06-15-09 by Los Angeles Downtown News

LOS ANGELES

DOWNTOWN

NEWS June 15, 2009

Volume 38, Number 24

INSIDE

Urban Scrawl on the budget mess.

Regional Connector meetings, filming falls, and other happenings Around Town.

Proposed changes to the Cultural Heritage Ordinance spark a City Hall clash.

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

With Occupancy at Post-9/11 Levels, Downtown Hotels Are Cutting Rates And Targeting Locals staff wRiteR

T 6

Too Much Room At the Inns by Ryan VaillancouRt

The City Attorney’s HALO program.

Paper Yachts Return

he first quarter of 2009 was the roughest patch for Downtown hotels since the year following 9/11, when occupancy plummeted to less than 50%. The situation has prompted a spate of aggressive marketing and deal making among local establishments trying to ride out the recession. In January, occupancy among

Downtown hotels was a stark 48.8%, a drop from the 73.4% level during the same month in 2008, according to PKF Consulting, which tracks the hotel industry. The February figure was 54.7%, down from last year’s 74.7%. In total, average occupancy the first three months of the year was 57.8%, a 23% decline from 2008 levels. Unlike many industries where see Hotels, page 9

photo by Gary Leonard

Kathy Faulk, general manager of the Hilton Checkers. The Financial District hotel is one of numerous Downtown establishments looking to offset a drop in business and international travelers by targeting California residents.

Not Your Typical Jail Bigger and Berzerker Remembering an Olvera Street merchant.

LAPD Gets Ready to Take Over a HighTech, $80 Million Civic Center Facility

Cirque Berzerk Returns to Downtown With a Larger Tent and a Stranger Show

by Ryan VaillancouRt

by anna scott

staff wRiteR

The latest restaurant happenings.

Reviewing the Taper’s ‘Oleanna.’

Five great entertainment options.

14 CALENDAR LISTINGS 16 MAP 17 CLASSIFIEDS

t first glance, the nearly complete, three-story edifice in the Civic Center looks like any new office building. The exterior is outfitted in blue-tinted glass and sand-colored stone. But inside the new $80 million Metropolitan Detention Center, which will hold 512 inmates and replace the aged Parker Center jail when the Los Angeles Police Department takes over later this year, the facility is very much a secure citadel, officials said. “We didn’t want the building to look like a jail because this is metropolitan Los Angeles,” said Vince Jones, who is overseeing the project for the Vince Jones (right) and Cyril Charles of the city city Department of Public Department of Public Works, outside the new Works. “With a jail obvi- Metropolitan Detention Center, which can house ously, you have to have se- up to 512 male and female inmates. A public art curity. But this facility was project with wind chimes is near the jail’s entrance. designed so that it would fit in with the area and not stick out in the middle of four posts, 108 tiny like a sore thumb.” bells dangle from a wire grid. Hanging The structure stands across from from the bells, small metal rectangles, City Hall and is steps away from each inscribed with one-word virtues Parker Center. Contractor Bernards like “harmony,” “mindfulness” and Brothers Construction has com- “service,” jostle the bells to create a pleted most of the work, with only light din of wind chimes. The concrete minor details to finish, Jones said. squares that make up a mini-plaza are Outside the main entrance, an art combed with undulating and circular installation is meant to have a calming patterns that mimic sand art. and inspirational effect: Suspended see Jail, page 8

tep right up — the circus is coming to town. But please, don’t confuse this with the parade of elephants and the three-ring spectacle that is the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. And definitely leave the kids at home. When Cirque Berzerk opens at the Los Angeles State Historic Park on Thursday, June 18, it will deliver something much darker than fans of traditional circuses might expect. Even those familiar with the world’s most famous “alternative” circus, the acrobat-heavy Cirque de Soleil, might be taken aback by the

show featuring punk rock clowns, fire dancers and gothic stilt walkers. “We wanted to take from the American tradition of circus, the Dust Bowl era and the feeling that the circus is always kind of outside the law,” said Kevin Bourque, who co-founded Cirque Berzerk with his wife, Suzanne Bernel. “We’ve mixed that with a Berlin cabaret kind of feel. So we’re looking back to traditional circus, but doing it in a much more artistic and theatrical way.” That means audiences in the 1,754-seat tent can expect some familiar circus stunts, but with unconventional twists. For example, instead of a traditional flying trapeze see Circus, page 13

photo by Brian Topolski

Cirque Berzerk, which draws influences from punk rock and burlesque, opens on Thursday, June 18, under a 45-foot-tall tent at the Los Angeles State Historic Park.

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AROUNDTOWN Speak Out on Regional Connector

Council to Consider Arts Grants

owntown this week will host three meetings on the proposed Downtown Regional Connector, a twomile transit link that would connect four light-rail lines through the community. During the meetings, attendees will be able to provide input on potential alignments, station locations and other design-related issues. Each meeting will focus on a different station concept. The first meeting will take place Tuesday, June 16, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Colburn School of Music, at 200 S. Grand Ave., and will focus on the station that would be located near Walt Disney Concert Hall on Bunker Hill. The second meeting, on June 17 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, at 630 W. Fifth St., will focus on the Financial District station. The final meeting, at Vibiana, 210 S. Main St., on June 18 from 4:30-6:30 p.m., will address the station that would rise near Second Street, possibly in the Historic Core. The project, which could cost as much as $910 million, is likely a decade from completion.

Apparent Suicide at Hayward Hotel

n what police suspect is the third Downtown “jumper” suicide this year, a 36-year-old resident of the Hayward Hotel fell to her death at about 10 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9. A police report of the event, first reported by Blogdowntown.com, points to suicide, but the official cause of death is still under investigation, Lt. Paul Vernon said. The victim, Cheryl Ilene Donald, lived on the 12th floor of the Hayward, a 525-unit affordable housing development at Sixth and Spring streets. No witnesses saw the incident, though police suspect she fell from a fire escape, Vernon said. “This is something that can happen anywhere and it’s very sad,” said Eric Shomof of building owner Pacific Investments. “It seemed like [Donald] was very depressed, but no one knows what the real problems are.” This follows two other apparently similar incidents; on April 8, 33-year-old Sun Sannes leapt to his death from a six-story parking structure at Hill and Third streets. The following day, Reuben Escocio Bie, 26, jumped from his apartment in the Promenade Towers at 123 S. Figueroa St.

he City Council on Wednesday, June 17, is expected to approve grants to six Downtown-based arts and cultural organizations as part of the Bunker Hill Arts Retention Program. The program would provide small grants from the Community Redevelopment Agency and technical aid over three years. The money, available through the developerfunded Bunker Hill Cultural trust funds and tax increments, this year totals $275,600 and would be distributed among the six organizations, said CRA cultural planner Susan Gray. The organizations slated to receive funds are the outdoor concert series Grand Performances, the bus tour company Esotouric, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Music Center’s REDCAT theater, Shakespeare Festival/LA and the currently out-of-service funicular Angels Flight. “We’re not funding the repair of the railway or anything like that,” Gray said of the latter. Rather, the money for Angels Flight would go toward a plan to create “tile artworks that illustrate the origins of Bunker Hill,” which would be visible to Angels Flight riders. The Council’s Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee recommended approving the program participants on June 10.

Say Cheese Chinatown

f you think you can capture “the essence of Chinatown” in a single photograph, then the Chinatown Business Improvement District is looking for you. As part of the celebration of the 71st anniversary of Chinatown, the BID is hosting a contest; entrants can take photographs of buildings, objects, people or the landscape that they feel captures the spirit of the neighborhood. The winning entries will be displayed during the anniversary festival on June 27 in Chinatown’s Central Plaza. Entries must be received by June 22 and can be submitted to the Chinatown BID, 727 N. Broadway, Suite 208, Los Angeles, CA, 90012. Only prints will be accepted. For complete rules visit chinatownla.com or singtaodaily.com.

Midnight Mission Receives $25,000

kid Row’s Midnight Mission last week announced that it has received a $25,000 donation as part of Sempra Energy

Foundation’s $1.5 million grant program. Raul Gordillo, a spokesman for Sempra Energy, the parent company of the Southern California Gas Company, said the money is going to charities in California that provide food, shelter or assistance to people in need. “That grant will go toward their social services programs that help individuals get back on their feet,” he said. A ceremony for the donation took place Tuesday, June 11, at the Mission’s headquarters at Sixth and San Pedro streets.

Local Pilot Production Drops

hile some Downtown residents may applaud, the number of television pilots shot in Los Angeles is falling drastically, according to a report released by FilmL.A. The Downtown-based nonprofit that coordinates film permits in Los Angeles announced last week that over a five-year period, the number of primetime television pilots produced per season declined by 17%, from 124 in 2004/2005 to 103 in 2008/2009. The production industry has heavily utilized Downtown for decades, though in recent years many area residents have complained about film crews they maintain are insensitive to the community. FilmL.A. spokesman Philip Sokoloski said the city’s piece of the national production pie is shrinking, as other states and cities offer incentives to lure shoots. In 2004/2005, 81% of the pilots were produced in Los Angeles. In 2008/2009, the city’s stake was cut to 57%, according to the study.

The Old Poll Game

lthough Manny Ramirez still refuses to discuss what he did or did not do, Los Angeles Downtown News readers have spoken, and they believe the 50-game suspension handed down after testing positive for a banned substance isn’t harsh enough. In an online poll at downtownnews.com, 35% of the respondents said they think Ramirez should have been thrown out of baseball, while 23% believe he should have been banned for the season. Meanwhile, 20% thought a 50-game suspension was just right, 13% said a 20-game suspension would have been appropriate, and 10% think he did not deserve any punishment. This week, readers can chime in on a completely different subject: What do you see most frequently in Downtown? The choices are Theater, Concerts, Sports, Lectures or, for the sourpusses, I Don’t Go Out in Downtown. To vote, go to downtownnews. com and scroll down and look on the left hand side of the page.

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Deep Divide Over Building Proposals Controversial Update to Cultural Heritage Ordinance Generates Intense Debate; Planning Commission Delays Vote by Anna Scott staff writer

fiercely divided crowd spent more than two hours last week debating whether the city’s historic preservation law should be changed. Ultimately, the City Planning Commission delayed voting on the issue until July 9. At stake are several key changes to the city’s 47-year-old Cultural Heritage Ordinance, which spells out the rules for protecting Los Angeles’ approximately 900 designated Historic-Cultural Monuments, including about 100 in Downtown. The changes, which are being spearheaded by the city’s Office of Historic Resources but are opposed by some business groups and property owners, would constitute the first major overhaul of the ordinance since it was adopted in 1962. The law applies only to city-designated landmarks, not state or nationally recognized sites. The proposed update has been in the works since early 2008, but the debate over it heated up only recently. The proposals fanning the ongoing controversy are stipulations that would give the five-member Cultural Heritage Commission the ability to deny demolitions of HistoricCultural Monuments, and require property owners to obtain advance approval for any interior renovations that could affect a property’s historic character. Currently, the Cultural Heritage Commission has the ability to delay but not stop demolitions, and must sign off on any building permits for interior work to Historic-Cultural Monuments. Under the proposed new rules, decisions by the Commission regarding demolitions and renovations could be appealed to the City Council. More than 60 people offered comments at the meeting on Thursday, June 11. Among them were several Downtown property owners and members of business group the Central City Association, which had a delegate help craft the proposal, but argued that the new ordinance would be too restrictive. “There needs to be greater flexibility in this ordinance,” said Todd Nielsen, an attorney for Downtown landlord Meruelo Maddux, which owns properties throughout the city, including some Historic-Cultural Monuments. Owners or representatives of the 1912 Los Angeles Athletic Club at Seventh and Olive streets, the 1917 San Antonio Winery northeast of Chinatown and the 1930 Eastern Columbia Building on Broadway also expressed concerns about the proposed changes. Several said that they had been notified of the effort to update the Cultural Heritage Ordinance only a couple of months ago and want more time to study the issue. Meanwhile, representatives from preservation groups including the Los Angeles Conservancy, a spokesman for the American Institute of Architects’ Los Angeles chapter and some local property owners, including Downtown nightlife pioneers 213 Ventures, praised the city’s efforts. Los Angeles Conservancy Executive Director Linda Dishman said she was “saddened” by the opposition, particularly from those who were involved in drafting the proposed ordinance. “The process to update the ordinance began 16 months ago,” she said. “The preservation community made substantial concessions to achieve consensus.” Putting It Off Throughout Thursday’s hearing, Ken Bernstein, manager of the city’s Office of Historic Resources and the key figure behind the proposal, said the new ordinance aims to clarify the rules applying to Historic-Cultural Monuments. Several elements of the new draft ordinance, he said, streamline measures already in place. For example, he said, the Cultural Heritage Commission already reviews any building permits related to interior renovations of historic buildings. Requiring owners to obtain a so-called “Certificate of Appropriateness” from the Cultural Heritage Commission early in the renovation planning process, Bernstein said, moves an important step from the “back end” to the front, making it less likely that an entitled project would be held up by a last-minute objection from the Commission. Opponents of the measure were not swayed, questioning the proposal to expand the Cultural Heritage Commission’s purview over interior work from only renovations requiring permits to including anything that might alter a property’s historic character. Several property owners suggested creating a list of each Historic-Cultural Monument’s defining features (upon designation) to make renovation evaluations more transparent, a possibility broached again later by the planning commissioners. Bernstein said that the definition of what constitutes a

significant historic feature is based on guidelines put forth by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s office, which heads the national department dedicated to protecting historic resources. Interior renovation standards was one of several issues that commissioners said they want to see clarified by July 9, when the Planning Commission will revisit the measure. Other questions to be considered then include how the new rules will apply to already designated Historic-Cultural Monuments, how the updated ordinance would work with

the 1999 Adaptive Reuse Ordinance and what incentives could be created for landlords to encourage the preservation of historic properties. If the Planning Commission approves the updated Cultural Heritage Ordinance on July 9, the measure would go to the City Attorney’s office for review, followed by the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee. Bernstein has said he expects the ordinance to go to the full Council for approval this fall. Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.

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EDITORIALS Closing ‘Cornfield’ Park Would Be Shortsighted

o date, the state’s $24 billion budget deficit has been intangible to many. Yet the crisis could hit home in Downtown if the Los Angeles State Historic Park, the gorgeous 32-acre public facility still known to many as the Cornfield, is forced to close in a cost-saving effort. The idea has been proffered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. As Los Angeles Downtown News reported last week, the closure could be part of an effort to save $143 million over two years by shutting 220 recreation sites across the state (the Rio de Los Angeles State Park, just north of Downtown at Taylor Yard, is also on the list). The savings would be in the form of salaries that would not be paid. We recognize the severity of the state’s fiscal situation and understand that everyone in California will ultimately feel the pain as programs are chopped and jobs eliminated. But in this particular instance, we think the plan is shortsighted: Closing the Los Angeles State Historic Park might save money in the near term, but we believe it would have a greater cost in damage done to the community as well as the state itself, now and in years ahead. No one wants any of the 220 parks to close, of course, and every site on Schwarzenegger’s list will have its defenders. In fact, at this point it is impossible to tell if the plan will come to fruition, or if this is some sort of Sacramento strategizing or chest-thumping designed to force compromise on certain

fiscal proposals. For now, all we can do is look at what would transpire if the Downtown park is shuttered. The Los Angeles State Historic Park is a special case because of its position in the urban fabric. Some of the same factors that make it a valuable oasis would put it and the surrounding community in a vulnerable position if closed. Though it is important to note that at this stage even the word “closed” has yet to be defined: It could be that restrooms become off limits to the public, or the entire site could be fenced off and people could be given citations for entering, or something else entirely. Whatever the situation, we believe that if access to the park is reduced either partly or completely, there will be unpleasant turns. The most dangerous could be gangs, which have taken over under-staffed parks in urban areas across the country. When this happens, drug sales routinely follow. The situation could spin out of control quickly, and we shudder to think of this community resource becoming a drug bazaar. A shuttered park could also become a haven for the homeless. While homeless individuals have the same rights to enjoy the park during operating hours as everyone else, a sprawling expanse with limited oversight could be an inviting place for tents or shacks to spring up. That would lead to the trash, health issues and additional problems inherent in homeless encampments. It is certainly not appropriate for the park adjacent to Chinatown.

Life After the Lakers

he 2008-09 Lakers thrilled Los Angeles. But with the season coming to a close this week at the latest (it may already be over; Los Angeles Downtown News went to press before game 5 of the Finals), some may wonder what there is to replace the team on the entertainment schedule. If you are in Downtown, the answer is: a heck of a lot. As Downtown News reported last week, this summer holds dozens of events, concerts, shows and more. Many of them are unique to Downtown, and an inviting number are free. It’s a fun lineup, and also one that might surprise a lot of people with its diversity. Well-loved stalwarts like the Grand Performances concerts at the Cal Plaza Watercourt return,

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

and there is another set of Aloud readings at the Central Library. New venues such as the Conga Room will draw prominent performers. Then come such unexpected offerings as the punkish Cirque Bezerk at the Los Angeles State Historic Park and a series of free dance events under the stars at the Music Center Plaza, including one night where disco takes over. The list goes on, and each offering shows Downtown’s evolution as an entertainment destination, one where the attractions extend far beyond Staples Center and other landmarks. The Lakers may have united and excited the city, but the summer lineup offers plenty of reasons to keep coming Downtown.

If the park does close, no one expects it to be indefinite. In that case, cleaning the facility when it reopens could end up costing more than any savings realized by shuttering it. Undoing the damage caused by gangs (including but not limited to getting rid of graffiti) or a homeless encampment would have a price, as would cutting back overgrown brush. Perhaps more important than those factors would be the opportunity lost. The Los Angeles State Historic Park is one of the few green escapes near the concrete canyons of Downtown Los Angeles. The site has been embraced by the public since its opening in 2006 and is routinely filled with people having picnics, jogging around the track or just hanging out. Others come for cultural activities. Closing the park might have another unintended effect by reducing future civic-minded efforts: The park arrived after a nonprofit organization launched the $2 million “Not a Cornfield” project, which turned the site into a cornfield for a year. At the end, the organizers donated the lights, irrigation and other infrastructure as the seeds for a public facility. If such an effort closes a few years after it is turned over, future organizations might think twice about a similar gift. The question now is what can be done. If Schwarzenegger makes good on his threat, we hope the city will pick up the slack. We do not like the idea of an also cash-strapped city having to carry the state’s water, but again, we fear the possibilities of a closure. Perhaps some kind of public-private partnership could pay for park staffing and maintenance. We would even accept selling naming rights and some limited advertising if that is what it takes to keep public access, although it would be a painful pill to swallow. The Los Angeles State Historic Park is an important resource, and the community will suffer it if closes, even temporarily. State officials need to realize the effort could do more harm than good. If they insist on proceeding anyway, the city and the public should be prepared to step in.

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Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie citY Editor: Richard Guzmán stAFF writErs: Anna Scott, Ryan Vaillancourt coNtributiNG Editors: David Friedman, Kathryn Maese coNtributiNG writErs: Jay Berman, Jeff Favre, Michael X. Ferraro, Kristin Friedrich, Howard Leff, Rod Riggs, Marc Porter Zasada Art dirEctor: Brian Allison AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins ProductioN AssistANt / EvENt coordiNAtor: Claudia Hernandez PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard AccouNtiNG: Ashley Vandervort AdvErtisiNG dirEctor: Steve Nakutin sAlEs AssistANt: Annette Cruz clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Robert Dutcher, Catherine Holloway, Kelley Smith circulAtioN: Norma Rodas distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles. It is also distributed to the extended urban communities of Glendale, Hollywood, Wilshire Center, Los Feliz, Silver Lake & Larchmont Village.

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Downtown News 5

Opinion

LETTERS Pershing Square Positives Dear Editor. n an item about the “Pershing Square Concerts” (part of “The Don’t Miss Summer,” June 8), Los Angeles Downtown News called Pershing Square “the alcoholic uncle of Downtown parks — totally unkempt and embarrassing.” While this may be an attempt at humor, this language is not only offensive, but completely inaccurate. The Pershing Square Park Advisory Board and the staff of Pershing Square Park are very aware of the challenges of the design and the issues that face Downtown. The staff and PAB are working to ensure that the park is clean and maintained and continues to offer an enjoyable major open space to all people Downtown. We are working diligently to improve the park with physical changes such as the redesign of the Palm Court, a dog care area, lighting improvements, plans for stage and support facilities, a new restaurant and other changes. The programming includes concerts and music events, the Art Squared series, numerous outdoor movies, Easter events for kids and a weekly farmers market. The Downtown on Ice series is enjoyed by thousands and Pershing Square supports an extensive mobile youth program for Skid Row kids. We have formed partnerships

with the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, the Historic Downtown and Downtown Center BIDs, ArtWalk and our neighbors. Comments and positive suggestions are always appreciated as we continue to make improvements to the park. Actual visits to Pershing Square will give folks more accurate information about the park and encourage partners and sponsors to continue these changes. We look forward to transforming Pershing Square into the city’s outdoor living room that will be engaging, attractive and worthy of the commitment of its Downtown partners. —Dan Swartz and Russell Brown, Chairs, Pershing Square Park Advisory Board Ed. note: Brown is also president of DLANC and executive director of the Historic Downtown BID.

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 Take Over Website Comments on the Cultural Heritage Ordinance

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 June 8 article “A Bitter Building Battle” and the June 9 downtownnews.com update “Showdown Over Historic Buildings Goes to Vote,” both by Anna Scott

any cities across the nation have historic preservation ordinances that allow property owners to make the best use of their existing buildings while maintaining the historic property for future generations. The conflict here is typical moaning by property owners who want to make a buck at any cost. Especially in Los Angeles, where we have torn down so much of our past, this ordinance is long overdue. It’s the lack of tough laws that have allowed theaters on Broadway to be gutted and turned into swap meets and for historic buildings to be covered with unsightly facades — Clifton’s Cafeteria and the next-door Broadway Exchange Building, for example. —posted by Alossix, June 5, 7:25 p.m.

hough I support this, I do so hesitantly. The problem comes with the implementation of such a policy. “Scorched Earth” was a great policy to use against developers who destroy historic buildings without a permit. However, it was only used against one developer: Geoff Palmer.

I am afraid this new policy will simply give the city even more power to extract concessions from developers without really protecting the city’s historic assets. —posted by Phatnblak, June 8, 10:41 a.m.

n updated policy for historic buildings in L.A. is probably overdue. However, a policy that more strictly binds architects and developers to historic accuracy and requires special approval for interior design packages is dangerous ground. The end goal should remain in mind when updating the policy. Making the process more difficult and more expensive than it already is will not give developers who are sitting on deteriorating historic buildings incentive to do any significant upkeep or renovations — in fact, it often does just the opposite. A more strict policy will almost certainly decrease the value of the historic building stock in Los Angeles. Fewer developers will be interested in navigating the already complicated process of permitting needed improvements. Consequently, the public would have fewer historic buildings to enjoy. The threat of subjective architectural review boards or policies that are not simple and clear have the potential to stop a well-intentioned project before it even takes shape. Spending tens of thousands of dollars on design fees and historic research for a project that can be stopped in its tracks by a board (that is not always composed of members educated in design, or even the city construction process) is a big risk to ask anyone to take. —posted by Davepoff, June 9, 7:24 p.m.

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June 15, 2009

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The HALO Effect Program Aims to Keep Homeless Offenders Out of Jail

2007, homeless advocacy group the Los Angeles Community Action Network and the city attorney’s office found that people with such warrants were being denied basic services such as getting a driver’s license. Delgadillo’s office later agreed to dismiss a batch of infractions, but only as a contingency measure until the HALO team could create a policy for dealing with such cases, Miguda-Armstead said. At the same time, LACAN has worked with the law firm Fulbright and Jaworksi and the nonprofit Inner City Law Center to help Skid Row residents get infractions waived. That has led to the dismissal of several hundred citations, Miguda-Armstead said. Becky Dennison, co-director of LACAN, believes most of the tickets are given unfairly and seeks to have the citations dismissed outright. The key difference between LACAN’s effort and the HALO citation clinic, Dennison said, is that the city program essentially requires offenders to admit guilt in exchange for access to services. Miguda-Armstead countered that participants in the HALO program are not asked to admit anything, and are encouraged to fight their citation if they prefer. The citation clinics are also open to people who don’t have citations or warrants and simply want to connect with a service provider, she said. Dennison does not entirely oppose HALO’s diversion programs, but she says the fact that so many infractions are dismissed points to the absurdity of issuing the tickets in the first place. “If you believe that these folks should be able to dismiss, or meet the requirements of these tickets through alternative means, then why don’t you just oppose the ticketing?” she asked. For Miguda-Armstead, the answer is simple: Homeless or homeowner, rich or poor, jaywalking constitutes a legitimate public safety concern. “Even if we’re saying it’s not fair for them to pay the citation because they can’t help the behavior, I think it’s fair to stop the behavior if it’s going to cause them or someone else to get injured,” she said. As for littering, Miguda-Armstead said her office has seen two littering citations in the past year. Participants in the HALO clinic, which will set up in different communities every month — the next is in Hollywood on June 25 — are required to do four hours of service, treatment or counseling per infraction. The city attorney’s office

by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR

ity Attorney Rocky Delgadillo’s office thinks it may have finally found the best approach to dealing with homeless individuals accused of minor infractions: Steer them toward social services instead of fines and jail. Citations in Skid Row for jaywalking, littering and other lowlevel offenses often lead to non-payments. When the homeless, many of whom are also mentally ill, drug-addicted, or both, fail to appear in court after tickets pile up, a warrant is triggered. The problem has been a source of controversy since 2006, when the Safer Cities Initiative put 50 additional cops in Skid Row, in part to crack down on “quality of life” crimes. Under a new city program, certain non-violent homeless individuals and residents of subsidized housing can get these kinds of tickets dismissed if they participate in four hours of community service, drug treatment, job counseling or other social services. The program is the third and newest component of HALO, which stands for Homeless Alternatives to Living on the Streets, the legal diversion program created as part of the Safer Cities Initiative. “The idea is they’re taking ownership, empowering themselves and helping to make their situation better,” said Songhai Miguda-Armstead, the assistant supervising city attorney who oversees HALO. “That’s our ultimate goal.” The first HALO citation clinic was held at the Midnight Mission on May 28. Only a few dozen people were expected, but more than 200 showed up and 144 were connected with a service provider that day, Miguda-Armstead said. Another approximately 100 people who didn’t have citations came to the clinic just to meet with service providers, she said. Punishment or Opportunity The citation clinic was created in response to a pervasive problem: Many of the Skid Row people ticketed never appear in court, which leads to the warrants being issued. In

photo by Gary Leonard

Songhai Miguda-Armstead (center), Veronica Soto and Patrick Shibuya of the City Attorney’s office are leading the HALO, or Homeless Alternatives to Living on the Streets, program.

follows up with the service provider, who confirms whether the offender completed the program. If so, the infraction is wiped from their record. Some critics of the program charge that the process amounts to forcing individuals into treatment or other services. “The whole idea that you have to coerce people into seeking treatment by holding a citation over their head is really rather distasteful,” said Betsy Handler, director of legal service at Inner City Law Center, who suggests that the city focus less on enforcement and more on adding permanent supportive housing. Julius Land, director of technical assistance for the nonprofit Center for Court Innovation, which helps cities set up homeless courts and consulted with Los Angeles on the HALO citation clinic, acknowledges the importance of housing. But he rejects the assertion that the voluntary citation program amounts to coercion. “When the justice system issues warrants, I don’t think it’s an unreasonable proposition that in order to dismiss them that there be some quid pro quo, and I think it’s very progressive to make that trade-off,” Lang said. “Unless of course they’re faulty; anybody should be free to challenge a faulty warrant or a baseless charge.” Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

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Metro Bus Team Nation’s Best Teams from more than 50 public transit agencies recently competed to see who was best and Metro came out on top. Mechanics Frank Forde, Rommel Vargas and Andrew Warren Jr. along with operator Juan Navarro formed the Metro team which won the overall championship at the 2009 International Bus Roadeo.

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June 15, 2009

DowntownNews.com

Downtown News 7

Olvera Street Loses Tie to the Past Melone Tanzini, Who Owned a Shop On the Street for Decades, Dies by RichaRd Guzmán city editoR

n a place that prides itself on its history, Melone Tanzini was one of Olvera Street’s most vibrant links to the past. Tanzini died May 26 from pneumonia after being hospitalized for a fall at his store. He was 87. Tanzini had been a part of the Olvera Street community since 1934, when as a 14-year-old he befriended street founder Christine Sterling and ran errands and did odd jobs for many of the merchants. He worked at his gag headline and souvenir shops until his last days. His passing closes a living link to the area’s past, many said. “There’ll never be anyone else like him,” said Victor Flores, owner of Casa Flores Imports and a decades-long friend of Tanzini. “He was Olvera Street and it won’t be the same without him.” Tanzini’s love of telling stories about the original merchants and the history of Olvera Street earned him recognition as the area’s unofficial oral historian. His abilities as a carpenter garnered him the gratitude of many tenants, who credit him with keeping numerous businesses in the tourist hotspot going through the years. “A lot of the shops all have work done by Melone,” said Mike Mariscal, owner or Myrosa Enterprises and another longtime

friend of Tanzini. “He built my display boxes, and his stories, he had a million of them.” Tanzini was born in Philadelphia in 1921, the youngest of four brothers. As a youth, his mother moved the family to Los Angeles, hoping the weather would improve her health problems. Tanzini visited Olvera Street with his mother shortly after arriving and fell in love with the place, said his daughter, Carolina Ross. “He was about 14 years old I think,” she said. “He loved to talk to different merchants. He befriended Christie Sterling and did little stuff for her and other merchants. He really believed in Christine Sterling’s dream for Olvera Street.” After returning from World War II, Tanzini opened a shop where he would write fake headlines for tourists on newspaper stock. Years later he opened another store upstairs that sold souvenirs and ironwork. “I’m not sure how it all transpired, how he got it, but he put us through school with that business,” Ross said. Second Home Tanzini’s work became his second home. He met his wife there while she shopped, and in later years he often slept at his store, Ross said. “That was his other woman,” Ross said. “Other than my mom and us kids, it’s what he loved.” Tanzini had an impact on many differ-

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Melone Tanzini was one of Olvera Street’s oldest merchants and the area’s unofficial oral historian.

ent aspects of the street across from Union Station. For years he led the procession during Olvera Street’s Las Posadas ceremony, where merchants re-enact the story of the journey of Mary and Joseph into Bethlehem as they searched for lodging. Robert Andrade, general manager of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, called Tanzini the unofficial photographer of Olvera Street. Andrade noted that Tanzini would show off pictures he took of celebrities who visited, among them Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable and Greta Garbo. For many current merchants, his more important role may have been his connections to their own families. Debbie Magdelano, who owns the restaurant El Rancho Grande, remembers Tanzini providing information about her ancestors.

“His stories were the stories of our families, since he’s been here for generations,” she said. “He was there when my grandmother and great grandmother were around. He would tell me about them and I’m so grateful for that. Melone was Olvera Street, and Olvera Street isn’t going to be the same without him.” Already Olvera Street is different. The future of his shop, which rarely closed in the approximately 60 years Tanzini ran it, is uncertain. “He was dedicated to his shop, never took a vacation, never left the street,” Ross said. “We’re trying to figure out what to do. We want to keep his shop, to make his dream come true, which is to have the business go to his kids. He was very proud of it. I’m hoping we’ll be able to continue to run his business and do him proud.” Contact Richard Guzmán at richard@downtownnews.com.

8 Downtown News

June 15, 2009

DowntownNews.com

Jail Continued from page 1 The art is there because the project is being paid for by Proposition Q, a $600 million bond passed by voters in 2002. It requires that projects, no matter their use, spend 1% of their budget on public art, Jones said. Learn the Building The project comes as part of a major shift in law enforcement in Downtown Los Angeles. Also in the Civic Center, just south of City Hall, crews are finishing a $440 million replacement for Parker Center. The LAPD is expected to move into its new headquarters in the fall. The LAPDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jails Division expects to take the keys to the Metropolitan Detention Center, which functions as a temporary holding facility, within a month. The department will then spend the summer moving in, adding furniture and administrative equipment, and learning how to operate a facility that city and police officials say is far more technically advanced than the Parker Center jail. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to take them some time to make sure they understand how to use and work the place,â&#x20AC;? said Cyril Charles, project manager for the Department of Public Works.

The jail was previously slated to rise in the Arts District, adjacent to the Higashi Hongwanji Temple on First Street. An outcry from neighborhood residents and activists prompted the city to relocate the jail to the Los Angeles Street property. Even though that issue has been settled, one potential hiccup remains â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name: A short walk from the building, at the corner of Temple and Alameda streets, the U.S. Department of Justice has a 1,050-inmate jail for federal detainees that is also called the Metropolitan Detention Center. It is uncertain whether the city will look to alter the new facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name to avoid confusion, said. LAPD Capt. Clay Farrell, who heads the Jail Division. Males Only to Coed If the outside of the new facility is not reminiscent of a jail, the inside certainly is. The floors are concrete, the walls are cinderblock and the doors are fashioned from steel. The third floor is separated into four â&#x20AC;&#x153;pods,â&#x20AC;? at the north, south, east and west sections of the building. Centered in each pod is an elevated control room from which jail staff can view every cell in the section. A basement level will function as storage for the LAPDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s evidence and things like seized weapons or drugs, Charles said. A re-

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frigeration unit will store evidence such as blood samples and DNA rape kits. The new detention center replaces a jail built in 1953. By most accounts, the Parker Center facility, which houses only male inmates and has a capacity of 440, is in disrepair. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In this building, the pipes are worn, the plumbing is shot, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been painted scores of times, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure,â&#x20AC;? Farrell said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a beatup facility.â&#x20AC;? The 440-bed jail is the largest within the department, and is often used to house inmates from outside the police jurisdictions that cover Downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods, Farrell said. Still, it rarely reaches capacity, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although we have 440 bunks we have other issues that diminish the number of bunks accessible to inmates,â&#x20AC;? he said. The main need for more bunks at the new Metro Detention Center is to house female inmates. Since the Parker Center jail was designed in a way that is not conducive to separating people by sex, women arrested in the Downtown area have been taken all the way to the 77th Street Regional Jail in South Los Angeles or the Valley Jail in Van Nuys. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being able to take females, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be huge because it means we can get officers back on the street quicker,â&#x20AC;? said Central Area Capt. Blake Chow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seventy-seventh Street will still

be processing females, but not as many, so that speeds up operations there and now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be like a one-stop shop for us here.â&#x20AC;? Inmates at the facility stay no longer than 72 hours, and often are out in less than 24 hours, Farrell said. Depending on their case, inmates are either released or transferred to other facilities, including the Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Central Jail or the Twin Towers Correctional Facility. At about 160,000 square feet, the new facility is 58,000 square feet larger than the Parker Center jail, Farrell said. It is also equipped with state-of-the-art technology and cuttingedge jail design, he said. For one, the new building has video monitors in an area near the holding cells that allow inmates to communicate with attorneys or visitors without having to be transported to a meeting area. That allows jail staff to avoid transporting aggressive or troublesome inmates, and means the facility can reduce inmate movement within the building, Farrell said. As for the design, Farrell acknowledged that, at least from the outside, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not your typical jail. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I guess they tried to make it somewhat pleasant,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Or at least benign.â&#x20AC;? Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

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Downtown News 9

Hotels Continued from page 1 the recession woes came on gradually, the fall-off for Downtown hotels was more sudden: In June 2008, occupancy in Downtown hotels was 74.3%, and it rose to 75.3% in November, according to PKF. “Occupancy is down drastically Downtown for the first quarter, largely because business travel is way down and there’s a lot of business travel to Downtown L.A.,” said Bruce Baltin, senior vice president of PKF. “International travel was also way down, with swine flu and everything, and Downtown gets a lot of international guests too.” Although the terrorist attacks in September 2001 targeted New York and Washington, D.C., the impact was felt nationwide, and Los Angeles recorded its lowest hotel occupancy since the post-1992 riots era. In 2002, Downtown hotels posted 50% occupancy for the year, Baltin said. But as revitalization efforts spurred more interest in Downtown, occupancy rose steadily, built largely on a foundation of business and convention-related travel. It peaked at about 75% in 2007. However, 2009 has been a sort of perfect storm for the hotel industry, with fewer conventions than last year — some due to cancellations — and business travel stunted as companies reevaluate their approach during a down economy. Kathy Faulk, general manager of the Hilton Checkers, said the first quarter this year was especially difficult because business travel was stunted. During the second quarter, Faulk said some of that core business started to return and hotels are now trying to position themselves to capture returning demand. Her stance was echoed by Dennis Hernandez, director of sales and marketing for the Downtown Standard hotel. “The first quarter, historically, has always been a challenge for L.A,” said Hernandez. “In previous years when the second quarter approaches us, that’s when our phones generally are ringing and we become order takers. Whereas this year, I’m seeing a different vibe; we’re actually still chasing the orders.” Pushing ‘Staycations’ While Faulk said she has seen a slight uptick in business travel, the Hilton Checkers and other Downtown hotels are gearing up for a season when business travel usually slows

and the focus turns to vacation guests: summer. With national and international tourism down, numerous hotels are taking aim at regional travelers. They are betting that families and individuals who live as close as West Los Angeles and no further than San Francisco, San Diego and Las Vegas are more likely to take a vacation in their backyard than book plane tickets to Hawaii, the East Coast and beyond. They are getting help in the effort from the Downtown Center Business Improvement District. “We thought that in light of the economy, it’s a good time to focus on ‘staycation’ packages, on vacation packages that are affordable for the regional drive market for people who choose to have a vacation without traveling super far,” said Alex Stettinski, director of marketing for the DCBID. The DCBID approached about 10 Downtown hotels and encouraged them to assemble packages that include reduced rates and extra amenities for its “Summer Freedom” marketing campaign. On top of cheaper rooms, participating hotels are including tickets to cultural venues like the Grammy Museum and MOCA, Dodgers tickets or meals at local restaurants. “We basically said if you put together creative packages that are value-driven, we will put it together as a campaign and support it,” Stettinski said. At the Hilton Checkers, two-night packages including breakfast for two, a bottle of wine, a cheese plate and an in-room movie start at $249; at the O Hotel, guests get two tickets to MOCA or the Grammy Museum, a bottle of champagne and a $50 gift certificate to the hotel bar and kitchen for $211 and up; The Standard Downtown’s package, which starts at $257, offers a medium room, parking and a $50 American Express gift card. But it may not get more creative than the Wilshire Grand’s “Beat the Heat” special: “Whatever the high temperature is, that’s what you pay for a superior room,” said Wilshire Grand spokesman Marc Loge. The daily promotion lasts throughout the summer. The packages being offered by hotels may stimulate additional demand, but nobody is going to turn a major profit, Baltin cautioned. “It’s important to point out that it varies hotel to hotel, but mostly, they’re all doing it to survive,” he said. PKF Consulting is projecting the 2009 average Downtown occupancy to register around 64%, which he called a “weak” number, although one that is markedly better than 2002-2004. “Downtown is really getting clobbered, but it’s gotten so

photo by Gary Leonard

DowntownNews.com

Many in the tourism industry are waiting on the scheduled February 2010 opening of Anschutz Entertainment Group’s 1,001room JW Marriott/Ritz Carlton hybrid, expecting the $900 million establishment to give a boost to the convention industry.

much healthier than it was historically at any time because of the overall renaissance of Downtown,” Baltin said. “So yes we’re getting hurt, but we’re in better shape than we had been historically in previous downturns.” Market watchers think there is a good chance of a turn for the better next year, following the scheduled February opening of the $900 million Convention Center headquarters hotel. The 1,001-room establishment, which will include 878 four-star JW Marriott rooms and 123 five-star Ritz-Carlton rooms (there will also be 224 Ritz-Carlton residences on the top levels of the 54-story tower), is generating interest and demand among convention planners, said Marc Liberman, president and CEO of LA Inc., the city’s convention and visitors bureau. Eighteen conventions are slated to take place this year, down from 21 in 2008, but Liberman expects to surpass 21 in 2009. In the meantime, some hotels are doing everything they can to get staycation guests in the doors, and that’s good news for guests, Faulk said. “If I was a guest I would say, ‘Wow, good for me,’” she said. “Because you’re going to get a lot and that’s a great thing.” Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

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June 15, 2009

DowntownNews.com

Restaurant Buzz

and, unless you’re also buzzed, kind of annoying. So if you’re a late night eater, or actually, a very early morning eater, and don’t want to mingle with anyone still out at 4 a.m., don’t worry, the cafe will also deliver until closing time. At 639 S. Spring St., (213) 612-3000 or thelacafe.com.

Late Night Munchies, Summer of Love, Stout Ice Cream And More Downtown Food Finds by RichaRd Guzmán city editoR

p All Night: Barflies looking for a place to grub after last call, or those who get cravings for Shanghai chicken salad wraps, roast beef sandwiches, lox and bagels or a basket of sliders near dawn, will be happy to know that LA Café has extended its closing time from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. The Historic Core spot will be offering its

full menu until the wee hours Thursday through Saturday. Owner David Bakhshi said he decided to stay open after hearing complaints from area residents that there is no place to hang out late at night. He launched the extended service last month, and so far the response has been great, he said. “People have been hanging out, having a good time or sobering up,” he said. Speaking from experience, Restaurant Buzz knows that the after-bar crowds tend to be a little loud

n Summer Lovin’: A summer romance isn’t only for Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson. While they had their day in Grease, you can make new memories throughout the summer at The Palm restaurant, which this month launched its Summer Lobster special. The deal is a four-pound lobster dinner for two, with two salads and a side to share for $89.95. Ordering this a la carte would set you back about $115, said Jonathan Scott, general manager at the South Park restaurant. So use the savings for a couple glasses of wine. The deal goes until Aug. 31, and the Nova Scotia lobsters the restaurant is

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Downtown News 11

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famous for are available for lunch and dinner. So the Buzz is definitely buzzing over this summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new crush, a beautiful and tasty crustacean. At 1100 S. Flower St., (213) 763-4600 or thepalm.com. n Mixology 101: There are those who look at a cocktail a little differently than others. To them, a good cocktail is like a work of art or a finely tailored suit. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not yet in that crowd, you will be after The Edisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Radio Room event on Tuesday, June 16, at 8 p.m. The Radio Room showcases classic cocktails in hopes of reviving the glamour days of mixed drinks. The event will feature mixologists (yes, mixologists, not bartenders) from Chicago and Boston who will show off their skills. Tickets are $10, drinks will be awesome. At 108 W. Second St., (213) 613-0000 or edisondowntown.com. n Mondays Rule!: No, not really. Mondays pretty much stink and they always will. But at least there is a silver lining to the most hated day of the week, thanks to Magnolia in

photo by Gary Leonard

Mondays donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be all that bad thanks to Magnoliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Monday dinner special, which offers a three-course meal for $30.

South Park. Every Monday this summer from 5-11 p.m., the restaurant will offer a three-course meal for $30. Executive Chef Richard Crespin will change the menu weekly using seasonal ingredients. The dinner for Monday, June 15, includes a choice of sauteed tiger shrimp or roasted pear salad for starters, pan-roasted halibut or pan-roasted New Zealand lamb chops for the main course, and chocolate truffle cake for dessert. With a whole workweek still ahead, chances are youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll end the weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toughest day with a happy stomach. At 825 W. Ninth St., (213) 362-0880 or magnoliala.com. n A Wise Investment: If thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one thing investment bankers know about, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freshly baked bread and cupcakes. OK, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t usually associate number guys with red velvet cupcakes, but Restaurant Buzz is keeping an open mind and hoping for great things from Joon Kang and Just Baked, which is expected to open this week at the base of the Gas Company Tower at 555 W. Fifth St. in the Financial District. The former Downtown investment banker gave up the high-finance lifestyle to become an entrepreneur. He decided Downtown needed an affordable place for the lunch crowd that offers something many local spots donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t: fresh bread baked on the premises. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We bake everything every day. The only bread we offer is the sourdough baguette. We take it out of the oven and chop it up while the customer waits,â&#x20AC;? he said. Sandwiches will run about $6.95 and include choices like roast beef, ham, BLT, pastrami and tuna. Freshly baked cupcakes will go for about $1.25. Considering that some of the fancy cupcake places around town can charge $4 or so for their icing-topped goodies, dropping five quarters on a just-made cupcake sounds like a great deal. Kang said he is enjoying the pleasure of making sandwiches much more than he liked handling peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s money. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The sandwich shop is going to be much more rewarding,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you make good food for people their reaction lets you know exactly where you stand.â&#x20AC;? At 555 W. Fifth St., (213) 488-0948. Open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. n Ice Cream Beer: Downtown Los Angeles is a better place thanks to WurstkĂźche. Not only does the Arts District spot serve up killer sausages made of exotic meats like alligator and rattlesnake, but now theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve managed to combine three

photo by Gary Leonard

The Palm in South Park is celebrating lobster season by offering a four-pound crustacean, two salads and a side for $89.95.

of the greatest creations man has ever known: ice cream, beer and sandwiches. Last week WurstkĂźche introduced a stout beer-flavored ice cream sandwich from the Coolhaus ice cream truck, which specializes in ice cream sandwiches and sells its goods to a growing fan base on the road (itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basically the ice cream equivalent of the Kogi truck). According to manager Sean Moore, WurstkĂźche sells two flavors not offered by the Coolhaus truck: the stout ice cream sandwich and an apple strudel. WurstkĂźche also just received its liquor license and a full bar will debut in about a month, Moore said (the bar currently serves beer and wine only). With all the changes, about the only way WurstkĂźche could get any better is if they found a way to combine beer, cocktails, ice cream and some alligator or rattlesnake, which could be put in a blender and served as a single meal-drink in a commemorative gold-plated stein. Actually, that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sound great at all. So just keep doing what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing, WurstkĂźche. At 800 E. Third St., (213) 687-4444 or wurstkucherestaurant.com. Contact Richard GuzmĂĄn at richard@downtownnews.com.

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12 Downtown News

June 15, 2009

CALENDAR

A Different Kind of Fight Club

‘Oleanna,’ Mamet’s 1992 Saga of Sexual Harassment, Still Packs a Punch by Jeff Favre contributing writer

avid Mamet strolled the Mark Taper Forum audience on the opening night of Oleanna, shaking hands and looking not much different than he did 17 years ago when his much-celebrated battle of the sexes and examination of the social power structure premiered on Broadway. He may look the same, but much has changed since then. Mamet, a frequent contributor to the Center Theatre Group landscape the last five years (his Romance was at the Taper in 2005, followed by a lineup titled Two Unrelated Plays in 2008), has changed the face of American theater. He has inspired a generation of writers who try, and usually fail, to mimic his clipped, meticulously mannered dialogue that frequently eschews story for raw emotion. His distinct style leads Mamet fans to declare that his plays are wonderful, if performed properly. But taking the blinders off and the historic perspective away, Oleanna in the light of 2009 remains as it was in 1992: a three-scene, two-person play that is only 75 minutes long and has a flawed opening, but builds to an unforgettable and powerful climax. It takes skilled actors and an able director to handle the tricky material competently, though critics debate what constitutes the “correct” interpretation. In the production that runs in Downtown through July 12, it’s not difficult to argue that Bill Pullman, working with director Doug Hughes, delivers a performance as John that veers sharply from the role’s originator, William H. Macy — and the result is a fresh surprise. Julia Stiles, as Carol, one of the more hated female characters in recent theatrical history, doesn’t offer anything new. Though she ably handles the duties of two easily digestible archetypes, the role remains more a sounding board than an equal partner. The reputation of Oleanna is that at one point, when sexual harassment was more of a front-page news topic (the play

came in the wake of the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings), audiences would be divided on placing blame in these exchanges. Whether or not that’s true, these days the ire rests overwhelmingly with Carol, the apparently naïve college student, who in the first scene asks for help from a professor whose class she appears to be failing. Paying her little mind at first because of a litany of phone calls about a house John and his wife are buying to coincide with his impending tenure, the professor eventually tries to mentor Carol. He offers to throw out her grade if she will study with him privately. At one point, when Carol appears upset, he puts his hands on her shoulder. Tables turn in scenes two and three when Carol and a “group” at the school complain to the university that John sexually harassed her, jeopardizing John’s tenure, his home and family, and flipping the balance of power in Carol’s favor. Mamet displays his obsession with unfinished thoughts in the first scene, as for 30 minutes almost no sentence is completed. A larger issue stems from Carol’s lack of dimension, other than as an idiot who has a great grasp of almost every concept except John’s class. Considering that Stiles brings little empathy to Carol, keeping emotional variance to a minimum, the student’s transformation makes little sense. Pullman, on the other hand, elicits sympathy from the get-go. Though John is distracted and self-absorbed in the opening, Pullman’s gentle intonations to Carol, his sense of helplessness rather than anger while on the phone, and non-threatening mannerisms elicit sympathy. John becomes oblique but caring, the teacher you wish you had. Pullman’s sympathetic portrayal ratchets the audience’s anger toward Carol to full-force. In other words, if you thought you hated Carol in previous productions, wait ’til you see her now. Once John becomes the embodiment of anger at being stripped of self-control, Mamet turns the screws, making the stakes and the injustice increasingly bigger.

photo by Craig Schwartz

Bill Pullman is the college professor and Julia Stiles plays the manipulative student in the Mark Taper Forum production of David Mamet’s Oleanna.

Hughes raises and lowers the blinds in the office set between scenes, which serves little purpose other than to kill time for costume changes. But once the scenes get going, Hughes locks onto a barely controlled, frenetic pace, giving little room to breathe and leading to the impressively staged closing moments. Neil Patel’s set, a comfortable office with a detailed backdrop of the campus, provides plenty of space for movement without feeling cavernous on the Taper stage. Hughes makes good use of center stage, having Pullman and Stiles circle each other like wild animals preparing for battle. Oleanna may be flawed in structure and character development, but in the hands of Pullman, Stiles and Hughes, it still succeeds in angering audiences. That may not sound like a good time for everyone, but it’s a sign of good theater. Oleanna runs through July 12 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

Nine Things About the Paper Yacht Challenge Downtown’s Favorite, and Only, Boating-Related Charity Fundraiser Returns by Jon Regardie executive editor

n Thursday, June 18, the fountain in front of City National Plaza will transform from a plain old water feature into a race course. During the second annual Psomas Paper Yacht Challenge, dozens of Downtowners will fashion (hopefully) waterproof crafts in a fundraiser for charity. Here are nine facts about the event. Paper Boats Are Not Just Kids’ Stuff: In last year’s inaugural Paper Yacht Challenge, about 45 Downtown professionals came up with contraptions that were plopped into the fountain with the orange “Double Ascension” sculpture. Only about five sank, said Joel Miller, vice president and principal of engineering/consulting firm Psomas and the organizer of the event. All those that went to a watery grave received awards named for the Titanic. It’s Not a Traditional Race: A series of heats will begin at 5:30 p.m. In each one, approximately 10 boats will be placed at one side of the fountain. The first one to the other side, with the help of either natural wind or the pedestal fans set up fountain-side, wins. If no yacht reaches the far side, the one that has traveled furthest in 10 minutes is the victor.

There Are Guidelines to Boat Building: The rules dictate that a yacht be no longer than 12 inches and no wider than six inches. No water-resistant sealants are allowed. The judges can disqualify any craft that does not keep with the spirit of the challenge, but you can tell it’s still a good-natured spirit by the directive, “Don’t even think about cheating!” Propellers Are Allowed: If you’re capable of creating a non-electric propulsion system (e.g. a rubber band) and affixing it to your boat, go ahead. That doesn’t mean it will work though — Miller noted that last year one propellerdriven boat simply spun in circles. Keep It Simple, Stupid: While one might expect members of Downtown architecture firms to have a distinct advantage, that is not the case. “Certainly for somebody with no creative talent like myself, doing a design that is simple works just as well as a complex design,” said Miller. “We had some boats that were fast that were no more than cubes opened at the top. Others with elaborate design and masts kind of spun around and didn’t make much progress.” Paper Yachts Have a Greater Benefit: The event is a fundraiser. Entry fees are a minimum of $25 per person or $50 per team.

photo courtesy of Psomas

Last year’s inaugural Psomas Paper Yacht Challenges drew about 45 entrants. The event, which benefits the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank, returns Thursday, June 18.

Last year, said Miller, $3,000 was raised for the beneficiary, the Blind Childrens Center (suggested by Thomas Properties Group, the owner of City National Plaza). This year, Miller hopes to raise more than $5,000, with proceeds going to the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank (suggested by Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry). If You Can’t Make a Boat, You Can Eat and Drink: In addition to the races, there will be food provided by Famima and beverages for sale. There will also be entertainment, including taiko drums, a DJ and a magician. “My goal is to create a carnival atmosphere with a lot of activity happening simultaneously,” said Miller. You Can Buy Stuff, Too: The challenge will also feature a silent auction. Items up

for bid include golf packages, tickets to the Grammy Museum and a Dodgers VIP experience valued at $900. There’s Always Room for Crockett and Tubbs: Last year, a few folks got creative with their designs. Miller noted that one entrant adopted a Noah’s Ark theme and had paper cutout animals on his boat. “One had the ‘Miami Vice’ characters,” Miller said. “They had pictures of Crockett and Tubbs. People do wonderful things with their imaginations.” The Psomas Paper Yacht Challenge is Thursday, June 18, at City National Plaza at Fifth and Flower streets. Onsite registration begins at 4:30 p.m. and racing starts at 5:30 p.m. See psomas.com for rules and registration info. Contact Jon Regardie at regardie@downtownnews.com.

June 15, 2009

Circus Continued from page 1 act, audiences will see Bernel on aerial silks — essentially two oversized curtains she hangs between while performing impressive acrobatic moves. Rather than a flashy fire juggling act, Cirque Berzerk’s fire-eaters will perform a dramatic dance inspired by, well, the devil. Visually, the show bears the influences of punk rock and burlesque. Costumes include plenty of fishnet stockings, white face powder and heavy eyeliner, while the soundtrack, composed by Bourque, is decidedly dark. There are no animals in Cirque Berzerk, and instead of taking over multiple rings simultaneously, the 31 performers present their acts one by one in a single staging area. There is even a loose, overarching story about a woman exploring the dark side of the afterlife. The dreadlocked Bourque presides over it all in the role of Death, the master of ceremonies. “What we’re doing is telling a story,” said Bourque. “It’s not just the ringmaster coming out and saying, ‘Here’s the next act.’ We’re really taking you into a world and enveloping you with the music and audio-visual elements and costumes and set.” Filling a Hole Bourque, Bernel and Cirque Berzerk choreographer Neal Everett all are unlikely circus stars. Bourque worked on music videos and in film and television before founding Cirque Berzerk. Bernel studied ballet and gymnastics growing up, and turned to fine arts, specifically sculpture and photography, before she decided she missed dance and enrolled in circus school in her late 20s. She met Everett there about seven years ago. Everett, who did gymnastics as a child, has the unlikeliest background of all: He

Downtown News 13

DowntownNews.com previously served in the Air Force and once planned to go to medical school. “First, I decided to take a year off in L.A.,” he said during a recent rehearsal break, “and I’m still here. I realized I wasn’t going to medical school. I was going to help create a circus.” In 2004, the trio formed the precursor to Cirque Berzerk, a performance band called Skin, which combined electronic music by Bourque with video elements and aerial stunts by Bernel and Everett. After struggling through a performance on a particularly windy night at the Burning Man art festival in the Black Rock Desert, they decided to take their act indoors. “We started hosting little underground dinner theaters in Downtown L.A., and kind of just tapped into this thing that people wanted to pay money to see, and performers really were looking for as an outlet,” said Bernel. “You have Cirque de Soleil, you have corporate work as a performer, and L.A. didn’t really have its own legitimate circus troupe. So we found a little hole and filled it.” The troupe gradually added more performers, and staged its first Cirque Berzerk big top event at the 32-acre Los Angeles State Historic Park last summer. The four-night run was a sellout, leading the Cirque Berzerk team to expand to this year’s three-week run and bigger tent. “The whole scope of the show has tripled,” said Everett. “Not only with our audience size, but our fly space, the stage, the technology in this show is all much greater than last year.” Growing Up This week, Cirque Berzerk moves from last year’s 28-foot tall tent to a towering, 45foot tall big top. That’s a reflection of a budget that has increased from approximately $80,000 to about $650,000, thanks in part to new Cirque Berzerk CEO and Managing Partner David Berrent. Berrent, a television producer and longtime friend of Bernel and Bourque, originally

wanted to create a reality television show based on the performers of Cirque Berzerk. It didn’t take long before he decided the smarter venture would be to start raising funds for the circus itself. “Screw the TV show,” he said. “This is the business.” With 150 cast and crew members and even a professional set designer this year (David Morong, who, appropriately, worked as art director for several episodes of the dark HBO series “Carnivale”), Cirque Berzerk has grown into a bona fide business. But even more exciting, its founders say, is the opportunity to realize their nightmarish vision. “We’re able to do more dynamic stuff, so even acts that people have seen before are 10 times more dynamic,” said Bourque. photo by Brian Topolski “The aerial is a lot taller, so we The Cirque Berzerk performers include punk rock clowns, fire can actually fly around the tent a dancers, gothic stilt walkers and aerial acrobats. lot more than we could before.” The night does not begin and end with the big top acts, however. “When the tickets sell, we’re going to start Before the show, audience members are in- planning our tour ASAP,” she said. “I’m bivited to eat and drink picnic-style around the ased, but this show is… spectacular. Every main tent while enjoying carnival-themed time we see it, we’re slapping each other, goattractions. After the last curtain falls, attend- ing, ‘This is our circus!’” ees can keep the party going in the “Berzerk Cirque Berzerk runs June 18-July 5 at Los Lounge” adjacent to the big top, where the Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring 21-member, 1930s-inspired band Vaud and St. Performances are Thursdays at 8:30 p.m., the Villains will perform. Fridays and Saturdays at 7 and 10 p.m. and Already, the Cirque Berzerk team is look- Sundays at 5 and 8 p.m. Information and tickets ing to the future. After their Downtown en- at (866) 558-4253 or cirqueberzerk.com. gagement, they hope to take the show on a Contact Anna Scott at world tour, said Bernel. anna@downtownnews.com.

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14 Downtown News

Wednesday, June 17 ALOUD at the Central Library 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7025 or aloudla.org. 7 p.m.: Walter Kirn, in his “Lost in the Meritocracy,” recounts his long strange trip from rural Minnesota to the ivy-covered, but not always brillianceinspiring, walls of Princeton. Town Hall Los Angeles National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, 111 N. Central Ave., (213) 489-3327 or townhall-la.org. 7-9 p.m.: Rick Steves, a travel writer, addresses “How Travel Furthers Global Peace and Understanding.” Thursday, June 18 Cirque Berzerk Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St., cirqueberzerk.com. 8:30 p.m.: Cirque Berzerk melds jaw-dropping acrobatics, stunning aerialists, fiery burlesque dancers, gothic stilt walkers, punk rock clowns, psychedelic vaudevillian tomfoolery, and one very voluptuous contortionist. Need we say more? The crazy big top is in town through July 5, with performances at 8:30 p.m. every Thursday; 7 and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; and 5 and 8 p.m. on Sundays. Managing Your Carbon Footprint Fulbright & Jaworski, 555 S. Flower St., 41st Floor, (213) 892-9357 or fulbright.com. 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m.: Companies and institutions face increasing pressure from government, the market and the public to manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with their operations and facilities. This seminar will provide guidance on forthcoming state and federal requirements and practical strategies for managing and reducing carbon emissions. ALOUD at the Central Library 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7025 or aloudla.org. 7 p.m.: Photographer/author Harry Brant Chandler and historian Kevin Starr explore the lives of inspirational Southern Californians, the subjects of Chandler’s portraits. Thursdays at Central Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., meeting room A, (213) 228-7241 or lapl.org. All in Meeting Room A. 12:15-1 p.m.: Perfume expert and consultant Carolyn Yousef on finding just the right scent for you. Friday, June 19 Farmlab Public Salons 1745 N. Spring St. #4, (323) 226-1158 or farmlab.org. Noon: Nasrin Tabatabai and Babak Afrassiabi

‘Don’T Miss’ LisT

A GrAnD DAMe, serious Music AnD surprisinG TheATer A S , by

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etter rush to the Ahmanson Theatre box office to catch Dame Edna: My First Last Tour, featuring someone who bills herself as an “international homemaker, talk show host, gigastar, fashion icon, swami and sought-after friend of the rich, famous and royal.” Created and played by Australian actor/painter/race car driver Barry Humphries, Edna is known for her witty banter and fabulous beauty tips. In 2005, she received a Tony Award for her Broadway debut, Dame Edna: The Royal Tour. Better not risk that there’s no “last last” tour and catch her now. Performances run Tuesday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. through Sunday, June 21. 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.

ince his breakout 1982 hit “Someday, Someway,” singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw has quietly churned out studio recordings and built a reputation as a first-rate pop craftsman. On Monday, June 15, at 8 p.m., Crenshaw will discuss and perform selections from his latest work, Jaggedland. The event is part of the Grammy Museum’s series The Drop, featuring intimate discussions and performances with musicians showcasing new work. Perhaps if you ask nicely during the Q&A session, Crenshaw will play the title track he co-wrote for the 2007 comedy film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. 800 W. Olympic Blvd., tickets through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or grammymuseum.org.

aking the leap from the small screen to the big stage, the Music of Battlestar Galactica comes to California Plaza on Saturday, June 13, at 7 p.m. to kick off the free performing arts summer series Grand Performances. Composer Bear McCreary will lead a team in translating the music created for the science-fiction television show about humans warring with a robotic race known as Cylons into a full concert. Called “the most innovative music on TV today” by Variety, McCreary’s compositions draw from percussive, orchestral, rock and world music influences. 300-350 S. Grand Ave., grandperformances.org.

It’s a match made in theater (if not relationship) heaven: Marry Me a Little and The Last Five Years, one-act musicals by acclaimed Broadway composers Stephen Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown, respectively, are sharing the stage at Little Tokyo’s East West Players for one more week. Marry Me a Little consists of songs originally written for different Sondheim musicals, while The Last Five Years tells the story of a Jewish man and his non-Jewish love as they go from marriage to divorce. Performances run Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and the closing show is 2 p.m. Sunday at the David Henry Hwang Theater. 120 Judge John Aiso St., (213) 625-7000 or eastwestplayers.org.

photo by Michael Lamont

Tuesday, June 16 Town Hall Los Angeles Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., (213) 489-3327 or townhall-la.org. Noon: Arthur T. Leahy started as a bus driver. He’s now the CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. His talk is called “Striking Gold with the Metro on the Eastside.”

The

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SPONSORED LISTINGS: Cole’s Historic Red Car Bar 118 E. Sixth St., (213) 622-4090 or twitter.com/harrycole1908 Follow Cole’s on Twitter to find out when “Happy Minute” is daily. For those thrifty 60 seconds, a selected shot is $1. From 3-7 p.m., saloon specials include $2 off all draft beer, wine and spirits and $1 fries with any dip. On Tuesday, locals night, saloon specials are all day. Cole’s Downtown Down Home Sunday Brunch 118 E. Sixth St., (213) 622-4090 or colesfrenchdip.com Sundays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.: The eatery hosts its new Downtown Down Home Brunch, featuring Cole’s Eggs BeneDip, Harry Cole’s French Toast, fluffy P.E. Pancakes, $5 Mimosas, Bloody Marys, Bloody shots and sparkling wines. All brunch items are under $10. Casey’s Irish Pub 613 S. Grand Ave., (213) 629-2353, caseysirishpub. com or visit Casey’s on facebook.com. At this Irish pub, chef Jeff Marino serves a mean homemade fish n’ chips, plus meat pies and new sweet potato fries. Wash it down with a pint of Guiness. During happy hour, 4-7 p.m., get $2 off Irish whiskeys and $1 off draft beer. Well drinks are $4, wines $5 and small pub plates are $4-$5.

LISTINGS

photo by Greg Gorman

EVENTS

June 15, 2009

DowntownNews.com

If you’re in the market for some decidedly un-traditional theater, look no further than the Wooster Group’s interpretation of Francesco Cavalli’s 17th-century opera La Didone. As if it’s not enough to set the opera in a strange new world equipped with electric guitars, the experimental theater troupe brings another Italian cultural artifact into the mix: the 1965 horror film Terrore Nello Spazio (Planet of the Vampires). The opera’s ancient shipwreck tale and the film’s crashed spaceships come together through June 21, with performances at 8:30 p.m. each night except Sunday, when the show starts at 7 p.m. 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org. Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.

photo by Paula Court

June 15, 2009

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Additional Event Information on the Web

appear for a discussion about their collaborative project, “Pages.” Started in 2004, “Pages” consist of activities such as the publication of a bilingual Farsi/ English magazine, video and installation works and editorial re-articulations. Saturday, June 20 Reading at Metropolis Metropolis Books, 440 S. Main St., (213) 612-0174 or metropolisbooksla.com. 4 p.m.: Author Andie Ryan will sign her debut thriller, “Shakedown.” Bargain Book Sale Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., lapl.org. 10 a.m.-noon: This used book sale features hundreds of selections from four Central Library support groups. There are bargains on books, LPs, videos and more. California African American Museum 600 State Drive, (213) 744-2024 or caamuseum.org. 1-3 p.m.: In “Let Your Imagination Race,” Charles Dickson inspires participants in assembling a race car out of plastic bottles, paper, wood and rubber. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd., (213) 763-DINO or visit nhm.org. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: The weekend program Art + Science explores how science influences art, and the art inherent in science. This month, the museum celebrates the opening of the new Dino Lab and looks at how scientists use art to re-create how these creatures looked and lived 66 million years ago. Participants will also learn how the museum’s Dinosaur Encounters puppets were created, and then sculpt their own dinosaurs. Sunday, June 21 MOCA Grand Avenue 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-1745 or moca.org. 3 p.m.: In conjunction with the exhibition “From the Permanent Collection: Robert Frank’s The Americans,” MOCA presents an afternoon of films examining the life and career of the renowned photographer. California African American Museum 600 State Drive, (213) 744-2024 or caamuseum.org. Noon-4 p.m.: To celebrate the Apollo Theater’s 75th anniversary, there will be screenings of performances and guest speakers talking about taking its famous stage.

ROCK, POP & JAZZ 2nd Street Jazz 366 E. Second St., (213) 680-0047, 2ndstjazz.com or myspace.com/2ndstreetlivejazz. Tuesdays: Jazz jam session. Music usually starts at 9 or 10 p.m. 626 Reserve 626 S. Spring St., (213) 627-9800 or 626reserve.com. Tuesdays, 6 p.m.: Live music with Goh Kurosawa. Thursdays, 6 p.m.: More live sounds, this time with Jessie Torrez. Blue Velvet 750 S. Garland Ave., (213) 239-0061. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 p.m.: Live music and DJs. Café Metropol 923 E. Third St., (213) 613-1537 or cafemetropol.com. June 19, 8-10 p.m.: Guitarist Jon Bremen. June 20, 7:30 p.m.: Vocalist Spencer Day. Club Nokia Corner of Olympic Blvd. and Figueroa St., clubnokia.com. June 19, 8:30 p.m.: Singer, songwriter and record producer Todd Rundgren. Conga Room L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic, (213) 749-0445 or congaroom.com. June 17: Rick Ortiz Rock en Español with Noches Rockeras. June 20: Los Angeles salsa outfit Son Mayor. Grammy Museum LA Live, corner of Olympic Blvd and Figueroa St., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org. June 15, 8 p.m.: Songwriter and “Someday, Someway” performer Marshall Crenshaw. June 17, 7:30 p.m.: An intimate acoustic performance and discussion with Milwaukee guitar master Willy Porter and Southern California folk-rock quartet Raining Jane. June 18, 8 p.m.: Join Chief Curator Ken Luftig Viste as he interviews country music icon Dwight Yoakam before an intimate audience of 200. After the interview, Yoakam will take questions from the audience and perform a few songs acoustically with guitarist Eddie Perez. Nokia Theatre 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6000 or nokiatheatrelalive.com.

June 18, 7 p.m.: R&B vocalist Keyshia Cole. June 19, 7 p.m.: Dutch violinist, conductor and showman Andre Rieu. Redwood Bar & Grill 316 W. Second St., (213) 680-2600 or theredwoodbar.com. June 15, 10 p.m.: Beatnik-on-the-Mexican-border balladeer Jake La Botz. June 16, 10 p.m.: Mike Stinson, he of new-school honky tonk. June 17, 10 p.m.: Spindrift Bon Voyage Show. June 18, 10 p.m.: A psychobilly night of the Rocketz, Hotrod Hillbillies and Captain Sean Wheeler and Zander Schloss. June 19, 10 p.m.: Speedbuggy, Los Creepers, and Los Duggans, all of whom take their cues from Owens-in-Bakersfield lore. June 20, 10 p.m.: The Minutemen, Firehose and Stooges’ Mike Watt with Thee Headliners, Ladyfingers. June 21, 10 p.m.: A rockabilly night with Rockin’ Ryan and the Real Goners, Cattie Ness and The Revenge and The Crown City B. Rerax Fridays at Señor Fish 422 E. First St., (213) 625-0566 or senorfishla.com. Fridays, 9 p.m.-3 a.m.: Music, art, VJ performances, silk screening and photos. Royale 2619 Wilshire Blvd., (213) 388-8488 or royaleonwilshire.com. Mondays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.: A live musical showcase with bands, a DJ and an Eastside vibe. Tuesdays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.: An acoustic live set in the historic Royale lounge. A DJ spins between sets.

Listings for additional concerts, exhibits and more in Downtown Los Angeles can be found on our website. Go to downtownnews.com/calendar for full information, including time and location, for all the happenings in Downtown.

Wednesday (second of every month), 9 p.m.-2 a.m.: A fusion of spoken word and acoustic musical melodies. Sundays, 9 p.m.-midnight: Rat pack protégé Max Vontaine. Sheraton L.A. Downtown Hotel 711 S. Hope St., (310) 216-5861. Fridays: The hotel presents a weekly live jazz night. Walt Disney Concert Hall 111 S. Grand Ave., visit musiccenter.org. June 19, 8 p.m.: A night called Global Pop, with Korean sensations Wheesung and Lena Park. June 19, 7:30 p.m.: A Friday Night Sing-Along featuring Abba. Unleash your inner songbird in the W.M. Keck Amphitheatre at Disney Hall and belt out popular favorites and classic tunes with hundreds of fellow song lovers while accompanied by live musicians.

4 wEb: www.DowntownNews.com 4 EmAiL: Calendar@DowntownNews.com

Email: Send a brief description, street address and public phone number. Submissions must be received 10 days prior to publication date to be considered for print.

*Expires 7-15-09

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June 15, 2009

Downtown News 17

DowntownNews.com

CLASSIFIED

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CHARMING LIVE/WORK studio. 400sf, great light, gated parking, shared kitchen & bath. Santa Fe Art Colony, close to downtown. $700/mo. Incl. util. + sec. dep. Available July. 213509-4403 Continued on next page

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downtownnews.com

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

18 Downtown News

June 15, 2009

DowntownNews.com

Continued from previous page

FOR RENT Loft/Unfurnished REAL ARTIST LOFTS 14002000 Sq. Ft., $1700-$2200/mo. High ceilings, hardwood floors, fireplace, pool/spa, gated parking, laundry, sorry no dogs, Open House Sundays 12-3pm @ 1250 Long Beach Ave., L.A. 866-425-7259, LAartistlofts.com Apartments/Furnished

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850 sqft, 16 ft ceilings, $1500/mo. • Granite marble top • Stainless steel appliances/ refrigerator etc. • Pet friendly We are located in a prime area in Downtown LA nice neighborhood w/ salon, market, café etc. Wired for high speed internet & cable, central heat & A/C

Please call 213.627.6913

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

www.cityloftsquare.com

Luxury Rooms in Downtown Monthly Rents Start at $780 1 & 2 Rooms Available • Fully Furnished • 100% Utilities Paid • • Refrigerator, Microwave & TV In Each Room • • Wireless Access Throughout Bldg. • Gym • • Close to USC & Loyola Law School • • Presidential Suite with Kitchen • Parking Available Onsite

Special STUDENT RATE! $690 1 Person

50 Channels Direct TV

Mayfair Hotel 1256 West 7th Street

Simin (213) 484-9789 Ext. 555 or (213) 632-1111

Available Immediately Top floor of 11 story (18,000 SF) historic building available now! Perfect for corporate hqtrs. Features separate executive suite(s). Stunning views of LA two blocks away from Staples Center and across the street from the new LA Live complex. The building also has approx 4,000 sq ft of beautiful contiguous space and some small offices available. These spaces can be viewed by appointment. Information available to qualified prospective tenants. Email request to mdavis@shammasgroup.com or call (213) 746-6300

The Alexandria at 501 S. Spring St.

is Now Leasing! On-site laundry, free utilities, indiv. bathrooms, 24 hr. security & pet friendly. Free Internet. Close to metro, restaurants, farmers market & supermarket. Units starting at

NO WORRY LEASE IF YOU LOSE YOUR JOB, YOU CAN CANCEL YOUR LEASE

NO PENALTY Ask for details.

Take your wardrobe to the next level! Same Day Service! Open 7 days a week! 115 E. 8th St. L.A. 90014 (213) 399-1177

eddiestailorshop.com EDUCATION

Scholarships Available Now!

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in 240 Cal-SCAN newspapers for the best reach, coverage, and price. 25-words $450. Reach 6 million Californians!. Free email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.Cal-SCAN.com. (CalSCAN) NEWS RELEASE? Cost-efficient service. The California Press Release Service has 500 current daily, weekly and college newspaper contacts in California. Free email brochure. Call (916) 288-6010. www.CaliforniaPressReleaseService.com. (Cal-SCAN) Financial Services AMERICAN TAX RELIEF. * Settle IRS Back Taxes * Do You Owe Over $15,000? If So... Call us Now! * Free Consultation*. For Less Than What You Owe! Stop Wage Garnishments! Remove Bank Levies Tax Levies & Property Seizures! Stop Payment Plans That Get you Nowhere! Settle State and Business Payroll Tax Problems Eliminate Penalties, Interest Charges & Tax Liens! * Settle IRS Back Taxes * No Obligation! Confidential! Call American Tax Relief 1-800-496-9891 * Free Consultation * (Cal-SCAN) CREDIT CARD RELIEF. * Free Consultation * Save Thousands of Dollars. Out of Debt in Months! Avoid Bankruptcy! Credit Card Relief. NOT A High Priced Consolidation Company or A Consumer Credit Counseling Program. Call Credit Card Relief 1-866-479-5353. * Free Consultation * (Cal-SCAN) Cleaning CONCEPTO’S CLEANING Crew. Professional, experienced, cleans apartments, homes, offices and restaurants. Call for a quote. 323-459-3067 or 818-409-9183.

LA College International

Associate of Arts in: Healthcare Administration, Business Management Associate of Science in: Criminal Justice

$3500 per academic year! 1 (800) 574-6428 x130

Advertising 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)

Music Lessons Children’s Performing Group! Singing, dancing, performing and fun! For boys & girls ages 3 and up! See SunshineGenerationLA.com or call 909861-4433. Video TV Commercials Professional from $900, Corporate Video, Infomercial’s, English/Spanish. Call Irma 213-400-7537

FROM $1,300’s/Mo. Free Parking

756 S. Broadway • Downtown Los Angeles 213-892-9100 • chapmanf lats.com Pricing subject to change without notice.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Special Events HAVING A PARTY? Need Music? We can also service your movie, advertising and duplication needs. Experienced professionals at War Zone Comics. Call 213-440-6288; email: warzonecomicswzc@hotmail. com; www.myspace.com/WarZoneComicswzc. (Cal-SCAN) Volunteer Opportunities Helping kids heal. Free Arts for Abused Children is looking for volunteers to integrate the healing power of the arts into the lives of abused and at-risk children and their families. Today is the day to get involved! Contact Annie at volunteers@freearts. org or 310-313-4278 for more information.

AUTOS & RECREATIONAL 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, NonRunners Accepted, 1-888-4685964. (Cal-SCAN) Import Autos 2006 BMW 650i COUPE. For sale by owner. 14,884 miles. Mineral Silver with cream beige leather interior. Perfect Condition. Fully loaded- Navigation, Bluetooth, premium sound, 6 disc CD changer, Cold weather package, Sports Package w/premium 19” Wheels & Heads Up Display. $44,500. Tom Jackson (805) 922-9799, (805) 878-1100. (Cal-SCAN)

Do you have something to sell? (Marketplace and Automotive Categories ONLY):

ROOFTOP GARDEN RETREAT WITH BBQ AND LOUNGE • GRAND LOBBY FITNESS CENTER • SPA • MODERN KITCHEN WITH CAESAR COUNTERTOPS HIGH SPEED INTERNET • DESIGNER LIVING SPACES • PET FRIENDLY DRAMATIC VIEWS • WALKING DISTANCE TO RALPHS SUPERMARKET STAINLESS APPLIANCES INCLUDING REFRIGERATOR GATEWAY TO FASHION DISTRICT GROUND FLOOR DRY CLEANERS • KELLY’S COFFEE

SOLAR POWER Systems Go Green. Residential/Commercial. Tax Credits & Rebates. 310-7954516

All ads run for 2 weeks. Ads may be renewed ifieds get results! after two weeks for 50% off the original With a circulation of 49,000, our class price of the ad.

Ad prices

NOW LEASING

RENEWABLE ENERGY

• Items under $300…12 words, 2 weeks FREE! • Items $301 to $500…15 words, only $11.50 • Items $501 to $1200…15 words, only $14.00 • Items $1201 to $2000…15 words, only $16.50 • Items $2001+…15 words, only $19.00

Restrictions: Offer good on private party ads only. Ads must be pre-paid by cash, check or credit card. Certain classifications excluded. Deadline: Thursday at noon for next issue.

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

State Check $

Zip Credit Card $

Ad Copy: _________________________________________

________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

$775/month

________________________________________________

June Move In Special: ½ Off 1st & 2nd Month’s Rent

________________________________________________

income & other restrictions apply.

Call 213.626.1743 or stop by for a tour

________________________________________________

June 15, 2009

ITEMS FOR SALE Lawn & Garden/Farm equip SAWMILLS FROM ONLY $2,990 Convert your Logs To Valuable Lumber with your own Norwood portable band sawmill. Log skidders also available. www.NorwoodSawmills. com/300n -Free Information: 1-800578-1363 x300-N. (Cal-SCAN)

Downtown News 19

DowntownNews.com

voted downtown's best residential living six years in a row

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*

misc. items

*Availability and prices are subject to change at any time.

WILDBLUE HIGH SPEED Satellite Internet System-Monthly Service starts as Low as $39.95/ mo. $99.95 Includes installation + S&H 800-221-3474 www. GotSky.com . (Cal-SCAN)

• 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

• 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

sports/exerc. equipment SALTWATER Fishing outfit - #155 Penn reel and silstar pole like new. $25. Call 562-927-0881.

LEGAL Fictitious Business name Fictitious Business name statement File no. 20090735264 The following person is doing business as: TGBG, 1552 Hi Point, #9, Los Angeles, CA 90035, are hereby registered by the following registrant:SIMONE RUTH BLAKE, 1552 Hi Point, #9, Los Angeles, CA 90035. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrants has not begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein. This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on May 19, 2009. NOTICE—This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code). Pub. 6/1, 6/8, 6/15, 6/22/09

UNITS FEATURE:

FREE RENT SPECIALS! • • • • • • • • • • • •

Studio, one & two Bedrooms Granite kitchens Italian marble counter baths Washer/dryer in every home Crown molding Direct TV & Internet access Oversized windows with Dramatic views of the city European maple cabinets Balcony or patio Nine foot ceilings Subterranean, gated parking Private one acre park

Golf driving cages Putting green Tennis courts Sand volleyball court Designer carpet And ceramic tile Roof top pool and spa Fitness center with sauna Executive Business Center Study Library FREE tanning bed 24-hour doorman Spectacular waterscapes Lush courtyards

888.886.3731 •TheMedici.com 725 Bixel St., Los Angeles, CA 90017

VIP Room Available. The Best Way For Business Meetings & Entertainment

Professional massage for men & women. Services include Thai Massage, Shiatsu Massage, Swedish Oil Massage, Foot Massage, Sauna, Steam, and more. Lounge area.

MASSAGEH

First Professionally Licensed Massage Shop in L.A. County.

RENTING • BUYING • LIVING

3386766 0119

HBODY

Orsini

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

208 W. 14th St. at Hill St. Downtown L.A.

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

LOFT LIVING

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

For saLe: buNker HiLL Tower ❏ 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath. Elegant. Ready To Move In. South City Lights View. Recently Refurbished. Offered At $329,999. For reNT: ❏ Prom. West. 2 Bed. 2 Bath. 7th Flr. Elegant Upgrades. Green House. Pride Of Ownership. $3,000 Furn. $2,800 Unfurn. ❏ Prom. West-1 Bed. 1 Bath Penthuse. Overlooks Pool & Gardens. Greenhouse Windows And Balcony. Stunning! $1995 Month.

oFFice space & event space For Lease! Beautiful, historic Banks Huntley building located in Gallery Row district of Downtown LA offering office space close to Federal Court House and City Hall – ideal for non-profits! Rental rate: $1.70-$2.00/sq.ft./month Full Service Gross. Ground-floor event and conference space also available in gorgeous art-deco setting, perfect for private functions, weddings, business meetings, etc. For further information, please contact Joe Dieringer at 213-629-2512 ext. 110

Visit us online at

EstablishEd 1984

❏ Prom. West-2 Bed. 2 Bath. 5th Floor. Move In Now. $2,200 Month. ❏ 1 Bed. 1 Bath. Lafayette Park Place. Move In Now. 1100 Month. ❏ Prom. West-2 Bed. 2 Bath PenthouseSophisticated, Spectacular One Of A Kind Condo. Top Of The Line Upgrades & Décor. Gorgeous Furnishings Adorn This Pride Of Ownership Home. Corporate Lease Welcome. Furnished $3500 Per Month. Un-Furnished $3200 Per Month.

Promenade West Condo

2 Story Townhouse. West Facing With Downtown City View. Upgrades. Large Patio. Very Elegant. Asking $579,900 Call us for other condos for sale or lease Dwntwn & surrounding areas!!

Mirza alli

Broker/Realtor Leasing-salesLoans-refinance

(213) 680-1720

e-mail us: info@bunkerhillrealestate.com

www.Bunkerhillrealestate.com

Monthly from $595 utilities paid. (213) 612-0348

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

877-267-5911

WWW.THEORSINI.COM

Bunker Hill real estate Co, inC.

OFFICE SPACE

Low Move-in SPECIAL Includes utilities, basic cable channels, laundry room on site, street parking, 1 yr lease.

saKura HeaLtH GYm & sauna, inc. 111 N. Atlantic Blvd. Ste #231-233 Monterey Park, CA 91754 (626) 458-1919 [Corner of Garvey Ave.]

Rent

Single rooms starting from $550/mo.

HealtH Dept. rank a for 7 ConseCutive Years

877-4LA-LOFTS

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

close to l.a. live and nokia theater

THAI MASSAGE SPECIALIST

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

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

Fully furnished with TV, telephone, microwave, refrigerator. Full bathroom. Excellent location. Downtown LA. Weekly maid service.

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

www.LoftLivingLA.com

Guess where Drew prefers to eat Mexican food and WIN!

ficTiTiOus

BusinEss

namE

sTaTEmEnTs:

Only

$ 85.

fOr 4 insErTiOns Call (213) 481-1448 for details.

(Note: The Downtown News does not perform filing services)

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.

(2 blocks west of San Pedro St.)

Children’s Performing Group

Sunshine Generation Singing, dancing, performing and fun! For boys & girls ages 3 and up!

Public Notice

Take Your Game to the Next Level

Notice is hereby given that the University of Southern California proposes construction, partially utilizing Federal funds. The proposed construction project is the buildout of 9,575 net square feet in a building currently under construction and which is connected to the existing Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute Building, which is located at 1501 San Pablo Street, Los Angeles, California. The City of Los Angeles has evaluated the environmental and community impact of the proposed construction as part of Environmental Impact Report ENV-2004-1950-EIR. There will be construction noise and increased construction trafc during the construction period. Mitigation Measures have been implemented to reduce these temporary impacts. No signicant permanent environmental impacts are foreseen. All building permits and zoning approvals have been obtained. In accordance with Executive Order 11514 (March 5, 1970), which implements the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, any individual or group may comment on, or request information concerning, the environmental implications of the proposed project. Communications should be addressed to William Marsh, Capital Construction, University of Southern California, and must be received by August 1, 2009. The Federal grant application may be reviewed at the Ofce of the Dean, Keck School of Medicine, 1975 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles, California during normal working hours.

downtownnews.com

Learn Course Management

3 Learn while you play 3 Shot visualization 3 Mastering club selection

In golf, its you versus the course. Learn to manage the entire game, not just the mechanics of your swing. Learn course management and improve your game.

Steve Andelich Professional Golf Instructor

USC Keck School of Medicine Public Notice U778-14992_PublicNotice_LADN.indd

818.618.2099

Catering to Intermediate/Advanced Players

GET THE SCOOP Read Monday Morning’s News On Friday Night!

SunshineGenerationLA.com 909-861-4433 U778-14992_PublicNotice_LADN_01.indd 1 6/12/09 3:01:22 PM Client: Ad name: File name:

3 Driving strategies 3 Mid/long iron techniques 3 Short game fundamentals

w w w.LADowntownNews.com

20 Downtown News

June 15, 2009

DowntownNews.com

We Got Games

(213) 224-1400 or dodgers.mlb.com. June 16-18, 7:10 p.m.: The Dodgers host the Oakland Athletics in the first inter-league showdown of this season at Chavez Ravine. Young Clayton Kershaw is slated to take the mound in game one of the series, and he’ll look to bounce back from his last outing, when he was yanked in the third inning after already throwing 83 pitches. Things could be worse for Kershaw: He still has one of the hottest hitting teams behind him on any given night. After that the Blue head down the 5 Freeway to take on the Anaheim Angels (June 19-21).

Parade Planning, Already? Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7340 or nba.com/lakers. June 16, 6 p.m.; June 18, 6 p.m. (both if necessary): Kobe, Pau, Derek, Lamar and the rest of the Lakers are trying to knock off the Orlando Magic. If they do it in five or six games, there will also be a Downtown victory parade this week. In an email to the Downtown community last week, Central Division Capt. Blake Chow noted that the LAPD is already preparing for such an event. If the Lakers win in five (Downtown News went to press before that game), a parade would be June 17; a six-game victory would put the parade on June 19; and a seven-game win would push the celebration to June 22. Of course, the Lakers have some serious work to do before any parade.

Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 929-1300 or wnba.com/sparks. June 21, 6:30 p.m.: After an opening day victory over the defending champion Detroit Shock, the Sparks dropped two road games. Minus Candace Parker, and with veteran addition Tina Thompson, the team is still trying to gel. They come home on Sunday to take on Sacramento, but see them while you can: They only have five home games between the opener and Aug.4. —Ryan Vaillancourt

Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Ave.,

photo by Gary Leonard

Kobe and the rest of the crew hope to get off the basketball court and into a Downtown championship parade this week.

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore! Call N

ow For Move -In S peci als

G r a n d To w e r 255 South Grand Avenue

Promenade To w e r s 123 South Figueroa Street LEASING INFORMATION

LEASING I N F O R M AT I O N

M u s e u m To w e r 225 South Olive Street

(213) 229-9777

LEASING I N F O R M AT I O N

(213) 617-3777

(213) 626-1500

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