LOS ANGELES
DOWNTOWN
NEWS
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Downtown daycare, SCI-Arc action, and other happenings Around Town.
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City National Plaza makes other high-rises play follow the LEED-er.
W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M
July 12, 2010
Volume 39, Number 28
INSIDE
Who’s Your Mummy?
The Mess at The Must Bizarre and Bitter Dispute Leads to The Sudden Closure of a Popular Wine Bar by Ryan VaillancouRt
Welcome back Sanchez Street
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Urban Scrawl on summer fun.
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One corner, two drug stores.
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staff wRiteR
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bizarre property dispute reverberated through the Historic Core last week, after a popular wine bar was abruptly shuttered and a new tenant began readying the space. On Saturday, July 3, at 2:45 a.m., movers began taking out bar stools, tables, at least three refrigerators, $50,000 worth of wine and beer and other items from popular spot The Must. The locks were also changed on the establishment at Fifth and Spring streets. The situation grew out of a dispute between Must proprietors Coly Den Haan and Rachel Thomas, and Julie Rico, owner of the adjacent hot dog purveyor Weeneez.
Simple Issues Made Complex Seven Standout Stumbles in a Summer of Political Discontent by Jon RegaRdie executiVe editoR
Downtown’s best NFL experience returns.
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ocal politics takes a unique turn each summer. Once Flag Day arrives, everyone sort of collectively downshifts, silently agreeing to put off the really big stuff ThE rEgarDiE rEpOrT
Fish your wish at Arashi sushi.
until September. Then, after the 4th of July hits, the City Hall crowd begins its coasting in earnest, figuring that if they can slide through the next six weeks until the August recess, with no more collateral damage than a couple hundred library layoffs, they’ll get time to recharge. While that M.O. is in play right
now, it’s not as if everything is dead. In fact, following the adage that when life hands you lemons, you ask for a $39-a-year parcel tax, there is some intrigue brewing. Interestingly, much of it involves situations where simple things are made unnecessarily complex. Here are the seven most entertaining issues of the summer. Home Alone Alarcon: One law precedes others in electoral politics: You have to reside in the area you represent. There’s really no wiggle room, and it should be a yea/nay thing. That brings us to Richard Alarcon, who represents the Seventh District see Politics, page 10
photo by Gary Leonard
Coly Den Haan and Rachel Thomas in 2009 in The Must. The popular wine bar was abruptly shuttered on July 3.
The Incredible Shrinking Crime Rate Downtown Crime Drops 10% In First Half of 2010, Outpacing Goal by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR
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hen LAPD Central Area Capt. Todd Chamberlain assumed the role of commanding officer of Downtown in January, he inherited a division that had just reported milestone lows in crime. Under the previous head, Blake Chow, crime in 2009 fell 10% from the previous year, making Downtown, statistically at least, safer than it had ever been since the
department started keeping records. But Chamberlain was tentative to tout the gains, knowing it would be difficult to maintain those numbers at a time when the department has had to halt its aggressive hiring program, and instead is maintaining the current number of officers. He didn’t want to put too much stock in the numbers in the event that crime rose in 2010. So Chamberlain set a modest target for 2010, to reduce overall crime see Crime, page 12
photo by Gary Leonard
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Rico, who leased the two adjoining spaces from Denver-based building owner Simpson Property Group, has sold her business. In purchasing Weeneez, the new owner, who has not been identified, has taken control of both spaces. Den Haan and Thomas, who opened The Must in 2008, contend that they have an operating agreement with Weeneez that gives them rights to the spot through January 2012, with an option for a five-year extension. They said they were not notified of the ownership change or the plan to remove The Must’s furniture or inventory, and only found out Saturday morning, after the space had been cleaned out. see The Must, page 11
A mural fills a lobby.
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One of the best political brouhahas of the summer involves whether Richard Alarcon lives in the Seventh District, which he represents on the City Council. Some of his City Hall employees were recently called to testify on the matter.
photo by Gary Leonard
When he took over in January, Central Area Capt. Todd Chamberlain set a goal of reducing crime in Downtown by 5%. Halfway through the year, the community has seen a 10% decline in serious crimes.
The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles