12-21-09

LOS ANGELES

DOWNTOWN

NEWS Volume 38, Number 51

December 21, 2009

Holiday Shopping 12

2

Toy District trash problem continues, and other happenings Around Town.

6

State puts two large Downtown buildings on the market.

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

INSIDE

The CRA finds a new home.

3

Urban Scrawl feels the holiday spirit.

4

Tough times in the office market.

5

Play 4th and Long Football and win prizes.

8

Ten problem projects of the decade.

11

Reviewing ‘Palestine, New Mexico.’

14

15 CALENDAR LISTINGS 17 CLASSIFIEDS

The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles

2 Downtown News

AROUNDTOWN Toy District Trash Problem Continues

with a recent state measure lengthening the life of land use entitlements. open a one-stop shop for those looking to learn about Downtown. The DCBID last week detailed plans for the Downtown L.A. Marketing Center, which would be in a 3,500-square foot space at 816 S. Broadway.

The center would feature marketing materials for all types of Downtown businesses and services, said Hal Bastian, the DCBID’s director of economic development. Groups would pay to have their materials advertised, and those funds would help the BID staff. “The concept is Downtown has become so active that to an outsider it can be daunting,” said Bastian. “So we want a onestop shop for everything you want to know about living, working, playing, investing or networking in Downtown L.A.” The DCBID will host a meeting about the center on Jan. 27 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. RSVP to rkaber@downtownla.com.

D

owntown leaders are still grappling with how to address trash pileups in the Toy District, just a week before the area’s business improvement district goes dark.

The BID, which provides refuse removal and other services in the 12-block area bounded

by Third, Fifth, San Pedro and Los Angeles streets, will cease operating Jan. 1, 2010. The deadline comes after many local landlords, citing the poor economy, elected to stop paying the annual dues which fund the organization. BID workers have already stopped removing the area’s commercial trash, and as a result cardboard boxes and other packaging materials regularly litter the streets.

A Dec. 10 meeting to discuss the problem with Toy District landlords, organized by the Central City East Association (which oversees the BID) attracted just one property owner, said CCEA Executive Director Estela Lopez. “But that’s not surprising,” she said.

“Even in years past, it was like pulling teeth to get any of them to show up.” CCEA officials will continue to try to raise awareness among Toy District property owners about the situation, Lopez said. Meanwhile, Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry’s office will consider sending sanitation and other city inspectors to the Toy District to try to curb illegal garbage dumping, said a Perry spokeswoman.

Council Approves Entitlement Extensions

T

he City Council last week voted to extend land use entitlements by two years.

The move will allow developers with un-built projects languishing in the current economy — such as Downtown’s proposed Grand Avenue project or Park Fifth complex — more time to obtain financing without having to apply for entitlement extensions. Land use entitlements, often costly and time-consuming to obtain, essentially grant developers permission to build projects to certain specifications. Currently, initial entitlements are generally valid for three to six years. The policy approved on Tuesday, Dec. 15, will apply to entitlements set to terminate or those that expired between July of this year and the beginning of 2012. It brings the city in line

DCBID Proposes Marketing Center

T

December 21, 2009

Twitter/DowntownNews

he Downtown Center Business Improvement District is hoping to

Ernst & Young Extends Downtown Deal

A

ccounting firm Ernst & Young has renewed its lease with Brookfield Properties at its namesake plaza in Downtown, officials announced last week.

The deal will keep the firm in its 121,000 square feet of space at the Ernst & Young Plaza at 725 S. Figueroa St. for 12 years. Ernst & Young has about 1,300 employees on six floors in the 41-story, 910,000-square-foot granite and glass tower adjacent to the 7+Fig shopping center. The building is 91% occupied. “A major renewal with a leading global professional services firm like Ernst & Young is an encouraging sign both for Brookfield as well as the Downtown L.A. market,” said Bert Dezzutti, senior vice president and regional head of Brookfield’s Southern California operations, in a statement. Brian Ulf of Cushman & Wakefield represented Ernst & Young in the negotiations. Brookfield was represented in-house by John Barganski and Chris Dillavou.

Art Walks Gets New Director

T

he board of the Downtown Art Walk last week appointed Jay Lopez to serve as the organization’s new executive director. Lopez is an event producer whose projects include Beyond Eden, a contemporary art fair, and the Silver Lake and East Hollywood Day of the Dead Festival. He is also a member of the neighborhood council arts and culture committees in Silver Lake and East Hollywood. Lopez replaces Richard

Schave, who lasted five months in the position. The appointment also comes with three new additions to the Art Walk board: Bert Green, the founder of Art Walk; artist Andre Miripolsky; and Pamela Huntoon, who serves as Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry’s education director. Art Walk launched in 2004 and has become a major attraction. The event held on the second Thursday of each month often attracts around 10,000 people.

Don’t Drink and Drive, Drink and Tow

D

owntown-based towing company United Carrier Inc., is launching a promotion to help get revelers home safe after a night at the bars. Those who find themselves a little tipsy when it’s time to go can call United and get a ride, and have their car towed, all the way home. The company services a 10-mile radius around its 1823 S. Hope St. headquarters (including all of Downtown). A five-mile ride costs $39, with an additional $4 per mile after that. “We’re just pushing the ‘don’t drink and drive’ thing, and we’ve promoted this with a lot of bars Downtown,” said Andres Dueñas of United Carrier. Call (213) 747-2868 for more information.

Corrections

T

he Dec. 14 “Don’t Miss List” incorrectly reported that Charles Phoenix would host a holiday show at REDCAT Dec. 1720. There is no Charles Phoenix show at REDCAT this year.

The Dec. 14 article “Downtown’s Dynamic Decade, Part 1” reported that the Standard hotel opened in the former Standard Oil building. The property was the headquarters of Superior Oil.

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December 21, 2009

CRA to Leave Historic Core Agency to Relocate to City West

by AnnA Scott StAff writer

T

he Community Redevelopment Agency’s long history of being headquartered in the heart of Downtown is coming to an end.

The CRA Board of Commissioners on Dec. 17 approved a plan for the agency to leave its nearly 30-year home at the Banco Popular Center on Spring Street for the Garland Center, a largely city government-occupied building in City West. CRA officials expect to move next fall.

Some have expressed disappointment over the announcement.

“Obviously, as a redevelopment agency, you would like them to be in a redevelopment area,” said Central City Association President Carol Schatz.

CRA officials said that despite an exhaustive search, they could not find office space within the Historic Core or Downtown’s other redevelopment areas, such as Little Tokyo, that met the agency’s price and space needs.

“We looked at every building that was available that could meet the size requirement,” said CRA interim CEO Calvin Hollis. “We’re being prudent with the kind of rent we’re going to pay.”

With the revitalization of the Historic Core in recent years, Hollis added, the CRA’s physical presence in the area is not as important as it once was.

“At the time we came in, we played an anchoring role,” he said. “We showed that there was someone willing to make an investment in this area. Development has occurred around us, and now I think it’s less important to be in the Historic Core.”

Safety and Maintenance The CRA, charged with turning around L.A.’s blighted neighborhoods, occupies six floors of the Popular Center.

The agency moved in to the building at 354 S. Spring St. in 1980, as part of an effort to revitalize the Historic Core. At the time, the area was mostly devoid of residents and amenities, and was dotted with empty commercial buildings. That all changed with the passage of the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance in 1999, which paved the way for residential conversions of vacant office buildings. Today the neighborhood teems with residents, restaurants and retailers.

The Popular Center has changed hands a few times since the CRA arrived, and has been under the control of Jamison Services since 2002. Jamison, headed by internist Dr. David Lee, is one of the largest commercial landlords in Southern California and owns numerous properties in Downtown.

A recent CRA memo cites chronic safety and maintenance problems at the property since Jamison took over as the impetus for leaving. Complaints include Building and Safety code violations, a faulty HVAC system, recurring unexplained fumes and rat infestation.

Paul Kim, the head of Jamison’s management arm, and Popular Center building manager Regina Cho did not return phone calls.

CRA officials began looking for an alternative in June 2008, according to the memo. Hollis said the agency had trouble finding the roughly 100,000 square feet it needs in any Downtown redevelopment area for the price it wants to pay — about $1.50 a square foot.

Ed Rosenthal, a senior vice president at the Downtown office of real estate firm Grubb & Ellis, agreed that the CRA’s space and price requirements could be hard to find in today’s Downtown.

“A lot of the space that at one time was available has been absorbed through residential development,” he said.

Typical Downtown commercial high-rise rental rates, Rosenthal said, currently run about $2.20 a square foot.

Shopping Around The Los Angeles Times building at Broadway and First Street and the Title Guarantee Building at 433 S. Spring St. (not to be confused with the Title Guarantee Lofts on Fifth Street) were contenders in the search for a new headquarters, according to the CRA memo.

Both properties met the agency’s basic size and price needs.

However, the Times discussions were dropped because of complications related to owner Tribune Company’s ongoing bankruptcy, Hollis said, and the Title Guarantee Building did not meet the CRA’s standards in terms of earthquake safety.

“It would’ve cost too much for the property owner to make the repairs necessary for us to be comfortable with the building,” said Hollis. “It has not been adequately retrofitted to meet the current codes for historic buildings.”

Ultimately, it came down to the Garland Center at 1200

Downtown News 3

DowntownNews.com W. Seventh St., which also houses the city’s Housing and Community Development departments, among other offices.

Garland Center landlord Charter Holdings, Inc. would give the CRA about 96,000 square feet for $1.50 a square foot, according to the CRA report. If the deal and the final lease are approved by the City Council, the agency would move in fall 2010 and stay at least through February 2019.

While some will be sorry to see them go, others consider it part of a natural evolution.

“I think that the value of the CRA is on a project basis,” said developer Tom Gilmore, who pioneered residential development in the Historic Core with his Old Bank District project, which is a block east of the Popular Center. While the CRA’s presence was a boon for the neighborhood 30 years ago, he said, these days, “I don’t think their location in Downtown or in the Historic Core is, in and of itself, an essential component of their job.”

Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.

photo by Gary Leonard

The Garland Center in City West will likely become the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency’s new home next fall.

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4 Downtown News

December 21, 2009

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EDITORIALS Ten Years of Transformation

T

he Aughts, the Double Os or whatever you prefer to call the period from 2000 to 2009 comes to an end in less than two weeks. As the decade closes, so does a tremendous period of growth and change for Downtown Los Angeles. Almost all of it has been good.

In a two-part series, in the Dec. 14 issue and again this week, Los Angeles Downtown News counted down the 21 most important projects of the 21st century (so far). The list focuses on structures that helped transform Downtown, whether on their own or, more often, through a ripple effect.

Some, like Anschutz Entertainment Group’s massive L.A. Live, instantly attracted huge crowds, thereby enlivening the streets and creating sales tax revenue for the city.

Other projects, like the Old Bank District, had an impact beyond their confines. In addition to bringing new residents to the Historic Core, the project centered at Fourth and Main streets proved to other housing developers that defunct office buildings could successfully be turned into modern apartments, and that plenty of people in Los Angeles have an appetite for urban living. Once the Old Bank District succeeded (complete with ancillary retail spots and restaurants), developers jumped on the bandwagon, creating thousands of additional apartments and condominiums, many of them in the Historic Core. The momentum carried into other areas, including Little Tokyo and the Arts District.

Although future years will provide perspective on the growth, at this point it seems undeniable to call the last 10 years Downtown’s most important decade in at least half a century. And probably longer.

When 2000 dawned, Downtown Los Angeles was a community dominated by a massive and largely affluent commuter base, with hundreds of thousands of employees.

White-collar workers filled the skyscrapers of Bunker Hill and the Financial District, while the Fashion District teemed with wholesalers, manufacturers and more. Other areas such as the Toy District and the Industrial District also had healthy workforces, although they were less in the public eye.

Despite the size of the employee base, Downtown had relatively few residents and limited nightlife and weekend opportunities. It was a 9-5 culture, and although those who looked hard enough could almost always find bars, clubs, parties and the occasional speakeasy (especially in the Arts District, which had a concentration of full-time residents in live-work spaces), for the most part it was a daytime-only community.

With 2010 about to hit, the change is striking. The residential population has surpassed 40,000 (it was 39,537 in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Downtown Center

Business Improvement District). There are now more than 26,000 housing units, including 15,000-plus market-rate residences. These days, people stroll the streets after dark and on weekends. Sometimes they have dogs on leashes and sometimes they push babies in strollers. In a few instances, both occur.

The nightlife options at the end of 2009 would be unfathomable to those who dismissed the community during the last millennium. The worker-oriented happy hour scene still exists, but bars that cater to the young and hip and get busy after 10 p.m. now thrive everywhere from Chinatown to the Historic Core to South Park. Restaurants stay open late into

Although future years will provide perspective on the growth, at this point it seems undeniable to call the last 10 years Downtown’s most important decade in at least half a century. And probably longer.

the night (a handful never close) offering a diverse mishmash of burgers, upscale options, ethnic dishes and diner fare.

Things that people 10 years ago had to leave the community for now exist in Downtown. The 14-screen Regal cineplex that debuted two months ago means Downtowners no longer have to drive to Glendale or Hollywood to catch a first-fun film in a modern movie house. The 2007 opening of Ralphs supermarket in South Park found a ready base of tens of thousands of customers yearning for a local grocery option. Large parks in City West and near Chinatown provide much-needed green space.

The list of people who played a part in the upswing of the past decade is too long to compile, as thousands had a hand in the projects that changed the community. Those

are not just the mega-developments or the ones detailed in Downtown News’ 21-project countdown, but also the people involved in the smaller housing projects, the street-front retail spaces and the mom-and-pop restaurants. Change did not come overnight, and it did not stem from a small handful or even a few hundred investors and players. The big projects may draw the headlines, but the smaller ones are needed to create a 24-hour, pedestrian-friendly community.

In some cases, those responsible for change planted seeds long before the decade began. The late developer Ira Yellin was the first to turn a historic building into modern housing and pay attention to the architecture. He was a true pioneer, and his Grand Central Square apartments debuted in the mid-1990s, preceding the Old Bank District and other housing developments by years. Unfortunately, no one picked up the mantle until the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance was passed and Tom Gilmore imagined a great future based on a collection of ratty old buildings not far from Skid Row. In 2000, that eyesore became the Old Bank District.

With Downtown changed and inarguably a “better” place than it was 10 years ago, challenges remain. Although Skid Row has seen its own dramatic transformation since the introduction of the Safer Cities Initiative in 2006, the neighborhood, now centered near Sixth and San Julian streets, is still home to a shocking amount of mental illness, homelessness and other problems. While the number incidents of violent crime in the area is actually low, the conditions in the neighborhood hamper the reputation of the entirety of Downtown. Pointing out that the problem is not as bad as it once was does not sway those who come with long-held negative perceptions. The community needs more help from the city, the county, the state and the private sector.

Problems remain with certain blighted properties in the Civic Center, and the whole of Downtown suffers from a lack of quality elementary schools, ones that will satisfy the growing population of residents with children. The latter especially needs to be addressed in the early part of the coming decade — the failure to provide the necessary educational options will force some of the new residents out of the area before they have a chance to plant roots.

Overall, it has been an extraordinary decade, positive in myriad ways, and Downtown Los Angeles is better off than it was 10 years ago. The exciting part now is what lies ahead: So much has been achieved, and there is an immense platform upon which to build. The hardest work has been done, and while plenty of issues remain to be solved, the progress since 2000 prepares Downtown well for the future.

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis Los Angeles Downtown News 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com facebook: L.A. Downtown News

twitter: DowntownNews

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: 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.

One copy per person.

December 21, 2009

Downtown News 5

DowntownNews.com

Vacancy Grows in Downtown Office Market Economists Predict 2010 Will Be Another Year of Struggle

by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR

A

s the economy continues to slump, business owners and consumers are always on the lookout for indicators that the worst is over. Those searching for bright spots shouldn’t focus on the Downtown Los Angeles office market.

Vacancy in Downtown high-rises inched up to 14.6% in the third quarter, compared to 13.1% during the same period in 2008, according to the 2009 Casden Forecast Industrial and Office Report, recently released by the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. Expectations for the future are dark.

The study of regional office and industrial markets also indicated a slight drop in average rents Downtown, from $3.23 in the third quarter of 2008 to $3.22 this year. Rents in Class B buildings fell 9%.

“I think the next two years are going to be very tough for the office market,” said Richard Green, director of the Lusk Center and a co-author of the study. “Downtown L.A. is doing a little better than other subregions but it’s not immune. You have things like law firms laying people off, so when their lease rolls over they’ll need less space.”

The overall economy has shown signs that the recession may be easing, namely U.S. Labor Department data that the national unemployment rate dropped in November, from 10.2% to 10%. But that doesn’t hint at an imminent turnaround in office markets, which are considered lagging indicators, Green said.

“It’s the economy, then jobs, then office, in that order,” Green said. “We’ll have to see whether that [unemployment news] sticks, but it’s not until jobs start growing — it’ll be

six months after that before the office market picks back up.”

In Downtown in the third quarter, a net total of 94,000 square feet of space came on the market. Year-to-date, 319,000 square feet of office space has gone vacant, according to the USC report. As of the third quarter, there was more than 4.7 million square feet of available space.

Better Than Glendale Despite the struggles, brokers, property owners and academics rate Downtown favorably among other regional markets. Its $3.23-per-square-foot average asking rent is second only to West Los Angeles, where Class A rates are $3.81 per square foot.

The neighboring Mid-Wilshire area has been especially hard hit, losing 364,000 square feet of space this year. Its vacancy rate has soared from 9.4% in the third quarter last year to the current 14.2%.

The Tri-Cities area, comprised of Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank, saw the largest leap in vacancy, from 10% in the third quarter of last year to more than 17% this year.

The USC report attributes the losses in most regional markets largely to the departure and downsizing of financial services firms. Downtown has in part weathered the storm by virtue of a tenant mix dominated by law firms, accounting firms and management consultants.

“When you have business failures, that’s problematic,” said Bert Dezzutti, senior vice president and regional head of property owner Brookfield Properties’ Southern California operations. “Downtown has largely avoided that.

We’ve come through the cycle so far in pretty good shape without major reductions. Tenant

Make over your

improvement allotments haven’t gone through the roof. Tenants may look at their space needs more efficiently, but they’re not going away.”

According to the USC report, tenants are indeed downsizing. They are also taking advantage of dwindling demand for space by negotiating for favorable lease terms when contracts expire, Green said.

Brookfield Properties signed a major deal last week, renewing a lease with Ernst & Young at its namesake Ernst & Young Plaza at 725 S. Figueroa St. The accounting firm signed a 12-year deal to keep its 121,000 square feet of space (the company occupies six floors in the 41-story tower).

Reeling Retail Large property owners such as Brookfield tend to be built to ride out tumultuous cycles in the economy. But higher office vacancy can be more immediately felt on the ground level, by retailers who cater to the suits who work upstairs. Derrick Moore, vice president of brokerage services at real estate firm CB Richard Ellis, said some of his retail clients are hitting hard times.

“They attribute this to the fact that there are fewer people present, and then people seem a little bit more conservative as to what they’re spending,” said Moore.

Jack Kyser, senior vice president and chief economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, seconded Green’s prediction that the office market will not see any meaningful gains in 2010.

“The unpleasant thing is most people feel that just the overall office market in L.A. County is not going to do much in the next couple of years because you’ve got lenders who aren’t making any money available and

photo by Gary Leonard

Vacancy is on the rise in the Downtown office market, but marquee tenants, like Ernst & Young, which signed a lease renewal last week, are making deals to stay.

a lot of these people are holding real estate loans that are under water,” Kyser said.

But Downtown property owners can take solace in the future: The community will get a shot in the arm when the Convention Center hotel opens in February, and will continue to lure office tenants away from the Westside, Kyser said.

“Down the road people are going to say, ‘I can get a lease here cheaper than the Westside,’” he said. “And they have better transit access and it’s a fun place with a lot of things to do.”

Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

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State Selling Two Downtown Buildings Reagan and Junipero Serra Buildings on the Block

by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR

A

s part of the effort to bridge an estimated $21 billion state budget deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is putting two high-profile Downtown buildings up for sale.

The Ronald Reagan State Building and the Junipero Serra building are among 17 stateowned properties that real estate firm CB Richard Ellis has been contracted to market and sell.

In the short term, the implications for greater Downtown will likely be minimal: While the state intends to offload the properties before the next fiscal year, which starts in July, any sale will come with a guar-

December 21, 2009

Twitter/DowntownNews

anteed long-term lease to the state, said Eric Lamoureux, spokesman for the state Department of General Services.

“We’re looking at securing probably at least a 20-year term,” Lamoureux said. “So it’s a great opportunity for an investor to get a building with an occupancy of 100%, which you don’t normally get in the marketplace.”

Both buildings are 100% occupied. By contrast, the vacancy rate of overall Class A office space in Downtown is 12.4%.

The properties exclusively house tenants that are state agencies. The 16-story, 781,000-square-foot Ronald Reagan building at 300 S. Spring St. was completed in 1991.

It holds the governor and lieutenant gover-

metro.net

Metro Briefs

nor’s Los Angeles offices, California Highway Patrol, the Dept. of Insurance and General Services, among others. It is considered to be among Downtown’s highest quality office buildings.

The Junipero Serra building, at 320 W. Fourth St., is 10 stories tall. The 519,101-squarefoot structure was built in 1914 and renovated in the 1990s. The Class B property houses the state departments of Rehabilitation, Real Estate, Motor Vehicles and the Public Utilities Commission, among other tenants.

Unique Offering Kevin Shannon, vice chairman of CB Richard Ellis, said that the state’s offering represents the largest for-sale portfolio of office buildings currently available in the nation.

The state and the brokerage company expect the properties to generate significant interest, likely from foreign, institutional investors.

“Single tenant properties with long-term cash flow, that’s the stuff that’s been the most liquid,” Shannon said. “That’s what this is and there are plenty of buyers for that.”

However, with credit still hard to get, any potential buyer will likely have to come to

the table with all cash, or a loan with a very low loan-to-value ratio, said Tracey Seslen, a finance professor in USC’s Lusk Center.

“There is such tight access to credit right now and the commercial mortgage-backed securities market has virtually shut down over the last couple of years, so that line of financing is really nonexistent,” Seslen said.

The expectation of high demand comes as the state is looking to generate revenue by the end of the fiscal year. The plan is to officially offer the properties by early February, Lamoureux said.

“We’re on an aggressive schedule to get them sold so we can roll that revenue into our next budget cycle,” Lamoureux said.

The Department of General Services estimates that the 17 buildings will fetch a total of about $2 billion. In addition to the immediate infusion of equity for the state, the deal also offers a steady revenue stream of new property taxes.

“We do get these buildings back on the tax rolls, so that’s something that will benefit the state in the long run as well,” Lamoureux said.

Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

Do something completely crazy this Christmas Eve...

(Go to church.)

Go Metro to The Roses

Celebrate the New Year on Metro. The Metro Gold Line can get you to the Rose Parade, Rose Bowl Game, viewing the ?oats after the parade and even the BCS game on January 7.

Memorial Park, Lake and Allen stations are all just a short walk from the parade route.

Shuttles can take you to the games and ?oat viewing area. Find out more at metro.net.

Christmas Eve Services - Thursday, December 24

5pm - Children and Family Service 10:30pm - Choral Prelude: Vivaldi’s Gloria 11:00pm - Candlelight service of Lessons and Carols

Holiday Eve Free Fares To help you enjoy the holidays safely, all Metro bus and rail will o=er free service on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Speci>cally, no fare will be charged from 9pm on Thursday, December 24 until 2am Friday, December 25 and from 9pm Thursday, December 31 until 2am on Friday, January 1. Have a safe holiday. Go Metro.

Discover The Taste of The Eastside From sushi in Little Tokyo/Arts District to tamales in East LA, the opening of the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension also opened up a new dining adventure. Metro has put together a listing of just some of the o=erings in its Eastside Dining Guide – more than 70 choices shown by nearest station location. Check it out at metro.net.

At First Congregational Church of Los Angeles we have a progressive, inspiring community of faith. We have an exciting calendar of cultural and musical events. We’re accepting of all people and families, and we don’t tell you what to believe; we support you in your search for faith.

New Silver Line Freeway Service Metro has introduced new high-frequency, high-capacity bus service on the freeway carpool lanes between the South Bay and the San Gabriel Valley. The new Metro Silver Line travels the carpool lanes on the I-10 and I-110 freeways, and also serves key destinations in Downtown LA. Find out more at metro.net.

First Congregational Church

$9.5 Million in Measure R Funds Distributed

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December 21, 2009

DowntownNews.com

Downtown News 7

Downtown’s Dynamic Decade Detailing the 10 Most Important Projects of the Last 10 Years 9) Medici (2002)

by Jon Regardie executive editor

L

ast week, Los Angeles Downtown News began a countdown of the 21 most important projects of the decade.

This week, the big guns come out: the top 10.

The first batch of 11 included a variety of standouts, from civic efforts (such as the Police Administrative Building, #21) to community events (the Art Walk, #14) to housing complexes (including the Elleven/Luma/Evo trio in South Park, #12). In that installment and this one, the projects were selected not just for design, budget or physical beauty, but for their impact on the entirety of Downtown. Every one was, in some way, transformative, and helped spur the massive change Downtown Los Angeles has enjoyed since the dawn of the decade.

In the past 10 years, billions of dollars of investment in the form of hundreds of projects have altered the face, fabric and social life of Downtown. The 21 efforts cited in this list each played a vital role, but the shift would not have happened with them alone. The evolution of Downtown is a result of far more than big visions; it took the untold number of smaller deals and efforts to fill in the gaps.

That said, the following 10 projects are the ones that people will focus on years from now when they discuss why and how Downtown changed at the start of the 21st century.

A

t a time when many Downtown observers were focusing on Tom Gilmore’s transformation of some aged Historic Core buildings into housing, Geoff Palmer was steaming forward relatively unnoticed with an Italian-inspired complex at 725 Bixel St. in City West. The privately financed, market-rate Medici was a hit, its 600 units quickly filling with USC students and Downtown professionals eager to work near their offices.

Impact: The project’s success led not just to subsequent phases of the Medici, but to a rush of other similar Palmer projects see Projects, page 9

10) CalTrans Headquarters (2004)

photo by Gary Leonard

T

he California Department of Transportation’s District 7 Headquarters provoked furious debate even before it opened, as fans and foes argued over whether it was visionary design or the equivalent of the Star Wars deathstar. The $171 million project designed by Thom Mayne and developed

by Urban Partners houses 2,300 state and city workers. The 13-story edifice on First Street southeast of City Hall encompasses 750,000 square feet of space.

Impact: The project still ignites passions, though many people have come around to embrace (or at least accept) it, and the structure helped Mayne capture architecture’s prestigious Pritzker Prize in 2005. The building was heralded for its focus on environmental efficiency; the windows are covered with 2,000 scrims that let in light and deflect heat, thereby lowering cooling costs, and the south façade is covered by photovoltaic panels. It looks nothing like the historic buildings in the Civic Center — and that is precisely the point.

On the List T

he first group of the 21 most important projects of the decade appeared in the Dec. 14 issue of Los Angeles Downtown News (full descriptions are at downtownnews. com). The projects are:

21) LAPD Headquarters (2009) 20) Pegasus (2003) 19) Toy Factory/Biscuit Company Lofts (2004/2007) 18) Edward R. Roybal Learning Center/ Vista Hermosa Natural Park (2008) 17) Orpheum Theatre Renovation (2003) 16) Rainbow Apartments (2006) 15) SCI-Arc (2000) 14) Art Walk (2004) 13) Los Angeles State Historic Park (2005/2006) 12) Elleven/Luma/Evo (2006-2008) 11) Standard Downtown (2002)

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Downtown News 9

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Projects Continued from page 7 in City West. All told he has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the area and created thousands of upscale apartments. In addition to inspiring other developers to build in the neighborhood, the projects spurred a series of lawsuits; the courts have repeatedly ruled that Palmer is not required to include low-income units in the complexes. The latest precedent-setting decision will affect housing statewide.

8) HigH ScHool for tHe ViSual and Performing artS (2009)

$859 million Gold Line. The nearly 14-mile light rail route included 13 stations and culminated at Union Station. Six years later, an extension to East Los Angeles opened. That six-mile spur created eight new stations in Boyle Heights and points east. The $898 million addition includes a new station serving the Arts District and Little Tokyo.

Impact: The Gold Line has had both practical and symbolic results. In addition to creating some sorely needed mass transit, it brings disparate parts of the region together. With both the Pasadena leg and the Eastside Extension now operating, Downtown’s role as the region’s transportation hub is further enhanced. The new Little Tokyo/Arts District station at First and Alameda streets also provides a boost to area businesses and cultural institutions.

6) catHedral of our lady of tHe angelS (2002)

photo by Gary Leonard

Impact: Although some complained that the SCI was a crackdown on homelessness, most area players, including numerous social service providers, lauded the program and LAPD Capt. Andy Smith, who was in charge of Central Division when the initiative launched. The transformation of Central City East was felt far beyond the community, as Downtown’s overall crime decrease helped lure thousands of new residents and many businesses and other investors. Finally, crimes that would not be tolerated anywhere else in Los Angeles were no longer allowed Downtown.

4) ralPHS (2007)

photo by Gary Leonard

T

he $232 million High School for the Visual and Performing Arts is one of the most expensive schools in the nation. It is also one of the most striking. The campus, orchestrated by the Los Angeles Unified School District and designed by Austrian architect Wolf Prix, is all steel and shimmer, with unexpected angles and swirls that challenge any notion of what a school should look like.

Impact: The school adds to a Grand Avenue line of architectural standouts (the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Disney Hall, the Biltmore, etc). Its placement at the north end of the Downtown cultural corridor will inspire the ultimately 1,700 students from ninth to 12th grades whose curriculums are built around dance, music, theater or visual arts. The state-of-the-art facilities are as astounding as the design, from the library in the soaring, slanted cone to the 950-seat theater to the gorgeous dance studios.

7) gold line (2003/2009)

photo by Gary Leonard

D

uring its development, the Cathedral was one of the big three projects (along with Staples Center and Disney Hall) drawing national buzz to Downtown. The $195 million effort spearheaded by Cardinal Roger Mahony holds approximately 3,000 people and is the center of Catholic life in Los Angeles County. The project designed by José Rafael Moneo is also a civic landmark, and has hosted cultural events, such as an annual outdoor production of Shakespeare, as well as funerals (including one for artist Robert Graham, who created the building’s bronze doors).

Impact: Mahony once considered moving the replacement for St. Vibiana’s outside Downtown. That would have cost the community one of its top architectural and tourist destinations, as the building at 555 W. Temple St. draws not just worshipers, but Downtown workers, residents and visitors who stroll its courtyard and gardens. Its future impact is impossible for present users to grasp — the building was designed to stand for 500 years.

5) Safer citieS initiatiVe (2006)

N photo by Gary Leonard

n 2003, commuters from Pasadena to Downtown finally found a viable option beyond the car, with the debut of the

T

o begin to understand how important the South Park Ralphs is to Downtown, consider its opening: There was a line around the block of people waiting to get into a supermarket. Ralphs went with its Fresh Fare concept, its elite brand, for the first new name brand Downtown grocery store in more than 50 years. The bright, airy establishment at the base of the Market Lofts at Ninth and Flower streets includes a chowder station, a cheese and olive bar, a wine steward and more upscale amenities.

Impact: Not surprisingly to Downtowners, the store has been a smash, and within a year ranked among the top 15% of the chain’s 250-plus Southern California markets. But as important as having groceries in the heart of Downtown was the message Ralphs sends — it is an indication that the community Continued on next page

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o one quite knew what would happen when Police Chief William Bratton, working with figures including Councilwoman Jan Perry and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, deployed 50 additional officers to Skid Row with the directive to cut down on “small” quality-of-life crimes. However, the impact was instant, as hundreds of drug dealers and others who prey upon the homeless were arrested and removed from the streets. The area’s homeless population has dropped and longtime stakeholders say the community is cleaner and safer than it has been in decades.

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Continued from previous page is a smart business bet, and much of the retail that has followed can be traced at least in part to the opening and success of Ralphs. As well, it lured residents, rendering obsolete the longheld knock that Downtown had no place for locals to buy groceries.

3) L.A. Live (2007-09)

in 2010 with the $900 million Convention Center headquarters hotel, has added nightlife and energy to the area, and the development has helped inspire housing and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment in other projects. Restaurants like Fleming’s steakhouse and Trader Vic’s feed (and feed upon) the crowds who throng Staples Center, and nightspots such as the Conga Room keep the area active well after midnight. Some question how much the project integrates with the greater community, but in terms of bright lights and dollar power, no project in the decade had a greater impact on Downtown.

2) WALt Disney ConCert HALL (2003)

photo by Gary Leonard

S

outh Park gained a bright new addition in late 2007 with the opening of the Nokia Theatre. The future of Downtown changed forever a year later, when Anschutz Entertainment Group christened the second phase of the $2.5 billion L.A. Live. Suddenly, the area glistened with a batch of new restaurants, the rollicking Club Nokia, the Lucky Strike bowling alley and the Grammy Museum. A 14-screen Regal cineplex arrived this year.

Impact: AEG’s project, which will culminate

A

rchitect Frank Gehry’s masterpiece had one of the longest and most painful gestation periods of any project in the country — at a cost of $274 million, it opened 16 years after planning began. The home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic holds 2,265 seats, and the acoustics by Yasuhisa Toyota are recognized as among the best in the world. The fourth building in the L.A. County Music Center also holds the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Disney Hall’s opening allowed the Los Angeles Opera to become the chief tenant of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion across the street.

Impact: International attention has been lavished on the structure, and in the six years since its opening Disney Hall has become a must-see on the city’s tourist circuit (something that benefits area restaurants, hotels and businesses). The swoops and shine of Gehry’s structure have become a defining image of the city, and for many the building has replaced the Hollywood sign as the primary icon of Los Angeles. Disney Hall has also played a major role in growing the Philharmonic, and the beauty and sound of the structure has attracted some of the world’s best orchestras and musicians, including new Phil Music Director Gustavo Dudamel.

photo by Gary Leonard

Downtown. Yet none was more influential or precedent setting. Gilmore was the first developer to test the city’s new Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, which made it easier and less expensive to turn dead office structures into housing. He somehow secured the money, and as construction crews worked, other developers waited to see if the buildings could be transformed and if people would move in; many feared it would be an expensive flop. Instead, Gilmore found a sizeable market of people ready to embrace urban living, and in the wake of his success, developers flocked to the area, buying up nearly every old building available (and crazily ratcheting up the price of once unsellable structures) and turning them into housing. The Old Bank District may have lacked the gloss of Disney Hall and the glitz of L.A. Live, but it opened doors no other project in Downtown did — without the Old Bank District, Downtown would not have seen the residential revolution of the past decade.

Contact Jon Regardie at regardie@downtownnews.com.

1) oLD BAnk DistriCt (2000-2001)

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hen Tom Gilmore announced plans to turn a trio of buildings not far from Skid Row into market-rate apartments, many were skeptical. “To those who say it is not a great neighborhood,” said Gilmore at the time, “we just bought the neighborhood.” The 70-unit San Fernando Building came online in fall 2000, followed the next year by the 104-apartment Hellman Building and the 56-residence Continental Building.

The corner of Fourth and Main streets has since become the epicenter of street life in the district, as businesses including Pete’s Café, Metropolis Books, Banquette, the OBD Market and Old Bank DVD have followed.

Impact: At $33 million and 230 units, the Old Bank District was smaller in scale and budget than many later projects in

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Downtown News 11

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Growing a Neighborhood

Gilmore: It was always considered a vertically integrated neighborhood. It was always envisioned as a community.

The whole notion of creating the fabric of the neighborhood was essential because we were selling the community. The opening of Pete’s by us was not — it turned out to be a great financial move, but it was not done as a financial move. It was done to support the residents, because no one would open a restaurant in the bottom of the San Fernando Building.

Tom Gilmore and Jerri Perrone Reflect on the Rise of the Old Bank District

by Jon RegaRdie

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I

n late 1998, Tom Gilmore unveiled his plan to turn three Historic Core properties into housing. He brought in Jerri Perrone, who he knew from his days in New York, and the two set about transforming a bedraggled neighborhood on the edge of Skid Row into the Old Bank District. The San Fernando Building opened in 2000, with the Hellman and Continental buildings following the next year. Last week, Gilmore and Perrone discussed the development Los Angeles Downtown News named the most important Downtown project of the decade.

Los Angeles Downtown News: So, how’s the decade been for you?

Tom Gilmore: It’s actually been a great decade. The astounding thing is that virtually all of the dreams we had in 1998 turned out to be reality, and I think I’m as surprised by that as anybody else because of how many things had to happen right for it to all work.

I look at it as an important thing because I think throughout the entire city of Los Angeles this was Downtown’s decade. This was the first time in 50 years that Downtown raised its sights and raised its profile to the extent that the rest of the city began to appreciate it. And the idea that we were an essential piece of that

Q: Why did you think this would work?

Gilmore: I always thought it had to work. We weren’t reinventing the wheel in America. We were reinventing the wheel in Los Angeles.

The urban core is such an important component of every city and the fact that this one had been neglected appeared to be such a massive mistake that rectifying it, while difficult, seemed to be a no-brainer conceptually.

Q: Why did it take a New Yorker to realize that Downtown could have full-time, market-rate residences?

Gilmore: Maybe it’s not necessarily a New Yorker. But I do think it was probably important to be somebody who came initially from the outside, because a lot of people in Los Angeles had become sort of sanguine and had decided that L.A. is what it is and it’s not going to change, and I think someone from outside could see that L.A. was always changing.

Jerri Perrone: Tom came out here initially to work on a project for one of my clients, stayed here, built his business, called me up; we had been working together for 20 years.

He said, “Come look at this.”

Gilmore: When I started this Jerri was in institutional real estate, and I was in architecture. So I knew what I saw when I first saw it,

photo by Gary Leonard

Tom Gilmore and Jerri Perrone at Fourth and Main streets, the center of the Old Bank District.

but I also knew that I was incapable of doing it by myself, because I simply didn’t have the tools. So Jerri was the perfect person. I called her before I bought any of it and said, “Tell me if I’m crazy or not.” And she came out, took a look at it and said, “No, I think you might have a pretty good idea here.”

Q: These days, the restaurants and retail in the Old Bank District seem as important, if not more so, than the 230 units of housing. Was that always part of the vision?

Perrone: Absolutely.

Q: Were your surprised that so many other developers followed?

Gilmore: I hate to sound too much like we thought about it all, but we always believed in it. We always knew we couldn’t be an island.

I remember when Paul Solomon [of Arts District developer Linear City] and some other guys were doing their work. We all shared information. We did things no developer would do. We shared pro formas, shared financing strategies, shared whatever we could, because the idea was to get as many people in the boat as we possibly could.

Q: What’s it like to walk down the street and see all this change?

Gilmore: It’s amazing. It’s funny. I feel it most when Jerri and I are walking down there. It’s so odd that we feel like hugging each other and saying, “Who would have thought?” The answer is, we thought. How cool is that?

It’s so gratifying, and I think sometimes we probably are more grateful than we are proud, but I think that’s okay.

Contact Jon Regardie at regardie@downtownnews.com.

10 Biggest Problem Projects of the Decade Along With the Boom, Downtown Has Had Some 21st Century Busts

by Jon RegaRdie executive editoR

I

t is not all celebration and cheers. In addition to the boom Downtown enjoyed in the first decade of the 21st century, there have been some serious busts. Here are the 10 biggest problem projects and debacles of the past 10 years. They are not listed in order of importance (like the transformative projects were). If they provoke a laugh, that’s a good thing — sometimes you need a smile to get through the frustration of a potentially good project that is stalled.

Fallen Angel: Angels Flight reopened in 1996 to much fanfare after being closed for decades. The railway closed Feb. 1, 2001, after a fatal accident. Despite repeated promises of an imminent return, the funicular is still off limits — those who want to get from the Historic Core to Bunker Hill instead have to climb the 153 steps. On the bright side, the rail cars occasionally “speak” via Twitter. No wait, that’s not bright at all.

Seventh Street Sucker Punch: Downtown has long awaited the hundreds of residents who would fill the Brockman Building at 530 W. Seventh St. and the Roosevelt Lofts at 727 W. Seventh. St. Instead, both were visited by the bankruptcy monkey (if it doesn’t exist, it should); today, the former is vacant (except for the ground-floor Bottega Louie), and in the latter only a few dozen residences are occupied.

RESTAURANTS

Not so Grand: The long-planned development of a key Bunker Hill site continues to be, well, planned. And that’s all so far. In the effort to launch the Grand Avenue plan, developer Related Cos. has had to jump through about 6 zillion hoops held up by its city and county overseers. All that helped bog down the $3 billion Frank Gehry-designed development, which is waiting, waiting, waiting for the lending markets to ease. And for demand to pick up. Maybe we’ll see it in the next development cycle. Or the cycle after that.

Empty Metropolis: When the decade began, officials were touting the potential of the Metropolis, a massive, multiphase, billion-dollar plus development in South Park. As the decade closes, developer IDS Real Estate Group is still touting the potential of the Metropolis, a massive, multiphase, billion-dollar plus development in South Park.

Some things never change!

Pit of Despair: Downtown’s unofficial graffiti pit/skate park is the sorest of Civic Center eyesores. The fenced-off plot just west of City Hall has been allowed to deteriorate, giving the area plenty of the blight stuff. On a couple rare occasions it gets whitewashed. Then it gets tagged again.

Empty Hall: Dreams of reusing the Hall of Justice were prevalent early in the decade. Then, a refurbishment of the building at 210 W. Temple St. was halted due to cost and other concerns. Now, another plan is in the works, but today, the 14-story, 1925 building sits dingy and empty.

No Bloom on the Blossom: Chinatown stakeholders were eager for Blossom Plaza, developer Bond Cos.’ plan to transform the site of the former Little Joe’s restaurant and create a housing project that also connects the community with the area’s Gold Line station. Then uh-oh, spaghettiohs! The recession hit, the project fell apart, and the restaurant sits ugly and shuttered.

It’s Just Money: Downtowners have been repeatedly disappointed by the city Department of Recreation and Parks’ inability to use Quimby fees, the millions collected from residential developers for local park creation.

Supposedly plans are in the works, but as the decade ends, Quimby fees have created exactly zero new parks in Downtown.

It Takes a Pueblo to Take the City: Those who hope to get merchants at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument (which includes Olvera Street) to pay marketrate rents have been stymied far longer than a decade. City officials have stumbled and bumbled for years, even as the department sucks cash from the general fund. Supposedly though, things will change.

Contact Jon Regardie at regardie@downtownnews.com.

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12 Downtown News

December 21, 2009

Twitter/DowntownNews

Fashionable Finds for the Holidays Downtown’s Fashion District Offers More Than Clothes StAff writer

D

owntown’s Fashion District is largely the domain of the wholesale shoppers who stock boutiques and department stores. But the area also has plenty to offer the retail shopper during the holiday season. Even better, much of it is at wholesale prices.

This being the Fashion District, much of the shopping revolves around apparel stores and women’s wear. But there is more to find in the community than clothing. Neighborhood outlets also stock accessories, flowers, video games and plenty of other items.

Holiday Gift idea s!

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FIDM Scholarship Store: Holiday crowds are already swarming this store on the ground floor of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, which offers accessories, clothing and fabric from more than 400 manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers. The prices are ridiculously low, so it’s no surprise that the place is packed. On top of its usual discounts, the store is currently offering half off its merchandise at least through the end of the year. Finds include elegantly simple, black and white dresses by designer Minden Chan for $20; $4 knit hats; tiny bejeweled purses for $8; Forever 21 tops for $2.50; and an array of necklaces, rings and other jewelry for less than $20. The store carries women’s and men’s apparel. Don’t be shy about loading up on discounted goods, as proceeds generate income for FIDM scholarships and local causes.

At 919 S. Grand Ave., (213) 624-1200 or fidm.edu.

Z Best Audio and Video: Shopping for a dedicated gamer?

Whether it’s your Halo-obsessed nephew or an adult in your life who never outgrew the allure of the latest Madden NFL game, this small, jam-packed shop has everything you could want without the crowds found at big box stores. The 15-year-old Z Best, tucked away on a quiet stretch of Ninth Street, is stocked from floor to ceiling with all kinds of video games for systems including the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DSi. Current bestsellers include Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Wii Super Mario Brothers. Prices are generally $50-$60 per game.

At 113 W. Ninth St., (213) 627-1236.

photo by Gary Leonard

A store on the ground floor of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising features accessories, clothing and fabric from more than 400 manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers. Prices are ridiculously low.

Tiara Fashion: This retailer and wholesaler crafts its own one-of-a-kind carryalls, from full-size purses to handbags to wallets and coin purses. All of the handmade, locally sewn items come adorned with unique designs or eye-catching prints, and the shop has tens of thousands of bags and purses in stock at any given time. You’ll see fabrics printed with abstract designs, baseballs, American flags or — the store’s most popular design — several skull and skeleton-themed prints.

Prices range from $6 for small coin purses to $45 for large travel bags. The store carries satchels for men and women, so there is something for everyone.

At 210 E. Olympic Blvd., #123, (213) 747-9962 or tiarafashion.com.

The Store: This recently opened discount clothing shop is an extension of the 11-story Cooper Design Space at Ninth and Los Angeles streets, home to dozens of clothing showrooms. Building tenants who typically cater to wholesale buyers unload their overstocked pieces, samples and slightly damaged merchandise at this store, which is open to the public Thursday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. There are great deals aplenty. Items currently in stock lean toward women’s fashions, and include several lines at below wholesale prices (generally 75% off typical retail prices), such as Jenny Han silk dresses for $39, June chiffon and leather trimmed dresses for $59 and denim pants by the cult-status brand Red Engine Jeans for $55. The Store also carries clothing by designer Rozae Nichols, known for beautifully crafted, feminine items with an eye for detail (think sheer beaded tops, sequined skirts and suede leggings) at 60% off regular retail prices.

At 721 S. Los Angeles St., cooperdesignspace.blogspot.com.

California Flower Mall: If you are looking for a low-key gift for an office mate or a party host, or perhaps a neutral present for a mother-in-law, it’s hard to go wrong with flowers.

The Downtown Flower District, where shoppers can pick up flora for wholesale prices, spills over into the Fashion District, including along the stretch of San Pedro Street where this open-ended, flowers-only mall sits. The marketplace houses 14 vendors offering the latest seasonal blooms, which in the winter means roses, carnations, chrysanthemums and more.

CHURCHLA

LIVE

by AnnA Scott

213-493-4329

Peace Yoga Gallery: When all else fails, at least you have your health, right? After a tough financial year for just about everybody, one of the best gifts you can give this season is some inexpensive, healthy inner peace. That’s just what you’ll find at Peace Yoga Gallery on Main Street, a new yoga studio-art gallery-cafe that offers gift certificates. Prices for classes, which take place seven days a week, are pay-whatyou can, though the suggested donation is $15. “I always say, give what you feel you received,” exuberant business owner and teacher Cheri Rae Russell explained. Still, you can give your loved ones a priceless workout and mental break for the suggested donation rate by calling the studio and asking for Russell. Om. At 903 S. Main St., (213) 500-5007 or peaceyogagallery.com.

Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.

AT

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You can mix and match them yourself, or get a professional to prepare an arrangement. Prices are all over the place, but a typical booth offers a couple dozen roses for $12 and customized bouquets starting around $20.

At 825 S. San Pedro St., (213) 488-1983 or californiaflowermall.com.

HUNGRY, PARTY OF ONE.

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Come Celebrate Christmas

photo by Gary Leonard

The Fashion District is not just about fashion. Z Best Audio and Video is a one-stop shop for video game lovers.

L.A. LIVE

Chew on the latest restaurant news & reviews. www.DowntownLADining.com

December 21, 2009

Downtown News 13

DowntownNews.com

photo courtesy of Los Angeles County Arts Commission

CALENDAR

photo by Ed Krieger

(clockwise from top) The L.A. Contemporary Dance Company is one of approximately 40 groups that will perform at the 50th annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration on Dec. 24. Also on the bill is the Colburn Children’s Choir and the Harmonies Girls Choir. photo by Ed Krieger

Party With the County

Annual Holiday Celebration Marks 50 Years With a Free Six-Hour Show

by RichaRd Guzmán city editoR

F

or the past 49 years, the free L.A. County Holiday Celebration, held on Christmas Eve day, has been a popular event at which to catch singers, dancers, musicians, actors and many other performers.

Now, with the festivities that take place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion getting set for a 50th run, organizers are asking audience members to join the show — although no one is expected to be on stage for the full six-hour event.

The theme for the 2009 show is “It’s Your Turn,” said Adam Davis, the event’s producer.

“The idea is to turn it over to the audience, to let them be more a part of it,” he said. “We’ve been doing it for 49 years, so we’re inviting them to come along and join us for the 50th.”

The Holiday Celebration is organized by the L.A. County Arts Commission and includes more than 40 acts, including choirs, dance companies and bands. About 10,000 people are expected to attend (people cycle in and out of the venue during the event) and more than 1 million are expected to watch it live on KCET, Davis said. The show will also be broadcast on radio station KPFK 90.7 FM, and on the web at kcet.org.

More than 100 groups applied to take part in the performance. Those chosen will get five to six minute sets between 3 and 9 p.m. on Dec. 24.

There is a huge variety of acts, from the Colburn Children’s Choir to Taikoproject, which mixes Japanese drumming and hip hop, to the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers.

Despite the cultural mix, the big push this year is to get the crowd involved, said Davis.

“We’ll have three or four artists focused specifically on audience participation,” Davis said.

In fact, audience participation will begin even before the

show does. Crowds usually arrive early, and between noon and 2 p.m., people in line will get a chance to take free swing dance lessons. Carolers will also be walking around with songbooks while acts like Taikoproject encourage the audience to join in the music and follow along with some shout-outs.

Bryan Yamami, the artistic director of the Little Tokyo-based Taikoproject, said he is looking forward to connecting with the audience during the show. The group will be performing a piece called “Omiyage,” which means “gift” in Japanese.

“The piece is one of the most dynamic we have. It’s very movement oriented with rhythms that are contemporary,” he said. “In this one song we have the audience join along, although there is no literal meaning to the words we’re yelling. It’s just kind of sharing of energy.”

This will mark Taikoproject’s second appearance at the show, which he said is particularly fun because of the venue and the receptive audience.

“Obviously the Music Center is a great venue to play at, and being a free performance, everyone is happy, so it’s really a warm house,” he said.

Holiday Gift The show is the county’s gift to the people of Los Angeles.

At six hours, it is a hefty production, though for years it was an even longer gift.

First organized by late County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, the show was originally a 12-hour music marathon called the Christmas Program, and was held at the Sports Arena in Exposition Park. It moved to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in the 1960s when the venue opened. The 12-hour event was reduced to three hours in 1993 due to budget cuts. It increased to six hours the next year and was renamed, Davis said.

For the Harmonies Girls Choir, the Holiday Celebration is one of the most exciting gigs of the year. It’s a big event even for a group that has performed in Mexico, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, said founder and artistic

director Jose Antonio Espinal.

“Even though we’ve performed in many places all around the world, for us performing at the holiday celebration is really the most spectacular thing,” he said. “We’re very excited to be performing at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, knowing that everybody is watching on TV.” Comprised mostly of low-income girls from the Los Angeles area, the concert gives their families an opportunity to see their daughters appear at a world-class venue, he said.

Another batch of enthusiastic participants are the members of the Colburn Children’s Choir. In their third appearance at the event, the group based at the Bunker Hill arts school will have a two-song set; the 35 choir members ages 10-17 will sing Michael Praetorius’ “Psallite,” and “Christmas Time is Here” from the Charlie Brown Christmas album.

Also coming from the Colburn School is the Young Men’s Chorus. The group was launched this year to give kids 13-18 a chance to continue singing once they aged out of the Children’s Choir.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase that group,” said Mikhail Shtangrud, choir director at the Colburn School. “In the past when they would finish choir there was no place for them. Now we have a place for them to sing.”

Both groups are looking forward to the opportunity, said Shtangrud. Like with the Harmonies Girls Choir, the televised aspect raises the energy level.

“Because it’s live on TV, there’s this excitement to perform and the audience is wonderful,” he said. “It’s a free event so it’s full. It’s a big and excited audience.”

The L.A. County Holiday Celebration is Thursday, Dec. 24, 3-9 p.m. at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave. Admission and parking are free; no reservations required.

Information at (213) 972-3099 or holidaycelebration.org.

Contact Richard Guzmán at richard@downtownnews.com.

14 Downtown News

Twitter/DowntownNews

December 21, 2009

Culturally Significant ‘Palestine, New Mexico’ Is Enjoyable, But Doesn’t Reach the Level of Past Culture Clash Works

by Jeff favre contributing writer

W

ith a rich and diverse 25-year history, most of it here in Los Angeles, the trio of Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza, aka Culture Clash, deserves to sit near the top of the city’s theater icons.

But living in rare air means fans and critics expect each new production to top the last, which is a near impossibility. It has been three years between Culture Clash’s unforgettable Water & Power and its current world premiere at the Mark Taper Forum, Palestine, New Mexico. The show, which opened Dec. 13, runs through Jan. 24, 2010.

Unfortunately, this newest offering does not live up to the elevated expectations writer-performer Montoya and his Clash cohorts set with Water & Power, which skewered and satirized local politics.

Judged on its own merits, Palestine, New Mexico is a mildly amusing and occasionally thought-provoking 75-minute foray into the culturally complex world of indigenous Americans living on a New Mexico reservation. But with uneven performances, a scant plot and a script that blends only a few scattered laughs into its soapbox preaching, the show is easily digested and as easily forgotten. It is unable to keep you thinking long after the final bows, as did both Water & Power and its 2003 predecessor, Chavez Ravine.

Montoya, who stepped out from the group to write Water & Power, found inspiration for this piece in his family’s background, which is folded into a comparative tale of longstanding feuds between communities both in America and Afghanistan.

The outsider to these worlds is U.S. Army Captain Catherine Siler (Kirsten Potter), who has returned from serving in Afghanistan to deliver a letter from Ray (Justin Rain), a member of her squad who was killed in uncertain circumstances. The message is directed to his father, Chief Birdsong (Russell Means).

The captain isn’t welcomed by most citizens on the “rez,”

in particular the head of an armed militia named Bronson (Salinas). But she receives help from Farmer (Siguenza), who patrols the border, local female medicine man Maria 15 (Geraldine Keams), and Top Hat (Montoya), an East L.A. College student who has been studying the reservation’s history for years.

Siler’s visit is personal. She feels a debt to Ray, who some in the military believe may have been involved in treason. She hopes that by meeting the Chief and Ray’s widow Dacotah (Julia Jones), and learning about a man Ray mentioned named Suarez, she might discover the mystery behind his death.

Harkening to zany Culture Clash of old, Montoya tosses in a Marx Brothers-like vignette regarding a trio of elderly Veterans of Foreign Wars members who are preparing a service for Ray. Filled with some slapstick and quick repartee, this sketch doesn’t move the plot, though it does provide some humor.

A bright spot is Montoya, whose comic timing as Top Hat is as sharp as ever. Serving as a de facto commentator, the character is able to toss out jokes from left field. In previous productions, Culture Clash has inserted timely lines throughout a show’s run, and with a jab at Tiger Woods on opening night, it looks like they are again going this route.

Montoya’s exploration into the blending of religions in American Indian culture contains a few fascinating historical nuggets. But the story’s arc lacks depth, which means Siler keeps returning to the same questions about Ray’s death. This leads to a conclusion that is neither surprising nor emotionally satisfying.

While Montoya, Salinas and Siguenza deliver engaging performances, Means appears uneasy as Chief Birdsong.

One of the most recognizable American Indians in film and TV, Means dropped or fumbled a few lines on opening night, as did Keams, which threw off the timing in some key scenes. Potter, as the Army representative, gives an honest portrayal that emphasizes the story’s heavy side, but the captain remains a one-note character.

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Kirsten Potter, Ric Salinas (standing) and Richard Montoya appear in Palestine, New Mexico, a new Culture Clash play written by Montoya. The show set on an Indian reservation runs through Jan. 24, 2010.

Though much of the blocking is static, Peterson stages an impressive dreamlike sequence that makes full use of Rachel Hauck’s rocky terrain set and the explosion of light and video-projected images, designed by Alexander V. Nichols.

By crafting one of the shorter one-acts in several seasons at the Taper, Montoya shows his keen awareness of theater.

Adding heartfelt monologues to drive home the message would only lessen the overall impact by turning a dramedy into over-the-top agitprop theater.

In its current state, Palestine, New Mexico is enjoyable.

While it may not be among Culture Clash’s best works, it hardly diminishes its reputation as an L.A. theater icon.

Palestine, New Mexico runs through Jan. 24, 2010 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 972-4400 or centertheatregroup.org

December 21, 2009

DowntownNews.com

Monday, dec. 21 Third and Spring Holiday Gift Exchange Douglas Building, 257 S. Spring St., (310) 929-0656 or 3rdandspring.com.

10 a.m.-7 p.m., through Dec. 22: This temporary market and gift exchange will feature a variety of hand-made holiday gifts by local artists including fine arts and crafts, paintings, gift baskets, photography, jewelry, clothing, ornaments, soaps, candles, and holiday foods. Vendors will rotate.

Sale at FIDM Museum Shop 919 S. Hope St., fidm.edu.

Through Dec. 24, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.: The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising’s museum shop is stocked with a wide range of hand crafted gifts for the fashionista, the gardener, the urbanite or the bookworm in your family.

Tuesday, dec. 22 String Holiday Show Pershing Square, 532 S. Olive St., (213) 847-4970 or laparks.org/pershingsquare.

Noon-2 p.m.: Violist Novi Novog and Larry Tuttle, who plays a hybrid guitar-like instrument called The Stick, are String Planet. They’ll take you to another planet as their classical chops meet funky pop sensibilities.

Wednesday, dec. 23 Pictures With Santa 7+Fig, 735 S. Figueroa St., (213) 955-7150 or 7fig.com.

Noon-2 p.m.: During December, 7+Fig hosts a variety of live music events (see rock listings at DowntownNews.com), and kids get free pictures with Santa every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Pets welcome.

The Urban Comedy Experience Bolt Barbers, 460 S. Spring St., (310) 594-3150 or boltbarbers.com.

8 p.m.: This Historic Core barber shop hosts a weekly, free standup comedy event. The oldschool shop will also pour $2 root beers and orange sodas.

FILM Downtown Independent 251 S. Main St., downtownindependent.com for showtimes.

Through 22: In Examined Life, filmmaker Astra

see Listings, page 16

Ice Skating, Science, a Historic Tour and Reasons to Go Gaga

by AnnA Scott, StAff writer

photos by Sherry Rayn Barnett

T

was the week before Christmas, and all through Downtown, not a creature was work working, not even a… lawyer?

Got me. The point is, if you are in the office this week, take advantage of the inevita inevitable seasonal work slump to enjoy an extra-long lunch at Downtown On Ice, the temporary skating rink at Pershing Square. On Tuesday, Dec. 22, the rink hosts a holiday-themed mu musical performance by String Planet from noon-2 p.m.

The duo consists of violist Novi Novog and Larry Tuttle, who plays the “stick,” a customized, 12-stringed instrument that combines electric and bass guitar with piano. They’ll blend real classical chops with an eclectic pop sensibility. At 532 S. Olive St., (213) 847-4970 or laparks.org./pershingsquare/. ’

three

two

photo by Dwight Carter

I

f you’re up for another holiday musical treat, Walt Disney Concert Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 22, hosts Holidays With Sweet Honey in the Rock. The 35-year-old, African-American female a cappella ensemble blends blues, spirituals, gospel hymns, rap, reggae, African chants and other musical forms for a unique and complex sound. The six-member group visits the Music Center for a seasonally themed 8 p.m. show. At 111 S. Grand Ave., (323) 850-2000 or musiccenter.org.

four

T

On the day after Christmas and the first day of Kwanzaa, step outside the box of typical holiday activities to join a walking tour of Little Tokyo.

On Saturday, Dec. 26 (weather permitting), docents for the Japanese American National Museum will host a two-hour tour of the historic neighborhood. The group will meet at the museum at 10 a.m. and explore properties along First Street north of Central Avenue, Buddhist temples and hidden public art. The tour is $9 for JANM members and $14 for non-members.

It includes museum entrance for the day. At 369 E. First St., (213) 625-1770 or janm.org.

his is the last full we ek to check and aim s to frame the issue in out the provocative a new feature focu California light an sed on a teenage gi d poke holes in racia Science Center exhib rl’s l stereo- experience, it Race: Are types. and a chance to test Highlights include a fea We So Different? Th yo e show includes all ur tur e that knowledge of ows visitors to match interactive, multimed sports facts and stereo voices with types. ia exhibits de- pe The show closes De ople in photos (with voted to human varia c. 31. At surprising re- 700 tion and race, sults, Exposition Park Dr., the museum promise (323) 724s), a video 3623 or californiascienccenter.o rg.

Gaga ooh-la-la! Don’t recognize that? Then you’ve clearly never heard pop singer Lady Gaga’s massively catchy tune “Bad Romance.” Gaga is as known for hits such as “Poker Face” and “Just Dance” as for her outlandish outfits and avant-garde edge. She recently was part of a live performance art piece at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and returns to Downtown this week for three shows at the Nokia Theatre. Maybe she’ll even wear that hat Frank Gehry designed for her. Gaga performs Monday, Dec. 21-Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 each night. At 777 Chick Hearn Court (213) 763-6030 or nokiatheatrelalive.com.

Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.

five

photo courtesy of AEG Live

photo by Gary Leonard.

SponSored LiSting Santa Claus Party at Bar 107 107 W. 4th St., (213) 625-7382 or myspace.com/bar107 Dec. 24, 9 p.m.: Anyone dressed in head to toe Santa Claus outfits will get $1 cans, $2 bottles, $3 tallboys and anything else for $4.

Bar 107 thinks it’s time that Santa gets what he wants for Christmas. Dee-Jay starts at 10 p.m.

Merry Schlitzmas!

Annual XXX-Mas Party at Bar 107 107 W. 4th St., (213) 625-7382 or myspace.com/bar107 Dec. 25, 4 p.m.: Free Peking Duck and all the trimmings. Then, the XXX-Mas party starts at 6 p.m. The bar knows that by then you’ll be over your family and will need to get away. So go get rewarded for being naughty with late night hijinx and loads of bad behavior.

Christmas Eve Service First Congregational Church, 540 S. Commonwealth Ave., 5 p.m.: Expect caroling and holiday cheer at the 5 p.m. Children and Family Service, where every child gets a special Christmas gift.

Experience the traditional 11 p.m. Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols that ends majestically at midnight, ushering in Christmas morning.

New Year’s Eve Party ESPN Zone, 1011 S. Figueroa St., newyearseve.myviprsvp.com Dec. 31, 8 p.m.-2 a.m.: Ring in the new year at the mega sports bar, ESPN Zone. The night includes live performances, a DJ and an exclusive VIP lounge. Pre-sale tickets are $25 for individuals, and VIP packages, which include a buffet and open bar access among other extras, start at $100 per couple.

LISTINGS one

EVENTS

Downtown News 15

16 Downtown News

December 21, 2009

DowntownNews.com

But Wait, There’s More!

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.

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

Listings Continued from page 15 Taylor accompanies some of today’s most influential thinkers, including Cornel West, on a series of excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them. Featuring Avital Ronell, Peter Singer, Kwarne Anthony Appiah, Martha Nussbaum, Michael Hardt, Slavoj Zizek, Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor.

Through Dec. 24: Producer David Lynch and director Werner Herzog present My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, a fantastical murder mystery starring Willem Dafoe, ChloĂŤ Sevigny and Michael Shannon.

Dec. 25-31: The Horse Boy follows one Texas couple and their autistic son as they trek on horse-

Saga: New Moon (12:30, 3:30, 6:40 and 9:50 p.m.); The Blind Side (12:50, 3:50, 6:50 and 9:50 p.m.); 2012 (12:10, 3:40, 7:20 and 10:50 p.m.); Disney’s A Christmas Carol in 3D (1:20, 3:50, 6:30 and 9 p.m.); Precious (3:10 and 8:10 p.m.); Avatar in 3D (11 and 11:40 a.m. and 12:20, 1, 2:40, 3:20, 4, 4:40, 6:20, 7, 7:40, 8:40, 10 and 11 p.m.); Did You Hear About the Morgans (11:30 a.m. and 2, 4:30, 7:10 and 9:40 p.m.).

Dec. 23: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (9:30 a.m. and noon, 2:20, 4:40, 7 and 9:30 p.m.). For other showtimes, visit lalive.com.

Dec. 25: It’s Complicated (1:20, 4:30, 7:20 and 10:10 p.m.); Sherlock Holmes (1:30, 4:50, 8 and 11:20 p.m.); Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (noon, 2:20, 4:40, 7 and 9:30 p.m.). For other showtimes, visit lalive.com.

back through Outer Mongolia in an attempt to find healing for the boy.

Flagship Theatres 3323 S. Hoover St., (213) 748-6321.

Through Dec. 24: Avatar 2D (noon, 3:20, 6:40 and 10 p.m. — no 10 p.m. show on Dec. 24); The Princess and the Frog (Noon, 2:20, 4:40, 7 and 9:20 p.m. — no 9:20 p.m. show on Dec. 24); Ninja Assassin (Dec. 12:30, 2:50 and 8:10 p.m.); The Hurt Locker (5:10 and 10:30 p.m. — no 10:30 p.m. show on Dec. 24).

Regal Cinema L.A. Live 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., (877) 835-5734 or lalive.com.

Through Dec. 22: Invictus (1:10, 4:20, 7:30 and 10:30 p.m.); Armored (12:40, 3, 5:30, 8 and 10:20 p.m.); Brothers (11:10 a.m. and 1:50, 4:50, 7:50 and 10:40 p.m.); Ninja Assassin (12:40, 5:40 and 10:40 p.m.); The Princess and the Frog (11:50 a.m. and 2:20, 4:50, 7:20 and 9:40 p.m.); The Twilight

ROCK, POP & JAZZ Club Nokia Corner of Olympic Blvd. and Figueroa St., clubnokia.com.

Dec. 21, 8 p.m.: An evening with Robin Thicke to celebrate the release of his new album “Sex Therapy.� With Ryan Leslie and Laura Izibor.

Dec. 22 and 23, 11 p.m.: Young hip-hopper Kid Cudi gets two nights at Club Nokia. On the 22nd, he’s flanked by Chip Tha Ripper.

Dec. 26, 8:30 p.m.: Salt ’N Pepa are all grown up, but they still wanna talk about sex. They’re with Rodney-O, Domino, and Candyman.

Conga Room L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic, (213) 749-0445 or

Now Showing at Take My Picture David

blumenkrantz’s

BROADWAY

A

December 10 thru January 10

The six-block stretch of Broadway between 3rd and 9th streets in downtown Los Angeles is home to a collection of monumental theaters that during the first decades of the twentieth-century defined a glorious era in the city’s history. Today only a few of these theaters are operational: in recent decades Broadway has become a rundown stretch of partially or completely abandoned office spaces and sweatshops overlooking a retail, wholesale and informal-sector marketplace. With current gentrification efforts, the area is in flux, though still predominantly characterized by a multicultural underclass unique to Los Angeles.

The photographs in this collection are documents of the people and architecture; environmental portraits that constitute an incomplete and subjectively drawn composite sketch of the way Broadway is, for now.

Scared

2

EvEnt infO

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.

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Dec. 26, 8 p.m.: Ritmo Caliente brings that hot salsa rhythm. Free salsa lessons from 8-9 p.m.

Redwood Bar & Grill 316 W. Second St., (213) 680-2600 or theredwoodbar.com.

Dec. 21, 10 p.m.: The Blind Boy Paxton and Frank Fairfield variety show.

Dec. 22, 10 p.m.: Stab City with Sean Wheeler and Zander Schloss.

Seven Grand 515 W. Seventh St., sevengrand.la.

Dec. 21, 10 p.m.: Trombone wizard Vikram Devasthali.

Dec. 22, 10 p.m.: House band the Makers.

Dec. 23, 10 p.m.: Guitarist Hirth Martinez.

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December 21, 2009

Downtown News 17

DowntownNews.com

CLASSIFIED

place your ad online at www.ladowntownnews.com

FOR RENT

L.A. Downtown News Classifieds Call: 213-481-1448 Classified Display & Line ads Deadlines: Thursday 12 pm REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL lofts for sale

Buying, Leasing or Selling a Loft?

TheLoftGuys.net LA’s #1 Loft Site

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condos/townhouses

HATE COMMUTING HATE YARD WORK K Town (Mid-Wilshire) Condo, 3 bd, 2.5 ba, 1745 sq ft, walk to subway.

$499,000 tony.toscano.dilbeck.com Homes for Sale FORECLOSED HOME Auction.

Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside & more. 100+ Homes / Auction: 1/16/2010. Open House: January 3, 9, 10. REDC / View Full Listings. www.Auction.com RE 01093886. (Cal-SCAN)

“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.”

REAL ESTATE COMMERCIAL retail space lease/sale

Retail Store Front $1000 gross rent Downtown LA 1240 sq.ft., 20ft ceiling, water included, central AC w/private restroom.

Call Pierre or Terri at 818-212-8333 or 213-744-9911

FOR RENT

Out of State Apartments/Unfurnished 20 ACRE LAND Foreclosures Near Growing El Paso, Texas. No Credit Checks/Owner Financing. $0 Down, Take over $159/mo. payment. Was $16,900, NOW $12,856. 800-755-8953 www.

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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.

Milano Lofts Now Leasing!

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BRAND NEW Large, Mid-City 1bd, 1 ba., hardwood floors, granite. $1100. 323-936-5220.

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 Los Angeles Studio $1688/ month Luxury at it’s finest! Granite counters, W & D 888-262-9761.

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SINGLE, CHARMING Low move-in. $795. Spacious, parking inc., near Melrose & Beverly.

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Commercial Space ARTIST’S WORK STUDIO Sunny, 150sf, 15’ ceiling, wi-fi, gated parking. Part of larger studio at Santa Fe Art Colony, close to downtown and freeways. $235/ mo + sec 213-509-4403

All submissions are subject to federal and California fair housing laws, which make it illegal to indicate in any advertisement any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income or physical or mental disability. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Condominiums/Unfurnished

Downtown

Promenade west 2 Bdrm. 2 Bath + 1Bonus Rm Heated Pool, Spa, Jacuzzi, Sauna, Indoor Gym. $2000/mo.

REAL ARTIST LOFTS 13251700 Sq. Ft., $1750-$1850/mo.

High ceilings, hardwood floors, fireplace, pool/spa, gated parking, laundry, sorry no dogs, Open House Sundays 12-3pm @ 1250 Long Beach Ave. 213629-5539

FOR RENT South Park studio loft, top floor above Ralphs market 645 West 9th St., covered parking, gym, rec room, washer, dryer. $1,900 per mo. Contact John (310) 505-4024.

Continued on next page

(213) 926-3163

Savoy studio end unit $1,300 per mo 6mo.; longer possible

THE ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE

Rob Nesbitt, Heritage Realty

(213) 617-8225 Loft/Unfurnished

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

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

18 Downtown News

December 21, 2009

Twitters/DowntownNews

Continued from previous page

EMPLOYMENT

Drivers ANDRUS TRANSPORTATION Seeking Team Drivers for fast turning freight lanes! Also Hiring Solo OTR drivers - West states exp/hazmat end, great miles/ hometime. Stable Family owned 35 yrs+ 1-800-888-5838, 1-866806-5119 x1402. (Cal-SCAN)

General PETROLEUM SUPPLY: Keep the 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)

REGIONAL DRIVERS Needed!

More Hometime! Top Pay! Up to $.41/mile company drivers! 12 months OTR required. Heartland Express 1-800-441-4953. www.HeartlandExpress.com.

(Cal-SCAN)

Retail/Sales 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)

SR. PROGRAMMER Analyst (SAP): Analyze user requirements & maintain ABAP programs for SAP application systems. Send resume: Deputy ERP Project Director (Job 4892), LA Unified School District, 333 S. Beaudry Ave. 11th Floor, L.A., CA 90017.

Massage therapy

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Tel: 213-383-7676

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“Open in Case of Fire”

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Smoke & Safety Mask 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)

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Call American Tax Relief 1-800496-9891. Free, Confidential, No obligation, consultation. (CalSCAN)

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(CalSCAN) 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) 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)

TRASH/JUNK 323-216-1740, all events, cleanup’s. Garages, homes, commercial, hauling, handyman, holiday moving special move - u - $80.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY 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)

AUTOS & RECREATIONAL Autos Wanted

Business Services JUDGEMENT($) NOT PAID? Auto, small claims, evictions etc.

Judgement Enforcement Agency 213-627-1762

Cleaning CONCEPTO’S CLEANING Crew. Professional, experienced, cleans apartments, homes, offices and restaurants.

Call for a quote. 323-459-3067 or 818-409-9183.

DONATE YOUR CAR: Children’s Cancer Fund! Help Save A Child’s Life Through Research & Support! Free Vacation Package. Fast, Easy & Tax Deductible. Call 1-800-252-0615. (CalSCAN) DONATE YOUR VEHICLE! Receive Free Vacation Voucher. United Breast Cancer Foundation. Free Mammograms, Breast Cancer Info www.ubcf. info Free Towing, Tax Deductible, Non-Runners Accepted, 1-888468-5964. (Cal-SCAN)

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Services Include: • Reception • Mail • T-1 • State-of-the-Art Voice Mail & Telephone • Westlaw • Fax • Photocopy • More

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Additional Features: Kitchen Facilities, All Support Services, Great Views, Free Conference Room Hours, Fully Trained Staff, Cost Effective.

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Advertising

attorneys

Rooms Available

Low Move in Special

✓ Private Bathroom ✓ Cable TV w/HBO ✓ 24 hr. Front Desk

Unfurnished bachelor rooms with shared bath at $550/mo. with private bath $695/mo.

Weekly $175 1-2 people Daily $45 1-2 people

Monthly from $695 utilities paid.

(213) 627-1151

Stuart Hotel 718 S. Union Ave. (Union & 7th St.)

213.413.8100

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

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

Special STUDENT RATE! $690 1 Person

50 Channels Direct TV

Mayfair Hotel 1256 West 7th Street

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

madison hotel Clean furnished single rooms. 24-hour desk clerk service.

•Daily, $25.00 •Weekly, $99.00 •Monthly, $295.00 (213) 622-1508 423 East 7th St.

(2 blocks west of San Pedro St.)

LOFT LIVING

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

DowntownNews.com

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Ad Copy: _________________________________________

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

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Ads may be renewed after two weeks for 50% off the original price of the ad.

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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.

December 21, 2009

Downtown News 19

DowntownNews.com

PETS/ANIMALS Adopt A pet ADOPT (OR FOSTER) your forever friend from Bark Avenue Foundation. Beautiful, healthy puppies, dogs, cats and kittens available at Downtown’s largest private adoption facility.

Call Dawn at 213-840-0153 or email Dawn@BarkAvewLA. com or visit www.Bark Avenue Foundation.org.

ITEMS FOR SALE Misc. iteMs GET DISH WITH FREE Installation – $19.99/mo. HBO & Showtime Free - Over 50 HD Channels Free! Lowest Prices – No Equipment to Buy! Call for Details 1-877-887-6146. (CalSCAN) NORDIC TRACK EXERCISE Excellent Machine. Family fitness $500 best offer 323-7347604.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Volunteer opportunities Helping kids heal. Free Arts for Abused Children is looking for volunteers to integrate the healing power of the arts into the lives of abused and at-risk children and their families. Today is the day to get involved! Contact Annie at volunteers@freearts. org or 310-313-4278 for more information.

LEGAL Fictitious Business nAMe Fictitious Business name statement File no. 20091736090 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: MS. SOM-

MELIER, 600 W. Ninth Street, Unit #1102, Los Angeles CA 90015 are hereby registered by the following registrant: STEPHANIE BADEN, 600 W. Ninth Street, Suite #1102, Los Angeles CA 90015. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant began to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on November 11, 2009.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on November 17, 2009.

NOTICE—This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code).

Pub, 11/30, 12/07, 12/14, 12/21/09 Fictitious Business name statement File no. 20091754156 The following persons doing business as: RUNAWAY CART, 617 E. 9th Street #2, Los Angeles, CA 90015, is hereby registered by the following registrant: Edward Patrick Ferry, 617 E. 9th Street #2, Los Angeles CA 90015. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrants began to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on November 19, 2009.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on November 19, 2009.

NOTICE—This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code).

UNITS FEATURE:

City Lofts:

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

Please call 213.627.6913 www.cityloftsquare.com

Available Immediately Living Outrageously For Today!®

Furnished single unit with kitchenette, bathroom.

Excellent location.

Downtown LA. Weekly rate $275 inc.

RENTING • BUYING • LIVING

RENTING • BUYING • LIVING

Sunshine Generation

Visit us online at www.LoftLivingLA.com

Visit us online at www.LoftLivingLA.com

8 7 7 - 4 L A- LO F TS Guess where Nicole loves to eat sushi and WIN!

Monthly from $550 utilities paid.

(213) 612-0348

EASY AS EASY AS L.A. Downtown News is easier than ever.

Your ad will appear online and in our publication • Print ads must be received before Thursday at noon PST in a couple of easy Monday's steps. edition. to be processed for the following

• Online ads will appear immediately after they are approved.

• OnlineFor ads legal will appear immediately they are approved. notices please callafter 213-481-1448 • Print ads must be received before Thursday at noon PST to be processed for the following Monday's edition.

Deadlines subject to change for special issues and holidays.

For legal notices please call 213-481-1448

RENTING • BUYING • LIVING

Take us home

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

Deadlines subject to change for special issues and holidays.

For rent Single Family Home For Sale ❚ 1 Bed. 1 Bath. Lafayette Park Place. Move In ❚ East Pasadena. 3+2 W/Pool. Bank Has Now. $1200 Month Foreclosed. Price Tbd. ❚ Prom. West-2 Bed. 2 Bath PenthouseBunker Hill real estate Co, inC. Sophisticated, Spectacular One Of A Kind Condo.

EstablishEd 1984 Top Of The Line Upgrades & Décor. Georgeous leasing-salesM irza a lli loans-refinance Furnishings Adorn This Pride Of Ownership Home.

Broker/Realtor (213) 680-1720 Corporate Lease Welcome. Furnished $3500 Per e-mail us: info@bunkerhillrealestate.com Month. Un-Furnished $3200 Per Month. www.Bunkerhillrealestate.com

en’ Childr s Performing Group

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

DowntownNews.com makesplacing a classified ad in the L.A. Downtown News is easier than ever.

Your ad will appear online and in aour publication DowntownNews.com makesplacing classified ad in the in a couple of easy steps.

6th+Grand Ave. • milanoloftsla.com • 213.627.1900

877-267-5911

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Guess One of Elicia’s Favorite Cafe Hang-Outs WIN! aDoPt (oR and FosteR)

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

8Visit7us7online - 4atLwww.LoftLivingLA.com A- LO F TS

Guess Ted’s Favorite Frozen Yogurtfriend Hang-Out WIN! forever fromand Bark

your Avenue Foundation. Beautiful, healthy puppies, dogs, cats and kittens available at Downtown’s largest private adoption facility. Call Dawn at 213-840-0153 or email Dawn@BarkAvewLA.com or visit www.Bark Avenue Foundation.org.

Singing, dancing, performing and fun!

For boys & girls ages 3 RENTING • BUYING • LIVING andSinceup!

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

DRE #01706351

Top floor of 11 story (18,000 SF) historic building available now! Perfect for corporate hqtrs. Features separate executive suite(s). Stunning views of LA two blocks away from Staples Center and across the street from the new LA Live complex. We have approximately 7,800 square feet of space open with offices along the exterior.

Full kitchen with dishwasher, high exposed ceilings and stained floors. The building also has approx 4,000 sq ft of beautiful contiguous space and some small offices available. These spaces • LIVING canRENTING be viewed •byBUYING appointment.

Orsini

550 NORTH FIGUEROA ST.

Living Outrageously Living Outrageously Living Outrageously LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 For Today!® Today!® WWW.THEORSINI For Today!® .COM OPEN For DAILY

Living Outrageously For Today!®

DRE #01706351

• Gorgeous Layouts • 10-15’ Ceilings • Fitness Center • Wi-Fi Rooftop Lounge • Amazing Views

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

2 bdrm/2 bath, $1600/mo. • Rooftop garden terrace/GYM w/city view • 24 hr. doorman • free (1) parking

Pricing subject to change without notice.

MILANO LOFTS Now Leasing!

• 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

DRE #01706351

756 S. Broadway • Downtown Los Angeles 213-892-9100 • chapmanf lats.com

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

DRE #01706351

ROOFTOP GARDEN RETREAT WITH BBQ AND LOUNGE GRAND LOBBY • FITNESS CENTER • SPA MODERN KITCHEN w/CAESAR COUNTERTOPS HIGH SPEED INTERNET DESIGNER LIVING SPACES • PET FRIENDLY • DRAMATIC VIEWS WALKING DISTANCE TO RALPHS SUPERMARKET

IMMEDIATE OCCUPANCY! studios from $1,685* • 1 bedroom from $1,818* • 2 bedroom from $2,212*

Premiere Towers:

Information available to qualified prospective tenants.

8 7 7Email - 4 Lrequest A- LO to F T S Visit us online at www.LoftLivingLA.com mdavis@shammasgroup.com or Guess where Drew prefers to call (213)food 746-6300 eat Mexican and WIN!

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ELEGANT WORLD CLASS RESORT BRAND NEW APARTMENT HOMES

Orsini

On Spring St.

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

FroM $1,250’s/Mo. Free parking

Free Rent!

DRE #01706351

S e e k S S t y l i S h M at e

Fictitious Business name statement File no. 20091822667 The following person is doing business as: NORTH BRONSON SOFTWARE, 1545 N. Bronson Ave. #111, Los Angeles CA 90028, are hereby registered by the following registrant: FREDERIK VAN VOORDEN, 1545 N. Bronson Ave. #111, Los Angeles CA 90028. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrants has not begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein.

This statement was filed with DEAN LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on December 2, 2009.

NOTICE—This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code).

Pub. 12/21/09, 12/28/09, 1/04/10, 1/11/10

DRE #01706351

I c o n I c B e au t y

Pub. 12/7, 12/14, 12/21, 12/28/09

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8

Guess where Lance Buys $2 Books in Downtown and WIN!

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Visit us online at www.LoftLivingLA.com

SunshineGenerationLA.com 909-861-4433

20 Downtown News

December 21, 2009

Twitter/DowntownNews

We Got Games Kobe Claus vs. Shaq the Grinch Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7100 or nba.com/lakers.

Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 25, 2 p.m.: Here comes Kobe Claus, here comes Kobe Claus, right down Chick Hearn Court. After a tune-up game against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas day. But will this be the year that Shaq the Grinch, returning to Los Angeles in a new uniform again, steals Christmas?

His new sidekick Lebron James is coming too, but James is so young that Phil Jackson could likely distract him by whispering the truth from the sidelines: “Hey, Lebron, I’ve got 10 championship rings, you don’t have any.” After Christmas, Phil, Kobe and their rings head to Sacramento (Dec. 26).

Los Angeles Clippers Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7100 or nba.com/clippers.

Dec. 27, 6:30 p.m.: Yeah, yeah, Boston is coming to town, with their Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. But that Beantown bravado didn’t mean much last year, as the Clips treated the then defending champions to a rare loss at Staples Center. The underdog Clippers will try to remind the Celtics of that game. The contest comes after a week on the road, with matches in San Antonio (Dec. 21), Houston (Dec. 22) and Phoenix (Dec. 25).

Los Angeles Kings Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., 1 (888) KINGS-LA or kings.nhl.com.

Dec. 28, 7:30 p.m.: All the Kings want for Christmas is to stay injury-free. The Purple and Black are still on a winter roll as they skate into Phoenix to take on the Coyotes (Dec. 26) in their only road game during the week. The home match is against the Minnesota Wild.

—Ryan Vaillancourt

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

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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