Digging In to the Downtown Crime Drop

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - When it comes to Downtown crime, 2007 was the year everything changed. Under the Safer Cities Initiative, which deployed 50 extra cops to Skid Row, annual crime in Central Division plummeted 30%.

• From Toy District to Trash District

  DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - In August 2008, the Central City East Association announced that come Jan. 1, 2010, it would stop providing trash removal and other services in Downtown’s Toy District, following a group of property owners’ refusal to renew the local business improvement district. Now, just one month from the expiration, cardboard boxes and other garbage are already starting to pile up on the neighborhood’s streets.
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• The Exit Interview: Cecilia Estolano

  DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Cecilia Estolano marks her last day as CEO of the Community Redevelopment Agency on Monday, Nov. 30. She announced earlier this month that after 3 1/2 years, she is stepping down to take a still untitled job in the new Los Angeles office of Green for All, an environmental and economic organization.
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Take Aim at Target

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Brookfield Properties has a unique opportunity, one that could provide a major benefit to Downtown workers and residents: The company is in negotiations with Minneapolis-based mega-retailer Target to bring a store to the 7+Fig shopping mall.

• Convention Center Needs Pricing Flexibility

  DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Every so often, we come across a situation that seems so ridiculous that we wonder why it has not been fixed. The latest of these head-scratchers concerns the Los Angeles Convention Center and the way it prices space for those booking trade shows, business meetings and other gatherings.
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• Not So Fast on El Pueblo Lease

  DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument has been the site of numerous controversial business practices over the years, many of them concerning a litany of deals involving below-market rents and very long-term leases, mostly on Olvera Street.
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Shop Talk

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - For better or worse, it’s the holiday season, and gifts are in order. That means there’s something in it for you (assuming you’ve been nice and not naughty). But you’ve got to give to get. For those who recoil at the thought of going shopping, toting bags and swiping plastic, the good news is that if you venture to the Historic Core, you don’t have to leave the neighborhood to check off everyone on your list. It’s a great place to pick up a book, a skirt, a bottle of fancy English shaving gel, or a starter classical guitar for less than $30.

• Start Your Engines

  DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - The American auto industry is still in a downturn, with sales far off their peak and a slew of dealerships closing. The impact has been felt in Downtown Los Angeles, as an anticipated Chrysler sales center instead sits unfinished and empty at Figueroa and 21st streets. Meanwhile, about a mile to the north, two companies dropped out of this week’s L.A. Auto Show.
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• Joey in Wonderland

  DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - In the space of less that two hours on a recent night, Joey Arias was abducted by aliens, dropped from a spaceship into a nightmarish Garden of Eden and literally danced with the devil. All this occurred while the tall New Yorker was decked out in a corset and strappy high-heeled shoes, channeling divas from Bettie Page to Billie Holiday.
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