LOS ANGELES
DOWNTOWN
NEWS Volume 38, Number 6
Valentine’s Day Downtown 10-15
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A new Central Division captain, and other happenings Around Town.
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A call to save the Los Angeles Times before Sam Zell goes too far.
W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M
February 9, 2009
THE NEXT FOUR YEARS
INSIDE
With Elections Approaching, Two Downtown Council Members Detail Their Plans for Their Final Term Salvaging the Fashion District BID.
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On Cloud Ninth Jan Perry Will Take Aim at Parks, Housing and Homelessness In Her Next Four Years photo by Gary Leonard
Urban Scrawl imagines a love letter.
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A River Runs Through Him For First District Councilman Ed Reyes, Almost Everything Revolves Around Reclaiming the Waterway
Transition at the Alexandria.
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Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry is running unopposed for a third and final term, during which she hopes to encourage affordable housing construction throughout the city, among other goals.
Another Downtown club faces trouble.
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photo by Gary Leonard
by Anna Scott staff writer
N Welcome the burlesque of Minsky’s.
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Big dance at the 7+Fig mall.
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18 CALENDAR LISTINGS 20 MAP 21 CLASSIFIEDS
inth District Councilwoman Jan Perry may be running for office unopposed, but that does not mean she has forgone campaigning. In anticipation of the March 3 election, she has produced a glossy, eight-page color brochure (in English and Spanish) documenting her accomplishments and has people phone banking in five languages. She has raised nearly $315,000 in campaign contributions. The effort amid no competition, she said, is not only to draw attention to herself. It is also an attempt to raise her district’s profile. “This is a district that is to be taken seriously, because they will come out and they will vote,” she said last week in an interview with Los Angeles Downtown News editors and reporters. “I don’t want to lose the momentum of the presidential election, but see if we can continue that and bring in new people.” Perry’s approach to growing her district’s clout extends beyond the campaign trail. Elected to lead the Ninth District in 2001, the City Hall veteran’s jurisdiction includes
most of Downtown, from the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Bunker Hill to Skid Row, and deep into South Los Angeles. Perry has worked on both poles of the economic spectrum. In the heart of Downtown Los Angeles she was a champion of South Park’s recently debuted, 27-acre L.A. Live, and touts its economic benefits. As the head of the Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness, in recent years she has helped propel the creation of 1,223 permanent supportive and affordable housing units in her district. All have either been recently completed or are scheduled to open in the next two years. For her third and final term, Perry has laid out some specific goals: primarily, continuing to foster new, neighborhood-oriented development while pushing for more affordable housing and homeless services throughout the city, not just in Skid Row In the faltering economy, Perry has her work cut out. Yet her approach to the next four years, which involves tackling big issues through consistent, achievable measures, largely reflects the last eight. Take her stance on see Jan Perry, page 8
First District Councilman Ed Reyes is seeking a third and final term to make progress on projects such as revitalizing the Los Angeles River. by Ryan Vaillancourt staff writer
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ive the floor to First District City Councilman Ed Reyes, who is up for re-election on March 3, and almost all explanations of his past and future political agendas wind up literally and figuratively at the Los Angeles River. First and foremost, the Los Angeles native considers himself a politician rooted in the basics — his platform boils down to advocating for public safety, new park space and job creation. “The agenda of my district and my administration has been one of just trying to clean the streets, public safety, looking at safer schools and safer parks, new parks and just creating jobs,” Reyes said in an interview last week with Los Angeles Downtown News editors and reporters. “It’s really very fundamental.” While Reyes has indeed worked on neighborhood-level efforts for things such as streetlights, his policy passion has been and continues to be the revitalization of the longmaligned L.A. River. It’s a massive
project whose full scope would take decades and cost billions, but Reyes sees it as being tied intrinsically to his basic political priorities. A cleaner, pedestrian-friendly and activated L.A. River would translate to public safety along its corridor, as well as more park space, he believes. His vision of new social, industrial and commercial uses along the river — from bike paths to housing developments — requires manpower and jobs to be a reality. Four months ago, Reyes teamed up with the Army Corps of Engineers and the L.A. Conservation Corps to initiate a program called the L.A. River Rangers. The effort employs atrisk youth to clean up the river corridor, remove graffiti, clear invasive plants and other tasks, while educating them in environmental issues. Reyes has kept the program quiet, he said, “because I wanted to make sure it was working.” Currently, the rangers are working to ready the corridor for the addition of a segment of the bike path that now runs from Fletcher Drive see Ed Reyes, page 9
Since 1972, an independent, locally owned and edited newspaper, go figure.
2 Downtown News
February 9, 2009
DowntownNews.com
AROUNDTOWN New Captain For Central Division
Downtown Buildings May Get Historic Status
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fter a year and a half running the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Division, Capt. Jodi Wakefield has been transferred. The move, first reported by blogdowntown.com, sends Wakefield to the department’s Civil Rights Integrity Division. Capt. Blake Chow, the former Commanding Officer of the Hollenbeck area, replaces her. Wakefield was notified of the decision made by Chief William Bratton on Feb. 2, and the switch was slated to go into effect on Feb. 8 (after Los Angeles Downtown News went to press), but she will share duties with Chow for a few weeks as he transitions into the new role, she said. “Change is something you can count on with the department, so for me to be there for a year and a half as area captain, I’m fortunate,” Wakefield said. “Of course I could have easily spent my whole career there because I enjoyed it, so it’s very bittersweet for me to leave.” During her time in Central, Wakefield presided over the Safer Cities Initiative, which deployed 50 extra officers to Skid Row in September 2006. In 2007, violent crime dropped significantly in Central Division and in Skid Row. In 2008, violent crime increased marginally. Wakefield said she looks forward to her new post because it will round out her department experience. As commanding officer of the Civil Rights Integrity Division, she will lead an audit unit that oversees and ensures the department’s compliance with a federal consent decree ordered in the wake of the Rampart scandal. “It’s a very critical position,” she said. “It might not sound like it, but it is. It’s something that’s very important to [Chief Bratton].”
he Great Republic Life Building at 756 S. Spring St. and the Bob Baker Marionette Theater at 1345 W. First St. have taken the first steps toward becoming city Historic-Cultural Monuments. The city’s Cultural Heritage Commission accepted their application for historic status last week and will begin the process of verifying the structures’ historic importance, said Ken Bernstein, manager of the city’s Office of Historic Resources. He said the process should take a little more than two months, at which time the commission will vote on the matter. Obtaining historic status provides protection for a building’s physical integrity. The 1923 Great Republic Building, which was renovated last year and is expected to open as apartments in the coming months, is being considered for the designation due to its character-defining features of Beaux-Arts style architecture. The Bob Baker theater, a City West attraction for decades, is being considered for its cultural significance to the city, Bernstein said. Last November, after the theater fell into debt, 84-year-old owner Bob Baker was told that he needed to raise approximately $30,000 to avoid foreclosure proceedings. After donations from the community, the theater is on its way to meeting that goal.
Downtown Bike Thefts On the Rise
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he Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Division has seen a recent uptick in bicycle thefts, particularly around the
Luxury Living in the heart of Downtown
Central Library at 630 W. Fifth St., said Det. Michael Brausam. While Central, which covers most of Downtown, averages three bicycle thefts per week, officers are looking into three incidents alone that occurred on Jan. 26. The recent thefts have also targeted higher-end bicycles worth more than $500, including one racing bike valued at $6,500, according to police reports. Recently, two men in a white van were seen near the library trying to steal a bicycle, but fled when they were confronted, Brausam said. Police urge bicycle owners to use a metal horseshoe lock. Bike thieves commonly use portable drills to break those locks, so people are urged to call the police if they see someone with a drill near a bicycle, he said. Downtowners are also encouraged to make sure bike racks are bolted down and otherwise secure, as “bicycle thieves will sometimes preremove the bolts so they can lift a post and remove a bike,” Brausam said. “And, never leave your bike unattended, unless you can run faster than your bike when the suspect rides away with it.”
Family of Skid Row Musician Forms Nonprofit
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he California Endowment announced last month that it has awarded $95,820 to a new foundation that aims to support programs that incorporate the arts with services and education for the mentally ill. The Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Foundation is named after and founded by family members of the Skid Row street musician whose story was told by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez. That led to a book and a film, The Soloist, that will be released in April. The foundation will seek to help people like Ayers, who despite having a mental illness possess artistic gifts, said
Anthony Moore, Ayers’ brother-in-law and president of the foundation. The California Endowment grant, along with $10,000 from the Annenberg Foundation, is being used for the foundation’s infrastructure, a new website and hiring an attorney and various consultants, Moore said. “We wanted to have all the essential pieces in place prior to the scrutiny and publicity that will come with the release of the movie,” he said.
Great Republic Goes Rental
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s the housing market continues to encounter trouble, yet another Downtown condominium project is turning to rentals. The Great Republic Lofts, a 100,000-squarefoot adaptive reuse project at 756 S. Spring St., will debut in the coming months as apartments, said David Gray, the project architect. Developer Spring Main Development LLC is behind the project that will provide 72 units averaging approximately 850 square feet. Gray said the renovation of the 12-story former Great Republic insurance building is complete and awaiting its certificate of occupancy, which is expected by the end of the first quarter, with move-ins following shortly. Other Downtown projects that were planned as condominiums but came online instead as rentals include Amidi Real Estate Group’s $50 million TenTen Wilshire in City West, the 118-unit Artisan on Second, from Trammell Crow Residential, in the Arts District, and the Chapman Flats, a 13-story, $30 million adaptive reuse project near the Great Republic Lofts. In most cases the decision was made because prospective buyers are encountering difficulties securing mortgages; many developers’ loan agreements state that they must close escrow on more than 50% of a building’s units in order to open.
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February 9, 2009
Downtown News 3
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Fashion District Gets a Second Life Expanded Area, Lower Fees Help Leaders Gather Support by Anna Scott staff writer
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fter a drawn-out struggle and a disruption in services, a new business improvement district for the Fashion District received initial approval from the City Council last Tuesday. It marks a turnaround for the city’s oldest and largest BID, which just a few months ago saw its size and budget slashed. Though many have praised its efforts, last year more than two dozen longtime Fashion District landlords came together to oppose the BID’s renewal for another five-year term in 2009. Their efforts were built on the argument that they were not receiving enough benefits for the money they paid — annual fees for property owners range from $50 to $100,000. Now, however, the Fashion District is on track to becoming bigger than ever. The key concession seems to be the BID leaders’ decision to reduce annual membership fees by approximately 5%. “I think property owners, quite rightly, are looking for the best bang for their dollar,” said Fashion District Executive Director Kent Smith. “The board sharpened their pencils and really tried to keep the assessments to an absolute minimum.” The BID will actually grow this year, from 94 to approximately 115 blocks. With more property owners involved, the BID’s budget has climbed from $3.3 million to $3.9 million. The current economy coupled with the promise of lower fees seems to have convinced some former BID opponents to at least temporarily shelve their demands, such as more promotional efforts on the part of the BID. “My main concern at this point is the lack of a marketing budget for the district,” said Michael Delijani, who is a partner in several Fashion District retail properties in an area just south of Santee Alley. “I’m hoping that Kent Smith can come up with something… but if that does not happen then a certain part of the district will separately raise money from property owners. “We realize that right now, we have to follow the economy.”
Grow, Shrink, Grow Started in 1996, the Fashion District (the formal name of the BID) works to clean streets, reduce crime and attract business to Downtown’s apparel industry-oriented southern portion. It encompasses an area roughly bounded by the Santa Monica Freeway to the south, Seventh Street to the north, San Pedro Street to the east and Spring and Main streets to the west. To gain renewal every five years, BID leaders first need signatures from landlords representing more than 50% of the District’s property. But facing expiration in 2009 and growing opposition, by last June Fashion District leaders had collected signatures from just 35% of the area’s property owners. The defectors, mostly longtime landlords with apparel-industry tenants, claimed that the Fashion District had become too expensive and unfocused as it grew to encompass residential projects and large fashion houses. They threatened to start their own organization, titled the Garment Industry BID. Facing extinction on Jan. 1, Smith eventually split the Fashion District into two separately managed sub-districts. The City Council approved a downsized Fashion District in December. BID officials then began collecting signatures for Fashion District II, a sub-district encompassing most of the Garment District supporters, plus an additional 1 million square feet. The extra area helped BID leaders gather the critical mass of signatures. “Fundamentally, the district is about clean and safe,” Smith said, referring to the BID staffers who clear about seven tons of trash from the area each day, direct traffic and respond to medical emergencies. “There were lots of different opinions on what the district could be doing beyond clean and safe, but the reality is the resources don’t allow us to do much more.” Future Improvements Smith said he expects the BID to begin (or, on some streets, resume) operations in Fashion District II by April. With initial city approval out of the way, City Clerk Karen Kalfayan will send ballots to Fashion District property ownLF_LADTN_ad_f.pdf
photo by Gary Leonard
Kent Smith, executive director of the Fashion District, will oversee a business improvement district that will grow in size and budget.
ers. If the BID obtains support from a majority of landlords, the city will hold a hearing to officially combine the Fashion District and Fashion District II, leading to a renewal of the entire BID. Still, not everyone is happy. Peter Fleming, CEO of the City Market of Los Angeles in Fashion District II and a longtime BID critic, said he still sees the organization as unnecessary. “I have my own crews,” he said. “I don’t need the Fashion District to pick up around here.” Others, however, are relieved, especially after trash on some streets in the area, such as San Pedro Street between Eighth and Ninth streets, increased without a BID after Jan. 1. Smith does agree that the BID could do more in terms of marketing. “When we first went through the application process, maybe we were a little too ambitious in our plans for marketing dollars,” he admitted. “We’re in tough economic times, but it’s important and it’s something that needs to be part of the future of the district.” Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.
2/5/09
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February 9, 2009
DowntownNews.com
EDITORIALS Time for Government to Step in on Angels Flight
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ngels Flight, the short but important railway that once connected Bunker Hill to the Historic Core, has been closed for more than eight years, which is three years longer than it operated in its most recent iteration. It is time for local government officials to insert themselves into the process so the funicular can reopen. In a recent Los Angeles Downtown News article, an Angels Flight official stated that the railway would return to action “very soon.” Normally, this would give us pause regarding any imminent criticism, and we would hold off on asking for government involvement. However, we have been hearing that the railway would return “soon” for years, and multiple reopening targets have not been met. We no longer think it is wise to postpone government examination of this public amenity. The current structure has not accomplished its goal, and we feel it will take the involvement of government officials and public agencies, and probably elected leaders, to help clear the hurdles and make the connections that are needed to resume service. We hope they are ready to be proactive, even if they encounter complaints. We do not call for government involvement lightly. We believe in allowing people, businesses and nonprofits to do what they have to do on their own, even when it becomes painful. However, this is a case that involves a project on public land and on which public money was spent. Additionally, the long closure has had a negative impact on the public and many businesses. The case for intervention is compelling. A quick recap: Angels Flight opened in 1901 to connect the then residential district of Bunker Hill with the businesses in what is now the Historic Core. It closed in 1969 as Bunker Hill was becoming a business center. Twenty-seven years later, in 1996, the railway returned a block away from its original location. It connected the Cal Plaza complex on Bunker Hill with a Hill Street base directly across from Grand Central Market. The return was heralded and Angels Flight was an instant hit, with locals and tourists paying 25 cents to ride the Olivet and Sinai cars and avoid the 153-stair climb. A team of volunteers, along with funds and work from the Community Redevelopment Agency and some private citizens, made it all possible. It was a great achievement for Downtown Los Angeles. Five years later tragedy stuck. On Feb. 1, 2001, a problem with the gear and drive system caused Sinai to slide nearly 200 feet down the tracks and slam into Olivet. The accident killed an 83-year-old man and injured seven other people.
Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis
The railway was immediately and appropriately closed. In the aftermath, investigations were conducted, legal wrangling began and Angels Flight officials started to look into what it would take to one day resume service. That July, a railway executive told Downtown News that he expected the restored Angels Flight to open by the end of the year, following final conclusions from the National Transportation Safety Board. In
We would like to be able to wait and allow Angels Flight officials to get there on their own, but people have been walking up and down those stairs for too long — it has now been nearly 3,000 days since the accident. December of 2001, he predicted an opening early in 2002 Of course, nothing happened that quickly, and really, no one would have expected a return to service so soon had it not been stated by Angels Flight officials. The problem is, it has now been eight years since the accident, and many reopening targets — whether specific dates or general time periods — have come and gone. The legal cases were finally settled in 2006, and early in 2007 Angels Flight officials staged a press conference where they announced that they hoped to resume service by that summer. Later, they pushed that date to the end of December to coincide with the 106th anniversary of the railway’s opening. Now another year has passed, and still there is only a promise of “very soon.” We are not suggesting that no progress has been made. Angels Flight supporters have raised millions of dollars, donating personally as well, for restoration of the railway. Last November, a crane lifted the repaired Sinai and Olivet cars (the funicular also has a new drive system) back onto the tracks. Some testing of the cars followed.
Those who have worked hard over the years deserve credit. Raising that much money and doing that much behind-thescenes labor is no simple task. Yet with all due respect to the personal commitment of the volunteers who got the project this far, more is needed, and while we don’t like to have to turn to government, that is the only avenue available. It is time for a public-private partnership, even if the private side in this case resists. One significant problem is that Angels Flight will not be allowed to reopen until a state agency, the California Public Utilities Commission, gives its okay. We think local government officials should step in to help with that and any other logjams. Everyone agrees that the most important thing is that Angels Flight be safe. We think that too is an area where government or public agencies can play an important and positive role. It may be time to look at an idea that has been floated before: have the Metropolitan Transportation Authority get involved. After all, they know about trains and transit issues. Their experience is not exactly parallel, and they haven’t done everything right, but maybe they have knowledge and experience that could facilitate getting this project finished. We would like to be able to wait and allow Angels Flight officials to get there on their own, but people have been walking up and down those stairs for too long — it has now been nearly 3,000 days since the accident. In the Historic Core, officials at the Grand Central Market, another Los Angeles icon, say their business would be improved by a resumption in service — it makes sense, as Bunker Hill office workers are more likely to go there for lunch with a functioning funicular. Who wants to walk those stairs on a hot day while in business clothes? Getting Angels Flight to the point it is now at has taken significant work, and those who volunteered their time and energy, and those who donated money, deserve congratulations. But the key, for all of Downtown, is to get the railway running again. We think we have to turn to government to make that happen.
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Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie citY Editor: Richard Guzmán stAFF writErs: Anna Scott, Ryan Vaillancourt coNtributiNG Editors: David Friedman, Kathryn Maese coNtributiNG writErs: Jay Berman, Jeff Favre, Michael X. Ferraro, Kristin Friedrich, Howard Leff, Rod Riggs Marc Porter Zasada Art dirEctor: Brian Allison AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins ProductioN AssistANt / EvENt coordiNAtor: Claudia Hernandez PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard AccouNtiNG: Ashley Vandervort sAlEs MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin AssistANt sAlEs MANAGEr: George Caston sAlEs AssistANt: Annette Cruz clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Vanessa Acuña, Robert Dutcher, Catherine Holloway, Kelley Smith circulAtioN: Norma Rodas distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla 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. It is also distributed to the extended urban communities of Glendale, Hollywood, Wilshire Center, Los Feliz, Silver Lake & Larchmont Village.
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February 9, 2009
Downtown News 5
Opinion
Save the Times Signs Are That Zell Will Eventually Collapse L.A.’s Iconic Newspaper by Sue Laris editor and publisher
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he recent announcement that the Los Angeles Times is cutting 300 more jobs, 70 of them in the newsroom, was a shock, but it shouldn’t have been. We should be experiencing grief, not surprise. Outrage is another apt emotion. It is no longer advisable to turn away from the brutal carnage in plain view, no longer possible to believe there will be any tolerable outcome from the ongoing reconfiguring of the Times under the current ownership. The truth must be faced before it is too late. The bleeding is not going to cease. It is going to worsen. And that result is bad for all of us, even those who despise the Times. (I count myself among those with a great affection for the Times. I rely upon it, can’t tolerate the idea of the town without it, whether or not I agree with every choice the writers and editors make.) Standing back, I think the destructive intent may well have been there all along. The elimination of 300 additional staff has come to seem merely another moment in a continuum that Sam Zell, an owner who deserves to go down in flames, had probably laid out when he structured the purchase of Tribune Co., which includes the Times, though the timing of his decision is no longer relevant, except to the courts. Only the end game is relevant to the city now. It has become clear that Tribune’s debt was always unfeasible to service. It relied on Hail Mary passes, such as the sale of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field — as separate entities, plus selling the naming rights separate from that, all for exorbitant sums. There was no real business plan, not for the company, not for its newspapers. The Tribune properties, with the Times a star among them, were expected to pay the interest and eventually the principal on $13 billion of debt. In 2007, when the deal was being struck, an analyst or two had faint praise for the likelihood Tribune could meet the challenge. “I think they can do it,” one said. Not much enthusiasm upon which to hang the future of the Times and the retirement funds of thousands of employees. The dealmakers and the analysts must have been smoking opium. Since 2007 an already shaky economy has taken a dramatic dive, and any likelihood the Times or Tribune could afford to pay any significant portion of the debt has evaporated. Even if Zell were a peach of a guy with no malice, which I don’t believe, given his reputation, he is now forced to eat his young, which is the effect of his continuing cuts. It has become a waste of energy to discuss which sections of the paper should be saved and which should go, or whether the Times can actually operate with fewer reporters and which international bureaus should be preserved. It’s all a moot point. No one should believe for a moment that Zell will stop with these cuts. Because the debt is not serviceable, meaning it is just too expensive, astronomical actually, Zell will always be able to try to justify taking big bloody bites, probably until his victim is dead. There are those who will say that I’m overstating, that I must be the one smoking opium, but I wonder if they are the same people who couldn’t imagine staff reductions of about 50% or the shift of the Times Sunday magazine to the business side or
the killing of the California section. A short time ago I would have said today’s thoughts are overstatement, too. But looking at the whole picture again with all the bad news assembled in one ugly heap, a trend emerges that should not be denied. We see that dismantling the Times (and other Tribune properties, but we’re not concerned with them right here) must always at least have been Plan B. Zell struck a deal that no doubt made the former owners of Tribune Co. ecstatic, and he gave himself at least one pot of gold: a publication with double-digit profitability (excluding the debt) and a big, fat, juicy Employee Stock Ownership Plan, both of which he can suck the life out of. And he can do so pretty much without consequences, because, aw shucks, that darned economy keeps doing him in.
Because the debt is not serviceable, meaning it is just too expensive, astronomical actually, Zell will always be able to try to justify taking big bloody bites, probably until his victim is dead. Brilliant deal? In some circles, yes. Legal? Remains to be seen. Hope not. Maybe the courts can stop him. Certainly there must be something to protect the ESOP. The employees’ class-action lawsuit comes to mind. We cheer it on. Does Zell embody evil? I don’t normally believe in the concept of evil, but he reeks of nastiness from here. As a newspaper owner, editor and publisher I have often been asked what is going to happen to the Times. Until now I’ve always said that the Times may go through a rough patch, but it will survive. Even at less than its optimum quality, it is an institution vital to the life of the city. It helps define us, it helps pull us together, it lets us hear each other’s opinions on a broad base of subjects, it helps protect liberty and free speech. Like sex or a day at the beach, it’s good even when it’s bad. It’s one thing for Los Angeles not to have a professional football team. It’s quite another not to have a serious local daily newspaper. There are things the web and other competitors cannot do. The riveting King-Drew scandal a few years ago comes to mind, as does ferreting out crime and corruption. No other local entity has the depth to perform this necessary requirement of a democratic society. After Zell’s latest move — and especially considering the Tribune bankruptcy filing in December — it is apparent that
Readers Respond Some Website Posts to Downtown News Stories Regarding the column ‘The Worst Election Ever,’ by Jon Regardie, Feb. 2
order to get us out of our current crisis. —posted by Chris Salabaj, Feb. 3, 8:04 a.m.
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Regarding the article ‘Angels Flight Closure Hits Eight Years,’ by Richard Guzmán, Feb. 2
ote against all of them until we get a real election. This isn’t a banana republic yet. —posted by Scratch, Feb. 2, 10:59 a.m.
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he incumbents need huge campaigning funds in order to pay for all of the workers they need. Many of the candidates, like myself, are gaining the support from the people in our district to get the word out. Although some money is needed for campaigning, I intend on earning votes by using hard work and creativity. These are two things that our council members will need in
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rankly, I am sick and tired of all the grousing by the public about the Angels Flight reopening delays. L.A., read this: Safety is the prime concern. Angels Flight will not open until both Angels Flight and city safety officials are satisfied that passengers will be safe. That’s just fine with me. Your understanding and patience will pay off soon enough. —posted by ArchiesBoy, Feb. 1, 11:31 p.m.
there are only a couple of chances for survival, and now is the time to agitate for them. While the courts are pondering the lawsuit, we should all hope someone with considerable means understands the urgency of rescuing this essential distressed property from the Zell wrecking ball. We can only hope there is someone who can figure out how to pull the Times intact out of Tribune’s bankruptcy, someone who cares deeply about the city, someone for whom managing wealth has become an empty exercise, because it would indeed require putting significant wealth on the line and not looking for much of a monetary return on that wealth. There would be a return on operations, yes, but on the investment, not so much. A new owner, someone who can be trusted more than Zell, might want to change the Times, modernize it, fiddle with it until something clicks, just as every major metropolitan daily is doing, but it should not be allowed to die. There is a truckload of good ideas to fix daily newspapers. A new owner should try them, while preserving the essence of a product that can bring double-digit profitability. Allowing the Times to die is shortsighted and more destructive than any of us can imagine. This sprawling town will be unglued without a major daily. Some of Zell’s professed ideas might even be tolerable — if he meant them, but he doesn’t. His assertion (through his L.A. publisher) that the local news in the about-to-be killed California section will be given more visibility in Main News has no credibility in the face of the 70 newsroom layoffs. There may be merit to the idea of putting local news on the front page. Many papers have done so and found loyal readers, but there is no way local news can be given the visibility it deserves under the circumstances Zell has set up. It’s disingenuous and a misdirection, so we won’t see his real intent. Snaky. Slippery. Slimy. We have to wonder why it took so long to accept what has become self-evident, meaning Zell’s true colors about the Times. We’re reminded that denial is a force to be reckoned with. But we should no longer be in denial. Be certain that Sam Zell intends to drain every dollar he can out of the profitable Times and the vulnerable ESOP. Then he’ll say he has no choice but to kill the paper. He may pause for a moment in some weird online edition, meaning no print product, as some dailies have done, but that move would also be yet another step toward the same end. We know by his own actions, in addition to the logic of the numbers. With every move he has been treating the newspaper like a widget factory that a corporate raider intends to dismantle and eventually liquidate, à la Oliver Stone’s movie Wall Street. Watching this bloodbath, I grieve for so many things. I grieve for those who are losing their jobs. I grieve for those whose retirement is trashed. I grieve for those who love good writing and good journalism. I grieve for liberty and truth. I grieve for a community that has very little idea of what it is about to lose with the almost certain demise of the Times in the not very distant future. Anyone pondering a plan to save the Times should make a move sooner rather than later. Sue Laris is owner, editor and publisher of Los Angeles Downtown News.
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’m not holding my breath any more, as I’ve been disappointed countless times before. But it would be nice if it could open one day in the non-too-distant future. —posted by JM, Feb. 2, 10:59 a.m. Regarding the column ‘Downtown Home Hunt,’ about looking for a Downtown apartment, by Ryan Vaillancourt, Feb. 2
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irst off, you’re not going to get a historic loft and parking on-site. Scratch that off your list of things you require because if you can’t, you’re not going to find anything Downtown. Secondly, hosting dinner parties in Downtown is tough if your friends don’t feel like paying $3 for parking in one of the many lots in the area, or take the train down here. You’ll probably have to start making new friends who live in Downtown, which is something any resident will tell you they’ve gone through. Living Downtown requires that you are
able to live in smaller quarters than other places. That means making better use of the space you do have, being smart about functional storage and planning the layout of your loft. I had the same issue with finding an available unit for a good price. Consider dumping the second car. After all, it’s Downtown. —posted by Rich Alossi, Jan. 30, 6:23 p.m.
C
heck out South Park. We’re in the Packard Lofts and the 735ish square feet is enough for two if you like each other! We are in your price range and have one parking spot (underground with elevator access. I have a classic car that loves the “bat cave”). We sold our other car and haven’t missed it since we walk/bike so much. We moved from Huntington Beach 18 months ago and are enjoying the “non commute.” —posted by Shannon, Jan. 31, 6:49 p.m.
6 Downtown News
February 9, 2009
Alexandria’s Legal Troubles Near an End
photo by Gary Leonard
DowntownNews.com
Developers and tenants of the Historic Core’s Alexandria Hotel have reached a settlement after more than a year of litigation. The affordable housing complex at 501 S. Spring St. contains 461 apartments.
Developers, Tenants Agree on Settlement Over Hotel Renovation by Anna Scott staff writer
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ore than a year after some former and current tenants of the Alexandria Hotel filed a lawsuit against the Historic Core building’s owner, the two sides have agreed on a settlement. Representatives of both sides confirmed last week that they have reached an agreement, though the settlement terms have not been disclosed, pending approval by the Community Redevelopment Agency and the City Council. That is expected within weeks. “We are obviously happy that the legal battles appear to be coming to an end, and are keen to continue our mission to provide good, clean, safe affordable housing in Downtown Los Angeles,” said Jules Arthur, chief operating officer of the San Diego-based Amerland Group, in an email. Alexandria Housing Partners, which includes Arthur and Amerland CEO Ruben Islas, purchased the eight-story, 463-unit Alexandria Hotel for $30 million in 2006. The company has since renovated the oncedilapidated building at 501 S. Spring St., which for years served as a residential hotel for low-income tenants, into an affordable apartment project. The Alexandria’s acquisition and renovation was funded by more than $56 million in tax-exempt bonds issued by the CRA,
low-income housing tax credits and other sources. On Thursday, Feb. 5, the CRA board of commissioners voted unanimously to execute the final piece of funding for the project, an $11.9 million loan to come out of the Bunker Hill Housing Trust Fund. The loan is contingent on a finalized settlement between the developers and tenants. “I can confirm that we have reached settlement but that the terms cannot yet be disclosed,” Arthur said. A Legal Mess The Alexandria has been highly scrutinized since Amerland took over the building more than two years ago. City officials, including Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry and 14th District Councilman José Huizar, have praised the project as a model for preserving affordable housing in a rapidly gentrifying area. Alexandria tenants, however, many of them elderly or disabled, have lodged a slew of complaints against the developer. In December 2007, several current and former residents and the Los Angeles Community Action Network filed a lawsuit against Alexandria Housing Partners, the CRA and the city of Los Angeles. Among other complaints, the suit alleged that during renovations hotel residents had been subjected to electricity and water shutoffs, faulty elevator service and other prob-
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lems. Some also claimed that they had been forced out of the hotel. Later, the CRA and the developer filed additional claims against each other, and a restraining order last March from the U.S. District Court prohibited the displacement of Alexandria tenants. That same month, attorney Matthew Oster of McDermott Will & Emery, one of five lawyers representing the Alexandria tenants, said that the lawsuit could take years to resolve. According to CRA documents, the two sides have been meeting with a federal magistrate since last September and, with a settlement near, all Alexandria-related claims will be dismissed shortly. Oster emphasized last week that he could not yet discuss specifics of the Alexandria case. However, he did not dispute the CRA report, and when reminded of his prediction that the suit could drag on for years said, “When a lawsuit like this one resolves quickly, that’s a good thing.” The tenant lawsuit is not the only piece of litigation that developers of the Alexandria have put behind them. Last April, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo filed 36 criminal counts against the Amerland Group related to fire code violations at the Alexandria and the Rosslyn Lofts, formerly
the Frontier Hotel, which they purchased and intend to renovate. In November, Delgadillo announced that Amerland had brought the Alexandria into compliance. Affordability Continues The final piece of a complex financial puzzle, the $11.9 million loan approved by the CRA last week essentially buys the Alexandria’s affordability for the next 55 years. Of the Alexandria’s 461 remodeled apartments, 30 will be reserved for extremely lowincome tenants (defined as households earning up to 30% of the Area Median Income of about $60,000 per year), 191 will house very low-income tenants (31%-50% of the AMI) and 240 will be for low-income units (those in the 51%-80% bracket). Rents at the Alexandria range from approximately $350-$800 per month, said Arthur, and approximately 430 of the units are currently occupied and leased. “We feel that we have made great strides in improving the Alexandria but that there is more work to be done,” said Arthur, “and we look forward to working closely with all the stakeholders to improve the quality of life for our tenants.” Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.
Project 50 May Grow Effort Meets Initial Goal of Housing Skid Row’s ‘Most Vulnerable’ by Richard Guzmán city editor
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ore than a year after its launch, Project 50 has reached its goal of getting 50 people off the streets of Skid Row and into supportive housing. Now, officials are looking at expanding the program with a new goal of 500 people housed within a year. “We set a goal for 50, let’s set a goal for 500, and it’s doable,” County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky told about 100 people who gathered at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration on Wednesday, Feb. 4, for an update on the project that began in late 2007. It aimed to identify and house those deemed most likely to die on the streets. “We want to identify another 450 of the most vulnerable around the county, not just Skid Row,” he said. Yaroslavsky said he would bring the new goal to his fellow Supervisors within two weeks. The Supervisors last January approved $5.6 million for the project. The county later reduced that amount to $3.6 million, but still has the option of spending the original amount, said Bill Fujioka, Los Angeles County CEO. So far $1.1 million has been spent, according to a report provided by Common Ground, which is running Project 50. Yaroslavsky said it is still too early to tell how much it would cost to house another 450 people within one year, but he said the effort is worth it.
“Even if it was costing us [more], we have an obligation to do something about the homeless. The problem standing in our way to dealing with it was that it was daunting,” he said. “The way to look at this is you don’t look at it as 70,000 homeless we have to house, you look at it as one at a time to house,” he added, referring to the number of people estimated to be homeless on any given night in Los Angeles County. Beth Sandor, Los Angeles field manager for New York-based Common Ground, expressed confidence that the 500-person goal could be met. The project had outreach workers fan out across Skid Row in late 2007 to identify the 50 homeless people most likely to die on the streets. Although they aimed to have those 50 in housing, where they receive services such as drug and mental health treatment, within six months, it took a full year. Becky Kanis, director of innovations for Common Ground, said the 50th person moved into housing just the day before the meeting. To date, 39 of the 50 individuals who have been housed remain with the program in homes operated by Skid Row Housing Trust. Three people left due to medical conditions and are living in nursing facilities, two others were reunited with their families and six have dropped out of the program. Contact Richard Guzmán at richard@downtownnews.com.
February 9, 2009
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Club Chaos Nightspot Faces Zoning Administration Meeting After Charges of Violence; Owner Disputes Claims by Richard Guzmán city editor
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t bills itself as L.A.’s premier nightclub, with a capacity of 1,000 people and “VIP service like nowhere else.” But to the Los Angeles Police Department, Club 740 is one of Downtown’s most notorious nightspots, replete with fights, drug and gang activity and other violent crimes. That is why city officials are leading the charge to shut down the venue at 740 S. Broadway. “Club 740 is at the higher end of our problematic club locations in Downtown Los Angeles,” said Sgt. Doug Humphrey of the Central Area vice unit. He is one of the people who will testify at a Zoning Administration hearing on Monday, Feb. 9, that will determine the fate of the nightspot. Owner Ralph Verdugo disputes the charges, and maintains that the club has cleaned up its act. He said the hearing comes as a surprise and may be more about a quickly changing neighborhood that doesn’t want a big dance venue in the middle of new lofts. “Downtown is being revitalized. There’s a lot of lofts opening next to us, across the street from us, everywhere,” he said. “This is something that blindsided us. We have no idea what we’re heading into.” The hearing was initiated by the Office of Zoning Administration based on criminal activity that has occurred at the club, said Kit Awakuni, a city planning officer who is preparing the file for the hearing. Awakuni said the hearing results could vary from no action at all to more restrictions
placed on the way the business is operated to the club being shut down. “There has been some adverse incidents at the location, generally pertaining to alcoholrelated crimes, and that’s going to be a factor in the upcoming hearing as well as what 740 management has done in order to curtail that activity and those incidents over time,” Humphrey said. History of Problems Verdugo opened the 40,000-square-foot Club 740 in May 2005. Initially it catered to a mostly young, hip-hop crowd. By late 2006, the club had been referred to City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo’s office as a nuisance location because of the number of assaults happening there, City Attorney Press Deputy Frank Mateljan said in an email to Los Angeles Downtown News. Indeed, the Planning Department case file on Club 740 details dozens of violent incidents at or near the club since it opened, including fights, sexual assaults, gang activity and a homicide in 2006. Mateljan said his office met with the LAPD and the club owner in January 2007 and put together a list of suggestions for the venue, including hiring a security consultant, increasing lighting and eliminating table bottle service (when patrons pay elevated prices for bottles of liquor instead of buying individual drinks). However, crimes continued, though mostly just outside the venue, according to Mateljan. Humphrey said most of the crimes that occur around the club late at night can be indirectly attributed to Club 740.
A Big Change Verdugo said the club has changed drastically since the meeting and is attracting a “better clientele.” “We’ve been really good for the past year and a half,” he said. The venue has shifted its focus from strictly hip-hop to genres such as rock, indie and dance music, he said. Nearly 20 cameras have been installed in and around the club and a team of about 30 security officers monitors the nightspot, the parking lot and nearby streets. “We’ve gone above and beyond what we should be doing,” he said. Club 740 is not the only Downtown Los Angeles nightclub to encounter trouble recently. In July, the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control suspended the liquor license for Crash Mansion, a South Park nightclub that had been under police scrutiny since January 2008, when a 19-yearold patron was gunned down in the club’s parking lot. The club remains closed. Versus, a three-story club in the 1920 Stock Exchange building in the Historic Core, was forced to close on Nov. 15, less than a month after it opened, after inspectors mandated construction changes including upgrades to the bathrooms and sprinkler systems. Versus opened in a space that was previously the Stock Exchange club; that venue was known for large, rowdy crowds where fights were common. That history had LAPD officers concerned about Versus. The club remains closed, though its website states that it will re-open in February. Councilman’s Visit Verdugo said Club 740 is being targeted because it is a formidable venue. “We’re a mega-club, and like with most clubs unfortunately, anything that happens around the area, we’re going to get blamed for it, and that’s not fair,” he said.
Downtown News 7
photo by Gary Leonard
LAPD and some city officials believe that Club 740 is a crime hub. Owner Ralph Verdugo said that past problems have been taken care of and that he has more than enough security.
Councilman José Huizar, whose 14th District includes the club, said there is room for nightlife venues in Downtown as long as they don’t attract violent activity. “At the time there were some publicized events that had occurred at the site that in my view didn’t lend itself well with the vision we had for Broadway,” he said, referring to fights at the club. Huizar is familiar with the club. He said he visited Club 740 for 30 minutes one weekend with his wife, but saw no illegal activity. Verdugo also held a fundraiser at the club for Huizar in 2006. “All the problems associated with that club came to light to me after I visited the club. That’s when I started hearing about stabbings and the fights,” Huizar said. “We will wait for Monday to see if they have really cleaned up their act or not.” Contact Richard Guzmán at richard@downtownnews.com.
8 Downtown News
February 9, 2009
DowntownNews.com
Jan Perry Continued from page 1 combating homelessness, for example. “Like most things in politics, it’s incremental, it’s a problem that has to be dogged and pursued and cajoled,” she said. “The attention has to be sustained.” Hard Times Amid the nationwide recession, the Downtown development landscape has seen a major slowdown in the past year. Several completed projects planned as condominiums have switched to rentals, or not opened at all, and groundbreaking on mega-developments such as the $3 billion Grand Avenue project have been delayed indefinitely. Perry, vice chair of the city-county panel overseeing Grand Avenue, understands that more delays and changes are inevitable. “I think that most people who were about to break ground are in an untenable situation because of the credit market,” she said. “I think that the larger projects are at greater risk because of their magnitude, and Grand Avenue would be an example of that. Everyone whose project is even built is still at risk, because you have to adjust the level of rent you charge or your asking price. “I think the key here is survival,” she added. With market-rate projects suffering, however, Perry has ambitious goals for the next four years when it comes to affordable and permanent supportive housing, a term that applies to projects that mix residences with additional treatment, such as job training or drug counseling, for people getting off the streets.
photo by Gary Leonard
As Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pushes a proposal that would require nearly all housing developers to include affordable units in their projects, Perry has joined with Downtown business interests and others to urge that, amid the economic slowdown, any plan include incentives.
Projects scheduled to come online throughout Downtown during her final term include four buildings from the Single Room Occupancy Housing Corporation with a total of 287 efficiency units; five projects from the Skid Row Housing Trust with 604 permanent supportive units; 73 apartments at the Downtown Women’s Center; and two affordable projects by the Amerland Group totaling 259 units. Perry sees the projects as another step toward one of her longtime missions: decreasing the number of homeless individuals and, in particular, decentralizing them from Skid Row. In her first two terms, Perry helped establish a year-round emergency homeless shelter program in the city. More recently, she introduced a motion that would allow the city to work independently from Los
Angeles County officials to obtain funds to help homeless services organizations. She was particularly critical of county efforts, commenting that the “county is not the strongest partner it could be.” In coming years, Perry plans to push her Council colleagues hard on creating different levels of affordable housing in other parts of Los Angeles. “What frustrates me and angers me is as much as I talk about it, and other elected officials embrace it, very few have built any housing for individuals who are homeless or transitional housing in their own districts,” she said. “I don’t think there is comprehensive political will to accomplish that on a citywide basis.” Another issue she will deal with is Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s controversial MixedIncome Ordinance (a measure that would require nearly all new developments to have some affordable component) as it makes its way to Council. Perry said any attempt to create such an ordinance needs to be very carefully considered amid the current economy. Without incentives, she said, developers “will just get up and leave and never come back. We have to be very acutely aware of where we are now in the market.” Park Here Perry points with pride to a quartet of developments rising in South Los Angeles (three mixed-use projects and a constituent service center). She also has what she describes as a legacy project, in a nine-acre wetlands creation effort on a former “brownfield” at 5413 S. Avalon Blvd. She has a different kind of park focus in Downtown. Ironically it is one where the suffering economy might provide a silver lining. As vice chair of the Council’s Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee, Perry has been
hands-on in the past 18 months in pushing the city Department of Recreation and Parks to use nearly $16 million it has accumulated in Downtown park funds. Gathered through the heavily criticized Quimby program, much of it remains unallocated. Last month, Perry announced that the city would spend $5.6 million to acquire a nearly one-acre parcel fronting Spring Street between Fourth and Fifth streets from developer Downtown Properties. The developer had previously entitled the land for a highrise hotel and condominiums. Perry said she hopes more Downtown developers will “realize there may be an opportunity to salvage their own projects by scaling them back a little” and strike similar deals. She said she considers the acquisition only a first step, and indicated that she will keep pressure on Rec and Parks to move faster in the future. Perry also recently introduced a motion asking the city to make foreclosed properties in the Ninth District available for Recreation and Parks to purchase as new park space. Additionally, she is examining several publicly owned parcels in the Arts District as potential park sites. The push for green, she said, is part of a larger vision. “What I hope to deliver to Downtown in the next four years is as many neighborhoods as I can that are restored,” she said, including pedestrian-friendly streets and public gathering spaces. “I think people will look at me as an elected official who actually kept her promises,” she added, “because my promises were grounded in reality.” Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.
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Downtown News 9
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Ed Reyes Continued from page 1 in Silver Lake to Griffith Park. The new leg will extend south to the Pasadena Freeway. A third, future phase would continue the path to the Los Angeles State Historic Park near Chinatown, Reyes said. Reyes, whose district includes Chinatown and portions of City West, along with Echo Park, Westlake, Angeleno Heights and other neighborhoods, is up for his third and final term on March 3. He says the past eight years have gone by quickly, and is banking on four more years to make more headway with the river and other projects. Leading up to the election, Reyes staffers and volunteers are manning nightly phone banks and he is walking precincts on Saturdays. He has raised $123,000 and set up a website (reyesforcouncil.com). The incumbent has only one challenger on the ballot, community activist Jesse Rosas, a member of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council. Rosas, who has raised $3,100, said he is representing constituents fed up with recent gang violence in northeast Los Angeles. Despite acknowledging the inherent difficulties of challenging an incumbent with limited funds, Rosas is optimistic about Election Day. “I think I have a 50/50 chance of getting elected,� he said. Rosas’ campaign is working on a website (rosas2009. com) which he expects to have up and running this week. Greening the First Since Reyes took office in April, 2001, the First District has gotten an infusion of more than 80 acres of new park space. The 32-acre Los Angeles State Historic Park, the spot east of Chinatown formerly known as the Cornfield, opened in 2006. Three miles to the north, the 40-acre Rio de Los Angeles State Park arrived in 2007. The 10.5-acre Vista Hermosa Natural Park debuted in City West in 2008. If re-elected, Reyes said his third-term park focus would be less on acquiring new land than on making better use of existing city properties and facilities, namely their rooftops. “I want to be opportunistic with what air space we have for our needs in recreation and parks and looking at changing how the codes allow for that,� said Reyes, who before joining the council spent a decade working for First District officeholders and, previous to that, worked as a city planner. “If you look
photo by Gary Leonard
Reyes at the 2008 opening of the Vista Hermosa Natural Park in City West, a project he worked on with former School Board President (and current city councilman) JosĂŠ Huizar. Altogether, the First District has seen the creation of more than 80 acres of park space since Reyes took office.
at the maintenance yards of all our major facilities, whether it’s DWP or MTA, the airport, there’s a lot of wasted rooftop space, and to me we need to start looking at that not only from a social point of view, but of course, from an environmental point of view; we can start cooling down our footprint.� While he acknowledged that many Downtown Los Angeles buildings already include rooftop green space, Reyes said his aim is to make green roofs a universal building design feature, not an exclusive residential amenity. “We should make it common, something basic,� Reyes said. “It should be, ‘Do you want to do a green rooftop or do you want to do shingles?’ It should be that basic. That’s the type of effort that I want to use the next four years for.� A New Housing Project Many of the warehouses and maintenance yards in Reyes’ sights are in a neighborhood east of the Los Angeles State Historic Park that, if all goes according to plan, would get more than a few green roofs. Reyes is targeting the heavily industrial area, which he calls North Central Los Angeles, as a future interface between the river and the community. It would also create a new northern entrance into Downtown near Chinatown.
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“This is one of the candidates for one of the first LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] certified neighborhoods,� he said. “We’ve got LEED buildings, green facilities, but we want to make the whole neighborhood green.� That means replacing old roadways with permeable surfaces, attracting manufacturers of environmentally friendly products, stimulating more mixed-use developments oriented around the Metro Gold Line station in Chinatown and improving local bus circulation, he said. The cornerstone of this would-be transformation is a 67-year-old, 415-unit housing project, the William Mead Homes. In the heart of the North Central neighborhood, the site represents for Reyes decades of neglect, stagnation and gang culture. In its place, he envisions a denser, mixed-income community that would combine hundreds of new, market-rate apartments with the affordable component already there. “If I can maintain one-to-one affordable that you see there, and triple the density, I can bring in a middle and uppermiddle class range of units that complements a facility that decentralizes the economic ghetto that you find there,� he said. “It’s been there for decades and all it’s done is create generation after generation of gang culture. We need to essentially decentralize, disband and disarm the culture that breeds on violence and drug dealing.� There are two city planners focusing on the possible project at the William Mead Homes site, and Reyes has so far conducted three meetings with tenants, he said. In Chinatown, Reyes said his focus in the next four years will likely center on improving the area’s aged infrastructure. Many of the sewage pipes in the district are about 100 years old and made of clay. Those kind of improvements have been put off because they can be disruptive to businesses, but “it needs to be upgraded within the context of the community plan,� Reyes said. Though Reyes has a packed agenda for the next four years, he also has enough experience to know that not all of his projects will muster the traction needed to come to fruition. A $4 million pocket park spearheaded by Reyes opened across from Philippe’s near Union Station last June, but only after years of planning and navigating the approval process. “When we did that little green spot, that took six years,� Reyes said. “So the political will isn’t always there for the things that make this city function better.� Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.
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10 Downtown News
DowntownNews.com
Romance in the
city
February 9, 2009
February 9, 2009
Downtown News 11
Romance in the City
The Love Munch Downtown Restaurants Play Cupid With Dinner Specials on Valentine’s Day by Richard Guzmán
At 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 749-0445 or congaroom.com.
city editor
L
ove is in the air on Saturday, Feb. 14, and like on every other Valentine’s Day, birds may seem to chirp a little louder, flowers may look a bit brighter and the heart may pound a little harder. Yet in these times of economic crisis, even on a day reserved for love, wallets may still remain a little lighter. Although love may not conquer all of the economic woes in Downtown Los Angeles, for Valentine’s Day at least, a few restaurants are offering specials to conquer your sweetheart with a good meal. Here is a list lovingly compiled by Los Angeles Downtown News. But hurry up and make reservations. Also, don’t forget the flowers and the chocolates. They’re worth the expenditure. Baila!: For the couple who want to get down with some Latin tunes after downing a nice meal, Boca, the restaurant inside the Conga Room at L.A. Live, offers a night of dining and dancing with a prix-fixe menu on Valentine’s Day. The first seating, at 5 p.m., is $50; the second and third seatings, for $65, are at 7:30 and 10 p.m. The menu includes a ceviche sampler, appetizers such as the calamari salad and entrees including the Chuleta de Puerco. The 90-seat pan-Latin restaurant, from Executive Chef Alex Garcia, is surrounded by a glass wall that allows diners a full view of the club. After dinner, a DJ will spin upbeat, Latin-inspired tunes.
Now That’s Italian: Housed inside a former bank, with a 16-foot glass-encased wine tower overlooking the dining room, the $7 million Drago Centro is for those who, according to restaurant executives, want “an Italian experience Downtown.” The experience on Valentine’s Day will cost $65 for a four-course meal from chef Celestino Drago. The dinner starts with a smoked salmon dish and is followed by ravioli all’uovo and black truffles (truffles!). Entree choices are branzino, champagne zabione or pork tenderloin with potatoes and cherries. Dessert options are the chocolate torte and passion fruit gelato. At 525 S. Flower St., suite 120, (213) 2288998 or dragocentro.com. Under the Stars: For the hopeless romantics who want to share their love with the entire universe, J Restaurant & Lounge will offer a night of dancing under the stars and a five-course prix-fixe menu. The $75 dinner includes a Caesar salad for starters and is followed by a lobster bisque with freshwater prawn or creamy parsnip soup. The third course is braised veal agnolotti and the main course is a petit filet mignon. The fifth, and sweetest, course is a choice of chocolate mousse or mixed berry brûlée. Dinner will be served from 6-10 p.m., and from 8 p.m.-2 a.m. a DJ will spin dance tunes in the outdoor patio. The Valentine specials will continue there with $6 drinks.
Valentine’s Day Weekend Februar y 13 th - 15 th
photo by Gary Leonard
In South Park, J Lounge pays homage to amour with a $75 dinner that features five courses.
At 1119 S. Olive St., (213) 746-7746 or jloungela.com.
that option. The Fashion District restaurant, which offers organic fare with Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Asian influences, will offer a $36, seven-course tapas dinner that you eat while you stroll around. The food will come to you as you party and celebrate. But for those couples who want a little more intimacy, the restaurant will offer the same dinner with table service. Choices from chef Fred Eric will include Japanese sweet potato dumplings in mushroom broth, smoked ribeye with horseradish onion fritters on brioche and a Valentine’s mini peppermint cupcake and ice cream. Dinner will be served from 8-10 p.m. If you’re more interested in partying on Valentine’s Day, those who arrive after 10 p.m. can dance until 2 a.m. for a $16 cover charge, which will include a Valentine’s party menu of tapas. At 127 E. Ninth St., (213) 623-3663 or tiaracafé-la.com. see Love Munch, page 15
Sea of Love: If you want to share your love and a meal but think Feb. 14 will be way too packed with other smitten couples, then The Palm will make it easy for lovers to have a romantic dinner and maybe even get some extra elbow room. The South Park restaurant’s $125 dinner for two special actually goes beyond Valentine’s Day — it runs Feb. 12-15. The meal includes a choice of a traditional Caesar salad or a mixed green salad, followed by the main course, a four-pound Nova Scotia lobster for two. Dessert includes a choice of cheesecake, key lime pie or a molten chocolate cake. At 1100 S. Flower St., (213) 762-4600 or thepalm.com. Group Love: If you want to share the love on Valentine’s Day, Tiara Café will give you
SPECIAL DINNER MENU FEBRUARY 14, 2009 • 5:30 P M – 10:00 P M A N T I PA S T I
Raviolone di Mare Open ravioli filled with shrimp, scallops & clams in a white wine ginger broth or
Tartare di Salmone
Salmon tartare with capers, shallots, dill, horseradish, lime juice, toasted ciabatta bread.
W here else would you enjoy a sumptuous Valentine’s Day celebration with your special someone?
ENTRÉE
Both courses are served with artichoke risotto, rapini and baby carrots.
Filetto di Branzino ai Porcini
Wild sea bass filet with white wine, tear dropped tomatoes, porcini mushroom sauce or
Romeo & Jiulietta
Medallions of filet mignon and jumbo prawns filled with main lobster & herb butter wrapped with pancetta. DOLCE
141 S. Grand Ave 213 972 3331
700 W. Fifth St 213 239 6500
801 S. Figueroa St 213 972 7322
Coppa di Cioccalato
Belgian dark and white chocolate mousse topped with mixed berries. Served with coffee, decaffeinated coffee or select teas.
$50.00 per person (plus tax & gratuity) Reservations Recommended (213) 896-3822 135 N. Grand Ave 213 972 7322
330 S. Hope St 213 680 0330
To view Patina Restaurant Group’s Valentine’s Day dinner and/or brunch menus and to make your reservations today, please visit www.patinagroup.com
Enjoy 25% off all bottles of wine now through February 28, 2009!
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To make your guest room reservation, call (888) 773-2888, or Visit Our Website! www.wilshiregrand.com WILSHIRE GRAND LOS ANGELES • 930 WILSHIRE BLVD., LOS ANGELES, CA 90017 TEL: (213) 688-7777 • FAX: (213) 612-3987 • WWW.WILSHIREGRAND.COM
12 Downtown News
February 9, 2009
DowntownNews.com
LOVE LINES Multi-grain MM... Love looking forward with you... Strawberry Fruit Tart
Kimmi... My little grasshopper, happy Valentine’s Day, Much love... Mom 2009
Sylvanna... My sister and best friend, happy Valentine’s... Luv you, Yvonne 2009
Denise Marie Kauialani... Always my little Valentine love... Your Mommy 2009
Mike... Our love has no boundaries. Happy Valentine’s Day babe! XOXO... Diane
Aileen... Happy Valentine’s Day... Love your favorite Tita Yaya in Cali 2009
Alberto... Met on the red carpet, 6 years love awarded to... Justin
I’ll hope there’s a gate for us. Should I bring flowers?
Dennis... Al’s Bar 1992, we fell in love punk rock style... Annette
SVS... Let’s work to ensure preservation of our bubble... MHB
Enrique T... I love sharing life with you. Will you marry me?... Maria Isabel
Vivian Ruby… We love your smiles, laughs, words and games… Mama & Daddy
Rextup323... “Ginahigugma Taka!” Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, hugs and kisses, Babe... Girlie
TB???... One is fun, but now I can’t wait to have two whichoo
Everything goes better with you. You are the light of day... Ilylck
To melt my box of chocolates tell me you want me... Ngozi
T... We’re legit now! Love you!... P Frank... I love our silly emails, chats and drinks. Happy Gushpah Valentine’s Noel... Life without you is something I don’t want. Love... Jeremy Vikki B... You, me, dinner, Valentine’s. Your treat. Love... Your Big Daddy Dianne... 2010 new home, wine, dogs and you to love. Priceless... Paul Robin. . . I l ove you very much... Tommy Chieko... Twenty-six roses, another year. Love you always and then some... Paul
Abuelita Gloria... Gracias por todo tu amor. Te quieremos mucho. Eres la mejor abuelita del mundo!... Jackie y Daisy
Julissa... I miss our lunch dates. I miss walking down Angels Flight with you by my side. I miss the taste of your lip gloss and chocolate mint kisses. I miss your smile the most. Adios Hermosa... Domingo
Love means caring and sharing. Love means never having to say I’m sorry!
Dane... We met at Magnuson performance at REDCAT. Remember?... Dedorahhash00110@hotmail.com
Maureen, Zach, Alex... Happy Valentine’s Day from Downtown L.A.!... Love, David/ Dad
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Baby I miss our laughs together. I’m in the book... Larry Swanson Baby Face... Thank the Lord we found each other when we did. I love you big time... Billybob Willow... You will always be my valentine... Love ya forever Dearest Beate... Greetings from L.A. Happy Valentine’s Day 2009! Much love... Paul Para mi querida esposa Gloria... El amor de mi vida... Sal
Ashley... Looking forward to the rest of our lives together... Love, Gunnar
Babes... I luv u and remember to Keep Truckin!... Twinkles
Bobby... As God loves me, I love you; unconditionally and everlasting!... Martha
D-Clean... Our love passes the white glove test, FYI, I’m almost out of socks... VTRboy
MOF... Be my valentine! I’d be blue without you!... MM
Haru... just thinking of you every second. Happy Valentine’s Day!... Taro
Happy Valentine’s Day my Carmelita, sweet delight. All my love... Your Irishman
Honey-ah, XP and XQ... Love is in the air! Happy new home!
Mama… Thank you for playing and going to the park and everything else. Baby! Out! Soon! Love… Vivian
BM Yo... 11 years only getting better luv... Lang Tsai Papa
Timothy Bullock... I love you!... Allison
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I love you Sharlyn, thanks for everything you’ve done for me... Behdad
While Supplies Last. Reg. $10.00
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Joey Cruz... I love you babe, always & forever mi amor... Evangelina
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13 Downtown News
February 9, 2009
Romance in the City
Muffinhead... I love you so much. Happy Valentine’s day my love... Lovely
Dr. B... TAMassss CARINO!... G.G MarioR... I love you so much and appreciate all you do... Cyndi L
Timothy... I wuv you Timothy! with an earth w... My lovely darling please be my Valentine all over again… Ro
Mis Cachetes... Te quiero mucho and I’m grateful for having you... Macario Peter... In spite of it all, I still love you... Scott John-John... Our love means 20 years together, 30 to follow... luv Ramama
Tater loves Biscuit for always. Forever in my heart. le sigh. Steve Lopez... Please don’t leave! Nathaniel Ayers updates!... Angeleno
Happy Valentine’s Day Baby! As a team, we are stronger than any challenges in this difficult time... Love you
Brandon... thank you for being my friend all these years... Belinda
L... I love and need and want you babe... from Mrs.K.Simmons.
Dear Kristine... the bell on my bike, I love you!... Peter To my m3n... I love you more than meat loves salt... Mom Silvia... I awake every day loving you more. Be my Valentine... Love, Johnny Fluffy... forgive me. I miss you. Lets try again 5 foot... Cecilia Mohamed... welcome to America and our new life together... your Valentine Mary
Nick KS... I luv u & I miss u dearly See you soon... Freak MaMa HulaMonk... Happy Valentine’s Day I luv u very much!... urphatmom Alaina... on July 25, 2009 we’ll be married. I love you!... Harald That will still be funny in five or fifty years!... Love, Jen Para mi querida amiga Adriana... Con mucho carino de todo el mundo... Sal Happy Valentine’s Day and happy anniversary to our daddies!... Love, the kidz Zeny... Happy Valentine’s Birthday! from someone who appreciates you. Lovely April... Happy Valentine’s Day! Miss U Take Care Always Julian & Brendan Lopez... I luv u with all my heart. Happy Valentine’s Day!... Mama. Stefan... Jag älskar dig och vår liv her. Tak for allt!... Jasmin Nuvia... I’m looking forward to a life of happiness with you... Robert Prdelky... will you be my Valentine?... Love, Tiny Muffin... Happy Valentine’s Day! You’re my everything and I love you!... Ginger Jeanne Michel... I love you more than ever!... Bob Baby Bug... Moving here, whatta year! Overcoming challenges, strengthening our love muscles... RTLM
Downtown LA
Bring Mexico a little closer to Downtown LA
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urant a t s e R a d a Ensen Valentines Day Special Wine Tasting 517 S. Spring St., LA, 90013 • 213.489.2950 • Find us on “SearchDowntownLA.com”
Lenny... I love you tho muthch! Thanks for the croissant... mommy-girl
see Love Lines, page 14
14 Downtown News
February 9, 2009
Romance in the City Rena... You are such an extraordinary child! Mommy loves you.
Love Lines Continued from page 13 Azizam... Happy Valentine’s Day MJ! Asheghetam!... 52 Jane... I’ve loved you forever and will love you evermore... Eric Eve... You put a smile on my face. Happy Valentine’s Day... Michele Hun Bun: Smoochies baby! I love you! Happy Valentine’s Day! Eskimo Ily... We love you... Kizzy Kinky and Mochi Joe... loved you then, love you now, love you forever... Always, Julie Banani neva fakes da funk when in love! Happy Vday... Vanessa John, Lucy and Katia... You are my loves and my family. Happy Valentine’s Day... Love, Kelly
Joan... Love means sticking tothrough thick and thin. I love you... Gil
gether
Chulo... I love you. You are the best... Bernardo y Letty Hey Nova... Have a Happy Valentine’s Day. Love you... George
Babo... I’m going to keep on loving you!... Love, Claudia
Manuel and Lucy... I love you hun. Yours always... Lucy Efrain... You always make me smile. I love you always... JuJy Jorge Olmos... I’m very proud to be your mom. I love you!...Laura Romero Jian... You are the Amaretto to my Jack. I love you!... Latra
MJP aka Smiley... Still loving you unconditionally... You Know
Ana... You’re everything I didn’t know I wanted, because I never met anyone like you. It’s you and me babe... Always, Gio L... bm&y cw2cu iykwim iow I luv u 4ever ((H))s :-x 8-) Pathway... You are the sunshine of our life!... Love, Mom and Dad Happy Valentine’s Day Laura, Madelyn and Matthew... my beautiful family... Love, Art
MonkeyButt... You are the light of my life — I love you... HoneyBeetle Mom... Eres la mejor abuelita del mundo! Con amor, tus angelitos... David, Kayla y Michael
Annette... Don’t move, I want to be next to you forever... Dennis
Kevin... How do I begin to say how much you mean to me? Thanks for all the love you give me each and every day... Love you, Catherine
La Cholita... “Latina Queen of Burlesque” I love you! You fill my heart with joy and happiness when you dance with all your fire and passion! Love... A fan
Ruben... ok I’ll love you tonight! Love You Forever... SCV Dear Papasan... Happier than 18 pigs in sheets!... Mamasan
Laura... You are still my sexy poodlebear. Love forever. Your lover... Pancake Adrian... I used to dream that someday I would find a person that would fill me with sensations I had only imagined. In you I have found this and more. Happy Valentine’s Day to my dream come true.
To my love Darrin J... I love you very much. Your girl... Vanessa B
Love is a wonderful thing. It’s you and I and a diamond ring!... Catherine
Mr. Semper Fi... Full Marine. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day... Michelle
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Nati Geronca-Lobaton... Congratulations, USA Citizen! Celebrate Golden Wedding Anniversary... Family members Paul... 3 words. 45 years worth, hope to make you happy someday. Ryan Jr., Ryan Sr., Darryn and O’Ryan... I love you... Mom Zephferi
Vero... I hope you made the right decision. I will always have a special place for you in my heart... Cesar
Matt Drayer... With you, the Rosslyn’s another self-replenishing gift box... Stephanie
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Kat... U r hot... Dee
Sweet Cheeks... I Love U! Always... Jar Jar
David, Kayla, and Michael... You’re all Goofy Goobers!... Love, Mom and Dad
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John-Michael... Happy 5th Valentine’s Day son! Be good... Mommy and Daddy
M... How about that D Valley trip this year?... St
I love you more Timmy Knapp, I love being your wife... Carolyn
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Anna Pedraza... You’re the best. Keep smiling. Your Friend... Brian C.
Diane... Happy Valentine’s Day. I love you more than you know... Chino Fivefoot... Sorry I didn’t make you happy. Hope he will. Love... Fluffy Brandon... I’ve instructed Sulu to escalate our love to warp speed! ... Alexis Babu... I Love You So much U’ve Flipped my World Upside Down Laura... always trying to read my mind, read my heart, I love you!... Oscar Hill... Love can be expressed in many ways. This is my way, MUAH! Linda... You’re smoking hot. Marry me. Win a Green card... David
My love Rhino... We have shared laughter and love. Struggled through heartaches and hard times. You’re still my one and only love! XOX Your Wife... Rhonie
Maruko Onove... Happy Valentine’s Day mom. Thank you for everything... your daughter
Niiya, Sonnie, Dad, Sweetie pie, JDubb, Mom... I love you. God Bless... Ruthie
Grandma... love you more than year four... Jen, Cyn, Ron, Jess, Mich
Duran W... I love you honey! Be my Valentine always, your wife... Lactrice D
Birds can fly, fish can swim, I love one man til I die... Natalie
Sharon Huntley... thanks for being real. You’re the best at PH... Bri
Mom... Eres y siempre seras mi mejor amiga. Te quiero mucho, tu hija... Norma
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February 9, 2009
Love Munch Continued from page 11 Sports Love: Named after legendary football coach John McKay, who brought four national championships to USC, McKay’s is an ideal place to take the sports fan in your life. The food is casual, contemporary American fare. The atmosphere is all sports with five flat-screen TVs all tuned to sporting events. The walls are lined with quotes from McKay. Does this say romance or what? On Valentine’s Day, the chef’s four-course tasting menu for $34 will include a bottle of champagne and will start with a shrimp bisque and Boston Bibb salad with crispy shallots, tomato and red wine vinaigrette. Entree choices include a Veal Oscar with veal medallion, crab cake, asparagus, pink peppercorns and mushroom jus. For more Valentine’s Day inspiration, you could read
Romance in the City
Downtown News 15
off some of McKay’s famous quotes to your sweetie. They include gems like, “Some of the biggest business deals in the world have been closed over a martini or two, and I don’t think that’s a bad idea.” At 3540 S. Figueroa St., (213) 743-4111 or mckays.usc.edu. Eat Meat: It is said that the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach, and judging by how busy restaurants are, it would be hard to argue with that. And there is no argument about the success of Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse, where the quickest route to the heart is through some great meat. So for Valentine’s Day, the restaurant that is part of Joachim Splichal’s Patina Group is offering a three-course meal for $75 and a four-course dinner for $90. Both include main course choices like New Zealand Monkfisk with Spanish chorizo and fingerling potatoes; filet of beef with parsnip puree, Swiss chard and red wine sauce; and salt-roasted strip loin
photo by Gary Leonard
Fred Eric, the inventive chef/proprietor of Tiara Café in the Fashion District, is serving a seven-course tapas Valentine’s Day dinner. You can eat at a table or wander around the restaurant mingling with friends.
photo by Gary Leonard
Old train stations are often romantic. That makes Traxx, in Union Station, a perfect choice on Valentine’s Day. It offers a four-course dinner for $60.
with glazed vegetables and violet mustard bordelaise. For dessert, couples can choose between roasted fig mille feuille amarena ice cream or dark chocolate cake with passion fruit-pink peppercorn ice cream. At 330 S. Hope St., (213) 680-0330 or patinagroup.com. Be Blue: Believe it or not, it’s okay to be blue on Valentine’s Day — as in Blue Velvet. Okay, bad joke, but still, Blue Velvet is offering a three-course dinner for $60 that includes a Threesome of Hama Ham Oyster (Blue Velvet named it that, not us), which includes seared diver scallops. The second course offers acorn squash ravioli and New York Strip Wellington. For dessert, Blue Velvet delivers a chocolate and passion fruit cake and strawberries and champagne. The time after dinner should also prove relaxing, as the City West spot opens the Red Lounge and Blue Lounge. The music will be playing, the fire will be going and Blue Velvet’s glass-ensconced wine cellar
will create the right mood. At 750 S. Garland Ave., (213) 239-0061 or bluevelvetrestaurant.com. Love Union: You’ll find a throwback to old Hollywood glamour at Traxx, chef Tara Thomas’ landmark restaurant inside romantic and historic Union Station. On Valentine’s Day, you’ll find a four-course dinner for $60 that starts off with grilled flatbread with smoked white bean puree, figs and blue cheese, followed by appetizer choices such as roasted cauliflower soup with bacon lardoons and clams. Dinner choices include pan-roasted bone-in filet mignon with caramelized onion potato gratin, broccoli and bordelaise sauce. Dessert options are the chocolate-dipped strawberries or a selection of artisan cheeses. At 800 N. Alameda St., (213) 625-1999 or traxxrestaurant.com. Contact Richard Guzman at richard@downtownnews.com.
February 9, 2009
DowntownNews.com
CALENDAR
photo by Craig Schwartz
16 Downtown News
Beth Leavel plays Maisie, a seen-it-all choreographer in the burlesque-era throwback Minsky’s. The world premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre runs through March 1.
A Long Road, With Long Legs ‘Minsky’s,’ a Valentine to Burlesque, Peekaboos Its Way to the Ahmanson by Kristin Friedrich contributing writer
T
he musicals Minsky’s and The Drowsy Chaperone have song, dance and a large part of their creative teams in common. Minsky’s, however, which opened at the Ahmanson Theatre last week, has a lot more bare flesh and pasties. Its protagonist is Billy Minsky, a real-life theater impresario who introduced burlesque to the Lower East Side of New York in the early part of the 20th century, then brought the racy genre uptown, despite censorious political officials who raided his theaters and shut down his shows. Though Minsky’s, which continues through March 1, loosely tracks those jiggling early days of American burlesque, it is also a look at what happens offstage, at any type of theater — on-the-fly creativity, a family that forms out of its actors and crew, and the way that family closes rank when faced with adversity. It was a fight for Billy Minsky to get and keep his shows up, so it’s fitting that a musical based on his burlesque battles would also have its share of obstacles. Inspired by the 1968 film The Night They Raided Minsky’s, veteran composer Charles Strouse (Bye Bye Birdie, Annie) and lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Jelly’s Last Jam) were hatching a musical that was scheduled to open at the Ahmanson in 2000. The production just wasn’t meant to be: The director attached, Mike Ockrent, died in 1999; his wife, choreographer Susan Stroman, lost interest; and the original writer attached, Evan Hunter (who wrote crime books under the pseudonym Ed McBain), passed away in 2005. Third ‘Minsky’s’ a Charm Years later, Birkenhead spoke with Casey Nicholaw, the choreographer who was hot off The Drowsy Chaperone and Spamalot, and the musical gained traction all over again: Nicholaw would choreograph and, for the first time in his career, direct. Bob Martin, who co-wrote and starred as the narrator in Drowsy Chaperone, would come aboard for the book. Minsky’s builds slightly on the past; Billy Minsky and his brothers’ theater shenanigans are the stuff of history, and there were structural elements that Martin used from the
same-named book that The Night They Raided Minsky’s was based on. But the new team changed the piece’s title, wrote new songs (keeping only two), cracked a new plot that focused on Billy Minsky rather than the raids, and added Martin’s comic imprimatur — a kind of hybrid dialogue that’s part period throwback, part modern, and a tone that’s both sweet and a little salty. I spoke with Martin in the fall of 2005, when Drowsy Chaperone was opening at the Ahmanson and scheduled for Broadway (where it was a hit and captured five Tony Awards). Martin joked at the time about how surreal it was to see his own balding head on huge posters around Los Angeles. Things are still strange. In an interview shortly before Minsky’s opened, he joked about getting a cast picture of a Drowsy Chaperone production in Tokyo. Still, he’s focused on the new work. “I’m kind of more excited about Minsky’s. It’s a more conventional story, more characters, more opportunity for character-based comedy that I love,” he said. “Drowsy changed my life entirely. It’s extremely close to my heart, and I worked on it for years and years. But I’m kind of happy now that it has its own life. I gotta move on.” Life Parallels Speaking of moving on, Beth Leavel, who played the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone at the Ahmanson and on Broadway, now plays Maisie, Billy Minsky’s seen-it-all choreographer. Leavel spoke recently, between a matinee and evening performance, right after she had taken her character’s wig off. “It’s a nice wig, but you know what’s really scary? I look like my mother in her engagement pictures.” As Maisie, Leavel’s role parallels her own life a bit. She was getting parts, but the Drowsy Chaperone role injected new energy into her career and won her a Tony. “Maisie does what I do. Maisie tells everyone what to do, she won’t take it from anybody; she’s passionate and she loves the theater,” Leavel said. The role of Maisie is much more physically demanding than her part in Drowsy Chaperone, and though Leavel takes her skirt off at one point during the show, she’s more clothed than the dancers. “I inherited my mother’s legs, but don’t
make me put pasties on.” Besides the choreography, Leavel is enjoying the warm subtext of Minsky’s. The song “Home” is her favorite, a touching tribute to the bond theater people form. “The first time I heard it, it did that thing to my stomach,” she says. “It’s very, very true. We’re our own wonderful breed of people, thrown into this situation where you have to trust and love each other, because we’re so exposed and we have to work together very quickly, very intensely. I love theater people. Thank God I became one.” The production was being constantly tweaked while in previews. In fact, Minsky’s evolved at a breakneck pace up until opening night, just as the production in Minsky’s does, with a frazzled Billy Minsky trying to put together a show despite a dwindling budget, interference from an uptight politician bent on sanitizing theater content (played by “Cheers” alum George Wendt) and the forced inclusion of a producer’s daughter (former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Rachel Dratch, doing a sort of spin-off of her Debbie Downer SNL character). Leavel admits it’s stressful. “But that’s one of the great things about originating roles,” she said. “You throw it out there, you try something new. We make it up as we go.” Besides, she has a secret weapon — the all-important show bra. She writes new lines on a little piece of paper, folds it up and tucks it into her bra. “I forget new lines in the wings, right before I go on. But knowing I can pull that out, I’m fine.” So to sum up: There are lines within bras, a show within a show, and a frenetic creative process in reality at the Ahmanson, as well as at the National Winter Garden Theatre depicted onstage on stage at the Ahmanson. Even though Martin said he wants to get away from the behind-the-scenes theater aesthetic, he can’t shake the existential question that that kind of premise gets him. “I like the idea of struggling with doing these stupid jokes, and wondering if it’s worth it. Anybody who had done theater has wondered that, if anybody really cares,” he said. “But in my heart, I think people do care, and that yes, it can make a huge difference.” Minsky’s runs through March 1 at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.
February 9, 2009
Downtown News 17
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Five Questions With Heidi Duckler The Details on the Dancers and the Blue Fabric at the 7+Fig Mall by Jon RegaRdie executive editoR
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any people who have gone to the 7+Fig mall for lunch or to do some shopping in the past few weeks have been greeted by an unexpected site: A group of 10 dancers are maneuvering throughout the space while constantly manipulating 200 feet of blue fabric. It is all part A Material World, a site-specific performance created by Collage Dance Theatre. The group’s founder and artistic director, Heidi Duckler, who has choreographed more than 50 original dance works throughout the world (including in Downtown Los Angeles locations such as the old Herald Examiner building and the Downtown Marriott), talked about her company’s seven-week residency, which features free open rehearsals and culminates with performances on Feb. 18. Los Angeles Downtown News: Collage Dance Theatre has worked in riverbeds, laundromats and more. How did 7+Fig come about? Heidi Duckler: It was proposed to me by Brookfield Properties, the owner of the property. They really wanted to animate their space. They have an ongoing art program and they gave us a storefront space that we’ve been rehearsing in. We thought of this as a major public art project and came up with the idea to do seven weeks of open rehearsals, so the process became transparent and people could become engaged and see something put together.
the architecture of the mall is full of hard surfaces and very tangible. We’ve re-imagined Los Angeles as a fluid environment, as if the streets were waterways, and looking at our world as a flexible place. We have this long, stretchy piece of blue fabric that is a symbol of the L.A. River and it winds its way throughout the shopping center, and our dancers are under it, over it and entangled within it. We go all over, from the corner of the shopping center down to the food court and up to the grassy eating area at the top. The public is invited to follow us and we have a trumpet player, kind of a Pied Piper, and people with shirts that say “Follow Me” on the back. Q: The phrase “material world” implies physical things and acquisition. We’re in the midst of a horrid recession and some materialism is being questioned. Is that part of this? A: It is a little bit. It is a shopping center, and our work always takes into consideration the context in which it was created. It is a play on words, and makes a juxtaposition between the flexible fabric and this hard, cold, community culture, and infusing it with humanity. That was the inspiration for the piece.
“…Enchanting nEw production .…vivaciously invitEs audiEncEs
Q: How do people who go there for a salad or some shopping react to the dance? A: Those people are so engrossed in their own lives that they hardly notice us, which is hard since we are difficult not to notice. But it is also a busy corner with a lot of taxis and buses. If you stand back and watch the dancers there is a lot of movement going on. It is very alive. Q: Just what is A Material World? A: It’s a feminine piece. I feel the fabric is soft and fluid and
Q: Has the work evolved in ways you did not expect? A:to It is join interesting working with a corporation. There are thE fantastical journEy security guards, and it is their job to say no, and we ask them …a razzle-dazzle supporting cast.” to say yes. We had to find a shared vocabulary where the cor—charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times porate entity could learn how to talk about art in a way where we can understand each other — we’re using the environment in ways in which it wasn’t intended. So it took a while to have that conversation, not with the people who had hired us, but the people working there. They had to understand that we are there for the greater good. Open rehearsals this week for A Material World are Feb. 10, 12-3 p.m.; Feb. 12, 2-5 p.m.; and Feb. 13, 12-3 p.m. Performances photo by Gary Leonard of the show are Feb. 18 at 12:30 and 5:30 p.m. Seventh and Collage Dance Theatre is staging free open rehearsals of A Material Figueroa streets, collagedancetheatre.org or 7fig.com. World, created specifically for the 7+Fig mall. The seven-week art project closes Feb. 18. Contact Jon Regardie at regardie@downtownnews.com.
“…Enchanting nEw production
.…vivaciously invites audiences to join the fantastical journEy …a razzle-dazzle supporting cast.” —charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
“loaded with sharp comedy, exhilarating vocals and jeff calhoun touches... pippin will stun and aMaZE you.” —Jeff Favre, Los Angeles Downtown News
go “daMnaBly sEductivE.” —Steven Leigh Morris, LA Weekly
Now- March 15
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Roger o. Hirson schwartz diRected and cHoReogRapHed By Jeff calhoun co-pRoduced witH deaf west theatre Book By
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18 Downtown News
February 9, 2009
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LISTINGS EVENTS SPONSORED LISTINGS Annual Nut & Bolt Party at Bar 107 107 W. Fourth St., (213) 625-7382 or myspace. com/bar107. Feb. 14: Bar 107 hosts its fourth annual Nut & Bolt Party on Valentine’s Day. All men who come receive a nut and all women receive a bolt, and everyone will try to find their match before the end of the night. Great music and cheap drinks. Singles only. No cover. Valentines Jewelry Sale Los Angeles Athletic Club, 431 W. Seventh St., (213) 625-2211 or melindalawton.com. Feb. 12, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.: Melinda Lawton Jewelry is setting up shop at the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s Trophy Room, where she’ll be selling discounted jewelry just in time for Valentine’s Day. All jewelry will be gift-wrapped in red velvet, beaded bags. Mastercard and Visa accepted. Discounts are 50-60% off retail value.
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On Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 8:30 p.m., Walt Disney Concert Hall’s REDCAT theater departs from its usual lineup of cutting-edge productions to host a panel discussion. CalArts President Steven Lavine (shown here) will lead the talk as three urban thinkers discuss whether, in an age of digitally connected cities and nations, Los Angeles really needs a centralized Downtown (we say yes, though we admit to a bit of bias). Panelists include author Manuel Castells of the USC Annenberg School of Communication, UCLA urban planning professor and author Edward Soja and Community Redevelopment Agency CEO Cecilia Estolano. The discussion, co-presented by CalArts and Aloud, is Do you looove hamburgers? the first event in Talking City, a sebetter way to Then what pay homage ries of roundtable discussions on to the meaty treat than a ttending a V urbanism in L.A. 630 W. Fifth St., alentine’s D lecture titled ay Hamburgers: (213) 228-7025 or redcat.org. How an Amer Street Food C ic an onquered the the event at th World? Durin e Central Lib g rary on Saturd Feb. 14 at 10 ay, :30 a.m., foo d history pro (it is too a jo fe b) and autho If grilled meats are not what you had in mind r Andrew Sm ssor trace the bu it rg h wil e r’s journey fr for a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend, century meal om humble 19 l to thglobal supers perhaps The Fairy Queen, a baroque musical with themed tar. A recep re fr ti e on shments will inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer 11:30 a.m. 6 follow the ta 3 0 lk W . Fifth St. at Night’s Dream, is more your speed. On Saturday, Feb. 14, the culinaryhistori ansofsouthernc , (323) 663-5407 or renowned ensemble Musica Angelica and special guests the alifornia.org. Concord Ensemble (shown here) present Henry Purcell’s semiopera, which supposedly contains some of the Baroque period’s most seductive melodies. The performance takes place at 8 p.m. at Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., before moving to Santa Monica Community College on Sunday. (310) 458-4504 or musicangelica.org.
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On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, the Alexandria Hotel’s firstfloor ballroom hosts Park Avenue Produce. (No, it is not a gala for high-priced fruits and vegetables.) The Chicago-based theater company will present Captured Aural Phantasy Theater: Phantastic Valentine’s Day Love Spectacular, a live, retro-influenced variety show built around radio-style readings of mid-century comic book stories. The evening will also include art, multimedia acts, prizes and live music by house band The Noble Gasses. Performances are at 8 p.m. 501 S. Spring St., myspace.com/capturedauralphantasy.com. Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.
photo courtesy of Tokishophoto.com
photo by Steven Gunther
Wednesday, Feb. 11 SCI-Arc Lecture Series Sci-Arc, Keck Lecture Hall, 960 E. Third St., (213) 623-2200 or sciarc.edu. 7 p.m.: Computer music expert Curtis Roads delves into sound technology in a discussion that will give an overview of several of his projects from the past five years at UC Santa Barbara. If you know what granular synthesis is, or are dying to find out, this talk’s for you. REDCAT Conversation Series 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org. 8:30 p.m.: Does Los Angeles Need a Downtown? CalArts President Steven D. Lavine invites three Los Angeles urban thinkers to ponder this question in the first of a series of roundtable discussions on the evolving shape of urbanism in L.A. The panelists are USC media scholar Manuel Castells, UCLA urban planning professor Edward Soja and Cecilia Estolano, CEO of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. Free Muay Thai Classes The Nine, 1335 S. Flower St., (213) 746-9021 or theninemma.com. 6:15-7:45 p.m.: The Nine, a mixed martial arts studio formerly known as the Piccinini Training Center, is offering free Muay Thai classes every Wednesday and Saturday through February. The Saturday class is from noon-1:30 p.m.
photo courtesy of the Concord Ensemble
o you like masked Mexican wrestling? Do you like burlesque? Do you like wacky comedy? Do you like them all together? If you answered yes to any of the above, then get thee to the Mayan Theatre on Wednesday-Thursday, Feb. 11-12, for the next installment of Lucha VaVoom. It is one of your few opportunities to see wres-tlers with names like the Chupacabra and the Crazy Chickens intermingle with dancers such as Audrey Deluxe and the Wau Wau Sisters. If you’re lucky, they’ll bring back the burlesque dancer who performs while on a pogo stick. At 1038 S. Hill St. or luchavavoom.com.
Tuesday, Feb. 10 Tales From the Chinese Zodiac L.A. Public Library, Chinatown Branch, 639 N. Hill St., (213) 620-0925 or lapl.org. 10:30 a.m.: Oliver Chin, an author of books for Asian American children, reads from his story “The Year of the Ox.” As part of the reading, children will get to color pages from the book. Town Hall L.A. Omni Los Angeles Hotel, 251 S. Olive St., (213) 6288141 or townhall-la.org. Noon: Town Hall L.A. hosts Fred Smith, founder, chairman and CEO of FedEx, who will give a talk titled “Keeping America Competitive: the View from Commerce Street.” The event includes lunch and a Q&A period. Call (213) 628-8141 for reservation info. Zocalo Public Square Lecture Series Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7241 or zocalopublicsquare.org. 7:30 p.m.: What happens when California’s cash runs out? Come find out from State Controller John Chiang, New America Foundation scholar Mark Paul, financial analyst Peter Taylor and the state Dept. of Finance Director Michael Genest. Note the question assumes not “if” California goes broke, but “when.” REDCAT Conversation Series 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org. 8:30 p.m.: Artist Hans Haacke has fought for honesty in the political representation of the arts for more than 40 years. Haacke, who Artforum called a “perennial muckraker,” is joined by LACMA senior curator Stephanie Barron for a conversation on the place of art at the intersection of aesthetic and political discourses. Intellectual historian, media theorist and novelist Norman M. Klein introduces and moderates the discussion.
Thursday, Feb. 12 Thursdays at Central Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., Meeting Room A, (213) 228-7241 or lapl.org. 12:15-1 p.m.: An overview of the best new romance novels, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Continued on page 19
Don’t Miss List
February 9, 2009
But Wait, There’s More!
Listings for additional concerts, exhibits and more in Downtown Los Angeles can be found on our website. Go to downtownnews.com/listings for full information, including time and location, for all the happenings in Downtown.
Additional Event Information on the Web
DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM/LISTINGS : EVENTS | ROCK, POP & JAZZ | CLASSICAL MUSIC | THEATER, OPERA & DANCE ART SPACES | FILM | BARS & CLUBS | MUSEUMS | FARMERS MARKETS | TOURS
Continued from page 18 ALOUD at Central Library 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7241 or lapl.org. 7 p.m.: Jonah Lehrer, editor at large for SEED magazine, and neuroscientist Larry Swanson, dig into a little brain architecture for a discussion titled “How We Decide.” Downtown Art Walk Info and map at downtownartwalk.com. Noon-9 p.m.: The Downtown Art Walk is a selfguided tour that showcases the many art exhibition venues in Downtown Los Angeles — commercial art galleries, museums and nonprofit art venues. Walk, or ride one of Esotouric’s curated shuttles, the Hippodrome and Hazard’s Pavilion, for free between 6 and 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13 Farmlab Public Salons 1745 N. Spring St. #4, (323) 226-1158 or farmlab.org Noon-1 p.m.: Farmlab promises an “Optimist’s Salon.” SCI-Arc Lecture Series Sci-Arc, Keck Lecture Hall, 960 E. Third St., (213) 623-2200 or sciarc.edu. 1 p.m.: Architectural designer and theorist Peter Macapia gives a lecture titled “The Smell of Geometry,” an investigation of geometry and models of meaning in the age of algorithm and computation. Mmmmmmmm, nothing like the smell of angles in the morning.
ROCK, POP & JAZZ 2nd Street Jazz 366 E. Second St., (213) 680-0047, 2ndstjazz.com or myspace.com/2ndstreetlivejazz. Tuesdays: Jazz jam session. Music usually starts at 9 or 10 p.m. 626 Reserve 626 S. Spring St., (213) 627-9800 or 626reserve.com. Tuesdays, 6 p.m.: Live music with Goh Kurosawa. Thursdays, 6 p.m.: More live sounds, this time with Jessie Torrez. Automat 936 Chung King Rd., (213) 617-0422. Bar 107 107 W. Fourth St., (213) 625-7382 or myspace.com/bar107. Tuesdays: A classic island mix of reggae with attitude. Jah! Wednesdays: The world famous (or at least in L.A.) Bar 107 Karaoke Gong Show. Come join the fun and help the judges vote for the best act of the evening. Sundays: DJ’s choice with 107’s Matt Dwyer, the comic-actor genius who plays music while serving the meanest drinks (in the nicest way) Downtown. Blue Velvet 750 S. Garland Ave., (213) 239-0061.
sound of his salsa band. Thursdays: “Azucar” features tropical rhythms from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays: “The Beat Down” features global beats and dance groove starting at 9 p.m. Saturdays: “Plata” brings an upscale Latin flavor from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. e3rd Steakhouse and Lounge 734 E Third St., (213) 680-3003 or www.myspace. com/therhythmsectionla. Second Saturdays: The Rhythm Section brings in DJs and live acts to this Arts District restaurant, playing eclectic selections in nujazz, soul, rare groove, soul and hip-hop. Grammy Museum LA Live, Corner of Olympic Blvd and Figueroa St., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org. Feb. 13, 8 p.m.: The museum hosts “An Evening with Annie Lennox,” the celebrated songstress. Lennox will also give an interview with museum director Bob Santelli. Tickets include a copy of “The Annie Lennox Collection” before it’s released to the public.
Please email Your event info To submit events for this section, please email a brief description, street address and a public phone number to calendar@ downtownnews.com. Web addresses are welcome. Listings are due 10 days before publication date. Because of time constraints, submissions without full information cannot be considered for publication. Inclusion in the listings is at the discretion of the L.A. Downtown News. Sorry, we cannot accept follow-up calls about event listings.
An Extensive Seafood Menu including Dim Sum at Moderate Prices Relaxed Dining in an Elegant Ambiance Live Lobster Tank
Free Parking Next to Restaurant
700 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Tel: 213.617.2323 | Fax: 213.617.0065
Saturday, Feb. 14 Culinary Historians of L.A. Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., (323) 663-5407 or c ulinaryhistoriansofsoutherncalifornia.org. 10:30 a.m.: Culinary historian and hamburger aficionado Andrew F. Smith explains “How an American Street Food Conquered the World.” Hint: Southern California chains had something to do with it. Art and Science at the Natural History Museum 900 Exposition Blvd., (213) 763-3230 or nhm.org. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: This new series at the museum explores how science influences art, and the art inherent in science. This week, the museum looks into how naturalists, from Darwin to Muir, have used art over the centuries to advance our understanding of the world. Southern California Transit Advocates Angelus Plaza, 255 S. Hill St., Room 420, (213) 3882364 or socata.net. 1 p.m.: Guest speaker Conan Cheung, deputy
Sunday, Feb. 15 MOCA Grand Avenue Ahmanson Auditorium, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-1745 or moca.org. 3 p.m.: To kick off its Dan Graham retrospective, MOCA hosts a conversation with the artist and Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon of the legendary punk rock outfit Sonic Youth. Exhibition co-curator Bennett Simpson leads the talk. “Dan Graham: Beyond” surveys the artist’s entire body of work and opens on Feb. 15. The Nails Project L.A. Central City Community Church, 419 E. Sixth St., 323-850-4436. 5 p.m.: A group of nonprofit and religious groups, including the Peace Center of the United University Church, are collecting 74,000 nails to symbolize their desire to house all 74,000 homeless people in L.A. County. The nails will be donated to habitat for humanity. Donate nails and view the reading of an original play by the DramastageQumran Theater Company called “Nail Head.”
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 p.m.: Live music and DJs. Café Corsa 2238 S. Figueroa St., (213) 746-2604 or cafecorsala.com. Café Metropol 923 E. 3rd St., (213) 613-1537 or cafemetropol.com. Casey’s Irish Bar and Grill 613 S. Grand Ave., (213) 629-2353 or bigcaseys.com. Fridays: Live Irish music. Chop Suey Café 347 E. First St., (213) 617-9990 or chopsueycafe.com. Thursdays, 7:30-9:30 p.m.: Live jazz on the patio of the restored landmark. Cicada Cicada Restaurant, 617 S. Olive St., (213) 488-9488 or cicadarestaurant.com. Thursdays, 8-11 p.m.: The velvet-voiced Max Vontaine recreates the sounds and styles of rat packers Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. His smoking jackets and tunes are vintage; his bawdy repartee is less so. Keep a close eye on the unlit cigarette. Sundays, 6-11 p.m.: The restaurant is transformed into a vintage, old Hollywood-style dance club every Sunday. Come out to appreciate the big band, swank costumes, dinner and cocktails. Visit cicadaclub.com. Club Nokia Corner of Olympic Blvd. and Figueroa St., clubnokia.com. Feb. 13: Ladies Love Cool James. That’s LL Cool J folks. With Izzo. Feb. 14: Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds may be the most common name on ’90s, middle school Valentine’s Day mix tapes. Relive the glory days. He’s backed up by R&B crooners All-4-One. Feb. 15: Speaking of the glory days, the Fab Four comes to town with their mop-tops and Beatles “Ultimate Tribute” show. Conga Room L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic, (213) 749-0445 or congaroom.com. Feb. 13: Conguero and singer Poncho Sanchez sweats rhythm. So can you, when you shake it to the
executive officer for operations at Metro, will discuss the impacts of Measure R’s passage and the governor’s proposal to eliminate the State Transit Assistance Fund, including possible service changes in December and in 2010.
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Contact Cartifact for the full-color, every-building version of this map and others. Available as a poster and in print, web, and mobile media.
700 S. Flower St, Ste. 1940 Los Angeles, CA 90017 213.327.0200 maps�cartifact.com
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SearchDowntownLA.com
February 9, 2009
Downtown News 21
CLASSIFIED
pLAce your Ad onLine At www.LAdowntownnews.com
l.a. downtown news classifieds call: 213-481-1448 classified display & line ads deadlines: thursday 12 pm for rent
HigHland park beautiful Home 3 Bdrm, 1 Bath
Utility included. 800 sqft. Balcony
$1500/mo. (213) 215-2256
The Medici 1 & 2 Bdrm Apts. Granite Kitchens, Washer/Dryers, Business Center, 2 Pools, Spa! Visit TheMedici.com for a full List of Amenities. Call 888886-3731 for Specials! TWO MONThS FRee! (O.A.C.) Brand New Resort Apartments. Granite kitchens, washer/dryers, pools, spas, saunas, fitness ctr, free tanning beds & much more! 866-690-2894. hOMe FOR ReNT. Like new, five minuets to downtown. Great view, ample parking, large yard, country like. 2 bedrooms, 1 1/4 bathroom. $1,700/Mo. Call 323559-9087.
Up TO 2 month free! (O.A.C.) New downtown luxury apartments with granite kitchens, marble baths, pool, spa, saunas & free parking. 888-736-7471. highlaNd paRk - Charming condo, gated community, 2+2, fireplace, washer and dryer, pool, sauna, BBQ, garage, near Downtown. Some utilities included, $1,350. Good credit only. (323) 225-6511. hOUSe FOR ReNT. $1850 3bd/2ba, Family Room. Exclusive quiet Rosewood Neighborhood. Compton short drive downtown. Newly renovated. 213-324-4031. dOWNTOWN Los Angeles 2 Month’s FREE RENT! Studio $1688/ month Luxury at it’s finest! Granite counters, W & D 888-262-9761. 1+1 SkYliNe condo. Renovated kitchen & bath. Pool, spa, racketball, social room. 310-9898895.
“Be wary of out of area companies. Check with the local Better Business Bureau before you send any money for fees or services. Read and understand any contracts before you sign. Shop around for rates.”
old Bank district
Lofts from $1,100. High ceilings. A/C. Parking available. High speed internet/T1 & direct T.V. Pets no charge. call 213-253-4777 LAloft.com
office sPace 2 MONThS FRee! (O.A.C.). Studio, 1 & 2 bdrms available. Upgraded interiors & washer/ dryer in every home. Pool & spa with a skyline view, gym, sauna. FREE ONSITE PARKING. TheVisconti.com (888)736-7471.
real estate OVeR 550 FOReclOSed Southern CA homes selling by auction February 24- March 1 valued from $25k to $925. Get all the details at www.HudsonAndMarshall.com or call 1-866-2594415. (Cal-SCAN)
lofts Buying, Leasing or Selling a Loft?
TheLoftGuys.net LA’s #1 Loft Site
Call 213-625-1313
real estate for sale
Prime Office Spaces As Low As 99¢/sqf.
High-Rise Building on Olive St. Near Metro (train), Security, New Elevator System. Air Condition.
213.892.0088
Management on site
land/acreaGe cOlORadO BaNk foreclosure35 AC $29,900. Enjoy 300 days of sunshine. Rocky mountain views, utilities. Excellent financing. 1st come, 1st serve!! Call Today 1-866-696-5263 x4938. (Cal-SCAN) BUYeR’S MaRkeT. New Mexico. Ranch Dispersal. 140 acres $89,900. River Access. Northern New Mexico. Cool 6,000’ elevation with stunning views. Great tree cover including Ponderosa, rolling grassland and rock outcroppings. Abundant wildlife, great hunting. EZ terms. Call NML&R, Inc. 1-866-360-5263. (Cal-SCAN)
Downtown since 2002 Don’t settle for anyone less experienced!
Call us today!
Bill Cooper 213.598.7555
helP Wanted NaTiONal caRRieRS needs O/Os & Lease Purchase Candidates for its Regional Operations in Southern California. Generous Home Time & Outstanding Pay Package. CDL-A Required. 1-888-707-7729. www.NationalCarriers.com. (Cal-SCAN) dRiVeR - Positions Available! Start your NEW CAREER with our CDL Training: $0 down, No Credit Check financing by Central Refrigerated. 1-800-5870029 x4779. www.CentralDrivingJobs.net. (Cal-SCAN)
TheLoftExpertGroup.com
real estate aPartments
dRiVeR - West Coast Regional NEW HIRING AREA. Newest equipment on the road. Competitive Pay. Run the Western 11 States. On Site - Full Service Maintenance Shop. Reasonable Home Time. Western Express - 22 yrs. old. Good MVR, EOE, CDL-A, 1 yr. OTR. Call Edna Today! 1-866-863-4112. (CalSCAN) dRiVeR- cURReNTlY Hiring Experienced Teams and Solos with HazMat. Dry Van & Temp Control available. O/Os welcome. Call Covenant 1-866-6842519 EOE. (Cal-SCAN) Continued on next page
THE ANSWER to LAst weeK’s puZZLe
MILANO LOFTS Now LeasiNg!
■ Gorgeous Layouts ■ 10-15’ Ceilings ■ Fitness Center ■ Wi-Fi Rooftop Lounge ■ Amazing Views
6th + Grand Ave. www.milanoloftsla.com
213.627.1900
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
22 Downtown News
February 9, 2009
DowntownNews.com
Continued from previous page
help WANTeD CDL A DRIVER needed with 1 1/2 ton or larger truck to deliver RVs on a trailer from Perris, CA. Western Hauler bed or flat bed needed. Contact recruiting at 1-866-764-1601 or www.QualityDriveAway.com. (Cal-SCAN) ACUPUNCTURIST MS Acupuncture or Oriental Med required. E-mail resume: Cynn Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, cynnmd@hotmail.com. Los Angeles.
LOFT LIVING
Your number 1 source for Loft sales, rentals and development! DowntownNews.com
busiNess services NEWS RELEASE? Cost-efficient service. The California Press Release Service has 500 current daily, weekly and college newspaper contacts in California. FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6010. www.CaliforniaPressReleaseService.com. (Cal-SCAN) CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in 240 Cal-SCAN newspapers for the best reach, coverage, and price. 25-words $550. Reach 6 million Californians!. FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.Cal-SCAN.com. (CalSCAN)
DISPLAY ADVERTISING in 140 Cal-SDAN newspapers statewide for $1,550! Reach over 3 million Californians! FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www. Cal-SDAN.com. (Cal-SCAN)
busiNess OppOrTuNiTY
services
ATTOrNeYs
MAKE JOINING with Homeless in America your New Year Resolution! www.HomelessInAmerica.BlogSpot.com Your donation, however great or small helps men, women, children and teenagers at St. Peter’s in Chinatown daily food line and Homeless in America’s StreetReach to those homeless living under DTLA bridges and in alleyways. Donate now online with PayPal at www.ServantsoftheFather.org or by check payable to SFM, P. O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. Mourn with us; one day too, you shall laugh!
ABOGADO DE IMMIGRACION! Family, Criminal, P.I. for more than 20 yrs! Familiar o Amigo Arrestado? Necesita Permiso de trabajo? Tagalog / Español
Get your GreeN cArD or ciTiZeNship
UP TO $275K+ 1st year Potential Income. We train. Serious, Motivated & Driven Only. Not MLM. Don’t Believe it, Don’t Call. 1-800-821-9551. (Cal-SCAN) 100% RECESSION proof! Do You Earn $800 in a Day? Your Own Local Vending Route Includes 25 Machines and Candy for $9,995. MultiVend LLC, 1-888-625-2405. (Cal-SCAN)
Law Office of H. Douglas Daniel Esq., (213) 689-1710
ATTORNEY TO handle your professional licensing case. Represents physicians, nurses, laboratories, pharmacies and other professionals in disciplinary actions brought by state and federal agencies including license denials, suspensions and revocations and associated criminal matters. Please call John Dratz, Jr. at (213) 221-7564. www.medicalfraudattorney.com
MIRIAM’S CLEANING Services. 10+ years experience. Professional cleaning for Lofts, apartments, homes, offices, restaurants and more. Call for a quote 213-500-3062 or 323-445-0756.
H E L P WA N T E D
Join Us! LLEnt PAY We Are Growing Everyday! ExcE nEfits!! & BE IMMEDIATE OPENINGS FOR
Burbank • Brentwood Century City • Downtown L.A. Woodland Hills
BUS DRIVERS
Locations Nationwide
FOR Downtown DASH
Beautiful Offices For As Little As $400 Fully Furnished/Corporate ID Programs Flexible Terms/All New Suites
Our complete benefits package includes: Health Insurance and Paid Vacations 05002822B850
Minimum Requirements • Minimum age: 21 years old • Class C driver’s license • No more than 2 pts. in the last 36 months on DMV record (H6 form)
2012 Laura Street, Huntington Park, CA 90255 Job line 323-582-1875
Bunker Hill real estate Co, inC. FOr rent: EstablishEd 1984 ❏ Prom. West-2 Bed. 2 Bath. 7th Floor. Elegant Upgrades. Green House. Pride of Ownership. $3,200 Furn. $3,000 Unfurn. ❏ Prom. West-2 Bed. 2 Bath. 5th Floor. $2,200 Month ❏ Bunker Hill Tower-2 Bed. 2 Bath. N/W View. $2,200 Month ❏ LA Fayette PK. PL.-2 Bed. 2 Bath. 3rd Floor. $1,750 Month FOreclOsures-lOs Angeles ❏ 4 Bed, 2 Bath. Pasadena. Semi Circular Driveway. Price $411,900. ❏ 3 Bed, 2 Bath. Pasadena. Great For Growing Family. $409,900 ❏ 3 Bed. 2 Bath. Pasadena. Upgrades. 3 Car Gar. Big Lot. $594,900 ❏ 3 Bed. 3. Bath. Lawndale. Tri-Level Townhouse. Large $329,900 ❏ 2 Bed. 2. Bath. Altadena. 18,500 sq.ft. Lot Needs Some TLC. $412,000
Promenade West Condo
2 Story Townhouse. West Facing With Downtown City View. Upgrades. Large Patio. Very Elegant. Asking $599,900
Mirza alli
Broker/Realtor leasing-salesloans-refinance
(213) 680-1720 e-mail us: info@bunkerhillrealestate.com
Call us for other condos for sale or lease Dwntwn & surrounding areas!!
www.bunkerhillrealestate.com
$1320/mo. to $2640/ mo., 1200 sqft to 2400 sqft for retail rent or office space. Downtown LA at Hill St. & 14th. 1st 3 mOnthS, halF OFF.
call pierre for details at 231-744-9911
Furnished single unit with kitchenette, bathroom. Excellent location. Downtown LA. Weekly rate $275 inc.
THAI MASSAGE SPECIALIST
Available Immediately Top floor of 11 story (18,000 SF) historic building available now! Perfect for corporate hqtrs. Features separate executive suite(s). Stunning views of LA two blocks away from Staples Center and across the street from the new LA Live complex. The building also has approx 4,000 sq ft of beautiful contiguous space and some small offices available. These spaces can be viewed by appointment. Information available to qualified prospective tenants. Email request to mdavis@shammasgroup.com or call (213) 746-6300
VIP Room Available. The Best Way For Business Meetings & Entertainment
Professional massage for men & women. Services include Thai Massage, Shiatsu Massage, Swedish Oil Massage, Foot Massage, Sauna, Steam, and more. Lounge area.
madison hotel
HealtH Dept. rank a for 7 ConseCutive Years
sAKurA heAlTh GYM & sAuNA, iNc. 111 N. Atlantic Blvd. Ste #231-233 Monterey Park, CA 91754 (626) 458-1919 [Corner of Garvey Ave.]
HBODY
MASSAGEH
First Professionally Licensed Massage Shop in L.A. County.
3386766 0119
OFFice spAce
Monthly from $595 utilities paid. (213) 612-0348
lAuNDrY services Let us do the dirty work!
Beverly's Laundromat Drop Off
50% OFF 1st time customers only. Minimum 25lb
FrEE Pick-up & Delivery with minimum 35lb
610 S. Rampart Blvd. @ 6th St (213)804-0069
Clean furnished single rooms. 24-hour desk clerk service. •Daily, $25.00 •Weekly, $99.00 •Monthly, $295.00 (213) 622-1508 423 East 7th St.
Services Include: • Reception • Mail • T-1 • State-of-the-Art Voice Mail & Telephone • Westlaw • Fax • Photocopy • More Additional Features: Kitchen Facilities, All Support Services, Great Views, Free Conference Room Hours, Fully Trained Staff, Cost Effective.
Jenny Ahn (213) 996-8301
ANNOuNceMeNTs PREGNANT? Considering adoption? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families nationwide. Living Expenses Paid. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. 1-866-459-3369. (Cal-SCAN)
vOluNTeer OppOrTuNiTies HELPING KIDS heal. Free Arts for Abused Children is looking for volunteers to integrate the healing power of the arts into the lives of abused and at-risk children and their families. Today is the day to get involved! Contact Annie at volunteers@freearts. org or 310-313-4278 for more information.
Open Daily 7 a.m.-10 p.m. • Free Parking
AuTOs WANTeD
Offices • Offices • Offices • Offices
• Have superb customer relations skills • Exercise sound judgment in stressful situations • Understand and follow detailed oral and written instructions • Quickly and accurately count money at a glance • Fluent in English
CONCEPTO’S CLEANING Crew. Professional, experienced, cleans apartments, homes, offices and restaurants. Call for a quote. 323-459-3067 or 818409-9183.
DONATE your vehicle! Receive Free Vacation Voucher. United Breast Cancer Foundation. Free Mammograms, Breast Cancer Info www.ubcf.info Free Towing, Tax Deductible, Non-Runners Accepted, 1-888-468-5964. (CalSCAN) DONATE YOUR CAR: Children’s Cancer Fund! Help Save A Child’s Life Through Research & Support! Free Vacation Package. Fast, Easy & Tax Deductible. Call 1-800-252-0615. (CalSCAN)
FOr sAle SAWMILLS FROM ONLY $2,990 - Convert your Logs To Valuable Lumber with your own Norwood portable band sawmill. Log skidders also available. www.NorwoodIndustries. com/300N -FREE Information: 1-800-578-1363 x300-N. (CalSCAN)
KiDs perFOrMiNG schOOls CHILDREN’S PERFORMING Group! Singing, dancing, performing and fun! For boys & girls ages 3 and up! See SunshineGenerationLA.com or call 909861-4433.
MiscellANeOus IF A LOVED ONE underwent hemodialysis and received Heparin between September l, 2007 and August 31, 2008 and died after the use of Heparin, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Attorney Charles Johnson - 1-800535-5727. (Cal-SCAN)
leGAls ADVANCED COMPUTING INSTITUTE is applying to become a Candidate for Accreditation by the Council on occupational Education, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally approved Accrediting
jahn@regentBC.com www.regentbc.com
Do you have something to sell? t results! ,000, our classifieds ge With a circulation of 49 All ads run for 2 weeks. Ads may be renewed after two weeks for 50% off the original price of the ad.
Ad prices
(Marketplace and Automotive Categories ONLY):
• Items under $300…12 words, 2 weeks FrEE! • Items $301 to $500…15 words, only $11.50 • Items $501 to $1200…15 words, only $14.00 • Items $1201 to $2000…15 words, only $16.50 • Items $2001+…15 words, only $19.00 Restrictions: Offer good on private party ads only. Ads must be pre-paid by cash, check or credit card. Certain classifications excluded. Deadline: Thursday at noon for next issue. Name: Address: City Phone: Cash $ Credit card #: Exp. Date:
Luxury Rooms in Downtown Monthly Rents Start at $880 1 & 2 Bedrooms Available • Fully Furnished • 100% Utilities Paid • • Refrigerator, Microwave & TV In Each Room • • Wireless Access Throughout Bldg. • Gym • • Close to USC & Loyola Law School • • Presidential Suite with Kitchen • Parking Available Onsite
Special STUDeNT RaTe! $780 1 person
$100 OFF on 1st months Rent Exp. Feb. 15, 2009
Mayfair Hotel State Check $
Zip
1256 West 7th street
Simin (213) 484-9789 Ext. 555 or (213) 632-1111
Credit Card $
(2 blocks west of San Pedro St.)
Ad Copy: ____________________
fictitiOus
___________________________
stAteMents:
___________________________
Only $85. fOr 4 insertiOns
___________________________
Business nAMe
(213) 481-1448
___________________________
(note: the Downtown news does not perform filing services)
You never know what you’ll find in the…
Why go to the bottom of the ocean?
downtown news
Classified
FIND AND SELL YOUR TREASURES HERE IN CLASSIFIED!
Place your classified ad online, its safe and secure at DowntownNews.com/classified. Or call 213.481.1448
Downtownnews.com 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90026 • 213.481.1448
1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90026 • 213.481.1448
Children’s Performing Group
Sunshine Generation Singing, dancing, performing and fun! For boys & girls ages 3 and up! SunshineGenerationLA.com 909-861-4433
February 9, 2009 Agency. The Council on Occupational Education is located at 41 Perimeter Center East, NE, Suite 640, Atlanta, GA. 30346- (770) 396-3790. Persons interested in making a comment should contact COE at the above address. NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BY THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA REGARDING THE FIVE-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (FY2005-FY2009) MID-TERM REPORT FOR THE CHINATOWN REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT NOTICE is hereby given that The Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, California will hold a public hearing for the Chinatown Redevelopment Project on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 10:00 a.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, at The Community Redevelopment Agency Offices, 354 South Spring Street, 6th Floor Board Room, Los Angeles, CA 90013. The public hearing is being conducted to hear testimony of all interested parties regarding the Five-Year Implementation Plan Mid-Term Report for the Chinatown Redevelopment Project. At the above-stated time and place, any and all persons having any testimony regarding the MidTerm Report may appear before the Agency and be heard.
Downtown News 23
SearchDowntownLA.com 1/26, 2/2, 2/9/09 CNS-1507795#
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAMES FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 20090021831 The following persons doing business as: JOHN ALDANA TRIPLE J’s PROCESS, 4316 Willowbrook Avenue #2, Los Angeles, CA 90029, is hereby registered by the following registrants: JOHN ALDANA, 4316 Willowbrook Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrants has not begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on January 7, 2009. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on January 7, 2009. 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. 2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23/2009
Why Chapman Flats are the fastest leasing lofts in Downtown?
Iconic Beauty
NOw LEASING
move-in Specials $1395* - Free parking • Rooftop Garden • Pet Friendly • Stainless Steel Appliances • BBQ • Refrigerators • Hi-speed Internet • Spa • Fitness Center • Ground Floor Dry Cleaners and Kelly’s Coffee *subject to change without prior notice.
On Broadway at 8th St. • 213.892.9100 C h A p m A N F L AT S . C O m
MOVe-In SPeCIAL REAL ARTIST LOFTS
TWO MONTHS FREE!
FOR LEASE
Open House Sunday 12:00pm-3:00pm 1250 Long Beach Ave., L.A. (Friendly Fun Community)
Wood floors, New kitchen, fireplace, high ceilings, jacuzzi, laundry room, pool. Gated Parking. View of Downtown.
Sorry No Dogs 1100 Sq Ft – 2000 Sq Ft. Prices from $1600-$2300 Includes 1 Pkg space.
Call Emily (866) 425-7259 Rent
Move-in Special 1/2 Month Free
On Spring St.
Spring Tower Lofts:
Open floor plan, 2000 sqft $2500/mo. • Live/Creative work space • 14 story bldg. • Rooftop garden terrace w/city view • Pet friendly
Single rooms starting from $550/mo.
Includes utilities, basic cable channels, laundry room on site, street parking, 1 yr lease.
premiere Towers:
2 bdrms/2 bath, $1600/mo. • 3 bdrms/2 bath, $2000/mo. • Rooftop garden terrace/GYM w/city view • 24 hr. doorman • free (1) parking
208 W. 14th St. at Hill St. Downtown L.A.
For English Call Terri or Pierre 213.744.9911
City Lofts:
For Spanish call Susana 213.749.0306
880 sqft, 13 ft ceilings, $1600/mo. • Granite marble top • Stainless steel appliances/refrigerator etc. • Pet friendly We are located in a prime area in Downtown LA nice neighborhood w/ salon, market, café etc. Wired for high speed internet & cable, central heat & A/C
Please call 213.627.6913 www.cityloftsquare.com
ARTIST LOFTS FOR LEASE Live/Work in Downtown Fashion District 700 to 1500 Sq. Ft. Lofts. High ceilings, skylights, cable, kitchen, bath+shower, laundry room, elevator, controlled access, sub. parking. Sorry no dogs. Call George: 818-634-7916 or 310-275-9831 x24
Fully furnished with TV, telephone, microwave, refrigerator. Full bathroom. Excellent location. Downtown LA. Weekly maid service.
Monthly from $695 utilities paid. (213) 627-1151
Take Your Game to the Next Level Learn Course Management
3 Learn while you play 3 Shot visualization 3 Mastering club selection
3 Driving strategies 3 Mid/long iron techniques 3 Short game fundamentals
In golf, its you versus the course. Learn to manage the entire game, not just the mechanics of your swing. Learn course management and improve your game.
Steve Andelich Professional Golf Instructor
818.618.2099
Catering to Intermediate/Advanced Players
PUBLIC NOTICE BY THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, IN CONFORMANCE WITH SECTION 33490 OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH & SAFETY CODE, REGARDING THE ADOPTION OF THE MID TERM REPORT FOR THE FIVE-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (FY2005-FY2009) OF THE PICO UNION No. 1 AND PICO UNION No. 2 REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREAS OF COUNCIL DISTRICT 1. NOTICE is hereby given that the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, California (CRA/LA) will hold a public hearing on the Mid Term Report of the Five-Year Implementation Plan (FY2005-FY2009) for the Pico Union No. 1 and Pico Union No. 2 Redevelopment Project Areas of Council District 1, Hollywood and Central Region on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at the Community Redevelopment Agency of¿ce located at 354 South Spring Street, 6th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013. A map showing the location of the Project Area is attached to this notice. The public hearing is being conducted to hear testimony of all interested parties regarding the Mid Term Report of the Five-Year Implementation Plan (FY2005-FY2009) for the Pico Union No. 1 and Pico Union No. 2 Redevelopment Project Areas of Council District 1. Any person desiring the opportunity to be heard in the Implementation Plan will be afforded an opportunity to do so. At the above stated time and place, any and all persons having any testimony regarding the proposed Mid Term Report of the Five-Year Implementation Plan (FY2005-FY2009) for the Pico Union No. 1 and Pico Union No. 2 Redevelopment Project Areas of Council District 1 may appear before the CRA/LA Board of Commissioners and be heard. The hearing may be cancelled or set for another time in the future at any time until the scheduled hearing-time. Copies of the Implementation Plans are available for public review at the following locations: CRA/LA Of¿ces 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 354 South Spring Street, 5th Fl. Los Angeles, CA 90013 (213) 977-1925
CRA/LA Hollywood Regional Of¿ce 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 3055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 520 Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213) 977-2633
Of¿ce of Council District 1 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 200 N. Spring Street, Room # 410 Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 473-7001
Pico Union Public Library 1030 S. Alvarado Street Los Angeles, CA. 90006 (213) 368-7545
Any and all persons having any objections to the proposed Mid Term Report, or who deny the regularity of this proceeding or wish to speak on any issue raised by the proposed Mid Term Report, may appear at the public hearing and will be afforded an opportunity to state their objections. If any person desires to challenge in court the adoption of the proposed Mid Term report or any proceedings in connection therewith, they may be limited to raising only those issues that they or someone else raised a the hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the CRA/LA, or prior to, the hearing. Written correspondence on this matter may be addressed to the CRA/LA at the above noted addresses. The public hearing is being held pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 33490 and is open to the public. CNSB#1511160
10.25” x 5”
24 Downtown News
February 9, 2009
DowntownNews.com
photo by Gary Leonard
We Got Games Lakers and Clippers and Kings, Oh My! Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7340 or nba.com/lakers. Tuesday, Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m.: After a grueling road trip — highlighted by Kobe lighting up Madison Square Garden with 61 points — the Lakers return to Staples Center to host the Oklahoma City Sonics, er, the Seattle Super Thunder, wait, the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s it. But almost as soon as they come home, the purple and gold hit the road again to play the Utah Jazz (Feb. 11). Then they’re off for the All-Star break, with Kobe and Pau Gasol representing the team. Los Angeles Clippers Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7340 or nba.com/clippers. Wednesday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m.: The Clippers travel to play the Charlotte Bobcats (Feb. 9), a team that started slow but has emerged as a tough opponent on any given night, before
returning home to host the New York Knicks. Coach Mike D’Antoni’s Knicks are another bunch that began the year slow, but has emerged as a legitimate squad capable of beating any team (even if they gave up more than 50 points last week to both Kobe and Lebron). Like the Bobcats and Knicks, the Clippers also started out the season on a sour note. Unlike the Bobcats and Knicks, they’ve yet to turn it around.
After dropping 61 points last week on the New York Knicks, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers come back to Staples Center for a game on Tuesday against Oklahoma City.
Los Angeles Kings Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7340 or kings.nhl.com. Thursday, Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 14, 1 p.m.: As of press time, the Kings had won five of their last six games. That’s already tied for their best win streak of the season. Anze Kopitar and the gang look to keep it going in New York against the Islanders (Feb. 10), then at home versus the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. —Ryan Vaillancourt
Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!
G r a n d To w e r 255 South Grand Avenue
Promenade To w e r s 123 South Figueroa Street LEASING INFORMATION
LEASING I N F O R M AT I O N
M u s e u m To w e r 225 South Olive Street
(213) 229-9777
LEASING I N F O R M AT I O N
(213) 617-3777
(213) 626-1500
It’s our business to make you comfortable...
sauna and recreation room with kitchen.
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