LOS ANGELES
DOWNTOWN
NEWS Volume 40, Number 8
INSIDE
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT
The latest information on 69 Downtown projects, along with a special Downtown Living section.
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February 21, 2011
The Downtowners of Distinction A scene from June’s Hope for Firefighters fundraiser, one of Downtown’s most popular and enduring community events.
Urban Scrawl on the Oscars.
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photo by Gary Leonard
Los Angeles Downtown News Celebrates 10 Community Highlights
See Richard run again.
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Another delay for Hall of Justice.
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by Jon RegaRdie
new building, a glistening beacon that with its light and life represents the evolution of a neighborrogress comes in many forms. In 2010, hood. In other instances, it was a restaurant, luring there was a lot of progress, and a lot to cel- patrons to an otherwise forlorn block, especially at ebrate, in Downtown Los Angeles. night or on weekends. This may seem a surprising assertion in a year Other times it was something else, a legal madominated by the nation’s dull economy. Yet, neuver designed to make a neighborhood safer, while spending was down and lending markets or a cultural program that reminds people of a were frozen, plenty of people did good, in many community they once visited. In 2010, these and different ways, in the Central City. other signs of progress were witnessed all across seea xxxxxxxxxxxx, In some cases progress came in the form of Downtown, page from25 the Arts District to Central
executive editoR
Huge Chinatown project moves forward.
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Oscar costumes at FIDM.
A Downtown Buss Stop
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Lakers Owner Discusses His Humble Beginnings, And the Future of the Team by Ryan vaillancouRt staff wRiteR
Old guy goes X-rated at East West Players.
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30 CALENDAR LISTINGS 33 MAP 34 CLASSIFIEDS
City East to the Historic Core to South Park and beyond. Los Angeles Downtown News is proud to celebrate 10 of these efforts in its 10th annual Downtowners of Distinction issue. In each case, the projects were selected for how they benefited their district, and in many cases gave a boost to all of Downtown or even the entire city. Individual winners were selected by the editorial staff of Downtown News, and the awards will be see Distinction, page 25
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onsidering his humble beginnings in a one-traffic light Wyoming town, his stint working on a railroad and his doctorate in chemistry, Jerry Buss may just be the most unlikely owner of a professional sports franchise. Of course, it’s not just a franchise. As owner of the Los Angeles Lakers for more than three decades, Buss has presided over a dominant era in which the Lakers have participated in almost 50% of the NBA finals, and evolved into perhaps the biggest brand in professional basketball. Buss spent an hour on Wednesday, Feb.
16, at Morton’s Steakhouse at 7+Fig discussing his life and the unlikely path to the Lakers’ corner office. The packed event was part of 710 ESPN’s “Lunch with a Legend” live radio series. Like many of the nation’s top business leaders, Buss amassed the cash he would need to buy the Lakers by playing the real estate game. He recounted how, while attending graduate school at USC (from which he’d later earn a PhD in chemistry), he and five friends spent a year saving $1,000 apiece to purchase a small Westside apartment complex. “Real estate was increasing at such a rate see Buss, page 8
The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles
photo by Gary Leonard
Lakers owner Jerry Buss last week told a Downtown crowd how he built his fortune. He also signed autographs.