01-18-16

A Fight Over a High-Rise : 6 Downtown Becomes Photo Central : 10

JANUARY 18, 2016 I VOL. 45 I #3

Happy Hour in the

ARTS

DISTRICT

Former Crazy Gideon’s Site Becomes a Big Brewpub

photo by Gary Leonard

See Page 8

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Story?

WIN A ROMANTIC NIGHT DOWNTOWN! TELL YOUR... Best Wedding Day/Engagement Story • Most Romantic Story • Best Worst First Date Story

PRIZES: One night stay at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel including dinner for two at Noe restaurant • $100 gift card to Patina Restaurant Group and more!

DEADLINE • Monday, February 1 at 5 p.m.

EMAIL IT • contests@downtownnews.com (subject line: Love Story Contest) MAIL IT • 1264 W. First St., Los Angeles CA 90026

THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN L.A. SINCE 1972

2 Downtown News

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AROUND TOWN

Volunteers Needed for 2016 Homeless Count

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n the past the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority conducted its count of homeless individuals in the county every other year, but with homelessness worsening in the region, that has been changed to annually. The next count takes place Jan. 26-28, and LAHSA is looking for volunteers to help out. Interested individuals can sign up for a variety of roles, including walking the streets as a counter, driving small teams around or training people at deployment sites.

The Downtown-centric count takes place on Thursday, Jan. 28. LAHSA estimates it will need 6,000 volunteers over the three days to conduct the count; in addition to tallying the number of people on the street, participants assemble demographic and other information, which will be used in the effort to combat homelessness. Volunteers must be 18 or older to join the street count; people aged 14-17 can work at a deployment site or at the LAHSA offices. Last year’s survey found more than 44,000 homeless people in the county. More information and sign-ups are at theywillcountyou.org.

Send a Free Downtown Love Line

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re you in love? Do you want the world to know about your feelings for your hus-

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS band, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, kid or parent? Do you like free things? If you answered yes to all three, then you’re in luck, as on Feb. 8 Los Angeles Downtown News will publish its annual Love Lines as part of a section on Valentine’s Day in Downtown. Local residents and workers have the opportunity to send out a gratis message that will be shared with the world in our print and online editions.

It’s super easy: Just email the text to lovelines@ downtownnews.com by Tuesday, Feb. 2 (put “Love Lines” in the subject line). The big catches: The messages must be 20 words or less, and there is one free message per reader (don’t be sneaky). Be sure to mention the name of the person you are sending the Love Line to, and include your name, phone number and email address.

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

Sixth Street Viaduct to Stay Open a Bit Longer

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n October, thousands of people flocked to the Sixth Street Viaduct for a goodbye party for the bridge, which will be torn down to make way for a $449 million replacement. It turns out, commuters will have another couple months to use the connection between the Arts District and Boyle Heights. Though it was widely expected to close this month, demolition has been pushed back to early spring, according to Mary Nemick, the city Bureau of Engineering’s director of communications. She added that paperwork to start the demolition is nearly complete. When it comes time to take down the 1932 bridge, don’t expect a Hollywood-style explosion. Instead, said Nemick, the concrete will be broken up in a process that lasts several

January 18, 2016

First & Alameda

Metro Construction

Downtown Connector

months. The Sixth Street Viaduct replacement is expected to open in late 2019.

See The Bloc’s Underground Metro Station Connection

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he renovation of the massive Financial District complex The Bloc has taken longer than developer the Ratkovich Company originally planned. The $180 million effort is now slated to open this summer, bringing a slew of retail options, restaurants and an Alamo Drafthouse theater with nine screens to a key stretch

January 13, 2016

of Seventh Street. That won’t be the end of the work, however, as Ratkovich previously announced a partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to tunnel a path between The Bloc and the Seventh Street/Metro Center station just north of the complex. A new video from Metro shows how transit riders will be able to walk under Seventh Street and pop up amid shops and cafes at The Bloc’s main outdoor plaza (below street level). Metro anticipates finishing the $9.3 million connection by the end of the year. The agency and developer are splitting the project cost 50-50, although Continued on page 16

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EDITORIALS Downtown’s Unsettling Crime Spike

ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison @ DOWNTOWNNEWS ASSISTANT ARTTWITTER: DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa

CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla January 18, 2016

©2016 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.

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

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he 2015 crime figures for Downtown are shocking, and if unchecked they threaten to undermine the EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris progress the area has enjoyed over the last 15 years.

GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin They prompt what may be the most important question EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie facing the community: Keeping in mind that it would be SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim unrealistic to assume the reductions in crime go on forevSTAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton er, is Downtown Los Angeles a safe place to live, work and CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese S I N C E 19 7 2 visit?

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer Los Angeles Downtown News We think the answer is yes, even if life here is not quite 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 as comfortable as it had come to be. That said, the crime ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 surge demands immediate attention. Without a compreASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa web: DowntownNews.com hensive, coordinated and multi-pronged approach, the email: realpeople@downtownnews.com PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard area’s reputation as a place where businesses want to open facebook: and people want to live and raise a family will be thrown ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt L.A. Downtown News into question.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway twitter: Los Angeles Downtown News last week wrote about ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, DowntownNews I N C E 19 7 2 the 2015 crime statistics for the Los Angeles PoliceSDepartMichael Lamb LosCentral AngelesDivision, Downtown Newscovers Downtown. Crime ment’s which ©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

W.the Firstboard.

Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 rose 1264 across The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newsphone: 213-481-1448is •the fax: 213-250-4617 Most disconcerting spike in violent crime, with CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon paper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown 1,692 reported incidents last year in Downtown, or an avDISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles Los Angeles. erage of about five every day. This representstwitter: a 52% inDISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla One copy per person. facebook: crease fromL.A. 2014.

It is nearly the 891 Downtown Newsa 100% jump from DowntownNews violent crimes committed in Downtown in 2013.

Robberies shot up from 471 in 2014 to 669 last year. Any EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris Downtowner who parks a car on the street has a reason to GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin fret: Vehicle thefts soared 65%, to 410 from 249 the previEXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie ous year.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie SENIOR WRITER: Eddiedrastic Kim increases in aggravated asDowntown also saw SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim Nicholas Slayton saultsSTAFF and WRITER: burglaries.

Overall property crime jumped 28%. arm of a chair where they can be lifted with ease. Cyclists need to potential victims.

STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese on a surge in bike Last spring Downtown News reported always secure their tires and frame with a hefty U-lock, and never Local police officials also point to the statewide prison-reform CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer thefts, with many WRITERS: stolen despite being locked. leave an unlocked bike unattended, even policies AB 109 and Proposition 47, which have reduced jail time S I Nfor C Ea few 19 7minutes.

2 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer Should Downtowners worry about these trends? Yes. Downtown needs more neighborhood watches, and people and, according to one theory, put more criminals on the street.

ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison Los Angeles Downtown News Should they pack and leave?

There is plenty to work must often be the eyes and ears of the police. Area inhabitants will Then there’s the homelessness crisis, and most homeless ASSISTANT ART up DIRECTOR: Yumi No. Kanegawa ARTwhile DIRECTOR: Brian Allison 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 with to improve things. when something looks different or dangerous.

Anyone who people do not engage in criminal activity,ASSISTANT some do. ART PlusDIRECTOR: many of Yumiknow phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 Kanegawa PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard As we say, the spike comes after Los Angeles saw crime witnesses a crime in progress should call 911.

For less immediate those living on the streets are addicts looking for ways to pay for web: DowntownNews.com ACCOUNTING: decline for more Ashley than aSchmidt decade, to the point that it would problems, dial 1-877-ASK-LAPD. their next fix, and Downtown, especially Skid Row, has been an hisemail: realpeople@downtownnews.com PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard haveCLASSIFIED been unrealistic to expect it to Catherine keep falling.

While the Central Division brass must lead, and they must increase foot toric draw for that activity.

ADVERTISING MANAGER: Holloway city as a whole experienced a 20% increase in violent some streets in the Historic too often they are vicAshley Schmidt beats in problem areas, particularly onfacebook: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens,crime Michael LambThe homeless suffer in other ways, andACCOUNTING: L.A. Downtown Newscan be a and aSALES 11%ASSISTANT: rise in property crime in 2015, current figures Core.

Simply having uniformed officers walking around tims of crime in Downtown.

The lawless nature of some encampClaudia Hernandez CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine pale in comparison to the bad old days of the mid-’90s. powerful crimeHolloway deterrent. ments can feed on an exploitative situation. twitter: CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon Numerous elements seem to be contributing to the rise Central should also amp up the outreach via social media, email In other words, there is no one cause ofACCOUNT the crime spike, justCatherine as EXECUTIVES: Holloway, DowntownNews DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb and regular neighborhood meetings, and should share informain Downtown crime.

The situation here mirrors a nationthere is no single response.

That is why, if Downtown is to remain DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez wide crime increase, and experts have not been able to tion on crime trends and what to Civic watch for. People want help safe, everyone has to help. ©2016 Center News, Inc. Losto Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News pinpoint forNews, the Inc. trend la theDowntown widespread keep their neighborhood safe, but often need the police to lead ©2016reasons Civic Center Los à Angeles News iscrack a trademark of CivicIt starts on an individual basis, and people need to remember Inc. All rights reserved.

Center News Inc. Allof rights cocaine epidemic thereserved. late ’80s and ’90s. Then there is the way. that this is an urban environment that demands different behavThe Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles for and Downtown Losattention.

Angeles and It is has disthe fact thousands of people are DownDowntown’s rise in crimenewspaper is serious needs should not flash jewand isthat distributed every Monday throughout the moving offices and to residences of Downtownior Los than in the suburbs. People on the street DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles tributed every Monday throughout the offices and town,Angeles. and they have, well, a lot of stuff — more people in not changed the flavor of the neighborhood, but it can’t be alelry and should keep their wallet in a front pocket. Women in resresidences of Downtown Los Angeles.

DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Onewalking copy per person. homes, the streets and driving cars offers more lowed to continue. taurants should make sure purses are notGustavo slung carelessly One copy per person.

Bonilla over the

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin

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

twitter: DowntownNews

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

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

©2016 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.

January 18, 2016

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Downtown News 5

Board Games and the New Superintendent LAUSD Goes Around the Country to Find a Leader, Only to Wind Up Back Home

By Jon Regardie f you’re a student at a Los Angeles Unified School District campus and you turn in a term paper a month late, odds are you are going to get a big fat F. If you’re a member of the LAUSD board and you blow your most important deadline by a month, you pat yourself on the back, opine on how you did an awesome job and throw yourself a party.

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THE REGARDIE REPORT That’s pretty much what happened on Monday, Jan. 11, when the school board announced that the district had elevated its number two, Michelle King, one spot, making the 54-year-old veteran educator the new superintendent of the district with 650,000 students and nearly as many challenges. Her contract, which runs through June 2018, is worth $350,000 annually, and she also gets a car and driver. The car is the DeLorean from Back to the Future (not really).

Will King fare better than her revolving-door LAUSD predecessors? Hard to tell. What is certain, however, is that the route to her hiring was filled with more potholes than a Downtown Los Angeles street after a week of El Niño rains. Below are some of the key points from the past few months, and some of the challenges King will have to contend with in the future.

Do They Really Want Her?: King may have been chosen in a 7-0 vote by the school board, but that unanimous tally came very late in the game. Early last year octogenarian Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who had only come on to pinch hit after embattled previous boss John Deasy was pushed out, announced that he would retire in December. The school board knew the deadline, but despite a number of marathon meetings, the members just couldn’t crown King (look what I did there!) before Cortines departed.

What this tells those paying attention in class is that the board

is still divided, most likely between members pushing significant “reform” of the district, and those supported by the powerful union United Teachers Los Angeles. While grumbling over the delay in naming a leader may have pushed everyone to unite behind King, that type of support can wither when things get messy. Given what LAUSD faces, one can bet that things will get messy.

Searching Long and Hard for the Woman Down the Hall: King will have a honeymoon period, but echoing the above, you can’t expect everyone to be all kumbaya for long. After all, King was a known quantity from the start of the selection process, having played trusted consigliere to both Deasy and Cortines. It should have taken board members about six minutes to figure out if they wanted her in the job.

Instead, we got a laborious nationwide search. There were extensive local meetings in which stakeholders were asked what they wanted in a superintendent. Gobs of money were spent organizing these sparsely attended sessions, and gobs more were dropped on the firm hired to find candidates. Though the LAUSD refused to identify who was being considered, names leaked out, and everyone soon knew that peeps from St. Louis, Miami, the Bay Area and other locations were under consideration, After all that, the board picked the woman already in the building. Whatever was spent on the search has to go down as only a slightly bigger waste of money than what Deasy dropped on Powerball tickets.

Has Anybody Seen Garcetti?: Unlike in cities such as Chicago and New York, the mayor of Los Angeles has no direct control of the school district. Still, that hasn’t stopped past mayors such as Antonio Villaraigosa and Richard Riordan from immersing themselves in the educational proceedings. Some power grabs suc-

photo courtesy LAUSD

After 31 years in the education field, including serving as second-in-command to former heads John Deasy and Ramon Cortines, Michelle King has been named superintendent of the LAUSD.

ceeded and others failed, but Riordan and AnVil both used the bully pulpit to push their agenda.

Maybe Mayor Eric Garcetti expressed what he wants in a supe, but if he did, it was while disguised in a fake mustache and a bowler hat. Although education is always a top issue for voters, Garcetti played this one so low-key that it was no-key. The mayor’s Jan. 11 statement that “I am eager to partner with [King] in this new role as we work to improve outcomes for all students in Los Angeles” is nothing more than boilerplate.

Where Eagles Failed: The job of LAUSD superintendent has a record of taking accomplished leaders and chewing them up.

Cortines was the rare figure in recent decades to depart with his reputation mostly intact.

Roy Romer served as the governor of Colorado from 19861998, but he was battered during the six years he ran the LAUSD. Continued on page 16

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6 Downtown News

January 18, 2016

High Tensions Over a High-Rise Neighbors Protest a Proposed 26-Story Tower at Ninth and Hill

By Nicholas Slayton he Downtown Los Angeles housing boom shows no sign of letting up, with nearly four dozen residential projects under construction or in the planning pipeline.

In almost all instances, particularly in the Historic Core and the Financial District, the activity and increasing density has been embraced. The Not In My Backyard, or NIMBY response so frequently voiced in communities such as Hollywood, is rarely heard in the Central City.

But one proposed development has been generating opposition from neighbors for about a year. The point of contention is the Alexan South Broadway, a planned 26-story tower at the northeast corner of Ninth and Hill streets. Developer Trammell Crow Residential wants to erect the $140 million structure on a parking lot immediately west of the condominium complex the Eastern Columbia Building.

Building residents and area supporters say NIMBYism is not driving their actions, and that they would back a shorter structure with different design features, closer to the 14-story height limit of buildings on Broadway (that limit is not in place at Ninth and Hill).

The developer counters that it is adhering to all city standards and has professed to being open to working with neighbors, but claims a project the size the opponents want would not pencil out financially.

The result is an unusual spat for a community that has seen a number of high-rises break

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ground, with general support, in the past decade.

“When the projects that are being built on Olive Street, or when the Level Furnished Living building on Ninth and Olive was pitched, there was zero opposition for those projects,” said Simon Ha, an architect and the chairman of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee. “There was zero opposition for [developer] Onni’s other tower on Hill, zero opposition to [developer] Carmel’s high-rise project on Ninth and Olive, and so on.”

The NIMBY Question The 1930 Eastern Columbia Building reopened as luxury condominiums in 2006. It was a key project for the Historic Core in that it preserved an Art Deco landmark, including the clock tower at the top of the 13-story edifice, and established a residential beachhead in the area.

The inhabitants of the 147 units have been an active part of the community. In 2009, some of them joined with other area stakeholders to try to turn the parking lot next to the building into a 35,000-square-foot park. The project, estimated at $5 million, failed.

In late 2014, Trammell Crow inked a longterm lease for the property. The Dallas-based company began working on plans for the project with 305 apartments. The building, designed by RTKL, would include 32,000 square feet of open space as well as a gym, pool and

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Developer Trammell Crow Residential hopes to build the 26-story Alexan South Broadway on a current parking lot on the northeast corner of Ninth and Hill streets.

The $140 million project would have 305 apartments. Residents of the neighboring Eastern Columbia Building are fighting the project.

image courtesy Trammell Crow Residential

344 bike parking stalls.

Opposition arose, and in early 2015 a group calling itself the Society for the Preservation of Downtown Los Angeles formed. SP-DTLA Executive Director Alex Hertzberg said that the group, which has attained nonprofit status, has about 150 members, approximately 100 of whom live in the Eastern Columbia.

SP-DTLA members say they are not opposed to a project next to the Eastern Columbia, but that Trammell Crow’s design is “incompatible” with the Historic Core. During an October meeting with the developer they proposed three ideas for the structure, with one being to scale the building down to 14 stories to bring it more in line with Broadway buildings.

Commercial Office Space for Lease

Bill Cooper, a SP-DTLA board member who has run the condominium brokerage The Loft Expert! Group since 2002, worries that the Alexan and other similar projects would hurt the feel of the neighborhood.

“I’m opposed to allowing any kind of construction or development in the Historic Core that does not follow the Historic Core guidelines,” said Cooper, who does not live in the Eastern Columbia Building, but has sold condos there. “I’m a full believer in preserving the area.

There are already projects going up that are watering down the area.”

In November, Trammell Crow executives presented the project to DLANC’s Planning committee. SP-DTLA members, including dozens of East-

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ern Columbia residents, turned out in force, with a common rallying phrase being “Don’t block the clock,” a reference to the clock tower that they say would be obscured by the new structure.

Although they oppose Trammell Crow’s current proposed tower, Hertzberg said the group is not opposed to more development in Downtown, and he rejected the assertion of NIMBYism. Instead, he said, the group wants to create “zones of respect” and keep the Historic Core as unified as possible in terms of style.

“We need a sophisticated bit of city planning,” Hertzberg said.

“Rampant development without consideration of how it affects those who reside here is a chief concern.”

Losing a View John Ready, Trammell Crow’s development associate for the Los Angeles Region, said the opposition from neighbors has been a bit of a surprise. He said Downtown is very developmentfriendly, and that the city has supported developers as retail and population have grown. Trammell Crow is also working on a large mixed-used project near Olvera Street.

Ready said that Trammell Crow is working with different city agencies to get approvals for the project, and that the opposition is mostly from Eastern Columbia inhabitants. He understands why some people might be upset.

“We know we’re building a high-rise so the people next door with windows will think they’re losing something. And they are, they’re losing the view they used to have,” Ready said. “Is the parking lot better than a new $140 million project next door? I understand why someone next door might say, ‘I don’t like it.’”

Ready said company officials met with the Eastern Columbia Building’s homeowners association last fall, but that they were not well received. Company brass later met with SP-DTLA board members, who put forth the trio of proposals, including the 14-story height limit.

Ready said the request to stop at 14 floors is not feasible, as it would require building seven parking levels below ground, which is prohibitively expensive. Additionally, a shorter building on a narrow lot when a taller alternative is available would make it impossible for the project to work out financially, he said.

DLANC’s Ha said that there is no height restriction on the site, and Trammell Crow would not need a special variance to build to 26 stories.

The project is being watched by 14th District City Councilman José Huizar, who is trying to help find a balance between the two sides.

“My office has been working with the applicant and residents to address as many concerns as possible and ensure that the development fits in with the local surroundings and adds to the Historic Core’s growing density,” Huizar said in a statement to Los Angeles Downtown News.

Parking Issues For longtime Downtown observers, this marks only the second instance in which neighbors have fought a high-rise. Residents of the Flower Street Lofts in South Park protested bitterly against Vancouver, Canada-based Amacon’s proposed tower at 1133 S. Hope St. Although Amacon rebuffed legal maneuvers, the project never broke ground.

Another concern for Trammell Crow could be the Alexan’s parking system. The Downtown Design Guide allows for three levels of parking above the ground floor; in its plans the Alexan has five and a half levels from the street for 333 spots.

Ready said that is due to having to fit the required number of parking spaces into the narrow building. He said that the Design Guide allows for exceptions in the name of good design; he thinks the Alexan qualifies.

“The question is, what’s more valuable to the community?”

Ready said. “Going subterranean eliminates 30 feet of retail space on the street. The Downtown Design Guide tells you to activate the street, put retail in and make it a public experience.”

The argument did not sway the DLANC committee, and in November the panel — which has only advisory power — asked the developer to revise its plans. Huizar also addressed the topic, saying his office supports a lower podium in order to lessen the impacts on the community.

Ready said Trammell Crow will present a new set of plans and renderings at the next DLANC Planning and Land Use Committee meeting. He said they will have three levels of subterra-

photo by Gary Leonard

Alex Hertzberg (right), the head of an organization called the Society for the Preservation of Downtown Los Angeles, and board member Bill Cooper, in front of the lot where the Alexan would rise. The SP-DTLA claims that the project would not fit with the look and feel of the neighborhood.

nean parking and less retail space. The developer is also waiting for the project’s environmental impact report to be completed, which Ready expects will happen in early March. He hopes to break ground in November and open two years later.

The Department of City Planning will hold a public hearing on the project, which will be the final opportunity for members of the public, SP-DTLA or otherwise, to voice their opinions. That meeting is not yet scheduled. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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The Gang’s All Beer Mammoth Brewery/Skeeball Emporium Opens in the Arts District

By Nicholas Slayton or decades, people came to Traction Avenue in the Arts District in search of discount electronics. Gideon Kotzer, the namesake of Crazy Gideon’s, became something of a local legend for his outlandish TV commercials — he’d literally smash a TV to show how crazy he is for having such low prices.

Crazy Gideon’s closed in 2010. Now, the electronics have given way to beer and skeeball.

The Arts District Brewing Company, a project from nightlife magnate Cedd Moses’ 213 Hospitality, began serving in mid-December. With 36

taps, a full liquor license and games including 10 skeeball ramps, the 17,000-square-foot business is built to attract both craft beer fans and families.

Moses said the project spun out of a recognition that Los Angeles doesn’t have as many craft beer options as cities such as San Diego.

As with his Broadway Bar, the Golden Gopher and other nightspots, Moses saw a niche and moved to fill it.

“It was a bit of an L.A. pride thing and we didn’t need to jump on the Surfliner or drive to Atwater Village to go to an amazing brewpub anymore,” Moses said.

F

Head brewer Devon Randall oversees the creation of the 13 beers produced in-house. She plans to constantly update the brewing menu.

photo by Gary Leonard

The Arts District Brewing Company opened in the former Crazy Gideon’s space last month. It comes from nightlife magnate Cedd Moses’ 213 Hospitality.

photo by Gary Leonard

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Beach’s Pizza Port. She oversees the manufacture of the brewery’s 13 beers. They include the Traction IPA, a hoppy brew that’s one of the pub’s strongest, with a 7.8% alcohol content. Other options include the Mateo Golden Ale, characterized by a light body and a hint of hops and sugar, and the citrus-heavy Tune in Tokyo, an extra pale ale.

Randall plans to introduce new brews and change out some options, although she doesn’t have a set schedule. Her goal is to keep the brewery stocked with a wide spectrum of selections. For instance, she intends to always have a Belgian-style beer available, but it could change from the current Belgian-style single — a light-

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The brewery sits at 828 Traction Ave. Moses’ partners in the project are Brian Lenzo and Eric Needleman. A 213 representative said the project cost about $4 million.

The space is run by general manager Jesse Corona, who has spent 10 years with 213, including managing the Golden Gopher on Eighth Street for three years. During that time he helped orchestrate the bar’s monthly Beer Society meetings, sessions that showcased different selections from craft beer makers.

“My passion has always been for beer,” Corona said.

The brewmaster is Devon Randall, who joined 213 last May after working at Solana

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The brewpub seeks to be a neighborhood hang-out with options including ping pong, foosball and 10 skeeball ramps.

photo by Gary Leonard

er option— to the more malty and heavier Belgian-style quadruple.

Still, that’s further down the line, as just getting the taps up and pouring took months of work.

“The experience of setting up a brewery in construction was challenging, but rewarding,” she said.

Eat and Drink The brewing equipment is in the basement, but customers can get a peek at some of it from the entrance. The main level features an industrial design with high ceilings. There are sleek wood counters and gleaming metal tankards behind the bar in the center of the space.

The brewery can hold around 390 people, including the outdoor patio.

The skeeball lanes, illuminated with flashing lights, are along a side wall (a game goes for $1).

There are also dartboards and ping pong tables.

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The project will include Fritzi, Neal Fraser’s hot dog and burger restaurant. Though the formal 50-seat dining area is not yet open, brewery customers can order food from a window space inside the bar. The actual restaurant, which will also feature smoked hot dogs, jalepeño chicken dogs, different kinds of burgers and wings, is slated to open Jan. 26.

The project has been a long time coming.

Moses’ company initially filed plans for the project in 2012. Early on, some area residents protested, worried that the brewery would lead to loud and intoxicated patrons on the streets at night. In response, 213 withdrew plans for a basement-level bar, and the brewpub was approved by the city in June 2013.

Moses is optimistic now that the brewery is open. He said that the name is meant to show neighborhood pride, and that Arts District resi-

dents are already showing up.

The Arts District Brewing Company isn’t the only area entity seeking to get in on the craft beer boom. It follows Angel City Brewery, and other new or soon-to-open options include Boomtown Brewery, Mumford Brewery and Iron Triangle.

Corona said he isn’t isn’t worried by the number of nearby taps, and that the breweries have a friendly relationship. Brewmaster Randall said she thinks the establishment will make its mark by being a comfortable community hang-out, as opposed to a place that is first and foremost a production facility.

Still, Downtowners may ultimately find Arts District Brewing Company beers elsewhere.

The brewery isn’t setting out for mass distribution, but Randall said some of its goods could

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be sold at other 213 Hospitality locations. The brewery is also waiting for approval to start offering beer growlers to go.

The brewery doesn’t have its own parking lot, but does have a deal with the owner of an adjacent lot. With validation, parking is $5.

Moses said future plans include opening the patio bar. Randall will also tweak what comes out of the taps to meet demand and try different styles.

“I want people to come in and try beer they’ve never had before,” she said.

The Arts District Brewing Company is open from 4 p.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday, 4 p.m.2 a.m. Friday, noon-2 a.m. Saturday and noonmidnight Sunday. At 828 Traction Ave., (213) 5195887 or artsdistrictbrewing.com nicholas@downtownews.com

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CALENDAR

PICTURE THIS The Photo L.A. event lands at The Reef on Friday-Sunday, Jan. 22-24. It features work from artists such as (right) James Welling (“7690”) and Stan Zrnich (“Golden Gate Shadows”).

images courtesy of Photo L.A.

Image Expo Photo L.A. Brings Top-Notch Exhibitors to Downtown

By Eddie Kim wenty five years ago, photo dealer and collector Stephen Cohen decided that Los Angeles needed an event to bring his peers, artists and potential buyers into the same room at the same time.

The debut of Photo L.A. was a humble affair. Dealers came together at the famous Butterfield’s auction house in Hollywood. They stacked their photos on a smattering of tables for people to peruse, debate and, with a little luck, buy.

Cohen founded Photo L.A. out of love and concern for the photography market, and others seemed to share his outlook — the event grew quickly, and ultimately moved to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Three years ago it shifted again, this time to The Reef space in Downtown Los Angeles. It runs there Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 21-24.

What started as a tabletop affair has grown into one of the longest-running photography fairs in the country.

“Over the years it’s become more and more a national and international show,” said Claudia James Bartlett, director of Photo L.A. “It still focuses on the photography world in L.A., but it’s a great gateway for people. We’ve tried to craft it so you can see the breadth of photography, from the 19th century to cutting-edge works today.”

Photo L.A. is on the second floor of The Reef at 1933 S. Broadway. Single-day tickets are $20 and weekend passes are $35 ($15 and $25, for students and seniors, respectively). Most panels and discussions are an additional $10, while private tours of the fair led by L.A. photo experts are $80 per person (see sidebar for highlights). A $450 pass buys access to every event and program during the weekend. In addition, an opening gala takes place on Thursday (tickets are $85).

The event features more than 65 exhibitors from around the world, ranging from galleries to museums to schools to photography supply vendors, as well as a pair of curated installations. One focuses on photographer James Welling, who is being honored at the gala for his career of dramatic, often cutting-edge and experimental artwork. A second installation, dubbed “Point of View,” highlights the relationship between artwork and collectors. Chosen works are paired with collectors’ explanations as to why they bought the pieces and what makes them significant.

Photo L.A. aims to delve into what drives the photography market today, but at its heart it remains an event for people to stumble upon unexpected art and take home an example or two. Though some pieces sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars,

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many are priced far lower, starting at around $100.

Welling said the show manages to surprise him every year.

“I always see a couple of very extraordinary photos that I’ve never seen before,” Welling said. “Photography is both a fine art medium and something you find in an old closet somewhere. In years past I’ve found beautiful, strange, anonymous works right alongside those from well-known artists.”

The move to Downtown L.A. three years ago put Photo L.A. in the thick of a cultural revitalization that Bartlett calls “critical” for the city’s growth as an arts destination.

The L.A. native and longtime force in the gallery world — she managed the Gagosian Gallery in the 1980s and currently directs the Cohen Gallery on La Brea — said that L.A. can and should support an event like Miami’s week-long Art Basel fair.

“We’re at a tipping point, and Downtown can be so instrumental,” she said. Referring to the March opening of an Arts District mega-gallery, she added, “Hauser Wirth + Schimmel is moving there. There are so many young galleries. There’s the whole thing in Chinatown. The Broad opened. You do need a hub of sorts in order to host something large-scale, and in Downtown we have a situation that can be expanded further and further.”

Welling is similarly optimistic about photography as a whole. Though the use of film in photography is quickly dying out, the boom of digital technology has made photography an art form for the masses. Welling himself has transitioned to using digital cameras and post-production, which has opened up ways to innovate in his art.

“It’s an incredible time,” he said. “I’d call it a golden age for photography.”

This week, the fruits of that golden age are on display for everyone to see.

Photo L.A. is Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 21-24, at The Reef, 1933 S. Broadway or photola.com. eddie@downtownnews.com

Five Things to Do at Photo L.A.

T

he vendors and exhibitors at Photo L.A. will be showing off everything from $25,000 original prints to vintage gear to the work of up-and-coming students. In case browsing isn’t enough, the fair also offers a slate of tours and programs. Here are five of our picks. All tickets, except for the docent tours, are $10 per person. ..................

Rock in Photography Friday at 1:20 p.m.

Hear from the people who shot rock luminaries such as Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin and The Doors. ..................

The Instagram Effect Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Panelists, including Instagram Creative Programs head Charlton Gholson, dive into how the popular app has shifted the world of photography. ..................

James Welling in Conversation Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

The influential artist and UCLA professor chats with Getty curator Virginia Heckert about his career and experimental achievements. ..................

Latin American Photography in L.A. Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Experts hash out the state of Latin American photography, including its influence and growing visibility in stateside collections. ..................

Docent Tours Various times Photography experts such as Weston Naef (J. Paul Getty Museum) and Ivan Shaw (Vogue magazine) lead tours through the fair. Tickets are $80 per person.

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works will be up through May 31.

At 427 S. Hewitt St. or (310) 365-2194.

F

tures some of Bromley’s pop-art-style female portraits — his subjects have included model Miranda Kerr and the sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner — along with sculptures and prints.

Guerilla Atelier, which is on Hewitt Street, also has a fashion collection from Bromley’s wife Yuge. Hours are Tuesday-Friday, noon-6 p.m. and Saturday from noon-7 p.m. Bromley’s

Australia-based artist David Bromley is showcasing his paintings and other works at the Arts District fashion and decor store Guerilla Atelier. His residency at the space runs through May.

photo courtesy Bromley & Co.

Must Love Dogs: It seems that every time you take a walk in Downtown, you see someone with a new four-legged friend on a leash. In response, there are also more pet supply joints.

The latest is Just Food for Dogs, which opened its Downtown pet pantry last month on Spring Street. The new location is next to DTLA Vets, giving the Historic Core block a very small “Pet Row.” The Downtown outpost is the company’s sixth location since starting in 2011. Just Food for Dogs specializes in nutritional meals for canines, as well as treats and health supplements.

At 333 Spring St. or justfoodfordogs.com.

Bye-Bye Botanica: Downtowners looking for love potions, simple spells or votive candles have for decades been visiting the Farmacia Million Dollar, a small, deeply stocked shop next to the Million Dollar Theatre and Grand Central Market at Third Street and Broadway.

Now, it is on the way out. The store is closing within the next month, according to owner Richard Blitz. He said the departure stems from a decline in business as well as the end of a lease that he chose not to renew. Blitz considered moving either to a different part of Downtown or possibly East Los Angeles, but decided against it. No closing date has been announced.

At 301 S. Broadway or (213) 687-3688.

Art on the Outs: The Historic Core has seen the arrival of a number of trendy shops in the past few years. However, not all of them can make a go of it in the long run. The Articulum General Store at Sixth and Main streets closed Dec. 27 after a going-out-of-business sale. Owner Narumi Ogawa’s

Shifting East: The NYC-based menswear store and cafe Kinfolk had been expected to open in the Eastern Columbia Building. It is still coming to Downtown, but to a location farther east, in the Arts District. The Kinfolk at 2028 E. Seventh St. will sell goods such as custom-made bicycles as well as menswear from brands like Bleu De Paname and Wacko Maria. It has also applied to sell a full range of liquor at its cafe/ bar, according to documents presented to the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. Additionally, the operators hope to host live entertainment and stay open as late as 2 a.m.

Kinfolk plans to open by early summer, according to project consultant Elizabeth Peterson.

Coming to 2028 E. Seventh St. or kinfolk.com.

Marketplace: Downtown Los Angeles is going to get a taste of Brooklyn. Smorgasburg, a spinoff of Brooklyn Flea, a weekend flea market in the Williamsburg section of the borough, is scheduled to start on June 19 in the Produce District. Although the original Smorgasburg was a food-focused marketplace, the Los Angeles version will combine the retail element of Brooklyn Flea. The weekly market will feature dozens of vendors selling clothes, antiques, art and culinary goods. Smorgasburg will be held every Sunday at the Alameda Produce Market on Market Court, near Central Avenue. Smorgasburg is currently taking applications from vendors.

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Dog Food Arrives, a Botanica Prepares to Leave, And Other Happenings in the Downtown Retail Scene

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By Nicholas Slayton rom Australia to Downtown: For many people, the land down under still means Men at Work and Crocodile Dundee. In the Arts District, it means shopping and art. That’s because Australia-based artist David Bromley has a six-month residency at the store Guerilla Atelier. The gallery/home decor space fea-

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DT The Don' t Miss List

CALENDAR LISTINGS

January 18, 2016

Remembering Otis Redding, Avant-Garde Performance At The Broad, San Pedro Rock and More Fun

By Dan Johnson | calendar@downtownnews.com

EVENTS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19 Jamal James vs. Javier Molina Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or clubnokia.com.

7 p.m.: Premier Boxing Champions brings a night of grown men punching each other to L.A. Live. The main event features 18-0 James taking on former Olympian and 17-1 Molina.

Cirque Du Soleil: Kurios Dodger Stadium Parking Lot, 1000 Elysian Park Ave., (877) 924-7783 or cirquedusoleil.com/kurios.

The Montreal-based circus that focuses on acrobats instead of animals has a show featuring a steampunk design. Expect all sorts of awe-inspiring feats, including performers who bend in ways a body never should. Performances this week are TuesdaySunday.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 Does Medicine Know How to Approach Death at Zocalo Public Square MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 625-4390 or zocalopublicsquare.org.

7:30 p.m.: We all die. Even you will one day. Thus, Katherine Brown-Saltzman, Dr. Susan Stone, Rev. Lori Koutouratsas and Bill Monning weigh in on the advances in modern medicine that prolong life.

Luis Rodriguez, Michael Meade and John Densmore at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: What do a Los Angeles poet laureate, a contemporary mythologist and the drummer for The Doors have in common? Find out at the event dubbed “Burning Voices: Stories That Fuel Us.” THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 Martine Syms in “Misdirected Kiss” The Broad, 221 S. Grand Ave., (213) 232-6200 or thebroad.org.

8 p.m.: Performance art and lecture merge in a discussion that spins off the topic of African-American female celebrity.

Monument MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 625-4390 or moca.org.

6 p.m.: Sound artist Anenon layers a bit of sound installation over artist Dan Flavin’s aglow “monument.”

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23 Callings Out Of Context REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

8:30 p.m.: In conjunction with The Broad across the street, REDCAT hosts New York’s Ratking in an exploration of no school hip-hop. It inaugurates the Callings Out of Context series of fringe music.

Danny Garcia vs. Robert Guerrero Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7326 or staplescenter.com.

4 p.m.: Yet more boxing, this time in an arena. The card is highlighted by a 12-round welterweight battle featuring Danny “Swift” Garcia and former world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero.

1 photo courtesy Grammy Museum

2 image by Shag, courtesy Corey Helford Gallery

3 photo by Ruth Fremson

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

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

Jan. 23, 8 p.m.: Americana revivalists Dawes grace the stage with enough neutral-colored clothing to fill a Pottery Barn.

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

Jan. 21, 8 p.m.: Don’t be fooled by the Orwellian language advertising Reflection Eternal. Talib Kweli is not your reflection, nor will he ever be.

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

Jan. 18: Trumpetology. Guess the featured instrument and win a kewpie doll.

Jan. 19: Brandon Bae Group.

Jan. 20: Giorgi Mikadze Group.

Jan. 21: Bob Reynolds Group.

Continued on next page

Nearly 50 years ago, Dawson, Georgia’s Otis Redding won his first Grammy Award. Though the soul singer’s life was cut short when he died in a plane crash in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1967, his influence lives on. Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” remains a classic, and he played a key role in bridging the soul and rock scenes in the 1960s. Now, Redding is the subject of Respect!: Otis Redding and the Revolution of Soul, a retrospective exhibit that opened last week at the Grammy Museum (it runs through September). Appropriately, guests can see his Grammy, some outfits, rare footage and a slice of Redding’s private life. At 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org.

If art had eyes, one could safely assume that Ely and Edythe Broad’s Barbara Kruger works would be staring intently on Thursday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. when Martine Syms delivers her performance lecture Misdirected Kiss in the Oculus Hall of The Broad. Syms attacks the edifice of culture to examine representations of female African-American entertainers. In the hour-long event, part of the museum’s “Tip of her Tongue” series curated by Cal State Riverside professor Jennifer Doyle, Syms directs multimedia and her own unwavering presentation style to draw links between social fault lines, cultural grooming and contemporary icons. Note: The event was sold out at press time, but some tickets may be available at the door. At 221 S. Grand Ave., (213) 232-6200 or thebroad.org.

4

The past year has been a lethal proposition for Los Angeles’ living icons of rock music. It would behoove perpetually acute bass man Mike Watt to recant his status as a treasure of the muscular local punk scene. Alas, we expect no apologies and all the appropriate apocalyptic undertones as Mike Watt and the Missingmen file into the Redwood Bar and Grill on Friday, Jan. 22. Behind the bass-playing San Pedro native you’ll find Tom Watson noodling his way around with guitar pleasures aplenty and the signature punch and dash of skins man Raul Morales. At 316 W. Second St., (213) 680-2600 or theredwoodbar.com.

5

The maternal, multi-octave bellows of Hurricane Mama will shake and rattle the interior of Walt Disney Concert Hall this week.

If you’re not familiar, Hurricane Mama is the nickname of the venue’s organ, and on Sunday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m., Paul Jacobs will work the instrument’s keys, pedals and knobs. Audiences will hear work from Bach, Handel, Franck, the Boulanger sisters, Puccini, Reger, Grounod and Widor. Remember friends: There won’t be a bad seat in the house when soprano Christine Brewer joins the organ for a few tunes. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (323) 850-2000 or laphil.com.

photo courtesy Mike Watt and the Missingmen

photo courtesy L.A. Phil

Do you know Shag? The man born Josh Agle is an Orange Countybased artist who started doing the tiki thing years before everyone else picked up on it. His works utilize vibrant colors and bizarre figures, all of which can be seen this week at the Corey Helford Gallery just beyond the Arts District. Shag’s show Jungle Drums features 15 works (mostly paintings, though there are also some sculptures and masks), and runs through Feb. 13. The pieces on display, including “Bunny and the Beasts” (shown here), were inspired by 1950s pinup girl decals, so expect lounge lizards and ladies in zebra stripes and leopard spots. Cool fact: In 2005, the LATC mounted Shag With a Twist, a dance musical based on Shag characters. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. At 571 S. Anderson St. or coryhelfordgallery.com.

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

January 18, 2016 Jan. 22: Jamison Ross.

Jan. 23: Zach Dangizer and Louis Cole.

Jan. 24: Fully Altered Forum.

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

Jan. 18, 8 p.m.: Leslie Stevens and Alex Siegel join Omar Velasco in a residency that’s beginning to sound more like a squat.

Jan. 19, 8 p.m.: Car Seat Headrest is the sort of lo-fi ennui that could only have emerged from Loudon County, Virginia.

Jan. 20, 8 p.m.: Cannons come with their concussive brand of synth pop.

Jan. 23, 8 p.m.: Somewhere in the creative nexus between Janet Jackson, P.M. Dawn and La Bouche is Harriet Brown.

Jan. 24, 8 p.m.: Many of Los Angeles’ vaunted and dead musical icons seem now, in retrospect, to be money-grubbing chumps. When it comes to the late Warren Zevon, the ivory-tickling excitable boy child of a Mickey Cohen card shark deserves a birthday celebration.

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

Jan. 21, 8 p.m.: Magic Men Live is like Thunder Down Under.

Jan. 22, 8 p.m.: We were bummed to discover that Madeon is not just another Tyler Perry project.

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

Jan. 19: The Great Sadness apparently picked their band name before even stepping foot in SkidRokyo.

Jan. 20: Devil Winds is not a euphemistic response to garlic flatulence.

Jan. 21: You really gotta root for the Do-Its to make it big, otherwise they’d seem a bit foolish.

Jan. 22: Keith Kenny opens for Jeremiah & The Red Eyes despite our repeated warnings to the booker instructing him not to trust people with two first names.

Jan. 24: King Corduroy should play big with the Fashion District set.

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

Jan. 22: The beloved Pete Tong.

Jan. 23: Alan Fitzpatrick and Harvey McKay. Grammy Museum 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org.

Jan. 20, 7:15 p.m.: If Vanessa Carlton doesn’t roll into the venue on her street-legal piano, we are going to feel mighty deceived.

Jan. 21, 7:15 p.m.: An opening event celebrating the new exhibit Respect! Otis Redding and the Revolution of Soul.

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

Jan. 18: Rubber.

Jan. 19: Yotam, Brendan Mercy, Spike McGuire, Dead Frets and Karina Torriz.

Jan. 20: Soundbite.

Jan. 21: Scarlett & The Fever.

Jan. 22: Mike Watt & The Missingmen.

Jan. 23: A Pretty Mess, Rik Agnew Band, Bitchfits and Skullrot.

Jan. 24: Guitars A Go Go. The Regent 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com.

Jan. 22, 8 p.m.: Stick Figure’s latest album Set In Stone has all the makings of some quality electro jam reggae except for the ominous detail of the band being from Massachusetts, which immediately makes us worry that the band will be interrupted by some guy in a Tom Brady jersey babbling on about Roger Goodell.

Jan. 23, 8 p.m.: See if you can guess what genre of music will be featured prominently in tonight’s Downtown Soul event.

Resident 428 S. Hewitt St. or (323) 316-5311 or residentdtla.com.

Jan. 19, 8 p.m.: We’re not trying to harsh on Brainstory’s residency, but we’d also like to see Andre get a Tuesday night residency somewhere other than Spring Street.

Jan. 22, 8 p.m.: We tip our cap to Mereki, whose bio manages to name drop three continents in the first two sentences.

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

Jan. 18: The Bruce Forman Trio appears to have five members. Are there no rules any more?

Jan. 19: Which is exactly why The Makers never release a full lineup of band members.

That and the constant fear of jazz assassination.

Jan. 20: Rick Taub’s Midnight Blues Review is wise to all these forms of paranoia. They use a press photo of Robert Johnson and the only band member you can be sure of is Rick, who cannot be killed by mortal hands.

Jan. 21: The Sidewinders, though. We have a pretty good idea of who they are, where they live and what their most drastic fears are: paper cuts and irrelevance.

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

Jan. 24, 8:30 p.m.: KXOL Mega 96.3FM’s Calibash 2016 is a perfectly worded excuse to listen to caliente beats.

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

Jan. 22: Jurassic Shark, Wild Wing, Loko Ono and Pure Muscle.

Jan. 24: Terminal A, Intimatchine and Symphonie.

Continued on page 14

Downtown News 13

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14 Downtown News Continued from previous page Teragram Ballroom 1234 W. Seventh St. or teragramballroom.com.

Jan. 18-19: The Mayer Hawthorne Revue would be the perfect name for an ACT test prep center.

Jan. 20, 8 p.m.: JD McPherson has a name as mysterious and non-descriptive as his generic haircut.

Jan. 22, 8 p.m.: Boombox are silky smooth. The music that is.

We have a strict no-touch policy since the H1N1 crisis.

Jan. 23, 8 p.m.: Chairlift offer you a one-way trip to the top of a black diamond run known as hangover and regret.

FILM

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

See website for schedule.

Flix at Fig@7th 735 S. Figueroa St or figat7th.com Jan. 20, 7 p.m.: Practice your male model “Magnum” face before an outdoor screening of the Ben Stiller-Owen Wilson film Zoolander, which is scheduled in advance of the Zoolander 2 release next month. Happy hour and DJ music starts at 6 p.m.

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

Journey to Space 3D brings audience members along on an E-ticket ride of exploration to the red planet.

Ewan McGregor is the voice of Humpback Whales 3D. Not that the whales aren’t significant enough in their own right, but Obi-Wan narrating means we’re dealing with serious power brokers here. Power brokers who know a good

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS whale story when they see it.

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

Jan. 18, 8:30 p.m.: Collage done up film-style with Lewis Klahr’s Sixty Six. Regal Cinemas LA Live 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 763-6070 or lalive.com/movies.

Through January 21: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (12, 12:40, 3:30, 4:10, 7, 7:40, 9:50 and 10:30 p.m.); Norm of the North (12:10, 2:30, 5, 7:30 and 10 p.m.); Ride Along 2 (11:30 a.m., 1:40, 2:20, 4:30, 5:10, 7:20, 8, 10:10 and 10:50 p.m.); The Forest (12:20, 3, 5:30, 7:55 and 10:55 p.m.); Daddy’s Home (12:05, 3:40, 6:20 and 9:10 p.m.); The Hateful Eight (11:20 a.m., 3, 6:40 and 10:20 p.m.); The Revenant (11:40 a.m., 12:25, 2:30, 3:55, 6, 7:25, 9:30 and 10:25 p.m.); Sisters (12:25 and 11 p.m.); Star Wars: The Force Awakens (12:30 and 10:40 p.m.); Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D (11:50 a.m., 3:10, 3:50, 6:30, 7:10 and 9:40 p.m.); The Big Short (11:35 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.).

THEATER, OPERA & DANCE

The Aeroplane or How Low: An Autobiography (sort of) Loft Ensemble, 929 E. Second St., (213) 680-0392 or lofteensemble.org.

Jan. 23, 8 p.m. and Jan. 24, 7 p.m.: In Mitch Rosander’s drama, a plane flight home to cope with family grief turns into a boundless bit of soul searching. Through March 6 Bob Baker’s Sketchbook Revue Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., (213) 2509995 or bobbakermarionettes.com.

Jan. 23-24, 2:30 p.m.: The Sketchbook Revue promises a cast

January 18, 2016

of marionettes that will alternately delight and terrify.

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

Jan. 19, 9 p.m.: Feast on this irreverent stand-up comedy cavalcade takes up residence at the Downtown Independent.

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16 Downtown News

January 18, 2016

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Deasy came aboard in 2011 championed by educational reformers across the country, but left after three years when his political support evaporated, only partly because of his iPad iPocalypse. David Brewer ascended to the rank of vice admiral in the U.S. Navy, but after two years at the LAUSD was made to walk the plank. Yes, I know that the Navy doesn’t make people walk the plank. That’s the Marines (joking!).

Mystery Agenda: Perhaps the only thing more secretive than the board’s hiring process is what King said to win the job. She clearly has political skills — you don’t serve as second in command to Deasy, who rankled many, and then keep the job with his successor, Cortines, unless you have a unique ability to win friends and influence people. News reports in the wake of King’s hiring uniformly cited her loyalty, smarts and knowledge of the district.

But what kind of leader will she be, and what issues will she prioritize? A Deasy-style shaker-upper seems unlikely. A model may be Cortines, who was praised for being a steadying hand.

That said, given the challenges of the future, a steadying hand probably is not enough.

Cliffs Approaching: There’s a legitimate question as to whether one can possibly succeed as LAUSD superintendent. Perhaps the only harder rebuilding job in the city is the Lakers.

The charter movement keeps gaining strength, and power player Eli Broad has been involved in an effort that could siphon hundreds of thousands of students out of the district and into a clutch of new charter schools. That’s almost good news compared to Cortines’ report late last year that the district could face a $333 million deficit in the school year that starts in 2017, and that the shortfall could hit $600 million a couple years later.

The next superintendent needs to figure out how to get modern technology into the hands of students, and even if it’s not iPads with horribly overpriced software, the status quo of giving each kid little more than an abacus doesn’t really cut it in 2016.

Then there are issues regarding test scores and dropouts, along with a fractious debate over how to evaluate teachers. All of it is complicated by a board still divided between self-styled reformers and those who gained the job thanks to union support — the fragile balance seems to shift every time there’s an election.

Wish Michelle King good luck. She’s going to need it. regardie@downtownnews.com

AROUND TOWN, 2 the latter’s contribution includes the roughly $2 million in retail space sacrificed to make room for the passageway. The video and more information is at thesource.metro.net.

New CEO at Midnight Mission

A

longtime leader in Skid Row is moving on, and a familiar face is taking over. Larry Adamson, who worked as president and CEO of the Midnight Mission for 18 years, retired on Jan. 1. He has been replaced by G. Michael Arnold, who served as the chief operating officer and then executive director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority from 2007-2014. Before LAHSA, Arnold was a COO and chief financial officer for several large health and science organizations, including the nonprofit Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle. “[The Midnight Mission] provides critical safety net services, including food and shelter to those most at risk on our streets each night,” Arnold said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to working with the outstanding board of directors and staff of the Midnight Mission, and with the community at large as we all work together to end homelessness in Los Angeles.” Arnold and Adamson will work together over the next few months to facilitate a smooth transition, and Adamson will stay involved as a member of the mission’s board of directors. In its 101-year history, the Midnight Mission has had only four executive leaders.

Correction The Jan. 6 story “Eager Leaders” incorrectly identified the director of the Southern California Institute of Architecture as Hernan Alonso Diaz. His correct name is Hernan Diaz Alonso.