LOS ANGELES
DOWNTOWN
NEWS
16-18 W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M
March 12, 2012
Volume 41, Number 11
INSIDE
Downtown Goes Green For St. Patrick’s Day
Building a Better Block Veteran Developer Izek Shomof Faces His Biggest Challenge Yet, Buying Three Aged Hotels on the Edge of Skid Row
Making sense of the mayor’s media blitz.
6
Get ready for a 32-story building.
7
Cool vintage finds in Little Tokyo.
8
photo by Gary Leonard
Developer Izek Shomof is behind plans to upgrade the King Edward, Baltimore and Leland hotels at Fifth and Los Angeles streets. It follows his renovation last year of the Bristol Hotel and his work on Spring Street a decade ago. by Ryan Vaillancourt staff writer
Just weight for this new health trend.
13
O
n a recent weekday morning inside the lobby of the Hotel Baltimore, Rusty Lugo slumped in an unforgiving chair and stared blankly out the window. His view was of Fifth and Los Angeles streets, a busy gateway between Skid Row and the Historic Core. The intersection crawled with Toy District shoppers. Weary morning patrons of the King Eddy Saloon wandered in and out of the dark wa-
tering hole. A stream of people rushed to and from a nearby bus stop. Lugo, who has rented rooms in several singleroom occupancy hotels in the area, now lives at the Baltimore, a faded 102-year-old edifice that he described only as “livable.” Asked how the Baltimore compares to other cheap Skid Row hotels, he offered no distinction. “Same,” he said. “Livable.” By next year, however, the Baltimore may prove better than just livable. Last month, a group of
investors led by developer Izek Shomof acquired the 265-unit complex as part of a $9.8 million deal that includes the 150-room King Edward Hotel and the Leland Hotel, which was built separately but later adjoined to the Baltimore. The Israel-born Shomof may be best known for developing four buildings on the once gritty 600 block of South Spring Street — Premier Towers, Spring Tower Lofts, City Lofts and the Hotel Hayward. By offering inexpensive rents, he see Hotels, page 12
Less Red Tape for Restaurant Permits ‘American Idiot’ at the Ahmanson.
14
19 CALENDAR LISTINGS 21 MAP 22 CLASSIFIEDS
Two Years in, Streamlining Experiment Is Helping, Even if Those Involved Say It’s Not Perfect by Ryan Vaillancourt staff writer
M
ario Del Pero, who is best known in Downtown for the two outposts of the gourmet sandwich outfit Mendocino Farms, has opened nine eateries in Los Angeles. So it came as little surprise to him when, in his latest trip through the notoriously disjointed city permitting process, he ran into a bureaucratic brick wall. Del Pero had opened Casa, a Bunker Hill Mexican restaurant, in 2008, and last year he initiated a plan
to replace it with Blue Cow, a sandwich-focused establishment. When city inspectors first reviewed the Blue Cow plans, they told Del Pero that the space was not actually permitted for a restaurant. Even though Casa had operated with city approvals for about three years, and the space held a restaurant long before that, officials told the entrepreneur that he would have to start from scratch. It was a major blow. Acquiring approvals to build a new restaurant is far more time intensive, not to mention expensive, than getting sign-offs
for a tenant improvement in an existing eatery. This is the point where many restaurateurs would turn to a high-priced private consultant, or expediter, to shepherd their application through the labyrinth of city departments. But for Del Pero, who opened Blue Cow in the old Casa space in January, salvation came in the form of one of the very bureaucrats that he had long been accustomed to seeing as little more than a roadblock in a suit. Del Pero is one of approximately 300 people see Restaurants, page 10
The Art and Science of Beauty... It comes down to two things: experience and expertise. When considering Botox®, Juvederm® or any cosmetic procedure, make sure you are in the hands of an experienced, certified expert. At the Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health, our highly trained team of specialists perform a wide range of cosmetic, surgical and reconstructive procedures that make a beautiful difference in your life.
www.lacwh.org www.facebook.com/lacwh DWNT_BOTOX_10.25x1.5.indd 1
TGI Botox® Fridays! $50 Discount! 213.742.6400
It’s happening downtown.
Schedule an appointment and receive a $50 discount. You’ll also receive an additional gift certificate if you join the Brilliant Distinctions® program. You’ll receive a total value of $100 off your first Friday session. FOR LIMITED TIME ONLY.
3/6/12 12:13 PM