LOS ANGELES
DOWNTOWN
NEWS March 23, 2009
Volume 38, Number 12
INSIDE
Downtown Living 11-21 W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M
A Seat at the Captain’s Table
Trouble at the Brockman Building.
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President Obama’s Downtown visit.
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Downtown goes green for St. Pat’s.
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photo by Gary Leonard
Central Division Top Cop Blake Chow Puts Community Outreach At the Top of His Agenda by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR
C
urious about Central Division’s new top cop, Area Captain Blake Chow? For starters, check out his profile on the social networking site Facebook. The 18-year Los Angeles Police Department veteran, whom Chief William Bratton tapped to replace Capt. Jodi Wakefield in February, has a “weakness” for Italian cars and a penchant for working out at 5 a.m. to the power chord-heavy Guns N’ Roses. While Chow uses the site like millions of others — posting pictures and video of his friends and family, listing his favorite bands and other interests — it’s also evidence of the new captain’s interest in being accessible to the community. His official email is listed on the site too, and he encourages people to use it. “The work that you do outreach-wise, it’s a lot of work but I think see Chow, page 10
Central Division’s new Area Capt. Blake Chow returns to lead Downtown’s police operations 18 years after walking its streets as a rookie.
Permanent Tatou
Ice Ice Baby
As It Marks a Milestone Anniversary, The Downtown Mega-Club Settles in for a Long Stay
The World Figure Skating Championship Takes Over Downtown by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR
by RichaRd Guzmán city editoR
John Sedlar Rivera’s spicy social commentary.
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Play time at Art Share L.A.
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hen you’re in the business of nightlife, with its wild parties, loud music and sometimes-rowdy crowds, it’s not always the wildest, loudest or rowdiest places that thrive. This is particularly evident in Downtown Los Angeles, where lounges and novelty bars that cater to older and calmer crowds seem to do a better job of blending into the community. But not all venues fare the same. Recently a well-known dance club was shut down while the fate
of another mega-club remains in limbo due to nuisance issues that have frustrated police and neighbors. Amidst this delicate balance between an expanding residential population and Downtown’s continued growth as an entertainment center, a relatively new dance club hopes to shed the industry’s tarnished image and become a respected long-term member of the community. Tatou Supper Club, a sprawling 1,100-person capacity club in City West that employs a staff of 120, see Tatou, page 8
photo courtesy of U.S. Figure Skating
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W
hat’s freezing cold, prone to spandex and worth an estimated $25 million to local businesses? It’s the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championship, which takes place throughout this week at Staples Center. Only the Winter Olympics are considered a more important stage in the sport, and the World Championship takes on added significance this year as it will function as a qualifier for the 2010 winter games in Vancouver. During the competition that culminates on March 29, more than 225 skaters from 52 countries will converge on
Downtown Los Angeles. “The Olympics is always the pinnacle, but the World Championship is the biggest show in the world of figure skating in years when the Olympics are not happening,” said Bob Dunlop, director of events for U.S. Figure Skating, which is organizing the competition. “It signifies the best of the best for that particular year, and it’s the same athletes that will compete against each other in the Olympics.” For Staples Center and L.A. Live owner Anschutz Entertainment Group, hosting the contest is somewhat of a coup, since the 99-yearold event has never come to Los Angeles. It jumps continents every see Skating, page 9
Five great entertainment options.
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26 CALENDAR LISTINGS 28 MAP 29 CLASSIFIEDS
photo by Gary Leonard
Tatou Supper Club managing partner Jason Iriarte plans a long stay in Downtown.
Since 1972, an independent, locally owned and edited newspaper, go figure.
Two-time World bronze medalist Evan Lysacek, a native of El Segundo, is one of the approximately 225 skaters from 52 countries who will compete in the Downtown event.