From the Newsroom

Broadway Effort Announces New Financing

By Eric Richardson — November 10, 2008 — 4 Comments

Ashes and Snow Eric Richardson

It's tough to get financing in today's market, but the city doesn't want to see that put a squeeze on Broadway redevelopment. While details are yet to be finalized, Bringing Back Broadway Executive Director Jessica Wethington McLean today announced that the effort had secured a line of credit that will make $150 million annually available for projects on the corridor. — Continued Inside...


City Staff Suggest Two Options for 6th Street

By Eric Richardson — November 10, 2008 — 10 Comments

Sixth Street Viaduct Eric Richardson

|Photo Gallery| Should the replacement design for the 1933 6th Street Viaduct be traditional or modern? City staff have narrowed a list of options down to two recommendations, one from each category. One design featured a traditional steel arch, while the other offers a modern cable-stay design. — Continued Inside...


Everyday

Street Vendors Feed from Times' Lines

By Ed Fuentes — November 10, 2008

The Selling of a President

At an industrial space on Mateo, t-shirts bearing the image of Barack Obama as "President of the U.S." were frantically being silk screened. A crew member gave a quick nod but preferred not to say anything except, "I don't want to jinx him." Why the concern? It was two days before the actual Election Day.


Politics

Around the Halls: November 10 - 14

By Eric Richardson — November 10, 2008
3 Comments

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Today is Monday, November 10, and a City Council recess means that it's going to be a quiet week around the halls. The halls won't be empty, though. Here are a handful of Downtown items going through this week.


DCBID Wants You to Appreciate Taxis

By Eric Richardson — November 07, 2008 — 15 Comments

Taxi_1 Ed Fuentes

Downtown's six-month Hail-a-Taxi trial runs through February, but uptake has been slow. It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation -- the cabs aren't circling because people aren't out hailing, but how can people expect to hail when the cabs aren't there?

The Downtown Center BID wants to jumpstart the process with a "Taxicab Appreciation Week," to run December 8 - 14. — Continued Inside...


Movement

Another Look at Scramble Crossings

By Eric Richardson — November 07, 2008
5 Comments

Streetfilms today posted a video taking a look at scramble crossings in Los Angeles. Scramble crossings, also known as "all cross," "pedestrian scrambles" or "barnes dances," are intersections that have distinct phase where pedestrians may cross in any direction, including diagonally. Currently in use near UCLA and USC, the city plans to install several in...


Arts/Culture

Modern Mickey Comes to Art Walk

By Pamela Rouse — November 07, 2008
2 Comments

BLOC28 @ the continental

Mickey's coming to the Historic Core, and it looks like he's picked up some street cred. Emblazoned on the side of the Continental Gallery, the first floor make-shift art space in the Continental Building, are large signs promoting BLOC28 and an oh too hip (and perhaps a little badass) Mickey Mouse. He's coming to the Downtown Art Walk next week for a limited...


Nighttime DASH Supported, But Not Yet Funded

By Eric Richardson — November 06, 2008 — 1 Comment

Blurred Bus Eric Richardson

The effort to bring nighttime DASH service to Downtown during the holidays continues. LADOT made a presentation on the topic today before a very small Transportation committee, consisting of just its chair, Councilwoman Wendy Greuel.

Greuel urged the department and other council offices to find the $30,000 needed to run a pair of DASH services in conjunction with the recently funded Red Line extension. — Continued Inside...


Everyday

LAT Still Hot Off The Press

By Ed Fuentes — November 06, 2008
4 Comments

on this day

|Photo Gallery| Can the Times' still sell papers? "Yes we can," is the refrain from Spring street. Even today, the Los Angeles Times still has a line of people waiting to purchase copies of yesterday's day-after-election issue with the screaming headline “It’s Obama.”


Food/Nightlife

Hanging with Stretch

By Stan Lerner — November 05, 2008
2 Comments

“Hey Oliver, slow down a second.” I stopped half a block short of 7th on Flower so my homeless buddy Stretch could put a torch lighter to the pipe in his hand. I call him Stretch because he’s almost seven- feet-tall and looks like he weighs one-sixty or less. “Stretch, you know I don’t approve of you smoking crack.” “Oliver, I’m a homeless black man with HIV—give...