If you don’t smoke cigars, you may know very little about the five-year-old King Cigar Lounge on Hope between 11th and 12th. And yet, as a non-smoker you just might have a reason to stop in. If you are a cigar smoker, you definitely should stop in.

Join your neighbors at the 3rd Annual Summer Neighborhood Night Out hosted by SPNA (South Park Neighborhood Association) and Audiograph (aka HiDef) on Wednesday, July 31, from 6-9 pm on the patio at 12th and Olive.

No charge for admittance. Food and drink available for purchase.

Join your neighbors at the 3rd Annual Summer Neighborhood Night Out hosted by SPNA (South Park Neighborhood Association) and Audiograph (aka HiDef) on Wednesday, July 31, from 6-9 pm on the patio at 12th and Olive. No charge for admittance.

Yes, your ballot is secret. No one knows how you voted on a race or an issue, but it is public record WHO voted in each election. Elected officials know who voted by address, by neighborhood, by voting area – CD 14 or State Assembly District 57, or Congressional District 37.

Efren Martinez and Sade Elhawary advanced to the general election as candidates to represent you in the California Assembly (57th District). Let’s meet the candidates you will vote on in November (listed alphabetically below).

The South Park Business Improvement District (SPBID) introduced Pico, the South Park mascot, to the neighborhood last week. Pico attended the SPBID’s event at 33 Taps and at the Saturday Farmers Market. More about Pico in the next newsletter in September!

The South Park Business Improvement District (SPBID) introduced Pico, the South Park mascot, to the neighborhood last week. Pico attended the SPBID’s event at 33 Taps and at the Saturday Farmers Market. More about Pico in the next newsletter in September!

First Sunday is DTLA’s rotating community brunch. First Sunday is a gathering of residents, friends, stakeholders at a DTLA restaurant – highlighting new restaurants and old favorites. Bringing people together to share in the best of Downtown LA.

First Sunday is DTLA’s rotating community brunch. First Sunday is a gathering of residents, friends, stakeholders at a DTLA restaurant – highlighting new restaurants and old favorites. Bringing people together to share in the best of Downtown LA.

The Immersive Art Collective (IAC) on Olive between 11th and Olympic announced 2 new events for August and September.

Sonoritas, Flower at 11th Street, has a neighborhood special until August 15. Enjoy 2 tacos for the price of 1. A 50% discount!

I am a graduate of Stop the Bleed training. I had not thought much about learning how to stop bleeding. But a couple of facts pushed me to the training offered by our neighborhood hospital, Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center.

Next up – Steep LA, Mandarin Plaza – 970 N. Broadway #112 – from 6-8 pm. Opportunity to meet other DTLA residents and other curious residents.

This month I am sharing a link to an article on the subject by the CEO of SNAppt, an AI-enabled fraud detection software company, that reinforces and expands on the warning that all rental property owners/managers wishing to rent their properties in today’s rental climate must pay critical attention to the growing possibility that tenant applications might be fraudulent.

The Dial 311 program is offered by the City of LA with the express mission of helping LA citizens connect directly with LA City Services.  Use of the MyLA311 program is beneficial in getting action on those frustrating issues of living in a city and can be an effective problem solver.

DLANC (Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council) has selected two new board members to fill vacancies for the Fashion District Business Director and the At-Large Director positions.

“Proceed immediately on the LA Convention Center Expansion so that it may be finished in time to act as a center for the 2028 Olympics” was the recommendation of LA officials last week. After kicking the football around for several years and with the finalization of the City’s budget, the Council has deemed the planning and construction should proceed immediately if the expansion can be completed in time for the 2028 Olympics and if the final cost of the project can come in at or below the $1.2 billion projection.

Without a doubt, the Oceanwide Towers loom over South Park today and well into the future of our neighborhood. The failed project is a daily reminder of stalled development figuratively and literally. As a long-time local I am reminded all too frequently of how Downtown lost all momentum during the pandemic and even now after most of the nation has bounced back.

After weeks of silence from Councilman Kevin DeLeon’s office on the SPNA’s South Park Superblock concept (which proposes to permanently shut down Grand Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street and transform the street into a badly needed public park), Christopher Antonelli, Downtown Area Director of Council District 14, has conveyed that Nate Hayward, Los Angeles City traffic specialist, has made the following motion to the Los Angeles City Department of Transportation:

Recently, our neighbors have become the victims of an especially insidious form of renter fraud. It has happened in the South Park condo building where I am a Homeowner Association Board Member.