Everyday Living

Even Grass and a Fountain Can Go Bad

By Eric Richardson — June 23, 2008
15 Comments

Fenced Off Fountain

In our recent discussion of the new median at 9th and Main, several commenters suggested that the city should have stuck with a simple design of fountain and grass rather than the colorful, but controversial, one installed. In the lengthy and ongoing talk about Pershing Square, a few voices mentioned that private developers should build their own green spaces...


South Park Tie Broken With a Coin Flip

By Eric Richardson — June 20, 2008
1 Comment

Looking at the Coin

|Photo Gallery| The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council held its elections last week and results were released yesterday, but it wasn’t until this afternoon that Mary Wentz prevailed in the race to be South Park’s Resident Director. After all the votes were counted, there was a tie between Wentz and Scott Bytof. Under DLANC election rules, that meant the two...


Buddy, 12

By Eric Richardson — June 20, 2008
13 Comments

Both Host

Downtown lost one of the pioneers of its revitalization today. Buddy, Hal Bastian’s golden retriever, had to be put down this morning after suffering ongoing issues with his hind legs. Downtowners with dogs owe a lot to Buddy for how many new buildings are pet friendly. Hal and Buddy moved Downtown to work for Tom Gilmore when he was in the process of starting...


Heroes Mural Raises Question: Why Do Only Film Shoots Get Cool Alleys?

By Eric Richardson — June 19, 2008
2 Comments

Heroes Mural

The NBC show Heroes is shooting in the Historic Core on Saturday and Sunday, and part of the set preparation has involved painting a large, colorful mural of an exploding Earth on Frank Court, the alley between Spring and Broadway. It’s a big change for the typically non-descript alley, but one that will only last the weekend.


City Clerk Releases DLANC Election Results

By Eric Richardson — June 19, 2008
28 Comments

Voters in Line for the DLANC Election

The City Clerk this afternoon released the results of last week’s Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC) election. Sixty candidates were running for 28 seats on the council’s Board of Directors, and a record number of people turned out to vote. Today’s official results don’t differ significantly from preliminary results released...


Downtown Joins Vows Heard Around the State

By Ed Fuentes — June 18, 2008
1 Comment

the south lawn

|Photo Gallery| When the wedding invitation arrives in the form of a press release, the vows declaring a commitment of love and partnership become a political statement. A similar scene was repeated around the state on Monday evening, as the first wave of legal same-sex marriages began at 5:01 pm. On a warm Tuesday morning, Downtown had its first ceremony with Shane Goldsmith...


Opera Paints Looks to Help Make the Arts District More Colorful

By Eric Richardson with Ed Fuentes — June 17, 2008
2 Comments

Opera Paints

|Photo Gallery| Tucked away among warehouses on the southern edge of the Arts District, Opera Paints isn’t in the typical location where one would look to open a retail store. Owners Michael Kahn and Maureen Barten started the business eight years ago as a wholesaler, partnering with Di Donato, an Italian manufacturer, to produce and distribute a line of environmentally...


Historic Downtown BID Renewal Approved

By Eric Richardson — June 17, 2008

heads of state

Congratulations are in order to Russell Brown and the Historic Downtown Business Improvement District, who this morning received city council unanimous approval on the BID’s renewal. In order to be formed or renewed, BIDs must receive signatures from the property owners that would be paying over half of the BID’s assessment. Normally, that’...


Californians Wanted for Downtown "Staycations"

By Eric Richardson — June 12, 2008
4 Comments

Chinatown Station

The Downtown Center BID kicked off a marketing campaign today that hopes to sell the idea of a Downtown getaway to those who live in California. The close-by stays are called “staycations,” a silly term for a concept that has become more appealing given the high price of gas.


Election Day

By Eric Richardson — June 12, 2008
15 Comments

Election Day

It’s election day for the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, with polls open from 2pm - 8pm at the Los Angeles Theatre (615 S. Broadway). Anyone who lives, works, or does much of anything else Downtown is a stakeholder and eligible to stop in and cast their vote. 59 candidates are running for 28 seats on the council’s Board of Directors. ...