Los Angeles Downtown News 04-04-22

April 4, 2022 I VOL. 51 I #14

Piccolo Pendolare EV company introduces new low-speed cars in Chinatown

‘Rapunzel Alone’ 24th Street Theatre lets down its hair for young people

+ Ukrainian Angelenos

affected by Russian invasion

New Restaurants Publishes April 11, Artwork due April 6 FROM PRESCHOOL TO POSTGRAD

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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OPINION

Bounced Out of the Boys Club: I must have missed the memo

By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Columnist orldwide hear tache over Ukraine and COVID-19 continues. Meanwhile, “Consider This” is here to amuse and occasionally generate some indignation.

“Hi, Jim? I’m calling because I haven’t been put on the director’s schedule to go out with a crew for a couple of weeks… Is everything OK?” “You better come in.”

Uh-oh. I wonder if that feeling of being called to the principal’s office will ever leave me. (Nope.) Let me back up and give you some context for my directing career.

I have had, and continue to have, a career full of both amazements and WTF moments. On camera, I was a quick-onmy-feet star of a short-lived hidden camera show called “Anything for Money.” I had the opportunity to turn my naughty, prankster nature into gold by being an on-the-street actor, setting unsuspecting people up with actions that ranged from having them floss my teeth to taking care of my pet tarantula while I went to an interview. Hilarity ensued.

I was adept at subtly turning people toward the hidden camera and having them speak clearly into my hidden microphone. I was also slick about shutting my mouth and ensuring that what they said was more important than anything I said.

The show was a lot of fun and was canceled too soon.

When I hit 35, my sell-by date as an on-camera person, I transitioned to behind the camera. There were few female directors in the late ’80s-early ’90s, but I became one of them, and I was good at it.

I walk into the Fox Network’s “Totally Hidden Video” production office, and Jim tells me to close the door. I sit. I have a massive lump in my throat. I’m internally

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running the Kentucky Derby in my head.

Some horses in the “I’d done something wrong” race are: I’d blown a shoot; a male crew member was friendly to my face but complained about me behind my back; someone was rankled about working for a female director.

“What’s up, Jim?” “Stephen upstairs doesn’t like you.”

“I have never met Stephen. Why doesn’t he like me?”

“You don’t get enough jiggle.”

“Huh?” “You know, tits and ass.”

“Now I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Between shots, you don’t record women’s butts and chests, so we can use them for interstitials between bits.”

“The other directors do that?”

“Yes.” “Did I miss a memo? Were they told to?”

“No, we don’t have to tell them. They just do it.”

I’m never invited to have a beer or golf with the other directors, who are — no surprise — all white and probably heterosexual men. Now I start to understand why. I am speechless.

I had no idea there was an unspoken agreement to surreptitiously record unconsenting and unsuspecting women’s orchestra and balconies. If I’d been directed to do that, I would have refused. Or at least, I like to think I would have refused.

I probably would have done something smart-ass instead, like shooting dogs’ butts and chests.

I liked my supervising producer and intuited that he was uncomfortable, but apparently not enough to stand up for me, even though I was highly competent. I had directed theater. I had hours of experience as a performer in the genre they hired me for. I was so proud. So excited.

So well compensated. And it was a signifi-

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cant step forward for me. scene. I wish I’d done something more, I had, and still have, a strong ethic of shall we say, “directorial”? bringing other women up. I made a point And now, it is with a mixture of joy, of getting female production assistants grief and pride that I see women insisting when I picked the PAs that would go with on female crew members and that there me on shoots. I had them look through are more and more women directing. I the camera; shadow me, if you will. If the know what the phrase “I could have been “boys” wouldn’t invite me to socialize a contender” means at a deep level. with them, I would pass on what I knew As it stood, my dream job and a breakto the young women on set. I was deter- through for all women was nipped premined to use my opportunity and privi- maturely in the bud because I didn’t lege to bring other marginalized people understand the Boys’ Club. I didn’t particwith me. ipate in a practice that I found repugnant I wish I’d had the guts to go “upstairs” to and still do. Jiggle, my ass! Which they EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski the Suit Suite and confront the executive. could kiss.

STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero However, then as today, the drive to keep CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk one’s head down, be a “team and Ellen Snortland has been writing this ART DIRECTORS: Arman player, Olivares,” Stephanie Torres STAFFas PHOTOGRAPHER: Chavez not be branded a bitch wasLuis extremely column for decades and teaches creative Myriam Santos strong. OnceCONTRIBUTING a woman PHOTOGRAPHERS: gets painted with writing. She can be reached at ellen@ ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb the broad bitch brush, she’s doomed.

As beautybitesbeast.com. Her award-winFOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris it was, I psychologically limped home and ning film “Beauty Bites Beast” is once again wept, then went into a deep depression. available for download or streaming at I wish I’d gotten angry. I wish I’d made a vimeo.com/ondemand/beautybitesbeast.

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MADE by DWC graduate Vena Lewis shows one of the social enterprise’s soaps.

Vanessa Acosta/Submitted

Tyana Haywood is currently in the MADE BY DWC work training program.

Violet Overn/Submitted

Made by DWC empowers homeless women

By Laura Latzko LA Downtown News Contributing Writer he Downtown Women’s Center serves homeless women in different ways, including housing, wellness and employment programs. Through MADE by DWC, women in need have a chance to receive hands-on training in a resale boutique, café and boutique gift shop, or a production studio.

The women’s center, an organization dedicated to helping homeless and formerly homeless women, has been around since 1978. The MADE by DWC social enterprise, a business with a social impact component, started in 2011.

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Joe Altepeter, the women’s center’s chief social enterprise officer, said the program teaches women who are unemployed, underemployed or transitioning out of homelessness skills they can use moving forward in their careers.

The women have a chance to build on pre-existing skills or learn new skills in the different workspaces.

“We are a production studio that is engaging women in a space where they can experience their creativity. We are a resale boutique that provides opportunity for women to engage with customers and build their self-esteem. Within the café as well, when they are working with food. We have the baristas making coffee drinks. There’s this personal connection that each of them have to the work that they are doing. You see a lot of pride in that work. They take that with them and share that with others,” Altepeter said.

Through the program, homeless women are trained in different areas, such as inventory, production, manufacturing, cash handling, packaging, merchandising and customer service.

They also learn basic work skills such as interacting with a supervisor and co-workers and receive training on computers, resume-building and interviewing before they enter the program.

Madelon Wallace, division manager for the product division, said that within each workspace, women not only learn how to do the job but the reasons behind the tasks they are doing.

“When they come into the product division, which is the division I head up, they get to either work in production or work in logistics, where they are learning how to manage inventory, how to count inventory, how to rotate inventory and why it’s important. Each step of the way, they are learning the importance of what we’re doing along the way, as well as being able to understand the behind the scenes, how you ship to consumers, how you pack up the product that you sell, why packing it is important,” Wallace said.

Mentoring is an integral part of the program. Women are often paired together so they can learn from and support each other.

“There’s so much perseverance and strength that comes from this community of women who happen to be homeless. The women of DWC, the community comes with so much talent and power,” Altepeter said.

Some participants prove to be natural leaders and help others in the program to learn and grow.

“I would say that each person’s leadership looks and feels different. That’s one of the things that I really appreciate. They make it their own. I feel like whenever someone is taking a leadership role, and it’s more true to who they are and their nature, it means more to the people that they are giving it to,” Harris said.

MADE by DWC’s home and gift collection features handmade soaps, candles, bath salts, stationery and journals, which are made by the women in the program. The journals also feature artwork from participants.

The products are sold at the program’s boutiques, through the program’s website, at local retailers through wholesale accounts, and at pop-up shopping events.

Often, MADE by DWC will bring back graduates who are entrepreneurs, such as Vena Lewis, for its pop-up events.

Lewis runs a leather goods company called Vena Vena Handcrafted, which makes items such as bags, wallets and coasters. They are available online through venavena.com.

Lewis had been looking for a new direction after being in an accounting job, which she left after dealing with sexual harassment and unethical practices from her boss.

She had been sewing since she was in high school, when she made swimsuits, prom dresses and tennis skirts, and decided to turn the skill into her new career.

Through her company, she tries to give back to others. She recently worked with an organization that helps human trafficking and abuse victims.

She said after her experience with DWC, she felt a responsibility to help others in any way she can.

“Just the capacity to give, be more compassionate and pay it forward, if you will, it’s like tenfold. It’s like your eyes are open to the needs of others more so than ever. You feel a sense of responsibility, given the fact that you have been afforded an opportunity to be housed, to be employed, to be able to have that lunch, to get that counseling, to get that outfit for that interview,” Lewis said.

While in the job training program, Lewis worked in production making soaps, candles and bath soaps.

She learned valuable skills that have been helpful in running her own business.

“I learned about professionalism, how to do quality checks on products, marketing products, customer service, shipping, all those things that you need to make a business run,” Lewis said.

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Taking part in pop-ups for DWC helped Lewis to learn how to interact with customers, especially in discussing products in greater detail.

She felt like she evolved personally and professionally while in the program.

“Now, I realize there is no limit. It opened up my eyes to possibilities that I would only dream of,” Lewis said.

The job training program works with other programs within the center to help women have a better chance of getting out of homeless and leading successful lives.

“It’s more of that holistic approach to supporting the women in the job training program. It’s working with their physical health, their mental health, their housing issues, basic needs, which includes three meals a day that we provide at the Downtown Women’s Center. All of those services are available to the women who are in our program,” Altepeter says.

Lewis came to DWC after she had been couch-surfing while trying to help her daughter pay for college. She knew she wouldn’t be able to afford to pay rent and loans for college at the same time.

The women’s center helped Lewis to have

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access to housing. She started out in a shelter, moved on to transitional housing, and now lives in an apartment in the Silverlake area.

“Once you get your housing, you can actually relax. Being in a shelter or living in a car is really traumatizing. It’s humiliating and demeaning. Once you actually get that key in your hand, you can lock the door. You have your own restroom, your own shower.

Those things that I used to take for granted I no longer take for granted anymore,” Lewis said.

“That need of feeling safe, that need of being able to rest, relax and regenerate is so important to that path or moving up and moving on,” Wallace added.

Participants in the work program receive 300 hours of on-the-job training for between four to five months and are paid the city’s minimum wage.

A number of the women, including Tyana Haywood, are taking on different roles while trying to turn their lives around. An activist, artist, actress and writer, Haywood is currently attending school at Los Angeles Southwest College and taking care of her mother.

Haywood comes from a family that has faced generations of abuse, and she is trying to break that trend. Before coming to DWC, she couch-surfed and lived in her car.

Haywood said it will be important for her to use what she learns in the program to help others.

“I’m really about giving a voice to the voiceless. I’m really enamored with DWC and the mission and commitment to women. That’s what my life is and has been about, uplifting women. … Iwant to open up my own center, to help people heal from trauma,” Haywood said.

Haywood helped to put on an HIV awareness day at her school and did a podcast that highlighted people serving their community. She was part of a group of students in her college’s theater program to be honored by Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for their production of “Criminal.”

She hopes to go on to get a master’s degree in social justice and entrepreneurship and continue to help her community.

Haywood says the MADE by DWC program is inclusive of people of different backgrounds and allows participants to be themselves.

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“I didn’t have to dim my light, dummy down or make myself look another way than what I am to get help and get services,” Haywood said.

“A lot of times when you are homeless, you are invisible. You have to put on this facade. It’s a lot of acting going on. It’s nice to be able to drop your hands and be who are you. … The program really works because they accept you for who you are, meet you where you are and help you to get to where you want to go,” Lewis added.

After they graduate, the women’s center works to place graduates in outside employment. Some continue on and work in the program in permanent positions afterwards.

The center also helps participants to get access to professional clothing, which they can use within the program and after they graduate.

“When they are going out to interviews, we will help them with some interview clothing. Once they get the job, we will help them with any clothing needs they have for that particular job,” Altepeter said.

More information on MADE by DWC is available at madebydwc.org.

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The UCC’s solidarity event was one of many that the culture center has held to help bring Ukrainians together as a unified community during the Russian invasion of their homeland.

Ukrainian Culture Center/Submitted

Ukrainian Angelenos affected by Russian invasion

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor hen Laryssa Reifel was a young girl, she was raised learning the customs and cultural traditions of her parents and grandparents, who arrived in the United States from Ukraine in 1950. She attended Ukrainian school every weekend as well as Ukrainian dance classes and Ukrainian Scouts. Though she was born in Chicago, Ukrainian was Reifel’s first language. She learned English from Sesame Street.

Reifel’s connection to her Ukrainian heritage is both encompassing and emotional. Her grandparents were able to escape the country during the Nazi and communist invasions of WWII and made their way through Austria to Poland, where they lived in a deportation camp for two years. While half of her family escaped, the other half were murdered in a gulag in Siberia.

Throughout its history, Ukrainian culture has come under threat as invaders have looked to take control of the country. Today, Reifel watches on from the U.S. as the Russian state tries to undo the tremendous progress and success of independence that millions of Ukrainians have fought and died for over the past century and beyond.

“It’s been devastating for me personally

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because one of the great successes of my grandparents’ generation was not only that they built out all of the infrastructure for being Ukrainian in the diaspora, but they also were part of driving toward Ukrainian independence in 1991,” Reifel said.

“Our lives were very Ukrainian in America because they had to be, because Ukraine was occupied by the Soviets and so the only choice for the diaspora was to keep our culture, our language and our people alive outside the borders of our own country. When you grow up with that, it’s a tremendous responsibility. Millions and millions of people were murdered by the Russians, and so it becomes this obligation to carry on outside of the borders of Ukraine if you can.”

After moving to LA in 1998, Reifel became involved with the Ukrainian Culture Center and currently serves as president of the organization dedicated to preserving the history, art and culture of Ukraine.

Southern California is home to one of the largest Ukrainian populations in the United States, many of whom either still have loved ones in Ukraine and can only communicate over the phone or have watched in anguish as a war ravages their home from halfway around the world.

“I would say the Ukrainian community

here in LA is characterized by more recent immigrants as compared to the community I come from in Chicago,” Reifel said. “A lot of the ones that are here in LA came in the last 10 to 20 years, so they’re very tied to what’s going on there. They still have friends that they went to school with, and some have parents or grandparents there.

“For them, it’s really close to home, and when they call home and can’t get anybody to answer the phone for three days, it’s a total panic. Imagine doing that a couple of times a week and then sitting down on your couch and watching CNN. Everyone’s emotionally spent.”

After the Russian armed forces launched their first attack on the country on Feb. 24, the invasion of Ukraine has seen attacks on cities such as Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv and the capital, Kyiv, as well as the continued destruction of Mariupol, once home to roughly 440,000 people. The invasion has also caused the deaths of thousands of soldiers and civilians alike with little progress in the way of peace talks.

At the time of writing, more than a quarter of Ukrainians have now fled their homes, according to reports, as the Russian state continues its invasion under the guise of reunification.

“I come from generations of independent-minded Ukrainians who were never part of this story that we’re somehow Russian and part of the Russian historical saga,” Reifel said. “It’s all a lie, but that’s what imperialists do. They take over countries and they corrupt them, all the way down to stealing their history.”

Reifel and her team at UCC have been

working tirelessly to help the Ukrainian community in LA. At one point, they worked 18-hour days for over a week and a half straight.

The leadership team has held medical kit drives and a solidarity event at the center, which was on April 6 and saw 19 representatives of the LA council’s general in attendance, all while working jobs outside of the UCC. “Suddenly this culture center has been at the epicenter of this for the entire community, and we have no paid staff,” Reifel explained. “We’re getting around 25 phone calls into the center every day, plus Facebook messages and emails. Overwhelmingly what we’re fielding is people wanting to give, which is fantastic. People are walking to the center with cash and they’re coming with clothing.”

While the sheer amount of support from various communities across LA County has been graciously welcomed by the UCC, the culture center is not a relief agency and Reifel insists that they cannot accept all forms of aid.

While those on the ground in Ukraine have urgently asked for medical equipment and military supplies, Reifel explains that people in Los Angeles can help by giving money to the Ukrainian National Bank and the military, attending rallies, and engaging with members of Congress to urge them to establish a no-fly zone over the country.

To learn more about the UCC, find upcoming events and support the Ukrainian community both in LA and overseas, visit ukrainianculturecenterla.com.

Ukrainian Culture Center LA ukrainianculturecenterla.com

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CA Hospital Medical Center recognized by LGBTQ+ organization

By LA Downtown News Staff alifornia Hospital Medical Center has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign, which is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ organization.

The HEI is the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey of health care facilities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees.

“We are honored to be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign for our dedicated work with the LGBTQ+ community,” states Alina Moran, president at California Hospital Medical Center. “We are deeply committed to equity and inclusion in order to provide everyone with a safe and welcoming environment to receive care.”

The HEI evaluates and scores health care facilities on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: • Foundational policies and training in LGBTQ+ patient-centered care.

• LGBTQ+ patient services and support.

• Employee benefits and policies.

• Patient and community engagement.

LGBTQ+ patients have historically faced significant and long-standing challenges to accessing the care they need, and California Hospital is committed to providing welcoming, compassionate care for LGBTQ+ patients and their families.

“Every person deserves to have access to quality health care, be respected and heard by their doctor, and feel safe in the facility where they are receiving care. But LGBTQ+ people are often subject to dis-

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crimination in all spaces, including health care facilities, which leads to members of the community avoiding care and anticipating our voices will not be respected in an incredibly vulnerable environment,” said Tari Hanneman, director of health and aging at the Human Rights Campaign.

“The Healthcare Equality Index, at its core, strives to ensure LGBTQ+ people are protected and affirmed by their health care providers and feel safe seeking services. Our HEI active participants are truly pioneering the health care industry by implementing robust, comprehensive LGBTQ+-inclusive policies that hopefully, because of their work, will become standard practice.”

California Hospital is one of several Dignity Health care sites recognized in the 2022 HEI. As part of the HEI survey process, Dignity Health worked with a nationally recognized LGBTQ+ health expert to undertake a comprehensive review of LGBTQ+ care policies and practices within the organization. Dozens of policies were updated to support LGBTQ+ health care outcomes, training for staff and clinicians was expanded, patient forms and IT processes were updated to better capture preferred pronouns and solicit feedback from LGBTQ+ patients, the role of an LGBTQ+ patient advocate was created, and wording was clarified in employee benefits to be explicitly inclusive of LGBTQ+ employees — to name just a few examples.

For more information about California Hospital’s commitment to LGBTQ+ care, visit dignityhealth.org/lgbtqcare.

APRIL 4, 2022

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TJ Dillashaw opens new Clean Juice bar in Agoura Hills

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor n the wake of a worldwide pandemic, physical and mental health have been at the forefront of global discussion, particularly in regard to the immune system.

Clean Juice, the first USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise, has looked to inform customers about the benefits of eating organic since 2015 by opening its doors to the community of Agoura Hills with the help of MMA fighter TJ Dillashaw at a new location.

After helping open Clean Juice’s flagship Yorba Linda location, Dillashaw found that Clean Juice’s brand and mission was perfectly suited to the lifestyle of many Southern Californians and decided to become the area developer for the rapidly expanding juice bar.

“Agora Hills is just a perfect location,” Dillashaw said. “It’s got all the family lifestyles, and that’s what really intrigued me about Clean Juice. I have a 4-year-old son, and I want him to develop good eating habits and eat the right way at a young age, things maybe I didn’t know when I was a kid. He thinks Clean Juice is a treat. We get him a healthy acai bowl or kids smoothie.

The family dynamic of Clean Juice is great, and it’ll do so well at Agoura Hills because of that.”

Born in Angels Camp, California, Dillashaw got into wrestling through his father and immediately fell in love with the sport as a child. After qualifying twice for the state championships as a high schooler and accepting a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton, where he wrestled all four years and graduated with a degree in Kinesiology, Dillashaw decided to further his martial arts training as an MMA fighter and found success on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show.

Dillashaw would go on to become a two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion with three successful overall title defenses and the first fighter to finish a title bout in the fifth round twice.

He has trained with some of the top minds in the world regarding fitness, including Sam Calavitta of the Treigning Lab, who helped teach Dillashaw the vitality of a clean diet and its effect on performance and recovery.

Alongside Clean Juice, Dillashaw is now looking to provide others with opportunities to improve their physical health.

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“Start with your diet first,” Dillashaw explained. “But don’t go full board.

Start adding some masticating juicing to your diet, rather than doing a juice cleanse, or doing some intermittent fasting to start and seeing how that makes your body feel. And then you start increasing energy and moving up to the next step, which is starting to work out while you’re intermittent fasting and then maybe doing a juice cleanse. You can work your way up, but you’ve got to do it step by step.”

Through partnering with Clean Juice to help open a new location on Kanan Road, Dillashaw wants to further inspire and offer opportunities for customers of all ages to eat healthier and boost their diet.

“I’m excited about how much Clean Juice has started to take off,” Dillashaw said. “We opened up a month before the pandemic, so possibly the worst time, but we were able to stay open that whole time. We never shut our doors. People realize that it needs to be a part of their lifestyle to build their immune system and stay healthy and stay strong.”

One of the defining traits of Clean Juice is that its juices are made daily, a fact that Dillashaw insists is of utmost importance when maintaining a nourishing diet.

“You can go to these other juice bars and come to realize that they’re pasteurizing their juices,” Dillashaw explained. “They’re killing all the great nutrients with this heat pasteurization because they want their shelf life to be a couple months, while our shelf life is three to five days. How could something that would last for a couple months on a shelf be healthy to eat? I think people are becoming more and more knowledgeable of why it’s important to eat organic and stay away from preservatives.”

By bringing Clean Juice to Agoura Hills, Dillashaw and Clean Juice are looking to embrace the spirit of community and to create a family atmosphere around eating and drinking healthy organic ingredients.

“It’s not just for the parents but for the kids, too, continuing to make them knowledgeable on the way to live a healthy life,” Dillashaw said. “If you learn at a young age, then it becomes a habit rather than a diet. It becomes natural, and it’s important to get them to have that healthy system from the ground

Clean Juice, the original USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise, opened a new location in Agoura Hills with the help of MMA fighter TJ Dillashaw.

Submitted

up.”

To learn more about Clean Juice’s mission and the benefits of an organ-

ic diet, visit cleanjuice.com or its new location at 5811 Kanan Road, Agoura Hills.

Clean Juice WHERE: 5811 Kanan Road, Agoura Hills WHEN: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday INFO: cleanjuice.com

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Piccolo Pendolare introduces new low-speed EVs in Chinatown

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor t a time when Los Angeles has become the first city in the United States to pass an average of $6 per gallon of gas as prices continue to soar across the state, the need for more affordable modes of transportation is as pertinent as ever.

On March 27, LA-based electric vehicle company Piccolo Pendolare celebrated the grand opening of its new low-speed EV showroom and dealership in Chinatown.

Piccolo Pendolare CEO Vivian Escalante was joined by Assemblymembers Wendy Carrillo of District 51 and Miguel Santiago of District 53 for the ribbon-cutting event, where she was presented a certificate of recognition from both the California State Assembly as well as the state of California and the 24th Senate district.

While the company’s dealership lies within Chinatown, its corporate office is in nearby Boyle Heights, where Escalante was born and raised.

Escalante had long dreamed of giving

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back to her community, which inspired her to become the CEO of Boyle Heights Community Partners, the nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation that helped save the International Institute on Boyle Avenue from demolition.

Over a decade ago, Escalante began refurbishing tricycles and in the last few years began looking into electric tricycles.

She saw this as a way to provide alternative modes of transportation to members of the community but felt that she could go even bigger.

“I needed something to ride around with because parking is very difficult in the city of Los Angeles and Boyle Heights,” Escalante said. “My life was slightly dictated by my parking, having my mother living with me and only having one car.”

Escalante decided to purchase a small low-speed electric vehicle to use as her daily car and found that not only had she fallen in love with it but that others had begun to take notice as well.

She felt that low-speed electric vehicles could become useful to residents of Boyle Heights looking for an affordable

Vivian Escalante founded Piccolo Pendolare to help provide a safe, affordable and convenient mode of transport for her community.

Chris Mortenson/Staff Photographer

and convenient mode of travel around their neighborhood, so she founded Piccolo Pendolare and began to purchase and sell low-speed electric vehicles to her community.

“These low-speed electric vehicles are meant for your neighborhood,” Escalante explained. “Many of us just want to go down the street to meet our friends for dinner, drive the kids to school, or go to the post office. We don’t really want to take the big car, and that’s why this is so easy to get in and zoom to your destination or do all of your errands and then come home.”

Piccolo Pendolare embraces a compact

design built for convenient rides in and around the Downtown area. The car travels up to 20 miles per hour with a 22-mile range, costs no more than $9,000, and takes only nine hours to charge through a simple wall plug without the need of a charging station.

In the future, Escalante will look to increase both the speed and mile range of the car but insists that safety is a core benefit of the current speed.

“Low speed saves lives,” Escalante said.

“You can act and react a lot quicker when your car is going so slower.”

As Piccolo Pendolare awaits the approval of inspection by the DMV, Escalante and her team look forward to booking appointments and fulfilling orders for vehicles that can either be picked up at the dealership or delivered to customers’ doors.

Further down the road, Escalante also hopes to remanufacture the car and begin introducing custom designs to help create more jobs for members of the community at Piccolo Pendolare and to teach young girls that are involved in STEM programs about the construction of electric vehicles.

“This is about providing something better for everyone,” Escalante said. “That’s the excitement of getting students involved, getting seniors involved and getting people who have never even owned a car before involved, so people that are just standing there waiting for a bus or a train can now afford a Piccolo Pendolare. The most important thing is the affordability for something that is so innovative during this time, and I think I’ve got the answer for everybody.”

Piccolo Pendolare WHERE: 1401 N. Main Street and Ann Street, Los Angeles INFO: piccolopendolare.mobi

APRIL 4, 2022

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 11

Covered California will help BUSINESS

Angels Landing to move forward on $1.6B project

By LA Downtown News Staff ngels Landing, Downtown Los Angeles’ newest mixed-use high-rise development, has announced entitlement by the city of LA along with support from major LA unions.

Developed by two of the country’s leading African American developers, Don Peebles of The Peebles Corporation and Victor MacFarlane of MacFarlane Partners, the project will be the third tallest building in LA and the tallest development in the United States to be developed by Black developers.

“We are focused on bringing increased diversity and equity to LA through affirmative development, and the transformative impact of empowerment and economic inclusion from Angels Landing will be felt by an array of businesses, including African American, Latino and Asian owned,” Peebles said. “We have committed to a goal of 30% minority- and women-owned business contracting across the board for our project in excess of over $480 million, and we’re raising the bar for economic inclusion for development projects in LA.” “With Angels Landing will come desired levels of diversity and inclusion to LA’s hospitality industry and the expansive services sector that supports the local hotel industry,” MacFarlane added. “It’s about time the economic benefits generated by massive projects like this are provided to people who are reflective of the project.”

Located in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of Downtown LA, Angels Landing will feature two towers that stand 854 feet tall with 88 floors and 494 feet with 42 stories.

The project will span more than 1.2 million square feet and include an iconic two-tower development with two hotels, city-view condominiums and apartments, and retail and restaurants.

The site will also include Angels Landing Plaza — a modern pedestrian-centered and transit-adjacent urban park in the heart of Downtown LA. The plaza will frame the multi-level space as a publicly accessible and privately managed park amenity, establishing it as a vibrant, inviting and treasured locale for LA’s Downtown neighborhood residents, working professionals and weekday commuters, nightlife seekers, tourists and hotel guests.

Angels Landing will bring thousands of new jobs and economic benefits to the city and boost LA’s local economy by contributing $731 million to local workers’ earnings during its construction.

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In addition to job creation, the project will also generate an estimated $12 million in recurring tax revenues and $2.4 million annually in local property tax revenues for the county.

According to BJH Advisors, more than 8,300 temporary jobs will be created during Angels Landing’s construction, while more than 800 permanent jobs will be created in Downtown LA. Of these, an estimated 500 jobs will come from vendors in the LA County region providing goods and services to the two luxury hotels.

The project has received solid support from various leading LA organizations, including the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAACC), the most influential organization advocating for growth, equity and economic opportunity for Black-owned businesses. UNITE HERE! Local 11, which represents over 32,000 workers employed in hotels, restaurants, airports, sports arenas and convention centers throughout Southern California, has strongly advocated its support as well.

“Equity, inclusion and affirmative development are bedrock principles at the Peebles Corporation,” Peebles said. “With each project I’ve developed, from New York to Washington, D.C., to Miami and more, I’ve been most excited about using my momentum to empower minority- and women-owned business leaders.”

“MacFarlane Partners has a continued belief in and commitment to Downtown Los Angeles and the community it serves,” MacFarlane said. “From the landmark JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences at LA Live to our recently completed Park Fifth and Trademark high-rise apartment communities and now Angels Landing, our projects create a better place to live, work and play.”

Peebles and MacFarlane are the majority-owner principals of Angels Landing Partners LLC, the development partnership responsible for conceiving, designing, building and operating Angels Landing. Designed by architecture and interior design firm Handel Architects, the project was officially selected by LA city officials at the conclusion of the city’s competitive bid process in 2017.

Doane Liu, executive director of the LA Tourism and Convention Development, said, “Hotels are essential providers of high-quality jobs and account for a substantial part of the workforce in LA County.

These entry-level, well-paying jobs lead to

Angels Landing wil be the third tallest development in the country to be developed by Black developers.

Urbanize Los Angeles/Submitted Rendering

careers and economic stability, while the other mixed-use elements of Angels Landing, including affordable and market-rate housing and a variety of quality retail and restaurant uses, make it an attractive destination for visitors and residents of the city.”

GLAAACC Chairman Gene Hale said, “The city needs projects like Angels Landing to remain competitive with other cities vying for increased tourism and convention business, and we strongly support its development as an important new contributor to these industries. Angels Landing will create a new and dynamic destination in Bunker Hill with its hotel rooms, retail shops and restaurants that will attract new residents, tourists and business travelers, along with a variety of open spaces and terraces that will make for a unique and welcoming experience for all who patronize the project site and surrounding areas.

“Furthermore, we’re excited to see

the commitment to equity and inclusion through minority-owned and women-owned business procurement and equally high level of diversity in the workforce that will manage and operate its luxury hotels.”

“Angels Landing is the latest example of how the city of Los Angeles can direct development to lift up its citizens,” UNITE HERE! Local 11 Co-President Kurt Petersen said. “Los Angeles is the most important tourist destination in the world, and we are coming back from the pandemic.

In the midst of that return, we have to remember that when hospitality workers can provide for themselves and their families, they lift up the whole city with them. We are pleased that the two luxury hotels will mean good, family-sustaining jobs for the hundreds of workers who will work there.”

To learn more about Angels Landing, visit angelslandingdtla.com.

12 DOWNTOWN NEWS

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APRIL 4, 2022

Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

LA artists paint highest murals in the state of California

After acquiring the U.S. Bank Tower in 2020, Silverstein Properties invited 15 LA-based artists to the top floor of the iconic skyscraper to paint the highest murals in the state of California.

Muralists paint across the walls, doors and windows of the U.S. Bank Tower’s 72nd floor.

Joe Woolhead/Submitted

By Luke Netzley LA Downtown News Deputy Editor os Angeles has long been home to a diverse myriad innovative local artists whose work not only showcases their talent but demonstrates their perception of the world around them.

To bring new colorful life into the U.S. Bank Tower in Downtown LA, Silverstein Properties recently invited 15 local street and urban artists to paint the top floor of the iconic skyscraper. The U.S. Bank Tower is the tallest building west of the Mississippi, and murals will cover the walls, doors and even windows of the famous tower.

“The goal ultimately is to lease space in the building, but it’s also much more than that,” said Dara McQuillan, chief marketing officer at Silverstein Properties.

“We’re trying to create a neighborhood around the building and bring some of the excitement, art and music that LA is known for internationally to Downtown.

We wanted to have a bit of fun and create an interesting artistic and creative community.”

For the past six years, Silverstein Properties has worked with dozens of artists from around the world to paint murals in and around the new World Trade Center in New York City and are excited to do the same within the U.S. Bank Tower, which they acquired in September 2020.

The developer partnered with the Downtown BID as well as a variety of cultural and artistic organizations to put out an open call to artists earlier this year.

They received over 60 proposals from artists across the city and a few from over-

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seas, all with close connections to the city and working under the prompt “What does LA mean to you?”

Honoring the theme, the U.S. Bank Tower’s urban art installation celebrates the city’s unique history, culture and diversity with its paintings, including depictions of local street vendors, the LA Flower Market, and a tribute to muralist Nona Olabisi painted by legendary Downtown LA artist Man One. “Everyone really had their own approach and theme,” McQuillan explained.

“It was cool to not only hear everyone’s individual stories, but to have them eat together, work together and learn from each other was, for me, the most fun part of the entire week.”

By painting representations of people and communities that are often overlooked or marginalized, the artists could take their stories and elevate them to the 72nd floor, creating the highest murals in the state of California in an ode to the city of LA. “This was a way to bring in street art, which is often overlooked but is a hugely visual part of life in LA, particularly Downtown,” McQuillan said. “We want to showcase the work and offer people an opportunity to come in and see something that you only normally drive by or see when you’re going into a shop but to give it a gallery on the highest floor of any building in the state.”

One of the challenges that Silverstein Properties has faced is that the murals are within a private office building that would not normally act as a museum or gallery space. That is why McQuillan

Joe Woolhead/Submitted

Soaring over 1,000 feet high, the U.S. Bank Tower is the tallest building in LA by roof height and a defining anchor in the Downtown skyline.

Joe Woolhead/Submitted

is looking forward to hosting a series of open house days each month that would allow guests to sign up online and visit the space as well as admire the view of the city from the tower’s observation deck.

Silverstein Properties is also planning to partner with cultural arts and educational organizations to offer them access to the space so that members of the public, such as other artists or students, can visit and use the space in a variety of ways.

“If you’re an art school, why not host a class or do a studio in this space using the art and the city as a backdrop?” McQuillan said. “If you are a dance school, host a recital in the space and show off what it is that you’ve been working on. For the artists themselves, we want them to be able to use the space if it’s useful to them, too.”

Silverstein Properties will look to allow guests into the space by the end of April, and visitors will be able to register on their website at silversteinproperties.com.

U.S. Bank Tower Murals WHERE: U.S. Bank Tower Floor 72, 633 W. Fifth Street, Los Angeles INFO: silversteinproperties.com

APRIL 4, 2022

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DOWNTOWN NEWS 13

Covered ARTS & California CULTUREwill help

24th Street Theatre lets down its hair for young people

Tara Alise Cox plays Lettie, a young girl sent to the country to escape bombing in London during World War II. Cooper Bates/Submitted

By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer arely are children as fragile or simple as society often deems them to be. Often, they are capable of complex thoughts, emotions and morality.

It’s why 24th Street Theatre approaches its family shows with a deep respect for their young audiences, trusting them to be able to handle content that is emotional and heavy.

“Rapunzel Alone,” which just finished a two-week world premiere run at the Wallis, is now coming home to the theater for an in-person production that has been years in the making. First conceptualized in 2017 as a response to the isolation young people are experiencing related to social media, the story has evolved through a pandemic, social unrest and now another war.

The show will run on Saturdays and Sundays April 9 through May 1.

Artistic Director Debbie Devine had reached out to Mike Kenny, a British playwright with whom they had worked on a show called “Walking the Tightrope.” They talked about an adaptation of Rapunzel, but Devine didn’t want one of the traditional light-hearted approaches.

“I wanted to do our brand, which is children’s theater for adults, where you really reach out and have sophistication because kids can handle it,” Devine said. “I wanted to address the isolation happening with teenagers because of social media.”

When they started to explore what isolation meant, they found a moment in history that was inspired by Kenny’s own family and what they went through during World War II. His wife has an extended mixed-race family, and two of his children have learning disabilities. Both those elements would work their way into the story.

“Rapunzel Alone” takes place in En-

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gland during World War II. Lettie, a sheltered mixed-race young girl who is unable to read or write, is sent out to the countryside to escape the bombing in London. She is sent to a farm where a very strict Miss Pierce, herself a woman of color who has experienced racism and therefore shuns the company of others, takes her in.

“We put them together and see how different they are,” Devine said. “The kid is being a kid and Miss Pierce is emotionally shut down and shut away, and we see how they impact each other. We witness the agony of the isolation they are both feeling. They discover this power of connection, which is our ultimate message.”

While the story is historical fiction, it weaves in elements of the classic Rapunzel story, from her guardian being called a witch to the cutting of the young ward’s hair.

The stage play is just one of multiple storytelling forms “Rapunzel Alone” has taken. The pandemic hit just as it was getting ready to be produced, and since no one knew when it would be over, they pivoted to creating an audio tale with full sound effects and multiple actors.

The main character, Lettie, cannot read or write, but she is an excellent illustrator, so they also created a sketchbook with drawings called “Lettie’s Journal.”

They hired 16-year-old high school student Leah Abazari to draw the pictures, and some of her images have been incorporated into the stage show.

While the show seems simple — there are only two chairs and a table for set dressing — there are more than 3,000 music, sound, light and video cues.

“It really is a stunning design effort,” Devine said. “How that supports the story has been a wonderful experience for the design team.”

The video presentations begin with the preshow — images of children being

Lettie (Tara Alise Cox) expresses her frustration at the train station to Miss Pierce (Marie-Françoise Theodore), and Conrad (William Leon) looks on.

Cooper Bates/Submitted

evacuated and then images of World War II. With the Ukraine invasion dominating the news these days, it is an introduction that makes the show feel more current than ever.

“With Ukraine, the pandemic and Black Lives Matter, it feels like we just wrote it three weeks ago when you see it,” Devine said. “It’s so relevant and present, and that’s been an amazing thing.”

She’s also been thrilled with the response that kids of all ages have had to the show. They knew that with a puppet playing a hilarious goose ages 7 to 9 would respond to it — as they would relate to seeing a girl struggling with being away from their family. They weren’t sure, though, how it would play to middle and high schoolers.

While the show was at the Wallis, they did some arts education field trips where they brought in students of those ages and built a curriculum around it. They were pleased to find that teens were extremely responsive to it and able to relate to the story.

“We asked them what they would feel if they were in the same circumstance, if they had to protect themselves, if they had to leave Los Angeles and go to the prairies — how would they feel?” Devine said. “They all expressed the same feeling.

They would say her name — ‘Like Lettie, we would would feel strange and scared and unfamiliar.’”

They also discussed how there was no

social media in 1944, that people wrote letters back and forth and depended on the radio for news. It was amazing to many students how long it took for information or letters to make it to their destination.

They were also able to have deep discussions about the isolation they felt during the pandemic, the Ukraine war and issues of racism.

“It was really wonderful to be able to talk to them and to ask what they thought happened to Miss Pierce, why was she so isolated and bitter in her feelings,” Devine said. “They all had theories about that. It came down to she was treated so badly. She was probably born around 1890, and we talked about what was happening in the world then. These same issues of racism and people being called a witch because they are a different color is happening today.”

She said that is a big part of their brand — that they look at the world today through a historical lens so that plays never lose their relevance. They’ve learned that having the historical component gives kids more protection than if the story was happening in 2022.

“That’s a thing we have learned and understand,” Devine said. “Even though we explore morality and adult issues, which are really human issues, every story we have when you’re working with children or serving a family audience absolutely ends with hope. That’s a mandate of ours.”

“Rapunzel Alone” WHEN: April 9-May 1, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays WHERE: 24th Street Theatre, 1117 W. 24th Street, Los Angeles TICKETS: $24 adults; $15 students, seniors and teachers; $10 for under 18; and $2.40 for residents of North University Park Neighborhood INFO: 24thstreet.org

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APRIL 4, 2022

Covered SPORTSCalifornia will help

‘Miracle King’ Daryl Evans reflects on 40 years

By Jeff Moeller LA Downtown News Contributing Writer n 1980, it was the Miracle on Ice — the famous hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid in which the U.S. beat the heavily favored Soviet Union during the medal round of the men’s hockey tournament.

Two years later, Los Angeles ice hockey experienced its own miracle — the Miracle on Manchester — and the leading man during that monumental NHL playoff moment remains in the spotlight for his Los Angeles Kings.

Daryl Evans, for one, can’t believe it’s been 40 years. Forty years since his shot sealed an improbable end to an incredible game. Forty years since his impromptu on-ice celebration, spinning and twirling while being mobbed by teammates.

“It’s really hard to believe it’s been 40 years,” Evans said. “It always seems like yesterday. It’s something I will never forget, and every year at playoff time the memories of that amazing game and series are special.”

Before the Kings won Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, and before the Kings acquired Wayne Gretzky in 1988, one of the most significant moments in franchise history took place on April 10, 1982. Down 5-0 in the third period of a home playoff game at the Forum in Inglewood, the Kings steadily chipped away at Edmonton’s lead and tied the game with five seconds left in regulation.

At 2:35 of the extra period, Evans, then a rookie, blasted the puck, beating Grant Fuhr, a future Hall of Fame netminder.

The celebration was on. A unique moment was created.

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The official game sheet lists that night’s crowd at 16,005 spectators.

Many left early due to the lopsided score.

Ask Evans how many people have told him they were at that game, and you could fill a stadium.

“The energy at the Forum that night was something to remember. I think for everyone who has said they were there we would have sold out the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,” he said.

“It’s nice to hear about their memories of the amazing comeback and how the game influenced them to follow our team for so many years after, to the point where we are today with such a large and diverse fan base.

“Everyone has different takes on the night, and I enjoy hearing them all.”

A player for the Kings from 198185, the Kings in that moment not only bested the Oilers in the best-of-five first round of the 1982 playoffs, they pulled off two huge upsets — one, in winning the series three games to two; and two, winning Game 3 of the series.

“I think the moment still resonates today because of a couple of things,” said Evans, who led the Kings in playoff scoring with 13 points. “One, the opposition being the Wayne Gretzky-led Oilers that finished 46 points ahead of the Kings that year, and, two, the deficit of five goals entering the third period. No other team in Stanley Cup playoffs had ever come back from.”

Despite his run of postseason success in ’82, Evans’ playing career was pretty short-lived. He played in 80 games the next season, and after that, 19 more games over four years for three different teams. He even played professionally overseas in Italy and in

The Kings introduced a new Youth Hockey Service award after Daryl Evans.

Submitted

England.

Evans returned to Southern California after he hung up his skates. He managed a car dealership in West Los Angeles, reaching master manager status seven straight years. In 1999, when Staples Center opened in Downtown Los Angeles, he rejoined the Kings, taking over the Radio Analyst job.

For someone with the gift of gab, it was natural for the outgoing Canadian. Being back in the NHL spotlight, especially in his media role, has also allowed him to reach a new audience who loves to talk about that special night at 3900 W. Manchester Boulevard.

For younger kids in particular, Evans makes sure he delivers a teaching moment.

“As we look back it reinforces that hard work and a never quit attitude equals the sky being the limit. Once the momentum started to swing mentally, we were in a better place than them. We had nothing to lose. They were the better team and expected to win, (but) sometimes that’s tough to accomplish. We as a team showed the importance of strength of teamwork with getting contributions from unlikely sources.”

Evans himself was that unusual source. Selected by the Kings 178th

overall in the 1980 NHL Draft, at 5-9 and a playing weight of 185 pounds Evans was not the physical presence in the rough-and-tumble hockey world of the early 1980s, where on-ice brawls were as commonplace as missing teeth.

He persevered then, and in recent years the Kings introduced a new Youth Hockey Service award, which is given annually to an active Kings player, after Evans. A few years later he received the top Radio Color/Analyst award by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters, and the American Heart Association honored Evans with the inaugural “King of Hearts” award.

He will, however, always be known as the Miracle King, which is fine with him.

“As I reflect back on that moment 40 years later, it has had an incredible impact on my life. You always dream about a long career after making it to the NHL and hope you leave an impression with your play. I think the celebration and emotion on the ice was shared with so many people who were following our team whether at the game or watching or listening at home.

“I was able to do that with that goal.

It’s a great conversation piece, and having been involved in youth hockey and coaching at amateur and professional levels, it’s an example to never quit and anything is possible if you believe.”

APRIL 4, 2022

DOWNTOWN NEWS 15

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