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January 17, 2010
Volume 40, Number 3
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L.A. Downtown News • 1264 W. First Street, L.A., CA 90026 • fax: (213) 250-4617 • email: lovelines@DowntownNews.com • office hours: M-F, 8:30-5
INSIDE
A Budget Bomb for Downtown Officials Fear Brown’s Cuts Will Kill Plans For Cleantech Corridor and More Affordable Housing
Goodbye to L.A. diesel buses.
2
PICK THE
PROS Pick football games, win prizes.
6
Charter school coming to Downtown.
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photo by Gary Leonard
Jerry Brown at a Downtown appearance last September during the gubernatorial campaign. The new governor’s bold plan to close a $25 billion deficit would eliminate the Community Redevelopment Agency, which for decades has been a major player in Downtown redevelopment. by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR
Tweaks for the Regional Connector.
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Fond memories of Jack Kyser.
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L
ast Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown dropped a budget bombshell that threatens to derail a slew of Downtown redevelopment projects and eliminate an agency that keyed the area’s commercial resurgence. At risk are projects including affordable housing and a green tech hub. Brown’s bold budget spares no public service, from education to healthcare, but Downtown stakeholders are mostly keyed in on his proposal to eliminate redevelopment agencies. The Los Angeles
More Than 100 Galleries and 15,000 Pieces of Work Are on Display at This Week’s Los Angeles Art Show by RichaRd Guzmán
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15 CALENDAR LISTINGS 17 MAP 18 CLASSIFIEDS
investments in affordable housing have created or preserved thousands of apartments for low income and homeless individuals, just in Downtown. Like redevelopment agencies statewide, the CRA reinvests a portion of local property taxes known as “tax increment” into economic development projects and affordable housing in blighted areas. By investing in depressed corners of the urban fabric, the agency works to stimulate additional private investment in the same area. “The only way for us to really generate revenue see Budget, page 10
A Big Time for Big Art city editoR
John Lithgow’s heartfelt stories.
Community Redevelopment Agency re-invests property tax revenues in depressed neighborhoods as a means to drive economic development. The move would save California $1.7 billion in the next fiscal year. But in inching the state closer to the black, critics of the plan say it would siphon away a critical fuel source in Downtown’s redevelopment engine. The CRA was the leading force behind the building of office towers on Bunker Hill in the 1970s and ’80s. In the ’90s, it played a key role in assembling the land where Staples Center was developed. Its
T
his is an interesting time for art in Downtown Los Angeles. Last Thursday, new Art Walk Director Joe Moller oversaw his first installment of the popular and sometimes chaotic monthly event. In December, the local creative community went into a tizzy after MOCA whitewashed an antiwar mural on the side of the Geffen Contemporary. The big art happenings continue this weekend. The Convention Center will be site of an art show expected to draw 50,000 people and generate more than $25 million in sales. A smaller effort, the debut of Art Weekend L.A., is anticipated to bring a few thousand people to some Downtown galleries (see story p. 13)
The South Park event is the 16th annual Los Angeles Art Show, which runs Jan. 19-23. It will feature more than 100 galleries and 15,000 works covering all genres and periods from old masters to contemporary creations. Event producer Kim Martindale said the show, which will fill 150,000 square feet of Convention Center space, appeals to both art newbies and collectors. “Novices can come to this show and get a great education about art,” said Martindale. “If you’re a serious buyer or if you’re looking to form a collection of art, then this will also give you the opportunity to come and see what’s available on the market.” The show is organized by the Fine Art Dealers Association and KR Martindale Show see Art, page 13
The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles
photo by David Koizumi
About 50,000 people are expected to attend the Los Angeles Art Show. Organizers anticipate that the event, which runs Jan. 19-23 at the Convention Center, will generate more than $25 million in sales.