Los Angeles Downtown News 05-09-22

May 9, 2022 I VOL. 51 I #19

Remembering Peggy Lee Holly Foster Wells helps Grammy Museum create grandmother’s exhibit

Alex Gruenenfelder for Mayor 20-year-old becomes youngest candidate to run

+ BeachLife Festival

DTLA SUMMER GUIDE May 23, 2022

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

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HAPPY NURSES WEEK

PIH Health celebrates and honors our nurses for all of their contributions to caring for our patients. Nurses offer our communities hope for a healthier future by working collaboratively each day to deliver high-quality and compassionate care.

Thank you, nurses, for all you do.

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Youngest mayoral candidate brings new perspective

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor In a mayoral race dominated by political heavyweights, 20-year-old Alex Gruenenfelder has made history by becoming the youngest candidate to run for Los Angeles mayor.

A native Angeleno, Gruenenfelder has served as an activist and community organizer in LA. He became heavily involved in activism and political campaigns in high school and helped lead the 2018 National School Walkout in LA to advocate for gun reform.

Gruenenfelder is also the co-founder of Survivor’s Power, an organization that supports victims of sexual violence, and organized a national walkout that sought to end the stigma of reporting sexual misconduct, harassment, assault and abuse.

“The reason I’m running for mayor of Los Angeles is not about this time in my life. It’s about this time in our city’s history,” he said.

“I have been told by folks that because I’m a young organizer, I should wait my turn or take some time before running for office. But the fact of the matter is our city does not have time to wait. I’m running for mayor of Los Angeles because our city needs real institutional comprehensive change now.”

Growing up in a rent-control duplex in Silver Lake, Gruenenfelder witnessed the neighborhood around him undergo rapid gentrification and saw firsthand the impacts of homelessness and crime on the community’s everyday life.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theater from UC San Diego at age 19 before moving to Echo Park, where he serves as a councilmember on the Echo Park Neighborhood Council, a member of the Ad Hoc Reimagining Public Safety Committee, and co-chair of the Planning and Land Use Committee.

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“My perspective was shaped by the fact that I grew up around so much that is great about Los Angeles,” he said.

He cites the “great climate of small business and our wonderful diversity that I’ve seen in our communities and in the schools I went to.”

“I’ve seen Los Angeles be the best that it can be, and I’ve seen Los Angeles struggle with a myriad of crises,” he added.

Gruenenfelder’s campaign focuses on three core issues facing the city: public safety, transit and homelessness.

“The homelessness crisis on our streets is getting worse by the day,” said Gruenenfelder, who volunteered in the city’s homeless count.

“I’ve done outreach, providing food and medical supplies to people living on the streets. I’ve been out in the community, and I’ve seen the consequences of our failed homelessness policy. We need to take this on from day one, and the way we’re going to do it is by recognizing it as an intersectional and comprehensive crisis.”

Gruenenfelder said he believes there is no single solution for the homelessness crisis. Instead, the city can begin to move toward functional zero without raising taxes through implementing the MOVE program, which stands for match, optimize, vacancy tax and expand.

The MOVE program matches rehabilitation programs, mental health resources and housing with people who need them. It optimizes the thousands of vacant lots across the city to instantly reduce street homelessness, implementing a vacancy tax on rental properties, investment properties and third houses.

It ensures that tax revenue will go toward homelessness efforts and encourages owners to rent their properties, and buy old residences, hotels and abandoned shopping centers to convert them

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis Chavez CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Myriam Santos ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb At 20 years old, Alex Gruenenfelder is the youngest candidate to run for LA mayor. He is a councilmember FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

on the Echo Park Neighborhood Council, a member of the Ad Hoc Reimagining Public Safety Committee, and co-chair of the Planning and Land Use Committee.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski DEPUTY EDITOR: Luke Netzley STAFF WRITER: Alex Gallagher, Annika Tomlin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Ellen Snortland STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Mortenson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Sarah Louise Bennett, JP Cordero, Ashley Osborn, Nick Terrell, Estelle Wilfer ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway (213) 308-2261 Michael Lamb (213) 453-3548 FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

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into high-quality, low-cost housing.

“It is easier in this city to build luxury condo units than it is to build affordable housing, and then we ask ourselves why we have a proliferation of housing that nobody needs and we don’t have enough of the housing that will actually solve the crisis,” Gruenenfelder said.

Gruenenfelder said solving homelessness will evolve with the crisis over time.

However, he will work to put people in safer environments before a transition to both temporary transitional shelters and permanent supportive housing.

To start, Gruenenfelder would look to provide more than 30,000 shelter beds in two years and invest heavily in mental health care and addiction treatment.

He said the money for these investments already is in the city’s budget but that it’s being used toward other developments such as sports stadium subsidies and hotels.

“Homelessness is not going to be solved from day two,” Gruenenfelder said.

“Homelessness is going to take time.

If we invest comprehensively in these solutions rather than just pushing encampments around, rather than just arresting people and then releasing them again six hours later to go back on the streets, then a few years down the line we could be talking about a Los Angeles not where homelessness is less bad but a

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Los Angeles without homelessness.”

As violent crimes increase in the city, Gruenenfelder will address public safety by investing in antipoverty and gang intervention programs alongside the mental health care and addiction treatment resources put in place to aid the homeless population.

“For the sake of our communities and for the sake of the LAPD, we should not be making the LAPD the only solution we have to public safety,” Gruenenfelder said. “We must have a more spread-out approach, which policing plays a part in while we make investments now and in the long term so that we can reduce crime today, tomorrow and for the next generations to come.”

Along with public safety improvements, Gruenenfelder wants to transform LA into a more accessible and greener city by bolstering the public transit system.

According to recent reports, only 6% of Metro’s budget comes from fares, and more than one-third of the budget goes back into fare enforcement. While Metro was free during most of the pandemic, Gruenenfelder wants it to remain that way.

“I’m the only candidate in this mayoral field who does not own a car,” Gruenenfelder explained. “I’m the only candidate in the mayoral field who gets to

their campaign events by public transit.

I have been a committed public transit user since I was in middle school, and I’m going to continue to be. We must make Metro safe, clean and free for generations to come.”

Gruenenfelder plans to halt all drilling for oil and natural gas in the city and invest in creating a 100% renewable grid by 2030.

Though the crises facing the city may seem daunting, Gruenenfelder is confident that his experience on the Echo Park Neighborhood Council and as an organizer have equipped him with the insight and community relationships needed to get the job done.

“We’ve never had a mayor who served on a neighborhood council,” Gruenenfelder said. “I’ve actually been in the community, working with folks, building coalitions and making compromises to try to provide for my community here in Echo Park. That’s the kind of thing we need at city hall. Similarly, we have never really had an organizer as our mayor. We have not had folks who are actually working in

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the streets, working to organize protests, organize community groups, and organize people to come together and step up to fight for what our city needs.”

Gruenenfelder wants to give residents a louder voice in city hall and welcomes the perspectives of those working in outreach or as activists fighting for the rights of Angelenos. He also wants to inject a youthful energy into the city’s political sphere and encourage them to share their outlooks and experiences.

“It’s about what you can get done in office, but it’s also how you can drive the conversation forward to make sure that the folks in office hear the community, see the community and work for the community,” Gruenenfelder said. “By running for mayor of Los Angeles, I knew we could draw attention to the idea that we can solve homelessness without criminalizing people. There’s an alternative way to deal with crime without raising the LAPD budget. And we can invest in our community rather than investing in the same special interests that have been dominating city hall for so long.”

Alex Gruenenfelder for mayor The 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election will take place on Nov. 8, with its top-two primary on June 7.

INFO: mayoralex.com

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MAY 9, 2022

SMITH’S OPINION

Agony and ecstasy: Ugliness and beauty

By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Columnist had already written a lovely column this week about the benefits of singing and the offer of free music lessons at All Saints Church in Pasadena when the news of the SCOTUS leak hit. I’ve been writing about this inevitability for years like Cassandra, so I must weigh in now. Meanwhile, info on the free music class will be at the end of this column.

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Agony: It’s the late ’80s. I’m in a beautiful Pacific Palisades home, at a party for actors and artists given by a privileged straight white male. “You exaggerate!

You’re almost hysterical when it comes to pro-choice. No one will ever overturn Roe v. Wade,” says my esteemed but supremely righteous mentor-friend who has no clue about life as lived for women in the United States. (Tragically, he is typical of many American men who have been intentionally ignorant about reproductive rights and egregiously missing in the fight for those rights. Shame on all of you.) “Mark my words, D.F., they’ll overturn Roe and then go after contraception,” I say. “That’s more hyperbole. No one would dare try to outlaw contraception,” he says. As much as I’d like to call him now with a righteous “I told you so,” instead I’m grieving and screaming.

The Republicans have been playing the long-long-long game ever since the New Deal. They’ve been steadily chipping away at gains made by labor, Social Security, Medicare, civil rights for minorities, and LGBTQ and women’s rights. Like canaries in the proverbial coal mine, you can judge

Hey you! Speak up!

Ellen Snortland a country based on its women’s rights and how it treats marginalized groups. The choice of when, or even whether, to have a child is such a crucial human right that all the other “rights” are diminished by losing that choice. Strong women’s rights are also the backbone of a solid middle class.

Watch the documentary “Hot Coffee” for a potent example of how well Republicans play the long game. It’s about the woman who sued McDonald’s over the severe scald burns she suffered — and eventually died — from because of coffee McDonald’s already knew was dangerously hot.

The 30-year plan, devised by a coalition of Republicans, to deny the average American getting their day in court was fulfilled by that case and is similar to what is now on full display with SCOTUS. They’ve been stacking the courts and the state legislatures for decades.

Radical right-wingers seem to have a strategy of setting so many fires that the

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

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

progressives are running themselves ragged just trying to contain the burn. It’s much easier to be an arsonist than a firefighter. Again, look at “Hot Coffee” to see the playbook in all its Machiavellian glory.

Wake up and smell the coffee, people!

A solid 80% of Americans support Roe v. Wade, yet a long-game-playing minority of religious zealots are upending it. They are devoted to turning America into a Christian theocracy. No wonder they were ecstatic about Drumpf — and still are. All they had to do was hold their noses and have him do their fascist dirty work. Again, there’s a historical precedent for this.

Patriarchs all, Stalin gutted women’s rights while Hitler’s “Kinder, Küchen, Kirche” (children, kitchen, church) was the Third Reich prescription for proper femalehood. They are the shoulders these American totalitarian toadies stand on.

And no, D.F., that’s not hyperbole. The signs have been there all along: contempt for unions, hatred of feminists, gays, Blacks, Jews, Native Americans, trans people. In short, contempt for anyone who is not a wealthy white male Christian. You can see this in the states where abortion is already criminalized; they are the same states which restrict voting rights, pass anti-gay legislation… you know the rest.

We must fight this! Our very lives depend upon it.

Ecstasy (not the drug — free singing lessons!): In these agonizing times, we can all use the balm music provides. The polar opposite of “weaponized” Christianity

is the love, kindness and social justice that is All Saints Church (ASC) of Pasadena, the mothership of my heart and spirit. I’m not Episcopalian or even religious, although I am devoted to ASC’s core values of radical inclusion, courageous justice, ethical stewardship and joyful spirituality. My husband, Ken, and I sing in the Coventry choir there.

ASC believes in “paying it forward” and knows the transformative power of music to heal and empower. As such, ASC is offering a free, in-person music class on Sundays, starting Sunday, May 15, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The course will be given over eight weeks; the last class will be July 3. You don’t have to live in Pasadena or even want to sing in a choir to take the class. Participants will learn effective vocal techniques, how to sight-read music, and the basics of music theory itself. The goal of this class is, first and foremost, to enjoy yourself while learning a bit more about music and gaining confidence in your vocal abilities. The class participants must show proof of vaccination and will be singing with a mask on and distanced, which we are “re-choired” to do (sorry, I am a compulsive punner).

To reserve a spot, email course instructor Grace Chung at gchung@allsaints-pas.org.

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

MAY 9, 2022

EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT

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Para Los Niños supports parents and students

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

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

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

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

It applies an integrated approach to educate the whole child within the context of his or her family.

Plus, tuition is free or low in cost for all qualifying families.

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

There are three centrally located charter school

Charter Elementary School serves students in TK through fifth grade.

Para Los Niños/Submitted

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

Classes are open to any student who is a resident of California. Limited spots are available. Learn more at paralosninos.org/enroll.

As one PLN elementary student alumna, Jennifer, shared, “My time with Para Los Niños was like being with family. My teachers, my friends, and the way we ADVERTORIAL

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

Para Los Niños/Submitted

all worked together, it made learning safe and supportive.”

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

Start your enrollment and join the PLN family today.

Visit paralosninos.org/enroll and follow PLN on social @ paralosninosorg.

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MAY 9, 2022

Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

Bastille turns negativity into sprightly pop songs

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor he English band Bastille has a way of writing dark songs wrapped in buoyant, joyous pop songs.

Keyboardist Kyle Simmons said that’s the charm behind Bastille.

“There are elements of hope in there, which is a bit of a Bastille standard,” Simmons said.

“There’s the negative and the pessimism, but there’s always a bit of hope somewhere. You just have to dig around for it.”

Case in point: “Happier,” which, vocalist Dan Smith sings, to sprightly music, “I wanna raise your spirits/ I want to see you smile but/ Know that means I’ll have to leave.”

Much like its music, Bastille’s live show will share that upbeat feeling. The band is playing the YouTube Theatre on Friday, May 20.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been out and touring around the States be-

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cause of all the obvious reasons,” Simmons said. “We love all those amphitheaters. We love the vibe. They’re always great.”

The tour is a promotional run for its latest album, “Give Me the Future,” which debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. official charts, the band’s third No. 1 album.

Songs like “Thelma + Louise” and “Shut Off the Lights” will be accompanied by “amazing video content.”

“It’s a lot more of a show than it is a gig,” Simmons said. “There are a lot of interludes that help fans navigate inside of that space and then back out.

It’s quite difficult to explain. It’s hugely visual. We’re so proud of it. We’re really happy with how it’s been received.

“It just meanders its way through.”

Simmons has a hard time narrowing down what makes Bastille successful.

The reasons are many, according to critics and fans. He called it “luck and hard work.”

“Our lyrics are sort of self-deprecat-

Bastille is touring in support of its latest album, “Give Me the Future,” which debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. official charts.

Sarah Louise Bennett/Submitted

MAY 9, 2022

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ing,” he said. “We deal with a lot of negative issues, but we frame them in quite happy, poppy music.

“I think the content that we sing about, too, is very interesting. It touches on different films and programs that we like, and history. That’s the kind of content we enjoy writing about and singing about. It’s a less-treaded path.”

Bastille — which also includes vocalist Dan Smith, bassist/guitarist Will Farquarson and drummer Chris “Woody” Wood — is filled with perfectionists. So, they’re proud of the music that is released.

“If I told you the number of choruses that Dan has thrown away and rewritten,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll tell him it’s one of the best things I’ve ever heard. He’ll say it’s not good enough.

Again, it’s just hugely negative content but wrapped in a nice happy package.

That is almost every Bastille song.”

Smith stretched his lyrical and mu-

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sical wings on “Give Me the Future.” He co-wrote songs with others for the first time. Simmons said now was the time because the first three albums were a trilogy.

“As soon as we finished that third album, we wanted to be different,” he added. “It was the first time we could kind of build up the catalog of music and put it completely in its own space.

“The album is a lot more collaborative, and I think we’re definitely moving more into that space.

“Give Me the Future” blurs genre lines, but Smith’s vocals are so distinct that any music fits in well with Bastille’s catalog.

“We can happily jump around and change our sound as much as we want,” he said. “I’ve been listening to him for 12 years. The fact that he has that voice is just incredible. We’re really lucky all of that is paired inside that one person.”

Bastille w/Alice Merton WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, May 20 WHERE: YouTube Theater, 1011 S. Stadium Drive, Inglewood COST: Tickets start at $38 INFO: ticketmaster.com

Bastille’s show will come to the YouTube Theater on Friday, May 20.

Sarah Louise Bennett/Submitted

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MAY 9, 2022

Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

Holly Foster Wells helped the Grammy Museum create an exhibit on her grandmother, singer Peggy Lee. Chronicling “100 Years of Peggy Lee,” it runs through Labor Day. Chris Mortenson/Staff Photographer

Peggy Lee is always with her granddaughter

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor olly Foster Wells traveled with her grandmother, singer Peggy Lee, around the world, watching her sing hits like “Fever” and perform in beautiful gowns.

Wells has made it her life’s mission to keep that legacy alive.

“My grandmother told me this is the job I would be doing,” said Wells, president at Peggy Lee Associates LLC. “She must have known how much it would mean to me. I feel very blessed.”

Now Lee’s fans and visitors to the Grammy Museum can get a glimpse of the singer’s life via the exhibit “100 Years of Peggy Lee,” which runs through Labor Day. Lee has been called one of the most

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important musical influences of the 20th century. She penned more than 270 songs, recorded over 1,100 masters and had over 100 chart hits throughout her seven-decade career.

“It’s not that common to have a career that lasts seven decades, starting in the 1930s,” Wells said.

“We have artifacts from the 1930s up until the very end of her career. Seeing that longevity and all the things we did and the people we met, seeing the breadth of her career, is amazing.”

A rarity at the time, Lee co-wrote and sang many of her own hits, most notably “He’s a Tramp” for Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp,” as well as “It’s a Good Day” and “Mañana.”

She’s best known for hits “Why Don’t You Do Right?,” “Fever,” “I’m a Woman,”

and “Is That All There Is?,” for which she won the Grammy for best contemporary female vocal performance.

A 13-time Grammy nominee, she received lifetime achievement awards from NARAS, ASCAP and the Society of Singers; was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame; and earned an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress in “Pete Kelly’s Blues.”

“For someone who was born 102 years ago, it’s amazing,” said Wells, who released the book “Miss Peggy Lee: An Autobiography” on May 2.

“She told me that this music would outlive her. I think she had a sense that the music would go on, but people are talking about her story and are interested in her story.”

Grandma Peggy Born in the late 1960s, Wells started traveling with Lee in the 1970s, when she was about 6 years old. She and her family lived with Lee in a wing of the singer’s home.

“She was around from the beginning of my life,” Wells said.

“Eventually, we moved to Idaho. Every spring, summer and Christmas break, I would go where she was. If she was in Japan, I went to Japan with her. If she was in New York, I went to New York. I went all over with her.”

Wells watched her grandmother prepare for shows and spent time with her at home. She didn’t see Lee as anyone but her grandmother.

“I didn’t know anything else,” Wells

MAY 9, 2022

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said. “What’s interesting is, when you’re just hanging out with your grandmother at home, you don’t bring up, ‘So, you met Frank Sinatra?’ ‘When did you start singing?’ We really didn’t talk about it.

“We spoke about what was for dinner, about my homework, regular things.

That’s how she was when she wasn’t touring. She was a regular person. She was so creative, always painting or writing songs.”

Lee asked her friends for constructive criticism about her songs — friends like Marlon Brando or Cary Grant.

“That made it really different and special,” she said. “When she had a show coming up, she was a completely different person. She snapped into gear, and it became serious. We were gearing up for something big.”

Remembering Peggy Lee

David Barbour’s guitar is in the exhibit.

Chris Mortenson/Staff Photographer

To create the exhibit, Wells worked with associate curator Kelsey Goelz, and together they sorted through artifacts; memorabilia; letters from Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan or the Queen of England; and gowns.

“She created a timeline of key events in her life,” Wells said.

“Kelsey looked through my grandmother’s archives and selected items that helped tell the story of her career in North

Dakota, from her dream of being a singer to being discovered by Benny Goodman and all the people she worked with.”

The exhibit shines a spotlight on Lee’s songwriting. Wells said in the 1940s, it was uncommon for singers — let alone a woman — to write their songs.

“Kelsey really wanted to bring that out in the exhibit — and she did,” Wells said.

“We also included some of her sketches. She sketched her gowns and ideas for the shows and what she was going to pack.”

Lee’s awards are also included in the exhibit, as are her jewelry and a journal.

“That is especially interesting,” Wells said. “You can see her stream of consciousness and what she needs to do. It was so cool to see what was going on in her brain put on paper.”

The showcases are not long enough to include gowns, so Goelz and Wells included accessories like a hat and a sparkly kimono.

Wells’ grandfather, David Barbour, is remembered as well, as his guitar is in the exhibit. The two met through the Benny Goodman Orchestra, and they wrote “It’s a Good Day,” “Mañana” and “I Don’t Know Enough About You.” “I have a pretty amazing job,” she said.

“I’m immersed in my grandparents’ music. It keeps them right here with me every day.”

Humankindness.

Because of you.

Every single person in our hospital plays an important role in bringing humankindness to the people we serve. From our nurses, respiratory therapists and all direct care providers, to our team who admits patients, cooks for them, cleans and keeps our lights on—you are all key in providing excellent care. And for that we thank you.

Happy Nurses and Hospital Weeks!

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MAY 9, 2022

Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

311 has been playing for over three decades. The band is slated to play BeachLife Festival this month.

Nick Terrell/Submitted

311’s ‘P-Nut’ loves the peace of La Cañada

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor he first time 311 bassist Aaron “P-Nut” Wills saw his future home in La Cañada Flintridge, he was overwhelmed.

“I have a friend who was a real estate agent tell me to check out this house,” Wills said. “It was surrounded by oaks on three-quarters of an acre. I said, ‘I will move heaven and earth to make this happen. This is where I want to be when I get off the road.’”

And he did. Wills moved to the area when he was 30 and fell in love with La Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena, Altadena and Eagle Rock.

It works out perfectly this weekend when he travels 34 miles south to Redondo Beach for the BeachLife Festival.

“I can’t wait,” Wills said. “Some of my favorite bands who we don’t really get to play with are going to be there.

“The festival circuit is hit or miss for us.

The promoters want us to bring our huge

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number of fans. You’d think they’d want to bring us. We’re a 32-year-old band. I don’t know if younger promoters know how big we still are.”

Wills said he and his 311 bandmates don’t let that get to them. They make the best out of “every situation we’re in.”

“We have a good time on stage,” he said. “We’ll bring a positive element to the BeachLife Festival. I don’t think it’s going to be hurting. Weezer is so easy to enjoy. Black Pumas are one of my favorite newer stories in music. Milky Chance are still kicking out great music and great things. It’s another wonderful thing to watch.”

The band 311 has one of the longest-running original lineups in rock.

Forming in 1990 in Omaha, 311 is dedicated to touring, leading to a grassroots following. Besides Wills, the lineup features vocalist/guitarist Nick Hexum, guitarist Tim Mahoney, singer/DJ SA Martinez and drummer Chad Sexton.

During its career, 311 has played

more than 2,000 performances across 27 countries, released 13 studio albums, achieved 10 Billboard Top 10s on Billboard’s Top 200 Sales Chart, and sold over 9 million albums in the United States.

Their list of Top 10 radio hits includes “Down,” “All Mixed Up,” “Amber,” “Love Song,” “Come Original,” “Beautiful Disaster,” “Don’t Tread on Me,” “You Wouldn’t Believe,” “Hey You” and “Sunset in July.”

Wills said the set list will include most of those hits as, for festivals, it’s hard to deep dive into albums.

“Festival sets are a little vanilla, if I may be so bold,” he said with a laugh.

“I feel like I’m the driving force in the band, pushing rare cuts like stuff that fans who have seen 20 or 30 shows haven’t heard. I’m balanced out by a conservative mindset in the band. Together we cover all the bases — the hits, new things they may or may not have heard, some middle-of-the-road stuff, drum solos.

“The crowd will be putty in our hands.

We’ll try and make people cry a little bit, bludgeon them with ‘Amber,’ with the softest hammer, rock it out with ‘Down,’ and send everyone to bed all sweaty and relaxed.”

Wills likes to relax himself when he’s at home with his wife of 21 years, Abby, and 11- and 8-year-old children.

“My wife and I love to indulge in everything culinary,” he said. “Nothing is off limits. We will eat our way through town one way or another — or regret not doing so if we ever move.

“Seriously, that’s one of the things that keep us here. (DTLA’s) Shibumi is like another world. It’s like a science fiction experiment. You trust the chef and the staff so much.”

The couple also enjoy Pasadena’s Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery and Sushi Enya, as “we were thrilled when Sushi Enya moved into town. We spend a hell of a lot of money there. It is not cheap.

They take great care of us. The chefs and the staff are just amazing.”

MAY 9, 2022

He works out two to three times a week at SoulCycle in Pasadena. The visits expose Wills to music that he normally wouldn’t listen to.

His playlist is chill, a stark contrast to 311’s music.

“I’m a 47-year-old man in a loud-ass band,” he said with a laugh. “So ‘quiet’ goes over really well. I’ll listen to Bon Iver, Band of Horses, any quiet thing works really well.

“When we get off the stage, after a show, SA and I will play the Bluetooth and listen to jazz or Chet Baker — something melancholy and downtempo. I’ll put on Tame Impala, something that’s not too sleepy but not too heady. It’s a nice way to wind down.”

The pandemic lockdown allowed Wills to wind down a little too much. He considered taking time off in 2020, coincidentally. But the quarantine made Wills miss playing shows.

“I’ve been playing since I was a teen-

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ager,” he said. “We’re fiscally responsible, thank goodness. We’re not trying to buy a bunch of chains and cars we can’t afford.

“If we were going to go crazy indulgent, we already would have. Any financial speedbump or professional speedbump wasn’t that hard for us to take.”

He laughed and said he knows he disparaged — jokingly — his production and management team, but he’s going to “lift them up now.”

“We started streaming shows during the pandemic,” he added. “We had a couple thousand people watching every night. We wanted to take care of our crew and management. They’ve been taking care of us. The crew really couldn’t do anything. It was nice being able to get a loan from the government and have it turn into something we didn’t have to pay back. It was really, really advantageous for us to take care of them. Again, everyone takes great care of us.”

BeachLife Festival WHEN: 1 p.m. Friday, May 13, and 11 a.m. Saturday, May 14, and Sunday, May 15 WHERE: Redondo Beach, 137 N. Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach COST: Tickets start at $159 for single-day general admission tickets INFO: beachlifefestival.com for set times

Aaron “P-Nut" Wills plays bass in 311.

Estelle Wilfer/Submitted

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BeachLife Festival pairs fine dining, music

By Alex Gallagher LA Downtown News Staff Writer llen Sanford dreaded having to sit through traffic and meander his way through Downtown Los Angeles to see a show at The Greek or The Hollywood Bowl.

He was also fed up with concert promoters scheduling shows west of Interstate 405, away from what he considers the mecca of culture and taste making.

“I selfishly thought that if I could figure out how to throw an event that I didn’t have to drive to and could skateboard

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Allen Sanford created BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach in 2019.

JP Cordero/Submitted

MAY 9, 2022

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to it, that would be pretty rad,” Sanford said.

As a restaurateur with a portfolio spanning 14 eateries, Sanford wanted to offer a festival coupled with a culinary experience.

“I was talking to some friends when I started this, and we talked about how cool it would be to have a restaurant on the side of the stage,” he said.

Sanford then considered locations like Redondo Beach, where he often surfs, swims and spends time with his daughter. This plans came to fruition in 2019 when BeachLife Festival was born.

He wanted to keep the party going, but the great COVID-19 interrupter buried the festival in 2020, leaving Sanford feeling uncertain about 2021.

BeachLife Festival returned last year, and the 2022 iteration is Friday, May 13, and Sunday, May 15, in Redondo Beach. This year’s lineup includes Weezer, Black Pumas, 311, Cold War Kids, the Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, Capital Cities, Phantom Planet and Sheryl Crow.

“This is the third year we’ve done this, and last year we were one of the first festivals back from the pandemic,” Sanford said.

“Everything ended up turning out like something out of a storybook. Attendance was great. People wanted to have a good time and smile. We were overly cautious with our COVID-19 protocols, and the artistry that we put together overdelivered on the day.”

Heading into this year’s festival, Sanford aimed to curate a diverse lineup.

“What we’re trying to do is book according to the emotion that you have at a festival rather than book a bunch of good bands,” Sanford said.

“Friday is when you’re usually amped and have a ton of energy. Our Friday night is high-level, raging party music. Saturday is like a day off from work, hanging out with friends and having a good time with enjoyable music. Sunday is more of the music lovers day, where it’s maybe a little more musically advanced or nostalgic as you round out the weekend.”

With headline acts ranging from classic rock and pop to reggae, each day offers a blend of sounds and experiences.

“It’s already enough fun going to the beach with your friends on the weekend, but when you add on these bands, it goes to the next level,” Sanford said.

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BeachLife will host three stages — two for headliners and one for smaller acts. The fourth space pays homage to one of California’s most celebrated genres.

“The fourth stage is the speakeasy stage, where we’re displaying our punk rock roots through acoustic sets to where we can focus more on the artist’s songwriting chops rather than the loud distorted guitars,” Sanford said.

In addition to offering a stacked lineup on the stage, BeachLife will offer an experience that sets it apart from other festivals.

“The dining part is key to the whole puzzle,” Sanford said.

“Dining is one of those things that goes hand in hand with live music. Imagine having a five-course dinner from a Michelin Star chef while you’re 20 feet from Billy Corgan sipping on amazing wine on the beach at night. That’s about as cool as it gets.”

Michelin Star chefs will feel like rock stars, too.

“I just like that whole creativity that goes along with the culinary arts and the musical arts and putting those things together,” Sanford said.

He hopes the event will be memorable for everyone involved.

“If anybody from around the country comes and has this experience, I would think that it becomes one of their treasured memories or one of their moments in time that they’re going to share for the next 30 years,” he said.

BeachLife Festival WHEN: 1 p.m. Friday, May 13, and 11 a.m. Saturday, May 14, and Sunday, May 15 WHERE: Redondo Beach, 137 N. Harbor Drive COST: Tickets start at $159 for single-day general admission tickets INFO: beachlifefestival.com for set times

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Everclear’s Art Alexakis looking forward to BeachLife

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor dversity has played a role in the success of Everclear’s Art Alexakis.

The 60-year-old singer battled drug problems and a rocky relationship with his father. Lately, he’s battled multiple sclerosis and spinal problems. He looks back on Everclear’s 30 years and understands what made the “Santa Monica” band successful.

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Art Alexakis will cover Everclear’s three-decade career and his solo material at the BeachLife Festival on Saturday, May 14.

Ashley Osborn/Submitted

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“My adversity helped me,” said Alexakis, who’s been gluten free for a decade. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without that adversity. I needed it to get the fire in my belly.”

Alexakis will cover Everclear’s three-decade career and his solo material during a stop at BeachLife Festival, set for Friday, May 13, to Sunday, May 15. He will perform at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14, on the SpeakEasy Stage presented by Jack Daniel’s.

Later in the summer, Everclear will embark on an East Coast jaunt in support of its anniversary. The support acts are the Nixons and Fastball.

“I’m going to play the hits and fan favorites at BeachLife,” he said. “Anyone who wants to request a certain song can hit me up on Twitter. If I can do it, I’ll do it. It’s about an hourlong set. I might break out one or two from my solo record that I put out a couple years ago.”

In celebration of Everclear’s 30 years, fans will see a humorous video that shows Santa Monica. It’s a teaser for a Matt Pinfield-hosted retrospective video with photos and clips.

“You’ll see all the bad hairstyles I’ve had over the years and my horrible choices in clothing,” he said. “It’s pretty stunning.”

Also in honor of Everclear’s career is the reissue of its debut, “World of Noise,” which the band made for $400 in 1992.

“I was living in Portland (Oregon) with the mother of my eldest daughter,” he said. “She became my second wife. We lived in San Francisco together. When she got pregnant, we moved to Portland. We had family there.

“We were poor on welfare and playing in Everclear at night in little clubs. I was digging a garden for a friend of hers for an extra $100, which was a big deal at the time.”

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Alexakis saw a “hipster-looking dude going in and out of the garage.” Assuming he was a drug dealer, Alexakis flagged him over.

“He said, ‘Aren’t you in that band Everclear?’” Alexakis recalled. “I have a studio that you can use for $10 an hour. I jumped the fence to go over and look at it.”

Alexakis traded $400 in equipment, like effects pedals he wasn’t using, for studio time. “World of Noise” was born.

His love of music has carried on to his children. Alexakis and Everclear pride themselves on releasing timeless music. His daughter enjoys that type of music, especially Led Zeppelin.

“I remember for my daughter’s 12th or 13th birthday, I bought her a turntable,” he said. “She liked my friend’s turntable. I bought her ‘Led Zeppelin II.’ “She puts it on and cranks it up. She listens to ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and says, ‘This is awesome.’ I said, ‘Yes, it is. It’s timeless. When that riff starts — to this day — my blood pumps. It’s intrinsic. I don’t want to sound like a hippy, but drums go back thousands of years. That tribal, pulsing beat and rhythm is amazing. For someone to say my music is timeless, I’m very grateful. I just never cared about sounding like the next guy.”

Alexakis now lives with his family in Pasadena, after deciding he wanted to reside somewhere warm. He said he never thought he would love the quaint homes and shops of Pasadena.

“We wanted to move somewhere warm, after living in Portland for 21 years,” he said.

His wife, Vanessa, is a Tucson native, but the two couldn’t move there, as Alexakis can’t tolerate the Arizona heat.

“With my MS, it’s too hot for me,” he said. “I can’t be that hot. It gets in the 90s now. This whole global warming thing that the kids are talking about, they might have something there.”

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MAY 9, 2022

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Cristina Martinez’s art career blooms

By Annika Tomlin LA Downtown News Staff Writer rt has always been important to Cristina Martinez.

Splitting her time between LA and Seattle, Martinez is keeping her creative spirit alive by showcasing strong women, feminine power and resilience with fields of color.

“I knew that I was a creative person early on in life,” said Martinez, who lives with her partner and son. She creates art in LA. “Being raised in a Mexican household by Mexican women definitely has affected my art. The art that was around our home and the colors that I saw, the stories that my mom and grandma told me about Mexico and butterflies and my great grandmother — I tried to keep my culture, both my Mexican side and my Black side, in my art by highlighting people that look like me.”

Several of Martinez’s pieces feature depictions of women drawing, gardening or bathing. For a recent collection, she teamed with NTWRK and HubSpot, livestream shopping and customer relationship platforms, respectively.

She created a limited-edition piece inspired by HubSpot’s “Grow Better” campaign. Available in March, the print and wall clock sent 100% of the proceeds to Y-WE Foundation, which helps young women find their voices and explore next steps in their careers.

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Cristina Martinez is a Mexican and Black artist known for showcasing strong women, feminine power and resilience with fields of color.

Cristina Martinez/Submitted

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

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

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

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

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

MAY 9, 2022

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 19

“It was really easy for me to jump on board for this Women’s Month project, especially given the fact that they were donating the proceeds,” Martinez said.

“I created an original painting called ‘Time to Bloom,’ and that piece was done on a limited number of custom clocks. I like working with NTWRK because I like to keep things very limited. That makes them feel really special.”

Martinez said for the piece, she was inspired by the women she has spoken with.

She wanted to give women the chance to be seen, felt and heard.

Martinez also recently participated in an “artist-led art fair” through Botho Project Space, to which she was introduced through mutual friends. The exhibit ended the last week of April.

“I usually shy away from galleries and art fairs,” Martinez admitted. “This one being artist led and having more control and having art be really the priority, I was really excited to be a part of it.”

Her works were 48 inches by 60 inches with titles like “Growing Up” and “Bloom Together.”

“All of the pieces together told the story of different phases of blooming and wilting,” Martinez said.

“I showed the different parts of life — the blooming cycle and pushing through challenges and always knowing that you will bloom again.”

On a larger scale, Martinez created a signature collection of clothing for Nordstrom.

“I used to be in fashion school, which is where my love for paintings developed,” Martinez said. “I show them some of the clothes that I’ve made. I was not thinking at all that this could be something centered around my paintings.

“I believe, in the end, I made 11 paintings that were then turned into different items for adults, babies and home. That was really cool to be able to tap back into fashion roots but still be able to make it about the paintings.”

Cristina Martinez juneandmars.com

Cristina Martinez created an original painting called “Time to Bloom” that was featured on limited edition wall clocks. All proceeds were donated to Y-WE Foundation.

Cristina Martinez/Submitted

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Meat Puppets will close the show they’re co-headlining with Mudhoney on Friday, May 20, at The Regent Theater.

Meat Puppets/Submitted

Meat Puppets reintroducing themselves through live release

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor eat Puppets drummer Derrick Bostrom is down on the music industry.

He said he stopped paying attention to current music when the Spice Girls debuted. He’s frustrated that successful “musicians” these days are TikTok stars, those who buy ads on YouTube, or trust fund children.

“It’s not the rock ‘n’ roll that I got into,” he said. “At one of the last gigs the band did in 1994 or 1995 in San Francisco, we were told we have to be done by 11.”

He doesn’t expect that to happen on the Meat Puppets’ current tour in support of their latest album, “Dusty Notes.” It hits The Regent Theater on Friday, May 20, with Mudhoney. “ Whatever annoyances and hardships come from going out on tour, playing together night after night, listening to the music evolve, more than makes up for it,” says the band’s leader, Curt Kirkwood.

Kirkwood is joined in the band by his son/guitarist Elmo Kirkwood, bassist/brother Cris Kirkwood and keyboardist Ron Stabinsky.

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For a reintroduction to Meat Puppets, they released “Meat Puppets Live Manchester 2019” on May 6.

During that run of shows, Meat Puppets met with videographer Yousef Sheikh and his crew, who not only captured a multitrack audio recording of the band during its show in Manchester but also created a multicamera video production of it.

The band posted some of it during their pandemic-imposed two-year hiatus from touring, and when Darron Hemann of DC-Jam Records offered to release a limited-edition six-song picture disc based on the material, they agreed.

The band worked with Sheikh and Derek O’Brien of DOB Sound on a half dozen tracks, which highlight the improvisational passages they crafted while on the road.

Meat Puppets updated songs like “Up on the Sun,” “Plateau,” “Seal Whales” and “Lake of Fire,” while releasing a new track from their latest album, “Dusty Notes,” called “Nine Pins.”

“Yousef was fortunate enough to capture us on a good night,” he said.

“Sure, we were all exhausted, starving and halfsick, and the onstage sound was terrible, but as this

performance shows, sometimes that helps.”

Meat Puppets’ label, Megaforce Records, released “Dusty Notes.” Bostrom said kids care less about amps and drums. They’re more into techno music and computers. Meat Puppets aren’t selling “tons of records,” Bostrom said. However, Megaforce is helpful and supportive.

“It’s not like we’re keeping them in rent money,” he said. “They just like us. For Record Store Day and with the resurgence of vinyl, we can do limited-edition releases for just about anybody or on your own and make just as much money with lower overhead without any real budget.

“The last three records we’ve done have all been limited releases or vinyl one-offs. We did a 10-inch, four-song EP in 2020 that was going to be for Record Store Day, but it was derailed by COVID.” Similarly, their current tour with fellow ’90s alt-rockers Mudhoney was sidetracked for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. At The Regent Theater, Meat Puppets close the show. Bostrom said to expect a no-frills concert.

“We don’t have a lot of resources,” he said. “We are not Elton John. We do not travel with a large entourage. We are very lucky if we don’t manage to stumble into our equipment and break it and have to cancel our next show.

“One of the things about this COVID deal that concerned me was just about exactly two years ago, we canceled our tour after baseball was canceled. I work for Whole Foods. I have a photo on my Instagram feed of completely empty shelves. It had absolutely no products in some parts of the store.”

He said he was angry with promoters who told fans that Meat Puppets shows were postponed instead of canceled, and not refunding their money.

“The clubs wouldn’t cancel the shows,” he said.

“It was a very, very dark tunnel businesswise. They were saying the tickets were still good until the show was rescheduled. “ The problem is the tour from 2020 is routed very, very differently than the one we’re doing now.”

Therefore, they’re not hitting the same towns, Bostrom said. Some fans blamed the band.

“Social media is such that the bands think they have a personal relationship with the band,” he said.

“They’re messaging me saying, ‘Where’s my money.’

I told them to talk to the club, but they were saying the club wouldn’t give their money back.

“I went in and deleted all of these events from the band’s Facebook page. Some of the promoters freaked out. It was definitely desperate times.”

Meat Puppets w/Mudhoney WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday, May 20 WHERE: The Regent Theater, 448 S. Main Street, Los Angeles COST: Tickets start at $35 INFO: ticketmaster.com

MAY 9, 2022

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Blue Diamond Gala back with a ‘bang’

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski LA Downtown News Executive Editor hen the Los Angeles Dodgers postponed their Blue Diamond Gala due to COVID-19, the team’s foundation knew it had to return with a “big bang” when the time came.

And that it will, according to Nichol Whiteman, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation’s chief executive officer.

The Thursday, June 16, gala, dubbed “The Party for LA,” is presented by the Dodgers ownership group, including Mark Walter, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Billie Jean King, at Dodger Stadium.

The evening will kick off with a blue carpet and preshow dinner party with D-Nice, followed by an exclusive concert headlined by Jennifer Lopez.

“I’m so excited,” Whiteman said. “We were saying we were coming back, and The Party for LA is coming. So, it had to come back with a big bang. We’re showing up big for LA like we always do.

“Jennifer Lopez is a superstar in so many facets. We look for artists who are somewhat universal, who can be a lot of things to everyone at one event. She hits the nail on the head, as far as that’s concerned.”

Whiteman said it was important to have a female act after primarily booking male performers like Bruno Mars; Maroon 5; Earth, Wind and Fire; John Legend and Aloe Blacc. Fleetwood Mac also supported the gala.

In addition to the live performances, special guests will include Dodgers players, alumni and coaches, in addition to other celebrities. Proceeds from the evening will benefit LADF and the organization’s various community programs and initiatives aimed at improving education, health care, homelessness and social justice for all Angelenos.

Blue Diamond Gala was founded in 2014. The team was “eager” for what 2020 would bring, according to Whiteman, until the pandemic hit.

In 2020, the foundation sold cardboard cutouts to place in seats, raising a “significant amount of money,” Whiteman said.

“We saw a team in the U.K. who was talking about it and beginning to do it,” she said. “We jumped on that right away. I was a little skeptical at first, but people were so excited about it.

“Being in Dodger Stadium is major, and having that sense of yourself in there was enough for folks. Plus, all the money was going to charity.”

The gala was virtual in 2021, and it raised $1.2 million for the LA Regional Food Bank.

Whiteman said she and the LADF learned “a great deal” during the pandemic; how to best serve Angelenos; and “how to sustain, create capacity and scale our work in communities who need us most.”

The gala will celebrate heroes and the foundation’s partners, and those who it serves.

“They are the reason we are bigger than baseball,” she said.

Since its inception, LADF has invested over $40 million into the Los Angeles community in the form of direct programs and grants to nonprofits.

It therefore impacts millions of children and families experiencing homelessness, education disparities, health care challenges and play inequities.

Dodgers Dreamteam, the LADF’s flagship youth development program, provides health and education resources and services to 12,000 youth annually. It also built 58 ballfields in underserved communities that more than 40,000 youth can access.

Additionally, the foundation offers a science of baseball curriculum to teachers in local school districts, provides middle and high school students opportunities in its College and Career Accelerator, partners with local social justice organizations to amplify the voices of Black and brown leaders and organizations in LA, and funds nearly 100 nonprofits annually.

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With an ongoing concentration on food insecurity, exacerbated by the pandemic, LADF has made over 4 million meals available to Los Angeles families. Proceeds from the Blue Diamond Gala will support the continuation and scaling of this work.

“Our mission to improve LA’s most pressing problems — homelessness, education, health care and social justice,” Whiteman said.

“Every Angeleno must have the opportunity to thrive, regardless of ZIP code.

We are leveraging the Dodgers brand to provide opportunities via a number of programs, resources and services. Because of our power, we have doors open that were not open before, we increase confidence and offer real possibilities for the future. We truly focus on those who need us most.”

Blue Diamond Gala WHEN: Thursday, June 16: 5 p.m. for the blue carpet, preshow party, cocktails and dinner; 7:30 p.m. Jennifer Lopez concert; 9:30 p.m. postshow party WHERE: Dodger Stadium, 1000 Vin Scully Avenue, Los Angeles COST: Visit website for pricing tiers INFO: dodgers.com/gala

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LA Dodgers unveil All-Star schedule in 3 LA landmarks

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor or the first time since 1980, the MLB All-Star Game will return to Dodger Stadium, and with it arrives a week of events that will take fans on a baseball-fueled tour across the county.

“We have seen this place make history and mark history, and we’re so excited for the legacy that the All-Star Game brings here in the greatest sports town in the world,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “I want to thank the Dodgers organization for investing in this city and making sure that this isn’t just the holiest spot for baseball on Earth but a place that continues to give back every single day.”

The five-day schedule of festivities will take fans to three iconic sites around Los Angeles: Dodger Stadium, L.A. Live and Santa Monica Beach.

Starting Friday, July 15, MLB All-Star Week will begin with its first beach event when All-Star Oceanfront kicks off in Santa Monica. On the beach, the free Oceanfront event will feature casual and instructional youth baseball and softball activities as well as daily yoga classes and baseball-themed sand sculptures.

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MAY 9, 2022

On the pier, fans can shop for official merchandise, practice in batting and pitching cages, and play a variety of interactive games and promotions in a baseball-themed carnival setting until Sunday, July 17.

“One of the things that we try to do with All-Star is create a special program for each city that really highlights the unique and special elements of that town, as well as creating an environment where all fans can participate,” said Chris Marinak, MLB chief operations and strategy officer. “We think it’s very important to spend time on enriching the community when we’re here and to give back. So, you’ll see over the coming weeks a number of different charitable events, field refurbishments and other activations around the city of Los Angeles to give back and reward the city for all that they’ve invested in this event.”

From Saturday, July 16, to Tuesday, July 19, MLB Live will host Play Ball Park, the biggest baseball and softball festival in the world. The event will take place at the LA Convention Center and throughout the L.A. Live campus, blending the sport with music, food, technology and fashion. Play Ball Park will feature a myriad interactive games, clinics, exhibits, merchandise and autograph stations with MLB celebrities ranging from Hall of Famers, All-Stars, Olympians and other legends of the game.

The first round of 2022 MLB Draft will take place at L.A. Live on Sunday, July 17, on Xbox Plaza, and the red carpet show will round out the All-Star schedule on Tuesday, July 19.

Throughout the week, the Dodgers will also honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson, as this year marks the 75th anniversary of his debut as the first African American player.

“It’s 42 years since our last game,” Dodgers President Stan Kasten said of the All-Star Game. “Everyone knows how that number resonates in our sport, not just in baseball but all sports around the country. Forty-two is a special number.”

“There’s a lot of opportunity that came from Jackie and all the other players that came through, and just to be a part of it is a blessing,” added Mookie Betts, Dodgers right fielder.

While honoring one of the sport and nation’s greatest icons, the Dodgers will also celebrate today’s roster of Dodger players and the team’s lasting connection to their fans, who have led the league in attendance for the last nine years.

“Every team and every team’s fan base deserves an All-Star Game and would do a magnificent job, but no city and no city’s fans have supported their team like the Dodgers fans have,” Kasten said. “They are hungry for this game, and

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they are very excited that we are finally going to have it.”

The on-field action begins Saturday, July 16, with a doubleheader of the AllStar Futures Game and All-Star Celebrity Softball Game, which will be hosted together on a Saturday for the first time. The Home Run Derby will take place on Monday, July 18, before the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, July 19.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys who should be representing the Dodgers in the game, and I know we’re going to put on a great show,” said Justin Turner, Dodgers third baseman.

Turner was one of seven Dodgers stars who took to the stage for Tuesday’s All-Star launch, including Cody Bellinger, Betts, Walker Buehler, Freddie Freeman, Clayton Kershaw and Trea Turner.

Though the group boasts 25 All-Star appearances between them, the players insisted that representing the Dodgers franchise in front of their home fans would be an especially unforgettable experience.

“It would mean a lot,” Bellinger said. “It’s very special to play in any All-Star Game, and to play for the hometown in Los Angeles would mean even more.”

The 2022 Midsummer Classic will join the All-Star Games of 1949, 1959 and 1980 as those hosted by the Dodgers franchise, with the latter two being played in Los Angeles. The game will not only bring baseball’s greatest talents to Dodger Stadium but also fans from across the nation to the streets of LA in a celebration of the sport and connectivity after two years of separation.

“As we move out of this pandemic, we’re going to be moving forward with great optimism, with great faith and a great look forward, because we want to put this pandemic behind us,” Councilmember Gil Cedillo said. “We want to welcome the nation. We want to show them the great city of Los Angeles and our incredible sports leadership, and that begins with our hometown Dodgers.”

MLB All-Star Week WHERE: Dodger Stadium, 1000 Vin Scully Avenue, Los Angeles L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles Santa Monica Pier, 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica WHEN: Various times Friday, July 15, to Tuesday, July 19 COST: Varies per event INFO: allstargame.com

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