09-29-14

String Theory At Downtown Ukulele Shop A Little Instrument Is Big Business SEE PAGE 12

photos by Gary Leonard

SEPTEMBER 29, 2014 I VOL. 43 I #39

Andy Warhol Is Back at MOCA | 13 Jason Arimoto and Brad Renola in their Little Tokyo store U-Space.

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AROUND TOWN

‘Catfe’ Coming to Chinatown This Week

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eople with Downtown jobs who miss their pet cat while at work will get a reprieve from feline loneliness this week. That’s because California’s first “catfe” is coming to Chinatown’s Far East Plaza. From Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 2-5, a room full of purring kitties, some costumed maids and butlers, and live music from a DJ (and potentially a band) will be set up in a storefront on the first floor of the mall at 727 N. Broadway. The cat cafe is the brainchild of Carlos Wong, who earlier this year created a Kickstarter campaign to bring a permanent catfe to Los Angeles. Wong is partnering with the Chinatown Business Improvement District and nokill animal shelter Best Friends L.A. for the catfe, which is free to visit. While the space won’t be serving food or drinks, visitors are encouraged to bring eats from nearby restaurants, such as Asian-bowl joint Chego! The catfe will be open from 4-9 p.m. on all four days. Additional information is at facebook.com/lacatfe.

Metro Entrance Proposed For The Bloc

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he $160 million renovation of the shopping/ office/hotel complex The Bloc will bring an Alamo Drafthouse as well as new stores and restaurants. Now there’s word that developer

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS Wayne Ratkovich’s upgrade of the complex fronting Seventh Street could have another amenity: subway access. Officials from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are looking at adding a portal in the mall to the 7th Street/Metro Center Station. Metro’s planning and programming committee wants the Board of Directors to approve $400,000 for the project, which it says will alleviate crowded conditions at Metro’s busiest station. Currently all three entrances for the station are north of Seventh Street. The proposed south portal would minimize pedestrian street crossings, according to documents from the planning committee. The proposal comes as Metro anticipates an uptick in ridership in 2016, when the Expo Line extends service to Santa Monica (it currently stops in Culver City).

The Metro board will consider the proposal at its meeting on Thursday, Oct. 2.

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Homelessness Solutions Meeting on Monday

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month after city and county workers in Skid Row removed more than three tons of trash from the streets and helped more than 100 people receive medical and mental health care, a Homelessness Solutions Panel will discuss the next steps in tackling the problem. On Monday, Sept. 29, a group of leaders and experts organized by 14th District City Councilman José Huizar will weigh in on the initiative and report dubbed “Plan for Hope: A Los Angeles Community Response to the Homeless Crisis.” The report was assembled by Downtown residents and stakeholders. The discussion, which will run from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Los Angeles Theatre Center (514 S. Spring St.), will include speakers such as District

September 29, 2014

Historic Core BID

Staff

Artwalk

September 2014

Attorney Jackie Lacey, state Sen. Kevin De Leon, Downtown developer and former LAHSA board member Tom Gilmore and numerous representatives from city and county agencies. Huizar has called for the creation of a city Homelessness Czar. The group’s report is at planforhope.org. Admission to the discussion is free.

Change of Leadership Coming to SCI-Arc

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big change is coming to the Southern California Institute of Architecture. The Arts

District school this month announced that Eric Owen Moss, the director of the institution since 2002, will step down from the top spot in 2015.

He will be replaced by Hernan Diaz Alonso, an architect and faculty member since 2001 who currently serves as chair of the school’s graduate programs. Moss, who will focus on his own architecture firm in Culver City, said in an interview that the school has emerged as a “legitimate, durable, inquisitive, high-energy, imaginative place” during his tenure. Key achievements, he said, include helping SCI-Arc purchase its own building in 2011. The school currently has 500 students Continued on page 6

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EDITORIALS

September 29, 2014

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

Finally, a Nearby Trader Joe’s

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owntown business leaders have spent the better part of a decade trying to convince executives with the supermarket chain Trader Joe’s to open in the Central City. Again and again, however, the brass at the Monrovia-based business said no, and declared that Downtown Los Angeles was not in their two-year plan.

Apparently the core of Downtown still isn’t in their two-year plan. However, Trader Joe’s at long last is coming to the general area, and it seems reasonable to assert that the resurgence in the Central City had something to do with it. Although it will take three years, Downtowners can start counting down to when they no longer need to drive to Silver Lake or South Pasadena to buy their Trader Joe’s goods.

As Los Angeles Downtown News first reported on Sept. 17, a Trader Joe’s will open in the USC Village mega-development in 2017.

While we still believe that the supermarket would do very well in the heart of Downtown, one can understand why the executives opted for a location with easy access to tens of thousands of budget-minded students. They know that they get to serve the college base, and that people who live and work a few miles to the north can drive or take public transportation to shop for groceries.

While having a nearby Trader Joe’s will be good for Downtown, it should be even better for USC. University leaders want the $650 million USC Village to appeal to more than college students. Accomplishing that goal means stitching together the right mix of shops and restaurants that pull in people from Downtown and other communities.

A Trader Joe’s will resonate along the Figueroa Corridor, and just as college students have been coming north to L.A. Live for evening and weekend entertainment ever since that complex opened, now more Downtowners will have reason to travel south along the street. This promises to bolster ties between the core of Downtown and the university. Ideally USC will select other tenants that also appeal to Downtowners.

It has to be noted that Downtowners in 2014 don’t lack for grocery options. The Ralphs Fresh Fare that opened in South Park in 2007 has been joined more recently by a Smart & Final Extra just north of L.A. Live and a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market near Chinatown. Groceries are sold in the City Target at FIGat7th and Urban Radish in the Arts District. The options will expand even further next year when a 42,000-square-foot Whole Foods opens in Carmel Partners’ 700-unit housing complex at Eighth Street and Grand Avenue.

We look forward to the day when Trader Joe’s executives decide they need to have a store in the heart of Downtown, and we still think that’s a when, not an if. In the meantime, local residents and workers will be served by the new business. We look forward to the supermarket’s arrival at USC Village.

City Fails on a Downtown Slip-and-Slide

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n late August, city leaders and concert promoters celebrated the success of the Budweiser Made in America Festival. Over two days more than 70,000 people came to Downtown Los Angeles to catch dozens of acts in Grand Park and on surrounding streets. With Mayor Eric Garcetti serving as a guiding force, everything — from permits to security to infrastructure — was pulled together in just a few months.

Although there were hiccups in terms of outreach to neighbors, the concert served as a great example of what can be accomplished in today’s Los Angeles.

That success is what makes the failure to bring off a giant Downtown slip-and-slide, dubbed Slide the City, so frustrating. Here was a prime opportunity to inject some fun into Downtown on an otherwise quiet Sunday. Setting up a 1,000-foot-long slip-and-slide on Temple Street would have generated attention and hopefully created patrons for Downtown bars and restaurants. Slide the City organizers even sold out their advance tickets.

Although Slide the City leaders appeared to have been flexible in their dealings with Los Angeles, and worked with the city for more than two months, ultimately the permits for the event, planned for Sunday, Sept. 28, were denied.

The big knock against Slide the City is that having an event that uses up to 20,000 gallons of water is irresponsible during California’s severe drought. An online petition calling for the cancellation of the slide generated more than 12,000 electronic signatures.

City officials indeed cited drought-related reasons in rejecting the permits. However, after seeing Los Angeles pull off a concert for 70,000 people, we wonder if Slide the City could have been saved.

As this page wrote last month, we’re glad so many people are concerned about the state’s water crisis. However, this is a grandstand play, ignoring the fact that there are a lot of water wasters in Los Angeles, from people who don’t use pool covers (leading to evaporation) to golf course operators who want manicured greens and fairways to individuals who ignore restrictions on lawn watering to people who don’t fix leaky faucets. Not that we think any of those is a reason to waste more water. Wasting water was not the plan.

Slide the City organizers were even working with city officials on ways to collect the water used during the event, then treat and donate it for irrigation uses. The city rejected that offer, saying chlorine would be bad for irrigation. Surely, though, there is some place in Los Angeles the water could have gone.

We are disappointed that city leaders did not adopt the can-do attitude they employed for the MIA festival. They bent over backwards to make the concert happen, and have learned from the mistakes that were made to improve next year’s event (if there is one). The same tactics could have been used here.

Slide the City won’t happen in Downtown. Don’t be surprised if organizers of other events notice what occurred and go elsewhere, rather than try to pull off something unique in L.A.

Huizar-Molina Race Will Be Good for Voters

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he race for the 14th District City Council seat will likely be nasty. County Supervisor Gloria Molina’s challenge to incumbent José Huizar comes as the current councilman is being sued for sexual harassment and retaliation by a former deputy. Those circumstances, and the vast amounts of money each candidate will likely raise (Huizar already has pulled in $649,000), usually leads to mudslinging.

The nastiness, while colorful, is ultimately a bad thing, and it is probably part of what turns people off about voting and the political process. Still, Molina’s challenge to Huizar will be good for voters and good for Downtown Los Angeles. Rather than the rubber stamp run we so often see in council races, there will be a real choice between two experienced candidates. Molina and Huizar will be forced to run on their records and connect with the community. Empty promises and sloganeering won’t suffice.

Downtown has enjoyed an incredible surge in the last decade, and we look forward to hearing Huizar and Molina’s plans for the area.

While Huizar has a head start by virtue of representing most of Downtown since the 2011 redistricting process, Molina’s challenge ensures that he must deliver more than platitudes. Similarly, though Molina has represented portions of the community for decades, Huizar’s status means she can’t rely on past successes and popularity.

We look forward to hearing how Huizar and Molina intend to ensure that the Downtown development boom continues, but at the same time what they will do to address income inequality in the area.

How will they use the power of the office to address homelessness?

What new transportation initiatives will they push?

That is just the start. We just hope that as the campaign edges into the dark side, the candidates remember to focus on the needs of the community.

September 29, 2014

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

For Downtown Veterans, A New Home Rosslyn Renovation Creates Housing For 75 Homeless Former Members of the Military

By Donna Evans arcus Hunter’s new home is five blocks and a lifetime away from where he spent the last decade.

On Monday, Sept. 29, Hunter will move into apartment 464 in the recently renovated Rosslyn Hotel Apartments. Although just 250 square feet, it will permanently take him away from a former life of cocaine addiction, sleeping on the streets and lining up at Skid Row missions for meals.

Hunter isn’t alone. Instead, he is one of 75 veterans moving into the building at 112 W. Fifth St. SRO Housing Corporation has spent 16 months and $16 million upgrading the 1923 structure. The renovation will create 264 rooms for low-income individuals, chronically homeless veterans and people with disabilities.

“I feel like a kid. I feel really blessed,” Hunter, 57, said last week as he eyed the door to his new apartment.

The men were approved for the Rosslyn by the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program, which combines rental assistance with case management and clinical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Hunter has been off drugs and off the streets for seven months. The Kansas City native has been staying at the Russ Hotel at Fifth and San Julian streets. During the recent visit, he flipped

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on the light and gushed at the tub. He said he couldn’t remember the last time he soaked in a bath.

SRO Housing acquired the Historic Core property in 2010. During the renovation, all the units received new kitchenettes, and 66 apartments got updated showers. A community room will open on the second floor, and will have a TV and oven (the apartments have stovetops).

A second phase of the renovation is expected to be complete next month and will include a revamped exterior, lobby and mezzanine.

SRO Housing Corp. secured a $15,000 grant from the Hilton Foundation to buy bed sheets, blankets and pillows for the veterans. Additionally, the men will find their rooms furnished with a dresser, a bed, an end table and a small kitchen table with two chairs. SRO Housing CEO Anita Nelson said the organization is also working to help the residents acquire dishes, pots and pans.

Nelson said she has seen many veterans return from their time in the military only to find that their family dynamic has changed. They may feel rejected, she said, or have trouble landing a job and don’t realize that services exist to help them. Other times, she added, they wind up on the streets and don’t see getting help as a priority.

Marcus Hunter is one of 75 formerly homeless veterans who will move into the newly renovated Rosslyn Hotel Apartments. The Historic Core building will hold 264 residential units. photo by Gary Leonard

“They’re just existing, really,” she said.

Hunter said he initially had no idea that his two years serving in the Navy in the late 1970s would qualify him for housing subsidies from the VA. Then, seven months ago, he heard someone talking in Skid Row about aid available to veterans. He walked into a Volunteers of America center on Crocker Street and spoke to a counselor, who put him in contact with the

VA office in West Los Angeles. Workers there connected him with social services workers.

That put him on the path to the Rosslyn.

In addition to being sober, Hunter is taking classes and working toward an associate’s degree in human resources from Los Angeles City College.

Life is also turning around for Raymond Continued on page 20

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AROUND TOWN, 2 and 80 faculty members. Alonso is a principal at the Los Angelesbased architecture firm Xefirotarch. In 2012 he received the educator of the year award from the American Institute of Architects, and in 2013 he earned an award for designing the Thyssen Bornamiza Pavilion/Museum in Argentina.

throughout the complex, including street performers, DJs, musicians, dance groups and more. The game-less night has another attraction for sports fans: Many items at the Team L.A. store at Staples Center will be 40% off the regular price. Parking fees have also been slashed to just $5 for the evening. Food options and other information on Downtown Dark Nights is at lalive.com/darknights.

City Kills Downtown Slip-and-Slide

Homeboy Industries Offers Food Truck, 5K

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fter receiving both criticism and support over the past two months, Slide the City’s plan to host a Downtown slip-andslide is dead. The city rejected key permits for the proposed Sunday, Sept. 28, attraction, saying plans were not in line with local policy considering the ongoing drought. Slide the City and Los Angeles officials had discussed collecting, treating and recycling the 20,000 gallons of water that the Temple Street slip-and-slide would require, potentially using the water to irrigate Griffith Park.

The city Department of Recreation and Parks, however, indicated that the chlorine content would make that impossible, according to the Department of Public Works. On its website, a note from Slide the City read, “We have been working even harder over the past few days to resolve any issues the city may have but it appears there is no resolution.” People who purchased tickets to the sold-out happening can either redeem them at a future event or ask for a refund by emailing welovela@slidethecity.com.

L.A. Live ‘Dark Nights’ Brings Food and Drink Specials

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night at L.A. Live without concerts or games might seem bad for business, but it’s good for Downtowners. L.A. Live owner Anschutz Entertainment Group is holding its next Downtown Dark Nights on Friday, Oct. 3, and the 5 p.m.-midnight event will feature copious $5 food and drink specials. Participating restaurants include Katsuya, Rock’N Fish, Tom’s Urban, Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill and Rosa Mexicano. There will also be live entertainment

Commercial Office Space for Lease

he Chinatown-based Homeboy Industries is known for giving jobs to former gang members. Now, the entity founded

by Father Gregory Boyle is showing off a couple of its lesserknown projects: a food truck and a 5K fundraiser. Homeboy’s fifth-annual 5k Run/Walk will take place Saturday, Oct. 18, at its headquarters at 130 W. Bruno St. Registration is $20-$40 and the event will coincide with a noon-8 p.m. art show and sale. About 120 works will be on display, and 30% of the proceeds will go to Homeboy’s social programs. The event will also feature live music and Homeboy’s recently launched food truck, which offers tacos, burritos, sandwiches and more. The truck’s travels can be followed on Twitter at @homeboytruck. Information on the fundraiser is at homeboyindustries.org/5k.

Filipino Festival at Grand Park

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istoric Filipinotown isn’t in Downtown — it’s actually a bit to the west. However, Downtown will celebrate Filipino arts, culture and food this week. The 23rd annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture will take place Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 4-5, at Grand Park. The event, which runs from noon-8 p.m. both days, will offer traditional eats, music from the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra, martial arts, traditional dance, arts and crafts, a market and more. Don’t miss the seventh annual Tinikling Battle, which features elegant performers quickly dancing in and around bamboo poles that are being smacked together and on the ground for percussive effect. The free festival coincides with CicLAvia on Sunday, so beware of traffic snarls around Grand Park.

The

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T EA R G

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

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Just Say No: A woman walked out of a medical marijuana dispensary at 18th Street and Broadway at 9:15 p.m. on Sept.

20. A man grabbed her purse then, inexplicably, tried to give the bag to a Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee who was walking by. The person refused the bag and the thief was arrested.

ATM Trouble: At 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 18, a man driving a Cadillac Escalade placed chains around an ATM machine at Cashworld, at 1053 S. Hill St. He used the car to pull off its doors and stole an unidentified amount of money.

Drug Money: A man accused another person of stealing a $50 bill that had been used for snorting cocaine at a party in the 600 block of Spring Street at 7 a.m. on Sept. 20. The alleged perpetrator denied taking the loot and showed his own money to prove he didn’t have it. The accuser then shoved the man to the ground, stole his cash, and fled. Yes, someone thought it was a good idea to report this to the police.

Failed Get-Away: Two men swiped a woman’s purse from a table at Carl’s Jr. at Seventh and San Pedro streets at 2 p.m. on Sept. 20. The woman struggled with one of the men, but stopped when he said he had a gun. The suspects fled and jumped on a bus. Police caught them several stops later.

Early Morning Shooting: An unidentified man fired three shots at a vehicle stopped at Commercial and Garey streets at 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 20. The driver was hit in the hand and treated at a nearby hospital.

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September 29, 2014

One Year Later, Prime Park and Plaza Remain Off Limits Downtowners Grow Frustrated as Angels Knoll and Site Across From Grand Central Market Are Still Fenced Off

By Eddie Kim rand Central Market is one of the hottest dining destinations in the city, with stands such as Wexler’s Deli, Eggslut and Horse Thief BBQ drawing crowds and generating national press. However, if any visitor to the market wanted to take his or her meal and head across Hill Street for an al fresco picnic, as they did for years, they’d be out of luck — an inviting public plaza sits off limits behind an imposing chain link fence.

It’s a similar situation at the top of the hill.

There, Angels Knoll, the bucolic mini-park that was a key site in the film (500) Days of Summer, also sits fenced off. Though thousands of people work in the neighboring Cal Plaza towers, the park is a depressing shell of its former self.

The once-green grass has gone brown. It sits as empty as its shuttered neighbor, Angels Flight.

It has been this way for more than a year.

In July 2013, the plaza and Angels Knoll were fenced off, partly in preparation for a land sale that has yet to occur, and for the portion near Grand Central Market, partly in response to a large and sometimes aggressive homeless population that congregated there.

The fact that the public areas have been off limits so long is rankling some Downtown stakeholders.

“The public is right to be upset with the condition of this property,” said City Councilman José Huizar, whose 14th District includes Downtown Los Angeles. “The city is in the process of asking the state, which controls it cur-

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photo by Gary Leonard

The plaza across the street from Grand Central Market has been closed since July 2013. It is unknown when it could reopen.

rently, to better maintain the site, as we would any other property owner who fails upkeep.”

Carol Schatz, president and CEO of the Central City Association and the Downtown Center Business Improvement District, also expressed

disappointment in the current state of the site, noting that, “literally anything would be an improvement.”

CRA Shutdown The fenced-off plaza and Angels Knoll’s spi-

ral into a barren no-man’s-land stems from Gov. Jerry Brown’s dissolution of Community Redevelopment Agencies across the state in 2011.

Los Angeles’ CRA had owned both sites, as well as the hill that slopes between them. After the

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Angels Knoll, the park adjacent to California Plaza, was a key location in the film (500) Days of Summer. It has been fenced off for a year and its grass has died.

CRA shut down, a successor agency began the slow process of categorizing its portfolio. It is still determining which properties to sell to pay off debts, which to sell on the open market and which to transfer to the city (at an appraised price) for future development.

It is a convoluted process that could have some finality in October. That is when the state Department of Finance could give approvals for the successor agency’s property management plan. As part of that plan, the city is trying to retain Angels Knoll, the hill and the plaza across from Grand Central Market. That would give the city a greater say in how the site is de-

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Downtown News 9

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veloped than if a private entity bought it with the highest bid.

That process, however, could mean more stagnation. If the state Department of Finance approves the plan, the City Council would have to decide whether to pursue a purchase of the site. If it does, the city would have several years to find a developer whose vision for the property aligns with the city’s, said Josh Rohmer, a principal project coordinator in the city administrative office. It would be up to the city to determine if the properties could be reactivated before that.

The challenge, Rohmer noted, is that the city

would need to pay fair market value for the land, and it would need a significant development to justify the investment. The market value remains unclear pending a full appraisal, but previous CRA reports placed it in the $10 million-plus category (it was acquired in 1961 for $2.7 million).

“Really, the maximizing of that land value means building something like a skyscraper, and the cost of the property means that it’s harder to leave it as a park,” Rohmer said. “It would probably have to be subsidized with money we don’t have if it’s to remain a park.”

Though any action is years away, Huizar said he hopes the site would include a mix of uses, potentially including residential, office, retail and public space.

Schatz said that if the city acquires the site, it should move quickly to find the right development partner. Otherwise it risks missing out on key investment dollars.

“If there is discussion about a public-private partnership to develop some other use than green space, now would be the time to act,” she said. “If they wait too long, they may miss the current development cycle.”

Building Choices Currently, Angels Knoll remains in limbo under the control of the CRA successor agency.

The agency is charged with closing its vast portfolio, and has no obligation to open or maintain the property during the process.

Huizar said that if and when the city acquires the property, it will “take better care of the site,” but whether that can actually happen is still unclear.

It would be difficult for the city to justify the expense of reopening and maintaining Angels Knoll and the plaza during the acquisition pro-

cess, according to Rohmer, though it is possible. The city might need to conduct a cost-benefit analysis before doing so, he added.

Looking ahead, Adam Tischer, a vice president of real estate brokerage Colliers International and a Downtown resident, suggested that condominiums might be the best fit for the site and would maximize the city’s investment.

“You’d have great views, and there’s strong demand for residential. It’s good for the community to bring more households into that area,” Tischer said. “You’re also in the cultural hub of Downtown.”

A hotel could also work on the site, Tischer added, but he shot down the idea of another office building on Bunker Hill. Although the property was initially planned as the site for the third phase of the Cal Plaza towers, the 19.5% vacancy in the office market, and more creative office space being built in Downtown, means an office high-rise would not make sense, he said.

While the development talk is encouraging for some area stakeholders, others are disappointed to hear that Angels Knoll will likely not remain a park. Jeffrey Winston, community relations coordinator for the adjacent senior housing complex Angelus Plaza, said that residents and office workers alike enjoyed having a park to take a break from the urban environment around them.

“Los Angeles in general has such a small amount of green space, maybe the least of any major city per capita,” Winston said. “I would like to see that green space, or at least some of it remain.”

For now it remains, just behind a fence. eddie@downtownnews.com

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September 29, 2014

Restaurant Buzz A Fred Harvey Comeback, Northern Thai Eats and More Food Happenings

By Eddie Kim arvey’s Back: Finally, Union Station’s former Fred Harvey restaurant is on the comeback trail. Metro, which owns the transit hub, is working with 213 Nightlife proprietors Cedd Moses and Eric Needleman to turn the historic spot into a modern American gastropub. The lease would be for up to 20 years, during which time the operators would pay $7.75 million in rent and other fees. According to a Metro staff report on the deal, 213 would also pay for up to $1.5 million in improvements to the space, and it would take about a year to secure permits, rebuild the kitchen and complete renovations to the dining area; the work would be overseen by a historic preservation architect. The Metro Board of Directors will consider the lease during its Oct. 2 meeting. The Harvey House has been vacant since 1967. Although plans to reactivate it have been frequently broached, it is mainly used for film shoots and private events.

H

An 86 for Fifty Seven: Fifty Seven opened in the Arts District in late March with a unique concept: It would change chefs every couple of months, showcasing the brightest kitchen talent L.A. and the rest of the country has to offer (a core crew of cooks would remain and work with each top toque). After opening chef David Nayfeld departed in the summer, Farmshop chef Josh Drew was brought in to run the show. However, in a surprise move, Fifty Seven closed last week. It is still unclear whether the Santa Fe Avenue establishment will see a change of concept or be closed for good; a restaurant representative had no specifics at press time. While no food is rolling out of the kitchen, the basement bar and music venue will continue hosting performances.

At 712 S. Santa Fe Ave. or fiftysevenla.com.

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The Arts District’s Fifty Seven, an oft-praised restaurant that had the unique concept of changing its chef every few months, closed just six months after opening.

Sneak Peek: Chef Neal Fraser’s long-awaited Redbird, in the former rectory next to Vibiana, could open in the next few months. If permitting goes smoothly, it might even be serving by the end of October, Fraser told Restaurant Buzz. In the meantime, Downtowners can whet their appetites at a Redbird preview event on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 2. A $50 ticket buys access to a cocktail party where you can sample dishes such as Dungeness crab with curried cauliflower flan and truffle grilled cheese with beef tartare. A $150 ticket eschews the cocktail party for a three-course dinner with a tour of Redbird. A $175 ticket, meanwhile, delivers the party, dinner and tour. Enjoy the food, but don’t expect Redbird to offer the same bites: Fraser insists he hasn’t yet finalized the menu.

At 214 S. Main St., more information and tickets at ccapredbird. bpt.me.

Green Eats: There’s another food option near Pershing Square.

Earthbar has begun serving juices, smoothies, acai bowls,

healthy snacks, salads and more on the ground floor of the PacMutual building on Sixth Street. The brand is based in West Hollywood and is often found in Equinox fitness centers (11 of its 17 locations are in an Equinox). The next anticipated arrival at PacMutual is Tender Greens, which is slated to open in late October, according to restaurant representative Christina Wong.

At 523 W. Sixth St. (213) 263-0040 or earthbar.com.

Thai Time: Chef Andy Ricker is a devotee of northern Thai flavors, and he’s built an acclaimed network of restaurants in Portland and New York City. Outposts of his Pok Pok and casual pad Thai joint Pok Pok Phat Thai are now slated to open in Mandarin Plaza at 970 N. Broadway and Far East Plaza at 727 N. Broadway, respectively. Pok Pok will fill a two-level space and serve dishes such as kai yaang, or charcoal-roasted game hen stuffed with lemongrass, garlic and spices, and a shredded green papaya salad with crunchy salted black crabs. The deal, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, came together with the help of chef Roy Choi (Chego!), a friend of Ricker’s, and Chinatown Business Improvement District head George Yu. “Andy is a wonderful guy, and he did his due diligence to really get to know Chinatown,”

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Downtown News 11

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InterContinental to Operate Wilshire Grand

Yu said. “This is huge news to have a chef of Andy’s caliber coming here.” Pok Pok Phat Thai could open as soon as November, while Pok Pok could arrive in April if permitting goes smoothly, Yu said.

Coming to 970 Broadway and 727 Broadway.

Company, Which Left Downtown 15 Years Ago, Will Run 900-Room Hotel

Room to Grow: Maccheroni Republic, the popular Italian eatery at 332 S. Broadway, is expanding into a space near Spring and Third streets that the former Joe’s Steak and Leaf once occupied. It won’t, however, be a standalone restaurant. Instead, owner Jean Louis De Mori plans to use the space for special events. “We have regulars at our restaurant and we do not want to close it down for private parties and impact our other customers,” De Mori said. He hopes to have the new space open in early October. In a departure from the restaurant, the event space has a beer and wine license.

Coming to 333 S. Spring St. Masa Appeal: The Historic Core has a new tamale joint. The Tamale Cafe opened on Sept. 11 and offers seven varieties of its namesake dish at $3.50 a pop. Fillings are beef, pork, chicken, sweet corn, pineapple, vegetable and chili cheese. The menu also features burritos, quesadillas and salad bowls. The Tamale Cafe doesn’t have much of a dining area, just two countertops, making it mostly a pick-up-and-go eatery. It’s open from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. every day.

At 215 W. Sixth St. or (213) 327-0982.

Box ’Em Out: The “fast-casual” segment of the dining industry is blowing up right now, and the Financial District’s got a new example of the trend: Asian Box, which holds its grand opening on Monday, Sept. 29. The Bay Area-based eatery features the familiar “build-yourown” concept adapted to Asian street food flavors. Start by picking a base of brown rice, Jasmine rice, a vegetable salad or rice noodles.

Then select a protein (chicken, beef, pork, tofu and shrimp), toppings (bean sprouts, herbs, pickled vegetables, etc.) and a drizzle of sauce.

Asian Box also offers sides including spring rolls and salads. All revenue from the Sept. 29 opening will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

At 445 S. Figueroa St. or asianbox.com.

Got juicy food news? Contact Restaurant Buzz at eddie@downtownnews.com.

By Donna Evans fficials with Korean Air last week announced that InterContinental Hotels & Resorts will operate the 900-room hotel in the replacement for the former Wilshire Grand. It will mark a return to Downtown Los Angeles for the company, which left the market 15 years ago.

InterContinental executives view the deal as a strategic arrangement.

“We consider, the world considers, Downtown Los Angeles a very important gateway market, a global center of business and entertainment,” Kirk Kinsell, president of the Americas at InterContinental, said in an interview before the announcement on Tuesday, Sept. 23. “Downtown completes a puzzle for us.”

InterContinental will operate the luxury hotel in what will be the tallest building west of Chicago when it opens in 2017.

The $1.1 billion project from Korean Air will stand 73 stories tall, and will eclipse Downtown’s U.S. Bank Tower in height.

The hotel will be the first on the West Coast to offer a sky lobby, which will be on the 70th floor, and guest rooms will be on floors 31-69, atop 400,000 square feet of office space.

The building, rising on the northwest corner of Seventh and Figueroa streets, will be the first hotel built by Korean Air in the United States.

InterContinental last had a presence in Downtown 15 years ago, at what today is the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza. Kinsell did not know why the operator left the Olive Street location. Another InterContinental is in Century City.

The hotel in the 1,100-foot tall structure is being positioned as a four-star establishment. The project will also include stores and restaurants. Downtown-based AC Martin is handling the design and construction is being overseen by the affiliated Martin Project Management.

The building replaces the old Wilshire Grand, which

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The 900-room replacement for the Wilshire Grand will be operated by InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. The hotel will contain a “sky lobby,” with guests checking in on the 70th floor.

opened in 1952 and closed in late 2011.

Project officials say the development will create more than 11,000 construction jobs and contribute $80 million in tax revenue through the construction phase. Additionally, it will sustain more than 1,700 new full-time jobs and generate $16 million in annual local tax revenue once completed.

The building will also eschew the traditional flat roof for a sloping rooftop design.

According to a press release from InterContinental, several property accents will be a nod toward characteristics of Los Angeles: wood and warm colors are intended to reflect the beach culture, and the sky lobby will feature abstract representations of car lines in the interior paneling and decor. donna@downtownnews.com

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September 29, 2014

At Ukulele Store, A Little Instrument Is Big Business Little Tokyo’s U-Space Offers Sales and Lessons

By Eddie Kim or the uninitiated, the four-stringed ukulele can look like a toy. The shining instruments hanging on the wall of U-Space in Little Tokyo, however, are hardly playthings.

Jason Arimoto, a ukulele instructor and coowner of the shop, scanned the wall on a recent weekday morning. He then wrapped his fingers around the store’s least expensive instrument, priced at $39.

“Even these are serious instruments, not just novelties,” Arimoto asserted.

To prove the point, he began plucking chords from the Kala-brand ukulele in rapid succession. As his fingers danced across the strings, buttery notes rang out from the small wooden body, filling the high-ceilinged room with a warm and surprisingly hefty sound.

Alongside the Kala ukuleles sit instruments with price tags from $100 to $3,000. Some are small and sing brightly; others are larger with chubbier bodies. A few bass-pitched models have strings like fat noodles.

Arimoto and his U-Space co-owners Brad Renola and Cary Hitsman know the instrument is more than a gift to bring back from a trip to Hawaii. The trio opened U-Space, a ukulele shop and music school located at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, in February.

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neuver, Renola and Arimoto say the accessibility of the ukulele attracts a range of people, from curious kids to 20-something hipsters to older individuals looking for a new hobby.

The instrument isn’t intimidating, Arimoto noted. He quickly added, “You can do a lot with it as you learn, and there’s just something about how beautiful it sounds.”

Growing Popularity Several years ago, Renola fell in love with the ukulele. He found it a relaxing alternative to the drums, which he has played professionally since the late ’90s. He decided to pursue a ukulele business full-time and he and Hitsman opened Anacapa Ukulele in Ventura in 2011.

U-Space is his second shop.

“After I had kids, I didn’t want to be touring all the time and I was honestly burnt out on the drums,” Renola said. “The ukulele rekindled my love of music, in a way.”

About six months after opening Anacapa, Renola met Arimoto at the National Association of Music Merchants convention in Anaheim. Arimoto was there to promote his music program Ukulele Creations, a collaboration with Grammy-winning guitarist Daniel Ho. As it so happened, Ho had a close connection to the JACCC and knew there was an empty retail space that was serving as an intermittent art gallery. He introduced Arimoto, Renola and Hitsman to JACCC CEO Leslie Ito, who helped

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Ito was attracted to the idea because she wanted to program more participatory cultural activities at JACCC and bring a diverse, multigenerational audience to the center.

“I really like the idea of a nonprofit, a small business and artists all coming together,” Ito said. “The space they’re in was formerly very on and off, but now it’s active every day.”

U-Space is purposely casual. A few worn

couches and a jumble of tables and chairs fill the main room. Thanks to Renola’s fondness for top-notch coffee, a small trolley sits nearby, serving drinks made with Ventura-based roaster Beacon Coffee. People meander into the shop to sip on espresso, chat and work on their laptops. The music can seem secondary.

“We wanted it to be a community space, not just a ukulele shop. So people come to hang Continued on page 20

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MOCA Showcases a Rarely Seen AndyNowWarhol Work Playing

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photo by Brian Forrest. © 2014 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc./Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

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Andy Warhol: Shadows is a Check Our Website for Full Movie Listings DowntownNews.com series of 102 large canvases that feature two abstract images in a variety of colors. The exhibit, presented for the first time on the West Coast, is at MOCA’s Grand Avenue location.

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By Kirk Silsbee nNews by where he parts ou can take a jazz fan’s temperature Facebook.com/L.A.Downtow company with Miles Davis’ stylistic changes. Similarly, you can gauge an art fancier’s tastes by what phases News on Facebook ofLike Andy Downtown Warhol’s prodigious output he or she embraces. &TheBechoices Entered to Win Tickets! are myriad.

AreMovie the flowers and cows cute but the car crash and electric chair silkscreens icky? Did he go too far by using Jackie Kennedy’s likeness in a black veil? Do you love the Marilyns but feel nothing for the Brillo boxes? Is the Elvis image homoerotic worship or sneering satire? Are the soup cans worthy of dispassionate respect, but the movies boring drivel? Did the Velvet Underground greatly improve once they distanced themselves from Warhol?

The Museum of Contemporary Art is throwing another log onto the Warhol fire, the embers of which have been subdued for quite awhile. The major retrospective that MOCA hosted in 2002 made a good case that his legacy was set and the science was settled. gathers the entire conE-NEWSThe new Andy Warhol: Shadows wnNews.com piece from the late art Downtoenvironmental up atknown UP of Siganlittle SIGNtents trickster. Begun in 1978 and completed the following year, the Sign exhibition only the second Up atforMOCA Ourmarks E-News Blasts &time the full installation has been on public view.

It runs through Be Entered to Win Movie Tickets! Feb. 2, 2015, at the museum’s Bunker Hill location.

Warhol (1928-1987) was many things to many people: facile commercial illustrator, Pop Art pioneer, shrewd marketer, heartless Factory boss, celebrity cypher and so on. He appropriated, created, reproduced, manufactured and sold objects. Few Warhol devotees and scholars, however, know about this installation.

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The Shadows “piece,” in its totality, requires two sizable conjoining museum rooms. It’s a series of 102 large, identical canvases set one-right-next-to-the-other. There are two abstract images: Both employ bold swaths of black with varying color patches.

The work is a byproduct of the disco years of the 1970s.

Warhol was a king at Studio 54. The gilded New York playground was a wild vortex where money, power, ambition, talent, cocaine and sex all swirled. It was as decadent as anything seen in Weimar Germany.

That was a point, though, where Warhol had ostensibly given up painting. A schizophrenic feminist nearly shot him dead in 1968, and functionaries in his Factory executed Warhol’s artistic output. Making art took a backseat to the worship of celebrity, which came to the fore through his Interview magazine and the perfunctory Polaroid glamor silkscreens.

Shadows speaks to the nightly depravity Warhol surely witnessed at Studio 54; it was meant to line the walls of the place but was never used by the nightclub’s owners. Like the best Warhols, it raises more questions than it answers: Who would see these multiple monoliths in a darkened space?

Are the black sections meant to summon or repel the viewer? Do the color relations — scarlet next to flesh color next to aqua green next to light gray — signify anything?

The MOCA expanse that houses the show is appropriately vast, allowing viewers to take in the totality of the serial components. The simple motif reduces painting to a kind of shorthand, consonant with Warhol’s Factory modus operandi and aesthetic. The spare visual elements are free of the human stain. Or are they?

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Close inspection reveals an individual texture, or “tooth,” to each canvas, of squeegeed gesso. Stand to the side of a Starts Sept 19can see how the light catches the individpainting and one ual ridges and contours of the applied undercoat. It’s different than its neighbors, as they are all different in that regard.

Though the color portions are flat, one magenta field has foot-wide striations, applied by what appears to be a cleaning brush. It vibrates like a Japanese rock garden attacked with a random rake. In relation to the placid sameness, the rebuke to the dark shadows is exciting.

A related question is, just what might transpire in those shadows? Curator Bennett Simpson provides some corporeal ideas in a small annex, courtesy of the museum’s permanent collection. A young couple gets naked in Richard Hawkins’s oil “Cauliflower” (2006), while John Sonsini’s heavily impastoed “Gabriel” (2002) bristles with great psychic energy. John Altoon’s 1962 pastel stewardesses are blithely bottomless, while Adrian Piper’s obsessive, narcissistic “dear diary” logs — 58 pages of hand-notated Starts Sept 26 factoids, complete with selfies from 1970 — can make you feel as though your head is on fire. Or maybe it will just exhaust you, like George Segal’s solitary plaster figure, “Man in an Armchair” (1969). By contrast, the Shadows images can actually be soothing.

Across the lobby, a couple of black and white Franz Klines from the permanent collection are visible. The connection to art history, painting, Abstract Expressionism, and Kline himself to Shadows is suddenly quite clear.

Andy Warhol: Shadows runs through Feb. 2, 2015 at MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 626-6222 or moca.org.

SEPT 29 ! dtowWnNein an s U e k Li ws wn .Do Facebook.com/L.A Like Downtown News on Facebook & Be Entered to Win Movie Tickets!

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September 29, 2014

An Intelligent Take on Artificial Intelligence Taper’s Thoughtful New ‘Marjorie Prime’ Explores Memory and Humanity

By Jeff Favre ell-crafted science fiction doesn’t require spaceships and aliens. However, it should predict the future while boldly commenting on the present.

Playwright Jordan Harrison, whose work frequently twists everyday situations into something fascinating and new, offers a sci-fi tale perfectly suited for today’s audiences, as technology seems to be evolving faster than humans can adapt. The world premiere of Marjorie Prime opened last week at the Mark Taper Forum in Downtown Los Angeles. It runs through Oct. 19.

Directed by Les Waters, Marjorie Prime will be off-putting for some viewers and unsettling for others. Still, this is exactly the type of new work that Center Theatre Group should be bringing to the Taper, instead of leaving it to the 99-seat houses that are willing to gamble on fringe writers with strong voices.

In the vein of the recent, lauded film Her, this 75-minute, quiet exploration into memory and humanity answers few questions. Instead, it poses some big ones, such as how much does someone have to forget before they are no longer the same person?

In this case, the person forgetting is Marjorie (Lois Smith), an 85-year-old living in a retirement home. Her demanding and abrasive daughter Tess (Lisa Emery) and her caring, lifeaffirming son-in-law Jon (Frank Wood) have provided Marjorie with an unusual companion.

Walter (Jeff Ward) is an artificial intelligence

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machine designed to look and act like Marjorie’s deceased husband. Yet instead of being what one would expect, he’s 30, because that’s how Marjorie remembers him.

The idea is simple: The more Marjorie talks to Walter, the more she will be able to remember.

Walter Prime, as he’s known, learns who he is by listening and interacting, although there are times when he’s purposefully fed the wrong information. When he reminds Marjorie how the “real” Walter proposed to her, she complains that it’s boring. Instead, she concocts a more romantic version, which as her memory fades will become the new truth.

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(l to r) Tess (played by Lisa Emery) and her husband Jon (Frank Wood) try to help aging Marjorie (Lois Smith) hang on to her past in a new play at the Mark Taper Forum.

Marjorie Prime runs through Oct. 19.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2014 6–10 PM Enjoy a free evening of art, music and entertainment as Pasadena’s most prominent arts and cultural institutions swing open their doors.

PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS ARC Pasadena / Armory Center for the Arts / Art Center College of Design / artWORKS Teen Center / Boston Court Performing Arts Center / COFAC at Aahoo Gallery / Jackie Robinson Community Center / Kidspace Children’s Museum / Light Bringer Project at Day One / Lineage Performing Arts Center / MUSE/IQUE / Norton Simon Museum / Offramp Gallery / Pasadena City College / Pasadena Museum of California Art / Pasadena Museum of History / Pasadena Playhouse / Pasadena Public Library / Side Street Projects / USC Pacific Asia Museum

For information on ArtNight, please call the ArtNight Pasadena Hotline at 626.744.7887 or visit artnightpasadena.org.

For information on accessibility and/or to request written materials in alternative formats, please call the City of Pasadena at 626.744.7062. Para más información en español, visite nuestra página del internet: artnightpasadena.org.

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FREE SHUTTLES Free shuttles, running 6–10 p.m., will loop throughout the evening with stops at each venue.

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but they all point toward the idea that memories are such a prized commodity that they even make machines seem human.

One of Harrison’s inspirations for Marjorie Prime was the 1950 Turing Test, which was designed by a mathematician to see if a machine can fool people into believing it’s a person. Harrison’s A.I. creations would be up to the task, but he carefully constructs their language to keep them from being too perfect. There’s an emotional distance to their speaking style that takes a minute to notice.

Smith is a veteran actress who appeared in East of Eden with James Dean. She is known to today’s audiences for her work on TV, including

“True Blood.” Here she delivers a deceptively casual performance that offers several moments of humor as Marjorie tries to make the best of her dire, desperate situation.

Smith’s ease and calm clashes with Emery’s on-edge performance as Tess, who is battling depression and fears that living is no more than a distraction from impending death. Emery, with tiny fidgets and a grating demeanor, injects Tess with so much tension that it radiates from the stage.

Waters is unafraid of setting a deliberate pace and limited motion, which includes injecting lengthy, uncomfortably still silences and hesitating exchanges. The effect is a subtle sense of artificiality, as though everything is not quite as it should be.

Also understated but effective is Mimi Lien’s scenic design, a beige, bland living room that could exist in virtually any modern home. The set-back wall resembles a movie screen, yet it remains blank, like a canvas waiting to be filled with ideas. It may seem small, but the costume design by Ilona Somogyi is a slight tweak on today’s fashion, keeping it from being a distraction while placing it in another time.

Anyone uncomfortable with confronting mortality or the loss of one’s treasured thoughts may have trouble sitting through Marjorie Prime, because Harrison coldly paints a possible future that, despite the technological advances, is confusing and bleak.

Somehow, though, Harrison reveals that both people and machines can have a sense of humanity, which is what makes it such a worthwhile story for today.

Marjorie Prime runs through Oct. 19 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 9724444 or centertheatregroup.com.

EVENTS

Laughs at the Orpheum, Dance at REDCAT, Music at Disney Hall and More Downtown Fun

Tuesday, sepTember 30 Lourdes Grobwet and Julianna Brannum at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: Lucha libre documentarian Lourdes Grobet and Texas filmmaker Julianna Brannum join Oaxaca’s Yolanda Cruz to sort out the issue of filmic portrayals of indigenous peoples.

sunday, OcTOber 5 Ciclavia Chinatown Hub Chinatown Central Plaza, 943 N. Broadway, (213) 6800243 or chinatownla.com.

9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Joy upon joys, Ciclavia is back. This time, the bicycle bonanza will be funneled down Cesar Chavez Avenue toward East L.A. Those looking for the excitement of grinding gears with everyone and their mother can head on up to Chinatown for live music and a beer garden.

Tan Lin at MOCA MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 626-6222 or moca.org.

3 p.m.: Known for his writing and filmmaking, artist Tan Lin shares his thoughts on the new Andy Warhol: Shadows exhibit.

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

Sept. 30: Andy Milne and Dapp Theory.

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

Sept. 29, 8 p.m.: If you enjoy German rockers with a fetish for American motorcycle fashion, The Picturebooks’ show is a nobrainer.

Sept. 30, 8:30 p.m.: Just when we think the world has exhausted its supply of new synth pop, Teleman comes around.

Oct. 1, 8:30 p.m.: In a strange twist of standard operating procedure, Turbogeist chose to sound like the Foo Fighters, not Dave Grohl’s more auspicious contribution to the rock world.

Oct. 2, 9 p.m.: Singer/songwriter Caitlin Rose will be lending her unique sensibility to the sermon on artistic expression via song that we’ve heard many times before.

Continued on next page

photo by Lucas Michael photo courtesy REDCAT

saTurday, OcTOber 4 Festival of Filipino Art and Culture Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8080 or grandparkla.org.

Oct. 4-5, 12-8 p.m.: Even if your Tagalog is a little rusty, you’ll enjoy this vibrant collage of cuisine, performance art, visual art and hands-on activities.

S

One

tand-up sensation, “Parks and Recreation” veteran, South Carolina native and allaround gregarious funny man Aziz Ansari will barnstorm Downtown this week with three shows at the Orpheum Theatre. All of Broadway will be abuzz as the irreverent personality reverts to his formative years in New York City comedy clubs. On Thursday, Oct. 2, you can catch Ansari at 8 p.m. Friday night features shows at 7 and 10 p.m. Rollerblade on down and pick up a ticket to see Tom Haverford in real life. At 842 S. Broadway, (877) 677-4386 or laorpheum.com.

3

T

he worlds of film collage and contemporary dance collide Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 2-5, at REDCAT, as Hyo Jin Kim and Hyung Su Kim present four performances of their award-winning Madame Freedom. Immense video screens adorn the stage and illuminate the dancers with abstract imagery and shots borrowed from the 1956 Korean film Madame Freedom. The result contrasts modern Korean identity with the iconography of a distant past, which is just what you were wishing for while sitting in Urth Caffe last week. Tickets are still available for the 8:30 p.m. shows on Thursday-Saturday and the 7 p.m. performance on Sunday. At 631 W. Second St., (213) 2372800 or redcat.org. photo courtesy LA Philharmonic Association

Thursday, OcTOber 2 Madeline Miller and Zachary Mason at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: Two authors share their reworked adaptations of Homer’s classics The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Mark Mothersbaugh at MOCA MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 626-6222 or moca.org.

7 p.m.: Musician, Devo alum and all around creative guy Mark Mothersbaugh drops by to discuss and sign his latest book, Myopia.

By Dan Johnson calendar@downtownnews.com

Four

T

2 D

his week, Downtown welcomes the return of its favorite Venezuelan. Having spent the summer in veritable exile out at the Hollywood Bowl, Gustavo Dudamel and his charges in the Los Angeles Philharmonic are proud to come back to their Frank Gehry-designed roost at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

On the docket are four performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and the U.S. premiere of the Phil-commissioned work man made from David Lang. Dudamel conducts the program at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 4. He also takes the baton at 11 a.m. on Friday (yes, 11 a.m.) and 2 p.m. on Sunday. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (323) 850-2000 or laphil.com.

T

photo courtesy Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia edited by Adam Lerner, published by Princeton Architectural Press, 2014.

The Don’t Miss List

epending on where you fall in the generation spectrum, you may know Mark Mothersbaugh as the cheeky, entropic voice of Devo or as the man who scored the theme for TV’s “Rugrats.”

Either way, the guy in the groovy glasses is headed to MOCA at Grand Avenue on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. to talk about his latest multimedia-inspired book, Myopia, and to affix his John Hancock to your just-purchased copy. Myopia, or the condition of nearsightedness, couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to Mothersbaugh’s work, but he’s an eccentric, so it’s best not to argue with him. At 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 626-6222 or moca.org.

photo courtesy Grammy Museum

DT

CALENDAR LISTINGS

Wednesday, OcTOber 1 Eric Bunge at SCI-Arc SCI-Arc, 255 S. Santa Fe Ave., (213) 613-2200 or sciarc.edu.

7 p.m.: Brooklyn’s Eric Bunge will be sharing insights related to the myriad architectural wonders he and his firm are engaged in.

Will Young Californians Ever Be Able to Retire?

MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 626-6222 or moca.org.

7:30 p.m.: Zocalo Public Square and the fine people at AARP jointly host this panel discussion about debt and retirement in a tumultuous financial landscape. Guests include city financial thinker Olivia Calderon, financial advisor Alexander Cruz and columnist Liz Weston.

Downtown News 15

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Five

September 29, 2014

he silver screen in the Grammy Museum’s auditorium will twinkle this week with a double dose of cultural filmography. Monday, Sept. 29, finds the Harry Dean Stanton documentary Partly Fiction gracing the stage. After the screening, Stanton, who you may remember from Repo Man, will be part of an on-stage jam session (he’s a musician, too). On Thursday, the ’60s psychedelic film Wonderwall exudes its panoply of vibrant colors. Tickets are still available for the 7:30 p.m. screenings. At 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org.

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

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

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Continued from previous page Oct. 3, 9 p.m.: As much as our cuticles hoped Manifestival was an all-inclusive manicure-oriented event, it is, in fact, a three-stage indie rock fest.

Oct. 4, 9 p.m.: Vancouver’s Said the Whale hijacks the Bootleg.

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

Oct. 1, 8 p.m.: Big & Rich will debut their latest album of country music to a fawning audience and at least one music journalist in the grips of a terrible existential crisis.

Oct. 3, 9 p.m.: Oh you’ll see saucer eyes aplenty tonight with Baauer and Boys Noize.

Oct. 4, 8 p.m.: You know Brooklyn pop indie band American Authors are super legit because they’re sponsored by the Honda Civic.

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

Oct. 3: Umek.

Oct. 4: Claude Von Stroke and Justin Martin.

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

Sept. 30, 8 p.m.: Billy Childs, Shawn Colvin and Chris Botti will all be on hand to celebrate the work of composer Laura Nyro.

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

Sept. 29, 9 p.m.: Color TV. Honeycut 819 S. Flower St., (213) 688-0888 or honeycutla.com.

Sept. 29, 10 p.m.: TGIM. Oct. 1, 8 p.m.: Actual Disco.

Oct. 3, 10 p.m.: Jack of All Tracks.

Oct. 4, 8 p.m.: DJ Aaron Castle.

Nokia Theatre 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6030 or nokiatheatrelalive.com.

Sept. 28, 7 p.m.: Tata, slang for “see you later” and the name of a prominent Armenian singer.

Orpheum Theatre 842 Broadway, (877) 677-4386 or laorpheum.com.

Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 8 p.m.: Things will be down right trippy Frippy with King Crimson.

Oct. 2, 8 p.m., Oct. 3, 7 and 10 p.m.: Learn how to rollerblade with TV’s Aziz Ansari.

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

Sept. 29: Acoustic Punk with Michael Spaid, Justin Chester, Myles Shioda and Harry Jerkface.

Sept. 30: JQ & The Revue.

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

Sept. 29: The John Daversa Small Band weaves a mighty jazz tempest.

Oct. 1, 10 p.m.: Leave it to Rick Taub’s Midnight Blues Review to kick off the annual month of morbid fascination.

Oct. 5, 10 p.m.: Miss Nora Germain returns with her mighty violin.

Staples Center 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7326 or staplescenter.com.

Oct. 4-5, 8 p.m.: Hold me closer Tony Danza, Elton John plays two nights.

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

Sept. 28: Sean Solomon, Girlpool, Alyeska and Whitman.

Sept. 29: Upsilon Acrux, Brandon Seabrook and Solar Wimp.

Oct. 3: Nicholas Krgovich, Katiee, Anna Oxygen and Ornament.

Oct. 4: Beverly, Perfect Hair Forever, Hollows and Cool Runnings.

Oct. 5: Clipping, Decide Today/Divtech/Evolve, I.E., Signor Benedick The Moor and Gang Wizard.

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

2 YOUR EVENT INFO

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4 WEB: LADowntownNews.com/calendar 4 EMAIL: Calendar@DowntownNews.com

Email: Send a brief description, street address and public phone number. Submissions must be received 10 days prior to publication date to be considered for print.

September 29, 2014

Downtown News 17

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LEGAL fictitioUs BUsiness name Fictitious Business name statement File no. 2014233524 The following person is doing business as: 1) WHAT’S YOuR FuNCTION?W.Y.F.?, 5647 ADObe RD #57, TWeN-

TyNINE PALMS, CA, 92277, are hereby registered by the following registrant: SHASHATIA GUThRIDGE, 5647 ADOBE RD #57, TWeNTYNINe PALMS, CA, 92277, This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 08/19/2014.

This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on August 19, 2014.

NOTICe—This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code).

Pub. 09/22, 09/29, 10/06, and 10/13/2014.

Fictitious Business name statement File no. 2014256963 The following individuals are doing business as: Grand Class Transportation, 816 S. Carondelet St., #204, Los Angeles, CA, 90057 are hereby registered by the following registrants: Sylvain T. Kande, 816 S. Carondelet St., #204, Los Angeles, CA, 90057 and Patricia N. Kande, 816 S. Carondelet St., #204, Los Angeles, CA, 90057. This business is conducted by a married couple.

Registrants have not begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above.

This statement was filed with Dean C. Logan, County Clerk of Los Angeles on September 11, 2014.

NOTICe—This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal,

TM

state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code).

Pub. 09/22, 09/29, 10/06, and 10/13/2014.

Fictitious Business name statement File no. 2014259858 The following individuals are doing business as: Friend of a Friend, 220 W. 5th St., unit 806, Los Angeles, CA 90013 are hereby registered by the following registrants: Sarah Smith, 220 W. 5th St., unit 806, Los Angeles, CA 90013 and Shaheen Seth, 220 W. 5th St., unit 806, Los Angeles, CA 90013. This business is conducted by a married couple. Registrants began to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 01/15/2006.

This statement was filed with Dean C. Logan, County Clerk of Los Angeles, and Monique Davis, Deputy, on September 15, 2014.

NOTICe—This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code).

Pub. 09/29, 10/06, 10/13, and 10/20/2014.

Fictitious Business name statement File no. 2014260803 The following person is doing business as: Digital Capture LA, 399 Crane Blvd., LA, CA 90065, is hereby registered by the following registrant: edward Glendinning, 399 Crane Blvd., LA, CA 90065. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant has not commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above.

This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on September 16, 2014.

NOTICe—This fictitious name

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

Pub. 09/22, 09/29, 10/06 and 10/13/2014. leGal notice

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, the Notice of Sale of Tax Defaulted 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 (R&tc 3702) of sale of tax-Defaulted Property subject to the Power of sale (sale no. 2014a) Whereas, on June 17, 2014, I, MARK J. SALADINO, Treasurer and Tax Collector, was directed by the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County, State of California, to sell at public auction certain tax-defaulted properties which are Subject to the Power of Sale. Public notice is hereby given that unless said properties are redeemed prior thereto, I will, on Monday, October 20, 2014, and Tuesday, October 21, 2014, at the hour of 9:00 a.m. at

Bill Cooper 213.598.7555 TheLoftExpertGroup.com DRE # 01309009

Prospective bidders should obtain detailed information of this sale 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 registration. No personal checks, two-party checks or business checks will be accepted for registration. Registration will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., beginning Monday, September 15, 2014, at the Treasurer and Tax Collector’s Office located at 225 North hill Street, Room 130, Los Angeles, California, and will end Friday, October 3, 2014, at 5:00 p.m.

If the property is sold, parties of interest, as defined by Section 4675 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, 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 required to be paid from the proceeds. If excess proceeds result from the sale, notice will be given to parties of

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Clean unfurnished bachelor rooms with shared bath at $600/mo. with private bath at $745/mo.

Includes utilities, basic cable channels, laundry room on site.

Gated building in a good area.

208 W. 14th St. at Hill St. Downtown LA

Bill Cooper 213.598.7555

TheLoftExpertGroup.com BRE #01309009

Monthly from $700+ utilities paid.

(213) 612-0348

Following the public auction, unless redeemed prior thereto, I will re-offer for sale and sell unimproved properties that remain unsold at the end of the public auction beginning Monday, November 17, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. (PT) and will run continuously until Wednesday, November 19, 2014, at 12:00 p.m. (PT) at online auction at www.bid4assets.com/ losangeles.

Casaloma L.A. Apartments

los Ranchos

Voted BEST Downtown Residential Real Estate Agent!

Furnished single unit with kitchenette, bathroom.

Excellent location.

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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.

For Sale seven acres

Downtown since 2002

the Fairplex Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, 1101 W. McKinley Avenue, Building 5, Pomona, California, 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 public auction at a reduced minimum price.

Fully furnished with TV, telephone, microwave, refrigerator.

Full bathroom.

Excellent location.

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Monthly from $795 utilities paid.

(213) 627-1151

• Beautiful view of Sandia mountains • Great for large homes • Alfafa field with irrigation

• 5 minutes from shopping • 9 miles from downtown Albuquerque • 8817 4th Street, NW

For appointment call alex sanchez 505.898.3934 or cell 505.362.6488 One of the few remaining property of this size in the North Valley

For English Call Pierre or Terri 213.744.9911 For Spanish Call Susana 213.379.4743

We've got what you're searching for!

DowntownNews.com

September 29, 2014 interest, pursuant to law.

All information concerning redemption, provided the right to redeem has not previously been terminated, will upon request be furnished by MARK J. SALADINO, Treasurer and Tax Collector.

According to law, if redemption of the property is not made by the close of business on

the last business day prior to the first day of auction, Friday October 17, 2014, 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, November 14, 2014, at 5:00 p.m. If the property is not redeemed by Friday, November 14, 2014, at 5:00 p.m., it will be scheduled

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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.

A list explaining the abbreviations used in this publication is on file in the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector, 225 North Hill Street, Room 130, Los Angeles, California 90012, or telephone

ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie stAFF writErs: Donna Evans, Eddie Kim coNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese coNtributiNG writErs: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, Kristin Friedrich, Kylie Jane Wakefield

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therine Holloway pstein, Catherine Holloway

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

es stillo, Gustavo Bonilla

ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie stAFF writErs: Donna Evans, Eddie Kim coNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese coNtributiNG writErs: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, Kristin Friedrich, Kylie Jane Wakefield

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Art dirEctor: Brian Allison AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard AccouNtiNG: Ashley Schmidt clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Yoji Cole, Steve Epstein, Catherine Holloway sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

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wntown News s Angeles, CA 90026 • fax: 213-250-4617 realpeople@downtownnews.com twitter: DowntownNews

ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie stAFF writErs: Donna Evans, Eddie Kim coNtributiNG Editor: Kathryn Maese coNtributiNG writErs: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer, Kristin Friedrich, Kylie Jane Wakefield

MARK J. SALADINO Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector State of California The real property that is subject to this notice is situated in the County of Los Angeles, State of California, and is described as follows:

PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE OF SALE OF TAX-DEFAULTED PROPERTY SUBJECT TO THE POWER OF SALE(SALE NO. 2014A) 3165 AIN 5151-016-124 TONG,WILLIAM P LOCATION COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES $7,335.00

LAST WEEKS ANSWERS

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Flip through the DT News print eg Fischer, Kristin Friedrich, edition on your mobile device, with more than 5 years of past awa wlins issues available!

I certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed at Los Angeles, California, on August 26, 2014.

Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin

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im

1(213) 974-2045.

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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.

AccouNtiNG: Ashley Schmidt clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Yoji Cole, Steve Epstein, Catherine Holloway sAlEs AssistANt: Claudia Hernandez circulAtioN: Danielle Salmon distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

Art dirEctor: Brian Allison AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins

©2014 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.

PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard

One copy per person.

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

20 Downtown News

September 29, 2014

UkUleles, 12

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!

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

Grand Tower

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

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

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

Promenade Towers

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

www.TowersApartmentsLA.com MAID SERVICE • FURNITURE • HOUSEWARES • CABLE • UTILITIES • PARKING

RESIDENCES: SINGLES • STUDIO • ONE BEDROOM • TWO BEDROOM

photo by Gary Leonard

The ukuleles in U-Space start at $39 and go up to $3,000.

out, and that’s totally fine,” Arimoto said.

The core of U-Space is a classroom. The owners offer group lessons for beginners and intermediate players, with a series of six 75-minute classes costing $120. There are 30-minute private lessons for $25-$40 a session.

The ukulele is growing in prominence, and is one of the most popular instruments in the United States. One recent spike in popularity came between 2010 and 2012, when sales doubled from 580,000 to more than 1 million, according to NAMM. More music educators are using ukuleles in the classroom, while highprofile musicians, such as Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, are tapping the ukulele for inspiration.

While that’s all good news, the U-Space team has one quibble: Many ukuleles are purchased online by people who’ve never played one. The U-Space team tries to undercut Internet prices in the Little Tokyo store, and also offers free service for life on the ukuleles they sell.

“There’s something special about shopping for your first uke in person,” Renola noted. “We often joke that the uke picks the person. You see and hear one that just speaks to you.”

Beyond the store and the classroom, JACCC and U-Space hope to ramp up a philanthropic collaboration to bring ukuleles and music lessons to underserved communities around Los Angeles, including in Skid Row. Renola and Arimoto see the diminutive instrument as a great unifier of sorts, after all. Their efforts at U-Space may just prove that smaller is indeed better.

U-Space is at 244 S. San Pedro St., (323) 577-5567 or uspacela.com. eddie@downtownnews.com

Rosslyn, 5 LeBlanc, who will turn 69 in November. LeBlanc, who was honorably discharged from the Navy, was stationed in Scotland from 1963-65, during which time he worked on submarines.

Chronically homeless and suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, LeBlanc has been living in transitional housing in The Weingart Center. He plans to move into a room on the 14th floor of the Rosslyn.

Last week, he saw the room for the first time. His eyes widened at the full-size refrigerator.

“Ice. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had ice?” he said.

He also expressed enthusiasm about the stovetop, saying he looks forward to making a huge pot of spaghetti. Living in his own room also means all the leftovers are for him, said the 98-pound LeBlanc, who noted that people have tried to steal his food in the past.

The building contains on-site support and aid, such as case management and food services. There are also organized social activities where residents visit museums and attend concerts. donna@downtownnews.com