From the Newsroom

Everyday

Atlanta Passes Law Against Panhandling

By Eric Richardson — August 23, 2005

Atlanta’s mayor has now signed into law the panhandling bill that was being discussed last week. He signed it Friday, but apparently the LA Times or the AP were just as lazy about following the issue as I was, since this wire report didn’t run until today.


Everyday

Wayfinding Signage Needs a Tune-Up

By Eric Richardson — August 21, 2005
5 Comments

Abbreviation by Committee

I’ve mentioned plenty of times how much I like the new wayfinding signage that’s been going up around Downtown. It really looks nice, and hopefully it’s helping a few people find their way. I’ve also mentioned before that some of the chosen abbreviations are ridiculous. Another to add to that list is the great “Spring St Hist/Fin...


Everyday

Counterfeiters, Santee Alley, and Organized Crime

By Eric Richardson — August 21, 2005
1 Comment

An article that ran in yesterday’s LA Times makes a throw-away comment that I found interesting. Twice in this piece on Santee Alley they connect counterfeit merchandise to organized crime. In the last few years, said Acosta, who oversees the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Division vice squad, downtown Los Angeles has become the nation...


Everyday

Cleaning Up Main Street

By Eric Richardson — August 19, 2005

Empty on Main St.

If you want to see the kind of change that’s taking place in Downtown right now, this is a great example. I can’t remember the name of this building, but it’s right next to the Regent Theater on Main Street. Just a few nights ago they lit up these new lights on the exterior of the building that I think are really nice looking. What they’...


Everyday

South Group Breaks Ground on Luma

By Eric Richardson — August 17, 2005
1 Comment

The South Group sent a press release out on Business Wire today saying that they’ve broken ground on Luma, their second new residential construction down in South Park. I haven’t been down that way much lately, but the release says that project number one, Elleven, is now 50% complete. What I really liked about the release, though, is the way developers...


Everyday

Give Blood and Help a Downtown Resident

By Eric Richardson — August 16, 2005

Celia and Jim have both mentioned this already, so I guess I’ll be the one to come late to the party in telling everyone that there’s a blood drive on August 26th to help Celia’s sister, Laura, who’s fighting cancer. Cole’s is participating and giving everyone who registers and donates a gift bag containing a lotto ticket and a coupon...


Everyday

At Least It Isn't Construction

By Eric Richardson — August 16, 2005
1 Comment

Preempting Traffic

I was reading a book yesterday and it had this to say: “It doesn’t matter much what we say we believe or what we want others to think we believe. When the rubber meets the road, we act out our actual beliefs most of the time. That is why behavior is such a good indicator of a person’s beliefs.” Oddly, that struck me this morning as very...


Everyday

Atlanta Debates Panhandling Issue

By Eric Richardson — August 15, 2005

Back in June I mentioned Atlanta’s proposed ban on panhandling. The LA Times online wire section today runs an AP piece talking about opposition to the ban presented in public comment before the City Council. Among the first to speak was Elisabeth Omilami, who spent the night outside. She pleaded tearfully for the council not to pass the ban. “...


Everyday

Council Wants to Know What's Up With LATC

By Eric Richardson — August 15, 2005

Back in May the City Council told the CLA to go out and do an “expedited solicitation of interest” on the LA Theatre Center, starting over the RFP process that had gotten hung up in politics. They were supposed to report back in thirty days. In late June they sent in a report (PDF) saying, basically “We have nothing to report.” Replies...


Everyday

Joel Kotkin Says Urban Living is a Fad

By Eric Richardson — August 14, 2005
8 Comments

Joel Kotkin writes often about Downtown, and rarely does it seem positive. In today’s LA Times is a commentary piece of his entitled ’Hip loftsters will stay lonely, for suburbs still seduce.’ Those I doubt he wrote that title, it makes about as little sense as some of the assertions he seems to be making. His basic point seems to be that though...