A taste of food from South Park restaurants, a sample of drinks from South Park bars, an entertainment stage with local talent, South Park non-food/drink vendors, and raffle prizes from South Park businesses - a taste of all things South Park for the South Park community will be held on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at 11th Street and Grand Avenue from 1-6 pm.

South Park neighbors gathered in the 100s (actually 300 neighbors gathered) at the 2nd Annual Neighborhood Night Out at HiDef on August 1.

  Four minutes from Pico Metro Station to the new Bunker Hill Metro Station behind the Broad Museum.  Around three minutes to walk to the entrance of the Broad vs. a 33-minute walk UPHILL on Grand – straight uphill. Or eight minutes from Pico Station to the Little Tokyo-Arts District Station. A nine-minute walk to Manuela Restaurant at the Hauer & Wirth building or a four-minute walk to the Japanese American National Museum vs. a 50-minute walk. Oh, the places you’ll go in the downtown area with the opening of the Metro Regional Connector.

South Park Neighborhood Association has registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a neighborhood association for the purpose of “promoting the common good and general welfare” for all the people in the community. SPNA is a 501(c) (4) non-profit organization.

Despite three decades of warnings and sporadic displays of global coordination over the last 30 years, the fact is we have done far too little, far too slowly to stop further warming of our climate. According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - the leading scientific authority on all things related to climate change), carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is now the highest ever recorded in the last two million years – and trending higher!

As Downtowners, we’ve grown used to concrete sidewalks and cold building exteriors with maybe a patch of grass in sight. But alas - it was just AstroTurf. And for those of us transplants from parts of the country where we grew up surrounded by actual nature, this is the new normal. Try as we may to bring the Great Outdoors into our homes, sometimes we don’t know where to begin. Enter Lofty Gardens, a local business set on helping you create your own lush living environment. We caught up with business owner Bonnie to learn more.

People are consistently flocking to Downtown L.A. in search of various opportunities, yet as we get older, it becomes more difficult to make connections. I sat down with bartender Stephanie Gutierrez to talk about the diverse schedule of events that HiDef offers, aiming to bring the neighborhood and beyond together. There’s something for everyone.

Most likely, if you have been out on the streets of South Park over the long 4th of July weekend, you will have marveled at how a huge contingency of cartoon characters have literally taken over our quaint little town!

 Teresa Y. Hillery, a 17-year South Park resident, has filed to represent CD 14 on the LA City Council. Eight candidates have now filed. Currently, incumbent Kevin de Leon has not publicly indicated his intent to seek re-election.                  

Our neighborhood is home to an active oil well – between Hill and Broadway and Pico and 14thPlace.  It is easy to miss seeing the oil well because it is well fenced, but it exists. And it is a health hazard for South Park residents.

This year, South Park Neighborhood Association (SPNA) will host “A Taste of South Park” for the first time as an event open to all South Park residents and businesses.  This is an expansion of a block party that was organized in the past by and for four South Park residential buildings (Elleven, Luma, Evo, and 1050). The event will feature South Park restaurants, bars, live music, and other businesses representing our South Park neighborhood.

Join us again this year at SPNA’s 2nd Annual Neighborhood Night Out on Tuesday, August 1 from 6 – 9 pm at HiDef Brewing!!

Following the release of several studies on the recovery of downtown LA from the Covid shutdown, it is now evident that DTLA’s comeback has been significantly delayed.  The popularity of remote/home work for office workers forced on us by the Pandemic has resulted in a marked reduction in the number of workers in downtown offices. Experts fear that the trend to work at home is not going away soon and the many office buildings in the downtown core are going to continue to be under-utilized.

The long-awaited South Park Farmers Market by “Farmer Mark” has been submitted for LA City approval, and with fingers crossed, we will see the first Saturday event in a few weeks according to Rich Sarian, Partnerships & Program Manager of the South Park Business Improvement District and the person spearheading the effort to get the market off the ground. 

I had the privilege and full pleasure to have eaten lunch and celebrated my anniversary dinner recently at The Capital Grille on 700 W. 9th Street at Figueroa. My experience is the same as other highly rated reviews. I love the restaurant for its food, service, and ambiance. I spoke with Britney Gregoire, its delightful and charismatic Managing Director. I am happy to share our exchange below.

Highlights from the Downtown Market Report for the first quarter of 2023 shows a strong recovery of people visiting downtown as convention business continues to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

Lots of news and new businesses in DTLA

The richness and vibrancy of downtown LA stems from its historic architecture and reuse of this architecture as it mingles with the newly built modern skyscrapers. South Park has benefited greatly from the renovation of historic properties that are now The Proper Hotel, The Hoxton Hotel, and the home of ASU. The Grand Lofts condos at Grand and 11th built for George Pepperdine, founder of Pepperdine University in Malibu, as the headquarters for his Western Auto Supply Company is now celebrating its 100th birthday. We love the Apple store in a transformed Broadway Street theater. The Eastern Columbia Building is an icon in downtown. And the list continues. The renovations, rehabs, and reuse did not happen without help from the 1999 Mills Act. And now proposed changes could have a chilling effect on the future of our historic buildings.

All South Park residents and businesses are invited to A Taste of South Park on Saturday, September 23. Mark your calendar - save the date!