prime Winter Issue 2016

ART

A look at “athleisure,” a growing fashion trend

CULTURE

The hidden history of Westwood’s biggest billboard

BY THE DAILY BRUIN

WINTER 2016

LIFESTYLE

City Guide | Downtown Los Angeles

a different view of

royce PAGE 12

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@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

art 6 athleisure 12 royce hall culture 24 kobe bryant: beyond a hero 27 left out 32 stripping away the paint lifestyle 38 city guide 44 DIY: emojis 46 coffee break

letter

from

the editors Dear readers, The beginning of a new year marks the midway point in another chapter of the life of a UCLA student. It’s a time to reflect on old goals and accomplishments, but it’s also a time to look forward and leave no regrets behind.

In this edition of prime, we experiment a little. We reveal the history of a long legal battle – hidden in plain sight – behind the supergraphic movie poster along the Wilshire Corridor. We view the iconic Royce Hall and its past performances through the memories of its longest occupants and we explore downtown Los Angeles through the lens of a native Angeleno. We bring stories with both local impact and global implications: trying to break down homelessness in Westwood and the greater Los Angeles area. Finally, we tackle stereotypes about traditional families and find role models somewhere else instead.

However, despite these experiments, prime doesn’t forget about its traditions. We touch on recent fashion trends, help decorate your workspace and teach you how to brew a strong cup of coffee to get you through the rest of the quarter.

With two issues behind us and one ahead, prime is still reeling from an exhilarating beginning but also slowly moving toward an end.

Thank you for picking up our second (and second-to-last) issue of prime this year. As always, we hope you find enjoyment with every turn of a page.

With love,

Grace Lin prime director

Aalhad Patankar prime content editor

Austin Yu prime photo editor

Hayley McAvoy prime design director

Grace Lin [ prime director ] Aalhad Patankar [ prime content editor ] Hayley McAvoy [ prime art director ] Austin Yu [ prime photo editor ]

[ daily bruin ] Sam Hoff [ editor in chief ] Jeong Park [ managing editor ] Eldrin Masangkay [ digital managing editor ]

[ writers ] Kelly Brennan, Miriam Bribiesca, Chris Campbell, Natalie Green, Eldrin Masangkay, Hayley McAvoy, Aalhad Patankar, Kevin Truong, Aubrey Yeo

[ account executives ] Khalid Alajaji, Celeste Carswell, Victoria Cohen, Shannon Griffin, Matthew Hezlep, Aliya Kamalova, Dannielle Marrihew, Casey Parks, Sarah Sanders, Sheridan Siegel, Stephanie Wong

[ photographers ] Daniel Alcazar, Miriam Bribiesca, Tehya Faulk, Aubrey Yeo, Austin Yu

Jeremy Wildman [ business manager ]

[ illustrators ] Rachel Zhu [ graphic artists ] Alice Lin, William Zou Namrata Kakade [ copy chief ] Anjishnu Das [ assistant copy chief ] [ slot editors ] Hannah Brezack, Joanne Chan, Brendan Hornbostel, Katie Kong, Paulina Lei, Donna Tang, Derek Yen, Melissa Young Julien Brundrett [ online editor ] Vivian Zhang [ assistant online editor ] LIFESTYLE

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[ radio contributors ] Chris Campbell

Abigail Goldman [ editorial advisor ] Arvli Ward [ media director ] The Daily Bruin (ISSN 1080-5060) is published and copyrighted by the ASUCLA Communications Board. All rights are reserved.

Reprinting of any material in this publication without the written permission of the Communications Board is strictly prohibited. The ASUCLA Communications Board fully supports the University of California’s policy on non-discrimination. The student media reserve the right to reject or modify advertising whose content discriminates on the basis of ancestry, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, age, sex or sexual orientation. The ASUCLA Communications Board has a media grievance procedure for resolving complaints against any of its publications. For a copy of the complete procedure, contact the publications office at 118 Kerckhoff Hall. All inserts that are printed in the Daily Bruin are independently paid publications and do not reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the staff.

To request a reprint of any photo appearing in the Daily Bruin, email photo@media.ucla.edu.

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

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Athleisure STORY & PHOTOS BY AUBREY YEO

he comfort and maneuverability of sportswear used to be devalued by the opportunity cost of style – it was a time when activewear seemed to exist in a different dimension from the realm of fashion.

But the “athleisure” revolution has blurred those lines in recent years and created a world in which Stan Smiths have ascended from humble Adidas tennis shoes to style icons – the same world that now hosts the ubiquity of Lululemon Athletica on college campuses.

Fashion brands have been quick to jump on the trend as we see activewear collections, filled with sweatpants, hoodies and leggings, become a mainstay in clothing lines released by European fashion giants H&M and Zara.

Designer labels have also taken the plunge into this trend, with designer Alexander Wang professing his love of activewear to The New York Times about a year ago.

“I live in gym clothes,” Wang said. “When you go out on the street, it’s the uniform now.”

The athleisure movement has also managed

to effect change in the reverse direction, with sporting goods powerhouses like Nike and Adidas reimagining their classic sportswear designs into fashion must-haves through collaborations such as NikeLab between Nike and Japanese label Sacai, and Adidas’ collaboration with Moschino’s Creative Director Jeremy Scott as well as celebrities Kanye West and Rita Ora. And consumers are loving it. Jeans – the once-classic casual outfit staple – saw a decline to $16 billion in domestic sales in the 20132014 fiscal year, while the activewear industry continues to explode with revenue, bringing in double that number at $33.6 billion that same year. Based on these figures alone, it’s a nobrainer why many within the apparel industry are jumping on the athleisure bandwagon.

So the next time you see someone with joggers and a pair of Nike Flyknits, they might be headed to the gym to get a cardio fix. But who knows, maybe that person could just be headed to class.

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Top – Urban Outfitters Flannel shirt – Target Leggings – Lululemon Athletica Sneakers – Vans

Beanie – Frost Jacket – Vintage (from mother) Sweater – Urban Outfitters Leggings – Lululemon Athletica Shoes – Steve Madden @dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

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“

it's the

uniform now ”

– fashion designer Alexander Wang

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ART

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Long-sleeved top – Adidas Leggings – Lululemon Athletica Sneakers – Adidas Handbag – Louis Vuitton @dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

Top – Urban Outfitters Joggers – Lululemon Athletica Shoes – Nike LIFESTYLE

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WRITTEN BY AALHAD PATANKAR AND NATALIE GREEN PHOTOS BY AUSTIN YU

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s the poster child of the UCLA campus, Royce Hall makes itself known to students in many ways. To some, it’s a place to indulge in a night of music or theater on a college student budget. To others, it’s a stage to showcase their culture night performance to family and friends, while to others still, it’s a building that houses their

Friday discussion sections.

Behind its doors, however, the people who work to keep the hall running – many who have been doing so for decades – describe it as something else.

“Royce is a living, breathing thing.”

The stories that follow are just a few of those that make up the heart, brain and soul of Royce Hall.

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”

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“

living, breathing thing

royce is a

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

eated next to his son in his cozy Van Nuys home, 93-year-old James “Jimmy” Klain relaxed into his armchair and pondered for a minute before kicking off the conversation.

“You’re trying to get into my memory bank, aren’t you?” he chuckled.

Stored in Klain’s memory bank are stories about UCLA stretching back to 1939, when he first stepped into Royce Hall as an undergraduate student, and names such as Ralph Freud, Edwin Pauley and Merce Cunningham, which survive today as buildings and chapters in textbooks.

As far as the ins and outs of Royce Hall go, you could say Klain wrote the book on it. Titled “Royce Hall,” the 112-page book published in 1985 chronicles the history of the hall and its significance to the UCLA campus. The book marks the culmination of Klain’s 37-year career as the manager of the iconic theater.

Klain said that as a child, he had no doubts that he would eventually attend UCLA and pursue theater. Growing up in East Los Angeles, all four of Klain’s older brothers pursued drama at Lincoln High School and matriculated at UCLA with different majors, such as chemistry and geology.

When Klain started at UCLA as a first-year student in 1939, the university lacked an official drama or theater department and offered no courses in the subject, so he chose to major in English.

1964

Dedication of Royce Hall

UCLA commencement with the Shah of Iran

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1930

MEMORIES OF ROYCE

DAILY BRUIN ARCHIVE

However, Klain remained active in theater and, along with one of his brothers, handled the technical production work for an informal drama program that put on productions at UCLA and toured across different University of California campuses to perform. It was through this channel that Klain first made contact with Royce Hall.

“If you went to UCLA (at the time) and you’re going to participate in the theater, you’re going to work in a building that has a theater,” Klain said. “Royce Hall was the only building that had a theater.”

The year Klain began college also marked the beginnings of World War II. Instead of waiting to be drafted, Klain said he chose to volunteer for the Navy before his senior year as part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program, which aimed to train college students to become Navy officers.

“Dad, why did you choose the Navy?” his son Daniel Klain interjected.

“I heard the food was better,” Jimmy Klain responded.

After serving in the Navy for several years, Klain moved to New York City to pursue his dream of Broadway. Theater and Broadway jobs proved elusive, however, and Klain soon found himself working away from the city in the Catskill Mountains, a popular summer destination for New Yorkers.

At the Catskills, Klain and a group of several artists and actors found work for a theater promoter who put on shows

As the manager of Royce Hall and general UCLA event facilities, Klain said he was responsible for handling all public events, such as commencements, public lectures and performances. He said that through his work in backstage production as a technician, he was used to solving the multitude of problems with the hidden infrastructure that a public show is built upon, such as lighting, equipment, tickets, publicity and – particularly for Los Angeles – parking.

“Whatever they wanted to bring in, they would say, ‘Jimmy could handle that,’” Daniel Klain said of his father. “Whatever demands were required of that stage, he met them.”

Daniel Klain said he loved listening to his father’s stories about the eccentric, often bizarre backstage workings that took place behind the curtains.

One of his favorite stories happened in the ’60s, when blues legend Big Mama Thornton was set to perform at Royce Hall.

The show was about to start, Jimmy Klain said, but Thornton was nowhere in sight. Anxious to begin on time, Klain walked to Thornton’s dressing room, where he saw a woman attempting and failing to hand Thornton a large check.

The woman, a member of the committee hosting the show, was trying to hand Thornton a $900 check from the UC. The check is good – it’s from the state of California, the

At the time, Klain said, the Shah ran an oppressive regime, which the Persian student community was intimately aware of and strongly opposed. The students, he said, wanted to protest in a way they couldn’t in Iran. However, it was Klain’s job to make sure the event proceeded smoothly.

Finally, on the day of the event, every contingency was planned for,

The 1964 UCLA commencement ceremony was marked with controversy, as Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, then-Shah of Iran, was to receive an honorary degree from the university.

Jimmy Klain, who was in charge of organizing the ceremony, said it was one of the most difficult events he has ever managed.

LOS ANGELES TIMES ARCHIVES

Klain said that two of the most memorable performers for him were American dance choreographer and performer Merce Cunningham and avant-garde musician John Cage, who provided the music for Cunningham’s show.

Klain said he remembers watching Cage tinker for hours on the Royce Hall stage with the prepared piano, placing washers and objects between the piano’s strings, a style that he pioneered.

Klain said he worked intimately with the performers to ensure that their artistic vision, which was relatively new and experimental at the time, would translate well on stage.

“They were all kids,” Klain said.

“But they’re famous now, dad!” Daniel Klain said.

Some of people Jimmy Klain encountered through his career didn’t gain their fame until after their time at Royce.

In 1973, Jimmy Klain, Daniel Klain and their family were huddled around, watching the 45th Academy Awards.

“The big movie was ‘The Godfather,’ and Francis Ford Coppola gets the award for best picture,” Daniel Klain said.

“All Jimmy can say is: ‘He was a terrible usher.’”

“We said, ‘Who cares, he made an incredible movie!’”

“Yeah, but he was a terrible usher, I had to fire him.”

Looking back, Klain said the shows that came into Royce and the kinds of shows that became popular always surprised him. When asked why he chose to write the book on Royce Hall, he took another moment to ponder before he responded.

“Do you need a reason?” he said.

Klain said that most of all, the book served as a way to document the events that captivated him for years.

“Somebody had convinced me that the things we did were culturally important to Southern California development, and we had to record it so we don’t lose it,” Klain said. “I think I was impressed by that argument, and it was important work.”

At age 93, Klain has been a lifelong Bruin in many capacities – as a historian, author, stage manager and UCLA football fan since the 1930s. And to his son, Klain has been the chief storyteller of UCLA. “My dad is an incredible storyteller – I loved listening to his stories,” Daniel Klain said. “I grew up with them, so I grew up at Royce Hall.”

Klain said, and everybody was sitting down and listening to the speeches on stage, when an airplane making a loud rumbling sound flew over with a message for the Shah.

Equipped with a loud motor that drew the crowd’s attention upward, the plane towed a banner that read, “Need a fix? See the Shah” – poking at the Shah’s rumored drug involvement.

Olympics

In the summer of 1984, the Olympics came to Los Angeles.

UCLA was designated as the athletes village, where all the athletes participating in the tournament resided. Accompanying the athletic events was a citywide arts festival in which venues across town hosted performances of world arts and cultures. As

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woman insisted.

“Oh no no, you don’t understand,” said Thornton, who had risen to success from modest beginnings, often working shows for no pay. “Big Mama only works for cash.”

1984

JIMMY KLAIN

in the lobbies of the Catskills resort hotels. At first, the arrangement was successful, because the promoter paid rent for the artists’ apartments and told them they could get food at the hotels if they identified themselves as part of the company.

Soon, however, the hotels cut off the food supply and the promoter failed to pay the artists or their rent, so Klain was stuck in New York with no food, no money and no house.

It was then that Freud, the actor whom the Freud Playhouse at UCLA is named after, called Klain with a proposition.

Freud said that UCLA was attempting to put together a formal Theater Arts Department and needed people to help launch the new program. Freud had heard of Klain due to his undergraduate involvement with drama on campus, and offered Klain a position as the technical director for the new program and the Royce Hall theater.

Klain said that post-World War II, there was a lot of funding for the development of buildings and programs for the arts, especially on the UCLA campus, which helped spark the early days of theatrical production and public shows in Royce Hall.

In 1948, Klain joined the staff of the new Theater Arts Department as a theater technician, and then went on to become the first manager of Royce Hall.

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

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n Janss Steps – among the cluster of chatting students, teaching assistants with papers tucked against their elbows and busy professors on their way to lecture – one face pops up more often than most.

Ron Jarvis, the patron services manager for Royce Hall, said he loves walking around outside the building to talk to passersby and grabbing wandering students for a quick tour of the theater inside. Although his official position is to operate the internal workings of Royce Hall, he also acts as an ambassador, ready with a couple of anecdotes that he has picked while working for more than 20 years at Royce.

“To me, she’s a she,” Jarvis said. “Even though we know Royce Hall as the icon of UCLA, the picture of UCLA that you see, (she) is also an incredible ambassador. (She’s) very impressive – to put it lightly, there are lots of stories.”

Jarvis’ story began with a psychic who talked him into

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part of this festival, UCLA hosted British theater troupe Royal Shakespeare Company as well as Italy’s Teatro di Milano.

Also in 1984, Jessica Wodinsky – in her first year out of college – began her 30-year career at Royce Hall as a member of the technical staff.

Wodinsky said that it was one of the first times she remembers seeing people from all over the world in one place. She said it was an eye-opening experience for a fresh gradu-

Throughout his time, Jarvis said he’s seen the history of Royce Hall and UCLA unfold in front of him one event at a time, and it hasn’t always been easy. In 1994, a few years after Jarvis joined as a backstage crew member, the Northridge earthquake shook the foundations of Los Angeles, wreaking havoc on buildings that didn’t have the infrastructure to withstand an earthquake of that magnitude.

Royce Hall was no exception and was left shattered by the quake.

Jarvis said he was responsible for going through the nooks and crannies of the entire building and documenting the damage for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“After the first day, I came back in tears,” Jarvis said.

“I was crying – I couldn’t believe it. The crew asked me, ‘What’s the matter?’ I said, ‘Well, we’re going to have to close.’ That was painful.”

ate, holding her first full-time job, to work with staff from England, Italy and countries from all over the world on such a grand event.

“Now we take it for granted that we see people from all over the world,” Wodinsky said. “At the time, that didn’t happen that often. We felt very special about the whole thing.”

Wodinsky said one of her favorite parts of the experience was going out for drinks with

Sir Ian McKellen who, at the time, was known not as a film actor, but as a trained Shakespearean actor instead.

“He’s a really low-key guy,” Wodinsky said. “I have a deep respect for him.”

DAILY BRUIN ARCHIVE

Superhighway Summit

Following the earthquake, Jarvis left Royce Hall to work at Cal State Los Angeles as a theater manager for seven years.

Throughout that time, however, Jarvis said he missed Royce Hall, and it felt like he was away from home. Despite the lack of a formal job offer, Jarvis decided to return to Royce Hall to work as a “casual” – a part-time extra – until the job of house manager opened up, which he seized.

Jarvis said that aside from each show’s quirks, what he enjoys most is the unexpected evocation of emotion and reflection that certain shows bring.

In 2007, the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, then called UCLA Live, hosted “Black Watch” – an awardwinning production about a Scottish regiment in the Iraq War, exploring the complex issues of wartime – at the Freud Playhouse.

Jarvis said the performance came at a time when the Iraq War was a hotly contested topic, so the audience was composed of lots of people who were against the war and lots of people who were for it.

“It was fascinating to witness,” Jarvis said. “Because they all came out, and it affected both sides. People came out stunned.”

Jarvis said he remembers the woman he was sitting next to was brought to tears by the performance.

She was crying throughout the whole show and apologized, Jarvis said, so he sat with her and comforted her. Finally, she told Jarvis that her brother had suffered from posttraumatic stress following the Vietnam War and committed suicide. It wasn’t until this show that she began to understand some of what her brother went through and some of the things he must have seen.

“It caught her so viscerally that it just leveled her,” Jarvis said. “This is what theater is for. For her, it lanced at something that had been inside of her for a long time.”

Jarvis said part of what has kept him grounded at Royce Hall is the change in perspective that its shows bring , a refreshing constant over the years.

“If you go into the hall in the middle of the afternoon, you’ll feel the energy of all these shows that have been going (for decades),” Jarvis said. “There’s a vibration in that room that’s really different, so it’s wonderful to walk around with the lights out and just kind of cruise in there.”

Jarvis said that although all theaters have this feel, with Royce Hall, it’s more personal.

“Royce is very special for me, especially since I’ve climbed into every corner,” Jarvis said. “So yeah, it’s a living thing.”

In January 1994, several of the nation’s leaders in business, academia and government gathered to discuss the implications of a new telecommunications network.

Keynote speaker and former Vice President Al Gore spoke to a crowd of more than a thousand, introducing the “information superhighway” – a concept we now know as the Internet.

Ron Jarvis said he remembers working intimately with the Secret Service to organize the security for the high-profile event.

At one point, Jarvis said, the Secret Service asked Jarvis to get Gore’s lectern off the stage.

“It was a beautiful lectern,” Jarvis said. “It had the seal of the

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RON JARVIS

Superhighway Summit, in which keynote speaker and former Vice President Al Gore spoke to a community of the world’s leading academics and technology business leaders to introduce the concept of the Internet.

Jarvis said his main job throughout the years has been taking care of Royce Hall and everyone within it – making sure everything that comes in and out of Royce does so smoothly. Part of his job, he said, is solving the unique and often strange backstage problems that each event brings.

For the Superhighway Summit, Jarvis recalls working with the Secret Service and the Navy SEALs to establish security for the high-profile event.

“I had to walk the Secret Service around for a week,” Jarvis said. “They went around the entire area, lifted up manhole covers and went inside to make sure nothing was there, and then welded them closed.”

Jarvis said he remembers walking Secret Service agents with bomb-sniffing dogs throughout the entire building and dealing with unforeseen situations, such as a suspicious, large filing cabinet that had been left outside the hallways of the French department for a year. The cabinet was placed directly above the room that Gore was to have lunch in with the event’s dignitaries.

No one knew how it got there, Jarvis said, and after a back-and-forth between the agents and a member of the French department who seemed to know nothing about it, Jarvis offered a simple solution.

“I grabbed a hand truck and pushed it to the other end of the building,” Jarvis said. “That satisfied those guys.”

1994

auditioning as a circus clown, the first job of his five-decade career in the world of theater and entertainment.

“I never really had a plan,” Jarvis said. “What happens is, I just go places sometimes, and I’m happy. I have no attention span.”

Behind the hardware shop that Jarvis worked at in the summer of 1972, a tarot card reader who owned a shop nearby had a prediction for him.

One day, he said, the psychic handed Jarvis and his roommate a clip from the newspaper advertising an audition for clown college, convinced they should try out.

Jarvis said he didn’t necessarily believe in psychics, but she was so adamant, even lending Jarvis her Volkswagen to make the trip, that he and his roommate took her up on her prediction.

“It was a real hoot,” Jarvis said. “We put together a little routine where we boxed each other, and sure enough, by the end of the interview, they called us over and invited us to clown college.”

Following clown college, Jarvis became a professional clown with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circus, doing silent comedy. He intended to move to Paris to further his art.

Jarvis’ career took an abrupt turn in 1975, when he saw the “National Lampoon Lemmings” show in New York, which featured John Belushi, Bill Murray and other comedians who later gained fame on “Saturday Night Live.”

Inspired by the style of their comedy and the backstage conversation he had with the comedians, Jarvis moved to Chicago to join The Second City improvisational comedy troupe. For the next few years, Jarvis worked as an actor and freelance writer, and found success writing and acting for television shows such as “Star Trek,” “Matlock” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”

In the late 1980s, things slowed down for Jarvis, as a buildup of writers’ strikes made it increasingly difficult for freelance writers to find work.

After the Writers Guild of America strike of 1988, Jarvis, whose daughter had turned 3 years old, decided to pursue a more stable job. Following up on a suggestion from a friend who was a stage manager at the time, Jarvis began his career at Royce Hall in 1989 as a member of the backstage crew.

Since then, Jarvis has worked hundreds of shows in art, entertainment and academia, from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Coldplay concerts to the 1994

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

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DAILY BRUIN ARCHIVE

positions on the technical staff until she reached her role today as lead electrician. Wodinsky said her job is to do what it takes to make a show work, and MacGyver solutions for all the technical problems this task requires.

“You have to be a little bit of a negotiator, a little bit of a designer,” Wodinsky said.

“And you have to know your equipment, and what will and won’t work in this theater. You (have to) know your space.”

Wodinsky said that to be effective in her position, she has to know a little bit about a whole lot of things, especially the nooks and crannies of the building and its architectural features, some of which date back to the 1920s. Or, as her crew puts it, she’s the one who “knows where all the dead bodies are buried.”

Building architecture, lighting, electric circuitry and crafting gadgets are just some of the components Wodinsky said she works on and has to learn in order to customize the stage for a particular show.

Stage lighting and other aspects of a performance that can easily be taken for granted, Wodinsky said, can often be complicated by nuances in equipment and design, such as having to convert from European to American power for a highly specialized stage prop.

Although the Internet has made things easier to find, the rapid pace of technology constantly keeps her on her toes, she said as she fidgeted with the dials of her 2-year-old light board, which she said she’s still trying to figure out.

“You’re pedaling as fast as you can,” Wodinsky said. “But

vice president – it was very fancy.”

Jarvis said he ran to the stage and went to yank it, and then realized that the lectern weighed about 300 pounds.

“They just started laughing,” Jarvis said. “They thought it was the funniest thing.”

“Slava’s Snowshow”

In January 2007, Royce Hall featured the renowned stage performance “Slava’s Snowshow,” conceptualized and staged

by Russian performance artist and clown Slava Polunin.

Jarvis said it was one of the most bizarre events he’s witnessed.

“It was intermission,” Jarvis said. “One of my little ushers came and said ‘Ron, the clowns are fighting.’”

“So I said, ‘Well, I used to be a clown,

JESSICA WODINSKY that’s what keeps the job interesting. That’s what keeps you here for 30 years.”

Another aspect that Wodinsky said keeps her around is the fact that after all these years, the people she works with have become like family.

Occasionally, the crew meets up outside of the hall for a drink after work, or to support and maybe do some backstage

work for a dance recital for a co-worker’s daughter. Most of the crew’s time, however, is devoted to the unpredictable hours spent together in the nooks and crannies of Royce Hall to set up the next big show.

“The longevity of people like myself (that work here) is a really fun thing,” Wodinsky said. “We are sort of like a little family, warts and all.”

you know, that’s what we do.’”

“No, they’re fighting with the audience,” the usher said.

“They’re fighting by the stage.”

Jarvis said he made his way over to the stage to investigate the commotion.

“I go down to the stage, and our sound guy is sitting on a guy,” Jarvis said. “There is another guy who’s got a clown grabbed by the shirt and they’re in each other’s faces, screaming.”

“I watched this guy head-butt the clown and the clown let go, and I got a hold of the guy’s arm, and he’s swinging me around,” Jarvis said. “I don’t weigh anything, you know.”

Finally, after the two parties were sequestered to the back of the theater, the police arrived, Jarvis said, and asked him what happened.

“One guy head-butted a clown,” Jarvis said he told the police.

“Which one?” the cop said.

“The one with the extra eyebrows.”

Sure enough, Jarvis said, the attacker had an incriminating imprint of the clown’s eyebrows stuck on his face.

After handcuffing the perpetrator, the cop looked at his record and asked him, “You work for the department of corrections?”

“Yes,” the handcuffed man said. “I am a psychologist.”

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n a sold-out night, about 1,800 people occupy the seats and aisles of the Royce Hall auditorium.

The morning before, however, the theater is empty, creating a quiet and unusual serenity. Well, almost empty.

About 80 feet above the central seating area inside the building’s attic, Jessica Wodinsky, the theater production supervisor, makes herself at home, perched behind three large lights angled downward toward the stage. With a few taps on her iPhone app, a burst of vibrant light replaces a single spotlight to illuminate the space below.

To Wodinsky, this area – a cluster of wires, switches, lights and scaffolding that make up the hidden infrastructure of the auditorium – is her stage.

As the theater production supervisor, Wodinsky is the master electrician and technician for the theater’s productions, and has been helping put together shows at the hall for 30 years. Behind each show that forms the heart and soul of Royce Hall, Wodinsky is part of the brain that makes it all work.

“I was never interested in acting – I liked working with my hands,” Wodinsky said. “I never found anything else I like better.”

Wodinsky said she’d been doing theater since she was 13 years old, and found her niche backstage working on a production’s technical aspects.

She attended UCLA as an undergraduate student from 1978 to 1983 and studied theater, but said that aside from attending the occasional show, she never gave Royce Hall a second thought.

“It didn’t even occur to me that I could come back, or that they had a group of people working backstage,” Wodinsky said.

After freelancing for about a year, Wodinsky came on as part of the technical staff in 1984, the year Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics.

“Coming out of college, you think you know everything, but you don’t,” Wodinsky said. “It was a big eye-opener – it was a great way to meet people from all over the world.”

Wodinsky said UCLA was an integral part of the arts festival portion of the 1984 Olympics, hosting international cultural shows such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and Teatro di Milano.

“Now we take it for granted that we see people from all over the world,” Wodinsky said. “At the time, that didn’t happen that often. We felt very special about the whole thing.”

Over the decades, she worked her way up through different

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ohn Henson worked his way up from grunt to student concert director, booking Neil Young, Tom Petty and Frank Zappa as an undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara.

Acknowledging his own high school garage band experience, Henson said he never took himself as a musician seriously, but instead discovered a behind-the-scenes love for music.

“I realized that I loved getting involved in concerts,” Henson said. “And then I realized what I liked the best was the campus environment.”

In 1985, Henson was hired as the adviser to the Student Committee for the Arts at UCLA. From director of patron services to director of operations and now rental events manager, Henson is still with Royce Hall more than 30 years later.

Henson began to coordinate concerts while acting as an adviser, and now he organizes about 50 external events in Royce Hall each year, from Coldplay’s “Ghost Stories” in 2014 to the Farmers Insurance Group’s upcoming company meeting.

After so many years with Royce Hall, Henson said it’s hard for him to choose a favorite night.

The time when 2001’s “The Harry Smith Project” – joining Elvis Costello, Beck and many more – extended from one to two nights. Or when Elton John made a guest appearance at a Rufus Wainwright benefit concert in 2012 and gave him a kiss. Or a few months ago, when Henson was called backstage to take a picture with Oprah Winfrey during a soul-session

JOHN HENSON

recording.

“There have been so many,” said Henson, smiling.

But for him, Henson said celebrity moments fall second to his love of Royce. In the 1990s, Henson said the pop concert industry underwent a massive transformation from independent promoters to huge corporations, like Live Nation and the Anschutz Entertainment Group. However, at Royce, the staff gets a near-extinct privilege: independence.

“To be an artistic director is becoming a rare breed,” Henson said. “To be a campus presenter and be able to book entirely based on ... artistic aesthetic makes it a special place to work.”

Henson said rental management is ultimately service-related.

From mom-and-pop first-timers to the American Idol crew, Henson said his goal remains unchanged: to pull together an event to be proud of.

“I want everybody that comes here to have a great experience,” Henson said.

Unlike recorded music, a live performance requires months of planning followed by four to five days of intense preparation – all leading up to one moment.

Henson said this type of environment demands a level of camaraderie, teamwork and trust from the entire staff. After 30 years at Royce, Henson said he cannot imagine retiring anywhere else – these people have become his family.

“You don’t get another chance for another take.”

2014

British rock band Coldplay set upon Royce Hall on May 19, 2015, to celebrate the international release of its sixth studio album, “Ghost Stories.”

The concert was Coldplay’s only West Coast appearance during the band’s six-city world tour, and tickets, priced at $1,000, sold out within minutes.

It was one of the biggest events the hall has accommodated, said Jarvis, who said he remembers managing the wild crowd as a challenging task.

“That was insane,” Jarvis said. “We were just going crazy.”

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DAILY BRUIN ARCHIVE

“FAMILY ” of like a

– warts and

ALL

- jessica wodinsky

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thing – ron jarvis

”

kobe bryant: beyond a hero WRITTEN BY ELDRIN MASANGKAY here are three steps that always occur right after I dry my hands with a paper towel.

The first step is to crumple the paper into a ball. The second step is to find the nearest trash can and step back at least 10 feet. The last step – the most important of the three – reflects my childhood, my hero and my degree of idolization. I throw the paper towel while flicking my wrist as if it were a basketball. Then I shout as loud as I can, not caring about who will hear me or how people will perceive me, “KOBE!” I watch the paper towel go into the trashcan and I move on with my day.

My obsession with the Lakers and Kobe Bryant is only an extension of millions of others who bleed purple and gold in Los Angeles.

Here is an athlete who chose not to go to college, was accused of sexual assault and is described as selfish, selfcentered and demanding.

Despite this, Kobe may be Los Angeles’ biggest hero.

The number “24” is printed on jerseys across the city.

Kids look up to him as a god. Some claim he is the best basketball player of all time. Others see him as a leader, the hardest worker to ever grace an arena.

I look up to Kobe a different way than most. He was more than my hero – he was my father figure.

On May 12, 1997, Kobe Bryant – a rookie at the time – was entrusted with responsibilities that a 15-year veteran would have been given. It was game five of the Western Conference Semifinal against the Utah Jazz. With a few seconds left on the clock, Kobe took matters into his own hands and attempted a game-winning shot. Not only did he miss, but it also ended up being an air ball. The game went to overtime, and Kobe added three more air balls in the extra period. The Los Angeles Times noted the way Kobe brushed this off: “Kind of water under the bridge. People around me, meaning the media and coaching staff, really looked at those shots as kind of being a turning point, so to speak. I just basically looked at it as giving me more

confidence.” Nineteen years later, Kobe had hit more than 30 game-winners in his tenure as a basketball player.

The truth is that out of the 8,063 days I have lived on this earth, I have only seen my father in person once, when I traveled to the Philippines two years ago.

Without a father figure in my life, there was no one to teach me about sports. No one to hand me a wrench to show me how to fix a car. No one to push me to take swimming lessons. No one to write a Father’s Day card to.

My mother was not interested in these things. She tried the best she could to be that father figure, but we both knew that it was different.

I’ve felt lonely on several occasions without someone other than my mom to go get advice from, and there were times when I would have no one to talk to about “male” things. There would be no Super Bowl parties hosted at our house or occasional Sunday barbecues.

But when people ask, “Do your parents allow you to do this?” or “Did your parents buy you that?” I always

emphasize, “Yes, my mom did this,” or “Yes, my mom bought me that.” I dismiss the notion that my father plays a role in my life – using the plural of the word “parent” is an insult.

My mother moved to the United States alone when she was 29 years old, carrying nothing but a child in her tummy and a couple of bags, in order to give her son a life full of promise. At that point, my father was nowhere in the picture. My mother chose to raise her only child in Los Angeles, a city she heard was known for fulfilling dreams.

While it’s true that this city might have had the resources to raise me successfully, there was and always will be one piece missing: someone I can call “dad.”

In the summer of 2003, Kobe Bryant was accused of sexual assault on the night before a surgery in Edwards, Colorado. The accuser did not end up testifying, and a settlement was reached.

Throughout that year, Kobe lost the respect of the media

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PHOTO BY AUSTIN YU

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

“ MY HERO.” thank you for being

In the summer of 2004, Kobe Bryant was the center of all blame. Kobe and his partner in crime, Shaquille O’Neal, won three championships together, playing a dynamic and almost unstoppable one-two punch. But there came a point when their partnership turned into a divorce, and Shaq left Los Angeles via a trade. All fingers pointed to Kobe for Shaq’s departure. According to former coach Phil Jackson, Kobe was tired of being the sidekick, and others blamed him for his arrogance and unwillingness to share the spotlight. They said Kobe wouldn’t be able to succeed anymore after kicking Shaq out.

Despite all this criticism, Kobe was able to make it to the finals three times, win two championships and earn two

Olympic gold medals after Shaq’s departure.

Kobe taught me what it means to be a hard worker.

Kobe taught me why success should be the only option.

Kobe taught me what it means to be a leader, but at the same time, a facilitator – and one who can fend for himself. Kobe taught me that despite the hate, the bashing and the insults, you can still be the greatest.

These are all values that my father might have taught me. Nonetheless, these are values that I grew up with. I grew up being a hard worker, where success was the only option. I grew up being a leader and a facilitator who can fend for himself. I grew up knowing that no matter how many people bash or insult me, I can still strive to be great.

It’s the fact that Kobe is the first one in the gym and the last one to leave, that inspires me to work hard in everything I do. It’s the fact that Kobe plays through injury after injury – even shooting free throws with a torn Achilles – that pushes me to continue even after I fail. It’s the fact that Kobe gave gifts to his teammates when he won the Most Valuable Player award – because he thought he owed it all to them – that teaches me success is never accomplished alone.

I was able to overcome the common stereotypes of only children who grow up without fathers. I did not end up as an academic failure, or live socially awkward, or lack knowledge about sports. It wasn’t easy.

There are times when people around me, especially those in the Daily Bruin office, jokingly call me “dad.” I find that rather ironic but comforting at the same time. I’m glad to know that I can be seen as a father figure, even without having one in my life.

So thank you, Kobe.

Thank you for teaching me all the values that are overlooked by the media and the naysayers.

Thank you for inspiring me to be the hard worker that I am.

Thank you for being my hero.

Although you’re ending your basketball career, the impact you have made on my life will never be forgotten.

I will remember it every time I succeed, every time I work hard and every time I wash my hands, rip that paper towel, roll it into a ball and spot a trash can. I will remember it when I yell loudly without any shame,

“KOBE!”

LEFTOUT WRITTEN BY CHRIS CAMPBELL PHOTOS BY AUSTIN YU

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Part 0: Prologue

he “city of shanties.” The “home of the homeless.” The “homeless capital” of America.

Los Angeles has earned several nicknames for one dubious distinction: It has the greatest number of chronically homeless people in the country.

They’re the people sleeping in Westwood storefronts, carrying all their worldly possessions in a barely full garbage bag or shopping cart.

There’s a complex web of policy that stretches from places like a small eight-bed shelter in a Westside church all the way up to Los Angeles City Hall. This op-ed is telling the story of why homelessness in Los Angeles has gotten so out of hand, the local advocates – some of whom have dedicated their lives to this issue – and the decisions that have driven the government’s bungling response.

Because beneath all the bureaucracy, the staff contracts, the waivers and the forms, there are real people who need help.

Like Bob. Bob used to live on the streets of Westwood. Nicknamed “Gandalf” by locals for his long white beard, he had a mental illness that compelled him to keep two shopping carts with him at all times, filled to the brim with empty plastic bags.

Bob spent his days wandering the streets of Westwood, collecting plastic bags. He spent his nights in an encampment near the Westwood Presbyterian Church.

He lived like this for 25 years. Bob had money and a family who wanted him to come home. But for years, Bob refused them and the outreach workers who tried to engage

him. The only way they could have helped him was if he voluntarily agreed to check into a shelter.

They used to joke: “We’re gonna throw one long party for Bob when we finally get him in a shelter.”

Bob died six months ago. He never went to a shelter. He died where he lived – on the streets.

This story came from Andrew Thomas, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, or the BID. It was shocking, but not surprising.

There is not a lot a nonprofit could have done to help Bob, someone who regularly refused the services and help offered to him. It’s indicative of larger problems with the response to the LA homelessness epidemic: an unclear policy approach to the issue and the limits of nonprofit organizations that simply lack the resources to directly impact the problem.

The only way homelessness will subside is through a large-scale effort to actually house homeless people for good.

“It’s terrible that Bob died on the streets,” Thomas said.

He was visibly emotional for the first time during that interview. “It didn’t have to happen.”

Part I: history

Understanding homelessness in Los Angeles means understanding the roots of the problem and the way it has developed over the decades.

During the Great Depression, millions of Midwestern workers lost their jobs, homes and livelihoods. Some packed their things, abandoned their families and rode the railroads west to Los Angeles in search of a fresh start. The migrants, typically young men, eventually settled close to

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and his fans. He lost endorsements from multiple companies. Calls of “adulterer” and “rapist” rang in visiting arenas, and the press surrounded Kobe with negativity the entire season. The Lakers fell short of a championship.

Kobe stated in an interview with GQ: “I’m Catholic, I grew up Catholic, my kids are Catholic – was talking to a priest ... he said, ‘Let it go. Move on. God’s not going to give you anything you can’t handle, and it’s in his hands now. This is something you can’t control. So let it go.’ And that was the turning point.”

After that year, he scored 81 points in one game, won Most Valuable Player in 2008 and surpassed Michael Jordan to become the third-highest scorer in NBA history.

Now, he is portrayed in the media as someone with strong family values who takes care of his wife and two children.

In “Life Without Father,” David Popenoe wrote, “Growing up without a father may be a root cause of many social ills – from crime to academic failure.”

There are other stereotypes about fatherless children: I would live socially awkward, I would not know anything about sports, I would not know how to live a life of leadership or manhood.

Was that the case though?

Just like how Kobe was labeled as a terrible role model, I faced the stereotype of how fatherless children end up.

I didn’t want to fall into the stereotype. I tried not to be the stereotype. At the same time, I also did not want to admit that not having a father was a problem. I don’t usually talk about it.

To me, being fatherless became more of a challenge than a problem. It became more of a “throw yourself into the fire and see what happens” situation. I wanted to prove the doubters wrong, but mostly prove to myself that I could end up happy and successful.

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

inequality under close scrutiny. And now – if international headlines are to be believed – the world has begun paying attention to the LA homeless population.

For decades, the city government and local police considered two options. They could ignore the problem and shoo homeless people off sidewalks and into alleyways or behind buildings. Or they could arrest them.

Neither is a good option. Simply moving homeless individuals away from the street without addressing the core reasons of why they were there in the first place is akin to sweeping the problem under the rug. Likewise, police crackdowns may fill the jails and exacerbate law enforcement relations with the local community, but it essentially amounts to a Band-Aid solution. As long as housing remains scarce and unaffordable, as long as people go without sustainable wages and as long as people with mental illnesses can’t access the care they need, the problem will continue.

There’s been a long history of empty gestures and ineffective policies on the part of the city. But Los Angeles’ homeless population is increasing every year, and the world is now watching.

Something’s got to give.

Part II: a path to recovery

It’s common to encounter small shantytowns in the hustle and bustle of Westwood Village. After all, compared to other areas of the city, the Village is relatively safe and well-maintained – attractive qualities for someone living on the street. An annual count in February found 33 homeless individuals, vehicles and shelters in the area bordered by Santa Monica Boulevard and the 405 Freeway, up slightly from 27 last year.

Thomas is leading the local effort to reach out to these people. Thomas arrived in 2011 during the creation of Westwood’s business improvement district, or BID, a nonprofit organization responsible for maintaining Westwood’s public spaces.

This BID operates like most other BIDs across the country: A fee is added to local property taxes, which

the county government collects and directs back to the neighborhood BID. Thomas says the BID wants to keep Westwood clean, safe and beautiful (it’s the BID’s official slogan). Typically, this involves cleaning up trash and graffiti as well as landscaping and maintenance.

But a big part of the neighborhood aesthetic is the local homeless population, and helping them goes a long way toward staying true to the BID’s slogan.

“This is the other big part of our operation – providing hospitality to people on the streets and trying to get them into shelters,” Thomas said.

It’s easier said than done. The contracted BID staff employ different strategies for each person they encounter.

Their endgame is to build a trusting relationship with each person and eventually help them into a local shelter run by People Assisting the Homeless, or PATH, another nonprofit that collaborates with the BID. The strategy can start with simply offering some food or a blanket. All the while, employees reinforce their message: Come with them, and find a place to stay.

The BID and PATH meticulously record each encounter with the person’s location, initials and services offered. It could take hundreds of interactions before someone finally agrees to go to a shelter. It happens rarely, but it does happen.

Thomas recalled a man named Ruben, who spent 10 years around Westwood. After thousands of attempts to connect with him, Ruben decided to check into a PATH shelter.

“It’s amazing to see him now,” Thomas said. “He spoke at our last annual meeting, and he just looks so different now. He’s got a job, and his entire life’s just turned around.”

The BID began contracting with PATH in February 2012.

Since then, they have housed more than 30 people. It’s good, but it hasn’t transformed Westwood by any means.

What’s more, the local homeless population isn’t dropping. Despite the BID’s best efforts, the number of homeless people in Westwood has increased over the past year.

mobile clinic project

That can’t be pinned on PATH or the BID. They’re facing a constant influx of people from around Los Angeles, and PATH can only house a few hundred of them at a time.

The simple fact is that Los Angeles’ homelessness problem is Westwood’s homelessness problem. And it will persist in Westwood as long as it persists in the rest of the city.

Part III: student involvement There’s a board affixed to a wall in the lobby of the Luskin School of Public Affairs Building. Emblazoned on the Plexiglas front is a quote by anthropologist Margaret Mead that reads, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.”

No one reasonably expects small, student-run nonprofits to solve homelessness. But they can help initiate the social and cultural change that eventually will.

The new Bruin Shelter is one of these nonprofit student organizations. The graduate mechanical engineering student who helps run the shelter is clean and kempt, with a boyish face. He’s also been living in his car for the past year.

Louis Tse is a co-founder of Bruin Shelter, which seeks to give homeless UCLA students a place to eat and rest.

He says it’s difficult to quantify how many students face this situation because they value their privacy and don’t necessarily want their issues coming to light.

He and co-founder Luke Shaw, a fellow graduate mechanical engineering student, have been working to raise $25,000 to cover the annual operating cost of the shelter.

Part of that money comes directly from Tse’s own bank account – he moved into his car in order to forgo the rent for his old Westwood apartment. Instead, the money goes toward Bruin Shelter.

Tse and Shaw were inspired by Harvard University’s Y2Y Harvard Square, which opened a shelter last year catering to young adults – the first of its kind. Shaw said young homeless people often face abuse at the hands of older shelter-seekers, who are often more hardened and streetsmart than the former.

But serving homeless students is only part of Bruin Shelter’s goal. Tse envisions it as a platform to involve more students in social justice initiatives. Whether students volunteer at the shelter or not, he wants to instigate a cultural change to alter the prevalent perception of homeless people.

Bruin Shelter is just one of several student-run initiatives on campus designed to address homelessness. The Mobile Clinic Project at UCLA works to address health issues faced by homeless individuals, according to undergraduate coordinator Jimmy Zheng. The clinic distributes clothing, hygiene products and glasses, provides insurance counseling, physical therapy and more.

Like his Bruin Shelter peers, Zheng wants to engage the student body about the issue of homelessness.

“It’s easy to buy into the stigma against it, but the fact is that these are some of the most vulnerable people in

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the railroad terminal near downtown Los Angeles. The area, newly christened “skid row,” began to develop a reputation as a slum.

The population of skid row grew after World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War as veterans settled there. By the 1960s, skid row was notorious as a haven for alcohol- and drug-addicted young men.

As the influx of increasingly poor veterans forced the neighborhood even further into destitution, local business interests grew skittish and demanded action. The city government began a policy precedent that had major repercussions in the following decades: cracking down on fire and safety code violations in the area. Landlords faced two options: either spend thousands to renovate their buildings or demolish them. They chose the latter.

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce estimates that up to 7,500 units – about half of the skid row housing stock – were demolished by the early 1970s.

At the same time, frostbitten Easterners were flocking to the Southland, lured by the siren’s song of sun, sand and surf – set to a Beach Boys melody, of course.

As Southern California’s population swelled, so did housing prices. Suddenly, people whose homes on skid row were demolished found themselves on the street – and with nowhere else to go but outward.

The problem festered during the 1980s as local hospitals shifted away from serving people with mental illnesses due to shrinking federal funding, forcing them out onto the streets to fend for themselves. By that point, Los Angeles was already known as the “homeless capital” of America.

Then-Mayor Tom Bradley attempted to rectify the situation by accommodating the growing shantytowns in skid row, along the Los Angeles River and elsewhere in the city. He allowed homeless people to remain on the streets through temporary measures like approving a homeless campground and supporting temporary shelter funds. This weak response allowed homelessness to continue unabated into the 1990s.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, sections of the inner city began to gentrify as new luxury condos and lofts sprouted, putting more pressure on the local homeless population. William Bratton, former chief of the Los Angeles police, pursued a new “tough on homelessness” approach, which pulled down shantytowns at the expense of full jails and tensions between police and the local community. Although the crime rate did indeed fall, there weren’t enough investments made in housing for the people forced off the streets. Homelessness still persisted.

Even glitzy Westwood had its share of homelessness issues as the VA West Los Angeles Medical Center provided a steady influx of homeless veterans. A myriad of other factors, such as poor urban planning, the rise of Santa Monica as a shopping destination and the 1988 gang shooting of Karen Toshima, left Westwood in economic decline. As the storefronts and sidewalks emptied, more homeless people set up camp.

However, in the 2010s, a downtown renaissance attracted international investments, bringing the city’s economic

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

Part IV: THE WAY HOME Quite frankly, there isn’t a lot that nonprofit organizations and private charities can do to directly end homelessness. It’s simply beyond their scope. So it’s up to the city, county and state governments to invest in measures to house the people on the streets.

Unfortunately, the local government’s response has been a joke.

After months of debating what should have been a no-brainer, Mayor Eric Garcetti declared a state of emergency for homelessness in early December. The declaration came with $12.4 million of emergency relief funds to keep homeless individuals out of harm’s way during the El Niño season.

But again, it’s like putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. The city council’s attempt to declare a shelter crisis and expand shelter capacity was a disaster. The council members debated about bylaws and bureaucracy instead of securing a concrete source of funding for housing. As the Los Angeles Times editorial board described it, the “whole process has been more of a turgid civics debate than an urgent response to a desperate situation.”

The city needs to rise above quick fixes and empty gestures if homelessness is to subside anytime soon. According to Toby Hur, a field

education faculty member at the school of public affairs, government leaders cannot remain complicit in the problem by ignoring it – he lamented the police crackdowns and revolving shelter doors.

Most of all, both Hur and Thomas expressed disdain for “right to rest” laws. These kinds of laws, which became popular in the 1980s, affirm homeless people’s rights to engage in everyday activities (such as eating and sleeping) in public spaces like parks. It’s a well-intentioned effort, but it’s enabling and fails to actually make homeless people’s lives better, according to Thomas. It lets people remain on the street.

Even shelters are only a temporary solution. People can usually only stay for a month or two, and then it’s back on the streets.

By contrast, supportive housing is an effective and economical way to serve the homeless population while addressing their complex needs and situations. A 2004 study by the Lewin Group found that permanent housing for a homeless person in New York would cost $41.85 per day, compared to $54.42 for a shelter and $74 for prison.

Another big part of the equation is the system of state psychiatric hospitals, which care for people with mental illnesses.

It’s the best option for those with serious psychiatric disorders who fi ​ nd it difficult to access the resources they need from society​to receive long-term shelter and care.

Between 2009 and 2011, the state government cut $587.4 million from its mental health services budget, which funds institutions like psychiatric wards.

The cuts were part of a process called “deinstitutionalization,” which sought to release patients from state psychiatric hospitals in order to better integrate them into society and save state money. However, as John Martin said in the Schizophrenia Digest, that experiment has been a massive failure, which has left people with serious mental illnesses to fend for themselves.

The cuts need to be reversed if the state wants to get people with mental illnesses off the streets for good. Extra funding will go a long way toward improving the quality of care provided and oversight to prevent the abuse that can sometimes take place in state psychiatric hospitals.

The fate of these institutions depends on the support of the state and local governments, which need to plan for and fund supportive developments.

So yes, ending homelessness is far beyond the scope of what the BID, Bruin Shelter, Mobile Clinic Project or any other nonprofit could ever hope to achieve. But that doesn’t mean they don’t play vital roles. Every person housed temporarily or given supplies is a step in the right direction, but the true purpose of these nonprofits is to draw attention and get the locality involved in the issue. In this respect, the advocates may have finally reached a breakthrough.

Los Angeles’ by-now notorious reputation as the “homeless capital” of America has prompted the city to approve a plan with an estimated cost of $1.85 billion to build permanent supportive housing developments over the

next decade. The California State Senate is also working to pass a proposal to dedicate $2 billion to construct new housing statewide, in a move that Los Angeles Times reporter Gale Holland described as “the most sweeping from the state in a generation” and the Daily Bruin’s editorial board called “unequivocally, a good thing.”

This is good. This is progress. But there needs to be even greater investment in supportive housing if the government wants to make a substantive impact on homelessness.

And the local nonprofits still have work to do. They need to continue casting light on an issue that has crept under the radar for decades, because their efforts are starting to work.

“The local government and business response is far different now that it was 11 years ago,” Hur said. “People are finally starting to pay attention.”

I thought back to Thomas’ story about Bob, the man who spent 25 years on the streets of Westwood.

Thomas was right. It doesn’t have to happen.

Part V: epilogue

I’ll admit, I had a pretty jarring bout of writer’s block when I started writing this article.

So, on a Friday at 8:41 p.m., I shut my laptop and slipped on my shoes and jacket. I was going for a walk. Reporter’s notebook in hand, I headed for the Westwood Recreation Center, just south of the Wilshire Federal Building. I thought maybe I could find some inspiration away from the noise and traffic of Westwood Village.

The park was quiet when I arrived. Two men were still playing tennis on one of the courts. Other than that, it was dead.

But tucked away in the shadows, away from the glaring lights of the park and the street, a cluster of shopping carts peeked out from behind the bushes. Some had blankets haphazardly thrown on top. Some had none.

I took a long walk through the park that night and observed. I scribbled some words in my notebook, trying to piece everything together. The chilly January air sharpened my thoughts.

Homelessness is one of the greatest challenges facing modern American cities. Yes, the local nonprofits contribute and sacrifice and serve. But due to resource limitations, they are drops in the bucket. The responsibility to end homelessness lies squarely on the shoulders of the government, because the government is the only entity capable of enacting social and policy changes that can effectively house 44,000 people countywide.

There may not be a convenient or politically expedient solution, but it’s important that the community understands the problem and its underlying causes, and advocates a large-scale response to it. It’s the only way that real, substantive action against homelessness can begin.

But there’s still a lot of progress that needs to be made before supportive housing becomes a simple solution.

At 10:40 p.m., I returned to my apartment, sat down at my desk, opened my laptop and deleted everything I had written. Staring at a fresh, blank screen, I began to type.

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society,” Zheng said. “All it takes is a stroke of bad luck.”

The Mobile Clinic Project runs outreach events and awareness fairs throughout the year to capture the student body’s attention.

Both Mobile Clinic Project and Bruin Shelter depend on a steady money flow from other organizations, including My Friend’s Place, a volunteer group, and Kaiser Permanente.

They also depend on the university and the undergraduate student government to stay afloat.

There are many other initiatives on campus, but they all have something in common: Due to resource limitations, they’re small-scale operations that can’t make a big, direct impact on homelessness. Bruin Shelter expects to serve only six to eight students when it opens next year. Mobile Clinic Project simply provides health products and services to homeless individuals.

But that’s not the point. It’s unrealistic to expect any student nonprofit to drastically reduce the number of homeless people in a community. These efforts should be thought of as a means to an end – engaging the general public on homelessness and encouraging them to start paying attention and do something about it.

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

WRITTEN BY KEVIN TRUONG PHOTOS BY AUSTIN YU

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massive, 80-foot sign advertising the latest Hollywood attraction looms over drivers heading west on Wilshire Boulevard through Westwood.

Towering above the entertainment mecca of

Los Angeles, the colorful images cut a striking figure against the cold steel and concrete of the surrounding high-rises.

In January, pedestrians were treated to an image plugging the much-awaited sequel to 2014’s instant

classic, “Ride Along.”

But under the outstretched right leg of Kevin Hart – midway through a flying karate kick – read a small peculiar one-sentence label.

“Sky Posters: Creating and selling commercial pop culture posters, available inside.”

The longer story behind that phrase is a muddled

deep dive into the Los Angeles municipal system that has shaped the history of an otherwise nondescript West Los Angeles office building.

So what’s in a wall? Well, it turns out it’s a complicated tale involving the timeless political themes of money, greed and, of course, a legal loophole or two.

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STRIPPING AWAY THE PAINT @dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

“I’VE DONE THIS FOR YEARS.

FOR CHARITIES.

FOR FREE.

attacks, McNeilly painted another mural on the wall featuring Lady Liberty and a firefighter in honor of the first responders.

“This mural is a tribute to the courage and sacrifice of all the people who come and put their lives on the line in times of need,” McNeilly told the Los Angeles Times in 2001.

The new artwork had city officials in a political bind, forcing them to commend the work’s patriotic and artistic merit, while having to reiterate its illegality. Eventually the piece was found in violation of city ordinance, and McNeilly was hit with more than two dozen code violations, each

In his time on the city council, Feuer had made enemies of the billboard industry, consistently introducing new legislation to tamp down on what he considered to be a blight on the Angeleno landscape.

The major companies in the billboard industry decided to voice their displeasure toward Feuer to the tune of more than $400,000, an amount virtually unheard of at the time in a municipal election in the city. This staggering contribution came in the form of dozens of signs and billboards advertising Delgadillo across Los Angeles.

FOR POLITICAL STATEMENTS.” company.

“Look at my history,” McNeilly wrote in the June 2000 issue of the New Times L.A. “I’ve done this for years. For charities.

For free. For political statements. And I’ve never charged anybody. But people don’t like to think, ‘You mean, there’s actually some crazy artist who actually does stuff for free?’”

Westwood Community Council Chair Steve Sann sees McNeilly’s efforts a bit differently.

“He’s not an artist – he’s a billboard businessman,” Sann said. “He’s a horrific perpetrator of supergraphics in the world and advertises billboards so large you can see them from space.”

Sticking to his guns, McNeilly fought back against the charges, asserting his right to free expression of a noncommercial image. He later emerged victorious when a state appeals court sided with him and allowed the Statue of Liberty image to remain in place.

At face value, this may sound like the story of an innocent citizen standing up to an oppressive governmental force.

A letter sent to Los Angeles Times a few months before McNeilly’s court victory, however, ended up being oddly prescient.

“Who could complain about something as patriotic as the Lady? Should his claim be upheld, though, I can pretty much guarantee that his next mural won’t be of his mom holding an apple pie. It’ll be right back to the lucrative beer, jeans, cars, etc. I do hope the courts won’t be taken in by this man’s patently money-grubbing ploy,” wrote South Pasadena resident Mike Kvammen in response to a story about the mural in the paper.

Kvammen turned out to be slightly wrong in his prediction.

Instead of beer, jeans or cars, it was Japanese bombers screaming out at drivers on Wilshire Boulevard.

Not long after the court upheld McNeilly’s right to the memorial sign, he changed it again, this time as an advertisement for the Ben Affleck flick, “Pearl Harbor.”

Again, city officials ordered it be removed and threatened to hit McNeilly with fines or jail time if he refused.

McNeilly and the building owners ended up capitulating, but a few months later, the events of 9/11 shocked the nation, and the wall in Westwood again became a symbolic battleground over liberty, law and public art. Following the

carrying up to $1,000 in fines, and six months in jail.

Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, McNeilly again initiated a First Amendment fight against the city and its charges for the second time in as many years.

“There is no justification for such infringements on private, noncommercial speech,” said Dan Tokaji, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Southern California, in a statement at the time.

City officials contended that McNeilly was trying to make his mark, except in a less artistic way – by opening up the Wilshire Corridor to profitable billboard advertising.

The billboard industry is a force in LA politics to this very day, lobbying City Council for favorable regulation in the geographic center of the multibillion-dollar business. The efforts can be seen not too far away from UCLA, alongside the seedy glitz and glamour of the Sunset Strip.

The industry’s influence was also evident in the 2001 race for city attorney, which had major consequences for the controversial wall in Westwood.

On one side of the race was Feuer, who consistently stymied McNeilly and his efforts to get his work on the wall. Feuer was an attorney and politician who was known to rankle colleagues and special interest groups while acting as an outspoken advocate for West LA community members.

On the other side was Rockard “Rocky” Delgadillo, a native of East Los Angeles and a football star at Harvard University.

After returning to Los Angeles, he worked as an attorney at prominent law firms before being appointed as then-Mayor Richard Riordan’s deputy mayor for economic development.

Going into the race, Feuer had the advantage of greater name recognition, but Delgadillo had a secret weapon up his sleeve, spurred on by a recent court decision that approved so-called “independent expenditures” in the race.

This allowed businesses and special interest groups to contribute independently to campaigns if they followed a series of regulations, including not coordinating with the politicians beforehand.

“I think it was one of the first campaigns where we started to see a high level of independent expenditures by companies,” said Jean Merl, a former Los Angeles Times reporter who covered the election.

“Clearly, the billboard companies didn’t like Mike Feuer,” Merl said. “He would be the last person they’d want as city attorney.”

Sann put it a little more bluntly, accusing Delgadillo of being “owned and bought” by the billboard industry.

Billboard companies blanketed the city with Delgadillo’s name and image, making the generally quiet race for city attorney into a massive public affair. Delgadillo emerged as the victor of the hard-fought runoff election with 52.4 percent of the vote.

Soon after Delgadillo took office, City Council passed a ban on new “off-site” billboards, which are signs that direct to businesses at other locations. This kicked off a wave of lawsuits and litigation from sign companies wanting to assert their right to make money off billboard space.

In his new role as city attorney, Delgadillo was able to craft legal agreements that proved profitable to the sign companies that supported him during his campaign.

While the biggest media attention was focused on a 2006 settlement with Clear Channel to convert 400 of its billboards to more valuable digital billboards, a local example was on the humble west wall of the Westwood Medical Plaza building.

One of these allegedly favorable settlements in 2003 ended a series of back-and-forth lawsuits between McNeilly, the building owners and the city over the right to advertise on the wall. “(Delgadillo) decided to sell Westwood down the river instead of aggressively the fighting billboard blight,” Sann said.

As part of the settlement, the building owne rs agreed to put a public service message for one month out of the year on the wall or pay the city the equivalent revenue. Industry professionals estimate the cost of the posters at up to $3,000 a day in the busy throughway.

Additionally, the settlement gave the building owners the right to use the wall as a place for advertisements as long as it was solely used to promote “on-site” businesses.

That gets us to the origin story of the little phrase.

Under the terms of the settlement, only current tenants of the building with “bona fide office space” conducting “bona fide business” are allowed to place messages on the wall.

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The Westwood Medical Plaza building started out simply enough. It was built in the early 1960s as one of noted local architect Paul Williams’ last commissions, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy. The building’s west wall was left intentionally windowless so that patients weren’t forced to look out into the Los Angeles National Cemetery while sitting at the examination table.

But decades after the 12-story building’s construction, the white wall standing stark against the major urban vein of the Wilshire Corridor evolved into a valuable business opportunity for the building owners.

The Muller Company, which purchased the building in 1995, pictured the wall as a blank canvas for lucrative advertisements – and decided to act on it.

After striking a deal with Walt Disney Studios, the new owners commissioned commercial artist Mike McNeilly and his company, SkyTag, Inc., to create a mural for the upcoming re-release of “The Little Mermaid” in 1997.

However, LA Councilman Mike Feuer blocked McNeilly’s efforts to gain legal permission for the advertisement, and the painting was halted early into the process.

Frustrated by the bureaucratic system as well as Feuer’s unflinching stance against what he considered billboard blight, McNeilly gave up on the legal route and turned to guerillastyle efforts in order to get his next project up, which would eventually land him into deeper trouble with the city.

Playing the role of “The Man,” city officials arrested McNeilly two years after “The Little Mermaid” fiasco while he was painting a giant mural of the Statue of Liberty on the wall. At the time, he called it a tribute in honor of the veterans interred in the nearby cemetery.

On his way down the building, the artist was surreptitiously able to paint a tear rolling down Lady Liberty’s face, a cheeky commentary on what he said was an infringement on his constitutional right to free expression.

Less subtly, McNeilly returned to the scene after his arrest and pasted a colossal “censored” banner across the unfinished work.

For his part, McNeilly has always maintained that he is purely an artist, exercising his First Amendment right to freedom of expression by dotting the landscape of West Los Angeles with all-American consumerist images through his

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

“IN MY VIEW,

IT’S JUST A SHAM.”

to 5 p.m. on weekdays, alluding to a settlement provision that required bona fide businesses to be open during normal business hours. Multiple trips to the office, however, have seen the office door locked in the afternoon with no response to knocking.

The Sky Posters website features little additional information, as well as a history section pretty much cribbed word for word from the Wikipedia page for “poster.”

Dennis Hathaway, the president of the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight, said he’s been up to the location multiple times over the years and does not believe in the authenticity of the business.

“In my view, it’s just a sham,” Hathaway said. “Quite frankly, he’s thumbing his nose at the city.”

After his success in Westwood, McNeilly widened his scope across the city, posting supergraphic advertisements in more than a dozen sites across Los Angeles and picking up the profits.

Carmen Trutanich, who succeeded Delgadillo as city

attorney, took McNeilly and building management companies to court over the additional advertisements, which the city claimed were illegal.

In a case of legal déjà vu, McNeilly tried to make a civil liberties case out of the matter, again posting giant pictures of the Statue of Liberty at the locations. The trouble was that several of those sites displayed images with commercial advertisements for movies, TV shows, automobiles and other products and services not too soon after.

Hit with the preponderance of evidence, SkyTag, Inc., decided to settle with the city in 2013 by paying $1.2 million and removing the illegal images from 17 locations, including one on the opposite eastern wall of the Westwood Medical Plaza building.

However, under the terms of the new settlement, the previous agreement with Delgadillo still stood, meaning that the west wall was left untouched by the legal decision.

Since the case was settled “with prejudice,” the city is unable to bring the case back to court under the same

charges, leaving the issue languishing in a kind of legal limbo.

“That fine was just a slap on the wrist,” Hathaway said.

“He’s an opportunist. He’s making money and he doesn’t care about the law.”

In the 15 years since the original billboard fight, a lot has changed. Delgadillo was booted out of politics on the back of a number of controversies during his tenure as city attorney. Feuer, on the other hand, redeemed his 2001 defeat and entered the city attorney’s office in 2013, where he has been vocal about removing billboard blight.

And chastened by his defeat, the formerly chatty McNeilly has mainly strayed away from the public eye, holed up in his Beverly Hills compound, which Zillow estimates to be worth more than $2.5 million. McNeilly refused to comment for this story after repeated requests.

What has stayed constant throughout the years though are the colossal images overlooking the bumper-to-bumper traffic on Wilshire Boulevard, a literal illustration of the curvy and complicated story of a lone wall in Westwood.

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This meant that while McNeilly and the building owners were given the right to put up new signs, they were also left with a problem. The Westwood Medical Plaza building is home to doctors’ offices, health stores, pharmacies and even an LA Fitness, but it doesn’t house a movie production studio or theater, which would be the legal way for the profitable movie advertisements to qualify as an on-site sign.

So, McNeilly and the building owners decided to try something else. They set up a company in the building called Sky Posters, in effect creating an on-site business to legally justify the advertisements on the wall.

The building’s fifth floor houses the company’s sparse office space, which sells a limited amount of posters at exorbitant prices. A normal 27-by-40 inch poster, which retails for less than $20 on Amazon, instead sells for $110 there.

When asked for comment, an employee of the company refused to stay and answer questions about the business, instead choosing to leave the building via the parking lot.

The employee said that the business hours were from 9 a.m.

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

city guide

nder construction” was a phrase I would 'Los'U read every day as I bussed from downtown Angeles to my high school in Highland Park.

UNION STATION WRITTEN BY MIRIAM BRIBIESCA PHOTOS BY DANIEL ALCAZAR, MIRIAM BRIBESCA AND TEHYA FAULK

C

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ars honking, loud chatter, unexpected sights and smells. Downtown Los Angeles is much more than a crowded place full of cars – it is a hub made up of one of the most diverse populations in California. Walking through the streets, you might stumble upon enthusiastic photographers, aspiring artists and, of course, the occasional tourist making their way through the streets.

Filled with restaurants, cafes, street vendors and markets around every corner, downtown Los Angeles is an easy place for newcomers and native Angelenos to find home.

Moving around downtown Los Angeles can be tough

with a car due to Los Angeles’ reputation as “the city of traffic.” Unless you are willing to pay $10-15 for parking, the solution is Metro – the LA urban rail system.

Although the transportation system in Los Angeles is still expanding, taking the subway is necessary in order to become fully immersed in the downtown experience.

Union Station, historically the largest railroad terminal in the West, is the gateway to Los Angeles. Union Station is also a stage for daydreamers and lovers of peoplewatching. Musicians and artists are constantly performing at some corner of the station, providing a delightful experience of free music and performances for passersby.

After great anticipation, construction on Grand Park was finally completed July 26, 2012. Grand Park is a cascade of concrete and grass that begins at the top of Bunker Hill and ends at City Hall. It is a recreational space for all Angelenos who seek rest from the concrete jungle. Walking through the 12 acres, I remember falling in love with the pink tables and benches, the open space, the sweet pastel signs and the stunning view of the Los Angeles City Hall. Even after almost four years, Grand Park offers a space to breathe and enjoy the scenery in the otherwise crowded and loud city.

To navigate the different areas of downtown Los Angeles, take a Metro train and get off on any stop between Union Station and Seventh Street.

Walk into Bunker Hill, and you will encounter two blocks of touristy things to do and artistic things to see. Within Bunker Hill, The Broad, a new contemporary art museum, as well as the timeless Museum of Contemporary Art and the Walt Disney Concert Hall create an ideal place to unwind. Just across the street, visit the historic Angels Flight, known as the shortest railway track in the world at 298 feet, and walk up the steps beside it to reach California Plaza.

A favored location for many Angelenos, California Plaza presents a memorable experience both during the day and at night. During the day, California Plaza offers a serene hangout spot with its water court displaying a mini waterfall adorned with islands of flowers. Enclosed by the nearby skyscrapers One California Plaza and Two California Plaza, the edge of the plaza renders a stunning outlook of City Hall and a part of the greater downtown area. At night and especially during summer, Grand Performances, a performing arts group, offers free outdoor performances by local and international artists.

Essentially, California Plaza is the perfect getaway with friends or a significant other.

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los angeles

WALK

downtown

ANGELS FLIGHT

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

SHOP

“PÁSELE,

PÁSELE,

THE LAST BOOKSTORE

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In addition to outdoor sights and performances, downtown Los Angeles caters to fans of the indoors. The Last Bookstore offers a wide selection of books, vintage records and art pieces. With a labyrinth just above the bookstore, coming across peculiar books and magazines is common. The dim lighting, warm, rustic feel to the shelves, high ceilings and reading area right in the middle of the bookstore create a cozy atmosphere that fosters a great reading experience. Offering fair prices for classic vintage records and art pieces created by local artists, the Last Bookstore also hosts galleries, lectures and quirky events for fans of music and literature. If you are looking to relax, explore, lose yourself in stacks of books and indulge your artistic side, the Last Bookstore is the perfect place.

The combination of 19th-century building facades and spotless modern interiors make buildings in Los Angeles unique. For instance, just across from the Grand Central Market, the Bradbury Building looks ordinary from the outside, but its history and interior decor are rich. Known for being the oldest commercial building in LA, the Bradbury Building has a beautiful, dazzling interior court lit by natural lighting from the glass roof. Exquisite ornate rails as well as fiery-colored floors and walls surround all the balconies when you look up.

Reminiscent of a birdcage, the inside of the Bradbury Building has an industrial feel to it. It is not only perfect for pictures, but also a timeless work of art.

tenemos buenos precios para usted” (come on in, come on in, we have great deals for you) are words you will hear from vendors while walking through Santee Alley. Also known as Los Callejones, Santee Alley is the place to find bargains.

Stroll down 11th Street, deeper into downtown Los Angeles, to discover a thrifty alternative to shopping malls. People swarm the small alleys, passing by countless shops selling almost everything imaginable. Crowds of people eating “antojitos” (snacks) such as churros, mangonadas, diablitos, cueritos and delicious pastries, look for their next acquisition. Sellers lavishly flatter passersby in hopes of catching a sale. Los Callejones is one of the most vibrant and lively sectors of downtown Los Angeles, making it perfect for some afternoon shopping.

“It feels like home,” I remember my mom saying as we went through Olvera Street, or Placita Olvera, after getting off at Union Station. Olvera Street is an iconic little street that transports you to the little classic “pueblito” (ranch) where the air smells like “tierra mojada” (wet dirt), the sun glares on the handmade leather “chanclas” (sandals) and classic romantic melodies play in the distance. Aside from hosting colorful curiosities such as the Mayan Calendar or Dia de los Muertos skulls, Placita Olvera also entertains its visitors with traditional performances. With its vibrant colors, classic Mexican decorations, mariachis playing inside restaurants and a spirited crowd of people, Placita Olvera is a bubble of rich culture and bliss.

BUILDING

ake your way deeper into downtown, passing Pershing Square, and you will be at the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Walking through the delightfully grubby streets, small and authentic restaurants such as Sultan Chicken can be found. Simple, delicious and inexpensive are the perfect words to describe this disguised eatery in downtown Los Angeles. Located on Sixth Street and Broadway, Sultan Chicken serves flavorful Mediterranean cuisine at a great price. Order classic takeout with chicken or beef kabobs, rice, hummus, pita and a small side salad to enjoy a delightful meal. If you are vegetarian, the menu also has plates

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VALERIE

to cater to your preferences. A small, family-owned restaurant, Sultan Chicken’s affordable options and fast service will keep this place in your favorites list.

Not in the mood for Mediterranean food? If you are feeling ambitious, wander into Grand Central Market.

Under this one roof, you will find fresh produce as well as a plethora of street-style restaurants offering fingerlicking options for all tastes. Grand Central Market is possibly one of the most vivacious places in downtown Los Angeles.

Unlike a typical restaurant in the downtown area, Grand Central Market has both open and over-the-counter

SULTAN CHICKEN DAILY DOSE

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TUMBRAS A TOMAS TACOS

EAT

GRAND CENTRAL MARKET

seating, and hosts various vendors such as Sarita’s Pupuseria, Tacos Tumbras a Tomas and Valerie at Grand Central Market, to name a few. When ordering pupusas at Sarita’s, order a classic bean pupusa with cheese or any other filling – there are vegan options available. Make sure to add a lot of curtido (lightly fermented cabbage, onions and carrots) and some light salsa to give it some flavor and additional moisture. On the side, munch on plantains – add some lime, and you won’t regret it.

At Tacos Tumbras a Tomas, a chicken tostada with pinto beans, lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream can turn out to be a delectable challenge to finish. The flavors of all the condiments and ingredients combine into a delicious mouthful – slightly messy yet visually pleasing. Complement your tostada with some agua fresca – horchata is my favorite.

Don’t forget about dessert – wander by Valerie, a gourmet chocolate, cake and catering shop. Enjoy the traditional petits fours (a small layered cake covered in chocolate with ganache in between each layer) in rose petal, lavender and champagne flavors. Although small, every bite is an explosion of flavor. Use these little desserts as the cherry on top to your visit to Grand Central Market.

Because Grand Central Market is always changing and adding new restaurants, this destination requires multiple visits. Expand your taste buds with ever-changing options that range from tacos and hamburgers, to sushi and vegan dishes.

If you are looking for an escape, Daily Dose Cafe is a great little hideout near the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles. This farm-to-table restaurant uses locally grown ingredients to cook its meals. Hidden within an alley, it offers a sweet, serene atmosphere with a neatly decorated patio. Daily Dose caters to an exceptional individual experience, with its small ordering counter, simple menu and all-gender restroom.

With classic breakfast choices and lunch sandwiches, Daily Dose provides a hideaway from the busy streets of LA. Sandwiches such as the “Mike the Mechanic” or the “Jive Turkey” are accompanied by a salad or vegetable soup of the day. Aside from decent food, Daily Dose will also offer live drawing classes every Monday beginning in March and throughout the rest of the year. With great service, hot coffee and a beautiful location, Daily Dose is a hidden gem.

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

diy: EMOJIS WRITTEN BY KELLY BRENNAN

PHOTOS BY AUSTIN YU

With some paint and oven-bake clay, you can easily turn your favorite emojis into magnets for your personal space, kitchen, office or any other place you’d like to decorate.

MATERIALS

• Sculpey III Oven-Bake Clay • Kitchen oven or toaster oven • Acrylic craft paint – yellow, brown, white, red and light blue • Paintbrushes • Toothpicks

• Old pencil • 1/2-inch craft magnets • Super glue • Sculpey gloss glaze or water-based Varathane polyurethane gloss

STEP TWO: curing the clay

Heat the kitchen oven or toaster oven to 275 F. Place your clay pieces on a glass plate or baking tray.

When the oven is ready, bake the clay for 15 minutes per 1/4-inch of thickness. Note: I baked mine for about 25 minutes.

When time is up, take the clay out of the oven and let cool until it is room temperature.

STEP THREE: painting

Paint the entire face yellow with a medium-sized paintbrush.

This may require two or three coats. Let the paint dry between coats.

Once the yellow paint is completely dry, use a toothpick to paint on the details of the face. Use an old pencil to paint larger or round details such as the large round eyes on the “flushed” emoji.

If you made other clay details, such as a heart or teardrops, paint these with a small brush.

STEP FOUR: final touches

Apply one or two coats of gloss for shine and extra protection once the paint is dry.

After the gloss dries, apply a small drop of super glue to the back of the emoji and attach a magnet. Done!

STEP ONE: molding your clay

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Take a piece of clay and roll it into a ball about 1 inch in diameter.

Set the ball down on a flat surface and flatten it slightly with your finger.

Round out the edges to make a perfect circle.

If desired, take more clay and create teardrop or heart shapes to add to the face. To create a teardrop, roll a small ball of clay and pinch one side with your fingers. To create a heart, first make a tear shape, then use a toothpick to shape the unpinched side.

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

coffee break WRITTEN BY HAYLEY MCAVOY GRAPHICS BY ALICE LIN ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL ZHU The base of most coffee drinks.

Espresso is an Italian-based drink, often drunk after meals to aid digestion. It’s made by forcing boiling water and steam through finely ground coffee, making it highly concentrated.

One shot of espresso is approximately one fluid ounce, but it can be served as a double or triple.

In Italian, macchiato translates to “stained,” which makes “stained coffee” the literal meaning of the drink. It’s a shot of espresso with a spot of milk. A typical Italian caffè macchiato also includes a dot of foam. One variation is the latte macchiato, which emphasizes the milk instead of the coffee – making the translation “stained milk.” The latte macchiato is made of steamed milk with a spot of espresso.

Originating in Italy, the traditional preparation calls for a 1-to-1-to-1 ratio of espresso, milk and foam, though there are an infinite number of variations. In Italy, cappuccinos are only consumed up until 11 a.m.

– it’s considered odd to consume them any hour beyond that. Wet or light cappuccino refers to more hot milk and less foam. Dry or dark

flat white

This translates to “American coffee.” Its origin isn’t clear, but a popular theory is that American soldiers would water down their espresso in Italy during World War II, mimicking the drip coffee that they were used to. Strength can vary depending on the amount of espresso and hot water added.

Originating in Australia, this drink is prepared by pouring steamed milk with a velvety consistency over a double shot of espresso. It’s similar to a cappuccino or a latte but with less foam and a smaller size, creating a higher concentration of espresso relative to milk.

cafè au lait

affogato

The translation from French is “coffee with milk.” It is simply a dark roast coffee with hot milk added. In France, cafè au lait is traditionally served in bowls and often accompanied by “beignets,” a French pastry covered in powdered sugar.

A coffee-based dessert, originating in Italy. In Italian, affogato means “drowned,” referring to the gelato (or ice cream) that is drowned in espresso.

Variations of this dessert can include shots of various liqueurs – especially amaretto.

cappuccino frappè cappuccino refers to less hot milk and more foam.

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Although the drink originated in Greece, frappè comes from the French term “frapper,” meaning “hit.” However, in context, the name means “chilled,” referring to how a frappè is prepared. It’s made by combining instant coffee, sugar, water, milk and ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. The drink became popular among Greek youth and has since spread to other countries.

caffè latte This translates to “coffee milk” and is comprised of just that: hot milk and espresso. It’s similar to a cappuccino, but with more milk and less foam.

Oftentimes, especially in the U.S., various sweeteners and flavorings are added. A common variation is the chai latte, which is made by replacing the espresso with masala chai – an Indian spiced tea.

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caffè macchiato

espresso

caffè americano

@dailybruinprime | WINTER 2016

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