Los Angeles Downtown News 04-25-22

EYE ON EDUCATION PG. 8-11

April 25, 2022 I VOL. 51 I #17

‘Street Vet’ Dr. Kwane Stewart provides free care for homeless pets

Denim Day Ellen Snortland wants readers to wear jeans on April 27

+ ‘On Gold Mountain’ at The Huntington

DTLA SUMMER GUIDE May 23, 2022

For more info. contact Michael Lamb 213-453-3548 • mlamb@timespublications.com or Catherine Holloway 213 -308-2261 • cholloway@timespublications.com

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APRIL 25, 2022

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Mayoral candidate Joe Buscaino has served on the LA City Council since 2012 and worked as a police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department for 15 years.

Joe Buscaino/Submitted

Mayoral candidate Joe Buscaino on LA’s public safety remodel

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor atteo and Rosa Buscaino moved to Los Angeles from Italy in search of a better life more than 40 years ago.

Their son, Joe Buscaino, was raised

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in San Pedro and witnessed the hard work and dedication of his parents, who worked in the commercial fishing industry.

With a resume now filled with experiences as an LAPD officer and a 15th District councilmember, Joe Buscaino is

Los Angeles Downtown News PO Box 1349 South Pasadena, CA 91031 213-481-1448

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk running forART LADIRECTORS: mayor. He wants to build Arman Olivares, Stephaniesaid.

Torres“I know what’s happening on the upon the work he’s done with the LA street because I’m a problem-solver that STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis Chavez CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Myriam Santos City Council to lead the city to a brightcomes from the street level. That’s the er future. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael mayorLamb that we need and that’s why I’m FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

“Those humble beginnings instilled in me the importance of faith, of family and of service above self,” Buscaino

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski DEPUTY EDITOR: Luke Netzley STAFF WRITER: Kamala Kirk CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Andrew Crowley, Jeff Favre, Jeff Moeller, Bridgette M. Redman, Ellen Snortland STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Mortenson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Alberto Camacho, Dean Martindale, Mads Perch, Jonathan Weiner ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261 Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548 FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

running.”

Buscaino has served as the chair of the City’s Trade, Travel and Tourism Com-

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APRIL 25, 2022

mittee since 2017, overseeing the country’s busiest container port and second busiest airport.

In 2019, he was elected as president of the National League of Cities, representing more than 2,000 cities, towns and villages across the country. He’s been the NLC’s immediate past president since November 2020.

Under his leadership, the NLC spearheaded a campaign for federal aid to support local governments’ funding during the pandemic, which culminated in President Joe Biden’s stimulus bill to provide Los Angeles with an estimated $2 billion in recovery funding.

Buscaino said he believes that as Los Angeles emerges from the pandemic, there’s an opportunity for LA’s leaders to reimagine the city and ignite a fresh start.

“You’ve seen the exodus of Downtown residents and the exodus of businesses in Downtown LA, which is the heartbeat,” Buscaino said.

“Downtown LA is the identity that we need to restore, and that’s why I’m running to restore who we are as Angelenos. There’s hope to do this, but it takes the proper leadership, leadership with a backbone, and someone who, like I’ve done in my district, is bold and who is not afraid of the bullies.”

Buscaino’s first job with the city was

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working for the Department of Recreation and Parks before joining the Los Angeles Police Department. During his time with the LAPD, he served in the San Fernando Valley and later as a senior lead officer in his home community of San Pedro, where he still lives.

Once he left the police academy, Buscaino worked as a foot beat officer on Broadway. His experience with the LAPD allowed him to work on the ground with local people and businesses and exposed him to urgent issues impacting the city, such as mental health and drug use.

“Everything hinges on public safety,” Buscaino explained. “If people don’t feel safe, they’re not going to live here, do business here or visit here. We’ve lost sight of that, and the people of Los Angeles are sick and tired of being afraid.”

If elected mayor, Buscaino’s budget would allocate $150 million to the LAPD. He would also look to increase the department’s personnel by both hiring new officers and by offering incentives to post-certified officers from other agencies to transfer over to the LAPD. To help address drug use on the city’s streets, Buscaino will look to create an office space for the Drug Enforcement Agency in City Hall to encourage heightened enforcement of drug use laws and to target and arrest drug dealers.

“Aside from the housing problem, this is a drug addiction and mental health problem,” Buscaino said, shifting his focus to homelessness. “We have allowed this chaos, and as mayor I’m going to bring back that ‘broken window theory’ of when you allow small things to take place, you’ll see greater crime. It’s about leading with urgency, following the formula that I’ve done here in my district.”

Inspired by the model he implemented in his district, Buscaino will look to activate an emergency operation center that will include an additional 9,000 emergency shelter beds while also being aware that some may refuse a shelter bed. In response, he would implement a citywide ‘no camping’ law.

“Encampment tents need to go down during the day,” Buscaino said. “If you allow an unlimited amount of personal property, you have nothing but chaos.

The compassionate thing to do is to not allow people to sleep on the sidewalk when there’s a place for them to go.”

Buscaino sees the end to the homelessness crisis as an objective that will take both time and money but can be achieved by embracing the work of the police and offering shelter alongside mental health and drug rehabilitation services to those who need it most throughout the city.

In addition to his work as an of-

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ficer and a councilmember, Buscaino has served on the LA Tourism and Convention Board; been a vice chair of the Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee; and a member of the Public Safety Committee, Transportation Committee, Homelessness & Poverty Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games.

By thoroughly addressing public safety across LA, Buscaino said he believes that the city can reinvent itself and its modern image before inviting the world to its streets for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

“Downtown LA is a major destination,” Buscaino said. “I just want to let Downtown LA, not only residents but businesses, know that they can achieve their dreams, and I’ll be the mayor that will listen to them and be with them. I’ll be a mayor that won’t continue to allow chaos and mayhem on our streets, and I’m going to be a DTLA mayor that restores order on our streets so that people will come back.”

To learn more about Buscaino’s mission and campaign ahead of the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election on Nov. 8, along with its top-two primary on June 7, visit joebuscaino.com.

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APRIL 25, 2022

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Varma calls himself a ‘mayoral candidate for all Angelenos’

By Andrew Crowley LA Downtown News Contributing Writer hen businessman Ramit Varma moved to the city, he had a bicycle and a few hundred bucks.

His fortunes improved in subsequent years, and as a result he has lived the life of multiple economic classes, which he said gives him in insight and understanding of the experiences of LA residents at every income level.

Varma positions himself as a mayoral candidate for all Angelenos.

Varma is running as an independent candidate for mayor of Los Angeles. He decided to run as an independent because of his disenchantment with those in office.

“When I moved here in 2000, I fell in love with this place, and I’ve seen it in the last five to 10 years just start deteriorating,” Varma said.

“You keep saying, ‘Somebody’s got do something about this. Somebody’s got to do something about this.’ At a point, you need to look in the mirror, and that’s what it came to do for me.”

He thought it was possible when he looked at the numbers of recent mayoral elections.

“I was stunned. In a city of 4 million people, 2.1 million registered voters, he got 222,300 votes; that’s what put him in office,” Varma said, in reference to the May 2013 runoff election between current Mayor Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel.

Varma said that this was a “unique opportunity for an outsider to sneak one past the old guard, so to speak.”

Varma said that he has the skill set and personality for “making a lot important changes in the city.”

“I didn’t see that there was really anyone else in the race who had that same set of skills,” Varma said.

He also didn’t see anyone in the field he felt could bring about real change.

Had there been, he would have thrown his support behind them. He sold Revolution Prep, an online tutoring company he co-founded, last July and could be using this time to travel and enjoy the fruits of his labor, but he feels compelled to take action.

“I need to do this for the city that I love because I want my children to grow up in a city they can be proud of,” said Varma, a father of three boys.

At Revolution Prep, Varma worked with a board of directors, customers and school districts across the country. Prior to starting his business, he was a consultant and often worked alongside state

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government employees on matters involving utilities.

“So, I am used to dealing with a pretty large, far-flung organization. I think there are going to be elements of running a city

that are certainly going to be different.

Some will be harder and some are going to be easier, frankly,” Varma said.

Varma said the fundamental principles are the same: the need to hire high-qual-

Businessman Ramit Varma positions himself as a mayoral candidate for all Angelenos.

ity individuals.

One of the problems Varma sees with the current administration is the culture, which he said lacks accountability.

In a Varma administration, city employ-

Ramit Varma/Submitted

APRIL 25, 2022

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ees would treat residents like customers.

He said that his interactions with city employees had been negative.

“They’re so disrespectful of the people’s time. It’s as if they’re doing us a favor,” Varma said. “No, that’s not the case. Citizens of this are the customers of the city government, not the opposite.”

Though Varma doesn’t have government work on his resume, he sees that as an asset.

“I’m not tainted by the system,” Varma said. “The problem with our elected officials is that they’re all part of the same system; they’re all part of the machine. So that experience in a failing organization is not a positive; it’s a negative.”

He describes himself as empathic listener and someone open to hearing the ideas of others and working in a highly collaborative fashion.

“I think we need to look at this city with a 50- or 100-year timeline and looking forward instead of backward. I think a lot of the decision-making in the city is based on legacy,” Varma said.

Varma’s campaign is focused on three main issues: homelessness, affordability and public safety.

Homelessness

fortunate facet of life here in LA, and I think it’s in everybody’s face. And we can’t be a world-class city if we have people living on the streets in their own filth,” Varma said. “That needed to be the No. 1 priority for me.”

“I voted for Bond Measure HHH in 2016. Homelessness as a major issue isn’t new. We’ve been seeing this for years, and the government has been pretty ineffective at spending that money, because government is pretty ineffective,” Varma said.

Varma said the way homelessness is addressed is backward.

“People believe that they have these addiction and mental health issue and that’s why they’re on the street,” Varma said. “In fact, the opposite is what the research shows. People develop addictions and mental health issues once they’ve been on the street even for a week or two weeks or a month.”

For the recently unhoused, there would be tiny homes and assistance with finding jobs. He describes that as a long-term solution because it prevents things getting worse. Other interventions would be changes to legislation to make it easier to get treatment and help for the unhoused dealing with addiction and mental illness.

“Homelessness is a growing and un-

Public safety

Affordability

Varma said that there has been an increase in crime in the city, which has had an impact on the residents.

“People don’t feel safe here. And I think we need to have a greater focus on public safety,” Varma said. “I think the previous administration did a lot to strain their relationships with our law enforcement personnel, and I think that while we do need to change some of the ways we do policing — and I freely admit that, and police officers would say that as well.”

Varma said that there was a need for more police officers and a need to inculcate a culture of law and order and not a culture of criminality.

“When you have a DA who won’t keep people in jail, who won’t charge them, you end up emboldening criminals,” Varma said.

And while that is true, the crime rate is still much lower than it was 30 years ago.

Part of changing the approach would be changing how emergencies are responded to. Varma would look to other cities as models for how to improve public safety. Some of that might entail social workers or others with the training that makes them better suited than police for responding to certain situations.

Wealth inequality is a major concern of Varma, and it’s something he said has only grown greater over the course of the pandemic.

“For me, the way to address it is not taxes on the wealthy, because you can collect money from those people, but government is ineffective at spending money, so you end chewing up that cash,” Varma said.

He said that there is a need to focus on building wealth in the poorer communities of the city.

“The way to do that from my perspective is entrepreneurship,” Varma said.

He envisions the government providing grants to aspiring entrepreneurs.

“Once you start building wealth in those communities, that creates a lot of long-term stability,” Varma said.

Part of affordability and having a plan with a long view for the city involves building more high-density housing and creating walkable neighborhoods that would reduce the number of cars on the road by conveniently locating important businesses such as grocery stores.

Should his mayoral campaign fail, he does not plan to pursue politics any further. He doesn’t view it as a steppingstone to other roles or positions.

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APRIL 25, 2022

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755 Figueroa celebrates topping-out ceremony

By Andrew Crowley LA Downtown News Contributing Writer pril 13 was a day of celebration for real estate company Brookfield Properties and contractor Webcor, as they held a ceremony for the topping out of their residential building project at 960 W. Seventh Street in DTLA. A topping out is traditional rite celebrating the placement of the final beam of the building. A tree is hoisted along with the beam, a tradition rooted in Scandinavian folklore and one that spread to the other parts of Europe and the United States. That tradition continued at the ceremony for the building that was previously referred to as 755 Figueroa.

Along with putting the final beam in place, the building had its name revealed: Beaudry, named for Prudent Beaudry, who served as the 13th mayor of Los Angeles from 1874 to 1876. A native of Quebec, Beaudry was the second French Canadian and third mayor of Los Angeles to be of French descent. Damien Marchesseault was

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the first French Canadian mayor, and Jose Mascarel was the first French mayor.

At more than 600 feet, Beaudry is one of the tallest residential buildings in Los Angeles. It will be part of a block that features three other properties owned by Brookfield: FIGat7th shopping center and office towers EY Plaza and 777 Figueroa. The lot where the Beaudry is located was left vacant by the previous owners.

The ceremony was a milestone for the project, which began almost three years ago and faced the challenge of construction and delays during the pandemic.

“Today marks an important and exciting milestone as we top out and officially name Beaudry,” said Bea Hsu, executive vice president of development for Brookfield Properties.

“We are proud to be part of DTLA’s evolution and growth as a place to live, work and play. This project has been a key initiative in Brookfield’s commitment to placemaking, adding DTLA’s finest new residences to what will now be a truly mixed-use superblock,

Beaudry will offer residents views of the city, mountains and ocean. It will contain 785 residential units and is expected to open in 2023.

Andrew Crowley/Submitted

with excellent access transit and amenities in the heart of Downtown.”

The building was designed by Los Ange-

les-based architecture firms Marmol Radziner and LARGE Architecture and will have 785 residential units — studio, one, two and three bedrooms furnished with high-end appliances and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on to the city, the mountains and the ocean.

The garage for the building will feature parking spaces for residents and visitors alike. Other amenities include a sky lounge on the 57th floor of the building, terraces, gardens, spaces for residents to work, a pool and golf simulator. Residents will also have direct access to the shopping center and office buildings.

After dignitaries and stakeholders’ remarks, lunch was served to guests, made up primarily of the construction workers who have helped the building rise from blueprints to the real world. During lunch, items were raffled. Tours of the building were offered prior to the ceremony and afterward.

Beaudry is expected to be ready for residents in 2023.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2022 6–10 PM Enjoy a free evening of art, music and entertainment as Pasadena’s most prominent arts and cultural institutions swing open their doors.

PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS Alkebu-lan Cultural Center (New Partner), Armory Center for the Arts, ArtCenter College of Design (Virtual Partner), artWORKS Teen Center, City of Pasadena City Hall (Hub), Lineage Performing Arts Center, MUSE/ IQUE (Virtual Partner), Parson’s Nose Theater, Pasadena City College Gallery, Pasadena Museum of History, Pasadena Playhouse, Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD)/Side Street Projects, Red Hen Press, Remainders Creative Reuse (New Partner), Shumei Arts Council, The Gamble House/California Art Club, and USC Pacific Asia Museum FREE SHUTTLES Limited shuttle service due to regional bus and driver shortages. • Free shuttles run 6–10 p.m., loop throughout the evening with stops ateach venue.

PASADENA TRANSIT Pasadena Transit 10 runs along Colorado Boulevard and Green Street until 8 p.m. Information at pasadenatransit.

METRO GOLD LINE Attend ArtNight by taking the Metro Gold Line to Memorial Park Station in Pasadena.Check metro.net for information. artnightpasadena.org facebook.com/artnightpasadena instagram.com/artnight_pasadena For information on ArtNight, please call the ArtNight Pasadena Hotline at 626 744-7887 or visit artnightpasadena.org. For information on accessibility and/or to request written materials in alternative formats, please call the City of Pasadena at 626 744-7062. Para más información en español, visite nuestra página del internet: artnightpasadena.org.

APRIL 25, 2022

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Covered California CONSIDER THIS will help

SMITH’S OPINION

Wear jeans with a purpose on Denim Day

By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Columnist ill you be wearing denim on Wednesday, April 27?” I ask my friend.

“Maybe, since I usually wear jeans… but why specifically April 27?”

“Because, until we end the scourge of gender-based violence, we’re going to protest the victim-blaming of rape survivors by observing Denim Day.” “Got it. I wear denim almost every day anyway,” she says. “ T h e r e ’s D e n i m D a y s w a g a t denimday.org; a button will then prompt a conversation.”

“OK, I’ll do it!”

If you’re not familiar with Denim Day, it is the brainchild of Patti Giggans, a local hero and one of the most effective and inspiring self-defense advocates in the United States and the world.

Giggans, the leader and founder of the nonprofit Peace Over Violence (POV ), created Denim Day in 1999 to protest a terrible miscarriage of justice in Italy. Since that first Denim Day, millions of people worldwide have worn denim in solidarity and to decry the medieval legal decision to “blame the victim of rape” for her own rape.

Briefly, there was an Italian rape case where a knife-wielding 45-year-old driving instructor raped his 18-year-old student driver. Under threat of death, she helped him pull down a leg of her tight denim jeans. Initially, the driving in-

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Hey you! Speak up!

Ellen Snortland structor was convicted of rape and sentenced. On appeal, the high court in Italy overturned the conviction, with the chief judge stating, “…because the victim wore very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex.”

Ugh. The appellate court made that bone-headed, hateful, misogynistic decree, overturning the first court’s conviction. The outcry — thank goodness — was loud! Female legislators around the world wore denim pants in protest.

Giggans observed the global outrage and declared that the last Wednesday of April every year would be Denim Day. It’s been going on ever since.

Victim-blaming. It’s a practice that hopefully is in its death throes.

“It’s not the size of the woman in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the woman” is a play on the phrase “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

It was a T-shirt I wore when I became an instructor for IMPACT Personal Safety of Los Angeles. One of the die-hard myths concerning women’s self-defense is that women are “biologically” unable to defend themselves because of their size.

It’s also apt for petite Patti Giggans, one of my favorite pioneers of the anti-violence-against-women movement.

Yes, thanks to women like Ms. Giggans,

Downtown News wants to hear from people in the community. If you like or dislike a story, let us know, or weigh in on something you feel is important to the community.

Participation is easy. Go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Letter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, please email christina@timespublications.com.

there is such a movement.

I produced and directed a documentary, “Beauty Bites Beast: The Missing Conversation About Ending Violence,” that debunks the most pernicious self-defense myths. During production, I interviewed a young anti-violence activist who was rigid about her view that women’s self-defense was merely another form of victim-blaming.

“Why are you against self-defense?” I asked.

“For a few reasons. Are you going to teach me how to punch, and then if I get assaulted, it’s my fault for not punching?” (We don’t teach fist-punching!)

“No. My colleagues and I understand that not everyone will be able or choose to defend themselves. We support whatever choice is made. But if women are denied the knowledge of self-defense, they can’t choose it. Why else?” I asked.

“Another reason we are so turned off is that it’s usually straight white men telling us to protect ourselves,” she replied. “They need to tell men to not rape instead!” After a beat, I said, “Agreed. Except rapists don’t care what other people say or think. Are you aware there are a lot of women who teach self-defense that are survivors themselves and just want to give you tools in case you need them?”

“No, I wasn’t aware of that,” she said.

How could she be aware of all of us

empowerment-based self-defense providers, most of whom are women? The media has completely ignored women in the self-protection fields, whether it’s women in traditional martial arts or more down and dirty street fighting. We are the poster gals for the marginalized and minimized. Women teaching and learning self-defense? What?

Again, Patti Giggans breaks many molds and leads the way. Peace Over Violence is marking its 50th anniversary this year. She is not only a brilliant and ardent advocate for women, but she’s also a genius at keeping a nonprofit alive and well. And POV has great self-defense classes!

I have no control over when you read this, but if you are reading after Wednesday, April 27, wear jeans anyway. And if you read it before Denim Day, make sure you wear your jeans with pride and purpose. Be a mouthpiece and a pantspiece for ending the ubiquitous and most thorough pandemic of all — violence against women and girls. And while you’re at it, thank Patti Giggans.

Ellen Snortland has written this column for decades and also teaches creative writing. She can be reached at ellen@ beautybitesbeast.com. Her award-winning film “Beauty Bites Beast” is available for download or streaming at vimeo.com/ ondemand/beautybitesbeast.

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EYE ON EDUCATION

APRIL 25, 2022

EYE ON EDUCATION

Girls empowered globally by support of access to education

By Family Features ometimes forgotten amid the pandemic that upended the world is a global learning crisis that forced more than 1.6 billion children out of school.

This immense loss of learning and development resulted in permanent setbacks for an entire generation — disproportionately affecting girls, according to a joint report between UNICEF, UNESCO and the World Bank.

More than 10 million girls who left school temporarily because of the COVID-19 lockdowns may never return.

Dropping out of school can negatively impact girls for their entire lives. In terms of child marriage, this pandemic could force 10 million more girls to marry by 2030.

Even in times of crisis, girls have an equal right to quality education and learning. You can play a role in ensuring girls all around the world can fulfill their potential. An organization like UNICEF USA has resources to help girls receive a quality education.

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Advocate for the Keeping

Girls in School Act One way to act in the fight for girls’ education is by urging members of Congress to co-sponsor and help pass the Keeping Girls in School Act. This bipartisan act would empower girls around the world by authorizing the U.S. Agency for International Development to enter into innovative and result-based grant programs that reduce barriers adolescent girls face in receiving educations.

By investing in girls’ educations, barriers such as child marriage, harassment, violence, care burdens and negative gender norms keeping girls from long-term, quality education can be put to an end.

Evidence shows enrolling and keeping girls in school results in a positive impact on their health and economic prosperity as well as the improvement of the security of their communities and countries.

To help streamline the process, UNICEF USA’s Keeping Girls in School Act page allows you to send an email to your repre-

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sentative in one click.

Support Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programs

The first few years of a child’s life are critical for their development. Children at risk of a developmental delay, or showing any signs of delay, may qualify for intervention and services through the Early Start program of California.

Across the state of California, the Early Start program is coordinated by all 21 regional centers. With the guidance of service coordinators, an individualized plan for services and supports can make a difference in a child’s development.

For individuals over the age of 3, the regional centers also provide lifelong services and supports from the school age years through adulthood, including service coordination, individual service planning, education related advocacy and training In partnership with the Family Resource Centers, parents and family members may receive parent-to-parent support, guidance, information and referrals to community resources.

Due to the decline in referrals during the COVID-19 State of Emergency, it is important to know that your local regional center remains open and is accepting referrals. Although some regional center staff may be working remotely, they continue to work hard to ensure your child is receiving the services they need.

To find out exactly which regional center would serve your family, please visit dds.ca.gov/services or dds.ca.gov/listings Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center 3303 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213) 383-1300 or (213) 252-5600 kyrc@lanterman.org | www.lanterman.org

Accessible WASH programs can help prevent girls from missing school and falling into child labor, adolescent pregnancy and forced marriage. For many girls, schools provide a lifeline, offering vital information and support (on-site or through referral services) for nutrition; menstrual hygiene management; and broader psychosocial, sexual and repro-

ductive health needs.

Annually, UNICEF invests $1 billion in WASH programs in more than 110 countries. These funds go toward building solar-powered water pumps for communities; providing education on and products for menstrual hygiene management; equipping schools with private changing rooms, single-sex bathrooms and hand-washing stations; and more.

To learn more about how you can support these programs and help ensure every girl’s right to education is realized, visit unicefusa.org/WASHforEducation.

EYE ON EDUCATION

DT These 5 tips can help ace college entry exams APRIL 25, 2022

DOWNTOWN NEWS 9

EYE ON EDUCATION

By Family Features ecause most colleges and universities require applicants to submit ACT or SAT results as part of admissions consideration, prepping for the test itself can be a critical component of that process.

While it can oftentimes be hard to deal with the anxiety that comes with a rigorous test meant to show your mastery of certain subjects and concepts, such as reading and mathematics, consider these test prep tips to help boost your score while simultaneously lowering stress.

er everything you’ll need the night before. Check the list of banned items — cellphones aren’t permitted — to make sure you don’t accidentally bring something you’re not allowed to have. Ensure your bag is packed with your admission ticket, valid photo identification, several sharpened pencils with erasers, an approved calculator (with fresh batteries), and a watch if allowed.

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Sleep and eat well Getty Images

To allow yourself as much flexibility as possible, taking college entrance exams during your junior year of high school is encouraged. If you don’t get an ideal score, you can refine your approach and retake the exam with a better idea of what to expect.

practice SAT or ACT exam. Taking practice tests under realistic conditions can help you gain a better understanding of the content of the test, improve your time management and help combat test anxiety. You can use your practice test as a baseline to set goals and focus the rest of your prep on areas you would like to improve before the real thing.

cult or not as successful as you’d hoped, a prep course can put you through the paces and hold you accountable. Complete with homework and in-class practice, prep classes can range from small groups to larger classes taught by test experts. Some school districts even offer after-school programs dedicated to ACT or SAT prep.

Take a practice test

Sign up for a prep course

Gather supplies

Register early

Any test prep plan should start with a

If you find studying on your own diffi-

Pilgrim School: A unique Koreatown school community

By Pilgrim School Pilgrim School has centered around the growth and development of young minds, bodies and spirits since 1958.

It supports and encourages students in their personal explorations of all subjects and expressions, while promoting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) to develop holistic, empathetic, resilient young people.

With 400 students and 60 faculty members, Pilgrim forms a community where students feel like they belong. The school’s core values and principles of learning affirm a commitment to positive change. From toddlers to teenagers, the school’s core identity nurtures students in their personal growth to thrive.

Pilgrim School is not just any private school in Los Angeles offering kindergarten to 12th grade classes and early education for children ages 2 to 5.

Pilgrim is a multicultural school promoting mastery-based learning to engage students. It’s a college-preparatory school with an

The head of school, Patricia Kong, on campus with students.

Photo courtesy of Pilgrim School

accomplished list of university graduates from facilities around the world.

It boasts a boarding program that encourages students from around the world to learn, contribute and grow. In the heart of Los Angeles, the school has, for more than 60 years, taught generations how to be proactive, lifelong learners.

Pilgrim School 213-355-5204 pilgrim-school.org

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While it can be tempting to stay up late the night before the test to cram, you’re likely to perform better with a full night’s sleep. Sleep is important for retention, and eating a balanced breakfast before heading out the door can aid in your ability to focus. To make your morning easier, prep breakfast before bed to keep an early morning from starting even earlier.

Remember, the college admissions process involves more than just test scores.

Visit elivingtoday.com for more education tips and information.

10 DOWNTOWN NEWS

EYE ON EDUCATION

APRIL 25, 2022

“My time with Para Los Niños was like being with family,” said Jennifer, a CES alumna.

Charter Elementary School serves students in TK through fifth grade.

Para Los Niños/Submitted

Para Los Niños/Submitted

Para Los Niños supports parents and students

By Para Los Niños Para Los Niños is accepting students in its infant and toddler classrooms, preschools, and TK to eighth grade charter schools.

For 40 years, Para Los Niños has partnered with families to find their paths to success, providing quality education and compassionate wraparound support for children and families across Los Angeles.

Para Los Niños’ network of schools reaches across Downtown Los Angeles and the county. Each school provides safe, nurturing and welcoming environments for students and families.

Para Los Niños sees children as young as 6 weeks through its Early Head Start and Head Start classrooms, which promote school readiness by supporting health, nutrition, mental health, social-emotional and cognitive development.

It applies an integrated approach to educate the whole child within the context of his or her family. Plus, tuition is free or low in cost for all qualifying families.

Para Los Niños’ transitional kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms provide high-quality education — project-based learning that fosters creative problem-solving and innovation while

emphasizing literacy and language arts.

There are three centrally located charter school locations: Gratts Primary Center, which serves transitional kindergarten through second grade in MacArthur Park; the PLN Charter Elementary School in the Arts District, which reaches transitional kindergarten through fifth grade; and, just a few blocks from CES, the Charter Middle School, which serves sixth to eighth grade students.

Classes are open to any student who is a resident of California.

Limited spots are available. Learn more at paralosninos.org/enroll.

As one PLN elementary student alumna, Jennifer, shared, “My time with Para Los Niños was like being with family. My teachers, my friends, and the way we all worked together, it made learning safe and supportive.”

Parents are encouraged to engage and learn, too, as they are given the tools and resources to thrive. That includes parenting workshops, community involvement and leadership development opportunities, early intervention, mental health and family support services.

Start your enrollment and join the PLN family today. Visit paralosninos.org/enroll and follow PLN on social @paralosninosorg.

Gratts Primary Center serves students in TK through second grade, with exceptional education and family support.

Para Los Niños’ early childhood classrooms are safe and full of enrichment opportunities for the youngest learners.

Para Los Niños/Submitted

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 11

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Covered California will help COVER STORY

Dr. Kwane Stewart is a veterinarian of 25 years who has spent the last decade providing free medical care to homeless pets on Skid Row and other parts of Los Angeles.

Chris Mortenson/Staff Photographer

‘Street Vet’ provides free care for homeless pets

By Kamala Kirk LA Downtown News Contributing Writer r. Kwane Stewart has loved animals since he was a child. In Albuquerque, he grew up around dogs, cats, chickens, cattle and horses.

“My mother was a huge animal person and for a while she had a ranch, so we always had animals around the house and they were just part of my life,” Stewart said.

“At a young age, I developed this connection with animals. There’s nothing more organic than that bond with another living creature.”

Stewart recalled deciding to become a veterinarian when he was 7.

“My mom took me to see ‘The Black Stallion,’ and I was glued to the screen the entire time,” Stewart said. “When we walked out, I looked up at her and said that when I grew up, I wanted to be an animal doctor.”

After graduating from the renowned Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Stew-

D

art moved to San Diego, where he began his career as a veterinarian. After a decade, he relocated to Modesto and worked at the municipal animal shelter in Stanislaus County, which was eye-opening for him.

“It was during the recession, and I was working in a really depressed part of California,” Stewart said. “Modesto was ground zero for homelessness. I took the job because I wanted the challenge and they needed a vet. I had never done shelter work before, and it was a wakeup call.”

Pets were regularly surrendered to the shelter, and Stewart became burnt out in his role, hating the fact that he had to euthanize as many as 60 healthy animals per day.

But during his time at the shelter, Stewart also brought a lot of positive change, which included building a brand-new, state-ofthe-art shelter.

“My vision was that a shelter shouldn’t be a pound. I see it as part of the community like a library, park or place where you can go and get your next family member,” Stew-

art said. “I started working with city council members and the community. I educated on the importance of spaying and neutering and dramatically improved our adoption rate. I took our euthanasia rate from one of the worst in the country to one of the best.”

In 2011, he saw a homeless man with his dog outside of a 7-Eleven. The dog appeared to have a bad skin condition, so he introduced himself and offered to help. That ended up being a life-changing moment for Stewart, the dog and its owner.

“He looked so surprised and said that he didn’t know what to do, his dog was suffering, and it was the most important thing in his life,” Stewart said.

“It was a simple flea condition, but when a dog has that for a long time, it completely tears the skin apart. I promised him that I would return the next day with my medical kit. The following day I came back and treated the dog in a few minutes, then went to work. I saw them a week and a half later and the dog was completely transformed with

healthy skin and wagging its tail. The owner was crying and thanked me for helping. But I was also saved in that moment because it inspired me to get back to saving animals and doing it on my terms. From that day forward, I walked the streets to find others like him to help.”

After five years at the shelter, in 2012 Stewart relocated to Los Angeles when he became the chief veterinary officer for American Humane and national director of the No Animals Harmed program, which oversees the treatment of animals on film sets.

“They were looking for a veterinarian for the first time in 75 years to run the program after there had been some highly publicized incidents and deaths that occurred on film sets,” Stewart said.

“They held a nationwide search, and I beat out 150 qualified vets across the country. There could not have been a more dramatic contrast between what I was doing one day versus the next. I went from doing

APRIL 25, 2022

spays and neuters and euthanizing animals to being on set with Tommy Lee Jones and seeing how movies are made.”

For the next seven years, Stewart continued his work as a street vet on weekends and evenings, providing free medical care to homeless people and their pets on Skid Row. But one day while talking about his secret mission on set, Stewart caught the attention of a producer.

“People always asked me why I didn’t share what I was doing with anyone, but I wasn’t looking for attention,” Stewart said. “I just wanted to do it to help others. There’s a lot of down time on sets, so I was chatting with a producer and sharing stories of the people I met on Skid Row. He found it riveting, and next thing I knew, I had the green light for my own reality TV show.”

The first episode of “The Street Vet” debuted in July 2019 and aired in 28 countries around the world. The series followed Stewart as he helped homeless people and their pets, highlighting some of the heartwarming stories and turning his private mission into a public one.

“I’m happy that my work is inspiring to a lot of people,” Stewart said. “I’ve had people from all around the world reach out to me asking how they can help and replicate what I’m doing. For the first time recently, I had two vets shadow me while I worked.

In an ideal world, I would like to find more people like me who can start doing this work in different places.”

Stewart admitted that his work as a street vet has also changed his views of homeless people.

“Regrettably I used to judge them, but after getting to know many of them on a personal level and learn their stories, I’ve completely walked that back,” Stewart said.

“Many of them are disabled, mentally ill, or can’t get back on track because of substance abuse or economic issues. A lot of these people were normal just like you and me. They lost their job, their home, then slept in their car while thinking their situation was temporary. Then they lost their car, are on the street corner and it’s been over a year. For a lot of these people, their dog is their reason and purpose. These dogs provide protection, companionship, and keep them grounded.”

According to Stewart, approximately 20% of the homeless population (1 out of every 5 unhoused people) owns a pet. The 2020 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count by the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority states that the homeless population of Skid Row is estimated at almost 5,000 individuals within 0.4 square miles (50 square blocks) of DTLA. “I’ve come across hundreds of animals on Skid Row,” Stewart said.

“A lot of the unhoused are hassled, so naturally when a stranger goes up to them, they’re cautious, but as soon as I announce who I am and my intentions, they light up.

I kneel down and give immediate atten-

DOWNTOWN NEWS 13

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Dr. Kwane Stewart is also chief medical officer and head veterinarian of Papaya Pet Care, a series of full-service veterinary clinics for cats and dogs that provides a fear-free pet experience.

Chris Mortenson/Staff Photographer

tion to the animal. Within minutes, the person’s comfort grows, this door opens and we start to connect. They see I’m there for a good reason and I’m helping the thing that is most important to them in their world.

They’ll start sharing personal stories with me, and I give them the same respect that I would to a paying client at a clinic. When I walk away, there’s often an exchange of hugs and tears, and I’ve made a new friend.”

While Stewart mostly treats dogs and cats, some of the other unusual pets he’s treated include rats and a Python. The most common medical issues he sees and treats among homeless pets are skin and ear conditions. In his medical kit he carries an arsenal of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and vaccines. When Stewart encounters a more serious issue that he isn’t equipped to handle on the street, he will refer the person to a nearby veterinary hospital so they can get their pet the treatment that it needs.

“Some of these dogs may need surgery for something like a tumor removal,” Stewart said. “I’ll call a colleague and ask if they can do it pro bono or reduce the cost. A lot of vets are really good about it. For the better part of eight years, I did this out of pocket until I started a GoFundMe two years ago.”

Stewart has cared for more than 1,000 pets through volunteer work prior to 2020, when he founded his nonprofit, Project Street Vet. Now a resident of San Diego, Stewart still drives up regularly to continue his work on Skid Row. He also provides medical care to homeless pets around San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, Santa Monica and Venice Beach.

In addition to developing United Air-

lines’ Pet Safe Program after traveling in a pet crate through its system to experience what pets had to endure, Stewart also consults for Netflix, where he reads scripts and creates risk assessments along with necessary precautions for each project to ensure animal safety and comfort. Some of the films Stewart has consulted on include “The Power of the Dog” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

Stewart’s latest venture is as chief medical officer and head veterinarian for Papaya Pet Care, a series of full-service veterinary clinics for cats and dogs that provides a fear-free pet experience alongside general wellness care, specialized dental care and vaccinations.

They recently opened their first clinic in Carmel Valley, San Diego, and plan to roll out more than 50 locations throughout California. They offer transparent pricing, a membership model for all budgets, and are tech-enabled, including telehealth visits.

“We make the office visit experience for the pet and pet parent as comfortable and stress free as possible,” Stewart said. “All of the clinics are beautifully designed with state-of-the-art equipment. We’re also incorporating ways to help people experi-

encing financial hardship to make sure their pet can get the care they need. We’re also looking for more good veterinarians to join us who want to make a difference and help save animals.”

Looking back on his 25 years as a vet, Stewart has made a difference in the lives of many people and animals. While it hasn’t always been easy, it continues to provide him with a sense of fulfillment and purpose, and he hopes that others will do the same in their own way.

“I feel like we’re at a time in society where there is a shortage of tolerance and kindness,” Stewart said. “Little things that used to be built into our society like holding the door for someone seem to be on their way out, and it’s sad. I think intolerance holds people back from doing kind gestures, and I hope to demonstrate though the work I do that we need to start looking out for each other again. We’re all human beings. I’m a vet, and although a lot of my attention goes to the animals, I try to help people whenever I can. One guy on the street was missing a skateboard wheel, so I showed up the next day with a brandnew skateboard for him. It’s amazing what those small gestures will do for someone.”

Papaya Pet papayapet.com Project Street Vet projectstreetvet.org GoFundMe gofundme.com/f/projectstreetvet Instagram: @drkwane, @papayapet, @thestreetvet

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APRIL 25, 2022

Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

Opera features Chinese immigrants and LA’s Chinatown

By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer ften opera conjures faraway locales, bygone eras and largerthan-life fantastical characters. Yet the genre generates a special magic when it injects nearby neighborhoods and family tales of real, albeit still larger-than-life, people.

The Huntington, in partnership with the LA Opera, will host the second production of “On Gold Mountain” from Thursday, May 5, to Sunday, May 8, and Thursday, May 12, to Sunday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m. each day.

Set in the outdoor Chinese gardens, “On Gold Mountain” is based on Lisa See’s novel of the same name. It is composed and conducted by the Huntington’s artist in residence, Nathan Wang.

Gold Mountain is the Chinese name for the United States, and the opera tells the story of See’s great-grandfather, Fong See, who emigrated from China to California in the 19th century.

He married a white American woman, Lettice (Ticie) Pruett, despite laws against interracial marriage. Much of the opera takes place in Los Angeles’ Chinatown, where See opened an antique shop that the family still owns.

Lisa See first wrote the novel in 1995, when she said much wasn’t published about Chinese American history.

“When I was going through college, the only thing I heard about Chinese immigration was the building of the railroad, and there was a lot more to it,” See said.

The opera was created and first staged by the LA Opera in 2000 and was then scheduled to be performed in 2020. After two pandemic-related postponements, it is back on the docket, and See feels it is relevant.

“Over the past two years, we’ve seen a lot of anti-Asian hate crimes,” See said.

“We live in a nation of immigrants. We all share in that immigrant experience. We all have someone who was brave enough, scared enough, crazy enough or totally against their will come here. Even Native Americans came from somewhere else. One family uses a coffee pot, another uses a teapot, another uses a samovar, but we all have the same wishes and desires, the same kind of push and pull factors that cause you to leave your home country.”

Wang said the story is more pertinent now than it was 20 years ago.

It demonstrates what it was like for the Chinese immigrants who were recruited to come to California without knowing their fate.

“It’s really about immigration and acceptance of people,” Wang said.

“It’s important for our younger generation to know our family history and not forget these things.

“I think it makes us better people, a better humanity and a better country to know our roots and how it started. It’s very much the story of 2022.”

When the LA Opera contacted Wang about writing an opera about Chinese Americans in LA, he was quick to say yes.

“What composer wouldn’t jump at that opportunity?” Wang said rhetorically.

“To work with the LA Opera, to dig into my own roots and literally work on a composition, that would be so much fun. I would be crazy to say no. I absolutely said yes.”

After he read the book, See visited him and the two bonded and launched the project that became the operatic version of “On Gold

O

Author Lisa See’s great-grandfather, Fong See, emigrated from China to California in the 19th century.

Submitted

APRIL 25, 2022

DOWNTOWN NEWS 15

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

“On Gold Mountain” is composed and conducted by Nathan Wang, the Huntington’s artist in residence.

Submitted

Mountain.”

Wang was born in LA to two Chinese immigrants and has fond memories of Chinatown. He worked as a church organist as a boy during the 1970s. A prodigy musician who earned his first college degree at age 13, he studied music as a Fulbright scholar at Oxford.

After Sunday services, his family went over to his cousins’ house. While the older relatives played mahjong, she took them to one of the three Chinese theaters in Chinatown to watch kung fu movies.

“In terms of LA Chinatown, I knew it well,” Wang said.

“When there were functions, my mom and dad would go to Chinatown. I felt very connected to that area.”

Wang, who works in many musical mediums, from movies and television to video games and musical theater, found opera to be a highly apt genre for the story of Fong See. “Opera is very dramatic,” Wang said. “There is a lot of drama in this story. The guy had five wives, and if you think about the span of what this story covers, that draws itself explicably into an operatic world.”

Wang said he tried to reflect the vast timeframe in the music. When the story reaches the 1940s, there are strains of the earlier melody repeating but infused with jazz.

“I like the fact that it was really able to cover so much a period of time,” Wang said. “It allowed me as a composer to really change, to follow the storyline musically as things changed historically.”

See became enamored with opera when she was in college. She was working in an artist’s studio, and the artist liked country and opera. See and her husband have been attending the LA Opera since its first season.

But writing an opera was new to her. During the collaborative process, she headed to Wang’s house, sat on the piano bench, and they created together.

“That’s so different from being a writer of books when you sit in a room by yourself,” See said.

The author of many novels, including mystery novels, “On Gold Mountain” changed how she approached her craft. Shortly after its publication, a museum exhibition opened based on it. The show had paintings, photographs, archival materials, clothes and furnishings. All of it, though, was very visual. Then she began working with Wang on the opera.

“In opera, it is all about the music,” See said. “It is telling a story through music.

The libretto is not as important as the pure emotion of the music. So, I really tried to incorporate those two ideas as I started writing books again. I tried to make them even more visual and more emotional, but in a musical way.”

While See said it is all about the music, Wang insisted that it was important that See’s voice come through in the opera and that he was just lending music to it.

“Her libretto spoke to me,” Wang said. “All I had to do was write the music, and when something clicks for me, the music just pours out. I remember it only took me two or three months to finish the whole thing. When I think back, I think holy smokes, that’s quite fast. I think it tells me that Lisa wrote something that spoke to me, and the voices were very true.”

“On Gold Mountain” is based on Lisa See’s novel of the same name.

Submitted

In addition to sprinkling different genres of music into the score, the orchestration is a melding of Western and Chinese instruments. Wang said it would have been unfair and wrong not to include his knowledge of Chinese instruments in a story about a Chinese person from China.

In the original version, there were three Chinese instruments: a dizi, a Chinese bamboo flute; an erhu, a Chinese violin; and a guzheng, a Chinese harp that is played lying horizontally.

This time around he threw in additional instrumentation. He found a Chinese student musician who can play Chinese percussion. The guzheng player’s husband plays the yangqin, and he will be joining the orchestra as well.

A yangqin is like a dulcimer, a stringed instrument that is played with mallets.

“With those five instruments, that’s hopefully going to give us a little more ethnic sound than what we had 20 years ago,” Wang said.

See said “On Gold Mountain” is one of a cycle of five operas the LA Opera is working on called “Song of LA” that will culminate during the Los Angeles Olympics.

“The idea is that we have five Olympic rings and five supervisorial districts in the county,” See said. “They’re going to create five new operas that will be mounted in five unique locations in these five districts of the county.”

“On Gold Mountain” is the first. Two others are already in the works by Mexican and Black composers.

Wang said “On Gold Mountain” is a story that can really touch people’s emotions because, at its core, it is a love story of a man who jumps many hurdles to become an inspiring success story.

“We see the trials and tribulations of Fong See navigating through a world of racism and being able to come out on top,” Wang said. “I also hope the music itself is something that can touch people.”

“On Gold Mountain” Libretto by Lisa See, composed and conducted by Nathan Wang WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 5, to Sunday, May 8, and Thursday, May 12, to Sunday, May 15 WHERE: Chinese Garden, The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino COST: $135 for members; $150 nonmembers INFO: huntington.org

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APRIL 25, 2022

Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help Tidal wave of sound led to Royal Blood’s ‘Typhoons’

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor here’s nothing simple about the English duo of vocalist/bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher, who create a whirlwind of sound as Royal Blood.

But Kerr shared the basics of Royal Blood’s show that comes to The Novo in DTLA on Thursday, May 5.

“If you’ve been to a rock ‘n’ roll show, you know half of it,” Kerr said with a laugh.

“Seriously, our new record, ‘ Typhoons,’ is nearly a year old, but we haven’t really toured it. It’s been a long time since we played in the States.

There’s a lot of new music, and it’s an exciting set list. There’s no time to go and use the restroom at our shows.”

The shows are as commanding as the record. The 38-minute “Typhoons” kicks

off with the wave of synthetic fuzz tone in “Trouble’s Coming.”

“I think that track was the first song we had written that had that sound to it,” Kerr said.

“It was a good segue because it’s bold as well. We’re not pussyfooting around. We’re fully committed to the sound of the record.”

That said, “Typhoons” fits perfectly in Royal Blood’s catalog, according to Kerr. He contends fans and musicians are sometimes concerned about how old and new material will mesh.

“I think those concerns might have some validity,” he added. “But once we started playing, we realized these songs were really heavy and have a raw energy that we bring to them when we play them live. It all works together. In fact, it gives our set real variety as well, which perhaps was missing before.

T

Royal Blood vocalist/bassist Mike Kerr, left, and drummer Ben Thatcher are on a worldwide tour in support of their latest album, “Typhoons.”

Dean Martindale/Submitted

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APRIL 25, 2022

“When we started piecing the set together, having the luxury of three albums, you get to have a stronger set list by default. You end up playing the best songs.”

Thatcher and Kerr formed Royal Blood in Brighton, England, and released their self-titled debut album in 2014. Playing the bass like a lead guitar, Kerr couples his visceral sound with Thatcher’s thunderous drums.

The success followed with 2017’s “How Did We Get So Dark?”

Each of Royal Blood’s three studio albums has topped the U.K. charts, selling more than 3 million copies worldwide. Their accolades include a BRIT award for Best British Group, awards from NME and Kerrang, and a Mercury Prize nomination.

Sharing stages with the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, Royal Blood performed “Trouble’s Coming” on “The Late Late Show with James Corden.”

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

DOWNTOWN NEWS 17

“Typhoons” was created primarily during the U.K.’s pandemic lockdown, which proved to be creative for Kerr and Thatcher.

“It was a process to get to that sound,” Kerr said. “I think we’ve always been very clear that we wanted to evolve and make something that felt like a progression and try something new. It took a lot of attempts to get to that point.

“By the time we go to ‘Trouble’s Coming,’ it felt like we had something we knew that was out that we were really excited about. It anything bores us while we’re playing it, it’s an indication that we shouldn’t pursue it.”

Wi t h “ Ty p h o o n s ,” R o y a l B l o o d stretched its sound as it was a route to pursue.

“Records are ultimately something to play live,” he said. “We used production and extra layers that people have never heard us use before. At its core, it’s all about live energy.”

Royal Blood w/Cleopatrick WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday, May 5 WHERE: The Novo, 800 W. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles COST: Tickets start at $35 INFO: thenovodtla.com

Royal Blood has shared stages with the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age. Mads Perch/Submitted

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Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

Jerry Cantrell ‘brightens’ fans’ nights

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor fter a pandemic break, Alice in Chains co-founder/guitarist Jerry Cantrell was ready to hit the road.

He — as he said — “knocked the rust off” and set off on a promotional tour in support of his solo album, “Brighten,” which hit stores last year. The jaunt comes to The Belasco on Thursday, May 5.

“We have two gigs under our belt now,” he said in March. “It’s been a while since I’ve played in general. It’s a new group of folks on this record, and we’re playing a bunch of songs I haven’t played in 20-plus years. It’s exciting, it’s fresh, and the crowds are great.

It’s a real loose, cool vibe, and I’m digging it.”

Cantrell’s touring band includes guitarist Tyler Bates, backing vocalist Greg Puciato, drummer Gil Sharone, bassist George Adrian, pedal steel guitarist Michael Rozon and keyboardist Jason Achilles.

The set will encompass songs from “Brighten,” along with favorite hits from his catalog.

Cantrell co-produced “Brighten” with film composer Tyler Bates (“300,” “John Wick”), and longtime engineer Paul Fig. Joe Barresi helmed the mix.

Reflecting a classic spirit, they welcomed a cast of supporting players like drummers Sharone and Abe Laboriel Jr.; Duff McKagan on select bass tracks; Puciato handling all of the backing vocals along with Lola Bates; Rozon; Vincent Jones on Wurlitzer and organ; Jordan Lewis on piano; and Matias Ambrogi-Torres on strings.

“It’s always a fun process,” he said about recording. “You don’t have any roadmap. You’re not going in with any sort of intention like, ‘I’m going to write this kind of song.’ You just start, get that signal in your brain and belly that it’s time.’

“I went through the process with some really talented guys.”

“Brighten” was well on its way when the pandemic hit, according to Cantrell.

“We had the foundation,” Cantrell said. “We had the studs up and the frame. That’s a huge part of making a record; seeing what the structure is going to be. We were really excited by that really cool group of tunes.

I’m really proud of this record.”

Musicians like McKagan and Sharone offered a bright light in the darkness of the pandemic.

“Like anything in life, the pandemic was about per-

A

Jerry Cantrell, a co-founder/guitarist of Alice in Chains, will perform at The Belasco on Thursday, May 5.

Jonathan Weiner/Submitted

spective change,” he said. “It’s really hard to do when outcomes look really bleak, like there’s no end in sight. We were trying to figure out what the hell was going to happen, how this was going to roll for us.

“On the positive side, I had friends join the party — Abe, Duff and Vincent — and the record took on more depth. Vincent had a bunch of stuff I didn’t intend to be there. I told him to just keep playing. It sounded great.”

He also worked with Rozon and Jones for keyboards and pedal steel guitar, featured prominently.

“They are two instruments that are featured heavily on this record, in the classic sense of rock ‘n’ roll,” Cantrell said. “There are even some country influences.

“Tyler is a really great, talented guy — a composer in his own right and a pretty badass guitar player.

Having him in the co-pilot seat really brought this record to the next level.”

Jerry Cantrell w/Phillip-Michael Scales WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 5 WHERE: The Belasco, 1050 S. Hill Street, Los Angeles COST: Tickets start at $49.50 INFO: livenation.com

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APRIL 25, 2022

Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

DTLA champion to sing for Value Schools

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor hether Michael Chipman is passing along the finer points of singing at the Colburn Community School on Grand Avenue or finessing the larger muscles of his students at Lagree213 — both within blocks of his apartment — he is the ultimate teacher and a passionate champion of DTLA. Chipman’s passion for DTLA will take musical form at 7 p.m. Friday, April 29, when he performs a one-man show, “Take Me to the World,” at Colburn’s Zipper Hall.

“I live and work Downtown, so this concert is a very personal gesture of gratitude to my new ‘hometown’ of Los Angeles — a city that has been so good to me. I want to give back in whatever way I can. And what better way than to raise money to educate the kids who live here?” he said.

The show is a benefit concert for the Los Angeles Value Schools and will feature selections from the Broadway stage, as well as television and film.

“When I learned about the Value Schools’ mission to help inner-city kids get into and through college, I knew I wanted to help them in any way I could,” said Chipman, who moved to DTLA in August 2018.

Music has long been a part of Chipman’s life. His experience includes singing in church choirs, and taking piano lessons starting at the age of 8.

In high school, he fell in love with singing Broadway songs at first, and that segued into classical chorale music. In college, he studied art song and opera.

“I fell in love with the art of singing, the power of the human voice to communicate intense emotion in a large theater without amplification, like you would see in classical music performance.

“I wanted to get really good at it. I spent my 20s searching out the best teachers I could find across the country and ended up in New York for five years. I did graduate school at Oberlin in Ohio. I just had an incredible adventure and pursuit in mastering the art of singing.”

He is a trained classical baritone with degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Utah. He joined the voice faculty of the Colburn School in 2017.

In his work at Colburn, Chipman spends much of his time and energy helping aspiring young singers get accepted to top music schools and conservatories with scholarships, which inspired him to write the book “Sing Your Way Through College.”

The book’s publication led to a presentation to the Value Schools about musical training and college prep.

“It was amazing to see how my passion for helping kids get into college aligned with the values and mission at Value Schools,” Chipman said. “This concert is the organic outgrowth of that alignment.”

The benefit is a challenge for Chipman, who has performed frequently but “never had a huge performing career.”

“Because of my pursuit of learning how to sing, I learned how to teach, and it took me by surprise,” he said.

“Teaching and mentorship is a big part of our music career. Now I spend 90% of my professional life teaching young people how to sing and perform. I have a big adult studio at Colburn, too.”

The event’s theme, “Take Me to the World,” based on a song by Stephen Sondheim that’s sung from the perspective of a young girl who yearns to see the world. Chipman said that aligns with his and the school’s beliefs.

“The school and I broadening the young children’s horizons,” he said. “I take them to the world in a way they wouldn’t otherwise know how to do. This is my life’s work. This is really my big singing debut in LA. It’s a chance for me to put myself out there as a singer and hopefully doing it well.”

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Michael Chipman’s upcoming one-man show is a benefit concert for Value Schools.

Alberto Camacho/Submitted

“Take Me to the World”: A Benefit Performance for Value Schools starring Michael Chipman WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday, April 29 WHERE: Colburn School’s Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles COST: INFO: valueschools.com

APRIL 25, 2022

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 21

Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

Underworld is headed to the City of Angels

By Jeff Favre LA Downtown News Contributing Writer organ Siobhan Green walked into her first speech competition for the highly regarded Bradley University team and found out that one of her opponents was delivering the same monologue as her.

She asked her coach if she should switch pieces. He replied, “No. Just do it better than her.”

Better wasn’t Green’s goal when she landed the role of Eurydice in the first national touring company of “Hadestown,” which opens at the at Downtown’s Ahmanson Theatre on Tuesday, April 26.

The show won eight Tonys in 2019, including best musical and best scenic design by Rachel Hauck. But when Green was in rehearsals and saw the Broadway production and realized her performance differed significantly from her counterpart, Eva Noblezada, she didn’t worry.

“I feel like I’m so different from Eva. But both of us have such a valid, necessary approach to Eurydice,” Green said. “I think they both work in a beautiful way, which is a testament the writing, which can hold the gravitas and the nuance of individuals.

Green’s praise is for singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, who — with help from director Rachel Chavkin — turned her album of the same name into a stage show.

It took several iterations and more than a decade before Hadestown made it to Broadway.

Based on the Greek myth of Orpheus going to the underworld to save his lover, Eurydice, this version turns earth into a sizzling New Orleans-styled jazz joint, which transforms in dramatic fashion to a rusted, confining hellish factory run by Hades.

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The setting may be a far cry from her hometown, Decatur, Illinois, where her first show at a Montessori school was “Macbeth” — in the fourth grade.

Since then, she has mostly done straight plays, but a few years ago she appeared in the musical “Moby Dick,” directed by Chavkin.

“I hadn’t heard about ‘Hadestown’ until I met Rachel,” she explained. “When I heard about a national tour for it, I even retweeted that and thought, ‘Good for Rachel.’ But after Moby Dick I was called in for ‘Hadestown.’ I hadn’t seen it yet, so I listened to the music, and I was really taken by the storytelling of the music.”

Green said she was excited to be the one to introduce the character across the country, and she appreciates that Chavkin welcomes individuality to the performances, as opposed to simply copying the New York production.

“It really sunk in, the responsibility that I have in telling this story,” she said. “It is not beyond me what I look like, how I play this character, who this character is and what it means for me to bring her to life.”

A significant part of telling this story comes from Hauck. An Orange County native, her scenic designs have adorned Los Angeles stages for years, beginning with her work for Center Theatre Group’s Taper Too program, which featured new works.

The “Hadestown” ethos she crafted began with Chavkin telling her that when she listened to the show’s music, she kept visualizing a round world.

“There’s something very embracing about what Anais has written and how she tells the story always from a place of love, always the poet,” Hauk said. “I understood immediately what Rachel was

Morgan Siobhan Green plays Eurydice in the first national touring company of “Hadestown.”

Submitted

talking about when she said it felt like a round world. It didn’t feel sharp, and it didn’t feel angular. When I think about the show now, it is round, it is embracing, it does have many ways of wrapping up the audience and putting the story in the palm of their hands.”

It took some alterations to retain the emotional and visual power of the Broadway set for a touring production, but Green said the transformation from the above-ground to the underworld remains as stunning and impactful.

That’s not a surprise to CTG produc-

ing director Douglas Baker, who admitted that not all national tours are created equally.

“For me, it boils down to knowing the producers of the show and knowing them well enough to rely on them to produce a show that’s going to be at the quality we expect for a show playing at the Ahmanson,” said Baker, who first saw the show in London in 2018. “Many, many people talk about this tour being even stronger than earlier versions of the show, because now (the creative team) knows exactly what they want.”

“Hadestown” WHEN: Various times Tuesday, April 26, to Sunday, May 29 WHERE: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles COST: Tickets start at $35 INFO: 213-628-2772, centertheatregroup.org

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22 DOWNTOWN NEWS

APRIL 25, 2022

Covered SPORTSCalifornia will help

Chavo Guerrero Jr. grapples in a different ring

By Jeff Moeller LA Downtown News Contributing Writer or someone who has spent their entire adult life in the spotlight, Chavo Guerrero Jr. got the big-time call from Hollywood two years ago.

Yet for the longtime Southern California resident — and huge sports fan from a famous family no less — to transition into a full-time lights/camera/action gig included the need for him to grab his well-traveled passport and move to the other side of the world.

“I got a call from then when I was home in Orange County. Some five weeks later I am in Australia and working for Dwayne,” Guerrero said. “It has been awesome.”

“Dwayne,” as Guerrero referred to him, is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of entertainment’s biggest stars.

The job has Guerrero doing his best to make a variety of sitcom actors look like bona fide sports-entertainers as part of the TV show “Young Rock.”

The Johnson and Guerrero families — legends in the world of professional wrestling — have known each other for more than 50 years. Johnson was a second-generation star professional wrestler before he left the squared circle to conquer the entertainment industry. For years he worked with Guerrero at WWE. “We have always had a very easy relationship,” he said.

“We have always gotten along well.

When he reached his peak in our industry, it is very hard to describe how huge he was. He was a juggernaut. Dwayne had it all, and you saw right away he had something special.

“Right now, I believe he is the No. 1 movie star in the world. I think he is one of the most recognized people in the world. His work ethic is second to none. You will not outwork him.”

The show, now in its second year on

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NBC, features numerous flashbacks of Dwayne and his father, Rocky Johnson.

A lot of the content features wrestling scenes. As the show’s wrestling stunt coordinator, Guerrero makes something built largely on in-ring choreography look like, well, real small-screen choreography for the episodic comedy.

Having just turned 50, Guerrero was at a unique point in life when he took the job. For close to 25 years, he, like his father Chavo Guerrero Sr. before him, traveled from town to town, performing for all the top wrestling companies in the world. The bumps and bruises are real. The incredibly demanding schedule — there is no off-season in pro wrestling — is relentless.

“The only time I ever took off came when I was injured. If you had a broken nose, you kept working. I was in a hotel 300 days a year.”

It was also the family business. After all, the vaunted Guerrero family transcends the industry, having set the standard for transitioning elements of the sport from Mexico to the United States and all over the world, while still having their fingerprints on the product fans consume and enjoy today.

Throughout the past two-plus decades, Guerrero also did his best to present a normal homelife for his family despite a very unusual career. Growing up in Fountain Valley after the family moved to Southern California in 1975 when young Chavo was 5 — his dad starred in many shows at the Olympic Auditorium in Downtown Los Angeles — the third-generation star bought a house and maintained residence in Rancho Santa Margarita for 20 years.

Here the El Paso-born Guerrero developed a deep love for the local sports teams… almost all the local sports teams, that is.

“I support all athletes. I love the competition end of it all. I played every sport

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Chavo Guerrero Jr. has worked on “Young Rock” with Dwayne Johnson.

Jeff Moeller/Submitted

growing up as a kid. I marvel at the dedication, and I appreciate the talent.

“I grew up mostly on the Lakers and the Dodgers. I now follow the Angels more and the Kings. I think it is great what the Chargers are building, and I was very happy for the Rams. But I am always going to be a Dallas Cowboys fan first and foremost.”

In Australia, where rugby and cricket rule, Guerrero spent three months helping make one episode after another of “Young Rock” in Brisbane for season one. The global pandemic had forced production of the upstart show out of California. But despite being excited about the prospects of the new career path and heading Down Under, he did not make the decision lightly.

“I talked to my wife. We agreed that we could not pass it up.”

For season two, Guerrero spent five months in Gold Coast, which is about an hour south of Brissie.

Guerrero said one of the things that helps him behind the camera is his previous experience in front of the camera as a performer. Attention to detail is something that cannot be emphasized enough,

despite the long, arduous process that is filming. A single scene can take up to eight hours to shoot when you factor in everything pertaining to a major production.

Something else that factors into every scene Guerrero is involved with is who he is working with. Simply put, not every actor is a great athlete.

“What we do in wrestling is hide our weaknesses and show our strengths. I take a similar approach to this job. Some of them are athletic, and some are not. My goal is to train them to look like a wrestler for a given scene. I am not training them to participate in a WrestleMania match.

“I am training them to look like they can wrestle, to look like they know what they are doing. Each second, each frame can expose them as not knowing what they are doing, so while we work on the bumping and falling, the most important part of my job is that they look like professional wrestlers.

“I love it,” he exclaimed. “I love this form of entertainment like I love other forms of entertainment. So much is like what I know and have experienced, so much is different, but so much is similar.”

APRIL 25, 2022

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 23

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Covered California will help BUSINESS Show Me Your Mumu has revolutionized online retail

By Kamala Kirk LA Downtown News Staff Writer hen Cologne Trude and Cammy Miller met as students at UC Berkeley, the connection was instant.

After graduation, they moved to New York to work in the fashion industry. During a weekend trip to Miami in 2010, the longtime roommates thought to create a clothing brand and e-commerce platform. Show Me Your Mumu was born.

“When we were packing for our trip, we felt there was one item of clothing that was missing from our suitcases,” Miller said.

“We wanted a loose, flowy piece in a fun print that was versatile enough so you could wear it out at night and to the pool during the day. It was similar to a mumu, too long to be a top but too short to be a dress. We were at dinner one evening talking about this item that we wanted but didn’t have, when one of our friends suggested that we make it ourselves. He jokingly said, ‘Show me your mumu!’ and that’s how we came up with the name for our company.”

Upon returning from their vacation, Miller and Trude launched Show Me Your Mumu, transforming their apartment into the company’s headquarters.

They hunted for fabrics and worked with a patternmaker, production source and web designer to create their first items of clothing and sold them online. When the brand took off and their items were selling out, they quit their full-time jobs and moved back to California to pursue their dream as entrepreneurs.

“Even when we were in New York and started the brand, people always assumed we were in California,” Trude said. “We’ve always been a California lifestyle brand with a Southern soul.

We’ve combined where we both are from to create this brand that is so natural and organic to us and really shows who we are.”

Since its inception in 2010, Show Me Your Mumu has expanded to hundreds of prints and styles, including kids and swimwear lines, denim, maternity wear, a bridesmaid collection, as well as men’s ties and socks.

Their list of celebrity fans includes Kendall Jenner, and they’re known for collaborating on limited-edition col-

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lections with Barbie, Disney, and media personalities such as Hannah Brown from “The Bachelorette.” They also have a successful wholesale business and are carried in over 350 stores across the United States. They have been featured in numerous media outlets, including Forbes.

“It’s been really fun with Mumu because we’ve evolved the brand,” Miller said. “When we see a need in our own closet, we’ll design something to fulfill that. Our denim does really well, as does our swimwear, because girls love the flexible and supportive fabric. We’re a very print-based brand, and our designs are fun and exciting. We have several prints each year that are our superstars, and we’ll bring them back in new styles, which our customers love.”

Trude added, “We’re always launching new collections, and every week we release new items. We have so many fun seasonal collections, and we love festivals and holidays like Fourth of July and Valentine’s Day. Cammy and I got married six months apart, and during that time we discovered the need for cool, stylish and flattering dresses for bridesmaids that were affordable and could be worn again. We launched our wedding line in 2015, and it has become a big part of our business. After we got pregnant and had our daughters, we launched a line for kids. This year we’re launching some fun things for men that we haven’t done before.”

Looking ahead, Miller and Trude are growing their team and expanding their sizing to include more plussize styles and collaborations. They also hope to open another retail space down the road and look forward to getting more face time with customers through various fun events and activations.

Social media has also played an important role in Show Me Your Mumu’s success, and Miller and Trude are very focused on their community, always engaging with fans and customers on platforms like Instagram.

“People love that we have a Mumu community,” Miller said. “A lot of fashion brands feel inaccessible and exclusive, but we’ve always wanted everyone to feel included and that we’re right there with them. We work hard to maintain affordable price points, and we make a lot of our items in America while paying fair wages and working with good

Cologne Trude and Cammy Miller founded the successful fashion lifestyle brand and e-commerce platform Show Me Your Mumu in 2010.

Chris Mortenson/Staff Photographer

factories. Our customers really appreciate that.”

Miller and Trude opened their Venice boutique in 2015, then the following year they opened a bridal boutique across the street. At the beginning of COVID-19, they closed their retail store, but they still have their office and bridal showroom, where they host private fittings for brides-to-be and their wedding parties.

“We’d love to do another store one day, but our business shifted with e-commerce, so it made sense to focus our energy there,” Trude said. “Having a store and bridal showroom are so fun.

Girls come in groups with their bridesmaids, friends and family, and everyone is in such a great mood. We love spending time with our customers in person.”

Miller and Trude also spend a lot of

time at their DTLA warehouse, where they occasionally hold sample sales for customers.

“We chose to move our warehouse to DTLA so that we could be closer to our production and shipping,” Miller said.

“With over 80% of our product made here in LA, it is important for us to be close to the product and our vendors.

By having a centrally located warehouse, we stay very connected to everything going on in the Mumu world.

We love being in the Arts District near restaurants and coffee shops; it’s very central for our employees who commute from all over LA. Maru’s iced latte is a game changer on busy meeting days, and Soho Warehouse has been amazing for meetings and after work hangs.”

Show Me Your Mumu showmeyourmumu.com Instagram: @showmeyourmumu

24 DOWNTOWN NEWS

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