LA Weekly (California)
December 9, 2010 Thursday
LAPD Headquarters Blues;
How two affable restaurateurs went from PAB’s pals to eviction targets
by Martin Berg
After Los Angeles city officials took land that was supposed to be a
park to build the $437 million LAPD headquarters, they promised that,
in return, it wouldn’t be a fortress. The Police Administration
Building (PAB) would fit in and be an asset to downtown and its
dwellers.
Having gobbled up potential park land, the PAB headquarters promised
to include an acre of needed green space, as well as two adjacent
buildings on the grounds aimed at the community: a 400-seat auditorium
and a public restaurant. But now that City Hall has its beautiful PAB
headquarters, filled with 2,100 police and top brass and hailed as an
architectural gem, those promises are fading fast.
First the grass at PAB was accidentally wiped out by crowds attending
a police fundraising event; that was followed by squabbling over who
should restore the brown eyesore at the corner of Second and Main
streets. The big lawn was saved, but neighborhood groups are working
on a plan for volunteers to maintain it; word is the city doesn’t have
the money.
Now, L.A. Weekly has learned, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich is moving
to evict from their nearly finished restaurant two Civic Center mall
shopkeepers who worked for months, and spent nearly $1 million,
creating a friendship-themed restaurant in a building on PAB’s grounds
that looks out on the lawn. Called L.A. Reflections, its menu was to
be based on the cuisines of L.A.’s sister cities.
Would-be restaurateurs Sam Vagarshakian and Michael Simon tell the
Weekly Trutanich’s case is so weak that quiet talks have begun on a
possible settlement. Vagarshakian and L.A. Reflections went to court
Dec. 6 to fight eviction from their leased restaurant. But no
settlement was reached and the legal battle continues.
Vagarshakian is appalled and baffled. “It’s like somebody comes in and
throws you out of your house,” he says. “I don’t know that I have
words to describe how I feel after two years of work.”
While City Councilwoman Jan Perry and top LAPD brass appeared
supportive of the restaurant and wanted to sort through issues during
its difficult planning and interior construction, Vagarshakian says,
others seemed eager to throw up roadblocks. He singles out Police
Administrator Thom Brennan of LAPD’s Facilities Management Division
and Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, director of asset management in the
city’s Department of General Services. Jones-Sawyer refused to comment
and Brennan did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Within key city departments, he says, “There doesn’t appear to be any
communication.”
Vagarshakian and Simon are not fly-by-night characters accustomed to
eviction threats. For years both ran shops in the mall beneath the
Civic Center, a favorite lunch spot for government workers and police.
Vagarshakian, the CEO of L.A. Reflections, ran a cell-phone store.
Simon’s family jewelry store was the first tenant to open in the mall,
decades ago.
But it hasn’t exactly been brotherly love with City Hall since the
pair won the restaurant lease in 2009. “We wanted something that would
really reflect the diversity of the city and the Civic Center,”
Vagarshakian says. “That’s where we got the name.”
Vagarshakian says Deputy City Attorney Nancy Wax told his attorney,
Jeff Coleman, that the city no longer wanted a restaurant on the PAB
site, citing security concerns – for the heavily secured site.
“My head started flying away – how they could think this after two or
three years of work?” Vagarshakian asks. “I don’t know a word in
English to describe my reaction. It was crazy information that I got,
that a city this big could have such a lack of information, such a
lack of strategy, could have made such a miscalculation.”
Wax referred questions to Trutanich spokesman Frank Mateljan, who
declined comment.
The restaurateurs’ tale is particularly jarring, coming just as Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa and Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner aggressively
mount a PR campaign pledging a new “openness” to businesses and
efforts to “streamline” development and lure companies to a city
thrashed by 14 percent unemployment.
Trutanich’s lawsuit seeking to evict the men claims that L.A.
Reflections is months behind in opening and accuses them of violating
their lease – by serving alcohol without permits to people attending
downtown’s popular monthly Art Walk earlier this year.
But a judge in September had no problem with the two partners serving
alcohol during Art Walk, a sidewalk cultural event that draws
thousands of people downtown.
When the Los Angeles City Council chose this pair to develop the
restaurant, they pointedly did not turn to someone like Wolfgang Puck.
Nor did they choose experienced developers accustomed to bringing in
projects on deadline
Instead, they chose a team that boasts roots in the Armenian-American
community, is commited to charity and has experience in areas
including catering and restaurant work.
According to the agreement in July 2009, the partners would get an
empty, new city building suitable for transforming into a restaurant.
Construction delays prevented them from starting, the partners say,
but officials from the General Services Department appeared willing to
work with them.
Vagarshakian and Simon say Perry’s office stepped in to smooth difficulties.
Vagarshakian says they were supposed to take possession of the
building in March 2009, but due to various delays, the city didn’t
turn it over until February 2010. They couldn’t open by the agreed
date of March 2010, so, he claims, city officials gave them 140 more
working days.
Simon says one reason they were chosen by the City Council was because
they planned to give back to the community. And indeed, they wasted no
time in doing so, catering an event for the Los Angeles Police
Foundation and handling the breakfast for the swearing-in of Police
Chief Charlie Beck a year ago. John Mack, president of the L.A. Police
Commission, wrote to thank them: “Your work reflected nothing but
professionalism and graciousness, and you were truly a pleasure to
work with.”
Last spring, Vagarshakian and Simon used the unfinished restaurant to
participate in Art Walk, which draws big crowds to cafés and
galleries. Vagarshakian says they obtained permits. The city’s General
Services Department even provided tables for their events, which
included art displays and live music, while council members Eric
Garcetti and Perry provided chairs.
But in September, an LAPD officer issued them a citation – for holding
an unauthorized event. Vagarshakian says he went to court, showed a
judge his permits and got the citation dismissed.
Then on Friday, Sept. 17, with a few weeks of interior finishing to be
done, the General Services Division notified L.A. Reflections that its
lease was being terminated and it had three days to get out. On
Monday, Sept. 20, they filed an objection. On Sept. 23, Trutanich
filed an eviction suit.
Vagarshakian says they had expected to open as soon as the finishing
work and issues with the city over where to place a pollution control
device – about the size of an industrial AC unit – were resolved.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, city officials give a sharply
different version of events.
They say Vagarshakian could have taken possession of the space in
October 2009, but chose not to. They deny that the city agreed to give
the men 140 extra days last March.
City officials accuse L.A. Reflections of inviting artgoers inside the
unfinished restaurant during Art Walk – and serving alcohol.
Vagarshakian says wine was served at a private event during one Art
Walk, but not to public passersby.
Either way, it’s an interesting issue for City Hall to get its dander
up about. Alcohol is widely served throughout Art Walk by galleries
and boutiques. It has become a point of contention among LAPD, Art
Walk organizers, the business community and others.
But evicting a new company with nearly $1 million sunk into a project?
Vagarshakian insists, “All these city officials knew what we were
doing! Why weren’t we issued citations at the time? Why was the
citation that was issued dismissed?”
Simon mutters darkly about “an abuse of political power.” After all
the years they’ve worked in the Civic Center, they’re mystified by the
way they’ve been dealt with.
From: A. Papazian