02-15-10 by Los Angeles Downtown News

LOS ANGELES

DOWNTOWN

NEWS

Crime falls, food truck central, and other happenings Around Town.

Audit tags City Council’s use of funds secured from selling property.

W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M

February 15, 2010

Volume 39, Number 7

INSIDE

A Clothes Encounter

How to Feed Thousands The Convention Center Hotel’s Army of Food Service Workers Preps Its Cauldron-Like Steamers and Closet-Size Ovens by richArd Guzmán city editor

Urban Scrawl on city finances.

Time for the economic forecast.

Business steps up on homelessness.

t’s pretty clear that Eric Branger and Paul Rossi can both take the heat — after all, each has spent a career in the kitchen. Still, probably nothing they have done will match up to the orders they’ll be slammed with this week. Branger is the executive chef of the 1,001-room Ritz-Carlton/J.W. Marriott hotel tower at L.A. Live, and Rossi is the director of food and beverage at the $1 billion establishment. The 878 rooms of the J.W. Marriott portion open Monday, Feb. 15, and are completely sold out for a three-day conference. All of which means that, come open-

ing day, guests will expect a brand new hotel to operate at four-star standards. The food and beverage staff, which accounts for about 300 of the hotel’s 700 employees, have long been training for the building’s debut. The cooks, busboys, sous chefs, servers, bartenders, managers and others have been learning the ins and outs of the two hotels’ five kitchens. They have been studying the various menus and preparing to meet proper Marriott and Ritz service etiquette. They have been serving test meals to construction workers and other staff to make sure they are on top of their game when the doors open. It’s a tall order — or make, that, see Hotel, page 15

To Have and to Hold, and Hold and Hold and Hold Downtown Groans as the Chetrit Group, a New York Landlord, Lets Key Buildings Sit Empty by AnnA Scott StAff writer

Changes on the Medallion block.

A special ‘Healthcare’ section.

owntown Los Angeles has seen a tidal wave of investment and redevelopment in the past 10 years. All across the community there are glossy new high-rises, glistening mega-projects and even seven-figure restaurants. Yet the flash has not always been applied evenly, and the community carries the landmarks of a neighborhood in transition. In certain places the glitzy projects stand near vacant or dilapidated buildings that have not

seen activity for years. Several of Downtown’s fallow properties have been sidelined by the recession, and every stalled plot or building has its own particular backstory. However, three large, longvacant edifices are owned by the same New York City-based firm. The lack of progress on the structures is sparking criticism from multiple Downtown stakeholders. The Chetrit Group, a family-run batch of investor-developers led by Joseph Chetrit, is as well funded as it is low profile. It owns the see Chetrit Group, page 10

How Miguel Santana, Who Six Months Ago Signed on as the City’s Top Budget Advisor, Manages His Baptism by Fire by ryAn VAillAncourt

18 CALENDAR LISTINGS 20 MAP 21 CLASSIFIEDS

photo by Gary Leonard

The closely held, New York-based Chetrit Group has scrapped plans to turn Giannini Place into a condominium project. The building at Seventh and Olive streets is one of three Downtown buildings that the company has allowed to sit vacant for years.

The Man Behind the Budget Crunch StAff writer

Five great entertainment options.

photo by Gary Leonard

Eric Branger, executive chef of the Ritz/Marriott, with a steamer in one of the new hotel’s five kitchens. The food department employs about 300 people.

hese days, Miguel Santana may be the busiest man in Los Angeles. Hired six months ago as the city’s Chief Administrative Officer, his job is to come up CONVERSATIONS

with a plan to close a current budget shortfall of about $212 million — and a $485 million deficit is looming next year. Although he had no role in engineering the city’s financial mess, his prescription for layoffs to avoid financial insolvency has not exactly made him a darling of public employees. But Santana says the human impact of potential layoffs is not lost on

him: Job loss has hit close to home for the 40-yearold Bell Gardens native and married father of four daughters. Before assuming his current role last August, Santana was the deputy chief executive officer for the county of Los Angeles, where he oversaw the administration of the county’s social services, which amounted to $9 billion of the county’s $22 billion budget. A graduate of Whittier College and Harvard’s Kennedy School for Government, where he received a Masters in Public Administration, Santana also spent more than 10 years working for County Supervisor Gloria Molina. Last week, Santana spoke with Los Angeles Downtown News about cutting back, moving for-

The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles

ward and working on furlough days. Los Angeles Downtown News: How many hours per week have you been working? Miguel Santana: I think last week I must have sat in the council center table for at least a period of 24 hours if you add them all up. There’s no doubt that there’s a lot of work involved in this. Ironically I’m furloughed myself. It’s obviously just a reduction in pay and not in work. Working those long hours though are part of the job. Q: When you took this job six months ago, to what degree did you comprehend the crisis you were walking into? see Santana, page 8

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February 15, 2010

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AROUNDTOWN Central Area Crime Still Dropping

ollowing a year that saw a double-digit decrease, Downtown crime still continues to fall, according to the latest LAPD statistics for Central Division. Year-to-date, overall crime is down 12% compared to the same period in 2009. The drop stems mostly from a recent crackdown on burglaries from motor vehicles. Capt. Todd Chamberlain, who took over Central on Jan. 3, said the division’s goal in 2010 remains to lower annual crime by 5%, one year after the division posted the lowest crime levels in at least 20 years. Chamberlain said the division is currently reaching out to community groups to identify crime issues affecting micro areas in Downtown. “For some people, crime stats don’t mean anything,” he said. “So what we’re trying to figure out is, what are the problems impacting their particular area?” Once those problems are identified, Chamberlain said he intends to list them on a sheet that will be distributed to every Downtown police officer.

San Francisco Fed Chief Coming to Downtown

ne of the country’s top economic minds is coming to Downtown Los Angeles next month. On Tuesday, March 23, Janet Yellen, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, will speak at a luncheon organized by Town Hall Los Angeles. The noon address, to be followed by a Q&A session, will take place at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Yellen has helmed the San Francisco Fed since 2004 and is professor emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley. She is an expert on national and international econ-

omies and banking systems. Her name also came up frequently as a potential successor to Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke before his recent re-confirmation hearings. Reservations and information about the lunch are at (213) 628-8141 or townhall-la.org.

March 25 Opening Set for Science Center

fficials with the California Science Center have announced that a major expansion of the Exposition Park facility will debut next month. The 170,000-square-foot World of Ecology wing will open March 25, said Shell Amega, a project representative. The exhibit will focus on the principles of ecological science. Interactive galleries with aspects of aquariums, zoos and botanical gardens will also be part of the exhibit that will feature hundreds of plants and animals. The overall expansion has been priced at $145 million.

Delays Expected on Metro Blue Line

etro Blue Line passengers will experience delays of up to 30 minutes Feb. 19-21, due to construction of the Expo light rail line, which will connect with the Blue Line at the Seventh Street/Metro Center Station. Work is slated to begin at 9 p.m. on Friday night and continue until the close of rail service on Sunday (work also took place Feb. 12-14). Metro officials said in a release that, in the event of unforeseen delays after Sunday night, train service will be supplemented by buses between the Washington Boulevard and Seventh Street/Metro Center stations. Rail

photo by Gary Leonard

Author Joel Kotkin and California State Librarian Emeritus Kevin Starr appeared at the Central Library on Thursday, Feb. 11. The event was part of the Aloud series.

riders are advised to allow extra time for their trips. Additional information is at metro.net and on Metro’s hotline at (213) 922-4999.

The Food Truck Stops Here

he corner of Alameda Street and Traction Avenue is now home to a handful of food trucks five days a week. Organized by the SoCal Mobile Food Vendors Association, Downtown’s first mobile food court debuted at the Art Walk last Thursday. It will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and 5-9 p.m., said Matt Geller, vice president of the association. Different food trucks will be on hand during the day and evening sessions and there will be about three or four trucks at the lot at a time. The Downtown mobile food court follows one in a vacant Santa Monica parking lot that lasted one day in January — it served more than 1,000 people before the city shut it down over zoning issues. Geller said that in Downtown, they have the support of the police department and the neighboring businesses.

Help Clean Up South Park

he South Park Stakeholders Group and the South Park Business and Community Business Improvement District are looking for people to participate in a community clean-up on Saturday, Feb. 20. Volunteer teams will meet at J Restaurant & Lounge (at 1119 S. Olive St.), which is co-sponsoring the effort, at 7:30 a.m., then fan out to sweep sidewalks, clean walls, paint over graffiti and trim low-hanging branches. Morning coffee and donuts and lunch will be provided. The clean-up, which the SPSG tries to organize quarterly, includes only the parts of South Park that are not covered by a business improvement district, said Mike Pfeiffer, the group’s executive director. “Those areas don’t get regular cleanings or regular security, so as a result the alleyways and streets and sidewalks usually need a lot of attention on a Saturday,” Pfeiffer said. “We’ll haul out at least one truckload of trash.” Those interested in participating can email mail@southpark.la or call (213) 612-3612 ext. 03.

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Enter the graffiti-splashed, A three-dAy festivAl ofhipdiverse hopped-up world of the impossibly work by some of Japan’s most gifted 1980s phenomenon popular filmmakers offersJean-Michel a chance Basquiat. From homeless drug addict to hear directors Shinji Aoyama, Ryûhei Kitamura and Iwai to pampered darling of Shunji the New York talk about their in person. cultural elite, thefilms Haitian-American Film criticlived Keisuke from exisiconoclast a fastKitano and furious Kyoto’s Ritsumeikan University tence, drawing into his orbit the likes also willWarhol be speaking. of Andy and Madonna before The six screened films include a his star supernovaed in a “speedfast-paced action adventure about a balling” accident at age 28. Don’t female ninja (Azumi), a short animiss this professional staged reading mated feature (Baton), and an eccenof what may be next year’s Broadway tric dark comedy (Hana and Alice). sensation, with bookdrama, and lyrics Eureka, a four-hour SadbyVacaUSC Thornton Opera director Ken tion, a story about human trafficking, Cazan a rap-Latin-alternative and Airand Doll, about a sex doll coming rock score by Billy Pace. to life, round composer out the offerings.

USC USC your yourcultural culturalconnection connection

LA Downtown News

ALSO USC: Also AtAT usc:

Under Construction Fisher King and Pericles in repertory Tuesday,17May February and26, 18 through at 7 p.m.Saturday, May 30. Performed Curtain February 20 in andrepertory. 21 at 2:30 p.m. times vary.

Thequick-change School of Theatre by three The artistsshowcases known as work the third-year up-and-coming playwrights this year’sMFA gradustudents in the USC School of–Theatre’s acting program are ininthe midst of their spring reperates of the MFA dramatic writing program. tory schedule. perform describing Shakespeare’s Choose from They’ll About Harvest, a forbidPericles, a tale of loss and recovery, on Wednesden love between an American farm girl and a day evening and Sunday afternoon. The same German POW working her family’s fields in the students turn up Thursday evening and Saturday 1940s; Daughters of Lot, a retelling of the biblical afternoon in Don Nigro’s play Fisher King, about story of the fiery flight from Sodom; and era. Tether, Arthurian legends reborn in the Civil War The whichtroupe’s relates the strange tale of twin sisters acting leapfrog performances continue through March Lach and Lam 7.– one black, the other white.

McClintock Building Scene Dock Theatre Admission:$10 Free Admission: – $12 (213) (213)740-2167 740-2167

For Formore moreinformation informationvisit visitwww.usc.edu www.usc.edu

February 15, 2010

Downtown News 3

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LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN NEWS__02_15_10__ 10.25”wide x 15.5”high 0UBC8117GEN_L.A.

Welcome neighbors. Union Bank congratulates The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotels on their grand ®

opening at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles. It’s our pleasure to welcome you to the local business community. For decades we’ve helped Los Angeles residents and businesses realize their financial goals, and we’re continuing that proud tradition today. From all of us here at Union Bank, welcome neighbors. Los Angeles Retail Banking – John Stephan, Senior Vice President and Market President, 213-236-6474 Los Angeles Business Banking – Bill Schleifer, Regional Vice President, Business Banking, 213-236-6861

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EDITORIALS Make Broad Art Museum a Grand Avenue Priority

he announcement that a museum holding Eli Broad’s art collection could come to Grand Avenue has stirred conversations all over town. At this point, members of the panel overseeing the stalled Grand Avenue plan are negotiating with Broad and trying to convince him that Downtown would be a better home for the attraction than Beverly Hills or Santa Monica. We’re not sure what exactly is going on behind closed doors, but this much is clear: Having the museum rise on land directly south of the REDCAT theater would be a great “get” for Downtown and for the entire city of Los Angeles. Negotiators should do their utmost to bring the project to fruition, because the way things have gone, the Grand Avenue plan appears tenuous at best. The first part of the story filtered out last year, when officials indicated that a portion of the site planned for the Frank Gehry-designed, $3 billion development could in-

stead have another use. That came about because developer Related Cos. has been unable to secure the $700 million construction loan necessary for the first phase of the project. Considering that most real estate experts say developments based on high-end condos won’t be built again any time soon, it makes sense to consider other uses for the valuable Grand Avenue sites. Wherever the Broad museum goes, it will house works from the businessman-turned-philanthropist’s two collections, which hold about 2,000 pieces of mostly contemporary art. Downtown would be a great location partly for Broad himself, and even more for the community. Broad has long been an important figure in Downtown. He was a key founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art 30 years ago, then led its rescue when it encountered financial problems in late 2008. He has given his name, and significant portions of his wealth, to efforts ranging from

cultural activities to the attempt to bring football back to L.A. Building a new museum — presumably designed by a name architect — on a site across from MOCA would be a legacy project. Even if the Grand Avenue plan never advances, the museum would inextricably tie together Broad and the street. Downtown would benefit by an enhanced cultural corridor. The street already holds the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, MOCA, the new High School for the Performing Arts (which Broad also helped spark), Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Colburn School and, down at Fifth Street, the Biltmore Hotel and the Central Library. Having another standout structure would draw buzz, tourists and business. Local officials need to move hard and fast on this. If the museum doesn’t rise on the site, it will be a lost opportunity. Surely a state-of the-art cultural attraction is better than a surface parking lot.

Rents Hikes Are Right Move at El Pueblo

omething that many never expected to happen appears to be under way at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument: Merchants who have long paid rents that are well below market rate are being told they will have to pay more, and efforts are beginning to place market-reasonable terms on the length of the leases. These are positive moves for El Pueblo, and the officials who are making this happen deserve credit. Although some of those who will pay higher rents are protesting, this is a responsible step that benefits Los Angeles, budget crisis or not. City officials should continue pushing forward, even if they endure criticism from area tenants. Historically, change has been virtually impossible to achieve at El Pueblo. The area, which is the historic birthplace of Los Angeles, is today home to dozens of restaurants and shops selling a mix of artisan wares and tchotchkes. Over the decades there have been multiple city-funded studies of the site and its rents, as well as repeated attempts to boost rates. Every time the effort has been rebuffed, often because of protests or political ties. The problem is, the department is costing the city money, and raising rents to something approaching the greater market would go a long way to alleviating the problem. An audit of El Pueblo last year by the City Controller’s office found that the average rent paid by merchants in stand-alone stores is $1.35 per square foot (some tenants with large spaces actu-

ally pay less than $1 per square foot). The audit harshly criticized the practice and recommended increasing rents. The question is how high they should go. That was answered recently by an independent study that found that fair market value at El Pueblo is $2-$6.75 per square foot. Officials with the El Pueblo Board of Commissioners indicated they will push for rates close to the low end of that range (rents in the small central puestos, or kiosks, are also below market rate, according to the study). Several factors are combining to propel change. The most significant is the city’s financial state — for years El Pueblo has required a subsidy from the city to balance its budget. Although the attraction sees about 2 million visitors a year, a couple years ago it needed approximately $900,000 from the city’s general fund to make ends meet. At a time when the city is facing a $212 million deficit, that situation cannot be allowed to continue. But this is a move that makes sense, regardless of whether Los Angeles is $212 million in the red, or an equal amount in the black. Understandably, El Pueblo merchants are protesting. Some claim that in the depths of a recession, increasing rents by a large percentage will put them out of business. They also assert that El Pueblo is top heavy and that salaries of administrative staff are the reason for the shortfall. The first protest ignores the low level the rents are at, and the second is no more than a smokescreen. Even if El Pueblo

turns out to be overstaffed, the problems with lease rates and terms need to be addressed. The fact is, El Pueblo is city property, and taxpayers deserve to have businesses occupying city property pay fair rents. Many merchants have not seen a rent hike for a decade or more. It is time for them to pay a just rate — not an inordinate rate, but a fair one. A key next step will be determining the length of the leases; those will be negotiated in the coming months. Here, officials have also shown signs of progress, expressing interest in terms of no more than 10 years. This is actually longer than often occurs in retail (many store leases are for five years or less), but would be a fair reward for merchants who have spent years at El Pueblo. Importantly, this is a move away from the 55-year leases that 17 merchants on the street already have. Retail experts have stated that there is little reason for small shops and restaurants to have such lengthy terms. In this case, it is clearly not in the city’s best interest. Despite the progress, the current situation yields one serious question: What will happen with these efforts amid the city’s budget crisis? One proposal circulating would eliminate 10 of El Pueblo’s 16 department employees as city officials strive to reduce the municipal workforce by 1,000 positions. If that occurs, and if El Pueblo is consolidated into another department, the current path should not change. Boost the rents and make the lengths of the leases reasonable. It is the right thing for the city.

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis Los Angeles Downtown News 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com facebook: L.A. Downtown News

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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 Schmidt AdvErtisiNG dirEctor: Steve Nakutin sAlEs AssistANt: Annette Cruz clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Steve Epstein, Catherine Holloway, Tam Nguyen, 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.

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LETTERS Angels Flight Response Dear Editor, e share the view that Angels Flight must reopen as a historic highlight of Downtown. However, contrary to your editorial (“Angels Flight Needs a Change in Course,” Feb. 8), a careful review of the history of Angels Flight and its preservation and the difficult path to its 21st century re-launch would reveal that the nonprofit Angels Flight Railway Foundation has been the little engine that can — working through layers of lawsuits and regulatory and insurance requirements and inspections, and changing rules, at the local, state and federal levels — both to ensure its safe operation and give painstaking attention to preserving the historic features of the beloved landmark. Together our all-volunteer board represents more than a century of care and investment in Downtown Los Angeles, and we are looking forward to the next century of delight for the young, elderly, and everyone in between aboard the Olivet and Sinai as they travel their paths on the shortest railway in the world. —Board of Directors, Angels Flight Railway Foundation: Dennis R. Luna, chairman; Michael E. Alexander; Robin Kramer; Brenda A. Levin, FAIA; John H. Welborne; and Adele Yellin

El Pueblo Rents Dear Editor, he action to abruptly raise rents on Olvera Street by 200%-900% (“El Pueblo’s Rental Reaction,” by Richard

Downtown News 5

Opinion

Guzman, Feb. 8) is an action against Olvera Street that will have severe consequences which are not yet being addressed by elected city leadership. Does the current El Pueblo city department have the right to eradicate a place much endeared by the citizenry? And to what end? The rent increase is being taken simply to balance an excessive, top-heavy department budget that has chosen not to rein in spending. These six-figure administrators (yes, there are two executive managers for this tiny area) don’t have the capacity to keep expenditures in line with revenue as prescribed by the mayor. If the Department had any sense they would find a way to work with and not against these long-term businesses in order to preserve this important landmark for the city. Instead, their efforts to survive as highly paid pencil pushers leads them to throw the baby out with the bathwater in an effort to try to hold onto their jobs as they let go of the place they were hired to protect. —Vivien C. Bonzo, La Golondrina Cafe and Olvera Street Merchants’ Association Los Angeles Downtown News encourages letters. They become the property of Los Angeles Downtown News and may be edited. All letters should be typewritten and include an address and telephone number for verification. Please send them to: Letter to the Editor 1264 W. First St. Los Angeles, CA 90026 Fax to: (213) 250-4617 Email to: realpeople@downtownnews.com

The Readers Respond Website Comments on Angels Flight

os Angeles Downtown News posts comments to stories on our website. Here are some of the most recent responses. Additional comments appear on downtownnews.com (comments follow individual articles). Further responses are welcome. Regarding the article “Angels Flight Closure Hits Nine Years,” posted online Jan. 29, by Richard Guzmán ohn Welborne has put a tremendous amount of effort and passion into seeing Angels Flight back on the tracks and it will happen, sooner than later! It is impossible to stop Olivet and Sinai from running again because of the love and passion of those who love the history of Downtown Los Angeles! May the trains run quickly again. —posted by Tracy, Jan. 30, 4:54 a.m.

irst, it’s possible — at least possible — that I am unfair to Mr. Welborne. He might have taken on the project when no one else wanted to have anything to do with it, might have stood alone at the helm when fundraising had to get done and so forth. There’s a lot I don’t know. That said, I just can’t imagine a credible excuse for a nine-year delay, or why anyone would fault Councilwoman Perry for protesting as she has. Is she supposed to sit, twiddle her thumbs and smile gamely while an important convenience for Downtowners and a top-notch historical tourist attraction sits idle? I think a look at the history of this project is in order: How did Mr. Welborne

find himself in this role? What accounted for the delays of the years past? If anything, it would serve as an instructional tool about how to get things done — or not get them done — in Downtown Los Angeles. —posted by Tim Adams, Feb. 1, 4:17 p.m.

ersonally, as a Bunker Hill resident, I am completely disappointed with the painfully slow progress on Angels Flight. I’m also disappointed that any time anyone questions the delays, the same people who are involved in the project always leap to defend the delays without ever being proactive about their progress. I’ve looked at the Twitter feed and it doesn’t really tell me much. How about getting updates about technocratic delays into the news before someone complains about the lack of progress? I’m not sure a city takeover of the project is such a great idea, but please understand that people want to see some sign of progress, not just an empty promise. At this point, I really fear that the project will not be completed before I leave Bunker Hill (there’s no date set for that either). I understand it’s a difficult project with lots of safety aspects and red tape to navigate, but I’m just sad about the whole thing. I walk by it nearly daily and I’m so bummed to see tourists look at the railway and wonder why it doesn’t work. When I first moved here five years ago, I was excited by the “Opening Soon” signs. Now they just make me chuckle and/or weep. —posted by JM, Feb. 3, 3:03 p.m.

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Clawing Back Up From the Bottom LAEDC’s Economic Forecast Predicts a Long and Difficult Recovery by Jon RegaRdie

rebound in commercial production, and the broadcast networks are going on a pilot buying spree so you are seeing TV production up. Then you have a lot of infrastructure work going on: the Tom Bradley work at LAX, and the 405 widening project, and the Exposition Line and they are talking about some more rail projects funded by Measure R. You also have some public projects such as the L.A. Trade-Tech campus.

executive editoR

n Feb. 2, groundhog Punxsutawny Phil crawled out of his hole to tell the world if there will be six more weeks of winter. This week, the Downtown-based Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. stages a panel discussion to tell us if we’ll have six more months, or more, of recession. The groundhog did see his shadow this year. As for the economy, including the fate of Downtown Los Angeles, all will be revealed on Wednesday, Feb. 17, when the LAEDC holds its 2010-2011 Economic Forecast & Industry Outlook at the Marriott Downtown Hotel. The event will feature two panel discussions that address various aspects of the economy. Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner will be part of the second panel. Last week Jack Kyser, chief economist of the LAEDC’s Kyser Center for Economic Research, gave Los Angeles Downtown News a preview of the findings. Hint: compared to us, Punxsutawny Phil has it good.

Q: The city is facing a $212 million budget deficit, and it is expected to get much worse in future years. What will the impact of this be? A: Local governments feel the impact of a recession with a lag. Taxable retail sales volume has fallen like a rock. And tourism is down so the transient occupancy tax is down. Then real estate is the killer. The county assessor’s office has been reassessing the value of peoples’ homes downward. Q: That sounds pretty rough. A: I think a lot of people talk about recovery, and a lot of people have a view of recovery as everything bounces back and it’s like it was before. But no, we have been quite sick and we are not going to get up and run around our hospital room. For local governments it’s not just this year, it’s the next several years they will have budget problems.

Los Angeles Downtown News: In last year’s economic forecast you predicted that there would be no quick fix. Did 2009 end up worse than you expected, or about what you thought? Jack Kyser: It’s probably worse than we expected, and we’re waiting for the unemployment data revisions for the state and local areas. Probably those will show we lost more jobs than reported, and those job losses were pretty stout. L.A. County in 2009 lost 154,000 jobs. That’s a pretty big hit. It’s been a pretty painful downturn, and what we’re looking for is what we call a measured recovery, which means certain sectors will come back but others will be lagging.

Q: How is the outlook in Downtown Los Angeles? A: It’s mixed. You have a lot of residential projects in financial difficulty. And we have to see how quickly those are worked out. Then you have the opening of the Convention Center hotel, and you will have probably more events at the hotel because we understand that [developer Anschutz Entertainment Group] has been aggressive in booking events there. This will get a lot of people in Downtown, so that is good news.

Q: Have we reached bottom yet, in particular in Southern California? Or is the double dip coming? A: We think we’ve reached bottom and you’re starting to see people talking about the little green shoots of recovery, and you are starting to see recovering international trade activity. And thanks to the state film incentive program [there is] a

Q: Residential in Downtown has taken a hit. When will the housing market recover? A: It will probably be quite a while. You have to work out

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photo by Gary Leonard

Jack Kyser of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. will participate in the organization’s annual forecast of the upcoming year. The event takes place Wednesday, Feb. 17.

financial issues with these projects and I think lenders in the future will be very careful about lending on any residential in Downtown. They will want really good documentation that this project will be successful. Q: Last year Jim Thomas and Korean Air made waves with their plan to turn the Wilshire Grand into a project with office, hotel and residential space. Will Downtown be at a place anytime soon where there is a market for more office space? A: I don’t know. The hotel, to me, is very, very important, because the existing hotel is not that far away from the Convention Center, so if you had another four-star hotel close to the Convention Center that would be positive. In terms of demand for an office building, that could be somewhat problematic. Q: You have Steve Poizner on a panel. Do you expect him to complain about the Meg Whitman campaign? A: He very well might. We invited Meg and they waltzed us around and said no, she has something in the Bay Area, so she can’t be at the event. The 2010-2011 Economic Forecast & Industry Outlook is Wednesday, Feb. 17, 7-10:30 a.m. at the Marriott Downtown Hotel, 333 S. Figueroa St. Information and registration at (213) 622-4300 or laedc.org. Contact Jon Regardie at regardie@downtownneews.com.

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February 15, 2010

Downtown News 7

DowntownNews.com

Business Group Pushing Homelessness Agenda

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice of Availability of Draft PUBLIC NOTICE Environmental Document and Notice of Availability of Draft for Announcement of Public Hearing Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental and the Interstate 10 Document (San Bernardino Environmental and for Freeway / Busway) High Occupancy Announcement of Document Public Hearing Announcement of Public Hearing for Toll Lanes Project the Interstate 10 (San Bernardino

PUBLIC NOTICE

L.A. Area Chamber Plans to Lobby Feds for Changes to Homeless Policy

Freeway / Busway) HighBernardino Occupancy the Interstate 10 (San Lanes High Project FreewayToll / Busway) Occupancy

Toll Lanes Project

by Ryan Vaillancourt staff writer

very year, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce sends a delegation to Washington, D.C. to push for business-friendly policies and vie for federal funds. In the past, they’ve tackled issues related to mass transit, water and education. The Chamber is returning to the nation’s capital March 15-17, but the lobbying agenda includes a new issue this time: homelessness. The group plans to press for more federal dollars for local homeless services and for policies that would prioritize permanent supportive housing. The trip will mark the most significant step taken since the chamber and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles teamed up last May on an effort to combat homelessness in the city. The Chamber’s position comes from a recognition, officials said at the launch of the partnership, that homelessness is costly for taxpayers and bad for business. The Chamber has formed a task force devoted to the cause, recruiting 23 of its members for a panel that has met almost monthly since September. “The involvement of the business community is a critical means of leveraging political power and political will,” said task force cochair Renee Fraser, a member of both the Chamber and the United Way board of directors. “In the past, when the nonprofit sector… has raised the concerns and the issues around homelessness, the city and the county listen patiently but action has not occurred at the level that we expect it to.” The Chamber task force has spent the bulk of its time hearing from local and national experts on homelessness and visiting shelters and permanent supportive housing projects in the region, said Jerry Neuman, a partner at the Downtown law firm Sheppard Mullin, who serves as the group’s other co-chair. “We wanted to ensure that we weren’t drawing any conclusions initially, that we were not going to exclude any stakeholders and points of view, and try to see what best practices were out there,” Neuman said. “What’s important is that we try to understand how those practices could be applied to the unique community in Los Angeles.” The Agenda Although the task force will not finalize its plans until a meeting this Friday, the group has zeroed in on three key agenda items for the Washington trip, said Christine Marge, the local United Way’s director of housing and health. At the top of the list is a plan to lobby for a change to the federal formula that determines how McKinney-Vento funds, which support homeless services, are allocated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Currently, Marge said, the formula does not even take a region’s homeless population into account, and relies instead on factors such as the age of an area’s housing stock. As a result, Los Angeles ends up with fewer per capita resources than other areas. The United Way calculates that Los Angeles receives about $1,706 per homeless person per year in federal funding, based on the $82 million the region got in McKinney-Vento money and divided by the 48,000 people estimated to be homeless on any given night. By comparison, Chicago, whose 2009 official homeless count was 6,240, gets $8,119 per person, Marge said. “At the end of the day it’s about getting Los Angeles’ fair share,” Marge said. On top of arguing for a change to the HUD

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in cooperation with Los Angeles County Metropolitan Last May, Elise Buik, executive director of the What’s Being Transportation Agency (Metro) proposes to convert the United Way of Greater L.A., and the L.A. Chamber’s existing High Occupancy Vehicle Lane into a High Planned? Gary Toebben announced a partnership to end The California of Transportation (Caltrans) Occupancy TollDepartment Lane on Interstate 10. homelessness. Eight months later, the Chamber is in cooperation with Los Angeles County Metropolitan taking their advocacy to Washington. Caltrans has studied the effects that the proposed What’s Being Transportation Agency (Metro) proposes to convert the project may have on the environment and community. The California Department ofVehicle Transportation (Caltrans) existing High Occupancy into a High Planned? formula, the task force plans to ask for an inThe results of these studies are Lane contained in an Why crease in the McKinney-Vento budget, from Occupancy Tolldocument LaneLos on Interstate 10. in cooperation with Angeles County Metropolitan environmental known as an Environmental This $1.85 billion this year to $2.5 billion next year. What’s Being Caltrans Transportation Agency (Metro) proposes convert the has studied the effects that tothe proposed Impact Report/ Environmental Assessment (EIR/EA). Housing First Ad? The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of its project may have on the environment and community. existing High Occupancy Vehicle Lane into a High Planned? As the task force has studied local homecompletion and availability to any interested The results Toll of Lane theseon studies Occupancy Interstateare 10. contained in an lessness, Neuman said the group has largely Why individuals. environmental document known as an Environmental come to the conclusion that permanent supphoto by Gary Leonard

This

Caltrans has studied the effects that the proposed

Impact Report/ Environmental (EIR/EA). portive housing — developments that pair The EIR/EA is available forenvironment reviewAssessment and copying at the Ad? project may have on the and community. subsidized housing with in-house social and The purpose of this noticeofisEnvironmental to inform the Planning public of its Caltrans District 7 Division What’s The results and of these studies are contained in an medical services — will be a crucial compocompletion availability to weekdays any interested (100 S. Main Street, Los Angeles) on from Why Available? nent to any major reduction in homelessness. environmental document known as an Environmental individuals. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This Proponents of permanent supportive Impact Report/ Environmental Assessment (EIR/EA). Do EIR/EA you haveisany comments regarding EIR/EA? Do Ad? The available for review andthe copying at the housing point to its role in significantly reThe purpose of this notice is to inform the public of its you disagree with the findings of the studies? Would ducing homeless populations in cities such as Caltrans District 7 Division of Environmental Planning What’s completion and toon weekdays any about interested you S. care toStreet, make availability any Angeles) other comments the New York and Denver, and a retention rate (100 Main Los from Available? that hovers around 80%. project? Please individuals. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 submit p.m. any written comments no later Where In October, the United Way and USC rethan March 29, 2010 to: Do Theyou EIR/EA available for review and copying at the Do Do have is any comments regarding the EIR/EA? leased a report that studied four formerly You homeless individuals for two years before Caltrans 7 Division of Environmental Planning you disagree the findings of the studies? Would Mr.District Ronwith Kosinski What’s Come and two years after they entered permanent you to Street, make any other comments (100care S.Deputy Main Angeles) on weekdaysabout from the DistrictLos Director In? Available? supportive housing. On the streets, the group project? Please submit comments no later California Transportation 8:00 a.m. to 4:30Department p.m. anyofwritten Where cost taxpayers $187,288 in public services Division Environmental Planning than March 29, of 2010 to: such as visits to the emergency room and Do Do you100 have any Main comments South Streetregarding MS 16A the EIR/EA? Do detox facilities. During the two years in housYou you disagree with the LosRon Angeles, CA findings 90012 of the studies? Would Mr. Kosinski ing, the cost was $107,032, a 42% reduction. Come you care to make any othertocomments the A public hearing will Director be held allow any about interested Deputy District Still, many in the homeless services industry In? individuals an opportunity certain no design project? Please submit anytowritten comments later California Department of discuss Transportation warn that permanent supportive housing can’t Where features of the project with Caltrans staff before the be the only solution. Rev. Andy Bales, chief exthan March 29,of2010 to: Division Environmental Planning Do final design and alternative is selected. The public ecutive officer of the Union Rescue Mission 100 South Main Street MS 16A You hearing will be held CA on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at in Skid Row, who is involved with a separate, Los Angeles, 90012 Mr. Ron Kosinski faith-based coalition to reduce homelessness the Metro San Gabriel Valley Service Sector Council When and Come rd AChambers, public hearing will be Anita held to allow any interested Deputy District Director in the area, warns that permanent supportive Where? 3449 Santa Avenue, 3 Floor, El In? individuals an opportunity to discuss certain design housing is more expensive than it appears, Department of Transportation Monte,California CA 91731 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Individuals features of the with Caltrans staff before tothe namely because the capital construction costs who require special accommodations are requested Division ofproject Environmental Planning are often overlooked, he said. final design andMain alternative is Affairs selected. public contact theSouth Department’s Public OfficeThe at (213) 100 Street MS 16A He maintains that permanent supportive hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 897-3656 at leastCA 2190012 days in advance prior to at Los Angeles, housing should only be part of a solution When and the Metro San Gabriel scheduled hearing date. Valley Service Sector Council that also includes emergency services, like A public hearing will be held toAvenue, allow any3rdinterested Where? Chambers, 3449 Santa Anita Floor, El For additional information, please contact Ron Kosinski those provided by the mission, and more individuals an opportunity topmdiscuss certain design Contact Monte, CA 91731 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Individuals at (213) 897-0703. transitional and affordable housing. features of the project with Caltrans staff before theto who require special accommodations are requested “We still firmly believe in a transitional Thank contact you for your interest in this transportation project. final design and alternative is selected. The at public the Department’s Public Affairs Office (213) housing program with intensive supportive Caltrans improves mobility across California! services and classes so families can fulfill their 897-3656 days in March advance prior atto hearing willatbe least held on21Wednesday, 10, 2010 dreams and ultimately move out into the scheduled hearing date. When and the Metro San Gabriel Valley Service Sector Council marketplace of housing instead of being perrd Where? For Chambers, Santa Anita Avenue, Floor, El additional3449 information, please contact3Ron Kosinski manently subsidized,” Bales said. Contact 91731 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Individuals atMonte, (213) CA 897-0703. The role of shelters and other emergency care services are not lost on the leadership of who specialinaccommodations areproject. requested to Thank you forrequire your interest this transportation the Chamber, Neuman said. contact the Department’s Public Affairs Office at (213) Caltrans improves mobility across California! “The shelter system certainly is a great sys897-3656 at least 21 days in advance prior to tem that we should utilize as kind of frontscheduled hearing date. lines of defense, and they should be the ones we work with to take people off the streets,” For additional information, please contact Ron Kosinski Neuman said. “You’re not saying get rid of Contact at (213) 897-0703. the shelters, but use them as part of a holistic system and I think ultimately no one should Thank you for your interest in this transportation project. argue with that.” Caltrans improves mobility across California! Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

8 Downtown News

February 15, 2010

Santana Continued from page 1 A: Obviously, as a resident of the area I watch what is happening in the city very closely and I knew that the challenges that the city were facing were frankly no different than what many cities are facing. There’s certainly been a consistent decline in revenue as a result of the economy and there are increasing costs in expenses mainly through our pension system and the cost of doing business. So both of those things are occurring everywhere and I knew that was the case the city was facing. When I started there was already a deficit in the budget of over $300 million and within two weeks it became $400 million, and I knew at that point that we would be spending the majority of our time addressing how to reduce that deficit and that’s been my focus, working closely with the council and the mayor and our partners in labor. We were actually very successful in doing that. We reduced that $400 million down to $22 million and it took a lot of work and persuasion and concessions from all sides and it’s something the city should be very proud of. It also made a major dent in the structural deficit. What we didn’t anticipate is that we’d see such a dramatic drop in revenues on top of what we had already seen. That’s a result of the economy. Seeing double-digit drops for four consecutive quarters is something nobody could have ever imagined. Q: In the absence of spending cuts, the deficit is constantly increasing, since revenue continues to shrink. How quickly is it growing?

photo by Gary Leonard

Twitter/DowntownNews A: Every day it’s about $350,000, which is the equivalent of about four to five different positions that get added to the list of folks we have to eliminate. That’s why I’m pleased to see the council has acted. We’re doing everything we can to minimize layoffs by transferring as many people from general fund positions to special fund positions, and by the end of 30 days I think we’re going to see a lot of people shifting over. Then after that, we’re going to be forced to lay off the remainder. Q: The mayor and others have said that 1,000 layoffs are needed. After positions are shifted, do you still see that number approaching 1,000? A: I’m optimistic that we can get, at minimum, half those positions transferred to special funds, but the thing that’s part of the reality that we’re facing is unfortunately, this is just the beginning. We’re in a situation where we’re going to have to engage in further reductions for the next fiscal year. The bulk of the savings on these layoffs are generated next fiscal year. Q: Do you have the sense that the people making decisions in city government understand how serious this is? A: There’s no doubt. I think everybody appreciates the seriousness of the problem that we’re facing and the difficult part of the choices that have to be made. I don’t doubt that for one second. We’re talking about people’s lives and the city services that our communities rely on, and the future of the city. I think the reason why there’s been so much deliberation and so much interest and activity is because the leadership of the city understands the seriousness of what we’re facing. Q: Has anything in your career prepared you for this job?

Six months into his job as the city’s Chief Administrative Officer, Miguel Santana, shown here at a recent Central City Association event, is charged with steering Los Angeles toward financial solvency, now and for the long haul.

A: I think my role in the county certainly has informed how I approach many of these problems. When I was deputy CEO we faced our own deficit as a result of state cuts to social services and we had to find a way to mitigate those cuts. We had to go line item by line item and identify efficiencies and re-establish priorities and freeze new hires and eliminate vacant positions, all the same kind of things we’re doing now to help add to that shortfall. Fortunately, at that time we avoided layoffs. That kind of work has been helpful here but I was also part of the county family in the

early 1990s when it had to lay off 800 people. I know how that process is: It’s not just the layoffs, but it’s the displacing of thousands of other workers throughout the system shifted down to their previous job. Q: The City Council did not immediately embrace the proposal to eliminate 1,000 jobs. What’s your take on their reaction? A: Well, we’re talking about the elimination of 1,000 positions. Some of those people could be transferred. So we’re going to try Continued on next page

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February 15, 2010

DowntownNews.com

Audit Tags Council’s Discretionary Funds Report Says $25 Million Could Have Gone Into City’s General Fund by Jon Regardie executive editor

ith Los Angeles’ budget deficit at $212 million this year, and expected to reach $485 million in the next fiscal year, City Controller Wendy Greuel last week took aim at some of the money the 15 City Council members use for select projects in their districts. She said it kept $25 million out of the city’s general fund over the past 12 years. The move came a day after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa asked the council to lend $40 million from its so-called discretionary funds to shore up the city’s reserve cash. While it is uncertain if the audit will lead to change, several Council members expressed support. On Wednesday, Feb. 9, Greuel revealed the results of an audit of the revenues of the Council’s Real Property Trust Funds. It found that over 12 years, nearly $25 million went into Council discretionary accounts instead of the city’s general fund; about $17.4 million came from sales of surplus property, while $7.3 million resulted from oil pipeline franchise fees in individual council districts. Greuel called for the process to be permanently changed so that all money from future property sales and pipeline fees is directed to the general fund. “This is much needed money for balancing our deficit,” Greuel stated during a press conference on the steps of City Hall. Traditionally, when city-owned properties are sold, half the money is deposited in the Continued from previous page to do that as much as we can, and that’s what they’re doing. It will depend on who is left after we make those transfers. But they’ve taken important steps forward. Last week, they moved forward on identifying the list of 1,000 and directing departments to transfer people as quickly as possible. Q: Budget deficits arise almost every year. Why is this crisis so severe, and what plans are in the works to ensure not just immediate solvency but long-term financial health for the city? A: I think what changed this time is the economy. We were surviving on and benefiting from the robust economy that we had for so many years. While we’ve carried a structural deficit, we were able to address that by added revenue that the economy produced. So now, the only way of addressing the structural problem is by reducing your expenses. Over 90% of our expenditures are on our workforce, so it’s impossible without reducing the number of people on the general fund, and so the changes that are being proposed now are all about that. It’s how do we reduce the size of our workforce while still protecting the integrity of services that we provide. The other major part is we’re really looking at changing the way we manage the city. We’re asking the private sector to help us manage the Convention Center or working with a private foundation on operations of the zoo. Those are two major steps forward in the future definition of services we do ourselves versus services that we somehow facilitate and support.

discretionary accounts of the council member whose district it lies in, and half goes to the general fund (for the past two years all the money has temporarily gone to the general fund; that expires June 30). Oil franchise fees, for the pipelines under city streets, are divided in the same 50-50 manner. Council members have wide leeway in how the revenues from the Real Property Trust Funds are spent. Greuel, a former council member representing the Second District, said that during her time on the council she used some of the money for street-related projects or other services. Hours after the audit, Council members Dennis Zine and José Huizar offered a motion to have all sales of surplus property permanently go to the general fund. “When we invested in these projects I’m fairly sure it was citywide money used,” said Huizar. “When we sell the property there is no valid reason in my mind why it should go half and half.” Greuel said the $25 million has likely been spent and is not recoverable, and that to effect change in the future, Council members would have to act individually on transfers, or could vote for a policy change for the full council. Huizar was uncertain if the panel will embrace the change. “I don’t know which way the council will go, but I can say more council members are comfortable with this than they were in the past,” he said. Contact Jon Regardie at regardie@downtownnews.com.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Downtown News 9

Notice of Availability of Draft PUBLICDocument NOTICE and Environmental Notice of Availability of Draft Announcement of Public Comment Environmental Document and Period for the Interstate 110 (Harbor Announcement of Public Comment Period for the Interstate 110 (Harbor Freeway / Transitway) High Freeway / Transitway) High Occupancy Toll Lanes Project Occupancy Toll Lanes Project PUBLIC NOTICE Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Document and Announcement of Public Comment Period for the Interstate 110 (Harbor Freeway / Transitway) High Occupancy Toll Lanes Project

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in cooperation with Los Angeles County Metropolitan What’s Being Transportation Agency (Metro) proposes to convert the existing High Occupancy Vehicle Lane into a High Planned? Occupancy Toll Lane on Interstate 110. Caltrans has studied the effects that the proposed project may have on the environment and community. The results of these studies are contained in an Why environmental document known as an Environmental This Impact Report/ Environmental Assessment (EIR/EA). Ad? The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of its The Californiaand Department of Transportation (Caltrans) completion availability to any interested in cooperation with Los Angeles County Metropolitan individuals.

The California Department of Transportation (C in cooperation with Los Angeles County Met What’s Being Transportation Agency (Metro) proposes to convert the The EIR/EAAgency is available for review andproposes copying at the to con What’s Being Planned? Transportation (Metro) existing High Occupancy Vehicle Lane into a High Caltrans District 7 Division of Environmental Planning What’s Occupancy Toll Lane on Interstate 110. existing (100 High Vehicle Lane into Planned? Available? S. MainOccupancy Street, Los Angeles) on weekdays from Caltrans has studied the effects that the proposed 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Occupancy Toll Lane onenvironment Interstate 110. project may have on the andEIR/EA? community. Do you have any comments regarding the Do Thehas resultsstudied of these studies are contained in an you disagree with the findings of the studies? Would Caltrans the effects that the p Why environmental document known as an Environmental you care to make any other comments about the This project may on the Impact have Report/ Assessment project? Please Environmental submit any environment written comments(EIR/EA). no and later com Ad? Where The purpose this notice is to inform the public of its than March 2010 to: studies The results of29,ofthese are containe Do completion and availability to any interested Why You Q: If bankruptcy became a reality, what environmental document known as an Enviro Mr. Ron Kosinski individuals. Come would that look like? What are This the reperDeputy District Director cussions? Impact Report/ Assessment ( In? The EIR/EA isEnvironmental available for review and copying at the California Department of Transportation Ad? A: I really haven’t spent too much time Caltrans District Division of Environmental Planning Division of7Environmental Planning The purpose of this notice is to inform the pub What’s looking at it. I’ve only read what oth(100 S. Main Street, Los Angeles) on weekdays from 100 South Main Street MS 16A er cities and counties have done when Available? completion availability to any in 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Losand Angeles, CA 90012 they’ve encountered insolvency, but I’m A hearing will be held to allowthe any interested not considering it an option and so I’m individuals. Dopublic you have any comments regarding EIR/EA? Do not spending too much energy focusing on it right now.

Q: You and the mayor are becoming the face of the job cuts. How do you deal with being partly the source of such an unpopular proposal? A: It’s a real human impact behind these decisions. We all know people who have been laid off. I have a brother who was laid off a year and half ago from a very prominent development company and he’s had a hard time — and he has an MBA from USC. One of my best friends was laid off and he ironically worked for a labor union and I know at least a half dozen people personally who have been laid off, so I know the human impact it has on people. It strains folks and families to the very core. But we have a responsibility to maintain and protect the institutions of the city of Los Angeles and to continue our commitment to taxpayers of the city. That means during the good years we’re able to find ways to invest in our programs and services and in bad years we have to find ways to be more efficient. It’s the responsibility we have and it’s the most important responsibility. Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

What’s Available?

Where Do You Come In?

individuals anwith opportunity to discuss certain design you disagree the findings of the studies? Would features of the project with Caltrans staff you care to make any other comments before about the the final design and alternative is selected. The public project? Please submit any written comments no later hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at the than March 29, 2010 to: Andrew Norman Hall, Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation, 2400 South Flower Street, Los Mr. Ron Angeles, CA Kosinski 90007, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Deputy District Director Individuals who require special accommodations are California Department of Transportation requested to contact the Department’s Public Affairs Environmental Planning Office Division at (213)of897-3656 at least 21 days in advance prior to100 scheduled hearing date. South Main Street MS 16A

The EIR/EA is available for review and copying Where Caltrans District 7 Division of Environmental Pla When Doand (100 S. Main Street, Los Angeles) on weekdays Where? You Come a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 8:00 In?

Do you have any comments regarding the EIR/ you disagree with the findings of the studies? Angeles, CA 90012 For additional information, contactcomments Ron Kosinski you care toLos make anyplease other ab Contact A (213) public897-0703. hearing will be held to allow any interested at project? Please any written comments individuals an submit opportunity to discuss certain design Thank you for your interest in this transportation project. features of the project with Caltrans staff before the Caltrans 29, improves mobility than March 2010 to:across California!

final design and alternative is selected. The public hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at the Andrew Hall, Los Angeles Orthopaedic When and Mr. RonNorman Kosinski Where? Hospital Foundation, 2400 South Flower Street, Los Deputy Angeles, District CA 90007,Director from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Individuals who require special of accommodations are California Department Transportation requested to contact the Department’s Public Affairs Division of Environmental Planning Office at (213) 897-3656 at least 21 days in advance prior to scheduled hearing date. 100 South Main Street MS 16A

For additional information, please contact Ron Kosinski Los Angeles, CA 90012 at (213) 897-0703. A public will betransportation held toproject. allow any in Thank youhearing for your interest in this Caltrans an improves mobility across California! individuals opportunity to discuss certain features of the project with Caltrans staff be final design and alternative is selected. Th

Contact

10 Downtown News

February 15, 2010

Twitter/DowntownNews

Chetrit Group Continued from page 1 Hotel Clark in the Historic Core, the Embassy Auditorium and Hotel in South Park and Giannini Place in the Financial District. In each instance the buildings are notable for the length of time they have remained empty, their key locations and the activity happening around them (Chetrit also owns a fourth Downtown property, an office building at 611 W. Sixth St. formerly known as the AT&T Center). Some Downtown property owners say that attempts to reach out to the Chetrits about the condition of their build ings have been ignored. “We just ran up against a brick wall,” said Karen Hath away, president of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, which stands across from Giannini Place at Seventh and Olive streets. “It appears to be truly an absentee owner, and that’s not good for the community.” Joseph Chetrit did not return multiple phone calls to his New York office. Attempts to reach two other Manhattanbased company officials by phone and email were also not returned. Michel Attias, a Chetrit Group representative based at 611 W. Sixth St., said last week when reached by phone, “What other landlords think about my buildings, I don’t give a damn. I don’t care about their buildings. I conduct my busi ness the way I want.” Quiet Giant The Chetrit Group, according to published reports and real estate professionals who have worked with them, operates as a closely held, well capitalized company. The firm does not have a working website, and past media reports depict its principals as pressshy operators who rou tinely shun interviews. The group’s core consists of five FrenchMoroccan broth ers, led by Joseph Chetrit. The family has a background in textile manufacturing and importing, according to published articles and sources. A 2007 article in The Real Deal magazine reported that the Chetrits have bought and sold billions of dollars worth of commercial and residential properties in New York, Florida, Illinois, California and New Jersey, some outright and some through partnerships. Richard Baxter, a New Yorkbased executive vice presi dent of real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield who brokered the Chetrits’ first big New York deal in 1994, describes the Chetrits as savvy, opportunistic investors whose business hinges on market timing. “Between 1994, when they first entered the market, and the height of the market here, which was 2007, they made billions in buying and selling real estate, not necessarily developing it,” he said. “All of it was based on buying low and selling high.” Many of the Chetrits’ New York acquisitions, like their properties in Los Angeles, have been empty, older buildings in prime locations, said Baxter. They often select structures with flexible zoning, he said, and analyze the cost and timing of every potential use for each building. Sometimes, the an swer is to do nothing. “They often feel it’s better to leave the property vacant, so when a particular market comes back it’s positioned for sale for that particular use,” said Baxter. He cited a property on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan that the Chetrits purchased a few years ago for $400 a square foot.

Chetrit Group’s Downtown Holdings “They sold it 18 months later for $750 a square foot and PROPERTY ADDRESS FLOORS YEAR BUILT did nothing to the property,” Baxter said. “They’ve had a great history of doing that type of transaction.” Embassy Hotel 851 S. Grand Ave. 8 1913 Yet the Chetrits have also extensively improved and reno Giannini Place 649 S. Olive St. 12 1922 vated many of their holdings, said another real estate profes Hotel Clark 426 S. Hill St. 11 1912 sional who has worked with the group but did not want to be Former AT&T Center 611 W. Sixth St. 42 NA named because of an ongoing business relationship. The figure said they have the finan cial wherewithal to acquire properties without accruing significant debt, which allows them to wait out unfavorable financial cycles and not have to satisfy lenders. Still, the figure added, it is un usual for the group to hold properties as long as the ones in Downtown. History Lesson The Chetrit Group has owned the Embassy and Clark since at least 2001 and Giannini Place since at least 1998, according to documents filed in the county recorder’s office. The firm pur chased the AT&T Center in 1999. The Embassy and Giannini Place are both citydesignated HistoricCultural Monuments, according to the preser vation organization the Los Angeles Conservancy. The eightstory, 1913 Embassy, origi nally known as the Trinity Auditorium, stands just north of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Though photo by Tara Jones Hamacher it is close to the school’s core of students Plans to turn the Embassy Hotel on Grand Avenue into a boutique hotel have been in the and less than half a mile from L.A. Live, works for at least five years. Still, the building has sat empty even as new housing and retail the Beaux Arts structure once owned by spring up around it. the University of Southern California has been vacant for more than 10 years. Some local stakeholders Rosenthal of the firm Grubb & Ellis. have eagerly awaited the property’s redevelopment for years. “It’s a critical building on Seventh Street, and Seventh “There were times it looked like it was going to be revitalized Street is growing and developing and here is a prominent cor and renovation was underway, and things would stop and start ner just left in disrepair,” said Rosenthal. and stop and start,” said Mike Pfeiffer, head of the business Then there’s the longempty former Hotel Clark. The improvement district that operates in South Park. “I would 11story building stands on Hill Street just south of Fourth certainly love to see it turn into something. Its location is terrif Street, near Pershing Square and adaptive reuse projects such ic…. I was always rather stumped that it didn’t move forward.” as Metro 417 and the Title Guarantee lofts. It was previously The 12story, 1922 Giannini Place, named for Amadeo owned by the People’s Republic of China, according to infor Giannini (the founder of the Bank of Italy and later Bank mation provided by the University of Southern California’s of America), the building’s former anchor tenant, has been Geography Department website. empty for at least as long, according to neighboring property “It’s not great to have that building there,” said Daniel owners. The Morgan, Walls & Morgandesigned property, Swartz, a developer who oversaw the $35 million transforma closed off and recently scrawled with graffiti, features a three tion of the Title Guarantee building into housing three years story temple entrance, a marble and terra cotta façade and ago. “Spring and Broadway continue to clean up and get nic other architectural flourishes. It stands one block away from er, and Main Street has gotten to be one of the chic addresses the recently completed Brockman Building, a still unoccupied and it’s a shame to have that in the middle of everything. loft project with the popular Bottega Louie restaurant on the “The neighborhood is really improving and that building is ground floor. Although a slew of restaurants have cropped up more than an eyesore.” along Seventh Street in the past two years, there have been no Floating Plans signs of activity at the structure. Despite the Chetrits’ undertheradar position, the com “There doesn’t even seem to be a local caretaker who could pany has floated renovation plans for each of their properties provide them with some maintenance,” said Hathaway of the in recent years. Athletic Club. “Ideally, the owners would try to understand The most dynamic were for the Embassy. In 2005, plans what’s going on on the street. Most of us adjacent prop surfaced for a $30 million transformation of the project into erty owners have given up. If we can’t bring them to the table, a swanky Gansevoort Hotel (there are Gansevoort hotels in there’s nothing we can do.” Manhattan, Miami and the Caribbean). The deal later fell apart, Giannini Place “has the worst impact” of all the local although as recently as last summer the hotel concept seemed Continued on next page Chetrit buildings, said Downtown real estate broker Ed

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February 15, 2010

Downtown News 11

DowntownNews.com

Continued from previous page to be moving forward without Gansevoort, with the developers submitting plans to the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission. Historic consultant Tara Jones Hamacher said earlier this month that a hotel plan is still in the works, though it is in the design phase and there is no timeline for completion. Architect Ryan Miller of Raztsch Architects, who is working on the concept, expressed frustration with the project. “We sent them three design schemes on the Embassy six weeks ago,” he said. “They have their own decision-making process, which is completely illogical and doesn’t follow any reasonable time frame. It takes them six months or a year to make a decision.” Attias of the Chetrit Group told Downtown News in September 2008 that the Hotel Clark would re open as a 350-room boutique hotel within eight months. Nothing has materialized. Giannini Place was also slated for a conversion into approximately 100 live-work condominiums with a retail component. Attias said earlier this month that the condo plans “are gone to trash” be cause of the economy. “To be honest, we are working on some other things so that’s not really a priority,” he said. “The problem is the timing. The condo market is really bad, and fi nance is hard. Nobody is lending, even though we do not contract with lenders up to a certain amount.” Chetrit does not plan to clean the structure in the meantime, he said. “No matter how many times you clean the façade, they come and tag it,” said Attias. Plans to convert the 42-story Sixth Street office tower into more than 500 residential and commercial condominiums also appear to be on hold, and it could remain that way until financial markets improve. As one real estate professional who has worked with the Chetrit Group said, if now is not the right time to build, the company will wait until the econo my turns around. Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.

Something Lost, Something Gained As Medallion Project Scales Back, Downtown Women’s Center Expands Reach by Ryan Vaillancourt staff writer

everal years ago, when the Down town Women’s Center announced plans to move, the spur was the coming mixed-use project the Medallion, which was slated to consume nearly an entire Historic Core block. Now, plans have changed, and not only is the development once priced at $125 million being scaled back, but the DWC is prepping for a future with both its old and new homes. The DWC last year broke ground on a new headquarters, called Project Home, at 434 S. San Pedro St. Plans called for vacating its building at 325 S. Los Angeles St. and converting the old San Pedro Street factory into 71 apart ments for formerly homeless women. The new structure is expected to be completed in October. Medallion developer Saeed Fark hondehpour said that the project was scaled back “a long time ago,” but de clined to comment specifically on the changes or whether he hopes to expand the project in the future. Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry confirmed that Farkhondehpour’s progress was hurt by the financial crisis and troubled debt markets. Indeed, in 2008 Farkhondehpour caused a stir in Downtown when he temporarily halted the project. The public outcry, in part,

photo by Gary Leonard

The scaling back of the Medallion project, on the block bounded by Third, Fourth, Main and Los Angeles streets, will allow the Downtown Women’s Center to stay in its longtime home.

caused him to resume construction. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the other phases were put on hold indefinitely,” Perry said. The first phase of the Medallion, which is slated to add 200 residential units to the Old Bank District, plus 200,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, is nearing completion. The scaling back of Medallion will al

low the DWC to keep and renovate the Los Angeles Street property, which hous es 48 women, DWC Site Director Joe Altepeter said in an email. Eventually, the DWC will occupy both buildings. “It’s definitely good news [for] the Skid Row community,” Altepeter said in the email. Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

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Measure R Returns $22 Million To Cities The >rst installment of Measure R funds totaling $22.3 million are going out to 72 cities in LA County for transportation improvements. The funds received from July through December ranged from $1,895 for the City of Industry to $9.6 million for the City of LA. Find out more at metro.net/MeasureR.

Check Online For Sepulveda Pass Updates Find out the latest on road closures and construction delays on the I-405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass at metro.net/I-405. Metro and Caltrans are widening the freeway between the I-10 and U.S. 101 to add a carpool lane and reduce travel time on one of the busiest – and most congested – freeways in the nation.

High-Speed Train Gets $2.3 Billion California has been awarded $2.3 billion in federal funds for its high-speed rail project between Anaheim and San Francisco. The state had applied for funds to help build four segments of track – Union Station to Anaheim, San Francisco to San Jose, Merced to Fresno and Fresno to Bakers>eld.

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12 Downtown News

February 15, 2010

Twitter/DowntownNews Healthcare

HEALTHCARE

The Perils of Snoring Think It’s Just a Nuisance? Think Again

f you snore, you’re certainly not alone. More than 90 million Americans are occasional to frequent snorers. Even so, most people with a snoring problem have no idea FROM OUR ADVERTISERS

that the condition may be symptomatic of a serious medical condition that, if left untreated, can result in grave illness or even death. Anatomy of a Snore During deep sleep, the face and throat relax. When the skin is looser (due to age, obesity or subtle differences in body structure), it can partially block the flow of air and cause snoring. When the skin tends to block air completely, the diagnosis is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea causes breathing to stop, depriving the body of oxygen (sometimes, for more than a full minute). The snorer’s sleep cycle is interrupted over and over during the night, making restful sleep impossible. This has an enormous impact on wellbeing. In some cases, it is even a threat to life. Snoring Could Kill Me? As if relentless exhaustion were not enough, it gets much worse. Sufferers are at higher risk for heart attacks, have a 60% higher risk of stroke, a 40% greater prevalence of high blood pressure and a 900% greater risk of type-2 diabetes. Untreated, the condition also causes chronic headaches, asthma, depression and fatigue. According to a 1998 study, the latter

makes sleep apnea the leading risk factor for car accidents. Stop That Snore! Historically, doctors prescribed a breathing machine known as a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device. Though very effective with proper use, most patients cannot sleep when they are wearing it. (Some describe the sensation as similar to “sticking your head out of a car window going 40 miles an hour.”) If that sounds unpleasant, it’s because it is. It is no surprise, then, that a more practical treatment device has been developed: an oral appliance, similar to an orthodontic retainer. It keeps the patient’s airway clear by gently encouraging the lower jaw to sit forward in the mouth and slightly depressing the tongue. The device is easily cleaned, travel-ready and effective: The American Sleep Disorder Association reports that oral appliance therapy reduces sleep apnea and snoring 73%100%. Stand Up for Your Shut-Eye First of all, take heart — you are not doomed to snore forever. If you are in the Los Angeles area, there is a sleep apnea specialist minutes away. Dr. Don Mungcal, whose office is just next to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, has decades of experience in sleep apnea treatment. For more information or to schedule an appointment call (213) 620-5777 or visit 255 S. Grand Ave., Ste. 204.

Burn Fat From the Inside Out Educogym Takes a Revolutionary Approach to Weight Loss

he mainstream approach to weight loss programs has one thing in common: It ignores your innate ability to burn fat. In fact, the human body has an incredible fatburning process that can effortlessly burn excess FROM OUR ADVERTISERS

fat and improve energy levels. It’s there, in the engine of your cells, just waiting to be switched on and put into action. Don’t Waste Your Time The common approaches to fat loss all work on the premise that if you starve yourself and exhaust yourself from exercise, the result will be weight loss. Did you know your chance of longterm success in the fat loss process is almost impossible? Even if you go on a strict diet and exercise regularly, research shows that you will only lose weight in the short term, but the longterm effect is that you will end up worse than when you started. The truth is that this archaic approach negatively impacts your natural fat burning cells and your metabolic rate because you are taking in less nutrients on a low-calorie diet. The result is that you can starve your fat burning cells. Exhausting your body through mindless oldstyle cardio can have the same effect. A New Approach What if you didn’t bother with the starvation diet and exhaustion techniques? Instead, simply activate your innate fat burning machine. Your powerful fat burning process may have been dampened over the years to a shadow of its former potential, but it is still there. In the mitochondria of every muscle cell in your body is a process of turning fat and food into energy. Think about it like a furnace, a fire that melts fat. For some, however, it may only be a flicker compared to its former glory of being on fire. This is your metabolic rate. Less Is More The good news is that it is easy to turn up your furnace. Here are five steps to success: n Train less. Yes, less. Instead of hours of mindless boring pounding the treadmill, 15 minutes of intensive weight resistance exercise activates the muscle cells and can keep them burning red hot for up to 48 hours (compared to an aerobic afterburn effect of only about two hours). n Don’t starve. Instead, eat a natural low-glycemic diet to fuel your fat burning cells.

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February 15, 2010

Healthcare

Downtown News 13

Medical Milestones

Miracles on Hope Street 5 Years of Excellence in Trauma Care at California Hospital Medical Center

* * I ent Healthcare. nt Healthcare. thcare.* “

n life and health, one never knows for whom the % Of Brain Injury Trauma Patients That Return To The Community After Hospital & Rehab Stay bell tolls,” Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky once stated about the importance of a reliable health safety net From Hospital to in Los Angeles. The bell has tolled for at least 2,500 Rehab to Home people in downtown Los Angeles each year since 2004. Many of these people would not be here today When compared with were it not for the Leavey Trauma Center at California 90.00 patients from other trauma Los Hospital Angeles. Angeles. Medical Center. 85.00 centers (blue) and with the California The Los Angeles County trauma system is one of the national average (green), Hospital oldest and most established in the country. Thanks to the 80.00 more patients from Trauma vision of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors 75.00 California Hospital (red) Center and an overwhelming majority of voters, anyone who susOther are functionally indepentains traumatic injuries and receives care at a Los Angeles 70.00 National LA County dent after rehab. In addiCounty trauma center benefits from Measure B funds, spe65.00 Trauma Centers tion, more patients from cifically allocated for trauma care. The LA County system includes 13 trauma centers serving10 million people in 88 California Hospital are able 60.00 cities covering 4,000 square miles. There are over 20,000 to return to community life STATISTICS COURTESY OF RANCHO LOS AMIGOS trauma activations annually in LA County alone. after rehab. Prior to 2004, California Hospital was known as a best practice hospital for mothers andPico. babies. Just Still, 2 blocks east of L.A. LIVE! On Grand and On Grand and Pico. Just 2 blocks east of L.A. LIVE! community needs for emergency services quickly sur- every trauma brought to the hospital. Number of Surgical Procedures per Year; “Our patients’ lives depend on the highest quality of passed the hospital’s 30,000 visit capacity. Now 65,000 By Specialty nd Pico. Just 2 blocks east of L.A. LIVE! patients come through the emergency room each year. care,” says trauma surgeon and Trauma Medical Director Orthopedic Facial Vascular Trauma Neurosurgery Prior to CHMC’s designation as a Level II trauma cen- Dr. Gudata Hinika. “It doesn’t matter who they are or ter, the most critically injured patients were routed to what they do, our goal is to provide one standard of 700 other hospitals in the area. Surgical specialists were vir- care for our patients: the highest standard.” California’s 600 tually impossible to recruit. This severe lack of resourc- Trauma Center has the distinction of receiving two backes resulted in the hospital’s inability to provide critical to-back verification surveys with no deficiencies from the 500 patients with solid continuity of care, causing further American College of Surgeons. The team’s system of providing continuity of care is a stress on patients, emergency medical personnel and 400 model for others. Multidisciplinary conferences, ancillary other hospitals in the safety net. 300 Seeing a need to better serve the community and be a staff and physician assistants make for a solid clinical suppart of the solution, California Hospital applied for and port system. “Trauma demands commitment and excel200 re Close to Work, Close to Home: received Level II trauma designation in 2004. It was lence,” says neurosurgeon Dr. John Holly. Nowhere is lose to Work, Close to Home: 100 the first trauma center in more than 20 years to join the this more critical than with brain and spinal cord injuries. oT, Home: Los Angeles County trauma network. “What California “The brain and spinal cord are less forgiving than other Ultrasound, Interventional Radiology 0 rasound, Interventional Radiology Hospital has done by stepping up to the plate is truly organs,” says neurosurgeon Dr. Samuel Biggers. Neuro2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 remarkable,” says Supervisor Yaroslavsky. “No one spine surgeon Dr. Gregory Lekovic, agrees, “The quality ment Radiology thru would have faulted them if they decided against taking on of outcome is dependent on the timeliness and course of Sept theTreatment challenge and expense of becoming a trauma center. treatment.” urgical options al Treatment options “I was ready to donate my daughter’s organs because But we are very grateful they did.” Today, the Leavey Trauma Center at California I knew that’s what she would want when her time came,” bilitation at Rancho Los Amigos. “Thanks to a great Hospital is a life-saver. It is the busiest private Level II says Kim Rodriguez, whose daughter sustained life- trauma team at California Hospital and the specialized trauma center in Los Angeles County. It is also the top threatening injuries to the head and neck. “But the doctors programs provided at Rancho, our statistical reports show transport facility in the City of Los Angeles for emer- at California Hospital didn’t give up. They believed in her that the outcomes for traumatic brain injury cases are construction Shoulder) ruction (Hip, (Hip, Knee,Knee, Shoulder) consistently better for California Hospital patients when gency and trauma care, according to Assistant Fire Chief ability to survive. And they brought her back.” In addition to board certified otolaryngologists, general compared with national outcomes and those of other local Daniel McCarthy. ulder) Volumes and positive outcomes are key benchmarks in surgeons, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons and vas- trauma centers.” On any given day at California Hospital, former determining a trauma program’s effectiveness. “There is cular surgeons, a digit re-implantation specialist is also reatments ments We’re for You.Dr. Gary Chen has patients visit with nurses, greet physicians, or simply on staff. UpperHere extremity specialist strength in numbers,” according to orthopedic traumatolo-We’re Here for You. piratory Care ory Care gist Dr. Brian Solberg who specializes in treating pelvic reattached digits and fashioned fingers from toes to allow come to share their story. These patients are heroes to Heretofor You. fractures, “I liken a We’re program’s viability an airline pilot. patients a better quality of life. “We believe in providing staff and physicians alike. “Every patient we treat has stic and Treatment Services nd Treatment Services The more hours of flight time, the higher the trust factor. our patients with the best possible opportunities to get made us better—not just as caregivers, but as people,” says hospital president Jerry Clute. “This is why qualWould you feel safer with the pilot who has 30 hours back to their routine,” says Dr. Chen. ment and Surgical and Surgical CarehisCare For the team at California Hospital, saving a patient’s ity and safety are a way of life for our doctors, nurses flight time under belt, or the one with 10,000 hours of life is just the beginning. The real task is providing the and employees.” flight Services experience?” Testing ng Services The Leavey Trauma Center at California Hospital is To date, 10,310 trauma patients have been cared for at patient with the best possible quality of life. To this end, the hospital works closely with physicians and rehabilitalocated 2 blocks southeast of the Staples Center on Hope California Hospital. Of those, 2,729 required operative s — Level II NICU Level II NICU procedures performed by Board Certified surgeons. A tion specialists at Rancho Los Amigos, the country’s top Street in downtown Los Angles. To learn more about vel II heliport Trauma Center allows for rapid transport to and from the facil- rehabilitation center. “There are miracles on both sides,” California Hospital Medical Center and its services, Trauma Center ity when needed. A multidisciplinary team is present for says Dr. Ziyad Ayyoub, chief of adult brain injury reha- please call 888 742 CHMC or visit www.chmcla.org.

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14 Downtown News

February 15, 2010

Healthcare

Straight Talk on Breast Cancer California Hospital Breast Surgeon Answers Questions About the Disease

r. Rebecca Alleyne, a board certified surgeon with a fellowship in breast surgery, shares her expertise about this prevalent disease. She received her training at the USC School of Medicine and FROM OUR ADVERTISERS

trained at the USC Norris Cancer Center. She is currently practicing at the Donald P. Loker Cancer Center at California Hospital in Downtown Los Angeles. Question: Who is at risk for breast cancer?

Answer: In women, the presence of high levels of unopposed estrogen in the body is a contributing factor for the risk for cancer. Those at highest risk are women who have a family history of breast cancer. When doing genetic screening for this disease, it’s also important to take into consideration your father’s side of the equation. The gene that carries breast cancer is a dominant gene and may be passed on from a mother to her son (your grandmother to your father to you) and then on to his offspring. This is not to say, however, that just because cancer “does not run in your fam-

10 MI COM N WI UTE PLI TH DE M TH NT E N IS AD AL C TA VE ON R RT Y ISE SUL ME TA NT TIO N

ily,” that you are off the hook. Studies by the American Cancer Society also show that 93% of cancer patients do not have a family history of cancer. Q: So really, no one is completely safe? A: That’s why understanding risk factors are so important. Women who have had children later in life (34 years old and up) or older women who have no children, have higher exposure to unopposed estrogen throughout their lifetime. This increases risk. Lifestyle choices such as smoking and eating habits increase risk. Obese women (with a body mass index over

Educogym Continued from page 12 cialist who updates your program and monitors your progress every six weeks. The program will turn you into a red hot fat-burning machine.

25) increase their risk for breast cancer as well. Excessive drinking, while not directly related to breast cancer, causes liver damage, which in turn makes it difficult to clear estrogen from the system. Q: What is unopposed estrogen? A: Unopposed estrogen is the amount of estrogen to which your body is exposed without the balancing factor of progesterone (a hormone present during pregnancy). The length of uninterrupted time the body is exposed to unopposed estrogen, which begins in puberty and accumulates in the body without decrease or balance, heightens a woman’s risk for breast cancer. So the younger you are when you start your period increases your risk, as does late menopause (after age 52). Q: What can I do to improve the odds? A: Taking charge of your body and your health is the first step to ensuring that you can remain cancer-free. n Do a breast self-exam at least once a month. n If something feels abnormal, no matter how small or insignificant, have it checked. n Eating less animal fat, drinking in moderation, not smoking, and regular exercise are good ways to improve your odds. n Starting at age 40, get a mammogram and a breast exam. For more information about Cancer Care at California Hospital, call (213) 742 5634.

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Downtown News 15

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RESTAURANTS Continued from page 1 thousands of orders. Yet despite the pressure, on the surface at least, they appear calm, cool and ready. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course we cannot say we are not nervous, but we have a lot of experience,â&#x20AC;? Branger said last week as he stood in the lobby kitchen of the hotel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perfect, but I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be fine.â&#x20AC;? Training Days The sheer machinery and amounts of materials are almost awe-inspiring. There are cauldron-like food steamers, closet-size ovens in the bakery and conveyor belts for the banquet kitchen. The hotel has stocked 35,000 pieces of china, 30,000 pieces of glassware and 40,000 pieces of silverware. Branger and Rossi have been preparing for months. The hired food and beverage crew has spent the past week in intensive training. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been making the recipes, getting to know their stations, understanding the food,â&#x20AC;? Branger said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In banquet theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been working on volume, training on stations, floor operations, the layout of the kitchen.â&#x20AC;? Almost no detail is too small. On a recent afternoon, small groups of food and beverage employees sat in the hotel lobby and in the kitchens listening to instructions on everything from how to greet guests to whether someone can get to-go items from a buffet (the answer was no). Much of the food served in the hotel will be California and American cuisine with a focus on organic fare. Late last week the test meals were rolling out. Part of the point, said Branger, was to see where they were making mistakes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the philosophy is that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better to get it wrong now than later. There is no set figure on the number of meals that will be served at the hotel throughout any given day. But with 1,001 rooms (the 123 Ritz rooms open March 15), they expect to serve thousands of breakfasts, lunches and dinners. There is also room service, and not just for the hotels, but for the residents of the 224 Ritz-Carlton condominiums on the top levels of the 54-story building. Then there are the banquets in the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection of ballrooms â&#x20AC;&#x201D; these can attract up to 3,000 people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be very busy,â&#x20AC;? Branger said.

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hotel and the adjacent four-story conference center. But the packed hotel rooms are not as much of a concern for Rossi as the people who will come in unannounced. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We feel confident that we have a welltrained staff, especially in banquets,â&#x20AC;? Rossi said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The unknown is once we open the doors, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to walk into the lounges, the restaurants?â&#x20AC;? That could be a complex issue. Rossi noted that the Lakers have two home games this week. It is unknown how many of the 19,000 fans will want to check out the new hotel res-

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Some of the outfits in FIDM’s costume design exhibit feature a more subtle and contemporary look, like the clothes worn by Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx in The Soloist, created by costume designer Jacqueline Durran.

These monsters, created by Casey Storm, were seen in the film Where the Wild Things Are. The pajama-clad mannequin wears the clothes worn by the character of Max.

Dresses to Impress FIDM Brings Back Exhibit of Standout Movie Costumes by Anna Scott staff writer

antee Alley is not the only place in Downtown Los Angeles where you can find fatigue pants, rubber bodysuits and nightgowns all in one place. At least not for the next eight weeks. The 18th annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, which features more than 100 costumes from more than 20 movies released in 2009, opened last week. It remains on display at 919 S. Grand Ave. through April 17. The exhibition this year features outfits from movies as diverse as the period drama The Young Victoria, the quirky Spike Jonze-directed fantasy Where the Wild Things Are and the futuristic comic book-based flick Watchmen. Each film is represented by anywhere from two to nearly 10 outfits. The unaltered clothes are showcased on spotlighted mannequins, displayed movie by movie in life-sized dioramas inside FIDM’s ground-floor gallery. Many of the costumes are over-the-top ensembles immediately recognizable from the big screen, such as the four towering, fur-covered monsters from Where the Wild Things Are. Other outfits are more contemporary, down-to-earth ensembles from films such as The Soloist or Julie & Julia; off screen, they often prove to be surprisingly detailed and eye-catching. “We wanted all forms of film, not just the historic, grandiose period costumes,” said FIDM costume historian Kevin Jones, who was part of the team that curated the show. “There’s so much craft that really gets lost onscreen, which is why we love this exhibit. It’s literally a freeze frame.” Gowns to Shopping Carts On the flamboyant end of the spectrum, the FIDM show includes the seven intricately layered, bejeweled and flower-adorned outfits from the Terry Gilliamdirected film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. One ensemble, worn in the movie by actress Lily Cole, features a pair of 17th century-style cropped men’s pants underneath a nightgown-type muslin tunic, topped with a cracked corset decorated with shimmery beads and flowers. Another outfit, also worn by Cole, consists of a sheer, deep orange-red dress gussied up with a detailed corset, thick gold trim around the collar and gold tassels hanging from the sleeves. The film’s fantastical story about a traveling theater company inspired the otherworldly looks, said Imaginarium costume designer Monique Prudhomme, who earned an

Costumes from the futuristic, comic book-based film Watchmen were created by Michael Wilkinson.

The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design at FIDM’s gallery features seven detailed gowns from the period drama The Young Victoria, such as the purple bias-cut dress with hand sewn cartridge pleating. The dresses were designed by Sandy Powell.

Academy Award nomination for her work. “For outfits to work, you have to start with the character. Otherwise the actor is just a clothes hanger,” she said during an exhibit media event last week. “The script tells us the story of a man who is immortal, has lived a long time. They would dress with what they had gathered over the years.” Other showy costumes include the seven 1800s-style gowns created for The Young Victoria, a retelling of the early years of Queen Victoria’s rule, by costume designer Sandy Powell. The colorful, painstakingly detailed dresses include one bias-cut purple gown made from raw silk with a full skirt, corseted top and hand sewn “cartridge” pleating to create an authentic period shape. Clothes from Watchmen, meanwhile, are equally flashy, but with a different aesthetic. The futuristic superhero costumes, designed by Michael Wilkinson, include a rubber bodysuit worn in the film by Malin Akerman with cut-outs and garter belts and covered in KY Jelly to prevent cracking. The subtler costumes include outfits worn by Robert Downey Jr. as Los Angeles Times reporter Steve Lopez and Jamie Foxx as homeless musician Nathaniel Ayers in the film The Soloist. The reporter’s duds include nondescript gray shoes and matching corduroy pants, and an open-collared shirt

over a T-shirt for a muted, slouchy effect. Ayers’ costume features layered fatigues scrawled with pen marks and a shopping cart stuffed with odds and ends including a dirtied American flag blanket and a broom sticking up. “People don’t realize, when they see something contemporary they think, ‘Oh, you just had to go shopping,’” said FIDM professor and former “Project Runway” contestant Nick Verreos, discussing how costumes like those from The Soloist fit alongside the exhibit’s more ostentatious outfits. “It’s so impressive to see what goes into it. You are designing the look of the character. I think that’s where a costume designer really grows.” Getting Dressed The outfits included in The Art of Costume Design were procured from many sources, said Jones, including film studios, designers and actors. “It’s hard,” he said of gathering the clothes. “We don’t know if the costumes have survived, but we try our best to get the key outfits from each film.” He added, “We literally started on next year’s show today.” Several of the films represented in this year’s exhibit have been nominated for Academy Awards for costume design or received nods in other categories, including Imaginarium, Young Victoria, Bright Star, Nine and Inglorious Basterds. Potential award nominations, however, are not part of the selection process, said Jones. “We don’t have a crystal ball,” he said. “We have 90% of the exhibit set up when the nominations come out.” Jones and the other curators watch films throughout the year and track movies in trade journals to figure out which ones will make the biggest splash, he said. They also make selections based on which costumes are accessible. Ultimately, Jones said, the idea is to choose a broad range of costumes that will provide FIDM students with insight into what it takes to design a look for the big screen — whether for a big-budget musical, an intimate character drama or a futuristic sci-fi fantasy. The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design is at the FIDM Museum & Galleries, 919 S. Grand Ave., through April 17. The gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Information at (213) 623-5821 or fidm.edu. Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.

February 15, 2010

Downtown News 17

DowntownNews.com

WHAT’S IN STORE

tor or even a homeowner with a really big space for a really big window. “Some of these churches are being turned into housing or even nightclubs, and you can save a piece of them at home,” he said.

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Big Time: Even Flavor Flav, the clock-wearing hype man for Public Enemy, would be impressed by the approximately six-foot tall wooden clock face from a New York church. It doesn’t tell time and the hands are long gone, but it looks cool, although it would be a little hard to walk around with this timepiece hanging from your neck. It sells for $8,000.

Grand Avenue Shop Is L.A.’s Raiders of the Lost Architecture

Knock Knock: They say that when one door closes, another opens. Olde Good Things can make that happen literally, with a collection of doorknobs. They start at around $20 and encompass a range of styles, including industriallooking metal knobs and delicate glass pieces.

photo by Gary Leonard

Olde Good Things has an eclectic selection, selling everything from $20 doorknobs to a $6,000 ship’s propeller. by Richard Guzmán city editor

alling the merchandise at Olde Good Things eclectic is an understatement: The 9,000-square-foot space at 1800 S. Grand Ave. is billed as a place for an “architechturologist.” Goods range from a tall stained glass window to a terra cotta Coca Cola sign to the interior walls of an old elevator to even a boat propeller. Paul Szostak, the manager of Olde Good Things’ Downtown store (there are also locations in New York, Chicago, Dallas and West L.A.), said he finds his goods at construction sites and building renovations. The shop ac-

quires and sells things like windows, doors, fireplaces, tables and fixtures that might otherwise be destroyed. The Downtown Los Angeles store opened five years ago and offers items salvaged from mostly East Coast job sites. Prices range from $20 to more than $20,000. As part of a series highlighting local retail, Los Angeles Downtown News takes a look at what’s in store. Go to Church: From the holy house to your house, $7,500 buys a 12-foot tall stained glass window recovered from a church in Pennsylvania that was razed. Szostak thinks it would be a good item for an art collec-

Window Dressing: History and Big Apple aficionados can get an actual window from New York’s famed Flatiron building. The $850 window was obtained after a restoration project on the 1902 Manhattan edifice, Szostak said. The store installed a mirror in the frame to make it more appealing. “These sort of things are really hot sellers; they have a history behind them,” Szostak said. Elk Crossing: If you’ve ever wanted to know what it feels like to be a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, without all the legwork that goes into working for charities and being really, really patriotic, then sit right down on a pair of red leather chairs salvaged from an Elk Lodge in Pennsylvania. The chairs, $2,500 for two, are

reminiscent of something you might find on the private balcony of an old theater. With these chairs you can even start your own Downtown fraternal organization. Ship Out: You don’t come across boat propellers every day in Downtown, but Olde Good Things has one that it salvaged from a shipyard. The propeller, which sells for $6,000, has been mounted on a base in case you want to show it off in your living room. The Old Wall Game: Why settle for boring old wallpaper or cookie-cutter wall art when you can get original and creative pieces? The store sells a variety of antique tin panels that are often used as wall hangings. Prices start at $35 per panel. JFK Connection: The company did a salvage job at JFK Airport a few years ago and brought some of the fixtures to Los Angeles. The store sells two “satellite lights” that illuminated terminals at the airport’s American Airlines gate. The $1,400 lights date to the 1950s and look like metal chandeliers. “The light shines upwards and they still work very well,” Szostak said. What Floor?: For creative types with a lot of cash to spare, the store offers the metallic frame from an elevator car salvaged from a Manhattan building. Szostak said it can be used as an elaborate cubical at a creative office, or even a powder room in someone’s home. “A lot of designers come up with very amazing applications for these things,” he said. They’ll also need to come up with $22,000. Contact Richard Guzmán at richard@downtownnews.com.

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18 Downtown News

LISTINGS the

Tuesday, Feb. 16 Aloud at Central 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7000 or aloudla.org. 7 p.m.: Musicologist Dorothy Lamb Crawford discusses the musical windfall that befell Southern California, and especially Los Angeles, when Hitler exiles settled here in the pre-war days. She’ll speak with conductor and composer William Kraft. California African American Museum 600 State Dr., (213) 744-7432 or caammuseum.org. 6-8 p.m.: The museum will screen a documentary about the Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd infantry division, an African-American segregated unit of 15,000 soldiers who served in Italy during WWII.

Thursday, Feb. 18 MOCA, Geffen Contemporary 152 N. Central Ave., (213) 626-6222 or moca.org. 6:30 p.m.: MOCA Associate Curator Bennett Simpson leads a walkthrough of the installation of “Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years.” All About Business Loans Downtown Retail Project, 315 W. Ninth St., Suite #501, (213) 488-3599 or info@downtownlaretail.com. 4-5 p.m.: In this free workshop, learn about the various types of business loans available to expand or start a business. Also, learn the components of a business loan package and prepare to talk with a loan officer. Friday, Feb. 19 Bicycle Roundtable Metro Headquarters, One Gateway Plaza, 15th Floor, (213) 922-4224 or metro.net. 2-4 p.m.: The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will host the first Bicycle Roundtable to discuss Los Angeles County bicycle issues, and invites cycling community participation. The meeting is intended to initiate a dialogue and identify issues of importance to cyclists in the region that will help create a vision for enhancing Metro’s current bicycle program. Farmlab Public Salons 1745 N. Spring St., Unit 4, (323) 226-1158 or farmlab.org. Noon: Software engineers Buck McGibbony and Yuki Uebara-McGibonny discuss “Geocaching,” a high-tech treasure hunting game in which players search for hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors, and then share their experiences online. saTurday, Feb. 20 Book Sale at Central Library 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7000 or lapl.org. 10 a.m.-noon: This used book sale features hundreds of bargain books, LPs, videos and more. sunday, Feb. 21 Sustainable Sundays at the Natural History Museum 900 Exposition Dr., (213) 763-DINO or nhm.org. 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.: Meet the organizations that are making Los Angeles a cleaner, greener city, and find out how you can get involved and make a difference. Events include hands-on activities with Breathe LA that teach how the air we consume is linked to the trash we throw out. Guests can also take in a composting demonstration, make art out of recycled materials with artist Bette Simons, and watch an innovative performance with HumAnimals.

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t s i L

Dance, Classical Music, Deep Thoughts and More Dancing! by AnnA Scott, StAff writer

ure, you can see a standard issue virtuoso any night of the week. But to see the man the New York Times called “not a standard issue virtuoso,” you will have to visit the Doheny Mansion on the campus of Mount St. Mary’s Colleges on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 8 p.m. That’s when multi-prize winning young violinist Augustin Hadelich will perform works by Telemann, Brahms, Poulenc and Sarasate in a recital presented by the Da Camera Society. Hadelich will be playing a 1683 ex-Gingrich Stradivarius (it’s a violin, and has nothing to do with Newt), so get ready to party like it’s 1683. A pre-concert talk starts at 7:40. At 8 Chester Place, (213) 477-2929 or dacamera.org.

one photo by Gene Schiavone

Wednesday, Feb. 17 LA Economic Forecast Downtown Marriott, 333 S. Figueroa St., laedc.org. 7-10:30 a.m.: The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation releases its annual economic forecast and industry outlook. LAEDC economists Jack Kyser and Dr. Nancy Sidhu lead the discussion. Aloud at Central 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7000 or aloudla.org. 7 p.m.: Robert Crease, a science historian and philosopher, runs through 10 of the most important victories in man’s long struggle to understand the world we live in. He’s joined by USC professor Larry Swanson. SCI-Arc Lecture Series 960 E. Third St., (213) 613-2200 or sciarc.edu. 7 p.m.: The school hosts architect Michael Sorkin for a lecture. Sorkin is a professor of architecture and director of the graduate program in urban design at the City College of New York.

‘ D o n’t M i s s’

First there was the Lord of the Dance. Now get ready for the Kings of the Dance, the name of a show that comes to the Ahmanson Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 16-17. The three-act performance features eight male dance virtuosos from companies all over the globe, including American Ballet Theatre, the National Ballet of Canada and the Marinsky Ballet of St. Petersberg. The dancers will perform works by choreographers such as Frederick Ashton and Leonid Jacobson. The two-night engagement will mark the show’s North American debut following a 10city Russian tour in 2007-08. At 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-0711 or musiccenter.org.

Get d e the C ep and th entra en dr ning begin l Library o ink until y ou’re s with World n We s d depa columnist a 7 p.m. A nesday, F hallow ag rtmen ain at loud and S e b. 17 fo t huma t nkind chair Rob ony Brook rum featu . The evea me ring P ert C ’s mo Unive m r s h autho ber of US t importan ease, who rsity philo ysics C’s N s r, will t w o v p ill out ictorie euros bers o mode line hy s. D c (for $ f the librar rate the le ience Rese r. Larry S 10 of w 2 y a Pinot 0) are invi ’s Young L cture. Follo rch Institu anson, ted to iterat te an for co w i n g i St., (2 13) 22 cktails and join Creas club and the talk, m d an n e 8-750 m 0 or lf ore discu at the ad on-memb emj ers la.org a s s cen i o n. At . 630 W t Café . Fifth photo court esy of Rober t Crea se

Four G et rhythm this weekend at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Sure, they say that you’re either born with it or not, but Got Rhythm!, a dance and performance group, should help when they join headliners Futa Toro! in a family-friendly show on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. Futa Toro! will start the fun with a drum call using a traditional West African rhythm, then take audience members through an educational celebration of color, music, song and dance. Got Rhythm! specializes in tap dance. And both groups have exclamation points in their names! So you know it will be fun! And exciting! The performance is free! At 111 S. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8000 or musiccenter.org.

f you can’t make it to Rio De Janeiro this week for the three-day extravaganza of wild costumes, samba dancing and general debauchery that is Carnaval, visit L.A. Live instead for Club Nokia’s Brazilian Carnaval 2010. The party starts at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, and will fuel the dance floor with KCRW’s Garth Trinidad and other DJs spinning Brazilian dance music, a live performance by the band Trio Electrico and dance numbers from the Brazilian Nites Samba troupe. Costumes are highly encouraged. At 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or clubnokia.com. Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.

5 photo by Frank Bautista

photo courtesy of the Da Camera Society

EVENTS

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February 15, 2010

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LADOWNTOWNNEWS.COM/CALENDAR : EVENTS | ROCK, POP & JAZZ | CLASSICAL MUSIC THEATER, OPERA & DANCE | ART SPACES | FILM | BARS & CLUBS | MUSEUMS | FARMERS MARKETS | TOURS showtimes. Through Feb 17: A Boy And His Dog (1975) is the classic sci-fi tale that follows the exploits of a young man and his telepathic dog in the year 2024 as they struggle to survive in a post-atomic wilderness. Through Feb. 17: The documentary Waiting for Armageddon probes the politically powerful and potentially explosive alliance between Evangelical Christians and Israel. Feb. 19-March 3: In Bulletproof Salesman, a selfconfessed war profiteer finds the perfect war when the US invades Iraq. But as the war evolves, he quickly finds himself engaged in a pathological arms race. Feb. 21: The Last Hurrah is a comedy filmed in a single continuous shot. Set at a graduation party in Los Angeles, an eclectic group of brainy philosophy students, train-hopping hippies, aspiring prophets and drug-addled hipsters come together for one wild night. Flagship Theatres 3323 S. Hoover St., (213) 748-6321 or flashipmovies.com. Through Feb. 18: The Wolfman, Valentine’s Day. (for showtimes, visit flagshipmovies.com). Regal Cinema L.A. Live 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., (877) 835-5734 or lalive.com. Through Jan. 21: Dear John (11 and 11:40 a.m. and 1:30, 2:10, 4, 4:40, 6:50, 7:30, 9:30 and 10:10 p.m.); From Paris With Love (12:30, 2:50, 5:20, 8 and 10:30 p.m.); The Book of Eli (12:50, 3:40, 6:30 and 9:20 p.m.); Legion (11:30 a.m. and 1:50, 4:20, 6:40 and 9:10 p.m.); Avatar in 3D (11:30 a.m. and 3, 6:40 and 10:20 p.m.); Crazy Heart (1:10, 3:50, 6:30 and 9:10 p.m.); Edge of Darkness (1, 3:50, 6:50 and 9:50 p.m.); Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (11:10 and 11:50 a.m. and 1:50, 2:30, 4:30, 5:10, 7:20, 8, 10:10 and 10:50 p.m.); Valentine’s Day (11:10 a.m. and 1:20, 2, 4:10, 4:50, 7:10, 7:50, 10 and 10:40 p.m.); The Wolfman (11 and 11:40 a.m. and 1:40, 2:20, 4:20, 5, 7, 7:40, 9:40 and 10:20 p.m.).

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. Café Metropol 923 E. Third St., (213) 613-1537 or cafemetropol.com. Feb. 19, 8-10 p.m.: Singer songwriter, Alfa. Feb. 20, 8-10 p.m.: Dan Schnelle Quartet swings with Dayna Stephens. Feb. 21, 6:30-10 p.m.: Spotlight Cabaret. Casey’s Irish Pub 613 S. Grand Ave., (213) 629-2353 or caseysirishpub.com. Feb. 17: Live Irish music. Fridays, 10:30 p.m.: Live rock and indie acts on the Jameson stage. 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 clubcicada.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. Conga Room L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic, (213) 749-0445 or congaroom.com. Feb. 20, 8 p.m.: Salsa diva Choco Orta. Nokia Theatre 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6000 or nokiatheatrelalive.com. Feb. 20, 8 p.m.: “Make It Better” is an evening of comedy for Pete Carroll’s charity A Better LA, hosted by Will Ferrell and featuring Tim & Eric, Tenacious D, Demetri Martin, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Swardson and Rob Riggle. Redwood Bar & Grill 316 W. Second St., (213) 680-2600 or theredwoodbar.com. Feb. 17, 10 p.m.: Multi-instrumentalist Mark Growden rocks out (his bag of tricks includes an accordian). Feb. 18, 10 p.m.: Dead Ghosts, Indian Wars, Bare Wires and Gestapo Khazi. Feb. 19, 10 p.m.: Gambler’s Mark, Mission Creeps

and Cold Blue Rebels. Feb. 20, 10 p.m.: Abby Travis, Wet and Reckless, Wild Yaks, 1921A and Cosio. Seven Grand 515 W. Seventh St., sevengrand.la. Feb. 15, 10 p.m.: John Daversa Small Group. Feb. 16, 10 p.m.: The Makers. Feb. 17, 10 p.m.: Artwork Jamal. The Smell 247 S. Main St., thesmell.org. Feb. 18, 9 p.m.: Rare Grooves, Black Elephant, TraPsPs and the Happy Hollows. Feb. 19, 9 p.m.: Tera Melos, All Leather and F’N A. Feb. 21, 9 p.m.: White Lung, Nu Sensae, Friendly Neighbors and NASA Space Universe.

MUSEUMS African American Firefighter Museum 1401 S. Central Ave., (213) 744-1730 or aaffmuseum.org. Ongoing: An array of firefighting relics dating to 1924, including a 1940 Pirsch ladder truck, an 1890 hose wagon, uniforms from New York, L.A. County and City of L.A. firefighters, badges, helmets, photographs and other artifacts. Annette Green Perfume Museum FIDM, second floor, 919 S. Grand Ave., (213) 6241200 or fidm.edu. Ongoing: “Fame and Fragrance” is up in this, the only museum of its kind in the U.S. It’s dedicated to enhancing our understanding the art, culture and science of the olfactory. Originally opened in New York City in 1999, the collection — 2,000 bottles, perfume presentations and documentary ephemera dating from the late 1800s to the present — was donated to FIDM in 2005. California African American Museum 600 State Drive, (213) 744-7432 or caamuseum.org. Through Feb. 28: “Harlem of the West, Jazz, Bebop and Beatnik” celebrates the Fillmore District of San Francisco in the 1940s, ’50s and early ’60s where Bebop cross-pollinated with the Beat Movement and avant-garde film making to make a dynamic scene. Through March 7: “An Idea Called Tomorrow” was co-conceived by CAAM and the Skirball Cultural Center and showcase works by 12 contemporary artists that imagine what a civil future looks like. California Science Center 700 State Drive, (323) 724-3623 or californiasciencecenter.org. Through April 15: “America I Am” celebrates nearly 500 years of African American contributions to America and the world. Through artifacts, multimedia and programs, visitors explore the influence and innovations of African Americans. Ongoing: The Science Center’s permanent exhibits are usually interactive and focus on human innovations and inventions as well as the life processes of living things. The lobby Science Court stays busy with the High Wire Bicycle, a Motion-Based Simulator and the Ecology Cliff Climb. The human body is another big focus: The Life Tunnel aims to show the connections between all life forms, from the single-celled amoeba to the 100-trillion-celled human being. Chinese American Museum 425 N. Los Angeles St., (213) 485-8567 or camla.org. Through May 30: “Hollywood Chinese: The Arthur Dong Collection” is an exhibition of movie memorabilia collected during the 10 years of research for Arthur Dong’s documentary on the Chinese in American feature films. Explore the filmmaker’s archive of over 1,000 items, including posters, lobby cards, stills, scripts, press material, and other artifacts dating from 1916 to present-day. Permanent: Re-creation of the Sun Wing Wo, a Chinese general store and herbal shop, and “Journeys: Stories of Chinese Immigration,” an exhibit exploring Chinese immigration to the United States with an emphasis on community settlement in Los Angeles. The display is outlined into four distinct time periods. Each period is defined by an important immigration law and/or event, accompanied by a brief description and a short personal story about a local Chinese American and their experiences in that particular historical period. Permanent: “Neighborhood Stories” a photographic exhibition exploring the beginnings of Los Angeles’ changing Chinese American communities, from the city’s original Chinatown, New Chinatown, China City and Market Chinatown. This exhibit will provide a glimpse of how the Chinese American community began to make Los Angeles home. El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument 124 Paseo de la Plaza, (213) 485-8372 or elpueblo.lacity.org. Ongoing: The whole of El Pueblo is called a “monu-

ment,” and of this monument’s 27 historic buildings, four function as museums: the Avila Adobe, the city’s oldest house; the Sepulveda House, home to exhibits and the monument’s Visitors Center; the Fire House Museum, which houses late 19th-century fire-fighting equipment; and the Masonic Hall, which boasts Masonic memorabilia. Check its website for a full slate of fiestas, including Cinco de Mayo, Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in November and December’s beautiful candlelight procession, Las Posadas. Open daily, though hours at shops and halls vary. FIDM Museum and Galleries 919 S. Grand Ave., (213) 624-1200 or fidm.edu. Grammy Museum L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org. Through March 28: In 1956, photojournalist Alfred Wertheimer was hired by RCA Victor to shoot promotional images of a recently signed 21-year-old recording artist, Elvis Presley, and his instincts to “tag along” with the artist resulted in 56 striking images that provide an intimate look at Elvis before he exploded onto the scene. The collection is called “Elvis At 21.” Through summer 2010: “Michael Jackson: A Musical Legacy” includes Jackson’s trademark fedora and gloves, six elaborately embellished jackets, original lyrics, a Jackson 5 stage costume and more. Across eight video monitors, the museum presents footage of Jackson’s appearances on the annual Grammy Awards, as well as never-before-seen video of some of Jackson’s famous friends sharing their memories of him. The exhibit features a new interactive experience which allows visitors to dance on a floor of light-up tiles, mimicking Jackson’s own moves in the “Billie Jean” music video. Ongoing: “Roland Live” is a permanent installation courtesy of the electronic musical instrument maker, Roland Corporation. The exhibit gives visitors a chance to participate in the music-making process by playing a wide variety of Roland products, from V-Drums and BOSS pedals to VIMA keyboards and the MV-8800 Production Studio. Japanese American National Museum 369 E. First St., (213) 625-0414 or janm.org. Ongoing: “Common Ground: The Heart of Community” chronicles 130 years of Japanese American history, from the early days of the Issei pioneers to the present. Museum of Contemporary Art, Grand Avenue 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2766 or moca.org. Through May 3: “Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years” is a two-part exhibition that constitutes the largest-ever installation of MOCA’s permanent collection and reflects the museum’s early and ongoing commitment to bringing art of major historical significance and distinction to the public. Part one of Collection, on view at MOCA Grand Avenue, features works made between 1939 and 1979, organized chronologically beginning with Piet Mondrian’s Composition of Red, Blue, Yellow and White: Nom III (1939). Permanent: Nancy Rubins’ cheekily and comprehensively titled “Chas’ Stainless Steel, Mark Thompson’s Airplane Parts, About 1000 Pounds of Stainless Steel Wire, Gagosian’s Beverly Hills Space, at MOCA (2001-2002)” is a monumental sculpture made out of parts of an airplane. Museum of Contemporary Art, The Geffen Contemporary 152 N. Central Ave., (213) 621-2766 or moca.org. Through May 3: Part two of “Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years,” begins with the museum’s founding in 1979, during which time MOCA has been actively acquiring works, organizing exhibitions, and engaging with artists in Los Angeles and beyond. Museum of Neon Art 136 W. Fourth St., (213) 489-9918 or neonmona.org. Ongoing: Check it out soon, because MONA is mulling a move to Glendale. Before it leaves, an exhibition featuring pieces from Larry Albright and “A Cautionary Tale,” photography by Tom Zimmerman, remain on view. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., (213) 763–3466 or nhm.org. Ongoing: The “Dino Lab” is a working paleontological lab, wherein museum preparators will work on a several dinosaur and other fossil creature skeletons for future display at the museum. Ongoing: “Visible Vault: Archaeological Treasures from Ancient Latin America” features over 700 treasures from ancient civilizations of Mexico, Central and South America are on display. The objects are beautiful in and of themselves — gold drinking vessels from ancient Peru, a large stone Teotihuacan carving of an “Old Fire God” and a Jalisco warrior figurine with armor, for example —

Listings for additional concerts, exhibits and more in Downtown Los Angeles can be found on our website. Go to ladowntownnews.com/calendar for full information, including time and location, for all the happenings in Downtown. but they also provide a dramatic encounter with the ancient civilizations of the New World. Sports Museum of Los Angeles 1900 S. Main St., (213) 763-4824 or sportsmuseumla. com. (213) 763-4824 This treasure trove of sports memorabilia is closed to the general public, but private functions or group tours can be arranged. Inside are thousands of rare, vintage baseball cards, original basketball uniforms, old baseball gloves and early bicycles, among other oddity collectibles. Wells Fargo History Museum 333 S. Grand Ave., (213) 253-7166 or wellsfargohistory.com. Ongoing: Take in an Old West exhibit including a faux 19th-century Wells Fargo office, a reallife Concord stagecoach that once traversed windy southern Kentucky roads and a gold nugget weighing in at a shocking two pounds.

BARS & CLUBS The Association 610 S. Main St., (213) 627-7385. Carved out of the area that used to belong to Cole’s, the bar in front, the Association is a dimly lit, swank little alcove with some serious mixologists behind the bar. Look for a heavy door, a brass knocker, and a long line. Banquette 400 S. Main St., (213) 626-2768 or banquette-cafe.com. This petite cafe and wine bar with its red and white striped awning has become a popular hangout for casual evenings of drinking wine and meeting up with friends. During monthly Art Walks on the second Thursday of the month, Banquette buzzes with almost every kind of Downtown denizen you could imagine. They have a small but lovely selection of wines by the glass as well as beers. Barbara’s at the Brewery 620 Moulton Ave., No. 110, (323) 221-9204 or barbarasatthebrewery.com. On the grounds of the Brewery, this bar and restaurant in an unfinished warehouse is where local residents find their artistic sustenance. Beer on tap, wine list and full bar. Bar 107 107 W. Fourth St., (213) 625-7382 or myspace.com/bar107. Inside the keyhole-shaped door, tough-as-nails Derby Dolls vie for elbowroom with crusty old bar guys and a steady stream of Old Bank District inhabitants. Velvet señoritas, deer heads with sunglasses, a wooden Indian and Schlitz paraphernalia plaster the red walls. There’s no shortage of entertainment, with the funky dance room, great DJs and the occasional rock band. Blue Velvet 750 S. Garland St., (213) 239-0061 or bluevelvetrestaurant.com. Located off a small side street, look for the blue neon sign that says The Flat. This stylish poolside restaurant and lounge features sparkling views of Staples Center, a dining room with a 17-foot sunken granite table, and a sleek bar with white stools where you can saddle up cowboy style. Bonaventure Brewing Company Westin Bonaventure, 404 S. Figueroa St., (213) 2360802 bbc2go.com. Where can you get a drink, order some decent bar food, sit outdoors and still feel like you’re Downtown? It’s a tall order to fill, but this bar in the Bonaventure Hotel does it admirably. Sure, the hotel is vaguely ’80s, and you’ll probably encounter some convention goers tying a few on, but it only adds to the fun. Pub Quiz Trivia Night every Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. Bona Vista Lounge 404 S. Figueroa St., (213) 624-1000 or starwoodhotels.com. Located in the heart of the Financial District in the landmark Westin Bonaventure Hotel, this revolving cocktail lounge offers a 360-degree view of the city.

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February 15, 2010

Downtown News 21

DowntownNews.com

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 REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL Condos/Townhouses BEST VALUE Hollywood. New construc. 4 townhouses. 5936 Barton Ave. Start at $575,000. No HOA. 3BR/3BA, HDWD flrs., frpl. Open House Sat./Sun. til sold. 12-4. PICS at ladowntownnews.com (818) 430-1314. Out of State OCEANVIEW LOTS FOR SALE: San Felipe Mexico, From $30,000, Financing available, Electric and Water. Toll Free 877871-9783; email: vistadelmarsanfelipe@gmail.com; www.VistaDelMarBaja.com. (Cal-SCAN) TEXAS LAND Foreclosures 20/40 acre tracts. Near growing El Paso. No credit checks/ Owner Financing. Money back guarantee, 0 down, Take over $159/month. 1-800-843-7537. www.SunsetRanches.com. (CalSCAN)

Acreage/Lots COLORADO LAND Foreclosures. One day sale February 27, 2010. Start @ 35 AC- 24,842. Many 35-100 ac parcels. Great recreation areas Banks will finance. Call now 866-696-5263, x 5498. (Cal-SCAN)

“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.”

REAL ESTATE COMMERCIAL Office space lease/sale

ALA 99¢/Sq. Ft. High Rise Office Space

retail space lease/sale

Retail Store Front $1000 gross rent Downtown LA 1240/2500 sq.ft., 20ft ceiling, water included, central AC w/private restroom. Call Pierre or Terri at 818-212-8333 or 213-744-9911 Commercial Lease avail 2600/6500sqft. Enterprise zone Rebates.1021 N Mission RD 90033.Storefront avail. 4648 Hollywood Blvd 90027 1600Sqft. 213-253-8346 213-253-8345 323-343-1005.

FOR RENT

Walking distance to Metro Station, Social Security Office, Immigration Office, and Jewelry District. Close to 110 &101 Fwy. On site security guard.

lofts for sale

Buying, Leasing or Selling a Loft?

TheLoftGuys.net LA’s #1 Loft Site

Call 213-625-1313

TheLoftExpertGroup.com Downtown since 2002

Bill Cooper

213.598.7555

213-892-0088

Apartments/Unfurnished

DOWNTOWN L.A. OVIATT BUILDING

2 offices for rent, all hook-ups, partly furnished. 530 sqft. flex lease.

213.623.7008 or 213.280.5452

We've got what you're searching for! DowntownNews.com

Milano Lofts Now Leasing! • Gorgeous Layouts • 10-15’ Ceilings • Fitness Center • Wi-Fi Rooftop Lounge • Amazing Views 6th + Grand Ave. • 213.627.1900 milanoloftsla.com

1 bedroom apartment in restored 1904 classic building. High ceilings, antique cabinetry. West Downtown L.A. / MacArthur Park. $1,100. 213-389-0753

Free ReNT SPECIALS @ the Medici. Penthouse 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.

Free Rent Specials! Nice 1 Bdrms from $775 Gated entry. All new decor. North Hollywood

(310) 922-5437

FREE RENT SPECIALS (O.A.C.) New downtown luxury apartments with granite kitchens, marble baths, pool, spa, saunas & free parking. 888-736-7471. FREE RENT SPECIALS (O.A.C.) Brand New Resort Apartments. Granite kitchens, washer/dryers, pools, spas, saunas, fitness ctr, free tanning beds & much more! 866-690-2894.

Savoy studio end unit Assume 5 mo. Lease @ $1175; Longer Negotiable. Rob Nesbitt, Heritage Realty

(213) 617-8225

FOR RENT

LOFT LIVING

Your number 1 source for Loft sales, rentals and development! DowntownNews.com

Continued on next page

All submissions are subject to federal and California fair housing laws, which make it illegal to indicate in any advertisement any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income or physical or mental disability. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

THE ANSWER

TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE

Condos/unfurnished

Savoy

1 Bedroom, 1 Bath, New Paint/New Carpet, Clubhouse Amenities, Gym, Pool/Spa, All Appliances, Was./Dryr., 1 Park/Space, Secure & Gated.

$1600 (310) 215-0788

DowntownNews.com

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

22 Downtown News

February 15, 2010

Twitters/DowntownNews

Continued from previous page

FOR RENT

Old Bank District The original Live/Work Lofts

attorneys

ABOGADO DE IMMIGRACION!

from $1,100 Cafes, Bars, Shops, Galleries, Parking adjacent. Pets no charge

Commercial Space ARTIST’S WORK STUDIO Sunny, 17’ ceiling, wi-fi, gated parking. Part of larger studio at Santa Fe Art Colony, close to downtown and freeways. $425/ mo + sec. Work Only/Not Live-in 213-509-4403. Duplexes Highland Park, 2br;1ba; view;spacious,desireable area. New frig&stove,sun&roof deck,fresh paint;5min stroll to Goldline for easy commute to Downtown. Near shopping,restaurants,110 fwy. Upadated 20’s townhome. $1200 per month. (323) 2586000 Ext. 264 Loft/Unfurnished

LA Live Loft 1 & 2 Bdrm Lofts

Hardwood, Bar, AC, Sauna, Greenhouse, all appliances, Was./Dryr., Secure, Garage.

Starting @ $1795 (213) 747-0523

Family, Criminal, P.I. for more than 20 yrs! Child Support / Custody Necesita Permiso de trabajo? Tagalog / Español / Korean

Call 213.253.4777 LAloft.com

REAL ARTIST LOFTS 14001700 Sq. Ft., $1800-$1975/mo. High ceilings, hardwood floors, fireplace, pool/spa, gated parking, laundry, sorry no dogs, Open House Sundays 12-3pm @ 1250 Long Beach Ave. 213629-5539 SPECTACULAR LOFT 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1100 Sf). Market Lofts downtown. Atop Ralphs Fresh Fare. State of the art amenities. $2250/Month. 323-828-3953 or southparklofts@yahoo.com.

Get your GREEN CARD or CITIZENSHIP Law Office of H. Douglas Daniel Esq., (213) 689-1710

home improvement

崔Roof Michael Choi Roofing

Since 1972 • Free Estimate Reroof, Repairs • Lic. #C-39-588045

323-229-3320 (C) 323-722-1646 (B)

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. (CalSCAN) massage

Star Holistic Spa Massage/Acupressure $40 (1 Hour) 2551 W. Beverly Blvd. LA, CA, 90057 (Beverly Rampart)

Rooms

ComputerS/IT

13x13 TILE FLOOR cable internet one dresser with mirror book shelf utilities included share bath kitchen including cabinet spaces must be clean and organized $600.00 + deposit 323-533-1687.

COMPUTER REPAIR. FREE Assessment. 24/7 Onsite Support. Home / Office * Any Computer Issue * Troubleshooting/ Security * Install/ Repair/ Upgrade * Internet/ Antivirus/ Website. Day Davis: 310-592-2740, 818-7955985. ddavis@globaltechnologypros.com. (Cal-SCAN)

SERVICES

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in 240 Cal-SCAN newspapers for the best reach, coverage, and price. 25-words $550. Reach over 6 million Californians! Free email brochure. Call (916) 2886019. www.Cal-SCAN.com. (Cal-SCAN)

Childcare

Advertising

QUALITY LICENSED Full-day childcare available at Joy Picus or Harry Pregerson centers. Infants 5 years. (213) 978-0026 (213) 894-1556

ADVERTISE ONLINE in a network of 50-plus newspaper websites. Border to Border with one order! $7 cost per thousand impressions statewide. Minimum $5,000 order. Call for details: (916) 288-6010. www. CaliforniaBannerAdNetwork. com. (Cal-SCAN)

Tel: 213-383-7676

EZ SHIATSU & MASSAGE 30mins. (Reg. $30) $10 OFF 1st customers only. 400 E. 2nd St., #205 LA CA 90012

(Honda Plaza Mall)

213-680-4970

EMPLOYMENT

Cleaning CONCEPTO’S CLEANING Crew. Professional, experienced, cleans apartments, homes, offices and restaurants. Call for a quote. 323-459-3067 or 818-409-9183. Education HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA! Graduate in 4 weeks! Free Brochure. Call Now! 1-866-5623650 ext. 60 www.SouthEasternHS.com. (Cal-SCAN) Misc. Services Psychotherapy for adults and couples. Some insurances accepted. 5th & Grand. CA License LCS21567. Info at (310) 283-9027. (310) 283-9027 Travel/Vacation DISCOUNT HOTEL RATES: Up to 50% Less Than Other Travel Websites. San Francisco/ LA/ Anaheim/ San Diego from $44. Vegas from $22. www. GetaRoom.com 1-800-4683578. (Cal-SCAN)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Legal IF A LOVED ONE Uunderwent Hemodialysis and received Heparin between August l, 2007 and April 1, 2008 and died after the use of Heparin, you may be entitled to compensation. Attorney Charles Johnson - 1-800-5355727. (Cal-SCAN)

Drivers CDL A TEAM DRIVERS with Hazmat. Split $0.68 for all miles. O/OP teams paid $1.40 for all miles. Up to $1,500 Bonus. 1-800-835-9471. (Cal-SCAN)

PETS/ANIMALS Adopt A Pet ADOPT (OR FOSTER) your forever friend from Bark Avenue Foundation. Beautiful, healthy puppies, dogs, cats and kittens available at Downtown’s largest private adoption facility. Call Dawn at 213-840-0153 or email Dawn@BarkAveLA.com or visit www.Bark Avenue Foundation. org.

DISTRIBUTORS NEEDED for WhiteScience’s patented products and teeth whitening services. 300% growth. Proven System for Success, Exclusive territories. Training & Marketing provided. www. WhiteningOnWheels.com (877) 909-1080. (Cal-SCAN)

Misc. Items Two AKC Registered Teacup yorkshire terrier puppies, male or female. Contact Robinpeter04@ gmail.com.

ANNOUNCEMENTS 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.

DowntownNews.com

I c o n i c B e au t y

On Spring St.

Premiere Towers:

Autos Wanted 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) 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, 1-888468-5964. (Cal-SCAN)

LEGAL PUBLIC NOTICE

ITEMS FOR SALE

Business Opportunities ALL CASH VENDING! Be Your Own Boss! Your Own Local Vending Route. Includes 25 Machines and Candy for $9,995. MultiVend LLC, 1-888-625-2405. (Cal-SCAN)

AUTOS & RECREATIONAL

S e e k s S t y l i s h M at e

3 bdrm/2 bath, $2,100/mo. • Rooftop garden terrace/GYM w/city view • 24 hr. doorman • free (1) parking

City Lofts:

SUBCONTRACTOR ACCOUNTANT/CPAs WANTED. Zuehls, Legaspi & Co. (formerly EOAG, Inc.) a MBE and WBE accounting firm has submitted a proposal to be engaged by the City of Los Angeles to test compliance of the Communication Users Tax Program with certain requirements of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. Accordingly, Zuehls, Legaspi & Company is seeking subcontractors who are MBE, WBE and/or OBE – such terms meaning minority, women, disabled military veterans and other qualifying accountants to assist with the required compliance testing. It is anticipated that the accountant will be partly responsible for identifying and testing compliance with the method of verifying that such revenues were used for General Fund purposes and other elements of the work as will be dependent upon the accountant’s skills. The Bid due date is March 3, 2010 and the award of the contract is expected be done in March or April 2010. Zuehls, Legaspi & Company will advise and assist in obtaining any necessary bonds, lines of credit or insurance as required. Please call Paul Phillips at (213) 972-4033 Ext 7, email or fax resumes to paul@zlcpas. com or (213) 972-4034.

DTLA Class A Office Space Avail. for Sublease and/or Sharing

900 sqft, 13 ft ceilings, $1500/mo. • Granite marble top • Stainless steel appliances/refrigerator etc. • Pet friendly

NOW LEASING

FROM $1,250’s/Mo. Free Parking

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

$12.75 - $20.00/hr

ROOFTOP GARDEN RETREAT WITH BBQ AND LOUNGE GRAND LOBBY • FITNESS CENTER • SPA MODERN KITCHEN w/CAESAR COUNTERTOPS HIGH SPEED INTERNET DESIGNER LIVING SPACES • PET FRIENDLY • DRAMATIC VIEWS WALKING DISTANCE TO RALPHS SUPERMARKET

Please call 213.627.6913

756 S. Broadway • Downtown Los Angeles 213-892-9100 • chapmanf lats.com

www.cityloftsquare.com

866-861-2010

Pricing subject to change without notice.

866-861-2010

Approx. 1k to 8k SF Avail. Immed. New space with “creative” design features, great views and LEED certification Recept. Services Avail. Flexible term. Furn. Avail. Sean O’Leary 310.491.2010 sean.oleary@grubb-ellis.com

Do you have something to sell?

Ad Copy: _________________________________________

Ad Prices

________________________________________________

(Marketplace and Automotive Categories ONLY) • Items under $300 • Items $301 to $500 • Items $501 to $1200 • Items $1201 to $2000 • Items $2001+…

Name: Address: City Phone: Cash $ Credit card #: Exp. Date:

FREE! $11.50 $14.00 $16.50 $19.00

12 words, 2 weeks 15 words 15 words 15 words 15 words

State Check $

Zip Credit Card $

All ads run for 2 weeks. Ads may be renewed after two weeks for 50% off the original price of the ad.

With a circulation of 49,000 , our classifieds get results!

________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

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.

HELP WANTED Telemarketing

WEEkLy! We are hiring. Not downsizing. Bus. to Bus. Commercial collection RENTING • BUYING • LIVING sales. Guaranteed weekly Since 2001, LoftLivingLA.com has been helping people live in Downtown’s rate + commissions on best condos, lofts & apartments! every deal $300. Signing 8 7 7 - 4 L A- LO F TS VisitBonus. us online atDowntown www.LoftLivingLA.com LA. Guess One of Elicia’s Favorite Cafe213.621.2394 Hang-Outs and WIN!

Burbank • Brentwood Century City • Downtown L.A. Woodland Hills Locations Nationwide Beautiful Offices For As Little As $400 Fully Furnished/Corporate ID Programs Flexible Terms/All New Suites 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 jahn@regentBC.com www.regentbc.com

MILANO LOFTS Now Leasing! • Gorgeous Layouts • 10-15’ Ceilings • Fitness Center • Wi-Fi Rooftop Lounge • Amazing Views

Living Outrageously For Today!®

EARN $1000+

Offices • Offices • Offices • Offices

Free Rent! ELEGANT WORLD CLASS RESORT BRAND NEW APARTMENT HOMES

Orsini

IMMEDIATE OCCUPANCY! studios from $1,685* • 1 bedroom from $1,818* • 2 bedroom from $2,212* *Availability and prices are subject to change at any time.

• Brunswick Four Lane Virtual Bowling • Full Swing Virtual Golf • 3100 Square Foot Cybex Fitness Facility • Massage Room, Sauna and Steam Room • Rooftop Pools with Dressing Room • Free Abundant Gated and Garage Parking • Business Center, Conference Room • Directors Screening Room

• Lavish Fountains and Sculptures • Free Tanning Rooms • Concierge Service • 24 Hour Doorman • 24/7 On-site Management • Free DSL Computer Use Available • Free Wi-Fi • Magnificent City Views • On-Site Private Resident Park with Sand Volleyball Court, Workout Stations, BBQ’s and Jogging Track

UNITS FEATURE: Private Washer and Dryer • Fully Equipped Gourmet Kitchens Maple European Style Cabinetry • Granite Counter Tops Natural Stone Marble Counter Baths

Living Outrageously For Today!®

6th+Grand Ave. • milanoloftsla.com • 213.627.1900

the loft expert! group RENTING • BUYING • LIVING

Since 2001, LoftLivingLA.com has been helping people live in Downtown’s best condos, lofts & apartments!

8Visit7us7online - 4atLwww.LoftLivingLA.com A- LO F TS Guess Ted’s Favorite Frozen Yogurt Hang-Out and WIN!

RoSSlyn HoTel

RENTING • BUYING • LIVING

Since 2001, LoftLivingLA.com has been helping people live in 2002 Downtown’s Downtown since best condos, lofts & apartments!

8 7 7 - 4 L A- LO F TS

DRE #01706351

by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia. org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www. courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. The name and address of the court is: Superior Court of California, County of Tulare 221 South Mooney Blvd. Visalia, CA 93291 Case Number: 09-233616 Dated: July 17, 2009 The name, address, telephone number, and fax number of Plaintiff’s attorney is: Robert Krase, Esq. #073388 132 East Morton Ave. Porterville, CA 93257 Telephone: 559-784-2353 Clerk: LaRayne Cleek Deputy: Anna L. Lopez Pub. 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22/10

DRE #01706351

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF TULARE NO. 09-233616 PLAINTIFF: E.M. THARP, INC. vS DEFENDANT: ENMEX CORP, DbA TRANS ENERGY USA, AND DOES 1-10 Notice! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form, if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case

Downtown News 23

DowntownNews.com

DRE #01706351

has wn’s

Civil SummonS

DRE #01706351

February 15, 2010

RENTING • BUYING • LIVING

Since 2001, LoftLivingLA.com has been helping people live in Downtown’s best condos, lofts & apartments!

8 7 7 - 4 L A- LO F TS

Don't settle for anyone less experienced! Guess where Lance Buys $2 Guess where Candy bought six Books in Downtown and WIN! Red Velvet Cupcakes for $5. Call us today! Visit us online at www.LoftLivingLA.com

Visit us online at www.LoftLivingLA.com

Bill Cooper • 213.598.7555 • TheLoftExpertGroup.com

1 month*

FREE *Limited time offer: when you sign 6 month lease.

Unfurnished rooms starting at $480 a month Laundry on site. All utilities included. 112 W 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 213.503.7449 • www.rosslynstudios.com

Furnished single unit with kitchenette, bathroom. Excellent location. Downtown LA. Weekly rate $275 inc.

Monthly from $550 utilities paid. (213) 612-0348

For rent

❚ 1 Bed. 1 Bath. Lafayette Park Place. Move In Now. $1200 Month ❚ 1 Bed. 1 Bath. Bunker Hill Tower. City View. $1650 Month Single Family Home For Sale

❚ N/E Pasadena. 3+2 w/pool. Bank Foreclosure. $774,900.

Bunker Hill real estate Co, inC.

EsTaBlisHED 1984

Mirza Alli, Broker/Realtor • Leasing-Sales-Loans-Refinance • (213) 680-1720 e-mail us: Info@bunkerhillrealestate.com

Take us home ADOPT (OR FOSTER) your forever friend from Bark Avenue Foundation. Beautiful, healthy puppies, dogs, cats and kittens available at Downtown’s largest private adoption facility. Call Dawn at 213-840-0153 or email Dawn@BarkAvewLA.com or visit www.Bark Avenue Foundation.org.

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Orsini Low Move in Special Unfurnished bachelor rooms with shared bath at $550/mo. with private bath $695/mo. Includes utilities, basic cable channels, laundry room on site. Gated building in a good area. 208 W. 14th St. at Hill St. Downtown LA

For English Call Pierre or Terri 213.744.9911 For Spanish Call Susana 213.749.0306

550 NORTH FIGUEROA ST. LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 OPEN DAILY

877-267-5911

WWW.THEORSINI.COM

DoWnToWn SouTH PARK AffoRDAble PRogRAm

Luxury Living Studios: $925 1 bdrms $1,056 2 bdrms $1,321

Income and Program Guidelines Apply. Call for Details. High Rise Apartment, Pool, Fitness Center, Subterranean Parking (Additional), Great Location, 2 blocks to Staples Center. Call Toll Free 1-888-810-9608

LOFTS • RENT • LOFTS • RENT

SPECIAL MOVE IN -

TWO WEEKS FREE RENT AND LOW DEPOSIT. Real Artist Lofts available in original 18 unit Downtown Artist Loft bldg. close to Southern Cal. School of Architecture. Starting at approximately 1200 to 2100 Sq. ft. large open space with new kit and bath. Laundry, gated parking and intercom entry from $1200.

1427 E. 4th St. Contact Julie at (323) 261-1099 Fully furnished with TV, telephone, microwave, refrigerator. Full bathroom. Excellent location. Downtown LA. Weekly maid service.

Monthly from $695 utilities paid. (213) 627-1151

Rooms AvAilAble ✓ Private Bathroom ✓ Cable TV w/HBO ✓ 24 hr. Front Desk Close to transportation, L.A. Live and Staples Center

Weekly $175 1-2 people Daily $40 1-2 people STUART HOTEL 718 S. Union Ave. (Union & 7th St.)

213.413.8100

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. We have approximately 7,800 square feet of space open with offices along the exterior. Full kitchen with dishwasher, high exposed ceilings and stained floors. 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

madison hoteL 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.

DowntownNews.com makesplacing a classified ad in the L.A. Downtown News is easier than ever. Your ad will appear online and in our publication in a couple of easy steps.

(2 blocks west of San Pedro St.)

• Online ads will appear immediately after they are approved. • Print ads must be received before Thursday at noon PST to be processed for the following Monday's edition. Deadlines subject to change for special issues and holidays.

For legal notices please call 213-481-1448

Featuring a more robust local search powered by Yellow Pages.

DowntownNews.com

24 Downtown News

February 15, 2010

Twitter/DowntownNews

We Got Games Welcome to the Kim Hughes Era, Clipper Fans Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7100 or nba.com/lakers. Feb. 16 and 18, 7:30 p.m.: The Lakers will look to continue their dominance out of the All-Star break with an early week match-up against Golden State, who may or may not have rising yet hobbled star Monta Ellis. But the Lakers are banged up too, so they may need bench stalwarts Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmar to play big roles against the Warriors. Then the hated Celtics come to town. However, the once big and bad boys of Boston are limping through the season, giving the Purple and Gold a chance to demoralize their East Coast rival. Los Angeles Clippers Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7100 or nba.com/clippers. Feb. 17 and 20, 7:30 p.m.: Two weeks before the All-Star break, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy finally threw in the

towel. So, drumroll please for the new-look Clippers in the era of interim coach Kim Hughes……….. and they dropped Hughes’ first three games before going on the All-Star hiatus. Perhaps the lone highlight for the Clips is that Chris Kaman deservedly notched a late spot on the Western Conference AllStar squad. Congratulations to America’s only member of the German national Olympic basketball team. He’ll lead the Clips in the season’s second half with an away game in Portland (Feb. 16), then at home against Atlanta and Sacramento. Los Angeles Kings Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., 1 (888) KINGS-LA or kings.nhl.com. With the winter Olympics underway in Vancouver, the NHL is on hiatus until March 2. It’s been a stellar season for the Kings so far, as the team is on pace to capture a rare playoff berth. —Ryan Vaillancourt

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!

Grand Tower 255 south Grand avenue Leasing Information 213 229 9777

Promenade Towers 123 south Figueroa street Leasing Information 213 617 3777

Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Pool / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Covered Parking

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

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

Now For Call n Specials Move-I

8 7 7 - 2 65 - 714 6

museum Tower 225 south olive street Leasing Information 213 626 1500

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

On Site: ~ Convenience Store / Coffee House / Yogurt Shop / Beauty Salon

Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

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

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

TOWERS T H E

A PA RT M E N T S

www.TowersApartmentsLA.com

MAID SERVICE • FURNITURE • HOUSEWARES • CABLE • UTILITIES • PARKING RESIDENCES: SINGLES • STUDIO • ONE BEDROOM • TWO BEDROOM