Los Angeles Downtown News 03/20/2023

After the marathon, the Skid Row Running Club flew to the Maldives.

Running Abroad

Skid Row team returns from India

By Morgan Owen LA Downtown News Staff Writer

Fifty-two members of the Skid Row Running Club traveled halfway around the world to attempt a feat they had been training for months to accomplish: running 26.2 miles through the streets of New Delhi. After one marathon, several plane rides and a stop in the Maldives, the Skid Row runners are back to tell their story.

For many members, this accomplishment is a testament to how far they have come and what they can accomplish.

“I’ve been running with the club for five years, and they’ve helped me recreate my life,” said Mario Ocampo, a club member. “I’ve been sober for five years, and I can run these marathons. I’ve been to three places outside the United States with good people that have helped me become who I am today. I have a lot of gratitude for the club.”

The Skid Row Running Club has inspired many people like Mario. When Mario joined the Skid Row Running Club, he had recently been released from 18 years in prison. Since joining the club, he has become an avid triathlete, recently completing the world-famous Alcatraz Triathlon. The New Delhi Marathon was Ocampo’s third international trip with the Skid Row Running Club.

Also completing his third international marathon was Tee Ware, who joined the club in 2018. Looking back on where he started, Ware reflected on the opportunities the Skid Row Running Club has given him.

“I went to the Midnight Mission to get sober. It never crossed my mind that I would

be running any type of marathon, let alone traveling and doing an international marathon. So, I feel like the judge (Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell) and that club has granted me opportunities that wouldn’t have necessarily come at that point in my life,” Ware explained.

Ware said the New Delhi Marathon was perhaps the most difficult he has ever run, recounting race day. The group arrived in New Delhi just 24 hours before the marathon. For the entire day, they slept and rested before arriving at the starting line at 4 a.m. Feb. 26. That morning, the atmosphere was abuzz with energy and excitement as everyone waited to start the race, Ware said.

What made the race challenging wasn’t the course of the race but the air quality. Ware remembered at around mile 19 or 20, he began to get confused and disoriented. But he was able to push through and finish the race. Ocampo agreed, stating that the air quality certainly made the race challenging. For Ware, visiting India made him reflect on the privilege of having clean air.

“It puts things into perspective as far as living in America versus living in a place like that,” Ware said. “We take for granted things like clean water and electricity. Over there, they still cook with coal and everybody washes their clothes by hand. There was a lot of poverty.”

After the marathon, the group traveled throughout India. They visited the Taj Mahal, Agra, Jaipur and several castles and historical locations. After that, they flew to the

Maldives, where they spent the rest of the trip running on the beaches, snorkeling and taking in the tropical sun.

“The trip was nothing short of amazing,” said Carmyn Romero, another runner on the trip. “India is just so unique. It felt like a feast for the senses. Even during the marathon, we were running alongside rickshaws and mopeds and sugar cane stands. … We were running alongside monkeys. That’s not something you see out here when you are running the streets of Skid Row.”

Romero was one of the first members of the Skid Row Running Club, but this is only her second international marathon. One takeaway from the trip to India for Romero was the opportunity for the runners to come together.

“We got to bond, and I think those experiences — the running but also those unique moments — we got to build on our friendships with various members of the club,” Romero said.

Romero met the judge in high school through a college-bound program. For 15 years, the judge has been her friend and mentor — he’s also the one who introduced her to running. Now a middle school teacher, she gives back by mentoring others in the Skid Row Running Club.

Though the trip was breathtaking, Ware wanted to bring home the importance of the marathon and what the 52 runners accomplished together as the Skid Row Running Club. What they do is about putting their health and the community first, not about sightseeing.

SINCE 1972

Los Angeles Downtown News

South Pasadena, CA 91031 213-481-1448

facebook: L.A. Downtown News

twitter: DowntownNews

instagram: @ladowntownnews

PRESIDENT: Steve T. Strickbine

VICE PRESIDENT: Michael Hiatt

“Everything beyond the marathon on these international trips is secondary. We’re not going on vacation. The whole point of traveling is to do the international marathon, and everything else is a bonus,” Ware explained.

Romero, Ware and Ocampo are three of the many runners from the trip to New Delhi who also signed up for the Los Angeles Marathon three weeks later. She said the chance to run a second marathon so

soon after is a testament to the strength and commitment seen in the Skid Row Running Club.

“Maybe it sounds a little crazy that we’re going to take on another marathon days later, but for me, I feel we gain greater insight into the ability we hold to succeed, not just on race day but also to accomplish greater things in life if we allow ourselves that opportunity,” Romero said.

The Skid Row Running Club was founded by Judge Craig Mitchell in 2013 as a way for residents at the Midnight Mission to improve the lives of those

at risk of homelessness and addiction through running. The group plans one international marathon a year funded through grants and donations.

Skid Row Running Club

WHEN: 6 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays

WHERE: 601 San Pedro Street, Los Angeles

COST: Free

INFO: skidrowrunningclub.com

Mario Ocampo/Contributor

After the marathon, the Skid Row Running Club got to travel throughout India, visiting castles and other historical places.

Safeguarding Sanctuary

By Morgan Owen LA Downtown News Staff Writer

Three councilmembers proposed a resolution this month that would designate Los Angeles as a sanctuary city. The ordinance, if passed, will bar the use of city resources, property or personnel by immigration enforcement; it would also prohibit immigration enforcement from accessing city databases or personal data.

“Immigrants make up the very fabric of LA,” said Councilmember Nithya Raman, who represents the 4th District. “Prohibiting the use of city resources for federal immigration enforcement shouldn’t depend on executive actions that can be overturned by a future administration. These are fundamental protections that should be enshrined in our laws.”

The proposed ordinance is modeled after a symbolic resolution made by the LA City Council under former Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2017. That resolution offered no legal protections, whereas the proposed ordinance would offer concrete protections for undocumented immigrants living in Los Angeles.

“More than one out of three people who live in Los Angeles, including my own parents, are immigrants. One in 10 are undocumented,” Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez said. “This is an important and long-overdue step to codify protections for undocumented immigrants into law so we can finally make Los Angeles a true sanctuary city.”

Soto-Martinez and Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Nithya Raman introduced the bill together, working with immigration advocates throughout LA to draft the proposal.

In published reports, Shiu-Ming Cheer, deputy director of programs and campaigns at the California Immigrant Policy Center, said one motivation for codifying LA as a sanctuary city is to create additional safeguards leading up to the next presidential election.

While the city already has policies and practices in place that prevent ICE from using city resources for deportation,

policies do not hold the same weight as laws. As current policy stands, it would not be difficult for future administrations to overturn or repeal the protections for undocumented Angelenos.

“The city’s current relationship with federal immigration agencies is shaped by an executive directive issued by former Mayor Eric Garcetti and internal LAPD policies,” Hernandez said. “ These policies are subject to change under future administrations and have yet to be enshrined as permanent protections for Los Angeles immigrants.”

The LAPD policies Hernandez is referring to includes Special Order 40, which was issued in 1979. For more than 30 years, LAPD officers have been prohibited from investigating a person’s immigration status. Additional policies prohibit LAPD from partnering with ICE to enforce immigration law.

If the proposal to make Los Angeles a sanctuary city is approved by the LA City Council, the LA city attorney will have 60 days to draft an ordinance that would codify policies in place to prohibit city employees from cooperating with ICE, among other protections.

“As a proud daughter of immigrants, I’ve seen firsthand the ways (they) have made Los Angeles the diverse and flourishing city that it is,” Hernandez said. “It’s long past time that our city steps up to protect our undocumented migrants.”

Covered California will help DT CONSIDER THIS

Women Talking… Can Save Lives

Sometimes

history is made when nothing happens

By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

Women’s History Month in March gives us time to reflect not only on the long arc of history but on one’s own personal history. One of my most vivid personal historical moments was at the 2017 Women’s March in D.C., a couple of months after “that” presidential election.

The rally was set to begin at 10 a.m., although many attendees had been at the site since the crack of dawn. It was overcast but not raining. It takes faith to be smooshed together with as many as a million other people, yet the mood was simultaneously joyous and somber. We were all witnessing the dawn of American fascism and not going quietly.

At around 9 a.m., a young, disheveled-looking white man with a huge, heavy backpack elbowed his way into the tightly packed crowd. My dear friend, Georgia Bragg, and I saw him; he gave us big-time creeps!

“Did you see that guy with the backpack?” Georgia asked. I told her yes. Given that he was within steps of me, I said to him, “Excuse me — we’re not supposed to bring large backpacks into this crowd. The organizers clearly specified that.”

He looked at me and said, “I have water purification supplies, and I just got back from Tanzania.” What? Talk about evasive! Gavin de Becker’s bestselling book “The Gift of Fear” discusses all sorts of “red flags” one should act on. We also discuss them in the courses we give at IMPACT Personal Safety. And here was a classic example: Mr. Tanzania gave us information I hadn’t requested — red flag!

This man’s presence bugged us. Georgia said, “I don’t know if I’m making a big deal out of nothing, but I can’t shake my bad feelings about that guy.” I told her, “Our classes teach you not to dismiss those feelings. Mother Nature gave us warning signals, and they are designed to protect us.” So, Georgia worked her way through the crowd (no

Ellen Snortland

easy feat) in one direction to find help while I decided to confront the guy directly.

By this time, he’d moved farther into the crowd. I reasoned that if he really was a suicide bomber, I still wasn’t far enough away to avoid the blast, so I might as well be next to him. Before I left, I told someone next to me that I would find security to report a suspicious man. She automatically said, “Does he look Middle Eastern?” (That knee-jerk “profiling” response is a column for another time.) “No,” I said. “Middle Western. Like Timothy McVeigh with buck teeth.” And it wasn’t just his teeth that stuck out — his entire presentation and demeanor did, too.

I made my way through the throng by saying something like “Gotta pee!” which parts the waters in a crowd of women like a hot knife through butter. I found Mr. Backpacker and said, “Your backpack bothers me.” I saw several women standing around him nodding and giving me thumbs up. He was giving other people the willies, too.

“It doesn’t bother me,” he said. Another red flag: He minimized my concern. “What’s in the backpack? You’re not supposed to have them in this crowd,” I re -

SMITH’S OPINION

Hey you! Speak up!

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.

peated. His response this time? “I’m an American citizen.” This was now waving a red flag with sequins on it! More than anything he’d previously said, his response was such a non sequitur that I told him, “That’s it. I’m going to get security.”

This time, I cut through the crowd and yelled, “Security, coming through.” I found two Women’s March volunteers; they followed me back to Mr. Water Purification, and he was as nonresponsive and rude to them as he’d been to me. Meanwhile, Georgia found two fine D.C. police officers — both African American women (yes!) — who practically leaped through the crowd to get to Mr. Potential Bomb Threat. They escorted him away.

We’ll never know what was actually in that backpack. However, the “if you see something, say something” rule was in play, and who knows how that might have ended had we not intervened? As the saying goes, no news is good news. As in, “No bombs exploded at the March in D.C. on Jan. 21, 2017.” And that, my friends, is great news.

The moral of this story? If you notice that you’re trying to talk yourself out of

a gut feeling or the hair is standing up on the back of your neck, please do us all a favor and open your mouth instead. You can’t, by sheer will, command the tiny hairs on your neck to stand up; only your early warning system can, so do not override it!

I don’t recommend following my example of directly confronting a “suspect.” I have trained for years in verbal skills and managing my adrenalin in such scenarios. However, there are some strategies that anyone can do, such as saying to someone else, “This doesn’t feel right.” And while I know that friends and some authorities may poo-poo you, don’t help them by initially poo-pooing yourself. Your mouth is always the first and best defense in a crowd or with scary people. Keep talking until someone listens and takes you seriously.

2023 marks the 30th year that Ellen Snortland has written this column. She also teaches creative writing online and 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.

Brush With Success

Nicolette Warren strives to make oral hygiene fun

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor

When Nicolette Warren was in high school and college, she babysat for area families.

There was one common thread among the kids: The children didn’t want to brush their teeth.

“It didn’t matter if they were 2 or 8 years old, everyone dreaded it and didn’t want to do it,” said Warren, who lived in DTLA while at USC.

“I realized that even adults don’t view it as fun. It’s a habit that needs to be formed at a young age. I started brainstorming ideas to make tooth brushing fun.”

The Thousand Oaks native founded Toothbrush Toys, which encourage children to build better brushing habits with fun toothbrushes, associated with storybooks and animations. Large grip

sizes and extra-soft bristles complement characters like Chompers the Shark and Brushy the Brushasaurus. Toothbrush Toys hit online stores — Amazon and toothbrushtoys.com — on March 1 for $19.95 each.

“I’m really excited,” said Warren, who graduated from Westlake High School. “I’ve spent a lot of time working on this. It’s a work in progress, but I’m excited to launch and hopefully we can expand and grow throughout the country.”

They’re more than manual toothbrushes. When the brush heads are removed, it becomes a toy.

“You never have to throw it away,” she added.

Toothbrush Toys also has a charitable mission in mind. To that extent, they have partnered with America’s ToothFairy, a nonprofit that provides dental care products nationwide to those in

Nicolette Warren/Submitted

Nicolette Warren founded Toothbrush Toys to encourage children to practice good oral hygiene.

need.

Warren studied communications and entrepreneurship at USC, a university she longed to attend. She is close to her family and wanted to stay relatively near Thousand Oaks, so USC was perfect.

“I loved growing up in Thousand Oaks,” she said. “I loved every part of it — my schools, my friends, the area. It makes sense why so many people stay here.”

She found USC just as inspirational, especially one particular professor who sparked her creative mind.

“I met a lot of great people — hardworking, motivated people,” she added. “I had great classes and great professors. I took my first entrepreneur class my freshman year, and the professor, Marianne Szymanski, was in the toy industry.

“That may have sparked something

in the back of my head in the realm of toys and kids. She wasn’t just a teacher. She was in the world, in the industry, had hands-on experience. I learned everything about starting a business from her.”

Warren has high hopes for Toothbrush Toys, for which she has a small office space in Thousand Oaks. Wanting to remain in Southern California, Warren said if Toothbrush Toys doesn’t work out, she’ll put her talents toward something new. In the meantime, she’s focused on Toothbrush Toys.

“I truly hope our new approach to teeth brushing and our charitable initiatives will make a difference in dental hygiene among children. Habits really do start young but last a lifetime,” Warren said.

Nicolette Warren/Submitted

USC alum Nicolette Warren sells her Toothbrush Toys through her website and Amazon for $19.95 each.

Covered California will help DTFEATURE

Pets’ Landing K9 Connection fights for animal wellness in Skid Row

By Morgan Owen LA Downtown News Staff Writer

Pets are important to us. Not only are they companions that give unconditional love, but owning a pet has been linked to lower stress levels and better heart health. They decrease loneliness, improve emotional well-being and are there for us in the darkest times.

So, it’s no wonder that when someone finds themselves in the throes of homelessness, the idea of parting with their closest companion can be unfathomable.

One of the greatest barriers to finding transitional housing for homeless pet owners is the ability to remain united with their animals. While pets provide companionship and safety, they also decrease access to services. It’s not uncommon for someone who is homeless to refuse shelter or care out of fear they may be separated from their pet.

In 2020, it was estimated that 500

pets were living in Skid Row. That is why K9 Connection, a sub-entity of Peoples Concern, created Pets’ Landing, to bring comprehensive services and support to pet owners experiencing homelessness throughout Los Angeles.

One of Pets’ Landing’s seminal services is its quarterly vet clinic in Skid Row. Every three months, K9 Connection assembles vets, groomers and other specialists for a clinic open to anyone in that area who needs veterinary support for their pet free of cost. The clinic is walk-up style and serves approximately 150 animals over four hours.

“What the residents of Skid Row really love about (the clinic) is they know we’ll be there exactly every three months,” said Juliet Beynon, the director of K9 Connection. “It took a little while to build up the trust — because some of the people living that independently are not particularly trusting — but now we are seeing a lot of repeat people. I can go down the waiting line and recognize

probably 50% of the people.”

Pets’ Landing held its most recent clinic in Skid Row on March 11 at 522 E. Sixth Street. Even though it was raining, Beynon said that the weather didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits and that upon opening, there was still a line around the corner. On June 10, Pets’ Landing will be back. Rain or shine, the show must go on, Beynon said.

During months that Pets’ Landing doesn’t offer a clinic, they conduct a Pet Pantry on Fourth and San Pedro Street. That service is for pet owners to pick up food and supplies in between vet visits.

“When I was saying goodbye to the (clinic) participants who were laden with gift bags and their pets were fully vaccinated and groomed, I felt telling them I’d see them again in three months wasn’t enough,” Beynon said. “We started hosting a Pet Pantry in front of (People Concern’s) Ron Beasley Wellness Center just a few blocks away. Now, we are there with plenty of food, pet

gear, supplies and flea medication every month so none of the pets go hungry.”

For homeless pet owners, the Pets Pantry and Pets’ Landing Clinic serve as the first step in a long list of support services available to pet owners. One of the most important things about this clinic, Beynon said, is that they provide visitors with paperwork and vaccination certification necessary for admission to pet-friendly accommodations.

Pets’ Landing’s entire purpose is to help pet owners remain together with their companions. That means helping them find animal-friendly accommodations, checking in to ensure there are no conflicts between their pets and housing agencies, and stepping in when additional help is needed.

Beynon shared the story of Leslie and her dog Shane as an example of how Pets’ Landing helps pet parents remain united with their animals. In 2021, Leslie needed extended medical treatment that would not allow Shane to stay at

Brian Treitler/Contributor

Pets’ Landing serves around 150 pets each clinic.

her side. To help, Pets’ Landing stepped in and found Leslie a temporary foster for Shane until they were able to be reunited four months later.

“Sometimes a client will become incarcerated, and that happens really fast. … They may also go and do a drug treatment program or the hospital. And believe me, there’s pushback on the part of these owners (who) don’t want to leave (their) pet,” Beynon said.

Sometimes, it’s really about convincing them their pet will be well taken care of, Beynon explained.

Another anecdote Beynon shared was of a disabled man in transitional housing. Pets’ Landing was able to help him remain united with his pet by offering dog walking services twice a day while his injuries heal. In instances where they can help the pet and owner stay together, Pets’ Landing will assist in ways like sending out dog walking volunteers or trainers.

Services like these are critical to helping pet owners combat homelessness and get care when they need it most, but sometimes pet owners reach a point where it is no longer possible for them to care for their animals. When that happens, Pets’ Landing will help homeless pet owners find new homes for their animals as a heartbreaking last resort.

“I would say the hardest part, and why I partner very closely with (pet owners’) case managers, is when people have mental illness issues, especially schizophrenia. They go in and out of taking good care of their pets. They take good care of their pets one minute and not the next. And so that begs the question (of rehoming the animal),” Beynon said.

But Beynon stays positive by remembering all the work Pets’ Landing and K9 Connection does to keep pets and their owners happily connected. Just recently, she said she received a thank-you note from someone Pets’ Landing assisted, saying Beynon helped save her and her pet’s life.

“The Pets’ Landing Project has really blossomed,” Beynon said. “It’s a big demand, but at the same time, I think I’ve built a structure with our agency where I can help people and pets at all levels, from the street all the way up to housing.”

Juliet Beynon launched the Pets’ Landing project in 2018. It serves more than 1,000 pets per year and also conducts clinics in the Venice and Santa Monica areas twice a year. For clinic locations and more information, email Juliet Beynon at info@ k9connection.org.

Brian Treitler/Contributor

Because it offers clinics every three months, Pets’ Landing is able to keep most of its clients up to date on vaccinations.

Brian Treitler/Contributor

Dogs aren’t the only furry animal Pets’ Landing takes care of; several cats regularly visit for vet care.

Covered California will helpDT ARTS & CULTURE

Tackling Food Insecurity

Artist Taiji Terasaki highlights a way forward

By Leah Schwartz LA Downtown News Staff Writer

Multimedia artist Taiji Terasaki’s recipe for activism is simple: a dash of education and a monumental scoop of inspiration through his artistic platform.

Terasaki wants his art to “uplift other individuals and organizations that are doing good, and have more discussion and education on how things should and can be better. … This type of work is my community practice.”

Earlier this month, the Honolulu-based artist unveiled his newest project, a multipanel mural, “Recipes to Nourish Communities,” outside of the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles, blocks away from Skid Row.

The surrounding area of South Central Los Angeles is classified as a “food desert,” where access to fresh food and healthy eating options is limited. Cur -

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

Multimedia artist Taiji Terasaki’s new mural, “Recipes to Nourish Communities,” features organizations and activists: Backyard Farms, Fallen Fruit, Ron Finley and LA Mission.

rently, 23.5 million people in the United States are subject to food deserts, especially in cities with high Latino and African American populations.

The surrealist collage, executed on aluminum panels, highlights four organizations and activists fighting to end food insecurity and provide nourishment to their respective Los Angeles communities: ALMA Backyard Farms, Fallen Fruit, Ron Finley and LA Mission. The mural also marks the active return of MCLA after its hiatus during the pandemic.

Terasaki’s goal for the project was to “honor great individuals and organizations out there in the community make fighting for change. … They’re all very different. That’s why I’m hoping that there’s a synergy representing these organizations create to discuss deeper issues of food security.”

ALMA Backyard Farms is rooted in restorative justice and environmental stewardship, providing formally incarcerated with a chance to grow and distribute organic fruits and vegetables to food-insecure communities.

Similarly, Ron Finley spearheads his eponymous project, which creates gardens in dirt patches in South LA and teaches gardening as a means to reclaim autonomy and access to fresh, whole

foods.

Another organization highlighted on the mural is Fallen Fruit, which creates maps of public fruit and fruit-related art pop-ups. The final organization, Los Angeles Mission, provides showers, meals and safe shelter for those experiencing homelessness.

The ground-level mural invites passersby to interact via augmented reality, directing them to recipes and interviews from each organization.

Food systems and how they coincide with environmental and communal health have long been critical to Terasaki’s life and work. His previous work has investigated the connection between climate change and food systems in Hawaii and the aftermath of COVID-19 on the islands’ precarious agricultural supply chains.

Recently diagnosed with diabetes, nutrition is now more important for Terasaki, who wishes he had received better nutritional education before his diagnosis. “(People) can control their destiny through what they eat,” Terasaki noted.

Eventually, Terasaki would like to change out the panels to other local organizations, continuing the mural as “a springboard for healthy conversation about food.”

Covered California will help DTDINING

Preserving History

High tea served at the Millennium Biltmore

By Luke Netzley

LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

Under the Moorish ceiling of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel’s Rendezvous Court, high tea has begun. The gentle notes of a piano fill the room as trays of steaming teacups and bubbling Champagne float to its tables, where guests pick at tiered towers dotted with ornamental delicacies.

“We managed to get a number of the original menus from the hotel … from 1928, 1932 and 1935,” said Alex Decarvalho, general manager at the Biltmore. “We looked and cherry-picked a selection that we thought would be just as good today as they were back in the day, and we incorporated those into our afternoon tea menu.”

In preparation for the Biltmore’s 100year birthday celebration, which began with a speakeasy-themed New Year’s Eve ball, Decarvalho and his team surveyed 100 members of the media about the Biltmore’s prevailing image and impression in Downtown LA. The “afternoon high tea” ceremony was an overwhelm-

ingly popular answer, as the hotel’s Rendezvous Court, according to Decarvalho, is “made for an elegant afternoon session” and built to fit the demand.

“Everything we are doing around the Biltmore and the anniversary is just to celebrate our history and heritage and some of the classic elegance, architecture and design of the Biltmore, with the (tea) service that sparks back to a different time, a time where people have a little bit more time to sit down and enjoy the food, company and service,” he said. “It’s a little bit more traditional as opposed to, these days, a lot of the places that want to get you in, give you a good experience and get you out so they can turn the table around. We want people to come in and spend a couple of hours just enjoying themselves and really getting the most out of that experience.”

The Biltmore’s teas are crafted by chef Justin Bastian of St. Bastian Tea Company, with two custom blends designed specifically for the hotel’s ceremony. Much like fine wine, tea blends must strike a balance between its various fla -

vors and notes.

“We offer that as a unique experience,” Decarvalho described. “When our teamaker put together a selection of several different blends, we had some of our most traditional customers, we invited them in to try it out and give us some feedback. The Angelus brand is our Biltmore house tea blend that was designed (for the hotel), and for people who do enjoy tea, it’s an art getting those blends right.”

Alongside the Angelus blend, made from a collection of black teas, the Biltmore’s “royal tea” selection includes the Biltmore Sterling, a lavender Earl Grey tea; the Prince, a scotch Earl Grey tea; and English Voyager, a full-bodied, smoky breakfast tea, along with herbal teas like the Soleil, which is a hibiscus tisane, and High Regency, a rose assam and rooibos tea.

The tea service, which includes a complimentary glass of Champagne for guests ages 21 and older, was designed as a wedding of beverages with sand -

wiches, scones and pastry offerings.

The pastries are sculpted by pâtissière Mercedes Molina, who Decarvalho described as “the best I’ve worked with in my nearly 30 years in the hospitality industry … and her pastries are just amazing,” while the hotel’s culinary team is led by executive chef Franco De Dominicis, who was raised in southern Italy and trained at the Accademia dell’Arte Culinarie di Napoli before working as a sous chef in London’s San Lorenzo Knightsbridge, where he served the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and Princess Diana.

While Molina and De Dominicis work to create magic on guests’ plates, Decarvalho also emphasized the role of the Rendezvous Court’s architecture in building an immersive dining experience.

“It’s one of a kind,” he said. “The decor style has lasted through the decades, and it’s something we’re very proud to have preserved. The best investments we make are ones that guests will never see. We signed the bill for over a million

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

Offerings like rose and raspberry macarons, pistachio cake, passion fruit tart, coronation chicken and truffles, salmon rillette royale and caviar egg salad layer the Biltmore’s high tea platters.

Chris Mortenson/Staff photographer

The Biltmore’s tea blends are made by the St. Bastian Tea Company.

dollars in quarter four last year, and it’s just on restoration of ceilings and walls. And if it’s done properly, you’re not even going to notice. That’s our expectation, that if it’s done well, you’ll just see it in its original splendor.

“A hotel that’s a hundred years old, it requires a lot of upkeep. That’s our goal, to make sure that people can still see the beauty of the original architecture and design, but in its pristine condition, all very well kept and as it was when it was first built.”

From its role as a covert speakeasy during Prohibition to hosting the Academy Awards throughout the 1930s, the Biltmore’s identity in LA has continued to evolve since its birth in 1923. For Decarvalho, this storied history, seen in the building’s architecture and ceremonies like afternoon tea, sets the hotel apart in the Downtown cityscape.

“The Biltmore is the only hotel that I know, certainly in Downtown LA, that

has its own guided tours provided by the LA Conservancy,” he explained. “Downtown LA was really having a resurgence a few years ago, and the whole process was sort of slowed down by the pandemic and having to restart as businesses try to find out what the new normal is and how to work. So, we’ve been working with the parks and recreation office … really encouraging the rejuvenation of Pershing Square and (learning) how we can play a part in that. We’ve been a lot more involved in just revitalizing.

“There’s so much potential for Downtown LA, and we can see the trend. We just want to continue to build on that trend in Downtown LA, not only for its financial and commercial status but also as a great residential alternative. … (We want to raise) awareness on the beauty and the appeal of Downtown Los Angeles for the Angeleno community. We’re very much working towards that.”

High Tea Ceremony at the Biltmore

WHERE: Rendezvous Court, 506 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

WHEN: Reservations can be made through OpenTable and by calling the front desk

COST: $75 per person

INFO: millenniumhotels.com, 213-624-1011

Covered California will help DTSPORTS Building the Future LAFC partners with FC Bayern Munich for youth development

By Luke Netzley

LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

To help provide a platform for young talent and a developmental pathway to first team soccer in Los Angeles, LAFC has partnered with FC Bayern Munich to launch a global soccer cooperation called “Red&Gold Football.” The joint venture, based in Munich, was built to expand both clubs’ promotion of youth players and will look to include other soccer teams and academies around the world in the future.

“On an international level, soccer is developing rapidly, which is also evident in the transfer market. We see this partnership as an opportunity to strengthen FC Bayern in the sporting competition with the best clubs in Europe and the Bundesliga,” said Oliver Kahn, CEO and chairman of the Board of Management at FC Bayern.

“The fact that the 2026 World Cup will largely take place in the USA, where we already have an office in New York, makes Los Angeles even more attractive. I expect a boost in quality and young talent in Major League Soccer, which will have a positive impact on our partnership.”

The partnership not only comes after

LAFC’s championship-winning season in the MLS, but also after the club’s $100 million deal with the Bank of Montreal, who pledged to improve youth soccer access throughout LA.

“This is a truly special moment for LAFC,” said Larry Freedman, LAFC co-president and CBO. “We look forward to working together … to not only develop talent and continue to grow our sport and our brand on the global stage, but to share best practices and improve our organizations off the pitch as well.”

FC Bayern is the most successful club in Germany, having won 32 domestic league titles, 20 domestic cups and six UEFA Champions League/European Cups. For the past 10 years, the Bavarian giants have defended their crown as champions of the Bundesliga while remaining a hotbed for young talent. Their academy has produced generational stars that have won at the highest levels of the game, such as Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, David Alaba and Emre Can.

The starting 11 for Germany’s 2014 World Cup Final had five players from the FC Bayern youth system, namely Mats Hummels, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schwein-

steiger, Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller. More recent academy graduates include FC Bayern’s attacking starlet Jamal Musiala and LAFC’s new midfield signing Timothy Tillman.

“The cooperation with Los Angeles Football Club gives us the chance to develop talent internationally within our own system. Our campus, which remains at the heart of FC Bayern’s youth development, will also benefit,” said Hasan Salihamidzic, FC Bayern’s chief sports officer.

“In the future, we will be able to offer our young players a career path that is even better tailored to them and thus a better transition into our professional teams and professional soccer.”

While the MLS operates under a “single-entity” ownership structure in which the league, as one legal entity, owns the clubs and player contracts centrally, with each MLS club having an investor-operator who’s a shareholder in the league, clubs in Germany operate under the “50+1” rule, which requires that the majority of a club’s voting rights are held by its members as opposed to outside investors. With members and fans holding the majority of the control over, German clubs are limited in

their spending as opposed to clubs in the rest of Europe’s top five leagues and must place a heightened importance on their youth academies to produce quality players.

With “Red&Gold Football,” FC Bayern and LAFC, who each own 50% of the initiatives’ shares, are looking to promote and development young players to both bolster their own academies and to further improve soccer opportunities around the world.

In 2018, FC Bayern began a partnership with FC Dallas, whose academy has produced the likes of U.S. internationals Weston McKennie, Kellyn Acosta, Jesús Ferreira and Ricardo Pepi, and held joint training sessions across two weeks in Munich.

“A partnership of this magnitude is the next step in our evolution as a Club,” said John Thorrington, LAFC co-president and general manager. “We are extremely excited to work together with FC Bayern to identify and develop young talent in Southern California and beyond and believe this relationship will provide players throughout our systems the ability to maximize their potential and see a clear pathway to first team football.”

Luke Netzley/Staff

Established in 2014, LAFC are the current MLS Cup champions and two-time Supporters Shield champions.

Covered California will help DTSPORTS

Aim to Entertain Timothy Tillman shines for LAFC

By Luke Netzley

LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

Oamid the roar of a thunderous crowd, 24-year-old midfielder Timothy Tillman scored his first goal for LAFC, rifling a shot past the New England Revolution goalkeeper before wheeling away in celebration beneath the floodlights of BMO Stadium. Tillman signed for the club in February and has already made his mark on the championship-winning side.

Tillman was born in Nuremburg, Germany, and raised in the Bavarian city of Fürth, where he joined the local club Greuther Fürth’s youth team after spells at ASV Zirndorf and 1. SC Feucht. He had enjoyed playing soccer since kindergarten and grew up idolizing attack-minded players like Nani, Julian Draxler and Mesut Özil.

In 2015, Tillman moved to the FC Bayern academy, one of the most esteemed youth systems in the world, where he topped the 2016-17 Under 19 Bundesliga table with FC Bayern’s under-19 team. When he joined FC Bayern, Fürth president Helmut Hack described him as the “biggest talent we have had for 30 years.”

Tillman went on to make his professional debut for Bayern Munich II in 2017 and was named to the FC Bayern first team squad that defeated Borussia Dortmund to win the German Super Cup later that year.

“The first professional game you’re playing is a really big moment, showing off (that) you worked hard to get to this moment, to realize your dreams,” Tillman said. “Training with the first team at Bayern for the first time was also a big moment. (There are) many big names, big players over there.”

Tillman was loaned to FC Nürnberg for the 2018-19 season, where he made a total of 13 appearances across all competitions before signing for Greuther Fürth in January 2020, the club where he spent nearly six years as a youth player.

During his time at Greuther Fürth, Tillman enjoyed the highs of promotion to Bundesliga 1 and endured the lows of relegation back to Bundesliga 2, making 85 ca-

reer appearances across all competitions. He joins LAFC as a promising young talent who wants to be remembered as “a player who gave everything for the club, who worked on the pitch and off the pitch, who always had a smile on his face … and is fun to watch.”

LAFC general manager John Thorrington called Tillman a “dynamic, versatile” addition to the club, which signed him to a contract through 2025 with an option to extend through 2026. For Tillman, the excitement is rising as he settles into LA.

“The city is huge,” he said with a laugh. “It’s crazy how big it is. … I really like the city, and I like the mentality of the people here. … All the people in the club welcomed me. I’ve felt comfortable from the first second. I enjoy working every day with them, and it just feels good to be here.

“The fans are amazing. I spoke to Denis (Bouanga) today, and he asked me, ‘What do you think about them?’ And I was like, ‘Bro, they are amazing.’ It’s so fun to play in front of them … having good results, celebrating with them.”

When he isn’t busy at work with the team, Tillman enjoys playing PlayStation and cooking, especially for family and friends.

“My go-to dish is pasta with tuna,” he said. “It’s quite simple, but if I have to deliver, then I just cook that and I know everyone is going to be fine.”

On the pitch, Tillman’s personal goal for the season is to improve his own game in training, to play with an energetic flair and to give all his effort to help LAFC defend their MLS Cup title.

“We have to focus on every game on its own, thinking from game to game, and if we keep focused, then we have good chances of winning games,” Tillman said about his goals for the season before sharing a piece of advice for upand-coming players. “I think, most importantly, (prioritize) fun above everything.

If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you are not doing it right. If you have that dream, … work hard, have fun, and that’s everything you need.”

LAFC vs. FC Dallas

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25

WHERE: BMO Stadium, 3939 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles

COST: Tickets start at $51

INFO: ticketmaster.com

Timothy Tillman puts in a challenge against the New England Revolution.

Luke Netzley/Staff

Timothy Tillman joined LAFC from Greuther Fürth on a contract through 2025 with an option to extend through 2026.

Faith

Faith

Faith

Faith