LOS ANGELES
DOWNTOWN
NEWS
11-14
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A high-speed rail push, more speakers, and other happenings Around Town.
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Moving forward in the effort to reopen the Hall of Justice.
W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M
June 21, 2010
Volume 39, Number 25
INSIDE
What’s on the Menu?
Broadway Battle a Sign of the Times Effort to Force Property Owners to Improve Their Street-Front Spaces Creates a Divide
Urban Scrawl on psychic helpers.
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A low-income housing complex opens.
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Running down the Downtown concerts.
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photo by Gary Leonard
Robert Clinton, owner of Clifton’s Cafeteria, may have to remove lettering that has been at the restaurant for nearly 50 years. It violates city code, and officials are stepping up enforcement on Broadway. by Richard Guzmán city editor
T A whole lot of E3 action.
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The yacht builders of Downtown.
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he lettering has been there for nearly half a century. It’s simple, to the point, sending a message of tradition. The words, in silver letters about two feet tall written on a window between two doors, read “Clifton’s Cafe.” It is one of the first things diners see when entering the restaurant that has stood at 648 S. Broadway since 1935. The signage went up around 1960, said Clinton, and though the street has seen theater marquees go blank and demographics change, the lettering has remained. It continues to lure diners for a $7.99 turkey dinner or the house specialty, apple pie with vanilla sauce. Now, another change is underway on the
corridor, this one spurred by 14th District City Councilman José Huizar. His Bringing Back Broadway initiative is an expansive plan to improve the thoroughfare. In addition to launching a streetcar and activating the faded theaters, it aims to create a more uniform look among the hodgepodge of street-front businesses. While almost everyone on Broadway is on board with the need to update the street and improve its infrastructure, a bitter divide has surfaced over the streetscape requirements. In recent weeks, business owners and landlords have been hit with a flurry of citations demanding changes to elements that, in some cases, have existed for decades. Clinton is one of many stakeholders who claim that the citations are difficult and expensive to fix.
Drugs and Counterfeiting, But No Jason Bourne As Reserve Lofts Suspect Brian Alexik Faces Additional Charges, It’s Clear He Was No Super Sleuth
Five great entertainment options.
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19 CALENDAR LISTINGS 21 CLASSIFIEDS
by Ryan Vaillancourt staff writer
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he District Attorney’s office last week filed a series of drug charges and one count of forgery against Brian Alexik, the man who set off a high-profile investigation when he fled his Downtown penthouse April 19. After evading police by fleeing down a fire escape, Alexik, 34, was arrested on June 3 on weapons charges tied to an AK-47 and a sawed-off shotgun discovered in his apartment at the Reserve Lofts in South Park. A third charge was for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
District Attorney Steve Cooley’s office is now pursuing seven additional charges, including counts of possession for sale of heroin, cocaine, crack and methamphetamine, and forgery of United States currency. Alexik pled not guilty to the seven new charges on Thursday, June 17, echoing his previous not guilty plea to the weapons charges on June 4. The former New Jersey resident faces a maximum sentence of 16 years, district attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison said. Appearing in court in a blue prison jumpsuit last week, Alexik conferred with his appointed public
The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles
“We want Broadway to improve, but we also want to survive the process,” said Clinton as he studied a notice from the city Department of Building and Safety outlining some violations, including the size of the “Clifton’s Cafe” letters. The stepped-up effort comes from the department’s federally funded Pro-Active Code Enforcement team. The group targets problems in limited geographic regions of the city; the Downtown focus comes about a year after the City Council approved a set of Broadway streetscape guidelines. The Broadway Theater and Entertainment District Design Guide aims to give the street a more cohesive look by both enforcing city codes see Broadway, page 8 defender for about 10 minutes before his preliminary hearing was called. On behalf of Alexik, Deputy Public Defender Bijan Keyghobad then filed a motion requesting a new attorney. Judge Hilleri Merritt cleared the courtroom at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center for about 10 minutes. When the public re-entered the room, Keyghobad was still representing Alexik. Alexik’s request for new representation was the latest in a line of unusual circumstances related to the case. At his June 4 arraignment he had been assigned a public defender, but he asked to represent himself. Another preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 14. Overlooking the Bank As Alexik’s case wends through the legal system, the alleged counterfeiter continues to be compared in some media accounts to fictional super spy Jason Bourne, the protagonist in the popular film series based on the novels by Robert Ludlum. The nickname surfaced after Alexik escaped police and clambered down to a third floor patio at the Reserve Lofts, carrying two duffel bags that some believe were full of fake money. see Alexik, page 7