LADTN 09-16-19

confusion over Hillside villa rent deal Page 6

‘latin history for morons’ at the ahmanson Page 8

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019 I VOL. 48 I #37

IN LIVING COLOR The Vibrant LA Plaza Village Brings New Homes to El Pueblo See page 5

photo by Gary Leonard

“La Nueva Reina” by Judithe Hernandez is one of four murals at LA Plaza Village, which held its grand opening on Thursday, Sept. 12.

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2 DOWNTOWN NEWS

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AROUND TOWN

Little Tokyo Service Center Head Passes

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ean Matsubayashi, executive director of the Little Tokyo Service Center, died on Sept. 4 after a battle with brain cancer. He was 49. Matsubayashi took over as executive director of the organization in 2012, which provides social services and lobbying for the neighborhood. He recently worked to secure funds for the organization’s Terasaki Budokan, a community recreation and events center currently under construction at 237 S. Los Angeles St. Matsubayashi is survived by his wife and two children. A memorial is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 22 at the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple at 815 E. First St.

Spider Pavilion Returns to Natural History Museum

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s fall approaches, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles is bringing back its popular annual Spider Pavilion. The pavilion, set up outside of the museum in Exposition Park, lets museumgoers get close with the spiders, inspect their webs and learn more about the eight-legged creatures. The seasonal set up opened on Sunday, Sept. 15

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and runs through Dec. 1. The open-air space features a variety of arachnids, including jumping spiders and tarantulas, and mixes paths for visitors with foliage for the spiders to crawl around in (glass habitats keep the dangerous ones separated). There are also informational signs and museum staff on hand to provide information about the creatures and ease any fears. Admission is free for members and $5 on top of regular admission for non-members. More information is at nhm.org/spiders.

Sparks Legend to Receive Statue Outside Staples Center

S

tar Plaza outside of Staples Center is home to statues of some of the greatest figures in Los Angeles sports history including longtime Lakers’ announcer Chick Hearn, NBA Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Jerry West and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. This month, it was reported that the plaza is slated to get even more crowded.

Los Angeles Sparks legend and WNBA great Lisa Leslie is slated to receive the 11th statue at the plaza, making her the first woman to receive a statue outside of a team’s home arena. The Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Staples Center, and the Los Angeles Sparks are still working out the details, but have all but confirmed that Leslie would be the next figure to receive the honor. The Sparks selected Leslie in the 1997 inaugural WNBA draft. She would go on to win

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three league MVPs, two WNBA championships and three all-star game MVPs. Recently, she coached in the Big3 League, leading the Triplets to a league title. The Los Angeles Times first reported the news.

Fashion District Building Sells

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one-story commercial building at 1201 S. Los Angeles St. has been bought, with long-term plans to redevelop the lot. The Los Angeles-based 4D Development and Investment, which opened the 115-unit E on Grand apartment building in South Park in 2017, announced on Sept. 10 that it purchased the 25,787-square-foot property for $10.25 million. CBRE represented 4D Development in the sale; the seller was a private family. Currently the site holds five retail and wholesale businesses, which will remain, according to the new owner’s plans. The 4D Development team intends to turn the site into a mid-rise mixed-use project with office and retail space, but no timeline has been announced.

Immersive Art Pop-Up Opens at Row DTLA

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he Industrial District’s Row DTLA added a rotating immersive art installation to its campus over the weekend. Unidentified Landed Object, an interactive art group, setup shop across from The Manufactory, partnering with the group NextArt for two shows starting Sunday, Sept. 15. The first is “Light

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

Leaks,” a mirror-based light show that has previously been shown at music and art festivals. The space (at 777 S. Alameda St.) will be designed to reflect specific patterns in spots, rather than relying on direct projections. Tickets are $10 and it runs through Sept. 28. On Oct. 3, a Halloween maze called “Grandma goes Viral” will fill the space, and will mix humor with horror, according to a press release.

Each session is expected to take 15 minutes.

More information is at ulo.world/tickets.

Renovation Work on the Cecil Hotel to Start at Year’s End

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few years after it was announced, the overhaul of the Historic Core’s Cecil Hotel could finally get under way in the coming months. According to a memo to the successor agency to the City Redevelopment Agency, Simon Baron Development (which has a 99-year ground lease on the property) intends to secure the funds for the overhaul of the building by the end of the year and start redevelopment soon after. Currently the hotel operates as the Stay on Main and comprises 299 rooms and 301 single room occupancy units. The redevelopment would see the hotel rooms and SRO units refurbished (30 would be removed to make way for new hotel amenities), with a targeted completion date of October 2021. The units will be replaced offsite. Plans for the overhaul of the hotel at 640 S. Main St. were originally announced in May 2016. No budget was announced.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

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EDITORIALS

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

A Better Music Center Plaza

I

n a way, the $41 million renovation of the Music Center Plaza that was unveiled last month is understated. Much of the work involved simply flattening out a large expanse between the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Mark Taper Forum, moving a large sculpture and planting some trees. Some may wonder why the big celebration.

That viewpoint misses the magnitude of what has been accomplished. With the completion of the 20-month project, the Music Center and the County government (which operates the campus) have made a publicly owned property far more accessible to the public. If all goes as intended, the Music Center will function less like a fortress on a hill and fit better with an evolving Downtown Los Angeles, and in the process become a sort of front porch for the performing arts, a place where crowds gather for events and entertainment.

Los Angeles Downtown News last month wrote about the project, which was the first major overhaul for the Music Center since Dorothy Buffum Chandler powered its opening in 1964. Back then it was a $33.5 million statement about an emerging city’s cultural heft, and the campus would go on to host the Academy Awards and serve as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Center Theatre Group, L.A. Opera and other performing arts organizations. There have been hundreds of notable productions over the decades, but visitors frequently parked underground, saw a show or concert and then immediately drove back home. The Music Center never maximized its potential to activate the greater Downtown area.

The new project team, which involves design firm Rios Clementi Hale Studios, deserves credit for improving visibility and access along Grand Avenue, and for adding a collection of restaurants at various price points and with different cuisines. If the Music Center is to become a complete destination, it needs to draw in people during the day and on evenings when the theaters are dark. Eating and drinking options are a prime way to achieve that, and if people can be convinced to walk over or take public transportation from points in Downtown, all the better.

As with many public spaces, a key to the project’s ultimate success will involve activating the plaza. Flattening out the expanse has doubled capacity from 2,500 to 5,000, and the opening weekend was filled with a suite of celebratory activities.

The programming needs to be year-round, it needs to be free or low-cost, and it needs to be varied and occasionally adventurous.

Grand Park, immediately east of the Music Center, has hit those marks, with a variety of unique offerings since it opened in 2012. The Music Center Plaza can build on and complement what the park offers, and a $14 million fund for programming announced at the dedication provides ample potential. It’s exciting to think about how happenings such as the Fourth of July concert and fireworks show, and a New Year’s Eve party, can grow.

Ideally this project would have arrived decades ago, but with Grand Avenue continuing to evolve, this is still a good time for the renovation. Downtown now has a better Music Center Plaza, and we look forward to seeing it become a vibrant hub in the heart of the city.

Los Angeles Downtown News 1264 W. First Street Los Angeles, CA 90026 213-481-1448 realpeople@downtownnews.com

Hill Street

‘Perry Mason’ Set

Downtown Denizen • Kristin Friedrich

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COMMENTS

Regarding the guest opinion piece “When it Comes to Homelessness, We Must Do More and We Must Do it Now,” by Rev. Andy Bales and G. Michael Arnold

I

n my opinion, 100 people crammed into a sprung shelter may exacerbate health problems, especially mental health problems. Individuals with psychiatric disabilities and brain injuries do not tolerate crowding well. I am a supporter of permanent supportive housing, not shelters.

I think it’s unrealistic to propose sheltering individuals who may have mental health disorders and/or brain injuries by increasing the stressors on them via “shoehorning” them into shelters. This has not been effective and it is a significant reason why some disabled homeless individuals “refuse” to come in and “choose” to remain on the streets. In my opinion, if homeless individuals with psychiatric disabilities and/or brain injuries could tolerate shelter conditions, they very likely would have already come into existing shelters on their own.

—Mary M. McLaughlin, PhD Regarding the article “State of the Scooters,”

by Sean P. Thomas

W

e had broken e-scooters left on our block and no company was very interested in picking them up, and it took months. The last one offered me money to

September 8, 2019

pick it up, but, um, no, I don’t work for you. I’m all for finding other ways to get around our city but it’d be nice if these huge companies were a bit more neighbor and neighborhood-friendly.

—Keith Johnson

M

y chief complaint about scooters is the people riding on the sidewalks. Not only are riders adding to the already harrowing assortment of sidewalk traffic, they are doing so at dangerous speeds.

There are already mobility devices, pedestrians, and powered and unpowered wheelchairs on the sidewalks.

Mobility devices for the disabled are allowed, but scooters and Segway-type devices are not. Which brings me to this. Who is issuing citations? I haven’t seen anyone being cited. I have a two-part solution: 1) Add more bicycle lanes like the type on Spring Street, and 2) Once these are in place, perform a citation warning for a few weeks via the LAPD —Liam Bean

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

Participation is easy. Post a comment online at the bottom of any story, or go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the “Letter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, email sthomas@timespublications.com.

STAFF WRITERS: Nicholas Slayton, Sean P. Thomas CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Tom Fassbender, Jeff Favre ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANT: Lorenzo Castillo FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

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Unwrapping LA Plaza Village

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The Colorful Housing Complex Between Chinatown and El Pueblo Holds Historic Walking Paths, 355 Units of Housing and Art

By Sean P. Thomas assive glass and steel structures are rising across Downtown, marking a noticeable change for the once sleepy region of Los Angeles, but the El Pueblo area has largely been left out of that development boom.

That all changed on Thursday, Sept. 12, with the grand opening of LA Plaza Village, a 355-unit housing complex comprising four buildings straddling Broadway between Chinatown and El Pueblo.

“There has been tremendous growth throughout the rest of Downtown but this area was neglected,” said John Echeveste, CEO of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, the Mexican-American museum in El Pueblo and one of the partners in the development.

“This is going to bring new life to the area.

We have a good mix of residents that are living here, we’re going to be shopping locally on Olvera Street and attending programs at the museum. It helps to just revive this entire El Pueblo area.”

Inspired by the look and feel of a traditional Mexican hillside village, the $160-million mixed-use LA Plaza Village stands out amongst Downtown’s other housing developments, with its colorful exterior that utilizes 31 different colors, as well as four large murals that adorn the sides of some of the buildings.

The product comes from developer Trammell Crow Co., Los Angeles County, the nonprofit Cesar Chavez Foundation, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and High Street Residential (a residential subsidiary of Trammell Crow).

Brad Cox, senior managing director for Trammell Crow Co. said that part of the team’s goal, was to integrate the project into the historic El Pueblo area.

“The history of this area is phenomenal,” Cox said. “We did a lot of research before the start of this project and we wanted to be sensitive to the surrounding area. Creating a Mexican villa with vibrant colors was one the key design elements of the project.”

Downtown-based architecture firm Johnson Fain handled that design. Tenants began moving into the first building in February, with the second building opening to residents last month. The last two opened Sept.

12. The project is currently about 59% leased, with retail close to 40% leased.

The project has studio to three-bedroom apartments. All of the units include stainless steel Frigidaire appliances, in-unit laundry machines and vinyl or polished concrete flooring. Most units include balconies and about 70 of the units are set-aside for people who make 60 to 80% of the area median income. A 473-square-foot studio starts at $2,050.

Rents at LA Plaza Village average about $3.50 per square foot according to Steve Basham, managing analyst for the real estate firm CoStar. Basham said that the prices are slightly above the prices at Chinatown’s Blossom Plaza, a 237-unit complex that opened in 2016 next to the Chinatown Metro Sta-

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La Plaza Village held its official grand opening last week, bringing online 355-units of housing, 20% of which are affordable units.

tion, but added that finding a benchmark for LA Plaza can be difficult due to a lack of new construction in the area compared to areas like South Park and the Arts District.

The development includes a large pool deck, a two-level gym, a yoga studio, a grooming station for pets and a community space for the tenants. The ground floor will house retail, including a 24/7 CVS and an unannounced restaurant.

Basham did note that for the right resident, LA Plaza’s proximity to Union Station could be a big draw.

“A lot of the most successful projects this cycle have been transit adjacent,” Basham said. “Anyone who lives in Downtown will be able to tell you, if you can improve my chances of getting around without a car Downtown, that’s huge.”

Cox said that the connectivity with Union Station was another key component of the project.

“The beauty is, you walk across a block and half from here and you can virtually go anywhere in the United States,” Cox said.

Community Impact The 425,000-square-foot project comprises four five-to-eight story buildings and is arranged with Broadway bisecting the complex. It is the culmination of nearly six years of work for the development team and was designed to benefit the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes Foundation, which runs the museum in Downtown.

Under the deal approved by the County in 2014, the County leased two surface lots for $1 a year to the LA Plaza Foundation. The Foundation then subleased to a developer for $250,000 a year during the construction process, and a portion of the income generated by the property afterwards. The project broke ground in 2016.

Continued on page 6

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LA PLAZA, 5 Echeveste said that he hopes that the model used for LA Plaza Village becomes more common with other cultural institutions.

“It is an interesting concept that works for everyone really,” Echeveste said. “The county benefits, we benefit, the developer benefits.”

A paseo that runs from the Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial monument on Hill Street, through the complex to Spring Street, was also installed. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes plans to extend the paseo by running it through to Union Station.

In addition, the Cesar Chavez Foundation also plans to open its new headquarters at the site, on the western side of Broadway, in the near future.

The significance of moving the headquarters to Los Angeles, which played a major role in Chavez’s community organizing efforts, was not lost on Alfredo Izmajtovich, executive vice president of CCF’s Housing and Economic Development fund.

“The museum and the county, and all of us really want to help highlight the contributions of Mexican Americans to Los Angeles,” Izmajtovich said.

Cultural Corridor Another aspect of the development is its high level of cultural and artistic integration, including four large public murals that can be viewed around the development.

Designed by local Chicano and Chicana artists, the four murals vary in size and design, and were installed over the final months of construction. Each mural can be found on Broadway and were either hand painted onto the wall, or digitally reproduced onto vinyl and hung at the complex.

The largest of the murals, Judithe Hernandez’s “La Nueva Reina,” stands seven stories tall and overlooks the Hollywood Freeway. The mural depicts the city’s patroness, Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles, with her back to a blue sky while wearing a veil that’s filled with moments from Los Angeles history.

“I believe that public artists are entrusted with the unique responsibility to frame their artistic vision to reflect a community’s collective perception of a moment in time,” Hernandez said in a prepared statement. “It is my hope that ‘La Nuestra Reina’ will come to embody this moment and become a visual memory of Los Angeles for all who see her.”

Artists José Lozano, Barbara Carrasco and Miguel Angel Reyes were responsible for the other three murals.

In addition, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes plans to open La Cocina, the first museum and teaching kitchen dedicated to Mexican American cuisine, on the ground floor of the building along Spring Street in 2020. The location was originally expected to open in tandem with LA Plaza Village but design and construction hurdles extended the project to next year.

Crews expect the Union Station paseo to be completed in October. sthomas@timespublications.com

Chinatown Residents Face Rent Increases as Deal Fails Residents of Hillside Villa Were Hit With Higher Rates on Sept. 1 as Parties Dispute a Previously Announced Tentative Agreement

Despite an apparent agreement being reached in July, 59 low-income residents in Chinatown’s Hillside Villa apartments saw rent increases on Sept. 1.

photo by Nicholas Slayton

By Nicholas Slayton tentative deal to prevent rent hikes at an affordable housing complex in Chinatown has fallen through. Despite claims of a preliminary agreement being reached in July between the landlord and tenants of Hillside Villa, with support from First District Councilman Gil Cedillo, the building’s residents were notified of rent increases at the start of the month.

Residents from Hillside Villa said they were hit with a 5.5% rent increase on Sept. 1. The property’s landlord says that claims of an agreement were preemptive.

Hillside Villa, at 636 N. Hill Pl., was built in 1988, with a 30-year affordable housing covenant. That expired in August 2018. In late July tenants, the tenants’ legal partners and Cedillo announced that a tentative deal had been reached to prevent rent hikes. Under the plan, affordable housing for the 59 residents would be maintained for another 10 years, in exchange for the city forgiving the remainder of a $5.5 million Community Redevelop-

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ment Agency loan used to build the apartment.

The majority of the other apartments in the 124-unit Hillside Villa are occupied by people using Section 8 vouchers and are not impacted by the covenant and rent hikes.

In a public statement, Cedillo called the breach of the agreement “completely unacceptable.”

“It violates the most important tenets of the agreement that guarantees the current Hillside Villa tenants a place to call home,” Cedillo said.

“This misguided action returns us to the same uncertainty of the last few months when tenants were subjected to a roller coaster of emotions, from being promised no evictions one week and then receiving notices the next; receiving notifications of rent hikes one day and then rescinding the increases the day after.”

Under the public terms of the proposed deal — the full agreement has not yet been released — tenants would not see rent increases, displacement or evictions for 10 years, in exchange for forgiving the loan.

Cedillo said that the Housing and

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Community Investment Department is reviewing the terms of the deal.

However, the building’s owner said that Cedillo’s office jumped the gun in claiming so. The landlord, Thomas Botz, said that he is still in talks with the city.

“When Cedillo filed his motion to get that deal approved, we opposed it. We have a lot of open issues, it’s premature,” Botz told Los Angeles Downtown News last week. He said that due to a technical error in the original notice issued when the covenant expired in 2018, he gave the tenants an extra year of affordable housing. The new 12-month notice went out to residents, saying that those units in Hillside Villa would be brought to market rate prices on Sept. 1, 2020.

The expiration of the covenant sparked concerns among the low-income residents of Hillside Villa. Many organized protests against the hikes over the past year, with allies from the Los Angeles Tenants Union, Chinatown Coalition for Equitable Development and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. The councilman’s office got involved in negotiations in the late spring.

In response to the rent increases sent at the start of month, Cedillo said that he would request that City Attorney Mike Feuer “fully enforce and pursue all legal options available to us.”

In response to the rent increases, the Legal Aid Foundation said it is not currently pursuing any action, but did say that a deal had been reached in July, and that it hopes that it can be finalized.

“Botz made public statements indicating that affordability would be extended at Hillside Villa for 10 years, and the community expects him to follow through on those statements,” Legal Aid Foundation said in a statement.

A meeting between Botz and the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department is set for this week. nslayton@timespublications.com

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SHOP HOP Skate Fashion, a Place for Pups and Plenty of Smoking Action Fills Downtown

By Nicholas Slayton un and Skate: Ever since the Ace Hotel opened, Broadway has seen the arrival of boutique clothing shops, many with sky-high prices. Another clothing option is coming, but this one is in the vein of a mall-friendly brand, with much lower price points. A leasing representative for the Broadway Palace residential building said that PacSun has inked a deal and is scheduled to open a 4,500-square-foot ground-floor store by the end of the year. PacSun is known for its skate-oriented and beach-friendly shorts and T-shirts, along with some sweatshirts, hoodies and jackets. Apparel varies in price based on brand, but many items go for $30-$60. The store also carries clothing and accessories from brands such as Vans, which is opening its own retail space on Broadway.

Coming to 1026 S. Broadway or pacsun.com.

S

Bark Yeah!: You know how Downtown really, really, really loves its pets? That trend shows no indication of letting up, as yet another option is on the way. This time it’s in the Arts District, where Dogdrop is scheduled to open this month. The space, in the residential complex the Garey Building on Second Street next to Bao Hiroo, is a dog daycare des-

The dog daycare facility Dogdrop is scheduled to open in the Arts District next month. It operates like a coworking space, with tiered memberships and amenities for the canines.

tination. Pet owners can bring their canine by for a few hours or the entire workday. The 1,675-square-foot space can hold up to 35 dogs at a time. Membership is on a tiered system, starting at $100 for 15 hours per month.

Think of it as a coworking membership space but for dogs. Woof!

Coming to 905 E. Second St. or dogdrop.co.

Pot Party, Part One: There’s a new place to buy legal recreational pot in the Arts District. STIIIZY opened its first retail space just north of the First Street Bridge on Saturday, Aug. 24. The 6,500-square-foot business specializes in weed vaporizers, and also offers cannabis oil pods for the devices. The store leans heavily into a sleek industrial vibe, with illuminated glass display cases, a 29-foot artwork by ubiquitous street artist Retna, and even a spot for customers to customize vape pens, which is apparently a thing. STIIIZY is licensed by the city and the brand is part of the Shryne Group, a larger cannabis holding company.

At 728 E. Commercial St. or stiiizy.com.

Stogie Scene: If you’re looking for something different to smoke, head to South Park, where there is a new place to puff on a fat

rendering courtesy Dogdrop

stogie. The King Cigar Lounge soft opened on Tuesday, Aug. 20, on Hope Street next to the Harry Potter-themed Nimbus Coffee.

Customers can buy and smoke cigars one by one, and there is also an annual membership program for $3,000, which includes seminars and special offers. The space is expected to open fully in early September.

At 1117 S. Hope St. or (213) 205-8222.

Pot Party, Part Two: There are already a few high-end cannabis shops in Downtown Los Angeles. Now one is coming to the Arts District. Sweet Flower is scheduled to open in the fall on Mateo Street, in a 5,600-square-

LOS ANGELES ATHLETIC CLUB MEETING AND EVENT SPACE CO NTACT NI RA.F I S H E R@LA AC.NE T

foot warehouse. The bright yellow edifice is next to the blue, purple and red exterior of micro-amusement park Two Bit Circus, which could make for an interesting visual combination. This will be Sweet Flower’s third Los Angeles outpost, following shops on Melrose and in Studio City. It will carry a range of items including cannabis flowers, pre-rolled joints and edibles such as bon bons. Like the other Sweet Flower stores, it is licensed by the city’s Department of Cannabis Regulation.

Coming to 614 Mateo St. or sweetflower.com.

Got a retail tip? Send it to Shop Hop at nslayton@timespublications.com

8 DOWNTOWN NEWS

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

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SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

An getic r e En or y ’ s t s n i o H r o M r o ‘F e at th w o n Sh and a M e One , Danc s ’ o g zam es Son s an i u e Leg Mix enc ge John anson e Audi Herita v Ahm to Gi n Latin e o Mor ation c Edu

By Jeff Favre he entire history of indigenous people in the pre-Columbus Americas, according to the timeline drawn by solo show veteran John Leguizamo, is as follows: First, there’s the era of the Mayans in 1,000 B.C. … and today there’s the age of music mogul Pitbull.

The diverse, fascinating and revolutionary heaps of history in between are mostly missing from mainstream grade school textbooks, as it was from Leguizamo’s childhood. With Latin History for Morons — a rau-

T

THEATER REVIEW cous, often funny and mostly entertaining non-stop 110-minute ride through the past — Leguizamo bestows bits of his recent self-education to audiences, which he refers to with the title’s derogatory term.

Leguizamo’s latest effort is at Downtown’s Ahmanson Theatre through Oct. 20 (a production was already filmed and available on Netflix) and follows the pattern of his popular previous productions, including Freak, Sexaholix and Ghetto Klown.

In each, he delivers outrageous, raunchy humor — punctuated with music and dancing — while flying seamlessly through a variety of characters, including his children, wife and several key players in the development and decimation of the Incas, Tainos, Mayans and other indigenous Americans. As usual, he’s an equal-opportunity offender, unafraid to make fun of gender, race, religion and sexual orientation.

Now in his mid-50s, Leguizamo has maintained his frenetic energy, but his core performance feels more sentimental. Perhaps the change is a byproduct of being a dad.

The jumping off point for Latin History is his eighthgrade son being bullied in school for his Latin heritage.

To help his son discover heroes from his cultural roots, Leguizamo dives deep into history books, including Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” and Charles Mann’s “1491.”

Leguizamo’s retellings are brief fanciful reenactments. His Columbus is portrayed as a Godfather-style Italian gangster who helps wipe out the Taino people.

To become Andrew Jackson, he pats chalkboard erasers into his hair to turn it white. His Montezuma is effeminate and gay.

He argues that while European history is considered superior in modern America, it erased the memory of the people that developed remarkable civilizations, art and technology. Europeans’ biggest exports to the “new world,” he says, include syphilis and other diseases.

At one point he asks, “Why is all our art called folk art, and all of European art is called fine art, and then modern art is just our folk art gentrified?”

Learning about the past doesn’t help with his son’s problems of being bullied and not being able to find a hero for his class project. Leguizamo even goes into therapy to help his family and to deal with the deep anger he is experiencing as his son learns more about these past atrocities.

Leguizamo’s primary prop is a chalkboard, and scenic designer Rachel Hauck provides an adequate facsimile of a classroom to complete the effect. A bigger assistance comes from Alexander V. Nichols’ lighting, which blasts vibrant colors for dance segments, accompanied

photo by Matthew Murphy

CALENDAR

Stage veteran John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons opened at the Ahmanson Theatre last week and will run through Oct. 20.

by a variety of lively mambo, samba and other dance music composed and designed by Bray Poor.

Working with a strong performer can be challenging. Director Tony Taccone missed opportunities to strengthen the piece by creating blocking that feels more organic and implementing fewer abrupt transitions. Instead, everything has an air of controlled chaos.

One smart move was to keep President Trump’s presence minimal. His name is mentioned only a few times, with an aside of “That’s for another lecture,” but it’s clear through statements about children in cages and several parallels drawn between past and present that Leguizamo is not pleased with the current administration.

Refraining from too much Trump bashing is smart because the foundation for the show centers on honoring the positives and remembering crucial elements of America that have been forgotten, such as Latinx people fighting in every war in the country’s history and Latinx women being a dominant force in starting new businesses.

By trying to fill in the once blank timeline with dozens of people, nations and accomplishments, Latin History for Morons gets a bit cluttered and haphazard, particularly because there are so many jokes mixed into the facts. Getting a mainstream audience excited about history isn’t easy, and his humor and honesty goes a long way toward making it fascinating.

Leguizamo succeeds in his objective of informing and entertaining audiences. They might be motivated to check out some of the “Required Reading List” books in the program as extra credit. With some work, perhaps they will ditch the moniker of moron.

Latin History for Morons runs through Oct. 20 at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave. or centertheatregroup.org.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

DOWNTOWN NEWS 9

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Exploring Dim Sum On Two Wheels Two Years After a Disastrous City Council Run, Joe Bray-Ali Pedals Into Chinatown’s History and Food Scene

By Sean P. Thomas t’s Sunday morning and five people exit CBS Seafood on Spring Street in Chinatown. Our bellies are full of crispy roast duck and shrimp-filled rice noodle rolls.

Although we’ve just eaten, we shuffle across the street to Long’s Family Pastry, where we pick up a to-go order of warm pork buns and sesame balls. We’ll gobble them down before jumping on our bikes and hitting the next spot on our itinerary.

This is the Get Sum Dim Sum tour, an approximately three-hour trek that melds bicycling, Chinatown history and local restaurants. It’s led by Joe Bray-Ali — if the name sounds familiar, there’s a reason — and costs $100. The price includes a bike, a helmet, a bottle of water and food at a quartet of dim sum palaces.

The tour, which generally takes place three to four times a month, usually on a weekend, with the next one scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 6, starts in South Park and snakes through the Historic Core and the Civic Center before landing in Chinatown. Bray-Ali, armed with a headset microphone, offers historical facts about the neighborhood and the Chinese-American experience. The average ride consists of six-10 people, he said.

I

“If you have been to dim sum, then going on a dim sum ride might seem a little bit like, ‘Eh, I’ve tried this before.’ But if you haven’t gone, that is when you appreciate the entire experience,” he said.

Bray-Ali is just as familiar navigating the whizzing dim sum carts as he is piloting cyclists through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles. At the restaurants, he ensures tour participants taste billowy bao varieties, spicy gai long (Chinese broccoli), walnut shrimp and savory chicken and pork shumai dumplings.

At the end of each stop, Bray-Ali takes care of the check before the riders pedal to the next location. The tour, which covers about eight miles, ends at Phoenix Bakery on Broadway, with a slice or two of the fluffy strawberry cake, before returning to South Park.

Campaign Tumult Joe Bray-Ali has a complicated past, which he acknowledges. A longtime bike advocate, he ran a grassroots City Council campaign against incumbent First District Councilman Gil Cedillo in 2017.

Although it was his first foray into electoral politics, the then-38-year-old Bray-Ali gained early traction, winning surprising and valuable endorsements from the Los Angeles Times, Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, City

A few times a month, Joe Bray-Ali leads the Get Sum Dim Sum bike tour. It travels about eight miles and stops at four restaurants in Chinatown, starting with CBS Seafood on Spring Street.

photo by Sean P. Thomas

Controller Ron Galperin and the East Area Progressive Democrats club. Despite being vastly outspent, he stunned local political observers by pushing Cedillo into a runoff.

The campaign fell apart in April, after media reports revealed that Bray-Ali had used offensive language on the website Voat.

Posts surfaced with hurtful, insensitive comments about African Americans, transgender individuals and overweight women.

Bray-Ali admitted he had made the comments and offered apologies and remorse, but the damage was done. The high-profile endorsements were rescinded. Cedillo won easily and a disgraced Bray-Ali faded from view.

Shortly following the conclusion of the ride, Bray-Ali looked back on the campaign.

He said that he “had my entire adult life de-

stroyed” by his run.

Still, he has sought to move forward since then. He said he is not concerned that the past will dissuade people from joining the tour.

“Most of the people interested in this ride are tourists,” Bray-Ali said. “You’re not going to have many people locally signing up for something like this. I don’t think it will deter anyone from going on the ride.”

Roots in the Past The bike tours harken back to The Flying Pigeon, the Cypress Park bike shop that BrayAli and his brother Adam opened in 2008. It operated until 2016, and during its run Adam Bray-Ali came up with the idea of inviting people to the shop every Sunday to test out the inventory by riding to a different dim Continued on page 11

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MONDAY, SEPT. 16 An Evening With Ben Folds The Regent, 448 S. Main St. or spacelandpresents.com.

8 p.m.: Musician Ben Folds, who used to lead the Ben Folds Five, discusses his memoir “A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons.”

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18 Bar Wrestling: I Was In the Pool Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd. or bootlegtheater.com.

8 p.m.: It appears that wrestler and promoter Joey Ryan is a “Seinfeld” fan. Weird themes aside, it’s wrestling, in a bar, with all of the action that entails.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 19 Chasing the Elusive Dream with Made In L.A. Writers Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com.

7:30 p.m.: The authors of the fiction anthology “Made in L.A.” talk goals, fantasies and disappointment.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21 The Batman Run Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave. or dcbatmanrun.com.

6 p.m.: Celebrate 80 years of the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight, the World’s Greatest Detective, and other sobriquets for Batman with this 5K run.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 22 Sunday Sessions Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave. or grandparkla.org.

2 p.m.: It’s an outdoor house music party, with dancing, food trucks, and drinks.

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway or acehotel.com/losangeles.

Sept. 19-20: Saxophonist Kamasi Washington is one of the greats of modern jazz. Catch two nights of his innovative stylings.

Sept. 21: Glam rock and pop from Mika.

Blue Whale 123 Astronaut E.S. Onizuka St. Suite 301, (213) 620-0908 or bluewhalemusic.com.

Sept. 16: Brandon Fansher Group.

Sept. 17-18: Steve Lehman Trio does two nights.

Sept. 19: Alex Hahn Group.

Sept. 20: Werner-Hoenig-Weidenmueller.

Sept. 21: Nick Mancini has a CD release show. Remember CDs? Sept. 22: Sara Reich’s Tap Music Project.

Bootleg Bar 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org.

Sept. 16: T. Soomian’s disco-inspired residency continues.

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‘Don’tt s i Miss’L BY

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Reports of jazz’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. The music genre is currently in the midst of an exciting resurgence with a collection of talented and inventive musicians leading the charge. On the forefront is saxophonist Kamasi Washington, who is returning to his hometown Los Angeles for a two-day concert at the Theatre at Ace Hotel on Thursday-Friday, Sept.19-20. Hot off the heels of a tour with legendary musician Herbie Hancock, expect for Washington to play from his past two albums, Heaven and Earth and The Epic. Doors open at 7 p.m. At 929 S. Broadway St. (213) 235-9614 or theatre.acehotel.com. photo by Brandon Simmoneau

A portion of Downtown Los Angeles converts into Gotham City this weekend during the inaugural Batman Run. Officially dubbed the DC Batman 5K Run/Walk, the event is held in celebration of the Caped Crusader’s 80th anniversary and is held on Batman Day, Saturday, Sept. 21. The event is staged at Grand Park, with the race beginning in front of the United States Courthouse on Broadway and First St at 6 p.m. Registration starts at 1 p.m. The course loops around First Street before returning to Grand Park where a party will be held. The event concludes with the lighting of the Bat Signal near City Hall.

Around 200 N. Grand Ave. or dcbatmanrun.com.

The summer months are coming to an end, which means that the Music Center’s monthly outdoor dance and house music festival is also calling it quits for the season.

The seventh year of Summer Sessions is coming to an end at Grand Park on Sunday, Sept. 22, and will shine a light on the city’s contribution to house music, which originated in Chicago, before traveling to Los Angeles during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Running from 2-8 p.m., the free event will also double as a 20th anniversary celebration for the nonprofit radio station Dublab.

Artists including J.Rocc, Jen Ferrer, DJ Mamabear and Frosty will perform during the event. At 200 N. Grand Ave. or grandparkla.org.

Tony Award-winning playwright Jack Thorne’s The Solid Life of Sugar Water, an intimate examination of a couple grieving for their stillborn child premiered at the Inner-City Arts’ Rosenthal Theatre last week. The play, which is presented by Deaf West Theater, is centered on the relationship of Alice and Phil, a deaf couple that recently lost their first child. Racked by grief, they attempt to use physical interaction to reconnect. Staged mostly from a bed, the play melds American Sign Language with spoken English to tell the story. There are four shows this week, Thursday-Satuday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. At 720 Kohler St., (213) 6279621 or deafwest.org.

Despite one being purely visual, the other auditory, photography and music shares a common thread: they both generate and contextualize human emotion. Photographer Richard Ehrlich examined that connection in the exhibit Face the Music, which opened at the Grammy Museum last week. On display until January 2020, the exhibit displays intimate photographs of 41 musicians as they listen to their favorite songs. Dee Dee Bridgewater, Michael Bublé, RZA and Sheryl Crow (shown here) are just some of the musicians included in the exhibit. The museum is open Sunday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. At 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org.

Send information and possible Don’t Miss List submissions to calendar@downtownnews.com.

photo courtesy Javier Guillen for Grand Park/The Music Center

EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

The

photo courtesy Grammy Museum

CALENDAR LISTINGS

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

photo courtesy Kamasi Washington

DT

10 DOWNTOWN NEWS

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

LISTINGS, 18 Sept. 17: The only things guaranteed in life are death, taxes and modern electronic acts inspired by 1980s synth music. This time it’s Brothertiger.

Sept. 19: Kills Birds has a record release show. Birds, beware.

Sept. 20: Get psychedelic with Boogarins.

Sept. 22: Cartalk is a grunge act, not the beloved public radio show. Sorry.

Exchange LA 618 S. Spring St., (213) 627-8070 or exchangela.com.

Sept. 20: San Holo, Duskus.

Grammy Museum 800 W. Olympic Blvd. or grammymuseum.org.

Sept. 16: Sharon Van Etten was on “Twin Peaks.” That’s good enough for us.

Sept. 17: On the flip side, here’s Billie Eilish.

Sept. 18: Grand Ole Opry singer Vince Gill.

Sept. 19: Brett Young is allegedly a country star. Find out for yourself!

Moroccan Lounge 901 E. First St., (213) 395-0610 or themoroccan.com.

Sept. 16: Counterfeit. (yes, the period is part of their name) claims to only be named in irony of their authenticity, which makes us question their apparent authenticity.

Sept. 17: The Brother Brothers somehow did not do the music for the 2018 comedy Western “The Sister Brothers.”

Meanwhile, MainMan includes Judd Apatow film-actor Chris Mintz-Plasse, if you need a reason beyond rock music to check them out.

Sept. 18: Jackson Guthy.

Sept. 19: Indie pop with Love Fame Tragedy.

Sept. 20: Tamino.

Sept. 21-22: Singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata. Also on Sept. 21, stay late for some emo and rock live band karaoke.

Resident 428 S. Hewitt St. or residentdtla.com.

Sept. 17: Zenobia Records’ Music and Mingle party is all about soul music.

Sept. 18: Austin Weber, Enjune, Knopf, Ky Almighty, Will Buck.

Sept. 19: Tavia, Leah Capelle, Annabel Lee. Sept. 20: Dapper Rebels and Jeffery Govan play some reggae.

Sept. 21: Classic hip-hop night.

The Novo 800 W. Olympic Blvd. or thenovodtla.com.

Sept. 17: Vince Gill does double duty in Downtown, alongside Luke Combs, Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow.

Sept. 20: Flying Lotus.

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

Sept. 18: Nautical Nation, Josh Murley, Brock Bushong, Dewer.

Sept. 19: The Mercury Wheel, The Stradas, Mojo 66.

Sept. 20: The Cocks, The Claws, Truckerbomb, Ginger Merkin.

Sept. 22: The Paper Hearts, Double E and Bad Business, Mike Livingston Band, One Sweet Hell.

The Regent 448 S. Main St., (323) 284-5727 or spacelandpresents.com.

Sept. 17: Clubz, Girl Ultra.

Sept. 20: Tijuana Panthers with No Age, The Hurricanes, Mu$ty BoYz. The Smell 247 S. Main St. in the alley between Spring and Main or thesmell.org.

Sept. 20: TV Puppet Pals win band name of the week.

Sept. 21: Marry the Psycho, Union Front, MK77.

LARealEstateExpert.com Downtown since 2002

Bill Cooper

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For Fabric Wholesaler in L.A. Mail Resume to: XL Fabrics, Inc. 1510 Griffith Ave. Los Angeles CA 90021

sum place around town.

The current Get Sum Dim Sum came through Joe Bray-Ali’s relationship with Art Palacios, who founded LA Cycle Tours six years ago. Palacios also offers bicycle-based tours built around tacos and art.

“All of our tours have a tone of history to them” Palacios said. “We’re not just riding bikes, we’re learning about every little corner that you see..

On the dim sum tour, Bray-Ali touches on the difference between “new” and “old” Chinatown, the history behind Chinese redlining practices and Downtown’s sometimes forgotten French history. He said his time walking door-to-door in the area during his campaign, and the research that he conducted through visits to libraries, college courses and reading books like All the Tea in China, helped him compile his knowledge of Chinatown.

The mix of food, cycling and history resonated with John Purcell of Lancaster, who attended a tour with his wife Rebecca and their son Noah. Purcell had taken Palacios’ taco tour and decided to book a trip during his son’s visit home from college.

While the spicy chicken feet were a miss for the family, Purcell said that he was pleasantly surprised with the jook (often known as congee), a sort of rice porridge traditionally consumed at breakfast

by Chinese farmers.

Purcell also said he learned a lot.

“I don’t remember all the history that he gave us. There was so much. But it gives you a general idea of where we have been living and what this town is about in a fun way,” he said.

That’s exactly what Bray-Ali and Palacios hope to achieve.

The Get Sum Dim Sum tour can be found at lacycletours.com. sthomas@timespublications.com

MORE LISTINGS

Bray-Ali helps order the food, making sure to offer a mix of dishes that reflect the specialties of each restaurant.

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Hundreds of listings of fun and interesting things to do in Downtown Los Angeles can also be found online at ladowntownnews.com/calendar: Rock, Pop & Jazz; Bars & Clubs; Farmers Markets; Events; Film; Sports; Art Spaces; Theater, Dance and Opera; Classical Music; Museums; and Tours.

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LEGAL FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2019215739 Type of Filing: Original The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: SILVERLAKE PLUG; 13335 N OCCIDENTAL BLVD., LOS ANGELES. COUNTY: LA COUNTY REGISTERED OWNER(S) VICTORIA GERDTS 1036 MENLO AVE APT 405, Los Angeles CA 90006 and FAYE ALTOBAR 3009 BELLEVUE AVE, LOS ANGELES CA 90026. THIS BUSINESS IS CONDUCTED BY a General Partnership. The registrant commenced to transact business under the Fictitious Business Name or names listed above on: 8/2019. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. /s/: VICTORIA GERDTS TITLE: General Partner. This

statement was filed with the L.A. County Clerk on: Aug 7, 2019. NOTICE - in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the county clerk, except, as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner a new Fictitious Business Name statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see Section 14411 et seq., business and professions code).

Publish: LA Downtown, 9/16, 23, 30, 10/7 / 23631 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2019 220654 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: (1) LAXL TECHNOLOGIES, 645 W. 9TH STREET, UNIT 110-141, LOS ANGELES,

CA 90015 LA COUNTY are hereby registered by the following registrants: LAXL LLC, 645 W. 9TH STREET, UNIT 110-141, LOS ANGELES, CA 90015. This business is conducted by a Limited Liability Company. Registrant(s) started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: N/A This statement was filed with DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk on August 13, 2019.

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

Business and Professions Code).

Pub. 8/26, 9/2, 9/9 and 9/16.

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT

photo by Sean P. Thomas

ORIGINAL FBN NO.: 2018-239190 ORIGINAL FILING DATE: 9/20/2018 STATEMENT EXPIRES ON: 9/20/2023 BEGAN TRANSACTING: 9/20/2018 THIS BUSINESS WAS CONDUCTED BY: A CORPORATION The following person(s) has (have) abandoned the use of the Fictitious Business Name(s) Source Cannabis Farms, 350 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90037 Los Angeles County Registrant Owner(s): New Age Compassion Care Center Inc. 350 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90037 I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.

Registrant (Name/Corp/ LLCName): New Age Compassion Care Center Inc., Amjad El-Atari This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles county on August 16, 2019.

Dean C. Logan, RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk Pub Dates: 8/26, 9/2, 9/9 and 9/16.

‘ Helping Everyone Find their Place in Downtown Los Angeles Since 2002 ’ Bill Cooper 213.598.7555 • LARealEstateExpert.com Bill@LARealEstateExpert.com

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