER 26 77th Annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival Chinatown Central Plaza, 943-951 N. Broadway, (213) 680-0243 or chinatownla.org.

5 p.m.: With the equinox upon us, we bid farewell to balmy summer and welcome our old friend fall back with a smattering Continued on next page

Downtown News 15

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Patriot?

Traitor?

Potential eyeglasses model? Whatever you think of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, the dude has become the icon central to the debate over personal privacy in the age of global terror. How does that relate to Downtown Los Angeles? Glad you asked. On Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m., damn fine cartoonist Ted Rall pops into the Last Bookstore to show off Snowden, his latest biography/graphic novel. What does a cartoonist know about geopolitical affairs?

As it turns out, sketching political opinions requires a hefty yet nimble understanding of the political sphere, a fact evidenced by Rall’s previous work, a nuanced interpretation of America’s war in Afghanistan. At 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela. com.

4

5

With the advent of Netflix and the rise of stellar hour-long television, the small screen now rivals the silver screen for prestige in the entertainment world. Enter the FIDM Museum and its Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design exhibit, which is now in the final week of its ninth year. It is dazzling visitors with the finest in episodic wardrobe, accouterments and all-around period-apropos splendor. Twenty-four shows are represented in the collection of 75 outfits, with highlights including duds from “Gotham,”“The Mindy Project,”“Olive Kitteridge” and “Wolf Hall.”

However, the arrival of the fall TV season means the end of the FIDM show. It closes Sunday, Sept. 26. At 919 S. Grand Ave., (213) 623-5821 or fidmmuseum.org.

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

photo by Alex J. Berliner/ABI Images

September 21, 2015

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

Belasco 1050 S. Hill St., (213) 746-5670 or thebelascotheater.com.

Sept. 24, 8 p.m.: We can confirm that Panteon Recoco XX Anos de Ska translates roughly to “twenty years of ska.” Thus, there will be at least one trombone on hand as is mandated by international ska law.

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

Sept. 21: Sophisticated Lady.

Sept. 22: Will Brahm Acoustic Trio with Genevieve Atardi and Katisse Buckingham.

Sept. 23: Vento Em Madeira.

Sept. 24: Benjamin and the Deva.

Enjoy an unforgettable homegrown dining experience for breakfast, lunch & dinner.

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726 Alameda St. (Bay & Alameda) 213-228-8999 | farmerboysla.com Open 24/7 | Free Wi-Fi | Free Parking Drive Thru | Breakfast Served All Day

bombarding you with blinding lights and high-decibel electronic noise calculated to be unavoidably danceable.

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

Sept. 21, 10 p.m.: This isn’t Sam’s Hofbrau — you can’t tip the Jazzaholics in Lotto scratchers.

Sept. 22, 10 p.m.: The Sheriffs of Schroedingham, a loving sonic portrait of the new West.

Sept. 23, 10 p.m.: The Dank is a band and not that sticky-icky.

Sept. 24, 10 p.m.: Zach & Bridget would prefer it if you stopped posting about them under Craigslist missed connections.

Sept. 25, 9 p.m.: Boys School is actually not that gender exclusive.

Sept. 27, 10 p.m.: RT & The 44s do not support open carry in bars for obvious reasons.

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

Sept. 25: Paul Van Dyk. Sept. 26: Firebeatz.

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ROCK, POP & JAZZ

Sept. 25: Daniel Rosenboom Quintet.

Sept. 26: Carmen Lundy.

Sept. 27: The Jasmine Tommaso Group.

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

Sept. 21, 8:30 p.m.: Danger Collective Records presents Psychomagic, Tongues and Vibekills. These are band names, BTW. Sept. 23, 8:30 p.m.: After thorough research, we have yet to discover a single fatality associated with Bass Drum of Death.

Sept. 24, 8 p.m.: Recalcitrant synth acolytes Blonde Redhead keep their steady grind going.

Sept. 26, 8:30 p.m.: Beware the attendant folliculitis that accompanies the Jacuzzi Boys.

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

Sept. 24, 8 p.m.: Grammy nominated Tamia is supporting her latest full-length release.

Sept. 25, 9 p.m.: Cash Cash and Tritonal will help you escape the dehumanization and alienation of postmodern capitalism by

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Continued from previous page of crafts, live entertainment, food and moon viewing.

September 21, 2015

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Dim Sum

Lunch and Dinner • An Extensive Seafood Menu including Dim Sum at Moderate Prices • Relaxed Dining in an Elegant Ambiance • Live Lobster Tank

700 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Free Parking Next to Restaurant Tel: 213.617.2323

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16 Downtown News

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

Sept. 21, 8 p.m.: Softcore pop rocker Awolnation will be dropping an album at the Grammy Museum.

Sept. 23, 8 p.m.: Tonight’s guest, Brandi Carlile, sports a floppy, devil-may-care boho look.

Sept. 25, 8 p.m.: Appropriately, James Taylor’s evening at the Grammy Museum is all sold out.

Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m.: Los Lobos have also sold out their evening at the Grammy Museum.

Microsoft Theatre 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6030 or microsofttheeatre.com.

Sept. 25, 8 p.m. and Sept. 26, 7 p.m.: Marco Antonio Solis, the five-time Latin Grammy Award winning singer with the Andy Gibb haircut.

Sept. 27, 6:30 p.m.: Arijit Singh took home a Best Male Playback Singer for his now classic “Tum Hi Ho.”

Regent China Inn Authentic Chinese Cuisine in Chinatown

✤ Live Lobster and Crab ✤ Delivery, Minimum Order $15 ✤ Lunch Special $4.95 – Mon.-Fri. 11-5, Sat.-Sun. 11-3 ✤ Party Tray Available 739-747 N. Main St. Los Angeles, 90012 213.680.3333 Regentchinainn.com FREE PARKING

ENjoy A DT NEws FAMiLy DisCouNT

$ 35 DTLA Price!

Special

$35* Use Code: FAMILY | September 23 – October 9 *online, by phone or in person. Not valid on previously purchased tickets. Subject to availability.

Cannot be combined with any other offer. Not available on Saturday evening performances, or Sunday, October 4.

For tickets, www.CenterTheatreGroup.org or (213) 628-2772 Decades of Family Resentment Burst Through Centuries of Historical Sin After their father dies in the decaying plantation mansion the family has held for generations, the three grown Lafayette children return to Arkansas to battle over their inheritance. Soon after uncovering a gruesome relic buried deep in the recesses of their father’s haunted past, decades of family resentment burst through centuries of historical sin in this outrageous and entertaining family drama.

“Subversively original…remarkable and devious.”

— Ben Brantley, The New York Times

Mark Taper Forum 135 N. Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012

#MAYOR_OF_INSTAGRAM Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti Shares His Photos in Downtown Photo Exhibition OPENS ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2015 FROM 4-7PM RUNS THROUGH OCTOBER 31, 2015 Los Angeles: There’s about 300 million Instagram users, but only one Mayor of Los Angeles, who Mother Jones has dubbed the ‘Mayor of Instagram.’ Whether it is the silhouette of a friend jumping in front of the sunset on the ridge of the Hollywood Hills, a police officer graduation or an abstraction of modernist architecture in Koreatown, Garcetti’s pictures provide perspective on the city from LA’s top office and open up a civic conversation shared in the comment section of his account. #MAYOR_OF_INSTAGRAM will also include pictures of the Mayor and mayors past by Los Angeles photographer Gary Leonard, who operates Take My Picture. Visitors can also take their picture with a cut out image of the mayor to post a selfie to their accounts.

Take My Picture Gallery | 109 W. 9th Street Open 10am - 4pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays For more information, contact David Leonard at david@davidleonard.tv or (323) 559-1973

September 21, 2015

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

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

Sept. 21: Rubber.

Sept. 22: The Maxies and The Girls.

Sept. 23: J.E.F.F. Sept. 24: Bob’s Birthday with The Blackerbys and Grindhouse.

Sept. 25: Turkish Techno, Gentlemen Prefer Blood, Chissum Worthington, Undercover Monsters and Darren Gratton.

Sept. 26: Get Dead, Clown, Murderland, Bad Cop/Bad Cop and HLB. Sept. 27: Guitars a Go Go. The Regent 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com.

Sept. 22, 8 p.m.: When Chameleonsvox play The Chameleons’ debut 1983 album, Script of the Bridge, in its entirety, you can assume it is because the recent incarnation is formed by members

Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris

GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin

ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie

sENior writEr: Eddie Kim

stAFF writEr: Heidi Kulicke

coNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese

coNtributiNG writErs: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer Art dirEctor: Brian Allison

AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa

PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard

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

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AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens

sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon

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twitter: DowntownNews ©2015 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

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CROSSWORD Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin

ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie sENior writEr: Eddie Kim stAFF writEr: Heidi Kulicke coNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese coNtributiNG writErs: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer Art dirEctor: Brian Allison AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard

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

AccouNtiNG: Ashley Schmidt

facebook: L.A. Downtown News

clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez

twitter: DowntownNews

circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

Laris Eastin

gardie

e hryn Maese eff Favre, Greg Fischer

n Yumi Kanegawa

©2015 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.

One copy per person.

PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard AccouNtiNG: Ashley Schmidt clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

s Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved. The Los Angeles Downtown News is the wn Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.

of the original band and that music law is a pain in the tuchus.

Sept. 23, 8 p.m.: Historic Core residents may notice an uptick in unmarked Fed surveillance vans as misguided G-men stake out tonight’s Araabmuzik show.

Sept. 24, 8 p.m.: Stars of the Lid seem like nice guys, but you really have to wonder about bands formed on Christmas Day. Sept. 25, 9 p.m.: Tickets to Chelsea Wolfe as well as eyeliner at local pharmacies are both sold out.

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

Sept. 21: The Louis Van Taylor Quintet.

Sept. 22: The Makers are this close. This close!

Sept. 23: Voodoo Down is hopefully not a Godsmack tribute band.

Sept. 24: If our Spanish is correct, Magala Papa is some sort of excellent and mystical potato.

Sept. 27: California Feet Warmers bring a lot to the table.

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

Sept. 24: Color TV, Bloody Death Skull and Wet & Reckless.

Sept. 25: D Tiberio, Gossamer and Infinite Body.

Sept. 26: SadGirl, Dante Elephante, The High Curbs and Astronaut Samurais.

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

Sept. 21, 8 p.m.: Psychic TV thought they were all clever when they came up with their band name. Well, the sadistic vampires over at the networks got wind of your concept and are well on the way to destroying individuality through advertising. Thanks guys.

Sept. 23, 8 p.m.: Oh Land is a musical tribute to the first brave amphibians.

Downtown News 17 Sept. 25, 8 p.m.: Vocal maestro Reggie Watts.

Sept. 26, 8 p.m.: In the category of band names also heard at a deposition is He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister.

FILM Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com.

Sept. 21, 8 p.m.: If you’re wondering how those zany kids in Arcade Fire make an album, The Reflektor Tapes is a nice primer. Better still, there’s no dress code for tonight’s event.

Continued on next page

LAST WEEKS ANSWERS

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

18 Downtown News

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Sept. 26, 11 a.m.: The Third Annual Jalopnik Film Festival focuses on L.A.’s first love: the automobile.

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

Sept. 21-28: Depending on your world view, The Looking Planet will either be a charming bit of existential animation or a horrid cautionary tale about the demerits of putting one’s individual effort into any project.

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

Galapagos 3D. If it was good enough to blow Charles Darwin’s mind, it’s probably good enough for you!

Forces of Nature promises a panoply of nature’s worst destruction.

Experience the gripping story full of hope, crushing disappointment and triumph in Hubble 3D. Regal Cinemas LA Live 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 763-6070 or lalive.com/movies.

Through Sept. 24: Black Mass (12:20, 1, 3:30, 4:10, 6:40, 7:20, 9:45 and 10:25 p.m.); Everest (1, 4:10, 7:20 and 10:30 p.m.); Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (12, 12:40, 1:20, 2, 3:10, 3:50, 4:30, 5:10, 6:20, 7, 7:35, 8:20, 9:30, 10:05 and 10:35); The Perfect Guy (12, 1:30, 2:30, 4, 5, 6:30, 7:30, 9 and 10 p.m.); The Visit (12:30, 1:50, 2:50, 4:20, 5:20, 7:50 and 10:15 p.m.); Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos (12:50 and 3:20 p.m.); Straight Outta Compton (12:10, 3:40, 7:05 and 10:20 p.m.); Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (1:10, 4:10, 7:10 and 10:10 p.m.).

THEATER, OPERA & DANCE Appropriate Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8001 or laopera.org.

Sept. 23-26, 8 p.m. and Sept. 27, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: We’re delving into the world of family guilt, lingering memories of the Deep South and the stark divide between past, present and future. For once, this conversation doesn’t involve seeing my analyst.

Through Nov. 1.

Bob Baker’s Musical World Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., (213) 250-9995 or bobbakermarionettes.com.

Sept. 26-27, 2:30 p.m.: Puppets playing music. How is this different than, say, any band you hear on modern rock radio? Bob Baker’s puppets are non-sentient creatures, that’s how!

Chinglish East West Players, 120 Judge John Aiso St., (213) 625-7000 or eastwestplayers. org.

Sept. 24-26, 8 p.m. and Sept. 27, 2 p.m.: The trans-Pacific culture divide will again be bridged in this humorous tale of an American businessman adrift from his social bearings in China. Everybody’s talking at him. He doesn’t understand a word they’re saying.

Through Oct. 11. See review pg. 13.

Gianni Schicchi/Pagliacci Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8001 or laopera.org.

Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 27, 2 p.m.: The L.A. Opera returns with Plácido Domingo in rare form as both the star of a Woody Allen-helmed staging of Gianni Schicchi and as conductor of Pagliacci.

Hammer of the Witches Loft Ensemble, 929 E. Second St., #105 or loftensemble.org.

Sept. 26, 8 p.m. or Sept. 27, 7 p.m.: Beware the coven of witches who covet power.

Through Nov. 1.

In Love & Warcraft The Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., (866) 811-4111 or thelatc.org.

Sept. 24-26, 8 p.m. and Sept. 27, 3 p.m.: Are online dating and actual love with a human being mutually exclusive realms? We’re not experts, but we think this humorous play might offer an insight or two. Through Oct. 11.

La Melancolie des Dragons REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

Sept. 23-25, 8:30 p.m.: Absurdist humor tells the origin story of a heavy metal theme park in the lucidly staged production from Philippe Quesne.

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.

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September 21, 2015

DT

CLASSIFIEDS REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL

LEGAL legal notiCes

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County of Los Angeles Department of the Treasurer and Tax Collector Notice of Divided Publication pursuant to Sections 3702, 3381, and 3382, revenue and taxation Code (r&tC), the notice of Sale of tax De-faulted property Subject to the power of Sale in and for the County of Los angeles, State of California has been divided and distributed to various newspapers of general circulation published in said County for publication of a portion thereof, in each of the said newspapers.

Public Auction Notice Of Sale Of Tax-Defaulted Property Subject To The Tax Collector’s Power to Sell (Sale No. 2015A) Whereas, on July 21, 2015, i, JOSeph KeLLY, treasurer and tax Collector, was di-rected by the Board of Super-visors of Los angeles County, State of California, to sell at public auction certain tax-defaulted properties which are subject to the tax Collec-tor’s power to sell. public no-tice is hereby given that un-less said properties are re-deemed prior thereto, i will, on monday, October 19, 2015, and tuesday, October 20, 2015, at the hour of 9:00 a.m. at the Fairplex Los an-geles County Fairgrounds, 1101 W. mcKinley avenue, Building 6, pomona, Califor-nia, offer for sale and sell said properties at public auction to the highest bidder for cash or cashier’s check in lawful money of the United States for not less than the minimum bid. if no bids are received on a parcel, it will be re-offered at the end of the pub-lic auction at a reduced mini-mum bid. the minimum bid for each parcel is the total amount necessary to redeem, plus costs, as required by Section 3698.5 of the revenue and taxation Code. any unimproved properties that are not sold at the end of the public auction on October 20, 2015, or re-deemed prior to 5:00 p.m. (pt) December 4, 2015, i will re-offer for sale beginning monday, December 7, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. (pt) through Wednesday, December 9, 2015, at 12:00 p.m. (pt) at online auction at www.bid4assets.com/losangeles. prospective bidders should obtain detailed information of Sale no. 2015a from the County treasurer and tax Collector. pre-registration and a $5,000 deposit in the form of cash, cashier’s check or bank issued money order is required at the time of reg-istration. the ttC will not accept personal checks, two-party checks or business checks for registration. registration will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., beginning monday, September 14, 2015, at the

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

FORfor RENT All submissions are subject to federal and California fair housing laws, which make it illegal to indicate in any advertisement any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income or physical or mental disability. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. treasurer and tax Collec-tor’s Office located at 225 north hill Street, room 130, Los angeles, California, and will end Friday, October 2, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. pursuant to r&tC Section 3692.3, the ttC sells all property ``as is`` and the County and its employees are not liable for any known or unknown conditions of the property, including, but not limited to, errors in the as-sessor’s records pertaining to improvement of the property. if the property is sold, parties of interest, as defined by r&tC Section 4675, have a right to file a claim with the County for any proceeds from the sale, which are in excess of the liens and costs re-quired to be paid from the proceeds. if there are any excess proceeds, the ttC will send notice to the parties of interest, pursuant to law. all information concerning redemption, provided the right to redeem has not previously been terminated, will upon request be furnished by JO-Seph KeLLY, treasurer and tax Collector. according to law, if the prop-erty is not redeemed by the close of

business on the last business day prior to the date of the auction, Friday October 16, 2015, at 5:00 p.m., the property will be offered for sale. if the property is not sold at the public auction, the right of redemption will revive and remain until Friday, December 4, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. if the property is not re-deemed

by Friday, December 4, 2015, at 5:00 p.m., it will be scheduled for the follow-up online auction as indicated above. the assessor’s identification number (ain) in this publication refers to the assessor’s map book, the map page, and the individual parcel number on the map page. if a change in the ain occurred, both prior and current ains are shown. an explanation of the parcel numbering system and the maps referred to are available from the Office of the assessor located at 500 West temple Street, room 225, Los angeles, California 90012.

Should you require a copy of the list explaining the abbre-viations used in this publica-tion, please visit the Office of the treasurer and tax Collec-tor, 225 north hill Street, room 130, Los angeles,

Cali-fornia 90012, or telephone 1(213) 974-2045. i certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. executed at Los angeles, California, on august 24, 2015.

JOSeph KeLLY treasurer and tax Collector County of Los angeles State of California the real property that is sub-ject to this notice is situated in the County of Los angeles, State of California, and is de-scribed as follows: pUBLiC aUCtiOn nOtiCe OF SaLe OF taX-DeFaULteD prOpertY SUBJeCt tO the pOWer OF SaLe(SaLe nO. 2015a) 3907 ain 5537-001-003 hai-aZi DeVeLOpment inC C/O C/O ara hairaBeDian LOCatiOn COUntY OF LOS anGeLeS $531,064.00

the LOFT expert!

TM

Downtown since 2002

Bill Cooper 213.598.7555 TheLoftExpertGroup.com

Bill Cooper 213.598.7555

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20 Downtown News

September 21, 2015

ResTAURANT BUzz, 14

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.

E

at xci Gr ti A 255 South Grand Avenue an ng sk A dT ow Ne bou Leasing Information er w t O Co 213 229 9777 m Re ur ing n Su ova Apartment Amenities: Community Amenities: m m tio ~ Refrigerator, Stove, ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby er Microwave & Dishwasher ~ Concierge 20 n 15 (most units) ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas

Grand Tower

~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

~ 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 / Spa / BBQ Grills ~ Fitness Center ~ Covered Parking

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

On-Site: ~ Convenience Store / 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

TOWERS T H E

A PA RT M E N T S

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its brick-and-mortar in the Sawtelle neighborhood continues to draw long lines. Expect similar crowds at the largest iteration of the restaurant, which opened this month on the ground floor of Little Tokyo’s Ava apartment complex. As the name suggests, Seoul Sausage slings a selection of tasty packed meats, with flavors including Vietnamese bahn mi and kalbi. The menu also offers kimchee fried rice balls, Korean fried chicken and a kalbi burger. Wash it down with a number of cheap beers (think Miller High Life) and cocktails made with soju and Korean rice wine.

At 236 S. Los Angeles St. or seoulsausage.com.

Just Frontin’: The Financial District got another sleek place for dinner and cocktails with last month’s debut of FOH. Short for “front of house,” aka the waitstaff and managers who run the dining room, FOH offers a menu that dips into modern Mexican influences and a mash of other culinary regions. Dishes include ravioli stuffed with huitlacoche (a mushroom-like fungus that grows on corn) and pork belly with pipian, a mellow Mexican red sauce. There are also salads, sandwiches and larger entrees such as a pork chop with cranberries. FOH touts a big cocktail list, with an array of classics like the Manhattan and signature drinks that make heavy use of tequila and mezcal.

At 615 S. Flower St., (213) 537-0554 or fohrestaurant.com.

Got juicy food news? Email eddie@downtownnews.com.

AROUND TOWN, 2 Arts District facility serves as corporate headquarters. It includes a large tasting room and an outdoor garden. American Tea Room sells more than 200 teas from around the world, and customers can browse them through a system dubbed the “Tea Zone,” using filters such as mood, flavor, region, color or price. “We want to educate our customers about tea and tea service, take away the idea that selecting tea can be intimidating,” said founder and CEO David Barenholtz. The shop also offers tea-infused cocktails, coffee brewed with Verve beans and snacks and pastries from Grand Central Market’s Valerie Confections. There are plans to offer a bigger lunch menu with salads and sandwiches in October, according to the company. American Tea Room is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

More information is at americantearoom.com.

Free Grand Avenue Arts Festival Coming

G

rand Avenue is getting a lot of attention thanks to the opening of The Broad. Next month, the museum will be one of several institutions participating in a day-long festival. The free Grand Ave. Arts: All Access event will take place Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and will feature performances, exhibitions, tours and activities along Grand Avenue between Temple and Sixth streets. The event will highlight Grand Avenue’s cultural opportunities, with options such as an a cappella performance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Walt Disney Concert Hall; a rehearsal of L.A. Opera’s Moby-Dick at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion; tours of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and Disney Hall; and family crafts and activities based on the upcoming run of the Ahmanson’s The Sound of Music. Reservations are not required. A full schedule and additional information is at grandavearts.tumblr.com.

City Funds New Murals and Restoration

T

he city in 2013 passed an ordinance to streamline the permitting and creation of murals around Los Angeles. Now the Department of Cultural Affairs is doubling down on that initiative, allocating $750,000 to fund new murals and the restoration of old public artworks by next June. Specifically, the DCA is allocating $300,000 to the 15 City Council offices so that they can commission new artworks or conserve existing historic citysponsored murals. Another $400,000 is going toward the conservation of 11 non-city-sponsored murals around the city. The Social and Public Art Resource Center is spearheading the restoration of nine murals, including two in Downtown: “Calle de la Eternidad” by Johanna Poethig at 351 S. Broadway, and “La Ofrenda” by Yreina Cervantes in City West. The Mural Conservancy of L.A. is tackling two more in Boyle Heights. The remaining $50,000 will cover administrative costs.