LOS ANGELES
DOWNTOWN
NEWS Volume 38, Number 39
INSIDE
A ‘Parade’ at the Taper
September 28, 2009
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Movies at L.A. Live, and other happenings Around Town.
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The rising price of gold means hard times for some Jewelry District businesses.
W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M
Honoring Los Angeles’ Finest Memorial to Fallen Police Officers Arrives in Downtown by Richard Guzmán city editor
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Urban Scrawl on fire and ice.
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New merchants band together.
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photo by Gary Leonard
An 11,000-pound memorial that contains the names of the 202 Los Angeles police officers who have been killed in the line of duty arrived in Downtown last week. A design error had the plaques with the names facing the wrong way.
new Downtown memorial received a respectful welcome last week, as a team of LAPD motorcycle officers escorted a flatbed truck carrying a huge wooden crate through the community. Inside the crate was an 11,000pound brass memorial with the names of the 202 LAPD officers killed in the line of duty during the department’s 140-year history. The memorial arrived from Kansas City, where it was built, to its permanent home on Tuesday, Sept. 22, on the plaza of the new police headquarters just south of City Hall. It was lowered onto its base as
LAPD officers watched, some snapping photos, others standing silently in respect of their fallen comrades. “This memorial is a salute to all the men and women of the LAPD for the work that they do and for what they do to take care of us and the city,” said Karen Wagener, president of the Los Angeles Police Foundation, which raised the $725,000 to create the memorial. An unveiling ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 14, she said. The new building, a replacement for Parker Center, is scheduled to be dedicated 10 days later. The memorial was designed by the Los Angeles-based firm Gensler, see Memorial, page 6
Hip gear at the Crack Gallery.
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Play 4th and Long Football and win prizes.
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A triathlon ends in Downtown.
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Evo Hits Hard Times, Concerto Files Bankruptcy by Anna Scott staff writer
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hree years ago, developers Sonny Astani and the Portland-based South Group were at the forefront of a building frenzy that would transform Downtown’s South Park neighborhood. Astani was moving forward with plans for Concerto, a three-phase condominium project at Figueroa and Ninth streets, while the South Group had opened the sleek, $65 million high-rise Elleven and had four other projects in the pipeline. Since then, however, the troubled economy and financial markets have taken a toll on both developers’ plans, with a significant crash occurring in recent weeks. Astani this month put Concerto into
Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The South Group, meanwhile, has seen its newest condominium tower, Evo, slip into the hands of a lender. Not only has the developer also scrapped plans for two more 34-story condominium towers in the area, it has lost the land where the buildings were to rise. Both Concerto and Evo were largely financed by the Chicago-based Corus Bank, which was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Sept. 11, a situation that has rippled across the national real estate market. That, however, could have very different outcomes for the two Downtown developments. A Sour Note Astani said he was pushed into filing for see South Park, page 8
Swine Flu Is Coming, But Are the Central City and Its Office Towers Ready? by Ryan Vaillancourt
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Reviewing ‘Art’ at East West Players.
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Sonny Astani’s Concerto project (left) and the South Group’s Evo high-rise helped pioneer Downtown’s South Park neighborhood. Both projects have been impacted by the struggling economy.
One Flu Over the Downtown Nest staff writer
12 CALENDAR LISTINGS
photo by Gary Leonard
The South Park Shake-Up
Dr. Robert KimFarley is urging employees to stay home when they’re sick. The California Department of Health has warned that as many as one in four Californians could be infected with swine flu.
photo by Gary Leonard
he upcoming flu season has already generated a mountain of news stories, health advisories and warnings. The major point of concern, as well as the principal question, is what will happen when H1-N1, commonly referred to as swine flu, starts wending its way through the population. The public health world is taking its traditional heightened precaution to schools, which are perennial hotbeds of disease transmission. The same caution often comes with mass transit, especially airplanes. But perhaps overlooked as high-risk zones are office towers, the workplace of tens of thousands of
people in Downtown, said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, director for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention for the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. “Whenever there’s crowding, there is much more opportunity for the transmission of illnesses that are spread by droplets — coughs and sneezes — like influenza,” he said. In office towers, that means risks rise in elevators and open-air, cubicle-filled businesses. But as in schools, there are a number of common sense measures office workers can take to reduce their risk of infection: Wash your hands, keep hand sanitizer around at all times, and avoid see Flu, page 8
Since 1972, an independent, locally owned and edited newspaper, go figure.
2 Downtown News
September September28, 28,2009 2009
DowntownNews.com
AROUNDTOWN Michael Jackson Film To Open L.A. Live Movie Theaters
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he highly anticipated Regal Cinemas movie complex at L.A. Live, which had been scheduled to open in November, will instead debut next month with 14 simultaneous screenings of the Michael Jackson film This Is It. The film is compiled from rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage of the late pop star earlier this year as he prepared for a London concert series. The theater at L.A. Live, at 800 W. Olympic Blvd., will host showings of This Is It on all 14 screens (3,000 seats) on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 9 p.m. L.A. Live will also host the film’s invitation-only premiere party at the Nokia Theatre on Oct. 27 at 6 p.m., said Nokia Theatre spokeswoman Cara Vanderhook. This Is It officially opens for a two-week run at theaters worldwide (including L.A. Live’s Regal Cinemas) on Oct. 28. Jackson had been rehearsing in Staples Center before his June 25 death. Tickets for the advance screenings went on sale at L.A. Live on Sunday, Sept. 27.
7+Fig Gets Temporary Arts Salon
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he mall at 7+Fig last week debuted another in its line of free arts events. On Wednesday, Sept. 25, owner Brookfield Properties debuted the Habeas Lounge. The project, created by Linda Pollack, is built around a literal lounge designed by Nina Marie Barbuto and made from recycled cardboard. It is open from noon-4 p.m. weekdays and features geographic materials, including historic Downtown maps; visitors can add to
the collection. The lounge will also host discussions about people’s perceptions of Downtown and the city as a whole on Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m., and “mapping workshops” Saturdays from 2-4 p.m. Habeas Lounge will be open through at least mid-November, according to organizers, and will also stay open during the October and November Art Walks. Previous arts projects at the mall included a series of rehearsals and performances by Collage Dance Theatre. The mall is at 735 S. Figueroa St.
Tree Planting Volunteers Needed
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f you have a green thumb, even just a tiny one, the Downtown Center Business Improvement District needs your help. The BID is recruiting volunteers to plant approximately 30 trees throughout Downtown as part of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Million Trees L.A. program this week. Ralphs Fresh Fare is sponsoring the event. Interested volunteers should email Hal Bastian at the Downtown Center BID at halbastian@downtownla.com. The planting will take place Saturday, Oct. 3, from 8:30 a.m.-noon. Participants will meet at the Downtown Ralphs, at 645 W. Ninth St., and are advised to bring gardening gloves, sun block and a hat, and avoid open-toed shoes.
University Gateway Begins Leasing
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he 421-unit student housing complex University Gateway won’t open for another year, but developer Urban Partners is already taking lease applications. A catered event with live music kicked off the opening
University of Southern California
A Passage to India’s Stage Renowned playwright Girish Karnad: Scenes from three plays Thursday, October 1, 7 p.m. Bing Theatre Admission: Free www.usc.edu/visionsandvoices
MEET INDIA’S ANSWER to Sam Shepard: revered playwright, popular actor, prolific screenwriter and film director, winner of his homeland’s highest cultural honors, Girish Karnad. Not acquainted with the work of this South Asian literary lion? Then immerse yourself in an evening of scenes from three of his plays – Naga-Mandala, The Fire and the Rain and The Dreams of Tipu Sultan. Drawing on sources spanning ancient Hindu mythology to chronicles of medieval warlords and colonialera potentates, Karnad infuses his historical drama with arresting postmodern insight. Performed by top MFA acting students in USC’s Bing Theatre, each scene is introduced by Karnad himself, fully staged in English and analyzed in a panel discussion/audience Q&A led by USC theatre dean Madeline Puzo.
USC your cultural connection
A L S O AT U S C :
Entertaining India: Past and Present Tuesday, September 29, 3 p.m. The encounter with British colonialism profoundly altered Indians’ perception of themselves. Hear playwright Girish Karnad – who writes exclusively in the Kannada language and studied philosophy, political science and economics at Oxford – explain how this convergence influences Indian entertainment to this day. McClintock Theatre Admission: Free www.usc.edu/visionsandvoices
For more information visit www.usc.edu
LA Downtown News
of the project’s “welcome center,” an office in USC’s University Village, on Thursday, Sept. 24. The $168 million project, at 3335 S. Figueroa St., is under construction, with move-ins slated before the start of classes in 2010. “Our feeling was the desire and need for the project made it a necessity to start now, to make sure we’re getting everyone situated and our focus is on the student community,” said Rebekah Geare, leasing manager for the project. Urban Partners began accepting lease applications Sept. 5, said Geare. The eight-story complex will allow students to lease “by the bed,” so roommates will still pay individually, she said. The project will hold about 1,600 students, and a bed in a two-bedroom apartment will start at $1,008. A single-occupancy onebedroom apartment will start at $2,570.
MOCA Announces 30th Anniversary Gala
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he Museum of Contemporary Art turns 30 this year, and in celebration of the milestone, the museum recently announced that a benefit gala will take place at MOCA Grand Avenue on Saturday, Nov. 14. The celebration, chaired by Eli Broad and Maria Arena Bell, will coincide with the opening of Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years, an exhibit highlighting about 500 pieces from the museum’s permanent collection (the show will run through May 3 and fill 50,000 square feet of space in MOCA’s Grand Avenue and Little Tokyo buildings). Many of the artists featured in the collection, including Ed Ruscha, Chris Burden and Barbara Kruger, are scheduled to attend the black-tie gala, which will include a preview of the show and a performance piece conceived by artist Francesco Vezzoli starring pop-diva Lady Gaga and dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet. “Never before has such an important international group of art patrons
come together in support of a Los Angeles arts institution,” said Broad in a statement. “It’s a new day for MOCA, and we are celebrating MOCA’s tremendous turnaround and its bright future.” Tickets for the gala range from $5,000 per individual to $100,000 per table. About 800 people are expected. For ticket information, email 30thanniversary@moca.org.
Disney Hall Is Nice, but Staples Draws the Crowds
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alt Disney Concert Hall may get the architectural accolades, and City Hall may be the destination of those looking for history or politics, but when it comes to the iconic buildings that workers, residents and visitors to Downtown actually use, both structures fall short of Staples Center. In a Los Angeles Downtown News online poll that ended last week, 38% of the respondents said the South Park sports arena is the iconic building they visit most frequently. City Hall and Disney Hall tied for second with 14% of the vote, while the Bradbury Building earned 12%. Another 22% of respondents said “none of the above.” This week, the poll question at downtownnews.com has fewer choices, though it once again touches the action at City Hall. It asks, simply: Do you think the Los Angeles City Council does a good job? To vote, go to downtownnews.com, scroll down and look on the left side of the page.
Robbery Spree Suspects Arrested
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entral Area police officers have arrested two women, 34-year-old Myra Lopez and Latascha Bulmer, 25, in connection with a string of robberies and a carjacking Continued on Next Page
September 28, 2009
Downtown News 3
DowntownNews.com
The $1,000 Problem Jewelry District Continues to Suffer As Gold Prices Reach Record Highs StAff writer
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ike many people across the country, business owners and employees in the Downtown Jewelry District have felt the harsh effects of the recession. But the thousands of dealers and manufacturers in recent months have been hit with something most never expected: gold prices that have soared to more than $1,000 an ounce. The steadily climbing prices — in early 2007 an ounce of gold was $645 — have exacerbated the problems in the small, tightknit community. “A piece that used to cost $100 now costs $300, so it’s hard to sell,” said Peklar Pilavjian, co-owner of the St. Vincent Jewelry Center on Hill Street, the district’s largest retail and wholesale complex. “On the flip side, it’s harder to claim that this is a good investment when gold is $1,000 an ounce. Customers used to get enticed by the gold prices being low.” Many were shocked last July, when gold reached $845 per ounce, according to the website Kitco.com, which tracks metal prices. In recent months the cost has fluctuated, but has hovered above $1,000 per ounce. The price peaked this month at $1,023 per ounce, said Carlos Sanchez, a precious metals analyst at CPM Group, a New York-based firm that tracks global commodities markets. Increasing gold prices are being driven by a host of factors, Sanchez said, including the weakness of the U.S. dollar compared to other currencies, and general investor concern
over the financial markets. As long as the economic situation remains unstable, “investors will continue to hold gold as a safe haven, a hedge against what could happen or another possible decline in stock markets,” he said. Sanchez said he expects to see gold prices rise even higher this year, and to remain relatively high for the next several years. As the cost goes up, the demand for gold on the retail level is declining. Jewelry purchases accounted for about 65% of the total investment in gold in the United States a couple of years ago, said Sanchez. Now retail constitutes just 50% of the demand for gold, with more people investing in gold through coins or less direct means like mutual funds. That is bad news for local jewelry businesses. Steve Altinis, co-owner of Tievoli Jewelers, located in a ground-floor mall at 606 S. Hill St., said that business at his shop has been slow for the past two years. But it declined even further, by as much as 50%, in 2009. The direct impact of climbing gold prices, he said, is hard to distinguish from the larger problem at hand. “It’s mainly the economy affecting business,” said Altinis. “People don’t have the money to spend on jewelry.” Side Business Downtown’s Jewelry District, concentrated between Hill Street, Broadway, Fifth and Eighth streets, is home to nearly 5,000 jewelry manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. While the industry has suffered, at least
photo by Gary Leonard
Nick and Dennis Diamano, of Downtown’s Diamano Fine Jewelry, started a gold-buying business to capitalize on the rising costs of precious metals.
one area business has found a way to capitalize on the dip in consumer spending and the high price of gold. Nick Diamano has co-owned the Downtown-based custom jewelry business Diamano Fine Jewelry for 12 years. But in the past couple of years, Diamano said, he and his brother and business partner Dennis have seen their sales volume plummet by more than 70%. Last year, the Diamanos started a side business: L.A. Cash for Gold. They purchase gold jewelry from clients, which they then re-sell to be locally refined and reused. The Diamanos pay their customers 70% of the daily gold stock market quote for their items and profit from the remaining value. Most Cash for Gold customers are individuals looking for extra cash, though they have also seen some local jewelers bring in unsold goods, said Diamano. “Our customers come from all over
California,” said Diamano, including “people who have closed their jewelry stores and have all their leftover gold. We process their gold and give them cash right away. It is a bad time. Do we feel like we’re gaining something off it? We are.” Some Jewelry District landlords have also tried to make the best of the current situation. Essy Areshban, owner of the Jewelry Mall at 625 S. Hill St., said he has offered discounted rents to some tenants for the past couple of years to keep them in business. Pilavjian said that he has given as much as 50% rent reductions at the St. Vincent Jewelry Center in recent months. “The climate is very disconcerting,” he said. “Everybody is trying to make do, make ends meet so that we go through this recession.” Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.
Around Town Continued from page 2 that spread from Long Beach to Downtown, officials announced last week. The duo’s first crime occurred on Sept. 12, when they allegedly stole a minivan from a woman stopped at the McDonald’s at Seventh and Alameda streets, said LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon. At about 3 p.m. that day, they allegedly knocked down another woman to take her purse near a carwash at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street, but were thwarted by a “good Samaritan” who intervened, Vernon said. On Sept. 14, officers found Lopez in the stolen van at Sixth Street and Towne Avenue in Skid Row, Vernon said. “We found identification and stolen property that
metro.net implicated Lopez and her partner in robberies in Venice and Northeast [Los Angeles],” he said, in addition to computers and a jewelry box full of silver that had been taken one hour before in a burglary in Angelino Heights. Bulmer was later apprehended in Skid Row. The two are being held without bail and both have been charged with four counts of robbery and one count of carjacking. Officials believe the pair may be responsible for other crimes in recent weeks and are asking anyone with information to call Central robbery detectives at (213) 972-1248. Or send anonymous tips by texting CRIMES (274637) and typing LAPD to start the message.
PROPOSITION 65 / PROPUESTA 65
WARNING AVISO
California Electroplating, Inc. 3510 East Pico Blvd., LA, CA 90023 (323) 268-9154
California Electroplating, Inc. emits Hexavalent Chromium (a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer). Persons within the area shown inside the thick line on the map are exposed to Hexavalent Chromium at a level determined by the State to require a warning. California Electroplating, Inc. emite Cromo Hexavalente (un químico conocido como causante de cáncer por el Estado de California). Las personas dentro la area de la línea gruesa marcada en el mapa presentado arriba están expuestas al cromo hexavalente a un nivel sobre el cual es requerido por el Estado se publique un advertencia.
Metro Briefs Medical, Dental, Metro Pass
Rideshare Week begins October 5. Now is the time to get your company involved – ask your boss to buy Metro passes for all employees as an employee bene>t. Employees save money riding Metro and the company enjoys tax savings, reduced parking demands and improved employee morale. Find out more at 213.922.2811.
Metro Vanpool Wins Outstanding Service Award The Association for Commuter Transportation presented the successful Metro Vanpool Program with its Outstanding Service Award for 2009. There are more than 800 vanpools that are now part of the growing Metro Vanpool family, all getting up to $400 a month toward the lease of a van. Find out how to join at metro.net.
Majority of Riders Are Satis>ed With Metro A recent survey of more than 15,000 Metro riders shows that 85% are satis>ed with their bus and rail service. The June 2009 survey shows customer satisfaction with Metro continues to score well with riders and is improving, up from 83% who expressed approval in the Spring of 2008.
Check Measure R Progress Online It’s your tax dollars at work and metro.net will keep you updated. Track the progress of Measure R funded projects in your area or those of special interest to you online. Just go to metro.net and search for “Progress Tracker.”
Metro Speaks, You Learn About Transportation Metro Speakers Bureau provides free presentations to civic groups and organizations on a variety of transportation topics through its Metro Speaks program. Learn about ridersharing options, how to go “green” with Metro or the latest advances in transit technology. Find out more or schedule a presentation at metro.net.
If you’d like to know more, please call us at 1.800.464.2111, or visit metro.net.
GEN-FE-10-004 ©2009 LACMTA
by AnnA Scott
4 Downtown News
September 28, 2009
DowntownNews.com
EDITORIALS The Right Step at El Pueblo
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he operation of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument has generated a wealth of controversy over the years. Much of it has concerned the rents paid — or in some cases not paid — by merchants on Olvera Street. In the past few years the issue of the below-market-rate rents paid by many tenants has been in the news, and has also been part of the target of an audit of El Pueblo conducted by the City Controller. But in recent weeks, there have been two indications that things are changing. It is too early to say that the type of professional business practices generally utilized in the private sector will become the norm here — dozens of leases need to be worked out for that to happen — but this city department is seeing some improvement. Last week, following a prolonged process, an eviction notice was served on Casa De Sousa, an Olvera Street cafe; the owner had fallen far behind on her rent and had not met the terms of a repayment plan. Also this month, a request to defer rent from Camacho’s Incorporated, a politically connected entity with extensive business operations, was denied. Further, the company, which is months behind on opening a new coffee house at El Pueblo, was told that if it did not pay its back rent, eviction proceedings could be set in place. An eviction has negative implications for everyone. Business
owners and their employees are decimated. Landlords need to go through the often arduous process of securing an appropriate new tenant. A blank space stands out like a sore thumb and can be a source of blight in a neighborhood. It makes sense in most instances for a landlord and a tenant to try to rectify the situation. With that said, paying rent is not optional. A landlord, which in the case of El Pueblo is the city of Los Angeles, has a business relationship with a tenant, one that involves an agreed-upon monthly sum. Times may be tough, but that does not allow a tenant to withhold rent. There are similarities and differences in the two current cases. Casa De Sousa’s roots at El Pueblo go back about 60 years. According to officials in the City Attorney’s office, problems with rent payment from the company also extend many years. The eviction was sparked by the business falling approximately six months behind on its $1,900 rent (for a 2,000-square-foot space). Previously, Casa De Sousa had fallen $140,000 behind on rent (that is not a typo) before paying up. Camacho’s, meanwhile, either operates or is partners in numerous restaurants and concession stands, among them Liberty Grill in Downtown, and at Dodger Stadium, Staples Center and Los Angeles International Airport. Yet Camacho’s
owed more than $11,500 on rent for the nearly 3,500-squarefoot space it is readying. The company sought a deferral from El Pueblo; the commission that oversees the department rejected the request, saying it would amount to a loan from the city, and discussed the protocol for an eviction if the terms of the lease were not met. Camacho’s paid the balance four days later. The commission did the right thing in treating both the small cafe and the large company the same way. Although historically El Pueblo was known to look the other way on rent issues, in these instances, a sense of professionalism prevailed. This must continue as city officials negotiate leases with the dozens of Olvera Street tenants who currently operate on a month-to-month basis. We hope the department will maintain these professional standards, and that when crafting leases, it follows the model in other Downtown retail areas with heavy traffic: market rates with relatively short terms. The city, with a budget deficit in the hundreds of millions of dollars, can ill afford to defer money it is owed — and El Pueblo last year needed nearly $1 million from the general fund to balance its budget. Professional standards like the kind exhibited in the cases above are required.
High Design and High Praise for Low-Income Project
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he New Carver Apartments, which celebrated its grand opening last week, once again demonstrates that the terms “affordable housing” and “high design” are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the project may be the best Downtown example yet of a low-income residential project being as eye-catching as any market-rate complex. The trend in Downtown Los Angeles is not new. Meta Housing, a for-profit developer of low-income housing, has proved with several City West projects that the future residents’ lack of funds does not mean settling for bland or cookie-cutter design. In projects such as Emerald Terrace, which opened in 2007, the company has made a habit of creating pleasant environments with comforts such as grassy areas and playground equipment. Skid Row Housing Trust, the developer of the New Carver, has shown multiple times that when it comes to creating housing for the formerly homeless, one can even hire well-known architects. For the Rainbow Apartments,
Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis
which opened in 2006, and the New Carver, which debuted last week at 17th and Hope streets, SRHT tapped Michael Maltzan, a respected Silver Lake-based architect. The $34 million New Carver is visually striking, and many would be surprised to learn that it is not a market-rate complex. It has a curved, white exterior and numerous streamlined, modern elements. The interior features a courtyard and design aspects that impart a rippling, wave-like feel. The building captivates, but SRHT officials point out that it is about more than making something that looks good for its own sake. Attractive living environments, officials note, impart the message to tenants that they have the same worth as anyone in a market-rate complex, and studies have shown that people generally feel better in well-designed spaces. The New Carver will house formerly homeless individuals with physical and mental disabilities — the architecture instantly connotes that past problems do not doom residents to live in second-rate spaces.
There are additional important aspects in the building. The New Carver is another example of permanent supportive housing, a concept that provides residents with not only shelter, but also services, including various forms of counseling, under one roof. It recognizes that treating homelessness is not just about giving someone a home, but helping them change all aspects of their life. In that regard, the design helps as well. The New Carver is a valuable example of what can be accomplished.
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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, Steve Epstein, Catherine Holloway, Tam Nguyen, 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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Destination Sixth and Main Merchants Begin Banding Together to Market Their Block by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR
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n the past three years, few stretches of Downtown have seen a more noticeable and dense influx of retailers than Sixth Street between Los Angeles and Spring streets. About a dozen new bars and restaurants, clothing shops, pet care stores, salons and galleries have sprung up, making the area a sort of southern anchor to the Old Bank District at Fourth and Main streets. The similarly loft- and retail-dense Old Bank District, ground zero for Downtown’s revitalization, has one key characteristic that the southern corridor lacks: a branded identity. But a group of merchants along Sixth Street are looking to change that. The fledgling Sixth and Main Merchants Association received $500 in start-up funds from the Historic Downtown Business Improvement District last week. Although the group is still ironing out details regarding how it will operate, the main goal is clear: Pool resources to enhance the profile of the area and make it a Downtown destination. “I think the Old Bank District and South Park each get the recognition they deserve, but here on this block, it’s more of a sleeping giant,� said Rick Renier, who opened Salon Pure on the ground floor of the Santa Fe Lofts at Sixth and Main streets in 2007. “We want to make this a staple like a miniMelrose or Larchmont, just make it the destination spot that it should be.� The group will work on cross promotion initiatives for its members, look into creating a parking validation program and organize special events, said Caryn Hofberg, the leader of the fledgling association, who owns the vintage clothing and furniture shop Flea. It also hopes to get signage proclaiming the blocks around the Pacific Electric Lofts as the Sixth and Main District. So far, the association includes a core group of businesses that operate in the Santa Fe Lofts and Pacific Electric Lofts at Sixth and Main streets and in the SB Lofts at Sixth and Spring
streets. They include the pet accessories store Pussy and Pooch, Cole’s bar and restaurant, the clothing shop Apliq and Flea. Eventually, the association will expand to include any and all merchants on Sixth between Los Angeles and Spring streets, and along Main between Fifth and Seventh, said Hofberg. Although plans are early, some are already looking toward the future. Russell photo by Gary Leonard Brown, executive director of the Historic Merchants near Sixth and Main Streets in the Historic Core, including Pussy and Downtown Business Improvement District, Pooch, Cole’s and Flea, are uniting in an effort to try to turn the area into a key who has attended the early meetings of the Downtown destination. new group, sees the potential to connect as well with the growing corners of Eighth and Main and Eighth businesses within a certain area to pay dues to support the and Spring streets. group’s collective goals, lasted a year. “Spring is becoming this amazing street,� Brown said. “It’s A voluntary merchants association, as opposed to an ofvery activated, so we’re looking at a similar model of what ficial BID, could be problematic because businesses within can we do to activate Main Street to really create pedestrian the area that choose not to participate still may benefit from linkages so late at night, from Eighth and Main to Fourth and efforts to raise the neighborhood’s profile, Lopez said. Main, it’s a comfortable walk.� “The fact that when you do something voluntary as with Voluntary Buy-In a chamber of commerce, certain people are always going Most business associations Downtown, including every to write the check and help, and the other guys are going to Business Improvement District except for the Little Tokyo skate along and benefit from the ones that pay,� she said. BID, are comprised of property owners, not merchants. Brown does not foresee that as a challenge for the Sixth An alliance of merchants could prove advantageous to and Main Merchants Association, if only because its formaimproving an area, since they are on the ground level of the tion has been driven by a grassroots initiative of small busicommunity and have a strong sense of what’s happening nesses. Joan McCraw, a spokeswoman for 213 Industries, and what needs to happen for economic development, said which owns Cole’s and the tequila bar Las Perlas that is under Estela Lopez, who prior to becoming executive director of the construction in the Santa Fe Lofts, said the association has an Central City East Association founded a merchants’ associa- interest in supporting smaller merchants that might opt out tion along Broadway in the mid-1990s. of paying. “What they lack in resources they often make up for in vi“If these people can’t afford to really participate, we have sion or in actual understanding of the day-to-day needs of the an obligation to look at what would the public be interested community,� Lopez said. in seeing?� McCraw said. “What is it that’s unique about our Lopez’s Broadway initiative was part of Miracle on place or a smaller merchant? If it brings value to someone’s Broadway, Downtown’s first Business Improvement District. trip Downtown, I think that we should be supporting them.� The merchants association, which like a BID required all Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.
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September 28, 2009
DowntownNews.com
WHAT’S IN STORE
Crack Gallery Historic Core Shop Brings a Bit of Melrose-Style Hip to Downtown by AnnA Scott StAff writer
T
he year-old Crack Gallery boutique, on the ground floor of the Hayward Hotel at Sixth and Spring streets, makes a tongue-in-cheek reference to the sometimes dicey reputation of its Historic Core location. “The area used to be not the greatest,” said 25-year-old Eric Shomof, who runs Crack Gallery with his sister Sara, 23. “In the beginning we were hoping for people to get ‘addicted,’ so that was our little slogan.” The boutique offers an eclectic mix of casual, trendy men’s and women’s clothing and accessories — think a bit of Melrose in Downtown Los Angeles. After a difficult start, the store seems to have hit its stride, Eric Shomof said. That is good news for the
Memorial Continued from page 1 which donated its services. The wall, which contains more than 2,000 brass plaques (only about 10% feature names), is 32 feet long and more than 12 feet tall. The memorial plaques each contain the name of a fallen officer, their rank and the date they died. From a distance the memorial looks like a solid wall, but up close the individual pieces appear and gaps in the design allow light to shine through. The memorial also contains an image of the LAPD badge, which is created with small sketches on individual plates that form a larger picture when seen from a distance
owners and their landlord — their father, Izek Shomof, head of the Downtown real estate firm Pacific Investments. As part of a series highlighting local retail, Los Angeles Downtown News takes a look at what’s in store. Fit to a T: Sara Shomof got her retail start at an aunt’s clothing stores around Melrose and Beverly Hills. She picks each clothing item sold at Crack, stitching together a mix of unique finds. On the racks are men’s T-shirts by Downtown-based designer Handsome Devil Clothing, which feature hand-drawn, tattoo-inspired illustrations, for about $40. Other options, in the $40-$50 range, include men’s T-shirts and button-downs from the small, graffiti-inspired line Billionaire Mafia and at certain angles. While there was a dramatic welcome for the piece, not everything went as planned. As the memorial was lowered onto its base, officials realized that the names faced the wrong way, away from City Hall. The problem will be solved well before the unveiling, said Christopher Keough, communications manager for Gensler. “The plates on both sides are removable, so we will just move them from one side to the other,” said Keough. “It’s not a complete project until Oct. 14, which is the dedication, so if you look at it that way it’s just like a building under construction — it’s not complete and it’ll be finished out in public.” Contact Richard Guzmán at richard@downtownnews.com.
photo by Gary Leonard
The year-old boutique Crack Gallery holds an array of T-shirts, jewelry and other trendy gear.
and customized vintage T-shirts for men and women by Gentle Love. On Target: The name Crack Gallery isn’t the only thing that gives the store an edge. There are also the copper-colored pendant necklaces made from recycled bullet casings. Most are less than $20, like an intricate $15 dragonfly necklace, and were designed by Sara Shomof under the name Sara Marco. She teams up with a blacksmith to create the trinkets for her fledgling jewelry line. Offering items not available anywhere else, she said, is key to Crack’s strategy. “That’s why it’s popular,” she said, “because it’s different.” Hair Today: Eric Shomof said the store draws a decent number of young, hip men and some of the shoppers who frequent the Latinooriented shops on Broadway. But fashion-forward young women are the backbone of Crack Gallery’s clientele, and snap up items like the sparkly headbands adorned with cloth flowers ($20). “For women, it’s mostly the hipster crowd,” he said. “FIDM girls, USC girls, the young crowd that lives in the neighborhood.” No Business Like Shoe Business: Long, sheer, tie-died scarves, at $10, are among the many smaller items strategically clustered
around the Crack cash register. But it is easy to spend more at the adjacent Crack Shoes, which Sara Shomof helped a friend open. The store, which debuted a little more than two months ago, sells trendy footwear. “We were looking to rent it out to someone who can bring more style to the neighborhood,” said Eric Shomof, who also works as Pacific Investments’ property manager. Good Neighbors: One of Crack’s strongest future hooks might be right outside the front door — its neighborhood is changing rapidly. Eric Shomof speaks enthusiastically about other businesses that have recently opened at the Hayward, including eateries D-Town Burger and Syrup Desserts. He hopes that a critical mass of commercial and retail will help erase what he calls the “imaginary line” of Broadway. “A lot of the action is on Grand, Figueroa and Flower, but a lot of people don’t seem to come to the Spring and Main area,” he said. “But where Los Angeles Street starts on Fifth Street all the way down to where Broadway starts, that’s a little pocket where all this action is.” Crack Gallery is at 204 W. Sixth St., (213) 622-3493 or crackgallery.com. Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.
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South Park Continued from page 1 Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for Concerto on Sept. 17 because of the issues at Corus. The three-phase project includes a completed seven-story building with 77 units and an under-construction, 30-story tower with 271 luxury residences at Ninth and Figueroa streets, which is slated for completion near the end of the year. The final phase would be a second 30-story tower with 281 condominiums. The seven-story building sold out during a one-day auction on Aug. 29, bringing in $31 million for the developer. The new buyers were expected to move in by Oct. 15, but those sales were placed in limbo when Corus was taken over by the FDIC. Astani filed suit against Corus on Sept. 4, alleging that the bank mismanaged Concerto’s $190 million construction loan, and has since refused to release its lien on the 77 completed units. Liens are commonly placed on a property by unpaid lenders or contractors, and can call a property’s ownership into question. Banks typically release liens in condominium projects as units are sold. Corus, however, “just went dark on us” after the auction, Astani said, leaving the deals in limbo. Astani filed for Chapter 11 partly because he could not afford to wait for a buyer to take over Corus’ $5 billion in loans and property (the FDIC was reportedly expected to receive 10 bids by Friday, Sept. 25, after Los Angeles Downtown News went to press) to clear the liens and close the sales, he said. Astani said he still expects the buyers to move in to Concerto next month, and insists that his filing bankruptcy was solely precipitated by the issues at Corus. “This is not a typical Chapter 11,” he said. “This is done for the protection of the buyers, contractors and investors.” Chapter 11 could be a wise move to keep the project going forward, said Todd Neilson, a bankruptcy expert and director of the consulting firm LECG. Yet the filing introduces its own complications. “One thing that the bankruptcy process does is provide clear title,” meaning it would leave the property free of liens
Flu Continued from page 1 touching your hands to your mouth or nose, Kim-Farley said. Those infected with swine flu will experience the same symptoms as anyone dealing with seasonal influenza. But public health experts say the new strain will be more deadly than traditional flu, which on average claims 36,000 lives annually. H1N1 is projected to result in up to 60,000 deaths, and unlike most flu strains, young adults and children are considered the most vulnerable, whereas people 65 and older seem to have immunity from previously circulated viruses. “I think the main reason for concern in the public health community — and it is a concern, and not alarm — is the fact that it’s a novel or a new strain of virus,” said Kim-Farley. “Whenever you have something that’s not been around before you don’t know how ultimately it’s going to behave. At the moment it’s behaving like it’s a relatively mild or moderate disease, but it can always change.” Even with precautions, the H1-N1 strain, which the World Health Organization deemed a pandemic (any new disease that
and other legal issues, said Neilson. However, he continued, “There is a price for order. It’s an expensive process. For a large project, the costs can be in the millions to administrate something like this.” Evo-lution The issues at Evo pre-date Corus’ collapse. Unlike Concerto, the project may benefit from its lender’s takeover, observers say. The 311-unit Evo opened in October 2008, completing a trio of environmentally friendly high-rises from the South Group (the second of the three buildings, Luma, debuted in 2007). South Group is a partnership between Portland developers Williams & Dame Development and Gerding Edlen. Evo was financed by a reported $141 million construction loan from Corus; a second, smaller “mezzanine” loan from Westport Capital Partners; and equity financing, the cash a developer provides up front, from the South Group and several investors. Homer Williams, chairman of Williams & Dame and a South Group principal, said last week that the equity in the project has been spent and South Group no longer has any investment in Evo. He would not disclose how much Westport had loaned the project, but said the lender has essentially taken control of the building and its finances because it still has a stake in it. “At this point, it’s their money that’s at risk, not ours,” said Williams. “Our money is gone, obviously.” Though the South Group partnership is still intact, he said, “the decision-making is in the hands of the mezzanine lender.” According to real estate experts, when a condo market tanks, developers often lose their equity, or raise more money and renegotiate their construction loans based on smaller projections. In Evo’s case, it appears that South Group took a back seat after losing its equity. Now, “the mezzanine lender is trying to stay in position to keep their equity intact,” said lending expert Bob Safai of Madison Partners, who is not familiar with Evo’s financing. “It’s not the normal course of action where the mezzanine lender starts making decisions.” The South Group has also abandoned plans for South Figueroa, two 34-story high-rises planned for two parcels at 12th Street and Grand Avenue, Williams said. Those proper-
takes root worldwide, causes serious illness and can be transmitted effectively among humans) in April, has the potential to throw a wrench in business operations for companies whose employees catch the bug. The California Department of Health warned in August that as many as one in four Californians could be infected. But Kim-Farley and other experts who participated in a panel discussion on the virus hosted last week by Town Hall Los Angeles say that impact can be minimized with common sense and planning. “Employers are going to have to be aware of resources available to them through their health plans,” said Ron Mason, a principal with Towers Perrin, a human resources consultant that works with companies to prepare for business challenges posed by pandemics. “Some employers have vendors who can come on site and deliver seasonal flu vaccine right now. What we are finding is a great interest among employees getting seasonal flu vaccine because they’re so aware of the flu this year.” Take the Vaccine While seasonal flu vaccine is already available, the formula devised specifically to tackle H1-N1 is not expected to be ready for the public until mid-October, KimFarley said. But making the vaccine may prove to be the easy part. The more difficult
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ties have since been deeded to Swedbank, a leading NordicBaltic banking group, he said. While Williams would not discuss details of the transfer, experts say that type of transaction can be an alternative to a foreclosure. As for the future of the South Group, Williams said, “We still exist, but there’s not going to be any activity certainly in any near time frame.” Williams and Westport principal Scott Chernoff said that they do not expect the takeover of Corus Bank to affect sales at Evo. Some say the situation could even benefit projects that have loans in good standing. “Whoever buys the assets of the bank will buy them at a tremendous discount, because it’s such a big pool of assets,” said Safai. “Maybe — maybe — developers will be able to negotiate a better deal for themselves. It could be a tremendous opportunity for the developers who borrowed the money.” Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.
task could be getting people to take it, said Jeanne Ringel, deputy director of public health preparedness for the Rand Public Policy Research Institute. “There are a lot of barriers to getting people to take the vaccine,” Ringel said. “One of them is a sort of lack of confidence in the seasonal vaccine.” Seasonal vaccines are engineered annually according to scientists’ predictions of which strain will take root; thus, the vaccine’s success can vary, Ringel said. The good news with H1-N1, she noted, is that the single-shot vaccine due out in October has been formulated to combat the specific strain. “Still, with any vaccine and new vaccine, there’s some skepticism and wariness and concern in the public about potential adverse effects,” she said. Another barrier is cost: Even though the federal government is providing the vaccine for free, depending on how it’s administered, there could be fees for some healthcare customers, she said. Sick Policy No matter what precautions a company or individual takes to avoid the flu, if the sniffles, coughs and headache arrive, it’s imperative that ill workers stay home, said Mason. Losing one worker can harm a company’s productivity, but losing multiple work-
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ers to the same illness could be devastating, Mason said. “It’s a down economy, people are worried about their jobs and now they’re wondering, ‘Are they going to ding me for this if I stay home for five days? Am I going to have a job when I come back?’” Mason said. “So employers need to make sure they change their absence policies to make sure people stay home. They also need to make sure that if you’re out for the flu this year you don’t need a doctor’s note, because we don’t want to unnecessarily crowd the hospitals.” Keeping sick employees out of the workplace doesn’t have to mean less productivity. Mildly ill workers could telecommute if the main tools of their job are the computer and telephone, said Gary Toebben, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Area of Commerce. “I think you will see employers who will say, ‘If you believe [H1-N1] is what you have and you can do your work from home, take another day and stay home and we’ll communicate via email and you’ll be able to get your work done,’” Toebben said. “If you’re in manufacturing or retail or an environment where someone has to manage that operation, that’s a little more challenging.” Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.
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September 28, 2009
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HEALTH Keck School Records Jump in Research Grant Funding Increase Comes Even Amid Recession, Rising Competition by Jon nalick
D
espite an extremely competitive national research grant environment, the Keck School of Medicine recorded a 9% surge in research funding from all grant sources during the fiscal year that ended June 30. Elizabeth Fini, vice dean for research at the Keck School, said good planning and the recruitment of excellent junior research faculty and research chairs accounted for most of the increase, which boosted the total of research dollars received to $195.8 million, up from $180.2 million. Fini praised the grant productivity of longstanding faculty researchers as key in maintaining a crucial level of funding, but added that the increase over last year’s funding “is mostly due to our new faculty hires — to strategizing and picking good people and supporting them once they get here.” She cited the contributions of junior faculty recruited in the last few years — and also the efforts of new chairs and research leaders such as Jae Jung, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology; Carlos Pato, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; and Michele Pato, the Della Martin Chair in Psychiatry.
Fini credited USC’s commitment to growth at the medical school and Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito’s direction and implementation of good business practices for reversing the decline of research funding that occurred in 2007. She noted that research funding increased 3% in FY 2007-2008 and jumped 9% in FY 2008-2009 and added, “I feel confident that this is not a fluke, but a trend — and I project further increases next year.” Fini said she based the projection on the expected receipt of funds released by the National Institutes of Health as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act approved earlier this year. In response, Keck School faculty scrambled to submit grant requests to the NIH that eventually totaled $285 million. “We’re going to get a lot of that — and money for a few grants has already started to trickle in. We’re already ahead for fiscal year 2010, so we expect that will be a huge jump for us,” Fini said. Janet Stoeckert, director of research administration, noted that calculation of the yearover-year increases excludes unusually large one-time grants such as the $26.9 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in fiscal year 2007. The 9% increase comes as competition for
research grants has skyrocketed in recent years, partly due to a massive five-year burst of NIH funding ending in 2003. That explosion of funding enticed many new researchers and institutions to seek funding. But after NIH research funding peaked at about $23 billion in 2003, it shrank in each year thereafter, even as the number of applications climbed. To adapt, Keck School researchers aggressively diversified their grant request sizes and funding sources, Stoeckert said: “Faculty were working really hard and trying to be creative to get funding.” Institutions and researchers across the nation adopted similar strategies, intensifying the competition further. As a result, Keck School funding stumbled in 2007, dropping from about $186 million to about $174 million,
largely due to the decline in NIH funding (the largest source of grant dollars for the school). But funding recovered the following year. Puliafito praised the faculty’s hard work, saying, “We applaud them for their efforts in achieving an outstanding number of grants in fiscal year 2009.” Fini said that the Keck School’s research grant growth “is one of the major things that defines us. It’s money, but it’s also a symbol of who we are — our stature. It helps attract high quality faculty and students and it’s a testament to our outstanding research.” She emphasized that the lion’s share of Keck School research money comes from nationally peer-reviewed NIH awards, “the gold standard in scientific review.” Article courtesy of USC HSC Weekly.
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he Los Angeles Marathon may be the biggest race of the year that impacts Downtown, but this week, there will be something that just might be three times as hard — on the competitors, if not the community. The 10th Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon Presented by Herbalife (yes, that’s the official name) takes place Sunday, Oct. 4. It starts at 6:45 a.m. at Venice Beach with a swim leg, followed by a bicycle ride from the Westside into Downtown. The culmination is a run that takes place entirely in Downtown and finishes at L.A. Live. The Triathlon features two different races: a short, or “Sprint” course holds a .4-mile swim, a 14.1-mile bike ride and a 3.3-mile run. The longer, or “Olympic” course, starts with a .9-mile swim, and is followed by a 24mile bike ride and a 6.2-mile run. The first athletes are expected at the finish line between 8:30 and 9 a.m. The professionals generally complete the course in less than two hours, while the median time for amateurs is about 2 hours 35 minutes. In both the short and the long run, much of the action takes place on Olympic
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More than a decade after Parade opened to mediocre reviews, a reconfigured version comes to the Mark Taper Forum. The show that stars Lara Pulver and T.R. Knight tells the story of a man convicted of murder who is later lynched by a mob.
Everyone Loves a Lynching Musical ‘Parade,’ Reborn After a Stint in London, Lands in Downtown by Kristin Friedrich contributing writer
I
f a play should be so lucky, it starts Off-Broadway, gets good reviews, puffs up a bit, then bounds over to the Great White Way. That wasn’t the case for Parade. The show debuted on Broadway in 1998, earned mixed reviews and closed after a couple of months. A few years later, it journeyed to a small theater in London, downsized and divested itself of almost half its cast, and became a hit. It’s not a typical theater success story, but when a musical’s touchstones are a real-life rape and murder, a doomed love story and a lynching, bets for predictability of fate are off. The new version of Parade opens at the Mark Taper Forum on Sunday, Oct. 4 (previews began last week). Speaking of second comings, it stars former “Grey’s Anatomy” cast member T.R. Knight. The lead in the musical will be the actor’s first gig after an abrupt TV exodus, and a role very far away from the doe-eyed Dr. George O’Malley. Knight plays Leo Frank, the superintendent of a Georgia pencil factory who in 1913 was convicted of the rape and murder of Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old employee. (The title Parade is only ironically chipper.) Frank was a Jew from Brooklyn, a girl was dead, and the trial and appeal process, replete with dueling political agendas and lying witnesses, was a media sensation. In the postbellum South, a distrust of all things Yankee devolved into unabashed anti-Semitism. When the outgoing Georgia governor commuted Frank’s death sentence by hanging to life in prison, a masked mob kidnapped Frank from his state prison farm, drove him to the Atlanta suburb where Phagan grew up, and lynched him. Second Chance Not surprisingly, neither crowds nor critics were giddy about a lynching musical. The lackluster New York Times review of the original Broadway show was a distress signal; the bankruptcy of Livent, the company that paid for the musical, was the death knell. Parade survived just its initial run of 85 performances. But there was resonance in both the book, written by
Alfred Uhry (winner of a Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award for Driving Miss Daisy), and in the music and lyrics, penned by Jason Robert Brown. When Brown wrote the music in the late 1990s, he was still green; Parade was his first Broadway project. He was hired by producer and director Harold Prince after Steven Sondheim dropped out. Though he didn’t know about the Leo Frank case going into the project, he was a quick study, and the grim subject matter didn’t faze him. “Writing is hard. Comedy is just as hard to write as drama,” Brown said last week. “Everyone has said, ‘How could you write a musical with a lynching?’ But I grew up on Sweeney Todd and West Side Story and Miss Saigon. There’s no reason a musical can’t have sadness.” Despite the reviews, Uhry and Brown went on to win Tony Awards for the Broadway Parade. Meanwhile, Brown’s wunderkind composer status grew. (His resume now includes The Last Five Years, 13 and Songs for a New World.) Brown’s star wasn’t the only one rising. The Broadway show’s assistant choreographer, Rob Ashford, was becoming one of theater’s most in-demand choreographer-director hyphenates. With a track record in London, Ashford brought the show to the Donmar Warehouse and led the charge toward a tighter, more economic production. This time around, Ashford would choreograph and, for the first time, direct. He brought to the new version his imprint — movement that seems to spring naturally out of the action. Songs were added and the casting was reconfigured, with many actors playing several roles. “It’s 85% the same, but that 15% that’s changed — Alfred and I got to complete different impulses,” Brown said. “So it wasn’t so much a victory lap as it was a chance to revisit certain things.” One thing Brown said he lost in the course of writing the Broadway show was a sense of the real South. So he and Uhry strove to show London audiences how hard life was in the post-Civil War era. “The Southerners were victims of a terrible time,” said Brown. “They lost their homes, they had lost a war. That’s uncommon to most Americans. I think that was something that had gotten elided, that I got to dig back into. So now
there’s something elegiac about the show.” With a second chance, the reviews were admiring, and people started talking about the lynching musical all over again. Outsiders Come In The English-born Lara Pulver is the only actor from the Donmar run who has come over for the Taper show. She plays Lucille, Leo Frank’s loyal wife — and there aren’t many Southern belles more long-suffering. In the play, Lucille and her husband really only connect with each other after he is locked up, and pre-lynching incarceration isn’t an optimal time for romance. Pulver also wasn’t familiar with Leo Frank prior to the job. Like Brown, who said he borrowed layering and momentum techniques from early 19th century composer Charles Ives, Pulver had her own bag of tricks with which to channel the Old South. “I watched old films: Streetcar, Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird,” she said. “Any film with those strong Southern women. I make a scrapbook and collect pictures — pictures of clothes and people, pictures of the kinds of cotton fields Lucille would have looked out onto. Anything that remotely sparks my imagination.” Unlike Brown, who doesn’t consider a gritty musical more difficult to write than lighter fare, Pulver said the Parade role is a tough one. “I remember when I did it in London, I never slept so much in my life,” she said. “But I came to terms with it. When it’s a piece of history that you’re trying to portray, you can’t be anything but honest. The result is that it’s gut wrenching.” Both Pulver and Brown are excited about their TV star colleague, whom they say mentions TV and “Grey’s,” well, never. Yet despite his past and his newness to the role, or maybe even because of it, he seems to be landing the part of Frank. “I think T.R., in some ways, he feels like an outsider, which works very well for the piece because Leo Frank is such an outsider,” Brown said. “I think he stands outside the company and watches these tremendously gifted theater performers, although he could count himself among them.” Parade runs through Nov. 15 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org.
photo by Gary Leonard
10 Downtown News
September 28, 2009
Downtown News 11
DowntownNews.com
The ‘Art’ of the Matter East West Players Revival Asks Whether a Creative Work Is Treasure or Trash by Jeff favre contributing writer
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wo people stand in front of a piece of art. One sees brilliance and is moved to tears. The other swears it’s ridiculous and fights back a nauseous gag. This recognizable scenario serves as the centerpiece for Yasmina Reza’s 1994 French comedy Art, which took home the 1998 Tony for an English translation by Christopher Hampton. A new Downtown Los Angeles revival of Art, at East West Players through Oct. 11 and directed by Alberto Isaac, proves that the simple concept of art’s subjectivity still offers a wealth of rich material. It remains as timeless and relevant as it was 15 years ago, and likely will be 15 years (and beyond) from now. Still, Art requires a trio of insightful, charismatic actors that can convey its subtleties to reach its full potential. Fortunately, that is realized in the talents of François Chau, Bernard White and Ryun Yu. For 75 intermission-less minutes, Isaac and his cast hit all the script’s high notes, while inventing more humor through tone, pace and well-choreographed physicality. The central figure in Art is not a person but a four-foot by five-foot canvas that has been painted either entirely white, or various shades of white, depending on whom you ask. For Serge (Chau), the painting is a masterpiece of texture, style and, yes, color. On the other hand, Marc (White), Serge’s friend of 15 years, thinks the painting is a piece of garbage. Their differences wouldn’t matter so much except Serge, a dermatologist, spent 200,000 francs for the painting, which causes Marc to rethink his entire relationship with Serge. The men turn to mutual pal Yvan (Yu), whose desire not to offend either one infuriates both of them. The incidental subplot concerns Yvan’s impending marriage and how it is causing friction with his mother. Plenty of plays have dealt with the debatable merits of art, but Reza’s stands out because she (and translator Hampton) refrain from too many specifics. Serge frequently uses the word “modern,” but his main reason for buying the painting is that he loves it. Serge’s powerful emotion upsets Marc because, if his best friend loves something he hates, what does it say about their
friendship? Further, what does it mean that Yvan is unable to formulate any opinion about the white canvas? The three actors provide a study in contrasting personalities through their sharply defined portrayals. White, dressed in a conservative suit, struts the stage with a sense of arrogance, which combined with well-timed guffaws paints Marc as a man with a superiority complex. Serge doesn’t lack confidence, but Chau displays moments of uncertainty through occasional of missing sales opportunities? stutters and a slight waver in his We’ve got the solution. Juggling too many projects, deadlines and vendors? Let voice, which reveals that Serge is PIP manage the creation and re-ordering of all of your business communisomewhat intimidated by Marc. cations. In one location, your PIP consultants bring together all the resources The pair bickers in the style of you need, including: • Signs, posters and banners • Printing “The Odd Couple,” but it’s Yu • Digital printing • Copying • Online ordering • Graphic design who grabs the biggest laughs 700 Wilshire Blvd. with a memorable turn as Yvan. ph: 213-489-2333 fax: 213-489-2897 With every entrance Yu directs piparco@sbcglobal.net another layer of exasperation at his friends. Though the story is non-specific regarding cultural background, Yu uses a Korean accent when Yvan recounts conphoto by Michael Lamont versations with his mother. Isaac crafts several visual comic (l to r) Yvan (played by Ryun Yu), Serge (François Chau) and Marc (Bernard White) debate the bits, the best involving a shared worth of a piece of a work of art, and get into some personal matters, in East West Players’ revival your customers won’t notice you? snack. The men pass a bowl of of the 1998 Tony winner Art. olives in a continuous circle, folWe’ve got the solution. Whether going after just one customer or appealing lowed by an empty bowl in which they spit out the pits. The lighting design, which uses shadows when to a massJeremy market, Pivnick’s we’ll help you capture those sales opportunities. In one location, PIP consultants bring all theonly resources you need,adds silence, broken only by pits hitting the glass, grows funnier theyour characters address thetogether audience, occasionally including: with each turn. touches of color, as if• Printing to reference the debate whether • Signs, posters over and banners • Digital printing Not every moment is meant for laughs, though, and Isaac Serge’s painting truly ••isCopying all-white. Graphic design • Online ordering 700 Wilshire Blvd. slows the pace to allow for somber reflection as the men deArt opens the 44th season for East West Players — a season ph: 213-489-2333 cide the fate of their friendship. in whichfax:all213-489-2897 of the plays selected are intended to spark debate piparco@sbcglobal.net Like the play’s painting, Alan E. Muraoka’s set is a study in over the value of art in society. It’s an ideal choice, executed to monochrome. Clean, white walls match the white furniture near perfection. and floor. One wall rotates to relocate the setting to each of Art is at East West Players, 120 Judge John Aiso St., through the men’s homes. Oct. 11. Information at (213) 625-7000, or eastwestplayers.org.
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Wednesday, sepT. 30 Preserving ’60s Architecture LADWP Building, 111 N. Hope St., 213-623-2489 or laconservancy.org. 8 p.m.: The L.A. Conservancy and its Modern Committee ring in a new program on the 1960s with a free panel discussion on the critical issues facing the preservation of ’60s architecture. This event kicks off “The Sixties Turn 50,” a nine-month program showcasing Los Angeles’ rich ’60s heritage. Free, but reservations required. Thursday, OcT. 1 Thursdays at Central Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7241 or lapl.org. 12:15-1 p.m.: Learn about another treasure in the library’s collection — popular sheet music of the last 120 years. Listen to the melodies and, if you wish, sing along. Friday, OcT. 2 Mexican Architecture Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., lapl.org. 7 p.m.: As part of a three-part lecture series by Mexican architects, Bernardo Gómez Pimienta speaks. He is dean of Anahuac University North’s School of Architecture and is a member of the National Architecture Academy. Among his most recognized projects are the National Theater School, the HABITA hotel and the renovation of the Theater of the Insurgents, all in Mexico City. Cities, Bicycles and David Byrne Aratani/Japan America Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro St., (213) 680-3700 or aloudla.org. 8 p.m.: Qu’est-ce que c’est? He’s a musician, artist and author, but did you know Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is also a Psycho Cyclist? In this panel discussion on bicycle riding and transit policy, Byrne turns his attention to the fractured, car-mad city of Los Angeles. Other panelists include Jimmy Lizama, co-founder of the Bicycle Kitchen, Michelle Mowery, senior bicycle coordinator for LADOT, and Donald Shoup, professor of urban planning at UCLA. Bicycle valet services provided by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Signed copies of Byrne’s book “Bicycle Diaries” will be available for purchase at The Library Store. Farmlab Public Salons 1745 N. Spring St. #4, (323) 226-1158 or farmlab.org. Noon: London-based artist Felicity Powell stops by to discuss “Medals of Dishonour,” her project that shows that alongside the well-known association of medals with glory and achievement lies a darker tradition of the medal as an indicator of dishonor. The project reframes items in the British Museum’s permanent collection by presenting selected historic medals alongside newly commissioned medals by 13 artists. saTurday, OcT. 3 L.A. Derby Dolls Doll Factory, 1910 W. Temple St., (310) 285-3766 or derbydolls.com/la. 6 p.m.: Southern California’s premier all-female, banked track roller derby league brings back the thrill of the spill to new and seasoned derby fans as the Tough Cookies take on the Varsity Brawlers.
THEATER, OPERA & DANCE August: Osage County Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org. Sept. 29-Oct.2, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 3, 2 and 8 p.m.; Oct. 4, 1 and 6:30 p.m.: Meet the Westons, a large, extended clan that comes together at their rural Oklahoma homestead when the alcoholic patriarch disappears. Forced to confront unspoken truths and astonishing secrets, the family must also contend with Violet, a pill-popping, deeply unsettled grand-
T S I L ’ S S I M T THE ‘DON’
Singing, Theater, Puppets, Talk and Dance by AnnA Scott, StAff writer
per pergirl, Su u S , n a rm e here’s Sup , Super Baritone! OK, ow apt Glue and n , but it’s an e tl ti in t is t ex pson, who re he may no omas Ham h T .A. f o n o ti :30 p.m. to L descrip 7 t a , 3 . ct O ay, ilion turns Saturd orothy Chandler Pav D nce e si y th n t a pa performance pearance with the com are see h T . ra e p p st O ta t li e. On the se ampson’s firs will mark H as Marcello in La Bohem , which draws from ut a” project his 1987 deb gress’ exten g of Americ n o “S is h rary of Con g collecm ib o L fr e s n th io ct le can son sive Ameri ad pson’s myri tion. Ham de u cl in ents accomplishm PBS spea presenting g a master iv g cial and in erican Am classes on ow will sh e h T song. d by a CD be followe Dorothy the signing. At vilion, 135 a P Chandler 2ve., (213) 97 N. Grand A a.com. er 8001 or laop
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his weekend is your last chance to catch Visitors Arivaca at the A Guide to lexandria Hotel by the Compa . The piece, pr ny of Angels, ex esented plores immigra ing one individu tion by tracal’s walk across Playwright Evan th geline Ordaz dr e U.S.-Mexico border. ew on real-life with ranchers, interviews vigilantes and others to evok desert town of e the Arizona Arivaca. Border lands Theater originally comm in Tucson issioned the pl ay , in response to sands of migra nt deaths along the thouthe Arizona-Mex Performances ar ico border. e Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, O at 8 p.m. At 501 ct. 3, S. Spring St., (3 23 ) 883-1717 or brownpaper tickets.com.
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oo! To get into the Halloween “spirit” early, look no further than the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in City West. On Saturday, Oct. 3, the theater opens Bob Baker’s Spooktacular, a production celebrating all things Halloween; it runs through Nov. 1. The musical puppet show features characters including the Purple People Eater, the Invisible Man and a group of Roaring 20s skeletons. Yikes! But the show isn’t too scary, as it’s designed for kids. Children under 2 get in free. Performances are Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., and Tuesday-Friday at 10:30 a.m. At 1345 W. First St., (213) 250-9995 or bobbakermarionettes.com.
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n Wednesday, Sept. 30, the Los Angeles Conservancy kicks off “Sixties Turn 50,” a nine-month series of lectures and online programs. The series is all about highlighting the city’s 1960s architectural resources, which will start turning 50 years old next year. The first event is a free 8 p.m. panel discussion at the Department of Water and Power Building (constructed in 1965). The conversation will address issues facing 1960s preservation, and panelists will include Christine Madrid French, director of the Modernism and Recent Past Initiative for the National Trust for Historic Preservation; architect and critic Alan Hess; and Los Angeles magazine associate editor Chris Nichols, among others. Upcoming events for “Sixties Turn 50” include self-driving tours, online photo sharing and a contest in which participants vote for their favorite buildings. Reservations are required. At 111 N. Hope St., (213) 623-2489 or laconservancy.org.
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photo courtesy of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater
Tuesday, sepT. 29 Can Less Punishment Reduce Crime? California Endowment, 1000 N. Alameda St., zocalopublicsquare.org. 7:30 p.m.: Zocalo Public Square hosts UCLA professor Mark Kleinman, author of “When Brute Force Fails.” Since the 1960s, the U.S. prison population has increased fivefold. Prisons today hold one inmate for every 100 adults. But despite the high prison population, crime has stopped falling. Kleinman offers a new strategy for cutting crime and reducing the prison population while still enacting swift, certain and fair punishment.
LISTINGS
photo by Dario Acosta
EVENTS
September 28, 2009
DowntownNews.com
ormer Talking Heads front man David Byrne is known as a musician, artist and filmmaker, but he also wears another hat — actually, make that a helmet, as he is an avid bicyclist. On Friday, Oct. 2, Byrne leads a panel of bike advocates, city officials and urban planners in a discussion examining the bicycle’s role in transforming cities and how L.A. can become a more bikefriendly place. The event, titled “Cities, Bicycles and the Future of Getting Around,” is hosted by the Aloud forum and will take place at 8 p.m. at the Aratani/ Japan American Theatre at the photo by Todomundo Japanese American Cultural & Community Center. You may ask yourself, where is that large automobile? But perhaps after Friday, you’ll be ready to trade it in for a two-wheeler. Business suits with giant shoulder pads welcome. Tickets are $25. At 244 S. San Pedro St., (213) 680-3700 or lfla.org/aloud/. Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.
September 28, 2009
Downtown News 13
DowntownNews.com
But Wait, There’s More!
Additional Event Information on the Web
DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM/CALENDAR : EVENTS | ROCK, POP & JAZZ | CLASSICAL MUSIC | THEATER, OPERA & DANCE ART SPACES | FILM | BARS & CLUBS | MUSEUMS | FARMERS MARKETS | TOURS mother. Through Oct. 18. Belarus Free Theater: Discover Love REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800, redcat.org. Oct. 1-3, 8:30 p.m.: Established in 2005 in response to repression in “Europe’s last dictatorship,” the award-winning Belarusian company, now outlawed at home, stages an original drama based on the true story of dissident Irina Krasovskaya and her husband Anatoly, who was “disappeared” 10 years ago. The Elixir of Love Los Angeles Opera, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8001 or laopera.com. Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.: One of opera’s most popular comedies, “The Elixir of Love” tells the story of a magic love potion and a love triangle involving a bumpkin, a dashing sergeant and the town flirt. Filled with light-hearted charm and bursting with feel-good laughs, “The Elixir of Love” features lively Italian melodies. Gogol Project Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.com.
THE ANSWER
TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE
Oct. 2, 8 p.m.; Oct. 3, 3 and 8 p.m.; Oct. 4, 3 p.m.: A father of Russian realism and satire, writer Nikolai Gogol was a master of comedy and absurdity. His tales “Diary of a Madman,” “The Overcoat” and “The Nose” are melded into Rogue Artists Ensemble’s new production, “Gogol Project.” Combining puppetry, masks and digital projection, audiences are vaulted deep into the grotesque and whimsical world of Gogol’s stories, featuring songs and score by Ego Plum. Parade Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup.org. Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 8 p.m.; Oct. 3, 2:30 and 8 p.m.: Based on the true story of Leo Frank, convicted of murdering 13-year-old Mary Phagan in Atlanta, Georgia in 1913, “Parade” recounts the press frenzy and public outrage about Frank’s trial, and his wife’s crusade for justice. The Tony Award-winning musical explores the endurance of love and hope against the odds. Through Nov. 15. Siegfried Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-8001 or laopera.com. Oct. 4, 2 p.m.: The L.A. Opera’s production of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle continues with “Siegfried.” With his mighty sword, he slays the dragon Fafner, claims the coveted golden ring, defeats the great god Wotan in battle, and, risking all, walks through fire to awaken the beautiful sleeping warrior-goddess, Brünnhilde, with a kiss. Through Oct. 17. Visitors’ Guide to Arivaca CoA inside The Black Box at The Alexandria, 501 S. Spring St., 3rd Floor, (323) 883-1717 or companyofangels.org. Oct. 2-3, 8 p.m.; Oct. 4, 7 p.m.: Two hundred years ago it belonged to the Tohono O’odham. Then Mexico claimed it, only to lose it in a war with the United States. Now, Valente wants to walk across it to get to a job in Oregon. But no map charts a path through this gauntlet of ranchers, Native Americans, vigilantes, ICE agents and other pursuers of the American dream.
BARS & CLUBS Bottlerock 1150 S. Flower St., bottlerock.net Situated on the ground floor of the Met Lofts in South Park, this wine bar features a vast range of bottles from around the world and a
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.
price range equally as wide. Wines by the glass start at around $8, but if you’re feeling overcome by oenophilia (or just deep-pocketed) there are some first growth Bordeauxs for more than $1,000 for the bottle. If you don’t get your fill while at the bar, which also features a rotating crop of artisanal beers and a full dinner menu, the bar also sells bottles at retail. Broadway Bar 830 S. Broadway, (213) 614-9909 or thebroadwaybar.net. Located next to the Orpheum Theatre in the Platt Building, the Broadway Bar’s blue neon sign beckons patrons inside to its 50-foot circular bar. The casual-chic spot is based on Jack Dempsey’s New York bar, with low lighting and a dose of ’40s glam. There’s a patio upstairs with nice views, and a jukebox. Ciudad 445 S. Figueroa St., (213) 486-5171 or ciudad-la.com. Chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s Downtown restaurant serves up Latin recipes from Spain and South America. The modern space also hosts a thriving happy hour with live music on the outdoor patio several nights a week. Don’t miss the mojitos.
2 yoUR EvEnt info EASy wAyS to SUBmit
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.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
14 Downtown News
September 28, 2009
DowntownNews.com
CLASSiFiEd
pLACe your Ad onLine At www.LAdowntownnews.Com
l.a. downtown news classifieds Call: 213-481-1448 Classified Display & Line ad Deadlines: thursday 12 pm
“Be wary of out of area companies. Check with the local Better Business Bureau before you send any money for fees or services. Read and understand any contracts before you sign. Shop around for rates.”
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REAL ESTATE COMMERCIAL
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CHARMING MID-CENTURY Studio with kitchenette. Cozy and private. Secure. Quiet 4-plex. Close to Downtown $650 818-352-1732. FREE RENT SPECIALS (O.A.C.) Brand New Resort Apartments. Granite kitchens, washer/dryers, pools, spas, saunas, fitness ctr, free tanning beds & much more! 866-690-2894. FREE RENT SPECIALS (O.A.C.) New downtown luxury apartments with granite kitchens, marble baths, pool, spa, saunas & free parking. 888-736-7471. FREE RENT SPECIALS @ the Medici. Penthouse 1 & 2 bdrm apts. Granite kitchens, washer/ dryers, business center, 2 pools, spa! Visit TheMedici.com for a full list of amenities. Call 888886-3731. FREE RENT SPECIALS Los Angeles Studio $1688/ month Luxury at it’s finest! Granite counters, W & D 888-262-9761. FREE RENT SPECIALS Panoramic downtown views. 1 bed/1 bath starting at $1398. Washer dryer in unit, gated,Pool, spa and sauna. 888-265-1707.
Living Outrageously For Today!®
Living Outrageously For Today!® DRE #01706351
S e e k S S t y l i S h M at e
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Bunker Hill real estate Co, inC.
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Call us for other condos for sale or lease Dwntwn & surrounding areas!!
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Broker/Realtor leasing-salesloans-refinance
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ROOFTOP GARDEN RETREAT WITH BBQ AND LOUNGESince • GRAND 2001,LOBBY • FITNESS CENTER has SPA • MODERN KITCHEN WITH CAESAR COUNTERTOPS HIGH SPEED INTERNET been helping people live in Downtown’s DESIGNER LIVING SPACES • PET FRIENDLY • DRAMATIC VIEWS best condos, lofts & apartments! WALKING DISTANCE TO RALPHS SUPERMARKET STAINLESS APPLIANCES INCLUDING REFRIGERATOR GATEWAY TO FASHION DISTRICT • GROUND FLOORVisit DRYus CLEANERS KELLY’S COFFEE online at •www.LoftLivingLA.com
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Guess where Nicole loves to eat sushi and WIN!
Pricing subject to change without notice.
madison hotel
LOFT LIVING Your number 1 source for Loft sales, rentals and development! LAdowntownnews.com
duplexes DOWNTOWN L.A. $975. Cozy one bedroom, duplex. Garage & patio, stove, refrig. 3rd and Union. Manager 323-664-4377.
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.)
advertising
old Bank District The original Live/Work Lofts from $1,100 Cafes, Bars, Shops, Galleries, Parking adjacent. Pets no charge Call 213.253.4777 LAloft.com
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8 7Information 7 - 4 L A -available LO F TS
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We've got what you're searching for! DowntownNews.com
Ad Copy: _________________________________________
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• Items under $300 • Items $301 to $500 • Items $501 to $1200 • Items $1201 to $2000 • Items $2001+…
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loft/unfurnished
Do you have something to sell? (Marketplace and Automotive Categories ONLY)
WORK ONLY - NOT LIVE IN Downtown Art Studio. 490 sq. ft. 12 foot ceilings. Enclosed. Part larger studio. Productive atmosphere. $400/mo. + sec. 213-509-4403.
________________________________________________ ________________________________________________
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) CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in 240 Cal-SCAN newspapers for the best reach, coverage, and price. 25-words $550. Reach 6 million Californians!. Free email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.Cal-SCAN.com. (CalSCAN)
Living Outrageously For Today!®
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 DRE #01706351
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REAL ARTIST LOFTS 1REAL ARTIST LOFTS 1200-2000 Sq. Ft., $1600-$2100/mo. High ceilings, hardwood floors, fireplace, pool/spa, gated parking, laundry, sorry no dogs, Open House Sundays 12-3pm @ 1250 Long Beach Ave. 213-629-5539
$775/month sept. move in special: ½ off 1st & 2nd month’s rent
income & other restrictions apply. MustRENTING move-in by• Sept. 30 • LIVING BUYING
Since 2001, LoftLivingLA.com has
been213.626.1743 helping people live in Downtown’s call best condos, lofts & apartments! or stop by for a tour
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Unfurnished bachelor rooms with shared bath at $550/mo. with private bath $695/mo. Includes utilities, basic cable channels, laundry room on site. Gated building in a good area. 208 W. 14th St. at Hill St. Downtown LA
For English Call Pierre or Terri 213.744.9911 For Spanish Call Susana 213.749.0306
For Rent Multi-level 5 bdrms (indiv. rooms). 3 bath Townhome in LA - Blocks from USC. Locks on each door for privacy. Common areas include; bathrooms, hallways & Kitchen
$750/mo
________________________________________________
Plenty of on site pkg.
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310-678-8710 Weekend: 310-678-4233
________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________
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.
LOFT LIVING
Your number 1 source for Loft sales, rentals and development! downtownnews.com
DRE #01706351
I c o n I c B e au t y
condominiums
DRE #01706351
StudioS Full bath & kitchenette corner of 6th & Spring St.
2 offices for rent, all hook-ups, partly furnished. 530 sqft. $1,000 month, flex lease.
FOR RENT
September 28, 2009
Downtown News 15
DowntownNews.com
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)
MaSSage therapy
Star Holistic Spa Massage/Acupressure $40 (1 Hour) 2551 W. Beverly Blvd. LA, CA, 90057 (Beverly Rampart)
Financial ServiceS DEBT RESOLVERS USA. Not a Loan - Not Credit Counseling – Not Bankruptcy. We are a Debt Settlement Program. No Upfront Fees. 0% Interest Rate. Reduce Payments up to 50%. Become Debt Free in 12-36 months. Debt Free Program with No Bank Hassles. 1 -888-675-3255. www.DebtResolversUSA.com. (Cal-SCAN) GET OUT OF DEBT in Months! Avoid Bankruptcy. Not a high priced consolidation company or a consumer credit counseling program. Free consultation Credit Card Relief 1-866-4755353. (Cal-SCAN) TAX RELIEF! Do You Owe Over $15,000 in Back Taxes? Need to Settle State, Business, Payroll Tax Problems, Eliminate Penalties, Interest Charges, Wage Garnishments, Tax Liens! Call American Tax Relief 1-800-4969891. Free, Confidential, No obligation, consultation. (CalSCAN) pSychic
Psychic Readings by Vivian helps in all matters of life. Tarot, palm and psychic readings. Half off with ad.
213.251.0088
Tel: 213-383-7676
Hollywood Foot Spa Massage $14.95 • Free Parking 5226 W. Sunset, Los Angeles
MONTE CARLO CLEANERS offering Free Pick Up & Delivery 7 Days a Week on Dry Cleaning,Laundry,& Alterations. Call for specials. (213)489-9400 houSekeeping MONTE CARLO MAIDS References available. All major credit cards accepted, call for a free estimate. Licensed & Insured. (213) 489-9401 attorneyS
ABOGADO DE IMMIGRACION! Family, Criminal, P.I. for more than 20 yrs! Child Support / Custody Necesita Permiso de trabajo? Tagalog / Español / Korean
323.666.1216
7 Days a Week • 10am-11pm
get your green card or citiZenShip
autoS Wanted DONATE YOUR VEHICLE! Receive Free Vacation Voucher. United Breast Cancer Foundation. Free Mammograms, Breast Cancer Info www.ubcf. info Free Towing, Tax Deductible, Non-Runners Accepted, 1-888468-5964. (Cal-SCAN) MiSc. ServiceS
Law Office of H. Douglas Daniel esq., (213) 689-1710
hoMe iMproveMent
Construction
$98
s.f.
Architectural Plans + Permit Included
DISH NETWORK. $19.99/mo. Why Pay More for TV? 100+ Channels - Free! 4-Room Install - Free! HD-DVR Plus $600 Signup BONUS. Call Now! 1-866747-9773. (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.
GC# 308729 est. 1975
EMPLOYMENT
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
coMputerS/it ATTN: COMPUTER WORK. Work from anywhere 24/7. Up to $1,500 Part Time to $7,500/ mo. Full Time. Training provided. www.KTPGlobal.com or call 1-800-330-8446. (Cal-SCAN) driverS RECEIVE QUALITY TRAINING to become a professional class A CDL driver, 21 and older, call the Transportation Technology Center at 1-800-362-2793 x 1964. (Cal-SCAN) general HELP WANTED, Movie Extras. Earn up to $150/day. People needed for background in a major film production. Exp. not required. 888-366-0843
BuSineSS opportunitieS ALL CASH VENDING! Be Your Own Boss! Your Own Local Vending Route. Includes 25 Machines and Candy for $9,995. MultiVend LLC, 1-888-625-2405. (Cal-SCAN)
ITEMS FOR SALE
ANNOUNCEMENTS volunteer opportunitieS
laWn & garden/FarM equip
MENTOR YOUTH, downtown L.A.! Twice monthly evening meetings for 9 months. Fun group & one-on-one activities. Small commitment, big results! Change a kid’s life and your own. www.youthmentoring.org 323-731-8080
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: 1-800-5781363 x300-N. (Cal-SCAN)
PETROLEUM SUPPLY: Keep Army National Guard’s Watercraft, Aircraft, Trucks & Tanks rolling! Expand skills through paid career training. Part-time work. Full -time benefits. www. NationalGuard.com/careers or 1-800-GO-GUARD. (Cal-SCAN) retail/SaleS
Children’s Performing Group! Singing, dancing, performing and fun! For boys & girls ages 3 and up! See SunshineGenerationLA. com or call 909-861-4433.
OVER 18? AVAILABLE to Travel? Earn Above Average $$$ with Fun Successful Business Group! No Experience Necessary. 2wks Paid Training. Lodging, Transportation Provided. 1-877646-5050. (Cal-SCAN)
DONATE YOUR CAR: Children’s Cancer Fund! Help Save A Child’s Life Through Research & Support! Free Vacation Package. Fast, Easy & Tax Deductible. Call 1-800-2520615. (Cal-SCAN)
FOR RENT? FOR LEASE? FOR SALE? People are looking here, shouldn’t your ad should be here?
(213) 481-1448
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* • 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
On Spring St.
Spring Tower Lofts:
2300 sqft. w/3 bdrm 2 bath LOFT $2,800/mo. • Live/Work space • 14 story bldg. • Rooftop garden terrace w/city view • Pet friendly
Locations Nationwide
autoS Wanted
*Availability and prices are subject to change at any time.
Offices • Offices • Offices • Offices
Burbank • Brentwood Century City • Downtown L.A. Woodland Hills
AUTOS & RECREATIONAL
Free Rent!
details 323-960-5792 MuSic leSSonS
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.
Premiere Towers:
UNITS FEATURE: Private Washer and Dryer • Fully Equipped Gourmet Kitchens Maple European Style Cabinetry • Granite Counter Tops Natural Stone Marble Counter Baths
2 bdrm/2 bath, $1550/mo. • Rooftop garden terrace/GYM w/city view • 24 hr. doorman • free (1) parking
Beautiful Offices For As Little As $400 Fully Furnished/Corporate ID Programs Flexible Terms/All New Suites
City Lofts:
Services Include: • Reception • Mail • T-1 • State-of-the-Art Voice Mail & Telephone • Westlaw • Fax • Photocopy • More
900 sqft, 13 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
Additional Features: Kitchen Facilities, All Support Services, Great Views, Free Conference Room Hours, Fully Trained Staff, Cost Effective.
Please call 213.627.6913 www.cityloftsquare.com
Jenny Ahn (213) 996-8301 jahn@regentBC.com www.regentbc.com
Luxury Rooms in Downtown Orsini Monthly StartHELP? at $780 CANRents YOU
CAN YOU
HELP?
Distributing Medical Supplies, Food & Clothing to Children & Families. Items In Need: 3 Clothing & Shoes for girls, boys, men & women 3 Personal Hygiene items: shampoo, conditioner, soap, facial cleanser, tooth paste, tooth brushes etc. 3 Medicine/Vitamins 3 School Supplies, Computers, Notebooks, Pens/Pencils All products must be in there original packaging and clothing with price tags due to customs.
Items will be collected at:
Global Travel Outreach 1105 Wesley Ave. Pasadena, CA 91104
626-791-7900 www.GlobalTravelOutreach.com
877-267-5911
WWW.THEORSINI.COM
1 & 2 Rooms Available
photo by j. mcnicol
Mission to Cambodia
550 NORTH FIGUEROA ST. LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 OPEN DAILY
• 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
Global Travel Outreach aides Daughters of Vision nels anseeks A threeSTUDeNT phase program, to aide Special RaTe! Daughters 50 CofhVision poverty-stricken children of Cambodia. V $690the1 person T t c e Dir Phase I
An existing structure bequeathed to Global Travel Outreach will beayfair transformed into a otel school and community hall. Phase II 1 2We will open the Daughters 5 6 W e s t 7 t h softVision r e eGirls t home, a place dedicated towards ending the extreme poverty & destitution Simin (213) 484-9789 Ext.children, 555 oras well (213) 632-1111 affecting Cambodia’s as a refuge and sanctuary for young girls from the reach of child traffickers. Phase III Create a medical clinic to service the community.
M
H
Fully furnished with TV, of checks, orders can microwave, be made payable to: Sell Your cashiers Car! checks or money telephone,
For more info visit our web site or call toll free. Donations in the form
Expose your auto to Downtown refrigerator. Global Travel Outreach Los Angeles. With one1105 of theWesley Ave.Full Pasadena, CA 91104 bathroom. fastest growing residential areas 626-791-7900 Excellent location. Los Angeles Downtown News gets results. GlobalTravel08@gmail.com Downtown LA.
Call 213-481-1448 www.GlobalTravelOutreach.com Weekly maid service.
Van For Sale
Only 6,573 miles like-new fOr $22,000 ExcEllEnt condition Still under warranty!
chevrolet 2008 eXpreSS 3500 extd wb passenger van- 6,573 miles. 15-Passenger, excellent condition, all power. 5 year /100,000 mile powertrain limited warranty with 24 hr roadside assistance. 4-Door, loaded with power steering, power windows, power locks, tinted windows, security alarm, tilt wheel, air conditioning. Remote keyless entry, loaded with an 6.0 Liter vortec v8 engine. Passkey III theft deterrent, am/fm stereo CD player w/mp3 format. $22,000. (323) 721-3947 Virginia or (323) 314-4360 Fernando.
Monthly from $695 utilities paid. (213) 627-1151
Furnished single unit with kitchenette, bathroom. Excellent location. Downtown LA. Weekly rate $275 inc.
1 Month Free rent ask for details
1 Bdrm loft For rent $1800/mo. 850 sqft., walk-in closet, concrete polished floors, washer and dryer, stainless steel appliances, parking garage enclosed, 24/7 surveillance, pet friendly and extra parking available. 1340 W. 4th St., Los Angeles Oscar Mendoza 818.438.0939 / 213.240.1230
Monthly from $595 utilities paid. (213) 612-0348
16 Downtown News
September 28, 2009
DowntownNews.com
We Got Games Dodgers, Trojans and the New, New-Look Clippers Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Ave., (213) 224-1400 or dodgers.mlb.com. Oct. 2-3, 7:10 p.m.; Oct. 4, 1:10 p.m.: The Dodgers wrap up the regular season appropriately, with a three-game home series against the Colorado Rockies, which could be a preview of the National League Championship Series (though both squads will have to get by the Philadelphia Phillies or St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs). Heading into the post-season, one concern for the Dodgers is whether their staff can pitch with the best. The good news is that struggling ace Chad Billingsley may have figured things out. Although he gave up a three-run homer last Wednesday, it was the only hit he allowed in six innings, during which he also struck out nine. Los Angeles Clippers Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 929-1300 or
nba.com/clippers. The Clippers begin their pre-season with an away game against the Golden State Warriors (Oct. 4, 6 p.m.). Could this finally be the beginning of a new future for the red, white and blue? The pieces of the puzzle all seem to be on hand, but can coach Mike Dunleavy put rookie Blake Griffin, Baron Davis and Marcus Camby together? USC Trojans Football L.A. Coliseum, 3911 S Figueroa St., (213) 747-7111 or usctrojans.com. One has the sense that the USC Trojans will mark every next game on their calendar this year as a redemption game, following the Sept. 19 upset loss to Washington. But this trip to Berkeley to play the Cal Bears (Oct. 3, 5 p.m.) won’t be any walk in the park. The winner becomes the frontrunner to take the Pac-10 title. —Ryan Vaillancourt
photo by Gary Leonard
Chad Billingsley and the Dodgers close out the regular season this week.
Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!
Grand Tower 255 south Grand avenue Leasing Information 213 229 9777
Promenade Towers 123 south Figueroa street Leasing Information 213 617 3777
Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room
Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Pool / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Covered Parking
Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove, Microwave & Dishwasher (most units) ~ Central Air Conditioning & Heating ~ Balconies (most units)
On-site: ~ Dry Cleaners / Dental Office / Restaurants
Now For Call n Specials Move-I
8 7 7 - 2 65 - 714 6
museum Tower 225 south olive street Leasing Information 213 626 1500
Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove & Dishwasher ~ Central Air & Heating ~ Solariums and/or Balconies
On Site: ~ Convenience Store / Coffee House / Yogurt Shop / Beauty Salon
Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room
Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove, Microwave & Dish washer (most units) ~ Central Air & Heating ~ Balconies (most units)
It’s our business to make you comfortable... at home, downtown. Corporate and long term residency is accommodated in high style at the Towers Apartments. Contemporary singles, studio, one bedroom and two bedroom apartment homes provide fortunate residents with a courteous full service lobby attendant, heated pool, spa, complete fitness center, sauna and recreation room with kitchen. Beautiful views extend from the Towers’ lofty homes in the sky. Mountain vistas and slender skyscrapers provide an incredible back drop to complement your decor. Far below are a host of businesses ready to support your pampered downtown lifestyle. With spectacular cultural events nearby, even the most demanding tastes are satisfied. Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore. Visit the Towers Apartments today.
TOWERS T H E
A PA RT M E N T S
www.TowersApartmentsLA.com
MAID SERVICE • FURNITURE • HOUSEWARES • CABLE • UTILITIES • PARKING RESIDENCES: SINGLES • STUDIO • ONE BEDROOM • TWO BEDROOM