Los Angeles Downtown News 10-03-22

Introducing The Local’s new Spanish speaking branch, EL Local, spearheaded by Edith Reyna.

At EL Local, our goal is to provide exceptional real estate services and advice to the Spanish-speaking members of our community.

Having been an integral part of Northeast LA’s neighborhoods for many years, El Local holds true to its name. Living and working in the areas we serve, we believe El Local is perfectly suited to assist the Latino communities with all its real estate needs.

EDITH REYNA | DRE 01187571

LEARN MORE AT ELLOCALBR.COM

WE’RE NOT JUST EXPERTS, WE’RE LOCALS

Covered California will help

CONSIDER THIS

Accosted at Costco by Rebecca Republican

By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Columnist

Ken and I are in the freezer aisle at the Azusa Costco, looking for our favorite Kirk land cauliflower crust pizza. We’re both masked. I look to my left (ironic) and see a lovely woman wearing a T-shirt with an exceedingly garish graphic of Drumpf’s multiple faces. I do a take. If I’d had liquid in my mouth, I would have done a spit-take. In stead, I do a double take, then a triple. That much Drumpf mug in my face is hard for me to, er, take. I look at her companion, and she’s wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Freedom is Coming: Trump 2024.” Ye gads!

Then the woman with the multiple Drumpf faces — let’s call her Rebecca Republi can — notices me and immediately launches into a verbal volley of vitriol: “Geez, lady. If looks could kill, I’d be dead. You liberals, you can’t stand people who don’t agree with you!”

“I didn’t say anything,” I say.

She says, “You didn’t have to. I saw your dirty, dirty look!”

“I was simply amazed that you would dare to wear that in public,” I say. Truthfully, I was taken aback and fresh out of scintillating witticisms. That’s what happens when humans are hit with adrenalin and cortisol, the flight, fight or freeze chemicals. I was semi-frozen in the freezer section while she was lucid; I’m using that term “liberally.” I suspect she’d either practiced grocery store assault techniques or studied “libtard” snark attack points.

I manage to say, “Your shirt is hard to ignore.”

“You liberals despise us! One guy in another aisle told me to get out,” Rebecca Repub lican says.

“I didn’t say anything like that,” I counter, “and I would never say such a thing.” I hated that I was defending myself against this clown. And I use the term clown objectively; her shirt looked like a clown shirt.

I then take the time to really look at her and say, “I didn’t give you a dirty look; if you knew my dirty looks, you wouldn’t say that.” I’m still on the defensive, and I don’t like it one bit. And I was convinced that the reason for her getup was liberal baiting, so I say, “You’re simply wearing that shirt to provoke people.” She, of course, denies that, yet she behaves so cooly I know darned well this is not her first time. She returns to her refrain, “You libtards simply hate everyone while pretending to love everyone.” The other wom an, Sandy Sidekick, had very little to say, and Ken had up to then stayed quiet. After the “hate” accusation, he crossed the aisle, literally and figuratively, and held out both hands to offer Sandy a goodwill handshake.

As I turn away, Rebecca Republican lobs a parting shot: “And I’m a gay immigrant!” Wow. I surmise that Rebecca’s self-loathing must run deep. Ken asks for my disinfectant gel and uses it on his hands. Who knows where these gals have been?

Oh, the 20/20 hindsight that happens after an unexpected confrontation! I wish I’d brought my handy-dandy portable megaphone: It has a siren feature that is… arresting. Or what if I’d yelled, “There’s a 5-foot-3 woman in an offensive T-shirt harassing me on aisle 357! Someone intervene!” Or, the one I truly regret letting escape, “Hey, where’d you get that shirt, Rebecca? I want one for a play I’m currently writing.”

Thankfully I found Rebecca’s shirt on Etsy. Also, by Googling conservative talking points when confronting liberals, I found a boatload of nasty comments from Ann

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 import ant to the community.

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

Coulter, the late Rush Limbaugh and Dennis Prager. Ah, Dennis… he once attacked me in one of his books and didn’t even have the decency to spell my last name correctly. What a dis! I’m proud to say that Dennis Prager and James Dobson of “Focus on the Family” have attacked me publicly, which encouraged me to keep writing my columns. Excellent job, boys!

Meanwhile, I needed to shake Rebecca off and reboot to get a grip on what had just happened. As author and wise woman Anne Lamott so aptly says, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

My 5-year-old playground fighter was reliably ready with, “Nyah, nyah, nyah! No, you hate everyone! I know you are, but what am I?” When playground push comes to shove, part of me wanted to kick her in the shins and then run like hell, leaving Ken behind to deal with the mean girl.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

I believe this kind of encounter will be more common as we barrel toward the mid terms. We’ll see more provocative clothing — don’t fall for it. Or, if you do, be prepared. Hold your nose and Google “MAGA sayings and T-shirts.” Don’t be surprised at the level of scorn and hatred you see. And please get everyone you know out to vote! Call your rela tives in reddish states and help them as well.

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

DEPUTY EDITOR: Luke Netzley

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Moeller, Bridgette M. Redman, Jack Skelley

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Linda Gary Leonard, Juan Ocampo, Anne

ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie

My final takeaway? Mother Jones said, “Sit down and read. Educate yourself for the coming conflicts.” They are already here.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway Michael Lamb Denine Gentilella

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,” which features Gavin de Becker, is available for download or streaming at vimeo.com/ ondemand/beautybitesbeast.

FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

SINCE 1972

facebook: L.A. Downtown News

OPINION

twitter: DowntownNews instagram: @ladowntownnews

©2022 Times Media Group. Los Angeles Downtown the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles Downtown News has been adjudicated

SINCE 1972

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

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

DEPUTY EDITOR: Luke Netzley

STAFF WRITER: Scianna Garcia

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Moeller, Ellen Snortland

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Mortenson

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: Adam DeGoss

ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261 Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548

FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

1620 W. FOUNTAINHEAD PARKWAY, SUITE 219 TEMPE, ARIZONA 85282

PRESIDENT: Steve T. Strickbine

VICE PRESIDENT: Michael Hiatt

©2022 Times Media Group.

Angeles

News is a trademark of Times Media Group.

reserved. The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed bi-weekly throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles Downtown News has been adjudicated as a newspaper of general circulation in Court Judgement No. C362899. One copy per person.

Covered California will help

NEWS

Midnight Mission provides shoes for Skid Row

By Luke Netzley

LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

To help provide aid and crucial resources to one of LA’s largest homeless pop ulations, the Midnight Mission distributed around 500 pairs of shoes to peo ple in need on Skid Row during the mission’s giveaway event on Sept. 24.

“It’s so needed, and we are just so grateful,” TMM community events organizer Kendall Moran said.

The mission distributed the remaining collection of over 300 pairs of shoes throughout the week to community members who weren’t able to make it on the day of the event, and held a woman-only gathering at San Julian Park on Sept. 29 to distribute a further 112 pairs of heels.

Throughout the afternoon of the 24th, hundreds of Skid Row residents and fam ilies entered the Sixth Street courtyard and picked up a pair of shoes and socks to take with them. The crowd was a mix of men, women and children in need. In the distance, the crystalline towers of DTLA’s financial district gleamed in the midday sun.

“Their basic needs are not being met,” TMM director of public affairs Georgia Berkovich described.

Shoe and socks are two of the most requested items at TMM, alongside food, wa ter and underwear. It’s an apparel that many take for granted, Berkovich explained, but can be crucial to human health.

“I think about shoes as part of my ensemble. I don’t think about the protection from the hot streets, the cold streets, the protection from disease,” she said. “A lot of health issues start in our feet, which I didn’t really know until I came to work here.

Luke Netzley/Staff

Founded in 1914, the Midnight Mission is LA’s oldest continuously operating human service organization.

After a summer of intense heat with high temperatures persisting throughout the month, Berkovich called the event “timely. … We’re going to see triple digits.”

Skid Row lies within an urban heat island. With little greenery and an excess of pavement and buildings to trap heat, the area can become dangerous to those liv ing on its streets. A new pair of shoes can help protect Skid Row’s homeless popula tion from the high temperatures.

“Our feet are not just about putting cute shoes on or about taking us from point A to point B,” Berkovich said. “They’re a big part of our overall health.”

Days like the 24th are nothing new for team at TMM, which has been serving Skid Row since 1914. The mission provides four basic services: immediate sustenance with free food, water, shelter and clothing offered to any man woman or child in need; a drug and alcohol recovery program for people trying to get sober; crisis and bridge housing for men and women that acts as a conduit connecting those who are homeless with existing services; and a family living program in the South Bay called HomeLight Family Living that gives housing to homeless families.

The mission serves an estimated million meals a year, hosts events for holidays such Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter that typically serve 2,000 people in the street with over 200 volunteers, and has its own music and art program as the mis sion’s team believes that “art and music are to the soul what food is to the body.”

The mission is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, runs its own medical clin ic and has one of the only public restrooms and shower facilities open in Skid Row.

“One of the things I love about the Midnight Mission is that we’ve continued to grow as the needs of our community have grown,” Berkovich said.

One of the primary needs has been and remains to be access to shoes and socks throughout Skid Row and beyond, as Moran explained while reflecting on her time at TMM and in mutual aid circles.

“Everyone is always asking for shoes,” she described. “There’s such a need, not even in just Skid Row but all around the city. I hope that potentially other brands can start working with other organizations that serve other areas of Los Angeles and really fulfill that need.”

The Midnight Mission

601 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles

Open 24 hours every day

midnightmission.org

Luke Netzley/Staff

Allbirds Pasadena donated over 525 shoes, 350 of which were gently used and 175 were brand new.

Covered California will helpDTNEWS

Stop the Bleed training continues

By LA Downtown News Staff

Dignity Health/Submitted

Dignity Health/Submitted

Samantha Imrie-Farrell, trauma nursing manager at Dignity Health- California Hospital Medical Center, leads a “Stop the Bleed” training for residents of the South Park Neighborhood Association to teach them lifesaving techniques, such as CPR and tourniquet application.

Pictured from left, Dignity Health - California Hospital Medical Center’s Joseph Cooper, director of education and simulation; Laura Schneider, director of trauma; and Samantha Imrie-Farrell, trauma nursing manager, lead a “Stop the Bleed” training for residents of the South Park Neighborhood Association to provide vital education about life-saving medical techniques to members of the local community.

Dignity Health - California Hospital Medical Center held its first “Stop the Bleed” training in years in Sept. 19 at a Downtown Los Angeles residential complex for its residents. Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center photographers captured the moment.

Dignity Health/Submitted

Dignity Health/Submitted

Residents of the South Park Neighborhood Association learn about lifesaving techniques, including tourniquet application and CPR, from Joseph Cooper and other members of the Dignity Health - California Hospital Medical Center team.

Joseph Cooper, director of education and simulation at Dignity Health - California Hospital Medical Center, demonstrates how to properly perform CPR and other lifesaving techniques to the residents of the South Park Neighborhood Association.

DINING

DTLA’s Dino’s Famous Chicken celebrates new expansion

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

When Demetrios Pantazis opened Dino’s Chicken and Burgers on Pico Boule vard in 1969, he had taken the first step on the journey to creating a DTLA staple that would capture the hearts of Angelenos for the next five decades.

In 1980, after the strong urging from his wife, Eleni, Demetrios created a unique, oneof-a-kind recipe that combined ingredients from traditional Greek and Latin cooking to create the Dino’s Famous Chicken that remains today.

After his passing in 2017, Demetrios’ four daughters — Katerina, Konstantina, Maria and Nicole — have carried on the legacy of their father in Downtown and beyond.

“We all came in and we all started working and learning the business,” Maria said. “We didn’t realize how busy our dad’s restaurant was and how successful it was until we actually stepped foot in it and seen, ‘Well, we have something good here, and let’s expand it. Our dad worked so hard in order to get it this far. Let’s make him proud and let’s take it to the next level.’ And that’s what we did.”

With the sisters at the helm, running operations and continuing their father’s tra ditions, Dino’s has kept family and customer relationships as the primary focus of the business, maintaining personal connections within their communities despite recent expansion. Joining their locations in Azusa, Pico Rivera, Pomona and on Pico Boulevard, a new Dino’s has opened on Madison Avenue in Pasadena. These five locations remain the only places where the original Dino’s Famous Chicken recipe can be found.

“For me, I still want to have a connection with our customers, and we want to still have that feel like home and you’re a part of the family while we’re there … like an ex tension of the LA store,” Maria explained.

This commitment to community has guided the Dino’s leadership team in enriching local neighborhoods throughout the restaurant’s history. For instance, Dino’s owners donated water bottles to nearly every high school in Azusa during their football season before the pandemic. They also cater the Parks and Recreation Department’s monthly gathering in Azusa.

“We do help out in those communities, and we also contribute to some of our own personal communities that we live in,” Nicole said. “For our high school that my kids go to, or in elementary school, we do a lot of donations with them and we do fundraisers. … We’ve done Dig for the Cure, which was a volleyball cancer fundraiser that we did at our high school. My sisters give to their elementary schools.”

“Here in the Berendo School, there’re a lot of families that don’t have the financial means and they are struggling with food,” Konstantina added. “So they come and ask us and we give vouchers. … We give 150 meals for them to come and eat at our restau rant. … They’ll come and get a free meal. It’s usually 150 meals per day. And for us, we would love to do more. … We’re more than willing to help the neighborhood.”

The love that the team at Dino’s has for the communities it serves doesn’t end with its donations and charitable work but is also reflected in the kitchen. Freshness is a driving force for the business, with daily fresh hand-cut French fries and never-frozen ingredi ents served across all five locations.

For the first time in over 50 years, new additions have been made to the menu with the introduction of Dino’s Famous wings and Dino’s Famous tenders. To perfect the new dishes, the sisters brought acclaimed LA-based chef Royce Burke into the kitchen.

“We decided, ‘Well, we have only one chicken item on this menu.’ And that was our original chicken plate,” Maria explained. “We wanted to expand to other chicken items. We all love chicken wings, we love chicken tenders, and we had families saying, ‘Hey, do you have something for kids?’ So we decided we wanted to expand our menu to the chicken wings and chicken tenders.

For the first time in 50 years, Dino’s Famous Chicken’s menu has grown to include tenders and wings.

Dino’s Famous Chicken is best known for its original chicken plate.

DINING

“We thought it would be beneficial for us to bring chef Royce Burke onto our team to help us create new recipes in a way that would complement our existing chicken plate that we’re known for. He’s helped navigate us on keeping our original flavors of our Di no’s famous chicken marinade that we’re known for, our seasoning and our juice, to make our wings and our tenders.”

While the original Dino’s location on Pico Boulevard is temporarily closed due to con struction, the business’ culinary expansion has also included selling the restaurant’s infamous seasoning and “juice” to the public online for the first time in Dino’s history. Both Dino’s Famous Chicken Seasoning and Dino’s Famous Chicken Sauce are currently listed for sale on the restaurant’s website.

“We noticed that a lot of the seasonings that we’re shipping out are not local. They’re in Texas, they’re in New York, I think we sent one out to Hawaii, North Carolina,” Maria began. “We hope that will be a good avenue for us.”

“A goal of ours when my dad was alive, and I think I speak for all my sisters, was for him to be able to see his hard work across the globe,” Nicole said. “He sacrificed a lot. And having four daughters, everyone used to tell him, ‘You’ve got four daughters, your legacy will won’t go on,’ because, of course, we can’t carry on his last name.

“This is our way of carrying on his legacy for his grandkids. So although he can’t wit ness it here on earth, I’m sure he’s up in heaven and going to see what we’re doing to carry on his legacy that way.”

Dino’s Famous Chicken

WHERE: 2575 W. Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles

HOURS: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

INFO: dinosfamouschicken.com

LA Plaza to celebrate community leaders at Pobladores Award Gala

By Luke Netzley

LA Downtown News Deputy Editor

As the only museum and cultural center in LA built to preserve and share the history and culture of Latinos across Southern California, LA Plaza de Cultura y Arts in Downtown has sought to use its exhibitions and programs to both honor the past and inspire future generations.

On Thursday, Oct. 13, LA Plaza will host its annual Pobladores Award Gala, recognizing leaders who have made impactful contributions to LA’s Latino communities.

“It’s a big party,” LA Plaza CEO Leticia Rhi Buckley said. “It’s a time of cele bration, particularly at this moment in time when we’re coming out on the other side of this global pandemic … recognizing and honoring those folks who have been a big part of supporting and lifting up Latinos in Los Angeles. We’re really excited about our three honorees this year.”

The honorees for this year’s Pobladores Award, named after the original po bladores settlers from Mexico, are Grammy Award-winning singer Pepe Agui lar, media entrepreneur Walter Ulloa and City National Bank.

Born to Mexican icons Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, Pepe Aguilar is a singer, composer and independent producer of Mexican music with global sales of more than 15 million records. He has won four Grammy Awards, five Latin Grammy Awards and 19 Lo Nuestro awards, as well as numerous Latin

Billboards. In 2012, Aguilar received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“Pepe Aguilar as a symbol of Latinidad is so deeply etched into our culture,” Rhi Buckley described. “Music is a way in which we all come together, and the music of Pepe Aguilar has always been both symbolic but also representative of family and Latino culture.”

Walter Ulloa has been the chairman and chief executive officer of Span ish-language media company Entravision Communications Corporation since its inception in 1996. Alongside his 30 years of experience in Spanish-lan guage television and radio, he is also a member of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Music Center, the LA84 Foundation and the U.S./Mexico Foundation, and a founding member of the board of directors of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

“Walter Ulloa, the CEO of Entravision, is a really phenomenal example of en trepreneurship in Spanish-language media and ensuring that the voices of Latinos across Southern California are being lifted,” Rhi Buckley explained.

Headquartered in DTLA, City National Bank has maintained a commitment to promoting diversity, equality and inclusion while giving back to local com munities, especially LA’s Latino communities. The National Diversity Council has recognized the bank as a “Top Employer of Latino Leaders.”

“City National Bank has been a huge supporter, not just of LA Plaza over its 10 years of existence but also of the Latino community across the board in

The Pobladores Award Gala is LA Plaza’s largest annual fundraiser and a celebration of Latino history, culture and influence in Los Angeles and beyond.

terms of supporting financial stability and sustainability,” Rhi Buckley said.

Past Pobladores Award recipients include Linda Ronstadt, Cheech Marin, the late Honorable Esteban Torres, The Getty, AltaMed CEO Castulo de la Rocha and Los Lobos, while gala sponsors to date include Bank of America, PepsiCo, DLA Piper, University of LaVerne and TELACU.

While the event honors the Pobladores Award recipients and their contri butions to LA’s Latino communities, the gala is also LA Plaza’s largest fundrais er of the year. The funds raised directly support the organization’s yearlong schedule of programs and exhibitions.

“All of our programs are free at LA Plaza, so everything from Summer of Sal sa, where you can come out and dance for free once a month in the summer, to our family days, multi-generational family days that include art workshops, culinary workshops, music, dancing, to our exhibit spaces,” Rhi Buckley said. “LA Plaza is about telling the stories of all Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Lat inx people in Los Angeles. … The story of LA is the story of Latinos. You can’t have one without the other. All of the funds that we raise help ensure that we can continue to actually keep telling those stories.”

The gala, which caps Latino Heritage Month and will welcome more than 400 cultural, business and government leaders, will be held at LA Plaza’s out door campus and led by gala co-chairs Raul Bustillos, senior vice president for community relations at Bank of America, and Robert Villaseñor, vice president senior relationship manager at City National Bank.

“I really believe in arts and culture, in creative expression,” Rhi Buckley said. “We’re social infrastructure. That’s who we are. That’s what we provide. That’s what we offer. And you don’t have to be Latino to enjoy the experience. … It’s bringing community back together in one space to celebrate and to recognize each other and to just connect on a human level. That’s really what we’re par ticularly excited about, being able to actually bring people back together to just have that human connection.”

2022 Pobladores Award Gala

WHERE: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N Main Street, Los Angeles

WHEN: 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13

COST: $350 for an individual ticket and reception

INFO: lapca.org

Submitted

Mexican singer Pepe Aguilar is a four-time Grammy Award winner and 2022 Pobladores Award honoree.

ARTS & CULTURE

Shows at Microsoft Theater, Crypto.com Arena

By LA Downtown News Staff

The Microsoft Theater and Crypto.com Arena are hosting a slew of shows in the next couple of months. For tickets, visit cryptoarena.com or microsofttheater.com.

Microsoft Theater

• Prince Royce: Friday, Oct. 7

• Intocable: Saturday, Oct. 8

• Cocomelon, Sunday, Oct. 9

• Lucero & Mijares, Thursday, Oct. 13

• Camilo: Friday, Oct. 14

• Grupo Arriesgado, Friday, Oct. 21

• Eros Ramazzotti: Sunday, Oct. 30

• 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Saturday, Nov. 5

• Dariush: Saturday, Nov. 26

• Isabel Pantoja: Saturday, Dec. 10

• Junior H: Sunday, Dec. 18

• Dragon Ball Symphonic Adventure: Saturday, Jan. 21

• Spy Ninjas Live: Thursday, Feb. 23

Crypto.com Arena

• NCT 127: Wednesday, Oct. 6

• Christian Nodal: Thursday, Oct. 7

• Pepe Aguilar: Friday, Oct. 14, and Saturday, Oct. 15

• Karol G: Friday, Oct. 21, and Saturday, Oct. 22

• Post Malone, Tuesday, Nov. 15, and Wednesday, Nov 26

• Wisin Y Yandel: Saturday, Nov. 26

• Marca MP: Friday, Dec. 2

• Disney on Ice: Road Trip Adventures: Thursday, Dec. 8, to Sunday, Dec. 11

• Calibash: Saturday, Jan. 21, and Sunday, Jan. 22

• Carrie Underwood: Monday, March 13

• Muse: Thursday, April 6 (presale begins 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4; general public on-sale date is 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 7)

Adam DeGross/Submitted

Post Malone plays Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 15, and Wednesday, Nov 16.

Macdonald is comfortable in his purple-and-gold chair

By Jeff Moeller

LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

The voice of the Lakers. It is one of the most coveted positions in sports broadcasting.

Bill Macdonald is now in his 12th season in the coveted chair made fa mous by the legendary Chick Hearn, who called Lakers games in Los Angeles for 41 years.

The versatile Macdonald recently answered the following questions from LA Downtown News as the highly anticipated 2022-23 Lakers season gets underway.

Question: As a Laker fan yourself, what do you miss the most about Chick Hearn?

Answer: The personality. He was larger than life. I grew up with him along with millions of other Southern California basketball fans. We were so fortunate to en joy so many great announcers with so many sports here in town. They were part of our life. Nobody could call a game like Chick. His wit and rhythm for the game was second to none. To say he was one of a kind is not wrong. I am so grateful to hold the job he held, and I am so happy he was at the top of his game like he was for all those many, many years.

Question: One of the highlights of your on-air career came when you conduct ed a group TV interview with Chick Hearn, Vin Scully and Bob Miller for Fox Sports West more than 20 year ago. How do you look back upon that unique opportuni ty?

Answer: It was a big deal for sure. That show was sort of an original, and I loved hosting it. My goals in conducting those shows were simple: “More of you and less of me.” The one thing that struck me then and even now is the three of them had never done something together. The gravity hit me when I learned that. We knew it was really cool, and I was nervous about it. The show is still talked about today, especially with the recent passing of Vin Scully. Those three men are the starting point for the Mount Rushmore of our business in LA.

Question: When did the role of Lakers TV play by play come into focus?

Answer: I had done a lot of play by play, so it wasn’t much of a departure from my previous experience. I was originally going to do radio play by play for the team, but things changed. I did think about this as a kid, however, but did I think it would become reality? No. I had a lot of different gigs and loved the variety. I started doing indoor soccer, which led me to Fox Sports/Prime Ticket. I had a great job there, and I loved it. Baseball, hockey, beach volleyball, football, you name it. But a chance to work for the Lakers is something I couldn’t pass up when asked.

Question: Stu Lantz has such a great reputation as an analyst. Is there a part of his work that you think is underrated?

Answer: Stu has a way of doing the job his way, and it works for him. He really does not prep much, but that is him. It is impossible to know everything, but he rolls into each broadcast he has been doing for 36 years. His belief is to watch the game and tell you what he sees as it goes on. It is a fresh approach every game. Away from basketball he loves football. He probably likes football more than he likes basketball.

Question: The Lakers are one of 30 NBA teams … but they are, well, different. What is it about the Lakers brand which really sets the organization apart of other teams across all of sports all around the world?

Answer: It is a huge responsibility to be part of this family. It is a huge responsibil ity to the fans. I have always been a fan of this team, so I understand where they are coming from. At the same time, I know I am never, ever, ever going to fill the shoes of the late, great Chick Hearn. I am here now, and I am about doing the best I can for the fans. Entertain them, show emotion, serve the fans well. When you go on the road it is crazy. The way the Lakers travel is crazy. Wherever we go there are

Lakers fans everywhere.

Question: What is it like to travel with a team featuring LeBron James after all those years of traveling with Kobe Bryant?

Answer: They are completely different people but sort of the same as well. Incred ible competitors. Phenomenal basketball players obviously. Have used their celeb rity platform for a lot of good. Simply put they are two of the greatest who ever played. Now the fans can have fun and see where they fit in their own top five list or whatnot. It is all so subjective. Go ahead and have fun with that. The bottom line is Lakers fans got to cheer for both. They wore the Lakers uniform. They have delivered at the highest level. The other thing is they each had total respect for each other. They really did.

Question: Why do you think you have achieved so much in an ever-changing in dustry?

Answer: Notoriety, celebrity and legacy are not things that have ever interested me. I don’t do this to get recognized. Awards don’t mean anything to me. It is cool when people tell me they watch. I like that, and when you get an award, you are grateful. I aim to deliver to the fans, but really the biggest things are all the friend ships over the years. That is what is most important. So many fans, friends, peers, fellow workers. So much fun. I think a lot of that comes from my dad, who did not have a mean bone in his body. When he managed a company to support the fami ly, he would greet every employee every day. Every day, shake hands, say hello. He really cared about everybody. For me we are all on a team. It is not lip service. I live by that.

Los Angeles Lakers/Submitted

Bill Macdonald works side by side with Stu Lantz, the club’s longtime analyst and former player. The games are broadcast on Spectrum Sportsnet.

Learning from defeat: Jim Hill’s rise into the sports broadcasting world

By Jeff Moeller

LA Downtown News Contributing Writer

Before Jim Hill started carving out a now decadeslong, award-winning career in local TV sports broadcasting, he was an NFL player. And he will be quick to tell you for a moment he was playing at a Hall of Fame level.

While a member of the Green Bay Packers, Hill — a cornerback was enjoy ing the game of his life. He had made two interceptions and eight tackles in a big game at San Francisco. His Packers were heading to a win against the 49ers.

Then he made a late game mistake that cost his team victory.

On the trip back to Wisconsin the next day, Hill stood up on the team plane, looked at his teammates and took responsibility for the loss. Upon touching down at the airport, members of the local media were on-site. Hill was barraged with questions.

One question really stood out, and it proved to be a significant learning mo ment for the future media member and Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Famer.

“Hey Jim, what happened last night?” one reporter asked. Hill, the athlete, was befuddled. And a little angry. His immediate thought? “I was just asked a very stu pid question.”

Fast forward several years. Hill is working in Los Angeles, now on the other side of the microphone. He is headed to LAX. The Rams had just suffered a tough loss in Green Bay of all places. Star running back Eric Dickerson had a key fumble in the game’s waning minutes.

As Hill approached the future Hall of Famer, he flashed back to his own moment of failure in the spotlight.

“I went up to Eric as he came off the plane. I said, ‘Well, you know, Eric, some

times this game can make a grown man want to go and just hide for a moment.’ Eric looked at me, heard the question and talked for three minutes, expressing how he felt, how he let his team down.

“I feel it is very important to be sensitive to the people you interview,” Hill con cluded.

The sports director at KCBS-TV (Ch. 2) and sister station KCAL-TV (Ch. 9), Hill has gone from former NFL first-round pick to one of the nation’s most respected sports anchors, a fixture on the local CBS affiliate.

He began his career as a sportscaster with CBS2 in 1976. After 11 years with the CBS-owned station, he moved to KABC-TV (Ch. 7) where he worked for four years. He rejoined CBS2 in 1992 and among other duties hosts the popular Sports Central shows on the weekend.

On the gridiron, Hill played from 1969-75 with the San Diego Chargers, Packers and Cleveland Browns. He has a unique perspective on how his background can af fect those he meets, even if only via the television on a nightly basis.

“A lot of times young people will listen to athletes a lot quicker than they will lis ten to their own parents,” Hill said. “I am really happy that so many people involved in sports really step up and talk about social issues and how they can be resolved.”

The highly visible platform also allows Hill and staff to deliver a certain type of content to his audience.

“We want to make sure we do more than scores and sound bites,” Hill described. “We love to do feature stories. We like to tell stories that affect our community. With COVID and the pandemic we were able to do wonderful stories on the ath letes and the teams and what they were doing to make a difference.

“There are a lot of people in need, and it was during these times more than ever where we collectively had a tremendous responsibility to help. It went well beyond the scope of sports. It has been getting to that light at the end of the tunnel. It was an awful time there.”

Honored by so many outlets, including the Academy of Television Arts & Scienc es, Los Angeles Press Club, Associated Press and United Press International — Hill even has a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame — he has seen the me dium change over the years. His staying power in an ever-evolving sports media world might be even more impressive than those 19 career interceptions on the back of his football card.

Still, whether it is interviewing the greatest sports icons of his generation or who he casually greets in press boxes throughout the Southland, Hill is quick to focus on one word which he feels has helped define his career.

“To me, trust is the most important quality you can have in any profession,” Hill said. “If you trust them and they trust you, that goes a long way. Be truthful. Go about the job in the right way. That’s how you build trust in this industry.

“One of my favorite sayings is ‘Get up early, go to bed late and work like hell in between.’ I have found there are not a lot of people who like to put in that hard work in between. They don’t wake up early. They refuse to do the hard work that needs to get done. If you are looking for a job, then that will be your attitude. If you are looking for a career, I direct you back to that saying: ‘Get up early and go to bed late and work in between like hell.’”

The trust Hill builds within the sports community can also lead to strong friend ships. When tragedy occurs, Hill the professional must focus on the task at hand and grieve later.

“In recent years we lost Kobe (Bryant). We lost Tommy Lasorda. These are men I admire and love. When you hear the news, you need to get your own thoughts to gether first. When you lose them, you lose a part of yourself. These things some times happen, and I have to report on those who I love and trust and admire.

“You know people are watching and they are watching to see how you handle yourself. You have such incredible emotions, and I will be the first to tell someone it is fine to cry. If you cry, those are tears of job because you have had them in your life. Don’t be phony. Let it happen naturally.”

It is also during tough times when sports are just the outlet Hill needs.

“It’s a great profession and it also carries with it a great deal of responsibility, and when you work with professionals in our city, everyone is good,” Hill said. “In the newsroom you have weather and breaking news and investigative work. But ev eryone loves sports. It brings people together.

“There is a place for everything, and everything has a place. Sports fits in both of those places.”

LA Kings/Submitted

Jim Hill spends time with rap legend Snoop Dogg at Crypto.com Arena prior to the musician performing at a Kings hockey game in 2020.